I Believe

He was “that customer.”

You know him. The guy who always has a question, always has something going wrong, always needs some kind of extra attention.

He was always in my grill - “Fix my MySpace, I can’t play Mafia Wars, My music won’t play.” Never a please or a thank you. Not rude really, but always there, always insistent.

Always

… and then he wasn’t.

I’d like to say I missed him, but the truth is I didn’t. I didn’t notice he was gone.

… and then he came back.

Standing at the desk one day I looked up and he was there. I kinda laughed under my breath and thought about how I hadn’t seen him in a long time and I approached him to say hello.

“Hey man, how you doin’? Where you been? What’s up?

He did not reply.

“What’s up bud?”

He stammered and motioned toward the desk where he laid down a huge stack of papers and then he began to (try to) speak.

In a choked stuttering sometimes non-existent voice, using the papers for illustration he told me.

He’d had a stroke. He was in the hospital for some time, but he was okay now, slowly recovering. He leafed through doctor’s orders and therapist’s instructions, forms he had filled out, and more forms he hadn’t gotten to yet. The stack was endless.

He told me how he hadn’t always taken very good care of himself and in a halting cautious tone with motions to match he told me how it had been the alcohol and the crack that had caused his stroke.

I don’t know why or how, but my heart reached out to this man and I told him that if I could help him I certainly would and I urged him to continue to do the right things, to go to therapy, to stay clean and to please keep in touch.

Because now I was worried. He wasn’t “that customer” anymore. He was now “my customer.”

As the year progressed James continued to get better. He took advantage of the health care aid for which he was eligible, and any other assistance he could get. (I believe, though I’m not certain he is a Veteran.) and really tried hard to improve himself.

He bought himself a laptop and made me his best friend. I told him to come to my Open Lab and helped him with some setup and a free anti-virus solution. He would stop by from time to time to show some new gadget he was into, a camera, a music recorder, and the tiniest wireless mouse I have ever seen.

We have become, in a manner of speaking friends.

When the hard drive on his laptop went south a few months ago he asked for my assistance. I told him that the computer was still under warranty and he should take it back to have it replaced.

A week later James showed up at the library very agitated, not angry but frustrated, fidgeting. “What’s wrong?” I asked him.

He had gone to find out about returning his computer and was basically told he would have to make a number of phone calls.

Remember, he still has a hard time speaking.

I said: “You want me to call for you don’t you?” with kind of a “‘wassup” look.

He grinned. That was exactly what he wanted. He just didn’t know how to ask.

So I called, and I have to give major props to both the retail store customer service department and the computer manufacturer tech support for working with me to find a way to replace James’ hard drive in a pretty timely fashion. In a little less than 2 weeks his computer was as good as new.

Of course now he was concerned about setup and the antivirus and what were his passwords and...

I told him to use the trial anti-virus software until we were sure the computer was going to be okay and we’d do all that setup then. He was okay with that. But...

He couldn’t remember his passwords. No matter how many times I tried to tell him. No matter how many times I went over actually inputting the numbers he wasn’t getting it. But then finally, he did. I thought.

I stopped to say hello to him on my way to do something with Netter and the girls and he was frustrated once again. I tried to help him, but I was in a rush to be on time and he could tell. He assured me he would figure it out and sent me on my way.

… and then he disappeared again.

After a few weeks I put some other staff on alert and asked them to keep an eye out for “my customer.”

They told me they had seen him, but I still had not.

Until yesterday.

There he was; Waving his arms at me, silly grin on his face. “Jim. Jim there you are. Jim, I need my AVA, (actually AVG), and I of course thought to myself: “Whew, thank God he is okay.”

So we got him all setup with his antivirus and I took a peak around to make sure his computer was running well and he went on his way.

A co-worker sidled over to me and said: “Are you ever sorry he made you his best friend?”

“No.” I replied. “I feel like I need to do this, to help James. He has come so far and done so much. He’s really trying to do things the right way. I’m just a little part of that, and I’m glad I can help.”

“I know what you mean,” said my co-worker. “I feel like he is ours, like he is our miracle.”

Exactly.

Do It For Daron

Today, as we prep for The MJB Foundation’s Bowl for Joy on Saturday if I may, I’d like to share a story of a different way to support children and young people with an altogether different challenge.

Tomorrow, Tuesday February 8, 2011 is Purple Pledge Day. Not sure what that is? You can check it out here.  

