 a beautiful gift my co-workers at Sprint made for me Thank you Jay, "TeleNav Tim," Rick, Dominic, Jimmy & Dan for giving me the opportunities you did and for saying Yes to a kid who at times had no clue what he was doing, but together we figured things out. Today is my last day working for Sprint & it is bitter/ sweet leaving the industry after 16 years. Growing up my Dad used to tell my brother and I to find a job we loved and we'll never have to work a day in our lives; I found that to be especially true for the last decade and a half. I learned three very important things working in sales that I will take with me in this next chapter of my life.
People who help other people are the real MVP's.  If anyone gets the opportunity to volunteer and teach for a day I suggest you do it. I wish I understood earlier on in my career how important it is to help others succeed. Achieving goals of my own was great but helping others with something they are struggling with was much more rewarding than doing something for myself. While working at Sprint I was able to volunteer and be a teacher for a day nine different times and it was an amazing experience each and every time. I also got involved in a three year mentoring program at Joliet West High School through a program called My Brothers Keeper. We all have a unique set of skills, some of us are born with them and others spend a good amount of time perfecting our craft, whatever our skills are, share them with others & you will get it back 10 fold. Again, whatever the skills are, people who help other people are the real MVP's. For so many years I was focused solely on myself & self promotion, once I started helping others, doors opened and I began to see how rewarding it is to hear from someone they are better today than they were yesterday because of something we worked on together. Thank you Jay, Rick & Dan. Say Yes! Lunch with one of my favorite bosses TeleNav Tim. Thank you "TeleNav Tim" for giving me a chance and saying Yes to a 21 year old college kid slinging cell phones out of a Nextel shop in 2005. Truth be told I was scared to death the first time I presented "GPS Technology" in-front of a group of 10-15 seasoned sales professionals but you had faith in me that I didn't even see in myself at times. By saying Yes to things it allowed me to experience so much I may not have seen if I otherwise said No. I traveled all over the US and Canada and it didn't cost me a dime. I was able to surprise my Grandparents with a few visits to Florida when I had business meetings in Tampa, I saw the Statue of Liberty in NY with friends from College and I got to eat In & Out burger and see the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco every few weeks when I commuted back and forth to Sunnyvale on the west coast. Looking back I'm certainly not the same 21 year old I was wearing dockers and a wrinkled blue Nextel button up shirt, I'm now an adult that wears a wrinkled button up shirt & poorly tied neck tie. Thank you "TeleNav Tim." Chase something or someone. There are three things that I need every day to be happy; something to be proud of, something to work on & someone to chase. In the last 16 years I was darn proud of being a leader among my peers who some had been in the business twice as long as I was. Working in an industry where the only constant is change, I was continuously fine tuning my approach and had something new to work on every single day. As an Enterprise Accounts Implementation Manager, Solutions Engineer & Business Sales Trainer I was often around people that inspired me to be better; I was always chasing someone. I made it a goal of mine to surround myself around someone I wanted to be in five years. Tomorrow I get to be the person my eight year old self would really look up to; chase something or someone. Thank you Jimmy and Dominic.  thank you Mom & Dad Last but not least, Thank you Mom and Dad for your unwavering love and support the last 34 years. You have been an incredible inspiration. You continue to teach me there is no substitute for hard work. You taught me to always do my best, never give up, keep my commitments, and to be a good Man. If we ever stumbled you were there to give us strength with your unconditional love, even as grown men we turn to you for that same love & encouragement.  I love you Nicholas, Jackson and Charlotte Thank you for teaching me the importance of Grit, doing good work & having a positive attitude regardless of the circumstances. There is nothing more important to me than making you proud and being a positive influence to Jackson, Nicholas & Charlotte. Growing up you demonstrated “mental toughness” in facing adversity and you created the environment where it was ok to make mistakes. You both taught me me how important it is to accept failing fast so we can try again with the lessons learned. It is comforting and brings a sense of peace knowing that we don’t have to get things right every time but we can strive towards progress. Naturally leaving a profession that is all I've known since I was 18 years old brings mixed emotions. I am anxious, curious & optimistic but most of all I am prepared. Thank you Mom and Dad, I love you.  About 30 days from now I'm going to get my 1st cell phone bill since 1999. Last time I bought a phone it was a Nokia 6110, if anyone in the business can help me upgrade that dinosaur, I would really appreciate it. Thank you all for saying Yes, you helped me tremendously and you are the real MVP's. Go chase something & let me know how I can help. 
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 Flying home from Tampa yesterday the zippers in my suitcase burst at the seams once I got to my terminal. Thankfully I was able to use garbage bags to tie them together making a make shift bungee to get home. It made me think about people in foreign countries who do the best they can with the limited resources they have. They remain hopeful, calm, cool and collected as I did when all my luggage opened up and poured onto the floor at the busy but lovely Tampa International Airport. The issue was within my control and it wasn’t unmanageable yet. Without question it may be time for a new suitcase but this experience reminded me it may not always be the people that are the issue like I traditionally think. I am quick to jump to conclusions and pass judgement but there is often so much I don’t know. Would I be a bad person if I continued to use this tied up suitcase on my next trip? Not entirely but it is time for an upgrade.  While boarding, someone in line whispered to her husband to look at my tied up suitcase. While sitting in my seat after having my make shift suitcase on the airplane in the overhead container and tucked away for take off a flight attendant said “boy someone needs a new suitcase” as if I’ve been flying like that for years. I felt like a bum but not entirely because the other 90% of me was proud I got it to stay closed! I’ve been the flight attendant making jokes before and I’ve been the couple snickering, I am them often. It was a good reminder to not be quick to cast judgement on other peoples baggage but to love everybody, always. Some much more pleasant photos from my trip to Florida.  I am part of the Product Ambassador Team at Sprint and every few months we are able to test new devices; I just swapped into the Samsung S9 and it is my favorite device yet! In semi related news, April is "Distracted Driving Awareness" month. Join us at Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile in our pledge against distracted driving and "just drive."  If you like Samsung Galaxy phones, you will love the Samsung Galaxy S9. Last years Galaxy S8 model got rid of the home button and replaced it with a haptic feedback (software style) home button, they introduced the new USB C fast charging and the Galaxy Infinity Display. The Samsung Galaxy S8 was a "Revolutionary" phone in 2017, and the Galaxy S9 is an "Evolutionary" device in 2018 that I grade an A+. If you have the chance to swap into a Samsung S9, I would highly recommend it and bet that you will not be disappointed after you make the switch. What's new in the Galaxy S9 from the S8?
The 5.8 inch gorilla glass "Infinity Display" is the absolute nicest and brightest bezel free phone I have ever seen. Under the hood, the S9 has a Snapdragon 845 processor, 4 GB of RAM with a 3000 mAh battery.  The Galaxy S9/S9+ camera captures photos like a pro. With Pro Mode you can manually adjust camera settings so that every shot looks professional. Cameras on latest generation smart phones are quickly catching up to high end more expensive DSLR cameras for novice photographers. Samsung has shown a huge commitment for advancing the photography experience on current and future Galaxy devices. The Samsung S9 and S9+ are nearly identical devices where the main difference in the S9+ is the additional secondary camera sensor allowing for 2x optical zoom. Both the S9 and S9+ have an 8mb front facing camera for our selfies.  Samsung’s Galaxy S9 AR emoji creation is kind of... creepy. The S9 and S9+ introduced an animated emoji creation feature and after just 1 attempt, my bitmoji isn't an entirely accurate replication of me, but it was fun playing with it and well received by friends.  Thank you Mike & Samsung for the DEX docking station; with DEX I am able to plugin my Samsung S9 to an HDMI projector, add a USB keyboard and mouse & instantly my Galaxy S9 turns into a powerful business tool in seconds. "The Samsung Galaxy S9 is more powerful than all of NASA’s combined computing that landed on the moon in 1969." Bixby Vision  Bixby Vision is really cool, it is software built into your camera app to give you a deeper understanding of what you’re looking at. It uses object recognition to translate words, shop online, or identify landmarks. Bixby Translate allows you to simply use your camera on the Samsung S8 & S9 to transcribe multiple different foreign languages. I'm aware the above Artificial Intelligence advertisement is from Microsoft and not Samsung, but it really got my wheels turning and I wanted to share it with you all. "Today right now, you have more power at your fingertips than entire generations that came before you, that's what Technology is. It's possibility, it's adaptability, it's capability but in the end it's only a tool. What's a hammer without the person? It's not about what technology can do, it's about what you can do with it. We are living in the future we always dreamed of, we have mixed reality that changes how we see the world and AI empowering us to change the world we see. You have more power in your fingertips than entire generations that came before you. What will you do with it?" What is something you are able to do on a Samsung S9 today that we didn't dream of doing five years ago?
