2014 Goals

It's the first year of what I'd call "Phase 3" of my life. Phase 1 were my school years, Phase 2 were my working years. Phase 3 is for what? Adventure? Play? Rebirth? It will be whatever God and I make of it. Here are my first steps. I may modify them as the year goes on:

Exercise/Stretch 5+ Days a Week, Body Fat 12%

Health first! I've kept this one for several years, though I have to figure out a way to measure the body fat. This year I'm adding "stretching" to it for the first time since flexibility is more important with each passing year.

Healthy Elbow, Eyes, Teeth

This is sort of a sub-goal of the previous one, but foundational enough to justify the separation. I've accumulated some aches in the last year that have slowed me down.

Tutor 300 Hours

This ought to fund some extra fun and keep my creative ambition exercised. I'd like to increase my daytime hours (i.e. college) and possibly decrease my evening hours so that I can explore more activities, maybe get back into the theater. I'd like to partner up with other tutors if possible.

Blog Thanks Weekly

Journaling continues to help keep my mind and peace healthy by practicing gratefulness and optimism.

Make 10 New Acquaintances

This goal is part social health, part adventure. New acquaintances keep life fresh and exciting, as well as teaching me lessons.

Clean House

This is a catch-all for a few things. Our basement wall needs a good scrubbing. A major project to repair driveway/carports will improve our property greatly. My wardrobe and files need an overhaul. A cleaner home is a launching pad for the fresh start that is 2014.

Happy New Year Hidden Bloggers! Thanks to God for the gift of another year and a future of wonderful possibility.

2013: The Year In Review

What an eventful year! I'm in a new job, with a new car, a new basketball team and new cat. And back with an old friend, Leadership McLean County.

It's a favorite time of year for goal-oriented types. First, to take a look back at what was planned. Later, to plan for next year.

The review will go in ascending order of finish.

Watch NCHS Game Film 


The most disappointing discovery for me is that, after five years of trying, my talent and passion for coaching basketball is only average. I'd hoped that adding this to the resolutions list would give me a push, like playing summer hoops did to turn my playing career around 25 years ago. Instead, it wound up as a confirmation that a change is probably in order in the new year.

Spend All Gift Cards

This one I did pretty well at, and actually still have a day to spend my last card at Best Buy. I've dined at several places this year courtesy of generous students.

Expenses At 2012 Level

The purchase of a cat and increasing donations to missionaries skews things some, but thanks to the likes of Sam's Club, shifting from cable to Netflix, and so on we've kept our routine expenses on track. Medical and business expenses are up, but fortunately so is business income.

Top 10 List Of New Acquaintances

The Spelling Bee theater experience introduced me to several people, tutoring led to a bunch more, and we participated in a Bible study to meet others. This goal will definitely stay aboard in 2013.

Blog Thanks Weekly, Dream Daily

My retirement dream came true; the tutoring business took off; there's been a lot to celebrate this year. I blogged thanks regularly, and with my next post I'll have completed another full year of 50 monthly blog posts. And in fact, the next post will start a fresh year of new dreams to chase.

Exercise 5+ Days Weekly, 12% Body Fat

I hit this one solidly again, despite a handful of persistent new aches and pains which will be a focus for 2014. I made it to the gym six days almost every week. I don't have an easy way to measure body fat right now, and I will have to find a way, but my weight's at 160 so not too much extra fat could have accumulated.

Tutor 150 Hours

This was a slam dunk, with an assist from the State Farm departure. I actually had 150 hours, or 10 a week on average, in the fall semester alone even if you ignore the 8 weekly hours at Heartland. My long-range goal was 10 hours a week - it got here fast and has fueled exciting revenue possibilities for next year.

Thanks #23: Blogger

This site's been an outlet for over six years and 4,000 posts to keep the writer and optimist in me sharp. Fifty monthly exercises in what's good in the world is a welcome tonic against the endless sources of counterexamples all around. Blogger's not only been an adapting, easy-to-use source for my pollyannish brand of internet journalism, but also a window through which tens of thousands of people have (hopefully) been able to connect with a little more light in their days.

Thanks #22: Fantasy Sports

Ryan introduced me to fantasy baseball 15 or so years ago. I won the first league I played in, and in the years since have become what I never was in high school: a three-sport athlete, and a winning one at that. It blends competitive instinct with intense analysis for those who are into that sort of thing. It keeps me informed about even the least useful players in baseball, basketball and football. And in the many examples of championships, serves as validation.

