Hairspray: Corny, Link And Tracy

 

Coming soon to a theater near you... Corny Collins, Link Larkin and Tracy Turnblad.

Tickets available online:

http://www.communityplayers.org/shows_hairspray.html

Heartwarming Quote Of The Day

"A special thanks to Joe for being the best manager/mentor/friend a guy could hope for."

If The Good Samaritan Had Written A Note

Here's the note that was tucked under my windshield wiper that helped to save my day earlier this week!

White House Correspondents' Dinner Is Hilarious!

There's some really good stuff in here!

Jimmy Kimmel's speech:

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/29123661

Barack Obama's speech:

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/29123661

Paying It Forward: The Week In Thanks

You know, earlier this week I posted about my adventures with my first broken-down-in-the-middle-of-traffic car. What I only touched on was the kindness of the faceless stranger who took the time to tuck that back-of-napkin note under my windshield wiper warning me of the leak in my transmission fluid. I had walked right past that fairly obvious long trail of liquid bread crumbs - twice - oblivious. If it hadn't been for that note, I may not have realized the problem until I'd pulled out into the busiest road in the city. Instead, I altered my path down side streets, which took mountains of pressure off the situation. I'm looking forward to my chance to do someone such a great favor anonymously.

There was exactly one day this week with summery enough weather to sit outside and read. It happened to be the day my car broke down, and was stranded at home all afternoon. So that silver lining was especially bright as I basked on the pool deck. Because it's been a busy week, and probably healthy for me to have a quick unplanned mental vacation.

The talent of the Hairspray cast and crew continues to be a godsend. Truly, every cast member is not only naturally likable but deeply talented. I love how different scenes throughout the show allow each of the leads to perform solo or duet at some point, in ways that I feel sure will have the audience smiling. It is a mighty and increasing commitment, but a re-energizing one. Studies say that being part of a church adds to a person's life span. I think that this Community Players Theatre experience is doing the same. Friday night about half the cast went out for dinner at Applebee's (I hope everyone got the invitation), and one man picked up the check. Another brought in cookies for his birthday. Our directors are willing to work at almost any hour to help us, are sprightly and funny. We occasionally have "pits and peaks" group discussions about the good and bad going on in our lives. It's like a three-month retreat, and the bonding is spilling out. I ask this every week it seems: How did I get so blessed?

I got another new math tutoring student this week through the WyzAnt site. This seed just continues to sprout. That will run the count to eleven different students I've been able to tutor this semester. I recently got certified in geometry, and take my first venture into trigonometry on Monday. It's not a complete surprise, but it is exciting all the same. God's at work again, because every time one student gets confident enough to leave the nest on their own, another one replaces.

Friday was a dreamy day at work, one of those with no meetings, lots of people out of the office, peace and quiet to make some great strides on employee performance reviews. In less than a month I'll have another new employee to supervise, and three interns will start in the department. Right in the heart of spring, these opportunities for growing other people's careers continue to flower.

Saw another waterworks-inducing brand new episode of Undercover Boss this week. It does for me what sermons do for so many, a perspective on the goodness of life and a chance to stir the softest, kindest and most grateful parts of my soul.

So many avenues for growing as a person and (in tiny ways) to help others grow too. I'm going to enjoy the freshness of these gentle rains upon my life-soil for as it lasts.

Five Myths About Stress, Debunked

By Linda Wasmer Andrews of Yahoo! Health:

In today's world, feeling stressed out is the rule, not the exception. For most of us, learning more about how to handle stress is a crucial step toward better physical and psychological health.
Unfortunately, a lot of what passes for common wisdom about stress turns out not to be so wise after all. Watch out for these five common myths.

Myth: Stress makes you pessimistic and cautious.

Reality: Stress is often associated with bad experiences, so you might think it would bias your thinking in a negative direction. However, a recent article in Current Directions in Psychological Science concluded that the opposite is true: When people are put under stress in studies—for example, by being asked to hold their hand in ice water or give a speech—they begin paying more attention to positive information.

According to the article’s authors at the University of Southern California, this finding has important implications for decision-making in everyday life. For example, let’s say you’re trying to lose weight and deciding whether to have chocolate cake for dessert. After a stressful day, you may be more likely to focus on how good the cake will taste and to discount the unwanted calories it contains. If you're not aware of this tendency and don't compensate for it, you might make some decisions you later regret.

Myth: Chronic stress is linked to heart disease, not brain disease.

Reality: The relationship between stress and heart disease still isn’t fully understood. But it’s known that chronic stress causes an increase in heart rate and blood pressure that might damage artery walls over time. The risks don’t stop there, however. Stress affects your whole body, including your brain.
One recent line of research suggests that frequent stress may even boost the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. A new study headed by scientists at the University of California at San Diego showed that repeated stress triggered brain changes in mice that were similar to the abnormal clumps of protein seen in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. The changes were most pronounced in the hippocampus. In humans, this part of the brain plays a key role in memory and is hard hit by Alzheimer’s disease.

Myth: Stress management is about controlling difficult situations.

Reality: Some situations that give rise to stress are under your control, but many are not. You can’t control bad weather, traffic jams, your boss’s crankiness, a stranger’s rudeness, or an infinitely long list of other situations and events. But that’s okay, because you can manage your reaction to these things, and that’s what many stress management strategies are designed to do.

One way to stop stress is by reappraising a difficult situation as a challenge rather than a threat. For example, when you're given a tough new assignment at work, you can make a conscious choice to think about it as an opportunity to grow in your job—not a chance to fall flat on your face. A new study showed that this may come more easily if you’re naturally open to new experiences and less easily if you’re prone to anxiety. But it’s a habit of mind that anyone can cultivate with practice.

Myth: A couple of drinks will help you de-stress.

Reality: A study in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research showed why alcohol doesn’t work very well as a stress relief strategy. In the study, University of Chicago researchers first put men under stress with a public speaking task. Then they gave the men either the equivalent of two drinks of alcohol or a placebo by IV and measured the results. Although alcohol dampened the men's hormonal responses to stress, it actually prolonged their subjective feelings of tension.

To make matters worse, the same study showed that stress could reduce the pleasant effects of alcohol or increase the craving for more of it. In the real world, this might encourage drinking too much—and that can lead to a whole host of bad choices that only multiply stress.

Myth: Everyone needs to meditate (or do yoga or take long walks).

