Trav's Thoughts

One of my favorite things is a full breakfast...eggs, bacon, hash browns, muffins drowning in butter and topped with jelly, a good cup of coffee. Yum-OH! But in a pinch, a warm toasted pop tart will get it done.

Safety tip...properly interpret the kitty pee-pee dance at all times, get out of bed, and clean the box! At least I don't torture Mr Tucker with doors...


The new Tuscani Lasagna from Pizza Hut is really good. And when you order online, as we always do, you can order from the office as you're getting ready to leave and schedule a delivery time. They usually hit the time +/- 5 minutes. Be prepared though because it really only feeds a family of four light eaters, and only if you add a salad or something. Pam and I demolished it last night.

Today I get to watch college hoops all day. YAY me!

I have ignored all Super Bowl hype for the last two weeks. I have a traditional dislike of Pittsburgh. Why? Hello...Raider fan for 42 years. But I like Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, and that defense led by Troy Polamalu. I do like Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald. But there isn't much else I enjoy about the Cardinals.

I had a lousy season picking winners and I really tanked during the playoffs. But I'll make my final pick of the season. I call Pittsburgh to win.

One of the things that attracted me to my 2003 Jeep Liberty was the tough stance and rounded edges. But the body style has been re-designed. It still has a tough stance, but for reasons passing understanding the designers have squared the edges off. Now it's even more square than a Grand Cherokee, which is nice but not my style at all. That's one of the reasons I've been holding off on an upgrade.

This year may be the time to buy, perhaps this summer once we see how the economy goes. My current employer is well-positioned to ride out the downturn, and extremely well-positioned to lead the recovery. We're in a growing segment of data storage, so as long as we maintain fiscal responsibility we should be ok. But I'll remain patient.

I did have my eye on the Jeep Compass, which looks good on the showroom floor but doesn't really measure up to the Jeep brand. I'd love to go back to Wrangler, but the fuel economy just isn't there and I'm well past my off road days. Although, there's little doubt that Wrangler could have gotten me through the snow days.

So I guess I'm open to suggestions. Fuel economy is the driving force. Comfort comes next, because my knees and back aren't getting any better and I need to be able to enter and exit the vehicle easily and without a lot of bending. Then comes performance and handling, safety, and all the other stuff you should consider before settling on a vehicle.

Pam swears by BMW. I've always been a Mercedes guy myself, but her little Z4 is great to drive once I fold myself into it. She's salivating over the new Z4 Roadster.

I guess I'll just have to keep an open mind and see what catches my eye. Of course, if I can find me a 1956 T Bird, then all bets are off!

Sometimes it can seem that the only thing we hear about collegiate athletics has to do with performance on the field, court, or pitch. Or we hear about negative behaviors.

And there can be extreme cynicism in the term student-athlete.

But I'd like to tell you about Alade Aminu, a 6'10" senior forward at Georgia Tech. He is from Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain GA. I was watching Georgia Tech play Clemson on Sunday, and I heard a brief mention of Aminu that had nothing to do with hoops.

Aminu has founded a non-profit organization called Brotherhood of the World. Together with his younger brother and some of his teammates, Aminu provides mentoring and tutoring to the youth in his community.

I took the mission statement directly from the website.

Brotherhood of the World was founded in March of 2008. Our mission is to tap into the generous spirit of athletes and other caring individuals by developing opportunities to give back to the community; through a volunteer program specifically focused on underprivileged youths and children. These programs enable us to interact with them to help provide them with the necessary skills, tools, and resources for conducting themselves successfully in life. We embrace family values as well as fellowship and camaraderie. Through these values, we want to help motivate the youth to set and achieve high goals in education, in the community and ultimately their lives. We understand that they really look up to us as positive influences and we hope to build bonds that will serve the young forever. While our primary target is the youth, we also advocate ideas and programs for combating homelessness and trying to enhance the lives of the less fortunate.

This foundation is rooted in Atlanta, but will have future partnerships and growth throughout the country and eventually the world.

