I need some lotion, my Wednesday is too ashy

Today is Ash Wednesday and the start of lent. If this means nothing to you, maybe you should wake up earlier on Sundays! I have seen a lot of comments from people as to what they are "giving up" for lent. I hope that these people get something out of this. Unfortunately, I believe that most people simply view this as another form of a New Year's Resolution that they have no willpower to keep for more than a few days.

This is a great intro to update you on my last post. I will not be giving up my truck or gas for lent. At least, not yet. When gas climbs to over $4.00 per gallon this summer, then we will stop and rethink.

Why do we as people shy away from a good challenge? For me with the gas challenge, it was because of convenience. I posted a challenge on this blog several weeks back about a sprint triathlon race in June. I got one person to say that he would do it. Now, based on his distance to travel, I am not sure if he will be able to, but I applaud and respect him for raising his hand. (BTW, there is still time if you want to do this.)

Challenges draw a line in the sand. They make us nervous and we tend to shy away for fear of failing. I do not like to fail. I think that is why I enjoy biking, and racing. It is a challenge to push what you think you can do, however you don't have the "loser" feeling. You are racing with people, but you are competing more against your personal best, not everyone else.

So, what are you challenging yourself with giving up for Lent this year? For me, I will be giving up procrastination. Carpe diem! Since today is half over, maybe I should wait and start tomorrow.

Does anyone have some Pepto? I am tired of this gas!

This morning I drove Linds car to work. You see, Linds drove her car home last night on empty and then ask to drive my truck this morning. This however is not the point of this blog.

I crossed my fingers and drove to the gas station this morning on my way to work. After arriving without pushing the car, I started to pump gas at a rate of $3.62 per gallon! Now, Linds' car gets much better miles per gallon and has a smaller tank than my truck, but it still took just under $60 to fill the tank.

I am not that old and have only been driving since 1996. However, the per gallon price of gas in 1996 was $1.23 on a national average. If this number was adjusted for inflation, it would be around $1.78 in today's dollars. Looking at the inflation adjusted number, that is an increase of 203%. As most Americans are not making 203% more in income from 1996, this puts a larger dent in the wallet.

Having an office very close to my house, I am sure that I drive much less than the average person. In a given 7 day period, I drive around 120 miles. This is if we use Linds' car for much of the weekend around town driving. This works out to be around $125 per month on gas. Most of the time, it is more like $200-$225 with random around town driving or weekend trips. In 1996 inflation adjusted dollars, my gas expense would only be $57.60.

Do you smell that? Yes, so do I. A Challenge!! I wonder if over the next 30 days, I can spend only $57.60 on gas? In order to do this, I will need to reduce my weekly mileage to 55.38 miles. Wow! That is not that much. Friday is my big mileage day. I take R to school and then drive to work. If I go home for lunch, I will drive 36 miles on Friday.

If I take this on, I will start on Monday the 20th. as it is easier to start something like this at the beginning of the week. I will blog again on Sunday and let you know. Until then, I will lay off the Mexican food to reduce my gas!

"The Greatest Love of All"

"Most of you know him as Joe the Policeman, on the what's going down episode of That's My Momma. Put your hands together for Jackson Heights' own, Mr. Randy Watson...Randy Watson!"

Sadly, this is the first thing that I thought of when I heard about Whitney Houston. For those that do not know this quote, it is from the movie Coming To America.

Why do people get so personally involved with celebrity deaths? The news this morning mentioned that the public funeral for Whitney Houston will most likely be at a big sports arena. Why? Have you ever gone to the funeral for someone that you did not know personally or in support of someone that did know them personally? I find this strange. If I attend a funeral, I would have known the person, or I would be there to show my support for someone that had a personal relationship with the deceased.

So, what are you doing this weekend? Oh, not much, shopping, cleaning, waiting in line to see Whitney's funeral. Hey, would you like to tailgate with me? Really?

Whitney's death was unfortunate at 48. But, I would argue that what is more tragic is the hundreds that are killed by drunk drivers or those that battle cancer and don't make it. Why don't strangers line up to attend these funerals?

Hallmark invented Valentines Day

OK. I know that this is not really true. I have long disliked Valentines Day. I simply find it very ridiculous. The fact that there is one day of the year that you should show your wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, mistress, pool boy, Latin lover, paid escort, etc. how much you care about them is strange. I mean, conventional wisdom says that you should show these feelings all the time, not just on one particular day. So, that means this one day is not about you expressing your feelings, rather it is about society saying that if you do not buy flowers, chocolate, or jewelery for your "other",they will think that you do not care.