From the website: On November 13th, 2010, Daron Richardson took her own life. She was just 14 years old. Join us in inspiring conversations and showing support not only for Daron Richardson's family, but for all our young people who suffer in silence from the pain and stigma of mental Illness. Register your school or organization and Wear Purple (Daron's favourite colour) on February 8th.

Last Thursday when I encountered this thought on Twitter an idea started to form in my head.

You saw the smoke right?

What seems like years ago I took charge of buying new hockey jerseys for my Tuesday night C League Hockey Team, Brian’s Bail Bonds. I took a poll, made some suggestions and sent off the order. We were all excited, and then the jerseys arrived. We thought we were ordering jerseys with purple as an accent color. What we got was just slightly different. See...

Purple is one of my favorite colors so I have to confess I really like the jerseys. Most of the fellas? Not so much. Though we had waited almost 10 years to order the purple jerseys, we had new black jerseys only 3 years later, and the guys have been teasing me about the purple jerseys ever since.

From time to time we’ve had to pull out the “purple jerseys,” for example, when our colors were too close to our opponents and we were the visiting team so we had to find an alternative. I always heard about it. All in fun, but I heard about it nonetheless.

This season we are once again getting new jerseys, white ones to take the place of the “purple ones,” which as you can tell from the picture are primarily white. I have to admit I was a little sad about this. As I said, I really like the purple jersey and over time I’ve come to enjoy the banter that goes along with pulling them out every so often. Still, it does seem like it’s time to put them away. But do we really have to just discard them?

It turns out, we don’t. The send off will be a little nicer. The retirement of the purple jersey will have a very important purpose after all.

As you can surmise from the tweet Daron Richardson is the daughter of Luke Richardson former Columbus Blue Jacket Captain. So with tomorrow being my team’s night to play hockey, I sent the fellas the link to the website along with this message:

“We're all hockey players. A lot of us have kids. This affects kids and families and, well a lot of things and folks in so many ways. Let's wear the purple jerseys, (as many as we have) on Tuesday one last time for Luke Richardson and his daughter Daron...Maybe we can take a picture and then retire the darn things and I'll feel like maybe they were worth it after all, and you can all stop busting my chops about 'em.”

Of course, because they really are a great group of guys The Brian’s Bail Bonds Family was immediately on board with the idea. So, tomorrow night at 9:30 at the Chiller North we’ll take to the ice one last time donning the purple jerseys. We’d love it if you could join us, but if you can’t or you don’t think you can bear to watch C League Hockey we all would completely understand. We’re just happy our wives and families come and watch us... sometimes. :-)

Please take some time tomorrow and remember Daron and her family, give your child, teenager, or significant other a hug and share a good and positive thought for the many families and young people affected by mental illness.

Thanks!

Why I "Really" Support Libraries

Talking with my Dad on the phone yesterday he asked me what was going on politically here in Ohio. He lives on the east coast and seemingly loves to talk politics.

But I don’t. I don’t do public politics. Oh, I vote and I have preferences or parties I prefer and some folks might even know what they are, but outside of maybe 10 or so people that I feel comfortable having that discussion with - they don’t know because I told them. At best, they’re just guessing.

Publicly I preach purple because that’s truly what I believe. United we stand. Divided? Well, I think we look like idiots most of the time.

I try to stick to my guns with this too. It’s just one of those things...

No goofy signs in my yard. No diatribe commercials on my television. If you send me a postcard I keep it so I know who to strongly consider not voting for. If you call me, yeah that seals it.

Recently however, I’ve had to make a couple exceptions to my hard fast political rules. If you know me, you know why...

I placed a sign in my yard last May, August & November for The Southwestern City Schools levy I discussed here, that thankfully finally passed, and I placed 2 signs in my yard this year for library levies both that of the Southwest Public Libraries, Issue 8 and The Columbus Metropolitan Library, Issue 4.

I have the post cards. I even took a couple phone calls. In this case, that's okay.

Now, before anyone even asks let me say that I do not support these levies just because I work at the library. This is not about my job.

What it is about, much like the school levy is the kids. I support things that help children.

Just yesterday I talked to a woman who told me how much she appreciated the children’s librarian who read to her son when he was young and recognized him years later when he visited the library again, and how much that meant to him as well. Children’s librarians in particular are pretty magical people by the way.



(If you can’t see the video, click here.)

