The new year is here! Here's the lineup of prizes to eye.
1. 150 tutoring hours. It's the next step toward the 300 per year I'd like to launch in 2015. A healthy increase above the 75 in 2012, that will take some planning. It's time.
2. Exercise at least five days a week, with body fat at 12% or below. It's a goal that's worked for the last few years, keeps me healthy, and long life is good.
3. Blog thanks weekly, dream daily. Another worthy holdover from 2012. The more thankful I am, the better each day is. Smiling means never losing.
4. Expenses at 2012 level. The receipts I tracked added up to $22,000.
5. Make 10 new acquaintances. Theater helped take care of that in 2012; I've got my eye on one in 2013 but there are plenty of other options.
6. Watch all NCHS game film. A good basketball coaching exercise.
7. Spend all of my gift cards. It's amazing how these tend to pile up in my wallet and car. This year, they're all getting spent.
I'm a coach, a teacher, a performer. Looking forward to a year of fun, adventure and growth in that direction.
Happy New Year!
Monday, December 31, 2012
The Best Time Of Day To...
From Reader's Digest:
7:00 Make a baby. Men's sperm count is higher in the early morning.
8:30 Make a decision. Later in the day we suffer from "decision fatigue" and settle for quick answers.
9:00 Update the blog (score!). Most Web surfers check their sites by 10 a.m.
10:00 Take an aspirin. It's the mostly likely time of day for heart attacks.
11:00 Send an e-mail. Most likely time for people to check is just before lunch.
1:00 Watch a funny YouTube video. 300 million tweets suggest that the national mood is lowest at 1 p.m.
2:00 Power nap. This is when the body temp starts to drop just like during sleep.
4:00 Tweet something witty. Re-tweeting is most likely between 3-5.
4:30 Clean the house. Hand-eye coordination is highest around 4-5.
5:00 Exercise. Body temp is highest from 5-6, increasing stamina.
9:00 Sell something on eBay. End your auction then, when people are surfing after work.
10:00 Solve the world's problems. People do their most abstract/creative thinking when tired.
7:00 Make a baby. Men's sperm count is higher in the early morning.
8:30 Make a decision. Later in the day we suffer from "decision fatigue" and settle for quick answers.
9:00 Update the blog (score!). Most Web surfers check their sites by 10 a.m.
10:00 Take an aspirin. It's the mostly likely time of day for heart attacks.
11:00 Send an e-mail. Most likely time for people to check is just before lunch.
1:00 Watch a funny YouTube video. 300 million tweets suggest that the national mood is lowest at 1 p.m.
2:00 Power nap. This is when the body temp starts to drop just like during sleep.
4:00 Tweet something witty. Re-tweeting is most likely between 3-5.
4:30 Clean the house. Hand-eye coordination is highest around 4-5.
5:00 Exercise. Body temp is highest from 5-6, increasing stamina.
9:00 Sell something on eBay. End your auction then, when people are surfing after work.
10:00 Solve the world's problems. People do their most abstract/creative thinking when tired.
Death By Sweater
"Wearing a turtleneck is like getting strangled by a really weak guy all day." - Mitch Hedberg
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
What Successful People Do In The Morning
The day may have 24 hours of equivalent length but author Laura Vanderkam
says not every hour is created equal. Drawing on her own research,
surveys of executives, and the latest science on willpower for her
forthcoming ebook What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast, Vanderkam argues that making smart use of the early morning is a practice most highly successful people share.
From former Pepsi CEO Steve Reinemund's 5 a.m. treadmill sessions, to author Gretchen Rubin's 6 a.m. writing hour, examples of highly accomplished folks who wring the most from their pre-breakfast hours abound in the book. What do they know that the average entrepreneur might not have realized yet?
"Seizing your mornings is the equivalent of that sound financial advice to pay yourself before you pay your bills. If you wait until the end of the month to save what you have left, there will be nothing left over. Likewise, if you wait until the end of the day to do meaningful but not urgent things like exercise, pray, read, ponder how to advance your career or grow your organization, or truly give your family your best, it probably won’t happen," Vanderkam writes. "If it has to happen, then it has to happen first," she says.
But what if you're a night owl by inclination and you go pale at the thought of setting the alarm for even five minutes earlier? Vanderkam explained to Inc.com that there is hope for nearly everyone.
"Around 10% to 20% of folks are confirmed night owls. Screwing up your schedule is not wise for these folks--and they may have to choose professions and ways of working and ways of dealing with their families accordingly. Everyone else is in the middle--and my thesis is that there are real advantages to training yourself toward the lark side," she said.
And luckily, you don't have to rely on sheer force of will to make the switch to earlier mornings (though some of that is, no doubt, required). In the book, Vanderkam lays out a five-step process to help you make the change with the minimum of pain:
From former Pepsi CEO Steve Reinemund's 5 a.m. treadmill sessions, to author Gretchen Rubin's 6 a.m. writing hour, examples of highly accomplished folks who wring the most from their pre-breakfast hours abound in the book. What do they know that the average entrepreneur might not have realized yet?
"Seizing your mornings is the equivalent of that sound financial advice to pay yourself before you pay your bills. If you wait until the end of the month to save what you have left, there will be nothing left over. Likewise, if you wait until the end of the day to do meaningful but not urgent things like exercise, pray, read, ponder how to advance your career or grow your organization, or truly give your family your best, it probably won’t happen," Vanderkam writes. "If it has to happen, then it has to happen first," she says.
But what if you're a night owl by inclination and you go pale at the thought of setting the alarm for even five minutes earlier? Vanderkam explained to Inc.com that there is hope for nearly everyone.
"Around 10% to 20% of folks are confirmed night owls. Screwing up your schedule is not wise for these folks--and they may have to choose professions and ways of working and ways of dealing with their families accordingly. Everyone else is in the middle--and my thesis is that there are real advantages to training yourself toward the lark side," she said.
And luckily, you don't have to rely on sheer force of will to make the switch to earlier mornings (though some of that is, no doubt, required). In the book, Vanderkam lays out a five-step process to help you make the change with the minimum of pain:
Track your time: "Part of spending your time better is knowing exactly how you’re spending it now," writes Vanderkam, who recommends you, "write down what you're doing as often as you can and in as much detail as you think will be helpful," offering a downloadable spreadsheet to help.
Picture the perfect morning: "Ask yourself what a great morning would look like for you," suggests Vanderkam, who offers plenty of inspiration. Shawn Achor uses the early hours to write a note of appreciation. Manisha Thakor, a personal finance guru, goes in for transcendental meditation. Randeep Rekhi, who is employed full time at a financial services firm, manages his side business, an online wine store, before heading off to work.
Think through the logistics: "Map out a morning schedule. What would have to happen to make this schedule work? What time would you have to get up and (most important) what time do you need to go to bed in order to get enough sleep?"
Build the habit: "This is the most important step," writes Vanderkam before explaining how to gradually shift your schedule, noting and rewarding small wins along the way.
Tune up as necessary: "Life changes. Rituals can change, too."
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Great Perspective
Today I heard from a friend about a young man who, while swerving to avoid a deer on the road, rammed into a light post. Cars drove past him in the cold, early morning for the next two hours, but only when the power company showed up to fix the light was he discovered and transported to safety.
He is paralyzed from the waist down.
He's barely 20 years old.
The friend telling me the story commented about how that kind of loss would be tough even on her, who has "lived most of her life" already. But to face so many years...
So as I sit here with my sore groin muscle, and occasionally gimpy back... I'm sleeping with the excitement of rising tomorrow and moving about on two legs, with perhaps half my life or more yet to live.
Another friend told me that a last-minute political issue threatens to extinguish what has been over a two-year quest for adoption of a boy. The would-be parents flew across the Atlantic earlier to take care of some paperwork. They met their would-be son. No doubt spent months dreaming of their life with him. And now it may dissolve days before they were to set their final court date for delivery.
I think about loss, but do I really know what loss is?
God sends me reminders to be thankful for all that I have.
He is paralyzed from the waist down.
He's barely 20 years old.
The friend telling me the story commented about how that kind of loss would be tough even on her, who has "lived most of her life" already. But to face so many years...
So as I sit here with my sore groin muscle, and occasionally gimpy back... I'm sleeping with the excitement of rising tomorrow and moving about on two legs, with perhaps half my life or more yet to live.
Another friend told me that a last-minute political issue threatens to extinguish what has been over a two-year quest for adoption of a boy. The would-be parents flew across the Atlantic earlier to take care of some paperwork. They met their would-be son. No doubt spent months dreaming of their life with him. And now it may dissolve days before they were to set their final court date for delivery.
I think about loss, but do I really know what loss is?
God sends me reminders to be thankful for all that I have.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas Reflections
While singing at the Catholic church on Christmas Eve the priest at one point suggested that we take this opportunity to experience a "renewed childhood." The connection of eternal happiness to the birth of a child, that most natural clean slate and boundless opportunity, stirs the mind and the heart alike.
Yesterday's post about how deeply spirituality is weaved into the soul of the long-lived is a lesson for us. It takes so many forms.
It's the appreciation of the vastness and beauty around us.
It's the expressions of goodness that we give and receive.
It's the faith that, sooner or later, things will turn out well.
Whether bundled with traditions or simply cradled in our own personal regard for well-being, it's my hope that we all can find a grace of spiritual self and community that fills and embraces us with warmth. That brings continued renewal to our future. That radiates love in all things.
Yesterday's post about how deeply spirituality is weaved into the soul of the long-lived is a lesson for us. It takes so many forms.
It's the appreciation of the vastness and beauty around us.
It's the expressions of goodness that we give and receive.
It's the faith that, sooner or later, things will turn out well.
Whether bundled with traditions or simply cradled in our own personal regard for well-being, it's my hope that we all can find a grace of spiritual self and community that fills and embraces us with warmth. That brings continued renewal to our future. That radiates love in all things.
Most Extreme Space Discoveries In 2012
By Elizabeth Howell, Space.com:
Astronomical discoveries in 2012 have reshaped what we know about the
universe and pushed some instruments to the very limits of their
observing power.
Scientists discovered a galaxy that harbors an enormous central black hole
17 billion times more massive than the sun. Another research group
spotted a scorching-hot rocky planet in the closest star system to our
own. Meanwhile, the records for most massive galaxy cluster and most distant galaxy were shattered.
Here's a brief rundown of some of the year's most extreme and exciting cosmic finds.
Most monstrous black hole
Observers probably don't want to get too close to NGC 1277 or its supermassive black hole,
which takes up a large portion of the galaxy itself. The central black
hole is 17 billion times more massive than the sun and makes up 14
percent of its host galaxy's mass, compared to the usual 0.1 percent.
Researchers were so flummoxed by the black hole's size that they took an extra year to double-check their calculations before publishing their results.
Closest exoplanet to Earth
Life is very unlikely on this world. Its rocky surface may be molten, since the planet orbits just 3.6 million miles (6 million kilometers) from its sun-like star. (Earth, for comparison, circles 93 million miles, or 150 million km, from the sun).
Alpha Centauri Bb, as the planet is known, was discovered through tracking gravitational wobbles around its planet star. The wobbles in this case are very subtle, making the star move back and forth at no more than 1.1 mph (1.8 kph). The research team stated it "pushed our technique to the limit," and some astronomers are skeptical that the planet even exists.
