I'm so sick of reading how classless Urban Meyer is for finishing a drive with a touchdown with 28 seconds remaining that punctuates a 42-20 spanking of the highly favored Oregon Ducks in the 2014 national championship game.
So for full disclosure I was cheering for the Ducks in the game. I also believe Urban Meyer is the best coach in all of college football. Way way beyond that I don't see much of that "classy" sportsmanship anywhere in the ranks of college football you all are crying about not getting in this game.
I ask you. In the 59-0 whipping Alabama laid on Texas A and M - which was the touchdown they should have taken a knee for? In this game Alabama has 2 quarterbacks with at least 8 pass attempts and a touchdown. They also had 4 with at least 8 rushes and no back had more than 13 carries. They didn't score with 28 seconds remaining, but if you want to be classy and show good sportsmanship - at what point do you stop scoring? They scored twice in the second half - that's it. On which should they have taken a knee?
Let's not just allow Texas A and M to be the whipping boy here though. They laid their own 73-6 beat down on Lamar. First of all - who is Lamar and why were they playing A and M? Second they go to the 4th quarter with a 45-3 lead and proceed to lay down 4 more touchdowns including a 41 yard run with 1:26 remaining. Shouldn't he have taken a knee at the goal line to show some class? I mean - they don't need the score to secure the win. Sincerely they could have taken a knee on every 4th quarter down and done more to embarrass their opponent - don't you think?
Would you like to follow a thread? The week after getting laid out by Texas A and M the Lamar Cardinals go on to beat Texas College (??) 73-0. I can't even find a box score for that game, but they won by 73 so the question remains.... On which of their touchdowns should they have taken a knee?
Maybe we shouldn't talk about the blowouts then. How about Ole Miss playing Memphis. They won the game 24-3. So with 1:18 remaining, and already a 2 score lead - they shouldn't have thrown a touchdown pass to give them the 21 point lead. Right?
With scores like 70-6, 82-27, 73-0 it's hard to believe Meyer is getting so much hate for scoring a touchdown that gives a 22 point lead with 28 seconds to play. Yes - he could have taken a knee and shown some class. That just doesn't look to me like the culture of NCAA Division I football. If he's working in that culture, and blowouts are regularly accepted, why the hate for the best coach in college football?
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Friday, April 26, 2013
Come from Contribution
Gratitude is king.
Seriously - being thankful and showing thankfulness and gratitude are what will move you forward in this world.
Doing for others rather than being done for.
You'll find in this world the more you offer other people the more you get in return. Believe it or not what you get in return isn't always just a warm fuzzy that you did something nice for someone.
I'm not trying to say if you go around doing good deeds all day, and nothing else, that you're going to have your wildest dreams come true. If that's how you spend your days the warm fuzzy is likely all you're going to get - or perhaps someone will buy you lunch.
What am I talking about then?
The other day I was trying to grasp the concept of gratitude shown by those who are widely recognized as being wildly successful at what they did. It's going to sound strange, but I watched the Hall of Fame Induction speeches by Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. I'm going to concentrate on Emmitt even though Irvin's speech might be one of the all time great speeches in my book.
If you know of Emmitt Smith you know he retired as the leading rusher in NFL History. You might wonder why I would use him as an example of real gratitude. Watch the speech.
Emmitt said in his speech that at 6 years old he declared he was going to play in the NFL. I think it was in college he decided he was going to be the NFL Leading Rusher. He wasn't ashamed to say he set goals people laughed at when he told them. He wasn't ashamed to say he worked hard to achieve them either - they would never have been possible without the hard work.
Here's what else he did. He recognized the quarterback (Troy Aikman) and primary received (Michael Irvin) and tight end (Jay Novacek) and stated flat out that his achievements wouldn't have been possible without them.
Then he named the linemen who were on those great Cowboy teams. It might be normal for a running back to name the recognizable names from the line. Emmitt named them all. While never a Cowboy fan I was a huge Emmitt Smith fan, and closely followed the NFL during the years he played. He named linemen I had never heard of. He had them stand and thanked each of them personally and by name - recognizing that without them he would have been tackled in the backfield and his accomplishments would have been impossible.
Then individually he thanked his fullback. Darryl "Moose" Johnston. He got very emotional in this one. Thanked him for watching out for him on the field like he was looking out for his little brother. If you remember those teams it's true. Moose never put up stats that got noticed by anybody - he made the pro bowl a few times - but every game he was there. Leading the way and moving people out of the way. Truly Emmitt would not have the records he has without Moose and he made sure during his speech the world new it.
Showing gratitude after the fact isn't all there is. It's not all Emmitt did either - not the only way he showed gratitude. The other way was while they were playing. Now - there were stories back then of running backs buying dinner for their linemen - or watches at Christmas. Emmitt did one thing better than nearly every other player during his era. He showed up to work every single day. He did his conditioning, and his strength training and he showed up like he owed it to every other player on the field. Emmitt played hurt like few others, and perhaps none since. The quintessential tough guy on the field - playing with injuries often during the playoffs. He was a workhorse and everybody knew it.
See - his teammates worked hard because they knew he was working hard. He worked hard because he knew they worked hard. He showed up - hurt or not - and played like the world was going to end if he didn't because he knew those other guys were doing the same for him.
Sometimes showing gratitude it more work than you thought it was going to be. By showing it to them he got it from them and the more he got from them the more he felt he owed them. For the Dallas Cowboys of the early 90's it was a cycle and because of that cycle they won more football games than any other team in that decade. Because of that cycle they have good number of guys in the hall of fame (Smith, Aikman, Irvin, Johnston, and a handful of those linemen - plus Novacek seems a matter of time before he's there as well).
Smith didn't downplay is own role - he put in the work on and off the field. He set the goals and did the work to make them happen. Along the way he simply acknowledged that he could not accomplish those goals on his own.
Gratitude - maybe not what you pictured?
Seriously - being thankful and showing thankfulness and gratitude are what will move you forward in this world.
Doing for others rather than being done for.
You'll find in this world the more you offer other people the more you get in return. Believe it or not what you get in return isn't always just a warm fuzzy that you did something nice for someone.