Reality: Another way to counter stress is by learning effective ways to relax your body and calm your mind. For example, you might take several deep breaths, go for a walk or bike ride, practice mindfulness or meditation, do yoga or tai chi, call a supportive friend, or spend time in nature. But it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. The key is finding strategies that suit your personality and lifestyle.
There are a few universal guidelines, however. For optimal stress relief, it’s essential to get regular physical activity and adequate sleep. Recent research suggests that REM sleep—the stage during which dreaming occurs—may be particularly important. In the REM state, emotional memories are reprocessed, but stress hormones are suppressed. This may take some of the edge off painful memories, making it easier to cope the next day.

Why Should You Hug A Co-Worker Next Week?

A team of social scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, followed all 30 NBA teams in 2008 and 2009, tracking the players' fist pounds and chest bumps, and found that a physical show of team spirit boosts cooperation, relieves anxiety, and can improve a team's performance in a game.

Forrest Gump Corollary

Anger's like a box of chocolates. It may feel sweet and satisfying in the short run, and can even be a little healthy. But it's probably best to avoid it.

Life Begins At 75

Artist Grandma Moses started painting when she was seventy-five years old - and she still had a twenty-six year career. Pursue your dream, no matter how farfetched it may seem.

Scottie Pippen: Ultimate Defender

Funny Or Die: Eyehole Paintings With Adam West

The latest in home security systems.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/4f6d741241/eyehole-paintings-with-adam-west?rel=by_user

Remembering Good Samaritans Of The 1992 L.A. Riots

From Liz Goodman, a reminder of how the best can overcome the worst of human behavior.

Titus Murphy, left, with two other Good Samaritans who rescued Reginald Denny are honored in 1992.

In one of the most disturbing images from the Los Angeles riots, six black assailants dragged Reginald Denny, a 33-year-old truck driver, out of his cab in South Los Angeles and bashed his head in with a brick. A television chopper broadcast the violence live. The attack happened shortly after not-guilty verdicts were handed down in the racially charged trail of the police beating of Rodney King, which kicked off six days of rioting that left dozens dead and thousands injured.

About a mile and a half away, Titus Murphy and his then-girlfriend Terri Barnett were watching the Denny attack on live television. Murphy, who was an unemployed engineer at the time, couldn't believe what he saw.

"When this gentleman was getting beat something was just telling me this isn't right, this isn't what it's all about," he told Yahoo News 20 years later. "When he got hit in the head with the brick something told me to go down there. I just reacted."

Murphy and Barnett drove about a block away from the now infamous corner of Normandie and Florence to see if the rioters would let them get any closer. Murphy saw that Denny had managed to drag himself back into the cab of the truck, which was moving very slowly. Murphy ran to the passenger side and jumped on the running board; he saw a woman named Lei Yuille comforting Denny inside the cab. Just then, a hulking guy named Bobby Green leaped on the running board of the other side. The two stared at each other through the windows each fearing the other was a rioter.

"I asked him, 'Who are you? What are you going to do?'" Murphy says. "He said, 'What are you going to do?' I didn't know he was thinking the same thing I was thinking. I figured I had to take him on, he figured he had to take me on. We were both over 6 feet tall. I told him I was going to drive the truck and he said, 'I'm a truck driver.' That was the end of that."

Green jumped in and drove the massive truck a terrifying three miles to the hospital, with Murphy's girlfriend Barnett guiding the way by driving in the car in front. Green clung to the outside of the truck for the entire journey, feigning to be a rioter by pounding on the outside of the vehicle as if he had taken it for loot.

"There were cars approaching us and swinging bats and sticks and guns and stuff," he said. "I had to pretend that I was part of the riot so that the people in the cars wouldn't try to take us on or try to take advantage of the truck again. I started beating on the truck like it was mine. The trick really worked."

From his position on the running board, Murphy was also able to guide Green, who couldn't see through the truck's cracked windows. "Each one of us could not carry on the task without the other," says Murphy. "Bobby couldn't drive the truck without me on the outside. Mr. Denny was attended to from the inside [by Yuille], and we couldn't drive the truck without Terry in the front of us."

The result was a perfect collaboration. "We all came together as a team," he says. "It was like it was meant to be."

After extensive surgery, Denny survived the beating, but his speech and ability to walk were damaged permanently. His four rescuers, who were all black, became a symbol of hope in the devastating violence that engulfed the city for three days.

"I was just helping a person who was in need," says Murphy. "I didn't look at his race at all. Never thought about it once."

Murphy now lives in Escondido with his wife and children and he worries that the anger of 20 years ago could bubble up again today. America still has a class of "have-nots" who need better opportunities to get ahead, he says. "In every major city in America and in cities all over the world the same thing could happen," says Murphy,"until we decide as a people that we work together and stop looking at things as race but realize we're all one."

The Seekers - I'll Never Find Another You (1968)

Since my head's been in the 1960's for the last six weeks... here's a classic.

The Leak And The Lesson

I walk out to my car in the parking deck for lunch, and see a napkin tucked under my windshield.

"Your car has a bad leak. I think it's coolant."

(several seconds of standing, staring, blinking as birds chirp overhead)

How did someone pay attention to a leak under my car?

I look a little further. There's a loooong trail of liquid running as far as the eye can see. Clearly not water, which would have evaporated hours ago.

Meineke is three miles from work. I figure I'll make a run for it, rather than trying to navigate a tow truck up to the third deck.

One and a half miles later, I'm camped on the side of the road. At least I've figured out that the problem is with the transmission, which roared like an airplane while I drifted at 15 mph until it stalled for good.

I've never had a car break down before. Um, now what?

Need a tow truck. Good old Joe's Towing from my college days, maybe?

I call Dena to see if she can get me the number. (No smart phone here.) She's not there.

I call Jack in California. He gives me Joe's Towing's number. (Smart phone.)

Bright idea. State Farm customer! The receptionist gives me the name of Winks Towing. And thanks to my emergency roadside assistance coverage that I'd recently added (genius deduction for a 13-year old car, eh?), soon a friendly dude has me rolling toward Meineke. Didn't have to pay a dime - State Farm's arrangement with Winks takes care of it.

Meineke said they could get me in the next day.

Dena and I decide that, with transmission trouble being expensive, we'll just declare the car dead if the damage is more than $1,000.

I get the call in the morning. Turns out that a filter had simply cracked. So they just fixed it. Ready to pick up. Total cost $102!

