Halloween!

Well, it's Halloween! In just a few hours, little trick or treaters will descend upon the country in droves, plastic jack-o-lanterns in hand, begging for treats! Please, PLEASE be careful on the streets, folks!

And another reason to be careful on the streets? Halloween is the single busiest night of the year for bars, taverns and nightclubs. Who'd have thunk it? Adults like to dress up, too!

Kiddos or impaired drivers, the dangers are many on the roads tonight. In the words of Jim Morrison, "Keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel!"

Brotherly Lunch

One thing I've found that makes my keynotes at colleges ultra-successful is spending time with students before the big program. That way, I get a better feel of the students, get to meet some friendly faces who'll be in the audience later and, in general, it's better than sitting in a hotel room!

Today, I arrived at U. of West Georgia and everything was ready for me. I.E., a bunch of Kappa Sigma brothers took me to lunch at a local Mexican restaurant, I got to spend some time with the presidents and risk management chairs of the Greek system and, in general, just tgot to hang out on campus.

It's cool, like I said, getting to know students beforehand. However, when I get to meet with brothers of the Kappa Sigma fraternity(my college affiliation), it just reinforces the 130 plus year tradition that has been handed down ever since the five friends and brothers met at 46 E. Lawn at the University of Virginia.

A special thank you to the Kappa Sigs for showing me some great chow and reminding me why it's great to be a Kappa Sig! AEKDB.

When "typical" Isn't So Typical

On my recent journies across the country, I flew Southwest Airlines. SWA is my fav and here's just a bit of the reason why...

On the leg from Orlando to Phoenix, the flight attendant made sure Carson had a seat to himself, making it much more comfy for Carson, me and whoever else would have been sitting with us. This was especially helpful considering the plane was almost overbooked. When I arrived in southern California, a SWA pilot helped me to baggage claim AND outside to give Carson a chance to pee. This pilot just did this out of the kindness of his heart-it certainly wasn't his job.

When I flew from STL back home to Orlando yesterday, a flight attendant on Southwest allowed me and my grapefruit-sized ankel to block off all three seats in my row. The flight wasn't nearly full, but having the ability to prop up my leg for elevation meant there was one less person who couldn't sit in the bulkhead. And yet? I'm all the more thankful for it.

When I arrived home and was telling my lovely wife about my adventures, she said, "Typical Southwest!" And she's right! Typical to Southwest is extraordinary! And I'd like to send a shout to Terry the flight attendant from MCO to PHX, the pilot who helped me in Ontario, and Jocelyn from STL to MCO. You guys are awesome!

RICE!

First off, my apologies for being out of touch the last few days. Here's a quick re-cap:

Wednesday night - thanks to Doug Everhart and the U. of California-Riverside for hosting me for Red Ribbon Week! You guys were awesome and, stupid me, I forgot to have someone take pics. So, we'll get to use our imaginations instead of visual images this time! Doug, you're da bomb of a guy to work with and I'm honored to have been part of your speakers series. Oh, and no worries with the fires, though the smell of smoke was thick in the cabin upon departure out of Ontario.

Then, back to the motherland-St. Louis. Yesterday, I spent the morning at the studios of Lifetime Media:

http://www.lifetime-media.com/

filming my new demo video. Thanks to Fully Grown Jessica, Shannon, Glenn, Dr. Campbell, Abe and Theresa for making it such a great experience! Be on the lookout for the new Marcus Engel demo vid before Thanksgiving!

Following the filming, I pulled my once-a-year trick of seriously injuring myself. It just seems that every 12 months, I do something stupid and end up in the E.R. Yesterday was no different!

As soon as filming finished, I was in the parking lot getting ready to head to lunch. Even with a warning, I managed to step backwards off a three or four foot high retaining wall and landed(SMACK!) on the concrete below. Seriously, folks, I could have easily broken a leg or an arm, if not a neck or face. But alas, I walked away (well, limped away) with a severe sprained ankle and some deep cuts to the wrist and knee. So, the rest of the evening was spent playing the RICE game: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Today, swelling is down and, at this rate, I should be walking more normal within a week. Thanks to the friends who helped out yesterday with this - it's always good to have friends with physician hook ups. More later on the travels and adventures of yours truly...

