Mike Savicki - This Is How I Roll - The Blog

What I have learned (ver. 7.0)

2012-02-07T17:05:00.003-05:00

Here's the latest and greatest update in my periodic "What I have learned" entries. Enjoy.

1. How you dress plays an important part in how you feel. Sweats and running shoes are just fine in some circles but there’s a reason why jackets and ties are required in others.

2. Yes, I’m from the Northeast. That pretty much guarantees two things. First, it’s going to be really hard for me to let you finish a sentence without interrupting. Second, I’m going to tell you how I think it should be done.

3. Listen more than you talk.

4. When things go wrong, which they will, learn from it and move on.

5. Resist the urge to tell your side of the story.

6. Make yourself necessary.

7. Good intentions often have unintended consequences.

8. Don’t be boring.

9. Dogs and cats have uncanny abilities to get you to do what they want.

10. If you are in it for the money then you are in it for the wrong reason.

11. Real courage is beginning every new day with hope, love and optimism.

12. A good friend recently told me that every piece of music ever written uses the same basic seven notes. What he was trying to tell me was that when you feel like you have run out of ideas, you need to think a just bit harder.

13. If you want to explore the world and discover new places, start by rolling out your back door.

14. I never want to draw attention to myself but that’s what I do.

15. When everything else is stripped away, doesn’t it really come down to a smile?

16. I learned a shitload about life in high school. I learned how to live with that knowledge in college.

17. Stories and jokes are amazingly powerful tools.

18. Lazy people work twice as hard.

19. I really, truly despise “what have you done for me lately” people.

20. There is a word in a print that hangs on the wall above the desk in my office. Imua. It’s Hawaiian and it means to move forward without the fear of failure. How’s that for a powerful four letter word?

21. The right things happen when they are supposed to.

22. I can picture more sunrises than sunsets.

23. 43 was a tough year for me physically. Maybe the toughest. OK, wait, I broke my neck at age 22 shortly before my next birthday so maybe 23 was the toughest year so far. Whew, I’m relieved.

24. Respect is earned, not given.

25. I keep saying I want to learn yoga and meditation but can’t seem to slow down to make it happen. There’s a lesson in there somewhere.

26. Don’t take anything for granted.

27. Some people like to sing, dance and draw. I like to organize, plan, and execute. Then sing. Badly.

28. I admire passion, not power.

29. Just when you think there are no more surprises…

Bye.

What is your passion?

2012-02-02T16:37:00.002-05:00

In the last few years, you may have read about my friend, Diana Nyad. She made the news when she put into motion what she calls her "Extreme Dream." Her passion is swimming and her goal was, at age 60, after being away from the water for over three decades, to swim from Cuba to the United States. That's over 100 miles and it would take days - yes, DAYS - to complete. She fell short in her first two attempts but in this TED talk, she discusses how the fire continues to burn, what she has learned along the way and what she still hopes to do. The lessons here are too numerous to list but each and every one is positive. We can all make something of our lives if we simply try. A dream is something personal, unique and our own. Make the most of the time we have. Decide for yourself if crossing the finish line really the ultimate reward for an action. There's more in this talk, too. I think it's worth a look.

Bye.

Mike

11-11-11 and the Cornelius Veterans Monument

2011-12-07T16:28:00.005-05:00

Shortly after 11 AM on Veteran’s Day – 11/11/11 - as the jet aircraft vapors from the military flyover still lined the sky overhead, the mayor of my small town stood and proudly made a proclamation. To the hundreds of gatherers, including veterans from wars and conflicts dating back nearly a century, our mayor dedicated my town’s veterans monument to the community. It was one of those “I remember when…” moments to be sure. Sitting amidst a collection of veterans old and young, I could not have been more proud.

The monument includes the names of more than 1,100 veterans, living or deceased, who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, received an honorable discharge and live or have lived in Cornelius. The purpose of the veterans monument is for the Town of Cornelius to show its appreciation and to pay tribute to those who served, or are presently serving, our great nation in the defense of its freedoms. A 31/2-foot by 51/2-foot granite panel balances six white pillars. A stone podium and flagpole sit at the northern edge. It is a beautiful site.

A former mayor came up with the idea several years ago after an old veterans plaque was lost during the construction and relocation of the town hall. When he approached town administrators to upgrade the replacement to something that might stand in perpetuity, they agreed to contribute $50,000 if the community could raise the remainder. Citizens, town leaders and staff, business owners, police and fire fighters joined together in the fundraising efforts that spanned more than one year. Efforts included two poker runs, a gala, a charity softball game, a bar-b-que lunch, individual donations and more. Serious small town fundraising. Amazing community spirit. The effort got a significant boost when three area Rotaries joined together and donated the remaining $15,000. The final bill for the Cornelius Veterans Memorial Monument at Rotary Plaza was $186,000. Nice upgrade.

On that crisp and clear morning, I thought about what it means to have served. I remembered the day I raised my right hand and swore to defend the Constitution. I remember the weight of my commitment I felt the first time I was saluted as an officer. I remembered the exhilaration that pulsed through my veins after my first flight in a fighter jet. And I remembered how, after my spinal cord injury, I unwillingly became a member of a community I was not yet ready to enter.

Being a veteran is a privilege that I am now, 20 years later, just beginning to understand and appreciate. I didn’t fight in a war, soldiers alongside me did not die or lose limbs and I never felt the horrific terror that comes with staring down the barrel of an enemy rifle. I was never a prisoner of war and I don’t belong to one of those veteran organizations where you wear a certain medal, colored blazer or pointed hat. Very seldom do I gather with other veterans and share war stories over a cup of coffee but I am a veteran nevertheless. I am proud one, too.

And now, in Cornelius, North Carolina, on the shores of a lake I have called home for 17 years, I have a place where I can go to think, reflect, cherish, learn and remember. I have a place where I know I belong. As a citizen. As a member of a community. As a veteran.

