It was another great MMM breakfast outing - lost of thrashing, trash-talking, fun stories, current life situations, etc. It can make one feel very blessed. But we rarely look at it that way ... until a tragedy hits home.
One of the topics discussed at the round table was the horrific wreck that the Texas A&M Galveston Offshore Sailing Team endured last weekend. To the amazement of most, only one life was lost. That life was a beloved sailor named Roger Stone. By all accounts, his selfless actions save the rest of the crew.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and family of Roger Stone and the survivors.
Here's a link to one of the dozens of nationwide news stories:
http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou080607_tj_missingboat.d9411d3.html
The question I have for us men is ... what would you do if the keel just fell off?
Feel free to comment ...
Friday, June 13, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Male Domination & The Spelling Bee
"Male domination is a personal, moral failure ... not a biblical teaching." ~ Robert Lewis
I quoted this at the last mens' morning mentoring breakfast session with no intentions of it going much further. But it sparked a wonderful, personal discussion between 3 guys that struggle with the topic ourselves and the presence of male domination in our fathers' generation. Bad things happen when those worlds collide but we're learning and maturing the way we translate it and mold it into authentic male leadership.
'Nuff said.
What the bugger does that have to do with a spelling bee, you ask? Even if you didn't, I'm going to tell you.
One of my favorite dudes to write about is my new friend Billy Self. He has become a breakfast regular and routinely shares his life. I've mentioned before that he is the president of my favorite Rockwall business, ProSoap, and that he competes in triathlons with his team, Tri-ProSoap (check out the latest race results, Billy's highest finish ever ... click here). But now, and forever more, he will be remembered as the obscure segway that could have saved a young runner-up from the cloak of failure.
Allow me to explain ... A few weeks ago, Sameer Mishra, a 13-year-old from Indiana, crushed a field of nearly 300 to become the 2008 National Spelling Bee Champion. The winning spell came on "guerdon." But what was more interesting was the word his opponent stumbled on to give Sameer the winning word ... "prosopopoeia." No - it is not the method in which ProSoap is manufactured (although it should be.)
Anyhoo, the word means "a rhetorical device." Now ... if the child had known of the company ProSoap, he would have had a rhetoric link to the correct spelling! And since he obviously doesn't, we should give him a free sample tub so he can cleanse himself of the disappointment of choking on national TV.
OK - maybe I'm the only one that thinks that's funny.
I know Kevin (one of the other 3 people that may or may not read this) is wondering how he could get a contrived blog written about his life by his good friend ... well, frickin show up for breakfast ya banana head. You're a founding father of the MMM!
Speaking of the early knights of the MMM, Old Man Secules graced us with his presence which was a nice surprise. With the grave yard shift, 2 kids, and a wife that just went through ear surgery, this Bud's for you ... Mr ham-radio, AT&T cell tower, uber-geek van-driver guy ... a real American Hero in my book. Seriously though ... it was good seeing you.
Speaking of Bud, don't forget Dallas Race Week coming up ... details are at the site:
In conclusion, I have nothing to conclude. This blog has officially digressed into one of the worst planned, poorly edited, and random writing efforts of my life. But it sure does feel good to express some thoughts from time to time. In this day and age, why not do it digitally?
I leave you with the following thoughts:
Stay wise ...
I quoted this at the last mens' morning mentoring breakfast session with no intentions of it going much further. But it sparked a wonderful, personal discussion between 3 guys that struggle with the topic ourselves and the presence of male domination in our fathers' generation. Bad things happen when those worlds collide but we're learning and maturing the way we translate it and mold it into authentic male leadership.
'Nuff said.
What the bugger does that have to do with a spelling bee, you ask? Even if you didn't, I'm going to tell you.
One of my favorite dudes to write about is my new friend Billy Self. He has become a breakfast regular and routinely shares his life. I've mentioned before that he is the president of my favorite Rockwall business, ProSoap, and that he competes in triathlons with his team, Tri-ProSoap (check out the latest race results, Billy's highest finish ever ... click here). But now, and forever more, he will be remembered as the obscure segway that could have saved a young runner-up from the cloak of failure.
