Preaching to the Choir

Now and then, it appears to me that we are getting soft.

I wonder why I feel that way and I read the local newspaper hotline and see lots of people calling in to complain but few people offering their solutions to make things better. Knowing the loyal readers of this blog as I do, I’m probably preaching to the choir when I say these things; still I wanted to do so.

Call it my Monday medicine.

I’ve written before that I think a key to real happiness is to set some goals – whatever those might be – and work toward fulfilling them. Once you’ve achieved something, your confidence grows and you’re ready to take on something else. 

Reasonable goals might be:

• Start a fitness program
• Begin a household project
• Take up a new hobby
• Find a cause you support and volunteer to help it

The world isn’t picky. There are unlimited opportunities for the taking.

It probably wouldn’t surprise you that I’m a support of the notion of volunteerism. This is, after all, Coach Jeff’s Blog. I was Coach Jeff for 11 years. I started coaching Paul’s team when he was four and I didn’t stop until he his ball-playing days were over.

It’s not that I coached the team. We coaches also prepped the fields, made repairs around the ballpark, raised funds, collected paperwork. And so on and so on.

And you know what? We loved every minute of it.

It just seems to me that some folks didn’t get any of those messages about goal-setting and the pride that comes with achieving them.

Modern society has taught us that is somehow more fulfilling to dive into the murky waters of pop culture. Learn the latest catchphrase, memorize it and say it. And repeat it. Re-post the latest meme and chuckle about it. Engage in witty banter.

Yes, that’s the key to happiness. Witty banter.

I’m not a total spoiled sport. I get the idea of entertainment. And I embrace it. Part of my recent community service was to support the Farragut High School theatre program in a variety of roles.

I just believe that the feeling of satisfaction you get from watching the ‘latest must see tv’ is temporary; the burst is momentary.

Then, the show goes off. What do you do now? It’s back to reality? Or wait for the next broadcast.

It’s kind of like eating dessert before you have had some sort of real nourishment. It’s yummy but the gain doesn’t last long, does it?

Well, while you’re waiting to blurt out the next catchphrase, maybe it’s time to get off the couch and really do something.  There is a world full of opportunities waiting for you 

And I predict if you get involved with something – whatever that might be – you’ll be happy with the results.

JG

Originally posted 6/23/2014

Random Things From the Road

I’ve driven back and forth to Atlanta twice in the last week and one thing I have decided is you see lots of random things along the roadside between here and there.

Abandoned Items – A cooler, a gas can, a clothes basket, shards of shredded tires. One unlucky driver of long-haul truck lost one just ahead of us.  I watched the rubber disintegrate and fly everywhere. Question: Does that make him a 17 wheeler?

Speaking of trucks – I noticed that many of them have become, in essence, rolling billboards. I saw trucksides, yesterday, peddling such delicacies as waffles, hush puppies and little snack cakes. Who wouldn’t want to pull over and visit a convenience store to purchase said confection?

At any rate, that particular tractor trailer truck looked a lot like the one featured recently in the Houston Press.

Planted along the roadside – The South is very religious, so I guess it isn’t surprising to find huge crosses up and down I-75. The South is also very patriotic. As we approach July 4th, it’s logical to see large versions of the Stars and Stripes flying proudly everywhere.

There are also many kitschy shops and a few tacky ones (with billboards to match). I generally don’t give them much thought but occasionally you have to chuckle.

Some other thoughts about my recent roadtrips:

Gridlock – As much as I enjoy my trips to Atlanta, I’m not sure if I could deal with the rush hour traffic. Yesterday, for example, the gridlock extended 30 miles (and three counties) before it begins to break up. In addition to the expected traffic snarls, a trip down and back usually includes some sort of unexpected blockage. You’re driving along. You see taillights. You stop. After a while, you start back up. You never know why the cars and trucks came to a sudden stop. 

Then there’s the issue of road construction, which seems to be a never-ending enterprise in our country. I noticed, as I was taking the 285 by-pass out of town yesterday, they were ready to crank it up. Beginning last night, G-DOT was scheduling evening road construction (the action started, promptly, at 9 p.m.).

Pop Up Showers – And what’s a roadtrip without a few unexpected thunderstorms? About the time I drove out of the traffic jam, yesterday, I drove into heavy rain. On the downside, it reduced my speed greatly. On the plus side, it cleaned all the bug splatters off my windshield.

One last thought: there’s nothing so wonderful after a journey than the sight of home. For me, it comes in a sequence. There’s “the split” (the junction of I-75 and I-40). Not long after the split, there is my home interstate exit. And a few minutes later, after driving past numerous local landmarks, I turn into my own neighborhood.

