Cycling for the Cure

Your father, mother, brother, sister, cousin, aunt, uncle, grandmother, grandfather, an inspirational teacher, a close friend...even yourself.  

Cancer does not discriminate. It affects us all in one way or another.

There will be a cure. 
 
You can help. 

One inspirational man I know, Peter Shannon (Artistic Director and Conductor of the Savannah Philharmonic), is cycling 120 miles (!!!) to raise funds in support of the ongoing research at the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial University Medical Center, here in Savannah, GA.

He needs our support.

If you want to help, click here. For insight into the fundraiser and Peter's efforts, please read his letter below:    

Dearest Friends,

Please please do me a favor and take a few moments of your day to read this:

There is, I'm sure none of us who haven't lost either a close family member or friend to cancer.

As for me; both my grandparents on my mother's side died of cancer within 12 months of each other. My grandfather, a successful and well respected doctor in Ireland was only 69 when he died,...he looked at his own x rays and gave himself 6 months to live. Stomach cancer.

My energetic Aunt Lilian (beautiful name!) was looking forward to retiring and relaxing and finally reaping the benefits of her hard-working lifestyle (she was an eye doctor in Sligo) with her husband. Less than a few months after being diagnosed with cancer of the throat, she was dead.

I still cant believe that we haven't a cure for cancer. But I DO BELIEVE that we will. Just as polio was cured and penicillin was discovered, so too, in the future we WILL have a cure for cancer. I also believe that it will be a creative person who finds the cure.

Music helps people be creative in all aspects of life and in ALL professions. Doctors as musicians. I can help with the music, but I need help with the next missing link to this puzzle. Money.

Help me please. I'm trying to raise $5,000 for this cause by cycling 120 miles (yikes!) on the 16th of October on my bike with the doctors and friends of Memorial Hospital.

I will be riding with Dr. Steven Brower, the director of the Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute at Memorial.

Please copy and paste the link below to make an online donation on my donation page:http://memorialhealth.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=435344&u=435344-299300970&e=3776378656

God knows every cent will make the 120 miles less and less painful!

Please be generous, and thank you.

Peter.

Peter Shannon,
Artistic Director and Conductor,
Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus
403 East 52nd Street
Savannah, GA 31405
www.thesavphilharmonic.org  

>> MORE INFO ABOUT THIS EVENT

What Not To...

...Wear

I'm not Stacy and Clinton wasn't with me most of the day (like Renee was), but I really wish that they had both been here.

Renee and I experienced an alternate reality TV show (if there were cameras) version of "What Not To Wear [the Real World]" today as we put up posters and handed out postcards to advertise the upcoming Savannah Philharmonic performance of The Dream of Gerontius, and especially as we ate lunch outside at the Kayak Kafe.

I mean, holy cow, people. When did it become en vogue to sport clothes that scream "1980's white trash (or slob) takes on a serial killer going to a live rock show"? Seriously.

Unfortunately, I don't have pics to prove it, but Renee can vouch for what I'm writing in a broad, sweeping description. We experienced this, and not in small doses either. I pulled out my dorky "grandma" pack of travel tissues because I had already used my napkin to stop myself from snorfling (fluid out of nose) and accidentally giving Renee an iced tea shower on more than one occasion. And, this was just within the first 10 minutes of sitting down to lunch! I do not exaggerate.

I could, would and, I suppose, should list all of "the sites" that Renee and I experienced today -- boy, wouldn't that be fun -- but, it's already 1:30 AM, and I'm lazy (a.k.a. still hungry and my warm pizza is in the other room, so this post is getting cut short). So, just trust me when I say that today provided a "feast for the eyes," albeit an odd, multi-colored, misfit, undesirable feast. Locals and tourists of Savannah alike: Please, pretty please, grab a good fashion mag, buy a mirror & look in it, follow Chanel's rule of "remove one item," and think before leaving the house. We also have to live with what you wear.

[To be fair, I should acknowledge that as of late (har-hum, as in the past 4 to 5 years), my fashion sense has declined along with my desire to put an effort into how I look. So, I recognize that I am likely being hypocritical here. In my defense, however, even with this pathetic trend, I somehow manage to look fairly decent each day, even when I don't care at all how I look on a Saturday. Today, on a day when I put on "scruffy, old jeans" that I haven't washed in *cough* days and threw on a t-shirt, I looked so pulled together in comparison to those many people walking down the street in their confused, ill-fitting "clothes". I don't want to say that. Okay, I shouldn't, I suppose. But, I just don't get it.]

