So as part of our evolving new-parent-of-kitten philosophy, we've gradually gotten more permissive about where we let Cupcake go. Here's a summary of lessons learned so far. I will pretend that Cupcake is representative of all cats, so that I sound like an expert.
1. Cats like running water if you let a small rivulet stream from the faucet. They become mesmerized by the soft water sounds, the soothing movement, the texture. They will sit with tilted head on the rim of the sink, tentatively extend a paw. Scoop some into their mouths. Stretch our their necks, twist their heads upside down, and slurp. It makes an excellent distraction while, for example, I try to move my laptop somewhere that she can't sit on it and type messages like "ssssttttttttttttt444435gedggg" into the search engine.
2. Cats also find small flickering candles to be hypnotic. As an owner seeking any excuse short of a kitty straitjacket to spare the skin of my forearms and hands from her late-night wildcat mode, it was a joyous surprise to see her quietly gaze at a 4-inch candle for nearly a half hour one night.
3. Cats will join you in the shower, to their own regret. Even though in her case it amounts to just walking the side of the tub, sheltered by the curtain, and peeking around the corner. Occasionally, this results in her slipping off the ledge and into the tub. She does not like being covered with water, so she scrambles out like a cartoon character trying to run on ice in her escape.
4. Fire and water have a double-calming-effect. Right? Before my shower, Dena had a candle burning on the sink. I nudged the sink faucet on. Cuppie sat there, her head slowly flicking back and forth between these two basic elements. Satisfied that all was secure, I stepped into the shower.
5. Burning cat hair smells like a dentist's drill. I whipped my head from behind the curtain. Cuppie was sitting there, still staring at the water. Not, as I'd feared, lying in a ball of flame, which was relatively good news. For a moment I figured that something else must be on fire. Picture me running half-naked and soaking wet into Dena's office asking "Honey, do you smell something burning?"
6. Cats hate haircuts. Alas, she was indeed singed, and the smell was indeed nauseating. So it was time for a series of snips to remove the noxious hairs. As it turns out, this ranks slightly above "put a collar on me" and below "give me a rabies shot" on the Hiss-o-Meter.
Moral of the story: A watched kitten never burns; an unwatched kitten does; wet cats are happier than burned ones; do not vote for me as Owner of the Year; "kitten barber" is a lousy profession.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Champion Coach Gregg Popovich: Empower People
Gregg Popovich, famously curt and sarcastic, revealed one of the secrets to the San Antonio Spurs'
success in a moment of candid reflection Tuesday, saying empowering his
players to communicate on the court as he does during timeouts is key
to getting them to make the right decisions throughout a game.
Popovich, speaking to media before a typically efficient 122-101 rout of the host Cleveland Cavaliers, said he often mines the "competitiveness and the character of the player" in shaping them into confident, productive components of the Spurs' offense.
"Sometimes in timeouts I'll say, 'I've got nothing for you. What do you want me to do? We just turned it over six times. Everybody's holding the ball. What else do you want me to do here? Figure it out,' " Popovich said, according to the San Antonio Express-News, not long before the Spurs used 14 3-pointers and a season-high 39 assists to dispatch the Cavs. "And I'll get up and walk away. Because it's true. There's nothing else I can do for them. I can give them some bulls---, and act like I'm a coach or something, but it's on them."
Popovich added that the psychological boost the Spurs get from open lines of communication "engenders a feeling that they can actually be in charge."
"I think competitive character people don't want to be manipulated constantly to do what one individual wants them to do," Popovich said, according to the Express-News. "It's a great feeling when players get together and do things as a group. Whatever can be done to empower those people."
The Spurs, despite their aging core of stars in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, took the Miami Heat to seven games in the NBA Finals last season and are again in position to make a deep run in the playoffs.
After Tuesday's win, the Spurs sat in second place in the Western Conference at 44-16, 1½ games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Popovich said his veterans still benefit from his direction but that throwing up his hands is often the best option.