Finally, the nicest sight of all: HOME. Be it ever so humble…

JG

Originally posted 6/19/2014

Best Man

Today, I had the opportunity to do something fun. I spent the day with the guy who was my best man.

Last summer, when Holly was trying to plan my big surprise birthday party, she managed to get in touch with Steve. While he couldn’t make it to the bash, her efforts did facilitate a phone call I received from him later in the fall. We’ve been emailing since then and we finally decided to get together.

Today, we both took the day off from work. I drove down to Atlanta. We met at Turner Field and just spent the afternoon together. 

It was a good thing to do. 

As is the case with old friends, nothing much has changed in the years since we last spoke. 

These days we’re not as young (and maybe not quite so crazy as in our college days or our youth). Let’s just say we’re aged versions of our younger selves!

We’ve gotten older. Kids have grown up. We’re now in that interesting phase of life - between here and there. You know the one.

Today, we spent some time catching up. We had a few laughs. Watched a ballgame. Enjoyed a few stories from olden times. And we pledged to do it again very soon. Maybe even include our wives.

It was a good day. And we plan to do it again soon…maybe include our wives. We’ll do something. As we shook hands (and exchanged man hugs) before we parted company, we agreed to stay in touch and make some plans.

Old friendships are worth making the extra effort. Today we did just that. 

It was the best.

JG

Originally posted 6/18/2014

Goallll!!!!

In the U.S., we have the ‘Big Three’ team sports (four if you count hockey).

I’m not sure if soccer – futbol to the rest of the world – will ever reach elite status in this country. But, on days like yesterday, you get the feeling that anything is possible.

The United States 2-1 in over Ghana in its first match in the 2014 FIFA World Cup was as dramatic as it was unexpected. For much of the game, the Ghanans took the attack to the U.S. squad. Further, U.S. players seemed to be affected by the humid conditions in the seaside Brazilian town of Natal. Player after player suffered debilitating leg injuries.

Late in the game, when Ghana tied the score 1-1, you got the feeling it might beat the American team for a third straight World Cup. But then came a corner kick, followed by a header into the net. And “Goallllll!” The U.S. took the lead late and held on to win by the final of 2-1.

Soccer-crazed yanks, everywhere, celebrated.

I don’t pretend to understand the game of soccer. My sole exposure was one season as an assistant coach for one of Holly’s teams (she played AYSO soccer, as a little tot, for a number of years).

The thing I remember most about that experience is that the other two coaches were also named Jeff (think of it…the three of us could’ve teamed up for Coach Jeff Jeff & Jeff’s Blog!).

I really don’t understand the game. And, I fear the average American is probably in the same boat. Soccer aficionados can tell you about the strategy and the pacing of the game. Most of the rest of us just think – as Paul once put it – “there’s just a lot of running around.”

What we do get, however, is the notion of patriotism and national pride. There’s something about being in a place with other Americans chanting “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” with thousands of your fellow countrymen and rooting your team on to victory.

I have had that opportunity twice: First, when I attended a World Cup match with my friend John McManus in Detroit in 1994 (the U.S. played Switzerland to a 1-1 draw) and, again, two years later when I attended the 1996 Summer Olympics (the Games of the XXVI Olympiad) in Atlanta.

And as the nation united by television screens from coast to coast, the U.S. team pulled off a victory in its first game in this year’s World Cup. 

None of us know how the tournament will play out but, for a night, the nation united behind a team and felt that surge of national pride. Games like this one might not bring the sport into our ‘Big 4’ but it will certainly help elevate the status of the game in the hearts and minds of the American public.

JG

Originally posted 6/17/2014

And Now on With the Countdown

My sister and I exchanged texts this morning over the sad news of Casey Kasem’s death this weekend at the age of 82.

(As an aside, I was also saddened to learn of the death of former MLB Great and Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, 54, this morning. My mother says celebrity deaths always come in threes. Of course, the news of Chuck Noll’s death came over the weekend). 

With regard to Kasem, my sister and I both came of age during an era when listening to the American Top 40 Countdown was a staple of weekend entertainment fare. I remember you’d have the countdown on as background news when you were outside washing the car, catching a few rays on the deck or just chilling out inside.

Kasem’s personal, folksy style - punctuated with his catchphrases and ‘long distance dedications – led to him telling great behind the scenes stories about musicians or the songs they sang. Often, he’d bring us back to the order of business with his friendly quip “And now, on with the countdown.” 

I’m guessing it was that same folksy style that landed him the role of ‘Shaggy’ on Scooby Doo. Can’t you just hear him belting out a ‘zoinks’ even as we speak?