Thanks #21: State Farm

The company that inspired me to make my first car purchase a red one, and funded my financial future, is undoubtedly a source of great thanks for my family. The State Farm career was a great place to learn about leadership and service through trial, error and observation. It was also where I reunited with the man who would eventually introduce me to my wife. Plus, they insure my condominium and auto at affordable rates!

Thanks #20: Christmas

It's the time of year where some radio stations play Christmas songs, perfect for playing with harmonies, for a solid month. The time when families are united from coast to coast (in Jack and Kate's case, literally). As a teacher, it's a two-week break from work. And for certain new family members, it brings fabulous new places to hide and be indescribably cute.

Thanks #19: Matt Schweinberg

Matt's got to be one of the hardest-working unpaid high school basketball coaches in the state. I've really enjoyed how comfortable he is to be with. He's passionate about basketball but just as interested in talking about school, his wife Carly and family, or funny things going on in the world. The silliness in his sense of humor is off the charts, and many times I can't keep a straight face when he's rolling. With his talent he could easily be a head coach somewhere else, but he devotes himself to and relates extremely well with the players, coaches and parents. He's just the kind of guy you want to be around, and trust to help teach your kids.

Thanks #18: Dave Witzig

It was an honor and privilege to become part of Dave's varsity staff this fall. Before that though, we spent much of a summer on the road together watching the boys excel in tournaments, and getting to know each other which was a great personal pleasure. Dave's the kind of guy who has a friend in every gym, who has his mind set on doing the right thing. He supports his four children and is active in his parents' and his wife Pam's parents' lives. He's a devoted fan of the Cardinals and Spurs and can tell you why that is. He's forward and honest about his thoughts. Without necessarily trying, he's got this personal magnetism. He's been a demonstrated winner as a coach, teacher and person.

Thanks #17: Nate Foster

I've enjoyed being part of Normal Community High School's basketball coaching staff, and one of the people who makes it whole is freshman coach Nate Foster. He's a busy and successful guy who keeps himself plenty busy making the world a better place as a physical education teacher, driver's ed instructor, part-time real estate agent, golf coach, husband to Angela and father of two. He has a real gift for seeing fundamental adjustments on the court and using that high-powered bass voice (or sometimes, just an intensified look) to get his message across. He's also a man with razor's wit and deeply-held personal convictions that make him the right person to be shaping young men's formative years, as well as a fun guy to have on the bench and the bus.

Thanks #16: The Short Family

I post some thanks about Ryan, my college roommate and fellow coach, at least once a year but when you're fortunate enough to have someone like him in your life, there's no limit on thankfulness. This year we not only won the sophomore tournament for the second straight year, but he graciously allowed me to transfer to the varsity team as an assistant for the good of the program. It's easy to go on about his incredible memory, quick-wittedness, and deep-souled compassion for others above himself. This year I'd like to celebrate his wife Lori's friendship through the years. She's been easy to talk to, funny and service-minded since we met 20 years ago (before I met Ryan, actually). They're in the process of raising two bright, talented, well-mannered children Brendan and Andrew. And as Ryan's my brother Jack's best friend from college, and I've also spent time playing soccer with his sister Mary, we're more like family than with any other friends.

Thanks #15: Calvary United Methodist Church

It's the church Dena and I got married in. The place that gave me the opportunity to learn and perform music. The place where we met several dear friends. And thanks to Randy Perry, Jennie Edwards Bertrand and Rebecca Johnson, the place where I learned some painful and valuable lessons about good leadership in a much less costly environment than they would have been learned in my home or career. It was a place that enabled me to deeply explore a religious calling and ultimately discover that mine is secular, as well as to more fully develop my belief in God.

Enthusiasm For Introverts

"There are times when you have to lie to yourself and show a little more enthusiasm than you feel. People like that set the tone for the whole group."

Enthusiasm is more than, or even completely different from, some stereotypical extrovert pumping people up with words or making eye-catching gestures. It can be a simple combination of smile, energy to adventurously move forward, and positive attitude. It can be just as infectious. There is a huge role for this on earth!