To sum up the math lessons:

1. Car - transmission fluid + driving = auto roadkill

2. State Farm + roadside assistance = free ride

3. Meineke = awesome

Hairspray - Velma And Corny

Wendi Fleming's the friend who invited me to audition for Hairspray! Velma and Corny have a hot-and-cold relationship on stage, but it's all hugs and smiles in the seats.

Opening night is just more than two weeks away.

Tickets can be bought online... why not treat yourself to a night of comedy? Plenty of time to eat dinner before the 7:30 starting time (or lunch, before 2:30 Sunday matinees).

http://www.communityplayers.org/shows_hairspray.html

Chicago Aldermen Approve $7 Billion Infrastructure Makeover

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago City Council on Tuesday approved a plan to use public-private partnerships to finance an ambitious $7 billion program to overhaul the city's aging infrastructure.

Chicago aldermen voted 41-7 to approve the Chicago Infrastructure Trust program, which includes plans to replace crumbling commuter rail stations and century-old water pipes to building new airport runways and parks.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the multibillion-dollar plan in February, saying Chicago would go ahead with projects without waiting for federal assistance or raising taxes. The trust will start with $225 million in energy efficiency projects for government buildings.

Emanuel has touted the plan as a signature initiative, saying it will help in the effort to rebuild a city badly in need of a makeover. Prior to Tuesday's vote, he noted that the concept of an infrastructure bank or trust has been debated in Washington for the last decade.

"They're still debating it. I won't tie the city's future to (Washington's) dysfunction," Emanuel said of failure to pass a federal transportation bill. "Working together, we have a tool here that takes some of the pressure off of our taxpayers. That's what we're doing."

Among its projects, the city plans to renovate more than 100 transit stations, spend $290 million on expanding parklands and transform the Chicago River — which once flowed with sewage and industrial waste — into a haven for kayakers.

It will also spend $1.4 billion on two new runways at O'Hare International Airport by 2015 and $660 million on public schools. The city will replace 900 miles of water pipes that are more than a century old and 750 miles of sewer line. The roads above them will also be repaved. Highlighting the need, Emanuel said more than 3,800 water pipes burst last year.

Some urban planners and policy experts were skeptical that remaking a city on such a grand scale could be pulled off without either raising taxes or privatizing major pieces of infrastructure, as former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley did with the Chicago Skyway and the city's parking meter system.

DePaul University transportation specialist Joseph Schwieterman said that while he applauds Emanuel for telling the public to brace for change, he hasn't talked much about the pain that may cause, including increased user fees.

The City Council on Tuesday rejected alternative proposals from aldermen who remain skeptical about the plan. One of those alternative plans would have required the council's approval of all Trust-funded projects, set aside 1 percent of the nonprofit's operating budget for oversight and empower Inspector General Joe Ferguson to investigate the Trust.

"It's not free money. It's gonna come to us in user fees and taxes," said Alderman Leslie Hairston. 

"Things that will add to the burden the city is already imposing, we're gonna saddle them with."

Bored Royals Fan Reads Book Behind Home Plate

Everybody sing, a-one, a-two, a-three... take me out to the ball game library...

Amazing Basketball Shot #2

Amazing Basketball Shot #1

Teenager Falls Through Sidewalk, Rescued By Passing Cabbie

This cab driver makes the best of an unfare situation:


http://news.yahoo.com/video/world-15749633/cabbie-rescues-girl-who-falls-through-pavement-29063527.html

The Fountains Of Youth: The Week In Thanks

Our next door neighbor Stanley recently moved out. He's in his mid-80's and had been negotiating the steep steps of these condos for an amazingly long time, considering his wobbly balance since his heart attack some years back.

This week Dick Clark passed away from a heart attack. For years he was envied by millions as the guy who never aged. But his time, too, has come.

The progress of modern medicine has stretched our lifespans and the definition of "old" further into the future with each passing year, and I am grateful for that.

I'm probably old in the eyes of most of my students... I am at least twice their age after all. But I am still really young by so many measures.

The opportunities I've been blessed with continue to keep me feeling young.

For example, it's a privilege to have been entrusted with the careers of 17 people (and climbing). It's energizing to contemplate what their strengths and passions are, and to do what I can to set them up for success.

We have a major project launching this weekend, and the testing for it went as smoothly as I can remember. That's because of the eye-opening talent of my co-workers, and the gift of experience from God. The trials of past projects have made this one stronger, like so many other struggles that can weigh a person down without these types of visions of future success. The feeling of having overcome challenges with head held high, and to be part of something successful, is a great source of life.

I'm starting to believe that the theater is a fountain of youth. The 50+ year olds in the Hairspray cast prance around on stage, bubble with excitement. The twentysomethings play hide and seek. The energy ripples through rehearsals. What will it be like once there are 200+ spectators in the building - which is a fact, since opening night is on its way to a sellout? And how did I get so lucky to be here?

My resolution to make 10 new acquaintances has been easily surpassed by this theater experience. So many interesting and admirable new people. And so many friends, co-workers and family signing up for tickets. Being part of a community keeps the aging process at bay.

I'm happy to be able to harvest the talents of voice and movement and music and memorization that God gave me. Oh, and given the title, I'm thankful for a thick head of hair, which certainly helps me feel superficially young.

Students are texting me regularly. At least six math students a week lately, to the point of being fully booked. Each has their own unique story and personality which makes them fascinating. They're respectful and attentive. Being surrounded by youth is contagious.

Will the rest of my life be this way? How long will it last? You never know. So today, and every day, is a good one to spend enjoying the grace of its provisions in thanks.

There's A Road We Must Travel

The sun's streaming in through the windows at Mom's place this morning.

The last 48 hours were a rising tide of good feelings. We had Hairspray rehearsal on Thursday night and by the end I was dragging big-time. Some combination of sleeping and eating patterns was fueling it, and I suppose it's fair to say that I was constantly on the go from work to tutoring to rehearsal every weeknight for the last two weeks. Hidden Bloggers would notice that I couldn't even squeeze in a post for a few days there.

I flopped on the living room sofa when I got home, and just laid there without thinking much of anything. I knew that I'd feel better once I got some food and sleep in me. The food I got. The sleep - well, it was on the couch.

Morning found me still in a sluggish funk, stirring about uneasily around 6:00 a.m. I knew a long day was ahead. Work, then the Hairspray promo (see earlier post), then rehearsal, then a drive to Mom's that would get me there after midnight. Discouragement was tugging at me, as a non-music reader struggling to grasp the song we'd be singing at the promo.

