College Student Makes 4 Amazing Shots To Win $10,000

The money's nice, but the fan reaction (especially the pre-swarming of the court as he got ready to take the final shot) is what really takes the cake!

Happy Old Year: The Week Ago In Thanks

Technically this is my final 2014 thankfulness post, a little late but still deserved!

I got a big bag of trail mix as one of my Christmas gifts. So first, I'm thankful for the invention of trail mix. It's mostly healthy except for the occasional chocolate candy, a tidy on-the-go snack. And I'm glad that the gift came from Dena's 6-and-a-half-foot brother Darren. What was likely a between-workout snack for him lasted me three full days.

Christmas went smoothly. Clear weather, successfully early shopping and wrapping, got the best gifts from my list. Besides munching on trail mix I'll also be frequenting Olive Garden, sharpening pencils electrically, and enjoying Reader's Digest, among other things.

Dena and I went to see Raiders of the Lost Ark at the historic Normal Theater. I'm lucky not only to have a wife who likes to see action movies, but also for such an interesting theater to attend. Cheap tickets, all-volunteer staff, run by the Town. Have to give props to God for creating Steven Spielberg too, as well as M. Night Shyamalan, my two favorite movie directors. And for Harrison Ford.

We're in a recent habit of Jack flying to New Jersey for Christmas Day, then coming to Illinois the following week. Gratitude here comes from (1) having an in-law family so close to home that Christmas Day is simple, (2) having a mom that's cool with celebrating Christmas whenever, (3) Jack's timing allowing me to have a full, separate day to spend Christmas up north with the family. It wouldn't be the same if we couldn't all be together, or had to drive from one family to another on the same day. Although I did head down the following day for...

... The NCHS boys basketball championship win in the State Farm Classic tournament. It was a thrilling game with a last-shot climax. The team's 11-0, unlike any year I've been involved.

Dena set some goals for the new year. So many people shrug off the idea of goals, either because they're not goal-oriented or they've given up on reaching them. So I'm feeling like I'm in a happy minority and very fortunate.

Random object shout-out: Skylights. Specifically the one in the ceiling of the church. When I'm at Mass singing, looking up at that skylight - a source of brightness even on cloudy days - reminds me of the beauty in the world and the many reasons I have to be joyful every day. It's like a battery charger in a way.

I'm also thankful for cruise control. The older and creakier I get, the more I appreciate being able to let my legs chillax while coasting toward Bloomingdale. Or occasionally from stoplight to stoplight in town.

Lastly, thanks for the continued growth of Cupcake. Although she's pretty much fully grown, she's getting bolder in her play, doing a little less fleeing and a little more sparring. It reminds me what a loving household we have that she's so comfortable being close to us like this, whether in play or just flopping down on our chest in the morning as we wake up to a new day.

Signing off from 2014 thankfulness posts, my most successful year with them so far. Catch you on the flip side!

36 Mistranslated Signs

If you were on the fence about taking that foreign vacation, this might tip the decision for you:

http://offbeat.topix.com/slideshow/15179/slide2

7 Habits Of Chronically Unhappy People

By Tamara Star, via Huffington Post:

I often teach about happiness and what has become exceedingly clear is this: There are seven qualities chronically unhappy people have mastered.

According to Psychology Today, University of California researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky states: "40 percent of our capacity for happiness is within our power to change."

If this is true and it is, there's hope for us all. There are billions of people on our planet and clearly some are truly happy. The rest of us bounce back and forth between happiness and unhappiness depending on the day.

Throughout the years, I've learned there are certain traits and habits chronically unhappy people seem to have mastered. But before diving in with you, let me preface this and say: we all have bad days, even weeks when we fall down in all seven areas.

The difference between a happy and unhappy life is how often and how long we stay there.

Here are the 7 qualities of chronically unhappy people.

1. Your default belief is that life is hard.

Happy people know life can be hard and tend to bounce through hard times with an attitude of curiosity versus victimhood. They take responsibility for how they got themselves into a mess, and focus on getting themselves out of it as soon as possible.

Perseverance towards problem-solving versus complaining over circumstances is a symptom of a happy person. Unhappy people see themselves as victims of life and stay stuck in the "look what happened to me" attitude versus finding a way through and out the other side.

2. You believe most people can't be trusted.

I won't argue that healthy discernment is important, but most happy people are trusting of their fellow man. They believe in the good in people, versus assuming everyone is out to get them. Generally open and friendly towards people they meet, happy people foster a sense of community around themselves and meet new people with an open heart.

Unhappy people are distrustful of most people they meet and assume that strangers can't be trusted.
Unfortunately this behavior slowly starts to close the door on any connection outside of an inner-circle and thwarts all chances of meeting new friends.

3. You concentrate on what's wrong in this world versus what's right.

There's plenty wrong with this world, no arguments here, yet unhappy people turn a blind eye to what's actually right in this world and instead focus on what's wrong. You can spot them a mile away, they'll be the ones complaining and responding to any positive attributes of our world with "yeah but".

Happy people are aware of global issues, but balance their concern with also seeing what's right. I like to call this keeping both eyes open. Unhappy people tend to close one eye towards anything good in this world in fear they might be distracted from what's wrong. Happy people keep it in perspective. They know our world has problems and they also keep an eye on what's right.