 Dan, it was a real treat being able to deliver a training class for your sales team; after all YOU trained me 14 years ago in 2004 when I joined Nextel. It was an honor to return the favor to your group of Small Business Experts.  I remember having such respect and admiration for you, Armin, Jeff, Jon & Jay when you guys ran the Chicago region. You five worked hard and had fun doing it, I looked up to you guys. I remember it like it was yesterday, but it was actually over 5000 days ago when you delivered the two day training at 300 Park Boulevard in Itasca. You taught me so much more than just the “free incoming” NeXteL rate plans and about cutting edge push to talk. Thank you for encouraging me to say Yes to things that are outside my comfort zone; that is truly where the magic happens. In the last 14 years I’ve taken some incredibly big risks and came up short, I’ve heard no personally and professionally too many times to count. I’ve been in second place, last place, lost and stuck on many opportunities over the last 5,000 days. I’ve failed over and over in my life but that is why I succeed. Thank you Dan for reminding me that's ok.  14 years ago in Itasca you told us “Progress often times involves risk. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first base.” Thank you Dan for the encouragement to get off the bag. Who on your team is going to be the next to steal second base?
It was raining pretty hard on my drive into work this morning in Chicago and I was thinking three things. Rain-X is a pretty cool product! Oil and water do not mix and number three, I’d hate to be outside right now selling anything door to door in the rain.  A few months ago a colleague of mine Brent recommended Rain-X. If my memory serves me correct, we were in Kansas City, Brent was driving the rental car and he was just sharing his loyalty and love for Rain-X. The way that Brent explained the product made me want to go out and get a bottle for $6 right away. Over that short week traveling together I connected with Brent personally and professionally therefore I trusted his recommendation about a product from a fellow car guy. If anybody else handed me a flyer about Rain-X or possibly even gave me a sample I don’t know that the product would have ever made it on my Infiniti.  It's been raining a lot lately, more than usual in the midwest and last week it was raining although slightly less than today’s downpour; I remember taking note of the weather because I saw (4) Jehovah’s Witnesses people going from my neighbors house to my other neighbors house eventually to my house in the rain. The 1st house they went to, they said at for a minute or two ringing the doorbell was empty and had a For Sale sign in the yard. Another one of my neighbors was at work, and the other neighbor appeared home and just did not answer. I did not answer when they rang the doorbell either. The timing wasn’t right, I did not want another flyer from a door-to-door salesman, and I just did not want to talk to anyone about their religion on a Wednesday morning. As I’m typing this, I am reminded of something funny that happened answering the door a few years ago. The door to door salesman asked "are your parents home!?" Although it is a good feeling getting carded from time to time in my 30's, you have to understand the customers buying center, who makes the decisions in the company or household and the relationship between who you’re talking to and who buys. I responded "no but they will be home after 5" and I closed the door. I don’t care what religion you are but if you want to talk to me about yours, I suggest you find a way to do it like Brent did on our drive to Top Golf about Rain-X. My coworker Brent‘s experience with the product Rain-X was so great last year that he told me about it. And my drive into work this morning was so great because of Rain-X that I wanted to share it with my friends and family. Go get a bottle, put it on your windshield before the next rain storm & you will be amazed; I guarantee it.  The tragic events that took place in Florida on Wednesday February 14th were senseless, heartbreaking and irreversible. Kids go to schools to learn and interact with their peers; they should not be afraid to go into a classroom. One school shooting is one too many. I believe teaching is a tireless profession and now more than ever we need positive role models & effective leaders in Education. Through Junior Achievement I am able to volunteer and be a Teacher for a Day once a semester and it is one of the most rewarding things I do all year. I have always had such admiration and compassion for teachers, this week specifically I was reminded how important their positions truly are. Thank you all. Gennie, Janelle, Sheryl, Jessica, Melissa, Mindy, Sarah, and Jenny, thank you for your services as teachers. Hats off to you ladies, I wish you made twice as much money as you do & have double the time off. When I was younger my dad used to tell me if I was ever feeling discouraged to try to think of something I was also grateful for and that it’s physically impossible to feel two emotions at the same time. Rather than getting caught up watching the debates on the news or hearing more about the bad guy I wanted to focus on at least 3 good guys and I tell them how great they were 15 years ago. In my experiences there are always more good people in this world than bad. Always, and if you think someone is bad, they are just anxious, give them more time and they will almost always surprise you. My dad would often say look for the helpers. He would tell my brother and I, “look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping” during the times of tragedy and he was right. To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my dads words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers; good teachers and so many caring people in this world.  Thanks Greg for letting me win at tennis a few matches and great choice for BBQ after in Plainfield. With your full beard, your quick wit, & your vast amount of knowledge you would pass onto me during our post high school relationship, you often remind me of Robin Williams the professor in Good Will Hunting. "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." I hope you are enjoying the retirement life in California & you still use your favorite word kum·quat, I think of you whenever I see that orange fruit, a tennis court & live music. Thank you Greg for being a great teacher, friend & mentor.  You Rock Hacken' Holub and the Pythagorean theorem lives on today. Rob and I idolized you in high school and we continue to look to you for support & guidance as adults. "A good teacher must be able to put himself in the place of those who find learning hard." On days you had to separate us because we were distracting you from teaching your lesson, we say Thank You for having patience. On days you dressed up in costume in an effort to reach a single student we say Thank You, you touched many more than just one. For the nuggets of wisdom you continue to share with Rob and I as adults almost 20 years later, we say Thank You Tony. "A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning. Below is a short video from my high school English teacher Mr. Jim Coventry who was a huge influence on me growing up. When he taught, he created & demonstrated reciprocal energy 15 years ago when I was a student. Reciprocal Energy is sharing (hopefully) a good attitude, actions and behaviors with the people around you. When we saw Mr. Coventry with a good attitude, often times we as students had a good attitude ourselves. Thank you Mr. Cov for all you did & continue to do, you are an amazing inspiration to hundreds and hundreds of young men and women and we are lucky to have spent the time with you that we did. you are a real MVP. Thank you past, current and future teachers of America.  My Motiv ring activity tracker arrived back in October and after wearing it a few months; here is my review. It is very sleek looking but was it worth the $200 & the long wait? The Motiv ring is a unisex ring that comes in black or silver sizes 6-12 that is a smart ring counting your steps, monitors your heart rate, calories & other activity...  The Motiv ring was 1st announced in January 2017 and almost 10 months later products are now starting to steadily ship and be available for purchase. The buying process was unique for me, I originally ordered my ring back in July but I was in a holding pattern just waiting for over 3 months. In October I got an email saying my credit card was going to be charged and a size kit would be sent to me. They claim their ring sizes are non traditional and recommend trying on a plastic mock up of the ring for 24- 48 hours and then using your redemption code on the box, you go in the app and finalize your order with your ring size 6 - 12. From there, the ring arrived via 2 day priority shipping and the pairing process was simple, note there is not android support yet, just Apple. The battery life is a little over 72 hours and it is waterproof so you can wear it just about anywhere including in the pool or shower. The app is plain but it counts your steps along with miles registered, it registers your heart rate, calories & sleep patterns. you have options to enable notifications and see how your activity is doing against your "targets." Compared to the fit-bit or apple watch activity tracker apps, I would say the version 1.0 of the Motiv software, it is comparable but I imagine there will be some updates in the near future.  Another thing to note was my first few weeks, the motive was consistently calculating about 1/2 my steps compared to my Apple watch. On days I logged 10,000 steps with my Apple watch, the Motiv was registering around 5,000. A member of their support team responded to my inaccuracy claims and they said "One reason is we actually test accuracy against foot pods which are the best source of “truth” for steps, as well as compare our performance to popular wrist-based trackers. We also count fairly sustained steps and not every random step — that’s our intention with depending on the Active Minutes metric as opposed to a 10k benchmarker." * Motiv Ring on the Top, Apple watch on the bottom + Pros:
- Cons:
Should you put a (motive) ring on it...?Short answer, go for it. I love gadgets and I think it is a cool device; if you have the $200 lying around, & you're a fan of activity trackers, try the Motive Ring out.   On Friday I went to Gamestop and picked up my SNES classic for $80. I was pleasantly surprised to see Nintendo came out with a pretty good amount of the systems compared to the Nintendo classic system released in 2016 which was hard to find and selling for 3x on the black market.  At a glance
"Nintendo had been criticized for the lack of availability of the NES Classic Edition, of which they sold 2.3 million units between November 2016 and April 2017, having not been prepared for the console's popularity. With the Super NES Classic Edition, Nintendo originally said that although they were prepared to produce significantly more Super NES Classics than NES Classics, they would be halting production at the end of 2017. Due to overwhelming demand, Nintendo changed their plans, with Nintendo CEO Reggie Fils-Aimé not only confirming the continued production of the system throughout 2018, but also confirming the return of the NES Classic, which many people were unable to get after people bought masses of them and resold them for much more than their MSRP." The 21 titles in the SNES Classic in my opinion represent some of the best games of the generation, but arguably it is missing key titles like NBA Jam, Earthworm Jim, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 & TMNT 4 - Turtles in Time.
