Wentworth Chronicles

The Tebow Hater Theory

2011-12-18T17:53:00.000-08:00

I've got a theory.

This theory will finally put to rest the question of "Why do people hate Tebow so much?".

Here is why.

In a professional sports world full of role models that should not be role models, we can't handle a good one. We look to athletes like Lebron and cheer him on one hand but love to scorn him for his "decision". We marvel at Vick's ability to throw and run, but chastise him for his treatment of dogs. We stand in awe of the incredible career of JoePa, but shake our heads at his inability to shutdown a scandal. Why do we love and hate these icons of the game so much but simply just hate tebow? It's extremely simple. We want to be able to say "see I'm better than that guy". He may be better in sports, but I'm better in life. At the end of the day it's ok to marvel at these guys and judge them, because we think we're better people. Tebow breaks that mold and it just F's with our minds.

With Tebow and we can't hold something over his head to make us feel better. The guy loves God, so we try to make fun of him. The guy prays when he needs assistance the most, so we mock him. The guy can't throw as well as others so we critique him. He spends his time in the offseason in poverty ridden countries volunteering in clinics, so we laugh at him. Bottom line is, Tim Tebow is a better person than us in sports and in real life, so he's hated for it, because we can't take it.

I love it. I love Tebow. I especially love the people that hate him, it says a lot about them.

Heisman: Win or lose? Which is actually better.

2011-12-10T13:56:00.000-08:00

I wrote this blog a few years ago, and was thinking the same exact thing today as I wait to hear who is named this years winner.

You wanna be the next heisman winner? Really? Have you thought this through? Little boy in the backyard that just juked your unathletic friend past the maple tree for a TD, stop and think before you strike that iconic pose. If you have a dream of playing in the league someday, or the NFL for those that are behind on your hip lingo, you better hope you are the runner up at the downtown athletic club. You better hope that when Chris Fowler gets to that podium your name isn't behind that manilla folder. Why? After all the trophy is the defining moment of a college career? Thats exactly why. It's the defining moment of your college career, and your career there after. Lets take a look at the previous 20 year winners. Stay with me. (other than Cam and Tebow now)

Cam Newton - bucking the trend for the Heisman winner. I love what he's doing.

Mark Ingram - currently playing for the Saints. I would say his career is off to a good start.

2008 Sam Bradford Oklahoma QB- Broke his shoulder like a cheap pair of velcro shoes. twice. Lost a guaranteed $20 million in first round money. His career is still up in the air.

2007 Tim Tebow Florida QB- The most hated man in college football, why? He's great in all aspects of football, life, and being awesome. Now look at him.

2006 Troy Smith Ohio State QB- Blew the championship game against Florida, is now a career back up to a guy that played Div. I AA. Now playing at Omaha. That's not in the NFL.

2005 Reggie Bush USC RB- Not even the feature running back. He's a slash player, a gimmick guy. Since writing this, he has started to turn it around.

2004 Matt Leinart USC QB- HA. Really?

2003 Jason White Oklahoma QB- Not even in the league anymore. Really?

2002 Carson Palmer USC QB- Could of would've should've

2001 Eric Crouch Nebraska QB- Retired after 2-3 seasons. For injury you ask? Oh no, because he sucked.

2000 Chris Weinke Florida State QB- This guy pulled social security as soon as he won this award. He might be a backup right now, or a AARP rep.

1999 Ron Dayne Wisconsin RB- Had a decent start to his pro career, but where is he now?

1998 Ricky Williams Texas RB- wedding dress. marijauna. now the wildcat. Ricky might be back. Or not.

1997 Charles Woodson Michigan DB/WR- The only Defensive player in the last 12 years. This dude is still making plays, very impressive, plus my high school beat him in high school.

1996 Danny Wuerffel Florida QB- HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAH

1995 Eddie George Ohio State RB- THE MAN. FINALLY A TRUE WINNER THAT WENT ON TO A PRO CAREER.

1994 Rashaan Salaam Colorado RB- Oh man....how bout this guy? never made it. ever.

1993 Charlie Ward Florida State QB- Hilarious. did he get drafted? Honestly, he didn't.

1992 Gino Torretta Miami QB- Do you hear his name with Brett Favre? No, me neither.

1991 Desmond Howard Michigan WR- He's great on college gameday each sat. enough said. His pro career is like his old college now.

1990 Ty Detmer Brigham Young QB- Loved this guy. Had one year in the pro, or was that his brother Koy? I can't remember.

1989 Andre Ware Houston QB- 5-8 as an NFL starter. Ha

So do you want to be the next heisman trophy winner? Go look at the list of runner ups, I'll be on that list anyday. Forget the SI curse, someone start talking about the Heisman curse. If I have a son, I'm going to teach him to strike the runner up pose when he scores a TD, stand there, clap and nod in approval.

realizations, from my perspective.

2011-11-22T19:01:00.000-08:00

my realizations about my job as of 10:00 this tuesday night.

Jobs are better when you have established relationships that increase your drive and desire to be there and do well.

Jobs are better when you take time to play. Intentionally fitting in time to find joy at work makes for a better version of your work self.

Jobs are better when you muddle through some bad times to only find the better times, are in fact, better.

Jobs are better when you can walk away from it, return, and know that everything is ok. You didn't just crash a plane like an air traffic controller.

Jobs are better when you know for sure that your future is truly unsure. The unknown is exciting, keeps you evolving.

Jobs are better when you earn recognition for your accomplishments and at the same time challenged with your shortcomings.

Jobs are better when you know your product will always be there in some form, so you're needed.

Jobs are better when you wake up in the morning and don't feel like you're going to a job.

here endeth the lesson.

Hats

2011-09-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted something in forever. I'm not naive enough to think that shook your world, but here we go again. Remember getting a new hat? I know that when Brad and I would get a new hat it was an art form creating the "perfect" hat. We would rubber band the bill around a baseball over night, soaking the brim in water so it would dry in a perfect curve. The inside front of the hat always had that plastic layer that would make the hat stand up flat, we hated that, so we removed it. Painstaking process of cutting out the plastic, but you had to be careful because it was very easy to poke the inside of the hat and cause a hole, thus ruining the hat. Then there was the front tip of the bill, sometimes it looked good all frayed, other times we took a lighter to it because it looked better scorched a little. We would literally beat the hat into the wall, against brick, whatever we could do to break it down so it fit perfectly.

The reason I bring this up is because I often think about how many hats I wear "job" wise. In a given day I could be a teacher, department head, DC coordinator, Mentor to new teacher, team leader, middle school ministry leader, high school ministry leader, app salesman, father, and husband. That's a lot of hats. Each one is unique it's in own way and brings both joy and stress. I spend a lot of time mentally beating these hats into a comfortable fit. I want to bend them to fit my life better, because I live with the idea that "I'm needed" to do this job. Then today I woke up from a nap and read a blog by Steven Furtick. The blog basically said "stop kidding yourself that you think you're job is so important that the bigger purpose of life, God, can't be, and won't be carried out". You know the hat that I wear the most? sleeper. 1/3 of our lives we will be asleep. Why do I put so much stress on myself over these many jobs I hold? Because in my mind the stress comes from me believing what "I" do matters the most, instead it should be I do my best and God takes care of the rest. If you haven't seen the movie Facing the Giants I recommend it, especially if you have little kids. Ignore the poor acting and focus on the point.

Line from the movie

“Grant, I heard a story about two farmers who desperately needed rain,” the man said, “and both of them prayed for rain. But, only one of them went out and prepared his fields to receive it. Which one do you think trusted God to send the rain?”

“Well, the one who prepared his fields for it,” the main character replied.

“Which one are you? God will send the rain when He’s ready. You need to prepare your field to receive it.”

Dad

2011-06-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

Fathers are special. I'm not trying to lift up my own status or diminish the mother, because the mother is in a league of their own, above all. The father is someone that for centuries people turn to, whether it be advice, conquest, authority, and so on. The father for a long time has been the "name" of the family. To discuss a persons lineage was to discuss who their father was. Talk about responsibility. Your family name could be Mudd, pun and incorrect spelling intended, based on samuel mudd. John Q. Adams once said "Who we were in the past, is who we are now". I'm beyond proud to be linked to my father Jeff Wise. I couldn't have asked for a more honorable man as a father. Well respected, admired, enjoyed. Just a few adjectives people use to describe my father. Growing up my buddies called him "The Dean" and "Coach" titles of respect. They feared him but not in scared way, but because they knew of his expectations he held for us all. Letting down the Dean wasn't on our to-do list. One of the most respectable qualities of my father is his ability to be humble. Brad and I never grew up to stories his football success in high school or college. He could of put us to sleep at night with stories of the "wizard" running up touchdown totals for the college of Wooster, instead he chose to encourage us and push us. I know fathers that talk up their smallest accomplishments, and yet my father always changed the subject when his career was brought up. We had to pry information out of him and our grandpa. I could honestly list all the great ways my father created a name for our family. He chose family over career, staying in Tiffin to be an assistant when he could have been a successful head coach anywhere he chose. He modeled a responsible father growing up, being fiscally responsible, loving our mother, taking care of our home, and providing everything we needed. He modeled a christian home, raising us in a church, encouraging us to live like Godly men. My father isn't perfect, no one is. The best part is that my father didn't hide behind his pride. If there ever was a mistake made, he taught me the mistake he made and showed me the correct way. I'm proud of my father. Proud of my lineage. I hope someday my daughter will look at me when she is turning 30 and think have the good thoughts I have about me, as I do my dad. Love ya dad. I still remember the sand castles, the leg shaking trap, the wrestle matches, the football games, the hours of you catching my pitches and throws (even when I did hurt your hands). Thanks for being my dad even when it was hard.

How to say "The"

2011-05-31T10:11:00.000-07:00

You won't find me trying to argue for the firing of Jim Tressel, likewise, you won't find me arguing that he wasn't wrong. The level of wrong as far as I can see would result in a simple "Hey Jim, don't do that anymore, ok?"...instead we have THE OSU turning their back on the man that has more principle than the collection of remaining college coaches. Right now, coaches like Nick Saban, Gene Chizik, and other big programs are scrambling to close the mouths of those whistle blowers that could make them the next JT punchline. The problem of student athletes selling their gear for cash or body ink has zero impact on me. I think they're stupid, but it's their loss down the road. Should a coach be fired because of their lack of nostalgia? Not at all. What fired JT is the simple fact that when it came time to choose loyalty to players or loyalty to what is right, he chose wrong. In a parallel to the final scene of Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade, when the guy chose the wrong holy grail and evaporated into dust, Jimmy T did the same. At the moment when the NCAA asked him in December "did you know about this?" Whether he knew what he was doing or not, he should have told the truth. At that moment when he said "I didn't know about it" blammo evaporated grail style.

His loyalty to the players killed his chances of making it thru this storm. My problem isn't even the loyalty, it's what was brewed before that. It's the false empowerment gave to players like Pryor. His comment in the SI article that bothers me the most is when TP says "I can get anything I want" referring to gear such as shoulder pads, etc. Players like Pryor became bigger than the program, and that I blame Tress for. I don't blame him for any wrong doing other than lying and allowing #2 to become an ego factory. I watched a practice once when Pryor walked out 20 minutes late, nothing snapped up, and didn't even join his teammates for stretching. I looked to Tress to rip his face off, instead I was left expecting more. Instead I watched a lackluster superstar give just that type of effort all practice, never to be talked to. Maybe the machine was already rolling and the scandals were years deep by that point, but that day my OSU pride died a little inside of me because I expected more. Today I sit a broken OSU fan, unsure of what I grab hold of. Before today I could tie myself to the fact that "We do things the right way, the winners way". Now we are looked upon as "every other program". When things started to go south for the program I expected more. I expected more from Tressel and to do what was right no matter what consequence it had. I expected more from the University to stand by their guy. I expected more from players that love him and come to his defense. Instead I am just slowly losing a great source of pride.

So, I think all of ohio state nation needs to start learning how to pronounce word "the" because we aren't THE Ohio State University, we are just the.

The Engagement

2011-05-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 4th year date of our engagement. If it were up to Lindsey we would have been engaged much earlier. The amount of pressure put on a guy to get engaged, then to plan the engagement is immense. Let's be honest, typically guys are awful at planning things, we just want to do it, be done, and move on. The whole idea of spending months planning and orchestrating is just exhausting. However, guys want to make their significant others happy, so we do it.

My time came. The day of being the single man was over. I went ring shopping with my buddy Jordan and decided on the perfect stone. Now it was time to design what would hold it. Knowing a little bit about what she wanted, I went on to design a ring that I thought would fit her perfectly.

The ring is a huge part, but it's not the only part. The other half of the equation is how to get that ring on her finger? Do you go the simple dinner out, pop on a knee? Maybe you're that guy that proposes at the ball game? In front of family? None of these would work for me. If you know me at all you know that at times I can be a bit over the top. This seemed to be one of those times that called for big plans.

Step one: Get the Father in Law blessing. I'm comfortable talking to anyone, but asking for the blessing is a pressure cooker man. We were sitting there on Derby Day I believe, which happens to be like a national holiday for my father in law. So, in my mind, why not ask him the most important question on the day he just wants to sit in his chair and watch races all day? Brilliant huh? So with Lindsey and her mom in the other room I dropped the ol' bomb on Gary and ask for his blessing. He agrees of course, but not sure if it was due to excitement or simply because the horses were at the gate and the next race was starting. I didn't tell the mother in law, and to this day I still get crap. Ha.

Step two: Think of the knockout plan. I had initially thought I would propose in California. We were heading there for Jordan's wedding, why not use the golden coast as my backdrop. Then I kept thinking about Meet the Parents, and checking the bag, losing the ring, and all of that so I backed out. Next was to do it at Florida with Lindsey's extended family all there on the beach. Then I realized I wasn't sure how much this family really liked me at the time, and to do that you have to be pretty confident that an excited response would be your return. So I settle on the best friend approach.

Step three: Secure the plan. I call Jess, Lindsey's best friend, to orchestrate this plan of deception on my future wife. We agree to tell her she is invited to South Carolina to help Jess plan her upcoming wedding to Lindsey's cousin. Lindsey of course has some reservations on the cost of flights and I need her to only buy a one way ticket, so we make up the idea that Jess has a "one way voucher" for a flight. My ever-trusting wife agrees, and purchases the one way ticket.

Step four: Details. Jess and I discuss the idea of proposing on this bridge that overlooks a waterfall and ravine. Perfect. Let's do it. The plan is in place.

Step five: Transportation. I didn't want to drive my new car, so I rented a standard pontiac grand am. I show up at the rental store and am asked why I am renting a car. So I explain the whole story, show the ladies the ring....bada bing...instant upgrade. I get the choice of the lot. I pick out a brand new SUV with all the bells and whistles. Girls love a mushy story.

Step six: Passengers. I didn't want to drive 9 hours alone, so I asked Lindsey's sister, Lana. We didn't really know eachother all that well, but I thought what the heck this is a good way to learn. We had a great time in the ride, screaming songs at the top of our lungs when we got a little stir crazy thru the mountains. Ate an amazing corn dog, and spent a lot of time getting to know each other.

Execution. Now that the time had come I was getting nervous because our entire plan hinged on good weather. I look up the weather report that morning and sure enough, rain. Toby, the cousin, picks us up and it is raining, like fat rain. We are talking in the car about our plan B, which of course we have no plan B so it's just "plan screwed". As we drive closer to the bridge the rain begins to stop. We park and walk to the bridge where I take my post, Toby and Lana go hide down the bridge so they can give me the signal (raise a leg when you see Lindsey coming). I am watching them but also thinking about the past 26 years. All those girlfriends and dates that led me to this point. It's funny, each person/date you learn something about yourself and what you're looking for in a spouse. You kind of owe them a thank you at that moment. I'm snapped back into reality when I see Toby pumping his leg like he's trying to stomp a family of oversized ants. I give a quick look to my left and see Jess and Lindsey walking toward me. I get that huge lump in my throat and reach for the ring in my pocket that I have now thumbed over a million times to make sure it's there.

This is it, I think to myself.

I spin around all hollywood style to surprise my future wife. With a stunned look on her face she reaches her hands to her mouth and can't audible a single thing. I pop down on one leg, say something that I honestly can't remember, and probably is a good thing. After gathering her senses she finally says yes (talk about sweating that out) and I put the ring on her finger. That moment it all comes full circle and you realize all that planning is worth it because of the phone calls and joy your fiance gets to make to tell everyone how it went down. Except that phone call to the mother in law that didn't know, sorry Kim!

44 (ok maybe just 22)

2011-05-07T06:55:00.000-07:00

I heard a report this morning about a man who made it big with his little business. He retired with a large amount of available cash, so he spent the next few years traveling around the world and thanking 44 people that impacted his life in a positive way. This blog really isn't for anyone but me and those 44 people. I am not even sure I have 44 people yet, then again, I am half this guys age. So I am going to go with 22 people. The one qualifier is that I can't pick anyone in my family and the current people I am involved with like close friends and colleagues right now or in the last couple years. The story isn't written on how you have completely impacted my life. So 22 people from my past that impacted me in a positive way: (i encourage you to do the same) This is no order. If I could thank each of them individually I would, and I hope they all know the difference they made in at least one kid's life.

1. Dr. David Allen. My freshman year at U of F Doc was one of my professors. He saw something in me and hired me as his teaching assistant. He and I became close over the four years and he always pushed me to dream big, never settling. He didn't have any sons and I always felt like he viewed me in that way. He passed away two years after I graduated, but I will always remember him.

2. Mr. Todd Edmond. Mr. E was my social studies teacher in high school. By the time I was a senior I still had no idea what I wanted to go into college for. During my senior year I had a history class with him and the light turned on. Mr. E made history fun and made me want to do the same for kids. It was because of that senior year experience and his teaching style that I am teaching the way I do.

3. Mrs. Melissa DeMoss. My high school art teacher. She was a breath of honesty. She told me when I sucked. She told me when I was great. The thing I remember about Mrs. D the most is that she told me when I was being average. Even when I wasn't in her class my senior year, she was a shot of reality for me that my big ego headed self needed. I treat kids the same way now because I realize the long lasting impact it had. Plus she was really freaking fun.

4. Lorraine Mackey (now Smith). She was my high school musical director. She took a high school QB and turned him into Glee. I was opened to an entirely new set of people and kids that makes me appreciate all kids now as a teacher. She took my insecurities and helped me become a more well rounded person. She also got me involved in summer camps helping kids realize they can play sports and be a part of the arts. That was life changing.

5. Cliff Hite. Findlay high school head football coach. You wanna talk about eccentric? Coach Hite was the model of it. Football coach, history teacher, community actor, and now Ohio Senator. I learned about the spread offense from him. Teaching me the insides and outs, making it as easy as PB and J. He showed me how not to take everything so seriously, but have a serious goal.