4. You compare yourself to others and harbor jealousy.

Unhappy people believe someone else's good fortune steals from their own. They believe there's not enough goodness to go around and constantly compare yours against theirs. This leads to jealousy and resentment.

Happy people know that your good luck and circumstance are merely signs of what they too can aspire to achieve. Happy people believe they carry a unique blueprint that can't be duplicated or stolen from -- by anyone on the planet. They believe in unlimited possibilities and don't get bogged down by thinking one person's good fortune limits their possible outcome in life.

5. You strive to control your life.

There's a difference between control and striving to achieve our goals. Happy people take steps daily to achieve their goals, but realize in the end, there's very little control over what life throws their way.

Unhappy people tend to micromanage in effort to control all outcomes and fall apart in dramatic display when life throws a wrench in their plan. Happy people can be just as focused, yet still have the ability to go with the flow and not melt down when life delivers a curve-ball.

The key here is to be goal-oriented and focused, but allow room for letting sh*t happen without falling apart when the best laid plans go awry- because they will. Going with the flow is what happy people have as plan B.

6. You consider your future with worry and fear.

There's only so much rent space between your ears. Unhappy people fill their thoughts with what could go wrong versus what might go right.

Happy people take on a healthy dose of delusion and allow themselves to daydream about what they'd like to have life unfold for them. Unhappy people fill that head space with constant worry and fear.

Happy people experience fear and worry, but make an important distinction between feeling it and living it. When fear or worry crosses a happy person's mind, they'll ask themselves if there's an action they can be taken to prevent their fear or worry from happening (there's responsibility again) and they take it. If not, they realize they're spinning in fear and they lay it down.

7. You fill your conversations with gossip and complaints.

Unhappy people like to live in the past. What's happened to them and life's hardships are their conversation of choice. When they run out of things to say, they'll turn to other people's lives and gossip.

Happy people live in the now and dream about the future. You can feel their positive vibe from across the room. They're excited about something they're working on, grateful for what they have and dreaming about the possibilities of life.

Obviously none of us are perfect. We're all going to swim in negative waters once in a while, but what matters is how long we stay there and how quickly we work to get ourselves out. Practicing positive habits daily is what sets happy people apart from unhappy people, not doing everything perfectly. 

Walk, fall down, get back up again, repeat. It's in the getting back up again where all the difference resides.

Don't Read Screens Before Bedtime

You've heard that using screens before bedtime can mess with your sleep, but new research suggests the problem is even more serious.

Reading from an iPad before bed not only makes it harder to fall asleep, but also impacts how sleepy and alert you are the next day, according to new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, said the findings could impact anyone who uses an eReader, laptop, smartphone, or certain TVs before bed.

The new research supports conclusions from older studies, which have also found that screen time before sleep can be detrimental.

"We know from previous work that light from screens in the evening alters sleepiness and alertness, and suppresses melatonin levels," Dr. Anne-Marie Chang, an associate neuroscientist in BWH’s Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders who was a co-author on the study, told The Huffington Post via email. "This study shows comprehensive results of a direct comparison between reading with a light-emitting device and reading a printed book and the consequences on sleep."

If you don't want to feel like a zombie during the day, the findings are clear: Read an actual, printed book if you must stimulate your mind before bed, and avoid screens like your life depends on it, because it actually might. Chang said that sleep deficiency -- not getting enough sleep or obtaining poor quality sleep -- has been linked to other health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Chronic suppression of melatonin has also been associated with increased risk of certain cancers, she said.

Needless to say, sleep has its own innate benefits, so cutting it short is a bad idea anyway.

The study ran for two weeks and included 12 participants who read on an iPad for four hours before bed for five days straight, a process that was repeated with printed books. For some, the order was reversed: They started with printed books and moved to iPads.

iPad readers took longer to fall asleep, felt less sleepy at night and had shorter REM sleep compared to the book readers, researchers found. The iPad readers also secreted less melatonin, which helps regulate your sleep. They were also more tired than book readers the following day, even if both got a full eight hours of sleep.

The real-world effects may be even worse than what researchers observed over the course of their study, however. Chang told HuffPost that because iPad users were found to be more alert, people who look at screens before bed may stay up later than the study participants were allowed to, wrecking their sleep even more.

If you absolutely, positively must be on your tablet, phone, or computer before bed for whatever reason, there may be a way to make it safer. Try a filter that blocks blue light -- there's an app for Android that produces this effect, though you'll have to purchasea physical filter for your iOS device. Try F.lux if you're using a computer. Research has shown that blue light makes you more alert and suppresses your melatonin, thus hurting your quality of sleep.

"The best recommendation (although not the most popular) would be to avoid use of light-emitting screens before bedtime," Dr. Chang told HuffPost. "For those who must use computers or other light-emitting devices in the evening, software or other technology that filters out the blue light may help."

Nicholas Cage As Your Favorite Disney Princesses

Great job by Buzzfeed:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jenlewis/nicolas-cage-as-your-favorite-disney-princesses#.xg3r9o2bP

Video Of NCHS Championship

Terrific video of a terrific game, from several camera angles no less!

http://www.channel1450.com/pages/20620850.php