I'm not trying to say if you go around doing good deeds all day, and nothing else, that you're going to have your wildest dreams come true. If that's how you spend your days the warm fuzzy is likely all you're going to get - or perhaps someone will buy you lunch.
What am I talking about then?
The other day I was trying to grasp the concept of gratitude shown by those who are widely recognized as being wildly successful at what they did. It's going to sound strange, but I watched the Hall of Fame Induction speeches by Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. I'm going to concentrate on Emmitt even though Irvin's speech might be one of the all time great speeches in my book.
If you know of Emmitt Smith you know he retired as the leading rusher in NFL History. You might wonder why I would use him as an example of real gratitude. Watch the speech.
Emmitt said in his speech that at 6 years old he declared he was going to play in the NFL. I think it was in college he decided he was going to be the NFL Leading Rusher. He wasn't ashamed to say he set goals people laughed at when he told them. He wasn't ashamed to say he worked hard to achieve them either - they would never have been possible without the hard work.
Here's what else he did. He recognized the quarterback (Troy Aikman) and primary received (Michael Irvin) and tight end (Jay Novacek) and stated flat out that his achievements wouldn't have been possible without them.
Then he named the linemen who were on those great Cowboy teams. It might be normal for a running back to name the recognizable names from the line. Emmitt named them all. While never a Cowboy fan I was a huge Emmitt Smith fan, and closely followed the NFL during the years he played. He named linemen I had never heard of. He had them stand and thanked each of them personally and by name - recognizing that without them he would have been tackled in the backfield and his accomplishments would have been impossible.
Then individually he thanked his fullback. Darryl "Moose" Johnston. He got very emotional in this one. Thanked him for watching out for him on the field like he was looking out for his little brother. If you remember those teams it's true. Moose never put up stats that got noticed by anybody - he made the pro bowl a few times - but every game he was there. Leading the way and moving people out of the way. Truly Emmitt would not have the records he has without Moose and he made sure during his speech the world new it.
Showing gratitude after the fact isn't all there is. It's not all Emmitt did either - not the only way he showed gratitude. The other way was while they were playing. Now - there were stories back then of running backs buying dinner for their linemen - or watches at Christmas. Emmitt did one thing better than nearly every other player during his era. He showed up to work every single day. He did his conditioning, and his strength training and he showed up like he owed it to every other player on the field. Emmitt played hurt like few others, and perhaps none since. The quintessential tough guy on the field - playing with injuries often during the playoffs. He was a workhorse and everybody knew it.
See - his teammates worked hard because they knew he was working hard. He worked hard because he knew they worked hard. He showed up - hurt or not - and played like the world was going to end if he didn't because he knew those other guys were doing the same for him.
Sometimes showing gratitude it more work than you thought it was going to be. By showing it to them he got it from them and the more he got from them the more he felt he owed them. For the Dallas Cowboys of the early 90's it was a cycle and because of that cycle they won more football games than any other team in that decade. Because of that cycle they have good number of guys in the hall of fame (Smith, Aikman, Irvin, Johnston, and a handful of those linemen - plus Novacek seems a matter of time before he's there as well).
Smith didn't downplay is own role - he put in the work on and off the field. He set the goals and did the work to make them happen. Along the way he simply acknowledged that he could not accomplish those goals on his own.
Gratitude - maybe not what you pictured?
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
The Future of Me
I'm taking this class. The class is called BOLD and it's through Keller Williams MAPS Coaching.
BOLD stands for Business Objectives, a Life by Design.
There was an exercise yesterday that really got me attention. The exercise might be something you've done before. The participants sit quietly with their eyes closed while the leader guides them through creating this vision. So I'm going to walk you through - of course your eyes will be open because you're reading.
(More than the exact words used by the instructor I'm relaying this through my own experience of the exercise.)
Sitting with your eyes closed. Breathing in and out quietly and slowly.
You're walking on an old dirt road. The road is lined with trees and the trees narrow with the road. It increasingly becomes more narrow and overgrown into little more than a walking path through this woods. Then the space opens a bit more. It's obvious this used to be a road, but having overgrown sufficiently enough there's no place for vehicles here anymore.
As I walk I see a figure in the distance. (In the exercise this figure is me 40 years in the future). I didn't meet an older me. As I approached I noticed it was my grandpa. During the exercise we didn't talk. We didn't discuss what was going on now or what would happen in the future. I simply saw him working. As I walked he continued to work - just as he had always done.
You have to know. My grandpa was 70 years old when I was born. He worked until he was 77. I lived directly across the street from grandpa and remember the day that car was there. He never had visitors who weren't family. There was one guy - an old blind guy who came with his cane and spittoon. We never went over if grandpa had visitors. The day that car was parked there I ran over as soon as it was gone...I found a sad old man who had just been told he needed to retire. What's a man worth if he can't work he said to me.
Back to my vision. My path was the lined with people I knew. All working. My parents. My maternal grandparents. Everybody just working. Not sure any of them ever did me a favor along the way. I would mow their lawns - all of them - and would sometimes take a break in the middle. Seriously? They allowed me to do that? The work was an hour tops for a kid who didn't walk fast, and I took a break in the middle.
Now as a 40 year old man I am sitting in a classroom for an exercise and all I see is them working. Working hard. Working with their hands. That was their example to me. That was just what they did. All of them. They didn't work out of need - they didn't need because they worked. They didn't work to prove anything to anybody - their work proved them.
As a very self critical guy who analyzes and over analyzes almost every move I make I wonder. Am I destroying their legacy when I lay in bed an extra half hour in the morning? If I decide I'll do that tomorrow? Doesn't tomorrow bring enough of its own work that today's needs to be done right now?
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
When Friends Die
I wrote a while back about how I hate funerals. I wrote it after attending a funeral I really felt I needed to attend, having skipped a few I should have attended.
There's another thing I'm not fond of, and once again failed miserably. It's visiting in the hospital. I can do it right? I can do anything I want. I have done it and that proves I can. When it's someone you haven't seen in years, and maybe weren't super close to but still called friend, it's not something you should skip.
The problem with NOT visiting at the hospital is missing that chance. So Roy had been in and out of the hospital and even a couple of nursing homes over the past couple of years. His health hadn't been good for a while and so this last trip to the hospital everybody had to know there was a chance it would be his last. I didn't go, and now I can't.
