Wisdom from Kids...

Proverbs don't come only from the Bible. Sometimes Middle School Kids can be quite wise. Read these and see if you agree:

Never trust a dog to watch your food.
Patrick, age 10

When your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?" don't answer him.
Unknown

Never tell your mom her diet's not working.
Michael, 14

Never pee on an electric fence.
Robert, 13

Stay away from prunes.
Randy, 9

Don't pull dad's finger when he tells you to.
Emily, 10

When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair.
Taylia, 11

Never allow your three-year old brother in the same room as your school assignment.
Traci, 14

Puppies still have bad breath even after eating a tic tac.
Andrew, 10

Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the same time.
Kyoyo, 10

You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
Armir, 10

Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
Kellie, 11

If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse.
Naomi, 14

Felt markers are not good to use as lipstick.
Lauren, 10

Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat.
Joel, 10

When you get a bad grade in school, show it to your mom when she's on the phone.
Alyesha, 13

Never, ever, try to baptize a cat.
Eileene, 11

Epistle to the NFL

The NFL had better be careful. Right now, they've got the goose that lays golden eggs, and everyone wants an egg. But if they screw around and 1) there's a work stoppage or 2) the season gets delayed or canceled or 3) the whole standoff stays in the news for too long--then, they are going to kill the goose. It's not going to matter which side is more greedy than the other. The general public will perceive both sides as greedy--NO MATTER WHAT. And it's ugly. Sickening and freakin' ridiculous. This is a nation built on blue-collar backs. We're carpenters, steel workers, doctors, and teachers--getting paid pidly compared to both sides in this argument.

Owners and Players ought to look at this as an opportunity to right some long term wrongs, to make the game more enjoyable for loyal fans too.

Players: Obscene rookie contracts are an insult to every professional athlete. To pay a guy who's never taken an NFL snap ridiculous money is INSANE. Give rookies the NFL minimum as a standard salary, but make the contract laden with performance incentives; the more incentives reached the more bonus money, and the higher the base contract goes with each successive year. Build in an insurance clause which pays the rookie big money if there's a career ending injury or some such. Reducing the rookie salary to the incentive-dependent minimum is going to leave a HUGE chunk of change in the collective pot. With that, provide stat bonuses and veteran bonuses for those who've proven themselves already. Perhaps let their be NFL bonuses for statistical leaders across the board.

For the Owners: You absolutely have to provide $$$ for injury insurance. The guys are out there putting their lives and futures on the line, playing a sport that thrives due to its violent contact. You've got to cover the players and their families. Someone gets a career ending injury, the insurance kicks in. The slush money that's still left from the minimal rookie contracts should be funneled into research and development of new helmets and pads to better protect players from injury. The number of concussions these days is alarming. If something isn't done, we'll soon be getting pretty close to the Roman Coliseum. Those people who deplore Michael Vick for the dogfights, turn around and cheer when a quarterback gets destroyed by a DL who is twice the QB's size.

For the Teams: Rosters need to increase in size. If we go to 18 games, that's a no brainer, but even if not. Every team should be able to be 4-deep at every position. Salary Caps are still a must so that all market teams can compete. But the whole Free Agency thing has to change. How many times have fan fanatics been hurt when long-time team player favorites have asked for more money than they are worth to keep and ended up shipped off to finish their career on some other team. Many times, the team would love to keep those players, but the cap is prohibitive.

There should be a "Legacy Exemption," maybe as many as three per team, where fan favorite veterans could be paid extra $$$ to keep them on their home team without impacting the salary cap. No more Joe Montana playing for the Chiefs, Art Monk for the Jets, or Brian Mitchell to the Eagles.

Next, you have to blast these so called "voluntary meetings" and "OTA's". Players need time to heal. Players need time with family. Make several mandatory minicamps, but be done with it.

That's my .02. I love the NFL. I hope they don't drink the kool-aid.  

What did 2009 Bring? Remember this?