During the Thanksgiving holiday a few weeks ago, I took my wife, Sarah, and my parents, Bill and Helene, to visit the monument. Our dog, Carly, came, too. I was happy we all visited together. I know everyone appreciated it. My Dad is a Navy veteran and we shared a sense of pride. Sarah and my Mom found my name immediately. And I think Carly had fun, too, even though she appeared to be more interested in barking at the motorcycles that drove through downtown.

Here are a few photos from our visit.

The monument is worth a visit. If you happen to be driving up or down I-77 just north of Charlotte, head east off exit 28 and continue straight about 2 miles. The Cornelius Veterans Memorial Monument at Rotary Plaza will be on your left just as the road ends. Pull off and park behind the town hall. Give yourself a few minutes and stretch your legs. I might be there thinking, writing or reflecting. Today is the 70^th remembrance of Pearl Harbor and I’m there right now. In the rain.

We, as Americans, are lucky to have the freedoms we enjoy. We all know that freedom isn’t free but sometimes we either forget or take it for granted. Maybe that’s just one reason why there are monuments like this. They help us remember.

And they will help future generations learn.

Bye.

I'm On A Bridge...

2011-11-29T21:44:00.003-05:00

Speaking of my almost forgotten and overlooked trip to Pittsburgh for the National Veterans Wheelchair Games this summer, I remembered one more cool thing I wanted to share. OK, two.

Look off in the distance in the baseball stadium picture above. See the yellow bridge? No, not that one, the closer one. That's the Roberto Clemente Bridge named after an awesomely pioneering Pittsburgh Pirate baseballer. Google him if you forgot who he is. Anyway, there was a Veterans Games banner spanning the entire width of the bridge (see photos two and three). Long story short, I was rolling under it one evening on the way home from watching the Pirates lose and I noticed the dude in the racing wheelchair on the banner looked familiar. Yep, it is yours truly. I guess when you roll enough laps on the track over the years, a VA cameraman is bound to capture you. What an honor!

Ok, and here's the second cool thing. Outside PNC Park there are a few amazing larger-than-life statues. I focused my lens on a certain one (see photo number four). Remember Willie Stargell? Pops? He played his entire 21 year career with the Pirates including the years when I was a kid learning about baseball. He even won two World Series with Pittsburgh and was an MVP. (Don't hate me Boston, the Pirates are NL.) What I'll always remember about watching Pittsburgh were their cool hats and the "Stargell Stars" Pops awarded to teammates when they did something awesome. I bought a Pirates hat and colored the whole thing in with gold stars just so I could be like him. Willie was a leader in the truest sense. He was an unselfish player who put his teammates first. No wonder he is a Hall of Famer. That mustache rocks, too.

I was on a bridge and Stargell still rules Pittsburgh.

Bye.

Let the Games Begin!

2011-11-29T20:58:00.003-05:00

I'm a bit late in sharing these photos (I'll admit it, I totally forgot they were even on the camera's memory stick) so please turn your calendars back to early August. The National Veterans Wheelchair Games made its 2011 stop in Pittsburgh and here's a riddle. What does a racer who is resting his overused shoulder do to keep busy and, oh yeah, compete? The answers (as depicted in the photos above) are as follows:

A) Hang at the Andy Warhol Museum
B) Chill with the *Real* Rocky and Franco
C) Attempt to throw the javelin (last time I threw the javelin was in high school)
D) Attempt to throw the shot put (last time I threw a shot put was when I was a kid trying to crush my sisters' feet).

I also played table tennis and tried my "Minnesota Fats hand" at 9-ball. What do I have to show for the efforts? Great memories, new experiences, 3 bronze medals and 1 gold in...wait for it...keep waiting...now sit down for it...9-ball. Actually, to be honest, I got my ass handed to me in the Class 1B Gold Medal 9-Ball Match by a British dude who, I think, lives for the sport and a-r-r-i-v-e-d already covered in chalk (I'm guessing he spent the morning practicing on a super top secret, hidden table), but since the Veterans Games, being internationally friendly, awards double golds whenever an American and either a Brit or Puerto Rican vet compete against each other, we both came away with gold. I certainly missed competing on the track but a healthy shoulder and staying away from the sweaty endurance stuff was more important.

We will see what happens in the next months as the 2012 Games in Richmond, VA, draw closer. Who knows, maybe I'll revisit my Veterans Games nemesis...the slalom. Or maybe not.

Bye.

In Search of Incredible

2011-11-16T14:52:00.004-05:00

If you have just 5 or 6 free minutes, can I ask you to check out this video please? It's a pretty cool shoot with Jason Mraz and a friend of mine named Jessie Billauer. A few years ago, Jessie and I were exchanging stories of how we were injured and it turns out the waves, water and sandbar of the Gulf of Mexico (in my case) and the Pacific (in Jessie's case) came together in the same fashion and tossed us both around the same way. We both broke our necks when we hit the bottom. Jessie's a pretty laid back and open guy and I think you'll appreciate his purpose for living. His outlook always brings me back to the beauty of each day and reminds me that if we don't live in the today, there won't be a tomorrow.

Bye.

A Life-Affirming Honor

2011-10-27T14:06:00.003-04:00

Every, well, once-in-a-lifetime, something amazingly life-affirming rolls your way. It gives meaning to the countless hours, days, weeks, months and years we plug away doing what we're doing to simply keep the train called life heading in the right direction. Earlier this month, Tufts University awarded me their highest athletic honor and it wasn't for my otherwise average stint on the Jumbo varsity soccer team, rugby team or intramural fraternity basketball team over two decades ago. It was for what I have done since. After I broke my neck.

