I Heart Seattle

I ran across some travel journal notes I'd taken on our trip to Seattle this past spring, so I've converted them to blog form -- mainly for myself to help remember the trip.

WEDNESDAY

Fish Throwers - check

It's "As Seen on TV." They yell the fish, throw the fish, catch the fish, sell the fish. Since the media wasn't around (I guess my camera phone didn't count), the staff weren't quite as "on" as I've seen them on television. But is was fun nonetheless.

What I wasn't ready for was "Rabid Fan," a gentleman with a notebook containing each fish thrower's photo and autograph. He was asking who was working today in an attempt to fill out his book. I intially wrote him off as a weirdo, as I'm not a fish market superfan., but quickly realized that I have plenty of "weirdo-ness" myself about other topics, events, and celebrities that many would find lame.

Sleepless in Seattle Reference #1

Janelle is a big fan of the movie, so it was fitting that our first Seattle meal together was at a restaurant from the film. The food was good (fresh seafood is my all-time favorite), and the view of Puget Sound was beautiful.

Starbucks Run #1 (of many)

I've already consumed more Starbucks coffee this week than in my entire life before this trip. I've become a fan. We visited the very first Starbucks (1971) and ordered something coffee-sounding that ended in "-ocha." I'll expect to be a pro by the time we leave, and probably suffering from extreme caffeine high.

Hotel + Mall + Sleep

I purchased a much-needed jacket (it's colder than expected) and hit the bed early. We had started the day at 2:45 AM Pacific Time, so 7:30 PM seemed like a good time to get some sleep.

THURSDAY (aka Nerdfest Day)

Sleepless in Seattle Reference #2

Before the nerdfest began, we spent some time on Alki beach in West Seattle (apparently it's the location where Tom Hanks and the kid are flying a kite towards the end of the movie). Beautiful place with a view of the city.

Nerdfest #1: Science Fiction Museum

I liked this museum, but felt that I didn't know enough about the source material to truly love it. It is well done and had an impressive amount of nerdy eye candy -- especially for Trekkies. I particularly liked the R2-D2 and Death Star models.

Nerdfest #2: Experience Music Project

Holy crap. I could have spent days in this museum, listening to every song and reading every plaque in this incredible place. It was a sensory feast, visually, audially, and tactilly. An entire room is devoted to Jimi Hendrix (who I learned this week is from Seattle), and similar displays on the grunge movement of the early 1990s (my favorite retro music era).

The experience also included sound rooms for guitar, piano, drums, and vocals. I spent a few minutes banging on the drums (it's been awhile) and got revitalized. For anyone who loves music, this is a must-see.

Nerdfest #3: Nintendo of America Headquarters

I previously blogged about this experience here. Recap: It was fun.

FRIDAY & SATURDAY

Mars Hill Graduate School

Janelle had interviews on Friday morning, so I went off on a self-guided walking tour of downtown. I rode the Space Needle, enjoyed more Starbucks, and walked back to Pike Place Market to watch more fish throwing. Lots of walking in a very walkable city, and I took a bunch of fun pictures. Here's one:

The remainder of the weekend was a fast-paced, exciting, mind- and heart-bending time of learning. Mars Hill Graduate School is a special place, and I'm excited for Janelle as she pursues her dream. I'm also selfishly excited for me, as the school does an incredible job of including spouses in the process. If we do this thing, I'll be able to sit in on her classes free of charge any time my schedule allows, and I can participate in a special council devoted to spouses of students.

(Editor's note: Janelle was invited to attend graduate school at MHGS. The current plan is a move to Seattle in 2010, with school starting in the fall.)

Is this heaven? No, it's Gotcha!

My favorite part of Halloween in Columbia is trick-or-treating downtown. And the highlight of the evening is a visit to Gotcha.

For those unfamiliar, Gotcha is a costume shop in downtown Columbia, owned and operated by a gentleman I've only known as "Arrow." As one might imagine, the shop is extremely busy on October 31, as college students and others are completing their outfits for upcoming parties.

Here's the scene:

We walk into Gotcha, fighting the crowd a little to get in the door.

Arrow yells, "Make way for the important people!" in reference to Blake and Madilyn as he makes the 30 people in line scoot back two steps to make room.

"Hey, it's Bumblebee and Hermione!" (they were mis-identified as Harry Potter and a Power Ranger in many of the other stores) "Come get some candy! Happy Halloween!"

At this point it is important to define "candy" in Gotcha terms. We are not talking about tootsie rolls or smarties. The kids' eyes opened wide as they looked upon a basket full of king size candy bars. Blake grabbed M&Ms. Madilyn beamed at her choice: a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup 4-pack.

As we walked out the door, I had trouble composing myself. It was an emotional experience for me.

In a world where kids (particularly once they grow past the cute baby and toddler stages) are typically ignored, mine were declared the important people by a store owner who surely had much more important things to do on his most profitable day of the year. For 2 minutes, Arrow made them the stars of the show.

Arrow's "let the children come to me" selflessness surprised and overwhelmed me. But why? Because I think love and acceptance is reserved for more "Christian" environments like home or church (often neither lives up to that billing)? Am I surprised that God can love on my kids in a downtown costume shop? Do I think the lavish generosity of chocolate is somehow different than or separate from God's gift of grace?

I'm not sure about answers to any of those questions, but I do know this: My children experienced unconditional love this Halloween. Not at a church-sponsored, anti-Halloween "Fall Festival," but among the plastic vomit, inappropriate costumes, and half-drunk college students at Gotcha.

A glimpse into heaven, Gotcha style:

Blake Chandler, Imagineer

Blake Chandler, age 6, has the most incredible, active, creative imagination of any person I've ever met. He has invented animals (Titanicsaurus), planets (Solarspace), and entire galaxies (including 'Galaxy of the Innapropriate' where the inhabitants are never clothed).

