GIRL!
Yesterday I went to the park to play basketball in some pick-up games (to read about the first time that didn't go so well, click here). It started badly when the 2 captains (I thoughts only school kids did that) picked teams. This got a little awkward because there were 11 guys and you only need 10 to play. Guess who didn’t get picked. I took my walk of shame and sat on the bench to wait for the next game. Once I got it, it went slightly better than last time. Overall, I had 6 points for the night, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 2 shots blocked (I didn’t block the shots, my shots were blocked. One time by a kid that was 6 inches shorter than me). There are a couple reasons I like doing this. First, it’s a chance to build relationships with some of the guys in my community. Second, there is something about being a little reckless with your body that makes you feel like a kid again. By the end of the night, I had a skinned knee and my ankles were a bit stiff….and I never felt better.
Recently after returning a movie to Blockbuster I got a coupon for free popcorn at AMC theaters. I found this odd because wouldn’t Blockbuster want you to see less movies at the theater? In most cases you wouldn’t rent a movie you saw in the theater and also, isn’t renting movies the alternative to seeing them in the theater to begin with?
An article on Slate.com reviewing a new book, The World Without Us, points out that having children is harmful to the environment, since they come with their own lifetime carbon footprint for the earth to deal with. So.....not having babies would be vastly more beneficial to the environment than the sum of other eco-friendly alternatives.
Safe to say that Janelle and I will be ignoring this advice.
Recently during the Poff Retreat, we went canoeing with the family. It wasn’t the canoe rental company’s best day. We had to wait about 2 hours after we paid before we finally hit the water. It was chaotic and none of the employees ever communicated to the customers what was going on. My brother-in-law (Jared) and I spent the time discussing different process management methods they could use to speed things up. At the same time there were a group of guys loading the boats on the racks. When we got there the same group of guys helped everyone into their boats. It wasn’t until a little later that I realized that they weren’t employees but part of a neighborhood group of families (about 40 of them) that came up together for some camping and a canoe trip.
It was then I realized a couple things:
1) I was blown away by their kindness and helpfulness for people they didn’t know. This wasn’t a church group, it was a neighborhood group. I then wandered if church groups would have acted the same way…probably not.
2) People crave for community. I wander if these people find the same kind of community at their church.
3) I was too busy criticizing to be part of the solution. While I was talking, these guys were helping. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how which had the most impact.
Most of you probably have heard my organ donor rant….so I’ll spare you for now. But I was reading an interesting post from the freakonomics blog that peaked my interest. It calls for offering shorter prison terms for living organ donations. Basically, the need for organs far outweighs the current supply (usually there are about 100,000 people on a waiting list at any one time), so it would give inmates an opportunity to donate their organs and get up to 18 months off their sentence.
What do you think?
Every year, the Poffs (Janelle's side of the family which include her parents, grandparents and her brothers families) get together for a long weekend which I have affectionately labeled the Poff Retreat. This year it was over Labor Day weekend at Crockett's Run.