 Anything with Mario in it automatically gets my vote. Definitely go out and get a Super Nintendo classic IF you can get your hands on one, Super Mario World alone is worth the $80. At the very least the NES Classic and the SNES Classic will hold us over until holiday season next year when the rumored N64 classic edition is released. Enjoy yourselves.  I wish I could take the credit for picking Tucker out of the litter, but he picked me. There was at least one other boy Pug to choose from and I remember Tucker's personality being specifically what I was looking for in a puppy. My intentions were not to come home with him that day, I was only "shopping around" but I fell in love and the rest was history in August of 2006. I just turned 22 when I got Tucker & he was only 10 weeks old when I brought him home; I could not have asked for a better dog. He was my best friend & there is nothing on this planet that compares to the amount of love a dog can bring into your life. Thanks for 11 great years, I miss you very much.
 His last week: This all came so quickly which could be a blessing for both of us. Tucker hadn't eaten for about a week and he usually has a great appetite & helped me finish all my meals. I had friends over Saturday for the Mayweather/ McGregor fight and he was fine that night from what I remember but he didn't eat anything since that weekend and I started to get concerned Tuesday - Wednesday.  Thursday: I brought him in for blood work which showed elevated levels & then x-rays revealed some significant size masses and tumors in his abdomen. Friday: He was refereed to a specialist and the ultrasound & biopsy indicated an aggressive stage of a Carcinoma cancer in the liver and spleen that was not treatable with limited to no response to chemo. Devastating prognosis, but thank God for the clear readings, the advice from both Dr's was to spend the weekend with him and that's exactly what we did.  Saturday & Sunday: My friends Dan and Danielle were able to get him to take some medicine and eat a few treats when they came over on Saturday, I think he was showing off in-front of company because he didn't eat anything with me. My Mom and Dad came over and we took him for a walk down town Plainfield. There were times he was himself, but for the most part he had little energy from not eating for a week. He would get up and greet people as they came over and he had moments where he was able to stand on his own & go up and down the stairs fine on his own. Monday: Things slowed down on Monday and his body was shutting down. He had little to no mobility Monday but he didn't appear to be in any pain. He was the most comfortable laying on the cold tile in the bathroom or hardwood floors in the hall with a fan near him. We went to bed around 11pm Monday night without any issues & he slept fine through the night. Tuesday: Tucker passed away at home peacefully around 7am Tuesday morning September 5th just a few hours before we were scheduled to go in to the vet. As difficult as it was he is gone I was glad it happened naturally at home and in his sleep. I miss you sweet boy. Whenever I would do yard-work Tucker would be outside with me, or when I was building anything around the house he would always be right by my side. Tucker was such a loyal dog, he was so curious, he often got so close to see what I was doing he would almost be in the way. He was a big part of all my projects, he didn't care if it wasn't perfect, he just liked being included. Thank you Tucker for joining me on the job-site for 11 years. Tucker had lots of Friends & Family.I love you sweet Boy... I am excited to be back in a Blackberry with a full keyboard for the 1st time in over three years. I used to be one of Blackberry's biggest supporters from 2005 - 2013. I was able to fire emails off so much quicker on the QWERTY design style devices compared to typing on touch screens, it's exciting to see Blackberry continue to release devices. I switched away from Blackberry because up until recently applications were not available in the Blackberry store like they were quickly becoming released & updated in the Apple iTunes or Google Play store on other Galaxy devices. This Blackberry KEYone is a workhorse and runs Android OS 7.1 Nougat and has access to the FULL Google play store. BlackBerry® KEYone Specifications
I've only had the Blackberry KEYone device active for about a week now, I look forward to updating the blog with my user experience in the field, but it is GREAT to be back in a Blackberry on the Sprint network.
 Congratulations on graduating (pre) Kindergarten today Jackson! There is nothing more rewarding in my life than being an uncle to you, Nicholas and Charlotte. Your teacher told us when you grow up you want to be a basketball player, I can't wait to come and watch you play in the NBA. You are a tremendous big brother and you did a great job singing at Graduation today, I am so proud of you Jackson Tyler. "You will always be a child in my eyes, when you need some love, my arms are open wide. And even when you're growing old, I hope you remember, you will always be a child in my eyes." Congratulations again big guy, I love you!  Watching you and the other 29 classmates sing, I couldn't help but see the pure joy in your voices, warmth in your hearts and love coming out of you children. God willing, you and the other four and five year olds are being raised by caring hard working parents (or other family members) and you are all taught respect and to treat other people the way that you would like to be treated. When everyone lifted your hands in the air and sang together you reminded me to have more fun, be more generous to the people around me and not to be so quick to judge someone because they might believe something differently than I do. Four year olds don't really know a lot about diversity. We aren't born with any hate or prejudices, those have to be learned over time somehow. As Kids we didn't care about the contrast between two different skin colors, different races, religions or ethnic backgrounds; we were just nice to someone at school because they were nice to us. Nelson Mandella said "People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite" and I was reminded of that 1st hand today. Thank you Jackson, I am proud of you & I can not wait to see what the next school year brings you! I love you Big Guy.  
 It's not often that my experience as a customer is so Great I write about it but I know great work when I see it and I wanted to share my positive encounter with Ted from Safelite AutoGlass yesterday. As consumers we often share 3 common needs whenever we are buying something.
