What Am I Thinking?

A few weeks ago, someone asked, "What's the goal of your blog?" 

This isn't part of some super-clever master plan I have to dominate the Internet with more content.  

This is about forcing myself to write each day (or close to it). With a pace like that, it won't be the prettiest writing. It is about trying to create something that is interesting to read with a teeny-tiny window in which to get it done. 

Why do I want to force myself to write each day? 

A little over three years ago, I spent a year writing a draft of a mystery novel. It is 300 hand-written pages, roughly 120,000 words. 

Kind of impressive. I pushed myself to write around 500 words a day.  

It was also incredibly lonely.  

Time and again people would say, "What's your book about? Can I read it when you are done?" 

Here we are, three years later, and no one has read the novel other than me. It needs to go through a rewrite and be keyed into the computer. 

At some point it will. 

The problem is that I convinced myself -- as others have done -- that the only way to express yourself in a meaningful way is to write some serious tome and have it published in a "traditional" manner.  

Instead, I should have reminded myself that this democratized internet world we live in allows you to publish stories, create movies, make music, show photos and display artwork directly to the entire world, without any gatekeepers telling you what to do. 

I've recently been following various daily vloggers on YouTube. Not only is the content compelling, these folks are making a movie each day, using equipment any of us can purchase with a nominal amount of money.  

This video shows filmmaker Casey Neistat talking about getting 1 million followers for his YouTube channel, and why he gave up traditional filmmaking to make daily videos: 

This video doesn't fully illustrate some of the cool work he does, but his feelings sum up the sentiment about this blog.

This is a guy who had a series on HBO, has made videos for corporate giants like Nike, and has won numerous awards for his work.

(Be sure to check out his channel and watch his daily vlog -- it really is compelling stuff).

Anyhow, those of you who have been reading along, I want to say, "thank you."

There is no endgame here. There is no master plan to all of this.

With this process, I hope to add more video clips (and become savvy at editing them), learn some new things, and become a better online content creator.

This is about writing at a brisk pace, talking about the experiences we share, and trying to look at life in a more deliberate manner.

Like this? Check out my previous blog post: Should Not Have Had the Coffee

Should Not Have Had The Coffee

I hadn't had a cup of coffee in about 10 years.

I like coffee. About 15 years ago, my buddy Noor turned me onto this iced coffee called "Granita" that Crane Coffee in Omaha used to sell.

(They don't have it anymore. My niece Emily is a barista there and says they have something similar to it...called something else.)

But I swore off caffeine years ago, so I consume it sparingly.

Yesterday (Sept. 29, 2016) was National Coffee Day. My niece Julia wanted Bridget and I to pick up her and her sisters after school to go get coffee at Dunkin Donuts. They offered 66 cent medium coffees all day long -- in honor of the company being around for 66 years.

There is a Dunkin 1.4 miles from my house (I mapped it long ago).

I ordered a steaming hot cup of coffee -- caramel swirl -- with sugar and cream.

It tasted wonderful with the French Cruller and Chocolate Glazed donuts I ordered alongside.

It just seemed right to be eating coffee and donuts together at Dunkin. I felt like a private investigator in a Robert B. Parker novel.

Not only that, about an hour later I was energized and whipped up yesterday's blog post. I thought to myself, "I should drink coffee more often!"

Remember the movie "Gremlins"? Remember how you aren't supposed to expose the Mogwai to sunlight, get it wet, or feed it after midnight?

Well, that coffee gave me the energy of 1,000 suns.

I was up until 2 a.m. watching YouTube videos by Casey Neistat and Shonduras. I slept horribly, and woke up with one eye blurrier than the other -- which made looking at my work computer incredibly irritating this morning.

Should have opted for training wheels and gone for the decaf.

I've heard there are studies showing a link between coffee drinking and a longer life. While that might be true, I "think" I've had my last cup for a while...at least until National Coffee Day 2017...

But it was delicious. 

Read yesterday's blog post: Jon's Life Lesson #1: Lego Logic

Jon's Life Lesson #1: Lego Logic

Time lapse of me building this "Star Wars" Z-95 Headhunter Lego set today: 

The reason I post this (other than the fact that Legos are cool) is because it reminds me of one of the best "learning moments" I had as a kid.

It would have been 1979 or so. I was in first grade.

The Lego "space" sets were on the market. Very popular. The sets featured red and white spaceman minifigures, and were constructed using grey and blue bricks, along with translucent yellow "window" bricks.

I had a number of the smaller sets (including the Alpha-1 Rocket Base), but didn't have the "granddaddy" of the spaceships -- set #497... the Galaxy Explorer.