6. Bill Rietz. SS department chair my first 4 years of teaching. This is the most recent person I think I can post based on the rules. Bill has since retired and I really haven't had much contact in 3 years. Bill sat me down halfway thru my first year of teaching (we shared a room). He asked me what I wanted to get out of teaching. He went on to say that the current way I'm teaching isn't going to result in those goals. He taught me more in that half hour conversation and the first year I was teaching than all the methodology classes combined in college. I grew because of Mr. Rietz. He corrected me when I needed it and because of him I have continued to grow each year.

7. Pastor Rob Mitchell. Rob was my youth pastor. He made liking football and Jesus cool. Sounds silly, but that is what made him to real to me. Here was a guy that loved the packers as a near second to the amount he loved Jesus. I thought that was cool. He left midway thru my school career and I never really grew after that, I think because I was always hoping Rob would return.

8. Coach Hess. My little league and 9th grade football coach. Coach Hess gave me the initial confidence to be a football player. He was my first real coach, other than my dad who I knew already thought the world of me. So here is the guy that I have to impress because I'm not his kid. As little as that level of football really means in the grand scheme, it meant a lot to me that he believed in me and coached me in a positive way.

9. Scott Will. Coach Will was a history teacher, football coach, and an even stronger Christian. In high school you don't have many teachers or coaches that are strong christians. SWill was. He made an impact on me, not necessarily then, but now. He led FCA that I never attended and I don't know why. I look back at the time after time he invited me to come, and I always dissapointed him. Yet he kept asking. Even after school he kept in touch to see how I was doing with life and my walk with Christ. That impacts me to this day with how I handle certain kids.

10. Dr. Denise Callahan. My elementary principal, then my Superintendent. To an elementary kid she was like 7 foot 2. I distinctly remember being called into her office one time for an altercation. She had me sign her book, and if I ever signed that again for getting in trouble it would be an "issue" with her. She taught me that people screw up, but it matters what you do next. She was always so eager to hear how I was doing, even years after elementary school. She cared about kids and teachers and we were lucky to have her.

11. Paula Sehlhorst. My summer custodian boss. She worked in a position that most people take for granted, the school custodian. Former students came back and worked as summer custodians for years before they canceled that program. My brother and I had the pleasure of working for Paula at Krout Elementary. Paula taught me the fine details of making a school look the way it does. I never appreciated the work of a custodian until I worked as one. They put their absolute best into making a school look great for kids and teachers alike, just so we can mess it up. Paula showed me hard work that goes unnoticed isn't any less important.

12-22 to be continued...

Price of an opportunity

2011-05-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is a big day. Tuesday May 3rd is the day most people will be going to the polls to punch a ticket for local issues, most notably school levy's. The district Lins and I work in will be one such district. One of the largest districts in the area with 23+ schools, you would think we are pretty secure, but I'm not entirely sold. For the first time in my 29 years I have seen levy signs against the district levy. Vote No signs. Remove myself as a teacher of that district and I want to knock on their door and ask them to have a conversation with me. I want to ask them what their school experience was like growing up. Most likely they didn't deal with programs, sports, arts of all kind being cut. I want to make this clear, I am not writing this to sway votes by any means, in fact I was very worried thinking that this might rally support in a negative light. Then I remembered that I am not the Huffington Post and my 12 readers aren't exactly the Tea Party type.

I totally get someone that would vote no because of their economic standing. It's tough right now, I get that. I'm guessing there were people that had it tough when I was a kid, but they still voted yes for the annual increase in their property tax. I can't put a price value on how much I appreciate that. I am going to the polls tomorrow to vote yes for a levy for the district I currently live in. I have a decent amount of animosity toward that district, but I have more love for the experience those kids deserve. I'll gladly pay a little more in my yearly tax so they can have their music, art, theater, and sports. So young teachers that are willing to take chances and make connections with kids aren't being Rif'd. When I was their age I had families that voted yes for me so I could have that opportunity, I feel like this is a rare time of when I can pay it forward.

I guess tomorrow if the results come in as a loss I will be extremely upset. My wife has a chance of being cut from her position. I have good friends that are almost guaranteed out if it's a no vote majority. Good teachers that love kids and impact them each day. Honestly though, I'll be more upset for the kids. They will lose out on something that I and many others cherish so much. The opportunity to run out onto a field or court. The chance to sing a solo or play an instrument in front of a packed house. Take an art project to state and win or lose, but say you were there. Without operating funds, those opportunities are afterthoughts.

My wife is a tremendous teacher, one I admire very much because of her work ethic, she will land on her feet and find a job. My friends are all great finds, they will get snatched up very quickly. I can't say the same for the kids. Their experiences can't be picked up, they can't relive their freshman year of basketball. They can't ask for their senior season of football back. It's an experience that will stay with them the rest of their lives, but for the wrong reason.

Tornado at the Point

2011-04-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

First off, prayers and thoughts are with everyone affected by the Tornado(s) in the south.

With all of the reports around the U.S. about Tornadoes I can't help but think of a story from High School. One afternoon we all decided to go up for an afternoon of Raptor riding. It was a perfect afternoon, not too hot but a decent wind to keep things cool. As we started toward the Raptor it was a typical long line and people dressed like eachother with the matching shirts. We worked our way up to the top spot, ready to load into the shoulder harnesses. This is when things started to slow down. The group of us started to realize that we were alone. We looked behind us and the people that used to be standing there was quickly moving toward the stairs, apparently they were fearing the Raptor. However, the raptor wasn't the intimidator, we looked down over the railing to see a scene from King Kong. People were running and screaming like mad. They all had the same fearful look on their face as they turned their heads to look at the impending doom that was heading our way. In a slow motion turn, we all looked behind us back toward the coast of Cedar Point. Sure enough, barreling down at us was a very tall water tornado (spout). It wasn't playing around, it was heading right for us. With that unspoken "OH Sh#%" look we all took off down the stairs.

When we reached the bottom we started dipping and weaving in and out of people on our way to some kind of strong structure. The scariest part? As we ran past those picnic umbrella's they were being pulled into the sky like really big bottle rockets. The best part? We stopped and took the time to pose for a picture. The worst part? I don't remember who has those pictures. I remember Porter and I stopping and pointing at the Tornado, screaming faces in the background making the scene look almost unbelievable. We sprinted to our cars only to find out that there were 3 other water spouts making their way to the Point. Apparently water spouts love the magnum. Being 18 year old kids, we of course posed for more pictures with the spouts in the background. Below you will find the news report from that day.

We had fun with the situation, but there was defintely a real amount of fear there. I can't imagine the people of Alabama seeing the mile wide Tornado and the immense reality that it brings with it. Again, our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in 'bama. Roll Tide.

8.29.81

2011-04-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

What does your birthday really say about you? I used this birthday calculator, you can too. Here are some of my highlights, I would love it if you responded with some of yours.

(click here)

My Birthday

Your date of conception was on or about 6 December 1980 which was a Saturday.

You were born on a Saturday
under the astrological sign Virgo.
Your Life path number is 11.

Your fortune cookie reads:
Love asks me no questions, and gives me endless support. Shakespeare

You are 935,682,879 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:

Michael Jackson (1958)
John McCain (1936)
Robin Leach (1941)

Top songs of 1981

Physical by Olivia Newton-John
Endless Love by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie

Your lucky day is Wednesday.
Your lucky number is 5.
Your lucky dates are 5th, 14th, 23rd.Your opposition number(s) is 3. (makes sense because Charlie Frye was 3)

Your birthstone is Peridot

The Mystical properties of Peridot

Peridot is used to help dreams become a reality.

Then there is a link to see what your name says about you. That was interesting also. Maybe another post.

New Job

2011-04-10T14:51:00.000-07:00

Awhile back you may have read a post I wrote about giving up coaching and a new journey that I would be embarking upon. My entire life as far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a head football coach. I loved the idea of leading young men in something I felt passionate about. I loved the idea of interacting with parents on almost a family level, both of us raising their son in a way. I loved the idea of the camaraderie among coaches and the fraternity you were a part of. I loved the idea of having the ability to make program decisions, the pressure that came with it included. I spent the last 7 years pursuing this dream. Every professional move I made was for this goal. Sitting through hours of interviews, answering to the best of my ability questions regarding program leadership. My favorite moment happened to be when I left my third interview and it was all but a done deal. I had done it, goal accomplished. Then my phone rang, and the superintendent said he had to go against his gut, because he was worried I was going to leave after success. Crash.

Imagine having a goal in front of you for your entire life, finally reach out for it and feel it in your fingers, only to have it slip out of your grip as you squeeze. It was here that my life changed forever.

The next months found me moving districts, jobs, and of course coaching assignments. I was now forced with a decision. Continue to pursue the dream I've had, fully knowing that I was back to square one, or find a new goal. I soon realized that my path was chosen for me, and it was pointless for me to fight it. Fast forward three years and here I sit about to explain how my goal was accomplished finally. No, I'm not going to be a head coach, I have come to grips (99% worth) with that being a goal that isn't for me. Instead, I'm becoming a head coach of a youth ministry. My official title will be Director of Youth Ministry at Northchurch in Lewis Center, OH. This provides everything I was looking for. A chance to work with not only guys but also girls about something I am passionate. It gives me the chance to work with parents in a family setting, both of us raising their son/daughter. I will have that camrarderie with fellow directors, pastors, and leaders. It provides me with the program decision making responsibility, pressure included. Most importantly it is not my goal, it's my goal with God's job description. I may not be calling the plays on a friday night, but there will come a time when a call I make will mean a heck of a lot more than a first down or a touchdown. Trust me, God can throw a better celebration party than the boosters.

It's with an immense amount of excitement and equal amount of fear that I jump into this new chapter of my life. I have a supportive wife and a daughter that can't speak her opinion yet, although I know it would be positive. I have a church family that is supportive with a core group of leaders, parents, and friends that will be an asset. I have a lead pastor that believes in me, and I don't forsee him calling me anytime soon saying that he is going against his gut because he's worried about me having success. We will fail, We will have success. We will hopefully do what God has intended, which I'm learning more about each and every day. So if you're a person that prays, throw a couple in Northchurch Student Ministry's direction. If you're not, throw us some good karma or sour patch kids, your call. It's about to be a heck of a ride....as my buddy McDonough says, which type of person are you?

1. A person that should have done more when they had the chance.

2. A person that wishes they did more, but waited for others to do it.

3. A person that just gets sh*t done.

Option 3 please.

McKinley Marie

2011-03-28T18:51:00.000-07:00

Our daughter....you know how weird it is to say that exact phrase? Parent... you know how much weirder that title is? I swear I stop and look at her and wonder if I am in fact, responsible for her. Like it's a leased car, and for some reason I'm not the official owner. I never thought of parenting the way it actually is. That sounds pretty stupid I realize, but the thought I had as a 20 year old kid about parenting was different. I guess I thought when I became a parent I would be and feel old. I thought the mindset that I would be in, would be of drinking coffee and looking over at my young child with a smile as I read the ticker about the stock I just invested in, while listening to mellow jazz. My brother might now take offense to that last statement, or my slightly hair challenged short friend, you know who you are matt.

Now that she's 9 months, closing in on 10, I can't believe how much fun she is. I can't believe how much I truly enjoy being a parent. The title parent typically came with the tag of burdensome responsibility when I was that 20 something old. I pictured it as the classic conversations Bill Cosby had with his kids. I never thought of the 9 month old parent. I didn't grow up around babies, I never had any real interaction with anyone that couldn't speak in audible words or walk farther than a half step before crashing to the ground. Cliff Huxtable always dealt with the antics of his pre-teen or teenagers. That was the view I had always had of parenting. I was thrust into this stage of parenting that made zero sense to me. Babies were foreign to me, the Mck was the first in our family, I had nothing to go off of. I had to straight up fake it for the first few months, buying myself time by acting like I was cool, calm, and collective. Now that she's older I am in no way a seasoned vet but I have figured one thing out, it's pretty freaking cool. Everything is exciting. I have more videos of the smallest things she does than Oprah does favorite things. McKinley is now pulling herself up, one move away from taking off crawling, and talking like a jabber monster (that's her mother's trait). I can't wait to see what she will do next. I would consider her picking her nose a rembrandt type talent that I certainly would brag about.

I started off staring at her wondering what do I do now? I now stare at her wondering what can I do for her now? Getting her to smile at me is the single greatest part of my day....I don't care if I have to smack my head against the wall, if she smiles I'll take the extra aspirin. I used to think I always wanted a boy only, but I can't believe how unbelievably happy I am to have a girl. It's an entirely new experience that is only going to get messier, and I love it. I have the most perfect daughter and the perfect mother for her is my terrific wife.

Keep the aspirin on hold, because these two will surely like to shop me into depths of debt like I've never seen.

The vision

2011-03-19T11:50:00.000-07:00

For over 15 years I've had the same reoccurring vision. If there is a time when I am sitting inattentively and my mind has the ability to wonder, I wonder my way right into the same mental vision. I'm not exaggerating, I have the exact same vision. The purpose of sharing this now is because I'm looking for clarity. So offer your insight, I have an idea of what it might mean, but I would love for all you professional psych's to break me down.

It always starts off the same. I start to drift off mentally and I'm taken away to a clear as day picture of my face, my eyes to be exact. It's dark, but you can see my eyes fixed on something in the distant, bright and large. Like a zoom in a camera I begin to zoom out and coming into focus is my face, head, shoulders, and soon the whole body. I'm wearing a full set of football pads, helmet, and everything. My eyes still fixed on something. I can't make out colors of the uniform or anything because it's dark. Next thing I know like a camera being spun around 180 degrees, I am now behind myself and see that I am looking at a fuzzy full field of defenders, all staring at me. I start barking out words that I can't make out, but they seem very important. I go back and forth, head swiveling and begin to get under center. This is where it get's weird. Everytime I start to drop back with the ball my view shifts as if I'm looking thru my own eyes, scanning back and forth...but I never throw it. I never find anyone or even attempt to throw it. The vision ends right there.

This vision has been happening like I said since I was right around 14 years old. I always thought it meant I would have that exact moment in a game when I was playing, but I never did. Then in college I thought this might be the moment when I would take a hit and literally die on the field, because "they hit kinda hard in college". That never happened, or I cheated it by only playing one year. Now I don't even coach football and am unsure why this vision is still a part of my life. It's not a dream, I am always awake, and I can always tell myself what the next part of the vision will be, but I can't get passed that dropback, it always ends.

Ok, psychoanalyze that people.

Great Memory

2011-02-22T16:51:00.000-08:00

One of the best things I've been a part of as a teacher.

Rods and Cones

2011-02-21T17:15:00.001-08:00

I used to stare in a fridge for a solid 3 minutes looking for the mustard bottle, I couldn't for the life of me find it. Mom would walk over and with super x-ray vision she would move stuff and pull out the yellow bottle. I would be astounded by her superman-esque power and ask how she did that? Her response was "Females have more developed Rods and Cones in your eyes". I thought this was bunk until I realized it's true through trial and error. Guys simply can't see the stuff females can. We look at a lazy susan full of cheerio boxes and can't find the mini wheats. A female looks at the same swinging gate and sees every freakin' item, including the absence of before mentioned cheerios. Prime example is tonight I was doing dishes and cleaning the kitchen, and when I thought I was done, my wife was able to "point out" to me that in fact I missed over 8 items.

How does that happen? I was proudly sitting on the couch soaking in the good deed I just completed. I honestly thought I was done. I had cleaned up everything. Clearly I didn't, because my sense of satisfaction was not shared by my wife. She was dumbfounded at the fact that I had overlooked multiple items and I seriously couldn't answer the question "how did you miss that?" I was getting ready to drop the "Rods and Cones" thing, but the look on her face wasn't going to buy that nonsense. So instead I opted to do what any guy does when backed into a corner....fight back. I obviously had nothing to lean on substance wise, so I'm sure my argument made no sense. Maybe I'm just a handicap visionary that can't see beyond what he wants to...I don't know. Nonetheless my Rods and Cones failed me tonight, landing me on a couch cushion of failure. I'm sorry wife of mine, I'll work on those Rods and Cones, and not fighting back when backed into a corner, and just admit my inadequacy's....and blame the male eye ball. I love you.

Free Agency

2011-02-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

The whole Carmello Anthony saga has me thinking. What if every job had free agency? Here is Anthony who was drafted to the denver nuggets. I've been to denver, it's beautiful, but it doesn't scream basketball fanatics. So after his stint there of proving his worth it's time to take his talents to the big apple. What if there were Mel Kipers and Mike and Mike's that followed the best post office worker. This dude trudges thru the snow, sleet, and howling winds. He never misses his mark and people like the way he waves as he closes your mailbox now full of potential surprises. He's happy working in Central Ohio, but he's been eyeing the sunny coast of San Diego where carrying mail is the big leagues. After a couple years, Postal Pete (that's his nickname) lets Central Ohio know they have the option of resigning him or trading him away for a young scrappy newbie, a little too wet behind the ears. Central Ohio Post Office gets on the horn and starts wheeling and dealing for PP's services...San Diego doesn't want to lose their rookie too early so they wait it out, knowing that Postal Peter is sunshine bound. This goes round and round till Ontario Canada gets in the mix because of the increase flow of fan mail for the Bieb's, and starts offering up all kinds of Canada swag for PP.

I realize you can leave your job whenever you want and try to better your situation, but what if this is how all professions worked? Could you imagine the garage parties people would throw to watch the 2011 U.S. Postal Draft. Think about it, your local neighborhood drafting a hard working middle age mom.....or taking the risk on the 22 year old young gun who puts his own flair on the customary uniform, pumping his chest after a perfectly placed piece of parcel in your m-box? I would tune in, especially to see if my town got stuck with this guy.

Performance Pay

2011-02-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

This is going to start a riot.

The other day at lunch four young(ish) men were sitting in my room eating another well prepared school lunch. The typical lunch bunch conversation is centered around the sports from the evening before or how we all want to go camping and make flat iron steaks under the moon. This day was a little different. Our Tom Hanks look a like brought up the spark plug topic among teachers, "Performance Pay". Say those words and you'll get a distinct reaction from the typical teacher. For those that do not know what that means, basically, a teacher is paid upon their students performance. Now, I've been down this road of discussion many a time with teachers and (as they view it) the real world workers. I'm here to tell you that I see both sides of the argument for exactly what they're worth, and agree with both. I'm the definition of a fence sitter on this topic. Let me explain why.

For Performance Pay. There isn't any reason why a teacher that has been teaching 30+ plus years should make twice as much as the first year teacher, based solely on their experience. It's ludicrous to think that first year teacher could be teaching like their hairs on fire and really impacting kids on a daily basis while the veteran is riding out the final years of their contract to earn a few extra percents on their retirement. Where is the incentive? Besides being a good person and wanting to impact kids, where is the incentive for that first year teacher to really work that much harder? That teacher could do the minimum just so they don't get fired or teach like a possessed encyclopedia with personality and earn the same amount of money. Performance pay is designed to reward those teachers that go the extra mile and get results. Performance pay could potentially provide bonuses for a student achieving higher than they should on a standardized test. Perhaps you help that student grow more than they were supposed to that year and earn a higher salary.

