Goals

I have been doing so well at my New Year's Resolution for this past year. I am currently at about 4,200 miles on the van for the year. I was really hoping to stay under 5000 miles, but there is no way. Sure, if you do the math it seems like it would be easy. 800 miles for the last two weeks of the year should allow us to use the car extravagantly, but then we decided to move to Kentucky. I've got about 800 miles before I reach 5000 for the year, but it's about 1600 miles to Kentucky and we hope to be there by new years. Unless someone knows a shortcut that is eluding us, I'm going well over my goal for the year.

On the bright side, I still put more miles on my bike than the van this year. Additionally, our apartment that we got in Lexington (actually it's in Georgetown, just north of Lexington) is about 20 miles from my work. If I ride daily, that will be just under 200 miles/week. I am not, however convinced that I will ride every day. While the main reason for the move is to take a job that I feel will better prepare me for a career than where I was previously, I also intend to spend more time with my family. I've had a couple years of 60+ hour weeks and would rally prefer to cut way back on that number. If I add an hour bike ride to each side of my 8 hour workday, it may be a bigger sacrifice than I'm willing to make. I'll try it out a few times and it's certainly something we're considering as we look for a house to buy.

Sans Couture

Here's a little story to demonstrate how uncultured I am. This is a conversation between me and the guy next to me on the flight home from Lexington KY... Actually I guess Lexington will be home soon, but anyway. Actually it's probably important to note that the conversation started when he noticed I was reading a Kentucky real estate guide.

Him: You lookin' to move out this way?

Me: It looks like it.

Him: This is a great place to live.

Me: I'm excited about it, but really it's all new to me.

Him: What's your name? What business are you in?

Me: They call me Sans, of the infamous blog, Sansauto (I didn't really say that, I just told him my name). I'd be working with the YMCA helping get people going with exercise programs. What was your name, and what do you do?

Him: I'm Eddie and I'm in the entertainment industry

[At this point I was uncertain about 'the entertainment industry' I could be sitting next to a rock star or a male stripper, why was he being so vague?]

Me: Nice. (I think I say that too often)

[Long moment of silence when we didn't know what to say. He listened to his iphone]

Me (as I was looking through my real estate guide): Do you know anything about Versailles?

Him: Brother, I used to play in every Honky-Tonk in Lexington, but I just don't know the area anymore.

Me: That's fine, so you're in the music industry (he wasn't a male stripper, so I dug a little deeper)?

Him: Ya

Me: So what band are you with? Is it someone I would have heard of?

Him: Are you into country music?

Me: Uhhh. Sort of. I listen to it on occasion, but mostly I listen to NPR and they don't play music. WHo are you with?

Him: Montgomery Gentry

Me: I think I've heard of him, but I couldn't name a song he plays. Do you play guitar for them or something?

Him: It's a Duo

Me: Right, so do you play the guitar with them or something?

Him: No, I'm a lead singer.

Me: So that would make you either Montgomery or Gentry?

Him: Something like that.

I proceeded to have a very nice conversation with Eddie Montgomery. On my trip out to Kentucky I was on four flights and this guy was probably the easiest to talk to. He wasn't into himself and was far from what I expected from a Music star. We didn't talk the whole flight, but he was really a good conversationalist. (Just in case you were wondering, he was listening to Boston on his iphone). He really seemed interested in why I was there. He seemed sincerely excited about me getting a new job and bringing my family out to Kentucky.

The flight ended and as he got up, he turned and said, "Congratulations on the new job, I think your family will really like it here. It sounds like you're really doing what you love; that's important."

Since he was officially standing, the others on the flight who had been eavesdropping took their opportunity to ask questions like, "When are you going to play in Lexington again?" (Maybe next new year, if not before) and "Did your song reach number one this week?" (yes).

So I yelled up to him, "-and congratulations to you on having the number one country music song in the nation this week". OK, I didn't say that. Should I have?

Anyway, I don't get starstruck. Music stars do nothing for me. They're just normal people, except I perceive them as being more arrogant than the average person. This guy surprised me. He made me feel like a million bucks and congratulated me on my career as he flew off to New York to play on the CBS Morning Show. He was far from arrogant. He taught me a thing or two about humility.

The last I saw of him was entering the Cincinnati airport where he held the door for a line of people who were on the plane with us. Now we're preparing to move to his town.

Success and Failure

I haven't been writing a lot lately. You see, there has been a lot on my mind, so I've struggled to put together blog posts. So this is a sort of catch up blog of what's going on in my life, but also includes some interesting thoughts.

I am currently attending school seeking a PhD. I have finished all of my coursework and have a dissertation to write. I looked around at jobs. I contemplated what I wanted to do with my life. I considered what a PhD would do for me and what jobs would do for me. I thought a lot about success and failure.

What does it mean to succeed in life? Often in our culture we think of the accumulation of monetary wealth as success. The attainment of higher education is often considered success. Accumulating letters behind your name is considered success. Why is it that having more is considered 'success'?

Our culture's definition of success differs from mine. I think that success is doing what God wants you to do. I do not think that God considers wealth as success. Don't get me wrong, I believe that wealthy people could be successful, I even know some, but success does not depend on wealth or status.

I had a decision to make. I am in doctoral program that would lead to a prestigious degree if I continued, or I could take a job and pursue what I really love in life. If I drop out of a doctoral program, is that a failure? According to many it is. On the other hand, is it a failure to pass up what I could consider the best step for my career?

