Category Archives: Friends, Family, Life

Eagles Lose!

Posted on by

It’s a reason why I don’t weblog about my team… I don’t want to jinx ’em! Whadda a rough game (Philly.com)! We had to lose sooner or later. I guess getting it out of the way now is best.

Twenty years ago Trevor Ferrell, an 11 year old boy, my own age then too, asked his parents to drive him down to Center City so that he could give blankets and pillows to the homeless. His efforts inspired many.

People often ask Ferrell how they can help, what they can do. “Spend time with your family,” he tells them. “Raise your kids. Be a parent for your kids.

“One day when I was working construction, I saw a father and his son walk by, and the kid was telling a story. The father wasn’t listening. You could see it in the kid’s face – he knew his father didn’t hear him. I’ll never forget the look of disappointment. And I promised I’d never be that kind of father, that I would always be there for my kids.

“They’re the most important thing in life, not the bills I have to pay or running the shop. If you want your kids to be successful, if you want to make sure they never end up homeless or living on the street, love them by paying attention.”

Today Trevor Ferrell still fights the good fight (Philly.com).

So it’s been over a week and has capturing Saddam help to make us safer? Long term I’m sure of it (VOA). Short term the answer is no as we are raising the alert level (Philly.com) as new warnings come in.

I’m surprised this report slipped thru on CBS’s website, and the liberal media did such a nice follow thru. I mean – wasn’t this story just all over the place? Yeah. Uh-huh. Doesn’t matter much since later reports have a lot of backstepping being pushed.

The further things go along, the more I see Bush getting a Reaganesque landslide in next year’s election. As it stands the Democrats are by far a longshot (NYTimes) at putting forth a winner. That doesn’t mean I’m not going to vote for one however. The Republicans are doing a far better job at communicating what people want to hear.

Could technology empower the end of the two party system in America (Washington Post)?

There was a milestone in flight this week – not just a special anniversary but Wednesday SpaceShipOne broke the speed barrier and made it to 68,000 feet (Slashdot)!

Outsourcing is a problem! Outsourcing isn’t a problem! I guess it counts upon whether you are the benefactor or the victim as to your point of view. India is a rising star (BusinessWeek) anyway you slice it.

We’re going to miss you Dave. At least in the weblogging sense 🙂

I should change my subtitle to the weekend weblogger!

What Would They Say About You At Your Funeral?

Posted on by

What a crazy thing to ask. But that’s the ultimate question Steven Covey confronts you with when he talks about Habit 2 of the Seven Habits – “Begin With The End In Mind”:

People often find themselves achieving victories that are empty, successes that have come at the expense of things they suddenly realize were far more valuable to them. People from every walk of life – doctors, academicians, actors, politicians, business professionals, athletes, and plumbers – often struggle to achieve a higher income, more recognition or a certain degree of professional competence, only to find that their drive to achieve their goal blinded them to the things that really mattered most and are now gone.

How different our lives are when we really know what is deeply important to us, and keeping that picture in mind, we manage ourselves each day to be and to do what really matters most….

…If you carefully consider what you wanted to be said of you in the funeral experience, you will find your definition of success.

That’s a direct quote from the book. In the not distant past I had put friends and family on the sidelines while I pushed as hard as I could for individual career success – and I’ve come very far. Shit – I am proof the American Dream exists. But along the way I became an asshole to the people that really mattered – the people that will think of me longer then five seconds and go “oh, that’s a shame”, when my ticket is punched.

The last two years I’ve walked down a different path. With it comes new insecurities I didn’t have before – or cared to think about. With it even comes career risk – I still do my best – but now first at home.

Sadly I’ve done this largely out of shock, not noble purpose. The death of my nephew, my wife’s grand parents, 9/11. How many vowed to look at life different and quickly forgot how important the short time we have with our loved ones is? I know I have on a few occasions.

Modern America doesn’t seem structured for thinking this way. Haven’t you felt guilty for not spending time on work when you are spending time chatting to a friend or family member? During off the clock hours I’m talking about! Hasn’t your mind wondered to work issues when someone is talking to you? Mine does almost instinctively sometimes. It’s wrong.

To be a family man is to be a rebel and out of the mainstream. Who woulda thunk it? When did this happen? According to this week’s NYTimes Magazine, a growing number of women are deciding to be rebels too. Maybe there is hope after all.

Read the quote again. It kinda says it all doesn’t it?

The Unsexy List

Posted on by

Nerve’s list of the 50 most unsexy things put a smile on my face. Gotta pass on some humor in the face of reality. After all “Underemployed” is the new norm for all too many. Then again it’s great to have some mis-notions shattered in this Foreign Police piece Think Again: International Trade.

On a different matter entirely – you want to buy Alice Cooper’s latest. You want to buy it. You want to buy it. You want to buy it.

P.S. – I love this pic. Ya gotta love it.

Hey – is there anyone else you know that can hop from Nerve to Foreign Police Magazine to Alice Cooper? Hehe. I must be messed up on some level….