When I Finally Take The News Seriously...

So, for days the California fires have been all over the news. I knew there -were- fires in southern Cal, but to what severity? Well, that's where my blindness is a bit of a problem. As always, journalists dramatize every tiniest event to make it sound life threatening AND life-changing. Yet, the next day...gone from memory forever. Lending creedence to the whole idea that it wasn't so bad in the first place.

Yesterday, a reporter was on the scene and described the scorched earth as a scene "right out of hell." Yeah, whatever, I thought. Not like I haven't heard that one before...like the last time there was a tire factory fire in Akron.

Now, this morning, the news reported 300,000 people evacuated. Shelters set up in stadiums. Yeah, I thought when the news had finally set in...it's bad.

Can I blame this on my inability not to see the TV? Maybe a little, but more than anything, I blame the 24-7 news reports. The term "crying wolf" comes to mind. Journalistts constantly overdramatize every occurrence to the point I don't believe the situation is half as bad as they say. Then, in a situation like today, it's hard to fault me for not being a little more on the edge of my seat, er, couch.

As I head off to Riverside, CA tomorrow, I'll bring back some first hand reports. Yeah, just call me Geraldo.

I Wish He Were My Father

I've been watching a couple of documentaries on neo-Nazi skinheads. Lord, what a bunch of losers. Hateful, ignorant, disgusting losers. And I mean that in the least possible respectful way.

Couple of things have come to mind watching these fools. First, I sorta questioned why I'd even pay attention to this. Well, kinda like watching a train wreck, I suppose. This is a world I want nothing to do with, but it's interesting to observe from outside. Still, I question whether or not this stuff should be aired. The more I think about it, I absolutely WANT this stuff on the air. Then, it exposes more people to just what nimrods these Nazis are! Show it, see it, learn it and let everyone see this is a band of stupid outcasts with no possible way of forming a valid opinion.

Second, something struck me as a father. Two 17 year old skinheads were interviewed. The first told about how, on his 14th birthday, his stepfather beat him close to death with a bullwhip, then his mother took a few licks. Horrible.

The second young man was sitting with the head of the skinheads and said, "I wish Bill was my biological father. I wish that 17 years ago, Bill would have conceived me instead of my real father. I haven't seen my dad for eight years now. Bill is my father."

Trust me, folks, watch this Bill joker for a few minutes and I wouldn't trust him with my house plants, much less raising children. As you'd expect, he's an idiot with just slightly more charisma than your average skinhead.

But notice the common thread here: young men with no father figure, no role model, no guidance. Who are they likely to listen to? How about "anyone"? Yes, anyone. Anyone who will pay attention to abandoned children is going to be able to exert their influence over them. Children need parents. When parents can't be had, children will turn to whoever cares for them, makes them feel they have some worth, makes hem feel protected. Bill was the father figure for these youngg men-but it could have just as easily been someone of quality. It could have been someone with Big Brothers/Big Sisters. It could have been their next door neighbor. It could have been someone affiliated with a religion. It could have been freaking ANYONE-but it was the lowest form of human life(next to pedophiles).

Right now, I'm kinda inspired to go get more involved in making positive influences on the lives of young men. It's an incredibly important position and so so so necessary for the survival of emotionally healthy American men.

Waffling? Or Better Decisions With More Information?

There are a few traits I reallly respect in people; integrity, selflessness, strength, compassion, all the usual things.

Another trait I love to see is tenacity: the ability to stick with a decision.

Yet, there's something that's the opposite end of that spectrum called openness. You know, always being able to receive new information and act accordingly. I struggle with these two because they seem totally opposite-and I like both of them!

This morning, I was watching one of the Sunday morning news programs. Massachusetts governor Romney was being interviewed. The journalist was quite well prepared and showed many times where Romney has changed his opinions.

Generally, we think of politicians who flip flop their beliefs as untrustworthy. After all, we want to know what sort of opinions we're putting in office, right? et, I also want a candidate whoo, upon much study and reflection, may soften his/her stances with new information.