In Blake's kindergarten class this week, another student made the statement that "imagining is stupid." Blake vehemently disagreed, and made a point to share his feelings that "Imagination is Awesome!" on our drive to school this morning.

His invention of words from age 2-6 could have filled poetry books, upstart small businesses, and website URLs -- if only we had captured them more agressively.

He is rarely daunted by what others would consider the "rules" of physics, time, and space. And his arguments are compelling to the point that I'm beginning to believe him and have attempted to minimize boxing him in with my small view of reality.

His current school library book is entitled Imagine a Night. One particular page grabbed my attention and hasn't let go. It's a perfect example of Blake's answer to the "Do you think we could ever _________ ?"

His response: Sure!

imagine a night...

... when you might find

that gravity

doesn't work

quite as you expected.

It just makes me laugh.

I don't know what it is, but "professionally-produced" (term used lightly) signs with obvious errors or misspellings make me laugh. Here's one I ran across a few weeks ago.

Bendaroos: They're awesome!

I've had the pleasure this fall to share in the "take the kids to school" task with Janelle. I didn't realize what fun little conversations can be had in a 6 minute drive from our house to the school.

One day last week we discussed TV commercials:

Madilyn or Blake (I forget, which): I want (some toy) because I saw it on a TV commercial.

Madilyn: It is cool to have things that we see on TV.

Me (in fatherly tone, capturing teaching moment): You know kids, that's the reason they make TV commercials - to make you think you want things.

Blake: I do want things!

Madilyn: And Dad , if we didn't have TV commercials, we would never know what Bendaroos are.

Me (stupidly): What are Bendaroos?

Madilyn: They're awesome. And they're only $19.95!

New and Improved ... fork?

Finally, someone has improved the design of the fork. I've been searching for one that was not only stronger, but also tougher (two vital fork qualities) -- now I've found it.

I can sleep again.

It does make me wonder, though, if the purchaser of the 600-piece plastic fork box was somehow influenced by the blatant marketing declaring these forks different in some way to the last 50 years of plastic forks.

I have to admit, if they were on a Sam's Club shelf next to plain old forks, I'm going with stronger and tougher every time.

Chip clips make me happy

Do you ever avoid doing/buying something, and then when you finally do you ask yourself, "Why in the world didn't I do that weeks/months/years ago?"

We've had a lack of "chip clips" in our house for quite awhile. There was a daily struggle to determine which bag of chips or other food were "chip clip worthy." It consisted of a tiered system of criteria that looked something like this:

1. How many chips are left? (more chips = more loss if they go stale)
2. How new is the bag? (new chips gone stale seems more wasteful)
3. Which chips am I personally more likely to eat (for me, Santitas got the clip before Lay's)
4. Which chips taste OK stale? (Doritos are passable; chewy pretzels are not)
5. Which chips cost the most to replace if thrown away? (I'm looking at you, Gardettos)

Also, it seemed the number of chip clips dwindled year to year. We received a bunch for our wedding (granted, that was ten years ago), and we've picked up a couple along the way -- including a random clothespin here and there. But items like this have a way of disappearing or finding other uses. One currently clips the Costco-sized bag of cat food in the garage (Otis does not go for stale food. Also, see #5 above.), and others end up clipping various bags inside the refrigerator or around the house.

Of course, every time I fought through this decision tree I asked myself the question, "Self, why don't you buy some chip clips?" But the feeling soon passed, and it never happened to occur while at the store.

Then something very special happened. I was in Wal-Mart and happened to think about this issue. I sprinted to the chip clip aisle (ok, it's not an entire aisle - but there are options) and made this vital purchase. It has changed my life.

I am a rich man. Rich with chip clips. Now every bag of chips, no matter its race, creed, color or flavor, is properly clipped and fresh for eating at our leisure.

Chip, chip, hooray!

Do not eat kids crayons

This is a box of crayons at an IHOP restaurant in Olathe, Kansas.

Most signing like this has a story attached to it - a reason for its existence. I have no idea what happened at this IHOP, but I'm sure the story is worth a listen.

I've heard of premium coffee, but...

I know McDonald's is trying to win the "we have the best-tasting fancy coffee" award, but this is ridiculous.

It does make the $5 Starbucks version seem a quite reasonable expense.

OK, fess up. Who has paid $200+ for a cup of coffee? Come on, I know you're out there.

The Paradox of Our Time - George Carlin

I was recently forwarded this monologue by George Carlin. It's a speech I had read years ago, and enjoyed in different way today. Enjoy.

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce; fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, ' I love you ' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

And always remember:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

- George Carlin

In the air with fresh-baked cookies

Tough to beat this: I dozed off on a recent flight to Washington, D.C. When I awoke, two warm chocolate chip cookies were sitting on my tray.

Thanks, Midwest Airlines! The best care in the air, indeed.

There were also two cookies on my seatmate's tray, which led to this moral dillemma (seriously - the cookies are good).

1. If I took just one, would he notice that he should have had two?

2. If he did notice, would he confront a stranger for taking his cookie?


After much deliberation I left the man's cookies alone. I wanted him to enjoy the same experience I had when he woke up.

Also, he was bigger than me.

I invented the word Dingbat

I invented the word Dingbat.

Or so I thought.

It was the early 80s, I was in 3rd grade, and for some reason I was convinced I had invented the word "Dingbat." I have no idea how I came to that conclusion, but I do remember the pride I felt. I had invented a word!

Until I ran across this definition in a discussion of type-setting (This does beg the question, "Why were you discussing type-setting in 3rd grade?" No idea.)

Dingbat: An ornament, character or spacer used in typesetting, sometimes more formally known as a "printer's ornament" or "printer's character."

I was crushed.

