Month: May 2010

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I should have saved them

hot-wheelsEver since we moved Heather’s parents out of their home of nearly 40 years, I have been keenly aware of the need to not keep things.

As I read an article in Car & Driver several months back about middle-aged men collecting and selling their childhood Hot Wheels toy cars, I regretted that I gave away my collection at about age 12. I thought, “Why should I keep these? I don’t play with them anymore!”

Then, I saw what the very first car I bought was going for at a shop not far from where we live – about $80. (The same model was actually pictured in the article – the ugly red Ford Thunderbird. Mine was a sort of gold color.) Oh well.

What thing do you wish you had kept?

(Photos thanks to Car & Driver.)

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Bank holiday

bank-holidayToday is a bank holiday in America – Memorial Day. I’ll let others write about its significance.

A national holiday in the UK, is referred to as a “bank holiday”. In the US, it’s “national holiday”. A break from work of several days in the UK is a “holiday”. In the US, it’s “vacation”.

Whichever the case for you, I hope you enjoy this day!

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Perfection

stainless-keyStainless steel is perfect.

What other substance is so hard, so rust-free and looks great when it gets scratched?

I’ve written about perfection before. I think all humans long for it at some level. But it’s very hard to find. Maybe that’s why I like stainless steel so much.

(And a special thanks to my friend Dave, who gave me this Utili-key. It’s very useful, but when I had jury duty last fall, the guards insisted that I leave it in my car. “Drop that key! Put your hands up!” And airport security? I just left it home for the last few trips I made – wouldn’t have had time to go back to the car, if that was needed.)

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Got bored

So yes, I changed the look of my blog. Do you like it? I’m not stuck on it – you can influence whether I keep it this way or go back to the previous look.

[polldaddy poll=3256294]

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Proud of America

hibaHiba Ibrahim spoke at at Ben’s graduation ceremony (or continuation ceremony). Her family immigrated from Sudan to Littleton, Colorado, about five or so years ago. Her speech reflected complete adjustment to life here. Her delivery showed confidence and poise. She had a totally American accent.

I was so proud of our country for accepting Hiba and her family! She has many more opportunities to excel and grow as a person and contribute to society here than she would have had in her warn-torn village in southern Sudan. Reflecting on this brought tears to my eyes.

p.s. Horrible photo? Again, I was a long distance from the stage.

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Proud of Ben

ben-gradBen graduated from Euclid Middle School last week. I was and am really proud. Jay preceded him by two years, but it was no less special. It’s is a stepping stone to high school, then college, and then that first job. And each achievement is not just a given. It’s something to be recognized and be grateful for.

Gary Hein is Ben’s principal – shown shaking Ben’s hand. (The shaky hand holding the camera was mine.) He has provided excellent leadership for the entire staff and student body.

One thing I learned is that when you finish middle school, you don’t graduate. You “continue”. (It was a “continuation ceremony”.)

p.s. Horrible photo? I was a long distance from the stage.

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Fun shoes

weird-shoesReebok recently released the Zigtech shoe line. I think they’re really fun. Heather doesn’t like them. I don’t need a new pair of shoes, so the decision to not buy a pair was easy.

Which one do you like best? Or are you with Heather on this one?

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What’s a better use?

grabill-campaignMy friend Jon Swanson spearheaded a great campaign to reduce the debt his church has on their building. He came up with several ways to view how the monthly mortgage payments could be better used – in this instance, one monthly payment could be used to fund a large number of New Testaments, rather than paying interest.

Takeaway: What are some ways you can use your resources in a better way?

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Give us a date

missing-dateThere are two directions people go with their blogs – having dates with their posts and not having dates. I vote yes for putting the date with your post. Reasons?

1. It shows your readers that you are staying current with your blog.

2. It gives your readers a frame of reference for when the material was created. This is important for determining if the information might be relevant. In many fields these days, the latest information is vital. (This is true for social media, the area I work in.)

The other argument is that “my information is timeless”. That may be true – but your readers would like to know when you thought that particular thought. Maybe you have changed your thinking since then! (Not many people take time to go back to update all of their posts.)

If you are giving timeless information – and it’s valuable – just post it again, in a different way. Readers are smart enough to search your blog for that topic, if they liked what you had to say.

Finally, sometimes I actually will leave a blog when the blog is giving technical information and there is not date with the post.

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