The journalist basically accussed the governor of not sticking by his beliefs. Romney denied this and said that he'd had a change of heart. One particular comment that struck me was, "The older I get, the smarter I realize Ronald Reagan was."

Now, whether or not he does or does not feel Reagan was wonderful, I've got to have a little respect for someone who, with age and study, makes a decision based on new info.

It's a tough line to walk, isn't it? I'm not sure the advice for politicians should be all that different from those in the rest of the world, but politicians really have to watch what they say.

And maybe the good ol' serenity prayer sums it up best: the wisdom to know the difference.

The jury is still out on what is the best way to balance openness and tenacity. Any better ideas?

Snitch!!!

Okay, so this is a little glimpse into the 21 year old Marcus. My roommate in the dorm, Ben, and our other bud, Tim, all shared some weird fascination with the Charles Manson murders. Why? Dunno. I remember watching Geraldo Rivera interview Charlie back in the mid-80s. As a 10 year old kid, seeing a crazy man with crazy eyes and a swastika carved in between those eyes is a pretty scary sight when you're home alone for the first time.

But, I'm not the only one...

Charles Manson, even now some three(almost four) decades later, still holds such a weird fascination for Americans. He's around 70 years old now, but still as nutty as ever. Tonight, I caught some interview done with Charlie in the 80s, maybe for the Today show. Either way, the new bit was a couple of psychiatrists analyzing him on the video. Much of what he said was pure gibberish, just the loco ramblings of a whack job.

Still, something he said kinda struck me. He was referring to his time in L.A. after he'd been released from prison. He looked around at the fancy cars, the huge houses, the identities linked with jobs and realized those aspects were possibly as imprisoning as the bars he'd just come from(bars like prison bars, not pubs).

Prison is in your mind," he said, pointing at his melon.

He's right. Having a prison of the mind is far, far worse than truly being locked up. Granted, I say this without ever having been locked up. But listen to ex-cons who survived and potentially thrived while incarcerated and they're likely to discuss the mental aspect of prison life-you can't look at the walls as seclusion. You have to go inside your own mind, use the tool you were born with between your ears, and think of your situation as something besides oppressive. Charlie did it. Granted, he was just a petty theif and never did a lot of time until affter the Helter Skelter murders, but he certainly knew how to play the prison game.

And you don't have to be incarcerated to suffer from prison mentality. It's a "disease" that strikes anyone who continually looks at his/her limitations. Frankly, if you choose to always view your limitations, you're as good as locked down. Get out of that manner of thinking...take it from a mass murderer.

Silver Tongued Devil

In prep for a few days on the road this week, I've been sitting at my desk and signing books. For some, this may seem a mundane task. It's not. At least not for me.

See, when I'm at my desk, I pull up:

www.wolfgangsvault.com

in a browser and tap into recordings of live concerts played well before I could have been sitting in the audience.

Today's choice was a Kris Kristofferson show in CA from 1982. In his last song, he did a medley of "Sunday Morning Coming Down" and a few other tunes that revolve around the dark underbelly of substance abuse. Halfway through the song, he starts in on a little monologue where he says, "I quit drinkin', I quit smokin' grass, I quit doing dope of any kind. Tonight I stand before you and there's nothin' between us. It's just me and you, there's nothing in between me and the music and you...and it feels better than it ever did!"

I have tons of props for any abusers who licked their problems. Addicts, abusers, whatever had hold of their lifestyles, kicking bad habits is commendable. I'm so glad to hear, now 25 years later, Kris giving props to sobriety. Not that it saved his life, but because he insinuated that his audiences were cheated by the booze and drugs. He wanted to give his fans everything he could, and it's just not possible when he'd go on stage half-cocked.

All around, this is a great, heartwarming story of a talented guy giving his 110%.

If You're Ever On Long Island...

and you need a lift, I've got the hook up for you. Celtic Limo Service and Ed Kelly were reccommended by Kim Rhyan at Hofstra...and I'm so glad she did! Ed gave me an awesome geography lesson on the layout of everything in the New York area-something I've been sorely ignorant of for years. Plus, he's just an awesome guy who made sure Carson had some refreshment along the way, too! If you need a car service ion Long Island, give Ed a call at 516-997-1111. And thanks, Ed, for all the fun!

