Daylight Saving's Grace

I am sooooooooooooooo glad my first week to loose an hour of sleep each night happened during a week when I did not have to be somewhere, namely work.  Spring Break, though not technically in spring or maybe it's almost spring, happened just in time for Daylight Savings time.  That was just the other week for all of us at Meridian Community College.

We spent March 12-19 in respite at various places of generally our own choosing.  I, and maybe others,  decided quickly that I was not going to do anything worth doing with as much enthusiasm NOT to do it as possible.  I was really successful.

The first weekend of the break we entertained some dear friends (my son-in-law's parents).  They were rolling through the area in an RV as they drove from a six-week visit with our children in California back home to Long Island.  On Monday (mid-morning) when the guest rolled out toward their next stop in Atlanta, my baby daughter of 21 years and I jumped into my car and skirted up the road for a seven-hour road trip to north central Texas.  We pulled into my old stomping ground just before the closing of one of our favorite dives and so we ordered a full plate of Texas BBQ.

We can always count on Johnson St. BBQ, formerly Kelly's, to be awesome.  And, it was.  The next day, around noon, we got up and made french toast for everyone who dared stopped by to say hello.   It was french toast MS Gulf Coast Bed & Breakfast style.  You know the recipe.  The one from stale french bread browned until golden in a pan of real butter and then topped with dark brown syrup filled with pecans and rum or kaluha and calorie-free...wish.

Don't fret.  I walked it all off during a late afternoon of window shopping I did with an old high school friend at a nearby east Dallas mall called Town East.  We looked a lot, laughed a lot, liked a lot, but spent a little.  It was awesome!  We caught up with each other's lives and ate an early dinner at Cheddars where I enjoyed a grilled Portabello on ciabotta with a garden salad - just toooooooooooo gooooooooooooood!

Now, just so I don't provide blow by blow coverage of my whole spring break in the forms of the food and frolicking, I can sum it up by saying the rest of the week included a lot of  sleeping late,  goofin' around, more sleeping and mostly, no thinking about work.

Enter stage right, reality.  Today began the second week back at work and I was in a fog of sorts until I had an epiphany.  I discovered that I'm still running on Central Standard Time.  I realized that I'm still not ready to do all the stuff that should have been finished an hour ago.  I seem to have lost an hour.  You too?

Well, don't fret because just about the time you or I may fall far too behind, remember Daylight Savings time gives us more daylight to catch up.  Maybe they should call it Daylight Savings Grace?

Hey!!!

Is that worse than loosing an hour of sleep in the first place?  Is that another epiphany?  Or is that simply more time to give it the best that I've got...

March Madness and the Final Four

Butler. West Virginia. They have clinched seats in the men's bracket. Michigan v. Tennesse and Baylor v. Duke play today. Those left standing will go to the big dance in Indianapolis and a national champion will be named later this week.  In the women's bracket, no final four yet; but we're close.  The ladies will "duke" it out the first week of April. I hear from the sports pundants that it is just maddening trying to determine who actually makes it to the dance, let alone who wins it all.  It's all a big guess, but I am just too ignorant about collegiate basketball to say more than that.  I used to be astute back in the Jordan/NC days.  But today, all I know about March Madness and the Final Four NCAA tourney is pretty much reflected in what you've just read.

These days, the terms March Madness and Final Four mean something slightly different to me.  In college recruitment, where I spend a lot of my professional concern, March Madness marks the near end of the full-court press, man-to-man coverage recruitment efforts that started  the academic year last August.  From last August to now, Meridian Community College participated in college days, career fairs, and community events all across the region.  We hosted campus events that brought prospects to our campus from all walks of life through open houses of our programs and services, job fairs, financial aid workshops, campus tours for students and their parents, local and state academic and career competitions, athletic, social, and theatrical events and etc.  We sponsored events in our community and at our local schools.   We've used all forms of print media and broadcast media to reach out to prospects and inform our community of the educational opportunities available at MCC.  We accommodated prospects who have called and visited our offices, whether they are from this part of the county or another part of the world.  We've played hard, and so August to March has been exciting!

Now, we will shift our attention (somewhat) to the Final Four.  Our Final Four marks the last four months (April through July) of an academic year where MCC begins its orientation season.  During these months, we will focus a significant amount of our time on assuring that those prospects we've met throughout the year will have everything they need to be in place at MCC, so they will be ready to register and attend fall 2010 classes.  Orientation gives students an opportunity to visit our college (on campus or online) as either first-time freshmen who are newly graduated from high school, or as Nontraditional students (adults 19 or older), or as International students, or as Honors students who are current high school seniors that have earned an ACT score of 20 or higher.

With the same level of adrenaline rush of winning an NCAA national basketball championship, we will welcome every student to our campus for the fall to usher them into a new phase of learning that promises to be as memorable as winning a national championship.   Unike the NCAA tournament, it is NOT hard to predict who is the winner when students arrive on campus each fall.

MCC is the winner.  If you are having your first college experience or have been away from us for a while, call to reserve your spot at orientation by calling us at:  601.483.8241 or 800.MCCthe1.  Let us give you the best that we've got...