While the library provides a slew of services for adults, Job Help Centers, computer and business resources, the list goes on and on - I think that the library’s strongest contribution to the community is what it can do for kids. If you take a look at those kids and realize the benefits they see from the library, how much it means to them and their future,... - you know why this is so important.

Which is why I make the exception in case you don’t know me or didn’t already know...

Children in story time, teens in Homework Help Centers, Latchkey kids having a place to go and thrive after school, a welcome, learning environment that is not the street, where a friendly librarian might even sit down and play a game with a kid who looks like they just need a friend. Hey, I’ve seen it happen.

The best thing?

It’s free.

Okay, the levy might cost the taxpayer a few bucks, the price of a fancy meal perhaps, but to that kid who has nothing else, and nowhere else to go - Free is a pretty darn good price.

If you haven’t already please be sure you get out and vote tomorrow. As a personal favor, and I don’t ask for many, if you live in Franklin County, or you have a library levy in your own area please consider voting yes and making a difference in the life of a child.

Thanks!

Hate?

Today, I want to ask some questions spurred by a number of recent incidents, most notably the Ohio State loss at Wisconsin last weekend.

While this post does contain some content about football, it is not a football post.

Here’s what it is about...
*note - all you’s, we’s, they’s, & such are intended to be non-specific except where otherwise designated.

Why do we have to hate each other just because we are different?

Why do we have to show scorn for others who are not in our party, not on our team, not of the same sexual orientation, not fans of the same team, not our race, not our age, not our demographic in general?

What the hell is wrong with us?

If my team loses to another team, why are you, (folks in Michigan) laughing at our misery?

If we have a rivalry, why do you wish, (folks from both Ohio and Michigan) that the other team loses every single game including the one against your team?

Having been both a Wolverine and a Buckeye I can honestly say I think shirts that say “Ann Arbor is a whore.” or “F*** Michigan” are incredibly funny during rivalry week. But I wonder, (folks in Ohio) why those shirts were on sale during the Indiana game?

No, it is not the week before!

The 2006 game that matched undefeated teams for the first time in forever was one of the best I’ve ever watched. I can’t imagine it would have been remotely the same if one or the other of the two teams had losing records or had not won even one game.

Bo and Woody were friends for 51 weeks out of the year folks. Woody was Bo’s mentor. Heck, Bo coached at Ohio State before he went to Michigan. Jim Tressel himself called Bo a Buckeye when Bo passed away.

You’re gonna argue with “The Vest?”

I found myself a few weeks ago spouting that Sparty, (Michigan State) is evil because that’s what we said when I lived in Michigan. But, the more I thought about it... Well, I really like Mark Dantonio, (MSU head coach) and Le’Veon Bell, (MSU running back) is from Reynoldsburg, Ohio and they’re really just a bunch of kids playing a game.

Evil?

Get some perspective Jimmer!

I root for my team. You root for your’s. We don’t have to root against each other.

If I express a point of view in the comments section of the newspaper that differs from yours why does that make me a flaming idiot? or an ignorant dolt? or “fill in your insult of choice here?”

Why would you hate me because of who I choose to share my life with? Does my sexual orientation really matter to you?

Are all teenagers idiots? Are all old people grumpy? Are all rich people elitists? Are all poor people lazy? Are all “West-Siders” criminals? What about “Detroiters?”

Get the picture?

Hello..?

Last month Netter and I attended a tour of the recently renovated Thompson Library at The Ohio State University.

As we arrived, we recognized many of our library friends on the tour, and a few familiar faces that maybe we couldn't put with names, nodded and said hello and took our seats.

Before the introductory presentation I stopped at the refreshment table for some chips a healthy snack, and I was greeted by a very friendly lady who commented that those chips snacks looked delicious, and then she paused...

"You're Jim. right?"

I replied that I was, well am, well whatever, you know what I said.

"Oh, we're Facebook friends. I know all about your life."

She then introduced herself as being a fellow library staff member who worked at another location, and explained that she didn't post very much on Facebook, but did pay attention to what others posted.

She was really nice, and I was glad to meet yet another Facebook friend in person. My general rule of thumb for friending people is that we have to have some common interest, know a few of the same people, and maybe have some chance of connecting in real life somewhere down the road.

All of the above criteria were met, so it didn't surprise me that I was only meeting this Facebook friend for the very first time. I thanked her for introducing herself, and we went off on the tour.

As the evening progressed, and then more time passed I started to think about this interaction and what it could have meant, for example in conjunction with my Internet Safety project.

This time I met a very nice person with nothing but good intentions.