I was reminded of this story a few days ago when I thought I'd come up with the next million-dollar T-shirt slogan idea (assuming there is such as thing as a million-dollar T-shirt slogan idea). It's a red T-shirt full of four-leaf clovers. The caption: "Kiss Me, I'm Colorblind."

I know. I know. Genius. (I'll give you a minute to compose yourself)

Whenever I have a million-dollar idea, my new first instinct (stemming from my 3rd grade experience, I'm sure) it to Google it to see if I will, in fact, become a millionaire. Sadly, I was not the first with the Colorblind St. Pats idea. On the flip side, I'll have a sweet new T-shirt next March.

Oh well. Off to the next idea, buying the .com, and developing a perfectly type-set, dingbat-heavy patent to secure fame and fotune.

This drives me up the wall. Literally.

I try not to complain much on my blog. As a general rule I hate complainers.

However, I have a very specific pet peeve I'd like to share. When people add the word "literally" when using a figure of speech it makes me crazy. I was reminded of my aversion to this practice recently when it happened twice in the same meeting.

Quote 1: "Joe literally got beat up and bloodied by the legislature this
session."

Really? He looks OK to me.

Quote 2: "We've really struggled with this issue. We've been hitting our heads
agains a brick wall. Literally."

Wow. You have been literally bashing your skull against a wall made of bricks? Literally? I would not recommend that. And if it's true, I hope you have YouTube videos to show the world. I'd give me right arm to see that.

Literally.

In the Air with Mike Anderson

I occasionally have the opportunity to fly for business and pleasure, and when I do I often strike up a conversation with my fellow travelers (yep, I'm that guy).

I recently took my first flight out of the Columbia Regional Airport (COU for you frequent flyers), which, by the way, was a great experience. If you haven't tried it yet, I would highly recommend it. The 15-minute drive home after landing was awesome.

Mike Anderson, Mizzou's baskeball coach, was also on my flight to Memphis. Our plane had some mechanical issues that forced us to de-plane and hang out at the gate, which gave me time to speak with the coach.

He was heading to Birmingham to visit his family before starting a month-long recruiting trip. Now I'm a fairly busy guy, as we all are, and I understand that Coach Anderson is compesated royally for his efforts. But his schedule is impressive. In July he'll travel to various states to sit in the living rooms of 16- and 17-year-olds, most of whom will end up not playing basketball at MU. He'll take August off from traveling (per NCAA rules), but still be busy both with recruiting for the future and ... oh yeah ... getting the current Mizzou team ready to play.

The schedule doesn't let up during the season, as the staff is constantly switching hats from coaching to recruiting, present to future, and back again.

No over-arching life lesson or broad observations today. Basically, I just wanted to brag that I met Mike Anderson. :-)

Choose Your Own Adventure

I was recently reminded of one of my favorite book series as a kid: Choose Your Own Adventure.

The concept was simple enough. Every few pages you were given a choice, and that choice led you to another page in the book. Your choices created the story. It was fun because I was the star of the story (it's read in the 2nd person: "You are lost in the jungle...") and it was empowering (to some degree I drove the plot).

I recently read an artilce on line that reminded me of the book series. In it, the author makes a statement.

"Life is like that. It's waiting for you to decide whether you'll be average or remarkable."

Initially I was like, "Yeah! Life is just like Choose Your Own Adventure," and I think in some ways it is. But there is a significant difference.

You can't start life over.

As a kid I particularly enjoyed the aspect of Choose Your Own Adventure books that allowed a "do over." I could go back to the beginning (or anywhere in the middle) to make a different choice if bad things happened. None of the ramifications of the past choices mattered. It's as if they didn't exist. I could read through 40+ potential endings to the book.

But in life - this life - we get one shot. Each choice (hunt down the elephant? or ride the hippo through the swamp?) changes everything. We don't get to turn the pages backward to start over. As Anna Nalick poeticized a couple years ago: Life's like an hourglass glued to the table.

So as we're making "big-ish" life decision at our house about education, careers and geography, I'm transitioning from "mostly scared" to "still scared but very excited" as we choose our adventures as a family. And as we keep choosing and turning, I'm exciting about what's on the next page.

Don't let your dreams be dreams

"Don't let your dreams be dreams" - Jack Johnson

I recently read a manifesto by Chris Guillebeau entitled A Brief Guide to World Domination* : How to live a remarkable life in a conventional world.
*and other important goals

In it, the author makes the argument that you don't have to live life the way other people expect you to. You can focus the majority of your time on the things you enjoy, and in the midst can make a big difference in others' lives as well. His assertiion is summed up with this quote by Alan Keightely:

"Once in a while it really hits people that they don't have to experience the world in the way they have been told to."

Guillebeau goes on to lay out his selection of the two most important questions in the universe:

1. What do you really want to get out of life?


2. What can you offer the world that no one else can?

To avoid spoiling the other 28 pages of the manifesto, I'll stop here and recommend you give it a read (you'll get through it in 15 minutes). Enjoy!

I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is.

There we are: June 19, 1999. At 22 and 23 we looked like teenagers. In fact, when we would take the kids to the store (2 year-old Madilyn and Infant Blake), we would got stares from old ladies of the "didn't you figure out how that happened the first time?" variety.

The truth was we were young, and often didn't feel that we were really adults. We talked during our honeymoon to the Smokey Mountains that we felt like we'd run away from home. I guess in some ways we did.

What a difference a decade makes.

I've been married to my best friend, and my personal choice for "most amazing person on the planet," for a full ten years. We've experienced pain and comfort, sadness and joy, confusion and understanding. We've asked questions, answered them, and then questioned the answers. We've built one incredible relationship, made two beautiful babies, and wrestled with lots of life stuff along the way.