I encourage you to go to the website. I searched through page after page and only found one mention of Aminu on the home page. This organization isn't the vanity of a star athlete. This young man has a genuine passion and commitment to service. I listened to him speak about his program here.

Something is going right. There are young people out there who get it. And they are dedicating themselves to their communities. By doing so, they pass on the spirit of service to the youth they mentor and tutor. And those youth develop that same sense of community service, first by emulating those who took interest in them.

Then those kids mature and take service into their hearts and minds, mentoring and tutoring a new generation. This is how we spread hope and opportunity. This is how we make life better.

This is how we enrich the world.

Jim Butcher rapidly made my favorite writers list with The Dresden Files. And he moved many knotches up the list with his Codex Alera series.

If you enjoy epic adventure fantasy laced with magic based on the harnessing of elemental furies, then Alera is the setting for you.

The quality I enjoy most about Mr Butcher's fiction is that he is able to write his characters into seemingly impossible situations, and then write them an escape that is plausible. The characters are honorable yet flawed. And the political landscape is exciting and detailed, with enough complexity to make it difficult to pick a side.

If you are in the market for some fast-paced, full throttle stories, I heartily endorse both The Dresden Files and The Codex Alera.

The Codex Alera

1. Furies of Calderon
2. Academ's Fury
3. Cursor's Fury
4. Captain's Fury
5. Princeps' Fury

The Dresden Files

1. Storm Front
2. Fool Moon
3. Grave Peril
4. Summer Knight
5. Death Masks
6. Blood Rites
7. Dead Beat
8. Proven Guilty
9. White Night
10. Small Favor
11. Turn Coat (due April 2009 - YAY!)

Welcome to another Manic Monday with Morgen. Don't forget to cruise by MM HQ at the Manic Monday blog. Today's theme is Snow.

Now this is a timely topic because it snowed overnight Saturday and lightly during much of the day yesterday. It wasn't enough to stick on the ground, but the trees got a nice dusting and it looked pretty.

I posted pictures of what our place looked like after the snow we had in December. Here are a few more.

It's hard to tell in this photo, but there was plenty of snow and packed ice between my feet and the pavement. And that snow I was standing in came up well past my ankles. We measured just over 9" in the drive and nearly a foot in some drifts around the building.





This shows some of the ruts we had to deal with to try and get the Liberty out. There was no way we were moving Pam's BMW. And my Liberty nearly got stuck a couple of times. I bought it in southern California and only got the 2-wheel drive.



That's my Liberty to the left. My parking spot is right at the end of the covered parking row. There was 2-3 inches piled up on the vehicle after one particularly windy snow storm. And those steps were slick. At one point we had to trek along the side of the building to be sure of our footing.



This is where we measured nearly a foot of snow on the ground. It's just to the right of the stairs leading down to our place.



It wasn't all pretty. This is a bit of plowed muck at the mall parking lot.



But we got through it. And this guy lasted for quite awhile.



And of course the good news for us is that we don't have this for 4-5 months!

Kay Yow, coach of the North Carolina State women's basketball program since 1975, died yesterday after more than a 20 year battle with breast cancer. She was 66.

This is a terrible kind of symmetry. I first became a fan of NC State watching Jim Valvano coach the men's program in the early 1980s. Valvano got his national championship with one of the all time upsets of Houston in 1983. He died of brain cancer in 1993. A women's national championship eluded Coach Yow, but that does nothing to diminish her legacy. Her impact on young women, and virtually everyone she came in contact with, is and will remain profound.

She was one of only 9 women to win more than 700 games. In 38 seasons, 4 of them at Elon College to begin her career, Coach Yow won 737 games, ranking her 6th among women's coaches. The court at Reynold's Coliseum was renamed Kay Yow Court on 16 Feb 2007, on senior night, and that night the Wolfpack upset then #2 ranked cross town rival North Carolina. I remember watching that game, and it was one of the most emotional two hours I've ever spent watching a sporting event.

