Nice Guy Blogging

The Path to Perfection

2012-01-01T21:43:00.000-08:00

I don't know if anyone still follows this blog seeing as how I haven't posted in over 15 months, but my wife and I had some interesting thoughts and insights into the topic of New Year's Resolutions and I wanted to share them with any that may stumble back this way.

I don’t know if you are into setting resolutions or not. I know many people have given up on the practice due to past frustrations. Personally, I believe they are an important practice due to the commandment the Savior gave us when he said: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). The thought of even attempting to be perfect can be an overwhelming one, but the translation of the Greek word for perfect means “complete, finished, fully developed.” To me, that means we should do our best to become the best person we can be; our version of perfect. How then can we become perfect, or more like our Heavenly Father except by continually setting and working towards resolutions or goals that can help us become so?

As I was thinking about making resolutions, I realized it is very much like the conversion process of faith, repentance, baptism and enduring to the end.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said "Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the 'high priest of good things to come' (Hebrews 9:11)." (The best Is Yet to Be, Ensign, January 2010) So to me, faith is the forward-looking principle that we can be and do better than we have been or done in the past.

Repentance is the change of heart we must experience to let go of our poor habits in order to replace them with better, more Christ-like habits that will serve and strengthen us.

Baptism is making a commitment to a new life. As you are buried in the water, you bury the old you and all the sins you have committed. When you rise up out of the water, you come up a new person committed to living the commandments and following the Savior. Like baptism, setting a resolution is burying the old you of yester-year and committing to arise a new and better person in the New Year.

Enduring to the end is pretty self-explanatory. Just like living the gospel is full of challenges and temptations, so is living your new resolution. It will take daily discipline, and, more than likely, frequent repentance at first as you work to continually improve until your resolution has become a habit; a new way of life. Jim Rohn taught that there are two kinds of pain: discipline and regret. The difference between the two is that discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons. Don’t get discouraged and hang in there when times get tough and you will overcome in the end.

Each week we take the sacrament to renew our baptismal covenants. By doing so we are reminded of the commitment that we have made to follow the Savior and to keep his commandments. I recommend that you read your resolutions on a weekly, if not daily, basis and renew your commitment to them. This will help you to always remember them and stay true to them when you face the daily decisions of life.

Gordon B. Hinckley issued the challenge when he said: "This is a time to make resolutions that will be binding upon you." I hope everyone who reads this will take up the challenge to make 2012 their best year yet by setting resolutions that they are committed to that will help them be better and do better than they have ever done before. I wish you the best in this New Year!

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For more tips on how to make and keep your New Year's Resolutions, I invite you to visit The Millionaire Marathon blog and read the Celebrate 2008 blog series.

A Little Weirdness...

2010-09-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

I was feeling a little weird this morning so I decided to do a search for weird quotes. This is what came back. Enjoy!

“It’s a secret, religious, weird, ceremonial rite of passage for girls that women know. Hopscotch, it was bizarre for boys, ‘cause they never played it, and as a boy, I was behind walls, going, “What- what happened? What did they do? What do they do here?” And they had a track laid out with numbers, mystic numbers- 1, 5… 7, 8, you know… A bit of a broken doll there, some girl keeping lookout with a skipping rope…”
~ Eddie Izzard

“I'm feeling so good. I feel like a million bucks. I'm focused, I'm alert, I'm zippy and top of my game.. I've never felt better! I'm sharp as a tack right now. And what's weird is that I didn't get a good nights sleep last night. And they say that's the most important thing..Or is it breakfast they said?..That's the most important meal of the day, breakfast...yes. And then it's 'i' before 'e' I know that..Um.. diamonds are a girl's best friend. Dog is a man's best friend.. What was I talking about?..Oh that's right, that I feel great and I'm at the top of my game. And it's odd because I didn't get hardly any sleep last night. And, they say that's the most important thing.”
~ Ellen DeGeneres

“We could learn a lot from crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, while others bright, some have weird names, but they all have learned to live together in the same box.”
~ Anonymous

“We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”
~ Anonymous

“Live life fully while you're here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You're going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.”
~ Anthony Robbins

Old Dogs!

2010-03-11T02:00:00.000-08:00

My dad e-mailed this to me and I just had to share it...

One day the old German Shepherd starts chasing rabbits and before long, discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

The old German Shepherd thinks, 'Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!' Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap, the old German Shepherd exclaims loudly, 'Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder, if there are any more around here?'

Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. 'Whew!' says the leopard, 'That was close! That old German Shepherd nearly had me!'

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard.. So, off he goes, but the old German Shepherd sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up.

The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.

The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, 'Here, monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!

Now, the old German Shepherd sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, 'What am I going to do now?', but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old German Shepherd says...

'Where's that damn monkey? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!

Moral of this story....

Don't mess with the old dogs... age and skill will always overcome youth and treachery! BS and brilliance only come with age and experience.

If you don't send this to five 'old' friends right away, there will be five fewer people laughing in the world.

Of course, I am in no way insinuating that any of you are old, some are just more 'youthfully challenged.'

You did notice the size of the print, didn't you?

Stress-Free Living

2010-03-10T10:30:00.000-08:00

Hey, everyone! Long time, no blog, eh? I know it has been a while since I have posted anything and I hope that not everyone has given me up for dead. I have missed blogging and sharing all the things that are happening in my life. Not that there is a whole lot happening now, but I am planning to become more consistent on here and I hope you will join me.

I know you are expecting an update on my life, but that will have to wait. I had to get on here today and share one thing with you really quick that I read on Darren Hardy's blog. Darren is the publisher of Success magazine and is an individual who has really impressed me over the past year and a half. He did an hour of training at the International Training Event for my company in San Jose, CA last month that was simply amazing. Even though he makes his living in the personal development industry, he is one of those few people out there that seem to care more about helping people than helping themselves by convincing you to buy their latest product that is guaranteed to solve all your problems in 30 days or less.

In his blog post yesterday, he shared an experience of a social event he attended where he had to listen to constant complaining by a group of people about the economy, Obama's performance, the healthcare plan, etc., etc. I hope you'll follow the links in this message to see how he handled the situation when he got fed up with it because his response is awesome for dealing with complainers who are bugging you ... and for dealing with yourself if you fall into that category, too.

I'll blog again soon. I promise!

Holiday Humor

2009-12-14T15:31:00.000-08:00

I saw this in today's newspaper and thought it was hilarious:

When I found the picture online, I also came across the following funny:

Christmas Carols for the Mentally Infirm:

Schizophrenia – Do You Hear What I Hear?

Multiple Personality Disorder — We Three Kings Disoriented Are

Dementia — I Think I’ll be Home for Christmas

Narcissistic — Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me

Manic – Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and…..

Paranoid — Santa Claus is Coming to Town (He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake!)

Borderline Personality Disorder — Thoughts of Roasting on an Open Fire

Attention Deficit Disorder — Silent night, Holy oooh look at the Froggy - can I have a chocolate, why is France so far away?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder — Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,

Agoraphobia — I Heard the Bells of Christmas Day But Wouldn’t Leave My House

Senile Dementia — Walking in a Winter Wonderland Miles From My House in My Slippers and Robe

Tourettes – Dashing through the {bleep} snow. On a one {bleep} horse open {bleep} sleigh. Over the {bleep} {bleep} {bleep} {bleep} … {bleep}

Alzheimers – On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me… ummm….

Narcolepsy - Jingle bellssssssss {whistle} {snore} {whistle}

Which Story Do You Want to Read?

2009-10-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

A little over a year ago, I had a two-part post about how I was Living the Dream. In the second part, I explained about a month of craziness call National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short) where people consume enormous amounts of caffeinated beverages and induce huge amounts of stress by accepting the challenge to try and write 50,000 words or more in 30 days. Why do they do it? For the same reason people climb Mt. Everest - just to be able to say proudly that they did it ... that's all. There are some who have gone on to become published authors, but most don't.

I made my first attempt and generate a whole whopping 1,836 words. That's right! I lasted one whole day.

Well, November 1 is fast approaching and I am gearing up to give it another go. I think I can break last year's record. It shouldn't be too hard. All I have to do is last two days instead of one. But, really, my goal is to reach the 50,000 word mark. There is no better time to do this than right now. Okay, if you really knew my schedule you would think I am totally insane for even considering doing this, but I have procrastinated this goal for way too long as it is.

The first major obstacle that I am facing is deciding what to write about. I have a number of ideas in various stages of development and I am having a hard time choosing between them. This is where you can help. Read through the various descriptions below and let me know what your top three favorites are by taking the polls at the right of this blog. I would really like to know what interests you the most.

What if Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy had become friends that first day at Hogwarts instead of enemies? (Potter)

What if the unwilling human host of a cyborg woke up mid-way through his assasination mission? This one has political intrigue, a love interest, and more! (Cyborg)

What if a retired marine tries to protect an old college buddy that is on the run from a black ops assassination team and his college buddy turned out to be a terrorist at the end of the story? Can he undo the damage he has unknowingly done before hundreds, if not thousands, of people die? Major plot twist potential! (Terrorist)

What if Santa Claus, depressed because of the over-commercialization of Christmas and the dwindling of the true spirit of Christmas throughout the world, loses faith in himself and, with it, his Christmas magic and decides to hang it all up? Will he find his way again before Christmas comes and goes? (Santa)

What if a vampire worked the night shift of the police force in an effort to atone for what he has become? Can he protect his secret and maintain his control enough to only prey on those who would prey on others? (Vampire)

What if a warrior travels back in time to kill the boy who would one day become a blood-thirsty warlord and fails? Do his actions give the child the knowledge he needs to change his future or do the warrior's actions set in action the chain of events that will bring that future to pass? (Warlord)

What if a man fears he is losing his mind when a stranger that convinces him to not follow through with a suicide attempt keeps popping up in his life at random moments and he is the only one who can see him? Are these the delusions of a mind pushed to the breaking point or is he a guardian angel sent to put him back on the right path in life? (Guardian)

What if the lost female heir to the throne is returned to the palace 10 years after the murder of her parents but the mastermind of their assassination is still at large and very, very close? Will she uncover the plot that made her an orphan before those who carried it out determine her usefulness is at an end? (Heir)

What if a man is hired by a high-tech research and development company uncovers a plot to replace high ranking government officials and high-level executives of major companies with clones that will progressively transfer power and financial assets to a very small group of people that want nothing less than world domination? (Clone)

What if a military genetic-enhancement program goes horribly wrong and ultimately leads to the near-elimination of the "normal" American population and their last chance of survival may rest in the hands of the man who was the prototype of the blood-thirsty ultra-humans that want to destroy them? Can the humans trust him not to betray them and can he trust the humans not to try and kill him at the first opportunity once he helps them? (Ultra-Human)

What if, in a world of increasing terrorist attacks and atrocities, the U.S. education system is taken over by the military and converted to a system of realistic medieval living and warfare to train the youth to be tomorrow's warriors? But what if the televised footage of the devestating attacks that persuaded the nations to convert to the new system was nothing more than fabricated media? What if the battle training had no other purpose than to determine the best candidates for gladiator-like games that are televised to a society that has an endless thirst for violent entertainment? (War Games)

What if three "gifted" women who have the respective abilities to stimulate adrenalin production, to stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain and to read strong feelings of emotion in others pool their abilities to solve the murder of a mutual friend while the murderer they seek is actually looking for them and getting closer? Will they be able to find the murderer before the murderer finds them? (Gifted)

What if an NYC police man gets caught in a centuries-old battle being waged by the children of the Norse gods? Can one man make a difference in preventing the end of the world? (Ragnarok)

As you can see, I tend to lean towards action and adventure stories with some suspense and intrigue. If you have a good idea for a story that you would like to see written, put it in a comment and I will add it to the list ... or join me for NaNoWriMo and write the story yourself. I could always use more writing buddies!

To follow my progress after November 1st, keep tuning in to this blog or check out the word count for NiceGuy at http://www.nanowrimo.org/!

What Do You Give Your Life To?

2009-10-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

"I know this now. Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing yet they give their lives to that little or nothing. One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. And then it is gone. But to sacrifice what you are and live without belief, that's more terrible than dying."

~ Joan of Arc

Lonely Mornings

2009-09-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

It's funny how you never really realize how much you enjoy and appreciate the simple things in life until they are gone. Just think about all the simple things you take for granted on a day to day basis that you would miss the minute they are taken away from you ... refrigeration ... electricity ... running water ... indoor plumbing!!! Take any one of those away for a single day and you quickly realize how much you appreciate those simple conveniences.

I have recently realized how much I appreciate a small convenience that I have enjoyed each day as I get myself ready for work. I still have running water in the shower. I still how electricity to power my lights and heat my water. I still have indoor plumbing for ... you know. And my food is still chilled as I pull it out to prepare my breakfast and lunch. What I miss is my morning bathroom buddy.

My five year old son is the "early" riser out of my three boys. He would wake up every morning between 6:30 and 7 a.m. just as I was getting in the shower. He would come in the bathroom, crawl up on the counter and sit there as I got myself ready for the day. He would pull razors, shaving cream, deodorant and other items I use as I get ready out of the cabinet and put them back when I was done with them; all the while asking questions and making idle conversation. He would even volunteer his cheeks for any aftershave that was left on my hands so that he could smell just like me. After I was done getting ready he would say, "Let me smell you, dad!" As I leaned down close he would inhale deeply and then say, "Mmmm, you smell good!"

After we were done in the bathroom, he would follow me into the kitchen, still chattering away, and watch me prepare my breakfast and lunch. When I was ready to head out the door he would give me a hug goodbye saying, "I like you, Dad," and sometimes even adding in a "Have a good day!" He would then watch me get in my car and then wave to me as I drove away.

Starting this week my hours have been changed from five 8-hour work days to four 10-hour work days and I am required to be at work by 6:30 a.m. making it necessary for me to leave by 6 a.m. The house is dark, quiet and lonely as I am forced to get out my own personal care items and put them back when I am finished. Any excess aftershave is wastefully rinsed down the drain. There is nobody to chat idly with and nobody waves to me from the window as I drive away.

But there is an "up" side to all of this...

Due to the rotating nature of my shift, every other weekend I get a four-day weekend as I get both Friday and the following Monday off. On these days I get to hang out with all three of my boys and help them get ready in the mornings. I get to make them breakfast; chattering idly with them the whole time. And then, when the time comes, I get to walk my two older boys to their bus stops and wave goodbye to them as they ride off to their schools where they will satisfy their "yearnin' for some learnin'". Then I get to spend the rest of the day playing with my youngest and with my wife while I wait for them to return. These long weekends ought to help make up for all the lonely mornings I have to endure.

Don't We All?

2009-08-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work.

Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don’t want to be bothered. This was one of those “don’t want to be bothered times.”

“I hope he doesn’t ask me for any money,” I thought.

He didn’t.

He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn’t look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus.

After a few minutes he spoke.

“That’s a very pretty car,” he said.

He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard kept more than his face warm. I said, “thanks,” and continued wiping off my car.

He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came.

As the silence between us widened something inside said, “ask him if he needs any help.” I was sure that he would say “yes” but I held true to the inner voice.

“Do you need any help?” I asked.

He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments.

I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me.

“Don’t we all?” he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun.

Don’t we all?

I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true.

No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help.

Even if it’s just a compliment, you can give that.

You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don’t have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see.

Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that.

Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.

Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, “go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help.”

Don’t we all?

-Author Unknown

The Best Treat of the Week

2009-06-08T11:00:00.000-07:00

My boys were unusually quiet and well-behaved in church yesterday which afforded me the rare moment of quiet reflection while taking the sacrament instead of the usual crowd control efforts to keep my youngest two from disturbing everyone that was unfortunate enough to sit near us. I had just taken the bread and passed the tray down the row when my three-year-old, who was sitting on the far side of my wife suddenly pops up his head and says semi-loudly, "Treat!"

After sharing a smile with my wife, I settled back into my thoughts and was suddenly struck by how right my youngest child was. It was a treat to take the sacrament! It is the one time of the week when I get to renew my baptismal covenants with the Lord to take upon myself the name of Christ, to always remember Him, to keep the commandments and serve the Lord until the end. And in return, the Lord renews his covenant with me to forgive me of my sins as I repent of them and to bless me with the companionship of the Holy Ghost. What greater treat is there than that?

I have been guilty on many occasions of taking the sacrament without much thought of how sacred and important that act is. I am thankful to my youngest for that reminder of what a treat it really is. I hope that the next time any of you are about to take the sacrament, in whatever congregation you may find yourselves in, will smile and think to yourselves, "Treat!"

My Wife ROCKS!!!

2009-06-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

For those of you that know my wife, I am sure that many of you are well acquainted with how awesome she is. If you don't think of her that way, then you really don't know her because she really is amazing. I definitely married well above myself when I convinced her to marry me after much begging and pleading.

The reason I feel the need to shout her praises from the rooftops today is because she is a brand new...

Mary Kay Director!!!
This has been a goal for her for a couple of years now and she finally did it! It was an uphill battle to get it done, but she did it in two months rather than the four that they allow you and I couldn't be more proud of her.

For all of you who have supported her through the years by being a client or even just a cheerleader, I thank you for your contributions. To all the amazing women who are a part of her team, you ladies are the best and I look forward to seeing you accomplish equally amazing goals and more!

Everyone who comes across this post, whether you know her or not, I encourage you to stop by her blog and leave a comment with your congratulations as well.

The Great Conflict That Divides Our Homes

2009-05-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

I think that most of you will agree that the most popular films and books through the years have been those who have conflict as their main themes. It doesn't matter whether it is good vs. evil, popular vs. unpopular, parent vs. teenager, alien invaders vs. a tee'd off Will Smith, and the list goes on and on. In recent years, a new conflict has arisen from the media itself that greatly divides our nation.

No, I'm not talking about the recent presidential elections or the debates over whether the government's attempts at "bailing out" the economy are a good idea or not. No, this strikes much closer to home. In fact, the conflict has even taken place within our homes. The conflict I am speaking of is the loyal Twilight lovers vs. non-Twilight lovers. (By Twilight lovers, I mean fans of books by Stephanie Meyers, not the time of day people, well, you know....)

The female gender, from teens to mature, married women, have fallen head-over-heels for one Edward Cullen; a dashing young vampire who has fallen for a young, teenage girl that he finds inexplicably irresistible. And I do mean irresistible because one moment he wants to drink deeply from her lips and the next he wants to bite her neck and drink even more deeply there. It is another literary tale of forbidden love and a teenage male who, after 108 years of being a teenager, still wrestles with impulse control around a teenage girl.

My wife happens to be one of those more mature women who have been smitten by Twilight-Fever. She read the books, which really surprised me since she was never a fan of vampires and werewolves. Quite the opposite, in fact. But she fell head-over-heels for Edward and his rock-hard abs that glisten and glitter in the sunlight. She even expressed to me at one point that she wished I was more adoring of her like Edward is of Bella. While I was tempted to joke that most married men are like Edward - one minute they want to kiss their wives, the next they want to kill them - but after nearly 13 years of marriage I have learned it is wiser to keep such comments to myself.

The reason I even bring up the topic of this undead, thirsty heartthrob is my wife came across a website last night in her search for all things Twilight that serves as a support service for men whose wives have fallen victim to the wooing ways of the Cullens. It is called Twilight Widowers Anonymous* and it is hilarious. It offers everything from tips on handling the Twilight-obsessed to encouraging, motivational posters such as the one below to get you through your own personal ordeal.

The post that had both my wife and I roaring with laughter was My Lame Obsession Could Totally Beat Up Your Lame Obsession where the author pits ten icons that men have obsessed over through the 70's, 80's and 90's against Edward Cullen in a knock-down, drag out fight and evaluates who would win. I laughed so hard it hurt over the verdict of Edward vs. Optimus Prime.

VS.

It doesn't matter if you constantly return to the "Twilight Zone" as often as you can or if you tend to "zone out" whenever someone brings up Mr. Rock-Hard, Sparkle-Butt, you will get a kick out of this blog.

*If you do go to the Twilight Widowers Anonymous blog, be forewarned that there is some inappropriate language and an occasional inappropriate reference. Rated PG-13 for lack of original language and imagery.

Are You Real?

2009-05-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

I came across a blog posting today where there was some concern about whether we should share our religious preferences and ideals on social networking sites like Facebook or just keep that separate. The reason the question was asked is because these sites link you to many people who would very well be outside your faith and there was some concern over them dropping you from their "friends" list or blocking you if you tend to share things that they don't believe in and/or agree with.

It is not my intention to raise that debate here. I have my opinion and you can follow the link above and visit the comments section to see how I feel on the matter if you wish. What I was curious about is how honest people really are about who they are when they post their blogs and network on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other popular social networking sites.

Please take a quick moment to share with us how real you are when you are online by answering the survey question in the margin of my blog. Please invite others to come and share their response as well!

A Little Funny...

2009-05-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

Who Do You Think You Are?

2009-05-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

I was reading a book today that really made me think about my life and the way I live it. It caused me to think about the way I think about and treat others, the way I think of and treat myself and the decisions I make each day. I have considered my life in these terms, but for some reason it really struck me today. So, I just want to throw it out there for any who comes across this to ponder and reflect on and hopefully to share further with others:

How do you see yourself?

