AMTRAK

My son and I recently took our first train trip together. I grew up in Europe and have been back enough to be somewhat familiar with European Train travel, it's pretty great. I decided not too long ago to check into the quality and feasibility of U.S. train travel, via Amtrak. What I found was that the route options are pretty limited and the times are a bit long, but the pricing is not too bad.



With this information in hand, I embarked on the booking process. I must say it was as easy as renting a car or buying a plane ticket. The nearest Amtrak station to my house is in Atlanta, so I purchased my tickets online ahead of time for print at the station. With reservation in hand, my three year old son and I jumped in the car and headed out for Atlanta.



At the station, at the junction of Midtown and Buckhead on Peachtree in Atlanta, GA, we parked (possibly illegally) and then walked across the street bags in tow to the fairly small station. For a metro area of over 5 million people, the station was very small but that's ok, we wouldn't be there long. After checking our two larger bags, Alexander and I retreated to the seating area where we were greeted with stares from the other passengers.



The train arrived right on time, and within 15 minutes everyone was loaded and we were underway. The "room-ette" we had reserved was small, but adequate for a six foot adult and a three foot three year old, but two average size adults would probably be a little cramped. Our steward, Claude, made the trip (he was pretty awesome and became good pals with Alex)! After a few minutes of absolute over the top excitement (Alex was pretty stoked too), we settled down to a breakfast in the dining car which was included in our ticket cost.



After breakfast, we went back to the room, folded out the bunks, and took a nap, we awoke to the announcement that we would soon be arriving in Birmingham, AL. The bunks are pretty comfy and the constant motion and noise of the train help to lull you to sleep. Another couple hours and it was time for lunch in the dining car, it was another reasonable interpretation of food and the company of the couple who sat with us was pretty good (tables seat four and it gets pretty crowded so if you are alone or with only one other person, expect to get seated with some strangers).



A few positives of train travel include the ability to stretch out and let someone else do the driving, the ability to use the cell phone, DVD player, and computer (outlets available), and the bonus of lowering your carbon footprint in relation to travel via car or plane. Looking forward to the day when the Amtrak Acela trains that run in the northeast are available elsewhere, they travel at nearly double the speed of regular Amtrak trains.



The trip from Atlanta to New Orleans was just under twelve hours and arrived on time almost to the minute. All in all, it was a fun experience, comfortable room, and decent food, all for a price that would be tough for us to beat even with today's newly lowered gas prices. So, if you're not in a big hurry, and want a unique travel experience, Amtrak may be a viable option for you. We will probably try it in the near future as my in-laws live in the Washington, DC, area.



Maybe we'll end up sharing a meal in a dining car sometime ...CHOO CHOO!

Baton Rouge, LA

It's that time again! You thought I was done didn't you, well it turns out there are a few more cities in the south worth talking about. This week I'll bring along my parents new home town, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Capitol of the Cajun State is a unique place to say the least.

To Do-- They have a good zoo, nice downtown on the waterfront including the tallest state capitol in the country and the USS Kidd, and a hunting culture second to none. But, in Baton Rouge, there is only one thing to do on a few Saturdays in the Fall and that is LSU FOOTBALL! Death Valley is one of the largest and loudest stadiums in all of College Football and it is worth a trip to the Capitol City in and of itself. If you're looking for outdoors men gear, look no further than the combined 350,000 square feet of Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, which also has a pretty good restaurant. There are also several good shopping spots including the Mall of Louisiana and the brand new Perkins Rowe development.

To Eat-- What the city may lack in variety of entertainment options, it makes up for in very unique and varied dining options. You can grab a steak at one of the first Ruth's Chris Steakhouses ever, some great fresh seafood thanks to the proximity to the Gulf and Baton Rouge's standing as the fifth largest U.S. port, or the local favorite of good ole Cajun Food. For seafood, my fav's include Mike Anderson's and Ralph and Kacoos, and for Cajun, there are lots of choices but a few of my faves are Caterie, Chimes, and Copelands. Other solid choices are TJ's Ribs and DeAngelo's.

To Stay-- The downtown landmark is the Hilton Capitol Center and it is well kept and convenient to the downtown area. In the east part of town there are all the chain options from Marriott to Embassy Suites and Hyatt Place. If you're in town for LSU, there's no place better than the Cook Hotel which is ON CAMPUS, while you're there, go see Mike the Tiger and his new "cage" a $1.5mm palace fit for well, MIKE.