It's Up To You... New York, New York!

Why no blogs this week? Well, after Hofstra, my lovely bride and I went into the Big Apple to soak up some of the flava from our fav city! Well, and to soak up some of Bruce Springsteen's sweat... but we'll get to that in a minute.

First off, I got to visit some wonderful friends from my days at Camp Miniwanca, Susan Boyer and Grace Goodwin. It was the first time I'd actually been in an NYC apartment and, well, they have an awesome place, but like they said, "What you see on TV is a WHOLE lot bigger than most New Yorkers have!"

After some coffee and doughnuts, we jumped the subway down to support the Asian economy(er, buy knock off purses. Not for me, thank you very much!) Then, pizza on the upper west side and off to the Garden to see The Boss!

Other than exhuming Johnny Cash and putting a guitar in his cold hands, there is no one on earth I'd rather see performing! And if I can have that much energy (and that much sweat) at 58 years of age, I'll be doin' all right!

Then today... off to Mecca! A.K.A. Virgil's, the best BBQ and soul food on the face of the earth!
Voted #1 BBQ in NYC and voted #1 by Marvelyne and me (hence the hearts around my pic... this was Marvelyne's doing due to our mutual love of Virgil's hush puppies. I know, I know, we're newlyweds, but if I keep taking us to Virgil's, I'll be keeping my girl happy forever!)

Times Square, BBQ, The Boss, riding the subway and trying to act like locals, friends, business and, oh yeah... take a look at Carson's face outside our hotel.
Note to NYC:
Get some grass somewhere! Or stop "protecting" your trees from Carson pee!

mmmm - Times Square!

VIRGILS!

BBQ so good - it comes with a hand towel!

"On The Ave"

great hotel - great service

"You want me to do WHAT?"

Hofstra University, Long Island, NY

Tuesday, Oct. 16

Thanks to Kim Rhyan and Anita for hosting such an awesome time with

Hofstra students this week!

Special thanks to Robin for hooking us up with a taxi

when it seemed like we may have to shack up on campus!

Pics are of Kim Rhyan, myself and Carson, and other aspects of the program.

I'd like to send a special shout to Morgan and Han of Delta Chi

for their kind words and appreciation after the keynote, too!

The Importance of Immediacy

Fine. I admit it. I am a bona fide, certified, total and complete E mail dork. I swear, if my laptop is anywhere in the vicinity of the bathroom, I'd sit on the throne and E chat with friends. No shame, right?

And yet, with all my dorkiness about E mail, there are benefits. Namely, it gives most anyone a response back within a couple of hours. Usually within a couple of minutes, provided I'm not on a flight or somewhere that doesn't have wireless access. That, my friends, is important, I've found.

Last month, I was having dinner with a client and we were talking about our dorky traits. Okay, okay, maybe just my dorky traits. Anyway, my client said, "You know, I've noticed your E mail obsession, Marcus. If I have a question and E mail you, I've got a reply in under five minutes."

Yup, that's about right.

Today, I wa s speaking with a client via E mail. Next month, this guy's org will be filming me with their in house DVR system. He gave me the nod to use it and said, "Johnathan, our media guy, will call you with details."

Once I read his message, I got up, went to the bathroom, then grabbed Carson's play toy. Before he'd even worked up a heavy panting, my cell rang. Yep, Johnathan. Within 10 minutes of my client typing the message, his "prediction" had come true. Impressive!

Is this type of immediacy necessary? No, but it DOES help make an impression when it happens. The client's passing along of my contact info in such a short time, then Johnathan's priority makes me know I'll be treated by gold by this client. And I like being treated like gold. Again, not necessary-but impressive when it happens.

One of my speaking heros, Alan Weis, has a policy that any clients will get a call back within four hours of leaving a message. I try to do better than that, when possible. And the only thing that would keep me from that immediacy is that sometimes, the net just hides(don't suggest I get the AT&T wireless card so it can't hide...I'm on it).

The First 48

Have you seen this show? It's mainly homicide detectives showing how critical the first 48 hours are once there is a body found. Tonight, I'm relaxing and catching up on some good ol' all American cops and robbers stuff. This fits the bill nicely!