As the 2011 recipient of the Tufts Athletics Distinguished Achievement Award, I humbly join a few familiar Boston sports folks including Red Auerbach, Joan Benoit-Samuelson, Curt Gowdy, Johnny Kelly, Dave Cowens, Nancy Kerrigan, John Hannah, Gino Capeletti, Johnny Pesky, Bud Collins, Kristine Lilly, Dan Duquette, Lisa Lax, Nancy Stern, Robert Kraft, Don Megerle, Jen Toomey and Bobbi Gibb.

I'm humbled beyond belief and my life is, again, altered.

Here's the video that introduced my keynote address to the homecoming athletic family.

Bye.

The Kayaking System - 2011

2011-10-01T17:18:00.003-04:00

During the summer of 2010, I was introduced to all thee gadgets and gizmos of adaptive kayaking during a clinic at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Colorado. Up to that point, my experience with adaptive kayaking had been camping seats and duct tape. Having heard incredible stories from a disabled friend who kayaked the entire length of Alaska's Inside Passage, I knew I wanted to give it a try as soon as I saw the real possibilities of the sport. The equipment I used - a kayak with outriggers and an adapted seat complete with a backrest, cushion and lateral stabilizers plus a paddle rigged with quad friendly wrist grips - opened my eyes to the enjoyment of cutting across the surface of the water and enjoying the sights and sounds of nature.

When I returned home, I began working on developing a system for our dock that let me independently enjoy the sport right in our backyard. Instead of launching from a beach or shoreline, I figured if I could put the boat in the water then simply lower myself from the wheelchair in to positioned kayak, I'd be good to go. I first got the idea from seeing how Shake-A-Leg had modified their docks to help disabled sailors get on their boats and I customized it a bit.

The photos below show the system I developed and began using this summer. The key to the system is a battery powered lifting device called "Sure Hands" that effectively grabs me under the arms and lifts me from the chair. Two hooks positioned under my knees ensure my legs come along, too. The system works via an attached remote control. Once I'm above the wheelchair, I grab the horizontal rail to swing out over the water, lower myself down into the kayak, unhook my legs and simply push the "Sure Hands" out from my under my arms. I get myself comfortably situated and then head out onto the water. More practice will help improve timing, balance and comfort and hopefully by next summer, once I learn how to move in a straight line, I'll be able to begin my journey right in the back yard and kayak all the way to Alaska. Or maybe the Outer Banks. Or maybe the swamps of the Deep South. Or maybe the Wailua River in Kauai. Who wants to come?

Bye.

Mike

A look back at No Barriers Summit 2011

2011-08-26T16:59:00.003-04:00

Many of you know I volunteer as a Director of No Barriers USA, a unique non-profit that helps increase the opportunities people have to get active and experience the many facets of the outdoors. We are about art, music, culture, science, technology and, of course, sports. One of the bigger events we orchestrate every two years is a huge outdoor "festival" type event we call the No Barriers Summit. Here's a little summary video of our 2011 project held in Winter Park, Colorado, in early July. It was a special few days in the mountains. Enjoy...

Bye.

Mike

5 magical and amazing minutes.....

2011-08-19T16:07:00.000-04:00

Bye.

Mike

This kid rocks!

2011-07-19T15:37:00.010-04:00

Even if you watched every second of the Women's World Cup final between the USA and Japan, there's a good chance you may have missed this. It didn't happen on the field and neither of the announcers gave it the attention it truly deserved. I caught it on television and while the rest of America - and everyone else in our sports bar - was cheering for Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Abby Wambach and their teammates, there were like 15 seconds that I was cheering for this kid. In my opinion, this may go down as one of the greatest moments in sports fan history and here's 11 reasons (in honor of USA's starting 11) why...

1. This kid was in Germany at the FINAL and all of us were not. Lucky.
2. Watch closely, this kid locates the camera, sees that it is on him and commences his celebration all in like .002 seconds. That's money.
3. This kid nailed the Truffle Shuffle while the rest of America is still trying to learn The Dougie.
4. Mad props to WSU. The kid was t-shirt representin' and scored global tube time for the school before showing skin. Scholarship on the horizon.
5. This kid is the new "John 3:16" sign guy from sports fan days of old who made a career of traveling to sports events and getting his sign on national tv.
6. You didn't see any other kids on tv, did you? This kid is global cool.
7. If I were the kid, I'd be spending my summer vacation getting paid to travel to games and lift my shirt on camera for home runs, goals scored and putts sunk.
8. Better yet, I'd be selling ad space on my belly like the side of a NASCAR Sprint Cup machine and bankin' the bucks.
9. Check out the USA coach's reaction to the kid right after the camera cuts off him. She's jumping up and down. She knows history when she sees it.
10. Did I mention this kid was in Germany and we weren't? Seriously, this kid just got an A+ on his "What I did on my summer vacation" assignment. And I'll bet girls are already lining up to sit next to him at lunch when he comes home and goes back to school. Lil' man's got a passport with stamps. I'll bet he already knows German, too.
11. How the heck did he score tickets next to Harry Potter (note the glasses on the dude next to him)? Legendary.

Thanks, USA women, for what you did during the summer of 2011. And thanks, too, kid, for being a fan.

Bye.

Here it is, folks...

Had a great time meeting Josh Blue at No Barriers Summit 2011 - Here's a lil' clip of his stuff plus a few photos. Enjoy!

2011-07-09T13:40:00.003-04:00

Signs of a Good Life (or "I Suck at Racing - Part 2")

2011-06-24T17:25:00.005-04:00

If you are one of the tens of followers of my blog (who isn’t related to me and has to follow it because you’re family) then you may remember a few months ago I shared a post about missing this year’s Boston Marathon. You remember the one…I called it “I suck at racing, why I’m skipping the 2011 Boston Marathon.”