So there you have a start for your exploration of a great southern Capitol City, have fun and GEAUX TIGERS!

Top 3 #8

I threw a little party for my wife's 30th birthday recently and experimented a bit with mixed drinks. As you may have noticed if you've been reading my blog, I'm an increasingly passionate believer in locally sourced products, which is why I chose to make the Liquor of choice our own locally brewed Tennessee Whiskey's (or Whisky for one of them), Jack Daniels and his lesser known relative George Dickel.

I've toured both distilleries and prefer both the taste and the tour at the smaller George Dickel distillery. However, Jack Daniels is both produced and bottled in a single location vs. Dickel which is made in Tennessee but bottled in New England. So, all that being said, this week's Top 3 is...

TOP THREE Cocktails made with Tennessee Whisky

3. The Big Orange--This is a Moore original, which means I created it myself, always a dangerous thing. It's a mixture of Dickel and Mango Mojito mixer about 1:2, it went fast!!!

2. TN Mint Julep--My favorite, but this list is based on popularity. Simply take a cup of sugar, two handles of either whiskey, and a LOT of crushed mint, mix, strain, and enjoy. It's like the Kentucky Derby only better!

1. Jack and Coke--I usually do it with Diet Coke since I'm watching my figure, but this is by far the most popular drink made with TN Whiskey.

One word of warning...Dickel is 90 proof and Jack is 80 proof, so all of the above drinks can sneak up on you and create and angrier or huggier (spellcheck is suggesting this isn't a real word....whatever!) version of yourself....both dangerous! You've been warned.

By the way, the difference between a Tennessee Whiskey and a Kentucky Bourbon (besides geography)is Charcoal Mellowing of the Tennessee Whiskey's, now you know...and Knowing is half the Battle!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

From the tag line of one of my college mentor's...

"Not all of those who wander are lost"--Mike "Mad Dog" McMullin.

Cajun Country

Today, I'm having lunch with a cool church in Louisiana, followed by a meeting with another church in New Orleans. TOMORROW, however, is all about some LSU FOOTBALL!

A friend is getting me the hookup on tickets for the LSU vs Ole Miss game and I'm pretty psyched about it!!

GEAUX TIGERS!

Leadership is an Art

Kevin wrote a good post a few days ago on his struggle with doing things versus leading people that inspired me to tag on some thoughts on the subject of leadership. When I was in High School my dad was working on his Masters in Organizational Leadership and is now wrapping up his PHD in the field, so I've gotten to read a LOT of hand me down books on the subject of leadership and taken more than my fair share of personality profiles and tests.

My opinions on the subject are greatly influenced by my Dad, books, and personal observation. The two biggest leadership theories are--

1. Great Leaders aren't made, they're born

2. Anyone can become a great leader by working on....x,y,z, depends on the book.

In my experience, I tend to straddle the fence between the two camps. It's fairly obvious that some people are just naturally more followable, which makes it easier for them to lead. But the best leaders I've met are the ones who are VERY intentional about it. So, I guess that would make the best leader a guy or gal who is naturally charismatic, believes in what they are leading, has built a history of character and moral authority, and then is a veracious learner open to change and new ideas while never losing sight of the ultimate goal and their unique ability to contribute. This person will illicit passionate following, making leading a pretty easy task.

Our society has placed a high premium on leadership, which seems to have over-emphasized it to the point that everyone wants to be a leader. One of my favorite sayings is "Too many Chiefs not enough Indians", it's so common to see that in organizations today, there are lots of idea people who want to lead, but when it comes to doing there is a lack of followers (which begs the question, how effective is the leadership really being?). Probably my favorite leadership book is The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Buckingham, his First Break all the Rules is a close second. He has probably done as much to solidify my thoughts on leadership as any author. His distinction between management and leadership is excellent. At the end of the day, it's pretty easy to manage, but don't confuse that with leading and if you are good at something, don't spend too much of your time trying to develop areas of weakness... be the BEST YOU you can be.

