(also known as, 10 courageous ways to take down the bad guys and live a life of amazing opportunity)

I was in a conversation with a close friend last week about some serious matters when I just stopped everything I was talking about and simply summed it up by noting:

“You know? This is the hardest sale of my life”…

Have you ever been there? Are you there right now?

It’s a pretty incredible opportunity to really know that what you are engaged in RIGHT now is the fight of your life.

• Understanding that nothing else you have ever done before compares to the challenge you are facing right now…
• Realizing that when you walk away victorious from this challenge you will have won the biggest battle of your life…

It’s a do or die set-up.

A time when the fork in the road is a choice of harder or hardest. There is nothing easy about this — just a painful uphill struggle.

So what do you do if you find yourself in this opportunity? How do you handle the hardest sale of your life?

1. You hold nothing back in your personal effort — The fight of your life demands the fight of your life.  You really have to lay it all on the line: mind, body, and soul.   And if there is anything else you have to offer, you need to put that in the game as well.   All!  Everything!  Every ounce of effort goes to winning this cause.  (And by the way, don’t confuse “almost” with “all”. One gets you close to the deal. The other is what helps you close the deal.)
2. You don’t stop your analysis until you find real meaning — Things are never as they seem.  Winners today can end up the real losers tomorrow.  You have to keep digging into the “facts” of the case until you get the answers that no one else has.  Here’s a DEW favorite: “remember that it’s always what it’s not – at least the first few times around”.  That means that the standard answers you are getting from your prospect about timeline and budget are the exact opposite from the actual words that you are hearing.
3. You are patient with results and refuse to over-react – Most sales people are their own worst enemy once they sense that they might not be winning the hardest deal of their life. They transform into irrational, paranoid super-sulky panhandlers asking for the prospect’s loose change. They stop thinking like the savvy business ninjas that got them into the game in the first place. You need to remember to be patient with the process. Put in place the “24 Hour Rule” ( i.e. No communication to the client for a full day after you sense bad news from a prospect.)  Use that time to find an alternative strategy that shows your care of the client rather than a hand-out attempt to beg for their attention.
4. You ask for non-judgmental advice from a guru – A guru doesn’t need to be a world-famous author or the biggest hotshot in your industry.  Sometimes that guy is the manager who has been doing this for three decades and has seen a million different deals come and go.  Sometimes that guru is just an article written on a blog or your favorite selling magazine.  The key is that the advice has to be non-judgmental.  You are where you are and asking someone (at this point) how you could have done it “better” is a huge waste of your time and a real “downer”.  Talk about “next steps” from “right here”.  Ask for advice and you will likely get some solutions you would not have considered all on your own.
5. You take time for physically tasking exercise – There is  nothing that compares to kicking ass in the business world like kicking ass in the gym.  It clears your mind and prepares your body for stressful situations.  The world-famous Mayo Clinic calls exercise “Meditation in Motion” and that seems to have been my experience running on the open road.   You need to be physically and mentally prepared for a potential beating and nothing helps you navigate the madness of your schedule like a regular session of body building.  Take 30 minutes and push yourself hard.  You’ll find new confidence returning just when you need it most.
6. You consider the advantages of the “outrageous” — Sometimes you need to break out the “clown suit” and go for broke — I am joking 99.5% here. While you don’t want to be silly, there is some solid reasoning to asking the hard questions you were afraid to ask during the sales competition — like “we didn’t really have a chance did we?” or “we sure seemed to miss the mark with you guys, didn’t we?” or “I’m embarrassed that we were so so self-centered we didn’t think more about the value we should have been providing to you.”  When you get the answers to these questions, you might find yourself with some solid “behind the scenes” information to propose a winning counter-solution.  You have nothing to lose, so go for it…
7. You reverse roles with your buyer and justify “you” – Think about how you appear to your prospect.  Are you a whiner? A bully? A loudmouth? A hot-shot?  A miserable time-wasting, arrogant asshole?  Who are you from the buyer’s perspective?  Consider that….   You can call yourself the superhero of value propositions, but if your prospect doesn’t get it, then you have failed – miserably.  Think about the words you are using.  How would you react if they were being “played” to you?  Reverse your roles and see how you look from the other side of the table…
8. You manage personal distractions by eliminating them first – You can’t execute a masterful strategy while you have nagging side issues beating you between the temples.  Conventional sales books have all made the case for running after distractions after you do your core mission.  I totally disagree.  That’s a horrible process.  It doesn’t work.  Distractions are a part of life.  You have to manage these issues FIRST, before they threaten your ability to perform at high levels.  Don’t half-ass the hardest sale of your life by focusing part of our attention on something else.  Get the nasty stuff off your plate – or at least partly solved – and then go kick ass.
9. You don’t ask if dropping your price will close the deal — At this point (in the middle of the hardest sale of your life) you are way past grovelling for a rock-bottom price negotiation vantage point. Don’t do it.  Double the value analysis of your offering.  Triple your support offering. But do not cut your price.  Customers want the best offer — not necessary the lowest price.  By providing the most VALUE (i.e. explained benefit to the buyer) you become the best offer.  And here is a question for you: Does a price drop really ever increase your odds of winning the deal?  Doesn’t it just make you more frustrated?  So don’t do it.  Force yourself to demonstrate value instead.
10. You close the hardest sale of your life — You face down your demons, put in the effort, and at the end of the day you take a commission to the bank.  You close the deal because you want it the most.  Because you are willing to ask for help.   You wait patiently through the chaos, the client demands, and personal fears.  You close the deal.

