Wordless Wednesday

Stopped this morning to take a couple of pictures...

YouTube Tuesday

The PGA Championship starts next week in Charleston.  I will be there all week working with some excellent students.  In preparation for the event, I though I was pit forward a video from a famous Charlestonian who I know is a golf fan.

Monday Listicles

Once again thanks to Stasha for hosting Monday Listicles.  This week the challenge is to list:

10 SOUNDS THAT DRIVE YOU BONKERS

10. Steve Urkel - yes, you did that.  You managed to annoy me even after all these years...

9. I know that I usually do not get political but it is not the politics this candidate brought forward.  It was the utter senselessness of his approach.  George Bush - mission accomplished - you still annoy me.

8. Just to demonstrate that I am not bias against the right, I still can not listen to Jean Chrétien (Canadian Liberal Prime Minister).  You sir, destroyed the Liberal Party and many Canadians faith in the political system.  I need no more proof that you annoy me, more than the clip below...

7. She is Canadian and I am supposed to like her but I just can not.  Celine, my heart just doesn't beat for you...

6. Speaking of Canadian singers I am supposed to like but just dread...Bryan Adams, everything I do, I avoid listening to you...

5. I have three kids.  I have been watching children's programming for years.  There is some just horrifying noises that come for said shows.  So many candidates.  I could make a top ten list of terrible children's TV shows.    I think however, I need to go way back and go retro with this - Romper Room.  I hope never to see you and your mirror again...

4. Sports announcers have a special brand of torture for all of us.  For some reason they feel the need to have catch phrases.  There are so many terrible sports commentators out there that once again, I could fit a whole list of them.  The winner for me however (or is that loser) has to be Hawk Harrelson.  You can annoy me a ton...Yes!

3.   Why do celebrity chefs need to use really annoying catch phrases?  While several could make this list easily, one surpasses all on the annoying Wayne meter.  Ms. Rachel Ray, while for some, you are Yum-O, for me you are Oh no!

2.  Whoever created the bag pipes should be made to listen to them for all eternity.  While I will begrudgingly admit that there are moments when a bag pipe can sound non-ear piercing, those moments are few and far between.  

1.  This was a no brainer.  The sound of Brainy Smurfs whine to this day makes me cringe.  While all whining drives me nuts, Brainy was the king of it. Papa Smurf, Papa Smurf - someone just hog tied and gagged Brainy.  

Monday Quiz About Me

Here are FOUR QUESTIONS that everyone can answer and then you have the option to add a fifth question of your own for those who are visiting your blog to answer in the comment section, along with commenting on the four standard questions you answered

Grab the badge for your post if you like:

<a href="http://www.actingbalanced.com/search/label/meet%20me%20on%20monday"target="_blank"><img alt="Acting Balanced" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt5tsgMumBxevIDBpi8XTEykaZ4qxz6LlPMwnMiWRfvCLvnLsUhIT6SksqA-aZzfFri6mBo-Qwtqnej28m6L2g2eSivsz5vYI3yS2v2I-Mv-7qdLQ8gr_SszIjmfYimA5hGAyabGFBMI/s1600/MondayQuiz.jpg" /></a>
And now for this weeks Questions

Sundays in My City

Once again, thanks to the Unknown Mami for hosting Sundays In The City.


These pictures were from a sunset bike ride around the neighborhood last week...a fun sky.

Six Word Saturday

Thanks to Cate for hosting Six Word Saturday:

Seeing things in a different way...

Blogging for me is about a new way to journal.  To look back at past entries to understand how ones mood, surroundings and current events are shaping their approach and choices of tone and text.  It is a mirror into ones progression over time and space.

This week I took the opportunity to examine past entries and realized that there has been an evolution of expression in how I have approached this blog.  My posts are becoming more aligned to my feelings and as a result have become a deeper expression of my perspective on the world.  Blogging has allowed me to develop a clarity to which I now have a vision as to what I need to do to shape my world into one where achieving my goals and objectives are possible.

My blog as a result has become an evolving but developed manifesto and I thank each one of you out there in cyber space for taking the time to visit and contribute to my personal journey.  I hope that you find that the depth and breadth of the posts are allowing you greater insights into my world.

 

Friday Four Fill In

Thanks to Hilary @ Feeling Beachie for hosting the Friday Four Fill In.

This week’s statements:

I learned how to make love in a canoe.  The video clip is a singer by the name of Big Rude Jake.  The song is called Girl in the Pink Canoe.  It is hilarious!