About four months have passed so I thought I’d share an update. Yes, my arms are still attached and, yes, I’m still pissed that this year’s race was the friggin’ fastest ever and I wasn’t there to smile and coast my way through 26.2. When I saw the results and did the math, I calculated that I would have finished in about .08 seconds and been at a bar with a beer in hand cheering on the runners in the same amount of time it usually takes me to crest Heartbreak Hill. Oh, well, that’s life and the world spins madly on. I was never a fan of easy anyway.

If you missed the entry, here’s an update. 43 year old idiot who has been in a chair for 20 years and active with his shoulders since he first punched his sisters at age 3 and whipped a rock through the garage window at age 5 still thinks he has the body of a 19 year old. He spends a rather sedentary winter sitting behind a laptop keyboard then hits the racing and training hard first sign of springtime temps going above 60. First days does an easy 5 and feels like Superman. A week later, after ripping out a few 14 milers and hitting the gym hard ("I lift things up and put them down"), dork cannot even lift his left arm above his shoulder and is crying like a baby.

Losing.

Buys stock in whoever makes ibuprofen and packs about 50 pounds of ice on shoulders for a week. When nothing happens, realizes something is really wrong and starts ringing doctors. Birds build nest in racing chair in garage and cat eats all babies when they hatch. Racing chair spends spring as a vehicle for death and destruction part 2 while I struggle to reach down and pull on my socks.

Cat winning.

Fast forward a bit – 4 months after onset - and here we are. For those who are already bored, here’s the moral of the story. I basically added some “acute” to a “chronic” injury and paid the price.

Good news before bad. MRI showed rotator cuffs are all fine, nothing torn and there’s still some cartilage in the places where it’s supposed to be. (That’s awesome news when you are a dude in a chair and have been warned for years to protect the rotator cuffs like they were diamonds and actually did it.)

Bad news was that tendonitis and bursitis made the AC joint look like a fat man’s belly popping out of his pants and some wear and tear on top of repeated impact - that's active shoulder use for ya - made the glenohumeral joint a bit crunchy and not so smooth. And on top of it all, there is some loose debris floating around the joint and it has decided to settle in all the wrong places.

Shoulder could be used in a snap, crackle, pop commercial.

Enter the wonderful world of medicine. Xray, MRI, PT, ice, rest, ibuprofen, iontoferesis, ultrasound, therabands, cortisone, DEEP (read tearful) tissue massage, kinesio taping (blue is my favorite color, don’t buy the cheap stuff at Dick’s Sporting Goods and my wife is a saint for learning to do it like a pro and dealing with my complaining anyway) and 2 ortho opinions. I’m almost there. AC joint is getting back to normal and the glenohumeral joint is settling down, too. It’s not like it used to be as a lifetime of use tends to wear down joints like shoulders, knees, ankles and wrists in all active people but I can’t complain.

The loose debris remains the issue and with time and becoming a bit more active it may move, break or settle but if not, well, we will see, I may need a scope at some point. Hoping the body will continue to do its thing and if I respect the shoulder and don’t behave like an idiot again I may be better enough to go.

So chapter two of “I suck at racing” comes to a close. I’m calling this chapter “Signs of a Good Life” and it’s time to move on to chapter three. Time to get a bit more active (albeit not in the racing chair for a while) and see what happens. I likely won’t get back to being the 5 year old rock thrower or 19 year old athletic madman with shoulders and arms of steel but I’m happy to be where I am, glad I have always taken care of my rotator cuffs, happy I took a flyer on this year’s Boston (with the good head on prevention over furthering an injury winning precedent) and hopefully optimistic that time will do enough to get me to where I’d like to be.

So for now, off to beach volleyball practice (I’m the outside hitter) then to toss batting practice, throw the javelin, swim a mile of fly and finish with a sick number of overhead presses. Kidding.

Bye.

Wisdom of the Waves - Lessons for Life

2011-05-06T17:21:00.002-04:00

Wisdom of the Wave: Laird Hamilton shares 10 life lessons learned from surfing by Melanie D.G. Kaplan

Surfing legend Laird Hamilton says the ocean is one of the greatest teachers. “Simple laws and philosophies can be traced to the purity of the ocean,” says Hamilton, who created tow-in surfing, in which surfers are towed like water skiers into massive waves.

His documentary “Path of Purpose,” which raises awareness of autism, aired on the Sundance Channel. Hamilton says in every venture, every new experience, he applies these lessons he has learned on the water:

1. KNOW THAT YOU ARE A SPECK ON THE WATER. “The ocean’s vastness reminds you of your insignificance. It’s like a grounder. The ocean has been around long before people got here and will be here long after. The humility you learn from being in the ocean is a constant reminder of your vulnerability.”

2. GO BIG OR GO HOME. “You can’t kind of catch a wave. You either catch it or you don’t. It’s a commitment. That’s just like anything else — you either go or you don’t. He who hesitates is lost in the end.”

3. LISTEN TO YOUR GUT. “You have a feeling about things. You think something doesn’t feel right, then you look and see a shark. As a species, humans are growing away from listening to their instinct. It’s a learned skill based on survival and then reacting. The more you listen to your instinct and then react to it, the more you awaken the spirit, and that helps you make good decisions, no matter where you are.”

4. UNDERSTAND YOU’RE NOT IN CONTROL. “Being a human, you want to think you can control circumstances. It’s cold, so you turn on the heat; you’re hot, so you turn on the air conditioning. The ocean reminds you that you really don’t have any control: It’s in control when you’re in it. The sooner you embrace that, the easier it will be in other aspects of your life.”

5. GET WET. “The ocean is a healer, big-time. We just don’t have any idea of the magnitude of what the ocean provides us. If you just go down to the beach, go out to surf and come right back in, you feel better about yourself. If you ride a wave, that’s just icing on the cake.”

6. PUT THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE. “People talk about their problems. Stuck in traffic? That’s not a problem. Don’t know how you’re going to pay your bills? Not a [life-or-death] problem. A problem is when you’re 80 miles offshore and have no way to get back.”