Coach Yow was the 5th female coach to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. She is also enshrined in the Women's Basketball HOF. She coached the 1981 silver medal US women's team at the World University Games, was an assistant coach on the 1984 gold medal winning Olympic team, coached the 1986 gold medal winning teams at the Goodwill Games and FIBA World Championships, and the gold medal winning Olympic team in 1988.



Coach Yow was a recipient of the Jimmy V ESPY Award for Perseverance. She served on the board of the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research, and she lived the Foundation's motto of Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up. She continued to coach her team for as long as she could during chemo treatments. She let her very difficult and painful fight against the disease be a public one. She encouraged other cancer patients, and worked tirelessly to promote the importance of cancer research. Her name is attached to the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer fund, launched by the V Foundation and sponsored in part by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association to raise specific awareness for breast cancer research.



She was first diagnosed in 1987. The cancer returned in 2004 and again in 2007. She was forced to miss 16 games during 2007 to focus on her treatments. The virulence of the disease finally overwhelmed her earlier this month, and Coach Yow announced that she was too sick to continue as head coach.

So many women battle against breast cancer in relative obscurity. Coach Yow is no more heroic than they. But her public battle against the disease helped to bring increased awareness. I know so many people who have been touched by cancer in some way. Please take a moment and donate to cancer research today, either in the name of someone you know or in your own name.

Or just do it because it's the right thing to do.

Sandra Kay Yow (14 March 1942 – 24 January 2009)

I finished my program!!! I now officially hold a Masters Certificate in Supply Chain Management.

I really enjoyed the program. I started to run out of steam toward the end, especially with how busy I've been, acclimating at a new job with a new company. But I was able to take the things I studied and put them to immediate use. It's always best when you see practical results right away.

It's not what you think.

I heard the new single from Taylor Hicks last night. It's called What's Right Is Right. It's due to drop on 27 Jan. And I like it!



The new CD, The Distance, is due March 10. It was produced by Simon Climie, who has worked with Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, and Faith Hill. The album features appearances from guitarist Doyle Bramhall II, bassist Nathan East, and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr.

Each president recites the following oath, in accordance with Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

Congratulations President Barack Obama. You have your work cut out for you Sir.

Welcome to another Manic Monday with Morgen. Don't forget to cruise by MM HQ at the Manic Monday blog. Today's theme is Office.



This is the view out my office window to the northwest across Elliot Bay.


I'm in the home stretch on my certificate program, so I apologize if I haven't been able to catch up with you on blog rounds.

I got an email about this from Starrlight, and I saw that Vinny had done it. And I heard that Mimi was promoting it too. So of course I had to do it.

It's called The Bloggers Album Project, and it was started by Robert Rouse, the host of the blog Left Of Normal.

This is what Robert has to say about the project:

I started the Blogger Album Project to discover how diverse - or collective - the Blogosphere is when it comes to taste in music. So far, the choices are interesting - to say the least! Many great albums - most I have owned - some I have never heard of, but will check out because of this list.

Send a list of your seven favorite albums (those are like large black compact discs to those of you who do not remember turntables before scratching), along with a link to your blog. I am hoping we can eventually have more than 1000 selections - the current total stands at 378 Album choices.

So here's my seven albums:

Taylor Hicks, Under the Radar
Dave Clark Five, Greatest Hits
Les Miserables, The Dream Cast in Concert
The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds
Don McLean, Greatest Hits
Lynyrd Skynyrd, Skynyrd's Innyrds
Queen, A Night at the Opera/The Works

If you click on the link to the project above, you can get to the site to view the list so far. There is also a link to Robert's email on the site so you can send your own selections.

I haven't spent much time over there yet, but now that I have the link I'll be checking it out. I enjoy checking out what music other people enjoy.

Here are some notables from last night. These vocalists made us stop and listen.


Von
Matt
Jessica
Danny
Asa
Lil


Based on the 30-45 seconds we heard, I'd be fine with them making the Top 24. Thank you American Idol for showing us plenty of talent on last night's program. We'll see how things go for them in the Hollywood round.