Numbers

Numbers are important.  In the year that Jesus was born, Joseph (from the House of David) and Mary went to Bethlehem under order from Caesar Augustus to be counted.  That count changed all of mankind.  Now, in 2010 the mandate to count citizenry is still in effect and numbers can still impact mankind.

Over the next few weeks, each U.S. household will receive an invitation from the government to complete a  2010 Census form.  You don't have to believe in the Bible story mentioned above to understand the biblical proportions of your household's response. 

Numbers are important:

There is safety in numbers.

Birds of a feather flock together.

Two heads are better than one.

Once bitten, twice shy...oops (wrong "numbers" analogy).

Numbers are important.

Now, I am not a paid 2010 Census spokesperson but I admit I do have an agenda.  I do believe a good number from the census count will help Mississippi with the appropriate congressional representation (so our voices can be heard on the federal level).  A good number from the census count will help in funding for public schools and roads and funding for programs for the vulnerable citizens (elderly and children) in our local communities.  A good number from the census helps us Mississippians attract a proportionate amount of federal dollars for our local and state needs.

I will not usually spend blog time or space for causes, crusades, or campaigns, but I thought a reminder to be counted so you can be counted on was appropriate.  Together, we can give the best that we've got....

Cincinnati Chili

"Everyday."

That was the self-assured response given us by the hotel conceirge as we entered the doors to Skyline, downtown Cincinnati. At the counter you could order up (get this) a 3-way, 4-way, or 5-way, served on a hot dog , over a burrito, or over spaghetti or etc, with or without a mountain load of cheese, small, regular or large.

Oh.

Yes.

Spaghetti.

We had landed an hour and half or so earlier and were famished. We had devised our game plan in the cab ride from the airport. We were to check into the hotel, get our bags to our rooms, refresh, and then meet in the hotel lobby to move briskly to lunch. So, in our taxi we asked our cabby, "What is local to Cincinnati that we will love to eat?"

"Cincinnati chili", he answered.

"Ok, where do we get it?"

"Skyline, and there's one near your hotel."

The driver had shared so much valuable and interesting info about Cincy that we were excited the conference had chosen this awesome city; but, we were more glad we'd luck up on this driver with an incredible recommendation of Cincinnati chili. So, bags unloaded and tip transferred, the taxi buzzed off into rush-hour, city traffic. Now, our plans to reconvene for lunch were in effect.

While waiting in the lobby for some stragglers in our group, a couple of us approached the hotel conceirge to ask (for confirmation), "What is local to Cincinnati that we will love to eat?"

"Cincinnati chili!" he exclaimed.

"The cabby told us that. Skyline?", we asked.

"Yep!" he answered and then gave us spot-on directions.

Well, reassembling in the lobby was a slight struggle. But moments later with our group in tact, we began our trek to Skyline which was only a few city blocks away!

Spot-on directions indeed. We arrived at Skyline with great anticipation and surprise to find the hotel conceirge had already arrived in advance of us and was seated at a table placing his order.

"Is it good?" we asked him.

"Everyday." he retorted.

This is where the story goes south...literally.

Six proud southerners, fairly well-traveled, and well-educated were dumbfounded. What is that taste? Nutmeg? No. Cinnamon. Maybe. Why is it so dark? I don't know. What meat is that dark? Maybe it's the chili powder (we discover later that it's chocolate). I taste only a little chili powder. I don't taste any! Why spaghett? I dunno. I asked for "light" cheese. I can't eat this! Well, I can; I paid for it. I never have to eat it again. It's as though a pumpkin pie fell into a pot of chili. Chili-what?!

Needless to say, Cincinnati chili is an acquired taste. Here's the website: www.skylinechili.com/menu.pdf or the receipe 'cause that's the best I've got...

My Life as a Compilation Album, Ugh :(

Today while doing some light shopping, I encountered something that left me completely and utterly horrified.


Who was responsible for this monstrosity? Who let things get so out of hand? Who should be held accountable for this fiasco? Heads should roll for whomever granted permission for transforming some of the most carefree days of my life into a shrink-wrapped, digitally-mastered compilation album!

Not album. I mean CD.

No, I mean DVD.

Well actually, blue ray. Doh!

I think I mean the show on VH1 or MTV, "I Love the 80's". Or is that a reality show?

No. Is it a ringtone?

Ugh!!

Now, I'm confused.

Anyway, shouldn't I have been asked to sign a release or something? Is this the sum of us: a decade of bad hair, bad fashion, bad judgement and "totally-radical-and-fur-sure" fun, all summarized in a 80's compilation album? Is this all that is left after spandex, Candies shoes, Jordache' jeans, the death of disco and the birth of rap? Now, I know the pain felt by the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's generations.

Well I, personally, am not ready to have the 80's revered as the "good old days". Who's with me???

Come on! Stand up and shout:

"I'M NOT JUST A COMPLICATION ALBUM, AND

I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

The 80's may be masterfully digitized, but I'm still giving you the best that I've got...