Please don't think my callous when I say I won't be losing sleep. I hadn't seen him in probably at least 3 years and he knew what I thought of him. Sometimes it's good to leave things like that. You don't always need a final farewell, or to be there when someone actually goes. I wasn't ever really close to him or his family and I'm comfortable with how things were the last time we saw each other. They'll be better the next time we see each other.
Here's the thing, and the reason for this. Roy was a guy who would do anything he could for almost anybody. He was one of a handful of people who helped me move the last time I moved. That was a bit more than 6 years ago. Matter of fact- he called so early that morning wondering when we were going to start that he woke me up.
If nothing else at all he was enthusiastic and tried hard. Is there really anything more you can ask of anybody?
So, Roy. Sleep well. Your heaven is the Montana mountains and rivers of your youth. You talked of them like you were still there every weekend, may you find them just as you left them. Not sure if heaven had a choir without a leader but I'm sure it's ok if you simply sit back and enjoy the music...not like that's your style.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Customer Loyalty Died
My cell phone carrier is T-Mobile. This post is about how to lose a customer. Every 22 months T-Mobile offers what they call a "full discount" on a new phone. To get the full discount you simply have to agree to a new 2 year contract. I called in October to make some changes and see about a new phone. I ended up with a couple of changes, a discount equal to about a month of service and no new phone. I also ended the conversation with a new 2 year contract and my full discount still intact and ready to use when I want. Now if a full discount requires a new contract, and I update the contract without utilizing the discount, I should be able to get a new phone at any time without a contract extension, right? I mean I already did that part. NO! If you do a new contract and don't use the discount at that time you will AGAIN be required to extend the contract in order to utilize the discount. What sort of BS is that? First a new customer already gets a better deal on everything and then a customer who has been loyal for ten years gets hosed. The moral to the story? NEVER extend a contract with a phone company. You can take your number with you, so take it and your money from one to the next until they reward loyalty over new business. This will never happen so travel the companies and shop them hard. Play them against each other. I left Qwest about ten years ago for t-mobile because the qwest guy was like "if cheap minutes are all you care about go ahead"...now I care about other things yet I was duped into a worthless contract extension just 2 months ago and it's almost worth paying full price for a new phone to ensure I done spend another day with t-mobile than I have to.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Missing It?
We travel this earth every day of our lives. From the day we're born until the day we die we learn, we live, learn to live and live to love. Or something like that.
We begin by learning to crawl, then walk and finally run. Somewhere along the way we also learn to laugh, talk and some of us learn to sing.
Somewhere along the way we accept that what we are learning, or what we've learned, is actually real. We learn numbers, letters, words and math. We learn how to spell and never give a thought that the rest of the world spells the words the same way. We write, we read and we speak - taking for granted as children that our communications will be widely understood. We never give thought, and we might be missing it.
We might be missing the opportunity to skip rather than walk or run. Perhaps the sight of a grown adult crawling through the aisles of the grocery store seems too much to take, society doesn't exactly encourage us to be different.
If only more people invented the words they were using, as they speak, we could be confused about something worth being confused about. Imagine how difficult communication would be if we couldn't discern when a person we're talking to needs to use the toilet, and we keep them standing in front of us trying to understand.
We take our world very seriously, perhaps too seriously. Maybe we shouldn't go crawling through the aisles at the store, or invent our words as we speak, if we take it too seriously we might be missing it.
We begin by learning to crawl, then walk and finally run. Somewhere along the way we also learn to laugh, talk and some of us learn to sing.
Somewhere along the way we accept that what we are learning, or what we've learned, is actually real. We learn numbers, letters, words and math. We learn how to spell and never give a thought that the rest of the world spells the words the same way. We write, we read and we speak - taking for granted as children that our communications will be widely understood. We never give thought, and we might be missing it.
We might be missing the opportunity to skip rather than walk or run. Perhaps the sight of a grown adult crawling through the aisles of the grocery store seems too much to take, society doesn't exactly encourage us to be different.
If only more people invented the words they were using, as they speak, we could be confused about something worth being confused about. Imagine how difficult communication would be if we couldn't discern when a person we're talking to needs to use the toilet, and we keep them standing in front of us trying to understand.
We take our world very seriously, perhaps too seriously. Maybe we shouldn't go crawling through the aisles at the store, or invent our words as we speak, if we take it too seriously we might be missing it.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Found
I found an old journal from a communications class I took back around 2002. I think I'm going to post some of the entries - for my own liking if nothing else. I'm not sure exactly how I want to go about them so I think I'll make a label or group or however it works to keep them all in the same place.
Keep in mind they're my thoughts from 10 years ago, but you might realize my way of thinking doesn't change much. I kind of liked reading through them and hope you will too. If you don't it's ok - move on.
If you like something leave a comment.
I have a lot of random thoughts. Some of them mean something and some don't. I'm not sure if I'm safer to write them down this way or say them out loud - no difference maybe. Tendency with me is if it runs through my brain it comes out my mouth. Sometimes that's good and sometimes it's not.
Just the same keep your eyes open for the random thoughts of a casual observer and partaker of life. If you're sitting you ain't living.
Keep in mind they're my thoughts from 10 years ago, but you might realize my way of thinking doesn't change much. I kind of liked reading through them and hope you will too. If you don't it's ok - move on.
If you like something leave a comment.
I have a lot of random thoughts. Some of them mean something and some don't. I'm not sure if I'm safer to write them down this way or say them out loud - no difference maybe. Tendency with me is if it runs through my brain it comes out my mouth. Sometimes that's good and sometimes it's not.
Just the same keep your eyes open for the random thoughts of a casual observer and partaker of life. If you're sitting you ain't living.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Christmas with the parents
Mom and dad came for Christmas this year. It was a surprise for several reasons.
First - sometimes they don't plan ahead much, and so travel this time of year is difficult.
Second - they're getting older and both had surgery in the past month so driving here in winter weather wouldn't have been a great idea. Lack of planning means flying would be too expensive.
This left the bus - yep. They got on the bus and rode more than 20 hours to spend Christmas with us. The kids loved having them and so did I.