Thanks #14: Chamber Of Commerce

The whole staff at the McLean County Chamber has been highly appreciative and enabling of my greatest strengths to make a difference for others. Charlie Moore's energy, Shari Lauer's passion, Todd Lowery's salesmanship, Scott Heape's easygoingness, and Diane Siron's friendliness make the Chamber a warm and upbeat place to visit.

Who Are You?

There are three types of people:

Those who make things happen,

Those who watch things happen,

And those who say, "What happened?"

Which one are you?

Thanks #13: Central Illinois Weather

Today there's a freezing rain advisory. The roads will be sprinkled by snow and then turn occasionally to ice.

Big deal!

I'll drive a little slower, a little shorter. But you know what?

My drinking water isn't restricted by drought.
My front door isn't blocked by five feet of snow.
The foundation of my house won't be rocked by earthquake.
The basement won't be flooded.
Hurricanes won't strike.
Wildfires will not sweep through.

Even tornadoes, the scourge of the Midwest, are rare in our town.

We get the joy of a warming spring, and the brief color explosion that is autumn, with plenty of sunshine time in the summer.

Sure I could design something better. But the price is perfect for the conditions, and I'm glad to take it.

Thanks #12: Phil Grizzard

In the business of math tutoring I see no competition. I only see a vast community need in partnership with teachers under the strain of ever-increasing expectations and dwindling budgets.

When I started my business I met with the most successful tutor I could find, Phil Grizzard. He readily met with me and I learned some useful information that helped make this semester more profitable.

Small gestures of generosity, the mentoring spirit, go a long way.

9 Hours And 17 Minutes

That's how much sunlight we'll have today. Just over a third of our waking hours.

Celebrate today's winter solstice, the shortest day of the year!

For the next 6 weeks it will get colder. But for the next six months it will get sunnier!

If you've been thinking of becoming a more optimistic person, this is a great day to do it. Rise with the sun. Take your energy to new heights. Become more alive!

Tutoring Quote Of The Day

Trust Through Transparency In Leadership

Some Christian-themed links about leadership!

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/12/09/7-reasons-employees-dont-trust-their-leaders/

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI204RLs0XA

 

http://vimeo.com/36045812 - longer sermon

WHV: Scripture Quotes

"Blessed are the lowly, for they shall stay out of my way." - Jesus

"Blessed are the downtrodden, for they shall make me feel undeniably superior." - Jesus

"Blessed are the downtrodden, for they shall keep property taxes low." - Jesus

"Would you offer your brother a loaf of bread and then give him a snake? I sure as hell would." - Elijah

(Walker Hall Version, various citations)

WHV: Loaves And Fishes

"And for all the crowd there was only five loaves and two fishes; and the food did not even travel through a small area before it was all gone. And the Lord addressed the crowd and said, "Worry not, you shall have your fill." But nothing happened, aside from it being noticed that the Lord repeatedly sent his eyes to heaven and requested softly under his breath "Come on, Father. Make not a fool of me." After much unrest, Jesus addressed the crowd: "This is a sign that you are not fit to eat. Now begone and repent," after which the crowds dispersed, and the Lord went again to the mountain alone.

(Walker Hall Version, John 6:9-15)

WHV: Abraham's Descendants

"And the Lord came down and spoke to Abraham, and He said, "Lo, Abraham, even though thou art of great age, you will have a son, and your descendants shall number like the fingers of your left hand."

"So I shall have five descendants?" questioned Abraham.

"You are correct, Abraham," He replied.

"Why did you not just say five the first time?"

"I am the Lord your God, do not question my words unto you."

And from thence on Abraham was more confused about his Lord.

(Walker Hall Version, Genesis 15:5-7)

Thanks #11: Bagelmen's

The little bagel place two blocks from my house has been a convenient place to lunch with many friends over the years. The food there is light, the employees have seemed unusually friendly. There's a TV running for the person who'd just like to hang out and work on their laptop while sipping coffee or juice. It never seems overly crowded. For me there's no better place to grab a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel and wash it down with a cold orange juice, summer or winter.

Thanks #10: Antibacterial Soap

Hey, I said they'd be random thanks.

We have such long earthly lifespans, in part thanks to the genius that is germ theory - figuring out that it's germs and not, say, cheese that causes us to get colds - and in part for inventing soap to battle it. A couple of years ago I was more into the scented soaps like Axe, and noticed my skin breaking out in weird places. "Use antibacterial soap," said the dermatologist. Cleared it up like a charm! We can enjoy our good complexions (unlike pigs) as long as we take advantage of these technological marvels.

