Political confusion

The following, which I received in an email from a friend, is funny because it's so damned true.

If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're exotic and different.
However... If you grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, you're a quintessential American story.

If your name is Barack, you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
However... If you name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're an admired maverick.


If you graduate from Harvard Law School and are president of the Harvard Law Review, you are unstable.
However... If you attend five different small colleges before finally graduating, you're well grounded.

If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising two beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
However... If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, then left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a real Christian.

If you teach responsible, age-appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
However... If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence-only sex education with no other option in your state's school system, while your unwed teenage daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.


If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her urban community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent real America.
However... If your husband is nicknamed "First Dude", works for big oil, has at least one DUI conviction, no college education, didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from America, your family is extremely admirable.

If you spend three years as a community organizer, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend eight years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the State Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend four years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
However... If your total resume is local weather girl, four years on the city council, six years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people and 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

A dog's purpose

The following story is told by a veterinarian:

I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolf hound named Belker who was very sick. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their six-year-old boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Little Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, and I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life... like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?"

The six-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

VMware buries the competition

From Anders Bylund of The Motley Fool:

When I opened up my virtual mailbox Monday morning, I was buried under an avalanche of press releases from virtualization specialist VMware (NYSE: VMW). Then the annual VMworld conference kicked off, adding heaps of fresh PR atop the first pile. After I dug my way out, one thing was abundantly clear to me: VMware won't sit still and let the likes of Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT), Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: JAVA), and Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) run circles around this incumbent market leader. This company hasn't exhausted its own research and inventions -- not by a long shot.

"Okay, tell us something we don't know."
The big deal that ties this news together is VMware's new Virtual Datacenter Operating System (VDC-OS). Think cloud computing on steroids, where an intrepid director of corporate IT can pool all hardware resources at his or her disposal into a giant blob of flexible computing power. Processor time, memory, network access, storage space, and other data-processing assets can then be assigned on demand to whatever application or project needs them the most -- automatically.

This is more than just a management suite for virtual machines, like Microsoft's Virtual Server or Sun's xVM product family. It's more like Amazon.com's (Nasdaq: AMZN) Elastic Computing Cloud or Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) famously decentralized information infrastructure, scaled down to the size of a single data center and packaged for private use by any company with IT-management problems. On the flipside of that analogy, it's like stretching a traditional IBM (NYSE: IBM) "big iron" mainframe, with all of its fault tolerance and massive parallel processing acumen, to cover the entire data center.

Used correctly, a solution like this should lead to significantly more efficient use of the available hardware, alongside higher reliability -- when one processor or memory bank dies, its workload just gets shifted somewhere else. That means better efficiency, longer uptime, and big cost savings.

Building a secure market share
VMware is years ahead of the competition when it comes to advanced features like this virtual OS functionality. Sure, I think that both Microsoft and Oracle have it in them to produce a product like this -- eventually. But by then, I expect that VMware will have carved out a very comfortable slice of the potential market, because the early adopters will be the companies that most need better IT management.

These tough test cases will iron out any remaining wrinkles in the solution in short order, via the normal back-and-forth of production-level tech support. Get them settled on a workable solution to problems like complex data management and scattershot hardware purchasing, and they won't feel any need to fix what ain't broke anymore. And then they become perfect marketing tools: "Look how we helped Hyper-Mega-Mart (Ticker: HMM) and Worst-Case Scenarios, Inc. (Ticker: NOWAY)! Your data center will be a walk in the park!"

What this means for you
I really don't see how even Mr. Softy can hope to find a chink in armor plating like that, though I do appreciate Microsoft's efforts, since competition drives innovation in any business. But in the end, virtualization will be an afterthought in Microsoft's and Oracle's sprawling product portfolios, at most. The same goes for Sun, albeit on a smaller scale. Anybody else in this space looks like shark bait to me -- fishing for buyout offers from one of the big boys, rather than aiming for the top of the heap themselves.

Meanwhile, VMware will keep leading the way to bigger and better virtualization achievements. This is one of the days I mutter curses at our Foolish disclosure policy under my breath, because it's the only thing keeping me from buying VMware today.

