Can you figure out this card trick?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voAntzB7EwE

What will people say about you

My previous entry talked about having a fun funeral. I've always thought it would be great to have a cool obituary.

Apparently Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple was given that opportunity when Bloomberg accidentally released his obituary today.

Telegraph.co.uk

On Jobs's ambition:

When Jobs was in the 10th grade at Homestead High School in Cupertino, he assured his then girlfriend Chris-Ann Brennan he was going to become a millionaire, according to the "Second Coming of Jobs" by Alan Deutschman.

"Steve had these dreams of becoming one of the great people that has companies and makes products that change the world," Steve Wozniak [with whom Jobs founded Apple] said in August 2008. "One of the few people like the Shakespeare's and Einstein's that get well known - he wanted to be in that group."

On Jobs's sometimes fiery temper:

In his quest to create what he called "insanely great" products, Jobs earned a reputation for being mercurial, sometimes screaming at his employees, according to biographer Deutschman.

"It's painful when you have some people who are not the best people in the world," Jobs said in a 1995 oral history interview with the Smithsonian Institution. "My job has sometimes exactly been that - to get rid of some people who didn't measure up."


What would your premature obituary say about you right now?

Learning is fun

"A person doesn't become old until he exchanges his dreams for regrets" -someone


I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to learning. I'd love to spend all my time sitting at the feet of experts in all sorts of disciplines. When we are driving in the car I like to listen to audiobooks like "The Biography of E=MC2" . I love music but will spend my commute time listening to MPR or talk radio so that I'm learning something.


Naphtali thinks I should become a professor because my eyes light up when I step foot onto a university. Unfortunately I can't say I feel like an expert in any area other than being an expert in being fascinated Hmmm... perhaps a Masters and PHD in Fascination?

One fascination I've always gotten a quizzical look from is beekeeping. Bees are fascinating! Communities and communications went unknown by humans until some researcher actually devoted time to learn more about bees. I bet the first research article sure got people buzzing ;) [Naphtali you have to admit that one was funny]

I don't know what it is but bees just astound me. Their benefits to crops and this world are taken for granted. These small little guys need to hear a few cheers from us humans for everything they do. Hip Hip Hor....ok nevermind...

I've never been a beekeeper but hope to acquire enough knowledge to someday start my own hive. Oh, I suppose I should also state the need of approval from my wife and son. Aidan has this uncanny ability of being stung by bees and might not like having a whole colony in his backyard. Perhaps it is his sweet personality. (inherited from his father of course)


Aidan and I have volunteered time helping the local beekeepers group clean hives. While working I'm asking all sorts of questions. One guy was definitely a bee connoisseur. I couldn't believe the questions he was able to answer. How far can a bee fly? How high can a bee fly? How much honey could a bee honey honey if a bee honey could honey honey?


Naphtali knows that I love to encourage people to set goals and pursue them. Seeing people give up on their dreams big and small is always tough on me. Remember when you were a kid and you used to dream of becoming an astronaut, firefighter, scientist, or a beekeeper? Don't pause to deny it. Just go with the flow and accept beekeeping was at ONE point a dream you had.

Why do we give up on our dreams? Pursue your dreams and have a kick butt funeral when you die. Learn as much as you can and do as many things as you can.

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, honeycomb in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!"


If you haven't seen the movie Big Fish please watch it. I cried like a baby at the end. [Yes, even aspiring beekeepers cry too!] The funeral at the end would make even the hardest of you fellow beekeepers cry.


Funny enough This link (must watch!) is what prompted my thoughts about learning and this post. I find that often a person gives up on learning something a little more complex like math or physics because it wasn't explained in a way that they could easily understand. The video takes a topic like understanding the fourth dimension and steps people through in a simple fashion. Their method is really cool.

Check it out and while you're learning check this site out too. Better Explained

Once you are done with both of those sites give me a call and we can chat. Just don't ask me about crying or I'll tell you to mind your own beeswax. [OK, Naphtali, I know you didn't laugh at the first one but what about now?]

P.S. I need to 'learn' how to tell a joke according to Naphtali.

Why did I volunteer for this?

A 'friend' asked me in February if I'd be interested in doing a relay race from LaCrosse, WI to Minneapolis, MN (198 miles). I don't consider myself a runner but I do like challenges and this sounded as good as any.







Ragnar Relay is an annual 12 person relay race. This year saw 180 teams enter. We started Friday afternoon and finished Saturday afternoon. Yes, running continually through the night. Two vans (6 people each).

People estimate how long it will take their team to complete the race with start times from 8:00AM to 2:00PM. The idea is that everyone finishes the race around the same time. We had an overzealous team captain who started us at 11:00AM.

We stayed close to our runner the entire time. We would drive ahead a few miles and offer water and a motivational cheer. As darkness started to settle in our runners had to put on reflective vests.










