The more I hear of Todd Agnew's music, the more I like it. This guy is amazingly real, and his lyrics are so nitty-gritty, you'll find yourself stopping and asking, "Did he really just say that?" And then there's that deep, penetrating voice. As one reviewer described it, "This guy is not background music. You just can't ignore his singing."
If You Wanted Me
I'll admit I'm glad we're not disciples Out on a lake paralyzed with fright Cause I'm afraid I might have laughed at Peter Until he stepped into that stormy night If You wanted me to walk on water Why'd You make the solid ground seem so right?
And I'll admit I'm glad I'm not King David Ruling over everything I see Cause I think I've fallen for more than Bathsheba Your creation's a temptation for me And if You wanted me to love You only Why'd you make the moonlight sparkle in her eyes?
I'll admit I'm glad I'm not John the Baptist In a jail cell waiting for my day to die Cause at least down here I know what we're chasing And it's hard to trust Your dreams are so much better than mine But if You wanted me to die to myself Why'd You make me fall so deeply in love with life?
If You wanted me to surrender Why'd You make these hands able to hold on so tight? So tight? And if You wanted me to be like You Why'd You make me like me?
For any fans of Clark Howard out there, he made a great point in today's radio program: our country is focused on government and big business as the cause (and fix) for our country's financial problems. But it's really about us, individually. We are a country of people that are always hungry for more, more clothes, better cars, and bigger houses. We got into this mess simply because we spend more than we earn. And the only way we'll get out of this mess is if we, individually, turn that around and only spend what we earn.
Hey - maybe my old car can make it another year.
"Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get." anon
Call me a slow learner, but after 16 years of parenting, I am still figuring things out. For instance, take today's lesson (#584): "Never, ever, ever make a bet with your child, unless you want to lose money." It seems that most children see proving a parent wrong as the most lofty pursuit of their time...
Here's the setup: We had a roach problem on our back deck. Too much cat food left out too many nights had led up to a bit of a problem with the nasty little beasties. I had been wondering what to do about them, hoping there might be a more safe & friendly solution than the traditional poison route. So, without thinking much of it, I told the kids that I would offer a reward for whoever came up with a roach trap. The reward was simple: Leave the trap out overnight, and you get $1 for every roach trapped by morning. I didn't know what they would come up with, but I was thinking, oh, maybe one or two roaches, if they are lucky.
DD/10 came to me the next morning, quite excited at her accomplishment. What she did was quite simple: Just set out an empty peanut butter container with cat food in it, and leave the lid just cracked across the top. It worked. Boy, did it work. When she had finally killed (gassed) and counted her quarry, the total was...66.
That little girl just cost me $66! I don't know what shocked me more: that her simplistic trap was so phenomenally successful, or that she had so easily conned me out of so much money.
(sigh)
So, take it from me folks: never, ever bet your child with money, even if it's for a noble cause, like achieving some goal or raising their grades. They will bilk you out of your last penny, without the least bit of guilt. After all, they have no loftier pursuit of their time.
Technical note: For those curious as to how it worked, I have to assume that they could easily climb up the side of the glass with the label, but once inside, the combination of smooth glass and the curve of the upper lip made it too difficult to get out. On the other hand, DD/10 believes they were just too happy with that catfood to even bother trying to leave.
Listen to the democrats this week, and you'll hear moaning about Sarah Palin as the folksy "hockey mom" who just doesn't have the credentials for high office.
I agree, she certainly doesn't have the resume that, say, a Joe Biden may have. But is that so bad? Imagine...a true outsider suddenly thrown into the white house (and just one heartbeat from the Big Seat, no less!). What would that look like?
Remember, this is a government "of the people, by the people, for the people", not "of the lawyers, by the politicians, for the lobbyists". Regardless of her politics, I think our government would do well to get an infusion of truly fresh new blood, someone who really is just, what, 18 months? from a small town. Yes, I'm liking this.
Georgia high schools are implementing a new math curriculum this year, which is causing a bit of a stir. Unlike the prior approach of teachers spending all their time in front of the class-room, they are starting to do more "collaborative learning", which involves students breaking into groups and working through problems together. The teacher does still spend time teaching at the front of the room, and most of the grade is based on individual work, but the collaborative part of it is new for most students and parents. And many were not happy. Last night the school held a meeting for parents of freshmen to discuss these changes, and the parents were not very happy. There seemed to be an the endless stream of complaints from disgruntled parents about how difficult the new approach was for their children.