Attention all dogs and cats

The following should be posted very low on the refrigerator door... preferably at nose height:

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note that placing your paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that the least bit aesthetically pleasing.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king-sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Believe it or not, dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, and try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years... canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is to kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat. I cannot stress this enough.

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit and Like to Complain About Our Pets:

1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (You can't spell "furniture" without "fur".)
3. I like my pets a lot more than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

A virtual disruption

From Anders Bylund of The Motley Fool:

IT research firm Gartner recently published its top 10 list of "disruptive technologies" for the next five years. They disrupt because they are advances that are most likely to change our lives in the near future, which strongly appeals to the Rule Breaker investor in me. Changing the world usually leads to big profits -- and happy investors.

Virtual insanity

Of the 10 disrupters on the list, perhaps the biggest business opportunity lies in virtual computing. This technique is driving or aiding a couple of other disruptive technologies. Multicore processors are more effective when you can cut them up into several virtual machines, and cloud computing becomes both cheaper and more reliable when the software cloud runs on a virtual hardware cloud.

VMware (NYSE: VMW) created the market with virtual server systems that let IT managers divide and recombine their hardware assets in new ways. Managing pools of processors, memory, and storage is a far more flexible and efficient approach than setting up a physical server for every business need, and the technology is changing all the rules for managing data centers.

A revolution like that naturally attracts competition like kids to an ice cream truck. Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Citrix Systems (Nasdaq: CTXS) both have competing products on the market. Server manufacturers like IBM (NYSE: IBM), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ), and Sun Microsystems are building virtual server management features into their big iron, too. Some of that works with VMware; other parts compete directly with the company's hardware.

VMware itself was snapped up by data storage giant EMC (NYSE: EMC) for a measly $635 million in 2003. Four years later, EMC spun its baby back onto the public market, netting $957 million in the IPO -- for just 15% of the virtualization pioneer.

The Foolish takeaway
If Gartner is right -- and I can't see how it could be wrong this time -- then virtual servers will be the de facto standard in five years. Data centers will run on fewer pieces of server hardware, pushing down the cost of machines as well as the need to cool down and power up all of that silicon.

Enterprise servers make up around $14 billion of the worldwide market per quarter, and grabbing a share of the revenue from each machine sold is a major growth opportunity. On top of that, you have service contracts for all of that software.

The virtual server market is still in its infancy and growing like dandelions in full sun. And while MS Virtual Server or Citrix XenServer certainly have their followers and could grow into serious contenders one day, this race is market-leader VMware's to win or lose.

Having a big party or just a small penis?

I can't decide if the guy who buys this is cool or just compensating for something.

From GearCrave: It may not look pretty, but hell– this thing ain’t meant to look pretty. Its meant to rip through ice cubes, mint leaves, liquor and sugar to make the ultimate gas-powered man mohito. This Gas Powered Party Blender uses a 43cc 2-stroke engine, motorcycle handlebars and a solid metal frame to run an 85 oz. stainless steel blender. With just the twist of a wrist, you’re churning up cocktails with the power of a minibike, the growl of a chain saw. Just for fun, you can take your better half’s cutesy little blender and toss that sucker into this one. Will it blend? $275

Don't forget to flush the washer

From GearCrave: This Washup Concept Toilet/Washing Machine is NOT an April Fool’s joke... it’s a concept design entry in the Greener Gadgets Competition ‘08. Sevin Coskun’s combination washing machine and toilet is built to save water by routing the wash water into the toilet tank. Instead of flushing plain water, you use the washing machine’s runoff to wash away your runoff. A strange concept with at least one major design flaw: there’s nothing to stop your Superman briefs from falling right into the toilet if you forget to close the lid. Personally, I can't imagine leaning over the crapper every time I want to bleach my whites. I like the idea of recycling the water, but I think a better implementation of this would be to put the laundry room next to the bathroom, and pipe the washer water to a regular toilet.

Hyundai, buddy. Hyundai.

It's time for a new car. For most of my adult life, I've been a loyal owner of Jeep Grand Cherokees. Jeep is in my blood, and I think there's a lot of truth to the saying, "It's a Jeep thing... you wouldn't understand." For a while, I considered getting a Jeep Wrangler, but with the need to make driving trips to customers in Ohio and Kentucky, a Wrangler just isn't practical. Right now, I need a "big boy" car.

