Okay, so there are reports that our economy may actually be making a positive turn. Did you notice that since that has been reported that the price of gasoline has risen almost 50 cents a gallon? No reports of a shortage of any kind. Only thing I've heard and read is the anticipation of summer driving has driven up the price. Give me a break!!! Does the price of cranberry sauce go up when we approach Thanksgiving? No.....does it cost more to buy hot dogs and hot dog buns on July 2nd?....Again, No!
What irks me most is that we sit and take it. No complaints. We just let the oil companies do it. Through all of these reports of downsizing and lost profits, have you seen an oil company as a part of that? I challenge you to name one for me because I can't.
I wish we could all just thumb our noses at them and stop using our vehicles altogether....but, we can't.....and they know it!!! Heck, when the price was $4.99 a gallon, we paid it. How does it feel to be a slave to the oil companies?
Monday, May 18, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
LET THE KIDS DO THEIR OWN THING!!
For the past two months, our 10-year old daughter has been agonizing over her MAJOR
4th grade project which entailed picking a specific deceased character from American history who, she thinks, made an impact historically and spiritually. Her selection was Helen Keller. Of course, we were impressed with the choice. She went on to do some web research, watched a version of The Miracle Worker, read a book about Helen Keller and did some library research, also. The project was to be in a presentation form as if the character were a wax figure at a museum and when someone would walk up the display, the character would come alive with a simple press of a button and deliver a one-minute soliloquy on his/her place in history. Parents and students alike were invited to this presentation. For our little one, our involvement in the project comprised of reading over her various "papers" associated with the project and purchasing a Helen Keller costume and Braille book as props. The rest we left up to her.
As my wife and I walked into the presentation, we were met with an unbelievable amount of "props" from each student. One actually had 10-foot paper mache nose to depict Mt. Rushmore. Another had a $2000 flat screen TV to show videos of the character. There were lots more. One of the teachers, jokingly, remarked to me that there should be two grades for this project - one for the students and one for the PARENTS. as I viewed each presentation, I found myself feeling bad for our little one because we didn't do enough for her. I began to wonder if we should have had a display or something else to help her but then I realized that this was HER project and HER grade and she was happy with what she presented. It conjured up memories of my days as a Little League baseball coach and how "involved" parents would get. I walked away feeling a lot better about our little one because I knew that was her work and no one else has any hand in it.
My point is that, if you are a parent, PLEASE guide your children but don't do the work for them. Give them a chance to experience failure so they can learn from it and experience their own success. It doesn't get any better than seeing the elation from a child who has failed and, then, succeeded. Maybe we'll all be better for it.
4th grade project which entailed picking a specific deceased character from American history who, she thinks, made an impact historically and spiritually. Her selection was Helen Keller. Of course, we were impressed with the choice. She went on to do some web research, watched a version of The Miracle Worker, read a book about Helen Keller and did some library research, also. The project was to be in a presentation form as if the character were a wax figure at a museum and when someone would walk up the display, the character would come alive with a simple press of a button and deliver a one-minute soliloquy on his/her place in history. Parents and students alike were invited to this presentation. For our little one, our involvement in the project comprised of reading over her various "papers" associated with the project and purchasing a Helen Keller costume and Braille book as props. The rest we left up to her.
As my wife and I walked into the presentation, we were met with an unbelievable amount of "props" from each student. One actually had 10-foot paper mache nose to depict Mt. Rushmore. Another had a $2000 flat screen TV to show videos of the character. There were lots more. One of the teachers, jokingly, remarked to me that there should be two grades for this project - one for the students and one for the PARENTS. as I viewed each presentation, I found myself feeling bad for our little one because we didn't do enough for her. I began to wonder if we should have had a display or something else to help her but then I realized that this was HER project and HER grade and she was happy with what she presented. It conjured up memories of my days as a Little League baseball coach and how "involved" parents would get. I walked away feeling a lot better about our little one because I knew that was her work and no one else has any hand in it.