"If they're holding the ball, they're holding the ball," Popovich said. "I certainly didn't tell them to hold the ball. Just like, if they make five in a row, I didn't do that. If they get a great rebound, I didn't do that. It's a players' game and they've got to perform. The better you can get that across, the more they take over and the more smoothly it runs.
"Then you interject here or there. You call a play during the game at some point or make a substitution, that kind of thing that helps the team win. But they basically have to take charge or you never get to the top of the mountain."
Popovich, speaking to media before a typically efficient 122-101 rout of the host Cleveland Cavaliers, said he often mines the "competitiveness and the character of the player" in shaping them into confident, productive components of the Spurs' offense.
Gregg
Popovich says he often mines the "competitiveness and the character" of
the Spurs in shaping them into confident, productive players.
"Sometimes in timeouts I'll say, 'I've got nothing for you. What do you want me to do? We just turned it over six times. Everybody's holding the ball. What else do you want me to do here? Figure it out,' " Popovich said, according to the San Antonio Express-News, not long before the Spurs used 14 3-pointers and a season-high 39 assists to dispatch the Cavs. "And I'll get up and walk away. Because it's true. There's nothing else I can do for them. I can give them some bulls---, and act like I'm a coach or something, but it's on them."
Popovich added that the psychological boost the Spurs get from open lines of communication "engenders a feeling that they can actually be in charge."
"I think competitive character people don't want to be manipulated constantly to do what one individual wants them to do," Popovich said, according to the Express-News. "It's a great feeling when players get together and do things as a group. Whatever can be done to empower those people."
The Spurs, despite their aging core of stars in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, took the Miami Heat to seven games in the NBA Finals last season and are again in position to make a deep run in the playoffs.
After Tuesday's win, the Spurs sat in second place in the Western Conference at 44-16, 1½ games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Popovich said his veterans still benefit from his direction but that throwing up his hands is often the best option.
"If they're holding the ball, they're holding the ball," Popovich said. "I certainly didn't tell them to hold the ball. Just like, if they make five in a row, I didn't do that. If they get a great rebound, I didn't do that. It's a players' game and they've got to perform. The better you can get that across, the more they take over and the more smoothly it runs.
"Then you interject here or there. You call a play during the game at some point or make a substitution, that kind of thing that helps the team win. But they basically have to take charge or you never get to the top of the mountain."
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
NCHS Wins Over BHS On Third Try To Begin Playoffs
By the Pantagraph:
NORMAL — Alex Peacock played like a man on a mission Tuesday night, pouring in a season-high 28 points, while teammate Tyler Seibring added 15 points and 13 rebounds as the Normal Community High School basketball team downed Bloomington, 63-46, in the semifinals of the NCHS Class 4A Regional.
“My teammates were getting me going and I could finish,” said Peacock, who sank 9 of 15 shots from the field, made 9 of 11 free throws, grabbed nine rebounds and handed out three assists. “The coaches came up with the game plan and we executed it to the fullest.”
NCHS used its size advantage to outrebound its guest, 32-24. Meanwhile, the Ironmen guards were steady enough to only have one more turnover than BHS (16 to 15).
“It’s hard to handle those two big guys,” said BHS coach Micheal Mosley referring to the 6-foot-7 Peacock and the 6-7 Seibring. “We just had no answers inside for them. They did a really good job handling our pressure, using their big guys to be release valves.”
NCHS guard Duane Farrington added 10 points while Grant Donath had five assists. Antonio Sims paced BHS with 18 points while Jaylen Beasley added 13 and Willie Grayson Jr. 10.
"We were able to get the ball into the paint and got a lot of easy shots,” said NCHS coach Dave Witzig. “We did a good job of sharing the ball and getting it where it needed to go.”
The No. 3-seeded Ironmen improved to 21-8 ahead of Friday’s 7 p.m. championship game against No. 5-seeded Danville (11-16), which won Tuesday’s first semifinal, 63-49, over No. 1 seed Bradley-Bourbonnais (18-6). No. 2 seed BHS (15-11) had beaten NCHS earlier by scores of 57-52 and 55-52.
