Thursday, August 21, 2008

My Olympic Suggestions

Several weeks ago, I realized that for the first time in my life, I was not interested in the upcoming Olympic games. Having always been a huge fan, I wasn't sure if my indifference was due to the "China" factor or the realization that my short-term goals do not include stopping to watch television for two weeks.

However ... when the swimmers got started, I was hooked. The whole Michael Phelps story was terrific and I really enjoyed Rowdy Gaines' presence on the broadcast. Rowdy, a former "fastest swimmer on the planet", and I had several classes together in college and he is a great guy. When the Phelps mini-documentary...

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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The Worst Day of the Year

I will warn you now. This particular posting is not for children ...

There. That got your attention, didn't it? Well, here goes ...

Remember the Fifth Decision, Today I Will Choose To Be Happy? I must confess that "today" ... I am not! Here on the gulf coast, it is the first day of school. School? In the middle of August? Holy cow! The kids weren't even released (notice my little "prison" metaphor?) until June!

It is about 8:30 AM. I just got back into my office. Polly and I both took the boys...

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Monday, August 4, 2008

To Err is Human ...

He was a CEO—a leader of thousands. I had seen him on television and read about him in magazines and newspapers. I had only met the man an hour before, but now, I watched as he laid his head on his desk and cried.

His stockholders had turned their backs, the corporation's Board of Directors were abandoning him, his wife was moving out ... The man was in a tragic mess of his own making.

"I just don't understand how this could have happened," he sobbed for what must have been the tenth time.

Contrary to his assessment of the situation,...

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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

TV or Not TV ... That is the Question!

How much television do you watch? The A.C. Nielsen Company recently reported that 95% of Americans get a strong dose of television every day. The average adult watches a bit more than 34 hours per week; the average child between the ages of two and five watches 3.5 hours per day; and the average adult over fifty-five watches more than 6 hours of television every single day!

But I'm not average, you might say... That's probably true. Okay then, forget "how much you watch"—let's talk about what you...

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Thursday, July 17, 2008

Please Brett ... Don't

I remember the day last spring when Brett Favre retired. My eight year old heard it first and came to tell me. Two days later, we watched his press conference together on ESPN and then carefully saved the following week's Sports Illustrated with Brett on the cover, crying.

We are not so much Green Bay Packers fans as we are Brett Favre fans. I have always loved to watch the guy play. And I love watching my sons pretend to be Brett. Adam and Austin will sometimes take turns passing the Nerf football in our backyard—"Watch me, Daddy ... I'm Brett...

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Thursday, July 10, 2008

To Tell The Truth

"Dad? How do you tell the good guys from the bad guys?"

Adam, my six year old, walked into my office wearing a coonskin hat. I was seated behind my desk, working on a publisher's deadline while he had been upstairs, watching an old Davy Crockett movie with his brother. My boy had seen Davy betrayed by two men traveling with him. The pioneer was surprised and unprepared, because he'd figured—as had my son—that the men were his friends.

"So how, Dad?" Adam pressed. "How can I tell a good guy from a bad guy?"

As I looked into my son's innocent blue eyes, I knew I couldn't ignore this...

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Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Why Motivational Speakers are Not Effective

Hi Everyone!

To say "I am overwhelmed" by your response to starting this blog would be understating it in the extreme. Am I the only one who read every posting from you? Or did you all do that? Either way ... WOW! As we get into more "life stuff" on this blog, I think our combined thoughts—available for everyone to see—will create great opportunities for us to learn and understand concepts that will make immediate differences in our lives.

Now ... how can we use this blog to enrich our lives? Can we become more productive in our careers? Can we be better parents or spouses or friends? Is it...

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Monday, June 23, 2008

My First Blog

Hi Everyone!

As of this very moment, I am diving off the high board and into the deep end of the pool ... THIS IS MY FIRST BLOG!

For some time now, I have watched and read the postings of beings far more experienced in navigating the blogosphere than I ... me ... whatever. There. Right there is one thing I have noticed: Grammer is not bubbling over the lip of the old blog bucket! However, with this blog, I will try to keep eeroors to a minimum.

Honestly, there have been many occasions when your written words have meant so much to me. And not just to me, but to family members and friends as well. Often, I have...

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Sunday, June 22, 2008

26 Curious Questions for Andy

Ever wondered what Andy's favorite color is? Or how about his favorite food? In this tell-all interview, we ask Andy some rather curious, not-so-normal questions.

1) Favorite color?

Red

2) Favorite number?

22 ... My birthday is on a 22 and 22 was the number of my favorite football player from my childhood ... Johnny Musso from the University of Alabama.

3) Birthday?

May 22, 1959. I was born in Birmingham, Alabama.

4) Parents?

Larry and Joyce Andrews My parents both majored in music and met at Howard College (now Samford University) in Birmingham, Alabama. Daddy was a...

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