7. KEEP LEARNING. “Surfing is probably one of the most difficult sports. There are no referees, no timeouts. [The waves don't] care about your bank account, your ancestry, your intelligence. It’s just you working the water. And the more I learn, the more I don’t know. That’s an ocean lesson.”

8. BE DETERMINED. “With determination, most things will be quite easy. You go out and get hammered by a wave and then by another one and another one, and you think, ‘OK, I’m still here.’ And then you get a good wave, and you’ve made it. The one thing that’s great about surfing is that there’s no right or wrong way. ”

9. DON’T GET STALE. “Ideas [about new surfing techniques and new sports] come out of boredom and my desire to be passionate. You have to figure out ways to make things exciting and interesting. When something I’ve been doing for a while becomes popular, I’m beyond it. So by default, I end up being different. It’s that whole desire to keep inspiring and keep renewing your passion.”

10. DON’T JUDGE. “The ocean is non-judgmental. It doesn’t differentiate between you and the next guy. I want to be a little more like the ocean — not judging people who have an opinion. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that we’re all equal before a wave.”

Feelin' Blue!

2011-05-02T14:25:00.003-04:00

Caught the Blue Angels at MCAS Beaufort, SC, this weekend. Amazing show to honor 100 years of Naval aviation. It was their 10th show of the season, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and I was stoked! Seriously. Here's a condensed video of the Blues opening their season with a performance last month at El Centro, CA. If these guys don't make you think about how important it is to LOVE what you do, make the most of your talents and abilities and take advantage of every single day then I don't know what will. Nice day at the office. Crank up the sound on this one and enjoy!

Bye.

I Suck at Racing (or, Why I’m Not Racing The 2011 Boston Marathon)

2011-04-17T22:04:00.011-04:00

Pop quiz. What does yours truly have in common with Tom Brady and David Becham?

Well, let’s start with the obvious – we all have a passion for and a lifelong dedication to sports, good looks and we are all *cough* rich, famous, etc. What else? Let’s see…we are easily recognizable by our strong fashion sense and *cough* we are all known globally as incredible (read - modest, camera shy) world class athletes. And of course there’s the most obvious similarity – wait for it – yes, we all have hot, supermodel wives who have appeared in the pages (and on the covers) of some of the world’s finest magazines.

OK, with due respect to our hot wives, let’s get back to reality. Here you’ll find the common bond we all share. Yes, it is related to our passion and dedication to playing the sports we love. Other athletes share it, too, although it’s not something we all like to talk about too much. No, it’s not Super Bowl rings or World Cup victories; it’s actually something that keeps us athletic types from getting sweaty. It hurts, too.

Tendon issues. Yes, when an athlete tends to overuse a certain muscle (or group of muscles) he develops tendon issues. It can come on suddenly, too. In Tom Brady’s case, it was an acute knee injury that tore tendons he didn’t even know he had in his knee. Becham overused his achilles and paid the price. And yours truly, well, a recent shoulder impingement resulting from a few lil’ tendons getting a bit pissed off at me as I got back in to training late this winter has sidelined me for a couple of months. Hopefully my injury isn't as severe as Brady or Beckham's but that's not the issue.

How do these three distinctly unrelated and different injuries tie together? They all kept us from doing something we love. Brady missed an entire season, Becks missed a World Cup and I missed the 115th Boston Marathon. Yes, even when you’ve done 18 of them, it still hurts to miss the race you love. Bad timing to be sure.

But there is a bright spot in all this. What’s the prognosis? My shoulder will heal as I rest the tendons and strengthen the opposing muscles to promote better health and increase joint stabilization. Good (read painful, deep tissue) massage is helping, too. So before too much more time passes, we are hoping I’ll be back at it. I'm looking at early/mid May. Fingers crossed. And when that happens, I look forward to training and racing hard, smart and healthy.

As for the 115^th Boston Marathon, it’s always tough to watch a race from the sidelines but the wise athlete in me says it’s a better option than pushing too hard and risking a more serious injury.

That reminds me. In 1996, while I was living and working in Hawaii, I sustained a similar injury to my other shoulder. You see, one reason I gave my boss to send me there was that I'd be able to train right trough the winter (when I wasn't working of course) so I got right down to training hard and fast. Anyway, rather than rest and heal my shoulder, I foolishly pushed too hard (i.e., the majority of my marathon training consisted of pushing my racing chair up Hawaii's lil’ “hills” - extinct volcanoes) and when my shoulder requested some down time, I didn’t listen.

What happened? I injured the tendons in my shoulder racing the very same Boston Marathon. Yes, I finished the race, but when I flew back to my Pacific paradise and got over the jet lag, I spent the next three months in PT instead of playing on the beaches and exploring Kauai and Maui. Lesson learned. Listen to your body.

And speaking of bodies…back to those supermodel wives…wait, sorry, that’s another blog entry.

Train smart and be healthy.

Bye.

Look beyond (what you think are your) limits....

2011-04-12T13:51:00.001-04:00

Alphabet Soup For Charity, Racin' Style

2011-03-31T17:15:00.012-04:00

OK, here's one for ya. Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to get selected to do a NASCAR PSA for PVA. Say that ten times fast. See what I mean? The Paralyzed Veterans of America (yes, you've heard of them and know how much they do for veterans like me in wheelchairs) was in town to shoot a public service announcement for a new campaign called "Mission: ABLE" (in a nutshell, it's a partnership between PVA and NASCAR to help raise funds that will allow veterans to get better access to care, benefits and jobs) and they needed a veteran to participate in both the photo shoot as well as the video which will be televised during upcoming races. I happily agreed to participate.