Love, On Peace

"I don't feel any pressure. I'm very at peace, very confident. I know I've put in a lot of work to put myself in that situation. You're gonna miss some, I know that. But what matters are the ones you make." - NBA player Kevin Love, on shooting with the game on the line

Thanks #9: Mike Lieder

I have a special place for people who do the unheralded work. Mike Lieder's the tech guy, bass player and general utility man  for the needs of the Epiphany Catholic Church LifeTeen band. He's the first one to show up, and one of the last to leave. He satisfies the needs of the instrumentalists and vocalists, adjusting levels and cables. He organizes equipment moves from place to place. He even keeps our rehearsals on schedule when we fall behind.

A talented, kind and committed guy doing the most behind-the-scenes job in the group with passion. One of the many blessings of the LifeTeen band!

Special Delivery

"Our normally sweet Great Dane has one quirk: She hates United Parcel Service drivers. While walking her one day, we came upon a guy delivering a package. Struggling to keep hold of her, I joked, 'As you can see, she just loves UPS men.' Circumnavigating us, he muttered, 'Don't you feed her anything else?'" - Donald Dawson, Gilbert, Arizona

Thanks #8: LookAfter Hair Company

I walked in nearly 20 years ago, and am still going strong today. At first is was for the now long-gone "every 7th cut free" promotion. I thought about leaving during a management turnover, but by now most of the staff has been there for at least ten years. They treat each other like family, and their customers the same. Hand-painted signs adorn the walls. They greet me like a roomful of my closest friends whenever I enter or exit, and we know a lot about each other personally. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name.

Commercial Enterprise

"Camping is nature's way of promoting the motel business." - Dave Barry

Thanks #7: Normal Public Library

It's been a perfect site to help tutor students. Easy location, ample table space, free parking. The staff is friendly. The hours are accessible.

4 Reasons Running Is Best For Weight Loss

Any exercise is good exercise, but when it comes to losing weight, it's hard to beat running. After all, running is one of the most efficient ways to burn calories and get fit without having to restrict your diet. If you're already a runner, keep on keepin' on. If you're not a runner yet but interested in losing weight, here are four reasons running can be the best exercise for weight loss.

1. Running works even when you're at rest. High-intensity exercise like running stimulates more "afterburn" than low-intensity exercise. That is, even when comparing running with walking the same distance, studies find that running will lead to greater weight loss, most likely because your resting energy expenditure stays elevated after you run. In a long-term comparison study of runners and walkers, calories burned through running led to 90% more weight loss than calories burned through walking.

2. Running is time-efficient. Even if the myth that running a mile and walking a mile burn the same number of calories were true, running is a considerably faster way to burn those calories. Most people can run two or three times as far as they can walk in a given amount of time. At the other end of the spectrum, super-intense but short workouts, such as the "Scientific 7-minute Workout" from the Human Performance Institute, may burn more calories per minute per running, but because they're so short, your total caloric burn isn't as great if you ran.

3. Running is convenient. Though many of us have accumulated a vast arsenal of GPS gadgets and tech tees over the years, little is actually required to go running. You can do it alone. You can do it almost anywhere. You don't need any equipment beyond a pair of running shoes. (And if you're careful about injury and build up slowly, you may not even need those. Check out the Benefits of Barefoot Running for more.) For this reason alone, running is the best workout for weight loss because it's cheap, it's accessible, and there are fewer barriers to maintaining a routine, even while traveling.

4. Two words: runner's high. The first rule of exercising for weight loss is that if you don't enjoy it, you won't stick with it. Fortunately, studies support what many runners have experienced on an anecdotal level--running can actually get you high. Scientists have found links between moderate to intense exercise and morphine-like brain chemicals called endocannabinoids, which suggest endorphins alone aren't responsible for the occasional flood of euphoria that rushes over you during a hard run. That floaty, happy sensation you had after your last race--makes you want to go for another run, right?

Marine Proposes To Girlfriend At Hockey Game During Surprise Homecoming

5 Signs You've Been In A Staged Car Crash

By Barbara Marquand, Insure.com:

Accidents happen, but some car crashes are by design.

Orchestrated by sophisticated criminal networks, staged "accidents" bilk car insurance companies out of billions of dollars, with consumers paying the ultimate price in higher premiums.

