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Welcome to danaCreative.net
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My Blog
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I started keeping this blog as an attempt to make lemonade with the lemons life tossed my way.
Coincidentally, some entries are a bit more sour than others.
Although the blog entries have slowed down in frequency, I still enjoying writing and posting as
often as I can. It's hard to believe so much time has past since my first blog post back in November of 2004. Time definitely flies when you're having fun.
Thank you all for the continued support, encouragement and inspiration. I hope
you all keep reading, keep smiling, and keep cashing those bribe checks I've been sending.
For all you newcomers, thank you for taking the time. I hope you enjoy the nonsense that rattles
around in my head. Oh, BTW ..... don't forget to sign my guestbook!
Please note the blog entries are listed in reverse chronological order.
To view previous entries to my blog, please follow the date links at the bottom of this page. Thanks.
Click here to see me hard at work.
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Monday, October 30, 2006
Extreme Gil Makeover
I have traditionally not been a fan of Halloween. It’s always been one of those holidays that meant so much for everyone
else and very little for me. Call me boring, but dressing up, putting on makeup, having to coordinate costumes and accessories
….. it was just too much work for something I found to be downright silly.
Nevertheless, there I found myself last Saturday night steadily applying white face paint in front of the mirror.
A dab here and a smudge there, the bathroom countertop littered with little, white applicators. “Add some more near
your neck and smooth out your forehead” said the voice that used to belong to my girlfriend. It now belonged to the
person dressed in black with sunken eyes and a pale face of her own. She looked at me and laughed mischievously.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this.”
“YOU can’t believe I am doing this?” I thought to myself. I worried about how long it would take to remove all this
gunk. Worse yet, how many pictures of me as a demonic warlord would float around inboxes and hard drives around the
country. The voice in my head raged on. “You want me to paint my lips and nails black, too? Geeeeez!!!!!”
Yet without Halloween, I would not be able to say that my five year-old son helped me apply lipstick to my mouth.
I would not be able to quote my daughter as saying, “I can’t help you now because I am holding daddy’s teeth.” I would
not be able to say how everyone was fascinated by my horns. And I would not be able to admit that I was wrong all this
time.
Yes, I drew the line at the fingernail paint – I had to salvage some sense of my old self – but I have to admit that my
perceptions, or should I say misconceptions, of Halloween were wrong. I realized that it was not so much a matter of
inconvenience but rather a sense of embarrassment and insecurity. Everyone would be looking at me. Everyone would
be studying what I’m wearing and critiquing how good or bad it looks. However, the person that gets the most looks and
comments at a costume party is the idiot without a costume. Funny how that works.
I guess what made this particular evening so special is that I allowed myself to branch out and do something different
not so much for me, but for the woman I love. I got to share an experience with Lee that truly meant a lot to her.
I got to feel the joy and excitement she feels in dressing up, going out and being a “character” for one night. It was
different and strange and personally rewarding. And in it’s own way, it was symbolic of how good relationships work.
Expanding horizons, letting go of preconceived notions, taking chances……that’s the trick. Feeling loved and appreciated……that’s
the treat.
Happy Halloween, everyone.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Laughter, Lyrics and Life
The human condition holds three fundamental truths that are applicable to all individuals on this planet. The first
is the absolute need for oxygen. The second is the essentiality of water. The third is that at some point in life,
cancer will have an impact in some shape, way or form. There’s no escaping it. There’s no denying it. The
most we can do is confront it head on.
I am honored to say that I played a small part in confronting this tragic and terrible disease Saturday night.
Leelee, I and a collection of very wonderful and amazing friends took part in a Lyrics For Life event. If you’re not
familiar with L4L, it is “an event inspired by the healing power of music.” As an organization, Lyrics For Life hosts
concerts and events that raise money for cancer research as well as awareness of cancer’s impact on the lives of so many individuals.
It was founded by Sister Hazel front man Ken Block following his brother’s passing at the hands of cancer.
This year’s event in the Tampa Bay area was hosted at the Sheraton Sand Key hotel in Clearwater Beach. It began
with an outdoor cocktail hour at which several auction items were on display. The auction items were donated by various
celebrities, including Sting, Gene Simmons and U of F basketball coach Billy Donovan, and served as a significant fundraising
vehicle for the event. We moved indoors and were treated to a spectacular sit down dinner and a continuation of the
open bar. Once our bellies were full and our libations indulged, the real fun began.