Allow me to explain ... A few weeks ago, Sameer Mishra, a 13-year-old from Indiana, crushed a field of nearly 300 to become the 2008 National Spelling Bee Champion. The winning spell came on "guerdon." But what was more interesting was the word his opponent stumbled on to give Sameer the winning word ... "prosopopoeia." No - it is not the method in which ProSoap is manufactured (although it should be.)
Anyhoo, the word means "a rhetorical device." Now ... if the child had known of the company ProSoap, he would have had a rhetoric link to the correct spelling! And since he obviously doesn't, we should give him a free sample tub so he can cleanse himself of the disappointment of choking on national TV.
OK - maybe I'm the only one that thinks that's funny.
I know Kevin (one of the other 3 people that may or may not read this) is wondering how he could get a contrived blog written about his life by his good friend ... well, frickin show up for breakfast ya banana head. You're a founding father of the MMM!
Speaking of the early knights of the MMM, Old Man Secules graced us with his presence which was a nice surprise. With the grave yard shift, 2 kids, and a wife that just went through ear surgery, this Bud's for you ... Mr ham-radio, AT&T cell tower, uber-geek van-driver guy ... a real American Hero in my book. Seriously though ... it was good seeing you.
Speaking of Bud, don't forget Dallas Race Week coming up ... details are at the site:
In conclusion, I have nothing to conclude. This blog has officially digressed into one of the worst planned, poorly edited, and random writing efforts of my life. But it sure does feel good to express some thoughts from time to time. In this day and age, why not do it digitally?
I leave you with the following thoughts:
- Where in the world are Kevin, Justin, Chris, Mike and Robert and the other Justin?
- For MMA Justin, will the upcoming movie Redbelt be a must see for MMA enthusiasts? It's by the same guy that did Glengarry Glen Ross and Wag the Dog!
Stay wise ...
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Castro Sails & Dissidents Thwarted
Ahh ... a few thoughts left unheard from last week. I thought this was a funny description of my blog's admin setting before opening up for spam today:
"Tricky way to keep the man down and keep dissidents from commenting."
So bring it! Ya bunch of animals.
Last Thursday was also the Rockwall homecoming for Jason Castro of American Idol. Our very own breakfast stalemate had a cool connection to this fiasco ... Billy's dad, Scott, allowed Castro to steer the SeaWolf! I found a You Tube (1 of 10 million probably)
The guy with the hat is Scott Self, captain of the SeaWolf. You can read more about the boat at SailWithScott.com.
"Tricky way to keep the man down and keep dissidents from commenting."
So bring it! Ya bunch of animals.
Last Thursday was also the Rockwall homecoming for Jason Castro of American Idol. Our very own breakfast stalemate had a cool connection to this fiasco ... Billy's dad, Scott, allowed Castro to steer the SeaWolf! I found a You Tube (1 of 10 million probably)
The guy with the hat is Scott Self, captain of the SeaWolf. You can read more about the boat at SailWithScott.com.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Origins of the French drain
Ya know when a writer uses a title that has nothing to do with the topic being covered - just a clever reference or obscure analogy? Yeah ... not the case for this blog entry.
That's right - we actually had a rather formal discussion surrounding the topic of the construction, use, and even current plans that we have for this technology. No wonder no one else but me, Billy and Kevin show up for breakfast!
So for the 2nd week in a row, I'm absolutely positive I may be only 1 of 3 people that reads this blog. Kevin is from Royse City so I'm not sure we can really call what he does reading ... but we'll count it anyway.
I was only going to use it as a subject line because I was certain the topic would be a dead end but I was wrong - Billy needs to install the common drainage technique at ProSoap to protect some electrical lines and solve a pooling issue and Kevin ...
... STOP ...
I started writing this last Thursday and was not able to complete my thoughts. Considering I can barely remember how to get from the garage to the bathroom, I'm giving up on this week's blog. It was pretty boring anyway. And if it wasn't, I couldn't remember!
It did have a cool title. Anyhoo, a good friend of the MMM Breakfast Club sent me a note over the weekend stating that he could not post comments. I suppose I never looked at the admin settings which were set to only accept blog members responses.