They work like this: You're driving along innocently when a car comes out of nowhere, and wham! Before you know what hit you, passengers pile out of other cars complaining of injuries. Strangers urge you to visit a certain clinic or lawyer. Witnesses conveniently appear. And finally the other driver and passengers file large damage and/or injury insurance claims against you for thousands of dollars.

"The money in fake injury claims can be so lucrative, it's hard for organized crime to pass up," says James Quiggle, spokesperson for the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud in Washington, D.C.

Auto insurance fraud is big business. Prosecutors say a crime ring they broke up this year tried to fleece $400 million from insurers through staged crashes and phony claims in New York City.

The Insurance Information Institute estimated that a typical two-car family in Florida paid an extra $100 a year for car insurance in 2011, effectively a "fraud tax" because of staged accidents and other scams.

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones and Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey recently warned Californians to be alert for staged crashes. Last year the Department of Insurance received more than 7,700 suspected auto fraud claims in Los Angeles County alone.

In March the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) asked drivers in the Las Vegas area to look out for crooks targeting trucks for staged crashes. Some 100 suspected staged crashes along the I-15 corridor were reported to the bureau in the previous 12 to 18 months, and as many as 25 targeted big rigs.

More recently, Minneapolis-St. Paul has become a hotspot. The NICB reported in January that the rate of organized crime involvement in auto insurance fraud rose 230 percent in Minnesota in the last four years. The Insurance Federation of Minnesota says the increase is due to a crackdown on fraud in other states.

"You start herding the cockroaches around, and they start falling off to new locations," Quiggle says.

Singled out

Nobody is immune from getting targeted in a staged crash.

"Victims run the gamut -- young, old, male and female," says NICB spokesperson Frank Scafidi.
But crooks tend to single out elderly people, women who are alone and drivers of nice cars, he says.
So how can you tell if you've been in a staged crash?

Here are five red flags:

1. Sudden stops

The "swoop and squat" is the most common staged crash tactic, according to the California Department of Insurance. Traffic flows along smoothly. A car pulls up beside you, so you can't change lanes. Then the driver in front of you slams on the brakes, causing a rear-end collision.

2. A car comes out of nowhere at an intersection

Swindlers use a couple of different tactics to take advantage of you at intersections. A driver might motion you forward and then slam into you, claiming he never gave you the signal.

Or a driver motions you forward to make a left turn in front of his car. But then as soon as you enter the intersection, he pulls forward, blocking your way, and another car crashes into you.

The "right-turn drive down" tactic happens when you try to make a right turn from a stop sign. A car parked at the curb accelerates forward and hits the rear corner of your car. The driver says you ran the stop sign or pulled in front of him.

3. Pressure to go to certain clinics or attorneys

"Runners" and "cappers" show up at the accident scene and urge you to go to clinics or attorneys that are actually fraudulent. Quiggle says some criminal rings also send people to real accidents to persuade victims to go to their crooked medical and legal professionals.

4. Suddenly, lots of passengers

"Jump-ins" happen when people suddenly appear and jump into other cars, claiming they were passengers. You should also be suspicious if the other driver and passengers say they're injured, despite minor damage to the vehicles.

5. Phony witnesses

You should be suspicious when a witness conveniently appears and backs up everything the other driver says.

Thanks #6: Cookies

Consider cookies!

There's no certain reason why we humans are built to enjoy sugary products so much. We could easily have bodies that are only capable of digesting motor oil or molten lava or (shudder) yams. Instead, we get these wonderful vessels that thrive on an extremely cheap fuel like water. That benefit from a wide variety of textures and tastes of food. And that even have capacity for enjoying mostly unhealthy treats. We aren't like cats, mostly eating limited, similar foods with all the excitement and resemblance of raw meat or pebbles. Food can be a source of not only sustenance but joy.

Within the next couple hours Dena will return from her friend's with bucketfuls of Christmas cookies. Her baking ability is a topic for a whole other thankfulness post.

Wisdom From Martellus Bennett

The Chicago Bears' tight end is a natural on the radio.

"I think anything you do in life, if you want to be great at it, discipline is one of the number one things you've got to have."

"The creative ones are the ones that ar going to find a different way to do things to help us out in the future.  There are going to be some kids that are mathematicians that are going to help develop the flying car. Grown-ups with imaginations are the ones that still have the little kid in them."