I have always wanted to run for political office.  I am however, too honest, too broke and too caring - it would destroy me if I won.  The ultimate bashing my head against a wall. I would be better off getting into S&M at least there would be a chance for some pleasure there.

My purse always has a non-existent and existential quality.  While I know there are man-purses, none seem to match my eyes and shoes.  If I can not accessorize properly, I just can not do it.  

One day when I am finally an empty nester I am going to the South Pacific - Fiji, Tonga & Samoa.  Though if the kids keep driving me nuts, I may end up there sooner...:-)

Friday Fragments

Once again thanks to the great Mrs. 4444's for hosting this fraggily good time...

• I have been enjoying my sabbatical immensely but like everything there is a downside.  My boys have come to think of me as a human jungle gym.  They climb, jump and generally invade any sense of personal space with me.  I think I may have to go back to work to get a rest.
• On a related note:  I have lost 17 pounds in two months.  I have also gained 1,000 bruises.  I am not sure the trade has been worth it.  On second thought, it has indeed been worth every one.
• Went and saw the Batman movie this week and this is where the Internet age may have spoiled it for me.  All of the reviews I read were so great that I went in expecting that.  I can honestly say that I thought the ending was very well done but the lead up was good.  I think if I went into the movie without reading the reviews first, I would have enjoyed it more.  I was bias going in.
• On a related note:  I am sorry for the families of the victims in Colorado.  The shooter obviously has some serious mental issues, however almost worse is a few of the politicians involved who are trying to turn this tragedy into their advantage in a election year.  There is too much ugliness situation all around and I feel even sorrier for the families as a result.  Not only do they have to deal with the deaths of their loved ones but also have to fight the exploitation of politicos and media as well.  
• I wrote two blog posts this week that I am particularly proud of.  On Monday I wrote five things about birthdays and yesterday I wrote about 'staring.'  Please check them out.  I feel that they are some of the better work on my blog lately.
• On a related note: My stress level has been down lately.  It is such a weird sensation.  After 12 years of constant stress of not knowing if I would have a job, that even if I performed superbly, that I may not be employed, to finally have a couple of months to breathe and enjoy knowing that I have some sort of job security has been awesome.  It has been refreshing in a way that is indescribable.
• If you are really bored...:-) You can go read my latest article entitled, "Destination marketing, accommodation taxes, and mandated tourism promotional expenditures: may be time to reconsider"    This paper questions the mandated use of accommodation tax revenues for destination marketing, noting that for many communities such expenditures may fail to represent their best usage.  It is actually a very good paper discussing where that 'room tax' you pay when travelling should go.
• On a related note:  I also had a paper accepted for presentation at the International Society of Travel Tourism Educators conference in October.  That means I get to go to Germany in the fall.  Not such a bad deal.

Please go visit some of the other great Friday Fragment posts by clicking the button below...

Pondering With A Purpose

First, thanks to Brenda for hosting this great hop.  Each week Brenda lays out a topic for us to ponder.  We then translate these thoughts and share them with the bloggy world.  This week's theme is: 
Staring
I stare into the my children's eyes and see tremendous potential.  I try to see if they are on the right path to being purveyors of great good.  I see my reflection in their eyes and know my example will mean much in their ability to achieve their potential.  It is a responsibility that I cherish.
I stare into my wife's eyes and feel love.  It is a love based on respect and trust.  It is a love that has grown exponentially over the years and like a tree; needs to be nurtured and cared for in order to keep it healthy and vibrant.
I stare into my parent's eyes and see a path.  The path they have taught me is right and true.  They instilled in me the values and desire to work towards something greater.  It is because of their sacrifices, that I have the tools to take care of my family today.  They taught me that the world needs people who build and I have followed their blueprint.
I stare into the abyss and know that while some are less than noble, I truly believe that most in the world recognize the need to create a place of compassion and caring.  There is a need for optimism but set in the gravity of reality.  I must work to help create opportunities for growth and help guide others to find the path that will lead them to health and happiness.
I stare into the sky and find wonderment.  I see questions arising and knowledge required.  I see a universe of  limitless possibilities.  I must continue to seek wisdom for is the path to enlightenment.  It is knowledge that will provide me the ability to make good choices.
I stare into my being.  I see a person with faults but whose intentions are good.  I see a person devoted to working to make a positive contribution to the world.  I ask if I am working hard enough to be the best parent, teacher, son, community member that I can be?  I must continue to improve in order to move forward.  To achieve my goals of contributing positively to the world.
I stare because if I do not, I lose sight of what is truly important...