*Strings Attached & Full Disclosure: Needless to say, somehow, Renee and I usually share (in) entertaining and sometimes outright weird experiences whenever we're together enjoying a meal. It just happens. I think we've come to expect the odd and humorous, but the experiences never cease to amaze and amuse us.


...Say 

Gennette?
Juliet?
Apparently, I stink at saying my own name audibly. 
Hmm. Something to work on.
Albeit the listener had been drinking (very little, I suspect), he remembered my name as "Gennette".
He's not the only one.
So, perhaps instead of saying "Juli-ET", maybe I need to start saying it as some others do, like "JULi-et" which apparently is often how people hear and say Romeo and Juliet. I dunno for sure, but I'll give it a fighting chance.


...Do 

Apparently, it can be an insult to tell a seemingly almost perfect stranger that you recognize her. I didn't realize this was a social faux pas.  

The skinny: Let's say that you and I are sitting down at a restaurant to have lunch. The server - a nice looking, kind woman - comes to our table to take our drink order. [Okay. That's normal.] Once she leaves to check on other tables, we comment to each other that we must know her. She's so familiar, but neither of us can pin-point it. We just can't figure out how we know her. No big deal 'cause we'll just kindly say something and ask her, right? [Right.] Upon either/both of us saying something to the affect of "You look familiar," she promptly responds "I don't know you!" and proceeds to shift her weight away from us.

Now, call me old fashioned, uninformed, casual, weird or whatever else comes to mind [Really, go ahead. I don't care. Not really.], but don't you find this reaction -- and this server's conscious effort from this point forward to keep her physical distance from us and to merely and minimally tend to our needs -- a bit odd? I thought so. But, out of respect for people who see what I believe to be harmless and almost kind inquiries as something quite different, I will acknowledge just for today that this falls into the category of "What Not To Do." Having said that, come Sunday, October 3, I'm resuming in-full my kindly-intended and genuinely curious behavior and am warning anyone that I don't really know that if I ask you "Do I know you?" or say to you "Gosh, you look familiar to me," please [puh-lease] don't take offense. I mean, really. There are better things to do with your time and energy. I mean no harm. In fact, favor: laugh a little, huh? Thanks.

Good Music, Boxes, Sharpies & Tools

I've got my "Gotta Love Guster" playlist on, my Sharpies at the ready, my "I'm gonna clean for the better part of today" clothes on, and I'm gaining the motivation to get started.

Today, I'm working hard on getting organized -- personally and professionally. In my effort to improve task/project management and time management, I hit up Google. I'm coming across really helpful information that I want to share with you. 

LifeOrganizers.com - Helpful tips, tools and resources that you can use to organize the simple to complex things in your life. Need a list of recommendations and a checklist for packing for a trip, moving, or just cleaning up around the house or your desk, this is a great first stop! 

Dumb Little Man (Tools for Life) - This man isn't dumb. Little? I'm not sure. Doesn't matter to me. I specifically hit up this site for time management advice. Thus far, I've come across handy tools, some of which I already knew about or was introduced to by a friend. Overall, there are great, simple, easy-to-use and effective things here. Be sure to check out the 'time management advice' site page in particular if you are looking for tools to help you with (mostly) browser-based:
-Password Management
-Note-taking Tools
-Application Management
-Time and Task Tracking
-Mindmapping
-Reminders to Take Time for Yourself! 

[Addition since original post] You're likely familiar with the Urgent-Important quadrant (I'm mis-naming, no doubt) that John Covey brought to the forefront of many managers' minds. Well, take your basic understanding of it and check out this awesome, insightful and wise perspective. I guarantee a light bulb will go on, and you may even grin.

Regarding time management, I find that the following is wise advice, and although it may seem obvious, it never hurts to hear or read something again, certainly when trying to change habits and improve a situation: 

The key to successful time management is planning and then protecting the planned time. People who say that they have no time do not plan, or fail to protect planned time. If you plan what to do and when, and then stick to it, then you will have time. This involves conditioning, or re-conditioning your environment. For people who have demands placed on them by others, particularly other departments, managers, customers, etc, time management requires diplomatically managing the expectations of others. Time management is chiefly about conditioning your environment, rather than allowing your environment to condition you. If you tolerate, and accept without question, the interruptions and demands of others then you effectively encourage these time management pressures to continue.

