"The mere sense of living is joy enough." - Emily Dickinson
By about 7:30 or so last night that joy was sagging. I think it was just the product of a week of running 5 miles a day as part of a spirited dash to see if I could get the body fat percentage down to 15% by tomorrow.
Self-awareness of my body has been one of the big gains this year. When I'm in a work meeting and come away replaying certain moments grumpily, it's a classic symptom for me to consider an early bedtime. I slipped a little diet-wise as the night grew longer, which wouldn't have happened if I'd shipped myself to bed with a good book and a tall drink of water.
So as they say, today is a rebirth, a chance to improve, entirely within my control since it's all about attitude. And possibly a short day!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Fresh Err
"I don't look at anything in the past as failure. I look at it as a great experience. Mistakes are part of the building process. Mistakes have to be made. How you act when you make mistakes is of paramount importance. That's how both teams and individuals grow and improve." - Mike Krzyzewski
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Creating Something Special
"In my life, I've always wanted to get a group of man ogether who have a common thought, common goal. I don't care who they are. But if those men can come together, check their egos at the door and honestly care about each other for more than what they do on the field, I think csomething very special can be created." - Mike Singletary, head coach, San Francisco 49ers
Friday, September 25, 2009
The Soloist
A friend sold me on this for the good music, and there's definitely some brilliant play for the fan of the symphony. But this story is about the plight of the American homeless - all 80,000 in Los Angeles and 3 million in America. An unlikely relationship blooms between a newspaper writer and a street musician with a violin down to its last two strings. The lifelong setbacks and gripping story of this former Juliard student intertwine heartwarmingly with the struggle of the columnist to accept that sometimes a life well lived is about enjoying and listening to the world rather than trying to change it.
I'm glad I got the DVD, with its special feature infomercial about the efforts going on to help the hopeless. It's worth the money!
I'm glad I got the DVD, with its special feature infomercial about the efforts going on to help the hopeless. It's worth the money!
Aphids Wild
What the heck's going on, folks?
Have you ever known bugs so thick that you run from your car to the store as fast as if it were raining?
Bugs so thick that your wife calls you from two miles away asking for you to come pick her up by car to escape them?
Bugs so thick that the guy with the bright yellow shirt looks like he's actually wearing a polka dot shirt?
Bugs so thick that the window screen is meaningless?
The inside of my car window looks like a decal from Lord of the Flies.
Evidently these soybean aphids - all trillion of them, surely enough to fly circles around that teeny Biblical locust swarm - flourish in the warm and mild temps. For the first time I find myself pulling for a cold snap!
Have you ever known bugs so thick that you run from your car to the store as fast as if it were raining?
Bugs so thick that your wife calls you from two miles away asking for you to come pick her up by car to escape them?
Bugs so thick that the guy with the bright yellow shirt looks like he's actually wearing a polka dot shirt?
Bugs so thick that the window screen is meaningless?
The inside of my car window looks like a decal from Lord of the Flies.
Evidently these soybean aphids - all trillion of them, surely enough to fly circles around that teeny Biblical locust swarm - flourish in the warm and mild temps. For the first time I find myself pulling for a cold snap!
Words Have Consequences
"It was wrong then to demonize the president, and it is wrong now...
Ted Kennedy once mistakenly received a direct-mail appeal from Jerry Falwell urging him to send money to fight 'ultraliberals such as Ted Kennedy.' The mishap led to a remarkable scene: Falwell hosted Kennedy on the campus of Falwell's university in Lynchburg, Va. There, to applause from the crowd, Kennedy quoted a speech that his brother Jack gave to the Protestant Council of New York City: 'The family of man is not limited to a single race or religion, to a single city, or country … the family of man is nearly three billion strong. Most of its members are not white and most of them are not Christian.' (The speech had been delivered in November 1963.) Ted Kennedy concluded by citing Saint Paul: 'If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.' I believe it is possible."
- Jon Meacham, Newsweek
Regardless of who's leading the nation, city, office or house, there are few things as uplifting as the ability to hold someone accountable while still holding them in respect.
Ted Kennedy once mistakenly received a direct-mail appeal from Jerry Falwell urging him to send money to fight 'ultraliberals such as Ted Kennedy.' The mishap led to a remarkable scene: Falwell hosted Kennedy on the campus of Falwell's university in Lynchburg, Va. There, to applause from the crowd, Kennedy quoted a speech that his brother Jack gave to the Protestant Council of New York City: 'The family of man is not limited to a single race or religion, to a single city, or country … the family of man is nearly three billion strong. Most of its members are not white and most of them are not Christian.' (The speech had been delivered in November 1963.) Ted Kennedy concluded by citing Saint Paul: 'If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.' I believe it is possible."
- Jon Meacham, Newsweek
Regardless of who's leading the nation, city, office or house, there are few things as uplifting as the ability to hold someone accountable while still holding them in respect.
The Anatomy Of A Yeah
I was in the middle of a conversation at work trying to resolve an issue, when a sort of glossy look came over his face and he uttered a distracted "Yeah." Have you been there before? There's art in human relations. In the next breath I could've told him that Tiger Woods was babysitting my kids tonight and he wouldn't have flinched. When we have a point to make, why not wait until the person's listening, and listening with a receptive mind? I could have fallen into a world of my own, enjoying the sound of selling the idea without regard for his attentiveness, wasting a slice of both of our lives.
I changed the topic briefly, which brought him back. Eventually, I led back into it once his mind was refocused, and the motion carried!
I changed the topic briefly, which brought him back. Eventually, I led back into it once his mind was refocused, and the motion carried!
A Cure For Madness
While talking with my friend Bill this week it was clear that he was concerned with how his co-worker Ted felt about him. For some reason, Ted just made my friend's stomach knot up when passing in the hallway. Ted simply doesn't seem to like Bill. Is he mad at me? Bill wants that to change.
I think that it helps to focus on the issues and not on the feelings if possible. If it bothers me to consider how the person disdains me... guess I might as well stop considering it. With co-workers there's almost always a common goal of some kind. Even people who hate us are usually good people who are simply in conflict with us for one reason or another. Is there a behavior that I could cut back on to make the other person's life easier? Regardless, if I show genuine good feelings toward the person as I work with him to get our shared job done, it seems that few other steps could have softened the ground further to enable a good relationship to grow.
I think that it helps to focus on the issues and not on the feelings if possible. If it bothers me to consider how the person disdains me... guess I might as well stop considering it. With co-workers there's almost always a common goal of some kind. Even people who hate us are usually good people who are simply in conflict with us for one reason or another. Is there a behavior that I could cut back on to make the other person's life easier? Regardless, if I show genuine good feelings toward the person as I work with him to get our shared job done, it seems that few other steps could have softened the ground further to enable a good relationship to grow.
Riding It Out
"A superior vessel takes a long time to complete." - Zen proverb
Right on. This week I had a couple of what felt like truly self-aware moments, where someone in my midst made a derogatory comment about someone not in the room, and I kept myself out of the fray. Now if I can just get a streak going as long as a day...
Right on. This week I had a couple of what felt like truly self-aware moments, where someone in my midst made a derogatory comment about someone not in the room, and I kept myself out of the fray. Now if I can just get a streak going as long as a day...
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Two-Meal Diet Aids In Oldest Man's Longevity
From USA Today:
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — So what does the world's oldest man eat? The answer is not much, at least not too much.
Walter Breuning, who turned 113 on Monday, eats just two meals a day and has done so for the past 35 years.
"I think you should push back from the table when you're still hungry," Breuning said.