Against Performance Pay. Most parents don't trust their kids to stay at home by themselves or make the correct decision when it comes to drugs, alcohol, or sex....so why do I want that same kid determining my salary? Do I really trust that the kid will do the extra work it takes at home on their own? Or will they spend the half hour to hour on facebook or xbox? I have 50 minutes a day for a 186 days to ensure my salary is livable. It's a miserable situation when a student comes to school and hasn't showered for three days or is being beat at home. As a teacher you do what you can to make those 50 minutes the best escape from their awful reality that is their home. That isn't tested on a standardized test. You don't get a growth report on that student who has to wake themselves up each day, skip breakfast because they don't have the option to eat, and come to school after a night of sleeping in a house without heat because his mom can't afford it. Then hope that same student can pass that test so you get paid, because after all, a multiple choice test on life science is exactly what their focused on.

I see both sides, I could argue for both until I turn blue. I wish they could find a compromise because too often teachers get bashed by the real world workers, and too often teachers complain about pay. Maybe performance pay should be based on a number of performances or so on....I don't know. Add your thoughts.

Mediocrity

2011-02-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

My buddy Scott and I were talking about mediocrity the other day in regards to kids and parents these days. This of course is not all encompassing of all kids and parents, just the portion we were talking about. Mediocrity is the state of being mediocre, which means being of average quality. Average. Isn't that a word that has a weird mind twist meaning? It has positive connotations if you are doing poorly, or it has negative connotations if you are doing well. I can't remember ever being in a state of mind where being "average" was a place I wanted to be. Oddly enough it seems to be the common meeting ground for so many now. Is it entitlement? Is it laziness? Is it lack of ability? Is it falling short? I have a theory but it has zero weight to back it up other than my opinion. I teach American history. I teach about men and women who never even knew the definition of mediocre. Mediocre meant not defeating the British in the Revolutionary War. Mediocre meant the constitution would have fallen short of being the most powerful document in the world today. These men and women wouldn't have been a part of Scott and I's conversation. Instead we are talking about generations later of young men that lost something their ancestors had. I'm not blaming anyone, nor am I calling out a generation that is just a mere 10 years away from me. I am bringing up a bigger issue that over the years, decades, and centuries has evolved into "part" of our society today, entitlement, greed, arrogance. Look no further than our high school seniors that declare on national TV where they are attending college with hats, puppies, and gimmicks. I worry that the generation we are raising in that spotlight is just adding to the problem. I am sure when I was an 18 year old we did things to piss the older people off, as did they. How can we change it? Do we need to change it? Is it good for our future or will it continue to send us down a road of politicians that send pictures of themselves to online classified girls. Is the over the top desire to prove our worth through these stunts the work to overcome mediocrity? Does it make us more mediocre, I don't know, just like I don't know how I got so far off topic.

you want my best? That will cost ya.

2011-01-17T17:42:00.000-08:00

I don't understand company's like Time Warner Cable. I sit and watch commercials that advertise time warner willing to give a faster internet if you are willing to upgrade. I don't get that. They have the ability to offer a faster internet correct? It's not like it will hurt them in anyway if they offer their better way, right? So why hold back? Why make you pay more for something they should just give you.

Let me ask you this. When you walk into a barber shop and get a haircut, do you expect their best? Do you expect the lady halfway thru your awkward conversation to stop and ask you..."would you like the upgraded haircut, or the regular?" What the heck are you gonna say?

If your brakes are shot on your car, you take them to the mechanic. Before he begins he doesn't say, would you like me to give you my best effort or the regular effort?

I don't say to my kids before I start a lesson, alrighty kiddo's....pass up extra apples and I'll give you a better lesson.

"Excuse me sir"

"Yeah Doc, whats going on?"

"We're getting ready to put you under for your triple by-pass, just wanted to offer you our upgrade"

"ah no thanks, I'll take the regular"

Who does that? Time Warner. So I don't understand it. Yeah it's money...blah blah....give me your best, why? Just because.

Ballreich's

2011-01-02T17:35:00.001-08:00

Are you a fan of chips? Do you get immense satisfaction out of a good potato chip? Look no further than the home grown glory of the marcelled goodness, Ballreich's. You thought Tiffin, OH was only known for producing "yours truly" .....oh but don't forget the chip of all chips. They have many flavors, but the best are the two you see above. The BBQ is to die for, I have a hunch that these were used as currency in the early 1800's. The original are also amazing but I prefer the BBQ, my brother prefers the salt n vinegar, and I used to always eat the Sour Cream and Onion. The chip plant is on Ohio Ave. in Tiffin, OH, you typically could only buy them in town.....Here's the best news for those that do not live in the fine metropolis in Northwest Ohio...they are now in Central Ohio and other parts. I have personal knowledge you can find them in almost all the Kroger's now in Columbus and surrounding areas. I dare you to go out and buy one bag and pretend you won't buy another. Try it. This tuesday is the OSU bowl game, pick up a bag of Ballreich's and enjoy a good game of pigskin with even better potato chips. If you don't love them, I won't buy you a bag of your own, but I'll just be shocked.

New Camera

2010-12-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

So I joined the ranks of the SLR groupies. I've always had a point and shoot digital camera, but with things to take a picture of that require a little bit better output, we broke down and bought a Cannon T2i for christmas. This weekend I finally broke it out for a trial run. I know nothing about it yet, I look forward to some down time to figure it out. However, I will share with you a couple of my favorites from this weekend.

messy christmas

2010-12-12T16:55:00.001-08:00

Remember that Bing Crosby holiday favorite...."we wish you a messy christmas"..... no? Maybe you're blinded by all the candy canes and fuzzy santa hats. The past two weeks at church we've been going through a series based on just that, a messy christmas. Let's be honest, Christmas isn't what it was when you were 8 years old and you cracked open the first NES, and tecmo bowl quickly became your identity (rightfully so). Christmas anymore isn't about the snow, happy jingle bells, lights, or even the perfect tree. As a kid, Christmas was the magic that I'm sure it still is for most kids, gift unwrapping, stockings full of sour candy, and your parents loving the joy you are getting. Flash forward 10 years, Christmas used to be a time when my brother and I would share a tradition of watching "A Christmas Story", wrap our gifts, all on christmas eve. We would share stupid laughter and for a couple hours we captured what christmas was for us as kids, pure joy. Somewhere between now and then Christmas got messy. I'm pretty sure it's something called responsibility....with that comes stress and expectations. Have you ever seen the episode of Seinfeld and George is having his "Worlds Collide"...? Marriage is colliding worlds.

You're trying to juggle the simple fact that two worlds should just blend together. The traditions should melt into perfect harmony and everyone will be so happy...because it's Christmas. ........Expectations...it's a killer everytime........ It's messy everytime. Instead of being like two boxing elves this holiday season I encourage you to find the positive in everything....I struggle with this sometimes, shoot I just complained tonight to my wife. Instead of throwing your hands up in disgust because you'll miss out on the tradition that is so vital to you....instead look to form a new one. As our pastor Mike said......"do you really think Mary and Joseph weren't dealing with a little messy situation". Here's a couple that is being asked to showcase a pregnancy, that oh by the way just "magically" happened, and get this, is the "son of God". You think missing a stupid movie they run on TBS for 24 hours is a dillema? How 'bout explaining that to everyone:

"Hi I'm Joseph, wife Mary, this is our Son, he can make you see, make you walk, pretty much do whatever he wants to do, but I still need to change his diaper in an hour".

God chose those two and he chose to make it messy. He chooses us all for different things, maybe not giving birth to the "Great I am", but to accomplish things he sees just as important. So this holiday season, when things look like they are starting to get messy and all mucked up.....search for the positive and see if God is pressing you a little....you might just end up liking the direction he's taking you, messy or not. Happy holidays and remember

wiggity wiggity wack

2010-11-15T18:01:00.000-08:00

I have no clue why, but I wanted to post this video.

Diapers, listen up.

2010-10-31T18:15:00.000-07:00

The following is not a joke. I actually am being serious.

Listen up anyone that happens to work for a company that might market, produce, design, or do anything with diapers. (i.e. my sister n law Leah). This blog is for you, so grab a cup of coffee, pen and pad, and open start designing that corner office you've always wanted because the idea I'm going to give you to present to your boss will surely end with you being promoted to vice president of the company.

I just finished changing my daughter's diaper, an event that I've become numb too, so much that I haven't had this thought until nearly 5 months in. On the front of these diapers there are printed images such as Mickey and Minnie, Winnie the Pooh, and Tiger too. Why? Honestly why? Don't give me the scripted answer "because kids love them". They are pooping on them. Kids don't see these images EVER. When they are old enough for pull ups and can recognize them, then disregard this blog, but for the other 20 month and younger demographic it serves zero purpose. So why not put something useful on there? Dare I say something interesting be printed for those that will see it. Let me tell you what I think would be perfect for the diaper printing bonanza that will be sweeping the nation soon. Target some audiences, follow me.

Oprah brand: Tell me Oprah isn't the voice of most mothers. Tell me Oprah doesn't love herself more than anything. She has the O mag, why not the O poopers. As much as mom's love hearing what Oprah has to say, why not have the diapers give you great Oprah Show moments like, 1988 Oprah walks into the studio starting her new season in skinny jeans toting a wagon full of 67 lbs. of fat.

Dad's that like sports: Diapers that have facts from various sport almanacs. I would love to be changing a poopy diaper but find out that the yankees have 26 world titles, more than any other sport team.

Mom's that like pop culture: Let's say you're one of those mom's that loves to read US Weekly. Why shouldn't that pee filled diaper tell you one of the 21 facts about Sex and the City. 1) Sarah Jessica Parker was once in a production of the Sound of Music.

History buffs like myself: Why shouldn't that poop dumpster tell me that Georgia was the only colony to not send a representative to the first Continental Congress, because they feared an attack from the Native Americans and wanted Britain's help.

want me to stop? do you catch my drift? I'll keep going.

Quotable: What about you people that absolutely love quotes? Changing diapers can be extremely frustrating, sometimes gross. Why shouldn't that moment be saved with a quote from Jess Jackson "Your children need your presence more than your presents".

Laughable: How about diapers that give you something laugh about, like, Politicians are like diapers, they need changed often, and for the same reason.

I could honestly give you topics forever. it's silly this hasn't been done before. You might say "whats the point?" The point is that it gives you something that maybe once every 5 diapers makes you stop and say "huh, no kidding" Right now I could change 354 diapers and never stop and say huh, unless it's because my kid just pooped on me. I would buy diapers that had fun facts every time.

Hot and Cold

2010-10-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading a book called Foreign to Familiar, based on the fact that I was asked to before I embark on the mission trip I am a part of this Nov. The basic point of the book is that our world is divided into Hot and Cold Culture climates, and those cultures are defined by how they relate to other people, situations, and themselves.

In a hot culture, the people there are embracing and welcoming. They want you to do the pop in. They want to know how you feel and worry about it when they are in your presence. In a hot culture if you ask someone for a ride to the grocery store, mind you their car is full and they have no available room, they will tell you "Ah, right now I'm full, but I think we can find a way, let me get back to you". They are more concerned with friendliness than information. The result they are concerned with is that you walk away saying "that dude was friendly". If you are together in a group, their main concern is that you are comfortable and happy. Even if that means sacrificing their own happiness. They are conditioned to not let you down, if you ask them a question they know the answer is going to be "no"....they tell you "yes", simply because they do not want to let you down.

In contrast, the Cold culture person is all about information. Friendliness is a waste of time. These are the work minded people that are efficient and want work done. If you ask a cold culture person for a ride to the grocery store and their car is full, they will simply say "my car is full, it won't work". They aren't being rude, they are being efficient. They don't think about your feelings first, they think about the end point. When it comes to telling you no, they tell you no because they have the vantage point of, "this is what you want to know". Why waste your time with fluff, if the answer is no, say no.

The great thing that I've learned from this book is that both cultures need one another. They work together like the Yin and the Yang. America is a melting pot of Hot and Cold cultures I believe. Don't look farther than my marriage. I've discussed this book with my wife, and we both agree that I end up being more like the Hot Culture, and she is more like the Cold culture. It's not that one is better than the other, it's just what it is. I look at it as the perfect harmony. If the whole world were Hot culture or Cold culture it wouldn't flow the way it should.

When I travel to El Salvador I will be coming into contact with a Hot culture. They will look at us with respect and with the idea of wanting to please us at all times. Knowing this, I need to not disrespect their effort. If they provide food, I need to enjoy it even if I feel like I'm eating dog poop. I look forward to reporting more to you about this mission trip and what God has in store for us in E.S.

Elections

2010-10-18T15:22:00.001-07:00

I'm disgusted by politics. I even more disgusted when politicians run for election. Every ad tells you nothing. It's all slander and negative bash ads. No one ever accomplishes anything because the system is too broken. A good guy can't get through the process and get elected. If he does, he is 1 of 100. I'm currently teaching the unit on American Independence, when politicians (although crooked at their time also) declared a pretty bold statement and did what was best for the people. Granted, they were corrupt also, but at least they had the balls to do something. Today we are stuck with men and women that fight eachother in circles, solving nothing. It's a slap in the face of those men that signed the declaration.

Brewster says it best in this movie. Show me a candidate that campaigns on the morale high ground, and I'll vote for him/her.

National Sweatervest Day

2010-10-09T05:29:00.000-07:00

The other day at work I had an idea. What if I could get a large group of guys to all wear sweatervests on the same day. Why, you are probably asking yourself? Answer: For Kicks.

So the fake National Sweatervest Day came on October 6th, and to my immense satisfaction, 15 guys sported the Jim Tress Vest. I work in a building where three years ago cliques were the thing and "us" didn't include many people. Now I work in a building where "us" is the majority and although a vest may be stupid and small, it was a large sign of unity.

United we stand in the vest. Since it was a huge success, we decided to wear the vest for our middle school game too, with the power of the vest we pulled out a lopsided victory.

Friday as you know it.

2010-09-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

It's 8:31 p.m. on a friday night. I'm on my couch watching a meaningless college football game, and I love it. Lets talk about this friday night. Friday night used to be "the" night, the night everything happened, but before that it was an even simpler time. Friday night has evolved. When I was a wee little lad I'm sure I saw Friday night as any other night, I still ran around screaming playing with pots and pans before it was time to crash. Once I got old enough to remember things Friday night became a family night. We would get snacks and watch TGIF television. Cosby show, Steve Urkle, and other classics filled our night. Once middle school hit and it wasn't really cool to hang out at home we would spend the night every friday somewhere. My best friend Newman and I spent every single friday night at one of our houses. Friday became the slumber night. Early high school meant Friday night became a night with your buddies and maybe a few girls. This was the bowling night, food at taco bell, nights at the park. Friday became co-ed night. Post drivers license Friday night became date night. Spend the time with the girl if you had one, then meet up with your buddies and spend the rest of the night doing stupid stuff. College meant Friday night was another night to go out and drink. Post college, early career meant that Friday was a night to celebrate, cut loose, and forget the stress from the workplace. Marriage changes Friday night to a night of "what are we going to do?" Friday night all of sudden has expectations of, we need to do something. This turns into ordering food and watching a movie if you stay awake. Then there are the Friday nights with kids. Friday nights with a kid means you don't look for something to do, you look for ways to get food in before it's bed time for the kid so you can go to bed because the bags under your eyes say it's now 8:41 and it's sleep time. On that note, good night Friday.

3 Months

2010-09-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

I write a separate blog on McKinley, but I wanted mesh both worlds for this one because I appreciate so much the job my wife does as a mother.

Sept. 12th, marks the three month celebration of that little bundle of cuteness. Since our last entry a great deal has happened in her little world. Much like Will Ferrel in “Elf”, smiling is her favorite. She loves to brighten your day with a flash of her deathly cute smile. I’ve found that it doesn’t matter what is going on in my work world, if she smiles at me it makes everything better. We have found that the car seat is still not her favorite, but it is manageable. Mom crawls into the back a lot to soothe a wailing McKinley.

Mom and Dad had to go back to work recently, leaving Mck home for the first time. Grandma B and W both came down to stay and babysit, even Aunt Lana made the rotation. It turns out this is very easy in comparison with taking her to the babysitter. Laurie Cox has begun watching her at LuLu’s daycare. A tremendous lady that we think the world of. Dad has drop off duty, Mom has pick up duty. It seems like Dad got the short end of the stick because of the heart wrenching act of letting your child go. The first morning I fought off any emotion by avoiding saying goodbye, meanwhile, Mom is crying at school when I arrive......she didn’t even take her! The second day I braved it and said goodbye, McKinley opened her eyes to smile at me and hold my fingers, this about did me in. I almost quit teaching to stay at home.

The baby bjorn has become her favorite mode for travel, mom really enjoys evening walks with her strapped on.

It won’t be long till she is crawling and talking I feel like, she coo’s all the time and is a mover and shaker. The bouncy ball is still a favorite but she actually loves being held face out so she can see everything.

I will say this, McKinley if someday you are reading this I want you to remember one thing. Your Mom gives everything to you. She gives her time, her thoughts, her worries, her love, her tired nights, her days off, and on and on..... If you ever fell the need to get in a fight with your mom, don’t, because you owe her, BIGTIME. There will be a time when you argue with eachother over something so mundane, and I will have to break the tension, but remember this. Every night your mom takes you upstairs, feeds you, gives you a bath, lotions you up, reads a book to you, feeds you again, and puts you to sleep. You never go down without a fight and she is right back up there putting you to sleep. During the night you tend to wake up once, twice, or three times. Your mother, who loves sleep, gets up and feeds you without concern, puts you back to sleep. I come in to put you to sleep when you won’t do it for mom, but it typically ends with your mother coming back in and putting the finishing touches on you. As frustrated as I get, she always takes care of you with such love and tenderness, and trust me your mom has zero patience.

Each morning you are fed then she proceeds to get ready for school, then eat, but you always come first. You have no idea how hard it is for your mom to give up her sleep in the morning and the extra half hour she takes staring at the closet of clothes. Although, I have a distinct feeling you will be just that way too. You see McKinley, you have a dad that loves you very much, I brag about you, I show you off, I hold you and kiss you, but what I do doesn’t compare to what your mother does. So the next time you want to scream “you don’t love me” because your mom took your cell phone away, remember the thousands of times you were read to, diaper changed, rocked and bounced at night just so you were kept happy and loved. We are pretty lucky huh Mck?