The Safelite vehicle with the replacement windshield arrived less than 24 hours after I had the run in with the quarter sized rock. I heard the truck beeping as he backed into my driveway & like a kid excited on Christmas morning, I wanted to run outside and see some of this mobile 'windshield repair' in action. The repair tech pulled out his easels, the suction contraptions to maneuver the heavy glass & he began to remove my damaged windshield in no time. It was fascinating to me seeing Ted swiftly work through all the stages of the windshield removal & replacement and shockingly us not being in an auto repair shop. I told him he was like an artist and this was such a "Kick ass Product" and service coming together demonstrating mobility in my own garage. I'm in sales and customer service too and Ted reminded me how important it is to always do great work. Ted, you treated my car like it was your own, you weren't in a hurry & you made what started out as a negative experience as painless on me as possible. You indirectly encouraged me to shake off any complacency I may have being in the Sales and Technical Services industry & reminded me to always deliver a positive customer experience. If we don't; there are hundreds of other sharks salivating at the opportunity to shine in-front of our customers. You do great work for your company Ted, you're darn good at your craft after 20 years and you appeared to really enjoy what you do. Hats off to you Ted, nice Cowboy boots and be safe on your Harley; I was more than "Satisfied" using Safelite AutoGlass. Nintendo brought back the original NES, only it's a whole lot smaller. The Nintendo returned for the holidays and Christmas is coming early for some people who are lucky enough to get their hands on one! November 11th Nintendo released a mini standalone retro unit with 30 classic NES games from the 80's and 90's and a vintage NES controller to play with on your high definition TV. The system retails for $59, it's super easy to setup but it's difficult to get your hands on. It is guaranteed to instantly bring you back to your childhood gaming experiences. The look and feel is nearly identical to playing the original system for me growing up in the 90's with a few exceptions. Some of the favorites do include Super Mario 1, 2 and 3, Zelda, Castlevania, Donkey Kong, Megaman, Excite Bike and Metroid. Unfortunately it doesn't play the actual Nintendo cartridges that as kids we had to sometimes blow into to get to work. Currently there is not support for any additional games besides the 30 preloaded titles so I trust Nintendo put calculated thought into which 30 of the over 1,105 titles they included. Here is a full list of the 30 titles & manuals that came with the Nintendo Classic, is it missing any of your favorite games? https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/index.html  Playing the Nintendo classic is simple and the interface is very straight forward. My almost 5 year old nephew can turn it on and find a game on his own and it provides hours of entertainment to multiple generations. One advantage the mini Nintendo has over its 30 year old predecessor is the ability to save your game state to memory and quickly pick up where you leave off in the future. Games didn't get that luxury until the memory cad was introduced in 1996. With the Nintendo classic you can save up to 5 states per game and choose to start from any saved spot by pushing the reset button on the system.  One other oddity compared to the original Nintendo is that the controller on the classic recently released is a measly 30 inches long. Whereas the original NES controller’s cord is 91 inches long, so we have to sit three times closer to the TV screen than we had to growing up. The Nintendo Classic was released November 11th and it's been sold out everywhere ever since. I don't believe anyone had any idea how difficult they would be to get our hands on when they first launched. Stores like Gamestop, Best Buy, Target and Walmart each only got a few units and they sold out instantly. Amazon had a limited amount of NES Classic's for sale at 4pm on November 11th, but they also sold out almost instantly. The Nintendo classics were selling on ebay & craigslist for $200 - $300, with stores now getting more shipments of them, they are becoming easier to find. Here is a link where you can play ANY Nintendo game today in a desktop browser, Mac or Windows. http://www.myeventsnyc.com/arcade/ If you can't find one, don't worry, more are coming. Nintendo tweeted recently they apologize for the shortage in inventory and promised a steady flow of systems between now and Christmas. "The NES Classic Edition system is a hot item, and we are working hard to keep up with consumer demand.There will be a steady flow of additional systems through the holiday shopping season and into the new year." @NintendoAmerica For the people who are lucky enough to get their hands on an NES classic from a retail store, or depending on how much of a markup you are willing to pay, you won't regret it. It has the look and feel of the Nintendo from the 80's and it supports modern TV's with HDMI. Once they become more available at the price point they are, you can get one for the kids, get one for your Grandparents and don't forget to get one for yourself. Enjoy and good luck gaming fellow Mario fans.
 I'm not a huge Snapchat user but there's something about the new Snapchat Spectacles that is making me use the app more and more! There's a saying in photography that the best camera is the one you have on you. Snapchat's Spectacles are just that, they are a camera that is built into the frames of your sunglasses and they take quick 10 second videos and upload to your phone. I've been using the new Spectacles by Snap Inc for the last 7 days and they are darn impressive. They look and feel like regular sun glasses. It's a treat to have a video camera on your face and not having to hold your camera or your phone to capture memories. Recording from the Spectacles became second nature, it was easy and effortless. When recording at a sporting event or a concert using the Spectacles there is nothing between you and the performers. With a phone or a camera, in a way it hinders the experience a great deal for you and potentially those around you... with Spectacles you can both enjoy the moment and capture it at the same time. Spectacles are the first hardware product from Snap Inc and they are $130 a pair. Set up was super easy and the glasses are light and feel surprisingly comfortable on your face. Spectacles are great at filming interactions with people. Face to face videos are spot on because they are filmed at eye level exactly the way you see things. Also, videos that are experimental videos where your hands are otherwise occupied Spectacles are great for because you won't be using one hand to juggle the camera while the other demonstrates what you are trying to film. There is a white LED light circling around letting others know that you're filming, so it meets all regulatory and compliance laws and privacy suggestions. Battery life advertises about 50 snaps or an entire day of use and I can say I was able to use them for about 3 days without having to charge them once. The hard yellow case that the glasses come in doubles as a case & a travel charger so you are able to get five charges out of it on the go. Video quality is surprisingly good, I only have 2 suggestions or areas of Opportunity. 1. I wish it took still pictures and not only 10 second videos. 2. You can't see what you're recording in real time; this is part of a larger problem with the Spectacles. With a traditional camera you typically have the LCD screen to see what you are filming, all be it small it helps you adjust and focus on what you want to capture. With Snapchat's Spectacles you don't have that luxury yet in the app or anywhere built into the shades. The way that Snap Inc in Venice, California is coming to market with the Spectacles is pretty impressive in itself. They started out on the West Coast and they're working their way east to NY and dropping Snap Vending Machines at random places in the US creating quite a buzz. Like anything that has inventory quantity constraints at launch it begs the following question. Is it a marketing thing for companies finding ways to create a demand (for something that otherwise would not be there) by holding some of the product back? Either way, I believe it's such a unique approach for going to market, Snap Inc isn't spending tons of money on marketing or carrying the glasses in retail outlets yet, the consumers are tweeting and snapping their experiences live and in real time doing all the campaigning the Spectacles need to be a national success.  Like the Apple Watch, the cool factor is a 10 out of 10 in my opinion and Snapchat isn't taking their own product too seriously... Do we need the Snapchat Spectacles? Absolutely not. But do I enjoy them a whole hell of a lot and do I see the potential? Absolutely.
Being able to capture something the way that you saw it is a really cool thing. Kudos to Snapchat for taking a risk and coming out with a product that we might not need, but somehow we will wait in line for hours in the cold to get one or pay double on eBay. I'm going to go out on a limb and say we're going to see multiple different versions of this kind of a product in 2017.
Some great things happened in 2015 and I hope 2016 is equally as great if not better. 