At 5 foot 8, ("I shrunk a little," he admitted) and 125 pounds, Breuning limits himself to a big breakfast and lunch every day and no supper.
"I have weighed the same for about 35 years," Breuning said. "Well, that's the way it should be."
"You get in the habit of not eating at night, and you realize how good you feel. If you could just tell people not to eat so darn much."
His practice of skipping supper began when he first moved to Great Falls from Minneapolis in 1978. He lived in the Yellowstone Apartments at the time and would walk downtown to Schell's in the Johnson Hotel or the Albon Club on the second floor for lunch.
In 1980, the Albon Club moved to the Rainbow Hotel, and the owners asked Breuning to be manager, which he did for 15 years.
"I never started eating supper again," Breuning said.
He gets up at 6:15 a.m. and has a big breakfast every day at 7:30 a.m. Usually it's eggs, toast or pancakes.
"You can order anything you want, just like a restaurant," he said.
"I eat a lot of fruit every day."
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer sent Breuning a fruit basket after a recent visit.
"Boy, I tell you that was good fruit. I ate the whole darn thing," Breuning said. "Peaches, pears, everything, it sure was good."
In addition to eating fruit every day, Breuning also takes a baby aspirin.
"Just one baby aspirin," he said, "but everybody gets that for their heart. That's the only pill I ever take, no other medicine."
And he drinks plenty of water.
"I drink water all the time," he said, and just a bit of coffee. "I drink a cup and a half of coffee for breakfast and a cup with lunch."
Breuning said he has been healthy all of his life and believes diet has a lot to do with it.
"If people could cut back on their normal weight, it wouldn't be quite so bad," he commented. "They just eat too much!"
Breuning remembers his family having a cow, pigs, chickens and a big garden when he was growing up, like most people did in those days.
"Everybody was poor years ago," he said. "When we were kids, we ate what was on the table. Crusts of bread or whatever it was. You ate what they put on your plate, and that's all you got," Breuning said.
Breuning recalls his mother being a good cook, though she died when she was 46 after an operation in Minneapolis. His wife was a good cook, too. They met when they worked in Butte for the railroad.
"Everything she made was good," Breuning said. "We used to have lots of card parties, and they would always say what a good cook she was."
While diet has contributed to his longevity, Breuning also believes that working hard was good for him.
"Work doesn't hurt anybody," he said, mentioning that he had two jobs, one working for the Great Northern Railway until he was 66 and the other as manager/secretary for the local Shriner's Club until he was 99.
These days, Breuning keeps busy talking with all of the people who visit the Rainbow Retirement Center interested in meeting the world's oldest man.
Though his vision doesn't allow him to read anymore, Breuning keeps his mind active by listening to the radio.
"My eyes are gone," he said, "but I listen to the radio. I get all my news on KMON."
Breuning started eating out 35 years ago, but said he doesn't anymore.
"Once you get used to not eating in restaurants, you don't want to anymore," he said. Besides, he'd rather eat at home, at the Rainbow Retirement Center.
"They have a lot of good food right here," he said, "and good cooks."
Breuning celebrated his 113th birthday with not one, but two cakes, one chocolate and one vanilla. And for his birthday lunch he got his favorite: liver and onions.
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — So what does the world's oldest man eat? The answer is not much, at least not too much.
Walter Breuning, who turned 113 on Monday, eats just two meals a day and has done so for the past 35 years.
"I think you should push back from the table when you're still hungry," Breuning said.
At 5 foot 8, ("I shrunk a little," he admitted) and 125 pounds, Breuning limits himself to a big breakfast and lunch every day and no supper.
"I have weighed the same for about 35 years," Breuning said. "Well, that's the way it should be."
"You get in the habit of not eating at night, and you realize how good you feel. If you could just tell people not to eat so darn much."
His practice of skipping supper began when he first moved to Great Falls from Minneapolis in 1978. He lived in the Yellowstone Apartments at the time and would walk downtown to Schell's in the Johnson Hotel or the Albon Club on the second floor for lunch.
In 1980, the Albon Club moved to the Rainbow Hotel, and the owners asked Breuning to be manager, which he did for 15 years.
"I never started eating supper again," Breuning said.
He gets up at 6:15 a.m. and has a big breakfast every day at 7:30 a.m. Usually it's eggs, toast or pancakes.
"You can order anything you want, just like a restaurant," he said.
"I eat a lot of fruit every day."
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer sent Breuning a fruit basket after a recent visit.
"Boy, I tell you that was good fruit. I ate the whole darn thing," Breuning said. "Peaches, pears, everything, it sure was good."
In addition to eating fruit every day, Breuning also takes a baby aspirin.
"Just one baby aspirin," he said, "but everybody gets that for their heart. That's the only pill I ever take, no other medicine."
And he drinks plenty of water.
"I drink water all the time," he said, and just a bit of coffee. "I drink a cup and a half of coffee for breakfast and a cup with lunch."
Breuning said he has been healthy all of his life and believes diet has a lot to do with it.
"If people could cut back on their normal weight, it wouldn't be quite so bad," he commented. "They just eat too much!"
Breuning remembers his family having a cow, pigs, chickens and a big garden when he was growing up, like most people did in those days.
"Everybody was poor years ago," he said. "When we were kids, we ate what was on the table. Crusts of bread or whatever it was. You ate what they put on your plate, and that's all you got," Breuning said.
Breuning recalls his mother being a good cook, though she died when she was 46 after an operation in Minneapolis. His wife was a good cook, too. They met when they worked in Butte for the railroad.
"Everything she made was good," Breuning said. "We used to have lots of card parties, and they would always say what a good cook she was."
While diet has contributed to his longevity, Breuning also believes that working hard was good for him.
"Work doesn't hurt anybody," he said, mentioning that he had two jobs, one working for the Great Northern Railway until he was 66 and the other as manager/secretary for the local Shriner's Club until he was 99.
These days, Breuning keeps busy talking with all of the people who visit the Rainbow Retirement Center interested in meeting the world's oldest man.
Though his vision doesn't allow him to read anymore, Breuning keeps his mind active by listening to the radio.
"My eyes are gone," he said, "but I listen to the radio. I get all my news on KMON."
Breuning started eating out 35 years ago, but said he doesn't anymore.
"Once you get used to not eating in restaurants, you don't want to anymore," he said. Besides, he'd rather eat at home, at the Rainbow Retirement Center.
"They have a lot of good food right here," he said, "and good cooks."
Breuning celebrated his 113th birthday with not one, but two cakes, one chocolate and one vanilla. And for his birthday lunch he got his favorite: liver and onions.
Got It!
Lay down 14 mouse traps, and one of 'em's bound to work! We'll see if that's the only one. I replaced the trap with a brand new one, in the same "lucky" spot... ahhhh...
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
He Knows A Thing Or Two About Influence
"When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted." - Abraham Lincoln
Helping Them Help Them
"If I didn't give Coach Iba or Coach Newell the right answer, they'd ask me another question in an effort to lead me to the correct solution. But always, always they would make sure that I came up with the solution myself. They would not just tell me the answer.
And the fact is that I always remembered these solutions better. I would think about the situation myself, determine that right answer, and I would never forget it. I also noticed that I was more determined to implement my newfound solution in practice. And I was better able to teach it to my players." - Mike Krzyzewski
And the fact is that I always remembered these solutions better. I would think about the situation myself, determine that right answer, and I would never forget it. I also noticed that I was more determined to implement my newfound solution in practice. And I was better able to teach it to my players." - Mike Krzyzewski
Monday, September 21, 2009
The Married Sex Post
Jane jokingly suggested that I try a post on married sex, a la Dr. Laura's book. Sure, what the heck. It's Hidden Blog, after all. Plus there's the freedom of not having read the book, giving me the esteemed status of zero credibility. A collection of random thoughts, then:
1. Sex obviously can be defined very objectively, and involves physical intimacy in any case, but the depth of relationship in marriage adds fullness to the experience beyond any few moments that might be lost in the excitement of a new couple. "Experience" seems better suited than "activity" to describe it - a tapestry of touch and words that needn't even necessarily contain a particular climactic moment to flourish. "Activity" might suggest a goal or task. Married sex is softer and gentler than that... more about the journey.