Perspective Police

2010-09-04T16:17:00.000-07:00

If I became President for a day I would create a special task force called the "Perspective Police". This group of well rounded individuals would have one task, smack some sense into anyone that loses perspective. Let me give you an example. I coach middle school football, 12 year olds to be exact. I lost some perspective on what I actually do for a small time the other day. We lost a game, I was upset, the whole ride home I just wanted to talk to people and complain about this player, this play, this ref, this blah blah.....I lost perspective. The kids I coach forgot about the loss the minute they got back and checked their text inbox. I teach the game of football to these kids, how to do it right, so when winning and losing actually matters they are winners. The Perspective Police should have pulled me over, drag me out of the car and hit me with a garbage bag full of mayo.

Example number two. I teach with great people. Last year our boss shuffled us up and asked us to teach some new things. A couple people couldn't that change and since then have been a center of negativity and whining because they aren't teaching what they want. The perspective police should have shown up at our building, call them down to the office and hit chalky erasers over their heads until we couldn't recognize them. There are hundreds of teachers being laid off a year that would kill to teach anything....get some perspective.

example number 3. I am starting to teach my students by using their cell phones in class. Sounds crazy, but it's not, the crazy thing is that we don't do it already. I asked parents for their permission/consent. I had a dad email me a 4 paragraph message basically telling me that I am forcing him to buy his kid a cell phone and I am hurting this generations ability to communicate. For the first time in my seven year career I feel like I've found the key to unlock their complete interest. I'm speaking their language and they are crazy about the idea of learning like this. The perspective police should have knocked on this dad's door and thrown Zack Morris size cell phones at him. His son is a part of a class that is 100% looking towards class over the weekend, get some perspective.

The perspective police would get most of their work from parents of young athletes. So many parents have unrealistic expectations and beliefs about their son/daughter's ability. Anytime a parent acts just absurd, the P. Police would show up with gatorade coolers full of grape jelly they would dump on them. Get some perspective and let your kid be a kid.

The athlete that holds a press conference at the age of 18 to choose between three hats as a method of announcing his collegiate choice would be top offenders on the P.Police list. As soon as the hat was placed on the head the P.P. would shoot a watermelon at them from a potato gun. Get some perspective, just go play.

The perspective police would have knocked on all of our doors at some point. We all have lost perspective at least once in our life of what is important. Too often we consume our time and thoughts with the junk that isn't. Ask someone to be your Perspective Police to keep you in check. Have an agreement that they get to call you out when you lose perspective and you can't argue with them or feel hurt, because they are saving your conscious some late night worrying.

Letter to Summer

2010-08-21T17:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Summer,

I'm not really sure what to say, I mean... we had a good thing. For three months we courted eachother, spending nights together under the moon, you shooting stars....me wishin' on 'em. It was love at first sight wasn't it? The first time I woke up after 9:00 and stumbled downstairs in my cutoff shirt and mesh shorts, the sound of kids and copy machines were a distant memory, no responsibilities whatsoever. Our future became a mutual understanding of corona's and crickets....grilled foods and outdoor fires. We played rounds of golf and took boat rides...things even got pretty hot there in July and August. Oh the endless hours of the west wing we shared over a morning coffee and breakfast sandwich was such a great start to each day. Our afternoons played like an episode of the wonder years...winnie cooper had nothing on you.

However, there were always the signs that too much of a good thing, was in fact, too much. You toyed with leaving, every once and awhile a class or meeting relating to work, but you always came back. Each day that passed things became more awkward...we stopped spending so much time together, you didn't capture my excitement anymore, and I didn't enjoy your assets as much. I have to be honest, I started thinking of another. No, no, no, it's not what you think.....there was only you. It's just.....well....now I can't help it. Soon another will come back into my life and I simply don't have room for both of you....it's not you....it's me. So, Summer, I guess what I'm trying to say is that....we should see other people. Maybe our time will come again, but for now I only have time for school....we'll always have summer, Summer.

B. Wise

My Job

2010-08-17T18:36:00.001-07:00

Ever wonder what I teach? Check out this trailer I created that I am going to show my kids on the first day to peak their interest.

Chills.

2010-08-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

Your best, might be Tigers worst

2010-08-09T13:55:00.001-07:00

Six years ago I was hired in late June to teach at Delaware Hayes High School. I was thrilled. I landed a teaching job and salary of about $33,000. In teaching terms, fresh out of college without a masters, this is considered a good starting salary. Some of you might have just thrown up in your mouth.....yes I know thirty five sounds low, but sadly it's not. This is considered high, you might say I landed the best job of the ones I interviewed for. I remember being pumped when my first paycheck came in the mail and I went to Best Buy and bought, what I'm sure was something AWESOME.

This past weekend Tiger played arguably his worst round(s) of golf in his thunderous career. He put up numbers that my buddies and I put up at the local courses. As my friend Jord might say "He's a coward".

As bad as his round was, he finished second to last and earned one of those giant checks for a bank total of $35,875.

Anyone see anything wrong with that? He made more money than I did doing his absolute worst. His worst was better than my best.

I don't feel sorry for myself at all, that's not the point of this blog. There really isn't a point, I was just dumbfounded when I heard how much a shotty performance can earn him and I wanted to share that with you.

the end.

Naive....overly optimistic....or arrogant?

2010-08-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

I can't decide which of the three I am when it comes to situations that come my way. When something is presented in my life I typically take the stance that things will turn out in a good way. When I say situations that come my way....I really mean things that I have no control over.

Let's take a golf outing. I play in many golf outings and always think "we're going to win". Even if we start to play poorly, I think the rest of the field is playing poorly, so we will still win. Is it me being overly optimistic? arrogant? or naive?

Let's take buying a raffle ticket. Whether it's a 50/50 , a true raffle, or any type of drawing, I honestly think I'm going to win. I recently entered a raffle, I bought one ticket and thought it was just ridiculous I didn't win. I bought one ticket, one ticket. The odds were monumentally against me. Is it me being overly optimistic? arrogant? or naive?

Let's take horse betting. The first time I placed a horse bet, I won $75. The second time I won $2. It was a good month until I won again. I thought for sure, that when I pick a horse it's a lock that my trotter will cross the line first. I am honestly shocked when I don't win. Why? I don't have a clue what I am doing, yet I think I should win. Is it me being overly optimistic? arrogant? or naive?

Let's take the lottery. I've played the lottery twice in my whole life. I buy one ticket. I have spent two dollars on the lottery. I stayed up both times and watched the numbers come. I was shocked I didn't win. It's so stupid, but honest. Is it me being overly optimistic? arrogant? or naive?

I wonder why I am not this way in real situations in life? Why don't I go into situations that I have control over and think I am going to win? Don't get me wrong, I have a suitable level of confidence, in fact, I'm pretty sure I was an arrogant S.O.B. in high school. So much that I've consciously tried to erase that part of me. The problem is there is a chance of failure, and that failure would be my fault. With all the others, I can blame the millions of other people that bought lottery tickets. If I am an awful 8th grade teacher, I have to blame myself. If I look back at living in the neighborhood or city we choose and it's the wrong choice, I blame myself. So I over analyze every situation to the point that it becomes numbing to those that I confide in. One day I talk to my wife with the attitude that i have everything figured out. The next day I switch my mind. It must be mind numbing for her.

The reason for this rambling collection of thoughts about myself is that I have it all wrong. I just read my buddy Otis's blog, and he posted the quote below, and now I realize that I focus way to much on what I think about the way things should be. So maybe it's being naive, optimistic, and arrogant all in one. Instead of worrying about self failure, I should focus on how I can impact others in a positive way. If everyone did that imagine the world we live in.

"The best legacy you could leave is not some building that is named after you or a piece of jewelry, but rather a world that has been impacted and touched by your presence, your joy, and your positive actions."
-Jon Gordon-

Traditions

2010-07-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

A tradition is 1 a : an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior.

I love traditions. I used to think I loved individual things that kept on repeating and I would get all excited when they were coming up. Then I realized that I simply loved the fact that I had these things to look forward to, traditions. I've come up with a set of rules that I categorize traditions with, because the last thing I want is someone saying they have a tradition when it's not.

A tradition to me is something that is done in an even amount of time spaced out, with a minimum of a year in between. This means the un-named tradition has to be annually or every two years, etc..
A tradition has to be something that can happen each time.....don't be a tradition poser and say that you have a tradition such as watching the buckeyes win a national championship. That is out of your control, therefore it can't be a tradition.
A tradition can't be forced. It has to happen naturally. You can't be in the planning stage and someone says...."You know what richard...we should make this a tradition.." No, no, no. A tradition is something that you retrospectively look back on and can use as an excuse to your spouse by saying "Sweetie, I have to....it's a TRADITION".
It has to be positive. A tradition can't be a negative thing. You can't have a tradition where you get together with buddies and re-enact the time your buddy got the nickname iron nuts.
It can't be a national tradition. You can't say "We are eating turkey on thanksgiving".

I have a few traditions that I want to share with you. If you have a tradition I would love for you to share it with me on the comment section. I want to bask in your tradition rich lifestyle.

Findlay Four Golf Outing- this is a group of 4 guys that went to college together and get together at least once a year to play in a golf outing. We used to play poker on a regular basis, but we have been spread out. This tradition started in Tiffin when we played in the hall of fame outing and has been moved around over the years. We missed one year, which put my tradition in jeopardy, however, due to a tradition clause....a one year absence is ok, only for a birth or a death. A birth happened last year.

We had many traditions in high school. Every thursday night before our games on friday we met on the 50 yard line at 10:00 p.m. We talked about the game tomorrow and what it would be like to meet here in the playoffs. This tradition came from my brothers previous tradition of meeting his friends at the press box.

I had a friend that would mark a cross on the back of my helmet before each game. We painted our helmets so the paint was still fresh. This came from me being a scared to death sophomore getting ready to play my first game. He asked what I was scared of...I said getting my head ripped off. So he put a cross on my head. It stuck for the next 31 games.

I have an immense respect for traditions. I am always looking for more. I have many others, but I want to see if the readers of this can pick up on any that include them. Until then, build a tradition. Find something you enjoy and do it with people you enjoy...make it stick, don't force it, just see if it happens.

Hitler reacts to Lebron

2010-07-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

The Scam

2010-07-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

My parents gave me this blue imac for my birthday one year. It was the cutting edge computer, and I was very fortunate to have it to take to college. Look at it. It was a blueberry ball of internet surfing joy. I completed many a term papers on this machine. I stayed in touch with high school friends, burned CD's, and avoided school work. But....this isn't what makes this little machine the tool for the biggest scam I've ever seen.

My college roommate was obsessed with working out and protein. He loved protein like snoop loves the weed. He was always ordering protein shakes, protein bars, and other supplementals. He poured a ton of money into it. He didn't have a computer, so he had to do his ordering on my blueberry beast. One afternoon he was doing his usual ordering when he got the "wheel" of death on a mac. This meant the page wouldn't load, so he hit back and tried it again. The wheel again. So, he hit back, did it again. Finally, the inter-web let him thru and to his amazement, his shopping cart had 4 sets of protein shakes for the cost of 1.

A few days later the shakes arrived and his bill was for only one. This started his mind to spin. He isn't the most school driven guy (or at all) but he loves a good scam. Turns out this little imac that could was a scam machine. As long as he hit the back button during the spinning wheel anytime he clicked "add" it was free. I know what you're thinking, no way. It's true. I watched him. He would start small with just a couple extra....then he really got sucked into the fever and was ordering by the bulk. Our house soon became a GNC, and he ran it that way. He would sell the "goods" at dirt cheap, make a killing, and order more. We were all dumbfounded, even him. We were blown away everytime it worked. We kept waiting for it to stop working, but it never did.

I can't remember how it stopped, or why it stopped, but eventually he stopped doing it. Upon graduation, he offered me money for the blue machine.....I hope somewhere he built a temple to it with all the empty protein shake bottles.

Top 5

2010-07-12T06:17:00.000-07:00

So Lins and I just celebrated year two of being married, so I thought I would countdown the top 5 things that happened to us this year that affected our marriage in a positive way.

5) We took a trip to Florida over our spring break. It was a last minute decision that we labeled as our "babymoon". I will say this for Florida. I won't ever stay on the beach we went to again. I have a new theory. I won't stay on a beach anymore unless it's in a rented house that is either on the beach, or a block away. I don't do the condo's very well. I hate the elevators, the screaming half dressed kids, and the yucky sand/water mix that builds up at the doorways.

4) Lins got a job teaching in the same district. Not even the same district, the same building. Not even the same building, but the same grade level and kids. Many a car rides in the morning consisted of lins wanting to talk, me wanting to ride in silence. We grew.

3) We took a trip to the Windy City with the Martins to visit the Tomaszewski's. I wish I could divulge all the conversations that were had, but I simply can't. It was a good trip highlighted by Max's antics, Martin's attempt to sneak into Wrigley Field and quickly getting tossed, the amazing pretzel sandwich I had, the boat tour we took that included a DEEP dish pizza and a case of beer. We came back from that trip appreciating each other even more than we already did.

2) We also took a trip to NYC at Christmas time. This has been a trip we have been talking about since we met. We both wanted to see New York at Christmas time so we said "screw it lets do it". So we did. We booked our flight and hotel, staying right in the heart of it all. We go to sleep ready to leave in the a.m. and of course one of the biggest snow storms of the decade hits the New York area. All flights cancelled. I spend the next 4 hours on hold listening to some fantastic music until carol comes on and helps us get to NYC. We lost a day, but it was so worth it. We took a carriage ride through a snow slammed central park, went to see the Christmas spectacular, (which was spectacular), walked all over the great city, had dinner with newly engaged friends, and had the christmas I always wanted on speed.

1) Then of course there is the Mck, the Kin, the MDizzle. I can't say how much she has changed our life and relationship. What used to be a life about your needs, your partner needs, and the daily goals you set for yourself quickly become what are her needs, goals, etc....... Your needs and goals are put on hold for the next 25 years. And you accept it with open arms. I could write for hours, if you want more about her go here and check her out. McKinley Marie Wise.

In conclusion, I believe I have the best wife, the most understanding wife, and best mother. I hate the fact that I stayed at Findlay and didn't transfer to play football, but it brought me Lindsey. I would go through the hell of Findlay football again if I knew it brought me her in the end. The five things that happened to us this year made us grow as a couple and we are stronger, I love her more than I did the year before, and I didn't think that was possible.

The Ego King

2010-07-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

I kept trying to write a blog about Lebron. I couldn't do it. So I made a short video. Listen to the words of the song, they are perfect.

Sense of Humor.

2010-07-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

God has a great sense of humor. He doesn't tell knock knock jokes or my all time favorites, the "snoop dogg jokes". What he does do is use ironical humor. Last night as I bounced my daughter on the exercise ball trying to get her to sleep I found his ironical humor to be very clear. You see there are many times that God has to rock or bounce us to get us out of a jam. A baby cries to us when they need us, just like we cry to the Lord when we need him. Sometimes we cry far too much or at the wrong times or for the wrong reasons. God just continues to bounce us. He could easily throw us across the room, ignore us, or drop a 100 lb bag of jello pudding pops on our heads....but he doesn't. He continues to bounce us, rock us, soothe us.

As I'm bouncing my daughter and she won't stop crying, I could throw her, ignore her, and yes even throw some jello pudding pops at her....but I don't. I continue to bounce her, rock her, and soothe her.

God is cracking up at me as I bounce like a car piston. It's almost like babies are God's way of saying "SEE......STUPID". He cracks up as Mckin' cries and cries because it's payback for all those times I laid in bed and cried up to my heavenly father. No matter the frustration I have for McKinley I'm always there. I might take a step away to clear my head to avoid any pudding pop target practice, but I always come back. God may step away from us, but it's not what we think. It's not that he isn't there, it's that he's challenging us, testing us, and allowing us to grow. We let a baby cry so they teach themselves to put themselves to sleep. God let's us cry to grow also and to teach ourselves how to handle adversity. No matter how lost we feel or alone we feel at times, God has a monitor on all of us and is quietly watching, seeing if we can grow on our own. If it ever gets out of control, he will swoop in and scoop us up before too much harm is done.

RFL- 4th of July

2010-06-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

RFL. Rocky Fork Lake. Every 4th of July we head here to meet up with our family for a weekend of boating, eating, drinking, yard game playing, and of course celebrating America.

The crazy thing is that for a couple of days we pack near 17-19 people, 5 dogs, and now one baby into our cabin. These 17-19 people see each other mainly 2 times a year (aside from the family wedding etc..). We are cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc... and we love being around each other. We can't get enough. I used to think that the mystique around the lake and the 4th of july was all the "things" we did. It's not. It's the people. It's picking up conversations we put on hold for 6 months. It's sharing what has happened and genuinely caring. The funny thing is we are so close, but physically so far. Our family is spread out by states, hours, and/or cities but are closer than most cousins I know.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it doesn't matter if you live in the same city, state, or time zone. If you care about each other you are going to be close. I have friends that live minutes from their cousins, and they don't say two words to each other when they are together. It blows my mind. Maybe we're unique and it's the magic of the lake, but I like to think it's because we're a family that cares about each others lives. So happy 4th to all of you, and if you're with your family, take the time to care about what is going on in their life.

Lebron.

2010-06-27T06:25:00.000-07:00

One year in college my roommate asked me if I was interested in going to Toledo and watching a high school basketball tournament game. Typically I would turn this offer down, however, this game featured an up an coming star, Lebron James. At this point we knew very little of this kid. When we arrived at the University of Toledo apparently thousands of others had a similar interest in young 23. It was crazy packed, wall to wall people. We grabbed our seats and watched what I will now refer to as, "the most entertaining pre-game ever". On one side of the court you had an entire team full of white boys doing two line layups, slapping the floor for defensive slides, and a stoic look on their faces. On the other side were a group of brothers that were throwing alley oops, shooting half court shots, and dancing. Two approaches to the game, two very different starts.

As the ball was about to be thrown into the air for the Tip, I kept counting the number of players and the result was 9. There should be a total of 10. So I started to scan the floor when I found the missing tenth player, Lebron James. While his team was getting ready to play he was off in the corner dancing with his mom....yes his mom. Gloria James, all decked out in her 'Bron jersey was bopping back and forth, Lebron weaving and dipping with his back to the game that has now started. The school ( I can't remember who it was, some catholic school) started with an easy bucket to go up 2-0. Lebron now must have gotten tired of dancing and decided to join the game. St. Vincent St. Mary's went down and missed a shot, without Lebron touching the ball. The catholic team went back down, scored again, 4-0. By this time the crowd is going absolutely bananas. The Lebron watchers are wondering what is going on, it's been 4 possessions and the KING hasn't even touched the ball. St. Mary's comes down, misses another shot, still no Lebron sighting. The catholic school takes the ball back down the floor, scores, 6-0. The crowd is pulling their hair out they are so excited. They make the fans from the film Hoosiers look like boring enthusiasts.

The King decides it's time.