We lost some Good Men in 2015
I WORKED WITH SOME REALLY GREAT PEOPLE IN 20152015 was great, Thank You to everyone who was a part of it, here's to 2016!  Investigators never found the three men suspected of killing police officer "GI" Joe Gliniewicz in Fox Lake eight weeks ago. Not for lack of looking but the men simply did not exist. Originally Joe Gliniewicz was viewed as a fallen Hero, a Police Officer who was shot in the line of duty September 1st, but in the last 24 hours he went from Hero GI Joe to a criminal himself & a man who betrayed the department he served. Today it was determined it was all a “carefully staged suicide.” SUICIDE PREVENTION: The National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Such an incredible 180 degree turn in just 24 hours in the GI Joe fallen Police Officer story going from a homicide to a “carefully staged suicide.” Today I learned facts matter & not to ever assume anything. My Dad used to say "believe nothing you hear and only half of what you see" and boy was that true in this case. On September 1st Gliniewicz radioed in a (made up) foot chase and claimed three male suspects looked suspicious and 15 minutes later he is found dead. He was 50 yards from his squad car staging the scene spacing out his pepper spray, baton and glasses far away from him trying to indicate a struggle. Later it was determined the two shots fired were from Gliniewicz's own weapon and surprisingly his gun wasn't found for over an hour and it was just three feet from his head. What is terrible is that a man who was employed to protect and serve ended up putting a lot of people in danger because of the way he choose to exit this world. It was later found out that Gliniewicz stole from the police department he worked at for the last 7 years. He embezzled thousands of dollars for travel expenses, mortgage payments, personal gym membership, adult websites, facilitating personal loans, and unaccounted cash withdrawals. On top of that, he forged signatures to requisitions for equipment in the Police Explorer program. Pages and pages of text messages, which he thought he had deleted, included evidence of his crimes were found and also his disdain against a Fox Lake administrator — including thoughts of burying her in "the Volo Bog" a state nature preserve in the area. PDF: Joseph Gliniewicz text messages Before fatally shooting himself, he tried to camouflage his suicide as a homicide by leaving a staged trail of police equipment at the crime scene. His pepper spray, baton and glasses were all spaced out trying to create a crime scene. To make himself look like a shooting victim, he also fired a first shot from his handgun into his abdominal area and bullet-resistant vest, but not puncturing his skin because the vest absorbed most of that impact. Glinieqicz betrayed the public's trust and put hundreds of officers at risk creating the unnecessary manhunt. Thousands of taxpayer dollars were wasted on the search for suspects that didn't exist. He was given a hero's memorial service which police officers from 1,000 police forces came all across the country to pay their respects. How will "GI" Joe influence our reactions to the next story we see in the News? Will we be quick to judge? We should instead let this be a reminder that the way to approach these unfortunate instances is with our hearts & minds open. Some people lie, cheat and steal, but not everyone is Bad. Continue to have faith in humanity and let this bring us closer to doing what is right. #WeCanDoBetter FROM A FALLEN HERO TO A VILLAIN: GLINIEWICZ TIMELINE
Excerpts of Fox Lake, Ill., police transmissions of Sept. 1, 2015.
SUICIDE PREVENTION: The National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1-800-273-8255) is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
I was 6 years old when The Undertaker made his WWE debut at the 1990 Survivor Series and he is still wrestling today 25 years later. "Awesome" is the only word Gorilla Monsoon could think of to describe the him when hewas the Mystery partner on Ted Dibiase's Million Dollar Team. Undertaker quickly eliminated Koko B Ware and Dusty Rhodes before being counted out himself. Who could have guessed the success the Undertaker would have for the past 25 years and what can you say about the Deadman that hasn't already been said? The Phenom's entrance alone is worth the price of admission to any live event, once the Gong Hits you are in for a treat. A year after his Survivor Series debut the Undertaker beat Hulk Hogan for his 1st of 4 WWE World Heavyweight Championships and the Deadman is a 6 time World Tag Team Champion partnering with Stone Cold Steve Austin (1) Big Show (2) The Rock (1) and Kane (2). The Undertaker is so fascinating to me because over the 25 years he continues to reinvent himself and stay relevant & exciting but sticking to his core character which the fans have grown to love over time. He was a Mortician under Paul Bearer, the Phenom in the Ministry of Darkness, the American Badass on a motorcycle to a Deadman and now an Outlaw with short hair. He is described as the hardest worker in the dressing room and so well respected in the industry. He was the first wrestler ever to compete in the Hell in a Cell match with HBK Shawn Michaels, he is known for his Buried Alive matches, his signature move the Tombstone Pile Driver and the Choke slam sending his opponents straight to hell. "The Streak" started at Wrestlemania 7 winning 21 straight Wrestlemania appearances until Brock Lesnar broke the streak at Wrestlemania 30 shocking the entire world.  Already in 2015 The Undertaker has wrestled three times not including the Mexico tour three tag matches with Kane facing two of the Wyatt Members. The previous years starting in 2011 The Undertaker has primarily wrestled and appeared at Wrestlemania annually but it appears he is on a "Phenom Tour" nearing his retirement this Wrestlemania or next. Here's to hoping for an Undertaker vs. Sting at Wrestlemania 32 plus a well deserved induction into the 2016 Hall of Fame. Thank you Deadman for all the Tombstones. Rest In Peace. The Deadman is no Stranger to Gold.WWE Championship (4 times)
World Tag Team Championship (6 times)
Hardcore Championship (1 time)
Top 25 Undertaker Moments in 25 years.1. The Undertaker makes his WWE debut 25 years ago at Survivor Series 1990 on The Million Dollar Man's team as a surprise contestant.   2. Body Bag match vs. Ultimate Warrior in 1991.  3. Undertaker vs. Undertaker SummerSlam 1994.  4. 1st win at Wrestlemania VII starting the Streak vs. Jimmy Snuka.  5. vs. The Giant Gonzalez at Wrestlemania IX  6. vs. Diesel at Wrestlemania XII  7. Buried Alive Match vs. Mankind.  8. Boiler Room Brawl vs. Mankind.  9. vs. Bret Hart at Summerslam with HBK special ref and getting hit with a chair by HBK setting up their match at Hell in a Cell.  10. Undertaker vs HBK first ever Hell in a Cell + Kane Debuted in 1997. 11. King of the Ring 1998 - Hell in a Cell match vs. Mankind and the 20 foot fall off the top of the cell onto the announce table + the fall through the ring from the top of the Cage.  12. First time facing his brother Kane at Wrestlemania XIV . 13. Undertaker vs. Kane inferno match 1997.  14. Casket Match vs. HBK Royal Rumble 1998.  15. Undertaker and the Ministry of Darkness sacrificing Stephanie McMahon.  16. Corporate Ministry & Sacrificing Stone Cold Steve Austin + attempting to Embalm Austin with Paul Bearer.  17. Becoming Tag Champs with Steve Austin at Fully Loaded. 18. Highway to Hell Austin vs. Undertaker at Summerslam 1998 while they were tag champs.  19. vs. Brock Lesnar - WWE Championship Hell in a Cell Match: No Mercy 2002; last Sunday wasn't the 1st time these 2 fought inside a Hell in a Cell.  20. Two incredible matches vs Shawn Michaels @ Wrestlemania 25 and 26 forcing HBK into retirement after back to back blockbuster performances.  21. Staring at the WrestleMania XXVII banner setting up a match vs. HHH and the rematch the following year vs HHH with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee at WrestleMania XXVIII.  22. vs. Edge at Wrestlemania & vs. Edge in Hell in a Cell at Summerslam 2008 and the choke slam through the Ring. 23. Undertaker vs. Batista @ Wrestlemania 23.  24. Tribute to Paul Bearer + match with CM Punk at Wrestlemania 29. 25. Undertaker vs. Brock best of 3 series. Wrestlemania 31 Winner = Brock Lesnar Summerslam 2015 Winner = Undertaker Hell in a Cell 2015 Winner = Brock Lesnar Wrestlemania (22-1 ) WrestleMania VII
WrestleMania VIII
WrestleMania IX
WrestleMania XI
WrestleMania XII
Wrestlemania 13
WrestleMania XIV
WrestleMania XV
WrestleMania X-Seven
WrestleMania X8
WrestleMania XIX
WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania 21
WrestleMania XXII
WrestleMania 23
WrestleMania XXIV
WrestleMania XXV
WrestleMania XXVI
WrestleMania XXVII
WrestleMania XXVIII
WrestleMania 29
WrestleMania 30
WrestleMania 31
