Mail Call

In college we had a guest lecturer who had a million stories in his pocket. He had worked as a trainer for the 76ers and then moved onto working at Nike and created his own role – the Katalyst. He generated ideas, encouraged play, spread inspiration and shared his passion for life. He is an agent for social change. Kevin Carroll has chased his dreams all his life and asked others to do the same. He is the author of a very well crafted and written book called “Rules of the Red Rubber Ball,” which I recommend you check out if you haven’t had your chance to lay your hands on a copy. Check out his blog at http://www.kevincarrollkatalyst.com/

During every speaking engagement I attended Kevin provided a slew of great reading materials that inspired him, forced him to think differently, or encouraged him to keep seeking life out of the everyday. One of the first times I attended one of Kevin’s lectures he recommended a fledgling magazine called Fast Company. Since that lecture I have been a loyal subscriber. Each month I look forward finding the latest issue in my mailbox. Every copy of Fast Company is stuffed full of business innovations, technology advances, leadership insights and social responsibility. They also have a great blog that you can access without being a subscriber of the magazine. I suggest checking it out also.

Civic Duty

In honor of the largest Super Tuesday ever, where 24 states will hold primaries or caucuses, I thought I would pass along an interesting site where those who get out and vote can post and share photos of their polling place experiences during the 2008 elections.

http://pollingplaces.nytimes.com/

Vote early, vote often.

2.7 Million orders off of the dollar value menu

We could feed a small nation off the money that went into Super Bowl advertising. I know I’m a day late in posting about the most talked about TV spots of the year, but I suppose better late than never.

First, I would just like to point out how difficult it is to retrain your mind into watching the commercials instead of stepping out of the room to grab more chips and guac when the break comes.

I really enjoyed the two Bridgestone tire commercials, especially the screaming squirrel and the other fearful woodland creatures afraid of getting hit by the on coming car, although the animals somewhat reminded me of those from the Jeep Liberty spot (not shown during the football game) where the animals are riding along in the vehicle.

I didn’t really understand why Ford chose to promote their strong tow hooks with the same commercial showing some four times during the Super Bowl.

Coming in as one of my least favorites would be the Audi R8 commercial, which I didn’t really follow (although some say it was the best spot to air). Guess it was a little over my head. The others not scoring strong were the salesgenie.com commercials – I recommend they go back to the drawing board (literally since they were animated spots).

Oh yeah, it was a pretty good football game in the end too!

Happiness was never mine before…

Friday night I came together with just over 500 fellow fans of The Fray for an intimate show at the Bluebird Theatre. They played nothing but new songs, some not yet complete with only a melody and some scattered lyrics. For only $10 a concert ticket, the price could not be beat. This week The Fray are returning to the studio to record an album due out this fall. I will admit I'm a little late in joining the die-hard locals who discovered this gem of a band, but after dancing in the pouring rain as Isaac serenaded the crowd with "You are my sunshine" at Red Rocks last summer I was music-struck.

Enjoy a little peak at what the 3 Bluebird shows held from someone who bravely recorded in a show that strictly prohibited any recording or photography.

A Dog Sits Waiting

A good friend of mine and her husband expanded their family last night with the addition of a four-legged beautiful dog. My friend volunteers weekly at the Denver Dumb Friend's League helping to counsel those looking to adopt. Their perfect dog had been waiting for a forever home since last October when the pup was rescued from an animal hoader's house where 68 other dogs were being kept. I wish the family all the love a new dog can bring to one's heart, and want them to know that when the dog training sessions get tiring to just remember, "Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend.!"

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras