New Feature: Motivational Mondays

Motivational Monday: Morning Glory

     Full disclosure: This is not a blog about how great Monday mornings are. Today, actually, was horrible. Curse you, Ben Franklin, for coming up with the whole time change idea. BUT...once in a while I catch hold of some good-ol'-fashion inspiration and want to share. So this new feature will take the inspiration from the previous week and pitch it your way, neatly packaged as a motivational piece of prose.

     Last night, Kimberly and I watched a new movie called Morning Glory. If you can ignore some sexual content and language, the movie is superb. Without giving away too many spoilers, here it goes:

     The main character is a news producer working in morning news programming (thus, the title). Her dream job has always been to serve as a producer for The Today Show, but she's had a rough go at it. Apparently her dad was in the business and inspired her, but the issue isn't particularly well-developed in the plot. During her job search, even her mother tells her to give up on her dream of making it big-time and producing for a major program. Anyway, she lands a job producing for a national network who has experienced consistently poor performance. The line she repeats almost ad nauseam is "The show/staff/I just need someone to believe in it/them/me." This motif continues throughout the film until, inevitably, she pulls it off and the show becomes a hit. After navigating impossibly infuriating obstacles, her persistence and energy paid off. The show became a hit.

     Now that's just a synopsis, but the movie really was inspiring to me. Sure, underneath it all there was a love story; the point was to find a balance between work and personal lives which allows for you to develop as a whole person. But the more inspiring part came from that line I said became almost nauseating: "The show/staff/I just need someone to believe in it/them/me." She was right, really. Throughout the show, no one believed in her as a producer. Not even her own mom! What made the difference for this character? 

She started to believe in herself.

     Sometimes, especially with young people, we can feel just like the character in this movie. It's easy to let older, smarter, richer, or wiser people crush a dream with the gravity of "reality". It's easy for us to betray ourselves and admit that our ideas aren't probable. It's easy to give up and accept mediocrity or sell out. The harder thing is to be the bold, confident person who makes a difference. You don't need the backing of a giant corporation or the approval of society. All you need is a good work ethic and a strong belief in yourself. Today, it's about choosing who and what you want to be. A person with passion and vision and direction will go far, but he will never achieve his potential unless he believes himself to be totally prepared and qualified to succeed.

     Ever see those people who seem to be good at whatever they do? Make up your mind to be that person. You can be your greatest motivator or your greatest detractor. Whose side will you be on? Stand up for yourself and decide: "I can do this." Be bold and unafraid.

Family Friday

Fast Times at Ridgemont High The Buck House

     Man! This week flew by! I didn't even realize it was Friday until I realized it was Friday. By the time it got here, I realized I hadn't been a very faithful blogger. But I couldn't let Family Friday slip through the cracks. This week was kind of a big week for us. Nothing serious, just trucking along.

     And now...PICTARS!

     Needed a picture for the church directory and ended up getting some great shots. Here's the highlight reel:

Little Turd hamming it up for the camera.

We'll Be Re-Taking Family Pictures Soon...Don't Want Baby to Feel Left Out!

"Come On, Sickos...We're Trying To Take a Picture Here"

     All together now..."Awwww!" Brodie and I have gotten to spend quite a bit of time together lately, compared to usual. Between working and schooling all the time, it gets really hard to see him or Kimberly. Usually I leave for school before they do, and by the time Kimberly is getting off work I'm headed to the Olive Garden. With any luck, though, it's a temporary ailment. 

     Kimberly and I also are on a bit of a healthy kick. We're not fanatics, but we've stocked the house with healthier snacks and are making healthier decisions about what we eat. Over the past two months I've meandered down from 250 pounds to 235. It's not a huge difference, but it's a difference. Now rather than fluctuating between 248-252, I'm floating around 233-237. So that's a good start. We dug out the P90X, too. Full disclosure: I don't much care for working out. But I'm down for punching an imaginary man in the face.

     A major upcoming decision is starting to really stress me out. I won't apply to law school until January 1st, 2012, but I'm really stressed about how it will come out. Everything is kind of riding on it, and it's a do-or-die decision for us. I've got to prepare to re-take the LSAT, probably this October, and I need a 159. Last time I took it cold, with no prep, and scored a 150, so I'm excited about my prospects. But a less-than-stellar start to my undergraduate career may undermine my chances of getting a fellowship, which would pay for my schooling and provide a stipend. If that doesn't work out, I'd still be eligible for a scholarship. If you're the praying type, hit up the Heavenly Homeboy for me. If you're not...well, go to church, fool! Sheesh,

     In other news, the baby has been really mobile in Kimberly's little tummy. If I lay my big ol' head on the baby bump, she pushes it off. I like that, though. Hopefully she'll do the same thing when little boys start trying to get too close. We're still kind of hung up on a name, though we've got some favorites. But we've agreed not to post anything online until it's on the birth certificate. Side note: Last week Kimberly got a shot in the butt. What a trooper. I'm glad the childbirth part isn't in my job description; the whole thing seems terribly uncomfortable.