And just this month, a different research team detected five potential planets orbiting the star Tau Ceti, which lies only 11.9 light-years from Earth. One of the newly spotted candidate worlds may be capable of supporting life as we know it, scientists say.
Smallest alien worlds
Astronomers using NASA's Kepler Space Telescope discovered three tiny planets
120 light-years away from Earth. Circling the star KOI-961, the
smallest of the three planets is about the size of Mars, and all are
smaller than Earth. Even the star itself is tiny — just 70 percent
larger than Jupiter.
"This is the most compact system of planets," said John Johnson, of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "It's like you have a shrink raygun and set it to seven times smaller and zapped a planetary system."
Smallest solar system
KOI-500 has five planets so crowded together that their gravity jostles each other profoundly during their orbits. Their "years" are only 1, 3, 4.6, 7.1 and 9.5 days long. Furthermore, the planets are tiny: just 1.3 to 2.6 times the size of Earth.
All of this action takes place in an area 150 times smaller than Earth's orbit, astronomers said.
"At this rate, you could easily pack in 10 more planets, and they would still all fit comfortably inside the Earth's orbit," Darin Ragozzine, a planetary scientist at the University of Florida at Gainesville, said in a statement.
Most distant galaxy
Much like the 100-meter dash world record, the record for farthest known galaxy
often changes. The newest potential record-holder is UDFj-39546284,
which had taken shape when the universe was only 380 million years old.
Its extreme age was discovered in 2012 using new observations from
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.
The galaxy is part of a group of seven that astronomers examined, forming perhaps the first reliable observations of galaxies that formed 400 million and 600 million years after the Big Bang created the universe 13.7 billion years ago.
Oldest, most distant supernovas
In 2012, astronomers described what they think led to the oldest, most distant supernovas in the universe. Scientists believe some of these "super-luminous" supernovas come from massive stars — 100 to 250 times the mass of the sun — that explode and blast their matter into space.
Astronomers stated that inside these massive stars, gamma-ray light changes into electron pairs as well as antimatter positrons. The gamma rays usually stop the star from collapsing due to gravity, but the grip weakens as gamma rays convert to matter. It is at this point that the star implodes, sparking the explosion.
Most massive galaxy cluster
At 2,000 times more massive than the Milky Way, a large cluster of galaxies some 7 billion light-years away dwarfs just about any other collection of matter known. Astronomers say the cluster — properly known as SPT-CLJ2344-4243and dubbed the Phoenix cluster — appears to contain thousands of galaxies of many different sizes.
Astronomers first spotted the Phoenix cluster in 2010, but didn't realize its extent until they did follow-up observations with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. High-energy light pouring out of the cluster make it the most X-ray luminous one ever found, at 35 percent brighter than the last record-holder found.
Biggest map of the universe
Courtesy of a mega map, astronomers are a step closer to understanding how the universe came to be. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey III released a map that charts more than 1 million galaxies in a total volume of 70 billion cubic light-years.
The map could help astronomers better understand the mysterious dark matter and dark energy that appears to make up most of the universe, researchers said.
Deepest view of the universe
The Hubble Space Telescope is peering back further and further in time. The famous orbiting observatory captured light that emanated 13.2 billion years ago, when the universe was just 500 million years old or so.
Hubble's picture, which is called the eXtreme Deep Field, shows galaxies and starlight accumulated over 10 years in a small bit of sky; this is the best method we have to see objects so far away. The photo is a successor to Hubble's "Ultra Deep Field", which the telescope took in 2003 and 2004.
Most magnetic star
There's a star 20,000 light-years from Earth with a real magnetic
personality. NGC 1624-2, which is about 35 times as massive as our sun,
was spotted in the constellation Perseus. With a magnetic field 20,000 times stronger than the sun's— and 10 times more powerful than that of any known star — NGC 1624-2 drags a blanket of trapped charged particles around it.
"Magnetic fields of this strength are extremely rare; they are only
known to exist in a few other stars of much lower mass," study lead
author Gregg Wade, an astronomer at the Royal Military College of
Canada, told SPACE.com in a September interview. "To find such a strong
field is very lucky."
X-ray blast in the universe's youth
A jet of X-rays emanating from quasar GB 1428 — a galaxy that has a huge black hole in its center — was found about 12.4 billion light-years from Earth. The radiation band is estimated at about twice the diameter of the Milky Way.
With the previous record-holder at 12.2 billion light-years away, astronomers said they are getting more information on how black holes behaved in the universe's early days.
Biggest core found in a ginormous galaxy
Lurking in a galaxy about 10 times the width of the Milky Way lies a large, diverse galactic core that doesn't seem to have a black hole associated with it.
The wispy core of A2261-BCG, which is about 10,000 light-years across,
puzzles astronomers because supermassive black holes are expected to be
at the heart of most galaxies. Hubble Space Telescope observations
suggest the core might have been constructed when two galaxies merged.
Monday, December 24, 2012
How To Live To 100
Reprinted. By Glenn Ruffenach of MarketWatch:
Your chances of reaching age 100 could be better than you think — especially if you get some additional sleep and improve your diet.
U.S. seniors who make it to their 100th birthdays tend to credit social connections, exercise and spiritual activity as keys to successful aging.
Research from UnitedHealthcare looks at centenarians and baby boomers, asking the former about the “secrets of aging success” and evaluating whether the latter are taking the necessary steps to celebrate a 100th birthday.
The primary findings: Many boomers are embracing lifestyles that could lead to a long and rewarding life — with two exceptions. More than seven in 10 centenarians — 71% — say they get eight hours or more of sleep each night. By contrast, only 38% of boomers say they get the same amount of rest.
And when it comes to eating right, more than eight in 10 centenarians say they regularly consume a balanced meal, compared with just over two-thirds (68%) of baby boomers.
The report — “100@100 Survey” (view PDF at UnitedHealthGroup.com) — begins with some startling numbers. As of late 2010, the U.S. had an estimated 72,000 centenarians, according to the Census Bureau. By the year 2050, that number — with the aging of the baby-boom generation — is expected to reach more than 600,000. Meanwhile, an estimated 10,000 boomers each and every day — for the next decade — will turn 65.
How to reach 100? Centenarians point to social connections, exercise and spiritual activity as some of the keys to successful aging. Among surveyed centenarians, almost nine in 10 — fully 89% — say they communicate with a family member or friend every day; about two-thirds (67%) pray, meditate or engage in some form of spiritual activity; and just over half (51%) say they exercise almost daily.
In each of these areas, baby boomers, as it turns out, match up fairly well. The same percentage of boomers as centenarians — 89% — say they’re in touch with friends or family members on a regular basis. Sixty percent of surveyed baby boomers say spiritual activity is an important part of their lives, and almost six in 10 boomers (59%) exercise regularly.
Again, sleep and diet are the two areas where baby boomers come up short. Not surprisingly, the one area where boomers are more active is the workplace. Three-quarters (76%) of surveyed baby boomers say they work at a job or hobby almost every day; that compares with 16% of centenarians.
Finally, researchers turned to cultural affairs and asked centenarians and boomers to identify — from a list of 14 notable people (including President Obama, singer Paul McCartney and actors Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts) — their preferred dinner guest. The top choice among centenarians and boomers alike: actress and comedienne Betty White.
Your chances of reaching age 100 could be better than you think — especially if you get some additional sleep and improve your diet.
U.S. seniors who make it to their 100th birthdays tend to credit social connections, exercise and spiritual activity as keys to successful aging.
Research from UnitedHealthcare looks at centenarians and baby boomers, asking the former about the “secrets of aging success” and evaluating whether the latter are taking the necessary steps to celebrate a 100th birthday.
The primary findings: Many boomers are embracing lifestyles that could lead to a long and rewarding life — with two exceptions. More than seven in 10 centenarians — 71% — say they get eight hours or more of sleep each night. By contrast, only 38% of boomers say they get the same amount of rest.
And when it comes to eating right, more than eight in 10 centenarians say they regularly consume a balanced meal, compared with just over two-thirds (68%) of baby boomers.
The report — “100@100 Survey” (view PDF at UnitedHealthGroup.com) — begins with some startling numbers. As of late 2010, the U.S. had an estimated 72,000 centenarians, according to the Census Bureau. By the year 2050, that number — with the aging of the baby-boom generation — is expected to reach more than 600,000. Meanwhile, an estimated 10,000 boomers each and every day — for the next decade — will turn 65.
How to reach 100? Centenarians point to social connections, exercise and spiritual activity as some of the keys to successful aging. Among surveyed centenarians, almost nine in 10 — fully 89% — say they communicate with a family member or friend every day; about two-thirds (67%) pray, meditate or engage in some form of spiritual activity; and just over half (51%) say they exercise almost daily.
In each of these areas, baby boomers, as it turns out, match up fairly well. The same percentage of boomers as centenarians — 89% — say they’re in touch with friends or family members on a regular basis. Sixty percent of surveyed baby boomers say spiritual activity is an important part of their lives, and almost six in 10 boomers (59%) exercise regularly.
Again, sleep and diet are the two areas where baby boomers come up short. Not surprisingly, the one area where boomers are more active is the workplace. Three-quarters (76%) of surveyed baby boomers say they work at a job or hobby almost every day; that compares with 16% of centenarians.
Finally, researchers turned to cultural affairs and asked centenarians and boomers to identify — from a list of 14 notable people (including President Obama, singer Paul McCartney and actors Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts) — their preferred dinner guest. The top choice among centenarians and boomers alike: actress and comedienne Betty White.
Ho, Ho, Horrified: Scared Triplets On Santa's Lap
From Yahoo! Shine... never too young to introduce the kids to the legend of Santa Claws, the enormous creature with beastly-strong hands who sneaks into children's living room and steals them away.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Grace: What We Strive For
"I love the word grace because I think it captures what we strive for in life. It's not just an individual thing. It's not just a matter of excellence or something you've achieved. It's something internal to you, but it's also something that's given to you." - Barack Obama
People talk about grace and peace in the same sentence. What a state to strive for!
People talk about grace and peace in the same sentence. What a state to strive for!
Groin In The Right Direction: The Week In Thanks
First off... I appreciate that God has such a sense of humor, or the irony of the universe, depending on your spiritual views. Yesterday I wrote the post about stretching before playing football. I mentioned stretching my groin twice on the list. Then I went out and pulled my groin. Nice.
Ibuprofen. So instead of walking around like a man with a peg leg and a constant scowl, I merely walk around like a man with a peg leg. Clearly, pirates lacked aspirin.
Ice pack. A very effective running mate of the drugs, keeping any swelling at bay.
Anatomy. The ice pack would be far less effective if my anatomy weren't, um, shiftable in certain respects. How can anyone deny God's existence?
Our leopard-print Snuggie. Another item made more valuable by having sub-30-degree items pressed against one's flesh for long periods of time.
Timing. Two weeks without basketball practice, the incident occurred just as Christmas break began. Perfect for resting.
I commented in an earlier post that this was my toughest week (and month) of work in 18 months. I literally had to go home and get out of the office for a few days to recharge my batteries. I came within 24 hours of resigning from my job, cleaned out the personal effects from my office, set up an e-mail on a timer to announce it. And so...
Dena is so supportive. Just as supportive as she was when I contemplated career change to the ministry about seven years ago. Big financial change, but she's good with it. As good as I am with pro and con lists, she helped out in evaluating.