But, what about the next time? What if that person had said:

"WE'RE FACEBOOK FRIENDS. I.KNOW.ALL.ABOUT.YOUR.LIFE."

Well, that would have been a little bit different wouldn't it?

What are you up to Jimmer?

Last week, very late Wednesday night I did something I have never done before. I asked specific people to go comment on my blog. Today, I want to thank everyone and explain my thought process a little bit.

Last Monday, I met with my friend Nate Riggs to talk about his affiliation with TeamBuilder Search. I am considering different career directions and I was intrigued by the possibilities there might be for me to work with Nate as part of his new endeavor. I also really wanted to talk to Nate because I think he's super smart, and has great ideas about taking advantage of our individual strengths.

During our discussion Nate and I started talking about Internet presence and I mentioned that I posted my girls' blogs to my network and community whenever they wrote something new. Nate gave me big props for that (Thanks, Nate!), and then an idea was born. (Thank you Nate for that too!)

I'm beginning work on building a base of information, outlines, something like that to use to present as a curriculum of sorts for kids' responsible use of the social web in particular. As this evolves I hope to find a way to share this information with kids and help them safely find their way through the maze of tools available. I love kids. I love to coach. I love to use social media. Why not coach kids in the best, and more importantly, the safest ways to use social media? Right?

On Monday, I put up a post talking about this new idea, and the feedback both public and private (from parents who didn't want to embarrass their kids or post too much about them in a public forum), was nothing but positive.

As the next step, I thought it would be a good idea to share this project with my family. I asked Netter and the girls to work on guest posts to talk about their thoughts on the subject. The girls are still working on their posts, but Netter finished hers, and I couldn't have been more thrilled. It was a perfect piece to kick off my project. Much better than anything I could have written, and exactly where I wanted to start things. I couldn't help but think: "More people have got to read this. This is really an important topic. I need to start a little buzz."

So, as Chris Brogan might say, I decided to spend a little social media capital and ask some folks to take a look. Thank you to everyone who took the time.

Now just to clear up a few questions folks may have:

• No, if this had been my post about my project I would not have done this.
• No, my blog will not become all about this one topic. There will still be plenty of stories about families, and IGs, and all the other things my brain rambles around all the time.
• No, I did not just ask the heavy hitters / rock stars of the Social Media community to take a look. I didn't even ask them all. I asked folks that I had interacted with in the last week or two using the tools I am discussing, and Netter was addressing.
• No, I will not be soliciting comments for every post on this topic. I put it out there and let folks know what I am talking about here from time to time. If they are interested, I trust that they'll come back. If they're not, that's okay too. I'm not really good at blowing my own horn so I don't anticipate I'll be beating my chest here or anywhere else anytime soon.
• Yes, I like the word "folks."
• Yes, I think you should check out Nate Riggs' work and follow his blog.
• Yes, I think NetterB is an awesome writer who should write more often.
• Yes, I am grateful I have such a great network and community of friends.
  

You're all rock stars! Thanks for stopping by.

Right Tool for the Job - A Guest Post from NetterB

Netter graciously shares her thoughts on Internet Responsibility with us today as a part of my new project. Give her a visit sometime at Practically Netter. In the interim we're lucky to have her here today.

Welcome Honey!

How many dangers do our kids face each day? The world is constantly evolving and is pretty scary when you think about it.

For example, something as simple as a paring knife can be used as a weapon or a tool – it all depends. A knife is sharp and has the potential to harm. It depends on the intent on how it is used. It could be used for bad purposes - to deface something or to harm someone. But it also depends on training. As parents, we train our kids in knife skills so they don’t cut themselves.

The same can be said for the internet and social media. It is a powerful tool, but danger lurks everywhere online. Any online interaction with the wrong intent poses a threat to our kids. Training and parental supervision are of the utmost importance.

My kids are digital natives. They are comfortable in this electronic world. They’ve grown up in the midst of it, using computers is second-nature and their cell phones have almost become another appendage.

I, on the other hand, am not a native. I’ll admit it, electronic gadgets and gizmos can be frustrating, confusing and intimidating. But I’d like to think I have become a digital immigrant. Some people may choose not to actively participate in online communities, but I feel as a parent of teenage daughters, it isn’t a choice for me. I am active in various social media communities and keep a close eye on what my girls are up to.

There are some who would say to just not let your children have access to the internet, or limit it through filters. Sort of like not letting them use a paring knife because they might cut themselves. I think this is unreasonable and more of a disservice to the youngsters. It’s more important to teach them the right and wrong than to try to shield them from it completely.