Also, too many assume that the benefit of leadership is praise, adoration, and publicity. A true leader craves none of these but is passionate about the result of success. Max Dupree said it well in Leadership is an Art "The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the leader is a servant."

My entire perspective on the subject was transformed when I recently re-read Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders. It thoroughly convicted me on almost every page and reminded me that in the life I want to live, to lead anything out of personal ambition or ability is complete folly, if we aren't leading for the great cause of Christ, it's all a waste of time and effort.

CHOO-CHOO

Today, my son Alexander, and I are headed to Baton Rouge, LA, on a train! I'm pretty excited about it, as is Alex. We will pick up the train in Atlanta and ride for about 12 hours. On board, we have a sleeping car, so I'm sure we will take a nap, I'll do some work, we may watch a movie, we'll grab some food, and then eventually we'll arrive.

Once we get to Louisiana, we'll spend a few days with my parents and I will visit some of my work clients, then I will connect with another of our guys from HQ and enjoy the LSU vs Ole Miss game Saturday followed by a flight home to spend a few days with my increasingly pregnant wife while Alexander stays with my parents until they join us for Thanksgiving....Life is GOOD!

Digital Cameras

My wife's 30th birthday just happened and I got her a new DSLR as a gift. I researched for MONTHS! It ultimately came down to a few opinions, including several blogs, and price...

Very quickly I discovered that anyone considering moving in to the semi-pro world of photography really has two choices Canon and Nikon (sorry to all you Olympus and Sony folks). From there I had to consider budget, under $1000, which left me with just a few choices. The Nikon D40, D60, and D80, and the Canon Xti, XS, and Xsi.

As I've already mentioned, it came down to the opinions of several friends and family, including a professional photographer. They all came to the same conclusion, the Canon Xsi is the best camera on the market available in the price range I was confined to. I purchased my Canon Xsi at Circuit City with a kit lens, after I got them to 110% match the Wal-Mart price. I'm hopeful that my wife will enjoy it and maybe even become a world renowned photographer (SI swimsuit issue with me along for the ride?).

What it came down to was a couple things, the majors are CMOS sensor and 3" live view LCD screen. Both items are not available in the price range from Nikon. If money was not object...for a ultra high end consumer camera, the Nikon D90 would be my choice due to its ability to record High Definition video! One thing I would do differently if I hadn't needed the camera right away, would have been to order it online from a reputable seller like Amazon or FotoConnection.

So there is my two cents on DSLR's....good luck!

Top 3 #7

I've been working on some things for my church. At the same time, I've been looking into ways and places I can have the greatest impact on people, especially as I look to make a few year end donations, volunteer, and plan to do more next year. Since these are front of my mind I decided to make this weeks list...



Top 3 Charities



Since there are so many great organizations doing great work, it's a pretty daunting task to whittle it down to three. With that in mind, I've decided to make several lists of three, one for local charities (within a 30 mile radius), one for national (U.S.) and one for international. A couple places I check when researching whether or not to financially support a charity are online. I'd also like to point out that these rankings are even more subjective than usual since my rankings are directly reflective of my own priorities.



Top Three Local Charities



3. Habitat for Humanity



2. New Hope Pregnancy Center



1. Your Church

The link happens to be to mine, but the local church is the hope of the world, supporting it with your time, talents, and treasure are crucial.



Honorable mentions go to The Caring Place, Chattanooga Aquarium, Chattanooga Rescue Mission, and the Museum Center at Five Points. I also support Lee University.



Top 3 National



3. Smoky Mountain Children's Home

Just one of many great children's group homes, this one happens to be 4 star rated by Charity Navigator.



2. Gideon's/American Bible Society

These are two separate organizations but both have a primary mission of putting bibles in the hands of people who otherwise might not get them.



1. Susan G. Komen/American Cancer Society

As above, these two different organizations have similar goals of eliminating cancer.