That’s what you do.

You close the hardest sale of your life.

And why? Because that’s all there is to do.  That’s why you are in the game — to fight, to win…

I certainly don’t want to gloss over this idea. There’s more to this idea and it’s not for everyone.  It’s certainly one of those topics that is easier to talk about than to actually do.

That’s because deep down some of you think that winning is for someone else.  That you aren’t the one who can win.

But you are mistaken.  You are a winner.  You were born that way.  You can do it. You can win big.  You can close the hardest sale of your life.

Call me, I’ll help you.

]]> http://badnewsbarnes666.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/iraqi-police-arrest-15-with-alleged-al-qaida-ties/ Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:58:39 +0000 Larry Barnes http://badnewsbarnes666.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/iraqi-police-arrest-15-with-alleged-al-qaida-ties/

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2009 – Iraqi police and U.S. advisors apprehended 15 suspects with alleged ties to al Qaida in Iraq during operations in there in the past few days, military officials said.

Iraqi police arrested four suspected members of al Qaida cells today in two joint security operations near Baghdad and Kirkuk, military officials said.

In a joint security operation in Karmah, west of Baghdad, police apprehended an alleged associate of a car-bomb cell believed responsible for attacks targeting government buildings and civilians in the Iraqi capital. Police also arrested a suspected accomplice.

During a separate operation in a rural area southwest of Kirkuk, the 3rd Emergency Services Unit and U.S. advisors arrested a suspected al Qaida in Iraq leader and a suspected criminal accomplice.

The suspected terrorist leader is believed to be responsible for emplacing improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, throughout the region, moving foreign fighters into Iraq to carry out attacks, and transporting and storing weapons.

In earlier operations, Iraqi security forces arrested four suspected members of al Qaida in Iraq during joint security operations in northern Iraq.

During a security operation yesterday in Muqdadiyah, northeast of Baghdad, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors apprehended a man with alleged ties to the terrorist network.

On Nov. 28, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors in southwestern Mosul arrested three suspected associates of an alleged al Qaida member.

In other Nov. 28 operations, Iraqi police in Mosul arrested an alleged al Qaida in Iraq associate, and police in Hawija arrested an alleged associate of the network and a suspected accomplice.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)

One day I will beat my cat when racing up/down the stairs.

It’s not fair how no matter how much of a headstart I get, he still beats me. I blame it on the four feet and plus his body has a small surface area therefore (!) he has less air resistance. So.. yeah. I think I just hate losing. Stupid competitive streak.

UN JOUR, JE DIS.

UN JOUR.

Love,

Kamalia.

Today is the last day to make the 50K word count for National Novel Writers’ Month. It’s been a fun, challenging experience. The results of this month’s challenge, whether you made the word count or not, are a success. I’ve learned not to measure my success based on a specific result; instead, I look at the journey that occurred between the decision to begin and the ending point. Did I learn something? Am I a better person because of the experience? Did I conquer a fear? What did I gain or loose?

I did make my NaNoWriMo word count, but that’s not the success that I am celebrating. The NaNoWriMo challenge and word count was a catalyst for me to accomplish something that I convinced myself that I couldn’t do. In preparation for the challenge, I studied, read books, and interacted with others embarking on the challenge. I’ve been an accomplished, established, and succesful technical writer for over 15 years, yet my dream has always been to write a novel. For years I’ve started dozens of novels and never finished them. I’ve berated and browbeat myself until I decided that maybe I was not meant to write novels.