As a human being having an occasional spiritual experience?

... or ...

As an infinite spiritual being having a temporary human experience?

Think about it for a moment. The way you answer this question makes all the difference in the world!

Proof that the Law of Attraction Works!

2009-05-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know about the rest of you but I have noticed that whenever I choose to water the lawn, no matter how clear the sky is at the time, it rains within 24 hours. Now, if I were on irrigation it wouldn't bother me so much. It would already be covered by the $200+ that I pay to the Kennewick Irrigation District every year. But, even though I am forced to pay for it, I don't have irrigation anywhere near my property. So every time I water my lawn I have to use city water which is an added expense. So watering the lawn just before it rains is pretty much like throwing a wad of dollar bills out into the grass for whoever wants it.

What does all this have to do with the law of attraction? Hold on a second. I'm getting to that.

I finally had the opportunity to mow my lawn last night for the first time in three weeks because it rained or was raining during the only available times I had to mow. Because it was so tall it took me right up until it was dark to finish. When I woke up this morning I thought, "I should probably water the lawn now that it is short."

I checked the sky and it was looking a little overcast. I went on weather.com and checked the forecast and it showed that there was a chance of rain about mid-day for an hour or two. I decided to wait and water the lawn tonight if the rain didn't happen to pan out.

I read from the scriptures for about 15 minutes before heading out to play basketball and when I opened the door ... it was raining!!! And it kept raining for most of the morning. So now all I have to do is think about watering the lawn and it will start raining.

LoA Principle: What you think about, you bring about.

My wife now thinks I have an attractive mind and an attractive body!

Family Night Fretting and Fun

2009-04-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

Every Monday night is family night in our household where we reserve time to enjoy one another's company while working together, playing games, etc. Last night I dragged my kids out into the front yard to assist with a small yard cleaning project before we played an outdoors game. I'm sure you can imagine just how enthusiastic my boys were.

In our front yard is a tree with which I have a love/hate relationship. I don't know exactly what kind of tree it is, but it provides nice, cool shade in the summer time. In the winter, however, it drops these spiky seed pods that, with the help of the snow and rain, become embedded deep within the grass. So, come springtime, when the grass is green, the weather is warm and bare feet are an absolute must (no exceptions - it is the law), these little pods of pain lie waiting for the unsuspecting foot.

In order to appreciate the experience, take a box of 100 bulletin board tacks, toss them all over your family room carpet and then proceed to try and cross the room with your eyes on the ceiling and your feet bare.

So the task I set my kids to was to pick up the piles of the little spiky devils that I raked out of the grass. I was the one breaking my back with the rake trying to extract the little demons from their grassy lairs, but you would think I had assigned them to clean out someone's septic tank with their bare hands with all the complaining they did. All I could do was encourage them to hurry so that we could play a game when we were done.

I finally called it quits after only getting have the front lawn done (a good general always knows when he is fighting a losing battle) and introduced them to croquet. When I was five years old, my neighbor used to invite me over to play croquet all the time during the summer and I had a blast. So I bought a croquet set that I found at a discount store four years ago and it has been collecting dust in my garage ever since (mainly because I have always struggled to keep up with mowing the grass to where it was short enough for us to play).

I brought out the set anticipating all the fun we would have. I figured, being boys, they would love the fact that they got to hit a ball with a mallet. It was perfect ... until my three-year-old decided that the ball was just a little too small and difficult for him to hit so he went after bigger game ... the neighbor kids bike ... the tree ... his brother ... me!!! I guess I should have seen that one coming. I predict he will have a very bright future in house framing. Just give him a hammer and point him in the right direction and he will pound anything you ask him to ... and probably a few things you didn't ask.

We did have a lot of fun, though. My five-year-old had the lead for most of the game with his mom following close behind him, but I managed to shake the dust off my mallet swinging skills to edge them both for the win. (That's right! I've still got it!) At this point the whining and complaining began again as we cleaned up the game and proceeded with the nightly torture session of feeding them dinner. I'm still not sure who is being tortured more - the boys for having to eat delicious, healthy food or the parents for having to listen to them complain about it.

How to Start Your Day with a Positive Outlook

2009-04-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

I know there are many people out there like me that don't exactly look forward to going in to the J-O-B every day. Part of it may have to do with having someone dictate to you when you have to work, how long you have to work and what you can and can't do while you are at work. Well, here is a quick, simple process I found on the internet that can help you start your day off with a more positive outlook:

Open a new file in your PC.

Name it as "Boss".

Send it to the RECYCLE BIN.

Empty the RECYCLE BIN.

Your PC will ask you, "Are you sure you want to delete Boss permanently?"

Answer calmly, "Yes," and press the mouse button firmly....

Feel better? Have A Nice Day.

Double Your 2010 Tax Day Refund - Seriously!

2009-04-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

Congratulations! You made it to April 16th - the day after Tax Day! You can now rest easy for the next 291 days until you receive your next W-2. I want to share with you a real quick strategy on how to guarantee yourself a refund next year or possibly even double it by April 15, 2010. It is simple, it takes practically no time at all to do and it makes much more sense than what you are currently doing.

The American public have turned the income tax refund into a type of status symbol - the bigger the refund you get, the more forunate you are. What we have forgotten is that the refund is nothing more than the federal government telling you how much of YOUR OWN MONEY you get to keep. And the current average tax refund on individual tax returns is in the neighborhood of $2,345. That means you are giving the government an interest free loan of $45 every single week. Who is the fortunate one - you or the government?

Here is a way to potentially double the amount of money you will have to spend this time next year. The only reason I say potentially is because the tax laws change each year along with people's family size, filing status, etc. But I do guarantee you will have more money to spend next year than you do now by practicing a very simple discipline.

Take the amount of the refund you are receiving or have received this year and divide it by 52. Then round that number to the next highest $10 amount. For the average taxpayer this would equal out to $50. The strategy is simply this, take $50 and put it into savings every week until April 15, 2010. Using a very simple savings account with a 2% interest rate, within one year's time you would have deposited $2,600 and earned interest in the neighborhood of $26.

Some of you may argue that you don't have $50 to deposit each week - I beg to differ. You currently pay an average of $45 every week (more if you count medicare and other deductions) without batting an eye and you still manage to pay your bills. Why? Because it is taken out first!!!

The wealthiest people in the world have become wealthy because they learned the concept of paying themselves first. As soon as you get your paycheck, deposit the $50 first and then live on what's left. You will quickly realize that this isn't very difficult to do. If you are paid biweekly instead of weekly, deposit $100 every two weeks instead of doing it weekly. Just make it the first priority payment of every check.

Here's a way to make it even more exciting. You know you are paying approximately $45 too much each week to the federal government. Meet with you Human Resources/Payroll person of your company and submit a new W-4 so that this $45 will be left in your paycheck. Add this to your deposit and watch your tax day refund grow even faster. By the end of 52 weeks you will have deposited $4,940 and earned interest in the neighborhood of $50.

If someone is going to earn interest on your money, it may as well be you, right? And the best part is you won't have to guess whether or not you are going to get a refund and how much it might be. Just check your savings account to see! And even better, if you happen to end up owing on your taxes next year because of changes in your situation or tax laws, you won't have to scramble to come up with it. Just pay it out of your savings account and pocket the rest.

Doesn't this seem like the more intelligent way to get a tax day refund? I challenge you to give it a try. Let me know if you do!

Now, if you are worried that you wouldn't be disciplined enough to leave that money in the account, especially if an emergency comes up (like that big screen T.V. you have always wanted going on sale at Best Buy), there are simple ways around that, too. For example, open your savings account in a bank that is not convenient for you to get to like, perhaps, one on the other side of town. Set yourself up so that you can only make manual deposits and withdrawals - no debit cards and no online banking. This way you will think twice about making untimely withdrawals.

Remember, this will only work if you leave the money in the account. Treat your savings account as if it was the National Treasury. You can only take out the money on Tax Day 2010 and not a day before!

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

Other ideas on how to increase your refund for next year include:

- Save money by having an experienced and educated friend help you prepare your tax returns and pay them less than you pay a professional tax preparer

- Deposit your savings in an account with a larger interest rate like, perhaps, a money market account or mutual fund. Just make sure it is a low-risk account.

- Educate yourself on the tax deductions available to business owners and the advantages they bring. Start a business next year to take advantage of these benefits. Home-based businesses are a great way to earn extra income and reduce your tax rate!

A Last Minute Tax Tip

2009-04-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

April 15 has rolled around again and people all across this great nation of ours will be breaking the sound barrier as they rocket to the local post office in time to get the sacred 4/15 postmark. I wonder if the whole concept of electronic filing came about as a result of postal employees being hit and run over by rushing tax filers trying to beat the midnight deadline.

Next to being shot at and missed, nothing is really quite as satisfying as an income tax refund.
~F.J. Raymond

The tax season is an exciting time of year for most people. It is the one time of the year when the government tells you how much of your own money you get to keep.

Did you ever notice that when you put the words "The" and "IRS" together, it spells "THEIRS?"
~Author Unknown

Personally, I think I should only be held as accountable to my promises to file and pay my taxes on time as the politicians are accountable for their promises to balance the budget, cut government spending and reduce the tax burden of the American public. What do you think?

Today, it takes more brains and effort to make out the income-tax form than it does to make the income.
~Alfred E. Neuman

I have actually thought about making some extra money by writing a book on all the secrets people don't know about filing their income taxes, but I gave up on that dream when I realized it has already been done (not to mention the government would tax the living daylights out of it anyways). It's called The U.S. Tax Code. Unfortunately, very few of has have the super-secret decoder ring that will help us make any sense out of it.

The best things in life are free, but sooner or later the government will find a way to tax them.
~Author Unknown

Now, if you are stressed out tonight trying to finish your taxes and you happen to get stuck, allow me to share this one tip for getting through it ... guess! It works for 99% of the American public when they file their taxes so it may as well work for you, too.

Income tax returns are the most imaginative fiction being written today.
~Herman Wouk

Creating the Perfect Day

2009-04-14T14:58:00.000-07:00

The question is not

"Am I better than you?"

The question is:

Am I better today than I was yesterday?
Am I better this week than I was last week?
Am I better this month than I was last month?
Am I better this year than I was last year?

If you can answer "Yes" to the last four questions, you have nothing to fear, nothing to envy, and no apologies to make to anyone!

Found in the Instruction Manual of the Pull Your Own Weight program - a program designed to teach school-aged children to perform conventional pull-ups as a means of naturally eliminating childhood obesity.

It's kind of crazy how you can be focused on something and related resources come along from the oddest places. The last couple of days I have been working in my free time to reinstitute a personal accountability system that I had lost quite a while ago when the battery on my palm pilot died. The original system was a simple spreadsheet designed to help me cope with the many day-to-day things that I always seem to forget or simply did not plan time to do.

As a member of the LDS church, I have been taught since I was a child of the many things that would help me draw closer to God and bring His spirit into my home. They have included morning and evening personal, couples and family prayer; personal, couples and family scripture study; holding weekly Family Home Evenings; serving faithfully as a Home Teacher and in other callings; paying an honest Tithe; keeping a journal on a regular basis; exercising the talents and skills I have been blessed with as well as developing new ones; being a good steward of the financial blessings I receive and more. While I have been good in all these areas individually at different times in my life, I have never been consistently good at any of them for any length of time. I make a good effort at doing as much as I can, and I certainly recognize the blessings that have come from those efforts, but I never felt like "good" was good enough.

The Savior admonished us to "Be ye therefore perfect...." (Matt. 5:48) There have been years when I can honestly say that I was perfect at paying an honest Tithe, but I don't see any other area in that list where I was anywhere near so perfect. And if I can't be perfect in these simple and easy areas, then how can I possibly hope to be perfect in the more difficult ones such as forgiving an offender or loving an enemy.

A large part of my imperfect living I can honestly attribute to lack of focus. A list that large is somewhat overwhelming and it seems like it would take getting up in the early, early hours of the morning and staying up to the late hours of the night just to accomplish it all. But, as busy as my days generally are, I realize that there are times throughout the day that I could work on being more perfect in these areas. But I don't think of these types of things during those moments and spend that time on far less fulfilling activities. It just wasn't on my radar. This is what drove me to develop my personal accountability spreadsheet in the first place and to, more recently, create PAS 2.0 (Personal Accountability Spreadsheet version 2.0).

The spreadsheet became a visual reminder of what my personal goals were each day and became a visual "yardstick" for measuring my level of perfection in those areas. If I engaged in personal scripture study for the day, I would highlight the box under the day's date for that category showing it as complete. Inside the box was a number "1" with the text colored the same as the highlighting color so you couldn't see it. At the bottom of the sheet, I plugged in a formula to add up the ones and give me a percentage of perfection for the day. Some of those goals would have a minimum time associated with it, such as 30+ minutes of Piano Practice. If I could only get in 15 minutes of practice, I would still highlight it and change the "1" to "0.5" so that I would still give myself credit for making the effort.

I made some improvements to the concept with PAS 2.0 to help me better identify the areas that I needed to focus more on. I added a perfection percentage to the right of each goal tracking area so that I could see each month how perfect I was in each individual category. I also added a summary tab that would summarize my performance for each goal each month and give me an overall percentage of perfection for the year. This also enables me to see how I have improved in each category throughout the year. I have added a little bit of psychology by using various colors for the different goals categories rather than one color for all of them. I know use blue (peace, tranquility, confidence) for my personal growth goals, red (love) for goals that involve my wife, yellow (joy, happiness, hope) for goals that involve the whole family, green (money, renewal, generosity) for my financial goals, and orange (balance) for my miscellaneous goals that include the enjoyment and development of my talents.

I know this is all a bit "nerdy", but it helps me become a little more perfect today than I was yesterday. One thing I have learned over the years is that sometimes things in life improve simply by the act of observing them. This is especially true of human beings. Think about how much more animated and energetic children are when they know someone is watching them. We have a subconscious drive to do our very best when we know someone is watching our performance.

I know that I have a little bit of a competitive streak and the one person I love to outdo more than anybody else is myself. PAS 2.0 provides the healthiest competitive environment I have ever experienced. If there are 22 tasks that I want to accomplish in a given day and I only manage to do 15, I am highly driven to become a little more perfect by scoring a 16 or 17 the next day. If I manage to have a "perfect" day, I work hard to see how many consecutive "perfect" days I can manage.

I know some of you are probably freaking out over the fact that I have 22 tasks that I want to accomplish each day. To be honest, there are actually 25 - some of them just happen to be once a week and others are only every couple of days. But out of those 25 tasks, some can be done in as little time as anywhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. They are small disciplines that I need to do more consistently in order to live a happier, more prosperous, more fulfilling life.

I have also included tasks in here that I don't necessarily want to get done 100% of the time. Goals such as daily scripture reading, prayer, exercise and others are definitely the ones I want to become 100% perfect every day. But some goals, particularly those that allow me to enjoy my talents more, I just want to do more often than I currently do. Those include playing the piano, writing creatively, posting on my blog and doing artwork. So, if I score a 91% for the day meaning I accomplished 20 out of 22 tasks because I didn't do any creative writing or work on any artwork, that is still a perfect day for me. I did those tasks that were most important and I exercised and developed some of the talents that add to my joy and fulfillment. To me, that is perfection.

If you haven't already, I encourage all those who happen to read this to identify areas in your life that you would like to become a little more perfect in and develop a plan and tools for measuring your progress. If you are willing to embrace your inner nerd and want a copy of PAS 2.0 for your own personal use, feel free to e-mail me and I will send you a copy.

Up Times in a Down Economy

2009-03-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

I have been absent from the blogging world for a while now because I have kept myself extremely busy these past few months chasing two major goals and dreams of mine.

The first is to build a successful business that produces an income that will enable me to eliminate my debts and insure that my wife will never have to stress or cry over our financial situation ever again. But the only way that I would qualify it as being a successful business is if, in the operating of said business, I would still have time with my wife and my kids. After all, what is the point in having more money if you don't have the time to enjoy it and you end up neglecting the really important things in your life?

The second is to help others accomplish their goals and dreams as well and secure for themselves the financial blessings they desire.

I am happy to report that both dreams of mine are coming true at the same time! I started working with an incredible telecommunications company last November and things have really picked up speed over the past month. It is amazing what is happening! The best part of it all is that I get to work with amazing people who aren't afraid to dream and are willing to put their time and efforts into accomplishing those dreams. There is no better feeling than putting time into a business where you know that your efforts are going to bless the lives of so many others and actually see those blessings coming to pass every day. It's awesome!

I am really excited for this weekend, though, because the one product that our company makes is going to be featured on the Celebrity Apprentice show this Sunday! While I would have picked a different day to air the show, I am very excited for what this is going to do for my family and the people that I am working with. I won't tell you exactly what they are going to show, but I will give you a little hint - it is somewhere on this blog and it is changing the telecommunications industry.

So, if you don't watch TV on Sunday, set your DVR to record it or take the time to watch it and see what I am talking about. If you like what you see, or are interested in learning about the other services that you are most likely already paying for (i.e. local and long distance services, internet, cell phones, satellite TV, among others) that we could help you save a little money on, get in contact with me and I would be happy to give you more information.

Lastly, if you or someone you know is experiencing financial difficulty and would like to know more about the company I work with, how I got started, and how I am achieving these financial blessings so quickly and, to be honest, relatively easily, I am more than happy to share that information with you and the people you know. That is the part that I enjoy most in this business - explaining to people how I got started in this business, what it has done for those who trained and support me, what it is doing for my family and seeing the light come back into their eyes as they realize that those dreams they had given up on are still possible.

If you have read this far in this post and are a little curious, allow me to give you some peace of mind about one very important aspect of my business - I am NOT a salesman. Acquiring customers is very important in my business and is necessary for me to get promoted and earn a larger income than I currently am, but I never try to pressure anyone into being my customer.

If I were to give my position a title of description it would be Information Broker. I provide information about my company, the services we offer and how we make our money as representatives. At that point, I step back and allow those who have been gracious enough to listen to me to make their own decision as to what they want to do with that information.

Those who wish to become a representative and make additional income or an income to replace their current one, I welcome with open arms and start teaching them right away how to get started and succeed in this business.

Those not interested in that aspect of the information, I offer my assistance in determining where they could possibly save some money as a customer. If I cannot save them any money (which is very rare), I ask that they do not become a customer of mine because I sleep better knowing that those who have done me a favor by becoming my customer has received an equal or greater benefit.

Those who are not interested in becoming a customer, I thank them for their time and just ask that they remember that if there is ever anything I can do for them I am more than happy to help them out in any way that I can. To do otherwise would be completely against my "Nice Guy" nature.

This is a test...

2009-02-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

To ring in the new year this year (can you tell I am behind in my posting?), my wife and I gathered a group of friends and had a movie-themed party. We created a couple of games to play using movie titles, characters and quotes that were a big hit. We didn't start one of the games until late in the evening and most of our guests were not able to complete the challenge because they had to head home. So, for all of those who had to leave early, and for the rest of the world as well, here is ...

THE MOVIE TITLE TEST

The object of this game is to see how many movie titles you can figure out using the clues given. Some of them will be straight synonyms (i.e. The Deity Dad = The Godfather) and others will be more descriptive (i.e. Celestial Body Armed Conflicts = Star Wars).

Send me your answers by private e-mail on Facebook (so people don't see your answers - just search for Andy Jensen) and I will let you know which ones you get right. I will also e-mail the master test sheet and the answer sheet to anyone who requests them so they can use them for their own games and activities - but only after you have taken the test themselves.

If you think of a title of your own, submit it in the comments section so people can guess yours as well. Then, perhaps, the master will become the student.

Now, let's see how well you do...

1. The Sum of a Small Island
2. Pathway of Praise
3. Become Intelligent
4. The Dominion Retaliates
5. Master of the Bands
6. The Pious Man
7. The Acreage of Sleeping Visions
8. Ego and Bias
9. Free Chips
10. The Cat, The Crone and the Closet
11. The Violinist over the Attic
12. The Reappearance of the Supernaturally Gifted Warrior
13. Fortune Landmass
14. For Adoration of the Sport
15. Tranquility
16. Wisdom and Affection
17. Fathomless Part of the Bounding Main
18. Sovereign Wealth
19. Similar to Paradise
20. The Financial Chasm
21. You’ve Received a Communication
22. Male in the Ferrous Disguise
23. Colossal
24. A Quartet of Nuptials and an Internment
25. Fourteen Day’s Declaration
26. Chuck and the Candy Mill
27. Sugary Abode in a Southern State
28. The Flight Depot
29. The Trio of French Soldiers
30. Shape-shifters
31. Assignment Insurmountable
32. Magnificent-male
33. The Progenitor Snare
34. Specter of the Musical
35. Oyster Treasure Bay
36. Corsairs of the Gulf of Mexico
37. The Royal Daughter Journals
38. Incredible Quartet
39. The Amateur
40. Ensorcelled
41. Return to Tomorrow
42. The Shadowy Champion
43. A Jaunt to Keep in Mind
44. Trip to the Middle of the Planet
45. A Dozen Furious Males
46. Departed With the Breeze
47. The Double Quintet of Directives
48. The Spouseless’ Division
49. Ferrous Male
50. Earthpig Interval of Light
51. The Audibleness of Melody
52. Plunderers of the Missing Coffer
53. Marooned Person
54. A Stroll in the Stratus
55. Crooning in the Cloudburst
56. Joseph Against the Fiery Mountain
57. Stony
58. Prehistoric Playground
59. Expire Difficultly
60. The Morning Meal Association
61. 90210 Officer
62. Stuck in Heaven
63. Noiselessness of the Ewes
64. Explosive French General
65. Risk-Taker
66. Sire of the Soon-to-be-Married Woman
67. The Premier Paladin
68. Entranced

Hint – The rest are all animated movies!

