Fragile Empire

A provocative Op/Ed from the LA Times this weekend..
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-ferguson28-2010feb28,0,2697391.story

Friday Thoughts...

Again, I've waited until Friday to say anything at all on my blog, but I've been active on Twitter all week (drwilliamsisin and workthecloud).  Here are some news and notes from the week...

• Madison made some delicious cupcakes this week.  Yum!
• The big news is Matt's big show is this week.  Opening night was last night and it was a blast!  We enjoyed the show a lot and Matt was terrific.  Mimi is coming to town tomorrow to see it.  We're all looking forward to seeing her...it's been nearly a year.
• Tonight we're hosting the youth group for Matt's show and then a party at our house after.  Should be a kick.
• I wrapped up the first half of the semester this week.  I had my students over for lunch on Wednesday and we had a wonderful time enjoying some burritos and getting to know one another a bit better.
• I'm on "spring break" next week with no classes again for ten days. :-)
• I finally was able to catch up with JA this week.  We got together one night after everyone was in bed and watch thy Olympics and caught up on about a year's worth of news. 
  
• ACU announced their new President...and he's my age!  Holy moly!
  
• Big news this week is that Google released "Buzz" and promptly received a class-action lawsuit from a Harvard Law student for privacy invasion.

• We are LOVING the Olympics!  Vonn, White, Mancuso, Teeter...what a fun group of athletes.  The highlight so far has been that almost every sport we've seen Madison has said "I could do that!"  She really believes it too. :-).  So yesterday on our way up from the gym we tried some "speed skating training" that we had seen on the Olympics.  It wore her out in about 5 minutes!  She responded..."Well, I said I could be a speed skater, not that I could do those silly exercises!". :-)
  

I love the olympics!

It's hard to say how much I love the Olympics...especially the Winter Olympics.  I have such fond memories of the Miracle on Ice, Eric Heiden, Bonnie Blair, Picabo Street, and so many others.  There is something magical about watching these incredible athletes doing things we could never do (short-track, speed skating) or WOULD never do (luge/skeleton). 
I've so enjoyed watching each nights' events with the kids.  Our highlights so far were...

• sadness and sympathy for the two Korean skaters who fell in the final turn of the final lap of the 1500 Meter finals allowing two US Skaters to medal. 
  
• Amazement at the speed and courage of those freakin' downhill skiiers.  Holy moly...why would a person do that?
• I'd never seen the Snowboard Cross event before...how fun!  What a wonderful addition to the games.
• The moguls freestyle is simply amazing.  That anyone can do that without killing themselves defies imagination.
• Do you know any human who could complete (not compete, but merely complete!) the Nordic combined?  Holy moly...to XC ski that far at full speed?  Wow.

If you've not watched any of this so far...tune in!  Take an hour or two and just see what's going on.  But please...use TiVO.  The commercials are awfully frequent and long.

Random Friday (on Tuesday!)

Sorry for the delay.  Last week was quite busy so my regular Friday column kept getting postponed until it became a Monday column. :-)

Why?  Why you ask? 

Well, of course, the big thing was Valentine's Day.  We've got a wonderful tradition going back about 12 years.  The tradition is to invite a couple of others to join us for a Valentine's Celebration.  We get a sitter, send the ladies out for a trip to the salon and the guys prepare a wonderful meal and evening at home.  We usually choose a couple of couples to celebrate with and over the years we've shared these evenings with some of our dearest friends. 

Highlights this year include...

• a gourmet italian feast with asparagus wrapped in crisp prosciutto, home made foccaccia, shrimp scampi, chopped salad, butternut squash soup, chicken parmiagiana, fresh marinara sauce, and chocolate mouse.
• A-Wall practically burned the house down while reaching for some Shrimp caused his napkin to go a bit too close to the flame...SHAZAM!!!  There was smoke, there was fire, there was stamping and screaming!  Finally the fire was put out and we all had a good laugh.
• The kids all slept over at a friend's house.  Next year, we may try to do Valentines with the friends who hosted the kids this year...
  