Top Three International



3. Compassion International



2. Water Missions International



1. World Vision


Beyond volunteering and direct gifts, an increasingly popular trend is to buy many of your normal purchases in a way that they benefit charities of your choosing. For example, Gideon's (the hotel room bible people) sells Christmas cards for around $2 each that help fund the placement of Bibles, the product (RED) campaign for Africa, and TOMS shoes gives away a pair for every pair that you purchase, there are dozens more and the list is growing every day, allowing us to be more diligent in ensuring that more of our purchases affect positive change. Check out my blog on the topic of good purchasing.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“A Mans real worth is determined by what he does when he has nothing to do.”~
Megiddo Message

Personal Finances--Before and After

I recently read a blog post from Jenny Bryant that inspi(RED) me to touch on the subject of personal finances. This is something that has at times been a bit of an obsession for me, so I've probably neglected it more than I should here lately to ensure that it doesn't take me over again!

I was born in Germany in 1978 while my parents were working with the U.S. military during the height of the Cold War, we didn't have television until we moved to the States in 1989. My time was spent collecting and organizing various things and daydreaming about all the cool stuff I could do. We never had much money and were probably lower middle class most of my childhood, we didn't live in a home we owned until I was 13. What my parents couldn't give me in material goods they more than made up for in encouragement and positive reinforcement, I can not remember EVER telling my mom and dad any ideas that they didn't greet with enthusiasm, I believed I could do anything and they never told me otherwise.

Since I was a kid I've always had an affinity for making money and budgeting, I took over the family finances when I was fourteen and never looked back. I graduated from college and bought my first house when I was 21, and had a dozen properties before I turned 25. I say all that not to brag, but to give a little context. A lot of people meet me and think that I must have had some unfair advantage or inheritance to be in the financial position I'm in today, I think it's more that I discovered the magic formula I'll reveal below.

A funny thing happened about three years ago...My income from rental properties, investments, and my job were growing well into six figures, my wife had just given birth to an awesome baby boy, I was driving a Jaguar, and we bought a house that was nearly three times the size of our previous one, Life was GOOD...not exactly.

The more "successful" I became, the more I realized how empty all the stuff left me. So as we continued to spend and make more money, the discomfort was growing as well. The pursuit of money and possessions is a dead end road. I can't say that the feeling is gone, I still feel like I spend WAY too much. But I have made a LOT of adjustments to our budget and income. It's provided some great growth opportunities and best practices for budgeting. Here are a few...

Give First- It's easy to focus on bills and the stuff we "need", but if we really understand that it's all a gift, giving back FIRST becomes easier. Some recommend a flat 10%, I think the simple act of placing this as priority one is the most important step, as I've shared earlier, my goal is to give half of my total income (long way to go!).

Save Second- It's important to have a rainy day fund, no matter how much or little you make. Once you've built that up, start saving for major purchases and longer term savings.

Spend the rest--it's really pretty simple, if you must rob from giving or saving to afford a purchase, you should probably wait. Only spend what you have and even then, don't spend all of it.

If you don't have enough to do the things you'd like to do, first, evaluate how badly you need the item (you probably don't need it at all), then get creative--there are many more options than just adding a part-time job (but that's a valid idea). This is probably where I differ most from many others, rather than simply robbing from giving or saving to pay for stuff, I've always looked at opportunities to create additional income to fund the stuff I've wanted and it also gives a chance to look at expenses and decide what should be a priority. That doesn't mean it always works out, I've had several businesses that tanked, but in the long run it's allowed me to save and give and spend...more.

My hope for my family and for those I come in contact with is that I can help them realize that STUFF can never make you happy, and in fact, can actually get in the way of true happiness. That's why I've been trying to do more with less, so while my priority order of give, save, spend, hasn't changed, I'm constantly working to front load the percentages and lower my total overhead while also simplifying my assets (i.e. selling stuff). So if you want to buy some rental property or start a business let me know. MONEY isn't bad, but as and end in itself it's a fruitless pursuit. I'm slowly opening back up to the idea of making money, but now instead of imagining the next car or TV or trip, I'm picturing changed lives and a better world...Give, Save, Spend, in that ORDER.

My Prayer

I have a few prayers that I say repeatedly, so much so that they become more habit than prayer. One I picked up a while back that had become habitual is "Break my heart for the things that break your heart". When I first started praying it was a passionate plea, it's become more of just another one of the things to check off the prayer list...

Today I heard from a good friend who is about to go through his second divorce. I was there the first time, and rather than offer encouragement or compassion, I might have actually helped to quicken it. This time, when I found out I cried. Not because his spouse was such a great person or because of any great tragedy unique to this situation. I cried, because it must break the heart of God when his children have their hearts broken...