69. Plaything Tale
70. Stunner and the Monstrosity
71. Vehicles
72. Poultry of Small Size
73. Abode on the Frontier
74. Frozen Era
75. The Amazings
76. Weapon in the Rock
77. The Ferrous Colossus
78. The Small Sea-girl
79. Resting Looker
80. Insect’s Existence
81. Wealth Sphere
82. Above the Row of Shrubs

I'm Still Here...

2009-02-11T12:25:00.000-08:00

It has been quite a while since I posted on my blog because this has been a very busy year for me. I have been working my business with ACN consistently to free up my time and put all our financial concerns behind us forever. It has been very rewarding in terms of knowing what I do helps those I know, love and care about, it gives me hope and a focus for the future, and now the financial rewards are beginning to be realized as well.

I have never seen an opportunity like this before where people can change their financial future in their spare time with products and services that apply to nearly every household in their world and the rewards are mind-boggling due to the rapid growth of the company and the lack of competitors. It is awesome and I am so excited to be a part of it!

The best part of this business, though, is the people I get to associate with. I get to associate with a variety of people from different walks of life that are upbeat, positive and full of hope for the future. Most of the day I am surrounded by people who are whining and complaining about the economy and other issues and it is draining to have to listen to them. When I hook up with my business partners, it totally recharges and re-energizes me. You will rarely find a more wonderful group of people - and the best part about it is our group is growing by leaps and bounds each week!

So, for all my business partners, whether you are in my upline, my side-line, or my downline, thank you so much for your enthusiasm, your support, your encouragement, your love and your hard work. You are the best and I appreciate everything you do!

If you aren't one of my business partners, I only have one question for you:

Why aren't you?

Hyper-Focused in 2009

2009-01-12T12:04:00.000-08:00

A belated Happy New Year to you all! I have been absent from the blogosphere these past few weeks due to my decision to pour every waking moment available into a major goal I have set for myself in building my business with ACN and taking control of my financial future. I have been having a lot of fun doing it and it has been very fulfilling, but it hasn't left a lot of time for posting on my blog. Those moments I have had, I struggled to come up with something to post about because I have been so focused on my goal and it has been difficult to think of anything else. Fortunately, my wife forwarded an e-mail to me that I would like to share with you in the next post.

A Christmas Poem

2008-12-24T16:47:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve is finally here
And snow falls down in flurries
As I sit in my cubicle
While my wife's at home and worries.

There's much to wrap and prep and do
'Fore day darkens to night
And then still more to assemble
Before Christmas' dawning light.

It is no easy task to be
Santa's elves and aid-ers
When one is stuck at work all day
Pushing Yuletide tasks 'til laters.

But once I'm home and kids' in bed
We'll rush to get them done
And hope to get a few hour's rest
Before the morning fun.

Now if you find this story
Sounds a little bit like yours
Please heed this next advice
While wrapping up your chores.

The work you do this evening
Will quickly be undone
And may the gifts you chose with care
Bring hours of laughs and fun.

But there's a gift that's given
That's not among the wrapping
Please don't forget to think on it
Before you head to napping.

It is a gift of sacrifice,
Of unconditioned love;
'Tis the Savior's lowly birth,
A gift from God above.

So Remind yourselves and small ones
Of the gift that gave us reason
To follow suit and give our gifts
This holy Christmas season.

(An original poem by the Nice Guy)

Merry Christmas, everyone!

May you be reminded of
the true reason
for the season!

Writing Out a New Idea

2008-12-22T11:33:00.000-08:00

I have been absent from the blogosphere these last couple of weeks as I have devoted my time, energy and focus to building my business with ACN. I have missed posting on my blog, but in those few moments I have had available over the last couple weeks where I could have posted something I struggled to come up with something of interest.

Last week I had a little time to visit one of my favorite sites, Writing.com, to see what has been going on in my absence. In my favorites folder I have a link to a writing contest called The Writer's Cramp where you are given a prompt and you have 24 hours to write a story of 1,000 words or less that fits the prompt and/or the requirements of the prompt. Thursday's prompt gave me a really good idea for a story, but I didn't have time to write it out for the contest.

The idea kept bouncing around in my brain until I sat down over the weekend and started pounding it out. It still needs some tweaking, but I liked what I put down. I shared it with my wife after I was done and, because I had written the ending in such a way as to leave it open for more, she was really curious as to what would come next. So we started tossing ideas back and forth about where it could lead and what could take place.

I have to laugh a little about the difference between my wife and I, though. While this first installment has tension and dramatic elements, I totally set it up for an action/adventure story. The first thing my wife says after telling me how good she thought what I had written was is that the main character needs a girl, that he needs to fall in love, and starts to outline how to make it a romance. I think I offended her a little bit when I laughed at that.

But that is what I love about my wife. She helps open my mind to aspects that I hadn't considered to reach a larger audience than what I would have reached on my own. Together, we came up with a really good character that can develop into a love interest for the main character without turning the story into a space-age Harlequin romance novel. She is a good strong character that will make a significant contribution to the story.

While developing the character, my wife initially pictured her as a green-eyed red-head, but we had to change her to a brunette for practical reasons and because another story I am working on already has a red-head. My wife has brown hair and green eyes so I told her that I would just pattern my character after her. She was a little unsure of that idea because she was afraid of seeing how I would describe her in print. "That's easy," I reassured her as we were fixing dinner. "She will be beautiful, strong, driven, capable, resourceful ... and she is always right ... at least in her mind." That last comment earned me an indignant punch in the arm. It is a good thing I waited until she put down the knife to throw in that last bit.

We have a lot of elements to the story put together, but we are still undecided on the main aspect of the overall plot. We agree that our main character will be trying to reveal some great secret or plot to break the antagonist's hold on the people, but we haven't decided yet what that will be. If you have seen the movie Serenity, elements of our plot are similar to theirs but we don't want to deal with populace-passifying drugs or Reavers.

I hope you will take a few minutes and read this first installment that I have given the simple title of Shore Leave and let me know what you think. Do you think the story has potential? Would you like to read more? What ideas do you have for the plot? What suggestions do you have for improving what has been written so far? I would love any feedback you can give me!

A Christmas Classic

2008-12-22T09:17:00.000-08:00

In 1897, Dr. Philip O’Hanlon, a coroner's assistant on Manhattan's Upper West Side, was asked by his then eight-year-old daughter, Virginia, whether Santa Claus really existed. Virginia had begun to doubt there was a Santa Claus, because her friends had told her that he did not exist.

Dr. O’Hanlon suggested she write to The New York Sun, a prominent New York City newspaper at the time, assuring her that "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Here is the response to her inquiry which has become a Christmas classic:

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor—

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O’Hanlon

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Terminated by the Tri-City Herald

2008-12-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post quickly to let any customers know that may visit that I am no longer delivering newspapers as I have been terminated by the Tri-City Herald as a substitute. The reasons given were both valid and ridiculous and my first inclination was to give you the whole truth about them and this situation, but I have decided not to. The reason for that decision is that I do not wish to turn my blog into a negative rant that will only stir up people further. I prefer a more positive focus that will hopefully bring light and joy to everybody's day.

So, farewell TCH customers. I am on to bigger and better things. I wish you all the best and hope that they will be able to find a suitable replacement for you as quickly as possible.

Choose To Live!

2008-12-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

Unless you have had your head buried in the sand, I am sure that you have heard many debates over whether or not the U.S. was in a recession or not. Some said "Yes" while others didn't want to give it a stronger term than an "economic slowdown". The whole debate has served well to sell many newspapers and magazines and to drive people's stress levels up. Add to that the bank failures, home foreclosures and an unprecedented bailout plan that is going to cost the American taxpayers $700 billion and stress levels climb higher and higher. So, when the newspaper headlines officially announced that our great nation was in a recession, it was somewhat of a relief. At least now we can end the debate and get on with our lives.

Let me ask you a question, though. How did you feel when you read the newspaper or clicked on CNN this morning? Did it add to your stress and grumpiness or did you find something positive in it? When I read the official pronouncement of a recession, it didn't change my day one bit. Do you want to know why? Because my situation hasn't changed one bit. I still have a loving wife and wonderful kids. I still have my health and vitality. I still have a job that provides the majority of my income and a side job to supplement it; not to mention a recession-proof business that is endorsed by one of the wealthiest businessmen in the world. I still have my home and other comforts and conveniences that make life easier for me. I still have friends and acquaintances that I get to associate with. Life is still good!

I realize that not everybody has these things and there are people that are losing their jobs and their homes every day. It is an unfortunate situation that has caused a lot of people to become a victim of their circumstances and take a dismal view of life. But there are a few, a select few, who appreciate those things that really matter the most in life and choose a better outlook.

The following is a story that I have always loved which illustrates how we can choose to really live our life each day:

Jerry is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant.

The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.

I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes, it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gun point by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.

I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. “The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

Jerry continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'"

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

Happiness isn't a booming economy, a home or a job - it is a choice. I hope each of you are choosing to live your life rather than allowing yourself to be victimized by your circumstances and allowing your life to pass you by because you are too busy grumbling about the recession and looking for someone to blame for it. (For more on who is really responsible for a recession, read my post "Are You In A Recession? I'm Not!" on The Millionaire Marathon Blog.) Find something good to focus on in each and every day rather than focusing on the bad. And once we have improved ourselves inwardly, we can change our circumstances for the better as well.

Choose to live today and every day to its fullest!

YOU HAVE TO CHECK THIS OUT!

2008-11-26T23:17:00.000-08:00

As many of you may have noticed, I have been MIA from the blogosphere for the past couple of weeks. The reason for that is because my time and attention has been focused on sharing with as many people as possible something that I am very excited about - a video phone!

We just recently ordered ours and let me tell you this is one cool piece of machinery that is going to change the telecommunications industry!

The main reason we decided to get it is because when I was growing up my extended family were spread throughout Idaho and Utah. It isn't very far from Washington but in my family it was only feasible for us to see them every other year. So every time we got together for family reunions it was like meeting them for the first time all over again. I sometimes did not even meet some of my cousins until they were two years old!

Now that we have all grown up and married, it has gotten worse and I want something different for my kids. My family and my friends have expanded all across the United States and we rarely get to see them at all. This is why we were so excited about this video phone. The coolest thing about it is its simplicity. It uses VoIP technology to work over your high-speed DSL connection to bring your friends and family right into your home. You can actually see each other in real-time while talking!

We did try a webcam several different times but found the quality of the images were low, the picture was slow and sometimes it was hard to hear what everyone was saying. So when we stumbled upon this video phone and its awesome features we were hooked. Right now the company is doing a promotion and you can get the video phone for FREE - yes, I said free - with a two year commitment to their service and that is why I am making sure to let everyone know!

This is how it works. The service is provided through a great company called ACN - it is currently the world's largest direct selling telecommunications provider. When you place your order for your video phone, you pay your first month's service fee of $29.99 (plus the applicable taxes), the shipping and handling to get your phone to you and a set-up fee to get you started. After that, you only pay the $29.99 per month plus tax for the service which gives you unlimited local and long-distance anywhere in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. This is often cheaper than what most people pay for their local and long-distance service without the pleasure of seeing their loved ones!

Some really cool features the phone has besides the fact that you can see the person you are talking to include:

the screen can act as a digital photo frame when the phone is not in use (this is really cool because it costs you anywhere between $70 and $120 to get a digital photo frame this size from Costco)

you can conference in up to four other people and see them all on the screen at the same time

you can plug the phone into your television and project the image on the larger screen (which is awesome when you want to open Christmas gifts with family that does not live nearby!)

you can leave video messages when you are unable to reach another video phone user

it has an auto-light sensor to adjust the image for lighter and darker times of the day

it has an enhanced phonebook

it has all the features you would expect from a phone such as enhanced voice mail, call blasting, call waiting, caller ID, call forwarding, and more!

You can keep your same phone number with this phone by transferring it over, it has 911 capability, and you can plug the base of your current cordless phone handsets into the back of your video phone and they will still work throughout your home. This phone has it all!

Now I am sure some of you are thinking about those moments when you have just gotten out of the shower and the phone rings and are debating whether you want people to see you in all your dripping-wet glory. Don't worry. Simply hit the privacy button to deactivate the camera and you can still take the call.

If you haven't guessed I have also fallen in love with this amazing company and am currently working for them. So if you decide you want this phone for yourself you will also be helping our family out by being a customer! ACN is the only company that has this technology and they are only giving it away for free through November 30, 2008. After that, the price of the phone will be $99.95. So CLICK HERE to take advantage of the FREE offer today! Check it out and see if it's for you-we would love to see you face to face!

The Tri-City Herald Fails to Deliver

2008-11-26T16:44:00.000-08:00

About Me

Allow me to start by taking a moment to welcome all the Tri-City Herald customers who have accepted my invitation to drop by this blog. By way of introduction, my name is Andy and I'm a 34 year old accountant from Kennewick who aspires to be a published author, a life coach and a nationally-recognized public speaker. I also aspire to create financial freedom for my family through the direct selling of telecommunications services as I work with the only company of its kind that is endorsed by Donald Trump.

I maintain this blog primarily to entertain people and inform them of an occasional event in my life. I also have a second blog called The Millionaire Marathon where I seek to teach, inspire and motivate people to really go for the things they want in life (even though I occasionally do the same on this blog as well).

I am married to a wonderful woman who is a Future Director in Mary Kay and is working hard to become a Mary Kay Director by January 1, 2009. Together, we have three growing boys of the ages 10, 5 and our youngest just turned 3 on Halloween.

I have done newspaper routes off and on (more off than on) since I was 10 years old. In my younger years I was Carrier of the Year two years straight when I was 14 and 15 and I am fairly certain I would have won the award three years in a row if I hadn't quit the routes to work at KFC. My wife laughs when people from routes I had 20 years ago recognize me in the grocery store and tell me that, even to this day, I was the best newspaper carrier they ever had.

I started delivering newspapers again at the start of this year to work through a period of financial difficulty and to pay off some debts. We have long since cleared that period but I elected to stay on as a substitute carrier as I enjoy having the extra cash to put towards our family goal of becoming completely debt-free, to splurge on the occasional family adventure, and for the exercise I get as I work.

I am currently servicing approximately 435 customers over seven different routes, but those numbers tend to change nearly every week. I try and start the first route between 2-3 a.m. and I keep a good hard pace to get it all done by 5:30 a.m. to allow me time to play some basketball with my friends before work every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and to hit the Court Club for an hour of weightlifting on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. There are some days when the long days and short nights catch up with me and I need a little extra rest. On those days, I settle for just getting up with enough time to get the newspapers out by the deadline.

How the Tri-City Herald Fails to Deliver

I have invited Tri-City Herald customers to read this post to give them an understanding of the delivery issues that are affecting them as paying customers. They fall under three major categories:

1. Failure to Deliver Quality Carriers

The reason I am currently delivering your newspaper instead of a regular carrier is because of a combination of factors:

Size - Most of the routes I deliver cover large areas with sizeable gaps between customers. This makes for long delivery times compared to routes where the customers are closer together and the routes smaller in area. An example of this is that I had two routes earlier this year located side by side where I could deliver to 100 customers in only 20 minutes time where more recently I covered one route that covers twice the area of those two routes and it takes me 25 minutes to deliver to only 45 customers.

Difficulty - A lot of the routes that I get assigned to are hard on the body and the vehicle. I was recently delivering a number of routes in the south hills of the Canyon Lakes area which meant lots of running up and down steep driveways and stairways and across large lawns. Terrain isn't the only difficulty though. Every route faces the difficulty of Sunday delivery. You have seen the size of your Sunday paper combined with the additional ads. Multiply that size and weight by anywhere from 30-80 and imagine one person trying to carry that and deliver on foot. It can't be done without making multiple, time-consuming trips or by having someone drive you. And many parents these days are either unwilling or unable to drive their kids around on Sundays - especially considering the gas prices over the past year.

Low Pay - I was delivering one route for several months this past summer as they could not seem to find anyone willing to stick with it for such a small amount of money. This is why I take on so many routes and keep such a fast pace while delivering. Although I drive my car to deliver, some of you have seen me in the early hours jumping out of the car and racing from house to house, throwing papers as I go (my apologies if I have woken you with a poorly thrown newspaper). That isn't so much to keep me slim and trim as it is me trying to maintain an average of at least $20 an hour to make the delivery worth my time.

Changing Attitudes - It used to be that newspaper routes were delivered primarily by kids and young teenagers, but that is not the case any more. It is partly because it is hard to find reliable kids that are willing to work hard and consistently. I was just reading the book The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch where, in one of the chapters, he talks about how studies have shown that there is a growing sense of entitlement among today's youth. As a result, many are unwilling to do these routes either because it is hard work or they feel the work is beneath them. I agree with the lesson that Randy learned from his father who taught him that manual labor is beneath no one. That is one reason why I don't mind doing the paper routes even though I have a college degree. I think it sets a great example of hard work for my children.

I still think a paper route is a great way for kids to learn responsibility and to be dependable.

2. Corporate Failure to Support Substitutes

Due to the difficulties of finding good, quality carriers that last for a long time, we substitutes are a necessary evil that the District Managers are extremely grateful for. Unfortunately, that gratitude does not extend upward into the higher corporate levels.

District Managers have openly admitted that the overall corporate attitude is that, in spite of our assistance and support with the difficulties of high turnover of carriers, a substitute should be done away with as soon as possible. They fail to recognize the value of good substitutes in that they minimize customer loss by maintaining, and oftentimes improving upon, customer service and delivery until a permanent carrier can be found to fill the route again. They just want us gone altogether.

Until that happens, it would appear that the corporate executives wish to make our work and getting paid for our work as difficult as possible. They have instituted the use of constantly changing contracts, attempted to shift company costs to the substitutes, and refused to make payments for certain services we provide that we were being paid for in the past. It has made my life and that of the District Managers who employ my services very difficult. There was even a point this past summer where I was owed over $1,500 for work I had done and the Herald was refusing to pay due to the fact that they changed contract requirements after I had performed the work.

Fortunately, I have learned when I need to stand firm on issues and when I need to dance the corporate paperwork dance to keep getting paid on a regular basis. I have developed a pretty good working relationship with the District Managers in order to keep myself informed and ahead of the corporate games so as to avoid unnecessary difficulty. It is really unfortunate this attitude that they have chosen to have towards the very people that are trying to help them. It has damaged my relationship with the Tri-City Herald to the point that I have started working in a new direction to transition out of delivery service without disrupting service to you as a customer. This new direction is working with the telecommunications provider endorsed by Donald Trump. It is an exciting opportunity and I would love to share what I am doing with you. Click here for more information about an amazing offer that ends Nov. 30 and for a link to my website.

3. Failure to Forward Tips

This, I feel, is the largest abuse of the Herald's relationship with their customers and one that you should be aware of. Typically, when a customer makes a payment directly to the Tri-City Herald with a tip included, the Herald will forward the tip on to the carrier. This is not the case when there is a substitute on a route. The tips that you pay into the Herald do not go to the substitute carrier that is currently delivering your newspaper - the Herald keeps them!

Denis Waitley taught me that the word "tip" stands for To Insure Performance. Because of this Denis actually advocates giving a tip in advance rather than after good service has been given. Well, as of right now, your tips are only insuring the performance of the Tri-City Herald balance sheet right now.

I do not tell you this to try and solicit tips from you. I work hard to make the amount of money that I make and am appreciative of my health and ability to do so and I appreciate the compensation I receive for my efforts. I have had the added pleasure of meeting some of you in the early hours and have appreciated your kind expressions of satisfaction in my level of service both in your words and in the tips handed to me. I have even managed to spot a rare "To the TCH Carrier" envelope taped to a door or propped up on the edge of the porch where I would see it. Again I thank you for your generosity and thoughtfulness. (If I have missed other generous offerings, I do apologize. I can only think that I overlooked it due to the pace that I keep and the darkness of the morning.) Nor do I tell you this to try and upset you to the point of canceling your subscription or of making angry phone calls into the Tri-City Herald as both of those could make a significant impact on my income. I just want to make you aware of the situation so that you can determine whether the tips you choose to pay go to the carrier or the company.

I do not know how long I will be a substitute on your route, but you can always check this blog to find out. I will post route changes as the occur as well as maintain a side section that is labeled "Nice Guy Delivery" where you can check to see if your address falls in my current delivery area (A good reference, too, if you notice changes in the quality of the service you are receiving. You can check to see if it is me or someone else). If I am still delivering to you and you wish to leave me a tip, you may e-mail me at niceguyblogging@hotmail.com and leave me instructions of where to look for the envelope. Otherwise, you can call the Tri-City Herald at (509) 586-2138 during their office hours and instruct them to leave a comment on the "top sheet" for the route with said instructions. This method will actually work whether I am your carrier or whether somebody else is.