     That's it for this week! Off to serve some salad and breadsticks. Hope y'all had a good week and are gonna enjoy this beautiful Arkansas weekend!

New Feature: Family Friday

The Kids Are Alright

  

     It occurred to me that my two-year-old is probably a little more internet-popular than me, and some folks might just want to check up on the family Kimberly and I are building. Welcome, supplicants, to the new feature aptly called "Family Friday". 

     Let's start out with some redundant introductions. Here we are a measly 7.5 months ago, returning from a post-wedding getaway to the entertainment Mecca of the mid-South: Branson, Missouri.

 

     There's ol' Kimberly (alternately, KimBuckTu, Kimbo Slice) up top, the Buckmeister in the middle, and Little Turd in the lap. Full disclosure: since this picture, all of our bellies have grown. Brodie eats like a horse out to pasture, Kimberly's eating for six, and I get the table scraps.

     Brodie was born October 6, 2008, making him two-and-a-half years old. He's a real toot, but we love him to death. Speaking of toots, he's recently learned to control his tooting mechanism, and is having way too much fun entertaining us with his gaseous expulsions. He's especially fond of announcing the fact that gas has been passed in public, when we'd rather that he were a bit more discrete.

     Kimberly is currently pregnant with the Littlest Turd, our first (and, hopefully, only) little girl. Right now we're still unsettled on a name, so serious suggestions can be left for us in the comments. We were totally prepared for another little boy. All of our boxes of baby clothes had been prepared and all of our boy toys were being saved. All the while, God was chuckling at the thought that we could will the gender of our child. To me, one boy and one girl makes the ideal little family. Ding! Done. But Kimberly says she wants more babies; since she's the boss, the jury's still out on what we'll do after this baby is born. I'm working on convincing her that she wants what I want...I'll let you know how that goes.

     I mentioned above that we got married this past summer. 

     The past seven months have been really great for us. Our house was built before we were married, but Kimberly was only in it about a month before the wedding and we've been living here since then. I like to think our house helps my case for only having two children, since we only have three bedrooms. 

     Kimberly works with her family business, Caruth-Hale Funeral Home, and I'm still finishing up school. In December I will graduate from Henderson State (hopefully cum laude but definitely with Pi Sigma Alpha honors) and officially start Master of Liberal Arts studies at the same university. In January, I'll apply to law school and see what happens. With some work on my part I'll hopefully get a fellowship or scholarship; otherwise, $40-50,000 is a lot to shell out when you're a young family of four.

    So there you have it. Our little family in a nutshell. Check back each Friday for updates. Between Kimberly's pregnancy and Brodie's fight against potty-training, I'm sure there will ever be good material.

Quttin' TIme

Don't get me wrong. It's been a fun ride. But I'm done with blogging.

Three posts into my blog and I only have one follower. I don't know how many people have looked at my blog, but it can't be good. My Facebook Page has no fans, and I don't think anyone actually reads this thing. Clearly, no one appreciates my witty commentary on current events, hair bands, and the lack of symmetry on either side of my face. It's been a fun ride, but I'm done. I give up.

Now what if I were serious? Would it really be that out of place? Sure, everything I've said is true. I'm certainly not qualifying as a professional blogger. Should I quit, though?


So many people in our culture would say, "Absolutely!" That's the answer those people might choose for themselves, too. Young people, in particular, suffer from this lack of long-term resolve; how many commitments make it past that initial, exciting stage? How many marriages crumble in less than a year? "Well, if it hasn't happened by now, it probably won't."


At this point, I could tell you political junkies about Abe Lincoln's many character-building defeats. I could tell my Christian friends about the patience and faith of Job. I could tell you sports fans about Lou Montanez signing with the Orioles after nine years in the minors. Frankly, though, not that many people read my blog. Assuming that three different types of people hang on my every word seems a little pretentious.


So let me just say: Rome wasn't built in a day. Every path has its puddle. Where there's a will, there's a way. Pick your cliche. Just don't give up.

Thursday Funk

 Funky Ears

     A book written by two German authors says that van Gogh did not actually sever his own ear; according to these historians, his good friend Gauguin chopped it off with a sword during a fight. Now I'm all for historical accuracy...but I much prefer the version that has the tormented artistic genius slicing off his own earlobe.