During my journey to situate myself for the impending month of November when I would attempt to write 50K words in 30 days, my preliminary preparation uncovered impractical processes, lack of discipline, lack of consistency, and other unproductive habits that I recorded in my writing blog. The process of the NaNoWrMo challenge helped me to learn and adopt processes that work, discipline that produces, and consistency to finish. I had trouble completing previous novels because I was attempting to write a perfect first draft. Because my attention span is short, I need to write in my novel daily to get the idea out in a first draft ASAP. These lessons are invaluable, and even had I not completed the word count, I’d still feel successful because I’ve learned the basics of what I need to move forward with writing novels. They are lessons that I can build on it. Now I can put away those books about how to finish a novel and concentrate on rewriting, structure, and other mechanics of writing a good novel.

Sometimes we don’t reach our intended goals, but we should not judge ourselves or accomplishments based on if we make it to the finish line or not. The journey and the process are to our intended goals are invaluable, yet often overlooked. There are times when we must recognize that what we learn as a result of the journey is the prize and making it to the finish line is an added bonus.

Image Credit: Mike Waters from www.joyfultoons.com

“….it would take weeks to get a large enough U.S. contingent on the scene and bin Laden might disappear in the meantime.”

“….there were sufficient troops available in Afghanistan and nearby Uzbekistan to mount a genuine assault on Osama bin Laden’s position at Tora Bora. And they could have been augmented within about a week by reinforcements from the Persian Gulf and the United States.”

The assault would not have required thousands of conventional forces. A large number of troops would have taken too long to deploy and alerted Al Qaeda to the approaching attack. ‘‘My opinion is that bin Laden would have left even earlier as soon as he received word that the U.S. troops were surrounding him,’’ Fury told the Committee staff. ‘‘I think he only stayed as long as he did because he thought the mujahedin would not aggressively pursue him.’’

“…..deploying 1,000 to 3,000 American troops would have required several hundred airlift flights by helicopters over a week or more.

DeLong defended the decision not to deploy large numbers of American troops. ‘‘We didn’t have the lift,’’ he told the Committee staff. ‘‘We didn’t have the medical capabilities. The further we went down the road, the easier the decision got. We wanted Afghanistan to be peaceful for Karzai to take over. Right or not, that was the thinking behind what we did.’’

I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere

I like books but I only read whenever I feel being on the mood  i.e it takes me ages to finish a book. However I can also stay up all night to read a book that I could not take my eyes off. One of these books is “I Wish Someone Were Waiting for me Somewhere” by Anna Gavalda, an award-winning French novelist.

This book contains a series of  short stories and most of them are about love. There is no connection among these little stories, each of them has its own characters and takes place in a different towns in France.

In this blog entry, I don’t intend to re-tell every single story because otherwise I could have to stay up all night again. I definitely don’t want to because I really need to sleep well tonight to make up for last night. The movie “Inglorious Bastards” really kept me up the whole night. If you have seen it, you would know why. Oh, am I digressing the topic? Hmm, where am I???

Oh, yes from my entry’s title “The story of two lovers”, you know that I’m going to talk about love but actually this is more a tragedy rather than a normal and-they-live-happily-ever-after love story. I’m talking about one small story named  “For Years” in “I Wish Someone Were Waiting for me Somewhere“. This story sticked to me the most and it made me cry when it ended.

The story was about a man who was so deeply in love with a woman that for so many years he could not forget her even for a day although he had already got married and had three kids. He lived day by day with her memories in his head. He tried to forget about her but if he was just for one minute being alone in a quite place, her name would suddenly come back to him. Sometimes his heart beat so fast again when he turned around and saw something that reminded him of her.

One day, after twelves year, she called him. She wanted to see him again, for one last time. They talked to each other on the phone. One asked then another answered but I can feel if they did not hold their feeling in, they might not be able to say a word because it was more than a decade and they were connected again when their love for each other still remained.

And so they met. They walked along together. She wanted him to talk to her and she just listened and smiled the whole time. Once again, she was able to call his name. They told each other stories of their lives but somehow they were all kind of disjointed. Maybe because their minds were wandering somewhere into the past, the time when they was happy together.

A short afternoon was enough for her and she had to go. She stood back up behind him and put both hands flat on his shoulders and she said “I’m going to go. I want you not to move and not to turn around. Please-I’m begging you. I’m begging you.” He didn’t move also because he did not want her to his swollen eyes. And then she left.

It was the last time they saw each other because she had to go to a place where he could not go. Cancer carried her away. Her name was Hélèna and his was Pierre.