Then I opened an eye with determination.

I was NOT going to keep picturing defeat and exhaustion. I was going to picture a great day, and make it happen.

I launched myself out of bed early, showered up, YouTubed the promo song for an hour.

Got to the office early, and blazed through my work.

Hit the gym and had a solid workout.

By now I was feeling completely alive.

YouTubed the promo song again. And the promo turned out magnificently, plus we cast members had a mini-social hour leading up to it.

Rehearsal was fruitful. We ran the whole second act. I did much better than I had on Wednesday or Thursday.

Dena and I had a fun trip together up north, had a late-night welcome from Mom, and even had the energy to stay up until 1:00 a.m.

It's ironic that the song, which had fueled some of my frustration, turned out to be so on point in firing up my day for the best:

"There's a road we must travel... but the riches will be plenty, worth the risk and the chances that we take."

Life is either a drag or a beautiful story. It's whichever we choose to make of it, however we choose to see it.

Preview: Hairspray Cast Warms-Up Heartland Idol Competition

Now on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?v=10150716528049065&notif_t=video_comment_tagged

The cast of Hairspray performs just before Heartland Community College's "Heartland Idol" competition (and also before a couple hours of rehearsal, and a drive up to Mom's, ETA 12:30!).

Things are coming together. Tickets for any of the 11 May performances can be snapped up at http://www.communityplayers.org/!

8 Products The Facebook Generation Isn't Buying

From Yahoo! Finance:

Consumer tastes are changing at a greater rate than ever before. Not surprisingly, the purchasing habits of the youngest generation present the most dramatic shifts — a reflection of what they find important. 24/7 Wall St. has identified eight popular products that the “Facebook generation” is not buying.


Generation Y, generally defined as those born between 1980 and 1999, have lost interest in many of the services and products their parents found important. For example, younger Americans are less interested in cars. In 1998, 64.4% of potential drivers 19-years old and younger had drivers licenses. By 2008, that rate had dropped to 46.3%, according to the Federal Highway Administration.

What young adults care about has shifted. A recent study by Gartner research revealed that, if forced to choose, 46% of all 18-to-24-year-old drivers in the United States would choose access to the Internet over access to a car.

However, many products that have declined in popularity among the youth are more a result of the changing tastes across all ages than a generational shift. Examples include lower sales in traditional cell phones, maps and CDs. In 2002, compact discs had a more than 95% market share of music sales. In 2010, they had less than half. Various reports suggest this decline is the result of all age groups moving away from CD sales toward digital sales.

24/7 Wall St. has identified eight of the country’s most popular products that are losing favor, either solely among young adults or at a significantly higher rate among that group. To demonstrate these products’ waning popularity, 24/7 reviewed data from a number of major research firms and government agencies. We looked at products in every major sector, including transportation, digital electronics, food, beverages and other miscellaneous consumer goods.

1. Email

In 2010, at the launch of Facebook’s then-new messaging service, Mark Zuckerberg predicted the decline of electronic mail, stating that “Email is too slow … email is too formal.” Time is proving Zuckerberg right. From December 2009 to December 2010, time spent using email by the 12- to 17-years-old age group dropped a tremendous 59%. In comparison, time spent using email by people 55 to 64-years-old has
increased 22%, and it has increased 28% among those 65 years and older.

2. Beer

Light beer has become to the current generation of youth what regular beer was just a few decades ago. In 1990, more Budweiser was sold than the top three light beers combined. Twenty years later, Budweiser has taken a backseat to Bud Light, which sold as much as the top four regular beers combined. The country has taken a major generational shift in favor of light beers, which now account for four of the five most popular beers sold domestically. As reported by St. Louis Today, Budweiser believes four out of 10 people in their mid-20s have never tried regular beer. In 1988, that rate was just 1.5 out of ten. Beer Marketer’s Insights editor Eric Shepard said when asked about young drinkers turning to light beer, “The heaviest beer drinkers are young males and that’s where the market had been going over the last decade or so.”

3. Newspapers

While readership rates for print newspapers are falling across the board, the country’s younger generation has abandoned the medium the most. As of 2010, only 7% of 18- to 24-year-olds reported having read a print newspaper the day before, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. This is the first time that figure has reached single digits. This age group also has among the highest rates of people reportedly receiving news through social networking sites or Twitter.

4. Cars

As recently as 1998, 64.4% of potential drivers ages 19 and younger had drivers licenses, according to the Federal Highway Administration. As of 2008, that amount had dropped to 46.3%. Additionally, 46% of drivers aged 18 to 24 report that they would choose Internet access over owning a car, according to research firm Gartner. People are also waiting longer to get their licenses. According to the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, in 1983 one-third of all licensed drivers in U.S. were under 30. Today, only 22% of drivers are under 30. Companies such as General Motors (NYSE: GM) have reached out to more youth-oriented advertising companies, such as MTV Scratch, to address this widening gap in their sales.

5. Landline phones

Landline phones are losing popularity among Generation Y, who are becoming increasingly content with only having wireless phones. According to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics, 51.3% of Americans aged 25 to 29 lived in households with only wireless phones in the first six months of 2010. This is the first time the number of adults in wireless-only households has been greater than the number of adults in landline households for any age group. When looking at all ages combined, less than one-quarter of adults lived in households with only wireless phones.

6. Cigarettes

Smoking rates among young people have historically exceeded those of the general population. Now that group is dropping the habit quicker than anyone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the share of people 18 to 24 years of age who were current cigarette smokers decreased by 17.6% from 2005 to 2010 — the largest decrease among any age group. The share among 45- to 64-year-olds dropped only 3.6%. The amount of Americans 65 and older who smoke actually increased 10.5%.

7. Desktop computers

Millennials are the only generational group to be more likely to own a laptop computer than a desktop. According to data from Pew Research Center, 70% own a laptop, while 57% own a desktop. By contrast, 64% of those aged 57-65 own a desktop, while only 43% own a laptop. Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner, states in LAPTOP Magazine that those in Generation Y simply “are not buying PCs as their first, or necessarily main, device.”