After much thought and prayer I looked at the options and tried to consider what God would have me do. I am going to give up a PhD (although I may pursue an opportunity to finish a dissertation if it arises) and pursue a relatively low paying job in Kentucky doing what I love.

Here's the thing. A PhD will open doors that I'm not interested in. So what is the use of opening the doors? The job opportunity is with an organization that is doing something I've always wanted to do (providing opportunities for physical activity to those who need it most whether they can afford it or not). Sure, the position isn't typically for someone with my education, but it is a position that I really care about with an organization that I'm excited to move up in. I really feel that I would have regretted missing this opportunity and continuing with a PhD more than I will regret dropping out of a PhD program.

Unconventional, maybe even illogical, but I'm going to discontinue my doctoral studies, move to Kentucky and follow my dreams of helping people improve their health. Truth be told, I feel more successful now than at almost any other time in my life.

Hopefully, I'll post a little more frequently now. Although I also need to pack up my stuff and my family and move across the country. I may be busy.

This morning

I was getting ready for my ride into school today when I heard footsteps in the living room. Although it's a little too early for the kids to be getting up, it's not that uncommon. I tried to be quiet just in case he decided to return to bed.

I watched him. He went into the kitchen and was struggling to get into the cabinet where we keep the garbage can. (The second rubber band was too much for him). He was determined and i was really hoping he would go back to bed, so I went and silently helped him.

I opened the cabinet. He wiped the booger off his finger into the trash can and went back to bed.

I have the most incredible wife. She has my kids trained that it is not only bad to eat it, but also that you can't wipe it on random objects. Wow.

The other kid

My last post was a video of the two older boys. I neglected to talk about the little one. So I thought I would write a couple of things about him today.

First off, I think he has started walking. He is a covert walker. My wife and I will sit across from each other and try to get him to walk (just like in all of the home moves you see). As soon as we let go, he sits down. However, my wife and I have both found him taking steps in the middle of the room when we came into a room. I think he's hiding his new talent. Don't get me wrong, he only takes a couple of steps away from the furniture, but I have a feeling that he's going to chase his brothers across the room before we are able to encourage him to walk on our agenda.

So I was going to the bathroom the other day and he wanted to join me. I don't know what his thing is with the bathroom, but the kid would live in there if we didn't keep the door shut to prevent him from sucking on the toilet seat.

Anyway, I came home and rushed into the bathroom and didn't close the door (bad habit, don't worry, if we invite you over for dinner, I'll remember to close it). I'm standing there doing my thing and in crawls my son with a huge grin on his face. He pulls himself up on the cabinet and starts reaching as if to wash his hands in the 'running water' I lifted my leg up to prevent the hand washing and he instantly clung to my let. So I was essentially standing on one leg, going to the bathroom with an infant clinging to my other leg. The next thing I knew, the kid had swung around and his head popped between my legs and he looked up at me with a great big grin. I think the grin may have said, "I WON!". Anyway, he was lucky that I had already finished, otherwise I would have likely peed on his head.

So close the door if you are going to go to the bathroom.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Distractions

My grandmother has this tendency to cook in one set of pots and then transfer everything into serving dishes to be placed on the table. While I certainly don't think it's bad, let's just say I've never been the type to do that. I'll be more specific; in college I would cook my noodles in a pot on the stove, drain the water, add red sauce and eat out of the pot. An entire meal and I would dirty one pot and one fork. It was incredibly efficient. And I could store my dishes in my room and not be accused of contributing to the pile of dishes in the sink.

So the other night we were eating and I realized why Grammie used serving dishes. She had distracted kids (mom?). Anyway, we got a video of the older two boys at dinner. Notice that as they talk, they are looking at the pot instead of us. I think that they like their distorted reflections.



I especially like the end when the Mugwump is flexing in the reflection. Just like his dad, the only time it appears that he has muscles is when the reflection is distorted

Value

A friend at school recently started a new business and made a really good looking green and black cycling jersey. The first thing I thought of when I saw the jersey was that I had a pair of Briko Stingers from the mid 90s that would match the jersey very well. The sunglasses have green reflective lenses and black frames with a little piece of green between the lenses. I paid $100+ for those glasses about 15 years ago. They were a prized possession like a pair of Oakleys, except I seem to follow a different code of style. Anyway, I gave my friend this pair of glasses. No charge, no big deal. In fact, I was sort of happy to get rid of them so I can have a little less 'stuff' in my house. I hope he likes them. I think it has been long enough that they may be back in style as a sort of 'retro' thing.

We have an umbrella stroller that folds up nicely for outings with the kids. Most of the time we use our big stroller that will haul LOTS of stuff, but sometimes the foldability of the umbrella stroller is priceless. Anyway, our stroller is falling apart, so my wife bought a new one. She found it at a garage sale and paid $4 for the stroller. It was perfect... until it was forgotten at the park. Sure, we've got the $15 or whatever to buy a new umbrella stroller, and if not I'm sure someone would get us one for Christmas, but there was more value in the one we had. The beauty of the stroller that my wife found was that it was already used, so we didn't have to buy a new product. That means a lot to us. (So if you want to get us a stroller for Christmas we are in the market for a small USED stroller).

I find it interesting that I gave away one of my prized possessions from high school this week and I am distraught over losing a $4 stroller. I hope that with the current economic crisis it changes what we place value on. Really, sunglasses should not be 'worth' $100.