My friends David and Alex -- who my mom watched before and after school -- each had a Galaxy Explorer. I was pretty envious.

I remember one morning when both were in the living room, watching TV and talking about their Explorers. I was so jealous, and didn't want to leave my room as a result.

My brother Jay (who is 10 years older than me) decided to help out. He looked at my various Lego space sets (which featured many of the same wing, body and window pieces as the Galaxy Explorer) and suggested he could make a ship to rival the Explorer.

He was incredibly talented constructing things with Legos, and was able to whip up a cool-looking ship that seemed like it could have been purchased at the store -- but was totally unique to me.

The moment illustrates that:

1. Legos are AWESOME, and 
2. A supply of random bricks, coupled with a creative mind, can yield amazing results.

You won't always be able to get exactly what you want or need in life. But if you learn to use your resources wisely, study the problem, and employ the "creative side" of your brain, you can achieve incredible results.

I was blessed to grow up in a home where creative pursuits were encouraged.

Thinking critically has served me well in life, and has been a key in the success my wife and I have had.

If you ever find yourself wanting for something in life, think about my Lego Galaxy Explorer story.

There's no stopping a creative mind.


Read yesterday's blog post: Envelopening: What Happened to Dean Blais?

Envelopening -- What Happened to Dean Blais?

For the second year in a row, we missed the UNO Hockey season ticket holder pickup party.

Today the tickets arrived in the mail.

Last year they were in a commemorative box, so I was able to do a true "unboxing" video.

(Which prompted my niece Lauren to say, "Jon: you should become one of those teenage girl YouTube stars who does a video every time they come back with something from Forever 21...)"

So we are unveiling a new segment called "Envelopening"... Here is the video.



The tickets commemorate the 20th season of UNO Hockey.

While I appreciate having a "greatest hits" gallery of players, Coach Kemp, and former AD Don Leahy, where is current Head Coach Dean Blais??

That's weird. We've had two head coaches in the last 20 years.

Where is the man who took the program to the Frozen Four in 2015? 


Read yesterday's blog post: Why I Don't Talk About Politics

Why I Don't Talk About Politics

"Less is more..." - Ludwig Mies van der Rohe 

I don't talk about politics.

I don't post about politics.

I don't even really like to read about politics these days.

If my Facebook feed is any indication, the social media giant can be a lonely place if you aren't inclined to regurgitate political commentary...over...and over...and over...

It is certainly within one's right to post about politics.

The issue is whether there is anything inherently noble or productive in the pursuit, and whether any of us are reliably educated about the major issues of the day.

To put it in perspective, I have run a UNO Hockey fan forum for 16 years. Some people have said, "Jon, you should have more insightful game analysis on your site."

Sounds great, but when I am at a game, I am sitting in the stands with family and friends, laughing, visiting, snacking on concessions, and monitoring Twitter.

Any analysis I do will be compromised as a result.

The same holds true for politics. We are so ensconced in our own "bubbles" that we don't take the time to consider there might actually be a point of view different than our own.

But I see so many "armchair geniuses" out there -- people who are trusting the opinions of people who make a living doing nothing more than espousing opinions.

See where I am going here?

If we were smart, we'd take the time to look at our lives and decide what we thought based on our own experiences, instead of being automatons in the army called "groupthink."

Talk is cheap.

Rather than constantly talking about what you're going to do, talk about what you've actually done.

Have you been involved in improving your community? Have you taken up a cause in an earnest way?

If your only contribution to the world is sharing a hyperlink, a Facebook post, or a tweet, have you really done anything at all?

"Mustache On The Hudson"

Back in the day, Clint Eastwood would have cast himself as Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger...

...and he would have scowled and growled his way to a water landing on the Hudson River in New York City, saving 155 passengers and becoming a national hero in the process.

Eastwood hasn't acted in a movie since 2012's "Trouble With The Curve." Instead, he has focused his energy on the director's chair.

Say what you want about Clint Eastwood...the guy knows how to craft a movie.

This time out he brings us the biopic "Sully," based on the heroic maneuver by airline Captain Chesley Sullenberger on Jan. 15, 2009. 

Tom Hanks (this generation's most dependable actor) plays Sullenberger. Aaron Eckhart (one of the great supporting performers of the day) plays his co-pilot, Jeff Skiles. 

Both of the men sport mustaches.

Is it wrong that I found Hanks's and Eckhart's mustaches to be kind of distracting? 

I realize both of the pilots had them in real life. But they aren't something you see that often today. It might have been wise to take a bit of creative license and have the actors (at least one) "sans" mustache. 

