My aunt shared this on facebook today.  Pretty amazing.  God bless.  

Running the Philadelphia Marathon two years ago was one of the more inspiring and joyful community events I've ever been a part of.  Beyond just the runners, I was particularly moved by the countless thousands on the sidelines cheering everyone on and offering total positivity and support...it really felt like the City of Brotherly Love that day.  I do believe more runners = a happier world.  At any rate, this is a really cool TED talk:

Recent high school grad talking about real change...this is beautiful.  

This is amazing:  http://livemylief.com/

I had seen this video once before--before the thought of teaching had even entered my mind.  It's a funny talk, and Sir Robinson's ideas certainly resonated with me, as someone whose exposure to education philosophy was limited to Seth Godin.  I was recently asked to watch this video for one of my grad courses at Drexel; to say the least, I viewed it through a much different lens this time.  

Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, talks about luck, coincidence, and faith.  I like the idea that there is physics involved in this--not merely some metaphysical, spiritual "hope" or "wish" that magically makes things happen, but some real, tangible, natural force...our desire, energy, and intention...our choice.  I like the idea that this type of "magic" can be explained.

Big Conan fan.  This is the commencement speech he gave to Dartmouth's Class of 2011 back in May.  Hilarious, and with some valuable wisdom in the final seven minutes or so.  Coincidentally, appropriate connection to the previous entry.

I started trying to improve my singing ability a little over a year ago.  Prior to that, I was too scared to ever really try--I sucked, I knew I sucked, and I wasn't exactly receiving any encouragement from those around me.  This perception/opinion of myself was enough to keep me from being foolish and embarrassing myself.  So, for a long time, I did not sing.  But, I love writing, I love playing guitar, and I was growing increasingly frustrated by not being able to sing my own songs, so eventually I decided to start trying--timidly and sporadically at first, and then gradually more emboldened and consistent.

There is a simple quote I came across at some point in the last two years that put things into perspective for me:  "Practice is the cause of achievement."  I firmly believe this.  There is no magical switch that turns you into a superstar, and no one else is going to do it for you.  Since March 2010--when I started recording myself singing in order to track my progress--I've practiced singing 156 times.  The sessions range from 12 minutes to 1 hour 37 minutes, with an average time of about 37 minutes.  So, basically, in the 450 days since I started making a concerted effort to improve my singing, I've practiced an average of once every three days for a little over half an hour each time.  This hardly seems like much of a commitment.  And yet, I can honestly say that my singing is much improved from a year ago.  It's still not very good, but the biggest difference is this:  I don't care.  I don't care what other people (might) think.  I'm a little more comfortable, a little less insecure, a little less frightened.  I see no other cause for this than the gradual comfort that comes with doing something repeatedly over time.  Whereas I used to shut up and immediately stop singing as soon as I heard a neighbor's apartment door open or close, I now scream like an idiot in my parents' house with my entire family easily within ear-shot, something I never would have done before, because it wasn't "me" and I didn't want my family to think I'm weird.  It's now at a point where I simply enjoy this activity...I love singing, and I'm okay with expressing myself and not being afraid of what someone else might think.  It feels great.

My routine is this:  Whenever I have time to sit down and play, I grab my acoustic guitar, open my laptop and bring up GarageBand, record for however long I feel like playing/singing, and then export it to iTunes.

The following recording is from yesterday.  The songs are listed below, along with the corresponding dates/time periods of when they were written.

 "2011/06/16 Voice"

1.  Tuesday................................. October 2006 (form/lyrics); August 2008 (lyrics)
2.  Clouds.....................................................................August 2008 (form/lyrics)
3.  Two Halves..................................................................May 2006 (form/lyrics)
4.  Foxhole in Winter.................December 2010 (form/lyrics); January 2011 (lyrics)
5.  Up..............................................June 2010 (form/lyrics); October 2010 (lyrics)
6.  Flannel Wind (Delphi).................October 2008 (form); August 2009 (form/lyrics)
7.  Montana..................................................................August 2010 (form/lyrics)
8.  I Used to Play Guitar..........Oct 2006 (form); Nov 2010 (form); Dec 2010 (lyrics)
9.  Penance...................................................June 2010 (form); July 2010 (lyrics)
10.  Demigod...................................................................June 2010 (form/lyrics)
11.  Monorail (Infinity Beers)...09/2010 (form); 12/2010 (form); 01/2011 (form/lyrics)
12.  Dogwalker (The Winds of Solitude Roaring at the Edge of Infinity).......08/2010 (form); 12/2010 (lyrics)
13.  Change the World/Rule the World...............November 2010 (form/lyrics); January 2011 (lyrics)
14.  Legos................May 2009 (form); July 2009 (form/lyrics); August 2009 (lyrics)
15.  Concussed.................................November 2009 (form); October 2010 (lyrics)