We can’t protect our kids from the dangers they will encounter in the world, online or virtual. We can only try to give them the tools they’ll need to be successful and prepare them for what they might face to help them make good decisions and choices.

Internet Responsibility - A new project ?

I have a few inspirations for today's post. A conversation I had this morning with my friend Nate Riggs who also posted on the subject earlier this year. An article in Today's Detroit Free Press, and last but not least a note I got from a friend via Facebook last week.

So, Jim, how does one block one's child from Facebook? If I go in and change her password, will that take care of it? Or could she request the password and they will send her the new one on her email? I'll keep looking at the FB site....

Short story, My daughter was going to send a letter to a someone she met through Facebook somehow. Gosh the address of the person was a P.O. Box. What a shocker. And should we alert police that this might be a potential stalker/creeper? Or am I overreacting?

I really want to strangle my daughter.

Okay, obviously my friend is not going to strangle her daughter, but this does raise a very real, and ongoing question about Internet safety, particularly for our children.

So what's the answer? Well, the simple answer is to turn everything off right? If we ignore it, the problem goes away...

Or does it?

Personally, I don't think the Internet is going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, I think the Internet is going to continue to become more and more a part of our daily lives, particularly with the continued growth of the social web.

So, what are some other answers?

I think the answer is to involve our children in the Internet, direct their involvement, or as Nate put it this morning - channel that water that is already running downhill.

Rather than elaborate right now though, I'd like to ask for your input. What do you think the answer is? How would you solve my friend's problem with her daughter?

A bigger question to tackle in the process of course is how do we direct our child's involvement in the social web? Do you think there should be rules? What do you think those rules should be?

As the discussion continues, I hope to post more about this by talking about the various tools that are available, and how our kids can make the best use of them.

But as we kick this off, I'm giving my readers the floor. I'm really interested in your input here. What say you?

OneWebDay

I've got several projects with quickly approaching deadlines going on right now so the blog is a bit thin on material recently. I'm sorry about that. (I know, you're not supposed to apologize like that. I just did. Sue me.)

I do want to take a minute to highlight something, especially for my Columbus audience that I think is very important, and really one of the best ideas I've ever seen.

If you haven't already, head over to Shiny Door and check out the details OneWebDay.

I've talked before about the importance of technology, not just that it's become such a integral part of our society, but that so many lack access, lack knowledge, and don't have anyone to teach them how as it were.

Every day at the library I talk to at least one person who has to accomplish some task, whether searching for housing, signing up for an email account, applying for a job, creating a resume, or even applying for unemployment or other government assistance. All of these things are made that much more difficult when "you just don't know how."

Now, a lot of times when you just don't know how, you can just not do it. (Like my math homework in high school, but that's another story.) But you just can't "not do," things like those listed above because things like housing and jobs are pretty darned important aren't they?

To even take this to the next level - What if these folks could create a network for themselves using Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter - how much better would quality of life be for them. How much more included and most especially valued would they feel if they just knew how?

Take a big breath there and think about that for a second. What would your life be like without technology? Or how about without the Internet?

Yeah, I feel that way too. Very, very fortunate indeed.

Many folks are not so fortunate, Too many are just plain getting left behind, and frankly Scarlett that just stinks.

Well, I give a damn. I know you do too, and as fate would have it, we are not alone.

From the Wiki:

This
year, OneWebDay focuses on the importance of access to fast, affordable, open Internet for all people, otherwise known as digital inclusion. OneWebDay Columbus has planned an array of activities around the idea of digital inclusion, including classes and seminars, technology refurbishment and more. At OneWebDay Columbus participants will have a variety of opportunities to both volunteer (example - refurbish computers) and learn (example - Legalities of Open Source Software workshop). If you cannot spend time at our event but still want to be a part of this worldwide day of web celebration, please consider donating computer components no longer in use. We will be using them to teach the refurbishing and recycling. Our experts can take old slow computers and turn them into useful tools again.
For more information on Columbus OneWebDay join us at http://my.onewebday.org/group/cbusowd and help make it One Web. For All.

In the end, it's all about access. We have it. Too many others don't.

OneWebDay brings us together so that everybody is included, so that everyone has access, so that everyone has an opportunity to learn how.

I am trying to clear my schedule to participate. I will definitely be donating some computer components.

Maybe you can help out too?