So I will keep praying these prayers, but with a renewed sense of urgency. And I'm adding a new prayer, "When you break my heart, show me what to do to help".

RANDOM---where I am today

Today is a BUSY BUSY day! Doing lots of last minute preparations for the arrival of my In-laws and some other out of town company for my wife's big 30th birthday bash on Saturday. Getting some work done and making sure the house is mother in-law clean! Wanted to give a quick update though on a couple other things I'm pretty excited about.

Last week I posted some things our family is doing to minimize our environmental impact. Since then I've been doing some work on buying more of our food from local sources. Today we pick up our first fresh local eggs at Clover Wreath Farm here in Cleveland and we're finding that choices to buy other locally sourced products are increasing especially at two of our grocery stores, Season's Harvest and Abundant Living. Also, just placed a beef order from Homestead, which is both locally raised without the use of antibiotics and grain fed. Cutting down on our meat consumption and eliminating pork entirely, have found that Tennessee has a growing farm raised Prawn/Shrimp industry...

In other news, I've bought several different low flow shower heads in the past week and through trial and error have found a good Delta shower head that uses 1.6 GPM and provides very good pressure and coverage. In our house we average two ten minute showers per day, at a savings of .90 GPM over a normal shower head, we will save over 6,500 Gallons of water a year just by changing out this shower head! Just ordered a couple low flow faucet aerators to drop my faucet water usage down from 2.2 Gallons per minute to 1.5 GPM...we'll see how they perform.

Speaking of local products, I've become more appreciative of Tennessee whiskey since touring both the George Dickel and Jack Daniels Distilleries, they're worth the trip.

I've been looking at names and their meanings since we are having another son in a few months, we've pretty well settled on a name, but a few others I like are Gideon, Samuel, and Christian.

I guess it's time to stop procrastinating and get ready for the big visit...here we go!

Christmas Presents

This has been on my mind since I walked into my local Wal-Mart last week and saw the Christmas trees and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer playing over the PA. I'm finding myself becoming increasingly anti-stuff...by stuff I mean all the things we buy that aren't needed...ESPECIALLY in celebration of Christmas, the birth of Christ. So...realizing that I'm unlikely to totally reverse several generations of built up consumerism in a blog post, I thought a good place to start is by turning our spending into opportunities to make a difference. My idea of a good Christmas gift is homemade and time spent with family, or at least a few chickens or a goat from these guys and a CFL light bulb...but for those of you who aren't there yet...

Here is a list of causes you can support via SHOPPING!

TOMS Shoes--For every pair you buy, they give away a pair to a child in a third world country!

Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee--very good coffee for all your caffeinated friends, and it's helping to rebuild the African country of Rwanda, they have one of my favorite slogans... "Drink Coffee, Do Good."

The Preemptive Love Coalition--Family who moved to Iraq to engage the locals and started Buy Shoes Save Lives, I have a pair, yes they are expensive, but unlike most shoes in that price range they aren't made in factories in Bangladesh by kids, they are hand made in Iraq and the profits fund heart surgeries!

RED Campaign--The best organized effort to bring our consumption in line with a cause. You can buy everything from Converse and Armani, to an IPOD Product(RED), and a portion of your purchase price goes to fight AIDS in Africa. GAP has a good lineup of these items, and STARBUCKS is Joining the Campaign later this month!!!

To Write Love on Her Arms--A neat charity started to combat teen suicide, their Apparel has become pretty popular.

Roses from Israel--Some probably would prefer NOT to have Israeli goods, but if it's your thing this one is kinda cool and their prices are pretty good.

Invisible Children--A movement to help kids in war torn Uganda and a couple pretty good films!

XXXChurch.com--The largest Christian Porn Site...you should check it out! And they have some pretty cool merchandise.

Jedidiah Clothing-- Probably my favorite place to shop for T-Shirts...

Maggie's Organics--If you wanna green up your wardrobe...

I hope you use this list...If you're going to buy shoes or T-shirts this holiday season, might as well make a difference in the process!

TOP 3 #6

I am wrapping up my busy travel season this week with a quick trip over to Charlotte, NC. This has inspired me to rank something I use very often...

TOP 3 Hotel Chains

While I'm at it I'll also list my three favorite hotels, period.

