Push Yourself

This is the last of 3 videos I shot while were at Camp Akita earlier this month. (I promise) I have to confess that I really didn't know how, or in what context I would use this until Sunday night. Even I sometimes think I'm beating a dead horse with my wheel spinning. (How 'bout that for two cliches in one sentence?)

Looking at my schedule for this week I discovered that I have no deadlines. As we've discussed previously, I need deadlines to get work done. But, I do still have that to-do list and I don't want to just waste a whole week, (plenty of stuff due next week). So - as the popular commercial slogan goes. It's time to just do it. I need to push myself. I need to be the turtle.  This will work. Right?

Eh, if nothing else it is really pretty scenery.



If you can't see the video click here.

The truth is for the most part this has been working for me this week. Just have to keep it going. Keep on keeping on as they say...

Mulligan Update - Want to See Something Cool?

When Mulligan first got sick at the end of February and we realized the full magnitude of his illness I had two immediate thoughts.

1. He's not even 5 years old.

2. I want to take him back to Camp Akita so he can run in the field to his hearts content.

We've taken Mulligan to Akita ever since he was a puppy. We let him run, and swim and walk him through the woods and over the river and through the woods, but I never really had a full appreciation for how much that meant to me, and to Mulligan I think until I thought we wouldn't get to do it again. While we do get to walk him and play with him at home, the reality is we live in the suburbs and well, that's just not the same.

Thankfully, Mulligan turned 5 on March 8.

And...

Today, I want to share a short video of our boy enjoying his time at Camp Akita this year. It's only 38 seconds long, and I wanted to edit it even more for reasons of vanity. (I look fatter than usual, and my voice breaks and makes me sound kinda silly I think.) But, I've never been very good at editing myself, and Netter told me I should leave the video alone, that the emotion is genuine.

Once again, we have the Note to Self about the microphone. In this shot I'm afraid it's not so easy to hear everything I'm saying so I'm including the short transcript, if you will below.




If you can't see the video click here.

Here's the transcript.

"Hi it's Jimmer, and this is Mulligan. Want to see something cool? Obviously, he feels better. This is what happens when you have perseverance. This is what happens when you have hope. This is what happens when you have the support of your friends. We really appreciate everybody for supporting Mulligan. Thanks!"

Recharging

Beginning in May each year our family gets busier and busier up until Golf for Joy at the end of June. This year, May seems busier than ever. Fortunately we were able to take a little break and get away for a couple days to rest and recharge. I wrote last year about the peace I find at Camp Akita. I think it's very important to have a place like that, to get away and keep things in perspective.

Last summer I bought Netter a Flip Video camera, so while we were at Camp Akita this year, I thought I'd take a minute to share our trip visually.

*In the Note to self category, we might want to add a microphone to shoot video outdoors. It's a little windy. Still, I think you can hear most of the video fairly clearly. In any case:

Hello from Camp Akita.



If you can't see the video click here.

Sorting things Out and Catching Up

Just a quick note on what's been happening. I can't wear my glasses when the camera is on because of the glare so there may be a technical glitch or two, like I can't really see if the stuff on my desk is all blurry or not. Sorry about that. Thank you all for every bit of your time in the last year. It has meant so so much to be able to reach out and connect with so many great folks.

My Girls

Warning - what follows is pure unmitigated bragging by a proud, proud Daddy.

One of my players is visiting tonight. Kel and K have been friends since they started playing b-ball together in the way back and despite the fact that they now go to different schools, rarely see each other, and are lucky to share only the occasional phone call or MySpace communication they are usually thick as thieves within minutes of seeing one another.

This is fine. Netter and I love Kel and we are both really glad that K has such a good friend.

Having Kel here reminds me that I had promised to brag on my girls in an upcoming blog so tonight - here I go.

I want to start with Miss D as her accomplishments haven't been quite as flashy, or jazzy as her older sister - which really just means that D is all about showing up and doing the job. It also means she gets to be first so she knows how important that quality is.

For the better part of the last 2+ years (as detailed in Mommy's blog post in early September) our young lady has garnered nothing but A's on her report card.

D has also been a standout in the band playing the trumpet so well that high school instructors and conductors are already keeping an eye out for her arrival.