Moving forward, I'm opening it up for abuse. So go ahead ... Jeff! I know you're dying to prove me wrong on a previous post.
Stay tuned for more wacky, inconclusive, scatter shooting from Yours Truly. I leave you with a great Proverb: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1)
... and a picture of a French Drain ...
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Alligators, Underwater Bandwidth, and Outsourcing in 3 Minutes
Based on the title, I'm positive this will only be read by 2 people other than myself. This morning offered up a crazy array of topics and good 'ol man burns from all around the table. To recap ...
Billy claims that his new bike is 3 minutes faster than the old bike. Sounds crazy but since he is a triathlete (is that a word?), we should take his word for it - this is important stuff to him ...
What am I saying? The dude is off his rocker. I think he just pedaled faster due to the excitement of a new toy. That still doesn't take away from his athleticism - I hope the extra time translates into a higher finish in his next race. Check out his team at tri-prosoap.com.
OK - back to rippi
ng on Billy. He also claimed this morning that there are alligators up in the north river on Lake Ray Hubbard. Although I'm willing to believe there has been the occasional alligator around Texas reservoirs, I've never seen any nest sitings while fishing through there over the past 7 years. To the left is a picture of an American Alligator nest. If you see one on Ray Hubbard, please call the Garland Police.
I know they are rampant in Texas arou
nd the Gulf. Ironically, that's where Billy used to drink too much beer. He's probably having a flashback or maybe he saw the guys that caught the fish on the right and got scared.
That is an Alligator Gar - a common fish found up in the river (although not that big - the picture is a record.)
Here's some links that I thought would give Billy's concerns some validity but turned out to be vague and downright silly in some respects (sill belf?) I like how the game warden never says there is one but there could be. Not a shred of proof ...
No one really believed that so I would expect a response to this blog proving me wrong so I can be the moron that I advertise. When I'm wrong, I'm usually really wrong. Maybe my use of the word "mile" refers to the mileage of undersea cable that Global Marine has installed and services. So prove me wrong.
So what about Kevin? Well, the more we find out about what Odee Company does, the more we find out what they don't do. We're still not sure what Kevin is producing each day, but we do know that it's not t-shirts, hats, or anything else cool. He didn't deny invitations as a possibility and mostly makes Chris watch the machine while he checks his email.
Wow. I though Mens Morning Mentoring was supposed to be uplifting and encouraging! Well, we did get our heads together and pray ... which is a great way to start any work day.
Links:
Unanswered questions:
All the best, jerry
Hebrews 13
1Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
Billy claims that his new bike is 3 minutes faster than the old bike. Sounds crazy but since he is a triathlete (is that a word?), we should take his word for it - this is important stuff to him ...
What am I saying? The dude is off his rocker. I think he just pedaled faster due to the excitement of a new toy. That still doesn't take away from his athleticism - I hope the extra time translates into a higher finish in his next race. Check out his team at tri-prosoap.com.
OK - back to rippi
ng on Billy. He also claimed this morning that there are alligators up in the north river on Lake Ray Hubbard. Although I'm willing to believe there has been the occasional alligator around Texas reservoirs, I've never seen any nest sitings while fishing through there over the past 7 years. To the left is a picture of an American Alligator nest. If you see one on Ray Hubbard, please call the Garland Police.I know they are rampant in Texas arou
nd the Gulf. Ironically, that's where Billy used to drink too much beer. He's probably having a flashback or maybe he saw the guys that caught the fish on the right and got scared.That is an Alligator Gar - a common fish found up in the river (although not that big - the picture is a record.)
Here's some links that I thought would give Billy's concerns some validity but turned out to be vague and downright silly in some respects (sill belf?) I like how the game warden never says there is one but there could be. Not a shred of proof ...
- Video coverage of an alligator on Ray Hubbard - Nice try - it looks like the Loch Ness videos - a disgrace to Rockwall citizens - we look like the interviewees after a tornado in OK.
- Heavy rains sweep 10-foot alligator into Lake Ray Hubbard. - Although Lake Lavon is apparently a natural habitat for alligators.
- Interesting forum - watch out jet-skiers!