I was in Van 2 and the last runner (#12) to run. Unfortunately during our leapfrogging* we ran the car battery so low it wouldn't start again. Our runner was getting close to the next transition so I had to hitch a ride with another team's van. Meghan had been standing at the transition for 10 minutes so I had to make up some time. My first leg was 7.9 miles starting around 10:30PM. Completely dark and running on the side of the road with headlamps and reflective clothing didn't make me feel extraordinarily safe on a Friday night. I had no support vehicle so was dying for water. I'm sooooo thankful that at mile 5 Meghan was able to borrow someone's brand new lexus SUV to bring me some water. That guy is uber generous considering she was still sweaty from her run.

*(Speaking of Leapfrogging)
Runner #10 had run in a complete downpour. By the time it was my turn to run there were hundreds of frogs on the road. The headlamp didn't provide much light so I was stepping on frogs occasionally. Apparently a runner from another team stepping INTO a dead raccoon. I'll take the frogs any day!

Here I've just finished my race and am handing off our sweaty reflective vest to Van 1. The vest had been worn by three sweaty runners and would be worn by 3 more that night!

30 minutes after finishing 7.9 grueling miles we were all gorging on spaghetti in Red Wing at Katie's parents house. We all showered (except for Matt who liked to feel 'rugged') and grabbed about 3 hours of sleep before we had to meet up with Van 1 again.

My next run was only 3 miles and went over the bridge into Stillwater. I had to run it at a good pace for fear of having to wait for the lift bridge to come down. We again handed off to Van 1 and proceeded to eat at a small diner in Stillwater.

My final leg was the one that would bring our team across the finish line. It was 5.8 beautiful miles along the Mississippi. I went right next to my office at the UofM and was encouraged because I could visualize how far I had left to the finish line. Crossed the Stone Arch Bridge where everyone and their mothers seemed to be taking wedding photos. I was in a race so I couldn't wait for them to take their shot. Hopefully I'll be in someone's photo album as "That Guy"

Got lost 1 mile from the finish line. Thankfully someone redirected me after wasting 0.5 miles. I was so close I could see the finish line and what happens? A train decides its time to go through! Arghhh! I just wanted to be done! Finally, with my body crying to be done, I made it to the finish line where the team was waiting.



15 minutes later we were all eating pizza. In case you didn't notice there was a theme of eating immediately after each run. Not fun.

Here is the entire team. What a race! I don't know if I'll ever do it again but am definitely glad I was able to meet some great people and develop a lasting memory.

Yeti again? Someone's Achille's Heel?

Some of you may have remembered Naphtali's "Rare Sighting in Southern Minnesota" post.


Well I'm sorry to say that it was no hoax. The Yeti has appeared yet(i) again! This time the savvy blog reader will recognize this as one of our OWN windows (some noticed the other pictures were of me cleaning my parent's windows [admittedly not a common occurrence])





I'm thinking that there is actually an achilles heel to our cleanly Martha Stewart. I've been married to Naphtali for over 7 years and there aren't many opportunities for my unclean threshold to trigger. She has this uncanny ability to clean weeks (she would say years) before I'd even notice something was dirty. So I have to say there is ONE area of housecleaning that I excel at. Perhaps years of coke bottle glasses with chronic cleaning during sports has left me with my obsession.

According to a myth arising later, his mother, Thetis, had dipped the infant Achilles in the river Styx, holding onto him by his heel, and he became invulnerable where the waters touched him -- that is, everywhere but the areas covered by her thumb and forefinger -- implying that only a heel wound could have been his downfall. Another version of Achilles becoming close to immortal involves Thetis' attempt to make him a god. She would rub his whole body with ambrosia and then hold him over a fire every night. She held him by his heel, which is why that part of his body was vulnerable. One day, Achilles' father, Peleus, came in the home and caught Thetis holding Achilles over the fire. Peleus did not know that Thetis was trying to immortalize Achilles. Thetis was scared and fled out of fear. This possibly coincides with the story that Thetis left Achilles at a very young age.

The use of “Achilles’ heel” as an expression used for “area of weakness, vulnerable spot” dates only to 1855 (Merriam-Webster). It derived from the Greek "Achilleios pterna" (Greek: Αχίλλειος πτέρνα) literally meaning Achilles’ heel.

The Achilles' heel as a singular weakness has become a cliché in superhero comics, originating mainly from Superman's weakness against kryptonite [wikipedia]

I love the olympics...

Bruschetta Bruschetta Everywhere!

Remember Naphtali's love for bruschetta over the summer? Well Aidan and I certainly do! ;)

Hey! Out of the way!

This boy would not get out of the line of fire. I was doing some serious photographic work (to get a shot of Naphtali's new glasses) and get all of these photos. He was so fast I didn't even know he was there ;) Sorry honey! [Note Naphtali is behind him as you can see in the last picture]

This photo...

...is the one I like