Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Beer With Branson
Friday, January 1st, 2010My New Year’s resolution is to have a beer with Richard Branson by the end of 2010.
Check out the Web site at www.beerwithbranson.com.
Please, no Christmas presents
Friday, November 27th, 2009
Photo by Yours Truly, taken at Diamond Lake, Oregon
After my 50-state tour I have been inspired by the generosity I received across this country and especially here in Michigan, in my hometown of Baraga and the MSU community. But I haven’t acted on it. Since Christmas of 2007 I have wanted to say no to Christmas presents and do something more. It’s time to stop talking and start doing.
This year I’m asking people not to get me any Christmas gifts
However, if you would like to get me something this year, this is what I ask…
Pay it forward. If you know a family in need help them out and buy them some groceries, help them with some housework, and I know you have even better ideas. If you have room in your budget don’t spend it on me.
For anyone who’s interested in joining my efforts I will accept donations to pass on, and take the responsibility that it ends up in the hands of someone with much greater needs. At this point I’m especially looking for a family in need in Baraga County, my home, which is the 3rd highest unemployed county in the nation.
I haven’t decided exactly what I’ll do what, but I want to spread it out. Much like ePIFany Now I hope to do little tasks that can make a huge difference for families in great need. I remember seeing a woman nearly cry when paying for her laundry when I participated. Some potential things…
- Provide a family a nice meal
- Bring hot chocolate to people who are working on Christmas day, such as nurses and to retirement homes
There are people with far greater needs
I’m very fortunate to have all the things I do and have found it increasingly difficult the last few years to ask for more stuff. By no means am I rich, but I’ve got it pretty darn good, and there are people with much greater needs than I have.
Last, but not least, if you know any families in need or having a particularly difficult holiday season please contact me today and let me know.
And chew bubblegum
Sunday, September 27th, 2009I moved to Lansing May 16, just over four months ago. There are plenty of things I have been missing about living in Marquette, but I knew there were all sorts of things to look forward to while moving to Lansing. And though I have yet to find the best chicken nachos in Lansing, I feel that I’ve done pretty well in the last four months.
Ignite Lansing
Photo courtesy of CaptAngryPants on Flickr
Friday night I had the opportunity speak at Ignite Lansing at the Temple Building in Old Town. It was the best night of my life in two years, hands down. The night that was so great two years ago was the night of September 8, in Chicago, which was my last night outside of Michigan before finishing up my Hometown Invasion Tour.
Think about this, 450 people packed into an old run down club, but the club is now full of production lights, a stage, and the most innovative, creative, and progressive people in Lansing. They all gathered on Friday night to hear ideas, share ideas, give encouragement, and take place in what I thought was the greatest event I’ve ever participated in.
My topic was titled, “How to kick ass and chew bubblegum”. The line was made popular in a 1988 alien thrille movie titled They Live, and then further popularized in the video game Duke Nukem 3d. Basically, all I mean by this is life is about doing.
If you want to do a squirrel blog, go take photos and post them online starting tomorrow. If you want to drink a Guinness in seven continents in seven days, find out who their marketing director is today and I’m sure there is a beer-loving scientist stationed in Antarctica.
Just do it. Make it happen.
That’s no different to how I submitted a topic for Ignite. It was on a whim, I knew nothing about the event. Turns out that it all came together and worked out pretty well.
To have 450 people gathered in a room in that context is what’s going to move this city forward. Every town in the country should be having events like this.
For some guy who’s new to town it was a pretty good way to accomplish some things I have long strived for. Now, hopefully my talk was good enough that they’ll let me speak again, because I just came up with my next one. But I can’t spill the beans yet, so you’ll have to be patient.
Photo courtesy of slaytercreative on Flickr
Photo courtesy of slaytercreative on Flickr
Lansing Breakfast Club
It all started on a whim. A couple of e-mails were shared with Julie, and then Lansing Breakfast Club (the unofficial and unenforced rules, the twitter feed) was started. We had six people the first time and ten weeks later we had 43 people at 7 a.m. on a Wednesday morning. I don’t know what other people think, but that blows my mind.
For some reason I never found the social life I had long desired before moving to Lansing. Since my trip finished it was hard to get established, but it all came together back here in Lansing.
Now nearly 100 different people have showed up, over 200 breakfasts have been served, and low and behold we even got some news coverage from the State News as well…
It just goes along to back up my point that life is about doing. Start a club, start a project, call some friends, and amazing things will happen.
And having my second cousin call me from Oregon to say that he heard me on NPR this morning isn’t so bad either. It was for a piece on the Upper Peninsula that was recorded a few weeks ago. All in all, this was a good weekend.
The Rules of Breakfast Club
Monday, July 27th, 2009-
The first rule of Breakfast Club is, you talk about Breakfast Club.
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The second rule of Breakfast Club is, you TALK about Breakfast Club.
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If someone burps, gags or throws up, eating is over.
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Two people to a plate.
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One meal at a time.
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No ties, no frowns.
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Breakfast will go on as long as it has to.
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If this is your first morning at Breakfast Club, you have to eat!
Join us every Wednesday morning in #lovelansing by following the Twitter tag #lansingbreakfast or by following me or Julie.
When cars collide
Monday, June 22nd, 2009
On Thursday I was involved in my first car accident (while I was the driver that is). I will no longer be able to boast that I’ve never been in one. I used to pride myself on that, not even as much as a little fender bender before Thursday.
My nephew Sloane was with me. I had just gotten back from taking photos at the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek and picked up 9-year old Sloane to take back to the Upper Peninsula with me so he could stay with my parents for a week.
I was leaving work from Seymour Street in Lansing and drove 1.3 miles. After the construction zone I had merged all the way into the left lane on Saginaw (a 4-lane one-way street) headed eastbound. I was ready to start the 400 mile trip to Marquette.
A white two-door car was in front of me on the lane to my direct right. Out of the blue he tried to cut over two lanes at once, as he tried to make a left hand turn at Mahlon Street. Cutting over two lanes at once he never looked and the front right corner of my 1998 Escort Wagon went square into his driver’s door.
I was driving about 40 mph.
My car stopped in the middle of Mahlon Street. His car shot up onto the sidewalk.
I’m proud of my instinct. First I made sure to see that Sloane was okay and started dialing 911 immediately. He was fine. I was fine. They had to remove that door of the other guys car to get him out and hauled him to the hospital. My guess would be a couple broken ribs at worst.
My only concern was Sloane. I was terribly frustrated not because of the accident, but because Sloane was in my car. The last time I had a kid in my car while I was driving was probably three years ago. So why does my first accident have to happen when I finally have a child in my car? Big props to Sloane for staying so calm and patient. He’s a trooper, not to mention an 8 hour drive back to the Upper Peninsula following it. Hopefully he wasn’t too terrified and hopefully his mother won’t hate me too much.
After seeing the damage on the other guy’s car I was scared to look behind me at my own car. I couldn’t believe what I saw, how minimal the damage was. No extra squeaks, rattles, or anything. Only aesthetics. The only minor thing was being able to open the hood, but that was taken care of at home.
Well, car accidents happen. I hope the other guy is alright too. Thankfully I’m a very calm guy and keep my cool. Was mostly frustrating just because I was starting a 400-mile trek to the U.P. But I still made it.
Quite the week it was.