"A lot of times athletes don't have identities. They don't know nothing about themselves besides, This is what I do, football is who I am."

We can all hope to be creative, kid-like, yet disciplined people to live long and prosper.

Thanks #5: The Fence

This was the year that we removed the 30+ year old fence that borders the west side of our property. It was built like a series of tall boards nailed to a couple of long horizontal posts, with room to see in between the slats. When replacing the fence, we considered getting an attractive, continuous, non-gaping fence like our neighbors have. Reasoning through it, we noted that such a fence might be vulnerable to strong winds. So we went with the slatted fence for $5,000.

Two weeks later, the tornado-gale storms ripped through town.

The storms felled three tall trees across the street.

They toppled our neighbors' attractive fence.

Ours is still standing.

Chasing Greatness

"Nothing's ever been handed. You don't just show up and start and then win a Super Bowl. The challenge of trying to get there is the greatness. The greatness is having to compete your butt off and consistently do everything in your power to figure out how. It should be hard. If it was too easy, everyone would do it." - Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys quarterback

Romo was criticized by his coach Bill Parcells for his sidearm delivery. He heard about it through an assistant coach. This after he'd completed nearly 2/3 of his passes one year in college. But he didn't get defensive. He just asked the assistant, "Do you know how to get my release higher? I want to do it now."

"Now" is the best possible time to start working and improving. "Never" is the best time to complain, for a person who's truly great.

Thanks #4: Meineke

So yesterday my 14-year-old car makes an all-too-familiar "ka-chunk" sound. This means that a tail pipe has become disconnected. As a result, nothing muffles my engine at all, so a cozy drive home from the library becomes a series of ear-shaking roars that would terrify an airplane every time I accelerate. I drove straight to Meineke. Tom at Meineke is a young, peppy guy who doesn't know my name or my face, but always acts like I'm his long-lost brother when I come in. The last 3 times I have, he's done work for FREE - granted they're small repairs, but fix-it-while-you-wait is generally not something I expect from a mechanic. He makes car repair as easy as picking up a few groceries. And he's less than 2 blocks from my house! He doesn't know it, but his enthusiasm and helpfulness inspires my day every time I'm in.

Tutors Making Up To $1,250 An Hour

He looks and sounds like many other young, highly qualified teachers.

Nathaniel Hannan, a 33-year-old Indiana native, went to Notre Dame and got his masters at Oxford in philosophy and geology before becoming a high school teacher in Washington, D.C. He loves to teach and has a gift for communicating.

But today, instead of working for a school, Hannan tutors the children of wealthy families. And he makes up to $1,250 an hour.

"It's different clients, but the same business," he said.

Actually, it's a different business entirely—and it's growing rapidly. While much of the American education system is struggling with tight budgets, overcrowded classrooms and low teacher pay, the tutor economy is booming.

More of the world's millionaires and billionaires are seeking at-home teachers to give their children a leg up in the increasingly competitive and important education race. And, as the number of rich people grows around the world—and as more of them split their time between multiple homes in different countries—they are creating their own mobile, ultra-private schools in their homes.

Tutors International, a London-based tutor agency that hires and places many tutors in the U.S., said its business this year will nearly double over last year.
The typical salary for a full-time tutor today has jumped to between $70,000 and $120,000 depending on the requirements. But Tutors International has placed one tutor who is making $400,000 a year and another who was paid $80,000 for just 16 weeks of work.

Along with their pay, most tutors also usually get free housing, cars or drivers, paid travel and meals, and occasionally even a private chef and personal assistant.

CNBC's Robert Frank reports tutors for the wealthy are in high demand. Top tutors can earn as much as $400,000 a year. Nathaniel Hannan discusses the high expectations set for highly paid teachers.

"For these families, they look at the costs of just fueling their jet or buying a new sports car, and spending $100,000 or more for a tutor is not a great expense," said Adam Caller, the founder of Tutors International and a former tutor and teacher himself. "They know education is important."

Caller said his clients fall into three basic categories. First, there are rich families who want to supplement their children's schooling with added subjects and help them with homework. Second, there are families who have children with special needs, where home schooling is more effective.

Many of his clients, however, fall into the third category: rich families that travel between multiple homes around the world and don't want to be tied to one location because of their children's school. Some of these families are also so rich and famous that their children would be mobbed at a regular school.