Tears was coming down my face.

ello all! how was your turkey day? mine was full of happiness, and i’ll be sure to blog about it tomorrow. for now i wanted to announce the winner of the eebee’s Mix& Mash Adventures cookbook:

Emily from midcentury housewife! i have so many emily readers and they keep multiplying. loves it and loves all my emilies (that is how you pluralize it, obv). and for the love of justin timberlake, if her kids are truly named atticus and henry, i’m in love already.

congrats! email me your mailing address to team.mandy[at]gmail[dot]com and the book and CD shall be yours soon.

enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend dudes! i’ll be back tomorrow with stories to tell. happy leftover-ing!

Chanel items have always represented style and sophistication, and a Chanel handbag is no exception. Whether you’re buying accessories, fragrances, or purses from this brand, you’re certain to feel both timeless and fashion forward. Here are some of the purse selections from this season that you’ll unquestionably want to pay attention to.

If you love color, you’ll love the new Chanel handbag line for the season; the Cruise collection features colors like lavender, which goes well with a simple white shirt and fitted jeans, or a sundress and stylish flats. Of course, you can wear the bag with a more conventional dress, but this accessory will make anything you wear look more classy and sophisticated.

Different Occasions

The multi-pocket reporter bag is another great Chanel handbag that you will want to check out if you’re always rushing to appointments and want to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. These bags are somewhat larger than those in the Cruise Collection, and you’ll be able to keep all your items arranged with all the different compartments that are in the purse. The White Bucket handbag is another great selection if you’re looking for a larger Chanel handbag; it’s made of quilted leather, which is a design that is a true sign of Chanel.

If you’re searching for a Chanel handbag that is specifically for evening wear, you might want to take a look at the satin evening purse. The chain purse handle woven with black leather makes the purse both graceful and trendy, and the purse even has a lipstick holder and mirror, which means you won’t have to carry your compact or additional makeup with you, which could clutter your bag.

Accessories That Enhance

Of course, to complete your look, you can also buy some of the extraordinary fragrances that Chanel has to offer, such as the legendary Chanel No. 5, CoCo Chanel, or newer fragrances like Chance and Allure. These fragrances add an extra touch of femininity to your look, and will make you feel even more certain as you carry your Chanel handbag around the city.

If you want to know where you can find these bags at discounted prices, you might want to check out the various sites on the internet that have this type of handbag for sale where you’ll find prices that are much more affordable than what you would pay at major retailers, or even on the Chanel site or store. You can also take part in an online auction for a Chanel handbag by visiting some of the stores that Ebay has to offer. This way, you can place a bid that you know you can make good on, and can keep up with how often others are bidding so that you can get the item you want. Happy shopping!

The notoriously private Tiger Woods has seen his whole secret undercover world blow-up in his face in the past 48 hrs. due a crash caused by him fleeing his wife, who was beating him with a golf club across his head, after confronting him about his alledged affair with another lover.

It has been reported by TMZ.com that Tiger has been having a sexual affair with socialite Rachel Uchitel , and when his wife and mother of his two children, Elin Nordegren spoke to him about this, the argument became heated, and violent.

The violence was inflicted by Elin, who picked up a golf club that she had at the ready, and began pummeling the philandering Tiger Woods across his face, causing what has been described by the hospital as severe facial lacerations and contusions.

I bet that’s not the reaction that Tiger expected her to have. Elin Nordegren does not look like a woman that would beat you down for something like this, but if it was me, I would expect her to maybe just collapse in a bundle of tears…but I’m not married, so what do I know.

I guess don’t judge a book by its cover, because that’s when Barbie doll turns into Brenda Richie!!!

In 1988,Brenda Richie famously beat down her then husband,international singing sensation Lionel Richie, who also had a clean-cut ,family man image with the public and his fans, when she followed him one night creepin’ with his side girlfriend, Diane Alexander.

By all reports, sweet, petite, and quiet Brenda Richie beat up  both Lionel and Diane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Richie#Marriage_with_Brenda_Harvey

The “Three Times a Lady” singer was caught by the then-missus during a romantic encounter with Alexander at a Beverly Hills apartment. Brenda Richie went ballistic and was arrested for investigation of spousal abuse, trespassing and vandalism–but the charges were later dropped. After sticking it out for another three years, she and Lionel divorced in 1991.

The only difference here is that Tiger’s wife Elin Nordegren is not black, and Brenda Richie is…so I guess that should put to rest that old stereotype about how a sister reacts to these kind of things, compared to a white lady…

…Pretty much the same way.

Looks like a mad woman of any race may beat you down …if she catches you creeping around town!!!

