Get Your Copy Today!

Posted by mike On July 29, 2009

My photography book Where Skies Burn is now available on Lulu.com and Amazon Marketplace. Lulu even offers a few-page preview. This is a collection of some of my favorite pics from my year living in Namibia. I did all the photography and design myself so it's almost like having me sitting on your coffee table! Donate to my starving artists fund by picking up your copy today. Show it off to all your friends, or better yet, buy one for all your friends. They'll love you for it! Thanks for your support. I know you'll enjoy it!

Where Skies Burn cover
Showing posts with label wisdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wisdom. Show all posts

How to be a good fan

Posted by mike on Monday, September 14, 2009 at 10:49 PM 1 comments
So I've been having this conversation with my young, teenage cousin Meghan, and her cousin on the other side, Katie, and they were telling me about their favorite football teams and getting on my case for liking the Patriots. I felt my response to them was so insightful that you too could gain some valuable wisdom, so I thought I'd share it here.
__________________________________________

Ok Katie, allow me to teach you about being a good, knowledgeable fan. First of all, I would expect you to like the Steelers, obviously, you're from western Pennsylvania. So I don't question your character or like you any less because you like the Steelers. I also don't dislike you because you don't like the Patriots. Obviously, any good Steelers fan shouldn't like the Patriots because we always beat you in the playoffs. It's a rivalry. If you didn't dislike the Patriots then you would not be a very good Steelers fan. Therefore I respect you as a Steelers fan, that you're a good fan for your team. That said, you should respect me for being a good fan of my team by not liking their rivals. You follow?

Now Meghan, I do have to take issue with your choices. I need to ask why you're a Steelers or a Giants fan? Is it just because they've won Super Bowls recently? Because then you'd just be a bandwagon fan which is not very respectable. Is it just because you think Eli is hot?? That's absolutely NO reason to like a team (it's quite girly), so it also is unrespectable. Because you're from Michigan I would expect you to be a Lions fan, but considering how shamefully BAD they are, a good Lions fan would shake their head in shame, so I'll give you a little grace on that one.

Here's the long and the short of it. If you're gonna be a fan, at least be a good fan! Don't hate people because they're fans of other teams - especially if they're from those place, they should be fans of those teams. And don't hate people just because they're all loud and obnoxious and make fun of your team for no good reason. Just explain to them about what it means to be a good fan, because then you sound very respectable and they just sound lame. People then look up to you because you're knowledgeable and gracious, but they tend to alienate the loud, obnoxious ones. You then get invited to sports parties and even to games sometimes because you know what it means to be a good fan. You also highly increase your chances of getting asked out by a good, cute, respectable guy who's into sports...all because you listened to your older cousin and learned how to be a good fan. ;)
, , | |

Advice for shopaholics (part 2)

Posted by mike on Monday, August 24, 2009 at 2:50 PM 0 comments
I realized there was one tip that I forgot that I remind myself of all the time so I need to add it in...
    6. The cheapest one is the one you already have - Whether it's a car, a guitar, or just a pillow, we always want something better than what we have. Advertisers are great at convincing us that what we have isn't good enough for some reason or another. If what you have meets your needs then don't make a need out of a want.
On Sunday, the pastor defined contentment as knowing the difference between wants and needs. Paul writes, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." I wonder if part of that secret of contentment involves an understanding of our heavenly citizenship and the temporal nature of our belongings. Never hear about that in a marketing campaign.
, | |

Advice for shopaholics

Posted by mike on Friday, August 21, 2009 at 1:03 PM 1 comments
In this time of financial ambiguity everyone's offering their top 10 ways to save money and whatnot, so I thought I'd chime in with my own helpful tips for those avid shoppers out there. Here's my top 5 practical suggestions on how to spend less money when you go shopping:
  1. Don't go shopping - Not so obvious for some.
  2. Make a list, and if it's not on the list, don't buy it - Determine ahead of time what you really need and stick to it. Don't let slick advertising or point-of-purchase marketing convince you into buying something you don't need. Carry your list in your hand as a reminder, if it goes in the cart, it better already be on the list.
  3. Don't bring extra money "just in case" - These days it's a tough suggestion to shop with cash, but it really will force you to think about how much you're spending. Determine how much you're willing to spend ahead of time, then only bring that much. That'll keep you from extra frivilous purchases that you don't really need.
  4. Get in and out; don't browse - For all those window shoppers out there, it's way too easy to convince yourself you need something when the sale tag is staring you in the face. Sales are made for suckers. Reality check: you don't need it, you just want it. Refer to #2.
  5. Seriously, reread #1 - Find a hobby that doesn't require you to go out and spend money. If you're lamenting that you don't have enough money to go shopping, it's probably because you've spent it all shopping. Then when you really do need something, you don't have money because you've spent it all on stuff you didn't need but couldn't resist.
, | |

Drop some wisdom

Posted by mike on Monday, July 27, 2009 at 5:17 PM 1 comments
It's not until you leave that you realize all the reasons you have to stay.
| |