"They may be based in New York, have a boat in France and a house in Mexico and in South Africa, and they want to use them all," Caller said. "With home schooling and a tutor, they can travel wherever they want and still get to be with their children."

Caller said the tutor he placed for $400,000 a year was for a rich family on the West Coast. The student was having trouble with school and with substance abuse, so the tutor had to home-school the student and coach the student and his family through rehab.

Caller said the job was "quite challenging," but the tutor also received an apartment, a car, dinner every night and first-class travel.

Hannan, who is currently tutoring in Barcelona, Spain, said he's worked in nine countries over the last seven years and his travel is usually "to great places and great environments."

But being a tutor to the rich has its downsides, Hannan said.

"You have to be very flexible all the time, " he said. "Clients may need anything at a moment's notice and you have to get it right the first time. So there's not a whole lot of patience for error."

Andrew Knight, an executive at Tutors International, said wealthy parents sometimes have unrealistic expectations for tutors, especially when it comes to helping their kids get into the best colleges or get top grades.

"Some of these families are used to paying for whatever they want," Knight said. "They don't understand that we can't guarantee a certain GPA or college."

He said parents can also sabotage a tutor's efforts to motivate a student. One tutor said he would take away the student's iPad until he did his homework. The parents, however, quickly gave the student another one.

"We have to have to get results with these kids," Hannan said. "That's a great deal of pressure on us." But he added that "I'm working with kids who really need me and I make a significant difference for those children, and it's what I want to do with my life, so it's great."

Since Tutors International employs its tutors—rather than placing them for employment by the families—the company monitors performance and receives constant feedback and performance reports from both the families and the tutors.

"We don't take our fee and walk away," Knight said. "We have an interest in everybody being happy along the way."

Thanks #3: Cupcake

I wouldn't have given a moment's thought to the idea of being a cat owner during my first 40 years. Arguably I'm still not an "owner," since my role is more of support. Still, Cupcake's arrival has given Dena and I a new playmate, challenge and adventure. Meanwhile, our house is catproof-cleaner, and I find myself much more playful with babies too. And if tolerance of being bitten is a virtue, it's been developed in spades.

Christmas will be even merrier with three of us!

Glorious Day - Casting Crowns

A song I've been singing a lot in my head/car/shower, for no reason other than I heard it on the radio and the message is upbeat.

Precious Present

"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe

How would we spend today if we knew it were our last? We probably wouldn't fret much about tomorrow, consider settling old scores, or live in regret of the mistake we made yesterday. Instead we might celebrate what we've had, tell or show those around us we love them, and make today the highest note possible. So...

Blessed Are The Meek

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the slow lane." - Not Matthew 5:5

Indian Giving

"If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies within yourself." - Tecumseh

Many people exercise their muscles and their minds, but not their gratefulness. Skipping the first two causes muscles and minds to rot; skipping the last causes one's spirit to rot.

Thanks #2: Steve Peterson

I was thrilled to have lunch with my old college roommate Steve yesterday after a long time apart. He and I jelled from the start back at ISU's Walker Hall.

We were serious enough about our faith to be in a small study group at the Catholic Newman Center, yet silly enough to write phony Bible passages such as Jesus finally relenting after "seventy times seven times" of forgiveness and allowing the disciples to smite the offender thereafter, whereupon the persnickety apostles ask why they can't just do so after the first violation.

We went through dating and breakups around the same time. We had long lights-out talks in the dorm room. Played Nerf basketball. Developed a "cup o' wisdom" filled with more fake advice. Played volleyball and basketball. Mostly aced our classes. They were sweet days whose narrative could fill tons of paragraphs. And these days we're happy spouses with satisfying jobs and volunteer paths.

10 Surprising Ways To Look Younger

By Yahoo! Shine:

Honestly, a person can only repeat the exfoliate-moisturize-SPF routine so many times. If you want to look younger (and your grooming arsenal is already stocked), follow these 10 simple strategies to turn back the clock-no medicine-cabinet space required.

1. Eat Your Antioxidants
 Two weeks to noticeably fewer wrinkles? Even the best moisturizers can't promise that. But in a new study from Unilever, participants who took fish-oil supplements and drank four antioxidants for 14 days straight significantly improved the depth of their wrinkles. Check out these antiaging foods to get started as soon as your next meal.