Calling for the ball, Lebron dribbles to the top of the key, stares down the pour little white kid clinging to the false hope that is his 6-0 lead. With a couple dribbles Lebron blows past the kid and throws down a rim shaking dunk that sends the crazies into a T.V. mute style sound. He calmly looks at the student shaking that was just questioning his royalty status and raises a finger to his mouth with a "ssshhhhhhhh" .

The score at the half. Akron S.V.S.M - 36 - catholic school - 6.

Lebron decided it was time to end the doubt. I wonder what day in July Lebron will hold his finger up to the rest of the NBA and send one group of fans into mass hysteria.

Expeditiously

2010-06-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

I started to write a long blog about how much I hate smoking. I deleted all of it. That argument falls on deaf ears. So I'll summarize. I saw a sign the other day offering free pack of cigg's with the purchase of 3. I got super angry. If I had a sign that said buy 3 asbestos inhalers, get one free, who would actually purchase it? Breathing asbestos would kill you right? Yet getting a free pack of smokes is a fantastic deal. I'll never wrap my head around the simple fact that the government allows the sale of something that is proven to kill you, and people will spend their last paycheck on it. This reminds me of one of my favorite scenes from a great movie.

June 12th, 2010

2010-06-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

McKinley apparently loves 12's. Today is June 12th and at the strike of midnight, she figured it was time to really muck up our world. I was playing a riveting game of Modern Warfare 2, probably talking back to a 12 year old when Lins pops down the stairs with that face of "I got an alien inside me, and it's ready to come out".

We whip out the iPhone to calculate the contractions, because yes all you smart ass people, There is an App for that. I'm no baby genius, but all the movies say when they are close together and the women you love looks like midgets are punching her square in the gut, it's go time. Luckily, intuitive thinking from the previous day provided us with our bags already packed and the car seat fully docked like an X - Wing fighter ready to attack the deathstar.

Foggy drive down 315, the whole way Lins handling the contractions like a champ, one after another, like clockwork they come. I can't help but to be honest at this moment and say that I was nervous. I don't get nervous. I played a position in football that allowed for guys to rip your face off, and you are still supposed to sit there and make the throw. This made me nervous. Not because a baby is coming into our life, we'll handle that life altering change. What made me nervous was the fact that I am now involved. For all those to be dad's you will see one day that the first 9 months of this pregnancy you're like the fat kid in dodgeball, not an intricate part. Now all of sudden as I speed down this windy road next to the mighty Olentangy river, it's about to get real for me. These flood into my mind and I am sucked back into reality by my wife's pain and the oncoming set of headlights.

This is when I notice for the first time the song that is playing on the radio. Kenny Chesney, There Goes My Life. Take a listen while you read the rest.

How ironic and yet downright magical. We continue down this road lost in the images created in my mind by the song. Yellow Lot. Yellow signs. Don't screw this up. Pull in. Waive down the guy with "Valet" on his back. Gives me a weird look, like I could possibly want something other than this clown to move my car. Yellow Elevators. Floor 3. Didn't screw it up.

Monitors are hooked up to Lins, everything is great, 1 cm dilated. Which means, we are 9 steps away. Nurse says we need to walk around the hospital for an hour. Mind you it's 12:40 a.m. and we are both exhausted, not mention she is having contractions every 3-5 minutes. We walk the halls, in a strange silence. We talk some, but more so we are lost in our own thoughts of what is to come. We trek the halls for the hour. No change. The green suits decide to send us home at 3 a.m.

This is where the fun begins. We stop for gas on the way home. I'm sure I'll never live that down. The next few hours are very hard on Lins. Sever pain, vomit, and a sense of helplessnes on my part.

After vomit number 3, we decide to come in for an IV. Green suits have good news this time. 4 cm dilated. It's go time. So now we sit in the labor delivery room, lins numb from the waist down, me on an awful chair that is posing as a recliner in equally bad flower print. 6 cm, now 9 cm. it's almost time to meet the daughter we have been anxiously awaiting. It's funny all of those pre-conceived thoughts you have about her being an athlete, a singer, etc....doesn't matter at this moment. What matters is that the women I love more than anything in this world is about to give me/us the other girl I will love more than anything in this world. McKinley, your father is ready, and I'm happy to say, there goes my life.

Summer

2010-06-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

Some people see that title and get all giddy, some get all anxious, and some get all pissed. The latter would be the people that talk about how ridiculous it is teachers have 3 months off. (Editors note: 3 months is a vast exaggeration by non-teachers, it's actually two months and maybe 9 days) I'm not here to write about how much I think teachers should get those months off. The honest reason is because I don't think we should. We shouldn't get 2 months and 9 days in a row, it's detrimental to our kids and dare I say to our teachers. If you think I'm going to say that school should go year 'round with no break, then you're nucking futs. All you haters that are pulling your heads back and letting out a "aaarrrrggghhh". Try being a teacher for one week. Try it, then see what noise you're making. I'm not complaining about my job, I love it. It's the most genuine and important job there is besides being a pastor or the guy that is sitting in the pentagon watching for nuclear weapons headed for the U.S.

The days of needing three months off for kids is long gone. None of these kids are working in the fields anymore (the original reason for this time off). Kids are leaving our buildings and becoming dumber, peeling back a large amount of the progress we just made. Combine a bag of frito's, a monster energy drink, and 14 hours of video games or facebook maddness and you have a more lethal drug than crack straight to the dome. So what is the solution? We have the majority of the workforce pissed because teachers are off, we have kids losing knowledge, and we have teachers that are getting bored. (I get kinda bored, I certainly don't speak for all teachers).

Solutions:

Go year 'round. Follow me here before you start burning textbooks in my yard. We go three months on, one month off. Still get the two months and 9 days, along with your christmas etc.. Kids retain more knowledge, teachers stay fresh, and parents don't deal wiht their kids eating the frito monster cocktail.

Why this will never happen

1) All schools would have to install air conditioning. Isn't happening, too expensive.

2) Teachers would revolt. They would burn their bra's, laser pointers, and globes in protest.

3) Higher education institutions would have to change also to accommodate the weird start times, quarters and semesters wouldn't work anymore. Gordon Gee and his bow tie wouldn't have it.

4) It makes too much sense. Our education system from government down is so screwed up they wouldn't make a decision that would help kids. Look at No Child Left Behind. Bin Laden probably bombed us just because of that.

Solution #2

Take out the summer vacation. Go year around or add a bunch of days to limit it to one month.

Why this won't happen

1) You would have to pay teachers more. If you want me to work more hours, I will gladly do it. Honestly you want to tack on 30 more days, do it. Pay me another 30 days wage and I'm on board. Districts can't afford this. They can't even afford the petty salaries they pay teachers right now so they are cutting them left and right. I love it. When a fireman is being cut by the city they hold city wide protests to keep their protectors. When a teacher is cut, that same city says "ah, it was probably needed". Whats more likely to happen, your house gets burned down or your kid going to a school with class sizes that are too big for your son/daughter to get special attention because a teacher was cut? I would guess the latter.

Sunscreen

2010-05-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

Each year at this time, thousands and thousands of kids graduate high school. Enter the next phase of their life, whether that be college or work in search of their dreams. Many will fall short, settle for something less. Is this because our expectations are unrealistic? because the "real world" holds us back? because our bark is bigger than our bite? I have no idea.

I always like this song, if you can call it that. I think of it as William Shatner before Shatner. Take a listen, see if something resonates with you. I am betting it will. Below are a few that I enjoy.

Worry is as effective as solving an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.

do something every day that scares you.

your choices are half chance.

Dance. Even if you don't have anywhere to do it, do it in your living room.

Friends come and go, but a precious few hold on.

Friends are like Teams

2010-05-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough to go on the DC trip this year again with our 8th graders. It's great in so many ways. One of the highlights for me is to see our students in a different way. For one week I get to see students in their "real" way. Peel away the layers of red tape that are strapped on them at school and see them for who they are. The thing I realized this year is that some students have a great group of friends, they just go together. As I was realizing this about my group of boys this year we started watching the movie "The Sandlot". This started my down the road of thought that leads to this post. All groups of friends that are close work together like a team. In "the sandlot" those guys were a well oiled machine of a team. They were like the '95 Bulls that went 72-10. The best team of five guys that might have played together. I spend the next couple hours riding on that Lakefront bus thinking about how the '95 bulls are in every group of friends.

Every group of friends has a Michael Jordan. The leader. The person that the whole group gravitates to. When it's time for a decision to be made, each group has an MJ they all look to. This is the person that has it all going right. Think back to situations of good and bad in your group of friends, was there a person that always seem to have the calming effect and direct the group in a way? That's your MJ.

Every group has a Scottie Pippen. He is the MJ's right hand. He's the guy that always supports your MJ, yet challenges him. If for some reason MJ isn't around at that moment, your Pippen assumes the role of the group leader. Doesn't have the charisma or decision making skills your MJ has, but is looked to by the group as the quintessential sidekick.

Every group has a Steve Kerr. This is the guy that has one single profound trait he brings to the group. Steve Kerr could light up the 3 point line, just like your Steve Kerr of the group could be your funny man. Each group has the one guy that is the funniest bastard on the planet. Think about the guy that always cracked you up, always sacrificed his image for the humor of his buddies. That's your Steve Kerr. Maybe your Steve Kerr was the guy that could provide the Booze, or the first and only guy to have a car. No matter what his 3 point skill is, your Steve Kerr brings this to the group like no other.

Ok, every group does have a Dennis Rodman. That off the wall guy. Not the colored hair or crazy dress, but you're friend that is not like the rest of you, but fits in so well. That friend has a background that isn't like the rest of you, maybe comes from a broken home, is into drugs a little more than average guy, whatever it is, each group has that person that requires your MJ and Pippen to constantly stick up for him to the other MJ's.

Then there is Luc Longley. Think about that guy in your group that didn't bring much of anything substantial, but he's part of the group. He might be the guy you always pick on in your admiring way. It wouldn't be the same if he wasn't part of your group, that's why you let him hang around.

Think about your friends at any point and label them the MJ, Pippen, Kerr, Rodman, and Longley. I bet you can do it.

The Triple W

2010-05-11T15:59:00.001-07:00

The White Women Workout. This is wrong on a lot of levels. But it's pretty freaking hilarious. Watch it all the way through.

Bathroom towels

2010-05-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this by saying I'm not ripping on anyone. In fact, this post will implicate myself, both set of parents, and pretty much every other family that owns a bathroom.

What's the deal with bathroom decoration towels? You know what I'm talking about. The towels that are hung on the towel rods in the bathroom that are matching colors and too pretty to be touched. It's just stupid. They're towels. They are meant to be used to dry your hands, dry your face, DRY anything. That would be like a drink coaster that you're not allowed to put a drink on because you might get a circle of water on it. The coaster is there for looks you might say, just as the bathroom decoration towels. Stupid. The rest of the towels in the world make fun of these towels. They're like the band members in school. The other towels scoff and say things like "look at you all dry.....and stuff" . These towels are never chosen. Like the kid in gym class picked last, these towels provide no real service to the world or a highly contested dodgeball game.

I personally would like to start using these towels everytime I run across them, not because I am defiant to the those that love HGTV style bathrooms, but because I feel bad for them. I am going to fulfill the dream of every decoration towel bought and hung. I will wipe my wet hands on them and saturate their very existence.

Don't even get me started on making your bed. Stupid.

Testing

2010-04-27T15:22:00.000-07:00

It's testing week at school. This only brings back memories of the skits we used to perform when I taught at D-Hayes. Each department was in charge of getting our kids pumped up for the upcoming test. Social Studies clearly had the edge each year, although my Math teacher buddy Greenie did a helluva Matt Foley impression. Not to mention Scotty Mo and his ridiculous Ron Bergundy impression. You will see Matt Foley implemented into our skit. Enjoy a quick recap of the events. The premise is I am the class of that sophomore year, fighting each of the tests that are required.

Boiling Point

2010-04-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

Remember a time when something ticked you off so much to the point that you felt that tingle come up your neck, you kinda hold your breath and your brain puts together two options of a response.....one you contain yourself and swallow that burning tingle and not regret saying or doing something awful.....or.....your brain lets you cut lose. That is the boiling point. When you reach the boiling point in your life, what you do with it often defines you. I have a boiling point moment that I spent the last 8 years regretting, but not for the reason you might think.

This picture is of the Univ. Findlay practice field, where I spent one long season. I want you to focus on the right portion of the picture before you read the rest of this. You might see a white line, this represents the field goal post of the east endzone, and to the right, you will see a creek. Now the boiling point.

Every day we spent a 10 minute period throwing fade routes into the corner of that endzone. You might be thinking, "what's the big deal?" The big deal Magellan, is that an overthrown fade route ends up racing down the creek like Huck Finn minus his raft. I can't tell you how many times a ball might bounce off of a finger or I threw a crap ball into that steep filth ridden creek. When this happened, did we send our Grad Assistants in to get it? Of course not. We sent the young freshman QB, even if it wasn't his fault. That happened to be me. This isn't the boiling point.

Our starting QB got knocked out, literally, one game. So that meant the football fishing freshman QB, yours truly, was now the starter. Tuesdays we started practice with offensive meetings and hurry up offense. The best part, I had class tuesday afternoons that caused me to always miss that meeting. So of course the day I miss they happen to put in a new play. No one tells me. I show up in time for Hurry Up drills, like always, but this time I'm the starter. I hop in the huddle, start moving us down the field, and wouldn't you know it, they call the new play. I stumble through it in my head thinking I know enough about football, I can't figure this out and they'll never know the difference. Until I couldn't.

I had to ask for help. Insert Boiling Point. All hell broke loose. The head coach, which I will refer to as, the anti-christ, started going ballistic. Then his little henchmen the O-line coach came in and caused that burning tingle of anger on steriod feeling. His exact words were:

"Wise, why don't you just throw the ball in the creek, that's all you know how to do anyways"

Now come the two options in my brain. On one hand I thought about ripping my helmet off, Chucking that football into the creek and saying "How was that you son of #%#$#" Walking off the field with my middle finger in the air. Or

option 2. Nod, ask the backup how to run the play, and execute it.

For eight years I have regretted the fact that I did option 2. Man I wish I would have done option 1. I thought that way until recently I started reading the blogs from two of my good friends Mike and Lides. I realized the past that the boiling points I dealt with, were ice caps compared to theirs. I am almost embarrassed to think that I had it so bad, playing Div. 2 football. What a joke. You wanna see guys that had it rough but came through every boiling point, look no further.

Ode to Ben

2010-04-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

Oh Ye Big Ben so young at a position so new,

playing behind the coaches son for the Findlay Gold and Blue.

You had your glory and rose to fame,

Only to attend a small school like Miami, sorta lame?

Impressive you were throughout your college career,

luckily you were drafted by the steelers so for you I did not have to cheer.

A quick rise to fame with the steeler gold and black,

apparently you felt this gave you a free pass to mack.

Slow on the field with a nickname of "Big",

you got in a wreck like an 18 wheel rig.

Your head skid across the pavement like the tip of a match,

Honestly steeler nation? you're stuck with Charlie Batch?

Looks like his problems are far behind him,

Oh wait, was that rape victim out west named Kim?

Oh how thee mountain of greaseball you've let us down,

such an embarrassment, the nike mural in your home town.

We thought one and done was your rape motto,

never did we expect tabloids would hit the lotto.

Soon you'll be forgotten as the NFL MVP,

next time you think about it, say no to your wee wee.

Fan-Bonus

2010-04-11T16:11:00.000-07:00

You've heard of the "signing bonus"......the "playing time bonus"........the "championship bonus"......let me introduce you to the "Fan Bonus". Too often a player or coach are compensated with a bonus for their achievements. Jim Tressel will earn thousands of more dollars for going to a BCS game because the BCS game just made OSU thousands of more dollars. The players will be compensated with gift bags and soon to be large NFL signing bonuses. What do the fans get? What does the average Joe get that spends a weeks pay check to come and scream his face painted beer stenched mouth off for 48 minutes, 9 innings, or 3 periods? You know what we get? We get a price increase on our tickets, a price increase on those stadium beers, and those fun foam fingers....yup, price increase. What kind of freaking bonus is that? How many times do you hear the term "Home Field Advantage" ? You could make a drinking game out of it.

How do they get the home field advantage? wait for it......."The FANS"

So I ask you billionaire revenue making fools of an owner, where is my bonus?

I propose the fan bonus. Ownership of major sporting events such as football, baseball, basketball, and hockey.....sorry Soccer, you're just a leftover from poor negotiations by our founding fathers and King George, anyways....owners will write up incentive packages for fans, or fan goals if you will. See examples below:

1. Fans sell out every home game that is available.

2. 30% or more of the fan population attending the game are painted in some sort.

3. 100% of the fans are wearing the colors of either the home team or visitors.

4. During pivotal points in the game (which will be specified by the jumbo screen) fans are out of their seats screaming like the Ewoks in return of the jedi after the Death Star is blown up (again).

You see my point. If a certain amount of these "Fan Goals" are met, then ownership will pay us the fan, our "Fan Bonus". What is the fan bonus? It's simple. Each year the goals are met ownership will lower ticket prices by the amount they deem fair. It could be .01 cent, I don't care. Food prices will not be raised. Merchandise prices will not be raised. Parking prices will not be raised. You know what will be raised? The Fan Experience, the atmosphere, and the number of kids attending their "first" ball game because daddy won't have to sell his truck to pay for it.

It's win-win. If these goals are set out there for the average fan, you bet they will fight like hell to achieve them. It would be the first time a fan could have his own fantasy league. Some guys will sit around and draft the Cleveland Cavs fans and start them everytime Lebron is playing. The guy that is stuck with the Detroit pistons fans is pissed.

Espn would follow this like the rest of the useless statistical crap they flash up on their sweet touch screen boards. Mel's big board would certainly have the Buckeye fans on the top of his list, until Pryor throws an interception and the fickle fans come out calling for Tressel's head.... then the achievement for not booing the 15th punt in one game would not be met.

anything you want....

2010-04-03T18:04:00.000-07:00

If I had a midget walk into my room tonight with a little glass shaped box that had a glowing question mark in it, and proceeded to ask me the question in a very high pitched voice "If you could do anything in this world, what would you do? say it and it will be so" I would scoop that wee lil guy up and yell at the top my lungs......"Be a late night talk show host"

poof

I'm in Dave Letterman's striped suit, making funny motions that would make the people laugh. I would talk to Paul and we would laugh like old friends.

Thats it. Right there. If I was granted a career wish that is what I would do. I've wanted to do this since college when I would stay up late watching letterman. I kept thinking, that is something I would be able to wake up every morning and be really excited about.

A couple years ago I had the idea to find a way to make this come true.....somewhat. I came up with the idea of creating my own talk show that I could use for my classes. I would write, film, and produce my own shows and use them in class as a teaching tool. My idea was to have different shows represent different chapters. So lets say I'm doing a chapter on the assassination of JFK. I would walk out and make some lame time period reference jokes like.....