We're all in this together after all.

With all due respect to teachers...

As I'm sure most everyone is aware, I love to train. I love to teach. I love to coach.

A friend recently asked me why I didn't become a teacher. "You'd be really good at it," she said.

I looked her square in the eye, and I said: "No, I would really suck at it and I'll tell you why. I couldn't lie to kids and tell them that what they were going to learn was going to prove to be useful in their life experience."

Now, I'm not saying that the three R's aren't key to being a good citizen, but when push comes to shove... Well, be honest how much of what you learned in your later years in school do you really use everyday, or even most days?

That's what I thought.

The truth is that kids don't really learn how to live in the classroom. They learn it on the playing field. They learn it on the stage, and in the arena. They learn it by just living and experiencing everything.

To deny that, at least from my perspective is to deny the obvious.

Recently, our local school district's decision makers, (you'll note I did not say leaders) decided to take that opportunity for learning away from our children, or at least put it in jeopardy so it was eventually taken away.

The deal went something like this. Vote FOR the levy, (that did not pass in the fall) to continue to support our bloated budget and lack of fiscal responsibility, (admittedly exacerbated by the current economy) or we will take all extracurricular activities away from your children.

No, I'm not kidding.

"Pay to play?" you ask. Not an option.

This is the same school district that, when they didn't pass their last levy decided to go to split sessions.

Fortunately, our girls were in Catholic schools at the time and unaffected.

Still, I'm here to tell you, nothing will make a voter change their mind more quickly in the voting booth than watching a kid get off the bus sometime between 6:00 and 8:00 at night...

on Halloween.

Again, not kidding.

So this time, though our feet were again put to the fire - as you may have guessed our district did not pass the levy. The nays took the vote at 56%.

Of course, although I felt pressured to do so, we voted FOR the levy as it directly impacted our children.

I'm not sure what exactly to make of the folks who voted "No." While I understand that they are tired of paying more taxes, I can't help but wonder what they think will happen to their property values.

I'd venture a guess that the amount lost in property value is much greater than the comparatively small amount of extra tax money that would have been paid.

Can you imagine trying to sell a home in a school district where the doors to the school close at 4:00 and don't open until the next morning?

You read that right. Absolutely no activities. You name it, that after school program has been nixed.

I found out last week that drama, choir, and band, i.e. the activities my kids are involved in are part of the regular curriculum - so my girls will not lose the ability to learn those things.

But they will miss out on the opportunity to learn the things that come with those things, the true reward of the Friday night performance, the joy of hearing the crowd cheer for your effort. The things that make kids work harder, try harder, learn more to come back and experience again...

Gone. Buh bye!

Oh, they say they'll have "in school performances," but I'm not holding my breath to see how those turn out, or how many parents, and family members will be able to take the time off from work, (you know - where they earn the money to pay those taxes) to attend.

Of course it goes without saying that my heart goes out to those athletes who cannot perform "in school," including my former neighbor a sophomore next year, and a pretty darn good quarterback by all accounts.

How good? Well, let's just say a former OSU quarterback just spent some time with him, and discussions were under way to work together during the summer.

"The extra time, the extra mile, working toward a greater reward, learning about being a responsible member of a team, finding confidence when you may not have in the classroom..."

Gone. Buh bye!

The final irony here is that our kids have been told from the day they entered junior high, and high school that involvement in these same activities that are now being taken away from them were to have been key to their continued academic success and advancement. How are our children supposed to process the loss of that key?

So what now?

Word on the street is that we'll have a special election in August to try and pass this levy again. I will be there voting yes, but I wonder if the district really thinks they're going to change that many minds.

Are they just trying to teach us a lesson? I wonder what that might be?

I do know this; when you take the vote, a treasured American institution, and make a mockery of it with the threats, and the bullying...

Well, I feel like all my kids are learning is that the bully wins.

Y'all Ready for This?

Laaaadddddddddiiieeeessssssss and Gentttlleeemen - Please welcome - from COH-LUM-BUS, OH-HI-OH - He stands 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs in at TWO HUNDRED AND TWO POUNDS

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! Aahhhhhhhhh! He what? No really? Put the needle back on that record man! OH MY!

OOOOOOOHHHHH MY GOODNESS!

Yes, it is true - Getting ready to go out to dinner with my lovely wife and some good friends from the "nayvorhood" this weekend I ventured onto the scale.

I don't know why I did it. I don't know what possessed me to look down at the numbers.