2. As a physical experience, it intensely personal and individual according to our own bodies. Whatever is ideal for me is different from any other person. In some ways the ideal varies by the day or the moment. And the trust of a married couple lends itself to complete honesty around such a vulnerable topic. In what other situations is it so proper to answer the question "What would you like?" Whatever the answer - it's the right one. And the beauty of sex within marriage is that in time we grow in the ability to sense the answer to the question without needing to ask.
3. As an emotional experience, it's one of the ultimate embodiments of what marriage is all about: nourishing the other. Married sex is for the spouse, and not the self (though it's pretty convenient that there's a little personal benefit besides, isn't it?).
4. There's abundant chance for spontaneity within the experience. So is there something wrong if there's less spontaneity in the timing? I first heard the phrase "scheduled sex" as a constructive term when we attended a marriage seminar. Face it: As we get older, we tire more easily and have more responsibilities. There's no guilt in that. Often, more important is the thoughtfulness and energy we bring to it - in other words, quality matters most.
5. Speaking of which, I'm a believer in marriage seminars, or any similar activity that enables a chance to talk about "us." At the office, one of the toughest things to do can be giving a performance review. And marriage attaches itself so much more personally! Whether it's generically labeled "Couples' Night Out" with dinner and conversation, or a two-hour class on "Redefining Romance" at a community college, or an all-day conference at Allstate Arena, there are ample ways to do this. Structured opportunities to improve marriage aren't relegated to last-resort desperation counseling... they're proactive gestures of commitment to each other that deepen understanding in a non-confrontational way. And practice makes perfect!
There you go, Jane!
1. Sex obviously can be defined very objectively, and involves physical intimacy in any case, but the depth of relationship in marriage adds fullness to the experience beyond any few moments that might be lost in the excitement of a new couple. "Experience" seems better suited than "activity" to describe it - a tapestry of touch and words that needn't even necessarily contain a particular climactic moment to flourish. "Activity" might suggest a goal or task. Married sex is softer and gentler than that... more about the journey.
2. As a physical experience, it intensely personal and individual according to our own bodies. Whatever is ideal for me is different from any other person. In some ways the ideal varies by the day or the moment. And the trust of a married couple lends itself to complete honesty around such a vulnerable topic. In what other situations is it so proper to answer the question "What would you like?" Whatever the answer - it's the right one. And the beauty of sex within marriage is that in time we grow in the ability to sense the answer to the question without needing to ask.
3. As an emotional experience, it's one of the ultimate embodiments of what marriage is all about: nourishing the other. Married sex is for the spouse, and not the self (though it's pretty convenient that there's a little personal benefit besides, isn't it?).
4. There's abundant chance for spontaneity within the experience. So is there something wrong if there's less spontaneity in the timing? I first heard the phrase "scheduled sex" as a constructive term when we attended a marriage seminar. Face it: As we get older, we tire more easily and have more responsibilities. There's no guilt in that. Often, more important is the thoughtfulness and energy we bring to it - in other words, quality matters most.
5. Speaking of which, I'm a believer in marriage seminars, or any similar activity that enables a chance to talk about "us." At the office, one of the toughest things to do can be giving a performance review. And marriage attaches itself so much more personally! Whether it's generically labeled "Couples' Night Out" with dinner and conversation, or a two-hour class on "Redefining Romance" at a community college, or an all-day conference at Allstate Arena, there are ample ways to do this. Structured opportunities to improve marriage aren't relegated to last-resort desperation counseling... they're proactive gestures of commitment to each other that deepen understanding in a non-confrontational way. And practice makes perfect!
There you go, Jane!
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
We saw this film in 3-D at the Starplex Theater.
Who needs deep life lessons when you can wear Roy Orbison glasses and watch a zany inventor turn rain into food? The crestfallen little town of Swallow Falls experiences a radical makeover, eventually lapsing into crisis due to greedy mistakes. Throw in a ton of special effects (such as the house made of jello), a light-hearted romantic fling, and a father-son rift mended, and you've got yourself a happily-ever-after techie tale of silliness and calories.
See it with the family if your kids haven't done the 3-D thing before. Leave it on the shelf at the rental store.
Who needs deep life lessons when you can wear Roy Orbison glasses and watch a zany inventor turn rain into food? The crestfallen little town of Swallow Falls experiences a radical makeover, eventually lapsing into crisis due to greedy mistakes. Throw in a ton of special effects (such as the house made of jello), a light-hearted romantic fling, and a father-son rift mended, and you've got yourself a happily-ever-after techie tale of silliness and calories.
See it with the family if your kids haven't done the 3-D thing before. Leave it on the shelf at the rental store.
Sealegs In Midair
We were out at the Morton Pumpkin Festival on Saturday, my first time. What a gala! Functional guy that I am, the myriad arts and crafts displays were both impressive and useless. But the tent filled with all treats pumpkin was sublime. Our friends ate pumpkin ice cream sandwich and pumpkin pie, Dena had a caramel pumpkin shake, and I a pumpkin ice cream cone.
There was entertainment enough to cause me to conceive new career options. The New Mexico family band that sold their home for an RV and travels the country playing all manner of fun music. The two-clown act.
The signature moment was the carnival ride I'd done once before as a kid. You've probably been on it - think of a big gondola boat that swings waaaay up to the left, then waaaay back to the right like a pendulum. And you sitting at one of the ends. There's a single bar locked across your lap for safety. As a ten-year old, that bar didn't touch my lap and so, naive to concepts like centrifugal forces that would generally have wedged me safely in place anyway, my stomach nearly turned to jelly with panic.
Now I had a chance to conquer those demons - with pumpkin ice cream in my gut, no less. And sure enough, it was downright fun! Not $5 worth of fun, but who could pass up a rite of passage into adulthood? Ten-year-old Joe would've sworn the ride was a half hour long, but this was about two minutes of free-falling bliss.
There was entertainment enough to cause me to conceive new career options. The New Mexico family band that sold their home for an RV and travels the country playing all manner of fun music. The two-clown act.
The signature moment was the carnival ride I'd done once before as a kid. You've probably been on it - think of a big gondola boat that swings waaaay up to the left, then waaaay back to the right like a pendulum. And you sitting at one of the ends. There's a single bar locked across your lap for safety. As a ten-year old, that bar didn't touch my lap and so, naive to concepts like centrifugal forces that would generally have wedged me safely in place anyway, my stomach nearly turned to jelly with panic.
Now I had a chance to conquer those demons - with pumpkin ice cream in my gut, no less. And sure enough, it was downright fun! Not $5 worth of fun, but who could pass up a rite of passage into adulthood? Ten-year-old Joe would've sworn the ride was a half hour long, but this was about two minutes of free-falling bliss.
Pushing The Right Motivational Levers
Teresa Amabile of the Harvard Business School hypothesized that intrinsic motivation - that which comes naturally from within - is still the best, and extrinsic motivation that's controlling is still detrimental to creativity, but extrinsic motivators that reinforce intrinsic drives can be highly effective.