 
2. Crack a Smile
Sure, smiles fend off future frown lines, but they also make you look younger right now. When German researchers had men and women look at multiple photos of 171 people's faces, they were most likely to underestimate the age of people when they were shown smiling.
 
3. Lower Your Blood Pressure
One 2013 study found that people who look younger than their years tend to have lower blood pressure, while another new study in Molecular Psychiatry shows that depression, which researchers find compromises your immunity, may actually speed up the biological aging process.

 

4. Get Your Eyes Checked
 Stop squinting! Every time you furrow your brows, a groove forms under your skin. As you age and your skin loses flexibility, these grooves become fine lines and flat-out wrinkles, says Boston dermatologist Ranella Hirsch, M.D. In fact, Hirsch sends 90 percent of her thirtysomething Botox patients to the ophthalmologist for a stronger prescription.

 

5. Have More Sex In one study, a panel of judges perceived people who had regular sex (four times a week, on average) to look 7 to 12 years younger than their actual age, according to Superyoung: The Proven Way to Stay Young Forever. Researchers say that sex spurs the release of human growth hormone, which may help timeproof your skin by promoting elasticity.

6. Hit the Gym for Better Genes
Sure, the fewer your chins, the younger your look, but a new study from UC San Francisco shows that exercise can also influence your DNA. Researchers found that twins who exercise for 30 minutes a day have DNA markers that look 10 years younger than those of their sedentary counterparts.

 
7. Get More Sleep
Beauty sleep prevents more than baggy eyes. One 2013 study found that the skin of bad sleepers has difficulty recovering from environmental stressors, UV radiation included. The result: increased signs of aging. Luckily, we know seven ways to get a better night's sleep.
 
8. Brush Up
Enamel darkens over time, and the darker your teeth, the older you look. So get brushing. Per a 2010 study in PLoS One, people who brush twice a day look approximately five years younger than those who brush just once. Of course, you can always make up for lost time with a good teeth-whitening system.
 
9. Grow Facial Hair
Guys used to grow whiskers to look older. But according to recent University of Southern Queensland research, beards and mustaches can help guys look younger by blocking up to 95 percent of the sun's UV rays. Plus, facial hair secretes natural oils that help keep skin moisturized and wrinkle-free. See more weird-yet-true health benefits of beards.

 

10. Skip the Cigs
It's no surprise that smoking ages you. What is surprising is just how much: Every 10 years of smoking resulted in a perceived extra 2.5 years of age, according to new research published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Researchers say that smoking is associated with more wrinkles between the nose and the mouth, lip wrinkles, sagging jowls, under-eye bags, and sagging eyelids-meaning pretty much your entire face.

Thanks # 1: Spelling Bee

As the year winds down I've decided to post randomly about things I'm blessed with this year.

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. For a long time I was unsure if I liked this play. In the end, it was the chance to work with Brett Cottone and Wendy Baugh again that tipped the scales. It was by far the right decision! I could write many paragraphs about each of my cast and crew mates. From top to bottom it was an energetic, kind, talented and immensely cohesive group that entertained hundreds of people, laughing all the way. I would gladly do another dozen performances of this.

Even if I never do another Community Players show, it's been a terrific chapter in my life and was a light during a more stressful point in my State Farm career. I often sing Hairspray and Spelling Bee songs in my head or the shower because it takes me back to a joyous and peaceful place.

Winning Is An Attitude, Not A Score

So many locker room moods are defined by a matter of simple points on a scoreboard. Office moods by a gain or loss. Home moods by getting our way or not. The physical outcome too strongly defines whether or not we've "won." Winning is an attitude. No one's really "lost" until they've lost their smile. In sports it's possible to execute well in defeat and poorly in victory - the right message is to focus on that rather than the scoreboard outcome.

Tutoring Quote Of The Day, Part 2

From a non-traditional student, my first tutoring the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) math section:

Joe is great at approaching a problem from a different angle when I don't understand it a certain way. He is always very patient and knowledgeable!

Tutoring Quote Of The Day

Joe was the best tutor I could have asked for! He is a math tutor, but he agreed to tutor me in my college level Finance class. I was totally lost and didn't have a clue where to even begin. He was extremely patient and accommodating to my schedule. He helped me understand the concepts and calculations needed in order to earn an A on my final paper. Without his help there is no way I would have passed. Thanks to Joe I received an A on my final paper and a B in the class. I highly recommend Joe!!!!