Does anyone else read old blog posts? I like to go searching through my archives once in awhile, and when I do I often stumble upon something that bears repeating.

And so, let's take a trip in the Wayback Machine to an old Thursday 13 post from 27 Dec 2006.

13 Things The Women In My Life Have Taught Me

1. To own my decisions, for better or worse

2. That tears are natural

3. That you can either ask for help, or hang the picture crooked

4. That I don't have to become my father

5. That honor is in the act of service rather than the type of service

6. That sometimes a smile and a hug is enough

7. To be attentive and kind

8. To look for the words, to offer them with tact and compassion, and to remain silent when there are no words

9. To be silly

10. To love sport and competition

11. To respect and to trust

12. That what gets broken can be mended in the fullness of time

13. That two halves of the same whole can find each other

We watched most of last night with the sound on mute. We don't really get into it until they start showing us the talent.

In honor of the one out there somewhere who is going to be the American Idol in about 4 months, here are the first 7.

Season 1, Kelly Clarkson

Season 2, Reuben Studdard

Season 3, Fantasia Barrino

Season 4, Carrie Underwood

Season 5, Taylor Hicks

Season 6, Jordin Sparks

Season 7, David Cook

Who's next?

Edit: I just fixed a bonehead mistake. Apologies to all Colts and Ravens fans for the stoopid error. I haven't done that in ages.

Tony Dungy, 53, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts for the last 7 seasons, retired from coaching football yesterday.

What more can I say than thank you Sir.

Thank you for your dignity.

Thank you for your integrity.

Thank you for your ethics.

Thank you for knowing that it's only football and behaving so.

Thank you for sharing the very private pain brought by the death of your son, in such a way that the public's insatiable need to know did not overwhelm you and your family.

Thank you for being a true man.

As to football achievement, he has it. Since taking over Indianapolis in 2002, the Colts finished first or second in the AFC Central every year. Dungy won the division 5 times in his 7 seasons. He was 85-28 with the Colts, and he is the only head coach to have 6 straight 12 win seasons and 10 straight playoff appearances. He provided the stability that players like Peyton Manning required to flourish.

He won Super Bowl XLI as coach of the Colts, and he won Super Bowl XIII as a defensive back with Pittsburgh.

About his philosophy, Tony Dungy says (from Wikipedia)...

I really wanted to show people you can win all kinds of ways. I always coached the way I've wanted to be coached. I know Lovie (Smith, Chicago Bears head coach) has done the same thing. For guys to have success where it maybe goes against the grain, against the culture ... I know I probably didn't get a couple of jobs in my career because people could not see my personality or the way I was going to do it ... For your faith to be more important than your job, for your family to be more important than that job ... We all know that's the way it should be, but we're afraid to say that sometimes. Lovie's not afraid to say it and I'm not afraid to say it.

Tony Dungy is a man with clear priorities. And I respect that.

Welcome to another Manic Monday with Morgen. Don't forget to cruise by MM QG at the Manic Monday blog. Today's theme is Cell.

The first thing that came to my mind was Storm Cell. As destructive as these weather systems can be, they are also extraordinarily beautiful.

Stepping out of hiatus briefly to bring you...Maru, The Sliding Box Cat.



Visit the LOLCATs at I Can Has Cheezburger.

That is all.

Work is kicking my ass. I'll be back soon.

Welcome to another Manic Monday with Morgen. Don't forget to cruise by MM HQ at the Manic Monday blog. Today's theme is Sale.

The Vancouver Sun reported on Friday that long play vinyl record purchases doubled in 2008.

Here are the top 10 best selling albums of all time. I own 7 out of 10, and 4 of them on vinyl.

10. The Beatles White Album (1968) - 19 million units.

Tracks: Back in the USSR, Dear Prudence, Glass Onion, Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Wild Honey Pie, The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Happiness is a Warm Gun, Marth My Dear, I'm So Tired, Blackbird, Piggies, Rocky Raccoon, Don't Pass Me By, Why Don't We Do It in the Road, I Will, Julia, Birthday, Yer Blues, Mother Nature's Son, Everybody's Got Something to Hid Except Me and My Monkey, Sexy Sadie, Helter Skelter, Long Long Long, Revolution 1, Honey Pie, Savoy Truffle, Cry Baby Cry, Revolution 9, Good Night

9. Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977) - 19.5 million units.