Wordless Wednesday - Watching the Sun Rise

I'm now sharing Heather's linky... if you haven't linked up yet you can join here:

YouTube Tuesday

Apparently last night the boys did not get the memo that Heather and I were tired and wanted a good nights sleep...this is apparently the message they received instead...

Monday Listicles

Stasha at The Good Life hosts a great hop called Monday Listicles.  This week's theme is birthdays...  Since I hate birthdays (yes, I am the Scrooge of birthdays) I can only stomach doing five instead of 10.

5.  Congrats! You made it another year on a large rock hurtling around the sun at approximately 66,500 MPH.  Good thing you don't feel like you are constantly going in circles.  Life is indeed going by quickly.

4. Thanks for contributing to the economy.  The average American spends approximately $25 on a gift.  That means if the average person receives three gifts, that means $23.25 billion is spent annually on gifts!  The Chinese government could not survive without you...Oppps.  I means America's retail industry.

 3. In 1400, life expectancy was 24.44 years (thanks to the Black Death); that doubled to 48.11 in 1500.  Today in the USA, life expectancy has risen to nearly 80 years.  So you will have that many more to celebrate.  Women in the USA can expect to celebrate five more birthdays than men.  That gap is closing however, as women are picking up more bad habits such as smoking, drinking and workaholism.  See gender equality does have its disadvantages.

2. If you want to celebrate the most birthdays though move to Monaco where the average life expectancy is 89.68.  BTW the USA ranks number 50 on that list.  If you are sick of birthdays, Chad should be on your moving list because life expectancy there is 48.69.

1. October 5th is the most common birthday in the USA.  Over one million Americans share that day as their birthdays.  So join with them and thank their parents for getting too drunk on New Years Eve to remember  to use birth control.

Now go visit some other Listicles by clicking the button below.  Happy Monday!

 

Monday Quiz About Me

1. What are your favorite pizza toppings?

I like Hawaiian pizza and at the right time BBQ pizza.

2. What is the strangest name you've ever heard for a child?

How can one not mention - Dweezel and Moon Unit Zappa

3. What is the best vacation you've ever gone on?

You think a tourism professor that I would have a ton to choose from - but it is a case of physician heal thyself.  I do not typically enjoy vacations because I am analyzing everything.  It is the real downside of my job.  I can not go to a wedding, festival or resort without thinking of ways to increase productivity or enhance services.  The people who I work with love this about me but it make vacationing very challenging.  

4. What is your favorite quick summer meal?

A restaurant in Charleston serves a cucumber salad that is absolutely fabulous.  The recipe below is the closest I have found on the web.  

Ingredients: Servings: 6-8 Units: 2 cucumbers, very thinly sliced 1 red onion, very thinly sliced 2 tablespoons vinegar or 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream or 2 tablespoons yogurt salt and pepper, to taste (I like a lot of pepper) 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill 

Directions: 1 Mix cucumbers and onions together. 2 Mix rest of ingredients together in a closed bowl and give a shake. 3 Add to cucumbers, chill till very cold & serve.

Photo from: http://food.sndimg.com/img/recipes/51/72/1/large/picRZvv8O.jpg

Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/cucumber-salad-51721?oc=linkback

As Heather says, "And don't forget to add a 5th Question on your own blog so we can answer as we hop around!"

5. What is the last movie you watched that you could not make it through?  

Thor was a terrible movie.  This should have been an excellent story and they brutalized it.

Sundays in My City

Thanks to the Unknown Mami for hosting Sundays in the City.

An Early Morning Walk

Six Word Saturday

Those were some weird/ freaky dreams...

Last night, I had a just a wild night.  Every time I closed my eyes to go to sleep, I entered a world in which my thoughts were twisted into scenarios that were either gruesome or out of a early Salvador Dali painting.  It seems as though my clock had sprung.

What was really strange was that I usually do not recall my dreams, so that fact that I can remember four of them is freaky in itself.  It was also weird that when I was dreaming and it got 'bad' so to speak I would not wake myself up.  My mind was racing last night in a world which felt like a Quentin Tarantino movie mixed with an Edgar Allen Poe poem.  For instance, in one dream my child was captured along with B.J. Honneyicut from M*A*S*H (a show I have not seen in at least five years) by Nazis to be experimented on.  They tied his feel to a rope and swung him like a pendulum trying to hit B.J. with him.  When they stopped swinging him, he asked for more.  After that, my dreams got wider and more graphic...

