Even in this "supersize it" culture, there's something magically childlike about seeing the world's largest pumpkin. Steve Connolly turned his hobby into a passion, setting a personal goal of growing the biggest pumpkin in the world! How childlike is this?! Apparently the conditions were "just right" this year in Sharon, Massachusetts, which helped to bring his record setting pumpkin to a whopping 1,878 lbs... and its still growing about 11 lbs. per day! Yikes! The coolest thing to think about, though, is that this very same pumpkin started from a seed just five months ago. Whew... I'm …
Maintain Perspective
Are You Happy?
A friend sent me this photo a few weeks ago. It's not some elaborate Photoshop trick; it's a real-live upside down rainbow, er, circumzenithal arc. The photo was taken in the UK by 60-year-old renowned astronomer and writer Dr Jacqueline Mitton. You can learn more about this super rare phenomenon here. The photo, which reminds me of a smile, got me thinking about happiness. …
On Pies and Pirate Hats
My dad turned 55 last Sunday. One of the cool things about my dad is that he has always kept his childlike spirit alive and well. Anyone who has spent any time reading his entries on the Escape Plan blog know that quite well. I didn't notice it as much growing up as I do now, although moments of my mom rolling her eyes at his antics seem to go back as far as I remember. So maybe it's not that I didn't notice it back then as much as I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now. Maybe I have enough years on me now to know that not every dad is as willing to let that childlike side come out to …
Tip of the Week: Paste Is Not A Food Group
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is #38: Paste is Not a Food Group: Make someone a homemade gift to show how much you care about him/her or to thank him/her for a job well done. Kids are experts at this! Any kindergarten teacher will tell you that there simply aren't enough bulletin boards available to post all of the "gifts" that they receive in a school year. Jason, being the creative/artistic (and childlike!) type has always been one to show his appreciation and affection through homemade gifts. His family home is filled with gifts he made for his parents …
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Disconnect
In August Jason and I went to the National Speakers Association Convention. While settling in for a session, I found a familiar face in the second row and we started chitchatting. There was a guy in front of us typing away on his Blackberry, looking concerned. He soon turned to us and said, "I think I'm going to have to move to the back, in case I get a phone call. I don't want to have to walk out if I'm sitting in the front row." My new friend and I were on the same wavelength. I replied, "Why don't you just turn your cell phone off and let your voicemail catch your calls for the next hour?" …
Tip of the Week: Sick of it Day
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is #40: Sick of it Day: Take the day off. Do anything you want, but no work and no chores. Consider it a sick day or at least a “sick of it” day. If you live in the United States, this one should be easy this week, since today is Labor Day. The reality is, however, that often times when presented with a day off our natural tendency is to fill it with things that "need" to get done... yard work, laundry, cleaning projects, etc. Do yourself and your loved ones a favor and let it all go. Enjoy the long overdue laziness of this final …
Mighty Mustaches
We held an Adultitis Clinic last weekend, and face painting was involved. It was the first time I have ever attempted face painting, and it was not without its challenges. One little seven-year-old girl had a specific request, but held back because she figured I wouldn't know what it was. Well that was all it took to stoke my competitive fires, so I urged her to tell me. Needless to say, I think I became the first face painter in the history of the world to paint a "shuga gliduh" on a little girl's face. A sugar glider, as I came to find out, is a small nocturnal animal from …
Tip of the Week: Instaparty
This week’s Escape Plan challenge (aka our Tip of the Week) is: #2 Instaparty: Find a reason to celebrate and do something to celebrate it. This past weekend Jason and I attended the wake of one of my former kindergarten students. She was ten and had battled cancer for the last 3+ years. Wakes are hard no matter what, but this one was probably the hardest one I've been to. With older folks who pass away, you can look back and celebrate their life and all that they were able to experience. In this case, I'm pretty sure everyone in that long line heading into the funeral home felt a sense of …
Be Happy Now
The street upon which our office/shop is located is getting torn up right now. There are gigantic trucks digging holes, dirt everywhere, lots of loud noises and large tubes lying around waiting to be put underground. It's a little boy's dreamland, and Jason and I saw this firsthand. While walking into the office we came upon a young mom and her two-year-old son in a stroller. They were parked on the sidewalk in front of our shop staring at the construction site. I immediately looked in the direction they were looking, to see if something cool was happening, but all I saw was a couple of guys …
The Problem With Next Year
Popular comedian Bernie Mac died last Saturday. He was only 50 years old. I was always impressed by his energy, enthusiasm and passion. I read an article about his passing and was struck by a particular passage: In 2007, Mac told David Letterman on CBS' "Late Show" that he planned to retire soon. "I'm going to still do my producing, my films, but I want to enjoy my life a little bit," Mac told Letterman. "I missed a lot of things, you know. I was a street performer for two years. I went into clubs in 1977." Now I don't know what Bernie meant by "soon" in regards to his retirement, but …