When was the last time someone did that for you? That doesn't even mention the things they did for us while they were here, but simply getting to and from us for Christmas was more than I'd ever ask of them and they did it, and it was their idea.
Whatever you did for Christmas I hope it was meaningful to you. Family is something we're stuck with. Some are better than others and some are fantastic. Irreplaceable even. That's my parents - irreplaceable. I wouldn't trade them for any others if I could. Sure was nice having them here. Those times are too few and far between - and the kids loved every minute of them being here.
First - sometimes they don't plan ahead much, and so travel this time of year is difficult.
Second - they're getting older and both had surgery in the past month so driving here in winter weather wouldn't have been a great idea. Lack of planning means flying would be too expensive.
This left the bus - yep. They got on the bus and rode more than 20 hours to spend Christmas with us. The kids loved having them and so did I.
When was the last time someone did that for you? That doesn't even mention the things they did for us while they were here, but simply getting to and from us for Christmas was more than I'd ever ask of them and they did it, and it was their idea.
Whatever you did for Christmas I hope it was meaningful to you. Family is something we're stuck with. Some are better than others and some are fantastic. Irreplaceable even. That's my parents - irreplaceable. I wouldn't trade them for any others if I could. Sure was nice having them here. Those times are too few and far between - and the kids loved every minute of them being here.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Rules for Living
So I've read several lists, by notorious and famous people, of rules for living. After some thought I decided there's some validity to creating such a list.
Indeed the value isn't in the list itself, but rather in the self-discipline of actually living by the list...and if it's a list of rules to live by I really need to be mindful of living by it right?
My list isn't those things I do automatically each day, and some of them I don't even do well on a regular basis.
Grandpa always said "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise". I know this wasn't grandpa's saying, but he's where I heard it. Not something I'm great at, but there's value to it for sure.
Exercise is good for your body of course, and your mind and even your emotional well being. Exercise gets your juices flowing and keeps your body healthy and feeling alive.
Eat well. Three meals a day isn't eating well. If you're overweight and cutting meals in your attempts to lose weight what you might not realize is that you're destroying your efforts. There's no good to come from skipping meals and not eating enough food during the day. Your body is an engine that needs fuel. Food is your fuel - don't cheat yourself of 6-8 meals per day.
Work hard. It doesn't matter what you do, work hard at doing it. I've always been told it doesn't matter what you do be the best at it. If you're a boxcar hobo be the best boxcar hobo there ever was...and if you're a doctor be the best doctor ever.
Play. What's life without some enjoyment? Don't get me wrong, I love working and I love working out. I might enjoy both of those things more than I like sleeping even.That said there's nothing like a break from normal, or reality, and taking some much needed time off.
There's an acronym - HALT - that fits for maintaining your emotional health and stability. Never allow yourself to get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. One of these things is easy to maintain a sense of sanity. Two of them is more difficult. If you're three of them all at the same time I'd say seek a friend and do it now. Do whatever you need to do in order to protect yourself from these things, and do your best to never even be 2 of them at any given time.
It's not an exhaustive list, but it's a start. Do these things faithfully and then add what you feel is important to you. Drink in moderation, don't smoke or do other drugs, play and work equally hard, dance like nobody will ever watch you and love like there is no tomorrow.
Indeed the value isn't in the list itself, but rather in the self-discipline of actually living by the list...and if it's a list of rules to live by I really need to be mindful of living by it right?
My list isn't those things I do automatically each day, and some of them I don't even do well on a regular basis.
Grandpa always said "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise". I know this wasn't grandpa's saying, but he's where I heard it. Not something I'm great at, but there's value to it for sure.
Exercise is good for your body of course, and your mind and even your emotional well being. Exercise gets your juices flowing and keeps your body healthy and feeling alive.
Eat well. Three meals a day isn't eating well. If you're overweight and cutting meals in your attempts to lose weight what you might not realize is that you're destroying your efforts. There's no good to come from skipping meals and not eating enough food during the day. Your body is an engine that needs fuel. Food is your fuel - don't cheat yourself of 6-8 meals per day.
Work hard. It doesn't matter what you do, work hard at doing it. I've always been told it doesn't matter what you do be the best at it. If you're a boxcar hobo be the best boxcar hobo there ever was...and if you're a doctor be the best doctor ever.
Play. What's life without some enjoyment? Don't get me wrong, I love working and I love working out. I might enjoy both of those things more than I like sleeping even.That said there's nothing like a break from normal, or reality, and taking some much needed time off.
There's an acronym - HALT - that fits for maintaining your emotional health and stability. Never allow yourself to get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired. One of these things is easy to maintain a sense of sanity. Two of them is more difficult. If you're three of them all at the same time I'd say seek a friend and do it now. Do whatever you need to do in order to protect yourself from these things, and do your best to never even be 2 of them at any given time.
It's not an exhaustive list, but it's a start. Do these things faithfully and then add what you feel is important to you. Drink in moderation, don't smoke or do other drugs, play and work equally hard, dance like nobody will ever watch you and love like there is no tomorrow.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
I don't like funerals
As much as I don't like funerals I attended one Saturday that I really appreciated. It was for the wife of a guy I know. The guy is Frank Guliuza, and his wife Kathy had died in September.
I was shocked and surprised at the low attendance. It had been a while since I had seen Frank, and didn't even realize he had moved out of the state and it was indeed the third such service for Kathy. Just the same Frank was such an influential person inside the local Southern Baptist community as well as Weber State University and the Utah republican party I did expect a pretty packed house. Made it seem all the more important to have been there.
I've skipped a number of funerals I really should have attended. People who I knew better, and who meant more to me than either Frank or Kathy, and yet I didn't attend the funeral. Today I'm ashamed to say I skipped funerals when the family left behind was going to continue to be in my life, and that should never have happened. Won't happen again.
Here's what I learned from this latest.
First - the funeral isn't supposed to be fun or enjoyable.
Second - attending the funeral isn't always about the person who died. Sometimes your respects to the family remaining is much more important (maybe even change the sometimes to always)
Finally - The funeral is never a place to be seen for the sake of being seen
I won't be skipping any more funerals, at least local funerals where logistics of getting there don't prohibit me going. I'll be more mindful of paying my respects to the family left behind - I have been sincerely lacking in that in the past. If indeed we are all in this together then we always need to make sure people know what they mean to you, and being there in their time of grief is among the important times for that.