D has always been an accomplished artist, but I don't know that we've ever shared her award winning water color from The Ohio State Fair which Mommy later used as inspiration to decorate at least one of the rooms in our house (We are waiting for Netter to scan the photo).

Miss D is never far from pad and paper.

D gave up basketball this year and I think she thought I might lose interest, or I would be disappointed in her somehow.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I want my girls to do things for themselves, not for me. As long as D is happy and doing something with her time - I'm a very proud Daddy.




Ms. K also gave up basketball and sports, but of course that was 2 years ago. Well, K did run with the varsity basketball team at her high school for one practice (she had missed tryouts).

When K got in the car the conversation went something like this:

Me: Hey K. How'd it go?

K: Um, pant, pant, gasp, gasp, Daddy pant, gasp, I think pant, gasp I'm going to stay pant, gasp, pant, gasp with pant, choir gasp, pant and pant, drama.

Me: A little tiring eh? Okay K, but I don't ever want you to tell me again that I, (or Coach Scott) ever made you run hard - again. Because now, I think you know that really, we didn't.

K: No, gasp, problem, pant.

LOL!

So, Kailey took off in drama and choir - while also earning excellent grades I might add.

Here are some recent highlights. K was selected to the District Honor Choir. This is their rendition of America the Beautiful.


Earlier in the year with her own choir K sang Suo Gân. Unfortunately, our batteries went dead as we were filming, but what we did hear was beautiful and the lullaby is one of my all time favorites.


I am extremely proud of both of my girls, and the truth is no matter how many videos or pictures I might post - there would never be enough to show that not only are they very talented young people, they are also fine young ladies.

I love you girls!

Learn & Play @ CML YouTube - Holy Home Movies Batman!

There are millions of videos on YouTube, but for me there is one series of videos that make it one of the best of the Web 2.0 tools available.

For this exercise - I'll just use the summary - Warning, this is not for the faint of heart, nor does it accurately depict the game of hockey as it were. It does show what being a teammate, being committed to your team is all about.



If you watched even the first 50 seconds, you saw a vicious cheap shot that broke Kris Draper's jaw requiring surgery and months of rehab followed by the retribution that was dutifully doled out to the cheap shot artist, (whose name does not even deserve to be spoken) by one Darren McCarty.

(A little extra info - DMac is one of my all time favs, and also without me thinking about it at the time - an inspiration for a lot of what I've done in the past year. In short, he's a flawed individual who is trying to put himself back on the right track.)

Lest you think I am the only person who holds this strange team viewpoint - I will share that a very mild mannered CML librarian who also plays for Brian's Bail Bonds once told a player who challenged us to a fight - "I didn't do it. But I'll step up."

So, in that I am a Red Wings fan, and a hockey player, and committed to my team I can get lost pretty easily in highlight reels like this one.

Regardless of the subject though - YouTube is a place I would venture to guess many could get lost. There is so much out there, and each video clip provides links to another video, and another, and another, and another, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on...

Think you might be posting something unique? Think again - I've had a YouTube account since February for various and asundry, (is that how you spell that?) reasons, so just for fun I thought I would try uploading my own video. I didn't want to put up anything too big, and I'm not ready yet to put up something that might draw a crowd that could maybe make me uncomfortable.

Uh, good luck with that Jimmer.

I thought posting my birthday thank you video would be a cool idea, a Jimmer starting point.
In case you didn't see it - here it is - Thank you all again!



If you scroll down in the related videos at the YouTube site there are 194. Really - 194 related videos, and many with "Jimmer" in their title.

Incredible stuff!

I don't see YouTube as a time waster though - It can be used to send a message - like my birthday thank you. It can be used to share information with an organization - as Gerald 2.0 and Library Joy have done with the Learn & Play videos.

It's effective, and it's also fun.

Heck - you're going to the movies over and over and over and over again...

Great Big Birthday Thank you!

Can't thank everyone enough!

Video test - Help a brother out.

Hi there - I'm working on a Web 2.0 post for CML's Learn & Play program.

I have this webcam sitting on top of my monitor that I've never used for anything practical. Obviously, I'd like to put it to use.

Please vote in the poll to the left and let me know what you think of the video.

Thanks!