Bizness travel

For those of you who know me, you know that I travel quite a bit for work. It's not travelling salesman travel, but I am on the road quite a bit. I have travelled far and wide, mostly to less than stellar locations. I go to Dallas 6-8 times a year. I've been to Alaska twice, Hawaii once, and Asia twice (Okinawa and Korea). I'm not complaining, but, well, maybe a little. You see, my brother works in the same field that I do and his travels have never, ever sent him overseas. While I might go to lovely Texarkana, Texas, Kris goes to Daytona and Orlando. In his travels and work, my brother has gotten in with some race teams. Right up his alley, you see, because Kris is a huge racing fan. He has met lots of drivers (Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Kyle Petty) and made major connections with Jack Roush. Just this past weekend, Kris "worked" the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona race. In the pits, hobnobbing with drivers and grease-monkeys alike. Below is the latest exploit of his latest run in with a star. Now girls, you can be jealous too. Recognize him??? Good, now you can hate my brother too.

Thumbs up, Thumbs down

Ashleigh and I have been on a little bit of a movie kick lately and I figured I'd give you the dish.

Yes Man - I went in to this movie with relatively high expectations and they were met. Although Jim Carey is getting older, he still has what it takes to play almost any character. His character here is different from almost anything I've seen him do. Verdict: Since this movie is out of the theaters already, I'd say put it at the top of your Netflix queue.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop - Pretty low expectations going in to this one, and I was quite surprised with how much I enjoyed it. This flick is aimed at pre-teens/teens, and is relatively clean language-wise. Verdict: Skip the theater and put it in your 2nd tier Netflix queue.

Grand Torino - Wow! This movie was much better than I expected. The language was horrible, but the message was outstanding. Clint Eastwood plays a 75 year old Dirty Harry (and he looks older than that) making things right in his neighborhood. Verdict: If you are not politically correct and can overlook bad language, I'd go see it in the theater. BTW, we saw this on the Prive' screen at Monaco...probably 40% larger screen and better seats than the normal venues (at a 40% premium ticket price).

What we've seen on Cable.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - A classic that Ashleigh and I both really liked. The interaction between Paul Newman and Robert Redford is so unexpected. I'd say that even if you don't like "westerns" but you like comedies, you like this flick. It's more of a comedy than anything. Verdict: DVR it today.

Juno - A modern society view of teenage pregnancy that turns a bad situation into kind of a jovial one (if that's possible). Not a bad flick, and I could do without the swearing, but not bad overall. Verdict: If it's on HBO, and you have time watch it.

On The Road Again...

That's right. As luck may have it, I am travelling once again -- back in Dallas. I like my job. I don't mind travelling some. I am guessing that I spent 60+ nights away from home. More than half that out of the country. That's a lot of time away from home. Anyway, I am very blessed to have a wife who is supportive and independent. She allows me to travel with less anxiety than it might be otherwise. Thanks Babe, I'll be home soon!

New Year Commitments

Resolutions are easy to make and just as easy to break. Therefore, I am making New Year's Commitments. Much stronger, don't you think?!? So here they are in no particular order.

In 2009, I commit myself...

to being a servant. This means to God, to Ashleigh, my family, my friends, and my country. In 2008, I went on my first mission trip. So sad, at the age of 29, I go on my first trip.

to be more understanding and less prejudiced. This is just one of the things that Jesus showed yet isn't highlighted in scripture. Not once did you read about someone with an illness who wanted to be cured and Jesus getting upset by that person's presence. Not once did He look the other way to avoid eye contact with someone in need. Jesus didn't flinch when the lepers came to him to be healed (even though they were society's outcasts).

to watch my tongue. If you know me well, you know I have a sharp tongue. Mostly with witty quips that might sound funny coming out, but stick in my brain like the aroma from Rosie's will stick to your clothes. For some reason, my wit resides in my throat, clearly bypassing the filters in my brain.

to get off my tail. I have let complacency creep in to my life this past year. I am happy to sit on my tail, putting off the things I need to do to the last minute. I have gotten downright lazy and it stops here.

to focus. I noticed something about myself several months back that really troubles me. I can be fervently completing a task, get diverted for a brief moment, and quit and do something else. How frustrating to have 50 tasks be 75% done!

to love. This has never been a real weakness for me, but who in their right mind can say that they show "love" just enough?

OK, so there you have it World. I put myself out there. Our lives are open novels, and I need you to help me keep my commitments. Only 358 more days to go.

New Year, Wrong Foot

The New Year has arrived and has brought with it a mean cold. After being around Ashleigh for 3 days, I finally caught her sickness. That's right, my legendary immune system, with a following similar to Chuck Norris, gave in. This is the immune system that allowed me to get perfect attendance throughout school (1st-12th grade), turn the 24-hour-bug into 15 minutes, ward off countless Ashleigh-borne influenza, just to name a few. I mean, the CDC draws blood from me every year to use in designing flu shots.

Either way, this illness between Ashleigh and I has prevented a real Holiday. There have been days over the past 2 weeks when our cars never left our driveway; even days when the shower fairy didn't visit until after dinner (yes, that is gross). On the bright side, Ashleigh and I have been hanging out a lot over the past few days. I have enjoyed that part immensely much in part because she hasn't made me watch 50 romantic comedies and has allowed me to watch football until I'm blue in the face.

Anyway, I hope your new year is fabulous and remember, if you see my immune system coming you have only minutes to live, if you don't see it, it's already too late.