NCHS sprinted to a 10-2 lead with help from five points by Peacock. A pair of Peacock free throws later gave the Ironmen a 17-7 cushion after one quarter.
The Raiders came alive the second quarter as Beasley, who finished with nine rebounds, followed his two free throws with a rebound basket before a Sims putback made it 17-13 with 4:44 left in the half.
Another pair of Peacock free throws sparked a 10-5 half-ending run for NCHS, which made 8 of 10 free throws prior to intermission. Seven of Peacock’s 13 first-half points came at the line.
A rebound basket by Seibring, who had eight points the first half, gave the Ironmen a 27-18 advantage at halftime.
BHS was still within seven early in the third quarter before NCHS mounted a 21-9 surge powered by nine points from Peacock. In the fourth quarter, the Raiders never scored more than two unanswered points.
“We had a lot of close games this year,” Witzig said. “It was nice to have one where we were able to keep pushing away from them.”
BHS standout Brady Rose was held to two points on 1 of 11 shooting.
“I think he still has a career average of about 25 against us,” Witzig said. “He’s obviously a focus of our team. Duane Farrington did a great job. He was with him wherever he went.”
Mosley agreed.
“Farrington is a heck of a defender,” he said. “He played really well tonight face guarding Brady. He just had an off night. If a few of those go (in), we’re in the game.”
BHS shot .319 from the field (15 of 47) compared to .550 (22 of 40) for NCHS, which owns two wins over Danville.
“We know them real well,” said Witzig, who watched Denzel Smith notch 33 points and 12 rebounds on Tuesday. “It will be a great challenge for us.”
It was a challenge the nine college-bound seniors of BHS wanted to face.
“I told them, ‘look forward to what we’ve built,’” Mosley said. “Hats off to Normal Community because they are extremely good. They are a sectional or super-sectional championship type team."
NORMAL — Alex Peacock played like a man on a mission Tuesday night, pouring in a season-high 28 points, while teammate Tyler Seibring added 15 points and 13 rebounds as the Normal Community High School basketball team downed Bloomington, 63-46, in the semifinals of the NCHS Class 4A Regional.
“My teammates were getting me going and I could finish,” said Peacock, who sank 9 of 15 shots from the field, made 9 of 11 free throws, grabbed nine rebounds and handed out three assists. “The coaches came up with the game plan and we executed it to the fullest.”
NCHS used its size advantage to outrebound its guest, 32-24. Meanwhile, the Ironmen guards were steady enough to only have one more turnover than BHS (16 to 15).
“It’s hard to handle those two big guys,” said BHS coach Micheal Mosley referring to the 6-foot-7 Peacock and the 6-7 Seibring. “We just had no answers inside for them. They did a really good job handling our pressure, using their big guys to be release valves.”
NCHS guard Duane Farrington added 10 points while Grant Donath had five assists. Antonio Sims paced BHS with 18 points while Jaylen Beasley added 13 and Willie Grayson Jr. 10.
"We were able to get the ball into the paint and got a lot of easy shots,” said NCHS coach Dave Witzig. “We did a good job of sharing the ball and getting it where it needed to go.”
The No. 3-seeded Ironmen improved to 21-8 ahead of Friday’s 7 p.m. championship game against No. 5-seeded Danville (11-16), which won Tuesday’s first semifinal, 63-49, over No. 1 seed Bradley-Bourbonnais (18-6). No. 2 seed BHS (15-11) had beaten NCHS earlier by scores of 57-52 and 55-52.
NCHS sprinted to a 10-2 lead with help from five points by Peacock. A pair of Peacock free throws later gave the Ironmen a 17-7 cushion after one quarter.
The Raiders came alive the second quarter as Beasley, who finished with nine rebounds, followed his two free throws with a rebound basket before a Sims putback made it 17-13 with 4:44 left in the half.