I've become less and less sure about many of the things I held true at 23. I have more quesitons than ever, and I'm excited about the search for both the answers to these questions and the discovery of new ones. But I've never been more certain of this: I am in love with Janelle Chandler, and I cannot wait to add more and more decades to our adventure.

Want to pack your bags, something small.

Take what you need and we’ll disappear,

without a trace, we’ll be gone gone.

Moon and the stars will follow the car.

Then when we get to the ocean,

gonna take a boat to the end of the world,

all the way to the end of the world.

And when the kids are old enough,

we’re gonna teach them to fly.

You and me together, we can do anything, baby.

You and me together, yes, yes.

- DMB

Official Sponsor of Birthdays

The best PSA I've seen this year. Props to the American Cancer Society and whoever came up with this one.

Crack the shutters open wide, it's 20 degrees!

I was driving by the bank last week on my way to work, and a question struck me: Why does my bank continue to show Celsius degrees on their marquee? Does anyone in this country actually care what the Celsius temperature is (BTW, it was 21. 70 degrees Farenheit).

And what's up with the formula to convert the two? Tell me if this sound like it was made up by scientists spending too much time in the lab.

Nerd: Take the "normal Fahrenheit" temperature and subtract 32
Geek: Why 32?
Nerd: Um... Not sure. Just trust me.
Geek: OK
Nerd: Now take that number and multiply it by 5.
Geek: OK
Nerd: Now divide that number by 9.
Geek: What?
Nerd: Divide it by 9.
Geek: Seriously? I just multiplied it by 5?
Nerd: Just do it.

Eureka! We've discovered the conversion: Celsius = (5/9)*(Fahrenheit-32)

I'm sure there are good scientific reasons for the formula (reasons I likely learned in 8th grade but have since purged from memory), but it always seemed terribly random to me. And because of how it's set up, check this out. At -40 degrees Farenheit, it's -40 degrees Celsius. Wait...what? In Antarctica they don't even use Celsius and Fahrenheit. It's just -40.

Ridiculous.

But wait. Celsius is a much cleaner measurement of temperature. Zero = Freezing Water. 100 = Boiling Water. Why would we not use this?

This blog post could quickly fall into my "English systems of measurement are crazy" soap box (and who isn't waiting for that?). More kids would pass Jr. High math and science if they didn't have to deal with feet, miles, pounds, ounces, and kips. Kips? Really? A unit of force is called a kip?

I'll save the remainder of my metric measurement rant for another day.

So I'm thinking of learning the Celsius system (it's not that hard - 0 to 100) and using it in everyday speech.

"Hey Joe, it's gonna be a scorcher today. Might reach 35... Celsius"

Roses are green...

Thanks, honey, for finding this one. Christmas is coming!

Testical Festival: A Summer Tradition

The facts.:

What: Testical Festival
Where: Olean (pronounced "Oh-Lee-Anne"), Missouri
When: Saturday, June 6


Catch phrases for the festival that didn't make the cut:

"Testical Festival: A great place to hang."
"Testical Festival: You'd be nuts to miss it."
"Great deals, by the sack."
"Buy one, get one free."

(Your turn)

"Good luck on your project"

I have a particular interest in customer service, both in government work 

(where I've spent the last decade)  and retail (see recent post on my Best Buy experience).

A Menards Home Improvement store just opened in Columbia, and I hadn't been yet.  I was initially frustrated that I couldn't search specific products on their website (Home Depot is the online winner), but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway.  At least I'd be able to say "yes" when asked by my home improvement friends about the new store.

Menards is impressive.  It's big, varied, and at least for now the prices seems to be better than HD and Lowes.  I picked up a couple screen doors for our patios and a light fixture.

Here's the money shot:  On the way out, an employee asked me if I'd found everything I needed (typical - no big deal).  I said yeah, and then kept walking, as did he.  But his parting words to me were, "Good luck on your project today!"

For some reason it really touched me.  I felt a connection to this guy (though I can't even remember his face) and to Menards.  I'm not exactly "handy," so to get encouragement - especially someone who I assume is pretty good at this stuff - felt great.

It's weird the things that make a difference.  I installed the screen doors, and I'd like to think that the "Luck of Menards" might have played a part.   I'm amazed how much I clamor for encouraging words, and for relational connections, no matter how small.  Even at the hardware store.

Hmmm... I wrote "Even at the hardware store" as if it's a less likely relationship destination tha home, church, or with friends.  But maybe if I open myself up to embracing connections everywhere, and enjoy them as they happen, it will help me engage in even longer-lasting, deeper relationships as well.

Even with the people I love most.

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.

This Yogi Berra quote was recently referenced in a sermon I attended.  The pastor-type dismissed the quote as bumbling, idiotic, and simply incorrect.  There is a right way and a wrong way to go, and simply "taking it" was not an option.

I was bothered by the closed-minded interpretation, and I felt it was made more out of convenience than honoring the art. It fit the next sermon's next bullet point (thought I forget what it was...I think it started with a "W"), but it came off as lazy.

I've long been a fan of the wisdom of Yogi Berra, including this quote.  To me it is an encouragement of proactivity.  There are a number of things I can do when approaching a proverbial fork in the road:

• Freak out that there is a fork in the road
  
• Over-analyze the situation
  
• Freeze
• Assume there is one right and one wrong choice
• Turn around and head back where I came from
  
• Pick one and go
  

I think Yogi was telling us that when we come to a decision point, big or small, his suggested course of action is to choose a path and take action along that path.  It might be imperfect, painful, and even plain wrong when viewed with hindsight - but it will be movement.  And it's this movement that teaches and grows us.  Another modern poet, Jason Mraz, recently wrote, "I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some."

I think my reaction to its use as a sermon illustration was frustration, because my opinion of the quote was so different.  But is my attitude any different?  Am I just doing the same thing I'm accusing?  Stubbornly defending my personal opinion?