I was not happy with what I saw.

Now, I have never worried about weight, on myself or someone else. If I'm fat I don't want to think about it. If someone else is fat, it's not my deal to worry about.

In a house full of women, we don't talk about weight anyway, and I think that's terrific.

People are people. Tall, short, thin, fat - doesn't matter. To me it's okay if the stand-up comedian talks about weight, but we don't need to.

To me, it just never mattered. I saw a little boy in my second grade class break down in tears when they announced his weight at 101 pounds and all the kids laughed. Ever since, I try not to make it an issue.

My grandmother was 4'11'' and by all accounts pushed hard toward 300 pounds - I never cared. I use those numbers now to describe her when I tell stories, but they're just that - only descriptive terms about a woman I miss dearly and love with all my heart and soul. She was tough, but we were tough together. (Miss you Babcia.)

I even banned the topic of weight at my house for awhile. Just ask my Mom.

Still - 202 pounds on a 5'7" frame? Holy Heck! That just isn't healthy.

I'm supposed to go to the doctor next week for a checkup and to get some paper work filled out. I'm guessing this isn't going to go over very big. (Hee Hee)

Could you step on the scale Mr. Brochowski?

Do I have to?

Okay, so where to go from here? I don't think my diet is all that bad. I do have a tendency to eat late at night. Guess I'll have to cut that out. K & D will be happy - the (refrigerator) rat lives no more.

Hmmm... what else. Exercise much Jimmer?

Um, outside of an occasional hockey game - No, not much lately. I will have to change that. Mulligan will be happy about that. It means more walks for him. Maybe I'll try that Couch to 5K Running Plan I've heard so much about. That will be a good start.

The thing is, I don't want to do anything that makes me miserable, that I might dread. We only get to do this thing called living once, so I'm determined to find a way to get healthier without driving myself bonkers in the process.

(To those of you who just said I'm already bonkers - Yeah, I know.) It's a good word though isn't it?

I'm willing to make sacrifices - I tried Coke Zero. But I'm not gonna get crazy - MGD 64 is not in my future.

I don't eat breakfast, but I can probably lose a cup of coffee. (How fattening is cream and sugar?)

I figure two squares a day and some exercise should send me on my way to a healthier me?

Will that be enough?

Far too many spend way too much time, and too much energy on this topic in my opinion.

But today - I have to admit it is weighing heavily on my mind as well.

I want to stay in the game after all...

The "Gift" of Technology

Technology is a great thing. Heck, without technology I wouldn't have the job I have today. People need it. People need to learn how to use it. People need to be able to fix it without feeling intimidated.

So it is that I am able to come to work each day, or sometimes even go home at night, or to my in-laws, or to a friends, a poker game, to see the baker, the banker, and the cabinet maker and feel valued. (Okay, maybe those last three were a bit of a stretch.)

"Computer guys" or "Tech-Geeks," as we have been known to tag ourselves, do sometimes get together and commiserate (WOTD yesterday) about how it would be nice to just once go someplace and not talk tech, but secretly I think we, at least I, kind of like it that we are often asked for an opinion or a fix (not that kind of fix), or for just some time to look at something that has gone awry.

Lately though I haven't been offering many opinions, or providing many fixes, at least not in the regular sense.

Ordinarily folks who ask me questions need tweaks, tips, tricks and such - They need solutions that aren't obvious to everyone.

The folks I've been helping the most lately - For them just knowing how to use a computer is their solution, and maybe their salvation.

As you know if you are a regular follower (Thank you), or may not know if you are not (Welcome), the library where I work began this year to offer Job Help Centers to folks who need help finding and applying for jobs.

Now, I've been an on and off job hunter for the last 7-8 years since I got my degree in 2001. I've been working on career paths, resumes and the like for most of the last 10-11 or since I had to become our resume software expert when I came to work in the Main Library Media Center in 1998.

If you need to know about WinWay Resume, I'm your man. If you want to use the resume templates provided by Microsoft, you're on your own. But I digress.

Alright, so where are you going with this Jimmer?

Well I'll tell you...

Since diving into the job search effort with a new verve, and a sense of urgency as opposed to just dabbling along the way - I have learned something very important.

Finding a job is a DAMNED hard thing to do.

Every application is online, they are all different, and sometimes pretty darn long. Additionally almost all assume a certain computer knowledge level regardless of the job one is applying for.