This episode shows a 55 year old man found dead in the street outside a Miami, FL bar. The detectives didn't even know if it had been a murder, but in the first nine hours, they'd worked the scene, taken the corpse to the hospital and the autopsy was under way. When the M.E. came back with the answer: blunt force trauma to the head, the cops knew they had a murder on their hands.

So, one of the first orders of business is to inform the victim's family. After two or three attempts, the police just gave up. They could find no family, no real address, no one that really knew the victim. As one officer said, "It's really sad...this guy lived 50 years and now he's dead. And no one really cares."

Sad, it is. There's nothing sadder than someone who has no family nor friends nor even social connections. I once heard that the way to live life is this:

Live your life so that when you're dead, you'll be smiling in the casket-and the mourners will be crying

Not bad, not bad. The more connections one makes, the more love they share with the world. The more love shared, the more he/she will be missed when they're dead. And why not? It won't hurt to live life this way at all!

Above and Beyond

I know, I know... I've been writing too much about waitresses lately. Sue me, I eat out a lot!

Today was a true Floridian day. The lovely wife and I accompanied my in laws to the beach for a day of fun in the sun. The ocean was perfect, the salt water air impeccable and, nothing beats a big greasy fried fish meal after being out in the sun all day. Except maybe a big bottle of aloe vera.

For dinner, we went to a great seafood restaurant. Upon arrival, my father-in-law (who is a chemo patient), tore the skin on his right hand. It was a pretty good amount of blood since his skin is so thin from the treatments. We grabbed napkins and helped him clean up and apply pressure. Just as we were getting it under control, our waitress came to the table for our drink order. Before she could say a word, my father-in-law asked her for a Band Aid. The wound was covered, so she didn't have any idea how bad the bleeding was. When she brings back a normal sized Band Aid, we'd removed the napkin. Her eyes got big as dinner plates when she saw all the blood and said, "Hang on, I'll go get a bigger Band Aid."

She was back in a flash with not one, but two bandages to choose from. Without thinking, she tore them open and helped secure them on his hand. We thanked her up and down and she was totally gracious, always smiling and telling how she'd had a similar accident recently.

This young lady did everything right! She smiled, went outside (WAY OUTSIDE) of her job description, helped cover the wound, offered encouragement and smiled all the while.

When we left, we handed her a fat tip. And she deserved every penny of it. Just another day on the job? Maybe, but she's certainly not your typical server.

If you're at Blackbeard's at New Smyrna Beach and have Taylor for a waitress, be sure and tip her a little extra. She deserves it!

Tick Two

So, after watching the 60 Minutes report on Interpol, we got down to good stuff...The Boss.

The 60 Minutes journalist said to Bruce, "You're 58 years old. You've gotta be worth upward of $100 million...why do you still do this?" By "this" he was referring to touring, writing music, performing-being a rock star. I LOVE Bruce's response!

"What am I going to do? Garden?"

Love it! He's so right! Bruce gets his kicks from creating emotions in his listeners. He does that well-probably better than anyone else has ever done for this listener. But more than anything, he's not willing to sit back on his greatest hits, but he's cranking out new tunes. And Bruce's new stuff isn't like the latest release from REO Speedwagon. It's relevant, it's thoughtful and it's freaking good!

When I'm 58, I don't want to garden, either. I don't want to do anything other than what I'm doing now. Like The Boss, when I find something I love and others benefit from, I'll stick with it until I can't do it any more.

Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick Tick

Recognize that sound? It's the theme from 60 Minutes.

Recently, 60 Minutes did a segment on my man, Bruce Springsteen. I was busy when it was one, so thanks to the power of modern technological inventions like DVR, I got to watch it last night.

Before the Boss segment, there was a report on Interpol. Familiar with Interpol? If not, it's a network of national polices from all around the world. You'd think that would be a ginormous entity, right? With thousands of Interpol cops running around solving world criminal issues. Negative. It's a very small operation, actually-one which the U.S. funds only $5 mill per year. Freaking $5 mill on federal funds-that's like a Senator's allowance for office carpeting. Not really, but you get my point.