8. Television

Adults aged 18 to 24 watch less traditional television than any other age group in the country, according to Nielsen’s most recent Cross Platform Report. That group, on average, watches just under 24 hours per week. The national average is approximately 32.5 hours. One of the leading reasons for this difference is Generation Y’s relationship with the Internet. According to a report published in April 2010 by electronics review/research company Retrevo, 23% of those under 25 watch “most” of their television online, compared to 8% for everyone.

I Know Where I've Been

Here's the most spiritual song from Hairspray. We're performing it for show promotion this evening at Heartland Community College, just before their Heartland Idol competition.



The lyrics, which helped wake me up this morning:

There's a light
In the darkness
Though the night
Is black as my skin
There's a light
Burning bright
Showing me the way
But I know where I've been

There's a cry
In the distance
It's a voice
That comes from deep within
There's a cry
Asking why
I pray the answer's up ahead
yeah
'Cause I know where I've been

There's a road
We've been travelin'
Lost so many on the way
But the riches
Will be plenty
Worth the price
The price we had to pay

There's a dream
In the future
There's a struggle
That we have yet to win
And there's pride
In my heart
'Cause I know
Where I'm going
Yes I do !
And I know where I've been
Yeah

MISS MAYBELLE & ENSEMBLE
There's a road (There's a road)
We must travel (We must travel)
There's a promise (There is a promise)
We must make (That we must make)
But the riches (oh but the riches)
Will be plenty (The riches will be plenty)
Worth the risk (Worth the risk)
And chances that we take (and the chances that we take)
There's a dream
Yeah yey yeah
In the future

There's a struggle

That we have yet to win
Use that pride
In our hearts
To lift us up
Until tomorrow

'Cause just to sit still
Would be a sin

ENSEMBLE
I know it, I know it
I know where I'm going

Miss Maybelle
Lord knows I know..
Where I've been

Miss Maybelle & ENSEMBLE
Oh! When we win,
I'll give thanks to my God
'Cause I know where I've been

I Got Published In A Magazine

How about that. While trolling for material to blog about a few months back, I saw an ad for submissions to a magazine (or a really glossy newsletter, depending on your point of view). It was offering $50 if you wrote a short article about "ideas for living," and if it was picked as the winner.

The spring quarter edition arrived last week. My winning entry and fancy meal ticket was in print!

"I read that three ingredients to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for. So why not look for new adventures nearby?

My wife and I love to skim the catalog of "community education" courses offered by the local community college. We may not sign up for Arabic Part 2, but I did try out an Introduction to Voice Acting class. That eventually led to an opportunity to volunteer as the after-hours telephone voice for a local charity.

We both enjoy sports, so I volunteered to keep statistics for the town high school basketball team. Before long I was invited to help coach, which has also been fun for her as a fan.

Exciting life paths lie just outside our front door, waiting for us to follow our interests through and discover them!"

Enthusiasm Unknown To Mankind

By Jon Gordon:

When Jim Harbaugh, the head football coach of the San Francisco 49ers, was coaching the Stanford University football team his star player, Toby Gerhart, was asked how Stanford had become one of the top programs in the country. 

Toby said that Coach Harbaugh was the main reason because he brings a ton of enthusiasm and passion to the team, inspires people to want to play at Stanford and makes everyone better.

Jim's dad was the one who taught him the importance of enthusiasm.

Every day when his dad would take his brother John, who is also an NFL coach, his sister and Jim to school he would say to them,

"Attack this day with enthusiasm unknown to mankind."

The Harbaugh children repeatedly heard this powerful and positive message and clearly their enthusiasm has become a huge part of their lives and careers.

Jim shared the same enthusiasm he did at Stanford with the 49'ers last year as a rookie NFL coach and transformed the team.

Research shows what we've always known to be true. Emotions are contagious. Studies conducted by HeartMath.org demonstrate that when you have a feeling in your heart it goes to every cell in the body and outward. Up to five to ten feet away people can sense feelings transmitted by your heart via electromagnetic signals.

This means that each day you are projecting enthusiasm and passion or apathy and indifference...and people can feel it.

That's why when you walk into a restaurant, an office, a hotel, a football locker room, a hospital or a school you can feel the energy and get a sense of the culture, the people and their enthusiasm and passion.

Enthusiasm and passion attract people to you and make them want to get on your bus. And while they are on your bus your enthusiasm infectiously makes them better.

When you live and work with enthusiasm you not only create a more exciting life and career, you also inspire your team and customers to be excited about working with you.

So today I want to encourage you to heed the advice of Mr. Harbaugh and decide to:

Attack this day with enthusiasm unknown to mankind.

Miracle Newborn Baby Found Alive In Morgue, 12 Hours After Declared Dead

The video is here.

A newborn in Argentina was found very much alive in a morgue by her mother 12 hours after hospital staff had declared the baby dead.

The mother, Analia Bouguet, tells TeleNoticias TV that the hospital still has issued her only a death certificate for the infant rather than a birth certificate. Bouguet said she is planning to pursue a medical malpractice suit.

The Daily Mail reports that the baby was Bouguet's fifth and was born prematurely.
Two hours after being issue a death certificate, Bouguet and her husband visited the morgue because they wanted to see their child one more time.

"The baby was there and they put the little casket on a stretcher. We looked for a bar to pry it open," the baby's father, Fabian Veron, said in a press conference. "My wife looked and uncovered it slowly.

She saw the little hand and then uncovered the face. That's when it let the first little cry out."

"That night, we went to the morgue. We wanted to take a photo of our daughter," Bouguet told Argentina's Clarin newspaper. "But when a worker opened the drawer, we heard a cry and she was alive."

The newborn has been named Luz Milagros, or "Miracle Light." She is still listed as being in critical condition but is said to be improving. The deputy provincial health minister announced that five medical professionals involved in the case have been suspended, pending further investigation.

"At the moment we have no explanation," hospital director Jose Luis Meirino told the paper. "The baby was attended to by obstetricians, gynecologists and a neonatologist. They all reached the same conclusion, that this girl was stillborn."

The Best Defense Is... Well, Not This

Less than two minutes into the big playoff game, defenseman Vlasic gets his team into a pickle.

A tragic misinterpretation of his coach's pre-game urge to "make something happen out there tonight."

How To Get Them To Work For You

"[At first] it was about me. Now it's less about me and more about everybody else. I look back on my early coaching career: We did good, but I didn't do as good as I'm doing for the kids here now. I feel bad about that, but I didn't know any better. As I've gotten older, life has become easier, and we've won a whole lot more games when it has been about everybody else and not about me. When it's about the players first, they play for you." - John Calipari, coach of the national champion Kentucky Wildcats

I get what he means with "as I've gotten older, life has become easier." It is much harder to grip desperately in an attempt to control my own life and reputation, than it is to focus on taking the best path I can and let the rest take care of itself. Riding the bus is easier than driving it.