My point is that, if you are a parent, PLEASE guide your children but don't do the work for them. Give them a chance to experience failure so they can learn from it and experience their own success. It doesn't get any better than seeing the elation from a child who has failed and, then, succeeded. Maybe we'll all be better for it.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Something To Think About NOT Just Today
I am writing this on the designated National Day of Prayer and playing on 97.3 The Eagle right now is Trace Adkins new song "All I Ask For Anymore". This is a day DESIGNATED for all of us to pray and I'm listening to a song that lets us know what really matters every day of our lives. Trace sings about praying every night, not for his possible accomplishments but for his wife, his children, his friends......what really matters. After this past weekend visiting my grown daughter and her family, I was, for the first time in a long time, with my entire immediate family....my wife, two daughters, son-in-law and three grandchildren. It doesn't, and will never, get any better than that. Makes me realize that EVERY DAY should be a National Day of Prayer.....not just one day a year. Maybe, if we all prayed about what really matters every day....just maybe.....we can turn this whole thing around. I am a dreamer, you know....BUT, I'm also a believer. Lets give it a shot.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
HAS OUR BUSINESS LOST ITS HEART?
Just yesterday, a big radio broadcast company eliminated 3% of their work force just like that. Over 500 people. Counting the 1800-plus they dropped back in January, it adds up to a total of 12%!!!! I have alot of friends in that group who were doing their job and doing it quite well but just became a number on someone's "books" that needed to be erased. Now, even more than ever, we have national DJ's on local stations. One of the legendary Top 40 stations, just north of here, now has only ONE, LOCAL, LIVE personality on the air. The message being sent to aspiring jocks is "stay away, we don't need you". So, what happens to the talent of the future? And what is happening NOW to radio? I am proud to say that we, here at Max media, have more live and local personalities than any other group in this and a bunch of other markets. I'm not selling our company at all. I am saying how sad it is when we have to brag about something like that. Your thoughts?
Sunday, April 19, 2009
A DAY FOR PERSPECTIVE
Occasionally, as with anyone, I get all caught up in the minutiae of my life. Lots of thoughts about work, of course. This past Saturday, I had the privilege of being involved with something that gave me a fresh perspective - something that God has His way of giving me, periodically.
I was there, with 97.3 The Eagle, at Pier 14 at the Norfolk Naval Station, with 10,000 other folks, to greet the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group coming home after a seven and a half month deployment. I saw parents, wives with their children in tow, excited girlfriends, etc. When the actually carrier pulled in, the Eagle was playing, very loud and proud, Lee Greenwood's "God Bless The USA". That scene, with the sailors manning the rails, was amazing. What came after that, though, is there the perspective showed up.
As the sailors left the carrier, I saw hundreds of them racing to the arms of loved ones but 3 scenes especially struck me. I watched a Chief Petty Officer greet his family - his wife and toddler daughter and, for the first time, he got to see and hold his new baby who arrived while he was deployed. The smile...the pride..was something I'll always remember.
The second scene was seeing a sailor rush into young lady's arms with family surrounding them and then seeing him drop to his knees and propose marriage there on the spot. The elation from everyone involved after that was priceless!
The final scene was the one that struck my heart the most. As we were packing up the Eagle Big Blue Truck, a female sailor, alone, with her bags came by to ask us if there a cab company near by and that this was her first time in Virginia. We called the company for her and arranged for a cab to pick her up. After she thanked us and walked away, we couldn't stop talking and thinking about this young lady. As we began our drive off of the base, we saw the young sailor standing waiting for the cab looking so lost so we decided to give her the ride she needed. We found out that she went from basic training right to the carrier and had never been outside of her native Texas prior to this. She was going to rent a car and "hang out" in a mall until her friend, whom she was to meet a day later, would contact her. Turns out that she was going to spend the night herself somewhere at a hotel in Virginia Beach. She was a little afraid but alot excited. Couldn't have been a day over 20. She really wanted to explore the area on her own. We, of course, made sure that she had our contact numbers just in case she needed anything.