Thankfully there was nothing so pressing that week that required me to be at the office. The time off work let me clear my head, just like normal vacation does. I got plenty of sleep. Got time to fully experience the mental state of being retired, including both senses of gain and loss. Time to review our financial projections for the first time in a while.
Then while driving home from basketball practice, a warm feeling just washed over me. I envisioned myself sticking it out, finishing the plan I started, newly toughened by this most recent experience. Without the accumulation of previous failures, I may not have reached this decision. So in this moment I am thankful for all of those. And the stubborn genes of an Irish and Polish fighter.
I also have renewed energy for the tutoring business, and it sure helps when your wife is a graphic designer and marketing director. I drew up a logo which she polished. Came up with a list of promotional giveaways like custom pencils, paper pads, folders. Scripted some radio commercials. Dena designed a business card, which can double as a magnet to put on a fridge or public place. We bounced around some networking concepts.
On the non-administrative side, tutoring continued to go well also. My newest high school student (a family friend of a co-worker) who's failing his class even remarked that he was 'excited' to take his final. Light bulbs turning on... my fuel... my calling.
The sophomore basketball team pushed its record to 5-1 with a comfortable win over an athletic opponent. Coach Short and the boys are all in good spirits, despite a week of physically rugged practices.
The fantasy basketball team is in first place.
I was invited to sing/reunite with the Catholic band for their Christmas Eve 4 p.m. mass.
I've got a half-dozen Christmas movies cued up, which I'm going to need because Dena is out shopping for her gimpy husband. Fortunately I already have a bonus gift to give her for her help. :)
The holiday-studded next week of work should be quiet enough to allow me to finally wrap up a technical project that I've been chasing for months. If I finish, I'll reward myself by taking New Year's Eve off. And in the non-work moments, we'll be celebrating with our families, including reunions with our distantly-residing brothers.
May your days be merry and bright, and may your Christmas and groin muscles be right!
Ibuprofen. So instead of walking around like a man with a peg leg and a constant scowl, I merely walk around like a man with a peg leg. Clearly, pirates lacked aspirin.
Ice pack. A very effective running mate of the drugs, keeping any swelling at bay.
Anatomy. The ice pack would be far less effective if my anatomy weren't, um, shiftable in certain respects. How can anyone deny God's existence?
Our leopard-print Snuggie. Another item made more valuable by having sub-30-degree items pressed against one's flesh for long periods of time.
Timing. Two weeks without basketball practice, the incident occurred just as Christmas break began. Perfect for resting.
I commented in an earlier post that this was my toughest week (and month) of work in 18 months. I literally had to go home and get out of the office for a few days to recharge my batteries. I came within 24 hours of resigning from my job, cleaned out the personal effects from my office, set up an e-mail on a timer to announce it. And so...
Dena is so supportive. Just as supportive as she was when I contemplated career change to the ministry about seven years ago. Big financial change, but she's good with it. As good as I am with pro and con lists, she helped out in evaluating.
Thankfully there was nothing so pressing that week that required me to be at the office. The time off work let me clear my head, just like normal vacation does. I got plenty of sleep. Got time to fully experience the mental state of being retired, including both senses of gain and loss. Time to review our financial projections for the first time in a while.
Then while driving home from basketball practice, a warm feeling just washed over me. I envisioned myself sticking it out, finishing the plan I started, newly toughened by this most recent experience. Without the accumulation of previous failures, I may not have reached this decision. So in this moment I am thankful for all of those. And the stubborn genes of an Irish and Polish fighter.
I also have renewed energy for the tutoring business, and it sure helps when your wife is a graphic designer and marketing director. I drew up a logo which she polished. Came up with a list of promotional giveaways like custom pencils, paper pads, folders. Scripted some radio commercials. Dena designed a business card, which can double as a magnet to put on a fridge or public place. We bounced around some networking concepts.
On the non-administrative side, tutoring continued to go well also. My newest high school student (a family friend of a co-worker) who's failing his class even remarked that he was 'excited' to take his final. Light bulbs turning on... my fuel... my calling.
The sophomore basketball team pushed its record to 5-1 with a comfortable win over an athletic opponent. Coach Short and the boys are all in good spirits, despite a week of physically rugged practices.
The fantasy basketball team is in first place.
I was invited to sing/reunite with the Catholic band for their Christmas Eve 4 p.m. mass.
I've got a half-dozen Christmas movies cued up, which I'm going to need because Dena is out shopping for her gimpy husband. Fortunately I already have a bonus gift to give her for her help. :)
The holiday-studded next week of work should be quiet enough to allow me to finally wrap up a technical project that I've been chasing for months. If I finish, I'll reward myself by taking New Year's Eve off. And in the non-work moments, we'll be celebrating with our families, including reunions with our distantly-residing brothers.
May your days be merry and bright, and may your Christmas and groin muscles be right!
Saturday, December 22, 2012
9 Daily Habits That Will Make You Happier
From inc.com:
Happiness is the only true measure of personal success. Making other people happy is the highest expression of success, but it's almost impossible to make others happy if you're not happy yourself.
With that in mind, here are nine small changes that you can make to your daily routine that, if you're like most people, will immediately increase the amount of happiness in your life:
1. Start each day with expectation.
If there's any big truth about life, it's that it usually lives up to (or down to) your expectations. Therefore, when you rise from bed, make your first thought: "something wonderful is going to happen today." Guess what? You're probably right.
2. Take time to plan and prioritize.
The most common source of stress is the perception that you've got too much work to do. Rather than obsess about it, pick one thing that, if you get it done today, will move you closer to your highest goal and purpose in life. Then do that first.
3. Give a gift to everyone you meet.
I'm not talking about a formal, wrapped-up present. Your gift can be your smile, a word of thanks or encouragement, a gesture of politeness, even a friendly nod. And never pass beggars without leaving them something. Peace of mind is worth the spare change.
4. Deflect partisan conversations.
Arguments about politics and religion never have a "right" answer but they definitely get people all riled up over things they can't control. When such topics surface, bow out by saying something like: "Thinking about that stuff makes my head hurt."
5. Assume people have good intentions.
Since you can't read minds, you don't really know the "why" behind the "what" that people do. Imputing evil motives to other people's weird behaviors adds extra misery to life, while assuming good intentions leaves you open to reconciliation.
6. Eat high quality food slowly.
Sometimes we can't avoid scarfing something quick to keep us up and running. Even so, at least once a day try to eat something really delicious, like a small chunk of fine cheese or an imported chocolate. Focus on it; taste it; savor it.
7. Let go of your results.
The big enemy of happiness is worry, which comes from focusing on events that are outside your control. Once you've taken action, there's usually nothing more you can do. Focus on the job at hand rather than some weird fantasy of what might happen.
8. Turn off "background" TV.
Many households leave their TVs on as "background noise" while they're doing other things. The entire point of broadcast TV is to make you dissatisfied with your life so that you'll buy more stuff. Why subliminally program yourself to be a mindless consumer?
9. End each day with gratitude.
Just before you go to bed, write down at least one wonderful thing that happened. It might be something as small as a making a child laugh or something as huge as a million dollar deal. Whatever it is, be grateful for that day because it will never come again.
Happiness is the only true measure of personal success. Making other people happy is the highest expression of success, but it's almost impossible to make others happy if you're not happy yourself.
With that in mind, here are nine small changes that you can make to your daily routine that, if you're like most people, will immediately increase the amount of happiness in your life:
1. Start each day with expectation.
If there's any big truth about life, it's that it usually lives up to (or down to) your expectations. Therefore, when you rise from bed, make your first thought: "something wonderful is going to happen today." Guess what? You're probably right.
2. Take time to plan and prioritize.
The most common source of stress is the perception that you've got too much work to do. Rather than obsess about it, pick one thing that, if you get it done today, will move you closer to your highest goal and purpose in life. Then do that first.
3. Give a gift to everyone you meet.
I'm not talking about a formal, wrapped-up present. Your gift can be your smile, a word of thanks or encouragement, a gesture of politeness, even a friendly nod. And never pass beggars without leaving them something. Peace of mind is worth the spare change.
4. Deflect partisan conversations.
Arguments about politics and religion never have a "right" answer but they definitely get people all riled up over things they can't control. When such topics surface, bow out by saying something like: "Thinking about that stuff makes my head hurt."
5. Assume people have good intentions.
Since you can't read minds, you don't really know the "why" behind the "what" that people do. Imputing evil motives to other people's weird behaviors adds extra misery to life, while assuming good intentions leaves you open to reconciliation.
6. Eat high quality food slowly.
Sometimes we can't avoid scarfing something quick to keep us up and running. Even so, at least once a day try to eat something really delicious, like a small chunk of fine cheese or an imported chocolate. Focus on it; taste it; savor it.
7. Let go of your results.
The big enemy of happiness is worry, which comes from focusing on events that are outside your control. Once you've taken action, there's usually nothing more you can do. Focus on the job at hand rather than some weird fantasy of what might happen.
8. Turn off "background" TV.
Many households leave their TVs on as "background noise" while they're doing other things. The entire point of broadcast TV is to make you dissatisfied with your life so that you'll buy more stuff. Why subliminally program yourself to be a mindless consumer?
9. End each day with gratitude.
Just before you go to bed, write down at least one wonderful thing that happened. It might be something as small as a making a child laugh or something as huge as a million dollar deal. Whatever it is, be grateful for that day because it will never come again.
Game Day: Flag Football
My game-day routine for today's flag football contest:
1. Wake up.
2. Drink a full glass of water.
3. Repeat #2 every ten minutes, until indisputable evidence that I have more than enough water in my system.
4. Eat healthy meal a few hours prior.
5. Stretch shoulders.
6. Stretch hamstrings.
7. Stretch tendons.
8. Stretch calves.
9. Stretch groin.
10. Confirm adequate supply of Ibuprofen for later.
11. Select outfit for 22-degree weather.
12. Re-stretch groin.
13. Play football.
My game-day routine for 20 years' ago's flag football contest:
1. Wake up.
2. Play football.
My game-day routine for 20 years in the future flag football contest:
1. Look out window and smile.
My game-day routine for 20 years after that:
1. Hey, get off! My headstone is NOT an end zone marker people!
Off we go!
1. Wake up.
2. Drink a full glass of water.
3. Repeat #2 every ten minutes, until indisputable evidence that I have more than enough water in my system.
4. Eat healthy meal a few hours prior.
5. Stretch shoulders.
6. Stretch hamstrings.
7. Stretch tendons.
8. Stretch calves.
9. Stretch groin.
10. Confirm adequate supply of Ibuprofen for later.
11. Select outfit for 22-degree weather.
12. Re-stretch groin.
13. Play football.
My game-day routine for 20 years' ago's flag football contest:
1. Wake up.
2. Play football.
My game-day routine for 20 years in the future flag football contest:
1. Look out window and smile.
My game-day routine for 20 years after that:
1. Hey, get off! My headstone is NOT an end zone marker people!
Off we go!
Friday, December 21, 2012
Planning To Win
"Plans are worthless, but planning is everything." - Dwight Eisenhower
We can't possibly prepare for all that will happen. Nor can we be all that we might become without preparation.
We needn't prepare for everything. Sometimes it's good enough just to prepare for anything.
We can't possibly prepare for all that will happen. Nor can we be all that we might become without preparation.