"man it's hot today......isn't it folks? It's so hot JFK decided against the use of the air conditioning for the natural breeze of Texas"

ok maybe that was bad. But you get my point. In the monologue I would teach them facts. Then I would have a top ten list. Like the Top Ten Reasons Why Dallas Won't Host a Presidential Motorcade Anytime Soon.

The rest of the show would be interviews with people. I could interview LBJ. Either thru real archived footage, or thru a picture and put the fake lips in for his real ones like Conan does. I could have a person dress up as Chief Justice Earl Warren, who the "Warren Commission" was named after that investigated the assassination. Nobody really knows what he looks like off hand so i could dress up anyone.

I would have commercials interrupt us that were time period relevant, like fashion, new inventions of the time, etc..... Likewise the musical guest would be music from that time.

I think this is something I could wake up and be really excited about doing. The issue(s) here:

1. Time- when would I have the time to do all this?

2. The Set- where would I have a place like this to film and make it actually look decent.

3. Bust or Great?- Could I do it. I mean could I actually be witty enough to write worthwhile shows and execute the acting.

4. Learn- Would my kids actually learn from it? Would it accomplish the goal I wanted.

If the answer is yes to all of those. Maybe I could sell the idea, retire, and watch Letterman reruns.

Decision.

2010-03-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

This won't come as a surprise to many of you that I have spoken to in the last 24 hours, but I have decided to not further my interest into the head football position at Fredericktown. I was fortunate enough to be interviewed saturday morning at Fredericktown, a small rural school south of Mansfield. I have been struggling with the idea that my life course has shifted from that boyhood dream of being a head coach to something else. Here I am at age 28 feeling like I'm going through a mid life crisis. It's not so much a crisis as much as it is just a shift in life in general.

The interview was a spur of the moment decision, like driving down a highway with your next exit swiftly creeping up on your right with two lanes of traffic between you. The AD called me on friday and asked if I would come up sat. morning at 8 am. I swerved hard to the exit and accepted the interview. I had my doubts going into it, I also had a heightened level of excitement. I mean, this could be it, I could be a head coach. I don't want to bore you but the interview went well with all my questions being answered. Imagine your dream vacation, really stack it up with all the bells and whistles....now find out that you can't take anyone with you, you're actually traveling on a big wheel, and your luggage is lost so you're stuck wearing a chicken suit that some overweight man traded to you for your dirty clothes (you were riding a big wheel in the rain on a dirt road)........ You still get that vacation though!!

The football job is awesome. They had a good thing going, and we would have had the opportunity to be very successful. However, the teaching job, the pay, and the daily drive is the riding on the big wheel chicken suit part. It's not doable. I wouldn't be able to be a successful coach while also being a successful teacher, oh, and a husband and now a father. The hats I would be wearing wouldn't fit on my moose sized head.

The hardest part is swallowing the fact that maybe, just maybe you are giving up on a dream. Maybe the dream is on hold, maybe the dream is better as a dream. Time will tell with that one.

The best part is that I found peace with it. God has made it very clear to me over the past four weeks that I clutter my life with junk like the character from my brother's play the {re}gifter. I search for fulfillment everywhere, instead of God. What I thought was an opportunity that God was creating for me might have been a distraction Satan was luring me in with. Maybe I'll be a head coach someday, maybe I won't, but I know when I'm 50 I will look back at this decision and be happy with the job I'll do as a husband and father, rather than the job I could have done as a football coach. That's a dream I can buy into.

Price is right and peanut butter/jelly

2010-03-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

We are going down the list of things we need to do before baby shows up like:

1- paint the nursery

2-crib setup

3- freak out

4- find daycare

#4 seems to be the toughest part right now, the freaking out part comes naturally. Thinking back to when I was a wee-lil-lad I was lucky enough to have my momma take care of me until I was in kindergarten. I remember that I would go to half day kindergarten with my mom back to teaching full time I had to find a place to max and relax. Quick side note: I used to cry nearly everyday because I would see my mom walk across the hall and I didn't understand why I couldn't go with her. It turns out that since I didn't have a mental handicap was the reason. After leaving my morning of learning I would go over to Mrs. Peifer's house. Mrs. Peifer was this old lady that watched myself and a couple other guys. I don't remember a whole lot about her or the place other than the smell was a little off. I do remember like it was yesterday what we did everyday at 11:00, we watched the Price is Right and ate PB&J. Mrs. Peifer loved the price is right like Ellen Degeneres loves women. She wouldn't miss a single Bob Barker finger point. I think everytime I eat a PB&J I hear the Price is Right theme song and all of sudden have an urge to get my pet spade or neutered. I used to think I was being baby sat by Bob and that creepy voice that was always too happy to call someone down to guess on merchandise. I feel like I have a great feeling for when I am standing in the cleaning products aisle if the clorox bleach Kroger is trying to sell me is over or under $9.50. I'm going to make a shirt that says I love Bob and Peanut Butter, on the back will say "I love you Mrs. Peifer" you think maybe I'll get called to "Come on down" ??

Courage

2010-02-25T17:36:00.000-08:00

If you haven't yet, read the the line that is written above. Ok welcome back. Courage is my topic on my mind and not because of myself. I previously wrote a blog about my agent, Mike. Besides being a one man HR department he is the definition of courage. He would shrug that off and say it's stubbornness because he can't take a compliment. Think about a time when you were courageous....now prepare yourself to feel humbled.

Mike is a father of two little girls, they got their mom's good looks, he is an asst. principal, former football coach, and a very very positive guy. Did I mention he has had 10 surgeries.....on his right/ankle foot alone. Mike has a rare condition Charcot Marie Tooth, which I learned is a nerve disease commonly affecting feet. Mike has worn a boot, cast, crutches, you name it, on and off for the last 5 years I've known him. He never complained, never stopped working when he could, and all while letting us give him nicknames like McBoot. Within the last two years he decided to get his ankle fused at 90 degrees, which brought on more and more pain to the point that he was contemplating a steel rod. Don't get me wrong, I'm not writing this post because I want you to feel bad for him, send him cards, or anything...I'm writing it because this week Mike decided to go an even more courageous route by choosing amputation. For the first time since I've known him, Mike is in high spirits about his future walk-abouts. Within 4 weeks from his March surgery, Mike will be able to walk, bounce, and be pain free. I want you to read that line from the poster above again.....Mike is doing the brave thing, and then he's going to run like hell. Thoughts and prayers are with you Mike, not sympathy, just excitement and strength.

autofix

2010-02-21T16:55:00.000-08:00

This is basically our new car, a GMC Acadia. It's the super cool version of a van. I'm not here to discuss it's level of sweetness, except for one feature. When I am listening to a song and really getting into it, yet right ahead there is a stop light that turns yellow. As I start to slow down the song's volume decreases also. As I start to speed up, the volume increases the faster I go. It's genius. It may seem like a small feature but the level of focus you attain as it gets quieter is amazing. I started to think, what if other things in life were like this?

What if I walked into an eatery and the waiter had already ordered the exact food I wanted that moment?

What if I got up in the morning and my alarm clock prioritized my day for me?

What if my laptop automatically ordered flowers for my wife before she even thought about being pissed at me?

You get the idea. The dual sunroofs are sweet, but the guy that invented that little nugget of volume control, I applaud you.

Bluetooth

2010-02-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

Does this look like a happy couple? Of course...they are selling a product. But no one can be happy with that electronic megaphone sticking from your ear. I don't understand the bluetooth headset. I never did, and I can't understand it. (editors note: the only time I agree with a bluetooth headset is if you are driving, that's it). Why do you always need hands free access to your cell phone, every second? This couple is having dinner...having a nice conversation...then all of sudden duder starts talking about the stock market mid sentence because his broker just called. I see everyday folks walking thru the mall shopping and talking out loud, are they talking to me? Are they crazy and talking to themselves? Oh, wait a minute, they are talking to the bluetooth. I guess you could say I'm a bluetooth hater. I use my cell all the time, more than the average person, but I am going to still hate on the bluetooth. I blame Dick Tracy and the Secret Service. Dick had his watch to talk to people and the secret service had their ear thingies. People, you're not a crime fighter nor do you protect the President, pull the phone from your pocket and talk like everyone else.

Wrestling with dad

2010-02-05T18:09:00.000-08:00

Lindsey and I somehow got on a conversation tonight about wrestling....I think it stemmed from my wife fighting our dog all over the floor. I laughed to myself and started telling her about the wrestling matches brad and I had with our dad in our living room. When we were little we used to square off with our pop in the center ring of our front room thinking we could take him. We would devise a plan, Brad goes straight on, I swing around the coffee table to attack from behind. We were like General Patton and Dwight D. Eisenhower on D-Day, ready to execute the attack that would alter history....the boy's taking out the old man. Nevertheless, brad would only divert his attention for a bit while he would take the brunt of the blow....when I would swoop in thinking I had a clear knock out shot, then wham. I was turned upside down and hanging from my dad's shoulder like a towel in a dryer. Dazed and confused I would struggle to search for my brother in arms, only to find him in the worst case scenario when wrestling dad....the leg lock. Dad had his lethal finishing move, much like hulk hogan dropping the leg, he would pin one of us between is legs of iron and shake us.

Have you ever been to a paint store and seen that machine that shakes up the paint buckets? That was dad's move. He would shake you into submission. It typically forced out extreme laughter from both of us. If you were the lucky one to not get the leg shake you had two options. 1) Make a break for it and leave your counterpart behind gasping for air in between chuckles or 2) you go for the risky removal of your brother. This took guts and strength that a 5 or 7 year old just didn't have. However, because of the bond we had, we typically went for option two. The end result was never good, sometimes we fell into the double leg lock, or worse, brad was released and I entered the temple of shaky shake. The only way out from this mess was the voice of an angel....mom. She had the key to our escape, she rang the final bell, and released us from the locker.

I bet he would still handle us.

Conan the genuine

2010-01-23T10:31:00.001-08:00

If we all would take getting fired this way....

Fighting

2010-01-16T11:06:00.000-08:00

Take a gander at the guy on the right. Does he look like a guy that says to you "I want to fight". No? me neither. So what made a decent amount of people in in my school yard life think "lets fight this guy". It's true, throughout my middle school/high school life I must have stared down the barrel of a fight more than the lunch ladies got hair in the pizza. Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Besides getting a day off work we get to remember one the greatest men involved in the civil rights movement. He preached non-violent protests, no matter what do not resort to violence. He even knew the reason for their violence was so far off the mental rocker that he would be justified to swinging a fist or two.

So what made the guys in my education world want to throw fistacuffs with me? After all, I'm not that tough. I chose the one position in football that gets protected during practice. But I am here to tell you that I got stuck in a lot of situations where it was me looking at this clown mouthing off, daring me to swing. I always laughed to myself at that point because I knew I would never swing...come on, I am a guy that plays the odds. I swing, chances are I'm getting leveled by this kid that has nothing to lose. One time I didn't swing at this kid so do you know what he did? He got his older brother, that was a senior at the time, to track me down after school and level me in the face on the way to football practice. I was in 8th grade.

The catholic high school in town might as well had my face on a milk carton with a bold header "REWARD". Those uniform touters hated me. No clue why, they just did. Many a times we would attend a dance after the football games when we were freshman, the uniforms were there too. It was a good bet that I was going to get stuck standing in a circle with one of them, people chanting fight. Me, giving that clown a shit-eating grin, Him, weighing the options in his head. By then a parent stepped in and I saved face. This must of happened a dozen times over the next few years.

In high school there were a few wreckless guys that wanted nothing more than to just deck me in the hallways. Instead of being smart, I would walk by these guys and ask them how their day was going and if I could help them with anything. I probably deserved at least one pop from them.

Call it pure hatred, jealousy, or boredom but I was their target. I never once fought. Never once threw a punch. I was the Mike Tyson of talking. I could get out of any situation and diffuse their anger if I knew there wasn't an out. I could also stoke their anger for me if I saw another way out. What did I learn from all this? I'm not sure to be honest, but I know maybe something my history teacher said about MLK when I was in class stuck in my mind...or I'm just a giant wuss.

White Snow Challenge

2010-01-10T16:19:00.000-08:00

Why did Rocky choose to go to Russia and train outdoors? Was it because he was broke and couldn't afford to work out in the USA? No. It wasn't because he couldn't work out indoors at Russia, did you see the crazy cyber junk Drago was working with? It wasn't because he wanted to grow that manly beard. He chose to run through the snow because snow makes natural things harder. The snow made his lance like trek's up a mountain harder. Snow made his pulling the sled with Pauley sitting on it that much harder. This past weekend I started to think about how snow makes almost everything harder. Driving? Harder. School Going? Harder. Sporting Events? Harder. Sun Bathing? Harder. You get my point. Snow really makes the average task difficult. This started my brain fibers to start sparking. Can they even spark? Is that what fibers do? anywho.... follow me here.

Snow is typically forecasted but we never know the amount we are going to get, or the exact time we will get it. We never know how long it will stay or if it will stop. Isn't this like all things in life that make our average tasks more difficult? Snow is like stress. Snow is like a broken furnace in an apartment that feels like the Arctic. Snow is like anything in your life right now that is making your daily activities more difficult. You didn't know this "snow" was going to pop up in your life, chances are you don't how long it will last, and you are pretty sure you would love to have someone come plow it all away.

I have good news. Just like real snow, this proverbial snow will get shoveled away by a kind neighbor or friend, or over time it will melt. Next time it snows in your life don't grip the wheel real tight and drive slower and slower panicking, rather find the courage to train in it to make yourself stronger.

The Evolution of Friends

2010-01-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

I've written before about how much I loved my childhood. A major reason for that joy were the friends I had. We lived in a horseshoe neighborhood that was like a frat house for little kids. They were everywhere. I had a friend Andrew that lived two doors down, we were brothers separated by birth that united only years later. Andrew and I had a pack of friends we ran with that lived close. We were inseparable and vowed to be best friends for life. Then the first round of evolution began. High School came along and Andrew and I started getting interested in opposite things. That pack we ran with started to choose sides to align with and thus new groups were formed and best friends were made again.

High School marked the time of my buddy Brad and Greg becoming my brothers from another mother. We ran around together, played football together, and we thought we would be friends forever. We even decided to go to College together and live with one another for four years. That is when Evolution part two came.

College brought about more and more friends. Every class you went to and party attended you discovered a new friend, this is when Drew became my best friend. We did everything together. We both coached football, loved watching movies, and shared a mutual respect for one another in all areas. We pushed eachother in ways college buddies should and we thought we would be best friends forever. That is when Evolution part three came.

Teaching/Professional life. When I moved to Delaware and started teaching I lost touch with Drew, Brad, and Greg. We tried to keep in touch but we all went in our separate ways that didn't match up. I met a new group of friends. The social studies guys and Bill. I taught with all these guys and we ran around Delaware as the young group of guys and had a blast. Later we added a young buck Scott to the mix and the funniest guy we've ever met, Mcdonough. We all coached together or taught with eachother and it was great. That is when Evolution four came.

New Jobs/Dreams. People started leaving looking for new jobs, dreams, etc... that is when I left, pursuing a new job. We started to lose touch, besides the occasional email but for the most part the group was disbanded. There are a few friends that I still see but this is when Evolution five happens.

Baby. This summer we'll have a baby. This is going to start another evolution of friends. We'll see what comes from this, some might drop off, some might emerge but an evolution will surely happen. A kid changes everything, some people will be ok with that, some will not. Those that are will be a part of the next period in my life.

Over the past 28 years I have really had three friends that have crossed the evolutionary lines. My brother, Max, and Matt. I don't really see my brother that often, nor Max for that matter but we remain close. Matt has been one friend that I have had and still see at least a couple times a month. For starting out not even liking eachother Matt and I have become great friends.

It's funny to think about the evolution of friends. If you think about your own life I'm sure you can come up with your own evolutionary steps. I used to be perplexed by this but I realize it's part of life. Most people move away from their childhood friends, most people head in different directions, and most people start families or get different jobs at different times. It's the friends that you look back upon that make you who you are today. Whether you still talk to them or not you will always have a fond memory or moment you spent with them.

Tipping.

2009-12-26T16:24:00.001-08:00

Not cow or drinking a beer, I'm talking about the type of tipping that you do at a restaurant or a taxi ride. I have a beef with this, you might say I have a very large beef with tipping. Why do we tip? Better yet, why do we tip the professions that we tip? We recently took a trip to NYC for christmas joy and it was just that, pure joy. However, we were forced into tipping left and right. We tipped the taxi driver after taking us to the hotel. We tipped the waiter at breakfast the next morning. We tipped the guy that let the horse drag us around Central Park. We tipped the waitress that night at dinner. We tipped the guy at breakfast again, and again the lady that brought us our food. We even tipped the door man for hailing us a cab, and finally, we tipped the taxi guy for bringing us back to the airport.

What did these clowns do that deserved extra money? Seriously. I ask you...blog reader, what did they do above and beyond their job to deserve more money? Why are we so conditioned to tip some jobs but not others? Why does a guy get an extra 4 bucks for driving me from point A to point B? That's his JOB! He is a taxi driver. He is supposed to drive me from A to B. Am I tipping him for not killing me in a crash? really? If he killed one person wouldn't he be fired from his taxi job? How about that waiter or waitress? Isn't she supposed to bring me my food? Isn't she supposed to fill up my water? That's her job description right? I'm not blowing her mind when I ask her what the steak is marinated in am I? The guy hailing me a cab, that's his job. The clown with the horse carriage, he should spend any and all extra money he receives on carrots for his horse.

I don't get it. I honestly don't. My father was a teacher/counselor and coach for 35 years. Did he receive one tip from a family that he helped by smacking their kid's mentality with a little common sense? What about a defensive end that he coached into a full out scholarship at THE ohio state university? Did that family come in and Tip him one tenth of the $26,000 a year they saved by not paying tuition? How about my mom that deals with autistic children all day long for 30 years? When they leave these kids that can't even use the restroom at the right time can balance a checkbook. Mom never came home from work with a smile and saying "you won't believe the Tip I got today from Johnny's family"

What about a doctor? The guy that just performed Triple Heart Bipass surgery to save your father or husband's life. Did you go tip them? Of course not. What about the farmer that grew that delicious corn you eat all summer long? Do you happen to take the time to husk a few dollars his way for his service?

The Garbage man? The guy that picks up your garbage. Deals with your, forgive my language, shit at the freezing dawn of the morning, all week. Do we tip them for removing this? No.

Heard of the swine flu? Oops, the H1N1. What about millions of people that received the vaccine? Did you? If you did, did you whip out a fiver for the nurse for delivering a perfect shot that maybe saved your life? What about the pharmacist that gives you the right medication? How about an extra coin in his pocket for giving you the right dosage?