Now, there are two ladies that I love beyond words in my house. While one would be very excited to get a dinner at Chick-Fil-A, the other would not be impressed by that. So, being the reasonable person that I am, (unlike those in congress), I will compromise. No, there will not be flowers, chocolate, or jewelery, but the words of a great song by Jack Johnson.

I've got an angel
She doesn't wear any wings
She wears a heart that can melt my own
She wears a smile that can make me wanna sing
She gives me presents
With her presence alone
She gives me everything I could wish for
She gives me kisses on the lips just for coming home

She could make angels
I've seen it with my own eyes
You gotta be careful when you've got good love
Cause the angels will just keep on multiplying

But you're so busy changing the world
Just one smile can change all of mine
We share the same soul
Oh oh oh oh oh ohhh
We Share the same soul
Oh oh oh oh oh ohhh
We Share the same soul
Oh oh oh oh oh ohhh
Oh oh oh oh oh ohhh
Umm umm umm uhhhhhhmm

Happy Valentines Day.

I might hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil, but I sure smell it!

Do we as humans ignore smells or just get used to them so that we don't smell them anymore? When I walk into our house, I can still smell the dogs. We try hard to keep that to a minimum, but without removing the dogs I know this will not go away completely. It is the same with funk. After a workout, I smell. I know that I smell. However, I am also confident that my smell is worse for those around me. Whenever you drive through certain towns, you can smell hog farms, paper mills, or chocolate. Yes, there is nothing better than the smell of chocolate on a cool fall day in Hershey, PA! I wonder if the people who live in these towns still smell these aromas like I do?

Have you ever sat beside a person on an airplane, bus, church bench, or waiting room that just smelled bad? I mean, eyes watering, I need a drink of water because I can taste the funk bad. Don't you want to say, "excuse me, but I can barely breath because you smell so bad. Can you smell yourself?" There is a scene from the movie Trading Places where Lewis' fiance is sitting in the Philly police station waiting. The man beside her smells so bad that see discretely sprays him with perfume.(Very Funny!)

I think with today's technology, they should make clothing change colors based on your body odor. As your odor gets worse, the color turns red. That way, even if you can no longer smell it, everyone else will be spared the air pollution.

Leadership or a shipless leader

Leadership. It is something to be respected and admired. Leadership is a wonderful quality in a person. Notice that I did not say "people in leadership roles", as there can be a difference. I have met some wonderful natural leaders. These people have a magnetic personality, big picture thinking and vision, as well as the humbleness to still understand and connect with the people they are serving. Leaders after all, are leaders to serve, whether a sports team, a corporate manager, a parent, pastor, or political official. These people are in their role to advance the group they are over.

So, if that the the function of a leader, why are there those in leadership roles that put self-promotion and self-preservation above advancement of the group? I guess some people may feel threatened if someone else has the ability to lead as well. I understand that no one wants to be passed by a co-worker or subordinate. However, in a perfect world, if this happens it would be an opportunity for self-reflection as to what you need to work on to move forward. A great example of this is the presidential primary process currently underway. The mindset seems to be, if you can't move yourself ahead, focus on bringing those around you down in order to make yourself look better.

I don't know about you, but this is not the type of leader that I could get behind and feel confident that they are simply not just out for themselves. As said by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia,“How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top.”

If you caucus, they will come

Have you ever wondered why Iowa is so important during a presidential election? There are only two things I know about Iowa, Field of Dreams and American Pickers. Based on just those two things, Iowa seems fairly cool. However, hearing voices in corn fields and buying antiques out of some guy's barn are not good reasons for presidential stardom.

The truth is that Iowa is important because it is the first state to hold a caucus. Candidates spend a ridiculous about of time in Iowa, because of the press attention received and the first real test to voters.

I would argue that Iowa is no more important than New Hampshire or South Carolina. Why? When I think of the average American voter, I do not think of Iowa. Every state adds its own character to the election process and totaled, the best candidate is chosen. It is like saying one of your kids is more important that the other because they were first. The fact is that only 5 times since 1972 has a candidate who won Iowa also won the presidency. Of those 5 times, 3 of those were unopposed votes. That means that since 1972, when there was competition, the Iowa winner has only won the presidential election twice. These were George W. Bush in 2000 and Barack Obama in 2008.

So, lets take a step back from the political jockeying for one minute and ask a question that matters. If it is Thursday in Samoa and tomorrow is Saturday, but you had bills due on Friday are they late on Saturday and early on Thursday?