I'm definitely a perpetual "I don't have time for that" person. I may know this doesn't help anything,  is entirely within my control, and I can do better; but, I haven't figured out how yet. So, that's one of today's two important projects -- Learn about how to be a successful time manager, find tools that can help me to better manage my time and projects/tasks, and implement them. It never hurts to try, right? Things can't get worse, only better.

Okay, for now, time to grab a bite to eat, get back to cleaning my fish tank, then back to this computer to work on time/task management stuff. Best of luck in cleaning up your life! I'm all ears, if you have any specific advice on things that can help or things that have worked for you.

7 Minutes Today, Make a Difference in Your Lifetime

Estimate: I'm guessing it'll take no more than 7 minutes to read and to do everything within this post. Preface: This post is about a serious topic, and I take it seriously. (I hope that you do not necessarily equate seriousness with sadness or tedium, although I admit that you will likely experience some of that in this post.) Cancer has affected many loved ones and people to whom I am superficially connected already in my 28 years -- triumph and survival to losing loved ones. Undoubtedly, cancer has affected you, either directly or through a loved one. I'm no 'expert' when it comes to cancer, but I feel that I am educated enough in its affects on me and the impacts it can have on lives -- positive and negative. Here's to finding a cure, and to supporting these incredible efforts and the people affected by cancer.

Settle into that video-watching position in your fave, comfy spot that affords you the peace and quiet you deserve to give yourself each day. Silence all (or as many) disturbances (as you can) around you. Grab the good ear buds or turn on the good speakers. Then, watch this slightly-over-4-minutes video (then come back here):


Rachel's Birthday Video from Kristian Anderson on Vimeo. Featuring "Marry Me" by Train.  (Viewers: tissues recommended) 

Don't know about you, but I keep seeing Kristian, his face and the sign "I need you like I need a cure for cancer" in my mind. Want to do something about it? (I do.)

Okay. Let's do something together...

Mark Friday, September 10 at 8:00pm EDT (7:00pm CT) in your calendar -- Stand Up to Cancer. You get to park it in front of your TV for a good bit of time to watch great entertainment for a wonderful cause! (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Bio, Current TV, Discovery Health, E!, G4, HBO, HBO Latino, MLB Network, mun2, Showtime, Smithsonian Channel, The Style Network, TV One and VH1) Want to know what you can do to help? Ideas here.

Then, the best part: If you're feeling the urge to get active and/or to give more, visit this site to help change lives: American Cancer Society - The Official Sponsor of Birthdays.

I promise the lecture is over. To each his or her own, so I'll let you decide what, if anything, you'll do. Regardless of your choices, thank you for reading and for the consideration.

Bring on the Bacon

I love bacon. It's not a healthy love, but I love it. I'm not the only one...


Via: Online Schools

c/o Guy Kawasaki via Twitter: http://tinyurl.com/257f89c

Wisdom in the World

You may want some music while reading this post. Try this.

 

Seeking self-improvement guidance?

Think you've got 'it' all figured out and don't need a new perspective or new insight? (no offense, but you're wrong)

Simply want to learn something new but aren't sure what it is?

Stop here. I mean, I've got it. At least today's dose. Well, two "its" actually. I offer them to you in chronological, reverse-difficulty order.

 

1. Brain Gasp: Several days ago, someone asked me what remains to be one of the best (clever, insightful, stump-worthy in a super healthy way) and one of my fave questions that I've ever been asked. Yep. It's a show-stopper. Brace yourself for the duplicitous simplistic yet complex-in-nature question. 

 

What mis-perceptions do you believe others often have of you?

(yeah, it's a goodie, huh?) 

 

Now, take your time. There's no hurry in answering it. (It took the question and many thoughts rolling around in the middle to the back of my mind over the course of 3 days to come up with one measly yet honest answer. May not be proud of this fact, but I can drop pride for this one. I'm willing to at least.) You're not in a race, and no one else is judging you. Introspection 101, people. It's good for you.

 

2. Oh! Oh! I want it: I found this one about 30 minutes ago. If you need some help with time and to-do task/project management like I do, you will find this other blog post helpful. It's changing the way that I do things. Be sure to check out both Parts I and II (link for Part II at bottom of page) for all of the writer's insights.

 

It's worth the few minutes of reading. Trust me. I can't promise it will change your life for forever (awfully grant, don't ya think?), but I assure you it will improve your ability to get through your day, whatever it entails. (Important Note: This doesn't work through osmosis or telepathy. Action and implementation are key.) This can only make you happier and more productive, right?

Good Moves

A few things, certainly since it's been forever since my last post (apologies).