What motivates our companion to do a job? The satisfaction of a job well done? The personal reward? The fear of failure? The good it serves others? The success of the team? Speak in terms of that for fastest results.
What motivates our companion to do a job? The satisfaction of a job well done? The personal reward? The fear of failure? The good it serves others? The success of the team? Speak in terms of that for fastest results.
Loving Kindness Meditation
If anyone has hurt me or harmed me knowingly or unknowingly in thought, word, or deed, I freely forgive them.
And I too ask forgiveness if I have hurt anyone or harmed anyone knowingly or unknowingly in thought, word, or deed.
- Theravada Buddhism
I rarely seem to have trouble forgiving those who are with me. Where I fall into the pit of judgment is when we're apart. What's the use of those poison replays? The challenge of practicing forgiveness for me is as much about what I don't think, as about what I think.
And I too ask forgiveness if I have hurt anyone or harmed anyone knowingly or unknowingly in thought, word, or deed.
- Theravada Buddhism
I rarely seem to have trouble forgiving those who are with me. Where I fall into the pit of judgment is when we're apart. What's the use of those poison replays? The challenge of practicing forgiveness for me is as much about what I don't think, as about what I think.
Recipe Of The Weak
1. Get enough food to eat, and eat it.
2. Find a place to sleep where it is quiet, sleep there.
3. Reduce intellectual and emotional noise until you arrive at the silence of yourself, and listen to it.
4.
- Richard Brautigan
What's an example of emotional noise? Two acquaintances of mine got into a heated e-mail exchange over an indirect (real or perceived) slight. Get on with your life, get out of mine, who are you to judge, etc. There was a central issue in play that was giving rise to the emotion. Focusing on the issue, rather than on the players, shores up teamwork and quiets the noise. We all have something in common.
2. Find a place to sleep where it is quiet, sleep there.
3. Reduce intellectual and emotional noise until you arrive at the silence of yourself, and listen to it.
4.
- Richard Brautigan
What's an example of emotional noise? Two acquaintances of mine got into a heated e-mail exchange over an indirect (real or perceived) slight. Get on with your life, get out of mine, who are you to judge, etc. There was a central issue in play that was giving rise to the emotion. Focusing on the issue, rather than on the players, shores up teamwork and quiets the noise. We all have something in common.
Of Mice And... Well...
I haven't posted for a couple of days for good reason - I haven't been in my basement. Heck, I've scarcely been in my house.
While watching the movie Adventureland at midnight Saturday, a mouse scurried across the far wall of the living room. And I scurried out the door. That's what city boys do, or at least the spineless ones.
As my car headed toward Wal-Mart, I wondered if I was experiencing the "fog of war" - that dazed feeling of adrenaline slowly working its way back to normal levels. I was all too glad to wander the aisles in the meantime, at last coming upon the display of rodent traps, of which I promptly cleared out half the stock. From the snack aisle, a container of peanut butter for bait. Cheap plastic cutlery for applying the peanut butter. And soon I was sitting in my car with the engine idling in the parking lot, some syndicated night-owl radio call-in show discussing the "third man syndrome" which as far as I could tell was about visits from a guardian angel brought on by LSD. But mostly I was too distracted like a mad scientist, carefully baiting a half-dozen traps in the front sat of my car and scheming where and how to place each strategically around the condo.
I placed the traps - then booked a room at the Signature Inn for the night.
Today I arranged a visit from Critter Control (not kidding). The fellow who looked much less nimble and much more composed than me inspected the place and determined a couple of places where telltale droppings indicated prime hiding spots. Then I had him install six bait-boxes at his recommendation - poison feed troughs that cause lethal internal bleeding once consumed up to 7% body weight. These kind of details were very important to me (not detailed here are the visual differences between fresh and "vintage" droppings). It should work within seven days. And he also suggested that the traditional snap-traps have the most well-established track record. So guess what Dr. Chickenstein did once he left? There are now 14 traps of 3 varieties in place. Peace has returned... at least the kind that soldiers feel once they've finished digging all the foxholes.
While watching the movie Adventureland at midnight Saturday, a mouse scurried across the far wall of the living room. And I scurried out the door. That's what city boys do, or at least the spineless ones.
As my car headed toward Wal-Mart, I wondered if I was experiencing the "fog of war" - that dazed feeling of adrenaline slowly working its way back to normal levels. I was all too glad to wander the aisles in the meantime, at last coming upon the display of rodent traps, of which I promptly cleared out half the stock. From the snack aisle, a container of peanut butter for bait. Cheap plastic cutlery for applying the peanut butter. And soon I was sitting in my car with the engine idling in the parking lot, some syndicated night-owl radio call-in show discussing the "third man syndrome" which as far as I could tell was about visits from a guardian angel brought on by LSD. But mostly I was too distracted like a mad scientist, carefully baiting a half-dozen traps in the front sat of my car and scheming where and how to place each strategically around the condo.
I placed the traps - then booked a room at the Signature Inn for the night.
Today I arranged a visit from Critter Control (not kidding). The fellow who looked much less nimble and much more composed than me inspected the place and determined a couple of places where telltale droppings indicated prime hiding spots. Then I had him install six bait-boxes at his recommendation - poison feed troughs that cause lethal internal bleeding once consumed up to 7% body weight. These kind of details were very important to me (not detailed here are the visual differences between fresh and "vintage" droppings). It should work within seven days. And he also suggested that the traditional snap-traps have the most well-established track record. So guess what Dr. Chickenstein did once he left? There are now 14 traps of 3 varieties in place. Peace has returned... at least the kind that soldiers feel once they've finished digging all the foxholes.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Legend Of The White Knight
More from yesterday's post.
2. Do men like the idea of being a White Knight saving their damsels in distress? Some do, I bet. In a sense, who wouldn't? Being someone's hero validates a sense of purpose in life. And when Dena and I go to seminars that talk about the Five Love Languages, "encouraging words" tops my list. As far as a sense of satisfaction for spousal helplessness though, count me out. I love women's lib! I'm inspired by being around strong people. "Dependent" is an extreme, rather than a daily, description. And I'm thrilled to know that I'm related to someone who can put in wood flooring. It's now filed in the Rolodex.
3. I totally sympathize with the slip of the tongue. Suffice to say that I could fill a week's worth of blog posts with comparable examples!
2. Do men like the idea of being a White Knight saving their damsels in distress? Some do, I bet. In a sense, who wouldn't? Being someone's hero validates a sense of purpose in life. And when Dena and I go to seminars that talk about the Five Love Languages, "encouraging words" tops my list. As far as a sense of satisfaction for spousal helplessness though, count me out. I love women's lib! I'm inspired by being around strong people. "Dependent" is an extreme, rather than a daily, description. And I'm thrilled to know that I'm related to someone who can put in wood flooring. It's now filed in the Rolodex.
3. I totally sympathize with the slip of the tongue. Suffice to say that I could fill a week's worth of blog posts with comparable examples!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
One Reason Marriages Work
Check out Jane's latest post, yo.
http://adventuresinfosteringhope.blogspot.com/2009/09/proper-care-and-feeding-of-superman.html
Do you see why this is so fantastic in the Hidden Blog realm?
It's like this. Who'd deny that there are some clear differences between men and women? Studies have shown that there are, and not just the kind that prevent anyone from mistaking Barbie for Ken. So as long as there are billions of these opposite-gender organic machines walking around, why not read up on them... you know, try to figure them out? Jane's all over it. Sweet.
Looks like Dr. Laura has taken a stab at the science herself. Here's my take on those findings.