Tracks: Second Hand News, Dreams, Never Going Back Again, Don't Stop, Go Your Own Way, Songbird, The Chain, You Make Loving Fun, I Don't Want to Know, Oh Daddy, Gold Dust Woman

8. Shania Twain Come On Over (1997) - 20 million units.

Tracks: Man I Feel Like a Woman, I'm Holding on to Love (to Save My Life), Love Gets Me Every Time, Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You), From This Moment On, Come On Over, When, Whatever You Do Don't, If You Wanna Touch Her Ask, You're Still the One, Honey I'm Home, That Don't Impress Me Much, Black Eyes Blue Tears, I Won't Leave You Lonely, Rock This Country, You've Got a Way

7. Garth Brooks Double Live (1998) - 21 million units.

Tracks: Callin Baton Rouge, Two of a Kind Workin on a Full House, Shameless, Papa Loved Mama, The Thunder Rolls, We Shall Be Free, Unanswered Prayers, Standing Outside the Fire, Longneck Bottle, It's Your Song, Much Too Young To Feel This Damn Old, The River, Crowd, Tearin it Up, Ain't Goin Down Til the Sun Comes Up, rodeo, The Beaches of Cheyenne, Two Piina Coladas, Wild as the Wind, To Make You Feel My Love, That Summer, American Honky Tonk Bar Association, If Tomorrow Never Comes, The Fever, Friends in Low Places, The Dance

6. Billy Joel Greatest Hits Vol I & II (1985) - 21.5 million units.

Tracks: Piano Man, Say Goodbye to Hollywood, New York State of Mind, The Stranger, Just the Way You Are, Movin Out, Only the Good Die Young, She's Always a Woman, My Life, Big Shot, You May Be Right, It's Still Rock and Roll to Me, Don't Ask Me Why, Pressure, Allentown, Goodnight Saigon, Tell Her About It, Uptown Girl, The Longest Time, You're Only Human (Second Wind), The Night is Still Young

5. AC/DC Back in Black (1980) - 22 million units.

Tracks: Hell's Bells, Shoot to Thrill, What Do You Do for Money Honey, Givin the Dog a Bone, Let Me Put My Love into You, Back in Black, You Shook Me All Night Long, Have a Drink on Me, Shake a Leg, Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution

4. Led Zeppelin The Fourth Album (1971) - 23 million units.

Tracks: Black Dog, Rock and Roll, The Battle of Evermore, Stairway to Heaven, Misty Mountain Hop, Four Sticks, Going to California, When the Levee Breaks

3. Pink Floyd The Wall (1979) - 23.5 million units.

Tracks: In the Flesh, The Thin Ice, Another Brick in the Wall Part 1, The Happiest Days of Our Lives, Another Brick in the Wall Part 2, Mother, Goodbye Blue Sky, Empty Spaces, Young Lust, One of My Turns, Don't Leave Me Now, Another Brick in the Wall Part 3, Goodbye Cruel World, Hey You, Is There Anybody Out there, Nobody Home, Vera, Bring the Boys Back Home, Comfortably Numb, The Show Must Go On, In the Flesh, Run Like Hell, Waiting for the Worms, Stop, The Trial, Outside the Wall

2. Michael Jackson Thriller (1982) - 27 million units.

Tracks: Wanna Be Startin Somethin, Baby Be Mine, The Girl is Mine, Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean, Human Nature, Pretty Young Thing, The Lady in My Life

1. Eagles Their Greatest Hits 1971-75 (1976) - 28 million units.

Tracks: Take It Easy, Witchy Woman, Lyin Eyes, Already Gone, Desperado, One of These Nights, Tequila Sunrise, Take It to the Limit, Peaceful Easy Feeling, Best of My Love