It was a very good year …

1969. It was a VERY good year.  Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. Huge.  Out of this world huge.  The space program was supported by the country and it was a time of great pride.  Then there was Woodstock. How could you not think of Woodstock, especially with the new movie coming out. By the way, the book it was based on was a good read.  Another big event – I was born. See, told you, it was a very good year!   Here are some really cool facts about 1969 that you know, with a few thrown in you might not know:

• The first men on Moon, Neil Armstrong & Edwin Aldrin, Apollo 11
• Woodstock Festival held in NY August 15 to August 18th
• Supreme Court rules that the 1st Amendment applies to public schools.  Pop quiz – what’s the 1st Amendment?
• 1st temporary artificial heart
• The first test flight of the supersonic Concorde
• 1st flight of the Boeing 747
• 1st Wendy’s opens
• Last public performance of the Beatles, Paul marries Linda, John marries Yoko
• Last issue of Saturday Evening Post – no more Normal Rockwell covers
• Phil Esposito becomes first NHL Player to score 100 points in a season
• Golda Meir becomes Israel’s 4th Prime Minister
• New York Yankees’ Mickey Mantle announces his retirement from baseball
• Hurricane Camille strikes U.S. Gulf Coast kills 255
• Charles Manson commits Tate-LaBianca murders
• Mary Jo Kopechne dies at 28, in Ted Kennedy’s car
• “Sesame Street” premieres on PBS
• First ATM
• Wal-Mart incorporates
• GAP is founded

That’s right, 1969 was a very good year indeed and these are just some of the big highlights. There are many, many more.  Looking back at history can be an educative experience and not everyone likes those. But it can also be incredibly fun and enlightening too.  Hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane with me!

Wild About Omaha

The weekend is coming!  Come out this weekend, July 24th and 25th!

Don’t Miss Mutual of Omaha’s Wild About Omaha Weekend!

Join Mutual of Omaha in celebrating 100 years! Wild about Omaha Weekend will be two days of fun-filled events at several Omaha arts & entertainment venues. Whether you’re young, old, somewhere in between, single or want to bring the family – there’s something for everyone. And – it’s FREE!

Thanks to SPN for the great picture!!

In praise of the internet

I am sure all of us could share how the internet has positively affected our lives.  It could be through expansion of your company online and therefore abroad, starting a blog that became a book, or helping you do research for your job or school. For me, the internet has helped to make this really big world seem a lot smaller.

Growing up, my family moved around so much, continuity of friendships was extremely tough.  Oh sure, I would write letters (when’s the last time you wrote a letter??) long after I moved, but when we moved almost every single year, how is a 5th or 6th expected to keep that level of communication up?

Moving around was my dad’s thing as he continued to climb the professional ladder and we did it constantly.  Good for him in what he was trying to accomplish, but not so good if you are a kid trying to get to varsity on the volleyball team, or run cross country, or become editor of the school newspaper. Tough to do all that when you are moving around, trying to meet new people, and establish yourself once again in a new school.

In spite of all that, life goes on and the friends you made along the way stick with you. Maybe not in the sense that you still have contact, 13 moves later. But they stick with you in the sense that you haven’t forgotten about them, you wonder where they are, how life has treated them, etc. So, whenever the chance allows, you Google them, or try to find them on Classmates, or Linkedin, or Facebook.

In my case, I started reconnecting with some old high school friends via Classmates in 2005. Then in 2007, Linkedin helped bridge the gap with some old college friends. And in the past 2 years, Facebook has been an awesome tool to help me re-establish friendships.  More significantly, my having a website has sent family and friends my way that I would have never thought possible. All of this due to the internet.  Sure, there is talk that all this time spent emailing, IMing, etc. is breaking down our ability to communicate face to face, making many of us more isolated than ever, and reducing the quality of relationships.

But for me, all that talk is unfounded.  I have made many friends through online classes that I have been both a student and instructor; friendships that I can count on 4 years later having either never met that person face to face, or only having met them once.  I have talked to friends from 20 years ago, and most recently, a neighbor I hadn’t talked to since I was 12.  For me, the power of the internet has helped to take a very migratory upbringing and make it seem less so. How has the internet helped you?