"Want to work in Environmental Services (or just clean things), please upload your resume here:"

Never mind that you will most likely never touch a computer again in your time of employment with that company.

And it's not just employers or even the job sites:

Care to collect unemployment?

Well, we realize you're 60+ years old and have never used anything more technical than your television remote, but you've just been laid off from the job you thought you'd retire from and to get any money? Well, welcome to the online world.

Don't have email?

Sorry - that's required.

Oh, you can do it the old fashioned way - there is a toll free number. Be sure to pack a lunch, and dinner, and maybe even the next day's breakfast - Yes, you might be on hold that long.

Yep. Computers are a huge part of the employment world, and something all too many of us take for granted.

I've told many funny stories over the years about customers who thought: "You Have Performed An Illegal Operation" meant the police were coming to their house; or those that swore up and down their keyboard was broken until I showed them "NumLock;" and even my favorite about the gentleman who looked me square in the eye and said:

"I ain't no computer savage Jim!"

Those were all funny and timely, but alternatives still existed and the learning curve for all of us was a little bit more forgiving.

Those aren't the times we are in now. It's not funny now. It's a little more real - for all of us.

So next time you sit down at your keyboard and bring up The Life of Jimmer, or login to Facebook, or Twitter, or calmly sort through your pages upon pages of email - consider that there is somebody out there who lacks that knowledge, lacks that access.

Take a moment to consider what that might mean, and how fortunate we all really are.

Hey, I never said I'd never preach, but I do invite you to make the comment section your pulpit if you'd like to share your thoughts on the rampant rise of technology.

Friday Feature 2 The Team The Team The Team

Friday Feature number 2 is about the importance of your team. To keep things timely, I thought I'd riff a little on the importance of this week and a very important team.

In the spring of 2003 after the Iraq invasion had begun a number of people asked me what I thought of the president "sending our boys over there."

My reply each and every time was exactly the same. It doesn't matter how I feel about it, those are our boys, American boys and I stand behind them 100% no matter what.

America, the land of the free, the home of the brave and sometimes - a house, a team divided.

As I wrote in this space in November - we cannot afford such division, now or at any other time for that matter.

Our country is supposed to be the most powerful, the most respected, and perhaps most importantly - the most united.

This is how we will succeed. This is how any team succeeds.

They play hard and they play united.

The dictionary defines team as "a group on one side."

I have a funny feeling that the inauguration tomorrow and other activities from the week are going to put us to the test when it comes to America being the group on one side.

Why you may ask?

Well for starters there are the same old tired political differences. Republicans vs Democrats or Liberals vs. Conservatives or whatever labels you may choose.

I remarked to a colleague yesterday that I did not remember the inauguration and the accompanying celebration lasting all that long i.e. starting before and ending after the actual inauguration date. (Hey, the last one was a long time ago. Sue me.) My colleague got a little defensive which was understandable considering she had been flamed earlier in the day for celebrating the day's activities.

As she later told me - I love the pageantry and tradition of inauguration. It really is so very American ;o) of course better if your guy wins ;o)

We're supposed to celebrate our victories. The Giants had a parade when they won the Super Bowl. The Red Wings had a parade when they won Lord Stanley's Cup.

So yeah, her guy won and that made her happy, but that wasn't the "only" reason she was enjoying the day.

There is a question of technology. Do you think the president needs his Blackberry? How 'bout a laptop in the Oval Office?

Finally, there is the matter of race.

Yes, I said it. Why wouldn't I? It is important.

Barack Obama is our nation's first black president. It should be duly noted. It should be celebrated. It should be marked in time so that no one could ever forget.

Racism exists. You may not see it everyday. I don't see it everyday, but it does exist. For that matter so does reverse racism.

This ugly topic and all that go with it cannot be forgotten, nor should they be.

However, these things cannot be our focus, and I pray that those who predict that it will be are wrong.

Our focus has to be on America, on making our team united.

We need to seize the opportunity that new leadership affords us and use it as a time for change, a time for growth, and a time to come together as one team.

Therein lies our success.

So I am calling on my countrymen and countrywomen - regardless of your political affiliation, the color of your skin, your age, or your creed to remember this week that more than anything else you are an American.

To break it down to the simplest terms I'll borrow a phrase from a classic American moment and movie:

When you pull on that jersey, the name on the front is a hell of alot more important than the one on the back.

The front of that jersey says USA.

Please note - This post is not intended to support anyone's side. If you read it that way, I suggest you read it again. I don't believe in sides. I believe in purple.