We needn't prepare for everything. Sometimes it's good enough just to prepare for anything.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Keep On Rolling
"Life is a bit like being on a roller coaster, which is, You get on and there's no stopping along the way. There are some days when you feel like this is pretty tough, and there are the days that are exhilarating, but you just keep on going." - Mitt Romney
Quiet Strength
Whew! This was the roughest week of work I've had in over 18 months. At one point someone with ulterior motives tried to goad me into bad-mouthing a fellow employee. I was tempted - really tempted - to take advantage of it.
I'm thankful to God that I have lived and failed often enough that on this occasion, I stepped outside myself and thought how many times giving in to this temptation has left me feeling weak in the aftermath. "Hold your tongue," I resolved.
The conversation drifted on, and I had more opportunities to sound off, and I did not.
When I make mistakes of weakness, like sending negative e-mail, the pangs of regret set in within an hour. In this reverse case, it took about three hours and a good nap before the effects started to set in.
The success of those few moments has me feeling now like the entire day was a win.
Often the most important muscles to flex are the ones that shut the lips and still the tongue.
I'm thankful to God that I have lived and failed often enough that on this occasion, I stepped outside myself and thought how many times giving in to this temptation has left me feeling weak in the aftermath. "Hold your tongue," I resolved.
The conversation drifted on, and I had more opportunities to sound off, and I did not.
When I make mistakes of weakness, like sending negative e-mail, the pangs of regret set in within an hour. In this reverse case, it took about three hours and a good nap before the effects started to set in.
The success of those few moments has me feeling now like the entire day was a win.
Often the most important muscles to flex are the ones that shut the lips and still the tongue.
Former NFL QB Jon Kitna Finds "Gold Mine" At His Troubled Old High School
TACOMA, Wash. – Before he left the Dallas Cowboys to come home again, Jon Kitna had one request of the two principals who run Lincoln High School:
The other teachers told him to stop. This was last February and it was going to be hard enough to teach three algebra classes in the middle of a semester. He was two months gone from an NFL career that went for 16 years, after all. Yes, this was his old high school, the one where he was a star quarterback in the early 1990s, but didn’t the new football coach understand what he was getting into?
Didn’t he see the numbers? Didn’t he know that four of every five of the students were on free or reduced lunches? That finding a meal was more important than understanding negative integers? Inspiring the best students was going to be difficult enough. Save himself, they advised. Start slow. Make it easy.
Kitna shook his head. Easy wasn’t the point. At 6-foot-4 with a buzz cut and a body built for football, he fills the classroom doorways. He would not be intimidated. And how could they understand this was the only job he ever wanted – that his time in the NFL was a daily preparation for this moment?
No, coming home was supposed to be as hard.
And so again he told the principals to have the other math teachers select the students they didn’t want – the ones who didn’t listen, who didn’t try, who didn’t care. He would take them all. The principals nodded. Lists were made, class rolls prepared. The new football coach was handed three dream teams of troublemakers. They wished him luck.
Only something happened in those three algebra classes, something no one could have imagined. The students who didn’t listen suddenly did. Those who never did work turned in assignments. And when the results of the math assessments came in, Kitna’s students were second best in the school. It wasn’t because their teacher was an NFL quarterback. Many of them didn’t have televisions at home. They had little idea who Jon Kitna was. No, this was something else. Something bigger. Something one of those two principals, Pat Erwin, considers in his office one recent day and finally calls: “The Kitna effect.”
He doesn’t have to be here, of course. Sixteen years as an NFL quarterback brought him more than $20 million. It gave him big homes and nice cars. It allowed his wife Jennifer and three children to never need again. When he walked away from the Cowboys after the 2011 season, he could have gone to the golf course or the broadcast booth or even one of those sprawling high schools with a giant stadium in a suburb of Dallas if he only wanted to coach.
“I don’t think that’s what my purpose was,” Kitna says. “This is my challenge. This is what I was meant to do.”
He is sitting at a teacher’s desk in the front of a classroom not long before his Algebra I class. Everything has changed in 20 years. Things seem worse now. There are so many more drugs. The poverty shocks him.
Yet people he knows from the old days say the school was more violent when he was a student.
Gangs roamed the halls. He remembers the gangs but many of those kids were also his friends and they shielded him from what they were doing. Perhaps his memories are sanitized. Maybe because he was surrounded by wealth for so long the hardship here is all the more unsettling.
He sat with his team in a pregame study hall one fall day and told the players to close their books. Something was missing. What was it? He could sense they wanted to learn. He could see them working in school. They tried hard at football practice. And yet simple homework assignments went unfinished. Grades that had improved then mysteriously dropped. For every step forward there was a stumble.
“What is the disconnect?” he asked.
For several moments no one said anything. Then slowly the stories spilled out. Terrible stories. Heartbreaking stories. The players told of homes without parents. They said nobody in the house asked to see their homework. They talked of barely existing at all. They said the only place anyone seemed to care was at school. And they told him that even then he was the only one to whom they could relate.
“It was eye-opening,” Kitna says. “It was tearful to hear kids say: ‘My parents when I am doing my homework tell me to stop doing my homework and go sell drugs.’ Or to hear a kid say: ‘I don’t ever eat because I want my mom to eat and only one of us can eat.’ ”
For a moment Kitna is silent.
Then he stops and looks up wistfully.
“All that being said, I’m on a gold mine,” he continues. “This place is a freaking gold mine because these kids are super, uber-talented. Not just athletically. You’ve got kids who can sing and blow the pipes off of things. You see kids who can do acting and drama-type stuff and arts that are just amazing.
“People [in the NFL] said I got credited for being a great leader, they [said] ‘even as a backup people are drawn to you.’ And they’d say ‘why?’ Because I went here. It’s because I went here. I’m thoroughly convinced of that because if you go here you don’t just get to be one kind of person, you have to be able to adapt and intermix yourself into all different kinds of cultures and situations.”
A buzzer sounds. Time for class. The room begins to fill. The kids are laughing. A few say “hello.” One asks what they are going to work on that day. Kitna watches them and smiles. “I’m on a gold mine here,” he says again.
It takes a village to change a culture, and Kitna has filled his coaching staff with friends and associates he has known over the years. This includes former Oregon State player Casey Kjos, a cousin who he raised as a son, and Eric Boles, his teammate at Central Washington University who played briefly in the NFL. Jennifer and his brother’s wife take care of details like making meals for the team during training camp because they figure the players will otherwise not eat. Since the school had little money for things like uniforms and equipment they took over the booster club and website, and set up a 501(c)(3) and began soliciting donations.
To show his seriousness, Kitna spent $150,000 to fill the weight room with equipment as nice as that in any NFL practice facility. He had the walls painted and named it after his old Lincoln teammate and longtime NFL safety Lawyer Milloy. Soon others followed. Carson Palmer, a teammate in Cincinnati, bought two industrial washers for uniforms. Current Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo provided the money for new jerseys. Calvin Johnson, his old receiver in Detroit paid for new equipment as did Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware. Since the kids didn’t have their own spikes for practice, the Cowboys boxed up dozens of cleats. When Nike took over the NFL uniform contract in the spring, the Seahawks sold their now useless game pants to Lincoln at $1 a pair so the team could have practice uniforms.
Several times, Erwin, the co-principal, has walked into the school on Saturday mornings and found Kitna washing uniforms.
“I think what he is trying to do is see what can happen to kids in a high-poverty area when you put them in a world-class setting,” Erwin says.
But inspiring kids who come from nothing is not as easy as wearing Marshawn Lynch’s pants and Dez Bryant’s old cleats. For every moment of joy comes a day that makes no sense.
Not long after he arrived, Kitna took the football team to Seattle for a series of 7-on-7 drills at the University of Washington. When he sent notes to the parents, only three called to ask about the trip. Then when the bus returned to Lincoln at 11:30 p.m., Kitna was stunned to discover not one parent or relative had come to meet them. He and the coaches split the players up and drove them home. It was 12:15 a.m. when Kitna dropped off the last of the players in his car. And as the door shut and the player waved good bye, Kitna wept.
“I could never fathom that my son would leave for school at 6:30 a.m. with no money for food and some coach I never met or know is going to take him to the University of Washington for 7-on-7 drills and I don’t even know what that means and then not have any transportation when he gets back,” he says. “That’s when it hit me how hard this was going to be.”
And yet he keeps pushing because this is all he knows to do, walking through the halls with a computer bag over his shoulder, nodding to kids, calling them: “Dude.”
“Jon does everything he has with his whole heart,” says Boles, who is one of his assistants. “I told him: ‘You are responsible to the kids but you are not responsible for them. You can’t control it, Jon.’
But his belief is: If they can make one decision a week or one decision a day that is better than the day before then you are making an impact.”
Or as the other co-principal, Greg Eisnaugle, says as he stands in the hall one day: “He just exudes positivism. He makes the kids feel they are worthy.
Then Eisnaugle pauses.
“Have you met Rayshaun Miller?” he asks.
On the dream team of troublemakers, Rayshaun Miller was a lottery pick. He rolled through his first year and a half at Lincoln tormenting teachers so much that many threw their hands up in frustration. The tales of his arrogance and disrespect filled the main office. Once Erwin found him in the hallway boasting of his 4.4 time in the 40-yard dash and how he would tear through opponents on the football field.
“How will we know, Rayshaun?” Erwin said. “You can’t stay eligible.”
But there is also something compelling about Miller. He is bright. While most teenagers find it difficult to connect with adults, he makes eye contact. His handshake is firm. He likes to talk. This is the student Kitna met when he arrived last February, not the one who drove the teachers mad. At the time Miller was failing pretty much everything. Kitna said he would pick him up at his house at 6:30 every morning and drive him to school where they would work on algebra before the students arrived. Later in the day, he was in Kitna’s class, which gave him more than two hours of math daily with the new coach.
His grades soared. The kid who was failing got A’s and B’s. The kid who mocked his teachers waved good morning. When other students fought, he broke them apart. Soon word came to the office of a new, different Rayshaun Miller. And everyone wondered just what had happened.
Miller stands in the weight room after school one day and says: “I got my act together.”
He was born in Sacramento, Calif., and was sent to live with his father in Tacoma when he was 6 to escape the violence of his old neighborhood. He hasn’t seen his mother or brother since. He says he carried the anger over this for a long time. It was Kitna, he says, who told him he couldn’t use his background as a reason for giving up.
“He taught me there is no excuse for not trying,” Miller says.
Then Miller starts to talk about his old self, the one who tried to fail. He tells a story of a time he mocked a student for getting an A in a class. He remembers calling the student “stupid.”
Now, in the weight room, Miller laughs.
“Can you believe that?” he says. “I called someone ‘stupid’ for getting an A.”
Football was a miracle for Kitna. Even he never imagined he’d be in the NFL. It took years to become the starting quarterback at Lincoln. Nobody was waiting with a scholarship when he graduated. His parents helped him pull the money together to go to Central Washington, an NAIA school halfway across the state, where he found himself at the bottom of a long list of quarterbacks. Eventually he became the starter. His senior year, Central won the NAIA national championship, which got him mild acclaim in Washington but did nothing to further his career.
Assuming he was done with football, Kitna finished his teaching degree and began pursuing the dream he and Jennifer talked so much about: teaching and coaching. Lincoln was actually looking for a head football coach. He applied but was turned down.
Then a few days later Dennis Erickson showed up on Central’s campus.