In other news...

• The Pepperdine community is saddened by the loss of Judge Kenneth Starr.  Kenn today announced that he is taking the presidency of Baylor University.  He will do very well there, and we will miss him here.  It's funny...when I tell people that I'm at Pepperdine they usually know only two things about it...1) it's got an amazingly beautiful campus, and 2) Ken Starr is here.  While his politics have been controversial over the past twenty years, his leadership as a dean has been truly impressive.  Our rankings, reputation, and funding at the law school have all improved considerably under his leadership. 
  

While my family is totally snowed in MD, we're enjoying a heat wave here in SoCal.  This weekend it was in the mid-70's and a perfect weekend for a long ride.  I rode up to Port Heuneme and enjoyed a few hours in the saddle.  Ahhh..  This photo is from a parking lot right out on the beach.  What a great day. 

• I've been shopping for a year or so for a new bike.  I'm planning on getting a new bike as a reward if I receive tenure this year.  If I don't receive tenure, I promise NOT to go postal like the lady at University of Alabama did this weekend.  I think I'm going to get a Kawi Versys if things go well.
  
• Gong Hay Fat Choy! (that's happy Chinese new year)!  
• Sunday we took breakfast in bed to Matt & Madison (Marcus woke up too early).  Such a fun day...

• I'm teaching the Jr. High at church and loving it.  I'm doing a series on the gospel.  Its a lot of fun.
• OK..that's all for this week.  I'll update again on Friday.
  

Be observant of children and pets...

I just received the following email from my employer (who also happens to be my neighborhood association).

Dear Residents,

Public Safety has asked that we pass on the following information to you.

A local biologist that tracks collared mountain lions, has tracked one to the general area of the Baxter water tank. Mountain lions in the area are not an unusual occurrence, as they frequent the entire Santa Monica mountains.

Please be observant of children and pets.

Thank you.

Assistant Real Estate Manager

Pepperdine University Real Estate Operations

I love the last line... I don't know about you, but I read it as "You can observe this 300lb mountain lion consume the children and pets!  The show starts at dusk!  Don't miss it!"  :-)

Father-Daughter Dance at Malibu Pres

Madison and I had an absolute blast at the Malibu Pres Father-Daughter Dance.  We danced until we were exhausted.  She taught me the swing, the meringe (sp?), and another one I didn't know the name of.  We had so much fun. 

Before we left I made two promises to her:

1. I would try my best to do the dances she taught me.
2. I would not embarrass her (she made me promise this one!)

Well, after those two promises you can imagine my surprise when the DJ asked for "four fathers with great moves to come up to the stage" and Madison forced my hand up.  I said, "Madi!  I don't have great moves... this will be embarrassing!", but she wanted me up there.  Of course, the DJ chose me and 3 other hopeless looking dads to come up and get our groove on.

Our challenge?

The Chicken Dance.

Oh man, was it fun.  I clucked and got down as well as I could and came in a solid second-place.  Madi was so proud!  It was one of the best nights I can remember in a long time.  Truly magical.  You can see a few photos on my flickr page (see the photos on the right side of this page).

I love my little girl.  She is really a sweet, kind, intelligent, and funny person.  I'm very proud.

4-Days and Counting

Valentines is one of my favorite holidays.  For the past 12 years or so I've coordinated a Valentines event with friends where the guys put on a lovely dinner and entertainment for our wives.  Last year we had a Greek-themed blowout with friends who had grown up in Greece.  This year we're having a repeat with the same friends, but with an Italian theme.  The rules are

1. Nothing canned or bottled.
2. Nothing frozen.
3. Nothing purchased pre-made.

 Any suggestions for the menu?

Go saints?