In calculating my rankings, I use a combination of average property age and condition, number of locations, value, and general good vibes I get in a place.

3. Hilton
Started by Conrad himself, the Flagship brand of the Hilton Family of Hotels has outlets in nearly every city worth travelling to in the U.S. and many overseas. A couple of my favorites include the Hilton in Venice, Italy, and the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA.

2. W Hotels
This is the "hip" brand of Starwood Hotels who also own Westin, Sheraton, and a few others. I'm really not cool enough to stay here but it doesn't stop me! All of their properties are well located and nearly brand new.

1. Embassy Suites
For my travel dollar, Embassy offers the best combination of good locations, consistent service, and good value. The two room suites give plenty of room to stretch out, and the full free breakfast is very good. My favorites are the newest ones, Concord, NC, Huntsville, AL, Frisco, TX, etc...

Honorable mention goes to Westin, the reason they fell below Hilton in the ranking was that they are generally a few dollars higher and they have fewer U.S. locations. Best Cookie goes to Doubletree!

Top 3 Hotels in the U.S.

3. Woodlands Resort, Summerville, SC
PHENOMENAL service, great food, TRULY 5 star.

2. Hermitage Hotel, Nashville, TN
Great combination of history and luxury overlooking the state capitol.

1. Waldorf Astoria, NYC
A stay here is an event!

Quote of the week

Two weeks in a row...

"A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic."
--Joseph Stalin

Knoxville, TN

In recognition of Homecoming Weekend for the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (even though we lost and it was a tad cold in the shade)...it's time to recap a great southern city. The land where I met and courted my wife and spent more time in Orange than anyone should...

Things to Do-- In Knoxville it all starts and ends with the Volunteers (VOLS), on an autumn Saturday, Neyland Stadium becomes one of the largest cities in the state, and they play a little basketball here too! There is a good Zoo, plenty of shopping, and a nice downtown with a neat little district where the 1982 World's Fair was hosted as well as the Old City area. Just a few miles north you will find minor league baseball and the Gateway to the Smoky Mountains in the Sevierville/Pigeon Forge/ Gatlinburg area, which has some pretty great outlet malls if that's your thing. Plenty of Golf and outdoor activities make Knoxville an outdoorsman's playground. If you're looking for a random diversion, Country Line dancing is interesting, and available at the Cotton Eyed Joe!

Things to Eat-- The food is good. All the chains, of course, but hit up Puleo's or Aubrey's for some local flavor. If you're looking to splurge, go for Regas, it's truly a local institution and it's other concepts, Conners and The Chop House are also very good. If you're looking for BBQ, there is plenty, a local favorite is Calhoun's and their Ribs are nice, I'd recommend their river location which is right in front of Neyland Stadium on the Tennessee River! For a nice combination of location, food, and good micro brew, hit up Downtown Grill and Brewery. Ruth's Chris also has a great location on the River and they serve a pretty good steak, if you like that whole melt in your mouth perfect cut and temperature beef thing...

Place to Stay-- I oddly haven't spent many nights in hotels in the capitol of East Tennessee. My few favorites are the renovated Hilton downtown and for a more cozy but equally convenient experience try the Maplehurst Inn. The Marriott is also a reasonable choice but sits up a hill from the rest of downtown next to the NCAA women's basketball Hall of Fame. The Holiday in Select is also convenient as is the new Hampton Inn and Suites.

So there you have the short and sweet on a lovely city on the banks of the Tennessee river where the people go crazy over orange! Tell 'em I said hello and learn the words to Rocky Top while you're there!

Five Things I've done to change the world

We can't all become President or find the cure for a disease, but we can all be a part of the solution to the BIGGEST problems facing our world. Here's what I've done so far and a few next steps...


1. I've replaced most of the light bulbs in my house with CFL's using about 75% LESS energy, I've also replaced a few with LED's, this technology seems to be the future, but for now it needs a little more work before I go changing everything to it. The advantage of LED is that they are about 3-4x's more energy efficient than CFL's and they are more environmentally friendly due to no Mercury being used in them, the only place I've found that sells these new bulbs at "reasonable" prices is Wal-Mart. I'm also a bit of a tyrant when it comes to making sure we turn off lights when leaving the room(ERIKA!).