1. Yep, when I come home there are often times that the creature that enters the door is not Joe. It is the Workasaurus. This beast has been wrapped in non-comfy clothing for most of its waking hours, caged in a sitting position and forced to think about problems that are mostly unsolvable by day's end. As a result, its back is tight, its brain is running on fumes from the strain and from the ultimate man-frustration of not having all the answers yet, and it's been several hours since it last ate. Fortunately, this does mean that Workasaurus has little eye for its surroundings (including the appearance of its mate) upon returning to its habitat. More fortunately still, it undergoes a remarkable transformation within a few minutes. During that time, it makes small yet important accomplishments by changing clothes and stretching out... tiny problems solved! It solves another problem by shutting closed the section of the brain that holds the work problems. At that point Joe safely emerges with the smile of a little positive momentum and relaxation. So caretakers can easily succeed by taking a few precautions. First, do not ask the Workasaurus to speak. Even sunny phrases like "Hello" have been found to have little useful value, and may even cause irritation. Once the man emerges, it habitually makes pleasant first contact. Second, do not reverse the transformation by opening the vault of memories from the recently-completed work day. These memories are acidic to the man, since they were not only unsolvable while at work, but now are even less so until he has a chance to return in the morning. However, occasionally the man will release several details on its own without prompting.
Watch for more to come this week. Right now, I'm headed upstairs for some "date time" watching re-runs with Dena of season 5 of The Office!
http://adventuresinfosteringhope.blogspot.com/2009/09/proper-care-and-feeding-of-superman.html
Do you see why this is so fantastic in the Hidden Blog realm?
It's like this. Who'd deny that there are some clear differences between men and women? Studies have shown that there are, and not just the kind that prevent anyone from mistaking Barbie for Ken. So as long as there are billions of these opposite-gender organic machines walking around, why not read up on them... you know, try to figure them out? Jane's all over it. Sweet.
Looks like Dr. Laura has taken a stab at the science herself. Here's my take on those findings.
1. Yep, when I come home there are often times that the creature that enters the door is not Joe. It is the Workasaurus. This beast has been wrapped in non-comfy clothing for most of its waking hours, caged in a sitting position and forced to think about problems that are mostly unsolvable by day's end. As a result, its back is tight, its brain is running on fumes from the strain and from the ultimate man-frustration of not having all the answers yet, and it's been several hours since it last ate. Fortunately, this does mean that Workasaurus has little eye for its surroundings (including the appearance of its mate) upon returning to its habitat. More fortunately still, it undergoes a remarkable transformation within a few minutes. During that time, it makes small yet important accomplishments by changing clothes and stretching out... tiny problems solved! It solves another problem by shutting closed the section of the brain that holds the work problems. At that point Joe safely emerges with the smile of a little positive momentum and relaxation. So caretakers can easily succeed by taking a few precautions. First, do not ask the Workasaurus to speak. Even sunny phrases like "Hello" have been found to have little useful value, and may even cause irritation. Once the man emerges, it habitually makes pleasant first contact. Second, do not reverse the transformation by opening the vault of memories from the recently-completed work day. These memories are acidic to the man, since they were not only unsolvable while at work, but now are even less so until he has a chance to return in the morning. However, occasionally the man will release several details on its own without prompting.
Watch for more to come this week. Right now, I'm headed upstairs for some "date time" watching re-runs with Dena of season 5 of The Office!
Commissioner's Box
What a day at the ballpark yesterday!
Despite the fact that the Cardinals lost and the winning run scored in the first inning, these $100-a-pop seats were worth it to us as a delayed birthday present for Dena.
Field-level access began two hours prior to game time and ended one hour prior. Since we had to get there by 11:15 then, we started the three-hour journey at 7:30 in case there any construction delays (there weren't). We were waved into lot C just 100 yards from the park, and strolled down to the Cardinals' dugout where we were greeted by our servers for the day, Kerry and Zach. These fellows gave us the complimentary menus and, like any restaurant server, stopped by throughout the game to ask if we needed any more food or beverages that they could fetch for us. They also gave us special wrist bracelets which allowed us to ditch the oversized commemorative tickets that we'd otherwise have worn from laniards around our necks the rest of the day.
The Commissioner's Box is a thirty-seat section, which allowed the servers to learn our names by the end of the day. And field-level access meant stepping through a gate onto a small patch of ground which was itself enclosed by the kind of temporary fencing used to prevent foul balls from smacking people in the head during batting practice. So while there wasn't much action per se, it was a holding place until our turn came up to go down into the dugout for our complimentary professional photo. Then they let us play around in our half of the dugout and come up with a couple poses of our own to capture with our own camera.
By this time the 80 degree temps in the direct sun had us ready to walk around in the shade of the stadium, where Dena found a pink Cardinals visor and also changed into a tank top. This caused us to miss Cardinals' batting practice, but we were more grateful for the cool environment. And we made it back down in plenty of time for the start of the game.
We shot about 40 photos in all, and were spared from any local line drive danger that could potentially have come our way. In between innings it was Albert Pujols' custom to toss a ball into the stands to little kids. And in the last inning the Cards actually loaded the bases and had the winning run at the plate, with the crowd screaming on their feet for their star hitter.
It would've been hard to top this experience!
Despite the fact that the Cardinals lost and the winning run scored in the first inning, these $100-a-pop seats were worth it to us as a delayed birthday present for Dena.
Field-level access began two hours prior to game time and ended one hour prior. Since we had to get there by 11:15 then, we started the three-hour journey at 7:30 in case there any construction delays (there weren't). We were waved into lot C just 100 yards from the park, and strolled down to the Cardinals' dugout where we were greeted by our servers for the day, Kerry and Zach. These fellows gave us the complimentary menus and, like any restaurant server, stopped by throughout the game to ask if we needed any more food or beverages that they could fetch for us. They also gave us special wrist bracelets which allowed us to ditch the oversized commemorative tickets that we'd otherwise have worn from laniards around our necks the rest of the day.
The Commissioner's Box is a thirty-seat section, which allowed the servers to learn our names by the end of the day. And field-level access meant stepping through a gate onto a small patch of ground which was itself enclosed by the kind of temporary fencing used to prevent foul balls from smacking people in the head during batting practice. So while there wasn't much action per se, it was a holding place until our turn came up to go down into the dugout for our complimentary professional photo. Then they let us play around in our half of the dugout and come up with a couple poses of our own to capture with our own camera.
By this time the 80 degree temps in the direct sun had us ready to walk around in the shade of the stadium, where Dena found a pink Cardinals visor and also changed into a tank top. This caused us to miss Cardinals' batting practice, but we were more grateful for the cool environment. And we made it back down in plenty of time for the start of the game.
We shot about 40 photos in all, and were spared from any local line drive danger that could potentially have come our way. In between innings it was Albert Pujols' custom to toss a ball into the stands to little kids. And in the last inning the Cards actually loaded the bases and had the winning run at the plate, with the crowd screaming on their feet for their star hitter.
It would've been hard to top this experience!
Going For The Flow
"[A psychologist's] famous work on 'flow' describes a state in which a person is so totally involved in a task that time slows down, enjoyment is heightened, and the task seems almost effortless. This 'high' is achieved when the challenge just matches the person's skills; if it's too easy the experience is boring, too hard and it's frustrating. As people master tasks, they must seek greater challenges and match them with higher-level skills in order to keep experiencing flow." - Geoff Colvin
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Spiritual Maturity
The first week of the Eastview small group features these discussion questions.
1. What was your spiritual maturity 10 years ago? At the time, I defined it as the goal of becoming more like Jesus. My practice wasn't deliberate, but looking back would say it consisted of church activities... being in a small group, treasurer, and Sunday service attender.