Looks like Tiger married a Tiger…

http://www.tmz.com/2009/11/28/tiger-woods-elin-nordegren-fight-accident-suv-lacerations/

Parte 1 – http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0COQ4KBW
Parte 2 – http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2Y298LV7
Parte 3 – http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6Z1DGDJ0
Parte 4 – http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2K59O1M0
Parte 5 – http://www.megaupload.com/?d=TBLWCS8U
Parte 6 – http://www.megaupload.com/?d=GLXT2GLW
Parte 7 – http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SKRZKABV
Parte 8 – http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0N3KXXZJ
Parte 9 – http://www.megaupload.com/?d=8DOQ8TSY
Parte 10 – http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KXJT6TV3

————————————————————————————————-

Yes, it been almost a year since I blogged, but it’s not dead, I tells ya; it lives. I haven’t been blogging because I’ve been writing and editing, and re-writing and re-editing (and playing some cool computer games) and writing some more (and watching a bit of telly) and editing some more.

OK – I have let the blog down. I see that now.

Something really big happened, something too big to tell in just one post, and it’s the bolt of lightning needed to reanimate this near-corpse of a blog. I sent my current manuscript off to an agent – hugely ambitious move on my part that resulted in a form rejection BUT I immediately sent the m/s off to a competition.

I won.

Check it out: QWC/Hachette Manuscript Development Program 2009. There’s my name on the list of winners, one of eight who were selected from a longlist of 40 who were chosen from about 130 applications to the program from all over the country.

Over six life-transforming days at a beautiful rainforest retreat, we happy eight had the opportunity to meet with Hachette publishers (Bernadette Foley, Rachael Donovan and Kate Ballard), a literary agent (Sophie Hamley of Cameron Cresswell Agency) and two generous, inspirational, ‘keeping-it-real’ authors, Rebecca Sparrow and Angela Slatter (our QWC guide). The experience has been profound and I’ll blog about it more in future posts. Here, now, I just want to say thank-you (again) to Kate Eltham and the Queensland Writers Centre, Hachette, Bec, Angela and my fellow winners for giving so much and helping me in so many ways.

Watch this blog.

“He who doesn’t hope to win has already lost.”

“A quitter never wins-a winner never quits.”

“Worry is like a rocking chair – it gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”
- Dorothy Galyean

“You’ve got to get up every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.” — George Lorimer

“We will either find a way, or make one.” – Hannibal

Chanel items have always represented style and sophistication, and a Chanel handbag is no exception. Whether you’re buying accessories, fragrances, or purses from this brand, you’re certain to feel both timeless and fashion forward. Here are some of the purse selections from this season that you’ll unquestionably want to pay attention to.

If you love color, you’ll love the new Chanel handbag line for the season; the Cruise collection features colors like lavender, which goes well with a simple white shirt and fitted jeans, or a sundress and stylish flats. Of course, you can wear the bag with a more conventional dress, but this accessory will make anything you wear look more classy and sophisticated.

Different Occasions

The multi-pocket reporter bag is another great Chanel handbag that you will want to check out if you’re always rushing to appointments and want to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. These bags are somewhat larger than those in the Cruise Collection, and you’ll be able to keep all your items arranged with all the different compartments that are in the purse. The White Bucket handbag is another great selection if you’re looking for a larger Chanel handbag; it’s made of quilted leather, which is a design that is a true sign of Chanel.

If you’re searching for a Chanel handbag that is specifically for evening wear, you might want to take a look at the satin evening purse. The chain purse handle woven with black leather makes the purse both graceful and trendy, and the purse even has a lipstick holder and mirror, which means you won’t have to carry your compact or additional makeup with you, which could clutter your bag.

Accessories That Enhance

Of course, to complete your look, you can also buy some of the extraordinary fragrances that Chanel has to offer, such as the legendary Chanel No. 5, CoCo Chanel, or newer fragrances like Chance and Allure. These fragrances add an extra touch of femininity to your look, and will make you feel even more certain as you carry your Chanel handbag around the city.

If you want to know where you can find these bags at discounted prices, you might want to check out the various sites on the internet that have this type of handbag for sale where you’ll find prices that are much more affordable than what you would pay at major retailers, or even on the Chanel site or store. You can also take part in an online auction for a Chanel handbag by visiting some of the stores that Ebay has to offer. This way, you can place a bid that you know you can make good on, and can keep up with how often others are bidding so that you can get the item you want. Happy shopping!

My youngest son Wyatt, was born with a baseball in one hand, and a basketball in the other. His older brother was about to turn five when he was born, so he was always trying to live up to his big bro’s standards. . .a tough job for one so much younger. No one let him win at anything, for the simple pleasure of winning. He had to work hard to learn how to compete at an early age, because his brother was athletic, an honor student, and wanted to be the best at everything he did.