These are the three areas where I feel the Tri-City Herald has failed to deliver to you as a paying customer. For the most part, I have no control over these situations, but I will continue to do what I can to minimize the impact of these difficulties where I can.

A Small Favor

If you have read this far in the blog, I appreciate you taking the time to come by and see what I have to say and invite you to come back again soon. I do have one last favor to ask of my Tri-City Herald customers and I hope you do not mind me asking. During the winter months, sidewalks and porches are filled with decorations and/or become wet and slick at times. Please leave a porch light on to insure my safety, to protect your decorations from damage, to keep your paper dry, and to enable me to deliver to your doorways more accurately. I would really appreciate it.

Thank you again for visiting my blog and I hope to see you here again. Don't forget to click here to read about the details of the awesome telecommunications offer that expires this month. You can also click here to find out more about the company I am working with and some different ways that I may serve you. If something peaks your interest, e-mail me at niceguyblogging@hotmail.com with your name and number to allow me the opportunity to discuss those interests further. Have a great day!

What to do when you feel powerless...

2008-11-11T13:28:00.000-08:00

Chuck Noland: We both had done the math. Kelly added it all up and... knew she had to let me go. I added it up, and knew that I had... lost her. 'Cos I was never gonna get off that island. I was gonna die there, totally alone. I was gonna get sick, or get injured or something. The only choice I had, the only thing I could control was when, and how, and where it was going to happen. So... I made a rope and I went up to the summit, to hang myself. I had to test it, you know? Of course. You know me. And the weight of the log, snapped the limb of the tree, so I-I - , I couldn't even kill myself the way I wanted to. I had power over nothing. And that's when this feeling came over me like a warm blanket. I knew, somehow, that I had to stay alive. Somehow. I had to keep breathing. Even though there was no reason to hope. And all my logic said that I would never see this place again. So that's what I did. I stayed alive. I kept breathing. And one day my logic was proven all wrong because the tide came in, and gave me a sail. And now, here I am. I'm back. In Memphis, talking to you. I have ice in my glass... And I've lost her all over again. I'm so sad that I don't have Kelly. But I'm so grateful that she was with me on that island. And I know what I have to do now. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?

Castaway

A Tribute

2008-11-10T13:54:00.000-08:00

This was a post that I wanted to do last week, but, due to the craziness that life sometimes is, I never managed to get it done. I want to make up for that today.

I have been under the influence of some amazing people throughout my life. I have wonderful parents that raised and taught me the best they could. I have had wonderful school teachers that drove me and inspired me to achieve. I have had great sports coaches that taught me the fundamentals and instilled in me the drive to win (although my dad still claims full credit for everything I know on the basketball court). I have had incredible Christ-like examples in the church that taught me the meaning of faith, charity and service. I have had mentors and teachers in the areas of business and personal development that have inspired me to dream big and to go for the things that I want in life. I have had loving girlfriends (before I was married, of course), loyal friends, great coworkers and a number of acquaintances throughout my life. And all of these have made an incredible impact on my life and helped make me the man that I am today. But none of these, individually or collectively, have had near the impact and influence in my life than the incredible woman that I am proud to call my wife.

I met my wife at the end of August in 1996 at the church were a group of young single adults had gathered to play volleyball. I was usually one of the first to show up, but I came late that night for some reason. I was speaking to a friend of mine in the doorway to the gym when I noticed her out on the volleyball court. It wasn't because she was an incredible volleyball player (she is the first to admit that she is much more adept at dodging the ball than she is hitting it), but there was something about her that caught my attention. She wasn't the drop-dead gorgeous type, but she was adorable. I could see she loved to laugh and have fun and had the dazzling smile to prove it. Unfortunately, it was also apparent that she was not there alone.

I soon joined in the games and was having a good time, but after a while I needed some time alone to deal with some thoughts that were weighing on me. I slipped off into one of the rooms where there was a piano and "practiced" playing for a while (meaning plunking out the notes to the only three songs I ever taught myself). What I did not know at the time was that she had noticed me, too, and, after a while, noticed my absence. Under the guise of needing a drink of water, she went looking for me. She heard my feeble attempts at playing and peeked in the door wondering if I was the one at the keys when she promptly embarrassed the both of us - me by my finding out that someone was watching me play and her by my catching her watching me.

Surprisingly, she didn't run away (don't the beauties always run from the beasts at first?). She boldly walked in and introduced herself and we met for the first time. I quickly embarrassed myself for the second time that evening by forgetting her name (I swear it wasn't because I wasn't paying attention - I was just stunned by the fact that such a lovely young lady was speaking to me), but she happened to forget mine as well (which is okay because I am really not the memorable).

Nobody has ever accused me of moving too fast, so I didn't ask her out on a first date for a good week and a half (that is a great Law of Attraction story if you ever want to hear it). From that point on, we were nearly inseparable as we saw each other pretty much every day. A month and three days after our first date, I asked her to be my wife and amazingly she said, "Yes!" Then, on December 14, 1996, 3 months and 18 days from the day that I first set my eyes on this incredible woman, I married her in the Portland, Oregon temple for time and all eternity!

I couldn't have asked for a better wife than her. She is my best friend and partner in all things. She is a wonderful mother who has gone to death's door three times to bring three wonderful children into this world and nearly stepped through that door due to a pregnancy that would never come to fruition. She is one of the hardest working women that I know and is building an incredibly successful business that allows her to be home with her children through her efforts (most people don't realize how hard she works because she has so much fun doing it).

She is a loving and caring friend who attracts wonderful women to her (Yes, M.L., M.E., A.J., L.F. and K.W. - this means you). I have seen her shed tears over the loss of friends over what I believe to be petty jealousy and unfairly judgmental attitudes. My wife has a strong desire to do those things that are right, no matter how appealing the alternative may be. This has put her at odds unfortunately with those who get uncomfortable around her because they prefer to do what is easy or popular. It hurts her deeply; particularly when some of these women have ruined other relationships my wife has had with other women and even the possibility of a relationship through their mean-spirited gossip and ridicule. But I am extremely proud of my wife and how she has born these difficulties. It has never been easy for her, but she valiantly strives to emulate the Savior and show genuine Christ-like love to even those who have abused her in this way.

My wife loves to serve others. She is not an early riser, but she will drag herself out of bed to make me breakfast and pack me a lunch before I head off to work. When there is a friend or family member in need, she always puts herself forward to help when she is able and feels terrible when she is not able to do so. She sometimes volunteers to the point of overextending herself, but that is simply more evidence of her love for other people.

She also has somewhat of a daring and adventurous spirit. She recently took me on a vacation to a bed & breakfast (something she loves) in Hayden, ID which is right next to Silverwood (something I love). The whole trip was incredible! She consented to taking one trip on the Tremors roller coaster with me when roller coasters are REALLY NOT HER THING. She has a little bit of a fear of heights and sudden death by a car derailing at high speeds. But she went on it with me when I asked her to.

She later confessed that when she looked at the picture of the ride, she didn't realize how big it was because she didn't recognize over 50% of the track as being part of the ride. They take a picture about halfway through the ride and while everyone else looks like they are laughing and having a good time, she is the only one that looks genuinely terrified. She said it took everything in her to keep from breaking down and bawling when it was over and her legs were all weak and rubbery when she got off. She swears she will never step foot on a roller coaster like that again, but I am proud of her facing her fear like that and some of the other risks she took with me that day.

She is also a wonderful example of gratitude and appreciation. She just had a birthday on the 6th of this month (I know I am not supposed to reveal a woman's age so I will simply say that she is older than 20 and younger than ... 33) and the boys and I only bought her two simple gifts - a DVD and an IPod. I can't tell you how many times in the last four days that she has thanked us and expressed how much she loves her gifts, particularly the IPod (I learned through the examples of my parents the importance of listening when a woman expresses an interest in something - she mentioned the IPod months ago and she totally was not expecting it when her birthday came around. Surprise!).

She has become an amazing example of achievement and what is possible if you dedicate yourself to a goal and stick with it no matter how difficult or frustrating it may get. In the past year, she has lost over 60 pounds, something she has been struggling with for ten years now. It has done wonders for her self-esteem and her self-confidence to achieve such a major goal and that victory has translated into other areas of her life.

I could go on and on and on about how remarkable she is. But let me just finish this by saying that I love her dearly. In the past twelve years that I have known her and the nearly twelve years that I have been married to her, I have had the pleasure of watching her grow and develop from the wonderful woman she was back then to the marvelous woman she is today. And, in turn, she has helped me grow and develop as well. As amazing as it is and as impossible as it may seem, I love her more and more each and every day. She is much, much more than I ever would have dreamed of in a wife.

My friends, if you have read this post, I ask you to do me one simple favor. I want her to receive "Happy Birthday" wishes from all over the world. Wherever you are, near or far, please take a moment to click on her blog and on her last post (yes, I know she hasn't posted in two months now) leave her a comment. Wish her "Happy Birthday", remind her that her husband loves her very much and tell her what an amazing woman she is. She would love it and I would very much appreciate you doing this small kindness!

Nice Produce!

2008-11-04T08:44:00.000-08:00

My wife was telling me last night how observant J3, our youngest son, is becoming. He just happened to notice yesterday that mommy's body is a little bit different than the rest of the people in our house. He had just turned 3 years old on Halloween and was obviously still very much in the spirit of the season when he pointed to my wife's chest and said, "Mommy, pumpkins!"

Halloween Hauntings!

2008-10-31T16:46:00.000-07:00

Madame Leota: Whom do you seek?

Jim: I am seeking a way outta here.

Madame Leota: Then you must look within.

Jim: I don't wanna look within, I wanna look without! Are you deaf?

The Haunted Mansion

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Unstoppable Urges

2008-10-29T13:00:00.001-07:00

Anna Valerious: What are these things?

Van Helsing: I think they're Dracula's children.

Anna Valerious: His children?

Van Helsing: A man, with three gorgeous women, for four hundred years?

Van Helsing

Apparently, a guy doesn't have to have a heartbeat for a woman to get his blood pumping.

Not As Tough As He Thought

2008-10-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

My middle son, J2, is our little tough guy. He loves monsters and scary movies at the age of 5, where his 10-year old brother, J1, won't watch them because they give him nightmares.

I was watching The Incredible Hulk with my wife one night (see my previous post) and J2 was in the room with us. All the Hulk-ing out and roaring and smashing didn't even phase him. In fact, he loved it. He thought it was great.

But there was one point in the movie where he was suddenly clutching my leg tightly and whimpering a little bit and there wasn't a monster in sight.

What was happening was that a character in the movie was getting some injections, including one by a large needle that was being inserted quite forcefully into the characters spine. At that point, J2 looked up at me with his pleading blue eyes and said, "I don't want them to stick a needle in my back."

My wife and I did our best to not laugh while we reassured him that nobody was going to stick a needle in his back and that it was only pretend in the movie. I guess our little guy has his limits when it comes to toughness.

Anger Management

2008-10-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

Betty Ross: [Betty and Bruce need to get across town in New York City] The subway is probably quickest.

Bruce Banner: Me in a metal tube, deep underground with hundreds of people in the most aggressive city in the world?

Betty Ross: Right. Let's get a cab.

The Incredible Hulk

This turned out to be an excellent movie! I wasn't sure that I wanted to see it after the first Hulk movie being such a disappointment, but I went ahead and watched it - and I was glad that I did. The CGI in this movie is better and a little more realistic than the last. While you can still see it is CGI, it is darker and grittier so that it doesn't look so cartoonish.

The cast they assembled for this film did an excellent job in their individual roles. From what I have read, Edward Norton and Liv Tyler spent hours in conversation about the relationship they would have on-screen and Norton made several changes to the screenplay to incorporate their ideas to make it more "real" in its portrayal. I also thought that William Hurt did an awesome job as General Ross and really delivered in his portrayal of a man who sacrifices nearly everything for "the job".

As with any Marvel film, Stan Lee makes his cameo appearance and Lou Ferrigno, the original Hulk from the 1970's television series, makes an appearance as a college guard and does the voice of the Hulk for the movie. My wife and I didn't not recognize Lou at first, but when he made his appearance in the movie we both remarked on how incredibly muscular the guard seemed for a campus guard. So, even after all these years, Lou is still a bit of a Hulk.

If you haven't seen this movie yet, I highly recommend you give it a shot. And watch for the scene following the quote I shared above. It sets up a great comic moment for Tyler!

Classified!

2008-10-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

Jack: I went back to check some of my own personal files, and they'd been classified. These are my files!

Alison: It's not my fault that there are things about yourself that you're just not cleared to know.

Jack: Yeah, I'd hate to stumble across something that if I told me I'd have to kill me.

Eureka: Before I Forget episode

I love this show! It is one of my all-time favorites!

Let's Play!

2008-10-21T12:14:00.000-07:00

I don't ever recall actually seeing this movie, but I really like the simple truthfulness of this quote:

Mr. Bloom: The day we stop playing is the day we start getting old. Start watching the clock. Waiting for the days to hurry up and end. Counting the years.

Twilight Zone: The Movie

Visualizing Something Better

2008-10-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

Mutt Williams: [as Indy sinks in a quicksand-esque substance, he is passed a long snake] Grab on! It's a rat snake!

Indiana Jones: Rat snakes aren't that big!

Mutt Williams: Well this one is, all right? It's not even poisonous! Now grab on!

Indiana Jones: Go get something else!

Mutt Williams: Like what?

Indiana Jones: Like a rope or something!

Mutt Williams: There's no Sears & Roebuck here! Grab the snake!

Indiana Jones: Maybe I can touch the bottom.

Marion Ravenwood: There is no bottom! Now grab it! Grab the snake!

Indiana Jones: I think I can feel it with my feet

Mutt Williams: Grab the snake!

Indiana Jones: Stop calling it that!

Mutt Williams: It's a snake, what do you want me to call it?!

Indiana Jones: A rope!

Mutt Williams: What?

Indiana Jones: Say "Grab the rope"!

Mutt Williams, Marion Ravenwood: Grab the rope!

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The Little, White Lie

2008-10-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

Elsa: It's perfectly obvious where the pages are. He's given them to Marcus Brody.

Professor Henry Jones: Marcus? You didn't drag poor Marcus along did you? He's not up to the challenge.

Walter Donovan: He sticks out like a sore thumb. We'll find him.

Indiana Jones: The hell you will. He's got a two day head start on you, which is more than he needs. Brody's got friends in every town and village from here to the Sudan, he speaks a dozen languages, knows every local custom, he'll blend in, disappear, you'll never see him again. With any luck, he's got the grail already.

[Cut to middle of fair in the Middle East, Marcus Brody wearing a bright suit and white hat, sticking out like sore thumb]
Marcus Brody: Uhhh, does anyone here speak English?

[Back at the castle, Indiana and Henry are tied up]
Indiana Jones: Come on, dad. Help me get us out of here. We have to get to Marcus before the Nazis do.

Professor Henry Jones: But you said he had a two day head start. That he would blend in, disappear.

Indiana Jones: Are you kidding? I made all that up. You know Marcus. He once got lost in his own museum.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Who Are You Calling Funny Looking?

2008-10-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

Willie: Aren't you gonna introduce us?

Lao Che: This is Willie Scott; this is Indiana Jones, a famous archaeologist.

Willie: Well I always thought that archaeologists were always funny looking men going around looking for their mommies.

Indiana Jones: Mummies.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

A Little Monkey Business

2008-10-15T15:59:00.001-07:00

Indiana: Do we need the monkey?

Marion: I'm surprised at you. Talking that way about our baby. He's got your looks, too.

Indiana: And your brains.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Hooked On Phonics

2008-10-15T10:54:00.001-07:00

I heard this joke the other morning on the radio and thought it was pretty funny. I thought you might enjoy it, too.

A teacher was looking over her lesson plans at her desk as the children were looking through books about animals. She heard one of the children say to another, "Hey, look! It's a frickin' elephant!"

Her head shot up at this and she asked, "What did you just say?"

"It's a frickin' elephant," the child repeated.

"Johnny," she explained kindly, "we don't talk like that in this classroom."

"But that is what the book says it is: a frickin' elephant," Johnny replied in his defense.

Suspecting that a mischevious child must have written the word in the book, the teacher asked Johnny to bring the book to her thinking that she could just erase it. When Johnny showed her the book, however, she saw that there was nothing to erase because the caption below the picture did say ... African Elephant.

World-Changing Legislation

2008-10-09T15:59:00.001-07:00

You may not be aware of it, but there is a piece of legislation in committee that is attempting to reduce the amount of complaining that goes on in the U.S. Click HERE to read my posting on how you can support it and what it can do for you!

Smooooth!

2008-10-09T13:53:00.000-07:00

George McFly: Lorraine, my density has bought me to you.

Lorraine Baines: What?

George McFly: Oh, what I meant to say was...

Lorraine Baines: Wait a minute, don't I know you from somewhere?

George McFly: Yes. Yes. I'm George, George McFly. I'm your density. I mean... your destiny.

Back to the Future

The man has a way with words, doesn't he?

Don't Be A Goob!

2008-10-08T14:10:00.001-07:00

Lewis: I don't even know what I'm doing.

Wilbur: Keep moving forward.

Lewis: I mean, this stuff is way too advanced for me.

Wilbur: Keep moving forward.

Lewis: And what if I can't fix this, what are we going to do?

Wilbur: Keep moving forward.

Lewis: Why do you keep saying that? And don't just say keep moving forward!

Wilbur: It's my dad's motto.

Lewis: Why would his motto be keep moving forward?

Wilbur: It's what he does.

Meet the Robinsons

I love this movie, partly because of its entertainment value, but primarily because of the message it delivers. Here is an aspiring inventor whose inventions never seem to work out the way he plans. In fact, more often than not, they explode. And to top it all off, his mother abandoned him on the doorstep of an orphanage when he was a baby and nobody seems willing to adopt him. He has had well over 100 adoption interviews and, so far, no takers. He is frustrated and fed up and has lost all faith in himself and his abilities.

Do you ever feel like that? Like, no matter how hard you try, things never work out the way you plan and so you might as well give up? Do you ever feel like the entire universe is conspiring against you to hold you down? I know I have. In fact, I felt as if I could point to numerous pieces of evidence that demonstrated that I had been put on this earth simply for God's amusement so that He could see just how much disaster and heartbreak he could heap upon a single man before I would completely cave in.

Wilbur encourages Lewis with his dad's motto, "Keep moving forward!", but Lewis doesn't really get it until the villain catches up to him and explains just how Lewis had ruined his whole life:

Lewis: Goob, I had no idea!

Bowler Hat Guy: Shut up! And don't call me "Goob"! How many evil villains do you know that can pull off a name like "Goob"? Bleh!

Lewis: Look, I'm sorry your life turned out so bad. But don't blame me you messed it up yourself. You just focused on the bad stuff when all you had to do was... let go of the past and keep moving forward...

Bowler Hat Guy: Hmm, let's see... take responsibility for my own life or blame you? Dingdingdingdingding! Blame you wins hands down!

It is an easy trap to fall into when we start blaming others, the environment, the economy or even God for all the trouble in our lives. But one thing that I have learned is that when we play the "blame game" we give up our power over the situation. We surrender our ability to learn and grow and overcome the difficulty that stands in our way. And then, to make matters worse, we relive these failures over and over in our minds, making ourselves mental martyrs, as we constantly remind ourselves why our lives are so awful and why it isn't our fault.

And while we are busy doing that, great opportunities are passing us by and we only see them once they are fading off into the distance as we recognize that those opportunities could have been ours but now it is too late. So now we have a whole new set of complaints that we can blame on others, the environment, the economy or God and we get locked into a vicious circle of blaming and complaining.

It is important to let go of past frustrations and failures. One way to do that is to remember a very simple truth:

There is no such thing as failure - only feedback.

What that means is that when something doesn't go right, it is only feedback about whether or not our approach is working or not. We just need to make the small corrections necessary and keep moving forward. Little kids are great at this.

In my house, we have a long, narrow kitchen in which the cutting board is constantly pulled out because we were slicing or spreading something there and it often does not get pushed back in. My youngest is notorious for running or even just walking through the kitchen and catching the corner of that cutting board right in the head. Depending on the speed he is traveling, he may cry for a couple seconds and then come get a hug or he may simply rub the sore spot and move on. The next time through the kitchen, even when he is distracted in playing with his older brother, it is interesting to observe how just a step before he gets to the cutting board he will suddenly veer away or duck his head to the side without even consciously thinking about it and keeps moving forward. In that one moment, he has learned that traveling this path is painful and with just a small adjustment he can avoid future painful experiences.

Why does he do this? Why doesn't he blame the cutting board for being so hard? Why doesn't he blame his mother, father or brothers for leaving it out? Why doesn't he blame the home builders for not installing safety strobe lights to warn him when it is sticking out from the counter? Why doesn't he blame God for allowing him to get hurt that way? These questions may seem silly, but it is simply to illustrate that he hasn't learned the "blame game" yet like you and I have. Someday I hope he learns that the kitchen isn't exactly a safe place to play, but I hope he never learns the "blame game". I know the chances of that are slim, but I hope at least chooses not to play it.