2. What is your spiritual maturity now? My new goal is more along the lines of being aware that I'm part of God's plan, and being at peace. My practice is much more deliberate and daily. Hidden Bloggers know that I keep a daily journal of my emotions and surround myself as best I can with positive people.
3. If spiritual maturity were a school, what grade would you be in? Senior high school. I still wouldn't characterize myself as a mostly positive or peaceful person, but I feel like I've got a workable plan in the right direction.
4. Would you be satisfied if you were at the same level of maturity in 10 years? Nah, I'd like to "graduate"!
5. What practices could you develop to be more Godlike? Listen, for one. And contribute to a happier creation by being positive and supportive.
The bottom line here is that practice, not mere ideals, makes more perfect.
1. What was your spiritual maturity 10 years ago? At the time, I defined it as the goal of becoming more like Jesus. My practice wasn't deliberate, but looking back would say it consisted of church activities... being in a small group, treasurer, and Sunday service attender.
2. What is your spiritual maturity now? My new goal is more along the lines of being aware that I'm part of God's plan, and being at peace. My practice is much more deliberate and daily. Hidden Bloggers know that I keep a daily journal of my emotions and surround myself as best I can with positive people.
3. If spiritual maturity were a school, what grade would you be in? Senior high school. I still wouldn't characterize myself as a mostly positive or peaceful person, but I feel like I've got a workable plan in the right direction.
4. Would you be satisfied if you were at the same level of maturity in 10 years? Nah, I'd like to "graduate"!
5. What practices could you develop to be more Godlike? Listen, for one. And contribute to a happier creation by being positive and supportive.
The bottom line here is that practice, not mere ideals, makes more perfect.
This Guy Was Smart
1. Out of clutter, find simplicity.
2. From discord, find harmony.
3. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
- Albert Einstein, "Three Rules of Work"
2. From discord, find harmony.
3. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
- Albert Einstein, "Three Rules of Work"
Sunday, September 13, 2009
In That Case, I'm A Great Skater
"Landing on your butt twenty thousand times is where great performance comes from." - Geoff Colvin
Eastview And The Call
There's an upcoming sermon series through Eastview Christian Church entitled "The Call," complete with devotional book. While I have no idea what "The Call" means, it's provided a small group experience that Dena and I haven't enjoyed for some time. On Thursday was the kickoff meet-and-greet at the Stolbum residence:
Steve and Kristin Stolbum - the organizers of the group and the only ones with children.
Jason and Kimberly Harden - the organizers of the running club that is the common thread that brought the group together in the first place.
Rick Krauss - the FedEx delivery man of the Stolbums.
We'll meet for something like six weeks. I anticipate listening to the sermons via podcast. And like many of the short-term groups I've been graced by over the last several years, I look forward to it with a sense of purpose and curiosity. What tidbit or relationship will be gained from this experience that will lead to a subsequent one, and ultimately an exciting new path?
Steve and Kristin Stolbum - the organizers of the group and the only ones with children.
Jason and Kimberly Harden - the organizers of the running club that is the common thread that brought the group together in the first place.
Rick Krauss - the FedEx delivery man of the Stolbums.
We'll meet for something like six weeks. I anticipate listening to the sermons via podcast. And like many of the short-term groups I've been graced by over the last several years, I look forward to it with a sense of purpose and curiosity. What tidbit or relationship will be gained from this experience that will lead to a subsequent one, and ultimately an exciting new path?
Over Rules
"Too many rules get in the way of leadership. They just put you in a box and, sooner or later, a rule-happy leaders will wind up in a situation where he wants to use some discretion but is forced to go along with some decree that he himself has concocted." - Mike Krzyzewski
Leaders become a lightning rod for the unpredictabilities of life. Setting rules and sticking by them is the only way to create "fairness" in some proper respects. It also tears the heart strings of the widow, the orphan, the hospitalized, or any number of extreme circumstances that run into the cold, indifferent nature of regulation.
Life varies, and so do people. Rules bring order, and brightest happiness comes from what happens beyond the rules.
Leaders become a lightning rod for the unpredictabilities of life. Setting rules and sticking by them is the only way to create "fairness" in some proper respects. It also tears the heart strings of the widow, the orphan, the hospitalized, or any number of extreme circumstances that run into the cold, indifferent nature of regulation.
Life varies, and so do people. Rules bring order, and brightest happiness comes from what happens beyond the rules.
Dodgeball Tourney
We had a fund raising dodgeball tournament out at the park on Saturday morning to support United Way. About 30 people chipped in $5 apiece to play in a round-robin series of games, followed by a single elimination best-of-three tournament.
We came in third place, so we have room to improve if they give this another go next year. And speaking of improvement...
1. Afterward my body went into one if its complaining fits, with knees and back screaming at me for most of the day and sending me to my room for most of the day. But living long enough teaches that pain is just a phase and in time (likely a few days in this case) things will be better than before.
2. It gave a perfect excuse to curl up with the newly-released season 5 of The Office and loaf through about 3/4 of the season, with the final bit plus bonus features scheduled for today. I think this season is better than the last one!
We came in third place, so we have room to improve if they give this another go next year. And speaking of improvement...
1. Afterward my body went into one if its complaining fits, with knees and back screaming at me for most of the day and sending me to my room for most of the day. But living long enough teaches that pain is just a phase and in time (likely a few days in this case) things will be better than before.
2. It gave a perfect excuse to curl up with the newly-released season 5 of The Office and loaf through about 3/4 of the season, with the final bit plus bonus features scheduled for today. I think this season is better than the last one!
Summer School
"Alexander's work suggests that the way in which education has been discussed in the U.S. is backwards. An enormous amount of time is spent talking about reducing class size, rewriting curricula, buying every student a shiny new laptop, and increasing school funding - all of which assumes that there is something fundamentally wrong with the job schools are doing. But data shows that schools do work. The only problem with school, for the kids who aren't achieving, is that there isn't enough of it.
The causes of Asian math superiority become even more obvious. Students in Asian schools don't have long summer vacations. Why would they? Cultures that believe that the route to success lies in rising before dawn 360 days a year are scarcely going to give their children three straight months off in the summer. The school year in the U.S. is, on average, 180 days long. The South Korean school year is 220 days long. The Japanese school year is 243 days long." - Malcolm Gladwell
There are ups and downs to be had with the type of transformation discussed there. The point that interests me is the reaffirmation that success in multiple areas, whether music or play or learning, comes in proportion to work.
The causes of Asian math superiority become even more obvious. Students in Asian schools don't have long summer vacations. Why would they? Cultures that believe that the route to success lies in rising before dawn 360 days a year are scarcely going to give their children three straight months off in the summer. The school year in the U.S. is, on average, 180 days long. The South Korean school year is 220 days long. The Japanese school year is 243 days long." - Malcolm Gladwell
There are ups and downs to be had with the type of transformation discussed there. The point that interests me is the reaffirmation that success in multiple areas, whether music or play or learning, comes in proportion to work.
Aging Slowly
"Studies in a very broad range of domains - management, aircraft piloting, music, bridge, and others - show consistently that excellent performers suffer the same age-related declines in speed and general cognitive abilities as everyone else - except in their field of expertise." - Geoff Colvin
I'd imagine that this stems from the fact that people continue to throw themselves into their passions. What do we achieve in life by embracing a vague set of principles and dreams? Focus brings brilliance to photos and lives alike.
I'd imagine that this stems from the fact that people continue to throw themselves into their passions. What do we achieve in life by embracing a vague set of principles and dreams? Focus brings brilliance to photos and lives alike.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Are You "An" Authority Or "In" Authority?