Now I'm no education expert so I am not in a position to say which is the best approach to teaching, but I do believe a good challenge is sometimes just what we need. I don't think it's a coincidence that it was the generation that took the beaches of Normandy that also put a man on the moon.
As I think about these youth, I realize THIS is the generation which will establish a permanent colony on the moon. They will be the ones to make a manned mission to Mars possible, and, God-willing, they will be the first ones to finally celebrate a cure for cancer.
Either our children will stretch themselves to meet challenges such as those presented by this new curriculum, or they will sit back and watch CNN as Taiwan and India claim those prizes. I, for one, am willing to struggle with my daughter as we calculate how much fencing Claire needs for her oddly-shaped garden. It's worth it.
The scene was pretty grim – Captain Kirk, well, actually Admiral Kirk, now, and the rest of the landing party were trapped in a cave beneath the surface of a barren planet. The Enterprise was long gone, and it looked like all hope was lost. One of the members of the party, a young lieutenant, Saavik, who had just graduated from Starfleet Academy, took this time to ask the old admiral something that had been bugging her. It was about the “Kobayashi Maru”, a special test they gave in the academy for which there was no good solution to the problem. The test was graded on how well you lost.
Saavik: "Sir, may I ask you a question?" Kirk: "What's on your mind, Lieutenant?" Saavik: "The Kobayashi Maru, sir." Kirk: "Are you asking me if we're playing out that scenario now?" Saavik: "On the test, sir. Will you tell me what you did? I would really like to know." McCoy: "Lieutenant, you are looking at the only Starfleet cadet who ever beat the no-win scenario." Saavik: "How?" Kirk: "I reprogrammed the simulation so it was possible to rescue the ship." Saavik: "What?" David: "He cheated." Kirk: "I changed the conditions of the test. Got a commendation for original thinking. I don't like to lose." Saavik: Then you never faced that situation. Faced death. Kirk: I don't believe in the no-win scenario.
At that moment, Kirk’s communicator beeped, and Spock’s familiar voice came through: “We’re ready to pick you up , sir.” The look of shock was evident on everyone’s face, as it became clear that Kirk had a rescue plan worked out all along. As they dissolved into the transporter beam, Kirk looked at Saavik and repeated, “I don’t like to lose.”
Wow. That was a fantastic scene, the kind that made Star Trek fans want to jump out of their seats and start cheering. The year was 1982 and the movie was “Star Trek II: The Wrath of the Khan”.
So, why do I bring this up? Well, fast forward 25 years to 2007. Dr. Randy Pausch, A university professor at Carnegie Mellon, is faced with his own Kobayashi Maru test, having been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Shortly after learning that treatment was futile, he was asked to give a “Last Lecture”. It a common practice for professors to give a special lecture to students which would sum up their life experience and all that they had to share, as if he was about to die and this was his last chance to share what was most important to him. The fact that Dr. Pausch actually did have terminal cancer was just a coincidence, yet it made all the difference. On Sept 18, 2007, he stepped onto the lecture stage for the last time, and gave an unforgettable speech. It was recorded, and you can still see it on the web (below). The speech was incredible and was soon watched by millions across the web (the current YouTube count is 6,662,280).
One of the people touched by his talk was William Shatner, the actor who played Kirk in Star Trek. He was so moved by Dr. Pausch’s stand that he sent him an autographed photo, with that classic quote from the movie “The Wrath of Khan”: “I don’t believe in the no-win scenario.”
That was a beautiful quote to read, especially in the context of someone fighting cancer. At the core of the cancer experience is the word "Hope": Hope for healing, hope for recovery, hope for survival, hope for a reason, a purpose, for something good to come out of the dark valley. Dr. Pausch did not recover from his cancer, but in the way he dealt with death, and life, he taught the world a great deal. William Shatner's sentiment expressed that beautifully.
For those of you who have not yet seen Dr. Pausch's famous "Last Lecture", just click below to see the video. It's well worth your time.