I was shocked and surprised at the low attendance. It had been a while since I had seen Frank, and didn't even realize he had moved out of the state and it was indeed the third such service for Kathy. Just the same Frank was such an influential person inside the local Southern Baptist community as well as Weber State University and the Utah republican party I did expect a pretty packed house. Made it seem all the more important to have been there.
I've skipped a number of funerals I really should have attended. People who I knew better, and who meant more to me than either Frank or Kathy, and yet I didn't attend the funeral. Today I'm ashamed to say I skipped funerals when the family left behind was going to continue to be in my life, and that should never have happened. Won't happen again.
Here's what I learned from this latest.
First - the funeral isn't supposed to be fun or enjoyable.
Second - attending the funeral isn't always about the person who died. Sometimes your respects to the family remaining is much more important (maybe even change the sometimes to always)
Finally - The funeral is never a place to be seen for the sake of being seen
I won't be skipping any more funerals, at least local funerals where logistics of getting there don't prohibit me going. I'll be more mindful of paying my respects to the family left behind - I have been sincerely lacking in that in the past. If indeed we are all in this together then we always need to make sure people know what they mean to you, and being there in their time of grief is among the important times for that.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Roy and Weber County Real Estate
My last blog was about the entirety of the real estate market in Weber and Davis Counties. If you know northern Utah these 2 counties make up a
good portion of the state's population so using the entire county it's hard to know how your specific city or neighborhood measures up.
Let's take a look the Roy Utah home market,
203 single family homes on the market - total. 203 homes for sale in Roy.
That's nothing when you see what's next:
The past 30 days
50 homes under contract and 38 SOLD. That's 88 homes leaving the market because of sales.
Contrast that against 48 homes new to the market and we're negative 40 for the past 30 days.
At that rate in 5 months there won't be a home for sale in Roy.
Now let's compare Roy to Weber County as a whole.
1588 homes on the market.
374 were new in the past 30 days.
During those 30 days 266 went under contract AND 266 SOLD - what a coincidence of numbers right? That said 532 homes left the market through sales and only 374 were added.
Again - at that rate in only 10 months there wouldn't be a home left to buy in all of Weber County.
Thinking of selling? Seems like a good time - there's almost no competition for you.
Let's take a look the Roy Utah home market,
203 single family homes on the market - total. 203 homes for sale in Roy.
That's nothing when you see what's next:
The past 30 days
50 homes under contract and 38 SOLD. That's 88 homes leaving the market because of sales.
Contrast that against 48 homes new to the market and we're negative 40 for the past 30 days.
At that rate in 5 months there won't be a home for sale in Roy.
Now let's compare Roy to Weber County as a whole.
1588 homes on the market.
374 were new in the past 30 days.
During those 30 days 266 went under contract AND 266 SOLD - what a coincidence of numbers right? That said 532 homes left the market through sales and only 374 were added.
Again - at that rate in only 10 months there wouldn't be a home left to buy in all of Weber County.
Thinking of selling? Seems like a good time - there's almost no competition for you.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Local Real Estate Market
I was curious today about the general movement of the market. I know what it seems to be - great houses priced well are getting multiple offers and selling for full asking price. I wanted to know more than just my current snapshot based on my own clients...so I ran the numbers.
I work and live on the border between 2 counties so I ran the numbers for both. The past three days the market for Weber/Davis Counties in northern Utah looks like this
112 new listings ( I didn't break these down to relisted expired listings so days on market may be more)
83 Under Contract
43 Sold
As you can see the number of homes that went OFF the market in the past three days was well more than the new homes on the market. Given that some of the new listings have already been on the market for 3 months or more it's even more, and these numbers don't count the listings that expired and are no longer on the market. The expired number 38, but I didn't sort those and either add or remove from the 112.
I backed up the numbers to 30 days
762 new listings
616 are under contract
551 sold
Keep in mind those that are market under contract are not yet marked sold...meaning in the past 30 days 1167 homes left the market and only 762 new homes were listed.
For your sellers wondering if it's a good time to sell the answer is yes, and now. I haven't, to this point, been tracking the total active listings. I will begin to track that - that number is 3,063 (Sept 26) today for all of Weber and Davis Counties. That means if that current trend continues we'll be out of homes to sell in less than 8 months. Now - I'm neither an economics major, nor a math major so if my numbers don't add up let me know. Either way, the numbers seems pretty clear that today we're selling more homes than we're listing. Seems like good news for sellers - not so much for buyers. I think I'm going to go make a few listing appointments today.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Fair Housing - Lost in Translation
I have what I continue to believe is a fair housing concern.
There is a HUD act called HOPA - it's for housing for older persons. This is NOT in reference to a community designated at 55 and over. Under HOPA there is an 80/20 residency requirement stating at least 80 percent of the residences in a community must have at least 1 family member over the age of 55. The other 20 percent of the community may be comprised of folks of any age. There seems to be a flaw in the act as one housing protected class is actually not protected by this act.
There is a community in Roy, Utah which deems itself as being an "adult" community. When you call and ask if they are a 55 and over community their answer is that no they are an adults only community. They claim to have 80% of their residences occupied by at least one resident over the age of 55, and openly market the other 20% of their community to people of any age, with one stipulation. The stipulation is they do not allow residents under the age of 18. This means while a person under 55 would be allowed to move into the community they would be prohibited if they had children under the age of 18.
The community is not marketed as a senior community, and 20% is openly marketed to persons of any age. Familial status is a protected class left unprotected by this act (verified by Utah's fair housing office).
Not only problems, but solutions.
I would suggest if a community were to market strictly to the 55 and over community and end up with some residents slightly younger than that it would be no problem. The purpose of the act as I understand it was to ensure a surviving spouse not meeting the age criteria was not forced to move out upon the death of an older spouse.
If the community chooses to market to other than seniors they must then be forbidden from discriminating based on familial status - if a 20 year old is allowed to live there then in the spirit of the fair housing laws it should also be suitable housing for a 30 year old single mother with a 10 year old child.