I looked at a variety of sedans including the Acura TSX and TL, Infiniti G, Lexus IS, Toyota Avalon, and even the Saturn Aura. I especially like the Acura TL Type-S although, personally, I find the price a little hard to swallow. After a lot of looking, reading, talking and driving, I made a decision that surprised even me. I've chosen a Hyundai Azera Limited as my next vehicle.


I happened to rent an Azera for a couple weeks last fall, and I found the car to be an incredible pleasure to drive. It's fast (0-60 in 6.5 seconds), roomy (more interior space than a BMW 750i or Mercedes S-Class) and easy on gas (19 MPG city, 28 MPG highway). Since there are no substantial changes to the 2008 model, I've decided on a new 2007 Hyundai Azera Limited Ultimate in silver with black leather interior. In addition to the usual amenities found in the "luxury entry" class, the Azera Limited Ultimate has some amazing features, including eight air bags (front, rear and side curtain), rain-sensing wipers, rear power sun shade and Premium Infinity Logic 7 surround sound audio system (this bad boy has an in-dash 6-disc CD changer, 12 speakers, subwoofer and a 605-watt digital amplifier). Woo hoo.


Another reason I chose the Azera is that the standard Hyundai warranties are great, especially compared to many other auto makers. The Azera includes several warranties:

• Bumper-to-bumper: 5 years / 60,000 miles
• Powertrain: 10 years / 100,000 miles
• Corrosion: 7 years / unlimited miles
• Emissions performance: 8 years / 80,000 miles
• 24-hour roadside assistance: 5 years / unlimited miles

With an MSRP of $31,300 the Azera Limited Ultimate model I want is a good bargain, but not a great one. However, Hyundai has a $3,000 rebate through March, and the dealers are anxious to move the remaining 2007 models off the lot. Luckily, I have located several Azeras in Ohio and Kentucky that match my want list, and I'm currently negotiating price with the various dealers. Based on the quotes I have so far, I fully expect to pick up the Azera I want for more than $6,000 below list price. Of all the vehicles I considered, nothing comes close to matching the Azera's features, performance and price.

Below are some video reviews of the Azera. If you watch them, you'll likely notice a common theme... the Azera doesn't fit what many people think of when they think of Hyundai.

Below are some additional videos featuring the Azera, as well as a couple of commercials.

Celebrating life & health

Yesterday I volunteered at the Levin Foundation 2008 "Celebrating Life & Heath" event in Dayton. It's an annual event, open to everyone, that provides a free meal along with free health testing and support services for follow-up. The kids are entertained with face painting and clowns doing balloon sculptures. Participants in the health screenings get tickets for chances to win appliances, bikes and a wealth of other prizes.

When I signed up to volunteer, I told the coordinator that I would do whatever job needed to be done. I was assigned to help at the main check-in table. My job was to greet people as they entered, provide them with information packets, answer questions and guide people to the places they wanted to go. It was one of the most fun and rewarding experiences I've had in years. There were thousands of people at the event (I'm guessing at least 2500) and virtually everyone was having a good time. Having perfected my schmoozey style from all the trade shows I worked while at Image Sciences and Maximizer, I had a blast talking to - and laughing with - people of all ages. The day seemed to fly by, and I can't wait to do it again next year!

FIRED up

It is legal in the state of Ohio to be fired from your job or denied an apartment or house because of your sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. In many cities in Ohio this practice is illegal, but there are no state level protections. Equality Ohio has been working diligently to introduce the Ohio Equal Housing and Employment Act to end this type of discrimination.

As a volunteer for Equality Ohio's "FIRED" campaign, I was thrilled to read in today's Dayton Business Journal that the bills were introduced in the Ohio Senate and House of Representatives today. Unlike previous attempts at the bills' passage, the outcome of this effort appears likely to be a success. The complete text of the article is below:

A trio of Ohio lawmakers introduced bills Tuesday to make it illegal to discriminate against people in employment, housing or public accommodations because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

"Ohio is among the most unwelcoming states in the nation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people," Lynne Bowman, executive director for Equality Ohio, said in a news release. "Today, Ohio took a major step toward fairness and equality."