     Why? Because I wouldn't blame him. After all, whose ears are perfectly symmetrical? Show me two ears that match up perfectly on either side of someone's head and I'll change my mind, but I'm convinced that our ears are all just a little crooked. So I wouldn't blame van Gogh for cutting off one or both of his ears.

     Staring at my reflection in the laptop screen, I'm not sure sure my ears are safe, either.

Weekly Big Blog

The Great American Sellout

Recent turmoil in the northern parts of Africa and in the Middle East have sent a clear message to autocratic regimes; students and the educated lower-middle class are rising up. It is said that during a recent protest, the crowd appeared replete with hair-band wigs and fingerless gloves for a stirring rendition of that Twisted Sister classic that embodies their movement.

Did that really happen? No. But it sounds more exciting than, “Generational, class, and culture conflicts are stirring the middle class to topple a regime which has become more and more autocratic over three decades of U.S. support.” And while American pundits scramble for the latest headline, the whole ordeal has got me to thinking: Why are we still takin’ it? Isn’t this a democratic country? Don’t we have the power (nay, the responsibility!) to shake off the dust and get our country moving?

But seriously, why are we so demotivated? There are more students in the United States than in any other country. In home videos from our parents’ era students are taking radical action to get their points across. Today, we grumble about a lack of parking spaces at a university whose parking capacity is probably 60% underutilized. Even on such petty issues students are treated with no respect. What happened to the fear of retribution? What happened to responsive administrations who knew students held the fate of the future in their hands?

I’ll tell you what happened: the Great American Sellout. It’s ingrained in our culture. Because the governors who allowed higher education budgets to plummet following the 1960’s student movements and the lawmakers who still don’t stop educational institutions from raping us were students once, too. They’ve been there and done that; surely they sympathize with us when we tell them education is too expensive and today’s educational access standards are outdated and too rigid to keep us competitive…right? Right?

Wrong. Lawmakers and administrators don’t care about students anymore; they aren’t students themselves. Like upperclassmen in high school, they couldn’t care less about the poor freshmen suffering through the hazing rituals that “build character” and “add to the experience.” Last I checked, though, unavoidable, crippling debt weren’t part of high school hazing rituals. It’s not entirely their fault, either: students have sold out hard, too. 

Too many of us are complacent about this. Sometimes we even get happy about things like the governor raising education spending by 2.9% this year. Sure, it sounds good, but read on. And I quote, “a 2.9 percent increase would be enough to maintain school funding at constitutionally adequate levels” (Senate’s Weekly Update). Are you joking?! You’re only increasing state education funding because you’re constitutionally required to? To put it in perspective, state prisons are slated to receive increased funding this year, too; however, the 2.2% increase there is totally optional and  not constitutionally mandated.

So why aren’t we ticked off? Because there’s “financial aid” out there. Who remembers when the lottery scholarship idea was floated around? It sounded great: everyone who qualified would get one. But it didn’t work out that way, did it? And no one even mentioned that little hiccup. Those that were angry about a lack of transparency in the selection process and the still-murky goings-on at the Department of Higher Education and the Lottery Commission were paid off by being allowed to pick up a scholarship in the spring after those “more qualified scholars” dropped or failed out of school. Not to mention that the lottery scholarships don’t come close to covering the cost of college, and even with a Pell Grant the money will be eaten up soon enough by tuition and fees, leaving students to fend for themselves when it comes to room, board, books, and gas. But this year the generous people at the federal student loan program are automatically crediting our student accounts with loan money! I hear they’re also handing out shackles at no charge and trading belly-lint for souls. 

Big hair. Fingerless gloves.
Revolution.

 So listen up, kids. I’m not advocating any kind of violent upheaval. But at this point a twitch of student discomfort would be a huge change of pace. We need to get back to a position of influence and activism. Our freedoms have inspired other parts of the world to act; let’s take a lesson now from them. It’s time to bust out the hair-band wigs and fingerless gloves, people. You gotta fight for your right to party. We’re not gonna take it anymore. Rock the boat. You don’t have to be original. Just be ticked off. And for God’s sake let someone know about it.

Introducing: The Funk

Funk [fuhngk], noun: The state or quality of being funky.
Funky [fuhngki], adjective: Passionate, soulful, of or pertaining to funk. Authentic; earthy. Stylish and exciting; cool.

Life can be any way you make it out to be. By nook and crook mine's turned out a little funky, and I'm pretty excited about it. Join me here for daily thoughts and a weekly Big Blog. I'll try to keep you informed and entertained as I express The Funk for interested readers.