Anyway, Interpol has an American director, but agents and ddetectivees from all around the world who utilize the org to catch bad guys. One who was interviewed was an Irish detective. Not an American Irish detective like you'd find on the streets of Boston, but a real, honest-to-God Irishman. And he was darned interesting.

Said Irish cop's current project was tracking down sex offenders using the internet. Ah, the net. Great for keeping me in touch with you, but the dark underbelly of society use it for less decent things. Like posting child sex videos, etc.

The Irishman's simple position was, "The internet is nothing more than a reflection of greater society. That's all it is."

That, faithful reader, is frightening. Why? Read Tom Friedman's books and he'll show you why. In one of Friedman's works, he discussed going to google's headquarters. At any one time, a visitor can see what the top item on google searches is, all around the world. #1 at the time Friedman was touring was, of course, sex. Two was job searches andsomewhere in the top five was, believe it or not, professional wrestling. God bless the net.

Irish cop is so right. The net allows me to be anything I want to be. I choose to be myself, but if I were some weirdo, I could easily dig up all sorta whacko porn, I could learn to make bombs, I could learn to cook meth, whatever I want...and no one would be the wiser-except maybe Interpol and Google.

Scary when you think of it, isn't it?

Smile!

Went out to dinner with the fam tonight. Not a real great experience. My food was fine, but my wife's and son's meals were sub-par...bordering on crappy.

Yet, our waitress was the sweetest thing! Even when she came back and saw we weren't happy, her smile never left. Even when we sent my son's food bback to the kitchen, she apologized, kept smiling and got him a new serving-no questions asked. All the while? A smile was on her lips!

And even though we had a not-so-favorable experience with the restaurant, we still gave her a great tip-all due to the smile!

You will never make enemies by smiling!

Just Another Day...Or Not

Well, here we are. One more year gone by since the crash that took my sight and, chances are, led to our acquaintance. Back in the day, this day was commemorated with a depressive episode of cheap bourbon and loud Pink Floyd. Not any more. Now, it's just another day. Not something I really pay much attention to. It's there, sure, but I don't pay much attention to it-kinda like bugs on the windshield. There, a little annoying, but you work around it.

Today, though, was a little different. See, I'm currently working with a videographer to put together a new demo. It'll be way cool when it's complete, but now we're just in the gathering phase. We'll have to show a little background to the speaking biz and this includes pics of yours truly in the hospital.

Time heals all wounds. Maybe, maybe not. But I know it's dulled my memory of those horrible times. Then, as Marvelyne and I flipped through stacks of old pics, I begin to remember the awful pain. And more memories of that pain. While she quietly flipped through the stack and whispered descriptions, there is one that stuck out-describing blood on my pillow. My left ear was nearly ripped off my skull and it took forever to get it healed. Not fun, not fun. And the blood on the pillow.

This was the first time my wife has seen those photos. Yesterday, we celebrated our 100 day anniversary, but I know this was a whole new side of Marcus she was introduced to today. Probably not a welcome sight, either. No matter how many times she's heard the story, no matter how much of this story she's edited, there's still gotta be a certain scalding reality that comes with seeing a snapshot from my hospitalization.

And know what hits me more than anything, even more than her brief description of blood on the pillow? The people around me. The bit of my Dad's arm in one of the torso shots that showed off my trachea. The pictures of my family in the waiting room on the first day. The signs and cards from friends laying around my bed.

I look back on those times almost as an observer. Hell, that couldn't have been me, right? No human being can take that kind of pain! But it was me. Yet, it never really feels like me now. In fact, I hurt for that kid - not for me, but that 18 year old kid. That kid I know is me, but I don't feel like it was me. Make sense? Probably not.

All the while we're looking at these shots, it made me humble. Humble and grateful. And sad. Not for me nor my loss nor the pain-that is all in the past. But for the people, again. Nobody should have to look on someone they love they can't recognize. No one should have to wonder if their loved one will be brain damaged. And my peeps did. I'm humbled by that and grateful to them for sticking with me - even when I was the irreverent, insulting ingrate.