Bowman cited a recent survey that found two-thirds of Ohioans favor passage of the legislation.

Twenty-one states, 11 of the state's four-year public colleges and 16 Ohio cities and villages have ordinances that protect their gay and lesbian residents.

Rather than continue to have a patchwork of protections across the state, or none at all, the lawmakers called for passage of statewide standards that would uniformly help all Ohio residents.

Sen. Dale Miller, D- Cleveland, is the main sponsor of the Senate bill. He has introduced similar measures in the past but noted at a news conference in Columbus that the bills introduced Tuesday have a record number of co-sponsors and the promise of committee hearings.

Plus, Gov. Ted Strickland has told the bills' sponsors that he would sign the measure into law, said Sandy Theis, a spokeswoman for the effort.

In the House, Rep. Jon Peterson, a Delaware Republican, and Rep. Dan Stewart, D-Columbus, are primary sponsors of the bill.

At the news conference, Stewart said more than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies have implemented similar policies. Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) has been a strong proponent of such measures and is one of a number of large corporations with employee support groups centered on sexual orientation and gender identity.

E-mail dayton@bizjournals.com. Call (937) 528-4400.

I want this monster under my bed

Lazy days in bed will never be the same.

Enough is enough

Fight OUT Loud is a national non-profit organization dedicated to empowering LGBT individuals and their allies to fight discrimination and hate.

Wind beneath my wings

This Lufthansa flight had an extremely close call when battling strong cross winds during a landing in Hamburg. The left wingtip actually scrapes the runway before the skilled pilots manage to abort the landing. News reports indicated that no one was injured, but many passengers were "badly shaken." Duh.

I laughed so hard I farted a little

This Bud Light commercial was originally developed for SuperBowl XLII, but according to Digg.com it was deemed "too controversial for TV". Thank God for YouTube, so we can see what the ridiculously-conservative FCC doesn't think we should see.

A "virtual" change in my career

Well, it's official. I've joined VMware. Beginning Monday, March 10, I will be the newest addition to the Ohio Valley Strategic Sales team. I'm very excited about this incredible opportunity, and I can't wait to get started.

VMware (NYSE: VMW) is the global leader in virtualization solutions from the desktop to the data center. Customers of all sizes rely on VMware to reduce capital and operating expenses, ensure business continuity, strengthen security and go green. With 2007 revenues of $1.33 billion, more than 100,000 customers and more than 10,000 partners, VMware is one of the fastest-growing public software companies. VMware is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

VMware’s broad and proven suite of virtualization solutions addresses a range of complex challenges facing IT organizations, including:

• Server Consolidation & Infrastructure Optimization: VMware technology – including the industry’s only complete virtual infrastructure - helps organizations consolidate servers and increase utilization rates, greatly reduce power and cooling costs, and manage and automate IT processes for maximum availability, performance and scalability.


• Business Continuity: With exclusive features such as automated load balancing and live migration of virtual machines, VMware technology enables organizations to increase uptime and reduce the cost and complexity of meeting high availability and disaster recovery objectives.


• Software Lifecycle Automation: Developers and other IT professionals use VMware solutions to streamline the software development and testing process, reduce server provisioning time, and improve software quality.


• Enterprise Desktop Management: Enabling enterprises to better manage and control their desktop systems, VMware helps customers speed deployments, administer systems from a central location, and provide end-users with a satisfying physical-PC experience.

A less intrusive way to communicate my goings-on

With all the activity in my life lately, I've sent several emails to keep a lot of people updated on what's transpired. However, I'm not overly fond of receiving mass-broadcast-what's-up-yea-for-me-look-what-I-can-do emails, and I was quickly becoming a sending offender. It's time to stop the madness, especially with a new job and new vehicle on the horizon. So, in a concerted effort to cease and desist from further detailed blasts, I will be relying heavily on my blog to get my message out. In addition to some musings and poetry from my spotty youth, I will continue to make posts on observations and events in my life.

I hope you'll check out the blog if you're interested. Feel free to post comments or provide feedback directly on the blog posts. And, if you're using an RSS reader (such as NewsGator, Bloglines, Google Reader, etc.) you can point your reader to my blog feed. Users of RSS readers already know that using RSS allows you to stay apprised of news, blog posts and articles without having to check each website individually. (Personally, I couldn't imagine consuming information on the Internet without my NewsGator reader.)