The shoot took place at Dale, Jr's Hammerhead Entertainment studios in Mooresville and it was amazing. I managed to smile "purty" and not run over any toes, get caught in any cables or break anything (including cameras, lenses, etc.). The best part of the day was getting to meet (and laugh, hang, shoot hoops, joke and look good with) a bunch of Sprint Cup drivers as well as one Richard Petty. Yeah, that one. Here are a few of the non-official "behind the scenes" shots of moi with the various dudes. (No one needs to know we all are wearing make-up so I'll keep that secret to myself.)

The first shots were with Marttin Truex, Jr., coincidentally one of the first NASCAR drivers I ever interviewed when I first started freelancing. We had a blast and were conscious about respecting the "bro code."

AJ Allmendinger rolled in next and as serious as he tried to be, it didn't work. Proof is the photo above. AJ drives the famous Petty #43 car which is now sponsored by Best Buy. FYI, Best Buy is the top sponsor for an upcoming fundraising event called The King's Cup, a go kart race plus concert, auction, etc., that raises money for PVA. It'll be in Charlotte the week between the All Star race and the Coke 600...late May.

See the make-up lady in the photo of me with Brad Keselowski? Brad made her work her ass off and he didn't even know it. Funny as a fart. Every time she got his fire suit adjusted and posed so the Mission: ABLE logo was front and center, he'd shift, move, stick his belly out, turn, put me in a headlock, stick his ass out and/or go in to some sort of crazy dance and the lady had to come out and pose him all over again. This dude is a scream! No wonder he's such a great driver, he's always on (unless, of course, he's napping which he says he does often). Funny story, I was making fun of him for struggling through a little bit of in-between-scene basketball (he says he was restricted in motion by his his fire suit) and I jokingly bet him he would not keep the suit on for the rest of the day while he did everything else on his schedule. We got into a great debate about "how would I know if he changed," "not believing in the honor system," "hiring someone to follow him," "bribing that person to look the other way," etc. We laughed our way through lunch and resolved nothing. When all was said and done, I think we agreed that if things went as we forecasted (I wouldn't know if he changed or not), he would make one dollar from our bet and the lawyers that we would need to hire to oversee the bet would get rich. What a country. Anyway, when I got home, I checked out Brad's web site. Turns out it says he loves to argue and if he weren't a driver, guess what, he'd be a lawyer. Really? Go figure. BTW, Brad's Tesla is sweet. And he drives it like a madman. Can't blame him. If I has one then I would, too.

Here's yours truly with The King. Glad he and I went near the end. He's obviously at home in front of the camera and after 3 hours of smiling, sitting still and learning to follow directions, I was pretty comfortable, too.

One more thing. We didn't get any shots of me in the video room (thank goodness) sitting in front of a shitload of bright lights and trying to read "Paralyzed Veterans of America's Mission Able Campaign..." off a screen and look at the camera (which I still have no idea where it was) while all sorts of editing folks plus one director tried not to laugh at me. Total tongue twister. Alphabet freakin' soup for the soul. I had to say like 20 things and each driver had to say, like, one thing. I was a nervous wreck and screwed up about 50 times in a row. "OK, try it a bit slower." "OK, a bit faster this time." "Try saying it like you are having a conversation." "OK, how about just saying it like you are reading from the telescript." "Good, I think we are done." I now admire movie stars who are at home in front of the camera. Shit ain't easy. Maybe I'll get there some day. Or maybe I'll see the finished product and crawl under a rock.

Either way, great day, great new friends and a great cause.

Bye.

Maybe it's time to change...

2011-03-30T17:54:00.009-04:00

So after three + years of havin' this here blog look the same, I thought a change - let's call it a spring makeover - might do it good. Cue "Maybe" by the Sick Puppies...

...Maybe it's time to change
And leave it all behind
I've never been one to walk alone
I've always been scared to try
So why does it feel so wrong
To reach for something more
To wanna live a better life
What am I waiting for?
'Cause nothing stays the same
Maybe it's time to change...

About the new look and feel - It's got a more Wired Magazine "with the times" look and feel, doesn't it? Kind of like a Kia Soul ("you can get with this or you can get with that") versus an Oldsmobile ("this is not you parent's Oldsmobile" when really it still is). The 2009 Blue Devils versus the 2010 Blue Devils. The 2009 Tar Heels versus the 2008 Tar Heels (Duke fans will laugh at the irony in this statement, UNC fans won't). Good versus bad. New versus old. Kickin' ass versus getting yer ass kicked. See what I mean?

Plus reading this blog is, and always will be, good for the environment - no trees were harmed in writing this blog. That's a plus.

What to look for in the future? New and improved stuff. Incredible insight. Motivational and inspirational videos, thoughts and musings. Seemingly useless banter. A non-addictive change from Facebook. More of the same. Rubbish. In a word, who knows. I'm workin' on trying to get this blog to smell like cotton candy (you know, just like a Katy Perry concert) and I'm trying to get this blog to appear from an egg (a la Lady Ga Ga) but I'll admit that getting a computer to emit a sweet smell is taking a bit of work and as for the egg thing, whoa. For now, know that this blog does have Bieber Fever and last I heard, that's still a cool thing. And the music toons completely rule, too! Sweet.

So enjoy the new look and be well.

Bye.

Some Acoustic Nostalia from Down Under

2011-03-26T13:32:00.003-04:00

(Quick suggestion - turn off the music on the bottom before playing this video or else it will all sound crappy together.)

Call me an 80's guy or call me a lover of cool acoustic music and either way you'll be correct. I recently heard this guy, Colin Hay (aka, the old lead singer of Men at Work - remember them?), perform a great acoustic show at Spirit Square. He played songs from over three decades as a solo artist and threw in a bunch of songs from his Men at Work days. He was absolutely hilarious, too, and shared Scottish and Australian jokes and told numerous self-depreciating stories.I guess life on the road teaches you life lessons.

Flashback - The last time I heard him play was at at the old Cape Cod Colosseum in, I think, 1982 when INXS opened for Men at Work. That's like 19 years ago! Crazy old!