With performances by Jon McLaughlin, Edwin McCain and, of course, Sister Hazel, the evening was as memorable as it was
intimate. The absolute highlight of the evening was when a very good friend of ours, Jeff, was invited to come on stage
and sing accompaniment to Sister Hazel’s signature song “All For You” in place of the absent Drew Copeland. Jeff is
the driving force behind the L4L event in Tampa, with his son Tanner being in complete remission following a strenuous battle
with cancer earlier this year. It was fun to see Jeff cower in humility, but it was emotionally moving to see
him be joined on stage by his son Tanner.
There was something truly magical about that moment, and in keeping with the L4L slogan, it was both healing and powerful.
It was encouraging knowing that children who are diagnosed with cancer can overcome the illness. At the same time, it’s
sad knowing there are so many children who will not. So many kids who will not see their next birthday or the next school
year or the vast majority of their dreams realized. That’s why last night was so important. More than the music and
camaraderie and drinking and good times, the key to the Lyrics For Life event is to raise as much money as possible so that
every year there are more and more kids who survive and get the opportunity to sing with their favorite band.
Saturday, October 7, 2006
Giving Something Back - Part II
Last December, my friends and I embarked on a motorcycle poker run to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. At the time we threw the event together, we hoped we’d learn from it and make things bigger and better for the next
year. Fast forward ten months to this Saturday afternoon and you’ll find yourself at the second annual Ride for a Cure
Poker Run.
Yep. That’s right. What started out as a random idea to help a friend with the passing of his wife found itself
in full bloom again today. What was a small gathering of friends on motorcycles grew to a slightly larger collection
of friends and strangers alike. What started out as a modest fundraiser that drew $175 evolved into a ride that allowed
us to raise over $600 for breast cancer research.
I am happy with the turnout we got for the poker run, and how nice and friendly all the riders were. We had thirteen bikes and sixteen participants in the event, about twice as many as we did last year. At first I was nervous and slightly
intimidated by the very experienced riders who came out for the run. But after warming up to Harley Road King I rented
(much more comfortable for Leelee as a passenger) and reminding myself of the event’s purpose, I felt much better.
This year we partnered with Beef O’Brady’s Family Sports Pub. The company was founded in and remains headquartered in Tampa, and they were extremely supportive of our event. Before
I continue I need to thank the owners and staff of the four Beef’s locations that made up our route. Temple Terrace
(Chip Tubbs), Cross Creek (Les & Jodi Boyette) and Northdale (Tom McHale) were all hospitable and patient with our many
participants. Very special thanks to J.J. Massaro, Becky Fraser and the entire staff at the Brandon (The Original) Beef’s.
The event would not have been as successful without all their hard work.
Like last year, I did allow myself to think about all of the little things we could have done better. But unlike
last year, I allowed myself to enjoy the riding, the scenery and the sense of accomplishment as we wrapped up the event in
just under 5 hours. Not bad for 80 miles of riding, and not bad for someone with minimal experience in event planning.
I know there is so much more we can and will do for next year’s run, but for now I am going to enjoy how successful the day
turned out.
It definitely was a great day. Great weather, great food, great friends and, most importantly, a great cause.
And it was great to share it all with Leelee. When someone you love and think is wonderful believes in you no matter
what, it’s easy to be great.
Giving Something Back - Part I
Most college football fans cheer for either teams from their hometown (Miami), their alma mater (Tulane), or the team
playing against the football program they hate (Notre Dame). With the occasional and rare exception, this holds true
across the landscape that is NCAA football. Friday was one of the rare exception days.
Lee and I took off work to volunteer as Street Teamers for Sister Hazel. If you know us, this comes as no surprise. Sister Hazel is our favorite band, and much of our
social life and calendar revolves around either Sister Hazel shows and appearances or gatherings with our fellow Hazelnuts.
So on this day free from work, Lee and I rode up to Gainesville, Florida to take part in the Gator Growl parade.
The day actually started on Thursday morning as I met up Kyra, the Chief Indian to the Sister Hazel Street Team tribe.
Kyra was not able to make it the parade and I offered to take the shirts up to Gainesville and distribute them to the rest
of the Street Teamers. At some point between picking up the shirts and preparing for Friday morning, Kyra volunteered
me to be the point person for the Street Team at the event. To use her words, I was ‘Kyra Junior’ for the day.
“Great! No pressure!” I thought to myself. “Just call me KJ.” But it turns my worrying was all for not. Lee
and I arrived at Pressly Stadium and met up with the other volunteers. We handed out the shirts, got to know everyone,
and after 20 or so phone calls finally figured out what we were doing and where were supposed to be. Of course, it’s
tough to stay cool while being a huge fan. I was listening to the final instructions from Chris, the band’s business
manager, when I heard, “There’s Ken!”