Endings and Beginnings

It's been almost a week since I lost my Maggie. Each day is a little easier but it's still hard to accept that she's gone. While my time with her has ended, my memories of all the happiness, companionship and unyielding devotion she gave me will live forever in my heart. I picked up her ashes from Kettering Animal Hospital today... that was an incredibly difficult drive home.

Then, a couple of hours ago, I received a phone call that could very well be a new phase of my career. I am close to accepting a new job, and may start as soon as next Monday, March 3rd. I'm going to be leveraging my skills and experience in a different type of software company, and I'm very fortunate to have this rare opportunity.

What a strange sensation... simultaneously feeling the pain of losing my best friend while being excited about starting a fantastic new job.

A very sad day

I lost my best friend, my true companion of the last ten years. At 6pm today, Maggie's battle with mast cell tumors came to a swift and quiet end. Thankfully, her last days were happy and playful, with very little suffering. I will never forget the boundless love, patience and joy she gave me every day.

Some good news to start the new year

As you may know, Maggie's fight against mast cell tumors (MCT) on her chest, legs and in her spleen has been taking its toll on my little trooper. Although chemotherapy helped her last year, her treatment this November was not a success. Her blood platelet count decreased from 94,000 in late November to a low of 40,000 at the end of December. (A normal count is anywhere from 200,000 to 400,000.) The day after Christmas, her prognosis was grim and we figured that she had only a few weeks left. Her oncologist doubled her dose of prednisone, and I doubled her dose of Milk Bones and rawhide. Throughout the process Maggie has been content and active, and the goal all along has been to simply maintain her comfort, minimize her suffering and maximize her happiness.


On Monday, Mom and I took her for what we thought would be her last CBC (blood count). Given the consistent rate of decline, we expected a platelet count around 15,000 to 20,000 and there wasn't much point in subjecting her to more tests in her final weeks. However, thanks to the increased dose of prednisone and Benadryl over the previous week, her count is now UP to 60,000. Quite simply, this means that the MCT isn't advancing as aggressively as before. The increased platelet count isn't a guarantee of anything, but it's sure better than another decline. Her regular vet is pleased with the results, so we're going to continue the 40mg prednisone regimen and, as always, enjoy every day we have with her.


For Maggie, 2008 truly is starting out a happy new year. Each day with her is one more happy day of barks, bones, kisses and naps. If you had asked me a year ago how I felt about the sound of her playing with her squeaky toys, I would have grunted a negative response. These days, those squeaks are music to my ears.

I hope your year is starting well. And don't forget to enjoy each day.

Decennial Retrospective: A Tribute To The Great One

Ten years ago today I lost my grandfather. I can't believe it's been a decade. This is the eulogy that I gave for him a few days after Christmas in 1997, on behalf of his grandchildren. He is one of the most significant influences in my life. Not a single day has gone by without my thinking of him. I don't remember much about giving the actual eulogy; I was in a trance, focused on the magnitude and sadness of giving such a difficult and important speech. Right after the funeral, my grandmother walked up, took my hand, looked into my eyes and said, "He would be so proud of you." I don't know if she knew how influential and comforting her words were to me, but I like to believe that she did.

A Tribute To The Great One

based on a story by Jacqueline Goldstein

If you were to look through the records of American history and politics, you would find so many people who were considered great. Their contributions to society vary. Some are brave and decorated war heroes. Others are fearless, determined leaders who had dreams for a better tomorrow. We take great pride in these countless men and women who contributed their hearts, minds, ideas and lives for our future.

Yet there are so many names that will never be found in these pages of history. They will never stand among the elite, the remembered or the revered... except within the hearts of those who knew and loved them. Though not universally known, they are equally deserving of all our accolades and praise; their hidden and seemingly insignificant contributions are relevant nonetheless.

Recently, one of the greatest of these people was taken from us. You won't find his name in any history book or in the headline of any newspaper. He didn't fight any heroic war battles. He didn't make any huge discoveries that will save millions of lives. He never signed a treaty that will promote world peace... he was just one man. And yet, that is what makes his life great, and makes his memory a legacy.