Anyway, here's an old favorite performed with an acoustic twist.

Enjoy.

Bye.

Think you know someone? Try these....

2011-03-22T10:36:00.002-04:00

What was the last thing you put in your mouth?
Where was your profile picture taken?
Can you play Guitar Hero?
Name someone who made you laugh today?
How late did you stay up last night and why?
If you could move somewhere else, would you?
Name one thing you love about your body!
Which of your friends lives closest to you?
Do you believe ex's can be friends?
How do you feel about Dr Pepper?
If you could do any job in the world what would it be?
Who took your profile picture?
Who was the last person you took a picture of?
Was yesterday better than today?
Can you live a day without TV?
Are you upset about anything?
Do you think relationships are ever really worth it?
Are you a bad influence?
Night out or night in?
What items could you not go without during the day?
Who was the last person you visited in the hospital?
What does the last text message in your inbox say?
How do you feel about your life right now?
Do you hate anyone right now?
Do you like your wedding ring or do you secretly wish it was different?
Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass?
Would you ever get some plastic surgery?
What song is stuck in your head?
Brazilian wax?
Have you ever skinny dipped?
Name something you have to do tomorrow?
Do you think too much or too little?
Do you smile a lot?

Bye.

10 Thoughts...

2011-03-03T17:14:00.002-05:00

1. As complex as it might appear, life is actually quite simple. Love those who love you. Eat right. Get enough rest. Smile. Explore and discover. Have your breath taken away.

2. When experienced from a wheelchair, inches resemble feet, yards appear to be miles and forward motion means living.

3. Paradise isn't something you lose; it is something you lean how to recognize in ordinary life.

4. Only when you surrender your beliefs about how life ought to be will you learn to love life as it is.

5. Have you ever watched the wind dance across the water? It is quite a sight. Neither the wind nor the water knows what will happen when they interact but they do it with ease, beauty and a seemingly artistic and singular flow. Neither knows where the other is going but they both look like they are having a damn good time getting there.

6. I don't think we choose our adventures. We might think we do but in the end, our best adventures usually befall us.

7. Ever wondered what your soul looks like? Have a good look at yourself in the mirror for the answer.

8. If you ask me, disability is a major bummer. If I had the use of my legs for even a minute, I'd do two things; first, I'd sprint along the water's edge just to feel the warm sand between my toes and, second, I'd strut back to the wheelchair and give it a good swift kick. Then I'd sit back down, smile and keep pushing.

9. Table for four? Barry White, Jim Valvano, Nelson Mandela and Amelia Earhart. I guess I'd have to sit on the floor 'cause I'd make five.

10. Come to think about it, winter is about one month too long and twenty degrees too cold no matter where you live.

Bye.

If you thought the commercial was great, enjoy "The making of..." (scroll down and turn off the music player on the bottom for full effect)

2011-03-02T13:37:00.003-05:00

"If"

2011-01-27T13:19:00.001-05:00

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

"If" by Rudyard Kipling

Bye.

Ready for your close up?

2011-01-11T15:58:00.005-05:00

I'm not sure if the following sample interview questions make me more or less excited about ever wanting to get back in the job market but they definitely make me want to be the dude who sits and asks the questions. Wow. OK, tell me about your strengths and weaknesses? No way. Too easy. Take a look at these and start sweating. (Oh, and by the way, if you want to read a few of the answers that interviewees shared as well as the other questions that these companies typically ask then check out www.glassdoor.com).

1. “If you were shrunk to the size of a pencil and put in a blender, how would you get out?” - Asked at Goldman Sachs.

2. “How many ridges [are there] around a quarter?” - Asked at Deloitte.

3. “What is the philosophy of Martial Arts?” - Asked at Aflac.

4. “Explain [to] me what has happened in this country during the last 10 years.” - Asked at Boston Consulting.

5. “Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 how weird you are.” - Asked at Capital One.

6. “How many basketball[s] can you fit in this room” - Asked at Google.

7. “Out of 25 horses, pick the fastest 3 horses. In each race, only 5 horses can run at the same time. What is the minimum number of races required?” - Asked at Bloomberg LP.

8. “If you could be any superhero, who would it be?” – Asked at AT&T.

9. “You have a birthday cake and have exactly 3 slices to cut it into 8 equal pieces. How do you do it?” – Asked at Blackrock.

10. “Given the numbers 1 to 1000, what is the minimum numbers guesses needed to find a specific number if you are given the hint “higher” or “lower” for each guess you make.” – Asked at Facebook.

11. “If you had 5,623 participants in a tournament, how many games would need to be played to determine the winner?” - Asked at Amazon.

12. “An apple costs 20 cents, an orange costs 40 cents, and a grapefruit costs 60 cents, how much is a pear?” – Asked at Epic Systems.

13. “There are three boxes, one contains only apples, one contains only oranges, and one contains both apples and oranges. The boxes have been incorrectly labeled such that no label identifies the actual contents of the box it labels. Opening just one box, and without looking in the box, you take out one piece of fruit. By looking at the fruit, how can you immediately label all of the boxes correctly?” – Asked at Apple.

14. “How many traffic lights in Manhattan?” – Asked at Argus Information & Advisory Services.

15. “You are in a dark room with no light. You need matching socks for your interview and you have 19 gray socks and 25 black socks. What are the chances you will get a matching pair? “ – Asked at Eze Castle.

16. “What do wood and alcohol have in common?” – Asked at Guardsmark.

17. “How do you weigh an elephant without using a weigh machine?” – Asked at IBM.

18. “You have 8 pennies, 7 weight the same, one weighs less. You also have a judge’s scale. Find the one that weighs less in less than 3 steps.” – Asked at Intel.

19. “Why do you think only a small percentage of the population makes over $150K?” - Asked at New York Life.