I'm quasi rooting for the Saints today. The reason? Bob Irsay! As a person who spent more of my life in MD than any other state, I still have not forgive him for moving the Colts from Baltimore because the city fathers had the audacity to ask him to help pay for a stadium for his team.

I think the Colts will win, but wouldn't a Saint victory be something?

Friday Thoughts...

Inspired by DMC's recent post, I've decided to do a "Friday Thoughts" column each week.  this will just be random updates and events in my life.  It's going to be boring, irrelevant, and non-newsworthy.  However, it's what's going on.  if you are still interested...read on.

• Son #2 loves the cub scouts.  He just started a few weeks ago, but he's totally eating it up.  Here is a photo of him all ready for school this week...
  
  
• I'm so grateful for our new home.  We moved in February and the view from here just never gets old.  Here's a recent sunrise with the moon still hanging over the bay.
  
• We're having our DC friends over for dinner tonight. We've not seen them since November! We try to have one big get together each month, but we've missed the last few. Sadly, the Reverend won't be at this one, but hopefully we'll see him before too long.  In honor of the Rev, we're having BBQ Brisket, homemade cornbread, beans, and cole slaw. 
  
• We're going to a friends house for the Annual GSBM Full-Time MBA Faculty Super Bowl party on Sunday.  In honor of our IN roots, we're bringing brats and Miller High Life.  Thanks to Kerry Ward for introducing me to bratwurst when we lived in Bloomington.
• Read Speed of Trust.  It's excellent for anyone who deals with people in a professional setting.  Even if you are a volunteer at church, you'll get a lot of value from this simple book about how being a trustworthy person builds effectiveness.
• IMHO, the whole Toyota thing is a bunch of crock being sold by corporate media.  I'm sure there is some problem, but it's not nearly as big as it's being billed.  Come on!  It's been the cover story of WSJ, NYT, LAT, CNN... for a week now.  My only explanation is that 1) the millions of Toyota customers out there are worried, so they are interested in watching/reading this "news" and/or 2) Rupert Murdoch owns stock in GM & Ford.
• Have you tried the news skimmer from NYTimes?  It's the best way to read the news in print.
• IMHO - there are clearly no women on Apple's new product development team.  How else do you explain the iPad? (Check out this great MadTV skit if you haven't already seen it... "iPad")
• Thinking about pulling the trigger on this new bike from ebay...A v strom 650.
• Finally...tomorrow night is the MPC Father-Daughter dance.  Madison is SO excited.  She's been practicing dance at school this semester and can't wait to teach me a thing or two.  Should be a blast!  I'll post photos next week.
  

Long time coming...

Wow...it's been over a month since I've blogged.  Thanks to my favorite cousin for pointing out that I've fallen off the cliff.  A few thoughts...