Hmmm.  Not sure, and not awake enough to figure it out.  I'll post for now and sort out the rest later.

Whatever happened, happened...

I ran across a helpful comment about time travel on a LOST blog I read regularly.

(Yes, I read a blog about a TV show.  Regularly.  Actually, I don't know how anyone can watch LOST without some sort of viewer's guide to keep up. It's like playing the original Legend of Zelda without Nintendo Power. No thanks.)

It was a nice summation of why we cannot change the past, even if we could go back in time:

"Say that you went back in time to stop John Wilkes Boothe from killing Lincoln. The whole point of you going back to this time period would be to stop the murder. However, once you stop it you would not have a reason to go back in time. Therefore the murder would still occur since you would not have gone back in time to stop it."

It made my brain hurt, but it actually seemed to make sense. I'm sure a bunch of 12 year-olds are like, "duh, we figured that one out in third grade." Well, I didn't, so back off.

people are just people like you

For me, the first listen of a new CD, is usually an underwhelming experience. It usually takes me at least 3-4 times through to really latch on to it, and to pick out my favorites.

The same thing was happening last week as I started Regina Spektor's "Soviet Kitsch." Until I hit Track 9.

"The Ghost of Corporate Future" has been in my head for three days now. As with much of Spektor's music, she couples an addictingly simple piano hook with lyrics just as captivating but much more complex. I'm reminded of the big picture -- that my latest presentation, e-mail, and budget discussions don't really matter.

I've copied out a few of my favorite lyrics from the song, but do yourself a favor and watch the video below, or better yet, pick up the CD on Amazon here.

Imagine you go away
On a business trip one day
And when you come back home,
Your children have grown
And you never made your wife moan,
Your children have grown
And you never made your wife moan...

And people make you nervous
You'd think the world is ending,
And everybody's features have somehow started blending
And everything is plastic, And everyone's sarcastic,
And all your food is frozen,
It needs to be defrosted...

You'd think the world was ending,
You'd think the world was ending,
You'd think the world was ending right now...

Well maybe you should just drink a lot less coffee,
And never ever watch the ten o'clock news.
Maybe you should kiss someone nice,
Or lick a rock,
Or both...

People are just people,
People are just people,
People are just people like you.

Red Light Cameras: Traffic Safety or Big Brother?

Interesting discussion this week in Shreveport, LA, regarding red light photo enforcement. As this has also been a hot topic in Columbia of late, I thought I'd share some snippets of the article and (of course) my comments. Full news story: http://tr.im/iTgA

The chairman of the Shreveport City Council today promises a vigorous fight against proposed red light cameras in Shreveport, calling them "Orwellian" and a case of government snooping into people's lives.

They are neither. If you obey the law, you will not be photographed, videoed, or otherwise bothered by the Orwellian government.

There is no proof the cameras cut down on accidents at intersections -- and they could do the opposite, Councilman Ron Webb said.

Untrue. Numerous studies have shown significant decreases in red light running and severe crashes at signals (predominantly T-bone / angle / sideswipe collisions).

He noted an incident in Dallas when a driver slammed on her brakes to avoid possibly getting a ticket because of the red light camera. His son was one of three drivers involved in a resulting three-vehicle chain reaction wreck.

"He could have easily been killed. Thanks for nothing, Big Brother!" Webb said.

Um...no. It is extremely rare that rear-end crashes at signals are ever serious. At the very least, red light cameras swap out crash types. Rear-end minor crashes may go up, but angle crashes (which often result in injury) will go down.

Red light cameras, or automated traffic ticketing systems, take a picture of the license plate of a vehicle whose driver commits a traffic violation at an intersection. A ticket is then mailed to the address of the registered owner.

Webb said researchers have studied red light cameras and found they don't work at best, and could actually cause more crashes as drivers abruptly stop when lights turn yellow.

"This is a Pandora’s Box we best never open, lest we lose what few freedoms we still have left," Webb said. "We need to ask ourselves this question: In a free society, when is enough 'government protection' enough?"

This is a case of a public official not wanting something to happen, so he stands behind Freedom to protect law-breakers. The truth is that red light cameras do improve safety, and a little "invasion of privacy" of drivers who choose to blow through red lights is a small price to pay to save lives on our roads.

Bottom Line: Don't run red lights, and you'll have nothing to worry about.

Book Review: Velvet Elvis

With the sheer number of books in the world it's often difficult for me to discern which are worthy of reading. I recently blogged about a strategy I developed for me: Read Chapter 1. Check for Goosebumps. As I run across books that capture me in some way, I'll share a quick review.

I've recently had a revived interest in the questions of faith, church, God and their various intersections.  The squeaky-clean Sunday School solutions of my youth often haven't translated to my real life as an adult, and in the search for better answers I've determined that I've become more drawn to the search itself.

In Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith, Rob Bell poses questions I've often had in my head but not verbalized. He doesn't supply many answers, but invites us to join the conversation of faith, life, text, and their multiple intersections.

"Times change. God doesn't, but times do... letting go of whatever has gotten in the way of Jesus, and embracing whatever will help us be more & more the people God wants us to be."

"The Christian faith is mysterious to the core. It is about things and beings that ultimately can't be put into words. Language fails. And if we do definitively put God into words, we have at that very moment made God something God is not."

I've since learned that Bell has his share of disagree-ers, and his postmodern/emerging/Gen-XY attitude is a turn-off to some conservatives. But maybe that's part of the draw for me. It's something a little different that asks me to really think about what I believe, instead of just learning facts (and opinions dressed as fact).

It was simultaneously refreshing and challenging to read and think about the "What ifs" and "Whys" of this writing, and I'm interested to enter the discussions prompted by the author as I continue my journey - asking questions and questioning answers.