And that is the point right there - we all have a choice! We can focus on the bad stuff that has happened to us in the past or we can look to the future, open a new door and keep moving forward.

“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
~ Walt Disney

The only thing in this world that can stop you is you! So, don't be a goob! Just keep moving forward!!!

-----------------------------------------------

I know that sometimes we get depressed and we want to wallow in our self-pity and we want to blame our difficulties on someone or something else. I understand that because I feel that way at times, too. What really helps me is to get a little perspective on how bad things really are. The next time you feel that way, I recommend you do some research on W. Mitchell. Read about his life experiences in this Parade Magazine article and then read his personal advice in the articles on his website. It might help you come to the realization that things really aren't so bad after all and only you have the power to make them better.

My Memory Bank

2008-10-03T23:31:00.000-07:00

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait."

"That doesn' t have anything to do with it," he replied.

"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged .. it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.

"It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

"Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.

"Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing."

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Let's Be Foolish

2008-10-03T13:01:00.000-07:00

Kurt Godel: I would rather be an optimist and a fool than a pessimist and right.

I.Q.

Since the production of The Secret in 2006, the Law of Attraction (LOA) has been a hot topic on talk shows, in articles and among friends and family all over the world. LOA, in its most basic form, says that we attract into our lives that which we focus on. If your focus is primarily on how terrible your life is, you will attract terrible experiences to you. If you focus on how great each and every day is, you will attract great experiences each and every day.

I don't know what your personal take is on LOA, but I am a believer in it. That is one reason why the quote above me describes my personal philosophy so perfectly. I would rather think optimistic and happy thoughts and be considered a fool by the general populace than be a grumpy, bitter pessimist waiting for that moment when I can shout to the world, "See? I told you! The world is going to H - E - Double Hockey Sticks in a handbasket just like I told you it would!" Do you really want to live your life like that?

I love being an optimist!

Being optimistic makes me excited to get up every morning just so I can see what wonders and miracles are in store for me that day.

A pessimist hates having to wake up to another dreary, disappointing morning.

As an optimist I am more aware of and constantly looking for beautiful things that I may encounter throughout the day that add to my joy of living.

Pessimists see the litter and garbage.

My optimistic nature opens me up to look for opportunties to improve my life and the lives of those around me.

The pessimists can't see any hope for improvement and constantly reaffirm how bad things are.

Optimists are more ready to take risks and, win or lose, learn and grow by the experience.

Pessimists don't dare take the risk because it will never work out.

Optimists say, "I can do it!"

Pessimists say, "I don't stand a chance."

There are many more ways we could illustrate the differences between optimists and pessimists. But each and every example points out how pessimists miss out on the joys of life. You don't want that, do you?

Come on! Let's be foolish!

Beating Back Adversity

2008-10-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

Hardy Greaves: [Talking about his father] He's sweeping streets, Junuh, in the middle of Savannah where everybody can see him; me, my friends and everybody.

Rannulph Junuh: You feeling sorry because your daddy sweeps streets?

Hardy Greaves: He ain't the only man who can't get work. Wilbur's dad can't neither. But he says he'd rather do nothing than something beneath his dignity.

Rannulph Junuh: Grow up Hardy!

Hardy Greaves: It ain't time for me to grow up, Mr. Junuh.

Rannulph Junuh: You're daddy is out sweeping streets because he took every last dime he had, and used it to pay up every man and woman he owed and every business who worked for him, instead of declaring bankruptcy like everyone else in town, including your best friend Wilbur Charles' dad, Raymond, which is why he's able to sit around all day long on his dignity! You're daddy stared adversity in the eye, Hardy. And he beat it back with a broom.

The Legend of Bagger Vance

My wife may not like me sharing this with you as it is a personal and emotional issue, but there was a time in the not-so-distant past where our family had fallen on hard times. Bad financial decisions in the early years of our marriage compounded by a plethora of medical problems that struck our small family all within in a few short years left us deep in debt and living paycheck to paycheck. I worked for a small construction company for seven years, staying loyal and working hard in hopes that as we improved the financial standing of the business our personal financial standing would improve as well. In six year's time, the business did grow and improve significantly and enormous bonus checks were given to a couple of "favorite" employees while we were given the smallest bonus check of all (2.5 times smaller than the boss's son's friend that had only been there for a few months). I stayed on another year until the bonus situation repeated itself and I decided to go somewhere where loyalty and hard work were both appreciated and rewarded. Unfortunately, the damage was already done.

Shortly after I had switched jobs, we quickly realized that our bills were burying us. With our families in similar financial situations but with fewer dependants, we were unable to call on any of them for help. We set up an appointment to visit with Consumer Credit Services to find out if they could see some possibilities that we were blind to. The people there were very nice and understanding, reassuring us that they would see if they could help us set up a plan to weather the storm. Unfortunately, once we laid out all the details, their only recommendation was the only one that neither of us wanted: bankruptcy!

My poor wife, already severely stressed out by the situation as it was, started to tear up as the counselor outlined our bankruptcy options and how we would need to proceed. I, on the other hand, felt myself strangely detached from the situation. It was almost as if I were watching and listening the meeting from a distance. A strong feeling of peace flowed into me. And through that spiritual experience I received a reassurance that we were going to be just fine.

While the counselor continued to explain things to my wife, my mind started to race and I quickly formulated a plan of my own. The details fell into place quickly and I sat through the rest of the appointment just smiling politely at the counselor. I thanked her at the end and told her we needed some time to discuss what we were going to do before we acted, which she understood (although not in the way that I intended), and I ushered my tearful wife out of the office.

In the parking lot I tried to console my wife and let her know what had just happened, detailing the basics of the plan that I had just formulated. Understandably, she was still overwhelmed by what she had just heard and didn't see the hope that I felt. She pointed out that a professional financial counselor just told us our only option was to declare bankruptcy - what hope was there to be had? I simply told her that the counselor only knew statistics and numbers - she did not know us!

That evening, I laid out my plan in greater detail and discussed it with her. She started to see the possibility and decided to trust me and put her faith in us. To make a long story short (I know - it's too late), we plugged the money pit within a couple of weeks, leveled our financial situation out in two months, and within six months had a couple thousand dollars in the bank and were making good progress on paying down our debts.

Like Hardy's father, I believe strongly in paying my debts. If I dig a hole, I don't expect someone else to come behind me and fill it in. I believe in the Golden Rule. I wouldn't like it if someone didn't pay back money that I had loaned to them, so why wouldn't I pay back the money someone loaned to me?

Hardy's father beat his adversity back with a broom. I beat mine back with a newspaper.

Keep coming back and I will tell you more about that.

The Golden Rule and Our Economic Crisis

2008-10-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

WARNING! Serious blog topic ahead. Proceed with caution.

Every morning I catch the tail end of the AfterMidNite radio show hosted by Blair Garner. It is generally a country music show, but the last two days Blair has gotten on his soapbox a little bit about two issues that I wanted to share with you.

The first issue started with the Tuesday morning BrainBuster question which was: "Statistics show that only one in five men do this. What is it?" The answer to the question was give up their seat in. While Blair was shocked that the statistic was so low, Tim, the producer of the show that is frequently the butt of Blair's jokes and is occasionally heard laughing and commenting in the background, said he could understand why men wouldn't because these days many women will get offended if you offer her your seat or open a door for them because they feel it puts them in a subservient position. I agreed with Blair who thought that was a ridiculous reason to not do it. He went on to eventually say that it is an act of kindness and consideration and follows the golden rule. Whether they take it or not is up to them.

Blair's comment about the golden rule sparked another commentary session on this morning's show regarding the $700 billion bailout that lawmakers are trying to pass. Tim and Blair started out talking about how we, as Americans, have become a bit spoiled. We have had it so good for so long that we just want more and more and more. When money isn't readily available, we have ready access to credit cards and loans to get us all that we want right now. When we overextend ourselves, we declare bankruptcy and then start over. It is like a "get out of jail free" pass.

Corporations and banks have become exceedingly greedy these past few years. With the expanding housing market, financial decision-makers took advantage of the population's general financial awareness and engaged in subprime lending practices (the practice of giving loans to those who would not normally get them) and predatory lending practices (deliberately targeting borrowers who may not have fully understood the terms of their loan or lending to people who were never likely to afford the interest payments in the long-run). Many of these loans included exorbitant fees and hidden terms and conditions in the loans that translate to dollars for bankers.

Now that the housing bubble has burst, these practices among others have unleashed an economic crisis that is rippling through nearly every household in America and extending outward to countries around the world. And all this happens as corporate and bank executives take home multi-million dollar bonuses. Did you know that Alan H. Fishman, the newly-hired chief executive officer for Washington Mutual that was on the job less than three weeks before its crash, was given a $7.5 million signing bonus (which he gets to keep) and is eligible for $11.6 million in cash severence? At least Kerry Killinger, the previous WaMu CEO, turned down his $1.4 million bonus for 2007 due to the deteriorating situation of the bank. Fishman can walk away with up to $19.1 million for spending less than three weeks worth of his life guiding WaMu into bank failure. (I think WaMu customers got a raw deal on that one. I would have done it for only $1 million.)

I always wondered what the difference is between an executive that illegally takes millions of dollars and crashes the company like Enron and one that takes millions of dollars while legally crashing the company. They both make their decisions out of greed and self-interest. They both ultimately run their company into the ground. The only difference I can see is that one goes to jail while the other one doesn't.

The point is that all of this could be avoided if Corporate and Bank executives and even each of us, individually, followed the golden rule. How different would this be if the banks really considered the borrower and their long-term ability to pay back the loans rather than focus on the fees and the interest they would collect that would boost their annual bonus? How different would this be if they considered the long-term impact on the American economy if the housing market turned rather than expect it to be booming forever? How different would this be if we stopped throwing billions of dollars at the people who are trying to get the American people deeper and deeper in debt and actually used it to teach and help people to get out of debt?

The $700 billion bailout package that is being considered is like a "get out of jail free" card for the very people who have caused the financial crisis we are in. They get to keep their fancy houses and summer homes, their flashy sports cars and their millions of dollars they have collected creating this mess; they get to keep the job that they failed to do right! And the majority of the American people that are suffering because they got greedy get the tax bill that is going to result because of this.

I don't know about you, but I prefer to get what I pay for. Did you know that if you applied the $700 billion to every existing mortgage on the books today, you would pay down over $20,000 on each and every one? If you took every mortgage under $75,000 that is currently on the books (my mortgage does not fall into that category) that $700 billion would pay them all off completely!

I would prefer not to spend the $700 billion at all and follow a better plan to work our way out of this. Dave Ramsey has an opinion on how we can fix this without putting our nation deeper in debt. See Dave's 3 Steps to Change the Nation's Future and read all of it, including The Common Sense Fix proposal.

Now I did mention that each of us need to follow the golden rule as well. Do you have any idea how much smaller our nation's deficit would be if none of us cheated on our taxes? Do you have any idea how much different your children's lives would be if you set the example of living within your means, paying off your debts and avoiding bankruptcy by any and all means possible? I am sure there are other examples to apply the golden rule to and it is definitely something worth thinking about.

There is no doubt that financial hard times lay ahead for our nation, but if we use the golden rule as a guideline and look at the long-term effects of our decisions rather than settle for band-aid solutions that will fail to stick in the long run, we can weather the storm and make things better all around.

Inspired Scripture Reading

2008-10-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard the story of the man who was having a difficult time in his life and decided to look for an answer in the Bible? He decided that he would close his eyes, open upon the scriptures, stick his finger in the book, read the verse that his finger touched and do whatever the verse said to do. What can be more inspired than that? Well, when he opened the book and blindly selected a verse, he read:

"And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself."
~ Matthew 27:5

Somewhat shaken by this, he quickly determined that he needed a better course of action than that. So he decided to give it one more shot. He closed his eyes, opened the book again, stuck his finger in and read the following verse:

"...Go, and do thou likewise."
~ Luke 10:37

My wife and I had a similar experience last night. We were headed to bed a little later than I had planned, but my wife was feeling very amorous. As she made her intentions quite clear, I had to gently refuse as I was going to be getting less than five hours of sleep and I was already pretty run down. She understood and we decided we had better read scriptures and pray really quick so I could get some rest.

I asked her if she had any favorite passages she would like to read that night and she didn't, so we decided to give the inspired method a shot, much like the man above. I happened to open up to the Book of Mormon and both of our eyes fell on the center of the exact same verse where we both read:

"...In the name of the Almighty God, I command you that ye touch me not...."
~ 1 Nephi 17:48

We both burst out into laughter at the timing of that "inspired" bit of scripture. We decided to tempt fate as the man above did and give it a second shot. Our results were far better than his:

"Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen."
~ Mosiah 5:15

Hero-Worship

2008-10-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

Homer: [to John] Dad, I may not be the best, but I come to believe that I got it in me to be somebody in this world. And it's not because I'm so different from you either, it's because I'm the same. I mean, I can be just as hard-headed, and just as tough. I only hope I can be as good a man as you. Sure, Wernher von Braun is a great scientist, but he isn't my hero.

October Sky

Being a parent is never an easy job. It is hard to find the balance between giving your kids wings to fly and making sure they don't try to fly so far and so fast that they crash and burn. We have to give them guidelines and rules and allow them to suffer the consequences of breaking those rules, all the while praying that they don't end up resenting you someday for it. I don't think there is a more gratifying moment for a parent than when their child says that, out of all the incredible people in this world that inspired them to be who they are, their parent is their hero.

I have three little boys and I have to admit that I get a boost of pride when one of them says, every now and then, that they want to grow up to be just like me. Being fully aware of my own faults and fallacies, I usually respond by saying, "Thank you, son, but I hope you are better."

Whatever You Do ... Don't Try!

2008-09-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

Morpheus: What are you waiting for? You're faster than this. Don't think you are, know you are. Come on. Stop trying to hit me and hit me.

The Matrix

This quote is closely tied to something I was blogging about yesterday on my blog for The Millionaire Marathon. In this scene, Neo has just "downloaded" a number of martial arts programs and Morpheus is sparring with him in a secure program patterned after the matrix to see how good Neo is and to teach him more about himself and the actual matrix. No matter how hard Neo fights, he just can't seem to get past Morpheus's defenses.

It may seem like Morpheus is taunting Neo a bit, but he is actually trying to teach him a lesson we all need to understand. We have programmed ourselves to believe that there is a limit for each area of our lives. We are only so strong, only so fast, only so smart, only so capable, etc. And we have proved to ourselves that those limits are accurate by hitting them repeatedly and being stopped by those limits. And whenever we come up against something that lies beyond those limits, we try to accomplish it and fail in the attempt.

I went to a seminar once with my wife that was arranged by Mary Kay and the speaker said something that has always stuck with me. He pointed out that trying is simply failing with honor. When we are faced with something that seems outside our recognized limits, we try to do it so that when we do fail we at least have the honor of saying "I tried". We all need to take the advice of a short, green, muppet-like mentor who instructed us in a better way:

"Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
~ Yoda
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

The truth is that the limits never stopped us, we stopped ourselves - we quit - when we hit those limits. The only place those limits exist are in our minds. We are capable of doing far more on every level of our lives than we ever believed we could. All it takes is a little extra effort, a little more perseverence to improve just 1% or go 1 step beyond our previous limit. And if you do that once, you know you can do it again.

So whatever you are trying to do, stop trying and just do it!

A World-Changing Story

2008-09-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

My last post reminded me of the following story. So here is a little bonus posting for you:

Love And The Cabbie

I was in New York the other day and rode with a friend in a taxi. When we got out, my friend said to the driver, "Thank you for the ride. You did a superb job of driving."

The taxi driver was stunned for a second. Then he said, "Are you a wise guy or something?"

"No, my dear man, and I'm not putting you on. I admire the way you keep cool in heavy traffic."

"Yeah," the driver said and drove off.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

I am trying to bring love back to New York," he said. "I believe it's the only thing that can save the city."

"How can one man save New York?"

"It's not one man. I believe I have made that taxi driver's day. Suppose he has 20 fares. He's going to be nice to those 20 fares because someone was nice to him. Those fares in turn will be kinder to their employees or shopkeepers or waiters or even their own families. Eventually the goodwill could spread to at least 1,000 people. Now that isn't bad, is it?"

"But you're depending on that taxi driver to pass your goodwill to others."

"I'm not depending on it," my friend said. "I'm aware that the system isn't foolproof so I might deal with ten different people today. If out of ten I can make three happy, then eventually I can indirectly influence the attitudes of 3,000 more."

"It sounds good on paper," I admitted, "but I'm not sure it words in practice."

"Nothing is lost if it doesn't. It didn't take any of my time to tell that man he was doing a good job. He neither received a larger tip nor a smaller tip. If it fell on deaf ears, so what? Tomorrow there will be another taxi driver I can try to make happy."

"You're some kind of a nut," I said.

"That shows how cynical you have become. I have made a study of this. The thing that seems to be lacking, besides money of course, for our postal employees, is that no one tells people who work for the post office what a good job they're doing."

"But they're not doing a good job."

"They're not doing a good job because they feel no one cares if they do or not. Why shouldn't someone say a kind word to them?"

We were walking past a structure in the process of being built and passed five workmen eating their lunch. My friend stopped. "That's a magnificent job you men have done. It must be difficult and dangerous work."

The workmen eyed my friend suspiciously.

"When will it be finished?"

"June," a man grunted.

"Ah. That really is impressive. You must all be very proud."

We walked away. I said to him, "I haven't seen anyone like you since The Man From LaMancha."

"When those men digest my words, they will feel better for it. Somehow the city will benefit from their happiness."

"But you can't do this all alone!" I protested. "You're just one man."

"The most important thing is not to get discouraged. Making people in the city become kind again is not an easy job, but if I can enlist other people in my campaign. . ."

"You just winked at a very plain-looking woman," I said.

"Yes, I know," he replied. "And if she's a schoolteacher, her class will be in for a fantastic day."

By Art Buchwald
from Chicken Soup for the Soul
Copyright 1993 by Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen

Sometimes The Simplest Idea Can Make The Biggest Difference

2008-09-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

Trevor McKenney: I guess it's hard for people who are so used to things the way they are - even if they're bad - to change. 'Cause they kind of give up. And when they do, everybody kind of loses.

Pay It Forward

I love the concept of this movie. A young boy named Trevor and his classmates are challenged by their social studies teacher to come up with an idea that can change the world and act on it. The teacher does not really expect anything worthwhile to come out of this assignment, so imagine his surprise when Trevor actually comes up with a simple, yet brilliant idea.

Trevor comes up with the idea of doing three acts of kindness to other people. The recipients of these acts are not allowed to pay the giver back, but instead must pay it forward by doing three acts of kindness for others. The intention is to create an ever-expanding ripple effect of acts of kindness and good that eventually would encompass the entire world.

The quote above, however, illuminates the danger that we all must be wary of - apathy! Apathy is generally defined as the absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.

Have you ever had an idea that could effect change either in your personal world or the world beyond? Perhaps you had an idea to get out of debt, to lose weight, to develop a significant talent, to render service to others, to start a business, etc. Why didn't you act on it or, if you did act on it, why didn't you see it through to completion? I can almost guarantee it is because you lacked the passion, emotion and excitement to do so or you suppressed it by giving in to your fears.

Passionate people effect change. Dave Ramsey is passionate about helping people become more financially literate and sets them up with a plan and the principles to get them debt-free and financially secure.

Emotional people never give up when those emotions are channeled in the right direction. If you have ever watched The Biggest Loser on T.V., you become a witness to people making extreme weight changes because they have an emotional reason for doing so. And when the pain seems unbearable and the task impossible, they draw upon that emotion to push them through the worst so that they can achieve their best.

Excited people are contagious. Some might even say they are annoying, but that is only because somebody else is excited about something and the sound of it is intruding on their dull, dreary existence. But the extreme levels of excitement create a magnetic pull that sweeps people up and fills them with excitement for what is going on. Soak some excitement up and pass it on to someone else!

I think all of us should have a world-changing idea that we are acting on whether it is one that we came up with or somebody else thought of it first. It should be an idea that we can be passionate, emotional and excited about. Out of my concern for other people's financial well-being and a desire to increase my ability to give to others, I developed The Millionaire Marathon. I still believe it is a concept that will help change the world when it catches on. I am also working on another world-changing idea that I hope to share with you real soon.

Do you have an idea that you are currently acting on? If not, take the one from this movie and go and complete three acts of kindness and ask your recipients to pay it forward. Who knows - you may just change the world!

Win or Lose

2008-09-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

Grant Taylor: I want God to bless this team so much people will talk about what He did. But it means we gotta give Him our best in every area. And if we win, we praise Him. And if we lose, we praise Him. Either way we honor Him with our actions and our attitudes. So I'm askin' you... What are you living for? I resolve to give God everything I've got, then I'll leave the results up to Him. I want to know if you'll join me.

Facing the Giants

The Joke is on the Joker

2008-09-27T17:59:00.001-07:00

I was watching this movie with my boys this afternoon and thought I would do a quote from it for today:

The Joker: [Batman puts the Joker in an arm lock] What are you doing?

Terry McGinnis: Fighting dirty.

The Joker: The real Batman would never - [as Batman tightens his arm lock] - Ooh!

