I am finally home! I spent that last week (plus a day) in the wonderful state of North Carolina. I had the chance to see many students and also have a couple of good experience – some of which I would like to share:
1) It’s Friday mid afternoon and my plane is getting ready to take off from the Little Rock airport. In the normal taxi process I’m pretty much locked into the book that I’m reading on said trip (this time it was HOOD by Stephen Lawhead – yes I recommend it – The only thing that usually throws me for a loop are the safety instructions given by the flight attendant. For some reason I have to listen to them… I’ve flown all over the place but no matter what, every time I’m on a plane, I DO actually give them my undivided attention). So, I’m reading HOOD and I notice that as the plane is moving, the lady right across the aisle from me is starting to make noises… I glance over to see that she is griping the arm rests with white knuckles. She starts to really look uncomfortable – to which I ask, “Are you OK?” The response is price less, because she says it almost as if she’s been holding it in for the right moment. As soon as the ‘K’ is off my tongue she says loudly, “I’m terrified of flying!”
Yeah… You try riding in a plane next to someone who screams at the retracting of the landing gear. ROUGH. The trip was off to a good start. I couldn’t hold my attention on my book because of the uneasy moans coming from the lady next to me… ugh.
2) North Carolina is on the east coast… hence, it is set to Eastern Standard time. My computer however is not. I usually do a great job remembering this and planning accordingly, but on Wednesday of last week I awoke thinking I had plenty of time. Went for a run… took a nice long shower… sat down for breakfast… then freaked out when I saw that the time was an hour ahead of what I thought it was! I grabbed my coffee and hit the road with the pedal to the metal trying to make my 2 1/2 hour trip as close to 1 1/2 as I could. In my frantic state I became very fidgety, a feeling that was even greater magnified by the caffine being pumped in my body. So it’s not surprise that about 45 minutes into my drive when I saw the flashing lights behind me, I jumped and spilled hot coffee all over my dress slacks…….. yep. ROUGH.
3) FYI – when traveling in North Carolina please be aware that the speed limits often go back and forth from 55 to 65 and occasionally hit 70. I was cruising in a 65 – doing about 68 – and all of a sudden I see the blue and red lights going off. Awesome. By the time I realized that it was I who was getting pulled over, I was wearing a new shade of brown on my pants. There is nothing like getting pulled over in a car that you rented by the way, if you’ve never done it, I suggest giving it a try. Anyway – I get the whole, “Do you know why I pulled you over?” deal to which I respond, “I had my cruise set on 68, I don’t think I was speeding.” to which he replies, “The speed limit here is 55. You were going 68 in a 55.” To which I say, “ROUGH.” Then after giving my license and registration – License from AR, plates from Ohio, and a rented vehicle in NC – I explain who I am, what I do and where I was going… and that I’ve just spilled coffee on my self. He laughs. I get a warning and a couple of napkins from the Officer. How nice was that?
Needless to say, I was ready to get home! It really was good to see everyone in NC last week. I hope that our time together was memorable… I won’t soon forget it.
Yesterday I wrote about how my attitude towards this blog was going to change… so it’s only fitting that I get to write a little more on that today…
I really enjoy the NEW FACEBOOK. Yes, I said it. A couple of months ago while I was checking my inbox I noticed that Facebook had given me the option to switch over to the new and improved facebook. I remembered that several months before, Facebook said that they would be changing some things and upgrading their look. Since then I have been looking forward to seeing what they would do – this was it. So I clicked on the link and a new world opened up. It took some time to figure it out, but within 2 days I was finding everything that I needed to just like the old days… except it looked cooler now.
I use Facebook quite often (I recently hit the 1,000 friend mark! Yes celebrate with me!) and I had become quite adapt at how to navigate around the site. Seeing as Facebook told me months ago that change was in the process, I thought it behooved me to go ahead and learn the new system.
Remember when GMail first came out? I heard that Harding’s email server was going to switch and start using GMail and that would mean no more Microsoft Outlook. How do you think I responded? I could have thrown a fit and huffed and puffed and clung to Outlook as long as possible, knowing that eventually I was going to have to change… OR I could opt in, open a GMail account and start to familarize myself with things. I chose the second option and when the switch occurred I was good to go.
Remember when Mac started to make it’s comeback? I clung to my PC thinking that it was the only way to compute. How dare Apple take away my precious right click function? Who do you think you are!? Yeah, I could have drug my feet for the long haul and clung to my PC until the end of time – which comes pre-loaded on Vista I hear. Instead, I opted in. I bought my wife a MacBook for grad school and fell in love with the personalization that PCs couldn’t give.
Sensing a trend? I should hope so.