UtahHassleFree.com
Friday, July 20, 2012
Tragedy Strikes....again
What a terrible tragedy there was last night in Colorado. A gunman in a crowded movie theater - great!! Just what I need, metal dectors and the price of extra security just going to the movies. Not great that it happened, not great for anybody or anything.
What's this world coming to? Go ahead and blame the guns if you want. Guns kill people right? Guns are the enemy. They're deadly and should be banned!! Horse shit!!
Seriously people who want to do this sort of thing find something to use. Guns are plentiful no doubt, but they're not the enemy. If you blame the gun then you must blame the gas in the subway station in Japan, the bombs the IRA used in the Underground Stations in London, the fertilizer Timothy McVeigh used in Oklahoma City, etc...people will find a way...imagine Tim McVeigh attacking that theater - would a mixture of dead and wounded.
So why? Didn't someone see it coming? Was the kid picked on, bullied and feeling abandoned and hopeless? A seemingly normal guy on the road to being successful as the world defines successful. He was enrolled in a PhD program for crying out loud. He's not a loser sitting in his parent's basement playing video games all day smoking his week hoping his mom doesn't recognize the smell.
What causes this sort of thing? Is there any relationship between him and anti-authority type groups such as Occupy Wall Street? Is he crying out against a system that some would say no longer works in a modern world?
Here's my thougths on what's going wrong here.
It's not lack of government involvement for sure. There are entitlement programs supporting entitlement programs. Say what you like about the big government bailouts, but regular people are taking nearly as much. Question it? Check out HAFA - Making Housing Affordable Again - allowing folks who have quit making their house payments to live in a house until it's sold (short sale or foreclosure) and them giving them a cash payout to move. Like I said - there are entitlement programs supporting entitlement programs.
Go back to image from the Superdome followinghurricane Katrina. I was saddened to see the lack of American ingenuity and can-do attitude. I didn't realize there was such a lack of hopelessness in this country. So many people believe they can't do it, and therefore they never even try. They say whether you believe you can, or you believe you can't, you're right. This doesn't mean you'll be successful every time you set out - but at least you will have tried!!
American business imports from China, open offices "offshore" and does busines we all cry about as unethical, immoral and down right unAmerican all while we're so busy watching reality television and can't be bothered to be the one to go out and do it different.
Who does this country belong to anyway? If business buys politicians then by God start a business and buy a better politician. Don't believe it can be done? Our state has a Realtor's Political Action Committe - they fight local ordinances and work with state governments on issues beneficial to not only realtors, but to home owners. They also support candiates friendly to issues concerning home ownership. Oregon has a "view tax" - thanks to RPAC something like this would NEVER happen in Utah.
Things aren't hopeless. I understand a feeling of hopelessness and can relate. Just the same I get myself out of bed in the morning and work to create MY world. I don't work by myself. I haven't been very faithful lately in following God's lead, and I'm sure that reflects in what's happening in my world. Just the same I see a sunrise in the distance and not a sun setting forever - and this type of thing in Colorado smells of someone who sees only a sunset and darkness without any hope of a better tomorrow.
What's this world coming to? Go ahead and blame the guns if you want. Guns kill people right? Guns are the enemy. They're deadly and should be banned!! Horse shit!!
Seriously people who want to do this sort of thing find something to use. Guns are plentiful no doubt, but they're not the enemy. If you blame the gun then you must blame the gas in the subway station in Japan, the bombs the IRA used in the Underground Stations in London, the fertilizer Timothy McVeigh used in Oklahoma City, etc...people will find a way...imagine Tim McVeigh attacking that theater - would a mixture of dead and wounded.
So why? Didn't someone see it coming? Was the kid picked on, bullied and feeling abandoned and hopeless? A seemingly normal guy on the road to being successful as the world defines successful. He was enrolled in a PhD program for crying out loud. He's not a loser sitting in his parent's basement playing video games all day smoking his week hoping his mom doesn't recognize the smell.
What causes this sort of thing? Is there any relationship between him and anti-authority type groups such as Occupy Wall Street? Is he crying out against a system that some would say no longer works in a modern world?
Here's my thougths on what's going wrong here.
It's not lack of government involvement for sure. There are entitlement programs supporting entitlement programs. Say what you like about the big government bailouts, but regular people are taking nearly as much. Question it? Check out HAFA - Making Housing Affordable Again - allowing folks who have quit making their house payments to live in a house until it's sold (short sale or foreclosure) and them giving them a cash payout to move. Like I said - there are entitlement programs supporting entitlement programs.
Go back to image from the Superdome followinghurricane Katrina. I was saddened to see the lack of American ingenuity and can-do attitude. I didn't realize there was such a lack of hopelessness in this country. So many people believe they can't do it, and therefore they never even try. They say whether you believe you can, or you believe you can't, you're right. This doesn't mean you'll be successful every time you set out - but at least you will have tried!!
American business imports from China, open offices "offshore" and does busines we all cry about as unethical, immoral and down right unAmerican all while we're so busy watching reality television and can't be bothered to be the one to go out and do it different.
Who does this country belong to anyway? If business buys politicians then by God start a business and buy a better politician. Don't believe it can be done? Our state has a Realtor's Political Action Committe - they fight local ordinances and work with state governments on issues beneficial to not only realtors, but to home owners. They also support candiates friendly to issues concerning home ownership. Oregon has a "view tax" - thanks to RPAC something like this would NEVER happen in Utah.
Things aren't hopeless. I understand a feeling of hopelessness and can relate. Just the same I get myself out of bed in the morning and work to create MY world. I don't work by myself. I haven't been very faithful lately in following God's lead, and I'm sure that reflects in what's happening in my world. Just the same I see a sunrise in the distance and not a sun setting forever - and this type of thing in Colorado smells of someone who sees only a sunset and darkness without any hope of a better tomorrow.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Been a while
Wow I can't believe how long it's been since I read these old posts, let alone posted a new one.
For now I'm back. I'll write when I feel like it I guess. After all, it's my blog right?
So anyway there's not much point in writing once every 2 years. I have a lot to say and sometimes forget the sound of my own voice simply because I never say all those things. Maybe it's high time to get rolling on not only finding my voice again, but also saying all the things I have to say.