I could honestly go on for the next six hours about people we tip but I have to go to dinner with my beautiful wife, and yes, we'll tip the food transporter for doing such a miraculous job that makes the emergency c-section being performed right now somewhere in the world as simple as sharpening a pencil.

rev-e-la-tion

2009-12-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

the webster dictionary definition of revelation is: : something that is revealed; especially : an enlightening or astonishing disclosure

Let me tell you about a few revelations I had this weekend. I went to pittsburgh with my brother a few cronies to watch the UC vs Pitt football game.

Revelation....

1. Football played in snow is automatically much more exciting. Seeing elite athletes still perform at a high level in harsh elements is impressive. Imagine Lebron shooting a 3 with the air conditioning set to 32 degrees.

2. Being married means that when going out to the bar with guys on a roadtrip you don't have to worry about that awkward feeling of wanting to impress girls anymore, and it's great.

3. Wearing a ridiculously large coat or a baggy hooded sweatshirt to a college bar because of revelation #2 is totally normal.

4. If you have a friend that is in the military and home on leave....a night can be filled with making hilarious jokes about their jason bourne likeness.

5. Putting a panera in the bottom of a hotel is genius.

6. A late night food joint could serve anything at 2:30 a.m. and people will love it, even if they don't serve you the fountain drink that is promised with the special.

7. Pittsburgh fans love two things, blaming random fans for referee's bad calls and large push broom style mustaches.

8. A defensive coach should always wear short sleeves for four full quarters in the snow.

9. Always jump on the "we should do this" moments instead of finding excuses to not do something.

10. Last revelation I am discovering is that I stop lists at 10. I don't know what it is, but i hit ten and that feels right. Maybe I should have stopped at 6, or maybe should I keep going, but I'm going to stop.

Thanks for the giving

2009-11-26T04:25:00.001-08:00

It's not even the food I enjoy. Don't get me wrong, we have great food, but it's not it. Each turkey day my shaw side (a.k.a. the dark side) gather under the prized homestead of our Cabin. Close to 20 of our family members, 5 dogs, and sometimes a crazy ass neighbor enjoy the fixin's of all the holiday treats. We're even so american we fry a turkey, I know right? But, it's not the food. It's the idea of coming to the lake each year that makes this my second favorite holiday. For 3-4 days my entire side of family can laugh, play games, drink awful alcoholic gas station energy drinks and not hate eachother. We'll leave here and not see one another until the fourth of July and when that happens, we'll pick up our conversations like they never ended.

I'm not sure if it's our terrible white elephant gift exchange, the magellan like planned hikes, or simply laughing till our pancreas's hurt (minus brad), but I love this time. My poor wife married into this unorganized madness and gave up her holiday tradition, she's still married to me so it can't be that bad. Whatever you do for thanksgiving I hope you enjoy it as much as I do, if you don't I say start a new tradition. If your day is boring, throw something into it that shakes things up. Most importantly, enjoy the time you have with family, talk to the crazy uncle or grandpa that you rarely see. Ask your cousin's questions about their life and get to know them. Give thanks for whatever you're thankful for, me....? I'm thankful for the family I have and the family we're starting.........................Oh by the way. The real Thanksgiving story is that the pilgrims slaughtered an Indian village in retaliation for stealing cattle. To celebrate their slaughtering of the indians they had a large feast of food, giving thanks. Deal with it, it's the real truth.

Heisman Hopeful

2009-11-18T15:01:00.000-08:00

You wanna be the next heisman winner? Really? Have you thought this through? Little boy in the backyard that just juked your unathletic friend past the maple tree for a TD stop and think before you strike that iconic pose. If you have a dream of playing in the league someday, or the NFL for those that are behind on your hip lingo, you better hope you are the runner up at the downtown athletic club. You better hope that when Chris Fowler gets to that podium your name isn't behind that manilla folder. Why? After all the trophy is the defining moment of a college career? Thats exactly why. It's the defining moment of your college career, and your career there after. Lets take a look at the previous 20 year winners. Stay with me.

2008 Sam Bradford Oklahoma QB- Broke his shoulder like a cheap pair of velcro shoes. twice. Lost a guaranteed $20 million in first round money. His career is still up in the air.

2007 Tim Tebow Florida QB- The most hated man in college football, why? He's great in all aspects of football, life, and being awesome.

2006 Troy Smith Ohio State QB- Blew the championship game against Florida, is now a career back up to a guy that played Div. I AA

2005 Reggie Bush USC RB- Not even the feature running back. He's a slash player, a gimmick guy. Sure he's flashy but do you hear Pierre Thomas or Reggie Bush's name more?

2004 Matt Leinart USC QB- HA. Really? The guy that starts in front of you bagged groceries and has a midget wife. You're a backup, maybe for life.

2003 Jason White Oklahoma QB- Not even in the league anymore. Really?

2002 Carson Palmer USC QB- I'm calling this the heisman exception right now, he's playing outside of his mind and could bust my theory.

2001 Eric Crouch Nebraska QB- Retired after 2-3 seasons. For injury you ask? Oh no, because he sucked.

2000 Chris Weinke Florida State QB- This guy pulled social security as soon as he won this award. He might be a backup right now, or a AARP rep.

1999 Ron Dayne Wisconsin RB- Had a decent start to his pro career, but where is he now?

1998 Ricky Williams Texas RB- wedding dress. marijauna. now the wildcat. Ricky might be back.

1997 Charles Woodson Michigan DB/WR- The only Defensive player in the last 12 years. This dude is still making plays, very impressive, plus my high school beat him in high school.

1996 Danny Wuerffel Florida QB- HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAAH

1995 Eddie George Ohio State RB- THE MAN. FINALLY A TRUE WINNER THAT WENT ON TO A PRO CAREER.

1994 Rashaan Salaam Colorado RB- Oh man....how bout this guy? never made it. ever.

1993 Charlie Ward Florida State QB- Hilarious. did he get drafted? Honestly, he didn't.

1992 Gino Torretta Miami QB- Do you hear his name with Brett Favre? No, me neither.

1991 Desmond Howard Michigan WR- He's great on college gameday each sat. enough said. His pro career is like his old college now.

1990 Ty Detmer Brigham Young QB- Loved this guy. Had one year in the pro, or was that his brother Koy? I can't remember.

1989 Andre Ware Houston QB- 5-8 as an NFL starter. Ha

Textbook Tackle.

2009-11-10T03:52:00.001-08:00

Really?

DJ Hero

2009-11-05T16:51:00.000-08:00

My brother sent me a text a few days ago about me acquiring DJ Hero for our festive thanksgiving family get together. I didn't think much of it until this morning when I was driving to school. I heard this mash up of the Jackson 5 and Third Eye Blind. Now there are two things I love when it comes to music....Michael Jackson stuff and Third eye blind. Third Eye was my first concert, I was a sophomore in high school and went to OSU campus with my brother and nate williams, among others. Getting back to the point, this morning I heard this song from DJ hero and I love it. Take a gander and send me money so I can buy DJ Hero.

Election Day

2009-11-03T03:46:00.000-08:00

On election day today I can't help but think about how everyone feels today compared to one year ago when they went ahead and voted in the first african american president. It was like a new year buzz around town, everyone excited, everyone hopeful, everyone believing in America again. What happened? The honeymoon is over is I guess. Everyone is back to the feeling of what I don't have, what I can't get, what I'm losing.....I watched this video this morning and felt good again. I'm going to try and focus on what I have and know that "yes we can".

The fist pump

2009-10-26T16:33:00.000-07:00

I've been bothered by this for awhile and tried to think it out in my head before I shared it. Have you ever watched an NFL game or College football game and witness some fool celebrating himself and the play that he just made when it was just his job? For example, the guy that runs down the field on kickoff coverage and makes a tackle pops to his feat and starts thumping his chest, waving to the crowd. I always ask myself, isn't that your job? Aren't you on the kickoff coverage team for that exact reason, to make a tackle? This made me start to think, what if normal people in everyday jobs reacted this way?

What if I were teaching today and when I passed out the correct number of tests to my students I threw the remaining ones in the air and started spiking dry erase markers saying "You see me?....you see me pass those mothers out???

What if my brother, who works for a church, had someone laugh at one of his on stage jokes and Brad pumped his chest and yelling "J.C. ain't got nothin on me"

What if my buddy Martin just finished a showing of a real estate home and on their way out he slapped the lady on the butt and said "Huh, how 'bout that kitchen I showed you??" And started to flick the lights on and off whooping and hollering....

What if my Uncle Steve the lawyer closed a divorce and stood up at the table throwing his personalized pens across the room and asking everyone to call him "Relationship Terminator" and goes around doing bad Arnold impressions.

It seems ridiculous to think that any of these would happen, but when a guy knocks down a deep pass what gives him the go ahead to start bouncing up and down, nodding his head like he just ran back a pick 6, when in fact he did the simple task that is being asked of him.

Power of a Song

2009-10-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

You know the power of a song? It's when you hear a song and instantly you're transported to that place. Now I'm not talking about hearing a song and saying "oh I remember when" no, no, no. I mean when you hear a song and it's like you're physically taken to that memory like your own virtual reality smelling salts. I love flipping through the radio and listening to songs to see if anything happens. Let me give you an example. If Rage Against the Machine "Bulls on Parade" comes on, I can remember right away my brother playing high school football because they always walked out of the locker room to that song. If I hear Willie Nelson "Crazy" I think of my cousin Joe's knockout impression of him. But neither of those songs transport me. I think there is a fine line between a memory and what I'll call a back to the future moment.

If I hear the song "Dreams" by Van Halen I have a back to the future moment. I can instantly feel like I am sitting in the locker room after my final football game in high school. That song was blaring in the background, guys leaving and turning in their jersey's and then there is me. I sat there refusing to take my jersey off. My brother brought my cousin Andrew down to the locker room and we hugged it out like guys do. I can remember the smell, the sticky feeling my eye black left on my face, the used athletic tape thrown across the floor and that awkward pit in your stomach of not sure what happens next. The next day, front page paper had a picture of me crying with the title, "Broken Dreams" a crafty play on words from a second rate hack journalist for the AT. I heard this song today on my way home and my 20 minute drive turned into me pulling into my driveway wondering when I made that left off of 23. I know this happens to other people, so if you are the one person that reads this blog, what is a back to the future song for you? Where do you go in your mind when you hear it?

BERT DOG

2009-10-17T07:38:00.001-07:00

The other night I woke up with an image in my head. I love breakfast, more than any other meal. My favorite is a good breakfast sandwich, however, the vision that came to my head was a breakfast dog. I sat awake and created the BERT DOG. Follow the following steps to have a life changing breakfast experience. The images are in the post below.

BERT DOG IMAGES

2009-10-17T07:21:00.001-07:00

Play on Words....

2009-10-16T05:46:00.000-07:00

So on my morning commute to work I listen to a local talk show, two guys that seem as normal as can be. They have catchy segments they do but one I have started to enjoy is every monday morning they have a guy on that runs the website www.urbandictionary.com . This is a site that takes words mashes em together to get a different meaning. You can submit your own, so I thought I would share a few of my favorites to maybe inspire you to submit your own.

- Joke Insurance, when you have a mutual understanding with your buddies that if they tell a joke in public, no matter it's level of funniness you are going to laugh for him.

-Cookie Duster, a full mustache that could potentially be used as a duster if you were to eat a cookie.

-Food Douche, a person that believes they know the best place to get different foods. "thats good, but you should go to Quizno's for bourbon chicken"

-Making Clay, to take a large dump.

-Email Courier, a person that immediately following the sending of an email, goes to that person to confirm that he did receive the email.

-Birther, A conspiracy theorist who believes that Barack Obama is ineligible for the Presidency of the United States, based on any number of claims related to his place of birth, birth certificate, favorite birthday, or whether or not he has heard the song Africa by Toto.

College Good. College Bad.

2009-10-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

What I love the most about college football is also it's achilles heel. I will tune into any college football game and be interested for a multitude of reasons but the biggest reason is because it means so much to both teams. Every game is like fighting for another breath. This provides "us" the viewers, with fantastic television and the right to cheer like idiots for a simple first down. But, this is also where college football loses fans, because if you were hoping for a title shot you better have the following:

1. Be a part of a major conference, the SEC, PAC 10, Big TEN, Big 12.

2. Be undefeated or lose really really early in the season.

3. Be in the top 25 to start the year.

These three determine who goes and who doesn't. The worst part about college football is if your team loses, your season is pretty much over. Without a playoff like the NFL and March Madness, the college football season hooks you and loses you with a score on the scoreboard. It also saddens me to say that fans like my brother will end up pissed at the college football world, because an undefeated Cincy Bearcat team will not end up playing in the National Title game as long as there is a one loss Alabama, Texas, USC, OSU, LSU, etc... If it comes down to it, Cincy will end up 15-0 and looking on the outside just like UTAH a few years ago. Without a playoff, fans will forever be disgruntled about their team either making it or not making it. I am not sure what the solution is, but I'll continue to cheer for my bucks because they lost early, they're in a big conference, and they were in the top 25 to start. Sorry bearcats.

Glee

2009-10-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

Glee. I'm not against the show, but I'm also not a fan yet. I see the potential the show has, riding the coat tails of the successful "high school musical" movies it would sing and dance its way right into the living room of every teen. I can't say I blame kids if they enjoy it, after all I grew up loving Saved By The Bell. I first wanted to like the show because I thought it was going to be a good show about athletes crossing over the line using jazz hands and the story would be one that was welcoming. Then I watched. I found out that it wasn't going for that feel at all but rather just going for the quick hook with the football star singing and the cheerleaders walking around in their uniforms 5 days a week, I mean is there a game everyday these pom pom's are bouncing for? Even harder to swallow were the terrible excuse for a principal character and cheerleading coach. Here is a lady that is clearly a lesbian dressed head to toe in adidas warm up suits that hates anything prissy and girly. Hello? Name one high school that doesn't have a cheer coach that loves miley cyrus more than her girls. But even with all that I still was ok with the show because at the end of the day they did entertain. Until last night.

If you don't watch, you're smarter than me, but the show was based around the kids being given an over the counter drug that would boost their energy. They sang and danced like superstars and boy did they love it. At the end they realized it was wrong but nothing ever came out of it. The worse part wasn't last night, because I didn't think twice about it until I had three students at separate times come tell me they wanted to take what the students were taking on Glee. Whether these were stupid kids or not is irrelevant because if they were thinking it, so were others. So now my beef with Glee isn't about their lack of storyline, it is the storyline.

The WTF blanket

2009-09-28T17:01:00.000-07:00

Hater

2009-09-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

I was driving to the local Kroger today when I got stuck behind a large chevy truck that had this sticker on it. It dumbfounds me every time I see these stickers. First of all, someone actually makes these, second, someone actually buys them and thinks it's okay to stick em on their truck/car. I can't help but be embarrassed for the people riding in the car. You have that much hate or anger to have someone peeing on a logo. Worse than that are the ones that have the middle finger. Maybe this blog is a rant...but come on, really? This is when I wish we lived in a communist country so these people would get their cars crushed into a coaster. But lets look at stickers I would be okay with.

1. If taylor swift had a moon man statue peeing on kanye west sticker

2. If the US open line judge had a tennis ball stuffed mouth of serena williams sticker.

3. If Barry Obama had a Joe Wilson head with a bar of soap sticking out his mouth sticker.

4. If 49ers coach Mike Singleterry had a baby picture of michael crabtree with a rattle and bib sticker.

those are stickers I would buy.

The Little Brown Jug

2009-09-20T07:15:00.000-07:00

Today marks the first day of the Delaware County Fair. For most days this is a normal fair, you have your oversized elephant ear, bucket 'O Fries, and plenty of interesting people to look at. I was never a fair guy growing up, actually I despised them. Not entirely sure why but when the fair came around I would avoid it at all costs. When I moved to Delaware it was no different. The fair came around and I avoided it, even when our crazy school district gave us a day off for the fair or this thing called the "little brown jug". They could call it "eat yourself stupid day" for all I cared because I got the day off. Then it all changed when I married the first family of fair going. You know how the Bush's love their texas ranch, the Beckstedt's love their fairs. What is it about the fair? I never understood the big deal, until I attended my first brown jug.

For those of you that didn't know, The Brown Jug is like the Kentucky Derby of Harness Racing... at least it's part of the triple crown. What does that mean really? It means that for one day in september, thursday, over 50,000 people pack into Delaware, OH to watch a series of horse races. The event is like a rock concert with really big fast horses instead of doped out rockers. If you take a minute while you're there to walk around the track you'll see huge tail-gates with cornhole, grills, and beers on ice for miles. Keep walking and you'll see the general admission backstretch, it's literally rows of lawn chairs 30 deep with people just having the time of their lives. You'll see ladies pull their shirts up, drunk guys screaming, and usually parents of the kids you teach asking if you want a beer. I kept thinking to myself, what and the hell is going on? Then I went to the OSU-USC game. It's the same thing, and it dawned on me, this is it for a lot of these people. This is their nationally televised game that means the season to them. My father-in-law talks about this week like it's spring break for teachers, and it makes sense to me now. As much as I love the feeling of a OSU game and the little things that surround it, he feels the same way about the Jug, along with the other 50,000 + people. Not to mention they win over a half million. Yeah. So get out your foam fingers with your favorite sulky on it and lets light this town up, it's Jug week. Besides, 50,000 drunk fans having the time of their life is better than the browns or bengals can say they play in front of.

The Muppet

2009-09-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

Emmy. She's often been referred to as the "The Muppet"....looking at the two pictures I can tell why, Barkley the muppet dog on the left is a hair dyed version of Em. I started this blog with the idea of writing about Emmy and the hijinks she was surely going to cause. She hasn't let us down. From the second night we had her when she shat all over her cage and I was cleaning it up at 3 am in the morning to the week long illness she gave me, she's been a handful. One day I went to pick up my headphones to mow the lawn, and the two silicon ear coverings were missing. Hmmmm, later that day when I was scooping poop, sure enough that dookie was rocking a ipod headphone. Everytime you walk down the stairs Emmy thinks it's a game. She will paw at your feet and growl the entire way down the stairs, every time. She hates the middle of our lawn in the backyard. When we play catch I will throw the ball there, and she'll circle it like it's a vietnam mine, slowly she reaches out and paws at the ball and picks it up. She'll then circle around to get back to the steps. About an hour or two before bed a trigger goes off in her head and she starts running circles inside or out, I guess to burn energy but it sure seems like she's chasing some wabbit....everytime I walk over to fill up her food cup, she jumps in the air and does like a half twist, she must love cardboard.....the reason for this post, I just talked to a friend about getting a dog....he said is it worth it? I laughed and a million things flashed through my mind like her chewing apart our laptop charging cords (twice) and the times she digs in the yard and comes to the door with a face full of dirt. But yeah it's worth it.