Another pair of Peacock free throws sparked a 10-5 half-ending run for NCHS, which made 8 of 10 free throws prior to intermission. Seven of Peacock’s 13 first-half points came at the line.
A rebound basket by Seibring, who had eight points the first half, gave the Ironmen a 27-18 advantage at halftime.
BHS was still within seven early in the third quarter before NCHS mounted a 21-9 surge powered by nine points from Peacock. In the fourth quarter, the Raiders never scored more than two unanswered points.
“We had a lot of close games this year,” Witzig said. “It was nice to have one where we were able to keep pushing away from them.”
BHS standout Brady Rose was held to two points on 1 of 11 shooting.
“I think he still has a career average of about 25 against us,” Witzig said. “He’s obviously a focus of our team. Duane Farrington did a great job. He was with him wherever he went.”
Mosley agreed.
“Farrington is a heck of a defender,” he said. “He played really well tonight face guarding Brady. He just had an off night. If a few of those go (in), we’re in the game.”
BHS shot .319 from the field (15 of 47) compared to .550 (22 of 40) for NCHS, which owns two wins over Danville.
“We know them real well,” said Witzig, who watched Denzel Smith notch 33 points and 12 rebounds on Tuesday. “It will be a great challenge for us.”
It was a challenge the nine college-bound seniors of BHS wanted to face.
“I told them, ‘look forward to what we’ve built,’” Mosley said. “Hats off to Normal Community because they are extremely good. They are a sectional or super-sectional championship type team."
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Fat-o-Meter
Finally bought one of those fat-measuring hand-held devices that State Farm's employee wellness center has.
I punched in all my height, weight data and got a reading of 13.9%. The booklet that came with it said that put me at the low end of the normal range, which seemed pretty good. On other devices I'd registered a lower amount years ago. I know we gain some fat with age, but still.
There was also a category of "Normal" and "Athlete." I'd registered under "Normal" originally as my personal setting, but the booklet explained by way of a formula that since I exercise vigorously on a stationary bike for a half hour at least 5 days a week, I qualify as an "Athlete." This seemed like a good thing. I switched the setting, and now my percentage was 12.5%.
Then another instruction caught my attention. When getting a reading I should hold my arms straight out in front of me. When I did that... 15%. Um. Apparently I have like 23 pounds of fat on me somewhere. Whether or not this is highly accurate, it's still a baseline to work around in terms of improvement.
Back to work!
I punched in all my height, weight data and got a reading of 13.9%. The booklet that came with it said that put me at the low end of the normal range, which seemed pretty good. On other devices I'd registered a lower amount years ago. I know we gain some fat with age, but still.
There was also a category of "Normal" and "Athlete." I'd registered under "Normal" originally as my personal setting, but the booklet explained by way of a formula that since I exercise vigorously on a stationary bike for a half hour at least 5 days a week, I qualify as an "Athlete." This seemed like a good thing. I switched the setting, and now my percentage was 12.5%.
Then another instruction caught my attention. When getting a reading I should hold my arms straight out in front of me. When I did that... 15%. Um. Apparently I have like 23 pounds of fat on me somewhere. Whether or not this is highly accurate, it's still a baseline to work around in terms of improvement.
Back to work!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Mimicking Excellence
"Selecting a role model nurtures qualities in yourself. Seek a mentor who makes you excited for your work or excels in your weak areas. Then mimic your mentor's moves until they become yours." - J. Richard Shell
The best role model I had for a supervisor was Rusty Schopp. The man worked hard, took a genuine interest in people, and had a sense of humor that was both side-splitting and respectful of others. These days I look around at great historical figures like Lincoln, or energetic young leaders in my own community. And maybe, in time, I pass along the best of all of these people to those I'm privileged to teach.
The best role model I had for a supervisor was Rusty Schopp. The man worked hard, took a genuine interest in people, and had a sense of humor that was both side-splitting and respectful of others. These days I look around at great historical figures like Lincoln, or energetic young leaders in my own community. And maybe, in time, I pass along the best of all of these people to those I'm privileged to teach.
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