  Chris Farley was super talented, he connected to the audience like no one else and he cared more about other people than he did himself; that's not common in Comedy. People were drawn to him & loved working with him. He was my favorite comedian, hands down, there was nobody else like him & there won't be anyone like him in my lifetime. The characters he played on SNL and in movies like Tommyboy & Black Sheep were in many ways actual representations of himself; he was a larger than life character, often over the top & gave off the image he was fearless but deep down inside, he was frightened and terrified. Chris had a big heart, he was kind, gentle and innocent; in that was also a frightened person. He had Low self esteem & never thought he was good enough. He was born in Madison Wisconsin and had 3 other brothers. He connected to the audience, cared about his work and people were drawn to him because of his natural ability to make people laugh.  Chris had a simple upbringing, often him and his brothers had a lot of Fun. He put parents through Hell & was striving for attention even at a young age. He wanted to outdo the other brothers, always horsing around and competing for the Spotlight which I can relate to. The nuns would often tell his Mom "the Students at school were laughing AT Chris not with him." Chris's Dad was grooming him to take over the family business Scotch's Oil Company interestingly the plot in Tommyboy was very similar to Chris's real life at home & relationship with his father. Chris would often kill them with laughter, he was friendly, had an infectious personality, he was kind, a puppy dog at heart. He was not arrogant or melitious, never cocky even though he was the best in the room which says a lot about Chris.   He cared about the show, never fought for his time or piece. He was comfortable just being a part of things and he cared about everyone on the Show; not just himself and that is uncommon for comedians. Farley didn't need a lot of prep, he could just wing it. He could improvise like no one else. An interesting fact, he doesn't block his fall much if any, Chevy Chase and David Spade would warn him "You gotta block your fall." But Chris took it as pain, almost too committed using his body to make people laugh.  Chris as a star himself was still star stuck by celebrities. The Paul McCartney interview on SNL, Chris was a magnified version of himself, showing off his own insecurities. His self deprecating manner, vulnerability in some of his characters were inspired by his real life struggle. He seemed so comfortable and natural but inside he was terrified. They said Chris lit up the room, but he did everything to excess. He was a friend to excess, loved to excess , kind to excess, also drinking and partying to excess. Chris was caught in a world he couldn't get out of. He never said no to a dare, all in an effort to make people laugh and to get the attention he craved and desired since he was a kid. They said he was a sweet guy before Midnight. Then the darkness wasn't something others would want to be around. He would isolate himself when he would realize he was going down the wrong path with drinking and drugs & want to be alone. Myers, Spade, Lorne Michael all tried to help and give Chris Warnings how worried they were for him. they thought he drank too much (after the show) and even showed up drunk to some skits. He would go on stage and was clear as a bell but drunk. Then after the show drunk again almost on auto pilot in front of the fans when he was on stage making people laugh.  Chris was doing WELL acting in movies like Waynes World, Coneheads & Billy Madison; he was happy, killing it and having a good time. He had the IT factor and at that time entered into a rehab and was sober for a good amount of time. Doing Black Sheep and Tommyboy, it was Ying and Yang with Farley and Spade. They worked so well together as good friends on and off camera. Initial reviews for Tommyboy were BAD and hurtful and took Chris back to drinking and drugs. The video came out and everyone LOVED Tommyboy, even though it was sabotaged in reviews while it was in theatures but Time Magazine named it top 10 comedy of all time. Once on TV it became a HUGE Hit and very popular.  Fat guy in a little coat wasn't originally in the Tommyboy Script, Chris kept doing it (backstage while filming) using David Spades actual suit jacket and they eventually put it in the movie. Tommyboy is a sketch how Falrey grew up in Wisconsin. Years later, Black Sheep tried to replicate Tommyboy and pickup where it left off with similar characters for Spade and Farley. They knew there was a difference between the two films but the two movies grossed about the same, $32 million each, both getting their following from VHS vs theature box office. Farley relapsed again after Black Sheep & went in and out in Rehab.  It was sad he didn't love himself as much as everyone else loved him. The image he put out of himself was that he continued to live his life but deep inside he had issues. The addictions pulled him vs guided him to rehab and being Sober. He had a big appetite for life, food, drinks, drugs and partying. In and out of rehab 17 times, he was FRESH the first few days out of rehab, eating better and excited for the "2nd chance."  "You can't walk around being funny all the time, you have to have some down time," Bob Odenkirk says "You can't always be on stage and performing, you need some quiet time and be by yourself sometime." Towards the end, everyone knew, he was in trouble, he was sweaty, his eyes were different, he was in deep. Sandler said it was rough seeing him like that.  Chris was so magical but success in show busness is difficult. Everyone thinks they could handle it but Chris's addictions were too strong. We all wanted MORE of Chris, he died so young. Sandler, Spade and Lorne Michael all would tell Chris, "You gotta stop, you are going to die from this stuff..." Chris died in Chicago December 18th 1997 at the age of 33. Many were sad but they were not Shocked. He died alone on the floor, he had so much more to give. Thank You Chris!
The Clown's Prayer As I stumble through this life, help me to create more laughter than tears, dispense more cheer than gloom, spread more cheer than despair. Never let me become so indifferent, that I will fail to see the wonders in the eyes of a child, or the twinkle in the eyes of the aged. Never let me forget that my total effort is to cheer people, make them happy, and forget momentarily, all the unpleasantness in their lives. And in my final moment, may I hear You whisper: "When you made My people smile, you made Me smile." Tommyboy - Brake Pads Chris made so many peoples lives better, Thank You Chris for all the laughs, you were like nobody else we have ever seen & we won't see anyone close to you in my lifetime.
Like Chris, I love making people laugh and I never want to bring any sadness to anyone; let's keep the laughter going. Cheers, Rest Easy Chris.  10 years ago today August 8th, 2005 I went from working at a Nextel store in Plainfield to working at TeleNav, a GPS software startup company in Sunnyvale, California. I had a year left of College at Westwood and I was hired as a Channel Support Specialist. I traveled around Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan and I helped customers implement GPS in their company and supported the Sprint sales team with any questions they had positioning the software and solution. When I got hired out of college in 2005 George Bush Jr. was president and the popular cell phones were the Blackberry, the Motorola RAZR and the Palm Pilot, this was 2 years before the debut of the iPhone. Many phones did not have GPS in them and they had a browser icon we would rarely if ever use. In August of 2008 I was promoted to manager of the Enterprise Accounts Team, to this day it was one of my proudest accomplishments. I was able to accept the job and didn't have to relocate to California, I loved traveling back and forth but I did not want to sell my house in Illinois & reside in California, so I just commuted as often as I was needed. I LOVED flying into San Jose, staying for a few days and then flying home.  April of 2012 I got hired at Sprint and left TeleNav after 7 years. It was hard to leave, but working at Sprint I would stay in touch with many of the people at the GPS company in California. In November of 2013 I got Engineer of the Year and I am very proud of that accomplishment. Over the last 10 years I have had some amazing experiences, I learned a LOT personally and professionally, I took some chances and I was stretched outside my comfort zone many times; but I am learning that is the only true way we are truly going to Grow. I met some Great people and I was able to see some pretty COOL things along the way. Here are some of the pictures I took over the last 10 years, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. I met some amazing people along the way.
I stopped and smelled the Roses...Some Gems in Black & White.
The Fast and the Furious movie series has been delivering since 2001 and Furious 7 has no shortage of Fast Cars, Beautiful Woman, Action, Action and more Action. Furious 7 was 2 Hours and 20 minutes of non stop Action.