The Seahawks coach at the time was there to give a tryout to his nephew, Jamie Christian, who was one of Central’s receivers. The tryout was a family favor, yet what amazed Erickson was the quarterback whose throws looked like rockets zooming into Christian’s hands. The Seahawks offered Kitna a contract and a spot in their 1996 training camp. He made the practice squad and after the season was placed on the roster of the Barcelona Dragons of the World League. Barcelona won the league title on home turf. Kitna was MVP of the championship game and left the field to chants of “Keeetna! Keeetna! Keeetna!” He was anonymous no more.
He made Seattle’s roster in 1997 and became the team’s starting quarterback in 1998. In 2001 he went to Cincinnati, then to Detroit in 2006 where he threw for 4,000 yards two consecutive seasons, eventually landing in Dallas in 2009.
Yet while this became his football narrative, it was never the story he wanted to tell. Rather the one he repeats, offering to anyone who will listen, is more complicated. It starts with a young college student from Tacoma who understood little about who he was. He went to parties. He drank until he was drunk. He stole. Boles, who speaks to companies about their image, once told a group from 7-Eleven: “You guys can invoice Jon Kitna because he stole so much from you.”
Boles was going through a religious awakening at this time. And he talked to Kitna a lot about what he learned. One night Jennifer, who was Kitna’s girlfriend at the time, came home to find him in bed with another woman. In the midst of the ensuing argument, Boles’ words suddenly made sense. And what came from that night was a different Kitna. The drinking stopped along with the stealing and the partying. His expressions of faith were overt, manifesting itself in T-shirts with slogans like “God Athletic Department” or caps with crosses. His bookshelf filled with spiritual texts.
His purpose became clear. He would teach. He would go back into the cities, to the worst of neighborhoods and he would make children better. He would tell them about choices and respect and responsibility. He was going to change lives.
With Lincoln being a public school, faith is not a part of the lesson plan. Kitna understands this and seems to respect it. After all, he is teaching in a district where students come from all over the world and from a variety of religions. And don’t the lessons he is trying to teach apply to everyone regardless of belief?
“Character is an every day, all the time thing,” Kitna says. “It’s who you really are. It’s not what you turn on and off when you’re around a coach or at home with your parents.”
He has a philosophy that he took from a team chaplain in Detroit. He calls it “the four pillars of manhood,” with each represented by a letter that forms the acronym: “R.E.A.L.” as in: A R.E.A.L. man…
Rejects passivity
Empathizes with others
Accepts responsibility
Leads courageously
And while R.E.A.L. is gender specific and targeted first toward the Lincoln football players, Kitna believes it to be a message that can be embraced by all the students. Who doesn’t need to be reminded to show empathy or courage or take responsibility for mistakes? Virtues are virtues, whether they are taught by a preacher or a math teacher or a football coach.
“Win with grace, lose with dignity,” Kitna says.
He sighs when he hears the complaints about NFL players celebrating touchdowns and sacks – mocking the failures of the opponent on that particular play. If people want to change this, he says, the time to do so isn’t when the players are in the NFL. It’s too late then. You have to reach them when they are teenagers.
And the lessons are harsh. One day this fall Kitna was told of a football player who watched another student draw a derogatory picture of a classmate. The football player had nothing to do with the drawing but he laughed. Kitna had a meeting with the player, the teacher and the student who was the target of the drawing.
“Well you didn’t do anything to help the situation,” Kitna told the player. “You didn’t reject passivity.”
Then he suspended the player for two series in the upcoming game.
Later that week, a group of football players surrounded a group of girl volleyball players from a different school who had come to Lincoln for a match. Two of the players danced suggestively in front of the girls. When Kitna found out about it the next day, he gathered the team together.
“Who was there?” he asked.
Two players raised their hands.
“Who else was there?” he demanded.
Eventually five more players stood before him with hands raised. “You who did it, you are out a half,” Kitna said. “And you who didn’t do anything about it, you are out for two series.”
Months later, now, Kitna shakes his head. Lincoln lost its starting quarterback, a starting defensive lineman, starting center, a starting receiver and a starting linebacker for parts of that next game. The other team returned a punt for a touchdown, perhaps in part because special teams practice was canceled for the meeting about the volleyball incident. The replacement quarterback had a pass intercepted for a touchdown and Lincoln lost. It was a critical defeat in a 5-5 season.
“They got to feel the impact of losing a football game because of the decisions we make,” he says.
“But the greater things was [that] the freshmen got to see it. ‘Coach doesn’t play, he really means this.’ ”
In the classroom a projection device turns on, the lights go dim and Kitna stands before his Algebra 1 class with a problem to solve. Behind him, on a screen, is a drawing of a yellow cab with the following question:
“A taxicab company charges a flat fee of $1.85 plus an additional .40 cents per quarter mile. A: Write a formula to find the total cost for cab fare. B: Use this formula to find the cost for one person to travel eight miles.”
The students unpack their bags, pull pencils from holders and take school-owned calculators from felt caddies that hang on the wall but already something is wrong. Kitna can sense it. Then it hits him: Almost none of them have been inside a taxicab. They are staring at him because they don’t understand the question.
Before the first X or fraction or set of parentheses can be scribbled on paper, Kitna must explain taxicabs. He shrugs. Teaching is making him a very patient man. Carefully, he explains the concept of a taxi meter.
He had to give up two of the algebra classes this fall because the demands of building the football program became too much. He replaced them with weight training which gives him more time with the football players. He thinks it’s important that they see him as much as possible.
But there is also a part of him that loves this class. And there are so many stories, like the one of the girl who barely spoke for the first few weeks who is now one of the best students. He can see the recognition. He can feel learning. This makes him happy. For, yes, he is sitting on a gold mine.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Getting Back Up
"You know, kid, what happened, happened. It was a terrible thing, but some day you have to get over it. It doesn't have to define you. You have a chance to do something great with your life, but I can't want it for you. Terrible things happen to people every day, but they've got to get back up." - Jim Pedro
This quote reminds me of the type of advice my dad would have given. Both joy and misery lie before us, like two paths to very different lives. Fear and anger push us toward the poorer one. We can choose the better one. Especially if we put faith and love in our hearts.
This quote reminds me of the type of advice my dad would have given. Both joy and misery lie before us, like two paths to very different lives. Fear and anger push us toward the poorer one. We can choose the better one. Especially if we put faith and love in our hearts.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Slim Whitman ....Winter Wonderland
One more reason my brother is awesome... sharing holiday cheer with me based on inside jokes about a singer any tone deaf American could love.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire Spoof Pic
If you'll pardon the stereotype, I'd have posted this even if the contestant being spoofed was white...
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Till Crash Do Us Part
From Reader's Digest:
A cop pulls over an elderly man for driving too slowly.
"Officer, what's wrong?" I was going the speed limit, 22 miles an hour," says the old man.
"Sir, that's the route number," says the officer. Just then, he notices the man's wife in the passenger seat. Her eyes are bulging, and she's as white as a ghost. "What's wrong with her?"
"Oh, she'll be all right. We just got off Route 188."
A cop pulls over an elderly man for driving too slowly.
"Officer, what's wrong?" I was going the speed limit, 22 miles an hour," says the old man.
"Sir, that's the route number," says the officer. Just then, he notices the man's wife in the passenger seat. Her eyes are bulging, and she's as white as a ghost. "What's wrong with her?"
"Oh, she'll be all right. We just got off Route 188."
Tis The Season To Be Jolly: The Week In Thanks
This week's random and rambling thankful thoughts:
More and more Americans need to understand the wonder that is Febreze odor-remover. Take it from a guy who exercises six days a week and keeps his clothes in a gym bag.
Drinking water helps lose weight and keep it off. It quiets hunger pangs, helps with digestion, loosens vocal chords, clears skin, and has no post-sugar or post-caffeine crash. And it's the cheapest drink in the nation.
Tooth-bleaching kits make brighter smiles. My eyes and smile are my best features.
Hairspray friends continue to accent my mood. I got to see over a dozen of them at different events this week.
Our sophomore basketball team cranked up the intensity enough to defeat a hard-working Pekin team on Saturday night, surrendering only 30 points in a solid win. Despite a couple rocky nights of sleep, I was able to stay sharp all night.
My immune system has been holding strong for over a month, while people all around me are congested. I will always be thankful for my health while it lasts.
Writing that last paragraph inspired me to pop a Vitamin C tablet from the kitchen. How awesome is Vitamin C? It is medically almost impossible to overdose on it. The body loves to absorb it. It has powerful benefits. And it tastes yummy.
Once again the Sunday weather is shaping up warmly for a neighborly game of touch football this afternoon. At least one new neighbor will be joining us.
Work was confounding at times this week, but I've had enough failures in similar situations to keep it cool. The storm passed, the sun shone, and the end result was exactly what I think the right outcome should have been.
My newest staff members are learning their jobs steadily, and with optimism.
Thanks to Dena's cookie-baking binge my kitchen smells like chocolate, every kid's dream. I've refrained from eating most of it.
The ability to transmit information anywhere around the world in a matter of seconds is incredible. The Internet makes the earth more of a village than at any previous time. Yes it has its own distractions too, but the productivity it offers mankind is stunning.
I received two new tutoring students as finals week approaches. God has kept me with a steady supply, never too large, never too small. Some drop off, some pop up. I'm learning more about honors geometry, concepts I don't even recall learning in high school. I'm blessed with a mind that can learn math almost on the fly though at this level, and students, parents and me are all winning as a result. It is so obviously my calling.
Dena and I had a date night on Friday, hunkered down in a booth at Chili's late at night with a little basketball on the screen (I started to write "tube" but is that even applicable any more?) and plenty of fruitful conversation. Nearly 20 years later we can still talk so easily over dinner about things that make us happy.
Our home improvement project list made great progress this week! We've got landscapers, electricians, plumbers and wi-fi network specialists in conversation with us. Things are on the way up.
In less than one week daylight will begin to expand! It's by far the most redeeming quality of winter in my mind, that every day is literally brighter than the last.
Prayers for the sick and in need of healing at this dark and busy time of year. God has good things in store for us all.
More and more Americans need to understand the wonder that is Febreze odor-remover. Take it from a guy who exercises six days a week and keeps his clothes in a gym bag.
Drinking water helps lose weight and keep it off. It quiets hunger pangs, helps with digestion, loosens vocal chords, clears skin, and has no post-sugar or post-caffeine crash. And it's the cheapest drink in the nation.
Tooth-bleaching kits make brighter smiles. My eyes and smile are my best features.
Hairspray friends continue to accent my mood. I got to see over a dozen of them at different events this week.
Our sophomore basketball team cranked up the intensity enough to defeat a hard-working Pekin team on Saturday night, surrendering only 30 points in a solid win. Despite a couple rocky nights of sleep, I was able to stay sharp all night.
My immune system has been holding strong for over a month, while people all around me are congested. I will always be thankful for my health while it lasts.
Writing that last paragraph inspired me to pop a Vitamin C tablet from the kitchen. How awesome is Vitamin C? It is medically almost impossible to overdose on it. The body loves to absorb it. It has powerful benefits. And it tastes yummy.
Once again the Sunday weather is shaping up warmly for a neighborly game of touch football this afternoon. At least one new neighbor will be joining us.
Work was confounding at times this week, but I've had enough failures in similar situations to keep it cool. The storm passed, the sun shone, and the end result was exactly what I think the right outcome should have been.