Just this morning I got SEVEN invites to groups complaining about the new Facebook. Groups like: “1,000,000 strong against the new Facebook,” and “5,000,000 people who want the option ‘back to the old Facebook’ to remain.” These online petitions don’t mean anything. Your crying out is going unheard. Facebook did it’s research, they calculated the risks of the change, THEY TOLD YOU MONTHS IN ADVANCE, they gave you the option to get familiar with it and switch back and forth until you felt comfy…
Maybe it’s time you opt in and make the change… Cause it’s changed, and it’s not going back.
Everything changes in time. That is one thing that you can count on.
In the spirit of change, I’ve decided to re enlist on the blog. I’ll be honest, I used to write with the intention of making the reader smile, laugh, and then scramble back for more… and that is in tune with my personality. I love to make people smile and laugh. But the pressure I put on myself to sit down and come up with something amusing weighed on me to the point where ‘blogging’ was not enjoyable. So, change.
I was posing for a new mug shot with Jeff Montgomery, who works in a branch of our Public Relations office, when the topic of blogging came up. Jeff also has a blog that he updates from time to time – sometimes everyday, sometimes once a week. I told Jeff my concerns about writing and he gave me his view on it.
“The way I see it, it’s MY blog. I’m going to write what I want and if people want to read it they can. If they don’t want to read it, they won’t.”
Fair enough. I liked it. So, I’m adopting it.
I hope that the stories that I get to share with you through wordpress are entertaining. I hope you smile, laugh, and come scrambling back for more. But if you don’t, that’s cool. I’m going to go ahead and keep writing. Matter of fact, I don’t know how many people are going to read this… Frankly, I don’t care. That’s the maverick attitude that now occupies my thinking… kind of.
Last night I’m looking through my new issue of SLAM and I come across an add for a product that is right up my alley. It’s called HeadBlade.
As a less than fortunate member of the thinning hair society, I have always wanted to go completely bald and shave my head. Fortunately for me, God blessed me with an unusually unblemished dome which lends itself to the friendship of the razor. I made that friendship happen last night.
I’ve been using clippers to shave my head for some time now… almost a year… so the transition wasn’t as dangerous as I thought it might be. Nonetheless it was a big step and with a trip to the local Wal-Greens, I was on my way. 15 minutes later I was slick and shiny.
I am now a little bit closer in style and skill to my main man Michael Jordan. It’s a big day for me!
Winterfest was great. It was long and I’m tired, but great nonetheless. There were lots of new jokes created and great press for Harding, which is always good. Speaking of great press for Harding – segway. I would like to link you to another Harding University blogger and professor, Mark Elrod. Dr. Elrod found an incredible Harding video made 20 years ago… check it out:
I’m going to Winterfest this weekend. What’s that? You haven’t heard of it? Oh, it’s just 14,000 teenagers gathered in one small tourist town for a very long weekend…. and it’s a 10 hour drive away too. Ugh.
If you plan on being there make sure you come by the Harding booth and say hello to me. If you tell me that you read my blog, I’ll bless you with a Harding shirt. Good deal huh?
I’ll be back on Tuesday and I’ll be sure to let you know how everything went.
I don’t know how many of you have ever witnessed the power of a tornado in person before.
As of today, I have yet to personally see the outcome of the winds on homes. I’ve seen pictures mind you, but never witnessed the carnage with my own eyes. I have never walked over a cement slab knowing that it used to be a living room. I’ve never seen a bathtub stuck in a tree or a bass boat wrapped around one. I haven’t hugged someone who sat in the closet while their home literally fell apart around them. I have never used my weekend to throw on some old clothes, drive an hour, and proceed to get dirty while helping a neighbor. I’ve never tediously picked up insulation that had been sprayed through the trees and bushes. I’ve never seen the face of devastation on a homeowner… who is no longer a homeowner.
I have never taken the time to volunteer in the wake of this type of destruction. It’s not because I don’t want to help- I guess I’ve always been removed from the situation. I can easily seperate myself from the reality of it.
Last week a string of storms ravaged Arkansas on its way through the south east. One town, less than 2 hours away, was drastically altered. At this point in my life I’m used to hearing about tornadoes and storms that damage cities. I’ve seen the pictures on the news. I’ve read about the stories in the paper. What was different about this past Sunday? I was in the middle of an outpouring. Almost 1,000 Harding students rallying together to help those who need it. College age kids giving up their weekend to get dirty for the benefit of people they’ve never met. It was amazing to see.
I found this video on YouTube this morning… and although the music choice is a little odd, I thought it would be fitting to show you how some humble students reached out. I’m blessed to be able to witness the love of Christ.
So it’s been about 3 years since I last made an entry… you know what that means, right? I have to have the “I’m sorry that I left you by the wayside” blog. Yep. It’s in this blog that I have to say things like, “I’m commited to writing ‘x’ number of times a week,” and “I promise not to leave you hanging agian…”
Right.