One man... one person... one contribution.

It is so easy to forget about the individual, this power of one. In a time when we continually look to others to make a profound difference in our own lives, we forget about the consistently forgotten. We often see greatness in terms of its community and social significance, but we fail to see that the most important roles that people portray are those of parents, children, siblings and grandparents. The person destined for greatness is never considered within the boundaries of these roles. Are these people any less great? Do they contribute any less? I think that our definitions of greatness have to be changed to include the common, everyday people who fundamentally touch our lives.

These individuals exemplify the power of one. Their lives profoundly touch the rest of us... they guide, teach, discipline, care... they love. They are what directly makes us who we are. They are a layer of ourselves, a part of the whole which we present to the world each and every day. They are a distinct part of each success and every failure. Yet they are so often forgotten, pushed behind the walls of consciousness and insignificance.

All around us we see monuments that praise people of greatness. They strive to remind us that these stone vestiges embody bravery, commitment and honor. But do they personally, individually affect you or me? Are they really a part of us?

They are a part of our history granted, but we often forget that they simply serve as symbols. While these statues are meant to prove the greatness of their likeness and their immense significance in this world, are they truly an accurate measure of greatness? The man I knew and loved has no great statue created in his honor. In a hallway around the corner, there is a simple, small marble slab among countless others which whispers that he once existed. In modest lettering it reveals his simple identity:

"Ralph S. Wolfe. June 3, 1911 - December 26, 1997."

This is his great monument.

One man... one person... one contribution.

And yet if that is all we see, we are not looking deep enough. His legacy does not lie behind some ostentatious symbol. It lies within every individual that had the honor of knowing him. He stands behind every action I take. He is my words, my thoughts, my opinions. He has instilled in me a profound sense of humanity, humility, and perception. He has given me the tools to create a legacy of my own, to make my own contribution to this world. His mark may not be of historic proportions but it is just as brilliant.

It burns just as bright as the great men and women that are immortalized in the pages of history. Yitzak Rabin was one of those great figures and yet who was it that delivered his eulogy? Who was it that told his story? Was it one of the prominent heads of state who worked closely with him to promote peace within the Middle East? No.

It was his granddaughter.

I am sure what made him great in her eyes was not the same as what made him great in ours. His legacy to her is far different than what history dictates it to be. It is much more profound.

Three days ago, the world lost a great man. His name is Ralph Wolfe and he was my grandfather. His legacy lies within the contributions that he made to this world and all that had the privilege of knowing him. We will continue to love him and remember him. His departure epitomizes a great truth: greatness is in the eye of the beholder. Knowing him has shown me just how magnificent and profound that truth really is.

I love you, Grandpa.

Wishing you a very jurisprudent holiday

I saw this quoted in a "PC World" article by Steve Bass and thought it was pretty funny. According to the article, the woman who submitted it works in a San Diego law firm.

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the recipient of said wish.

By accepting these greetings, you are accepting the aforementioned terms as stated. This greeting is not subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself/himself/others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

The Faraway Land (2000)

Standing in solitude

At the edge of the great Canyon,

I looked out across a wide expanse.

In the distance, I could see the faraway Land.

A lush, inviting, beautiful place,

Offering the promise of solace and peace.

Dreams of this place consumed my days.

Visions of happiness, liberation and ecstasy

Filled my soul and gave me comfort.

At times when I was overpowered with

Feelings of distress, anguish and sorrow,

I would turn to thoughts of the faraway Land

For reassurance, contentment and tranquility.

As I looked down and surveyed

The vast expanse of the great Canyon

I recognized that the journey to the faraway Land

Would be long, arduous and filled with adversity.

Realizing this dream would be exhausting,

And the effort required would be tremendous.

Do I possess the strength for this journey?

Would the rewards be worth the struggles?

Could the promises that the faraway Land proffered

Be ample sustenance when continuing seemed hopeless?

Strong ambition and good intentions alone

Are not enough to pave the road to this place.

Standing in solitude

At the edge of the great Canyon,

Despair and doubt overwhelmed me.

The faraway Land all at once seemed too far away,

And the rewards seemed not worth undertaking

So arduous and perilous a journey alone.