- Large alligator spotted in Lake Ray Hubbard: Rockwall: Heavy rains sweep reptile out of natural habitat.
- Alligators Sighted Near Dallas, Texas - The author of this article is well known for his Big Foot research (no kidding!)
No one really believed that so I would expect a response to this blog proving me wrong so I can be the moron that I advertise. When I'm wrong, I'm usually really wrong. Maybe my use of the word "mile" refers to the mileage of undersea cable that Global Marine has installed and services. So prove me wrong.
So what about Kevin? Well, the more we find out about what Odee Company does, the more we find out what they don't do. We're still not sure what Kevin is producing each day, but we do know that it's not t-shirts, hats, or anything else cool. He didn't deny invitations as a possibility and mostly makes Chris watch the machine while he checks his email.
Wow. I though Mens Morning Mentoring was supposed to be uplifting and encouraging! Well, we did get our heads together and pray ... which is a great way to start any work day.
Links:
Unanswered questions:
- Should Jerry start an Executive MBA later this summer or simply do a free one from MIT?
- When will the Self's get a new grey hound to compliment Castor?
- What happened to Robert, Justin (Billy's neighbor) and Mike?
- Will Justin Graves ever show up?
All the best, jerry
Hebrews 13
1Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
Summer is officially here.
So the Stars went out on a low point ... as a final kick in the pants before I get my summer amnesia on route to college football season, my Stanley Cup Final Home Game 1 tickets came in the mail today. Oh well - bust out the golf clubs and lawn chairs and enjoy watching Osgood get lit up by the you Pens (Crosby, Malkin, Staal and the likes.)
Anyhoo - the 33 year hope is dead, hockey will not waste any of my time until October and I've decided to re-purpose this blog and actually use it!
Today I plan to email some buddies and direct them here for recaps on our Mens Morning Mentoring breakfast talk. Whether it's just dudely topics that get noodled on while scatter shooting, prayer requests, scripture sharing ... whatever ... I'd like to capture our thought process as we grow in the fraternity of manship.
Stay wise ... Go Stars.
Anyhoo - the 33 year hope is dead, hockey will not waste any of my time until October and I've decided to re-purpose this blog and actually use it!
Today I plan to email some buddies and direct them here for recaps on our Mens Morning Mentoring breakfast talk. Whether it's just dudely topics that get noodled on while scatter shooting, prayer requests, scripture sharing ... whatever ... I'd like to capture our thought process as we grow in the fraternity of manship.
Stay wise ... Go Stars.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Stanley Cup Playoffs - Biggest Seven Game Comebacks
So my Stars are in a deep hole against a Red Wings team that can seemingly score at will. All hockey knowledge aside, I am just the 13 year-old kid that remembers Mikey Mo getting drafted #1 and desperately watching my team try to get to Lord Stanley's Final.
OK - so hockey superstition rules and this is how I see it (which never works out but I don't care):
Besides the Boston RoidSox, only 2 other professional teams have come back to win a seven game series after being skunked 3-0. They are both NHL teams:
In 1942, the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings after being down 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final!
In 1975, the New York Islanders manhandled the Pittsburgh Penguins after being down 3-0 in the Quarter-Finals.
There are 33 years separating those 2 come backs. There are 33 years separating 2008 from the last comeback. Is it in the ... Stars ... for the next NHL 3-0 comeback?
I'll be watching Wednesday to find out. Either way, what a great season! This team will only get better. Next stop ... Pittsburgh!
j
OK - so hockey superstition rules and this is how I see it (which never works out but I don't care):
Besides the Boston RoidSox, only 2 other professional teams have come back to win a seven game series after being skunked 3-0. They are both NHL teams:
In 1942, the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings after being down 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Final!
In 1975, the New York Islanders manhandled the Pittsburgh Penguins after being down 3-0 in the Quarter-Finals.
There are 33 years separating those 2 come backs. There are 33 years separating 2008 from the last comeback. Is it in the ... Stars ... for the next NHL 3-0 comeback?
I'll be watching Wednesday to find out. Either way, what a great season! This team will only get better. Next stop ... Pittsburgh!
j
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