This afternoon, after looking through that stuff, I sent a quick E mail to my plastic surgeon, Dr. Tim Jones of the Genesis Institute. I was pretty well overcome with gratitude. I mean, what other emotion can I have? He's the guy who put me back together again. He's the guy who I owe a significant amount of my life to. He's the guy who turned me from this monstrous swollen faced freak into what I am today (which, if you believe my wife, is a hottie). Still, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. He, my parents, my sister, my friends, my nurses-they all carried part of that load. I hate they had to do it. Hate it. But they did. And they'd do it again. And I would for them. And you call that love.

Southeast Missouri State University

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak at SEMO in Cape Girardeau, MO.

I promised pics... and pics you shall have!

In addition to the evening keynote, I also spoke for Mr. and Mrs. Burgard's classes of athletes the next morning. Thanks to Fred and Sharon for the chance to do a little influencing and inspiring of these football, B ball and soccer players (I'm sure there were a few other sports in there, too, but I haven't had my second cup of coffee yet).

Again, a thank you goes out to Melanie Thompson and the others in Disability Support Services who coordinated my trip to campus! Thanks so much for all your help and support and for making my first trip to Cape so much fun!

Church Of The Master

If you were at my book release event about a year ago, you may remember seeing my buddy, Mike Podorski. Mike was my back up guitarist for the musical portion of the event and has been a good friend for the last decade and a half. Several years ago, I spoke at Mike's church, Church of the Master, in Hazelwood, MO, a suburb of St. Louis. I've had many, many friends who've attended Church of the Master over the years-it's always good to go there and be amongst friends.

This morning, I woke up to an E mail from Mike's mom, Ruth. Ruth helps run a book club at their church and they ordered a couple dozen copies of "After This..." for their members. I just wanted to say thanks to those who are in Church of the Master's book club for their interest in my work. Enjoy! Oh, and as it says at the end of "After This..." if you got anything from the book, please share it with a friend!

Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This...

Ever had an irrational dream? Sure you have-pretty much all dreams are irrational, right? What I mean by irrational is the feeling you have once you're awake; that feeling that was carried over from the dream you're still having even though the dream is over, consciousness has returned and maybe you've even had your first cup of coffee. Welcome to the way my week started!

This morning, my REM sleep brought me dreams of a ex-friend I haven't communicated with in years. This person and I had some major disagreements and it seemed mutual to let the friendship die. So, we did. Yet, last night, he was back in my dreams. And this time doing things that betrayed our friendship more than reality warranted several years ago. I woke up with renewed anger and disgust for him. Even now, into my second cup of java, I still can't shake how wronged I feel.

Irrational? Yes! Absolutely! But our heart and emotions don't make sense sometimes. As a very wise woman(my wife) says, "Emotions lie." I fully realize that this morning, I have no more reason to be upset with said ex-friend than I had yesterday morning. And yet my heart tells me differently. Weird. And disconcerting. And one of those emotions that we need to shrug off and forget because there is no basis in reality.

Emotions lie. Dreams lie. I choose to do my best not to live my life in lies.I want to live with rationality, logic and intelligence-traits that bring us peaceful, grounded and successful existences.

A Regal Experience!

Since I've been out of town most of the past week, today was date day for the new wife and I. Plus, it was also an adventure!

Allow me to take you back in time about a dozen years. There was a messed up 19 year old who bore a striking resemblence to me living in Colorado and attending a rehab school in Denver. One of the activities at the blind rehab school was introducing we students to different forms of entertainment, one of which was descriptive videos. So, while we're all gathered together one day, one of the teachers pops "Top Gun" into the VCR(dating myself here, aren't I?). Well, "Top Gun" has been a favorite movie of yours truly since I was a 11 year old kid watching Tom Cruise and Goose fight the bad guys over the Indian Ocean. But, I guess I'm digressing. Having seen "Top Gun" as a sighted person, then watching it with descriptive video narration, I was really surprised at how much of the action the narrator was able to describe. I mean, fast dogfights in planes is pretty hard to spit out, right?

Well, I've not sat through a movie with descriptive narration since that morning in 1995...until today. Action movies to me are pretty useless; you can never know who's getting fired at in gun fights, who is winning in a road race, etc. Well, the only reason I wanted to see "The Kingdom" was because I knew it'd include description for all the gun battles....and it did!