No victory is won by a coach alone, and many wins in life depend on a team too. Take care of others, and everyone will win.

Winning Will Come

The Philadelphia 76ers basketball team has no player averaging more than 16 points a game. They're criticized as not being championship-caliber because of their lack of a go-to scorer with the game on the line.

"We're in the middle of the road here," says coach Doug Collins, "but something really good is going to happen, and [players are] going to want to play in Philadelphia."

He's talking about their team chemistry. They go the extra mile for each other. Cross the country in the off-season to work out together. Or attend birthday parties for each other. They make the extra pass.

Having lived it for a season on the sidelines, I'd have to agree. Patience and attitude make the difference. In time, the rewards will come.

U-15 Player Scores Incredible Goal

Stolen Face

Silent Comedy

"My uncle was tossed out of a mime show for having a seizure. They thought he was heckling." - Jeff Shaw

See It, Call It, Move On

"You evaluate all the available information. You never have 100 percent; 80 percent is great. And then you're decisive. The person who's faster and more decisive usually wins." - Captain Steve, Marine Corps

Who needs analysis paralysis? Worry is a great drag on the human race. Thank goodness we make mistakes; it proves we're human.

Are You Who You Want To Be?

"In your life up until this point you have been one person. It is time to show the world who you can be."

If today were our last day on earth, how many regrets would we have about the way we're living today?

Asked another way, what values are really the most important to us, and are we guiding ourselves by those?

Are we treating obstacles as temporary, limited, surpassable, ignorable?

Are we treating failures as a step to improvement, or a natural part of who we are?

Are we happy?

Did I Make Things Better Today?

"You look tired," said the student as we wrapped up our session.

He was right. I was famished. 8:30 and no dinner yet.

And yet, I wasn't discouraged the way I've often gotten when fatigued.

I cataloged my day:

- Helped boss solve a tough problem
- Reunited with an employee and celebrated a project completion
- Set up an important meeting for next Tuesday- Had one-on-ones with two employees
- Got in a half hour bike ride
- Tutored three students for three hours

No doubt I'd burned energy so I was exhausted physically.

But it was the good kind.

I made things better today. That made the difference.

Brennan Diedrich Rockin' Guitar Solo - Talent Show

Looks Like He Got The Point

Looking Cool In A Fight

"I wear glasses because I like to dramatically remove them to display anger. It was awkward doing that with contact lenses." - Tim Seidell

Clever Fox

"If you fixate on the worst-case scenario, and it happens, then you've lived it twice." - Michael J. Fox

Uplifting words from a man facing the degenerative effects of Parkinson's disease.

It's okay to prepare for the worst, to a reasonable extent (I'm sure Michael has an idea of what he would do in the event of an earthquake).

If you expect good results, then they're more likely to happen. Consciously and subconsciously, you steer yourself toward that path.

One Month Till Opening Night!

There's still plenty of time to book tickets for the only singing-and-dancing-actuary act in town.

Hairspray tickets and cast list

Stat Of The Morning

In a study, people who exercised 150 minutes a week reported a 65% decrease in daytime sleepiness compared with those who exercised less.

Who knows how they measured "sleepiness," but go with me here. I would personally testify that my half hour of exercise at least 5 days a week makes me feel more confident, and so energized. It's one of those daily "little victories" that's entirely within my reach, as long as I keep my priorities straight and commit. And if it breeds success in all other areas of life (as I imagine wakefulness would, generally), isn't it worth the investment?

If You Can't Lick 'Em, Well... Maybe It's For The Best

Trial And Terror

Today I was put into the unusual (for me) situation of defusing an angry client over the phone. It quickly became clear that this person was a master of berating people.

I try to walk the tightrope between assertiveness and defensiveness in these situations.

I'm out of practice. I bombed. If we'd been on a log, he'd have rolled me in head first with a big old splash. If we'd been in a skating race, I'd have fallen through the ice. If it'd been a paintball match, I'd be slobbered in enough juice to re-coat my entire condo.

Basically, I didn't have enough information, and ended up eating some of my words.

Sigh.

Personal, mano-a-mano failure can really stick to your psyche like rubber cement and be tough to shake.

But shake it I did.

After hanging up the phone, I physically stood up re-filled my water mug. Literally stretched out my arms and neck to shoo away the tension that had accumulated. Then picked another project to occupy my mind, something relatively low-intensity. That gave me a little victory to celebrate.

I've failed enough to know that the sun always rises again, and warmth comes with it - as long as I'm willing to step out from under the cloud rather than follow it like a slave.

I was no less of a person due to my mistake. I was actually a better person. I kept my calm throughout while being yelled at. His reputation is the one that sank. I'm going to learn from my experience and improve the next time I get a call like that. Somehow I suspect that he'll keep right on slinging mud, and end up to his ears in filth down the road.

Stop, Flop and Roll

Amazing Blake Griffin Falling-Down Layup Vs. Kings

Starts around the :20 mark...

Yet Another One Of Phil's Traumatic Entrances

"EB"ing A Mommy

The Reader's Choice winner, Courtney Roth of Pontchatoula, Louisiana, shares the story that won her this year's popular vote:

"My name is Courtney Roth. The birth of my son, Tripp, changed my life. He was born with a rare genetic skin condition called epidermolysis bullosa [EB]. His skin is missing the anchors that hold it together, meaning any type of friction causes his skin to blister - inside and out. He was not supposed to live to be a year old and is now two years and countin. He lives in bandages and in pain, has a feeding tube, a breathing tube, and has lost his eyesight. Tripp has never spoken a word, yet he has touched countless lives around the world by his will to fights through this disease. My little boy is my hero and has taught me more in two years than I've learned my entire life. I know God has big things in store for him... whether it's here or in heaven."

The Last Supper

Funny or Die's rendition of the Biblical event:

The Last Supper

That Nervous Little Friend

"Anxiety isn't the enemy. It's a guide to what you need to work on first." - Anonymous

Years ago my heart used to race whenever I entered a management staff meeting. In time I came to realize that I was putting too much pressure on myself to have all the answers. I've gotten better about answering some questions with "I'll have to check into that" or "Good question, I'll get back with you on that." Honesty, humility and hard work has proved to be a better path than pursuing perfection or popularity.