So, I’m sorry. Here’s what I’ve been doing in my time off: watching American Gladiators, planning for Bison Daze, Christmas shopping, watching the Redskins win, NCYM, planning for the Theatron summer tour, opening Christmas presents, making a gingerbread house, celebrating New Years, returning Christmas presents, watching the Redskins lose, blowing up my gingerbread house, planning for Bison Daze – AGAIN, I got sick, continuing to plan for the Theatron summer tour, freezing, celebrating the 4th season of LOST, being disappointed with the opening episode of the 4th season of LOST, watching American Idol and laughing, watching American Idol and going crazy, cheering on the Harding Men’s Basketball team to a 6-1 in conference record, cheering on the Giants to the Super Bowl, watching Tom Brady eat dirt, and at times I slept, ate food, and took time to breath.
That’s what I’ve been doing… I’ll do my best to keep you in the loop from now on. For my peeps out there that actually check my blog – no Renee, you don’t count, let me say, “My Bad.” I will try to do better…. crap, it just became one of those blogs….
I am a fan of the Washington Redskins football organization.
Tuesday morning Sean Taylor lost his life due to complications with a gunshot wound that he suffered in his home outside of Miami, FL.
Shocking news to say the least. I was beside myself to hear about a player who I routinely root for, dying. What really strikes me is that Taylor was only 24 years old – I’m 25. When I think about professional athletes, I still think about them the way I did when I was younger. They are grown men, so much older than me… and maybe I can still be one when I grow up. But then I’m reminded; these guys are not just my peers in age, some of them are younger. Some of them have yet to marry. Some have yet to see their insurance premium go down. Some have just been given the right to vote.
Reading about Sean Taylor’s tragic death reminded me of a good friend that left us to be with his Father in heaven back in 1999. I just finished my junior year of high school and was getting ready to celebrate a birthday… Marques Hampton never got to celebrate with me. As I reminisce about Sean Taylor, I remember Marques, who died in a car wreck coming back from freshman orientation at Virginia Tech where he was scheduled to play football that fall. What strikes me is that VT and Miami, Taylor’s alma mater, play each other on a regular basis, and had Marques lived, they would have met one another on the field as competitors.
That never happened.
I was distraught with the news of Marques’ death. Never again would I see him play football, let alone talk with him as a close friend. When ESPN reported that Taylor had passed, I was flooded with those emotions again. Maybe it’s because of the similarities. Both were football players and very skilled athletes. I enjoyed cheering for both of them as they pursued their careers. Both were very passionate people – believing in their decisions. Both leave people behind wondering what might have been. Both had their lives cut short.
So as I remember Sean Taylor and his family, I also remember Marques. I pray. I know people lose loved ones everyday. I have a good friend who lost his mother recently. It’s tough – we hurt. But thank God that our assurance rests not in the length of our life on this earth, but in the eternity that awaits us in heaven. Live your life with certainty. Make conscience decisions today about who you will become… you might not have tomorrow.
Every once and a while you experience a milestone. An achievement that marks great experience and accomplishment. A trophy day. Maybe you remember some of these events in your life; getting your drivers ID, graduating from High School, getting accepted to college…
All of these are great milestone accomplishments… but they pail in comparison to what I have just experienced for myself. Brace yourself because what I am about to share with you will knock your socks off. It is an achievement of gigantic proportions, something that only happens once in a lifetime, an experience that humbles many and challenges the young. It is so fantastic of an event that I had to change the way I did things to accommodate for its greatness.
Last week, November 7th, 2007 – a date that will go down in the history books…
I was given my 1000th facebook wall post!
Take a moment to pick up your jaw, I know that it is a beast of a milestone… but I didn’t do it alone. It took the time and effort of many people – maybe even you, reading this blog, have contributed to my wall at the book of faces. I thank you. I am in your debt. So the question that is on everyone’s mind is this; what will I do with this new found popularity? Hard one to answer. I was thinking about running for President, but then I saw that Wendy’s commercial where the guy stands and demands that we can have a choice on sides at fast food restaurants. Looks like he’s got that on lock. I thought I would write a book about my journey through facebook stardom, but that would require lots of writing and I can only seem to get a blog post up about once a week. Maybe I could travel to colleges and share my story as a motivational speaker. I could encourage the newly converted that even though they spent endless amounts of time updating their myspace pages and ignoring the responsibilities given them via the “social utility that connects you with people around you,” they too can become among the elite. But, I travel enough for Harding as it is, and I would miss my wife and my dog too much.
What should I do? Then it hit me. I should write a blog about it and ask the few readers that I have. Sounds like a plan – and there it is. How should I celebrate such a huge event? Sound off and let me know… If I like it, I’ll send you a Harding shirt and make plans to fulfill your suggestion.