My newest staff members are learning their jobs steadily, and with optimism.
Thanks to Dena's cookie-baking binge my kitchen smells like chocolate, every kid's dream. I've refrained from eating most of it.
The ability to transmit information anywhere around the world in a matter of seconds is incredible. The Internet makes the earth more of a village than at any previous time. Yes it has its own distractions too, but the productivity it offers mankind is stunning.
I received two new tutoring students as finals week approaches. God has kept me with a steady supply, never too large, never too small. Some drop off, some pop up. I'm learning more about honors geometry, concepts I don't even recall learning in high school. I'm blessed with a mind that can learn math almost on the fly though at this level, and students, parents and me are all winning as a result. It is so obviously my calling.
Dena and I had a date night on Friday, hunkered down in a booth at Chili's late at night with a little basketball on the screen (I started to write "tube" but is that even applicable any more?) and plenty of fruitful conversation. Nearly 20 years later we can still talk so easily over dinner about things that make us happy.
Our home improvement project list made great progress this week! We've got landscapers, electricians, plumbers and wi-fi network specialists in conversation with us. Things are on the way up.
In less than one week daylight will begin to expand! It's by far the most redeeming quality of winter in my mind, that every day is literally brighter than the last.
Prayers for the sick and in need of healing at this dark and busy time of year. God has good things in store for us all.
Heroes Of The Newtown, Connecticut School Shooting Tragedy
NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — A worker who turned on the
intercom, alerting others in the building that something was very wrong.
A custodian who risked his life by running through the halls warning of
danger. A clerk who led 18 children on their hands and knees to safety,
then gave them paper and crayons to keep them calm and quiet.
Out of the ruins of families that
lost a precious child, sister or mother, out of a tight-knit town
roiling with grief, glows one bright spot: the stories of staff members
at Sandy Hook Elementary School who may have prevented further carnage through selfless actions and smart snap judgments.
District Superintendent Janet Robinson noted "incredible acts of heroism" that "ultimately saved so many lives."
"The teachers were really, really focused on their students," she told reporters Saturday.
Some of them made the ultimate sacrifice.
After gunman Adam Lanza broke through the school door, gun blazing, school psychologist Mary Sherlach and principal Dawn Hochsprung ran toward him, Robinson said. Hochsprung died while lunging at the gunman, officials said.
The 56-year-old Sherlach, who would have been tasked with helping survivors cope with the tragedy, died doing what she loved, her son-in-law, Eric Schwartz, told the South Jersey Times.
"Mary felt like she was doing God's work," he said, "working with the children."
Just this past October, Hochsprung had tweeted a picture of the school's evacuation drill with the message "Safety first."
Victoria Soto, a 27-year-old teacher,
reportedly hid some students in a bathroom or closet and died trying to
shield them from bullets, a cousin, Jim Wiltsie, told ABC News. Those
who knew Soto said they weren't surprised.
"You have a teacher who cared more about her students than herself," said John Harkins, mayor of Stratford, Soto's hometown. "That speaks volumes to her character, and her commitment and dedication."
In other cases, staffers both saved students and managed to escape with their own lives.
Teacher Theodore Varga said that as gunfire echoed through the school, a custodian ran around, warning people. He appears to have survived; all the adults killed were women.
"He said, 'Guys! Get down! Hide!'" Varga said. "So he was actually a hero."
Someone switched on the intercom,
alerting people in the building to the attack by letting them hear the
chaos in the school office, a teacher said. Teachers locked their doors
and ordered children to huddle in a corner or hide in closets as shots
echoed through the building.
In a classroom, teacher Kaitlin
Roig barricaded her 15 students into a tiny bathroom, pulled a bookshelf
across the door and locked it. She told the kids to be "absolutely
quiet."
"I said, 'There are bad guys out there now. We need to wait for the good guys,'" she told ABC News.
One student claimed to know karate. "It's OK. I'll lead the way out," the student said.
Clerk Maryann Jacob was working with a group of 18 fourth-graders in the library when the shooting broke out. She herded the children into a classroom in the library, but then realized the door wouldn't lock.
They crawled across the room into a storage space, locked the door and barricaded it with a filing cabinet. There happened to be materials for coloring, she said, "so we set them up with paper and crayons."
One person who wasn't in the school at all also is getting props for his grace: Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie died.
Speaking to reporters Saturday, he said he was not mad and offered sympathy for Lanza's family.
"I can't imagine," he said, "how hard this experience must be for you."
Friday, December 14, 2012
Early Morning Couch Musings
It's said that the Lord works in mysterious ways.
As a side note, I personally tend to prefer the term "God" over "Lord." Both are talking about a powerful being, but "Lord" makes me feel like I'm an English butler receiving a stream of commands. In reality, though my life is shaped by forces beyond my control, it's way less explicit than some dude barking orders at me. Just sayin'.
These random nights when I awaken (almost always between 2-3 a.m.) with energy to burn and head downstairs to the living room sofa to wind down again often seem to lead to something productive. So like anything mysterious and random in my life (for better or not-better-yet), I credit it to God.
Tonight (today?) I opened Facebook and found a message from a dear college friend who shared that she enjoyed Hidden Blog.
Hidden Bloggers know by now that I started this as a self-help exercise, and it still carries out that mission today. There's real physical-emotional connection for me between the act of writing my thoughts and philosophies, focusing for just a few minutes on the bright side of life, and the course of my day. And my self-control when things aren't going so well.
As the clock approaches 4:30 a.m. and the responsibilities of the day draw nearer, I prepare to check back into bed (well, into couch more likely, with Hallmark Christmas movies lulling me to sleep) knowing that this post has done someone, somewhere, just a little bit of good. That ought to make for some pleasant dreams, and a jump start to the day.
Happy Friday!
As a side note, I personally tend to prefer the term "God" over "Lord." Both are talking about a powerful being, but "Lord" makes me feel like I'm an English butler receiving a stream of commands. In reality, though my life is shaped by forces beyond my control, it's way less explicit than some dude barking orders at me. Just sayin'.
These random nights when I awaken (almost always between 2-3 a.m.) with energy to burn and head downstairs to the living room sofa to wind down again often seem to lead to something productive. So like anything mysterious and random in my life (for better or not-better-yet), I credit it to God.
Tonight (today?) I opened Facebook and found a message from a dear college friend who shared that she enjoyed Hidden Blog.
Hidden Bloggers know by now that I started this as a self-help exercise, and it still carries out that mission today. There's real physical-emotional connection for me between the act of writing my thoughts and philosophies, focusing for just a few minutes on the bright side of life, and the course of my day. And my self-control when things aren't going so well.
As the clock approaches 4:30 a.m. and the responsibilities of the day draw nearer, I prepare to check back into bed (well, into couch more likely, with Hallmark Christmas movies lulling me to sleep) knowing that this post has done someone, somewhere, just a little bit of good. That ought to make for some pleasant dreams, and a jump start to the day.
Happy Friday!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Shaking Off The Crazies
Yesterday was more strained than usual at the office. A sticky technological problem persisted. Went to a management meeting and had to solve a couple of thorny teamwork issues on the fly. Headed to another management meeting which started late, ran late, caused me to miss basketball practice, and was rather confounding overall.
These are the nights when my dreams can become a mish-mash of agonizing semi-reality. When it wakes me up not quite knowing the difference, then fuming thoughts start pouring in which fuels the unrest.
Fortunately, life has taught me that things are easier in the light of day. Night-thoughts are often just a case of the crazies, the darker side of my personality in hyperdrive. With a little patience, a little distraction (thank you Netflix), and a slightly early rise time, the mental waters are quiet again and ready to go.
These are the nights when my dreams can become a mish-mash of agonizing semi-reality. When it wakes me up not quite knowing the difference, then fuming thoughts start pouring in which fuels the unrest.
Fortunately, life has taught me that things are easier in the light of day. Night-thoughts are often just a case of the crazies, the darker side of my personality in hyperdrive. With a little patience, a little distraction (thank you Netflix), and a slightly early rise time, the mental waters are quiet again and ready to go.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Keeping My Inbox Clean
Some people comment that my e-mail inbox at the office is always empty or fairly low in e-mails, so thought I'd share my approach.
I delete spam (duh) or e-mails of only slightly lesser value after reading them. I keep just a few weeks' worth of e-mails in my Deleted box, in case it was more valuable than I thought.
I delete almost all of the more valuable e-mails as soon as I respond to them. However a copy is retained in my Sent items folder automatically. I keep about six months' worth of e-mails there. Sometimes I can also use this as a trick to keep a possibly valuable e-mail around a bit longer than the Deleted box. I'll just say "Thanks!" in my final reply to the e-mail chain... it's both friendly and registers it into the Sent items box.
If an e-mail truly has long-term value, then I make a separate folder and drag it there.
You might recognize the risk inherent if I delegated a task to someone. For example if I forward an e-mail to Ken and ask "Would you please handle this?" By deleting the e-mail I'm trusting that Ken will be responsible, since I'll have no reminder to follow-up with him. Occasionally this has come back to bite me, but not nearly as often to cancel the peace of mind I get from an empty inbox.
Likewise I risk accidentally deleting something that I should have kept. Again, this rarely happens and the satisfaction of the empty inbox is more than enough.
What this means is that the inbox only contains the e-mails I have yet to act upon - in other words, it's like my to-do list. This is another benefit because I rarely have to try to remember what I have to do, it's plainly there in front of me and makes prioritizing my day a cinch.
Now it's off for another productive day of pressing the delete key!
I delete spam (duh) or e-mails of only slightly lesser value after reading them. I keep just a few weeks' worth of e-mails in my Deleted box, in case it was more valuable than I thought.
I delete almost all of the more valuable e-mails as soon as I respond to them. However a copy is retained in my Sent items folder automatically. I keep about six months' worth of e-mails there. Sometimes I can also use this as a trick to keep a possibly valuable e-mail around a bit longer than the Deleted box. I'll just say "Thanks!" in my final reply to the e-mail chain... it's both friendly and registers it into the Sent items box.
If an e-mail truly has long-term value, then I make a separate folder and drag it there.
You might recognize the risk inherent if I delegated a task to someone. For example if I forward an e-mail to Ken and ask "Would you please handle this?" By deleting the e-mail I'm trusting that Ken will be responsible, since I'll have no reminder to follow-up with him. Occasionally this has come back to bite me, but not nearly as often to cancel the peace of mind I get from an empty inbox.
Likewise I risk accidentally deleting something that I should have kept. Again, this rarely happens and the satisfaction of the empty inbox is more than enough.
What this means is that the inbox only contains the e-mails I have yet to act upon - in other words, it's like my to-do list. This is another benefit because I rarely have to try to remember what I have to do, it's plainly there in front of me and makes prioritizing my day a cinch.
Now it's off for another productive day of pressing the delete key!
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
6 Things That Women Love About Men
From match.com:
Guys, have you ever worried you don’t have that elusive something that women crave? Perhaps you think you lack a devil-may-care attitude that the ladies love, or that you don’t have a Jon Stewart-esque wit that would win someone’s heart. Relax! We spoke to relationship experts and women across the country and learned that those attributes men believe are impressive just don’t cut it. In fact, the qualities that attract women may surprise you... and, chances are, you possess at least one of them. Learn how to embrace these six traits for dating success.