So much has happened. It's amazing it's been 2 years and with as much as has happened so many things have stayed the same. Victoria has graduated from high school, Sam is 16 and only 2 years away. I'm still single and while I'm as ok with it as ever I feel the time creeping up on me when I'll be more alone than ever before...I guess there's a plan for that right? There's a reason for everything and nothing happens by accident.
That single part. I've met women. I've dated women. I just for some reason don't seem to get along with too many of them for more than a few minutes. Ok that's probably not true. I just don't play the game very well - yeah still 2 years later. I'm 42 now and I still don't know the game. Is the game important? Seems like it really must be. Something about that games makes you more interesting, or at least makes you seem more interesting. Maybe that's not it at all and maybe I'm just too concerned about it no matter how often I say I'm not. Really I feel ok with being alone and on my own, and at the same time I do hope I don't spend the rest of my life waking up to an otherwise empty bed...never will I want it so bad that I'm willing to fill that other place in the bed with just anybody to make sure it's full. Gosh - I write a lot about being single....next post - NOTHING about it.
For now I'm back. I'll write when I feel like it I guess. After all, it's my blog right?
So anyway there's not much point in writing once every 2 years. I have a lot to say and sometimes forget the sound of my own voice simply because I never say all those things. Maybe it's high time to get rolling on not only finding my voice again, but also saying all the things I have to say.
So much has happened. It's amazing it's been 2 years and with as much as has happened so many things have stayed the same. Victoria has graduated from high school, Sam is 16 and only 2 years away. I'm still single and while I'm as ok with it as ever I feel the time creeping up on me when I'll be more alone than ever before...I guess there's a plan for that right? There's a reason for everything and nothing happens by accident.
That single part. I've met women. I've dated women. I just for some reason don't seem to get along with too many of them for more than a few minutes. Ok that's probably not true. I just don't play the game very well - yeah still 2 years later. I'm 42 now and I still don't know the game. Is the game important? Seems like it really must be. Something about that games makes you more interesting, or at least makes you seem more interesting. Maybe that's not it at all and maybe I'm just too concerned about it no matter how often I say I'm not. Really I feel ok with being alone and on my own, and at the same time I do hope I don't spend the rest of my life waking up to an otherwise empty bed...never will I want it so bad that I'm willing to fill that other place in the bed with just anybody to make sure it's full. Gosh - I write a lot about being single....next post - NOTHING about it.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
This and that
So did you ever have one of those days where you just had enough? Did that day last for weeks? You know sometimes it feels like everything goes your way and then there are those times where it feels like nothing goes your way....when those times stretch into weeks it's frustrating.
The good thing about it? I know I'm good enough - I know I'm smart enough - I know I'm strong enough that no matter how many things seem to be working against me it won't last forever, and none of them will beat me.
So - I get up in the morning and plug away through the day knowing that another day is going to come whether I stand strong or if I give up and quit....so why be the one giving up?
The good thing about it? I know I'm good enough - I know I'm smart enough - I know I'm strong enough that no matter how many things seem to be working against me it won't last forever, and none of them will beat me.
So - I get up in the morning and plug away through the day knowing that another day is going to come whether I stand strong or if I give up and quit....so why be the one giving up?
Sunday, February 7, 2010
The best move
So spent an evening with the guys. Of course it was UFC night at the club so a few of us gathered at the club to watch the fights. I ate a burger that wasn't great - if I'm going to consume calories in those quantities it should at least be for great food, right? But the night wasn't about the burger or the calories I guess so it's all good.
After the fights we left the base and went to club Fahrenheit. It's a pretty nice little club for a hotel/conference center club. It was packed too. Not sure what takes people there, but it seems to be mostly locals looking for a place to hook up. Maybe that's really what the whole club thing is all about anyway - it's a boat I missed a long time ago that hook-up thing. Guess I'm just not a one-night stand sort of guy...Yes - I think there is value in your name, but it's more than that...more than knowing I've never woken up next to a girl whose name I didn't even know...Knowing that I never once have met a girl and "hooked-up" for just one night...and never hooked up on the first night at that.
It's interesting to watch those dynamics though. Watching the girls fiddling with their hair and the guys putting on their best face - certainly not their best clothes. It's interesting watching girls watching a guy just waiting for him to come talk to them. Funny when it's you they're watching and you never make the move they're waiting for - not because you're not into them but more because you're simply not playing the same game.
I've said before to those who know me I just don't get the game. I don't know the rules. I don't know the strategy and I'm really ok with that. I know that to meet someone you've got to eventually talk to them, but I just don't see myself ever actually meeting someone in those circumstances - not someone of value...and I like to value people even when 99% of the people I value put no value back in me....it's ok - I don't need to change for them.
Many guys, when they leave a club and head home alone feel rejected or at least like somehow they failed the game - at least this time. I'm ok heading home alone. I don't expect that I will always be heading home alone, or that I'll always be walking into a dark empty house...but I guess if I always do I'll be ok with that too. For now though I'm ok with me and the decisions I make. I think the best move is the one that doesn't make you compromise your values or prevent you from thinking good positive thoughts when you look into the mirror first thing in the morning. I value the guy in the mirror - even when it feels like only a handful of other people in the world value him. I'm gonna keep on being me - cause I think I'm ok.
After the fights we left the base and went to club Fahrenheit. It's a pretty nice little club for a hotel/conference center club. It was packed too. Not sure what takes people there, but it seems to be mostly locals looking for a place to hook up. Maybe that's really what the whole club thing is all about anyway - it's a boat I missed a long time ago that hook-up thing. Guess I'm just not a one-night stand sort of guy...Yes - I think there is value in your name, but it's more than that...more than knowing I've never woken up next to a girl whose name I didn't even know...Knowing that I never once have met a girl and "hooked-up" for just one night...and never hooked up on the first night at that.
It's interesting to watch those dynamics though. Watching the girls fiddling with their hair and the guys putting on their best face - certainly not their best clothes. It's interesting watching girls watching a guy just waiting for him to come talk to them. Funny when it's you they're watching and you never make the move they're waiting for - not because you're not into them but more because you're simply not playing the same game.
I've said before to those who know me I just don't get the game. I don't know the rules. I don't know the strategy and I'm really ok with that. I know that to meet someone you've got to eventually talk to them, but I just don't see myself ever actually meeting someone in those circumstances - not someone of value...and I like to value people even when 99% of the people I value put no value back in me....it's ok - I don't need to change for them.