It was not enjoyable to watch him get walked on at times, but we also knew he was learning a life lesson in the process, and he could not be given everything on a silver platter, as much as his momma wanted him to experience the joy of succeeding.

I will never forget the day he had to learn the lesson that the world is not fair. All the times his brother beat him at running, making baskets, hitting baseballs, or winning board games, he lost fair and square. The night we went to a PTO function where trophies were given to grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 for shooting free throws, our family watched and cheered as they let him compete against the K-2 graders because he was still too young to be in school. Wyatt made every free throw but one, into the plastic Michael Jordan basketball goal with the miniature basketball; far better than the other competitors. Naively, we screamed and clapped and told him how he won. He wasn’t stupid–he could count and knew he had the most points. When the trophies were doled out, he waited patiently to receive his. Someone must have overlooked his score, because third, second, and first places went to kids with lower scores. It was all over, and when it became obvious he was not getting a trophy, he bit his quivering lip, and held the tears in. Four years old. In the car, the tears came. So did mine. How do you explain only the kids who go to school get the trophies, even though he knew he made more baskets? It was absolutely heartbreaking. His aunt, uncle, and cousins had been there, too. He must have felt humiliated. We all went home, deflated.

About an hour later, there was a knock on our door. It was his uncle. He had gone to his basement and scrounged up an old basketball trophy of his own, about 20 years old, by the look of the dulling metal and the ’70’s style shorts on the basketball player posed with a raised ball. He had taken a piece of green paper and written with a Sharpie, “Hoop Shoot ’95, 9 out of 10,“ and taped it to the marble base where the metal plate with his own inscripted honor had been.

It was touching, and Wyatt was so pleased. We could tell he felt important. We watched as a big smile spread across his little face. It was precious.

The trophy has always kept its place of honor on a cabinet where other awards like the GEC All-Conference MVP in baseball and Duff-Kingston Sportsmanship in basketball have joined it over the years. He has made his own way in sports and academics, possibly because of those early lessons he was forced to learn from his big brother. He didn’t know it then, but the fact that life isn’t always fair was the least of the lessons to be learned that night of the PTO function. When he reads this story and is reminded of how his big, tough, six- foot-something uncle went to the effort to even the playing field for him, he is going to see the unconditional love that only God can put in another’s heart. It is the kind of life lesson we all want our children to experience first hand.

It’s tradition that when a new manager takes the helm the team starts to pick up points and builds confidence.

Considering they are below us should we begin to worry? Hull are doing the business (for now) Portsmouth will no doubt start stringing some results together as well with the added bonus of cash to spend mid season (or Grant would never take the job on)

I’m really getting worried now. I’m trying to see the light but this thick fog bank just wont clear in front of me, if we drop further down the table I honestly cant see us getting out of the mess. It comes to a point that a club has to win 3-4 games on the trot to get out of a mess if they keep falling.

It will happen to us if we don’t start winning simple!

Hallo everyone, my you look super nice today…

That’s right, I’m after something. As some of you will know I took part in the 48 Hour Film Challenge over in Jersey a few months back. Now the time has come to call in backup and get people voting for the film so we can win jubilation and slap each other on the back (oh, and win some cash as well which is always nice). The setup is teams arrived in the same place on the same day, picked a title and genre from a hat at random… and then had 48hrs in which to write, shoot, edit and finalise a short film. We picked ‘crime’ and ‘Morning Mist’.

ACTION!

So after a little lag of delay all the films created on the Vauxhall 48 Hour Film Challenge have been put up for the mercy of viewers to vote. And this is where you come in, yes you. I’m looking at you, you’re looking at me. We’ve got this eye contact thing nailed.

All the films are over here: (click here and vote for ‘Morning Mist’)

What a bunch of filmmakers...

And all the films are great but this is where I have to draw the line in this so-called free-loving atmosphere. I want you to vote for my film because I’m proud of it and hey, we made it in 48 hours. This is where you tell me that the others were too, seeing as it’s called the 48 Hour Film Challenge, but ignore that. Eyes on me, go click on the ol’ 5 stars bit on ‘Morning Mist’. And I’m sorry if you’ve already heard this spiel on Facebook or Twitter. It just means I love you a little bit more than the rest, just a little mind you. People talk.

I will love you all that little bit more than is allowed.

Thank you, love you, I’m afraid I can’t do that I’m not allowed anymore.