I can't stop thinking about this young lady. Hoping that she's okay and that she was able to stay where she wanted and do some of the things she talked about. She had no friends...the only people she knew outside of her unit, was our group. The whole thing made me realize, once again, the importance of relationships, friends and family. When we have our final meeting with God, he will never ask how many hours we spent on the job.....he will ask how many lives we may have touched. So, today, work doesn't seem as crucial as it did yesterday. It's a livelihood, yes, but it's something I know I won't take with me.
I was there, with 97.3 The Eagle, at Pier 14 at the Norfolk Naval Station, with 10,000 other folks, to greet the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group coming home after a seven and a half month deployment. I saw parents, wives with their children in tow, excited girlfriends, etc. When the actually carrier pulled in, the Eagle was playing, very loud and proud, Lee Greenwood's "God Bless The USA". That scene, with the sailors manning the rails, was amazing. What came after that, though, is there the perspective showed up.
As the sailors left the carrier, I saw hundreds of them racing to the arms of loved ones but 3 scenes especially struck me. I watched a Chief Petty Officer greet his family - his wife and toddler daughter and, for the first time, he got to see and hold his new baby who arrived while he was deployed. The smile...the pride..was something I'll always remember.
The second scene was seeing a sailor rush into young lady's arms with family surrounding them and then seeing him drop to his knees and propose marriage there on the spot. The elation from everyone involved after that was priceless!
The final scene was the one that struck my heart the most. As we were packing up the Eagle Big Blue Truck, a female sailor, alone, with her bags came by to ask us if there a cab company near by and that this was her first time in Virginia. We called the company for her and arranged for a cab to pick her up. After she thanked us and walked away, we couldn't stop talking and thinking about this young lady. As we began our drive off of the base, we saw the young sailor standing waiting for the cab looking so lost so we decided to give her the ride she needed. We found out that she went from basic training right to the carrier and had never been outside of her native Texas prior to this. She was going to rent a car and "hang out" in a mall until her friend, whom she was to meet a day later, would contact her. Turns out that she was going to spend the night herself somewhere at a hotel in Virginia Beach. She was a little afraid but alot excited. Couldn't have been a day over 20. She really wanted to explore the area on her own. We, of course, made sure that she had our contact numbers just in case she needed anything.
I can't stop thinking about this young lady. Hoping that she's okay and that she was able to stay where she wanted and do some of the things she talked about. She had no friends...the only people she knew outside of her unit, was our group. The whole thing made me realize, once again, the importance of relationships, friends and family. When we have our final meeting with God, he will never ask how many hours we spent on the job.....he will ask how many lives we may have touched. So, today, work doesn't seem as crucial as it did yesterday. It's a livelihood, yes, but it's something I know I won't take with me.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Change Is Definitely Here
The times they are a changin'. Bob Dylan sang it way back in the 60's but it might as well apply today. I'm not talking about the "change" promised by our new President. We won't know if that even will happen for another two or three years. I'm talking about how our lives are changing right now and I think for the better. With less money in our pockets (and less jobs for some of us), we are finding alternate means of entertainment and recreation and it's getting us closer to our loved ones - family and friends. I also notice that people seem to have a genuine concern about each other's well-being. I've seen more generosity over the past 6 months than I had witnessed in the 6 years before that. We're all going through this patch of roughness together so everyone can empathize. Let's not EVER forget this period in our lives for that reason alone!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
MY TEN-YEAR OLD TECHNOLOGICAL GENIUS
I'm in the radio broadcasting business which means I have access to, and use, a number of technical "items" every day from operating a control board to using digital editing equipment. You would think I would be strong on the technical side BUT, when it comes to the home TV system, my little 10-year old daughter rules the roost, for sure. Her latest technological find is something I had no idea we had. She showed me last night how I can go right to a specific channel on my digital cable and get weather for Virginia Beach and any fairly large city in our country. Then, she showed how I can see all the news channels at once and all the sports channels at once!!! A veritable plethora of information at my fingertips and I had no idea it was there. NOTE: we have had this cable setup for close to 3 years....she was the one who showed me how to use the DVR. Again, I had no idea. Is it me or are we learning more from the young ones these days than our parents learned from us?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)