Suddenly, as my heart was dark and heavy

With the pain of sadness and failure,

I felt the warmth of a hand in mine.

Fingers, intertwined with my own,

Tightened around mine and gently imparted

An extraordinary strength I had not possessed before.

Soft yet secure, the touch of this hand in mine

Gave rise to a new sense of competence and power.

My spirit for adventure was reborn,

And I rapidly found my desire to begin my journey

To the faraway Land reaching a feverish intensity.

Solace and peace were finally within my reach.

I know that I could not undertake such

An adventure without the energy and love

Given me by that hand – your hand – in mine.

Alone, failure would have been virtually certain.

But with you next to me, the long journey

To the faraway Land and all its beautiful rewards

Has become the wondrous adventure of a lifetime.

(for BD)

I Am Reminded Of You (1998)

The cool evening breeze flows through my window.

As it caresses my face and soothes my mind, I am reminded of you.

The gentle rain falls against my body.

As it splashes onto my warm skin, I am reminded of you.

The soft clouds roll across the night sky.

As they calmly traverse the heavens, I am reminded of you.

The tranquil night will soon give way to the dawn of a new day.

As the moon acquiesces to the rising sun, flooding the

landscape with brilliant light, I am reminded of you.

The cool evening gives me peace and serenity,

as you do with your tenderness, compassion and love.

The gentle rain awakens my senses,

as you do with your wisdom, clarity and thoughtfulness.

The soft clouds set my heart free,

as you do with your humor, passion and zest for life.

The transformation of night into day

renews my sense of being and warms my soul,

as you do every time I think of you.

(for JH)

People Everywhere (1997)

People everywhere
Rushing, dashing, racing.
Destinations, known and unknown,
Await those that are destined for them.

Where are we going?
What will the trip be like?
Will it be pleasant once we are there?

As I travel through life,
I have experienced many adventures.
Some I would rather not remember
And a multitude that I will never forget.

Time,
Once a seemingly senseless voyage,
Has transformed itself into a
Wonderful quest for me...
For us.

People everywhere
Arranging, preparing, laying out
Plans for the future.
They think they know what will be.

What awaits us?
Will we achieve what we desire?
Will the fates be kind?

The recent past has taught me
That I can not always know what is to come.
I once thought I knew what to expect,
But you have proven me very wrong.

Now, no matter what happens,
I realize that I am wholly prepared
For whatever may lie before me.
For I am no longer alone on my journey...
I have you by my side.

People everywhere
Searching, seeking, pursuing
That unique, special person which will
Fill the emptiness in their lives.

Why must they elude us?
Do they exist?
Will we ever find them?

With each passing day,
My expectations are consistently exceeded
By your generosity, devotion,
Thoughtfulness, patience and love.

My soul is calm and my heart is light.
For, in you, I have discovered
The answers to all of my questions.
I have found the one that makes me complete

Beyond my wildest dreams.

(for CS)

'Twas The Year Before Christmas (2001)

'Twas the year before Christmas

Two Thousand and One.

What an amazing year

To be an American!

The terrorists and anthrax

Caused us anger and fright.

Yet we rallied together...

Stand and Unite!

My priorities have shifted

Like many others I know.

I'm taking more time for myself

But I'm still on the go.

I haven't left Business Objects

Or the Southwest sales team.

I'm now a Technical Manager

And the job is a scream!

I manage the tech guys

Who help our software to sell.

We work with the sales folks

To ensure the deals all go well.

I'm still living in Dallas.

Thirteen years now... Oh, my!

I simply cannot believe

How the time has flown by.

I moved in the Spring

To a suburb up north.

In the last six years,

This house makes my fourth!

I liked downtown living;

The location was cool.

But I wanted a place

With a hot tub and pool.

My new home is fantastic

With a sprawling floor plan.

And the back yard is perfect

For a swim and a tan.

I live with Brandon,

Who is my best friend.

I cook and he cleans...

I like that trend!

My Jeep's running great...

She is one tough mule.

And my dog, Maggie,

Can't get enough of the pool.

I hope that the holidays

Are wondrous for you.

May your new year be joyous

And your dreams all come true!