Still, AT40 was his bread and butter and that is the association most of us make.

Over the years, teen after teen would listen to the AT 40 countdown – a compilation of songs rated by record sales and radio station airplay ranked by Billboard Magazine. Week after the week, we heard when Casey went Coast to Coast. Often, he’d give a shout out to your town and your radio station and that was a really big deal!

At one point, I was such a big fan of the countdown that a received Joel Whitburn’s Billboard rankings book that shows where the top tunes landed on the chart. The songs are categorized by performer, by year and by the exclusive list of number one hits.

Still reading about the charts is one thing; listening to the countdowns was quite another. And back in the day, that was the way many of us were introduced to new songs. We also cheered as our favorite bands and singers topped the charts with their most popular tunes.
 

I still remember how happy I was when U2 hit number one in May 1987 with the venerable “With or Without You.”

Now, those days are behind most folks  look back with a great bit of nostalgia.  The passing of Casey was yet another reminder of the passage of time.

Nostalgia buffs aren’t totally out of luck, however. American Top 40 fans can still listen to the shows re-broadcast via satellite radio on Sirius XM’s 80’s on 8 channel (or 70s on 7 for older shows).

JG

Originally posted 6/16/2014

Do It Together

As a little shaver growing up in the house of an engineer – one who cited ham radio as one of his numerous hobbies – the name ‘RadioShack’ was a pillar of my childhood.

RadioShack was one of the stores we frequented on weekend shopping trips; Dad’s shop was equipped with RadioShack gear. As a teenager, I spent many hours recording hit songs off the radio using my RadioShack tape recorder and ‘Realistic’ cassette tapes.

Recently, I found a cache of them in our storage room. I wonder what 70s and 80s tunes would be preserved on the polymer film coated with a magnetic strip? Maybe some 70s classic rock or the dying embers of disco? Who knows.

It was sad news for me to learn, as many folks did yesterday, that the electronics giant, that played such a big role in my past, has hit some seriously hard times.

Earlier this year, the company shuttered about 200 of its 4,000 stores. Yesterday, it announced it was closing 200 more.

Its stock value continues to tumble (down more than 45 percent this year) and the company reported losses of $98.3M in the first quarter this year. Those numbers are grim no matter how you cast them.

RadioShack is embarking on a plan to retool, rebrand and modernize. Those actions could help turn the tide. Time to ’Do it Together,’ as it were.

Still, you can’t help feeling a bit of nostalgia for the venerable retailer. And nostalgia, while fun and emotional, doesn’t equate ‘modern’ and ‘cutting edge.’ I think I said something similar when I wrote about the financial woes of another proud American retailer back in January.

You just have to hope, if you’re a RadioShack fan, that it can find a way to tap into the frenetic evolution of gadgets and technology and hit a home run to pull out this game before it ends.

JG

Originally posted 6/11/2014

Love Locks

When were in Paris last month – I really love saying that – we saw many iconic locations.

We rode to the top of the Tour Eiffel and admired the Arc de Triomphe. We walked along the Champs Elysees and toured Notre Dame

One of the more unusual sights we enjoyed seeing was the so-called “Love Locks” of Paris.

The Love Locks are placed along many of the bridges in the city. The idea is that young lovers buy a padlock, write their name on it, lock it to part of a chain-link fence and throw the key into the river below. The act symbolizes the eternal nature of their love.

We saw many of the locks along the Pont des Arts (the Bridge of the Arts). We saw the locks as we crossed the bridge, heading from our hotel to spend much of one day at the Musee’ d’Orsay and we were struck by the sheer volume of the shiny adornments.

We also saw a few at the top of the Eiffel Tower like this one from Deb and Dom!

Still, Pont des Arts, which crosses over the Seine River and provides a great view of the city, was the location for the largest display of love.

But as you know, at times, love can weigh you down. And so it was yesterday when a panel of the chain link fence collapsed. Just as there was one straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back, so it was with locks and the bridge. Two thousand locks and you’re okay; 2001 and it all comes crashing down.

No one was hurt by the incident and, in short order, Parisians replaced the fallen fence with a wooden panel. But, local government officials are seeking a way to put a stop to this time-honored practice.

Paris may be the City of Love but, in this case, Love Hurts.

It’s unclear what city officials may ultimately choose to do. It seems there is a delicate balance between protecting order and civil property and catering to the scores of tourists – many of whom are young couples in love – who come to the city.

For certain, it’s a conundrum. But, in the meantime, I have an idea than a number of young couples are heading to the local hardware store, picking out the perfect lock and heading to the bridge as soon as they can.

For the young and old alike, you see, love can’t be denied.

JG

Originally posted 6/10/2014