My 7 Favorite Quotes from Fast 1-7 7. "The most important thing in life will always be the people in this room, right here, right now. Salute mi familia. You'll always be with me. And you'll always be my brother. I don't have friends, I got family." 6. “You almost had me? You never had me - you never had your car... Granny shiftin' not double clutchin' like you should. You're lucky that hundred shot of NOS didn't blow the welds on the intake! You almost had me?" 5. “I live my life a quarter-mile at a time. Nothing else matters. Not the mortgage, not the store, not my team and all their bullshit. For those ten seconds or less, I’m free.” 4. "He did the stare and drive on you, didn't he? He got that from me." 3. " Why don't you try Fat Burger from now on? You can get yourself a cheese and fries for 2.95." 2. "Pockets ain't empty, cuz." 1. You can have any brew you want... as long as it's a Corona. Fast 7 Tribute to Paul Walker:Furious 7 Official Trailer (HD)  What's been going on, what's happening and what's coming up with Royal Family Kids? Wayne Tesch (the Founder of Royal Family Kids Camp) was in town and spoke at Southwest Community Church and shared all the great things RFK is doing across the country. We launched Club which is designed to extend the experience of Camp for 11 kids and we had a successful Teen Retreat in March with 23 campers. Did you know it costs $650 to send a kid to Camp? Because of your donations last year, we were able to send 55 kids to camp as well as begin our Club & Mentoring program. We had our 3rd year of Teen Retreat & celebrated Christmas with the Kids.  Teen RETREAT was a Success! Teen Retreat is a weekend trip for our camp graduates. Since camp is only offered for ages 7-11, we offer this retreat for our teens. This year we decided to go crazy and do a winter retreat instead of one in the spring. At first I was a little hesitant because of severe weather conditions we usually experience, but the weather was wonderful! It wasn’t freezing, but we still had snow to enjoy – and we stayed away from the lemon snow! I was very pleased with the great turnout! Thank you to all the volunteers, who come out and spend time with amazing kids. We enjoyed fun activities all weekend: snow tubing, snow shoeing, and broom-ball. Tubing down the hill was my favorite and quite the workout. Even though we had a busy schedule, we made time for board games and time to talk to each other. Sometimes we are so busy that we don’t take time to listen to one another. We were able to share stories and chat with one another. It was awesome getting to know others better  Our next step, The winter retreat is just beginning for the plans we have for our graduates. Being a teen is a difficult time especially in this day and age. We are hoping to continue to see our graduates shape into responsible citizens. We are working on creating a mentoring program that will help develop a growing relationship. More details coming soon, keep an eye on your mail!   If you can’t wait, then come join our youth group! We invite our teens (6th- 12th grades) to come join our youth group on Sundays 3:00-4:30 pm at Southwest Community Church Barn located at 4405 Van Dyke, Rd, Minooka, IL. What is Club : By Lidia Salgado Many people have been asking me “What’s Club?” What isn’t it? It’s a breakfast club! It’s let's get ice cream and talk club! It’s praising and worshiping club! Our volunteers couldn't say good-bye at the end of camp so we created a way to keep saying hello. Club and mentoring are the perfect combination to get your monthly dose of RFKC! Camp volunteers are matched to one of our campers, who they are committing to mentor every month. Mentoring is a minimum of four hours a month and then you both join us at our monthly club meeting. It is just simple as that!  Do you think that you don’t have time? We offer the four hours of mentoring in a convenient plan: you can complete it in one four-hour session, two two-hour sessions, or in four one-hour sessions. It’s easier than doing laundry or washing your cat! If you are interested in being a positive role model for a special person, come talk to Suzanne or myself! We always have room for one more! If you are interested in being a positive role model for a special person, come talk to Suzanne or myself! We always have room for one more!  Every year at Camp RFK has a Birthday Party for the Kids, for some this may be the first time their birthday is celebrated so we spare no expense. Each child gets a gift bag and takes a family photo with the Camp Grandma and Grandpa. This year we are inviting YOU to take part as a Birthday Bag Sponsor for $20. Checks can be made payable to RFK, please designate your check for the Birthday Bag in the comments section. Contact Karyn at karynhoran@gmail.com . My 1st year @ Camp… by Shane McKennaA lot of time and energy went into planning for Camp so day one was very exciting for both 1st time volunteers & returning Camp Counselors.  "The feeling I got when I was holding my sign and I heard the motorcycles pull up with the busses waiting for the kids was like nothing I have ever experienced. Ever. It was indescribable, better than excitement for a trip or a vacation, buying a new car or getting a new job, it was excitement for someone else which interestingly was way more rewarding than doing something for myself." If anyone is interested in volunteering email at CollinDpratt@gmail.com 
  I love gadgets and technology and it is exciting when companies push the envelope and deliver a product we didn't necessarily need yet quickly feel we could not live without; Samsung did exactly that with the s6 and the s6 Edge & they got it right in a big way. Samsung's Galaxy s6 and s6 Edge launched today and they are advertising it as their Best Phone Yet and I have to agree with them. The smooth glass and metal body has the perfect feel for a smart phone and it's just an incredible device. The 5.1" display is the sharpest screen I've seen on the market. It has such great resolution and visibility inside and outside even in the sun & the internals are just as impressive. Before I get into the 6 Positive things about the s6, a few negatives are below. - Non expandable storage (device comes in 32,64 and 128gig) - Non removable battery - No longer waterproof like s5  I am excited to use Wireless Charging, in California some of the Starbucks and Panera's have the Qi charging receivers installed in their tables so you can recharge your phone while out. Some new cars have wireless charging in them as-well on the center console. 6 REASONS TO CHECKOUT THE GALAXY S6... 6. The Display & Feel The s6 feels Amazing. The s5 didn't WOW many people with it's look or feel, the s6 has the WOW factor. The display on the s6 is the same size as the s5 but it is like going to a high Definition TV from an old bunny ears television from the 90's. 5.1" gorilla Glass with a Super AMOLED, 2560 x 1440 display.  5. It's FAST It has a nicer processor than my desktop computer at home, worlds first 14nm processor. The s6 has a 64-bit, Octa-core processor and comes with Lollypop 5.0. The s6 supports simultaneous running apps to allow multitasking and side by side applications such as GPS directions and Pandora or Spotify.  4. Samsung Pay The s6 supports NFC and MST Samsung Payment and is government grade secure. Samsung pay will be accepted at over 30 million point of sale and retail locations. Samsung pay is KNOX certified similar to their android devices using Google Wallet.  3. Gear VR Support & Wearables Partnering with Oculus Samsung has created a Virtual reality experience until today that was only available with a Note 4, now it is reported to support the s6 and s6 Edge. Also Samsung has been a big advocate of Health & Fitness and tracking apps, with the new processor in the s6 allows for more features on the existing watch Samsung Gear wearable's.  2. Camera The best camera yet, 5mb front facing camera for selfies and a 16mp rear facing camera with an optical image stabilization that works well + auto lighting for the low lit locations. What is most impressive is how FAST the camera opens (0.7 seconds) from the lock screen or by double tapping the Home Button at any time.  1. Wireless Charging The Galaxy s6 is Samsung's 1st phone to support Wireless Charging, I am excited to see Panera restaurants, bars and other public places installing "Qi" charging in their tables so you can charge your phone while getting a cup of coffee at Starbucks. The Galaxy s6 also supports "Fast Charging" which recharges your phone in 10 minutes and gives you up to 4 hours of battery life. "If you wait for customers to tell you that you need to do something, you're too late. Good business leaders should be half a step ahead of what customers want, i.e. they don't actually quite know they want it. That's what innovation's about. We begin to change the world when we stimulate long-term prosperity using technology. There is not a problem that's large enough that innovation and entrepreneurship can't solve."