• I've pretty much migrated to Twitter and FB...mostly Twitter.  You can find my work-related tweets at http://www.twitter.com/DrWilliamsIsIn.  I sometimes post a few personal thoughts at http://www.twitter.com/m5williams.
• I've been thinking a lot lately...and reading.  I'm enjoying "The Speed of Trust", and "The Yiddish Policemen's Union", and am just staring "The Immortal Life of Henrietty Locks".  
• I'm rooting for the Saints just because Irsay moved the Colts from Baltimore in the middle of the night and I've never forgiven him.  I think my first NFL stadium was old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.  
• I really like Spanish Garnacha wine.  I just discovered it recently and can't think of another wine I like as well.
• Today Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy (aka the Swing Vote) spoke at Pepperdine today.  In typical fashion, I was too busy grading papers to attend. How short-sighted is that!?!@?!?!!?
• I'm thinking of buying a Nexus and selling my iPhone.  Any thoughts?  Don't get me wrong... I love my iPhone, but I'm not much of an Apple guy.
• In the last few weeks I've cleared out about $300 worth of crap from my office through eBay.  Mostly old books from my PhD program.  But also a couple of mobile phones.  The oddest item of questionable value?  An old book from my Missiology studies that still had the "ACU BOOKSTORE" sticker on it.  I just sold it for 3.5x the "new" price.
• I miss my friend JA.  I haven't seen him for more than 5-minutes since he took his new job and I moved across the street.
• I can't WAIT for a motorcycle ride with my brother in May.  Rte. 66 from Flagstaff to Chicago.  Holy moly it's going to be fun!
• I'm one of those that are moving my money from Big Banks.  I know it won't make a big macro-economic difference since there aren't many of us, and the big banks will just pass it on to the customers anyway.  But in principle, I just can't stand to support them any longer.  I've changed my accounts from BoA to University Credit Union .  I'll keep you posted.
• Children 2 & 3 were both very sick last week.  The bad news was they barely got out of bed.  The good news is that they both started reading Harry Potter and are totally addicted.  Daughter read 1 book a day for the whole week.  Amazing.
• We re-joined Netflix recently.  The best part is that it streams to our new Xbox 360.  We rarely watch DVDs now.
• I've recently discovered a new favorite... Lindt Dark Chocolate with at Touch of Sea Salt.  Absolutely amazing.  I could eat one bar a day.
• I'm trying to read about 50-80% of my reading on my Sony Reader.  I love the form factor, but I need better light than I do with a paper book.

Long time coming...

Wow...it's been over a month since I've blogged.  Thanks to my favorite cousin for pointing out that I've fallen off the cliff.  A few thoughts...

• I've pretty much migrated to Twitter and FB...mostly Twitter.  You can find my work-related tweets at http://www.twitter.com/DrWilliamsIsIn.  I sometimes post a few personal thoughts at http://www.twitter.com/m5williams.
• I've been thinking a lot lately...and reading.  I'm enjoying "The Speed of Trust", and "The Yiddish Policemen's Union", and am just staring "The Immortal Life of Henrietty Locks".  
• I'm rooting for the Saints just because Irsay moved the Colts from Baltimore in the middle of the night and I've never forgiven him.  I think my first NFL stadium was old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.  
• I really like Spanish Garnacha wine.  I just discovered it recently and can't think of another wine I like as well.
• Today Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy (aka the Swing Vote) spoke at Pepperdine today.  In typical fashion, I was too busy grading papers to attend. How short-sighted is that!?!@?!?!!?
• I'm thinking of buying a Nexus and selling my iPhone.  Any thoughts?  Don't get me wrong... I love my iPhone, but I'm not much of an Apple guy.
• In the last few weeks I've cleared out about $300 worth of crap from my office through eBay.  Mostly old books from my PhD program.  But also a couple of mobile phones.  The oddest item of questionable value?  An old book from my Missiology studies that still had the "ACU BOOKSTORE" sticker on it.  I just sold it for 3.5x the "new" price.
• I miss my friend JA.  I haven't seen him for more than 5-minutes since he took his new job and I moved across the street.
• I can't WAIT for a motorcycle ride with my brother in May.  Rte. 66 from Flagstaff to Chicago.  Holy moly it's going to be fun!
• I'm one of those that are moving my money from Big Banks.  I know it won't make a big macro-economic difference since there aren't many of us, and the big banks will just pass it on to the customers anyway.  But in principle, I just can't stand to support them any longer.  I've changed my accounts from BoA to University Credit Union .  I'll keep you posted.
• Children 2 & 3 were both very sick last week.  The bad news was they barely got out of bed.  The good news is that they both started reading Harry Potter and are totally addicted.  Daughter read 1 book a day for the whole week.  Amazing.
• We re-joined Netflix recently.  The best part is that it streams to our new Xbox 360.  We rarely watch DVDs now.
• I've recently discovered a new favorite... Lindt Dark Chocolate with at Touch of Sea Salt.  Absolutely amazing.  I could eat one bar a day.
• I'm trying to read about 50-80% of my reading on my Sony Reader.  I love the form factor, but I need better light than I do with a paper book.