Happy New Year! Do you remember this? Last year, I posted the challenge below. It's officially next year now. So I'm wondering how you all did? No resolutions really, just prayerful goals. I'll go first--that way you can all feel better if you blew it. ;-)

------Last year's post below:----------------------------------
 


Happy New Year! Whether you're a regular to EnterTheDoorWithin, a lurker, or a visitor, I hope the new year brings you all God's blessings.

Funny thing this year, when the ball dropped signaling the END of 2008, I actually felt a wave of relief wash over me. It was a tangible, visceral thing. When the last second of 2008 was gone and the promise of all things new in 2009 arrived, it felt pretty good.

Truth is, 2008 was a tough year for me. It was a tough year for a lot of people I love very much. Don't get me wrong. God has blessed me exceedingly. I'm alive. I have a lovely wife and four special children. We're all relatively healthy. I have dear friends, many of whom would run through a wall for me and I for them. I have two terrific jobs: I love to teach and I love to write. But still, it was a tough year. For Christians, however, we know that God is a redeemer, meaning that He can take any situation--even the worst--and bring good from it. I've already seen Him doing it in my own life and in the lives of friends and family.

All this to lead into an interesting activity my brother-in-law did at the New Year's party I attended. He gave everyone a slip of paper, told us to write our name on it, and then write down some goals and/or predictions for the coming year. The goal being that we'd seal all the papers from all the party attendees in an envelope and open it next year to see how things turned out.

That really got me thinking. A lot can happen in a year. So, I'd like to modify the activity for all you who visit here. Post a comment to this thread. Use your user name or real, whatever you will remember you used when you look back a year from now. In your comment, write any of three things:

1. Something difficult from 2008 that you pray God would redeem.
2. A prediction--something you think will happen over the coming year.
3. A goal; something you'd like to achieve.

You can write as many or as few as you'd like.

Then, next year, I will RE-POST the thread so we can all see how the year went. It's my hope that we will be able to Praise God for many things, and that maybe anyone who reads will think to pray for the others and their needs.

Mine will be the first comment. And again, I wish you the very best for 2009. Never alone.

Time for More Random Thoughts

Quite possibly the most popular blog post here ever was a bunch of meandering random thoughts. I asked people to respond with their own inane ponderings. So, here's what's been on my mind:

1. I can't believe the summer's almost over.
2. My classroom needs a LOT of work.
3. I really want to see District 9.
4. If the best things in life are free, why does chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cost something?
5. My cat Jingle is really fuzzy.
6. I need to write more of my next book, so why am I doing this?
7. The Surreau family rocks.

What's on YOUR mind?

Time for a little Brainstorming.

Just a few random thoughts today.

• As a parent you know you're toast when: In the middle of the night, you hear, "Mommy, Daddy, my stomach hurts." Can you say, technicolor yawn? In the span of four minutes, two of my four children tossed their cookies. Seems to be some sort of stomach bug going round these parts. Please pray for us if you have some spare "air time."

• I'm really worried about the coming Presidential election. I thought Mike Huckabee was going to whoosh through to the nomination. He's a Christian, a very reasonable and refreshing voice, and yet...he's not doing well of late. I have real reservations about McCain and Romney, and feel like this election is a real turning point for America. The next President will likely appoint between 2-4 Supreme Court Justices... I'm committing to praying that God would have the candidate who will honor Him in the oval office.

• The Dark Sea Annals, my next fantasy series is going to be HUGE. I've left the manuscript lie dormant for a bit of time to allow me to work on the outline. But it's SEVEN books. That's a monstrous outline. It has proven too big for my normal pen/paper outlines, so I'm giving this new writer's software a try. It's called SuperNoteCard, and it seems to allow all kinds of cool outlining features. I hope so. I need help.

• 39,621 Visits to my blog since it opened. I wonder who will be number 40,000...

So, what's on your mind? The captain has turned on the Random Thought Light. Feel free.