1. She loves that you’re a man of few words
It’s no secret that women love to communicate with the men in their lives. “Women like to connect, and when that happens, they will melt,” says Emerson E. Eggerichs, Ph.D., author of Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires, The Respect He Desperately Needs. Of course, when most men hear that, they cringe, thinking it means long, drawn-out talks about every feeling either of you has ever had since you met. Wrong! According to Dr. Eggerichs, women don’t need lots of verbiage from men. The truth is, your lady can get the same communication from you via eye contact — without a single word being uttered. Simply stand face-to-face with her, look into her eyes, and show your affection with a simple physical gesture — say, holding her arm or caressing her face. “It’s in their very nature for women to want you to look at them,” Dr. Eggerichs explains. “Infant girls make eye contact with adults who are around them, while boys make eye contact but look away if there’s a mobile, ceiling fan or anything else to distract them overhead.” Cultivate your connection with a little unabashed eye contact, and you’ll be on the fast track to winning her heart.
2. She loves your hairy body — really!
Wait, she likes your what?! That’s right, go ahead and cancel that back-waxing appointment. A study at the Zoological Society of San Diego (of people, not animals) revealed that women are more attracted to men with furry bodies, regardless of the silhouette. Scientists theorize that body hair advertises good health and active hormones, making it a positive sign in the selection of a mate. For further proof, just listen to Laura McNeely of Spring, TX: “I always love noticing that a guy, especially a clean-cut one, has a little bit of chest hair sticking up out of his Oxford shirt. It’s like saying, ‘I may have an uptight job, but there’s a caveman lurking inside.’”
3. She loves your unnatural emotional attachment to your favorite sports team
Most men learn by their teens to downplay their obsession with professional sports in front of the ladies. But dating coach David Wygant says that revealing certain elements of your big-league insanity to a woman will make her feel more connected to you. “Men try to hide when our eyes get all wet during the last 30 seconds of a game or when we see our fellow men get all emotional on the sidelines, but after a long season, we need that emotional release,” Wygant says. And the truth is, women would rather see you get sappy over sports than never see you act mushy at all — it lets them know there’s a sensitive guy underneath. And if you are prone to hugging your friends after your team wins? You just added some bonus points!
4. She loves when you act tough
While women often want an evolved, emotionally available man these days, putting a little “wild man” demeanor into your repertoire can equal popularity on the dating scene. “Most women want bad-boy qualities so they don’t have to act perfect all the time,” says Nancy Slotnick, author of Turn Your Cablight On: Get Your Dream Man in 6 Months or Less. After all, if a woman is afraid to be anything less than perfect in front of you, your relationship will be stifled and you’ll both end up bored. Anne Giddens of Wilmington, NC, adds: “A lot of guys are total gentlemen on dates, so being with someone who mouths off a bit shows that he’ll protect me if something happens. And that, in turn, makes me feel girlie and taken care of. It’s a total turn-on.” Hint at your bad-boy side by being slightly protective of your girl when someone else talks to her, suggesting thrill-type dates — which can increase adrenaline production and promote physical attraction — or simply planning a date without consulting her (spontaneity in general is a good thing). Of course, don’t do anything that’s actually disrespectful or dangerous — that’s not the kind of bad-boy behavior anyone wants.
5. She loves your artistic side
You don’t need a massive paycheck to appeal to the ladies. They actually find the “I’m working on a screenplay” lifestyle alluring. One study found that artists and poets had experienced a total of 4-10 romantic partners, while people with less creative jobs had three. According to the study’s author, Daniel Nettle, Ph.D., a psychology lecturer at Newcastle University in the UK, creative people tend to be charismatic and their artistic pursuits are particularly interesting to others. The study also found that the number of romantic partners an artsy type had increased when he spent more time on creative, right-brained pursuits. And you don’t have to be a starving artist to appeal to women. Even if you’re an investment analyst, you might play the saxophone on the side. So flaunt that hobby — women dig guys with creativity.
6. She loves your geeky electronics obsession
Your wall of speaker cords. Your closet full of video games. Your wireless universe. Believe it or not, the very things that women roll their eyes about can also be the things that draw them in, too. “When a guy shows a woman some new gadget, it shows his intelligence,” says Andrea Miller, founder and CEO of YourTango.com, an online magazine about love, dating and sex. “It’s also always attractive when someone has a passion.” May Beach from Pine Hill, NJ, agrees: “Sometimes when I see my boyfriend working furiously at his laptop, it’s the most endearing thing,” she admits. “It’s like the difference between knowing a guy speaks a foreign language — ho-hum — and hearing him converse fluently in it — hot!” So don’t be afraid to share your excitement about a bit of computer hardware — just don’t expect her to stand in line overnight with you, waiting with bated breath for it to hit the shelves.
Guys, have you ever worried you don’t have that elusive something that women crave? Perhaps you think you lack a devil-may-care attitude that the ladies love, or that you don’t have a Jon Stewart-esque wit that would win someone’s heart. Relax! We spoke to relationship experts and women across the country and learned that those attributes men believe are impressive just don’t cut it. In fact, the qualities that attract women may surprise you... and, chances are, you possess at least one of them. Learn how to embrace these six traits for dating success.
1. She loves that you’re a man of few words
It’s no secret that women love to communicate with the men in their lives. “Women like to connect, and when that happens, they will melt,” says Emerson E. Eggerichs, Ph.D., author of Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires, The Respect He Desperately Needs. Of course, when most men hear that, they cringe, thinking it means long, drawn-out talks about every feeling either of you has ever had since you met. Wrong! According to Dr. Eggerichs, women don’t need lots of verbiage from men. The truth is, your lady can get the same communication from you via eye contact — without a single word being uttered. Simply stand face-to-face with her, look into her eyes, and show your affection with a simple physical gesture — say, holding her arm or caressing her face. “It’s in their very nature for women to want you to look at them,” Dr. Eggerichs explains. “Infant girls make eye contact with adults who are around them, while boys make eye contact but look away if there’s a mobile, ceiling fan or anything else to distract them overhead.” Cultivate your connection with a little unabashed eye contact, and you’ll be on the fast track to winning her heart.
2. She loves your hairy body — really!
Wait, she likes your what?! That’s right, go ahead and cancel that back-waxing appointment. A study at the Zoological Society of San Diego (of people, not animals) revealed that women are more attracted to men with furry bodies, regardless of the silhouette. Scientists theorize that body hair advertises good health and active hormones, making it a positive sign in the selection of a mate. For further proof, just listen to Laura McNeely of Spring, TX: “I always love noticing that a guy, especially a clean-cut one, has a little bit of chest hair sticking up out of his Oxford shirt. It’s like saying, ‘I may have an uptight job, but there’s a caveman lurking inside.’”
3. She loves your unnatural emotional attachment to your favorite sports team
Most men learn by their teens to downplay their obsession with professional sports in front of the ladies. But dating coach David Wygant says that revealing certain elements of your big-league insanity to a woman will make her feel more connected to you. “Men try to hide when our eyes get all wet during the last 30 seconds of a game or when we see our fellow men get all emotional on the sidelines, but after a long season, we need that emotional release,” Wygant says. And the truth is, women would rather see you get sappy over sports than never see you act mushy at all — it lets them know there’s a sensitive guy underneath. And if you are prone to hugging your friends after your team wins? You just added some bonus points!
4. She loves when you act tough
While women often want an evolved, emotionally available man these days, putting a little “wild man” demeanor into your repertoire can equal popularity on the dating scene. “Most women want bad-boy qualities so they don’t have to act perfect all the time,” says Nancy Slotnick, author of Turn Your Cablight On: Get Your Dream Man in 6 Months or Less. After all, if a woman is afraid to be anything less than perfect in front of you, your relationship will be stifled and you’ll both end up bored. Anne Giddens of Wilmington, NC, adds: “A lot of guys are total gentlemen on dates, so being with someone who mouths off a bit shows that he’ll protect me if something happens. And that, in turn, makes me feel girlie and taken care of. It’s a total turn-on.” Hint at your bad-boy side by being slightly protective of your girl when someone else talks to her, suggesting thrill-type dates — which can increase adrenaline production and promote physical attraction — or simply planning a date without consulting her (spontaneity in general is a good thing). Of course, don’t do anything that’s actually disrespectful or dangerous — that’s not the kind of bad-boy behavior anyone wants.
5. She loves your artistic side
You don’t need a massive paycheck to appeal to the ladies. They actually find the “I’m working on a screenplay” lifestyle alluring. One study found that artists and poets had experienced a total of 4-10 romantic partners, while people with less creative jobs had three. According to the study’s author, Daniel Nettle, Ph.D., a psychology lecturer at Newcastle University in the UK, creative people tend to be charismatic and their artistic pursuits are particularly interesting to others. The study also found that the number of romantic partners an artsy type had increased when he spent more time on creative, right-brained pursuits. And you don’t have to be a starving artist to appeal to women. Even if you’re an investment analyst, you might play the saxophone on the side. So flaunt that hobby — women dig guys with creativity.
6. She loves your geeky electronics obsession
Your wall of speaker cords. Your closet full of video games. Your wireless universe. Believe it or not, the very things that women roll their eyes about can also be the things that draw them in, too. “When a guy shows a woman some new gadget, it shows his intelligence,” says Andrea Miller, founder and CEO of YourTango.com, an online magazine about love, dating and sex. “It’s also always attractive when someone has a passion.” May Beach from Pine Hill, NJ, agrees: “Sometimes when I see my boyfriend working furiously at his laptop, it’s the most endearing thing,” she admits. “It’s like the difference between knowing a guy speaks a foreign language — ho-hum — and hearing him converse fluently in it — hot!” So don’t be afraid to share your excitement about a bit of computer hardware — just don’t expect her to stand in line overnight with you, waiting with bated breath for it to hit the shelves.
Monday, December 10, 2012
The Possible Dream
"All things are possible to him that believes."
Something important is on your mind. Success may seem challenging or impossible. But you can give it your best effort. You can picture what success looks like. You can go after it with purpose. And in the end, no matter what the outcome, you can still find the bright side. You're alive. You have potential. Even if that's all you have, it's worth a lot isn't it?
Something important is on your mind. Success may seem challenging or impossible. But you can give it your best effort. You can picture what success looks like. You can go after it with purpose. And in the end, no matter what the outcome, you can still find the bright side. You're alive. You have potential. Even if that's all you have, it's worth a lot isn't it?
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Celebrating The Skin I'm In: The Week In Thanks
On the list of things I thought I'd never have to be thankful for again, but am, is acne medication. It's come a long way since the 1980's. Proactiv has replaced Clearasil the most recognizable brand, and it does its work well without having to try to match its color with my skin tone. I ought to give a nod of thanks for the fact that 40 year old skin generally doesn't have to deal with this. Positive spin: A reminder of youth!
And why not dwell on days long ago for a while? If I'd had my way I'd have ended up playing video games ten hours a day, and working... where? Somewhere at the mall? My parents guided me into sports, and God gave me enough athletic ability to help overcome insecurities. They gave me an ultimatum after my freshman high school year to spend the summer working or playing basketball against varsity players at the gym. That summer saved my basketball life, as I went from last guy off the bench to varsity starter over the next couple of years.
I hated talking to adults back then. I'd rather stuff my head into a cotton candy machine than engage in that awkward dance. Being in basketball ignited the ambition genes that had been idling within me. Grades went up from the B- level toward the A level. Hung out with friends after game nights. Joined the National Honor Society. Exerted some leadership for the first time as team co-captain. Hit the weight room. That momentum continued through college and into the work force. It was a transforming time, thanks to igniting forces outside myself.