I want to give props to Regal Theaters for having the descriptive services for those of us who are missing out on the video portion of movies. Plus, they had headphones with amplification for those who are hard of hearing and close captioning, too. All in all, a really awesome experience of opening a few doors I haven't cared to open lately.

Southeast Missouri State University

Wow, what an awesome day! Was invited to present to the SEMO students on Wednesday, Oct. 3 and, well, it was an awesome time! The focus was split between recognition of Disability Awareness Month and Red Ribbon Week and it seemed to go over quite well! Thanks to all 600 plus SEMO students who made it out for the event...hope those of you who were required had a better time than you were expecting!

Special thanks to Melanie Thompson in the Disability Support Services Office for arranging everything, having such passion for her work and for all the effort that went in to helping to bring me to SEMO! Also thanks to Valdis, Mrs. Burgard in athletics, Dr. Carter in Judicial Affairs(can I shake your hand again?) Emily in DSS and everyone in Dr. Baker's office! I couldn't have asked for a better ggroup of folks to work with!

BTW, for any students who didn't get books, I'll be shipping several copies of each back to SEMO. Check with Melanie Thompson in DSS and Judy St. John in the CHC to get your copies! Thanks again, SEMO!

You Can Learn A Lot While Laughing!

You may notice the new quote at the top of Engel's Ensights from George Carlin. Ya know, for all his controversy, Carlin is an incredibly smart dude. Then, when you think about it, a comedian almost has to be highly intelligent to become successful.

No one really thinks of comedians as philosophers, but they see the subtle details and summize them for the rest of we mere mortals to observe. Carlin's views on religion make people wonder why they're sitting in church. Denis Leary's observations on animals make me wonder why vegetarians eat the way they do. Mitch Headberg changes my thoughts on a whole, whole lot of things! Then, you have Chris Rock and Gallagher. From totally opposite angles, they show just how ridiculous some mainstream thoughts can be! Bill Cosby? The absolute king of all things comedic? Bill is so articulate in his views of society that it has started a movement, believe it or not.

People who are funny are a dime a dozen. People who point out what the average American doesn't see are a lot more rare. Comedians who take those unobserved points and turn them into a bit of philosophy are even more amazing. Thanks, George, for being the first person to point out some of the things that pass Joe Averages by.

Exposed!

Just spent the last 30 minutes watching MTV's "Exposed!" First off, what a crap program. Crap it may be, but there was still some interesting stuff to be observed.

If you're one of the lucky ones who has never had to suffer through an episode, let me give you a little insight:

Guy or girl asking questions to two other individuals, trying to determine who is the better "catch." Today, it was a girl asking two dudes interview questions. Thing is, the guys are secretly miced and their voices are being analyzed by vocal software that indicates if the speaker is lying. Kind of a poor man's lie detector, if you will.

The girl is asking all sorta embarrassing questions, trying to catch the guys in lies. If you had a dollar for every booger you've ever eaten, how rich would you be? Do you think treating a girl like crap is a good way to get her to like you more? What is the fastest you've ever moved in with a girl after you've been dating?

I've had the misfortune of watching this show before, only then there was a guy asking the questions. Based on the hand full of episodes I've watched, it seems there's a whole lot less lying amongst the dudes. Today, the show was kinda a flop since neither guy ever told the slightest fib.

Now, why is this? Are the questions more embarrassing for females and they have to lie? Are guys just simpletons who can't gloss over the cold, hard truth? Are men just inherently more truthful than women?

I don't know, but I do know that women in society are held to a higher standard than men. For appearance, for behavior, for the things they verbalize, for morals-everything. The sad part is that so often, it's not men who constantly set these standards, but other women. I've said a million times-women have it tough in our society. I'm glad I'm male. I don' want to be judged on the tiniest little details which I may or may not even care about. That is a TON of unneeded pressure. It's no wonder that more often than not, when the tables are turned and the girls get their voice patterns examined, they're found to be lying.

I wouldn't suggest anyone actually watch this show unless you want to feel your brain dribble out of your ear, but it does make for some interesting analysis.