Now, I did not eat anything weird last night, nothing out of the ordinary happened yesterday and I can not think of a reason why this series of really strange dreams occurred.  I am just glad to be awake...

Friday Fragments

Once again, thanks to the great Mrs. 4444's for host this most fraggily good time...

• Every Tuesday my blog post is something called YouTube Tuesday. It is where I take a theme and find YouTube clips to go it. It could be something as simple as 80s classics to a harder six degrees of Kevin Bacon challenge. Heather has been telling me I need to turn this weekly feature into a hop. What do you all think?
• On a related note - there is really only one clip necessary for Friday Fragments...

• Today, I am out at the Ocean Course for a meeting in preparation for the PGA Championship being hosted here the first week of August.  I am looking forward to working with the luxury suites at the Championship.
• On a related note: I am actually teaching a class at the PGA Championship.  How cool is that?  Hope the students receive a fun, challenging and potentially fruitful (especially if they network well) experience.
• It has been fun to spend more time with my children lately.  Each of them is very cool in their own way.  It is amazing how very different each one is... Robyn is intellectual, Liam is loving and Erik is energy.  
• On a related note: Liam is riding his bike at a fever pitch now.  It is hard to keep up with him.  It is amazing that at the beginning of summer, he wanted nothing to do with a bike.
• Did you read about Dennis Rodman (yes, that former basketball player) met his estranged father of 42 years this week. This is a 'man' who has acknowledged fathering 29 children by 16 mothers.   Incredibly, his 'father's' name is Philander Rodman Jr (click on the link if you do not know the definition of philander).
• On a related note: While he may be the biological father to 29 children, I wonder if he is a dad to any.  All  the more to pity.

• One of my favorite blog hops is Brenda Youngerman's - Pondering with a Purpose - Think, Think, Think, I Can on Thursday.  If you have not already, check it out.  I have written some of my best blog posts as a result of this hop.

• On a related note: I am quite proud of the one I wrote on the extreme theme this week. 

Now go visit some other frags by clicking the button...

Pondering with a Purpose

Every week Brenda sets us a task of writing on a theme.  This weeks' theme is about: EXTREMES.  Specifically, what extremes would you be willing to go forward with for your loved ones?

While I am not Buddhist, I do think the philosophy is correct in regards to the need to keep to the middle path.  I generally try to avoid extremes whenever possible because they rarely contain the correct choices.  One only has to look at politics to understand this concept.  Choices made on the extreme are usually emotionally driven rather than by rational thought.  I have more examples in my life of where impulsive decisions were incorrect than carefully considered ones were proven to be poor choices.  With these thoughts in mind, I will endeavor to answer Brenda's pondering challenge.

One of Brenda's questions was would I give up my life for one of my children?  Once again, here is an example of where extreme could lead to a poor choice.  The obvious answer would be 'yes' but would it be the right choice?  For instance, in my case, I have three children.  If I gave my life for one, would all of my children be put into a position where they would suffer greatly as a result?  I love my children but is it better to be there for the living ones than there for a dead one?  If all three suffer because I saved one and left them; is that really the correct choice?  This is a choice I hope no parent ever has to make but an example of where an extreme choice could lead to increased suffering rather than alleviation.

Moderation is one of the keys to a successful life.  It generally leads to one making better choices and thus leads to less situations where the consequences of ones actions is harmful.  Does that mean, I never make extreme decisions?  The answer, of course, is no but they are calculated risks.  When I engage in behaviors that others may view as extreme it is because I have considered this a time when it was necessary in order to do so for the greater good.  For instance, I abhor violence but I would have volunteered to fight in WWII.  Some things are greater than you.  Being moderate means sometimes having to go to the extremes so that you know where the middle path remains.  Otherwise you will be extremely moderate and that in itself is a wrong as well.  The real question is when to take these calculated risks?

This brings me back to the question of family and extreme choices.  Yes, I would sacrifice a great deal for my family but it has to be in their best interest to do so.  There are times when I say no because the lesson and/or situation would either harm the others to a greater extent or that by my coming rescue the individual will not learn to be independent or make their own good choices.  I love my children enough to say 'no' at times.  I guess you can call that extreme if you would like.  My thinking is that Meat Loaf had it right, "I would do anything for love but I won't do that."  That would be just too extreme.