Kool Aide and Cheerios

2009-09-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

That is the scene Martin and I took in about 39 minutes before kickoff. Operation Trojan Horse was a success. Oh how the night felt like none other in the shoe as the sun was dropping, the beer stenched crowd rolling into their seats excited about the possibility of knocking that king kong sized monkey off our back. The decibel level rivaled a Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana concert when the bucks took the field. It was electric, Pryor looking extremely confident, and Barkley extremely young. For about 58 minutes martin and I high fived eachother and any person with a willing hand as we screamed for the little success that we had. The defense playing like national champs and the offense showing the nation how big of a chump they really are. After we couldn't seal the win, again, we started our 3 mile walk to our car and we started talking. Here now is a synthesis of what we talked about and my humble opinion on the state of ohio football.

Consider this. Every great team has an offensive identity. Florida and Urban Myer, you know you're going to see the shotgun Tim Tebow, Chris Leak, dude from Utah, and dude from B.G. running the scheme like a well oiled machine. Success everywhere he goes. Oklahoma, you know no matter who is the QB you are going to get the no huddle offense and a powerful one back attack. Texas Tech, the sling it everywhere offense, Texas, shotgun with great balance, USC, pro style offense, play action and screens, you see my point. I could almost go through the entire top 25 and lay this out for you. It's called consistency and confidence. What do the backs do? seriously....what is their identity? I finally figured it out last night, they don't have one because they don't know what to do and it showed last night.

Consider this. How many great assistant coaches has Pete Carrol sent off to become head coaches or prominent coaches in the NFL? Lane Kiffin, current head coach of Tennessee. Norm Chow, could have picked any job he wanted, went to be the OC for the Titans. Steve Sarkishan, current head coach of Washington. How many coaches has Tress sent out on their own? Zero. Why? because he micro-manages the game and play calling. Where is the delegation? We're a top program and we don't have an OC. Don't even joke with me that Bollman is an OC, he should be fired before tressel eats his cheerios tomorrow. Hire an OC that focuses on the offense, that will gameplan and make adjustments while the defense is on the field.

Consider this. We have the nationally ranked #1 recruit at QB last year. USC had this years #1 recruit. He makes our QB look like a tour de france rider without a bike. Can someone teach this kid how to throw, how to read a defense, and help him by giving him an offense that fits his abilities.

Consider this. Mark my words, we will lose big time recruits this year unless an OC is hired and change is promised. Do not get rid of Tress, he is a tremendous head coach I wouldn't trade him for anyone. But I want Tress to drink his own kool-aide that he preaches to his team, it's not about the individual but about the team. It's time to accept he's awful as a play caller and someone else needs to do the job.

I still love the bucks, but how many times can you go back to the abusive relationship when they keeping beating you?

Redemption

2009-09-09T03:24:00.001-07:00

Inflated

2009-09-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that I have been taking classes to become a principal along with teaching for the past 6 years. All in all I have been a part of the education world close to 25 years counting the years as we lil' lad. Going through grade school I always thought I was pretty smart, after all I received all of those pluses on my grade card, maybe not for handwriting, but nonetheless I breezed through grade school. I know I left Krout Elementary with a lot of skills I use today but I can really only remember winning the 600 race each year and getting punched by a girl in 5th grade. Another blog in itself.

Middle school provided little challenge to me and that was the same all the way thru high school too (with the exception of math). Looking back I earned high marks, I could have done better that is without question, but my 3.5 was a happy place for me to be. I don't remember working very hard at the books at all, many a night my mom would ask me "where are your books?" I would reply like it was a dumb question with "In my locker..."

My point of this post is simple. I did very very little in school and yet I got by with honor roll, national honors society, etc... how? Inflated grades. I was fortunate enough to go to school during the time period of education I did. Did my 3.5 actually stand for what I knew? I am not sure, but today in education (at least in Olentangy) that 3.5 means you have a 3.5. Let me explain.

How many of you reading this received participation points? Homework completion points? Binder organization points? (unless you teach elem. and this is a standard for them to meet) extra credit for bringing ol' teach a box of tissues? Explain to me how any of that should be factored into your final grade, the final grade that is supposed to reflect what you have learned. It doesn't. I graded that way my first four years of teaching, and I was stupid. I inflated kids grades left and right with things like I mentioned above, but the dawn of the more effective assessment is here. Now I, along with our district and many others, are giving grades for what counts, the assessments. I give on average 3 at most 4 grades per 9 weeks. Those of you that went to school in our era of 65 assignments are scoffing. I ask you why? I am willing to bet that my 3 to 4 grades are a more accurate assessment of what you know compared to the A you're pulling because you raise your hand a lot in class, and boy was your binder neat. My kids receive an A, and they have A knowledge. If they don't we continue to take that test over and over until they have that knowledge down.

If you are a teacher and still give points for this ridiculous stuff, change, change fast because you're contributing to our students lack of superior knowledge...if you have a young one and they attend a school that is still behind the curve demand more from your district and teachers.

It's Time.

2009-09-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

If this doesn't make you tackle your dog or your wife, check your pulse.

First Day

2009-08-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is our official work day. Full of meetings and professional stuff that we put off for two months. Tomorrow I will be presenting at our staff meeting about a professional development trip I took to St. Louis. During this trip I sang Karaoke to Vanilla Ice. So naturally, to present our information to the staff we made a music video. It's what all meetings are like, right?

5 Minutes for Michigan

2009-08-18T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today I went to watch Ohio State practice with my dad. They are in the middle of two-a-days but today it was just a morning session. We arrived a little early and checked in with a guy that sits at the open gates, just checking in people that are coming to watch OSU practice. He hands you a nametag, a roster, and a smile and you're on your way. Imagine that. What if I had martin standing outside of my classroom door just to check in people that were coming to watch me teach? I'm onto something.

If you aren't familiar with college level practice the oversized guys in pads trot out and go to their respective spots on the two fields. They stretch, fat guys complain about the heat, running backs compare biceps, and quarterbacks pretend they are doing something. Roughly every five minutes the horn goes off and the guys scamper to another portion of the field for a new drill. The funny thing that dad and I noticed today is that no matter what level you're coaching, you pretty much do the same thing. Football is football. Just in this case you have a 6'5 dude that runs a 4.33 40 yard dash.

A few things caught my eye as we watched them today. 1) Coach Tress makes spotting the ball the most envious job on earth. If a grad assistant were spotting it, I would probably laugh at him and say something like "chump". But Tress does it and I think, "man, a second masters might help me get to that spot"

2) Pryor still can't throw. It's terrible. But everything else is amazing, including the running left stiff arm of a defensive end to the ground move he decided to do like it was swatting a fly.

3) Tress is Tress. What I mean by this is that when a DB got into a skirmish with a Wideout and threw him to the ground, Tress kicked him off the field. A few plays later he tried to pop back into the game. Tress noticed this and said "You were ejected from the game for that move, sit out". Later the kid was put back in by the DB coach, Tress before spotting the ball in the coolest way ever said "Did you not hear me? that will get you kicked out on a saturday, get off the field". Needless to say he didn't come back in.

4) Offensive line is terrible.

5) Best moment of the morning. In the middle of Team drills the Michigan fight song kicked on and started blaring over loud speakers. Without missing a beat the players scattered to their corners to a conditioning drill. The entire time the Michigan fight song blaring "Hail to the victors" Meanwhile the coaches just kept pushing the guys through these conditioning drills, for 5 minutes they did this. Everyday, every practice, practice is interrupted by "Hail to the Victors" and they go through their drill called 5 minutes for Michigan. That trumped the spotting of the ball.

Fire Dog

2009-08-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

I am sitting inside typing away on a paper that is due this weekend when I hear a dog barking outside. I know that my walking muppet of a dog is out back so I think nothing of it. A few moments pass, I continue to type what turns out to be a great line of graduate level B.S. when I hear a thumping at the sliding door. I pop up to let emmy in and I look at her with a curious expression because her face is all wet. I look outside...nope, it's not raining. I start thinking about what she could have gotten into...nothing comes to mind. So I take a step outside to only hear what sounds like running water. I turn towards the only possible producer, and yup...the faucet is on. Somehow this fluffball turned on the outdoor spicket and proceeded to play in it like it was a summer afternoon in harlem, circa 1955. I couldn't do anything but laugh, and turn off her oasis playground.

Good Morning....morning.

2009-08-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

Not a morning person? Are you a personified snooze button with the first cognitive thought going through your mind in the a.m. "I can't wait to get back in bed" ? If this is you, then we do not share the same feeling about the sunrise. You see, I've always been a morning person and I don't drink coffee. I tried the java juice for about a month, I kicked that habit before it started because I don't need it. Some people rely on the coffee jolt, others just fight and kick their way into the afternoon, not this guy. I'm going to change your life by giving you my first hand action plan of making the mornings an anticipated part of your day.

Step 1. This is my most effective step for making the mornings like a trip into the wonka factory. Plan something for the next day to look forward to. I don't care how big or how small, plan something. I find that when I plan something out of the ordinary for the next day I pop out of bed. Examples: A round of golf with buddies, a dinner date w/wife, or something small like a breakfast sandwich at your favorite place.

Step 2. Get dressed, shower, etc... in the morning to music that is unfamiliar to you or an old favorite that you haven't heard in awhile. This can be a large risk, large reward because if you hit a song that is just awful while you're tying your tie, the day could come up short. But, the reward of hearing a new song that plays in your head like a magical jukebox can stimulate your mind for the day. When in doubt crank out an old favorite song. Guys, turn this tune on the next time your shaving in the morning and tell me you didn't have a good time.

Step 3. Go to bed happy. Believe it or not I believe there is a strong correlation between a good night makes a good morning. How can you achieve this? A few suggestions. If you have a wife...sleep with her. If not, read something positive or a story you love...in my case I love to watch an episode of the west wing (a blog to come). Basically spend some time getting your mind right before you sleep, pray, think, meditate, whatever you need to do.

Step 4. If the first three steps don't work. Get a dog. Every morning a dog is waiting tail-a-waggin' for you. Your dog is like your personal sold out crowd each morning. They sit and wait looking at you thinking to themselves..."oh man...oh man....I can't wait....can't wait. I know he's gettin up...OH...he moved....hheeeee mmooooved". You start to get up and the dog's tail is like a pin-wheel, they jump up and down licking your hand, running around in circles happy as can be. All because you got out of bed. beat that.

Will it Float?

2009-07-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

I'm a Letterman guy, always have been. At the height of my obsession with the Late Show they featured a great game called "Will it Float".

Time now to bring that game back.

Conflicted

2009-07-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

My 28th birthday is around the corner, that used to seem so old. Not anymore. I don't feel much different than 24 when I first started teaching. What does feel different is the direction my career is headed. Ask young Brent what he wanted to do with his career and before you could finish he would have said "Be a head coach, teach, have a family". Ask the hair turning gray older version of that little pipsqueek and you'll get a "......can you repeat the question?"

I'm not sure where that sure fire answer went or where that focus for my career started to change. Here now I am not coaching at all, taking classes to become an administrator, and filming weddings. Don't get me wrong, I think all of those are great things and I don't regret anything. However, this is where I am conflicted. Am I doing what I really want to do?

For the life of me I can't answer that question. Each year I was driven by the fact that I was going to put my head down and coach, learn as much as I could and make a run at the head coaching gig when that season started. But I don't have that this year. Instead my head is down and trying to learn as much as I can to become an administrator. Hell, I don't even know if I want to be a principal, but I know I want that option in my career. I am getting what I asked for, I wanted a chance to look at my career without blinders on and decide if what I am doing is still my goal. Is this a Jerry Maguire "mission statement" moment in my life, no, it's a guy that is trying to decide if swallowing his childhood dream of being a head coach is the right decision, or if trading in the whistle for a larger paycheck and no lesson plans is the right decision?

Conflicted.

Only thing left to do is pray and see if he can straighten this out, cuz I can't.

Mary and John's

2009-07-20T16:57:00.001-07:00

I have a few things in the summer that I get really anxious for, 4 man golf scrambles are one of those. This saturday we are traveling to my hometown of Tiffin to play in a memorial tournament for Nick Zeyan, the father of a close friend. I love the golf scramble because it brings so many things together...teamwork, redemption from a bad shot, and the opportunity to win. The only thing that could make a golf scramble even better is a pre-round breakfast from your favorite place. So when we decided to play in this outing I instantly thought it was the perfect setup because my favorite breakfast joint "Mary & John's" is in Tiffin.

.....or at least it was. I hyped up this breakfast of champions to only find out my childhood hash brown maker is closed. The level of disappointment I feel makes me want to blow up Bob Evan's even though their Rise and Shine had nothing to do with it. Mary & John's is that local flavor for a small town that is more than their eggs and bacon, it's their nostalgic feeling they pour out on you. The booths still have the music playing machines that you flip like a roladex until you find the song you want. This was the first place I heard the words "Do you want your usual?" This was a place I went to with my dad when he was a football coach. I would tag along as a little guy with the staff as they sat and talked about the upcoming scrimmage or 2-a-day. I would order my scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns and listen to those coaches intently. So to my dismay I will not be able to combine golf scrambles with egg scrambles because The Man took down my breakfast joint. I have a similar place here in Delaware called the Diner, my father in law has a place in Celina called The Fountain, and Tiffin is now short one great place. These places are more than their food, I hope you can find somewhere to eat where the term "usual" means a glorious start to your day.

One Year

2009-07-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

Today (7-11) marks our one year anniv. Looking back it's hard to think that a year went by and I find myself sitting on my front porch watching the rain drop on the pond wondering what we did our first year? I know people say your first year of marriage is difficult and "boy things are going to change".....really? You have to be somewhat of an idiot to think going into marriage nothing is going to change. If you marry someone and expect your life to stay exactly the same then chances are you're having your divorce televised live on Judge Judy. Luckily we have a brain that works.

Sure things changed in my life, and hers, but that change has been well needed. I showed lindsey how to slow down her life a little and look around, while she showed me how to stay driven on things and keep motivated. She showed me the lifestyle of eating healthier, while I showed her that candy is actually pretty good. She would cook amazing meals, I would make amazing fires. She would show me how to keep my room clean, I would show her I am still a work in progress on that. She would screw something up with the computer, I would fix it. I get dressed, she tells me to change. She gets dressed, I tell her to get undressed.

Overall I've learned from our first year of wedlock that it's a partnership. It's a give and take, like ketchup and mustard.....or fried batter and anything. Have an open mind and remember the reason you said "I Do" and your first year of marriage should be as enjoyable as ours was. When in doubt, throw something into the mix like a dog and really see how fun things can get. The cool thing is that we started our own family, we are making our own traditions, our own decisions, and our own mistakes. Year one brought us a lot of laughs and some great stories, who knows what year two has in store for us, I can tell you what it doesn't have in store....a baby.

now to pay honor to the Duke of Earl one year Anniv:

Harmless Fun Evidence

2009-07-08T05:40:00.000-07:00

My good friend scott wrote a blog about harmless fun. In that blog he spoke about our experiences with leafing people. Here is evidence of one time when I was leafed my second year of teaching by the football team.

The 4th

2009-07-04T04:28:00.000-07:00

It's one of those days that I think lost it's original intentions, like we've turned the actual events of the day into what we should be celebrating, that a group of guys dared to make this bold statement of their declaration to cut all ties with the king. So the morning of the 4th as I sat awake while my dog chewed on rawhide, I did some research. As it turns out, I am wrong. We are doing exactly what John Adams wanted us to do, just two days late.

"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more". John Adams to his wife Abigail

So I started to think if our 4th celebration met John Adams criteria, after all he was one of the architects of the reason for this pomp and base go boom. For nearly every 4th of July my family goes to our cabin on Rocky Fork Lake with most of my mothers side of the family. We pack close to 18 sleeping here at a time with more coming throughout the day. We have all the fixins' that John speaks of...we play all sorts of game, we do multiple sports, bonfires, potato guns, and of course illumination. Each year we take in two shows of fireworks...the first is at a local legends house that puts my hometown of tiffin fireworks to shame, the second is on the lake taking in various shows in all directions. The local legend though has to be in the witness protection program and this is his way of riding out the remainder of his former mob life. But, each year he delivers. He lights up the sky and cranks his cheesey patriotic music as the "booms" get louder and louder. It works though. For the 20 min we are there for the exact reason John Adams wrote that letter is fulfilled. We sit there and feel good about the place we live, feel good about our life we have built, and probably slip back into some distant memories from fireworks long ago. So whether or not you actually thought about the signing of the declaration or the group of men that approved the decision on July 2nd, and signed the letter stating their intent on the 4th, if you got together with family, friends, or your dog and played a game, watched a giant sparkler blow up, or ate pounds of fried goodness like we did, then you fulfilled John Adams request of succeeding generations celebrating the historic day of July 2nd, well 4th.

Mr. Roush and Julius Sumner Miller

2009-06-30T05:06:00.001-07:00

About ten years ago I had a physics teacher named Mr. Roush that brought a very unique way of teaching to my attention. Walking into his classroom was like walking into Wonka's candy factory, it seemed like this crazy guy came up with some saying or action that would cause you to fall on the floor laughing. The best part was we never knew if he was serious or doing it as one elaborate prank. He would stand at the front of the room with a meter stick and as you were asking him a question or answering one of his he would be playing an imaginary game of golf or baseball with previously said stick. He would even pause after swing, admire where the ball landed and then answer your question. It was fantastic. He would refer to everyone as Mr. and Ms. and he loved putting you in awkward situations. I had a buddy that slept in his class all of the time, and Roush loved calling on him because of that exact reason. He would be sarcastic and yet sincere in his drubbing of him "Ah, Mr. (Smith) it's so nice of you to join us, I will let you get back to sleeping in a minute but could you help us out". The best was when you tried to lie to him about something, he would get all huffed up and say "Now, Now, Now don't be telling me that" He would repeat that about three times in a row....you either cracked up or told him the truth.

One of the greatest memories most of his students have from his class is a man by the name of Julius Sumner Miller. I think it was at least once a chapter we would watch this old cable TV show of a professor doing physics experiments. He was quirky and yet entertaining. Here is a clip, don't watch all of it, but at least watch his intro.

Mr. Roush was all of those things I mentioned above, but now that I am a teacher and I look back, he was the guy I would want my kids to have. He was real, even though I couldn't tell if he was spoofing us all. He made me enjoy physics and I even remember a good amount of the experiments we did. He wasn't like other teachers and that is why I can remember him now. I have to admit, over the years I have stolen his technique of the meter stick swing....and I get the same crazy look from my students. Maybe it was his way of dealing with a job like teaching, whatever it was Mr. Roush made an impact on many students, including this guy.

Coming up Short....

2009-06-29T06:31:00.000-07:00

You ever feel like in life no matter how hard you try you end up short on some things? Your intentions are there, you make an honest go at it, but you fall short. I can't tell you the number of times in my life I've set out to do something and fall short, for whatever reason I didn't reach my goal. But I was taught to get back up and try it again, or in a different way. That one time you succeed erases all the other failures.

This boy knows what I mean.