Single-minded

Much talk has been made (mainly by Republicans) about President Obama making an appearance on the Tonight Show or filling out his bracket for the NCAA tournament.  I don’t believe anything was said when he attended a high school english class to talk to the students who expressed their fears due to the economy.   Apparently the beef is that President Obama has taken his eye off the ball and is not focusing enough, or 100%, of his attention on the economy.  A singular mindset is what is needed? Really? I don’t think so. I think a singular mindset is the last thing we need.

I think Leonardo da Vinci said it best:

Every now and then go away,

have a little relaxation,

for when you come back to your work

your judgment will be surer;

since to remain constantly at work

will cause you to lose power of judgment …

Go some distance away

because the work appears smaller,

and more of it

can be taken in at a glance,

and lack of harmony

or proportion is more readily seen.

And so begins the Madness

It is that time of year again. Time for fantastic weekends filled with college basketball.  Yes, I have my faves, but during March Madness, every game is a show.  They are all great; they almost always have you sitting on the edge of your seat. I don’t doubt this year will be any different.  Are you in a pool? Do you have your picks yet? What are you waiting for?

I do miss being in ACC country. It was a great atmosphere for college basketball.  People take off work the Friday of the ACC tournament and have parties. It’s the way it should be.  As a Big Ten girl, our tournament is a bit newer and does not quite have that cult status. Yet.  As for being in Omaha, well, there is Creighton but they didn’t make it this year and are NIT-bound.  Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with the NIT. There has been many a year the Hoosiers were in the NIT and I was still a devotee. But there is nothing like NCAA’s tournament.  Ahh, Thursday will not get here fast enough!!

Google Footprint

Ever since Al Gore and his  Inconvenient Truth, there has been a steady increase in talk about one’s carbon footprint.  It’s something to think about.  But the other footprint that I think is as important is your Google footprint.

What does a Google search say about you?  Yes, yes, we all secretly have googled ourselves to see what comes up.  No denying it anymore! But have you done it lately? With more and more information being digitized, there is more and more information that is winding up in the public domain for your boss, prospective boss (are you looking for a job?), your parents, your significant other, etc.

If you are someone who is consciously crafting your personal brand, Google yourself on a periodic basis and see what shows up.  If you are looking for a job right now and you were the hiring manager, how would you react to what you found out?  It would be fantastic if things like your LinkedIn, Ecademy, or Plaxo profiles were high on the list. But what something else showed up that you really wish no one knew about? I am sure Michael Phelps wishes there hadn’t been a camera around that day he wais taking a bong hit as it cost him at least one endorsement and a 3 month competitive swimming ban.

When you are considering your personal brand, give yourself a Google and see what turns up. If you don’t believe me, read some of the stories that Seth has heard.

Bobby’s back

I am in giddy nation right now.  It was a while ago that the story leaked that Coach Knight would be interested in coaching again.  Wahoo!!  I hope something happens in the near future. I would love to see him coach again!

My best to Kay Yow’s family

I have not been feeling myself this past week with curious medical ailments, etc.  However, to read about Kay Yow’s death at 66, it stopped me. This woman was courageous, inspiring, funny, dedicated, and most of all, a fighter.   Having lived in Raleigh for almost 13 years, I was very familiar with both Jim Valvano and Kay Yow, both of NC State basketball, and both stricken with cancer.  I am a big fan of the Wolfpack and will forever be because of my history there, but also because these individuals (and many others) who have put a face on humanity and kept fighting.  My best to Kay Yow’s family – immediate and extended – we are with you always.

Gatorade Bath

Just a small rant here, but isn’t the Gatorade bath an old and tired tradition?  One that should be retired?  After spending the great majority of the past weekend watching NFL playoffs, I thought it pathetic that the coaches know it’s coming and it seems so blase and boring.  Maybe I am wrong, but isn’t it time for a new ending to a win?

Redskins and the Election

So, this may be the first time EVER that I will want and hope the Redskins lose. On Monday Night Football no less!  I just learned that when the Redskins win their last home game of the season in an election year, the encumbents win the White House. They lose, the challenging party takes over.  News reports indicate this as a perfect 18-0 record. According to Snopes, it’s actually a 17-1 record, but at 94% accuracy, I can’t have that.  I am Baracking the Vote! So, Redskins, LOSE and LOSE BIG!!

PS With the Steelers being my #2 team, still not a bad match-up to watch!