2. I now take a reusable shopping bag to the store and refuse paper or plastic and try to encourage others to do the same. I also am trying to be less of a consumer, I have plenty of clothes already!

3. When our water heater and Heat pump/a/c went out earlier this year I replaced the water heater with a Tankless Gas unit that uses less than half the energy and upgraded the new heat pump to a high efficiency unit saving about 40& in energy USAGE and COST.

4. We keep our tires properly inflated, combine trips, and generally drive less aggressively. This has helped to improve gas mileage, saving money and CARBON output. I've also tried to travel less for work, though this has been a challenge I find I can do a lot through phone, email, and webex, and then make fewer longer trips rather than weekly ones.

5. Trying to eliminate junk mail and magazines! At the start of this year I had nearly a dozen monthly magazine subscriptions, I'm down to one, GOOD, a couple others I've switched to electronic delivery, but most I've cancelled entirely.

Next steps

1. I'm going to purchase surge protectors to plug in anything with an off switch, this will eliminate the stealth power use that is estimated to be between 5-10% of your monthly electrical usage.

2. I'm replacing my toilets and shower heads with low usage models this will cut our water usage by about 30%. I'm also going to take shorter showers...a real sacrifice for me!

3. Switch ALL of my bills to online delivery, virtual eliminating my usage of the postal system. This will save paper, but also the Gas it takes to deliver all that mail coming and going.

4. Buy local! The more exotic fruits and designer clothes we buy, the more transportation is involved. I'm working on a few ideas here, but a great place to start is looking for locally grown produce at your grocery store. If you're ready for the next step, I'd recommend checking out Local Harvest. If you have the land, plant a garden, or you could even go the route I'm trying to convince my wife of...I want to get a Chicken to produce our own eggs!

5. I will do my best to be an encourager and have a positive, friendly attitude! We can save the world but if everyone is depressed that doesn't sound like much fun! I'll also look for opportunities to share what I'm learning as I "GO GREEN".

In the Future

These are ideas that I'm monitoring and hope to be able to implement as the technology improves and prices come down.

1. Solar Power for my home. This technology is available, but it's still very expensive. My hope is that as I continue to simplify and eliminate unnecessary expenses I will be able to implement sooner.

2. Take care of current vehicle so the next one can be electric! I hope to keep my current car running long enough to save up for a next generation vehicle or at least the best hybrid available at the time, probably 2-3 years.

Finally

Give away half of my income. To make this happen I must do a couple things, eliminate debt and as many recurring expenses as possible, and simplify my lifestyle so I don't have the need/desire to eat out all the time and spend spend spend. The more you focus on making a difference, you realize that even as we in America try to simplify and conserve, we have WAY too much!

SO...what is my motivation for all this?? I believe that we were CREATED and that one of our core responsibilities is to leave this place better than we found it. I also have the extra motivation that I will leave a few people behind when I go and I want to set a good example and ensure that the world they inherit is better than the one I inherited.

Let's BE the CHANGE!

Random...

I went to the Jack Daniel's Distillery for a visit yesterday, it's a very long way off the interstate. In other news....

I could survive for 1 minute, 25 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

Created by Bunk Beds.net

TOP 3 #5

This weeks top three is a topic near and dear to my heart...

TOP 3 Karaoke Songs

You know you always wanted to know! When you find yourself in a Karaoke establishment, what do you sing to bring down the house. Well this is my definitive list after extensive and exhaustive research and trial and error and more than a few bombs like Purple Rain by Prince and Ordinary People by John Legend...both great songs, but likely to leave the crowd in silence! What we are looking for here is a song that people want to get involved in and sing along!

#3--I've Got Friends in Low Places by Garth Brooks, this is a very country song, but people who end up in places where karaoke is happening (usually dimly lit bars) relate and enjoy the idea of having friends in LOW places.

#2--Don't Stop Believing by Journey, let's be honest, who doesn't enjoy belting this one at the top of your lungs!

#1--Sweet Caroline by Neal Diamond, an odd choice to some of you I'm sure, but trust me, do this one and the crowd goes wild EVERY time...DA DA DA.


Honorable Mention--Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffet, if done well this one also elicits great audience participation.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything." --Joseph Stalin