What's the worst that can happen? Rarely are things as bad as they seem. It's been a mental peacefulness potion.

Eat Right Rule

"Abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym." - Anonymous

I will say that a high-fiber diet seems to be a key in managing my body shape. Many days I make sure to eat apples, whole-grain breads and cereal. It keeps the useless parts of food passing through quickly.

Since the quote is about abs, I've also found an exercise that engages them recently. Start in a push up position, with two tweaks:

1. Knees are slightly bent, and nearly touching the ground (accomplish this by scooting the toes closer to the head).

2. Hands are gripping dumbbells, such that the dumbbells rather than the hands are in contact with the floor (and so, as you'd figure out comically otherwise, the dumbbells probably ought to have some flat edges on them).

Without twisting your core:

1. Do a push-up.

2. After returning to the starting position, pull one of the dumbbells up toward your chest, then lower it. Repeat with the other hand.

That's one rep. I do about eight reps in my first set, and taper off in subsequent sets. It was pretty torturous the first time I tried it, getting used to the balance and all. I only use about 10 pound weights even now. It brings results though. At first, these results are sweat, grunts of frustration, and wobbly arms. Eventually, it's improved ab strength.

Under Construction

"We may grow older, but those doors we always think are closing in front of us aren't really closing at all. As long as we stay fit and active and keep growing and learning, new doors - financial, social, bedroom, you name it - will keep opening before us. But kicking those doors open means continuing to improve in all areas of life; whether you're 25 or 65, resting on your laurels is a recipe for disaster." - Dave Zinczenko

I learned what "upstage" means, literally, this week during Hairspray rehearsal. It's the portion of the stage in theater that is toward the rear. "Downstage" actors are standing nearest to you, the audience. So it makes sense why the idea of "upstaging" someone - pushing them into the background - would've found its way into common conversation over time.

Yet another nugget that's made life a shade more interesting, thanks to a willingness to step out and try something new.

5 Everyday Pains, Cured!

By Bill Phillips and Men's Health:

It’s spring! Time to pull out your running shoes, road bike, and basketball—not to mention our shovel and wheelbarrow—and take your workouts outside. If you haven’t been particularly active over the winter, be careful: Asking too much of your neglected muscles is asking for an injury as well.
To assist your transition to spring, we asked Jordan D. Metzl, M.D., one of the country’s leading sports medicine physicians and author of The Athlete’s Book of Home Remedies, to explain how some of the most common sports injuries occur—and what we can do about them. Sometimes, says Dr. Metzl, you need to consider the not-so-obvious. Consider the five everyday pains below.

 

1. SHOULDER OR ARM PAIN

Maybe you tweaked it shooting three-pointers. Or maybe you just slept on it wrong. But if the pain lingers . . .
The hidden cause: Nerve roots at the top of your spine supply motor and sensory function to your upper arms. When you bend or twist your neck, the nerves can be pinched.
The simple fix: As the pain lessens, stand with your hands interlaced behind your neck. Bend your neck back and squeeze your shoulder blades. Pause and return to the starting position. Work up to 10 reps. Once you're pain-free, build neck strength by doing shrugs.

 

2. LOWER-BACK SPASMS

You threw out your back spreading mulch. Herniated disk? Maybe. But don't visit your doctor just yet.
The hidden cause: Weak or tight hamstrings, core muscles, glutes, or hip flexors can mess up your alignment and mechanics, forcing your back muscles to compensate and overextend.
The simple fix: Stay mobile, use ice in the first 48 hours and heat after that, and take aspirin or ibuprofen. As the pain eases, begin gentle hamstring, glute, core, and hip-flexor stretches. When you're pain-free, add multidirectional lunges, core exercises, and body-weight squats.

 

3. HEEL AND ARCH PAIN

You're ready to blame your shoes or too much running for the pain.
The hidden cause: Your plantar fascia is connected to your heel bone—and so are your calf muscles, by way of the Achilles tendon. Tight calves can stretch and strain the fascia.
The simple fix: Sit on the floor and place a foam roller under your right ankle with your leg straight. Cross your left leg over your right ankle. With your hands flat on the floor, roll forward so the foam is under your knee. Roll back. Repeat for 3 minutes; switch legs.


4. INNER-THIGH PAIN
It feels like (and could be) a groin strain, brought on by your re-introduction to a bike seat. But groin strains improve. If yours doesn't . . .
The hidden cause: You might have a sports hernia—a strain or tearing of muscles or tendons, usually caused by an imbalance between your adductors and abdominals.
The simple fix: Unfortunately, surgery is the only fix for most sports hernias. But you can prevent a hernia in the making. The key is to address the muscle imbalance by training your core. Shoot for 5 to 6 minutes of daily plank time on top of your regular training.

 

5. KNEE PAIN

Pain around your knee makes you think tendinitis, arthritis, or a meniscus tear.
The hidden cause: If your core, hips, quads, and glutes are underconditioned or out of balance, your pelvis will wobble, stressing your knees when you run.
The simple fix: Focus on dynamic rest. As your pain lessens, try squats, jump squats, multidirectional lunges, planks, and glute bridges to stabilize your pelvis. Start slowly and, over several weeks, work your way to 10 to 12 reps and 2 or 3 sets. Do them every other day.

Till Trips Do Us Part: The Week In Thanks

With the arrival of April, the year is officially a quarter over.

The unseasonably warm weather's allowed me to lounge outdoors every day this week. Often times I'll do this just after a three-mile run, then stretch out on a deck chair. As I cool down and feel the sun on my face I like to center myself with a simple meditation...

The air is fresh (breathe in four beats)
The sounds are natural (breathe out four beats)
The breeze is soothing (in)
The view is calm (out)

It helps me take in nature using four different senses. Smell. Hearing. Touch. Sight.

I usually only do this by the pool, but I've also done it while walking into work, or driving.

I usually do it with closed eyes (not while driving). Typically that means that my "view" is a soft darkness, but sometimes I use that breath to conjure up images of my dreams for the future. I might be on stage performing in Hairspray. Or celebrating a small win on the basketball court. Or out to dinner with Dena. Any convenient bright point on the horizon.