 My dad is the greatest man I know, there is nobody else like him. I've learned so much from my dad, he has a fix for everything, he is so handy and he always finds a way to just Get Things Done. I couldn't imagine the man I would be today if it weren't for my Dad. My dad has taught me the value in keeping my commitments, being on time, he passed on a fraction of his handiness to me, & my overall sense of humor I got from my Dad. My Dad has such a big heart, he is selfless & almost to a fault he helps others with their projects long before he tackles his own "To Do List." There is nothing my Dad can't do. My dad used to park his Harley in the living room, my friends and I always got a kick out of it when he would come home and the house would start to shake. My Dad Loves to ride and now that I have a Harley of my own, we can go on trips together on the motorcycles. Working on the bikes together is a bond we have formed over the years. I can't even count the times I have called my dad with a question, a problem or needing help around the house and he was over before I could hang up the phone. My dad is the most selfless person I know, he is ALWAYS helping others around him with some kind of an electrical side job, an upgrade to their home or helping fix their car on the side of the road. (myself included) Thank you Dad for all you do. My Dad LOVES being a Grandpa, my nephews Jackson and Niko Love spending time with their "Papa." Before Jackson was even born my Dad got him a Harley leather jacket and a battery powered motorcycle; I'm not sure who enjoyed them more, Jackson or my Dad. I learned 3 things from my Dad...  1. My Dad loves riding his motorcycle and ever since I was a kid I wanted one of my own; so when I turned 16 I got one. For all the reasons you can imagine, my dad was against me getting a bike; he thought I drove cars too fast or someone was going to run me off the road. Sure enough, the 1st weekend I had my bike I got pulled over and got so many tickets I couldn't ride the bike home. The options were to tow it or to call someone with a motorcycle license to come and get it, I asked "How much is the Tow?" I didn't want to call my Dad at midnight, have to ask him to come and get it and tell him he was Right. I called my Dad and said "I'm OK, but you need to come and get me, I got a bunch of tickets..." CLICK, he hung up. I called him back and said " I don't know if that was your phone or mine... but you gotta come and get me." My dad came and got me and rode the bike home and when we got home we talked in the garage before going to bed. I learned indirectly from my Dad that night that We as family, friends and co-workers are going to disagree on some things, but it's important we Support the other people in the process.  2. I didn't know all of this story until my friend Jeff shared it one Sunday morning he was preaching. My friend had an Electrical problem at his house and I got my Dad over to fix it. After working an 8-10 hour day, my Dad came to my house & then we went to Jeff's house in Aurora and very quickly my Dad was able to identify the problem and fix it within the 1st hour we were there & then we left. On our way out apparently Jeff tried to give my Dad some cash and said "If you didn't come I would have had to pay someone else a lot more money" and my Dad refused the money and said, "I know, that's why we came." I learned from my Dad that night that we all have a unique set of skills, some of us are born with them and others have spent years crafting them; share what you are good at & you will get it back 10 fold.  3. The last story involves a neighbor and long time Family Friend of ours named Todd Morse. My Dad ran into him & must have talked to Todd about what my brother and I were up to. When I saw Todd he asked me if I had any idea how proud my Dad was of my brother and I? I had an idea but I wanted to hear what he said, so I asked him to tell me... Todd said my Dad was going on and on about my brothers 2 boys and the new house him and his wife bought and how well I was doing at work... Then Todd asked me if I ever told my Dad I loved him? I said "Oh No, no, we don't need to do that." Todd has 2 girls so I figured it may be easier for his two girls at least to tell him they love him... He said to try it. A few weeks later my Dad was over and I was having a difficult time with some things, I was down on my luck and he could tell. He assured me everything was going to be alright and he told me what I needed to do to get through things. On his way out I grabbed him and gave him a hug and I said how much I appreciated everything he does for me and "I love you." He responded "I love you too" It was awkward for us, but it was a good feeling knowing someone else knows how much they mean to you. I learned that weekend to Tell the people who are Important to you that you care about them.  Thank you Dad for all you do! I am a better Man because of you and your generosity to help others is contagious.
I get my sense of humor from you and my work ethic. My love for a good Chicago hot dog comes from you along with my ear for Pink Floyd & Eric Clapton, thank you. You are an inspiration to me, you motivate me and encourage me to do good work and I am honored to call you my Dad.
I worked with some really Great People in 2014.2014 was Great, thank you to everyone who was a part of it.  Race & politics aside, on August 9th two peoples lives were forever changed; one was cut short at the young age of 18 & another man will 2nd guess his decisions for the rest of Eternity. The entire exchange between the 18 year old Michael Brown and officer Wilson only took 90 seconds from start to finish but now people will debate over their actions for years to come. I admit I didn't follow this case for the last 108 days but I can not believe the barbaric behavior that is going on in protest to the verdict of one man. Right, wrong or indifferent, the photos of the rioting that is going on almost resemble that of a natural catastrophe or terrorist attack. Long time family friend 19 year old Kenlen Morse shares the following Monday night during the Riots and I could not agree more. "this ferguson crap is ridiculous. WHITES ARE THE MINORITY. not all whites are racist. not all blacks are criminals. not all Mexicans are illegal. not all asains are smart. the stereotypes need to end. "equality" will never exist, although it is written in the court of law. the fact that I was talking about blacks and a black man corrected me by saying "*African American" makes me crazy because if you are implying that I need to call you an African American then I will expect you to call me a "Caucasian" in return. I HATE when people pull the race card. I do not care about the color of your skin. if you are nice to me, I will be nice to you. but if you think whites don't struggle, you are wrong. EVERYONE OF ALL RACES STRUGGLE WHY DOES THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN CHANGE PEOPES VIEWS." In today's age with social media and news outlets reporting what is good for ratings and not just the news, people are quick to form a biased stance and instantly we all have Law Degree's from Yale University. It's good we have opinions but it is nearly Impossible for us to say what we would do in someone else's situation. If you have the time, educate yourself on the facts, try to have some compassion & resist the urge that someone has to be "Right or Wrong" because that is subjective. STOP THE VIOLENCE  Ferguson Timeline: Grief, Anger And Tension Aug. 9: Brown is shot by Wilson around noon local time on Canfield Drive in Ferguson, Mo., just outside St. Louis. Wilson was responding to another call but encountered Brown.
Earlier, Brown and a friend, Dorian Johnson, were videotaped in a nearby convenience store, Ferguson Market and Liquor, apparently stealing a box of cigars. Someone at the store placed a 911 call and a police dispatcher put out a description of Brown. It's unclear whether Wilson was aware of that report before the altercation with Brown. Witness testimony differs: Some say Brown, who was unarmed, assaulted Wilson in his police vehicle and tried to grab his gun. Johnson said there was no struggle for the weapon. Another witness says Wilson tried to draw Brown into his vehicle. All accounts seem to agree that Brown was killed after he ran but then turned back toward the patrol car. Aug. 10: St. Louis County police Chief Joe Belmar says in a news conference that Brown was unarmed but had assaulted the officer, who had not been named at that point. Belmar says one shot was fired inside the car and another outside the car. Aug. 10-13: Several nights of peaceful and not-so-peaceful protests. Police fire tear gas and arrest dozens of people, many charged with vandalism and rioting. Many accuse the police of a heavy-handed approach in dealing with the city's black residents. Aug. 14: President Obama addresses the nation and urges calm and an "open and transparent" investigation into Brown's death. Gov. Jay Nixon announces that the Missouri Highway Patrol, led by Capt. Ron Johnson, will take over security in Ferguson. A night of demonstrations is nonviolent for the first time in days. Aug. 15: Police name Darren Wilson as the officer who shot Brown. Video of the convenience store robbery allegedly perpetrated by Brown and Johnson is made public for the first time. Clashes between police and protesters resume. Nearly 200 people are arrested. Aug. 16: Nixon declares a state of emergency and curfew in Ferguson. Aug. 18: Nixon orders the National Guard to be deployed to the St. Louis suburb. President Obama announces that Attorney General Eric Holder will be dispatched to Ferguson to monitor the situation there. Aug. 20: A grand jury begins investigating the actions of Wilson. Aug. 21: As calm appears to return to Ferguson, Nixon orders the National Guard to begin withdrawing from the city. Aug. 25: Brown's funeral service draws family, friends and strangers to the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis. Aug. 25-Sept. 26: Sporadic protests continue in Ferguson. Sept. 27: A Ferguson police officer is shot while responding to a burglary. The shooting does not appear to be connected to the Brown case. Oct. 14: Police arrest dozens of people during fresh protests in Ferguson. Oct. 22: A leaked autopsy report on Brown is published by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It reportedly supports accounts that there was an altercation between Brown and Wilson at the officer's patrol car. A toxicology screening also reportedly suggests that Brown had marijuana in his system at the time of his death. Nov. 17: Nixon declares a state of emergency and activates the National Guard in anticipation of a grand jury decision on whether to indict Wilson. Nov. 24: St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Robert McCulloch announces that a grand jury decided not to indict police officer Wilson for any crimes related to the fatal shooting of Brown. |
AuthorI am a young, go getter and I am very curious, a goal of mine is to learn something new every day. Archives
September 2018
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