Terry McGinnis: Told you you didn't know me. [releases him]

The Joker: Funny guy...

Terry McGinnis: Can't say the same for you.

The Joker: Impudent brat... who do you think you're talking to?

Terry McGinnis: Not a comedian, I'll tell you that.

The Joker: [draws a laser pistol] Shut your mouth! [fires at Batman]

Terry McGinnis: [retreats into the rafters] The real Batman never talked to you much, did he? That's probably why you were so fixated on him. [tossing a bat-arang, knocking the gun out of Joker's hand]

The Joker: Don't play psychoanalyst with me, boy!

Terry McGinnis: Oh, I don't need a degree to figure you out. [hits the lights with a bat-arang, turning them off]

Terry McGinnis: The real reason you kept coming back was you never got a laugh out of the old man.

The Joker: I'm not hearing this...

Terry McGinnis: Get a clue, clowny! He's got no sense of humor! He wouldn't know a good joke if it bit him in the cape... not that you ever had a good joke.

The Joker: Shut up... shut up!

Terry McGinnis: I mean, joy-buzzers, squirting flowers, lame! Where's the "A" material? Make a face, drop your pants, something!

The Joker: Show yourself!

Terry McGinnis: You make me laugh. But only 'cause I think you're kinda pathetic. [mimics the Joker laugh]

The Joker: Stop that!

Terry McGinnis: [still laughing] So you fell in a tank of acid, got your skin bleached and decided to become a supervillain. What? You couldn't get a job as a rodeo clown? [continues laughing]

The Joker: [pulling out some grenades] Don't you dare laugh at me!...

Terry McGinnis: [laughs more] Why? I thought the Joker always wanted to make Batman laugh!

The Joker: YOU'RE NOT BATMAN! [Throws the grenades, knocking Terry out of the rafters and onto the ground]

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Boy! Some villians can dish it out, but they sure can't take it!

Dive! Dive! Dive!

2008-09-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

Lt. Nicholas Holden: The scuttlebutt is that we're going to try to submerge at daybreak, and I figured if you've got to go, you might as well go big.

Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman: Mr. Holden, it's past daybreak, and we are submerged.

Lt. Nicholas Holden: We are?

Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman: We are.

Lt. Nicholas Holden: You mean, we're under?

Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman: Yes.

Lt. Nicholas Holden: Well, it isn't a permanent situation, er... What I'm trying to say is, I mean, we can come up if we like to.

Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman: Well, I like to think we can, but then, I'm an incurable optimist.

Lt. Nicholas Holden: What happens, sir, if we, er... What happens if we can't...? [he motions upward]

Lt. Cmdr. Matt T. Sherman: Oh, well, if we can't, er... [he motions upward], then, we, er... [he motions downward]

Operation Petticoat

Living the Dream - Part 2

2008-09-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

If you are just joining us for the second part of Living the Dream, I invite you to go read Living the Dream - Part 1 so you don't miss out on anything.

"The starting point of great success and achievement has always been the same. It is for you to dream big dreams. There is nothing more important, and nothing that works faster than for you to cast off your own limitations than for you to begin dreaming and fantasizing about the wonderful things that you can become, have, and do."
~ Brian Tracy

So we were talking about my dream of being a world-famous author with several published works and the challenge of staying motivated enough to complete a writing project. I mentioned a website that I came across three years ago that helps people get the bulk of their novel written in 30 days. Only 30 days!!! It is a tremendous achievement for anyone who does it. After all, how many people do you know that can say that they started and completed a major life goal in only 30 days? Not many.

"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia."
~ E.L. Doctorow

Well back in July, 1999 in the San Francisco Bay area, a guy named Chris Baty and 20 of his friends got together to see if they could each write a novel in 30 days. The funny thing is that none of them really aspire to be a novelist - they just didn't have anything better to do (that and they thought that they might have a much better chance at getting dates as novelists than as non-novelists). Out of those 21 participants, six completed the required 50,000 words and they all had a lot of fun doing it. They dubbed it National Novel Writing Month and agreed to do it again the next year.

"Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say."
~ Sharon O'Brien

As they were gearing up to do it again in 2000, a friend of Chris's volunteered to do a website for the event. Since he was offering to do it for free, Chris let him go with it and he had it done before the start of the event, which had been moved back to the month of November. Thus Nanowrimo.org (I know. It sounds like something Mork from Ork would say ... Nanu! Nanu!) was born and 140 people signed up for the event - over half of which Chris didn't even know. Each year the event grew, as did the organization of people who put it on. In 2007, 101,510 people participated and 15,333 completed the required 50,000 words to win. The participants logged a total of 1,187,931,929 words written as they attempted to write their 30-day novels. A number of Nanowrimo participants have gone on to have their 30-day novels published! Not bad for something that was born out of boredom and lack of dating opportunities.

You may be wondering why anybody would want to even try to write so many words in such a short amount of time. The reason why this event is so great is because it forces you to get disciplined to achieve your goal. You have a very definite goal (50,000 words) to achieve in a very limited amount of time (30 days). You have to sit your behind in a chair and get to work nearly every day or you will never ever come close.

"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
~ Toni Morrison

The other advantage of trying to write so much in so little time is that it forces you to shut off your inner editor. So many people, myself included, don't get very far on major writing projects because they are constantly editing and changing what they have already written in an attempt to make it good. You can't do this in Nanowrimo. You learn to just write and get it all out there. By doing so, your analytical mind shuts down and your creative one takes over - which is really what you want when you are writing. You get into a creative flow and your story takes you places you never dreamed of going. Besides, many writers have said that a novel is born when you write it, but a really good novel is born when you rewrite it. So write first, edit later.

"I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter."
~ James Michener

Even though I found out about Nanowrimo three years ago, this will be my first year participating in it. The year I found out about the event, my third son was born on Halloween morning. So, I couldn't spare the time to do the event when my wife needed my help with the new baby, his two older brothers and keeping up on things around the house as she recovered and adjusted to having a newborn. Last year, I was simply too busy getting settled into and adjusting to a new job. This year, however, I am making time.

I signed up under the author name NiceGuy and declared my intention to be a Nanowrimo novelist by November 30th. It isn't going to be easy with the hours that I already keep, but my wife has said she will support me as I embark on this crazy and insane adventure. How many of you out there want to get crazy with me? Go to Nanowrimo.org and sign up! Even if you don't reach the 50,000 word mark, you will at least have a really good start on your novel if you give it a decent effort.

If you don't want to do it with me, you can still look up my author name at the website and see how I am progressing. Anybody out there that wants to cheer me on would be much appreciated. It helps keep me accountable to my goals when I know that someone is watching.

While I wait for the whole event to kick off, I am jotting down plot notes as they come to me but I am not sure if that will make the event easier to complete or simply make it pure torture to not start writing right now. I am working another story in an attempt to establish a daily writing habit early and to gauge how long it takes me to write between 1,600 to 2,000 words a day. I have also joined some writing groups at Writing.com that have set up some writing activities and challenges that are focused on helping people get prepped for Nanowrimo as they participate.

As you can see, I have started living my dream of being a writer and my life is better for it. For the first time in a long time, I am really excited about what I am doing and having lots of fun.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
~ Mark Twain

So what are you going to do today to start living your dream?

I Don't Advise Cross-Dressing

2008-09-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

Darcy McGuire: You wore control-top pantyhose?

Nick Marshall: Did you put a pair in the pink box?

Darcy McGuire: [laughs] And how did you look in them?

Nick Marshall: Hot.

What Women Want

Sorry to disappoint...

2008-09-24T16:55:00.001-07:00

I must apologize for not having posted the second part of my Living the Dream posting. It has been a non-stop, fingernail-holding, thrill-a-moment day (minus the actual thrills) that started at 2:30 a.m. this morning.

Normally, I would be heading home right now and would just post it then, but I am due at a Boy Scout Skills Rally in 30 minutes and I have to drive 28 minutes to get there. As an Assistant Scoutmaster I must go and encourage my scouts to victory ... or at least to not get completely stomped by the other competing troops.

If the Skill Rally gets over early enough and if my wife isn't completely starved for my attention, I will post the second part of Living the Dream tonight before I head off to bed. Otherwise, check back early tomorrow morning and I will squeeze it in before I have to head off to work. Until then!

Today's Affirmation Is...

2008-09-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

Ricky Hayman: Good. Better. Best. Never let it rest, 'til your good is Better and your better is BEST!

Holy Man

Living the Dream - Part 1

2008-09-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

Do you have an unfulfilled dream? I'm sure you do. Perhaps, it is one you have had since your childhood. You may have dreamed of being a dancer, an astronaut, a firefighter or a pilot. My dream is to be a world-famous author with several published works. (I know I could have just said that I want to be a published author, but if you're going to dream you might as well dream big, right?)

My passion for writing started the same way many author's dream did ... from reading. I loved to read growing up; I still do! I loved how the authors opened my mind to worlds and ideas that I never dreamed of before. I loved the way they developed multiple plot lines and sub-stories and then drew it all together for a stunning climax. I loved the characters they created and how they could make you care about them. And the more I read, the more I started to daydream of my own worlds, my own characters and, eventually, my own stories.

"I am a part of all I have read."
~ John Kieran

I started to write down notes for a particular story idea a number of years ago. The more I detailed the ideas I had, the more excited I got until I couldn't continue just making notes and started writing as fast as I could. And the more I wrote, the more the ideas started to pour forth. I eventually had to put the brakes on and back up because I was writing in the middle. I started at the beginning and put down about four chapters of material. I shared what I had written with my wife and a few extended family members and they all were impressed with my writing style and my ability to grab their attention. I enjoyed the compliments, but I must admit I was also a little skeptical of them as well. Being somewhat of a perfectionist, I could see the flaws of my rough draft and so I wondered if they were being totally honest with me or if they were just telling me what they knew I wanted to hear. I got my answer shortly I stumbled across a certain website.

In the year 2000, another dreamer took a chance and established a small dot com startup called Stories.com in the midst of a rapidly crumbling dot com world. It started out as a simply idea in that it was a place where people could come and lend their writing talents and ideas by participating and contributing chapters to "interactive" stories. It was very messy and disorganized in the beginning and the site creator, the self-proclaimed StoryMaster, quickly realized additional tools and features were needed. He wanted people to be able to "own" the stories they created so he created member accounts and portfolios for them to store and edit their interactive stories. Shortly after he added the ability for members to create Static Items for members to upload their short stories, poems, articles, etc.

As the site and its membership grew, the StoryMaster quickly realized that they had outgrown the Stories.com name and concept. In September of 2002, it was home to over 15,000 writers and over 150,000 pieces of literature. And with all the added tools and activities available, it was no longer just for stories. So, in January 2003, they unveiled the new site name Writing.com, which is where you will still find it today.

I stumbled across Writing.com back in March 2005 and loved the idea that I could set up a free portfolio and share pieces of my writing with others and have them rate them and review them. I set up my own personal portfolio at http://Writing.Com/authors/nesnejan and started reading and reviewing other people's works. After a couple of months, I added my first piece, The Hunted, based on an actual dream I had when I was living in Denmark. I received great reviews from a number of people who had read it. Everyone who took the time to rate it gave it a full 5-star rating!

Encouraged by this, I started to add the first few chapters that I had shared with my family members. Again, people seemed to love my writing style and the stories I told. I'm not saying it was perfect. They had many editing suggestions that were also very helpful in improving the content and grammar. But, overall, people seemed to enjoy my writing.

Unfortunately, life got in the way and I had to lay it all to the side to focus on other things. I have tried to come back to it on a number of occasions but looming plot and character problems have kept me from making any real progress on the story. I also suffer a bit from "Idea Avalanche". Every time I read or write, it seems, I come up with a new idea for a new story. I started typing up plot and character ideas and saving them on a USB key for future reference because each new idea would derail me from one I was already working on.

"Write without pay until somebody offers to pay."
~ Mark Twain

I eventually decided to focus in on one story idea. It wasn't the one that I started with years ago because it did not have the major plot problems and character flaws the first one had. I outlined my idea for the story from the beginning almost all the way to the end. I say almost all the way to the end because their are some lingering questions over how to tie it all up without making it drag on. I figured that it would be better to just get writing and put the words down on paper and let the end work itself out in the process.

"First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!"
~ Ray Bradbury

I made some progress, but, again, life got in the way and the project was bogged down and brought to a standstill. (Are you starting to see a pattern here?) I eventually realized that if I am ever going to get a book complete, I needed to develop the daily habit of writing and overcome my inner-perfectionistic-editor. It is a universal truth that anyone can write a novel simply by writing one page a day. The trick is to motivate yourself to do it every day until it is done.

"Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending."
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I came across another website three years ago that helps people get the bulk of their first (or next) novel written in 30 days. Sounds impossible, doesn't it? Well, come back tomorrow and I will tell you all about it.

In the meantime, go to my portfolio on Writing .com at http://Writing.Com/authors/nesnejan and check out some of the pieces I have written. Sign up for a free membership and take a moment to rate and review the pieces you read. I would love to get your feedback, particularly if you see places where they can be improved. If you like the site, check out some of the other pieces written by other members and do the same for them, or add some writing of your own. If you do add something to the site, or are already a member, leave me a comment so that I can check out your work as well.

I hope to see you back here tomorrow for Part 2 of Living the Dream!

Defining Nobility...

2008-09-23T11:43:00.000-07:00

Marian: How is it, that a once-arrogant young nobleman has found contentment, living rough with the salt of the earth?

Robin Hood: I've seen knights in armor panic at the first hint of battle. And I've seen the lowliest, unarmed squire pull a spear from his own body, to defend a dying horse. Nobility is not a birthright. It's defined by one's actions.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Answering the Experience Question

2008-09-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

[at a job interview for a bank]

Mr. Simms: Do you have any experience?

Robbie: No, sir, I have no experience but I'm a big fan of money. I like it, I use it, I have a little. I keep it in a jar on top of my refrigerator. I'd like to put more in that jar. That's where you come in.

The Wedding Singer

Boys With Toys

2008-09-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

James Bond: You were pretty good with that hook.

Wai-Lin: Thanks. It comes from growing up in a rough neighborhood. You were pretty good on the bike.

James Bond: Thank you. It comes from not growing up at all.

Tomorrow Never Dies

The Burden of Proof

2008-09-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

[Ellie challenges Palmer to prove the existence of God]

Palmer Joss: Did you love your father?

Ellie Arroway: What?

Palmer Joss: Your dad. Did you love him?

Ellie Arroway: Yes, very much.

Palmer Joss: Prove it.

Contact

Ask a stupid question..

2008-09-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

Parole Board Member #1: Good morning.

Danny: Morning.

Parole Board Member #1: Please state your name for the record.

Danny: Daniel Ocean.

Parole Board Member #1: Mr Ocean, the purpose of this hearing is to determine, whether, if released, you are likely to break the law again. While this was your first conviction, you have been implicated, though never charged, in over a dozen other confidence tricks and frauds. What can you tell us about those?

Danny: As you say, ma'am, I was never charged.

Parole Board Member #2: Mr Ocean, what we're trying to find out is was there a reason you chose to commit this crime, or was there a reason you simply got caught this time.

Danny: My wife left me. I was upset. I fell into a self-destructive pattern.

Parole Board Member #3: If released, is it likely you'd fall back into a similar pattern?

Danny: She already left me once. I don't think she'd do it again just for kicks.

Ocean's Eleven

The Mark of a Great Man

2008-09-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

[After Mal disarms Atherton and has him at sword-point]

Harrow: "You have to finish it, lad. You have to finish it. For a man to lay beaten... and yet breathing? It makes him a coward."
Inara: "It's humiliation."
Mal: "Sure. It would be humiliating. Having to lie there while the better man refuses to spill your blood. Mercy is the mark of a great man. (lightly stabs Atherton with the sword) Guess I'm just a good man. (stabs him again) Well, I'm all right."
[Later]
Harrow: "You didn't have to wound the man."
Mal: "Yeah, I know, it was just funny."

Firefly - The "Shindig" Episode

Responsibility

2008-09-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

[To Dr. Simon Tam who objects to Capt. Reynolds taking his sister along on a heist]
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Doctor, I'm takin' your sister under my protection here. If anything happens to her, anything at all, I swear to you, I will get very choked up. Honestly, there could be tears.

Serenity

It's not what you get ...

2008-09-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

...it's what you do with it!

Neil: [Neil finds Todd sitting alone on the roof] Hey!
Todd Anderson: Hey.
Neil: What's going on?
Todd Anderson: Nothin'. Today's my birthday.
Neil: Is today your birthday? Happy birthday!
Todd Anderson: Thanks.
Neil: What'd you get?
Todd Anderson: [indicating the desk set lying beside him] My parents gave me this.
Neil: Isn't this the same desk set-
Todd Anderson: Yeah. Yeah, they gave me the same thing as last year.
Neil: Oh.
Todd Anderson: Oh.
Neil: Maybe they thought you needed another one.
Todd Anderson: Maybe they weren't thinking about anything at all. The funny thing is about this is, I-I didn't even like it the first time.
Neil: Todd, I think you're underestimating the value of this desk set.
[He picks it up]
Neil: I mean, who would want a football or a baseball or...
Todd Anderson: Or a car.
Neil: Or a car, if they could have a desk set as wonderful as this one? I mean, if-if I were ever going to buy a desk set, twice, I would probably buy this one. Both times! In fact, its shape is... it's rather aerodynamic, isn't it?
[walks to the edge of the roof]
Neil: You can feel it. This desk set wants to fly!
[hands it to Todd]
Neil: Todd? The world's first unmanned flying desk set.
[Todd throws it off the roof - papers fly everywhere and things crash and clatter to the ground]
Neil: Oh my! Well, I wouldn't worry. You'll get another one next year.

Dead Poets Society

Some Things Money Can't Buy...

2008-09-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

After a day of mowing the lawn and doing a bunch of yard work, I thought this quote is appropriate for today's post...

Cindy Mancini: Are you high?

Ronald Miller: I want to rent you.

Cindy Mancini: You want to rent me?

Ronald Miller: Yeah. You pretend you like me and we go out for a few weeks... and that will make me popular.

Cindy Mancini: Just going out with me is not gonna make you popular.

Ronald Miller: Well I have a thousand dollars that says it will.

Cindy Mancini: I think you've mowed one too many lawns!

Can't Buy Me Love

Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go and practice dancing the African Anteater Ritual.

Be A Hero!

2008-09-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

Henry Jackson: Hi, Peter!
Peter Parker: Hey, Henry! You've grown tall.
May Parker: You'll never guess who he wants to be... Spider-Man!
Peter Parker: Why?
May Parker: He knows a hero when he sees one. Too few characters out there, flying around like that, saving old girls like me. And Lord knows, kids like Henry need a hero. Courageous, self-sacrificing people. Setting examples for all of us. Everybody loves a hero. People line up for them, cheer them, scream their names. And years later, they'll tell how they stood in the rain for hours just to get a glimpse of the one who taught them how to hold on a second longer. I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally allows us to die with pride, even though sometimes we have to be steady, and give up the thing we want the most. Even our dreams.

Spider-Man 2

If there is one thing that this world can use more of, it's heroes. We have plenty of celebrities these days setting great examples of sex, drugs and riotous living for our children to look up to. Athletes are more concerned over how many millions of dollars they will earn this year than their potential influence on today's youth. Not that I am saying all celebrities and athletes are like that. There are a few that I would consider heroes. There is just a significant amount of media attention given to those who set the worst example for our youth.

We need more heroes like Oprah who inspire people to live better. We need more heroes like Denzel Washington who sets a tremendous example of giving when he sees the value of a particular hospital and immediately writes out a personal check for the full amount to build another one.

But, most importantly, we need everyday heroes like you who sometimes must sacrifice grand dreams for the sake of being a steady provider for spouse and children. We need everyday heroes who sacrifice and give to worthy causes like the United Way, the Red Cross, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and similar organizations. We need everyday heroes who give more time and attention to their kids than they do to sports programs and sitcoms.

Be a hero!

I Will Never Forget!

2008-09-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

Today I will be taking a break from my usual foolishness and frivolity in honor of the victims of those tragic events that took place on September 11, 2001 and their families who survive them.

I have often wondered at how people would say that they remember quite clearly where they were and what they were doing when they saw the news regarding certain events that include the deaths of John Lennon, Elvis Presley and John F. Kennedy. I never experienced anything like that until that fateful morning when my wife brought me in front of the television and we witnessed in shock the events taking place. We watched in amazement as one of the World Trade Centers smoldered and burned from the plane that had struck it and then in horror as we saw the second plane strike the second tower.

Those events combined with that of a third plane striking the Pentagon and a fourth, believed to be heading towards the White House, crashing in a Pennsylvania field are, even still to this day, overwhelming. I can't think of them without getting emotional over the pointless loss of the lives of so many of my fellow Americans and world neighbors. I can't look at the pictures of the events of that day and its aftermath without thinking of the families left incomplete, the friends and coworkers whose associations were broken and all those who live in New York City and the surrounding area that must face a skyline every single day that is missing an essential component to make it complete.

My heart goes out to those families who have been deprived of their loved ones, to those friends and coworkers who have suffered the pains of loss, the denizens of those cities who have grieved and to all the children who were exposed to those images seven years ago and have had to grow up in the shadow of the acts of evil men.