1. Inception. If you haven't heard of this movie or have been debating as to whether you should pay your $7+ to go see it in theaters (+ the ~$13 for theater food unless you bring your own, like me), I offer a simple solution: YES. Unequivocally, yes. It's an intelligent, entertaining movie filled with action, quick-witted humor and great emotions. If you see it while it's still playing in a theater, I bet you'll want to see it again. Okay, maybe that's just me, but I bet you'll want to see it again at the very least once it's out on DVD.
Note: Kevin found this great review -- which furthers the idea that even as an viewer of the film, you are participating in the very idea upon which the film is centered. Love it!

2. Define & Focus. I was introduced to the intelligent insights of Seth Godin by a good friend and co-worker, Kevin Lawver (a highly intelligent, rare human being). Although I often find Seth's blog posts to be intelligent and useful (should I choose to implement his wisdom and actively do so), I find his post from this past Saturday to be particularly poignant and share-worthy: http://bit.ly/aDMSUm.

3. Snail Mail. Write your friends and loved ones as often as you can, even if that's only once a year. Author Margaret Shepherd describes much better than I can the great value in the handwritten note and why we should make a conscious effort to write the people that we care about, so I'm going to let her tell you: The handwritten note has so many virtues that you ought to reach for pen and paper first, before you pick up the phone or move the mouse. In contrast to a phone call, a handwritten note doesn't arrive demanding to be read when you've just sat down to dinner; it courteously lets you know who sent it even before you open it; you won't be annoyed by the sounds coming from the pens of compulsive note-writers at the next table in your favorite restaurant. You'll never get a busy signal from a mailbox; you won't have to play "note tag" to get read; and your readers won't use "note waiting" to put you on hold while they open a note that arrives while they're opening yours. And in contrast to e-mail, a handwritten note looks beautiful and feels personal; you won't get an electronic virus from opening a handwritten note nor find a list of last week's lamebrained jokes. You can still write a note by candlelight when your electricity fails, and mail your note while your server is down...the handwritten note has an intrinsic value beyond its rarity. It's not just an antiquarian curiosity, it's an extremely useful tool. It upgrades a wide variety of messages, transforming "Oops" into "Please accept my apology," and "Got the money" into "Thank you for your generosity." Ink on paper is still the classiest way to express the thoughts that really matter, on the occasions that really count. And sometimes it's the only way; your words will carry sympathy and gratitude with a special kind of sincerity when your reader sees them on paper in your writing. I would continue with Margaret's chapter entitled Good Reasons to Stop Making Excuses because it's the single jolt that changed my behavior, but it's of great length. You should know though that it's because of this chapter -- the top 10 excuses that people throw out to the world as to why they don't write anymore and Margaret's clever solutions -- that I resumed my writing (and mail the letters that I write -- this is a tough one for me for some reason) to friends and family as I make the time. I now actually write on all of the beautiful stationary that I feel compelled to purchase, which is very often, especially whenever there's a sale.
*Note: I am not implying that if you know me and you're reading this post that you should write me. Nope. Uh uh. Simply get writing! Write your mom, your dad, your sibling, or a friend with whom you've been out of touch. Someone. Anyone! If you do happen to write me, then I'm blessed for receiving your letter, but this post is not at all intended to be self-serving, so please don't treat it as such. Thanks.

A Loveable Movement

The Ice Cream Man

WOTD: pachyderm

pachyderm

Main Entry: pachy·derm
Pronunciation: \ˈpa-ki-ˌdərm\

Function: noun

Etymology: French pachyderme, from Greek pachydermos thick-skinned, from pachys thick + derma skin; akin to Sanskrit bahu dense, much — more at derm-

Date: 1838

: any of various nonruminant mammals (as an elephant, a rhinoceros, or a hippopotamus) of a former group (Pachydermata) that have hooves or nails resembling hooves and usually thick skin; especially : elephant

Why this word for today, you ask?

Today is St. Patrick's Day, and in Savannah, GA, this means that there is a HUGE celebration (2nd largest celebration in the U.S.). Needless to say, there are vendors walking the streets with carts sporting various green and St. Pat's-inspired paraphernalia and trinkets, including a noise-making device that sounds like a small elephant (farting). I shared this thought with a friend/co-worker, Kevin, who introduced me to the word pachyderm when commenting on how nice it is to be above the street level but in a prime parade-viewing location (albeit while at work).

So, happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone! May it be a fun, horn-tooting, exuberant day!!