Beef & Cheddar Pizza

As a kid I have great memories of pizza. Our family often enjoyed the Pizza Hut buffet after church on Sundays, where my brother and I would hold pizza-eating contests among ourselves and other friends in the restaurant that day (I went to a big church in a small town, so we were rarely without other church-goers at lunch).

My favorite topping was Beef & Cheddar.

Later on Pizza Hut introduced the Bigfoot Pizza -- a 1ft by 2ft rectangle of yumminess. It quickly became a staple at parties and our house. Again, the predominant topping combo was beef + cheddar cheese.

Then it disappeared.

I'm not sure what happened, but I recently realized I haven't had a Beef & Cheddar pizza for years, maybe decades. 

I've discovered a new topping that has become a favorite: Pineapple. On a thin and crispy Dominoes pizza pie, it's very good. I finished a medium nearly single-handedly just last month.

But I still think back to the 1980s days of Beef & Cheddar fondly, and wonder if others shared my love of this long lost topping combination, or some other combo of the past.

Mario & Me

I've been playing Nintendo for over 20 years, starting with the classics (Super Mario Bros., Metroid, Double Dribble).  I saved one of my first month's earnings as a paper boy (35 smackers) and road my bike to Wal-Mart to purchase The Legend of Zelda.  My life would never be the same.

Fast forward two decades, and I'm playing Wii Bowling and Lego Star Wars with my wife and kids.  Good stuff.

Last week I spent a few days in Seattle with Janelle, and had the chance to visit Nintendo of America Headquarters.  The actual experience was underwhelming -- the visitor center is the size of a hotel gift shop with roughly the same selection (there were no games for sale).  We did come out with stuffed Nintendo characters for the kiddos and a Hyrulian shield full of candy.

But that wasn't the point.

I stood at the center of my gaming universe, and couldn't help but feel 12 years old again. 

Let me in the sound, let me in the sound

It has been tough to ignore U2 over the past week and a half (not that I'd want to). With stints on Letterman and Good Morning America, and an impressive ad campaign, it was easy to get excited about their new album, No Line on the Horizon.

I have only had it for a few days (thank you $3.99 Amazon MP3). Early impressions are good. I don't know that I'd agree with U2's self-proclaimed "Revolution of Music As We Know It" claims, but it is a darn good rock album.

Get On Your Boots

When I first heard Get On Your Boots on the radio last month I quickly tagged it to a one-hit-wonder from my Jr. High days: Wild Wild West by Escape Club. At least one other person on Youtube agrees: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mihO74PzCp8

Other tracks of early interest:

7 - Stand Up Comedy

This is my current favorite on the album, and it includes my favorite lyric so far: "Stop helping God across the road like a little old lady."

2 - Magnificent

This is Blake's favorite (age 5). He often gets stuck on one song in the car, and asks for it to be played over and over. We've gone through Bon Jovi, Jason Mraz, and various others. I'm excited that he knows what he likes.

I've also overheard him singing, "Get on your boots! Yeah, yeah!" around the house this week.

9 - O come, O come Emmanuel (err... White as Snow)

Janelle pointed out early on that this song sounds eerily familiar -- it starts VERY similar to the classic Christmas ballad. That being said, I'm a fan of this one too.

Overall, I'm liking the album a lot; I haven't listened to much else since I got it. To me, artists like U2 are modern-day poets (though I'm sure modern-day poets disagree -- I just don't know any and don't listen to their stuff). I love to hear what artists have to say and to experience the way they choose to express it.

If you haven't heard the album yet, you can listen to every track on U2.com. Here's the direct link: http://www.u2.com/soundandvision/index

What do you think? A revolution? Just good marketing?

Messaging Myself (not Massaging)

(Just clarifying)

When I'm in a situation without access to pen and paper and need to leave myself a ToDo or another message, I'll sometimes call my office phone to leave a message. This puts me in the awkward position of talking to myself, and then listening to the awkward message.

I find myself feeling that I should still abide by some code of message giving: saying "hello" or "hey" as an intro, having some conversation with the future me, and then signing off with a "bye" or even a "see ya." When I hear it later, it just sounds weird.

But when I don't do it, it almost feels weirder.

Am I alone on this one? Anyone else call or e-mail yourself with important (or not so important) messages? Do you include salutations?

Video Games: The Rules Have Changed

I grew up playing video games, starting with Pac-man and Pitfall on the Atari 2600. Gaming has changed significantly over the past 25 years - mostly for the better:

Forgiveness: Super Mario Bros. vs. Lego Star Wars

As a kid it was not rare to play the same level hundreds of times (who doesn't have SMB Level 1-1 memorized), and each game ended in death. Flash forward to 2009 where a Lego Star Wars player can die dozens of times and still "beat" a level. Additional points/powers/etc. are earned by completing the level with greater skill (collecting certain items or killing so many enemies).

Saving = Longer Stories

I'm a fan of a good, long story, be it a television series, a book, or a game. The ability to save your game to a backup system increased the depth of video game stories. The Legend of

Zelda's original 1986 release was one of the first games to allow battery backup, and made it the first "long story" game for me.

In-game Tutorials

Super Mario 64 is the first game I remember with a significant in-game tutorial, teaching me to play the game inside the game. It eliminated the need to read through the manual before starting.

Sandbox

The open feel of some games (Legend of Zelda, and to a greater extent, Grand Theft Auto) give players the opportunity to play at their own pace, working on side quests and participating in the story as they like. The story can even change based on decisions made by the player.

Graphics

For better or worse, games are prettier and/or more realistic than ever. Blocky graphics of the 80s have been replaced by beautiful 3D visual candy. The beauty is more beautiful, the violence more violent and other inappropriate content even more inappropriate. It's my opinion this is a parental issue and complex enough for a blog post of its own. I do think the rating system of the 90s has provided guidance to otherwise unknowing parents.