Many guys, when they leave a club and head home alone feel rejected or at least like somehow they failed the game - at least this time. I'm ok heading home alone. I don't expect that I will always be heading home alone, or that I'll always be walking into a dark empty house...but I guess if I always do I'll be ok with that too. For now though I'm ok with me and the decisions I make. I think the best move is the one that doesn't make you compromise your values or prevent you from thinking good positive thoughts when you look into the mirror first thing in the morning. I value the guy in the mirror - even when it feels like only a handful of other people in the world value him. I'm gonna keep on being me - cause I think I'm ok.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Coffee
So I ran out of coffee at home so this morning I ran to Maverick to buy a cup. While I was there I did a very bad thing ... guess sometimes the impulsive side of me wins, so I went ahead and did it and figured I'd just have to make up for it later....forgiveness is easier than permission right? Anyway - I got the coffee and two krispy kreme donuts too...if I were on weight watchers that's nearly a day of eating with just those two donuts....
Anyway I got the coffee and put a lid on it. I noticed the hot coffee made the cup soft - softer than I have noticed before. I got to the truck and as I was getting in the cup collapsed just enough for the lid to pop off...all over my hand and my leg. Now - I have two issues. First I have coffee all over me and second the cup really wasn't strong enough to keep the lid secure once the hot coffee was in it.
Ok so I have three issues with it - I have coffee all over me and it's supposed to be hot coffee since I only just put it in the cup two minutes before....and the coffee DID NOT burn me at all....don't they make hot coffee anymore? I don't care what happened with McDonald's cause I like my coffee hot...and even though I spilled that coffee all over me it wouldn't have been a temperature problem I would have had, but rather a problem with a cup that got significantly softer with "hot" coffee in it...still if you spill coffee on yourself you had enough to do with it that you shouldn't be suing someone for the world to know you did it - just blog about it instead LOL...
Anyway I got the coffee and put a lid on it. I noticed the hot coffee made the cup soft - softer than I have noticed before. I got to the truck and as I was getting in the cup collapsed just enough for the lid to pop off...all over my hand and my leg. Now - I have two issues. First I have coffee all over me and second the cup really wasn't strong enough to keep the lid secure once the hot coffee was in it.
Ok so I have three issues with it - I have coffee all over me and it's supposed to be hot coffee since I only just put it in the cup two minutes before....and the coffee DID NOT burn me at all....don't they make hot coffee anymore? I don't care what happened with McDonald's cause I like my coffee hot...and even though I spilled that coffee all over me it wouldn't have been a temperature problem I would have had, but rather a problem with a cup that got significantly softer with "hot" coffee in it...still if you spill coffee on yourself you had enough to do with it that you shouldn't be suing someone for the world to know you did it - just blog about it instead LOL...
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Another weekend
Sometimes my thoughts seem so random and wandering that I wonder why I would even want to write them down, and don't ever wonder why someone wouldn't want to read them.
So last night was cooking club - smallest turnout since the first couple. It was good though - Caribbean Theme and I make a Tempeh...We always have good food and this one was no different - no matter how many people show up there's always more food than we can eat.
Today was beginning to be one of those nothing Saturday's. I got my butt up and took some pictures of some HUD homes to build some home tours. I need to get some real estate rolling. I'm tired of money - I'd like to live in a place where there is not money, or just have enough it's not a factor in anything I do.
Tonight I went to an indoor soccer game. Kyle was playing. I remember the first couple of times I saw him play - hard to believe I've been watching him for maybe 2 years now. He's 9 and so much better than he was. There is good and bad to being fearless, but he's in more control of himself physically now and he really is getting to be very good..hard to imagine saying he's more physically in control of himself and that he's 9 in the same sentence...He's very competitive and very confident and he's going to be very good at whatever he chooses for himself in this world.
Well - the bulls are on tv and I think a blanket is calling my name. Oh wait - I have to sort through some photos to make room on my hard drive for some music....Then I have to sort some photos for the home tours I'm going to build tomorrow - a couple of very nice homes and at least one not so nice one.
If you're reading this and need to buy or sell a home give me a call. I'd love to help you out.
So last night was cooking club - smallest turnout since the first couple. It was good though - Caribbean Theme and I make a Tempeh...We always have good food and this one was no different - no matter how many people show up there's always more food than we can eat.
Today was beginning to be one of those nothing Saturday's. I got my butt up and took some pictures of some HUD homes to build some home tours. I need to get some real estate rolling. I'm tired of money - I'd like to live in a place where there is not money, or just have enough it's not a factor in anything I do.
Tonight I went to an indoor soccer game. Kyle was playing. I remember the first couple of times I saw him play - hard to believe I've been watching him for maybe 2 years now. He's 9 and so much better than he was. There is good and bad to being fearless, but he's in more control of himself physically now and he really is getting to be very good..hard to imagine saying he's more physically in control of himself and that he's 9 in the same sentence...He's very competitive and very confident and he's going to be very good at whatever he chooses for himself in this world.
Well - the bulls are on tv and I think a blanket is calling my name. Oh wait - I have to sort through some photos to make room on my hard drive for some music....Then I have to sort some photos for the home tours I'm going to build tomorrow - a couple of very nice homes and at least one not so nice one.
If you're reading this and need to buy or sell a home give me a call. I'd love to help you out.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Ok - more thoughts from today
Ever just want someone to want you? To make you feel like you're the only person in the whole world, or at the very least the only person in the world they want to be with, and not for just that moment...but to know that neither of you could even dream of being with someone else? Does that even exist anymore? I'm not really convinced. Was married 8 years and that didn't work out - was going to get married again and that didn't work out. I've been out a number of times with a number of different people and I was good enough for that moment, but it's also seemed pretty clear that whomever is filling the next moment, or even the same moment in another way or place, is just as good as long as someone is there...what about you? Do you want to be one of one, or one of many? One of many is cool in the right context, but wouldn't it be more cool to be one of one and the two of you be one in the on of many context? Well - you may be reading this and have that and for you I couldn't be more happy...been 11 years single and nearly 40 years alive and I'm still waiting.
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