20. “You are in charge of 20 people, organize them to figure out how many bicycles were sold in your area last year.” – Asked at Schlumberger.

21. “How many bottles of beer are drank in the city over the week.” – Asked at The Nielsen Company.

22. “What’s the square root of 2000?” – Asked at UBS.

23. “A train leaves San Antonio for Huston at 60mph. Another train leaves Huston for San Antonio at 80mph. Huston and San Antonio are 300 miles apart. If a bird leaves San Antonio at 100mph, and turns around and flies back once it reaches the Huston train, and continues to fly between the two, how far will it have flown when they collide.”- Asked at USAA.

24. “How are M&M’s made?” – Asked at US Bank.

25. “What would you do if you just inherit a pizzeria from your uncle?” – Asked at Volkswagen.

Here's the link to the questions, answers and overviews of interviews (http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/top-25-oddball-interview-questions-2010/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=news-jan11u-top25&utm_campaign=news-jan11u).

Bye.

Be authentic and be awesome this year!

2011-01-10T16:23:00.000-05:00

What I Have Learned (ver 6.0)

2010-12-29T17:16:00.003-05:00

It has been quite a while since I unleashed a bit of arguably useless knowledge on this lil’ old blog. Way too long, I must say. To help round out 2010, I thought I’d share a few random pieces of knowledge*. And no list is complete without a bit of John Wooden, right? Enjoy.

“You will never win or lose if you don’t run the race,” – Richard Butler, The Psychedelic Furs
“Man must rise above the Earth – to the top of the atmosphere and beyond – for only thus will he understand the world in which he lives.” – Socrates
We all need other people in our life. No one can do it all alone. And if you ever get stranded on a desert island, it’s a hell of a lot more fun being there with someone else than it is making friends with a volleyball.
Be interesting.
If you have something important to say and yell loudly enough to be heard then people will listen to you. If you keep yelling the same thing after you have been heard then you will become annoying and people won't listen any more. Make your point then shut up.
“Absolutely” is a great word. Go ahead, say it with conviction. See what I mean?
I keep thinking I graduated from college a few years ago when it was actually over 15 years ago. (Borrowed and adapted from Aaron Sorkin.)
If the second part of an apology starts with the word “but” then you need to think about it out a bit more.
“If you’ve got integrity, it will smack you very hard when you fuck up. If you don’t have integrity…life won’t even bother to slap you.” – Ted Danson
Our dog weighs close to 90 lbs. and our cat weighs just over 9 lbs. The cat looks at the dog and wonders what it needs to eat to get that big. The dog looks at the cat and wonders what it needs to do to jump that high. Neither one is sharing their secret.
A crisp white t-shirt matched with a pressed dress shirt, a kick-ass tie and a suit jacket are all you need to stay warm in winter and cool in summer. How can that be possible? The clothes are just a part of it. It’s you that does the rest.
I have way too many material things. It’s hard to appreciate what you have when you don’t know where to start appreciating.
I am the happiest when life isn’t getting in the way of living.
“The hardest thing about life in your forties is that it‘s heavy. You have to take responsibility for it because you made it heavy…You’re the one, and you have to take responsibility for those choices you made along the way.” – Jodie Foster
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.” – John Wooden

Bye.

* Direct quotes found either in Esquire and hear on a kickin’ 80’s XM radio station. The others came from my hard noggin’.

A lesson in money...

2010-12-16T17:16:00.006-05:00

When I was in my early teens, I asked my Dad for money to buy a new pair of soccer cleats for summer camp. Instead of giving me the money, he told me to get a job. "OK, why the change of heart?" I asked. "You have always given me money in the past."

He said his reasoning had three parts. First, my Dad figured at least one of the three restaurants in our neighborhood needed a summer dishwasher. He also thought I could use some responsibility. And he was just plain old sick of giving me money.

So he sent me on my way and I hit the road. At the first restaurant I visited, Rose’s, I approached a man who was sitting on a bucket near the loading dock. Not knowing who he was or what he did at the restaurant, I simply asked him if I could have a job.

“Are you a good worker?” this first generation New England Italian named Carlo questioned.

“I have never had a job before but my Dad thinks I am or else he wouldn’t have sent me up here to talk to you,” I replied.

“Well, what can you do?” he asked.

“Pretty much everything, I guess, but my Dad says I should wash dishes,” I answered.

“Well then, do you want to work in the mornings or at night?” he queried.

I thought for a moment and, knowing the last things I wanted to give up as a kid were those awesome nights catching fireflies and chasing sunsets on the beach I replied, “Mornings if at all possible, sir.”

“OK, Mr. Dishwasher,” he finished, “be here tomorrow morning at six o’clock and we will see how it goes.”

“Thanks,” I said proudly as I turned to walk home.

Fifteen minutes after beginning my first ever job search, I was gainfully employed, back home and ready to head off to the beach to enjoy my last day of careless childhood freedom.

“How much are they going to pay you?” my Dad questioned when he heard the news. "How long will it take to earn enough money to buy those cleats?"

“I don’t know, I never asked about money,” I replied.

"Then how will you know if they are paying you fairly?" he asked.

"If I work hard and they keep needing me to do stuff then I guess they will pay me enough to keep working," I answered.

How does this story end?

I began working that next morning and continued, basically seven days a week for eight consecutive summers, before graduating from college and moving to Florida to begin Navy flight school (my first "real" job).

I bought my soccer cleats after only a week of work that first summer and then, as I got older, fishing gear, an outboard engine, a windsurfer and a car.

And by the time I left Rose’s for the Navy, I had progressed to do every job the restaurant offered from dishwasher to prep cook, bus boy, server, chef, bartender and baker. I even mowed the lawn and painted the place on more than one occasion. My mornings always started by washing dishes.

In all those years we never did talk about money. And I never had to ask my Dad to borrow another penny. Do what you love and the money will follow.

Bye.