“What? Where? Huh? What was that again, Chris? You want me to do what? Got it.” I have no idea what
he said. He either told me to carry the banner or marry Tanner. And although he is a cute kid, Tanner is
a little young for me. In all seriousness though, it was tough to do my job as a volunteer and resist the desire to
just go ‘hang’ with the band. But we were all there for a reason.
So Cori, Jenny, Jessica and I carried the parade banner while Lee, Jon Michael, Alex, Linsdey, and ‘lil Schyler distributed promotional materials to the crowd (I needed to give
props to my fellow Nuts). The band members, who were the Grand Marshals of the parade, rode in Ford Mustang convertibles
behind the banner. Although the sun was hot and the distance was two miles, it was incredibly fun to feel the energy
of the crowd and the love they had for both Sister Hazel and their Florida Gators.
After seriously re-hydrating ourselves immediately following the parade, as well as a four hour break for lunch and rest,
we met up again with Sam, the tour manager, and Chris. Our job this time was to help with merchandise sales at the Gator
Growl event. No big deal except the merchandise for sale was the yet-to-be-released ‘ Absolutely’, the latest CD from the band. “We’d ABSOLUTELY love to stay and help”, we said.
So after personally selling 22 copies of the CD to vibrant Gator fans and buying five copies ourselves, Lee and I were
absolutely ready to head home to Tampa. After all, we had a busy Saturday planned and we knew we’d need the rest.
But the ride home had a feel of Christmas morning. We promptly threw the new CD into the player, listened contently
to the bands collection of new songs, and relished in the fact that we were able to give back a little bit to the band we
feel has given us so much as fans. And as crazy as it sounds, it was really cool to be a Gator for a day! GOOOOOOO
GATORS!!
p.s. I write this after having watched the Gators make kittens of the LSU Tigers 23-10!
Monday, October 2, 2006
Trying to Stay Optimistic
If you’re a fan of NFL football, you’re well aware of the many little things that just ‘fit’. A typical game lasts
three hours and starts at 1:00 on Sundays. This means they start at 1:00 on the East and the West coast.
How convenient! A game is four quarters long, as is a complete regular season. And at the end of the first quarter
of this season, it’s time to sit back and see how things are going.
The last four Super Bowl winners have started their seasons a combined 12-4. That’s a 75% winning percentage.
So as I look at my beloved Dolphins sitting alone in the cellar of the AFC East at 1-3, it doesn’t look good. Neither
does the offensive line. Neither does the secondary. Neither does the running game. When the top team-MVP
candidates after the first four games are the #3 Wide Receiver and the Punter, things have to get better.
Miami is known for its tropical atmosphere and hot scenery. The art deco is nice to look at, too. Miami’s
weather this time of year varies from mild to hot, but for the most part it’s fair. So it’s only appropriate that Miami
is home to the a-typical fair-weather fan. In Miami, sell-out is a concept and not a recurring reality. The expectation
to win is as unreasonably high as the mercury in September, and the attention span of the average sports fan is as frivolous
as the spending on South Beach.
So it doesn’t surprise me to hear the nay-sayers bash Duante Culpepper. It doesn’t astonish me to hear negative
comments about Nick Saban. I find it common place to hear about ALL the things that are wrong with this team, and how
they should fold up their tents and mail it in for the rest of the season. There’s no hope whatsoever. The only
reason to watch is to see who will have a worse season. The Dolphins or the Hurricanes?
The last four Super Bowl champions found success in their first four games. The champion previous to that, however,
did not. The champion previous to that lost its starting quarterback in week 2, lost its fourth game of the season 30-10
to my beloved Dolphins, and saw itself staring at a 1-3 record at the end of the first quarter of their season. That
team was the 2001 New England Patriots, and we all know how that turned out for them.
No, neither Daunte Culpepper nor Joey Harrington is Tom Brady. But then again, neither was Tom Brady until he was
given the chance. No, Nick Saban is not Bill Belichick, but he is a disciple of Belichick. For what it’s worth,
Saban is in his 2nd year as a head coach. Belichick was in his second year in 2001. It’s just another of those
NFL tidbits that just ‘fit’. So it shouldn’t surprise you the Dolphins play the Patriots this Sunday. The football gods
know what they are doing.
Only time will tell if the Fins can salvage this season, and this Sunday needs to be a statement game for the Dolphins.
I still believe Daunte will come around and the offense will gel as the season progresses. The O-Line needs a lot of
work, but they will come together as a unit. Despite what the locals of my hometown say, all is not lost. However,
if come halftime of Sunday’s game a win is already out of reach, at least I can smile knowing the Miami Heat open up the pre-season
in a week.
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