But that's a minor quibble. 

Overall, the movie plays well and offers a steadily engrossing story that capably manages to tell the events of U.S. Airways Flight 1549, while creating an engrossing study into the decisions of the flight crew. 

The movie has a quiet tone, which captures the isolation Sullenberger feels as he wrestles with his decision in the aftermath of the events of that day. 

The deft direction and performances by the lead actors keep the movie afloat throughout the 96-minute run time. 

Should you see it? Absolutely. 

And you have to watch this video that overlays the real-time communication between the pilots and air traffic control:

Read yesterday's blog post: The Sightseeing Complication

The Sightseeing Complication

There is a Yiddish proverb that states: "Man plans, God laughs."

My traveling experiences tend to land on the less-planned and less-touristy side of the scale.

We generally travel for two things: hockey and work.

It was due to a work trip that we found ourselves in Washington D.C. last Saturday. We were flying out of Reagan National at around 5 p.m., and had some time to spare before departure.

I had never been to our nation's seat of power before, and hoped to quickly traverse some national landmarks before we left.

It started out well. We got up at 8 a.m., showered and were all crisp and clean for breakfast at the Courtyard by Marriott in Crystal City (strawberry french toast, anyone?)

Bridget had talked the manager into an additional hour before checkout due to our room's Bose Wave Radio inadvertently sounding the alarm at 5 a.m.

We hopped on the hotel shuttle to the nearest metro station, ready to take in some sights. Easy peasy, right? 

Warm, dark, subterranean spaces might not be my thing.

I tend to be an anxious traveler. I'm a light sleeper as a general rule, and professional conferences can be mentally draining events. Add in eating copious amounts of unhealthy (but delicious) food, and the recipe can be less than ideal.

As we were waiting for the train on the platform, I started to feel ill.

I had felt a tad queasy after breakfast, and the feeling didn't improve as we were standing among a large throng waiting for the train (many decked in BYU gear, in town to attend a football game).

An urge to use the restroom took hold, and I felt trapped. The humidity was oppressive, and I felt dizzy.

I told Bridge I needed to use the restroom. The problem was that the train was nearing our platform, and it would be another 20 minutes until another one arrived. We'd already lost an hour between eating breakfast, riding the shuttle and waiting for the first train to arrive.

But I needed a restroom. So we exited the platform and rode the escalator upstairs.

A very nice manager on duty was kind enough to unlock a special area so I could use the restroom.

She told me, "I understand. I have high blood pressure. When I gotta go, I gotta go. There's no piddlin' around for 10 minutes."

Relieved and freshened up, we tried again.

Fewer people waiting on the second attempt, and the air felt less heavy. This time, we got on the train successfully, and traveled to the "Smithsonian" station.

Having never been to D.C., the sight of temporary metal fences around the National Mall didn't seem out of the norm. Neither did masses of people lining those fences. 

I also learned a new sales technique. Street merchants will offer "free" t-shirts -- practically placing them in your hands -- then suggest a very specific donation amount for the merchandise.

We wanted to see the Washington Monument. But the fencing and armed security personnel didn't make the prospect look all that likely.

We found out along the walk that the National Museum of African American History and Culture was having its dedication that morning, and President Obama and President Bush were in attendance.

As we wound our way toward the monument, Bridget asked a staff member if there was a way to get inside.

They informed her that if we went through the security checkpoint, we could get into the dedication, and get closer to the Washington Monument.

At this point you are probably wondering, "How was Jon holding up?"

It had already been a stressful start to the day, but the fresh air had helped. I figured we were this close. History was happening on the other side of that fence, and we were going to be part of the fun.

It isn't every day that a new national museum opens. This looks like it'll be a fascinating addition to the slate of museums offered in the nation's Capitol.

After a bit of "checks and wanding," we were inside the event. We didn't get that close to the festivities, but we could see the stage, hear the music (Stevie Wonder), see images on the video screens, and hear some of the comments during the program.

We also got to climb a little hillock and get our picture by the Washington Monument.

It would have been great to stay, but time was limited.

We wanted to see the White House (which typically would have been a straight trek from the Washington Monument), but were told we'd have to cut over several blocks to get there. No time for that sort of journey.

We headed back to the hotel, grabbed some lunch at a burger joint, then shuttled to catch our flight home.

We didn't get to see some of the touristy destinations we had hoped for, and things didn't go according to plan.

But life isn't about the planned moments wrapped neatly in a perfect bow. Life is about those accidental opportunities that give depth, texture and color to our lives.


Read my previous post: Super Shuttle Is For The Birds