Lately I've noticed a deepening ability to leave the pratfalls and pin pricks of the past behind. More often than not, if I start to get irritated I catch it immediately, almost mock that silly, destructive thought, and replace it with something else. I've come to recognize that my first and last hour of the day are usually edgy for me as my body starts to wake up or tire out... so if I find myself mentally stuck on some problem or worrisome issue, I just drop it until I get a chance to rest up, trusting that God has a plan for me to succeed. It's taken a few years to reach this level of peace, which just washes over me sometimes like the gentle spring rain that graced us this afternoon. I feel like it's adding years to my life.

Few things awaken a slumbering winter soul like the scent of wet earth and fresh grass amid a feathery wind. This is what couples with the sight of thickening green branches blossoming out in the yard, through the pane of our kitchen window. The stillness of the living room is accented by the occasional faintest crackle from the scented candle on our coffee table.

It's so easy in this serenity to count blessings:
- terrific math students to tutor
- basketball staff, players and families that are witty, creative, hard working, and supportive
- capable co-workers who support each other and me
- patient and lovable family members
- a body that can run, bike, heal, dance, sing, smile, teach, write and a dozen other gifts
- no allergies or enemies
- good home, good neighbors
- reliable car

600 tickets have been sold for the musical. I've never had an easier time making new acquaintances since I kicked it off as a personal resolution several years ago. I think there are more doors waiting to be opened here, if I'm good about asking questions. And the hair salon where I get mine cut asked if they could hang a poster to advertise there.

I've got ideas spinning through my head about ways to find more tutoring opportunities. Looking ahead also to skit design for vacation bible school again this year. Started reading basketball books and analyzed the varsity's practices from the last year to get some ideas.

Drafted a few super fantasy baseball rosters. Opening Day was this week! Fresh hope for a league championship, and to a much, much lesser extent, for the Cubs to maybe win 70 games.

And... in just a few hours... Dena gets home from her week-long ministry for deaf children in Reynosa, Mexico. Since our wedding anniversary we've spent more time apart than together these last two weeks (my "birthday" vacation, her mission trip). So, yeah, this week will be even better than the last two!

My Face Is Getting Awfully Tired

Jim Thome On, Um, Not-So-Greatness

Question to Jim Thome, slugger of more than 600 home runs: Ever think about your place among the greats?

"Nah, you just play the game and try not to get too high or too low. Besides, when you think you've got it figured out, you don't. I've experienced a lot of failure, but in the long run it's helped me succeed. That's what makes baseball so great."

Middle School Lacrosse Goalie Destroys Penalty Shooter

Don't you just have to love the fist-bump of sportsmanship at the end, though?

Bill Murray Slides Into Home Before First Pitch

The Big 3-7

It's Jack's birthday today!

It was awesome to hang with him on vacation last week.

When you're growing up it's not always clear how close you'll be in the long run. All brothers battle right?

For whatever reason, we've been pretty inseparable since he was born. At least in spirit, that is (until they invent teleportation, anyway, since he moved to California).

I'm not sure that you'll meet a more deeply sensitive man than him. His empathy is just off the charts.

I'd consider myself pretty fortunate to know him just as a friend.

To know that I might have inside of me, what he has inside of him, is a blessing.

Live long and prosper, bro!

Undercover Sermons

"I let my spirit tell my body what's going to happen. What I'm going to do and what I'm not going to do. Because if I let the body tell me what I'm going to do, I'm not going to do very much." - Walter

As an Undercover Boss junkie, I got yet another pearl of wisdom from it. Walter is a supervisor in a trash management company, who has two defunct kidneys and does dialysis three nights a week.

"Life is, I guess, what you make of it. I want to work hard. I want the most out of life that I can get. I'm alive, that's the most important thing." - Jaclyn

She's the supervisor who'd battled five forms of cancer before she was 25.

I've got a couple aches and pains today. So what?

Got His License When He Was 2 1/2

Girl Drugged At Dentist Thinks She's A Harry Potter Character

Careful Not To Slam Your Head

NCHS Basketball: All In The Family

Hidden Bloggers know that I'm a sucker for feel-good stories.

http://joemcdonald.blogspot.com/2012/02/profile-of-champion-week-in-thanks.html

As a writer and believer in God, it's touching when something that might be transcribed through my hands compels a reader to write a letter of thanks to Coach Short and me. And once again, a sign that life is headed in the right direction, spent doing the right things, making creation just a little bit better than was given to me.

[Some identifying text removed, since I didn't get a chance to ask her permission to reprint... though I like to think she wouldn't mind. :)]

"I just want to express my Thanks for your well written tribute to the Sophomore Basketball Team, and to let you know how much you are appreciated for your time, effort and dedication to these fine young men of ours... [I] am excited that NCHS supports this same practice and theory as I watch my grandson play & grow.  Your compassion and support will stay with them forever, so again, my Thanks!!  Blessings to you both for what you do for these boys!

An appreciative Grandma & Loyal Fan"

4 Year Old Girl Bulldozes Boy In Soccer

And then she casually wipes the dirt off her hands and walks away while others rush to pick him up!

What will she be when she grows up?

Mysterious "Slugging Mugger" Case Solved

The lack of concrete evidence had perplexed police.

Golfer Martin Kaymer Skips Ball Over Water For Hole In One At Masters

Amazing "Football" Play During Basketball All-Star Game

American Census: 1940 vs 2010

The National Archives just released 1940 census data in its entirety. Someone made it easy to look at with pictures, compared with 2010.

Some of the findings? The earning gap is closing between men and women. America is less white (though still predominately white) today. People are waiting longer to marry, many past the age of 34.

See it here: http://www.census.gov/1940census/then_and_now/index.html

Leave The World Just A Little Better Than You Found It

From Reader's Digest:

"Grandpa was a man of integrity. He was a rancher who loved his family fiercely and passed down simple yet important life lessons. My dad tells a story about helping his dad tediously was borrowed farm equipment before they returned it to a neighbor. 'Why ar we cleaning this?' he asked. 'It was dirty when we got it. Always return something a little better than you found it,' was Grandpa's reply. A week after Grandpa's funeral, I helped my dad vacuum, wash and refuel a car he had borrowed from a friend. After accepting the vehicle, the friend leaned over to me and remarked, 'Whenever I loan something to your dad, I know it will come back in even better shape.' And that is my grandpa's legacy. He left the world just a little better than he found it. I hope I can do the same." - Katharine Hanschu

A Great Day For Bike Flyin'

Bert felt that somehow things were different from the practice jumps.