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Ridicule Us
"I have endured a great deal of ridicule without much malice; and have received a great deal of kindness, not quite free from ridicule. I am used to it." - Abraham Lincoln
If ridicule is a problem, then I'm holding onto my ego too tightly, pretending for reasons bordering on insane that it matters, as long as I do the best I can.
If ridicule is a problem, then I'm holding onto my ego too tightly, pretending for reasons bordering on insane that it matters, as long as I do the best I can.
Stable, Boy
"Great art is usually created amid stability; you won't get many great statues or symphonies from a city under siege." - Geoff Colvin
Is your mind like a city under siege? Built a moat, find some peace! Today work kept me in the office till nearly 7 p.m. It was time to come home, do some quiet stretching in the living room while watching a good show on T.V., and grab something tasty to eat. Then I was relaxed, and ready to be productive again. Sometimes it just helps to detach the brain from "things that matter," and just revel in some easy mental and physical stress relievers.
Is your mind like a city under siege? Built a moat, find some peace! Today work kept me in the office till nearly 7 p.m. It was time to come home, do some quiet stretching in the living room while watching a good show on T.V., and grab something tasty to eat. Then I was relaxed, and ready to be productive again. Sometimes it just helps to detach the brain from "things that matter," and just revel in some easy mental and physical stress relievers.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Heroic Meekness
"One thing I personally try to do is, I try to put myself a little down. I say to my copilots, 'I don't fly very often. Three or four times a month. You fly a lot more. If you see me doing something stupid, it's because I don't fly very often. So tell me. Help me out.' Hopefully, that helps them speak up." - Suren Ratwatte, veteran pilot
Ratwatte was reflecting on a plane crash that had occurred because of a lack of communication, due to a culture with extreme deference or shyness to speak out to a superior officer. That's what happens when co-workers or family members sense an excess of judgment, closed-mindedness, or invulnerability - crashes. We're humans, and we flourish when we act like them.
Ratwatte was reflecting on a plane crash that had occurred because of a lack of communication, due to a culture with extreme deference or shyness to speak out to a superior officer. That's what happens when co-workers or family members sense an excess of judgment, closed-mindedness, or invulnerability - crashes. We're humans, and we flourish when we act like them.
Lane Young Joins Facebook
The internet buzz index flipped this weekend on the rumor that Lane Young, soccer phenom and photographer extraordinaire, had developed a Facebook page. Twitter was all atwitter with the news:
"my nephew is the bomb i am so psyched" - Joe McDonald
"omg!" - Duane Freidinger
"shoot whos going to pay attention to me now" - Paris Hilton
"who cares about practice, if i could be Lane's friend i'd be on his page like all day" - Tiger Woods
"got some ideas to run past him, sweet hope he accepts my friend invitation pleezpleezpleezpleez" - Barack Obama
Young is expected to hang out at www.bored.com.
"my nephew is the bomb i am so psyched" - Joe McDonald
"omg!" - Duane Freidinger
"shoot whos going to pay attention to me now" - Paris Hilton
"who cares about practice, if i could be Lane's friend i'd be on his page like all day" - Tiger Woods
"got some ideas to run past him, sweet hope he accepts my friend invitation pleezpleezpleezpleez" - Barack Obama
Young is expected to hang out at www.bored.com.
That's A Lot Of Tombstones
"Each night, when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn." - Mahatma Ghandi
We shower daily (most of us, anyway) because it's just not healthy to let the grime of the past stick with us. Plus, it helps leap into the new day with gusto.
The magic and simplicity of spreadsheets says that if I live as long as my dad I have 42,336 days ahead of me. Why shorten life by letting them run together or slide past as if any two were the same? Each can be a new adventure for growing a little physically, mentally and/or spiritually.
We shower daily (most of us, anyway) because it's just not healthy to let the grime of the past stick with us. Plus, it helps leap into the new day with gusto.
The magic and simplicity of spreadsheets says that if I live as long as my dad I have 42,336 days ahead of me. Why shorten life by letting them run together or slide past as if any two were the same? Each can be a new adventure for growing a little physically, mentally and/or spiritually.
Why Only 1% Of Grown Kids Live With Their Parents?
"The command and control model of leadership just won't work 99 percent of the time." - A.G. Lafely, Procter & Gamble
Friday, September 4, 2009
Alabama vs. Virginia Tech In Season Opener
Saturday, 7:00 CST on ABC!
No. 7 Virginia Tech meets No. 5 Alabama on Saturday night, September 5th in the Georgia Dome. The game can be seen on ABC. Alabama leads the all-time series 10-to-1 but the teams have not met since 1998. Football odds makers have listed Alabama as the 6.5-point favorite with the total set at 38.5.
Alabama’s expectations remain high entering the 2009 season despite all the talent that was lost off last year’s team. Bama’s line was a big key to its success in 2008 and that unit returns just one starter. The team also must break in a new quarterback and find a workhorse in the backfield. Greg McElroy has been given the nod as the team’s new quarterback, and he will look to get the football to talented wide receiver Julio Jones as often as possible if he knows what’s good for him. Head coach Nick Saban is known for his conservative, run-heavy, ball-control offense, but when you’ve got a talent like Jones, you have to find ways to get him the football.
Defensively, Alabama figures to be one of the best teams in the country. Led by nose guard Terrence Cody and end Lorenzo Washington, the front seven is rock solid. Linebackers Rolando McClain and Don’ta Hightower are serious NFL prospects as well.
Last year, the Tide upset Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Classic and went on to post an undefeated regular season. This time, the Tide have the target on their back.
With Darren Evans lost for the season, the offense will rely even more on quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Passing accuracy and decision-making were two things the junior QB needed to work on in the offseason. We’re about to see how much he improved as he faces off against one of the best defenses in the country Saturday. Unlike Alabama, Tech will have the benefit of an experienced line which has a total of 87 career starts among its five returning starters. Their number one task will be to control Terrence Cody.
You know Alabama will run the football. That’s just Saban’s style. So it will be up to VA Tech to shut down Alabama’s power running game. The Hokies are no stranger to putting elite defenses on the field and I expect them to be up to the challenge. If I’m the Hokies, I see what McElroy is made of and make him beat me through the air. Bud Foster’s defenses usually gobble up QB virgins so it should be interesting to see how McElroy performs.
Tyrod Taylor is going to have to play a spectacular game and that likely means strong improvisations when plays break down. This would also be a good time for running back Ryan Williams to step up to make fans miss Evans less.
No. 7 Virginia Tech meets No. 5 Alabama on Saturday night, September 5th in the Georgia Dome. The game can be seen on ABC. Alabama leads the all-time series 10-to-1 but the teams have not met since 1998. Football odds makers have listed Alabama as the 6.5-point favorite with the total set at 38.5.
Alabama’s expectations remain high entering the 2009 season despite all the talent that was lost off last year’s team. Bama’s line was a big key to its success in 2008 and that unit returns just one starter. The team also must break in a new quarterback and find a workhorse in the backfield. Greg McElroy has been given the nod as the team’s new quarterback, and he will look to get the football to talented wide receiver Julio Jones as often as possible if he knows what’s good for him. Head coach Nick Saban is known for his conservative, run-heavy, ball-control offense, but when you’ve got a talent like Jones, you have to find ways to get him the football.
Defensively, Alabama figures to be one of the best teams in the country. Led by nose guard Terrence Cody and end Lorenzo Washington, the front seven is rock solid. Linebackers Rolando McClain and Don’ta Hightower are serious NFL prospects as well.
Last year, the Tide upset Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Classic and went on to post an undefeated regular season. This time, the Tide have the target on their back.