As I was headed to tutor someone the other day I drove past an ugly, smoking traffic accident scene with people running around. It makes me wonder if I would've been part of it had I been on the road a minute earlier? It's a reason to be grateful for red lights and delays - sometimes they could be saving us from disaster.
One day this week my office computer cast forth the famous blue screen of death - then rebooted itself and recovered automatically within five minutes. I'm thankful that my bills are paid by a company where all I have to do to keep my systems working is just sit there for a few minutes and let it happen, or maybe pick up the phone and make one call.
I joined in an impromptu reunion with ten members of my Hairspray family over dinner last night, another reminder of random good fortune that's shone into my life. Several have been blessed with new jobs, karaoke championships, pregnancy, and relationship changes.
Saw the Bulls win last night. Thanks for Tom Thibodeau, the all-defensive coach.
Hidden Bloggers saw my earlier post about the retirement of Al Bowman, president of Illinois State University. As an alumnus of a high school that closed down, I'm glad that my school and our community has been graced by a strong leader and person these last several years.
My football game scheduled for this afternoon was cancelled. You know what? I'd had a knee flare up a few days ago. So it's probably a good thing for a day of rest.
Our basketball team made a long journey to Danville and won both of our basketball games, after dropping a couple tough ones the week before. Got to give thanks for Zach Thompson, who coach Witzig allowed to play with us and calmly dropped 17 points including a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc.
There are less than two weeks left until daylight starts getting longer again! Today will be spent waiting it out peacefully, taking in a Christmas movie or two and dreaming of another great week filled with basketball, teaching, and blessings to come.
And why not dwell on days long ago for a while? If I'd had my way I'd have ended up playing video games ten hours a day, and working... where? Somewhere at the mall? My parents guided me into sports, and God gave me enough athletic ability to help overcome insecurities. They gave me an ultimatum after my freshman high school year to spend the summer working or playing basketball against varsity players at the gym. That summer saved my basketball life, as I went from last guy off the bench to varsity starter over the next couple of years.
I hated talking to adults back then. I'd rather stuff my head into a cotton candy machine than engage in that awkward dance. Being in basketball ignited the ambition genes that had been idling within me. Grades went up from the B- level toward the A level. Hung out with friends after game nights. Joined the National Honor Society. Exerted some leadership for the first time as team co-captain. Hit the weight room. That momentum continued through college and into the work force. It was a transforming time, thanks to igniting forces outside myself.
As I was headed to tutor someone the other day I drove past an ugly, smoking traffic accident scene with people running around. It makes me wonder if I would've been part of it had I been on the road a minute earlier? It's a reason to be grateful for red lights and delays - sometimes they could be saving us from disaster.
One day this week my office computer cast forth the famous blue screen of death - then rebooted itself and recovered automatically within five minutes. I'm thankful that my bills are paid by a company where all I have to do to keep my systems working is just sit there for a few minutes and let it happen, or maybe pick up the phone and make one call.
I joined in an impromptu reunion with ten members of my Hairspray family over dinner last night, another reminder of random good fortune that's shone into my life. Several have been blessed with new jobs, karaoke championships, pregnancy, and relationship changes.
Saw the Bulls win last night. Thanks for Tom Thibodeau, the all-defensive coach.
Hidden Bloggers saw my earlier post about the retirement of Al Bowman, president of Illinois State University. As an alumnus of a high school that closed down, I'm glad that my school and our community has been graced by a strong leader and person these last several years.
My football game scheduled for this afternoon was cancelled. You know what? I'd had a knee flare up a few days ago. So it's probably a good thing for a day of rest.
Our basketball team made a long journey to Danville and won both of our basketball games, after dropping a couple tough ones the week before. Got to give thanks for Zach Thompson, who coach Witzig allowed to play with us and calmly dropped 17 points including a perfect 5-for-5 from beyond the 3-point arc.
There are less than two weeks left until daylight starts getting longer again! Today will be spent waiting it out peacefully, taking in a Christmas movie or two and dreaming of another great week filled with basketball, teaching, and blessings to come.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
17 Incredible Facts About McDonald's
Before, during, and after the recession, McDonald's has been an
unstoppable global force. The fast food giant can now be found in 119
countries, where it serves over 75 burgers every second.
And if you don't like burgers, the chain is great at localization with countless unique items served at around the world, and now it's taking over coffee — oh yeah, the McRib is coming back soon.
1. McDonald's sells more than 75 hamburgers every second
(Source: McDonald's Operations and Training Manual via Side Dish)
(McDonald's)
2. McDonald's feeds 68 million people per day, that's about 1 percent of the world's population
(Source: Societe General via Dominic Chu)
3. McDonald's' $27 billion in revenue makes it the 90th-largest economy in the world
(Source: SEC)
4. The $8.7 billion in revenue from franchise stores alone, makes McDonald's richer than Mongolia
(Source: SEC)
5. McDonald's hires around 1 million workers in the US every year
This estimate from Fast Food Nation assumes a 700,000 domestic workforce with 150% turnover rate.
6. McDonald's has 761,000 employees worldwide, that's more than the population of Luxembourg
(Source: McDonald's / Statistics Iceland)
7. According to company estimates, one in every eight American workers has been employed by McDonald's
(Source: McDonald's own estimate in 1996 via Fast Food Nation)
8. Sharon Stone worked at McDonald's before she was famous. So did Shania Twain, Jay Leno, Rachel McAdams and Pink
(Source: NNDB)
9. McDonald's is the world's largest distributor of toys, with one included in 20% of all sales
(Source: QSR via Motley Fool)
(McDonald's)
10. Back in 1968 McDonald airlifted hamburgers to homesick U.S. Olympic Athletes in France
(Source: McDonald's)
11. McDonald's' iconic golden arches are recognized by more people than the cross
A survey by Sponsorship Research International found that 88 percent could identify the arches and only 54 percent could name the Christian cross, according to Fast Food Nation.
12. The Queen of England owns a retail park in Slough, which has a drive-thru McDonald's
(Source: The Telegraph)
13. The Egg McMuffin was modeled on eggs Benedict
Herb Peterson invented the Egg McMuffin as a way to introduce breakfast to McDonald's restaurants. From MSNBC:
"Peterson came up with idea for the signature McDonald's breakfast item in 1972. He "was very partial to eggs Benedict," Fraker said, and worked on creating something similar.
The egg sandwich consisted of an egg that had been formed in a Teflon circle with the yolk broken, topped with a slice of cheese and grilled Canadian bacon. It was served open-faced on a toasted and buttered English muffin."
(Source: MSNBC)
14. From 2011 to 2013, McDonald's plans to open one restaurant every day in China
(Source: Reuters via Paul Kedrosky)
15. McDonald's delivers – in 18 countries!
(Source: Japan Times)
16. The only place in the lower 48 that is more than 100 miles from a McDonald's is a barren plain in South Dakota
(Source: AggData via Side Dish)
17. Americans alone consume one billion pounds of beef at McDonald's in a year – five and a half million head of cattle
(Source: John Hayes, McDonald's senior director of U.S. food and packaging, via Side Dish)
And if you don't like burgers, the chain is great at localization with countless unique items served at around the world, and now it's taking over coffee — oh yeah, the McRib is coming back soon.
1. McDonald's sells more than 75 hamburgers every second
(Source: McDonald's Operations and Training Manual via Side Dish)
(McDonald's) 2. McDonald's feeds 68 million people per day, that's about 1 percent of the world's population
(Source: Societe General via Dominic Chu)
3. McDonald's' $27 billion in revenue makes it the 90th-largest economy in the world
(Source: SEC)
4. The $8.7 billion in revenue from franchise stores alone, makes McDonald's richer than Mongolia
(Source: SEC)
5. McDonald's hires around 1 million workers in the US every year
This estimate from Fast Food Nation assumes a 700,000 domestic workforce with 150% turnover rate.
6. McDonald's has 761,000 employees worldwide, that's more than the population of Luxembourg
(Source: McDonald's / Statistics Iceland)
7. According to company estimates, one in every eight American workers has been employed by McDonald's
(Source: McDonald's own estimate in 1996 via Fast Food Nation)
8. Sharon Stone worked at McDonald's before she was famous. So did Shania Twain, Jay Leno, Rachel McAdams and Pink
(Source: NNDB)
9. McDonald's is the world's largest distributor of toys, with one included in 20% of all sales
(Source: QSR via Motley Fool)
(McDonald's) 10. Back in 1968 McDonald airlifted hamburgers to homesick U.S. Olympic Athletes in France
(Source: McDonald's)
11. McDonald's' iconic golden arches are recognized by more people than the cross
A survey by Sponsorship Research International found that 88 percent could identify the arches and only 54 percent could name the Christian cross, according to Fast Food Nation.
12. The Queen of England owns a retail park in Slough, which has a drive-thru McDonald's
(Source: The Telegraph)
13. The Egg McMuffin was modeled on eggs Benedict
Herb Peterson invented the Egg McMuffin as a way to introduce breakfast to McDonald's restaurants. From MSNBC:
"Peterson came up with idea for the signature McDonald's breakfast item in 1972. He "was very partial to eggs Benedict," Fraker said, and worked on creating something similar.
The egg sandwich consisted of an egg that had been formed in a Teflon circle with the yolk broken, topped with a slice of cheese and grilled Canadian bacon. It was served open-faced on a toasted and buttered English muffin."
(Source: MSNBC)
14. From 2011 to 2013, McDonald's plans to open one restaurant every day in China
(Source: Reuters via Paul Kedrosky)
15. McDonald's delivers – in 18 countries!
(Source: Japan Times)
16. The only place in the lower 48 that is more than 100 miles from a McDonald's is a barren plain in South Dakota
(Source: AggData via Side Dish)
17. Americans alone consume one billion pounds of beef at McDonald's in a year – five and a half million head of cattle
(Source: John Hayes, McDonald's senior director of U.S. food and packaging, via Side Dish)
Consumer Reports Ranks Cars Highest In Satisfaction
From Consumer Reports:
"Would you get that same car
again?" That is the key question we ask subscribers in our annual owner
satisfaction survey to discover how happy owners are with their car. And
once again, we see a link between excitement and satisfaction.
For a second year in a row, the Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric car tops our list of the vehicle owners who said they would definitely buy again. The Volt topped two models that fit the fun driving experience trait: the Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche 911. Other satisfying fuel-efficient models include the Toyota's Camry Hybrid, Prius, Prius C, and Prius V, and the all-electric Nissan Leaf.
At the other extreme, the subcompact Nissan Versa Sedan came in with the lowest score in our survey, with fewer than half of its owners saying they would definitely buy it again. Other low scorers include the V6 versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, Suzuki SX4, and the Nissan Armada and Mitsubishi Outlander SUVs.
Our annual owner-satisfaction survey, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, asks subscribers a single, revealing question: Considering all factors (price, performance, reliability, comfort, enjoyment, etc.), would they get their same vehicle if they had it to do all over again?
We received responses on about 350,000 vehicles and more than 240 models in our latest survey, spanning the 2010 through 2013 model years. A model's score is based on the percentage of respondents who answered "definitely yes." And to earn our top rating, a model needs to have at least 80 percent of owners say they would definitely get it again.
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