Playing the World

This is the most important change of the last 25 years. The ability to play with friends and strangers online is huge. There is some satisfaction in beating the computer and progressing through a story, but it pales in comparison to competing with and against other real people from around the world. It started for me with 3 other college roommates playing Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64. But now I've enjoyed online play with Wii Mario Kart, and I'll never be able to go back.

So there we go. The good ole' days are still good, but IMO gaming is much improved over its beginnings in the 70s and 80s.

I've never called my congressman...

I've never been politically active, assuming most "representatives" are more likely to be representing themselves.  I doubted any effort on my part to contact my local legislator would make a difference; on top of that, I didn't really have a particular issue - especially at the state level - I felt strongly about.

Until now.

Missouri has 500+ primary traffic laws an officer can pull you over for violating, including:

• Burned out tail light or license plate light
  
• Dark tinted windows
  

The single violation not included on this "primary" list is the law requiring seat belt use.  It does exist, but has been relegated to "secondary" status.

House Bill 665 will change the current seat belt law's status to primary, and in doing so will save 90+ lives and prevent hundreds of injuries each year (based on similar states' experience).  As a traffic safety engineer, there is no tool in my toolbox that can make that big an impact so quickly -- and at no cost to the state or taxpayers.

I've never "mobilized a movement" or even asked a friend to call their senator.  Today's the day.  If this issue is of interest to you, please consider the following:

• Look up your local legislators in the House and Senate and contact them via e-mail or phone to express your support for HB 665.
  
• Contact members of the House Transportation Committee.  They will be hearing the bill in early March.
  
• Visit www.savemolives.com to join the Primary Safety Belt effort and find more ways to get involved.
  

Thanks for reading through my soapboxes this spring about seat belts.  In my line of work and passion, this is one of the most important efforts I've been involved with.

Oscar Blog: Showtime

I started a live blog during the Oscar ceremony, and then got bored with myself (and had a tough time typing, folding clothes, and trying to enjoy the show with Janelle simultaneously).  I also had little to say during the first part of the show besides "Jack Black is funny" and "Tilda Swinton is more pale than usual."  So I slept on it and gave it a shot this morning.

Jack Black cracks me up.  His presence and facial expressions are laugh-inducing.  I also really liked Steve Martin last night.

Ben Stiller did not.  I was annoyed by him, and if I were a cinematographer nominated for an award I would've been offended by his weird act.

Hugh Jackman was a little rocky at first, but the opening number was good and he did a nice job overall.

Sophia Loren.  Hmmm.

Queen Latifah is one of my favorite entertainers of all time (going all the way back to my hard core rap stage in Jr. High).  All hail the queen.

Even though we knew Heath Ledger had to win, it was an amazing moment to see his family on stage honoring his work and his memory.  

I really liked the production of the show last night.  Very cool, artsy, techy ideas for showcasing movies and walking us through the process of how a movie is made.

I was also a big fan of having past Oscar winners speak personally to each nominated Actor/Actress and Supportings.  Particularly special were some of the older actors talking to the younger stars.

I think Angelina Jolie is as pretty as the next guy, and I know they were both nominated, but at some point (about the 113th shot of her and Brad) it did get old.

There were a few odd absences that I always expect to see: Jack Nicholson, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Paul Reubens.  Oh, and I guess there was some controversy about Peter Gabriel that I'd never heard about.  All I know is that he didn't show up to sing his nominated song.  I'd expect such from Eminem when he did it, but Peter Gabriel??

The Slumdog Millionaire musical performance was my highlight of the night.  Incredible.

My favorite speech quote (from the Slumdog guy who won all the music awards):  

"I've had the chance in my life to choose to love or to hate.  I've chosen to love, and now I am here."

We have a winner. 

Oscar Blog: Pregame

Gonna give a shot at live blogging during the Oscars. Here's the pregame version:

Phillip Seymore Hoffman gets to wear a stocking cap. He just does.

I always laugh out loud at Jack Black.

Robin Roberts = Classy

Overall, the red carpet was similar to every other year. On with the show...

Read Chapter 1. Check for Goosebumps.

I have a lot of books at the house and office that I've collected over the years but haven't read.  In order to deal with the overwhelm, I'm developing a new strategy for separating the good stuff from the mediocre.

Read Chapter 1.

Check for Goosebumps.

The theory is this: If the author moves me in the introductory chapter, I'll continue.  If not, I'll move on.  I've found that -- at least for me -- the most life-altering books I've read have had an incredible Chapter 1.

Will I still miss some good information?  Sure.  But as I've read more and more books (particularly in the Business/Management/Leadership genre), I've determined that most of them borrow heavily from each other. 

There is a finite amount of time any of us has to read.  Even if we read 24 hours a day, no one could read everything written about even a single topic.  So here's my first shot at finding those titles that change something about how I think or act.  We'll see how it goes.

Please wear your damn seat belt

I've waited quite awhile to get on my soapbox about seat belts on the blog, for fear of sounding preachy or cranky-old-man-y. But it's getting ridiculous, especially in Missouri.

Three of every four Missourians do not wear their seatbelts. That makes me sad. But get this: 70% of people who die in traffic crashes are UNBUCKLED. For teenagers, the number jumps to 80%. And these are kids who have pretty much always been buckled by their parents. Now they're cool-kid James Dean move is to drive without a belt on? Really?

Here's the thing: We have a solution that would really help. It's called a Primary Seat Belt Law. Most states have it. Missouri doesn't.

Today, you cannot get pulled over in Missouri for not wearing a seat belt. If you get a ticket for something else, the officer can tack on a $10 seat belt fine. As you might have guessed, this is not particularly effective.