Much love,

Kx.

p.s. I forgot to mention you do have to join which only takes a few seconds but once you’re on there you can download short films for pittance and what’s more you can download them, burn them and keep them all for yourself. You do not have to pay to join. Good? Great.

p.p.s. Plus all the films will be screened as part of the London Short Film Festival (y’know, the projector with teeth?) at the Roxy in London Bridge area. If you’re around that time and want to see some films and the people behind it… why not come along. I’ll be there, hope that doesn’t dissuade you.

I passed the 50,000 word mark last night. I was flushed with a wonderful sense of accomplishment, as it is no mean feat to write 50,000 words in only 25 days, but part of me also felt as though I were celebrating prematurely. After all, my rational brain argued, I haven’t actually finished the story, so how can I be a winner? I am still coming to terms with this apparent contradiction, but while I may not truly celebrate until my novel is complete, I will revel in the knowledge that I wrote 50,000 words in only 25 days.

I printed out my winner certificate today and I will be purchasing a document frame for it on the weekend. It may not be a Pullitzer Prize, but it is my accomplishment, and I am going to celebrate it.

Now for the second part of my post: rejection. I received a lovely rejection letter vie email, informing me that my short story wasn’t what the publisher was looking for at this time. Perhaps its an after-effect of winning NaNoWriMo, or a curious brain defect, but I am neither heartbroken nor despondent about this. I am looking at it through a lens of personal detachment – one that may be born of the exhaustion resulting from trying to succeed at NaNoWriMo while working full-time and raising a family. I am quite sure I will receive hundreds more of these delightful messages as I move from pre-published to published, but this one hasn’t been nearly as psychologically scarring as I feared it might.

From beyond the keyboard,

Cheryl.

cherylangst@gmail.com

Observation: A loss might be a very good thing for this team

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I’m no different than any other UK fan. I want the team to win every game every season, so don’t think I’ve lost my mind with this observation.So far, this year’s version of the ‘Cats has had good games and not so good games. They’ve looked really good in spurts and not so hot in others.
Yet, in spite of all that, they have yet to feel what defeat feels like. Last night’s game was arguably the toughest test they’ve had so far. The Miami/Ohio game was a tough one, too, but it didn’t go into overtime. My point is they have yet to “pay the price” for their sloppy play. Again, I DON’T look foward to our first loss, but we all know it’s going to happen eventually. When it does, I honestly think that will be the catalyst to get our younger players, as well as the whole team, to realize that they really need to get with the program completely. Frankly, I would rather it be prior to the start of SEC play, rather than after.Last night was the first time this season I think at least some of the players had reality set in. At the end of regulation and into the overtime period, the camera was on John Wall and he was more intense than I’ve ever seen him. I know he really enjoys it when he makes a good play and I get pumped up just watching him, but last night I think it finally dawned on him that, “Hey, we might actually LOSE this game if we don’t it in gear!”Sometimes the foundations for the BIG victories are laid on the grounds of a loss. I won’t be happy when we do lose, but in the long run I think it’ll pay dividends when we do.

 

Comments?

I think John Calipari, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson, Eric Bledsoe, John Hood, Ramon Harris and the rest of the Team and Coaches would think you a complete fool.

What kind of fan spouts this nonsense?

The guy who wrote this idiocy is the exact same fan to whom I was referring here.  The dude is an idiot and should be banned forever from posting on any Kentucky fan board.  Complete Fuckin’ Moron.  Dude needs to have his Kentucky Fan credentials revoked.  lol

Joe Hall, the Kentucky coach who succeeded Mr. Rupp and for many years was his assistant and chief recruiter, once said:

“Coach operates from an extreme competitive desire and has a strong dread for losing.”

Regardless of the reason, he always put forth this kind of effort. On his weekly television shows he often said:

“We want to win, we just have to win. Goodness knows, no one wants to win any more than we do.”

Winning was Mr. Rupp’s passion. Someone once recited to him the famed Grantland Rice line, “when the one Great Scorer comes to write against your name, he marks not that you won or lost, but how you played the game.”

To this, Mr. Rupp answered:

“Well now, I just don’t know about that. If winning isn’t so important, why do you keep score?”

That looks like Coach Rupp telling a moron what he thinks of the “good loss” theory.

GO BIG BLUE!!!

Today, I hit the magical 5000 words that entitles me to announce that I am, officially, a winner of Nanowrimo 2009! I participated last year, but forgot to submit my word count in time (doh!), but this year the words have just kept flowing and flowing. Luci and the twins have taken over my mind, and I’m loving the way the story is unfolding beneath my fingertips.