An entire nation lies between me and the locations where those events took place, but each thunderous impact struck my heart as well. It is a day I will never forget.

I generally steer clear of political discussions and debates and so I leave such comments out of my blog postings as well. However, regardless of what any of you may think of our current president and how he and his administration has handled affairs over the past years, my admiration of George W. Bush grew when I heard him speak following the 9/11 attacks. I believe his comments to be one of the greatest speeches I have ever heard. Here is the speech in its entirety:

Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes, or in their offices; secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers; moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror.

The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed; our country is strong.

A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.

America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.

Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America -- with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could.

Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government's emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it's prepared. Our emergency teams are working in New York City and Washington, D.C. to help with local rescue efforts.

Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured, and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks.

The functions of our government continue without interruption. Federal agencies in Washington which had to be evacuated today are reopening for essential personnel tonight, and will be open for business tomorrow. Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business, as well.

The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts. I've directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them.

I appreciate so very much the members of Congress who have joined me in strongly condemning these attacks. And on behalf of the American people, I thank the many world leaders who have called to offer their condolences and assistance.

America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world, and we stand together to win the war against terrorism. Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me."

This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.

Thank you. Good night, and God bless America.

~ President George W. Bush

In the time that has passed since the attack on the Twin Towers, it seems that the support for the war on terror has waned. People have been clammoring for us to end our involvement in Iraq and to bring our troops home. While I am a staunch supporter of peace and get no pleasure from the loss of our valiant soldiers, I believe that we must fight the fights that need fighting. We should never give up because it has become difficult. We should not pull back because it isn't our land we are fighting for. The day we do that, the enemy has won.

Freedom is a cause worth fighting for - I don't care if it is at home or abroad. Everybody deserves to be free from the cowardly acts of terrorists and the ruthlessness of dictators. It is a cause that our men and women of the armed services willingly give their lives to defend. It is a cause that so many people lost their lives for that September day when a few evil men attacked it.

If you have suffered from that sense of apathy, if you have grown complacent in the past seven years simply because nothing like those attacks have happened since that day, I urge you to rededicate yourself to the cause of freedom - both at home and abroad!

"It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
~ Abraham Lincoln
Gettysburgh, Pennsylvania
November 19, 1863

May God bless you and grant you a long life of peace, happiness and freedom!

Have You Forgotten?
By Darryl Worley

I hear people saying we don't need this war
But, I say there's some things worth fighting for
What about our freedom and this piece of ground
We didn't get to keep 'em by backing down
They say we don't realize the mess we're getting in
Before you start your preaching let me ask you this my friend

Have you forgotten how it felt that day?
To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside going thru a living hell
And you say we shouldn't worry 'bout bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

They took all the footage off my T.V.
Said it's too disturbing for you and me
It'll just breed anger that's what the experts say
If it was up to me I'd show it everyday
Some say this country's just out looking for a fight
Well, after 9/11 man I'd have to say that's right

Have you forgotten how it felt that day?

To see your homeland under fire
And her people blown away
Have you forgotten when those towers fell?
We had neighbors still inside going thru a living hell
And we vowed to get the one’s behind bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

I've been there with the soldiers
Who've gone away to war
And you can bet that they remember
Just what they're fighting for

Have you forgotten all the people killed?
Yeah, some went down like heroes in that Pennsylvania field
Have you forgotten about our Pentagon?
All the loved ones that we lost and those left to carry on
Don't you tell me not to worry about bin Laden
Have you forgotten?

Have you forgotten?
Have you forgotten?

Remember these words...

2008-09-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

I was watching a movie last night when I came across a quote that would make a great compliment to any woman:

[Catching Chris staring at her...]
Liz Cooper: What is it?
Cris Johnson: There's an Italian painter, named Carlotti, and he uh, ahem, defined beauty. He said it was the summation of the parts working together in such a way that nothing needed to be added, taken away or altered, and that's you. You're beautiful.
Liz Cooper: Wow.

Next

So, guys, memorize those words and say them to your wife, girlfriend, significant other, etc. some day when the two of you are sharing a special moment and you will have the pleasure of seeing her go weak in the knees. But don't wait until that special moment arrives to give her a compliment. Give her one today! Tell her just how she puts the Whoah! in woman.

For another great line, see Not all pick-up lines are bad...

For lines I hope you never use, see Worst Pick-Up Lines

Mom's Always Know...

2008-09-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

[Talking to his son 30 years in the future...]
Frank Sullivan: John, say hello to my wife Julia.
John Sullivan: Hi.
Julia Sullivan: Hi John. Frank tells me you're a cop.
John Sullivan: Yeah, that's right.
Julia Sullivan: My six year old keeps telling us he wants to be a policeman right after he retires from the majors. We just bought him a badge and a whistle for his birthday.
John Sullivan: Yeah, I remember I used to play cops and robbers all the time, and y - my mom wouldn't let me have a toy gun.
Julia Sullivan: Sounds like your mom and I would get along.
John Sullivan: Yeah, she's pretty special. I'm real proud of her.
Julia Sullivan: I bet she's proud of you too, being a cop and all.
John Sullivan: I hope so. I hope she knows how much I love her.
Julia Sullivan: She knows. Mom's always know how much their kids love them, even if they don't tell them all the time. Well I gotta go. It was good talking to ya John.
John Sullivan: You too.

Frequency

Mom's may always know how much their kids love them, even when they don't tell them all the time, but I am sure they wouldn't mind be reminded every now and then. So call your mom today and tell her you love her. It will make her day and yours.

Rise to the Occasion of Your Life

2008-09-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

I started to watch a movie with my 4-year old son this weekend and, while we did not have time to watch to this point, this is one of my favorite quotes from the show....

Mr. Edward Magorium: [to Molly, about dying] When King Lear dies in Act V, do you know what Shakespeare has written? He's written "He dies." That's all, nothing more. No fanfare, no metaphor, no brilliant final words. The culmination of the most influential work of dramatic literature is "He dies." It takes Shakespeare, a genius, to come up with "He dies." And yet every time I read those two words, I find myself overwhelmed with dysphoria. And I know it's only natural to be sad, but not because of the words "He dies." but because of the life we saw prior to the words.
[pause, walks over to Molly]
Mr. Edward Magorium: I've lived all five of my acts, Mahoney, and I am not asking you to be happy that I must go. I'm only asking that you turn the page, continue reading... and let the next story begin. And if anyone asks what became of me, you relate my life in all its wonder, and end it with a simple and modest "He died."
Molly Mahoney: [starting to sob] I love you.
Mr. Edward Magorium: I love you, too.
[picks Molly up, sighs heavily]
Mr. Edward Magorium: Your life is an occasion. Rise to it.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

That last line "Your life is an occasion. Rise to it." is a piece of advice we should reflect on every morning that we wake up to a new day. I was just thinking about this very thing last night before I drifted off to sleep. I know that I live my life well below what I am capable of. It is one of the reasons that I push myself so hard at the things I do and the sports I play. I am curious just how far I can go and how much I can do. And do you know what? I haven't found the limit yet.

If you know my wife, I am sure you will agree that she is an incredible woman. But if you knew her like I do, you would also know that she, too, lives well below what she is capable of. She has an incredible potential in her that is so under-tapped that when she does tap into it, even just a little bit, she accomplishes incredible and amazing things.

And I bet that, if you really and truly look at your life, you would agree that you live well below your level of potential as well.

Why do we do this? Why do we have those moments of greatness and then settle back into living lives of mediocrity? I believe part of this is that it is a little uncomfortable for us and for those around us when we live out there on the edge. It is uncomfortable for us because we are living outside of our comfort zone. And nobody likes to be uncomfortable, do they? So we pull back before we can realize that if we just stayed out there a little bit longer, our comfort zone would have expanded to encompass where we were at.

It is uncomfortable for those around us because, when one of us strays from the "herd" of mediocrity, we become an automatic outcast. We open ourselves to ridicule and criticism by those who hang back with the rest of the "herd". We become one of those "weirdos" that are different from most everyone else. And there are few that are strong enough and confident enough to openly admit that, while it is nice and comfortable within the safety of the "herd", the grass is definitely greener and lusher where the lone "stray" has moved to.

If you want to see the gap between where you are now and where you potential lies narrow, I recommend that you memorize and short little saying that my mentor, Mike Litman, taught to me:

"In life, you're either consistent, or you're non-existent!"

Whatever you want to improve in life, you must consistently strive to improve upon. Moments of greatness do nothing for you. One great day does not make a great life any more than one great shot makes someone an incredible basketball player. If you want to lose weight, you must consistently eat right and exercise every day. If you want to learn to play a musical instrument, you must pick it up and practice every day. If you want to have a more loving relationship with your spouse and kids, you must consistently express your love in words and deeds every day. There isn't anything that you want more or better where this universal truth does not apply. Consistency is key!

But in order to establish a life of consistent greatness, you have to get started.

Your life is an occasion. What are you going to do today to rise to it?

What Do You Think?

2008-09-05T02:12:00.000-07:00

Centauri: Alex! Alex! You're walking away from history! History, Alex! Did Chris Columbus stay home? Nooooo. What if the Wright Brothers thought that only birds should fly? And did Galoka think that the Ulus were too ugly to save?
Alex Rogan: Who's Galoka?
Centauri: Never mind.
Alex Rogan: Listen, Centauri. I'm not any of those guys, I'm a kid from a trailer park.
Centauri: If that's what you think, then that's all you'll ever be!

The Last Starfighter

While this was a somewhat "cheesy" movie, I really enjoyed it. It was fun, action-packed and carried a good message. Alex always dreamed of doing more with his life. He dreamed of life beyond the little trailer park community he lived in. I mean, their idea of excitement was everyone turning out to watch Alex break the high score on the Starfighter video game. That was a real life accomplishment in their book. And while that was exciting for Alex in itself, he dreamed of doing something more significant. Little did he know just how significant an opportunity he would get.

Never let a big opportunity in life pass you by because you think it is too big for who you are. That is something even I struggle with. I dream big dreams but then struggle to think of myself as more than what I am. Be big in life by thinking big. I'm not just talking about riches and celebrity status. Be a great parent by thinking of yourself as a great parent. Raise a significant amount of money for a charitable organization by thinking yourself able to do so. Inspire a child to reach great heights of athletic, artistic or musical achievement by thinking yourself a great teacher and/or motivator. Think of yourself as being more ... and you will be.

Here are some more quotes on how thoughts influence your life:

For as (a man) thinketh in his heart, so is he.
-- Proverbs 23:7

A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.
-- Mahatma Gandhi

A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life. -- James Allen

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.
-- Buddha

All that you accomplish or fail to accomplish with your life is the direct result of your thoughts.
-- James Allen

Build this day on a foundation of pleasant thoughts. Never fret at any imperfections that you fear may impede your progress. Remind yourself, as often as necessary, that you are a creature of God and have the power to achieve any dream by lifting up your thoughts. You can fly when you decide that you can. Never consider yourself defeated again. Let the vision in your heart be in your life's blueprint. Smile!
-- Og Mandino

Change your thoughts, and you change your world.
-- Norman Vincent Peale

Great thoughts reduced to practice become great acts.
-- William Hazlitt

I think and that is all that I am.
-- Wayne Dyer

If constructive thoughts are planted positive outcomes will be the result. Plant the seeds of failure and failure will follow.
-- Sidney Madwed

If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.
-- Peace Pilgrim

Life consists in what a person is thinking of all day.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Man is made or unmade by himself. By the right choice he ascends. As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the lord of his own thoughts, he holds the key to every situation.
-- James Allen

Nothing has any power over me other than that which I give it through my conscious thoughts.
-- Anthony Robbins

Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think.
-- Benjamin Disraeli

Our life is what our thoughts make it. A man will find that as he alters his thoughts toward things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him.
-- James Allen

Our minds become magnetized with the dominating thoughts we hold in our minds and these magnets attract to us the forces, the people, the circumstances of life which harmonize with the nature of our dominating thoughts.
-- Napoleon Hill

Our thoughts create our reality -- where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go.
-- Peter McWilliams

Self-discipline begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don't control what you think, you can't control what you do. Simply, self-discipline enables you to think first and act afterward.
-- Napoleon Hill

Some thoughts always find us young, and keep us so. Such a thought is the love of the universal and eternal beauty.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The game of life is the game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy.
-- Florence Shinn

The human mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes

The more clear and definite you make your picture then, and the more you dwell upon it, bringing out all its delightful details, the stronger your desire will be, and the stronger your desire, the easier it will be to hold your mind fixed upon the picture of what you want.
-- Wallace D. Wattles

There is a basic law that like attracts like. Negative thinking definitely attracts negative results. Conversely, if a person habitually thinks optimistically and hopefully his positive thinking sets in motion creative forces - and success instead of eluding him flows toward him.
-- Norman Vincent Peale

Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.
-- Napoleon Hill

Thought is the sculptor who can create the person you want to be.
-- Henry David Thoreau

To find yourself, think for yourself.
-- Socrates

To put away aimlessness and weakness, and to begin to think with purpose, is to enter the ranks of those strong ones who only recognize failure as one of the pathways to attainment; who make all conditions serve them, and who think strongly, attempt fearlessly, and accomplish masterfully.
-- James Allen

We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.
-- Buddha

We are what we think. All that we are arises With our thoughts. With our thoughts, We make our world.
-- Buddha

What is the hardest thing in the world? To think.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.
-- Buddha

What your heart thinks is great, is great. The soul's emphasis is always right.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.
-- Author Unknown

When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and your discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.
-- Patanjali

You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.
-- James Allen

(I have the distinct honor of having a portion of this entry being quoted by Dr. Laura Markham as today's Quote of the Day at YourParentingSolutions.com.)

SERIOUS Music Instruction

2008-09-04T16:39:00.001-07:00

I was sitting on the couch last night with my 3 year old son and he shows me these music flash cards from his older brother's Kindermusik class that he took several years ago. Apparently, his brother had been instructing him in beats and rests and he felt that I needed a lesson as well. He makes me repeat after him as he points at the three bars on the card and says "Tee", "Tee", "Tee", and then he points at the "rest" sign, gets a serious look on his face and says in a lecturing tone: "This means don't play the pinano." I did my best not to crack a smile and asked him, "What does that mean?" Again, the serious look comes back, along with the lecturing tone as he repeated, "Don't play the pinano." It was so cute that I sent him into the kitchen to give his mother a music lesson as well.

When you feel all alone...

2008-09-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

[Lindsey talking to Bud as he descends, fearing he may be going into shock...]
Lindsey Brigman: I know how alone you feel... alone in all that cold blackness... but I'm there in the dark with you. Oh Bud you're not alone... Oh, God. You remember that time - you were pretty drunk, you probably don't remember - but the power went out in that little apartment we had on Orange Street? We were staring at that one little candle, and I, I said something really dumb like, that candle was me, and like every one of us is out there alone in the dark in this life... and you just, you just lit up another candle and you put it beside mine and said "No! See, that's me. That's me"... and we stared at the two candles, and then... well, if you remember any of this, I'm sure you remember the next part. But there are two candles in the dark. I'm with you. I'll always be with you Bud, I promise that.

The Abyss
I think this scene struck me and called for me to share due to some recent events in the lives of our friends and acquaintances. There seems to have been a rash of deaths in the lives of the people we care about; a friend's husband, another friend's mother, and, just yesterday, my boss's father. Our hearts ache for them and what they must be feeling. I can only imagine how alone they must suddenly feel when they are suddenly deprived of that close relationship they shared with their loved ones.

I pray fervently for these people that they may find comfort and peace. I pray that they may be reminded that they are never, ever alone. If every last family member, loved one, friend and acquaintance should be taken from this earth in some cataclysmic accident and they, for some reason, were spared, they would still not be alone ... for God is always with them.

For some reason, the scene from The Abyss reminds me of the following song. It has always seemed a very romantic song to me, and perhaps to you as well. Today, just for today, read the lyrics as though God were singing them. And allow them to remind you that you, too, are never alone.

To Make You Feel My Love
By: Garth Brooks

When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case
I would offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love

When the evening shadows and the stars appear
And there is no one to dry your tears
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love

I know you haven't made your mind up yet
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met
No doubt in my mind where you belong

I'd go hungry, I'd go blind for you
I'd go crawling down the aisle for you
There ain't nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love

The storms are raging on a rolling sea
Down the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing wild and free
But you ain't seen nothing like me yet

There ain't nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
Make you happy, make your dreams come true
To make you feel my love

The Weathered Old Barn

2008-09-03T16:45:00.000-07:00

The Weathered Old Barn
By: Author Unknown

A stranger came by the other day with an offer that set me to thinking. He wanted to buy the old barn that sits out by the highway. I told him right off he was crazy. He was a city type, you could tell by his clothes, his car, his hands, and the way he talked. He said he was driving by and saw that beautiful barn sitting out in the tall grass and wanted to know if it was for sale. I told him he had a funny idea of beauty.

Sure, it was a handsome building in its day. But then, there's been a lot of winters pass with their snow and ice and howling wind. The summer sun's beat down on that old barn till all the paint's gone, and the wood has turned silver gray. Now the old building leans a good deal, looking kind of tired. Yet, that fellow called it beautiful.

That set me to thinking. I walked out to the field and just stood there, gazing at that old barn. The stranger said he planned to use the lumber to line the walls of his den in a new country home he's building down the road. He said you couldn't get paint that beautiful. Only years of standing in the weather, bearing the storms and scorching sun, only that can produce beautiful barn wood.

It came to me then. We're a lot like that, you and I. Only it's on the inside that the beauty grows with us. Sure we turn silver gray too and lean a bit more than we did when we were young and full of sap. As the years pass we use the hard wealth of our lives, the dry spells and the stormy seasons, to do a job of beautifying our souls that nothing else can produce. And to think how often people complain because they want life easy, when it is because of the struggles we live through that we become the people we are.

Find peace with who you are and embrace the problems you come up against every day. You will only become more beautiful for it.

Not all pick-up lines are bad...

2008-09-03T13:54:00.000-07:00

After that last post, I had to prove that not all pick-up lines are bad. Joe uses one when he talks about calling Kathleen that probably would have worked under better timing....

[Talking about who Kathleen's internet friend could possibly be...]
Joe Fox: [walking] He could be the Zipper Man.
Kathleen Kelly: Who?
Joe Fox: This guy on Amsterdam who repairs zippers. You'll never have to buy new luggage.
Kathleen Kelly: Stop teasing.
Joe Fox: Timing is everything. He waited until you were primed. Until you knew there was no other man you could ever love.
Kathleen Kelly: Yes.
Joe Fox: Sometimes I wonder...
Kathleen Kelly: What? [they stop]
Joe Fox: If I hadn't been FoxBooks and you hadn't been the Shop Around the Corner... and you and I had, just you know, met... Yeah. I would have asked for your phone number and I wouldn't have been able to wait 24 hours before calling and asking, "How about coffee, drinks, dinner, a movie, for as long as we both shall live?"
Kathleen Kelly: Joe.
Joe Fox: And you and I would have never been at war. And the only things we would've fought about would be what video to rent on Saturday night.
Kathleen Kelly: Well, who fights about that?
Joe Fox: Well, some people. Not us.
Kathleen Kelly: We would never.
Joe Fox: ...if only.

You've Got Mail

Lucky for Joe, the person Kathleen was rushing off to meet for the first time was ... Joe.

I do have to share this one little tidbit that I came across while researching pick-up lines. In an article on Forbes.com, Neil Strauss talks of a time when a friend challenged him to try to meet women using a story about dental floss. "Me and my friends were having a big debate, and your answer to this is going to change the rest of our lives," he would begin. "I know we're just at a bar, but me and my friends talk about these things. So, a very important question ... Flossing: before or after you brush?" Half said before; half after, and nearly all entered into a longer conversation.

And that is the key right there: initiating a long conversation. In my experience of meeting and dating women, women much prefer good conversation over being treated like a propective conquest. You can use a line to make them laugh because that is all they are really good for unless the line is really romantic and you already have a relationship with them - otherwise you just come off as desparate and creepy.

So, if you are a single guy, take note - conversation is key. How you start it is up to you.

Worst Pick-Up Lines

2008-09-03T11:29:00.000-07:00

Last week I took a quote from the movie Labyrinth and turned it into a bad pick-up line. My sister-in-law commented with a list of pick-up lines that cracked me up. I decided that you could all use a laugh so I searched the internet for more. I selected only those that weren't totally crude because there are some real offensive ones out there. I also made up four of my own and put them in here as well. Let's see if you can pick them out.

(Note: If you are single, good-looking and find that some of these might actually work on you, send me your name, phone number and a photo and tell me which lines work so that I can forward that information on to my single brother. At 28 years old, I figure he could use a little help.)

You look like a girl that has heard every line in the book, so what's one more going to hurt?

Hi. You'll do.

Come on. We're leaving.

I'm sorry, were you talking to me? (No.) Well then, please start.

Your name must be Mickey because your so fine.

Let's make like a fabric softener and Snuggle.

You're ugly but you intrigue me.

You must be Jamaican, because Jamaican me crazy.

Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk past again?

Excuse me, do you have any raisins? How about a date?

Hi, my name is Chris. I'm funny, financially stable, and have a very interesting DNA structure.