With Darren Evans lost for the season, the offense will rely even more on quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Passing accuracy and decision-making were two things the junior QB needed to work on in the offseason. We’re about to see how much he improved as he faces off against one of the best defenses in the country Saturday. Unlike Alabama, Tech will have the benefit of an experienced line which has a total of 87 career starts among its five returning starters. Their number one task will be to control Terrence Cody.
You know Alabama will run the football. That’s just Saban’s style. So it will be up to VA Tech to shut down Alabama’s power running game. The Hokies are no stranger to putting elite defenses on the field and I expect them to be up to the challenge. If I’m the Hokies, I see what McElroy is made of and make him beat me through the air. Bud Foster’s defenses usually gobble up QB virgins so it should be interesting to see how McElroy performs.
Tyrod Taylor is going to have to play a spectacular game and that likely means strong improvisations when plays break down. This would also be a good time for running back Ryan Williams to step up to make fans miss Evans less.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Saying Know
"Step one, obvious yet deserving a moment's consideration, is knowing what you want to do. The key word is not what, but knowing. Because the demands of achieving exceptional performance are so great over so many years, no one has a prayer of meeting them without utter commitment." - Geoff Colvin
There are some things we just know match our skills and passions. Why not go for it? Excellence is a long road away and it's time to start running.
There are some things we just know match our skills and passions. Why not go for it? Excellence is a long road away and it's time to start running.
Wellness Score 89
How about that? My company is paying us $15 a month to complete a wellness assessment. So I did, and my score was 89, putting me at "moderate" risk for health problems. The friendly post-survey advisor suggested that I start eating 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day. So I've got an apple on the desk next to me now. Cool...
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Faith Inaction, Or Faith In Action?
"Steadiness of faith was, in the long run, as illuminating and essential as sophistication of thought. The art of leadership required both, as did the nation." - Jon Meacham
Two perspectives on faith, amidst the early years of the struggling, slavery-torn American nation:
"My hopes of a long continuance of this Union are extinct." - John Quincy Adams, 6th U.S. President
"I, for one, do not despair of the Republic. The Republic is safe." - Andrew Jackson, 7th U.S. President
Wonder why Adams lost the re-election?
Two perspectives on faith, amidst the early years of the struggling, slavery-torn American nation:
"My hopes of a long continuance of this Union are extinct." - John Quincy Adams, 6th U.S. President
"I, for one, do not despair of the Republic. The Republic is safe." - Andrew Jackson, 7th U.S. President
Wonder why Adams lost the re-election?
Sleep Formula
Here's a tip from a guy who had reasonable cause for sleepless nights, like world war:
"I'll tell you, at night when I lay my head on my pillow, and it is often pretty late, and I think of the things that have come before me during the day and the decisions that I have made, I say to myself - well, I have done the best I could - and turn over and go to sleep." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
"I'll tell you, at night when I lay my head on my pillow, and it is often pretty late, and I think of the things that have come before me during the day and the decisions that I have made, I say to myself - well, I have done the best I could - and turn over and go to sleep." - Franklin D. Roosevelt
Fear Factor: Oval Office
"In times of peril, one of the most important qualities of successful presidents is a coolheaded willingness to assume personal risk, as Lincoln did even before he took office, narrowly averting a little-known assassination attempt as he journeyed to Washington for his inauguration. In a later era, John F. Kennedy demonstrated similar coolness under pressure in his handling of the Cuban missile crisis. At other times, steadfastness of purpose was what was called for. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson all governed in the uncertain early years of the republic, when the country still might have come unglued at any moment." - Amy Bernstein
I don't know about you, but suddenly that problem on my mind seems much less stressful!
I don't know about you, but suddenly that problem on my mind seems much less stressful!
Artificial Heart (Sort Of)
"Endurance runners, for instance, have larger than average hearts, an attribute that most of us see as one of the natural advantages with with they were blessed. But no, research has shown that their hearts grow after years of intensive training; when they stop training, their hearts revert toward normal size." - Geoff Colvin
We hear talk of reshaping our futures, and it's good to hear that we can even reshape our bodies to get there! Some might say that we're lucky, and that may be true. But as Hall of Fame golfer Arnold Palmer once said, "the more I practice, the luckier I get."
We hear talk of reshaping our futures, and it's good to hear that we can even reshape our bodies to get there! Some might say that we're lucky, and that may be true. But as Hall of Fame golfer Arnold Palmer once said, "the more I practice, the luckier I get."
Chalazion Day
This morning was scheduled to abort the chalazion (sha-LAY-zee-un) that had formed below my eye about five months ago.
Dena came with me, like Mom used to do when I'd go to the dentist, with promises of post-procedure breakfast rather than McDonald's milkshakes afterward.
To some extent the experience was worse than my mind had conceived. Rather than leading me to a modern-furnished patient exam room for what was advertised as a 5-minute procedure, she lured me into the elevator below ground and then to a room straight out of Saw horror films. Cold tile floors, pale fluorescent lighting, the time-worn retracting chair. An eye clamp that looked like hot dog tongs.
In all other respects it was a snap! The chatty nurse numbed my eyeball with the same drops I get for glaucoma testing during annual eye exams. The smallest needle in free society was used to inject the local anaesthetic, a bare pinch and minimal discomfort at all - they injected it from the outside rather than inside of the lid, as I had anticipated ("Hey Dena, poke me right here! Gotta practice! Don't make that face!"). Dr. Ken Barba (whose name is a doll-collector's delight... if his middle name was "Malibu" it'd be perfect) easily scooped out the gunk in there, and with a little dabbing of some residual ooze it was all over.
In fact, the most irritating part of the experience was not being able to feel my eye blink for the next hour or so. But for just $50 ($40 for the procedure, $10 for some disinfecting 4-day supply of eye drops) I feel like a new man.
Dena came with me, like Mom used to do when I'd go to the dentist, with promises of post-procedure breakfast rather than McDonald's milkshakes afterward.
To some extent the experience was worse than my mind had conceived. Rather than leading me to a modern-furnished patient exam room for what was advertised as a 5-minute procedure, she lured me into the elevator below ground and then to a room straight out of Saw horror films. Cold tile floors, pale fluorescent lighting, the time-worn retracting chair. An eye clamp that looked like hot dog tongs.
In all other respects it was a snap! The chatty nurse numbed my eyeball with the same drops I get for glaucoma testing during annual eye exams. The smallest needle in free society was used to inject the local anaesthetic, a bare pinch and minimal discomfort at all - they injected it from the outside rather than inside of the lid, as I had anticipated ("Hey Dena, poke me right here! Gotta practice! Don't make that face!"). Dr. Ken Barba (whose name is a doll-collector's delight... if his middle name was "Malibu" it'd be perfect) easily scooped out the gunk in there, and with a little dabbing of some residual ooze it was all over.
In fact, the most irritating part of the experience was not being able to feel my eye blink for the next hour or so. But for just $50 ($40 for the procedure, $10 for some disinfecting 4-day supply of eye drops) I feel like a new man.
Motivation
"What Reagan seems to have discovered is that when you give subordinates full responsibility for the results they produce, they demonstrate far greater motivation and creativity than when they are merely carrying out instructions." - Dinesh D'Souza
Whenever I'm choosing how to spend my time and whether to commit to something (and hopefully most of the time when I'm supervising at work), empowerment is a "must-have" part of the game. With observations like the one above, who wouldn't?
Whenever I'm choosing how to spend my time and whether to commit to something (and hopefully most of the time when I'm supervising at work), empowerment is a "must-have" part of the game. With observations like the one above, who wouldn't?
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