All being well, I should have a manuscript ready to send off to my publishers in a couple of weeks, and then waggons roll on the next one – and then the one after that!!! I’m even learning to use Photoshop so I can design the covers of the books all by myself!!!

Riley feels like a loser, especially when it comes to sports.  Dad was an all-star — good at every sport, and feels Riley should be the same. Sports are so problematic for him, that one misstep causes an accident in which a dog is hurt so badly his leg must be amputated.  When Mrs. Lerner, the dog’s owner, decides to put him down since he can no longer be a show dog, Riley steps in and takes on the responsibility of caring for him.

Riley learns that Champ, a border collie, requires a lot of attention and energy, despite only having three legs. His neighbor, Mr. Douglas finds a way to help, not only the boy and the dog, but also himself.  Champ needs challenge despite his disability, and Riley learns through perseverance that you can succeed.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Lerner swoops in to take Champ away once she learns others still think he’s worthwhile.  In the end, Riley proves his worth, both to himself and his father.  Winning isn’t everything.

I started this book with low expectations based on my previous experience with Thornton Jones’ Bailey School kids series.  However, in this book, she proves she is a very good writer, tapping into the feelings of the main character and his family.  So many points in this book will resonate with both boys and girls, and being a quick read, it will be one of the more popular Surrey Schools Book of the Year Nominees.

Highly recommended:  Gr. 3 – 6

For more information:  www.marciatjones.com

How many of us have watched in amazement and disgust this week as Elizabeth Lambert of the University of New Mexico women’s soccer team assaulted players from Brigham Young University’s team?  First, pulling a player down by her ponytail, then administering karate chops to the face of a player on a “tackle” and more.  After her reprimand she passed her play off as “misbehavior resulting from the pressure of play.”   People who know me as a girl’s youth soccer coach and proponent of girls in sports have asked: What is women’s soccer coming to?  Whatever happened to the beautiful game?

Let me shout load and clear, it’s alive and well on a soccer field in Reston, VA in an all star tournament hosted by the Herndon Youth Soccer Club this weekend.  Two teams of under 13 girls competed for the championship.  Chantilly vs Vienna.  The title game got a late start on Sunday evening. It was the culmination of a weekend that started Saturday morning before 8am for both teams.  The sun was setting and the field lights illuminated the purple and white jerseys, 11 a side.  Anxious parents and families pressed close to the touch lines, some holding video cameras, some just longing to be closer to the action.  The referees kindly allowed these minor transgressions.

As the air temperature dropped, the action heated up.  Chantilly drew first blood, early in the 1^st half.  Right wing Natalie finished a perfect cross from her left wing teammate Ana and Chantilly took a 1-0 lead into half time.  Vienna fought back, driving through midfield and threatening in the Chantilly box but came up empty as Chantilly dug deep and regained its composure.  The momentum shifted.  Chantilly found the back of the net twice in the second half.  The final score: 3-0, Chantilly.

The girls in purple celebrated and the girls in white commiserated.  Then they line up along the midfield line to exchange patches, high fives and wish each other congratulations.  At once and with no instruction Vienna players turned to make a tunnel chanting for Chantilly to run through.  Purple complied and then returned the favor.  Spontaneously a smattering of applause rose from parents and families watching from both sidelines recognizing the sportsmanship of the moment.

Yes, these players have competed hard and won fairly and within the rules.  But there was more. I think particularly of Natalie who, having already scored once, had another opportunity from the same spot.  This time, her shot careened off the head of a defending player and rebounded back near Natalie’s feet. Instead of capitalizing on her good fortune, she stopped playing to see if the defending player was alright.  On a similar play some minutes later, her teammate Sophia did the same.  Some coaches will tell players “Play to the whistle” or “Keep playing to seek your advantage.”  But these girls adhere to a higher authority which tells them “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”  They play to win, but not at all costs.  They walk away from the field with friends in both color uniforms.  Both teams did so on this day.

The Chantilly girls discovered something in their game they didn’t know they had on this chilly evening in November.  And they couldn’t have done it without the strong opposition from a very talented Vienna team.  Both teams gathered to cheer each other as they were awarded tournament trophies.  Parents, siblings and extended family stood behind the teams and joined in the celebration.  There was a lot to cheer for.

My response to our media screaming “what has women’s youth sports come to?” is to point them to two teams of pre-teen girls who won’t gain national attention.  But they are much more deserving.  It’s a simple equation: good players, good sports, a good combination.  Congratulations ladies.  My hat’s off to you. It’s glorious to watch you play such a beautiful game.