In states that have passed Primary Seat Belt laws, their usage jumped 10% immediately. Soon after their traffic death rates went down. This isn't rocket science. It's basic cause and effect.

Opponents cling to their rights of freedom and privacy (on a public roadway paid for with public dollars). Until they get in a crash. Then the expectation is for the insurance company (to whom all drivers contribute) or the government (to whom all people contribute) to cover medical expenses -- expenses that would have been greatly reduced by using a proven safety device installed in every vehicle.

I don't generally lean toward increased regulation of people's personal decisions, but in this case I believe it's appropriate to legislate some safety into our state, for the greater good of all.

Here's my ask:

1) Wear your seatbelt. Buckle your kids.

2) Take a look at the information on www.savemolives.com.

3) Join the converstation. I understand this is not a black & white issue, and I enjoy the discussion.

Props to Zed, Best Buy Salesmen Extraordinaire

I had a unique experience at Best Buy this weekend that I thought worth sharing.  For every "less-than-stellar" sales person on the planet, there are a few that stand out.

Janelle was in the market for a new laptop computer, and with a little research we picked out a nice Acer model that we were excited about.  Mr. Internet told us the Best Buy in Columbia had at least one in stock.  I usually like to buy our computers online with Dell - partially to avoid the big electronics stores.  But this was a good deal, so I headed to the big box.

I eventually found the floor model and began checking the spec details and pecking the keys (I guess to make sure it was a normal computer, and not an alien breed of some sort -- the keys pecked just fine).  

Enter Zed.

First of all, the kid's name is Zed (Strike one).  He was decked out Gen-Y style, with thick-rimmed coffee-house glasses (who needs glasses like that at 19? - Strike two) and some sort of ear piercing/stretching, including a 1/2" stone implanted in his lobe (I'm outta here).

I played it out, assuming a 30 minute session of "this computer is OK, but you might want to consider..."  I was wrong.  I told Zed what I wanted.  He didn't think they had any in stock, but he did a quick search and determined they did.  Though it wasn't where it should be, he did some extra searching.  He found it.

At the checkout, I was behind a couple other computer purchasers getting the full package of "necessary" add-ons for optimal computer performance (overpiced mouse, overpriced case, overpriced surge protector, extended warranty, Geek Squad we'll-come-to-your-house-at-midnight-to-fix-anything-even-your-relationships plan, etc.).  

When Zed stepped behind the counter, he rang up the computer, swiped my card and sent me on my way.  What the hell?  Where's the banter?  The "no thanks, just the computer today" or "I think I'll take the risk my laptop doesn't burn in a forest fire in the next 12 months" discussion?  Nothing.  Just a credit card receipt and a smile.  I had to know why.

I asked Zed why he didn't offer my 52 other things with the computer purchase.  "Body language - I could just tell"  was his response.  Impressive.

So big props to Best Buy for hiring Zed and props to Zed for learning how to read people.

TV is back!

I haven't been all that excited about TV programming for quite some time, and was particularly board with last fall's offerings. Besides "The Office," I didn't really follow a single current show. But January has brought a lot of great stuff back that I'm excited about. A quick run-down.

24

The first 4 hours from this week have been as good as I can remember from 24 for quite awhile. Jack Bauer is the Shaft of our generation. He's a bad mother...

The "putting the band back together" feel of this season has already been rewarding, and the fast-paced nature of the season so far means the plot shifts on a regular basis (sometimes even within a single episode).

LOST

This has been my favorite show for awhile now. I'm a sucker for a good, long, detailed story (whether on TV, from a book, or in a video game), and LOST fits the profile. Also, the weekly discussions with family, friends, and the online community about what the hell is going on adds to the fun of the show.

I'm also impressed that the producers/creators/writers made a deal with ABC to cut the show off after a finite number of episodes. LOST should not die a slow death (see Alias) or get cancelled after a great season finale cliffhanger (Joan of Arcadia).

(Aside - Yes, I watched Joan of Arcadia and loved it. A little sappy, perhaps, but a good solid family drama that also included God jumping into the bodies of random people to help guide the main character. Worth a DVD rental if you missed it.)

Battlestar Gallactica

We were a little late to the party on this show, but it was fun to catch up on DVD and a great ride since. I haven't been as excited about the series of late, but I have to know the identity of the final Cylon, so I'll be watching.

American Idol

Idol is my reality show guilty pleasure. I've particularly enjoyed a couple changes in the early 2009 episodes. The new judge - Kara, I think - is good (for the love of all that is good and holy, please fire Paula now). They've also shown fewer awful singers (the gag is getting old, and they've realized it) and added more tear-jerking, Olympics-syle stories about the contestants. My favorite so far is the welder from Oklahoma.

So there it is - excitement for Spring '09 TV. What about you? Anything you're watching, or have given up on, of late?

Movie Pick: Born into Brothels

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388789/


This 2004 documentary follows nine children living in Calcutta’s red light district. Their mothers are prostitutes “working the line,” and their fathers are nonexistent, abusive, and/or tied to the current economic system of the neighborhood.

Zana Briski, a freelance photographer, was working on a documentary of the conditions. She found it very difficult to get anyone to open up to her, an outsider. She began teaching photography to the kids in the area, and in doing so got them to both trust her and create great art.

The life change in the kids was impressive, and a “3 years later” extra on the DVD showed how improved many of their lives were by the experience.

I was particularly struck by two things:

1. The parents had generally given up hope for themselves and their children. Some did not allow their kids to attend a nearby boarding school, which was disheartening. I couldn’t imagine not promoting the best for my children -- but then thought about times when it happens.

2. The kids took some incredible pictures with basic equipment (hand-me-down 35 mm cameras).

The film was awarded the Oscar for Best Documentary, and has since launched a movement: Kids With Cameras.
http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/