Can I take your picture? (Why?) Because I want Santa to know exactly what I want for Christmas.

I'm new in town, could I have directions to your house.

Hey baby, I'm like American Express; you don't want to leave home without me.

My love for you is like the Energizer bunny, it keeps going and going.

I want to melt in your mouth, not in your hand.

Is your last name Gillette? Because you are the best a man can get.

Your place… or your place?

There must be something wrong with my eyes, because I can't take them off you.

You look a lot like my future ex-wife.

Do you... Yahoo!?

Are you lost? Because heaven is a long way from here.

If you were a new burger at McDonald's, you'd be McGorgeous.

All those curves and me with no brakes.

You might not be the best looking girl here, but I’m not picky.

My friend wants to know if you were born in those jeans.

Hey, baby, I am like Allstate. With me, you'll be in good hands.

You see my friend over there? He wants to know if YOU think I'M cute.

Your legs must be tired because you've been running through my mind all night.

Do you have a quarter? My mother told me to call home when I met the girl of my dreams.

Hey baby, what's your sign? Caution, slippery when wet, dangerous curves ahead, or yield?

Were you just smiling at me from across the room, or do I have my contacts in wrong?

Hey, I am a professional wrestler … wanna learn some new moves?

We both know that I am going to follow you home anyway, so why don't you just come along peacefully?

Baby, if I was a car I would be a Jaguar because I was born to perform.

If I told you that you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?

This isn't a beer belly--it's the gas tank for a love machine!

I was so enchanted by your beauty that I ran into the wall over there. So I am going to need your name and number for insurance purposes.

I know that milk does the body good, but wow, how much you been drinking?

Have you been arrested? It’s gotta be illegal to look that good.

Are you going to kiss me, or do I have to lie to my diary?

Excuse me, can I have your phone number? I seem to have lost mine.

Do you have a name or can I call you "mine"?

I gotta thirst and baby, you look like my Gatorade.

They say loose lips sinks ships so why don't you fasten yours on mine.

Well, here I am. What are your other two wishes?

I hope you know CPR, because you take my breath away.

Oh no, I'm choking! I need mouth-to-mouth, quick!

Are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only ten I see!

You must be a broom because you’re sweeping me off my feet.

Do you have a license? Because you’re driving me crazy.

Are you religious? Because you’re the answer to all my prayers.

Is it hot in here, or is it just you?

If I could rearrange the alphabet, I’d put “U” and “I” together.

Are you a parking ticket? Because you have FINE written all over you.

Do you know karate? Because your body is kickin'.

I may not be the best looking guy here, but I'm the only one talking to you.

Hey baby, you must be Visa, because you're everywhere I want to be.

If I follow you home, will you keep me?

There you have it. Some of the worst pick-up lines out there without getting obscene and vulgar. Now that you have read them, I want to know how you would respond if someone used one of those lines on you. Let's see who can come up with the most creative response to some of the worst lines. Leave me a comment and let me know what you come up with.

Saved the best for last...

2008-09-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

The fourth and final movie I watched this weekend (hey, I had to sleep some time, didn't I?) was an enjoyable family film called Penelope.

Penelope is the heiress of a wealthy, blue-blood family and the victim of the family curse. Born with the face of a pig, the curse can only be broken when she is loved by "one of her own kind." Hidden away from society, she is wooed by a string of blue-blood bachelors through a two-way mirror who are enamored with Penelope and her sizeable dowry. But every time they meet Penelope face-to-face, they run screaming and have to be chased down and legally bound by a gag order to prevent them from revealing the carefully guarded details of Penelope's appearance.

One day, a terrified suitor manages to outrun the butler and blabs to the world about Penelope, embellishing the details to that of a horror-story monster. When his claims are declared ludicrous, he attempts to prove his claims by teaming up with Lemon, a mishevious and eager tabloid reporter who has been trying to get a photograph of Penelope for years. Together, they recruit Max Campion, a down-on-his-luck blue-blood gambler who has gambled away his family inheritance. But Max isn't all that he appears to be ... and Penelope finds that she is more than she ever thought she was.

This is a great movie for all members of the family. It is witty and funny and has some twists and turns to keep you guessing. It headlines Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara and Reese Witherspoon, who was also the leading producer of the film. I give it a 9.75/10. I can't give it a full 10 simply because I am a guy and nothing got blown up in the entire film.

Here is an enjoyable quote from when Max and Penelope and first meet:

[Having seen Max place a book under his jacket with the intent to steal it]

Penelope: There are three hundred and twenty-six first editions in that room. Of those, three hundred are worth over fifty thousand, a dozen or so are worth over twenty-five thousand and I'm afraid there's only one that's valued under a hundred.

Max: Only one, huh?

Penelope: A little novel, written by a little nobody that never amounted to anything.

Max: You don't say, under a hundred?

Penelope: I'm afraid so, and I'm afraid that means that it's time for [interrupted]

Max: But your favorite just the same.

Penelope

Check out my other reviews of:

Justice League: The New Frontier

The Jane Austen Book Club

I actually enjoyed this...

2008-09-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

The third movie I watched this weekend.... Yes. Third. I don't get to watch new movies very often so when we do rent movies, we tend to do it the Costco way ... we rent in bulk.

Anyway, the third movie I watched this weekend was one that my wife picked. I open that because most of you are probably wondering what in the world a guy is doing watching a movie like The Jane Austen Book Club. Well, let me tell you. I have always appreciated a good story. I especially enjoy seeing a good story portrayed well on "the silver screen". So, my mother and I would often sit down to watch romantic movies Like Ladyhawk or even just dramatic movies like The Hunt for Red October or Dead Poets Society.

The romantic movies I didn't mind so much. They appealed to the hopeless romantic in me. And, when it came to romance, I was definitely hopeless. So I enjoyed seeing people's love lives worked out in film. When they laughed, I laughed with them. When they cried, ... I was busy trying to wipe that little bit of dust out of the corner of my eye that must have become airborn the last time my mother dusted and somehow chose that exact moment to strike my in the eye, causing a surplus of fluid as my eye attempted to wash the irritation out. ... Moving on.

The Jane Austen Book Club is the story of a Sylvia, whose husband divorces her for another woman, and her friends, Jocelyn and Bernadette, and Sylvia's daughter, Allegra, who start a book club to distract Sylvia from thinking constantly about the loss of her husband. Bernadette recruits Prudie, a high school french teacher whose marriage may be on the rocks, to join the club where it will be "all Austen, all the time."

With there being six Austen books and each member hosting the meeting for one of the book, they are faced with the dilemna of only having five members of their club. The solution comes in the form of one Grigg Harris, a sci-fi fanatic who meets Jocelyn in an elevator and takes an immediate liking to her. Joceyln, however, sees Grigg as a potential distraction for Sylvia and invites him to the initial club meeting, never fully believing he would show up. But, show up, he does and gladly takes his place as the club's sixth member.

The members read separately and then discuss their understandings of Jane Austen and her writings and begin to notice how passages from Austen's books fit their lives and predicaments. Grigg attempts to interest Jocelyn in some sci-fi books that he thinks she might enjoy after reading a bit of Austen, but is continually confused why he keeps pushing him towards taking Sylvia out to lunch, particularly since he thinks she might be trying to indirectly hook him up with Sylvia's daughter, Allegra, who he learns later is a lesbian.

Overall, I found the film to be quite enjoyable. I would have enjoyed it more if they had made it without the whole lesbian issue, but that is my personal preference. They assembled a great cast of characters who played their parts well and the movie had a great balance of comedy and drama. Being a sci-fi fan myself, I especially loved everytime Grigg would address an element of Austen's novels and explain it using elements of sci-fi books and films like Star Wars. I give this movie an 8/10. Here is one of my favorite quotes from the film:

Grigg Harris: What about me? Am I your friend? Or am I just some widget to help you make Sylvia feel better about herself? Why did you invite me to be part of your book club? What went through your mind the first time you saw me? "There's a man who is dying to read every book Jane Austen ever wrote." Is that what you thought?
Jocelyn: No.
Grigg Harris: But I thought, "What a beautiful woman. I hope she looks over at me." I thought if I read your favorite books that you would read mine. But, no, no, no, no... You just want to be obeyed. That's why you have dogs.

The Jane Austen Book Club

Come check out my other reviews of:
21
Justice League: The New Frontier

The content didn't do the story justice...

2008-09-02T14:27:00.000-07:00

The second film I watched this weekend was with my three boys. We watched Justice League: The New Frontier. It takes place in the 1950's during the "red scare"; a time when super heroes were generally distrusted. Superman and Wonder Woman are given a limited amount of trust, but Batman, the Flash, and all the other heroes are being hunted by the government.

The story is primarily split between J'onn J'onzz (a.k.a. Martian Manhunter), a Martian who is accidentally teleported to earth by a scientist and Hal Jordan, a military pilot who, after spending time in a psychiatric ward as he dealt with the emotional trauma of having killed someone in self defense during the war, is struggling to get a job as a pilot and faces losing his dreams of someday flying in space.

J'onn uses his shapeshifting abilities to pose as detective John Jones where he encounters the Batman. They team up and share information regarding a growing threat known only as "The Centre". J'onn learns of Hal Jordan's classified flight to Mars and attempts to stow away, but is captured by a government operative after he saves the operative's life. Hal's ship suffers mechanical failure and his co-pilot detonates it in the atmosphere with Hal narrowly escaping with his life. Both characters, while frustrated with their lost opportunities, quickly find that they have major roles to play as "The Centre" attacks the East Coast on a mission to eradicate mankind.

This is a very interesting story that is played out using classic-style animation. They do a really good job of playing up the individual challenges and struggles that each hero is facing and how it conflicts with their living normal lives and endangers loved ones. Unfortunately, like many DC Comics made for DVD films of late, it includes graphic scenes that are unsuitable for children, profanity and disturbing images that can kids nightmares.

One of the things I love about watching animated movies is watching them with my kids. My father (who has since changed his ways) would often come in and change the channel during Saturday Morning Cartoons to watch some sports program. I always said I would watch cartoons with my kids and enjoy them. The problem is that these days it seems that more and more cartoons are either pointless and weird (i.e. SpongeBob) or geared primarily towards an adult audience.

I am a huge Superman fan and was thrilled to receive Superman: Doomsday from my brother for a birthday gift. I noticed on the cover of the dvd that it boasted that it was the first animated Superman film with a PG-13 rating. I quickly learned why when it contained such graphic images and profane language that I, as an adult, was uncomfortable. I later sold it at a yard sale (sorry, Taylor) because it isn't something I wanted my kids watching when I wasn't around, nor did I care to watch it myself due to the content. Justice League: The New Frontier indicates that this may very well be a standard (and a low one at that) for all future DC Comics animated dvd movies. I hope, though, that I am wrong in this regard because it is a complete waste of good, quality stories that I would love to see played out.

The one point I really enjoyed of the whole film was the end. No, not because the movie was over but because of the moving illustrations coupled with exerpts from John F. Kennedy's 1960 Democratic National Convention Nomination Acceptance Address. I have included it below:

"...The pioneers gave up their safety, their comfort and sometimes their lives to build our new West. ... They were determined to make the new world strong and free -- an example to the world....

"Some would say that those struggles are all over, that all the horizons have been explored, that all the battles have been won, that there is no longer an American frontier. ...And we stand today on the edge of a New Frontier -- ... the frontier of unknown opportunities and perils....

"... Beyond that frontier are uncharted areas of science and space, unsolved problems of peace and war, unconquered problems of ignorance and prejudice....

"... I'm asking each of you to be pioneers towards that New Frontier. My call is to the young in heart, regardless of age....

"... Can we carry through in an age where we will witness not only new breakthroughs in weapons of destruction, but also a race for mastery of the sky and the rain, the ocean and the tides, the far side of space, and the inside of men's minds?

"... All mankind waits upon our decision. A whole world looks to see what we shall do. And we cannot fail that trust. And we cannot fail to try."

Justice League: The New Frontier

For the full address, click here.

See my previous review of 21.

Count on this being a good movie...

2008-09-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome back from Labor Day weekend, everyone! I hope you had a good one.

I didn't accomplish a whole lot this weekend, including posting on this blog. I did, however, get to see a few dvds with my wife and my three boys this weekend. So, instead of my usual movie or book quote of the day, I am going to add a little mini-review of each film for those who haven't seen them.

The first movie Noelle and I watched was 21. The film centers around Ben Campbell, a shy, but brilliant MIT student who is accepted to Harvard Medical School. The last obstacle to overcome is to get a full-ride scholarship to pay the $300,000+ to attend. The faculty member who is interviewing him tells him that what really makes the difference for a student to get the scholarship is the life experience essay. The one that dazzles, wins. Ben's dreams are shattered as he reflects back on his rather unremarkable life due to his focus on academics.

An unorthodox professor notices Ben's brilliance and invites him to join a team of students that he has trained with a system for beating the house at blackjack. With no other prospects for paying his way through Harvard, Ben reluctantly joins the team and flies out to Las Vegas each weekend with the girl of his dreams and the other team members where they assume fake identities and count cards, making thousands of dollars each trip. The excitement of being whoever you want and the thrill of the win suck Ben in and blind him to the danger of a bitter casino enforcer who is being phased out of his job by a software program as well as another danger much closer to him.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty good movie. The dialogue did drag a bit in places and I could do without the scenes from the strip club, but Choi's cleptomaniac habits kept cracking me up as well as many other comical scenes and bits of dialogue, and the story moved enough to keep me interested. It was based on a true story and I thought it was great that the had the actual guy who counted cards as one of the blackjack dealers. (I think his name was Jeffrey. If you watch the film, it is the guy Ben calls his "brother from another mother.")

Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Aaron Yu and Liza Lapira all put in excellent performances and I loved the twist at the end. Overall, I would give this film a 7.5/10. Here is a quote from the film:

[a man caught counting cards is being beaten brutally by Cole Williams and his partner, Terry]
Cole Williams: You think you can beat the system? This is the system... beatin' you back!
[Cole smacks the counter in the face]
Cole Williams: You wanna count cards, you do it in Atlantic City! Get him up.
Terry: [growling] Let's go. Get up! On your feet!
Cole Williams: Count to five. Count to five!
Card Counter: [disillusioned] What?
Cole Williams: Count to five so that I can see you don't have brain damage, and you can go home.
Terry: Start with One.
Card Counter: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Cole Williams: Good. Now... stop counting!

21

First Lines...

2008-08-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

Somehow, I don't think this line would go over well with any woman...

Jareth: I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave.

Labyrinth

Yeah, that one didn't work out so well for Jareth either. What are some of the worst first lines you have heard of? Put it in a comment.

Balancing Dreams and Priorities

2008-08-27T17:05:00.000-07:00

[In response to Ray Kinsella's asking him what his dream is...]
Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham: Well, you know I... I never got to bat in the major leagues. I would have liked to have had that chance. Just once. To stare down a big league pitcher. To stare him down, and just as he goes into his windup, wink. Make him think you know something he doesn't. That's what I wish for. Chance to squint at a sky so blue that it hurts your eyes just to look at it. To feel the tingling in your arm as you connect with the ball. To run the bases - stretch a double into a triple, and flop face-first into third, wrap your arms around the bag. That's my wish, Ray Kinsella. That's my wish. And is there enough magic out there in the moonlight to make this dream come true?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[When Dr. Graham rejects Ray's offer to go back with him...]
Ray Kinsella: Fifty years ago, for five minutes you came within... y-you came this close. It would KILL some men to get so close to their dream and not touch it. God, they'd consider it a tragedy.
Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham: Son, if I'd only gotten to be a doctor for five minutes... now that would have been a tragedy.

Field of Dreams

A lot of people like to relive the "glory days" in their mind. Former athletes remember the big plays and women remember when they had a more enviable figure. But would you really give up all that you have earned through your blood, sweat and toil to go back to those days? As enviable as those days seem sometimes, I know I wouldn't. The things I have now are far better than anything I had back then. I have a loving wife, amazing kids, knowledge and experience, increased faith and a trust in God that I never dreamed of having in my younger years. Like Dr. Graham, if I had only five minutes of that in my life, that would have been a great tragedy.

Back to School Info

2008-08-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

For all the kids that had to go back to school today or are headed back to school in the near future, this information may come in handy at some point this year...

Ferris: The key to faking out the parents is the clammy hands. It's a good non-specific symptom; I'm a big believer in it. A lot of people will tell you that a good phony fever is a dead lock, but, uh... you get a nervous mother, you could wind up in a doctor's office. That's worse than school. You fake a stomach cramp, and when you're bent over, moaning and wailing, you lick your palms. It's a little childish and stupid, but then, so is high school.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

The 11th Commandment...

2008-08-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

...Thou shalt not park in a tow-away zone!

[Their van is being towed]
Jack: Stop! Who dares to tow the van of the living Christ?
Driver: The city of New York, Tarzan! $50 for the violation, $75 for the tow and $20 a day for storage.
Jack: [Skyward] Father, forgive us for we have sinned! We parked our car in a forbidden zone!

The Dream Team

An "Odd" Quote...

2008-08-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

I love to read books. One of the reasons I love to read is because I find some of the most profound quotes I have ever come across in some of the oddest books. The quote I would like to share with you today comes from the book Odd Hours by Dean Koontz.

To provide a little background for how this particular quote came up, the hero of the story, Odd Thomas, was picked up by an older woman named Birdie Hopkins who receives flashes of intuition and feels the need to drive towards someone in need of help. She was just explaining to Odd that these flashes started coming just after her husband, Fred, died seven years ago and she said:

"Love somebody from when you're nineteen, one day he's the same as ever, next day dead. So many tears, they seem to wash somethin' out of you, they leave this emptiness."

"Loss is the hardest thing," I said. "But it's also the teacher that's the most difficult to ignore."

Her fanning hand went still. She regarded me with an expression that I took to be surprised agreement.

Because Birdie seemed to expect me to elucidate, I fumbled out what I thought she might want to say herself: "Grief can destroy you - or focus you. You can decide a relationship was all for nothing if it had to end in death, and you alone. Or you can realize that every moment of it had more meaning than you dared to recognize at the time, so much meaning it scared you, so you just lived, just took for granted the love and laughter of each day, and didn't allow yourself to consider the sacredness of it. But when it's over and you're alone, you begin to see it wasn't just a movie and a dinner together, not just watching sunsets together, not just scrubbing a floor or washing dishes together or worrying over a high electric bill. It was everything, it was the why of life, ever event and precious moment of it. The answer to the mystery of existence is the love you shared sometimes so imperfectly, and when the loss wakes you to the deeper beauty of it, to the sanctity of it, you can't get off your knees for a long time, you're driven to your knees not by the weight of the loss but by gratitude for what preceded the loss. And the ache is always there, but one day not the emptiness, because to nurture the emptiness, to take solace in it, is to disrespect the gift of life."

I guess one reason why this quote struck me was because of the recent loss of my wife's grandfather, the loss of a friend close to my age, and the loss of my wife's friend's mother (you can read more about this in my wife's Grace Under Fire post). I have seen many people lose those who are near and dear to them, and I, too, have been on the losing end myself. I have not had to face the difficulty of losing a spouse (thank the Lord for that), but I have lost love in such a manner that I could feel the truth of Odd's words.

We do take the time we have with those who are near and dear to us for granted. We never expect it to end any time soon. But when it does we are left feeling empty. I like how he says that our experiences with our loved ones are "the why of life". It explains why so many who have lost their loved ones do not care to live longer. They feel the reason why they lived is gone and life itself does not have any value to them any longer.

A loss can waken you to the deeper beauty of love, but one does not have to lose to wake up. Look around you and consider for a moment who you take for granted. Who would you miss if tomorrow you woke up and they were gone? I hope after you have the answer to that question that you will take a moment today to tell them just how much you love and appreciate them and what a difference they make to you in your life.

Now, if you will excuse me, I must go and give my wife all the love that I possibly can before this day is done.

Someone's here so...

2008-08-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

Ace Ventura: If I'm not back in five minutes... just wait longer.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

Kids in the Back Seat

2008-08-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

Anybody who has ever had to drive anywhere with kids in the back seat can appreciate this dialogue. Just picture Jason as "Daddy", Gwen as "Mommy", Alexander as "the older brother" and Guy as "the younger brother" and see how it fits with your experiences.

[the crew is on a shuttle descending to an alien planet]
Guy Fleegman: I changed my mind. I wanna go back.
Sir Alexander Dane: After the fuss you made about getting left behind?
Guy Fleegman: Yeah, but that's when I thought I was the crewman that stays on the ship, and something is up there, and it kills me. But now I'm thinking I'm the guy who gets killed by some monster five minutes after we land on the planet.
Jason Nesmith: You're not gonna die on the planet, Guy.
Guy Fleegman: I'm not? Then what's my last name?
Jason Nesmith: It's, uh, uh - -I don't know.
Guy Fleegman: Nobody knows. Do you know why? Because my character isn't important enough for a last name, because I'm gonna die five minutes in.
Gwen DeMarco: Guy, you have a last name.
Guy Fleegman: DO I? DO I? For all you know, I'm "Crewman Number Six"! Mommy... mommy...
Sir Alexander Dane: Are we there yet?

Galaxy Quest

See what I mean?