Holiday Gift Ideas

OK for those of you that still have holiday shopping to do and you still don't know what to get I have a few ideas for you... These are a few of my favorite things... you may have heard of some of them...



BACK MAGIC; What a great invention for those that suffer from back pain... This product, used just 5 minutes per day helps to stretch your back muscles and eliminate pain. Are you skeptical? I tried it and after the first use I had absolutely no soreness the first night... I workout a lot and of course play a lot of golf and "BackMagic" really does the trick in eliminating soreness! You must check this out! http://www.backmagicworks.com/



NEAT RECEIPTS; Do you save your receipts and paid bills in a drawer or a box? Or are you more organized and use an A-Z or 1-31 file? "Neat Receipts" revolutionizes personal record keeping. Just scan your receipts and the Neat Receipt software does the rest. It keeps a copy of your receipts and will run any number of reports that you require... You can run a report and it shows you every place that your money went... You can run a report sorted by vendor, by date etc... And it is great for keeping tax records... Save it to your thumb drive and off to the accountant! http://www.neatreceipts.com/news





GARMIN personal travel assistant; The Garmin nuvi 200W/250W (Navigation system)... For those of you that do not have navigation with your vehicle this travel assistant is awesome! It uses satellite to always give you real time directions, detours, saves your favorites, gives you local points of interests... It tracks your time of arrival, it gives you a read out on the screen and voice directions to ensure you are always on the right path! https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=9121



LASIK PLUS; The best thing that I did for myself this year was to have Lasik surgery... Wow! I can see again! I no longer have to fumble around with my glasses and squint to see things! All I can tell you is if you or any of your loved ones have ever considered doing it, there is no time like "right now"... After wearing glasses for most of his life, my son had the surgery last year and he too is still extremely pleased. He said that it gave him added confidence because he no longer worried about his contacts "popping out" while playing football. We used Lasik Plus here in Houston... they also have locations in several states.... And they offer 12-18 months zero interest... http://www.lasikplus.com/



GOLF'S SHORT GAME FOR DUMMIES; Of all of the books available on teaching golf for beginners and other weekend warriors this one really explains it in terms that will help you improve your game. If you have aspiring golfers on your Holiday gift list I highly recommend this book... I struggled with my sand shots and after reading the chapter on sand play I have been able to get out of the traps every time! http://www.amazon.com/Golfs-Short-Dummies-Sports-Hobbies/dp/0764569201



BOBBY JONES HYBRIDS; Even though I have no personal experience yet... the golfers in your life (If they don't already have hybrids in their bag) would really love the H2, H3 H4 Bobby Jones hybrid set! They may not help the game but they sure look good! Just kidding, this is really a shameless plug for my own Holiday stocking! Honey are you reading? They can be found at most of your local Pro Golf stores... http://www.bobbyjonesgolf.com/hybrids.html

IPOD SHUFFLE; I love my Ipod Shuffle... I often hear the younger crown say "it only holds 250 songs"... to that I say "so what"... I run about a 2.5 mile circuit through the neighborhood three days per week and I have only loaded 149 songs... never during those few miles have I listened to all of them... :-) Seriously though whether you are running, riding your bike or working out in the gym the Shuffle is about the size of a postage stamp and has a great sound! And at around $80 bucks it is affordable... and it comes in a variety of colors.
http://www.apple.com/ipodshuffle/





Happy Holidays everyone!!!

Rod

New England @ Colts was only one game!

OK sports fans, don't be to worried about the Colts loss last Sunday... Although I must admit that it took me until today to recover...

But if everyone would examine the facts of the game then you will understand that without Randy Moss the Patriots would not have had a chance! I know you are thinking "here we go" but I am serious. Could the Pats have enjoyed the same success if they (like the Colts) were forced to play without their best receiver? Not only was Moss a significant reason that the Patriots won but he had to have a career game in order for them to win... Below is the article regarding his winning AFC player of the week honors.

New York, NY (Sports Network) - New England Patriots wide receiver Randy Moss earned the offensive honor as he hauled in nine receptions for 145 yards along with a touchdown in the Patriots 24-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts to help his team improve to 9-0 on the season. His 55-yard catch helped set up a touchdown three plays later to cut the Patriots deficit to 20-17 with 7:59 to play. It was his sixth 100-yard game of the season and 52nd of his career and he also caught his 12th touchdown of the year, a four-yard score in the second quarter.

Before you chalk my blog up to sour grapes, remember that we played the game without four of our best players and were forced to be almost one dimensional. My point is that we were forced to play without Marvin Harrison (our best receiver) and that would have been enough to change the outcome of the game. Of course this made the job of defending us a lot easier... See the names below of the players that did not play;

- Colts eight-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Marvin Harrison has missed two of the past three games with a knee injury. Rookie Anthony Gonzalez took over in Harrison's place and had one catch for 13 yards. Gonzalez, though, suffered a dislocated left thumb in the first half and never returned.

- Indy offensive left tackle Tony Ugoh (neck) and linebackers Freddy Keiaho (ear) and Tyjuan Hagler (neck) all missed Sunday's game.

With Keiaho at linebacker 7 points would have been erased and with Harrison in the game we would have score at least one more touchdown... Not mention with Tony Ugoh on the offensive line there would have been no Manning sacks! But I digress...

OK here is my point, watch the game this Sunday... Indy will blow the Chargers out of their own stadium! Colts 31, Chargers 10... Colts favored by 3 1/2, take the points!

Let's go Colts!!!

Never Quit

Number 91 above is my son, Christopher Farrow White... I am very proud of both of my children and Chris in particular has been the epitome of the credo that I have tried to live by... "Never, never, never quit"...

Chris has been through a lot in the past 2 years... and still he stayed focused on the need to complete his education... He transferred from the University of Indianapolis and got accepted to the Marian College in Indianapolis Indiana...

Chris is a Defensive End for the Marian Knights "inaugural" football team... He is determined to finish the season as an "Academic All-American" and by all indications he is well on his way to acheiving that goal!

Chris is currently ranked 1st (tied) in the country for tackles for a loss... (NAIA Division I players). He is also ranked #12 for Sacks!

We will see him play on Saturday October 6th in Fort Wayne IN against St. Francis... He will reunite with long time friend Sam Miles... Sam's St. Francis team is currently undefeated so Marian has it's work cut out for them... But regardless of the outcome we will enjoy being able to see our son play the game... Those that know us will understand...

Proud Papa

Defining Moments

Some defining moments are better than others, but all are usually revelations into how you see yourself or how others see you... I work in call center environment and let me tell you; there is never a dull day! As a matter of fact there are never any two days that are the same.

I work with a lot of young people and they always keep things interesting. And even though I am a proud card carrying member of the AARP I never really gave much thought to the cavernous difference in the age of my group. At least not until last week...

I was involved in some what of an email war with someone in another department. However I have a policy that if an email goes back and forth more than twice... then it is best to meet face to face instead of continuing the debate. It is extremely easy to get things twisted in email communication. But in person you can usually get and give the correct message.

At any rate this young man met with me and begin to apologize... he knew that sending the email out of anger was wrong. I accepted his apology... but he continued... he explained that "I don't know what got into me. My parents did not raise me that way."

And then it happened... he said, "my parents always raised me to respect people that are older than me."

That's it... It is official, I now have become one of those elders that everyone is supposed to respect! Wait a minute! Hold on! I don't think I am ready! Oh well there is good news, in 2 more years I will qualify for the senior discount at the movie theater!

Keep smiling, every day above ground is a great one!

Rod

Big Brothers and Big Sisters

I’d like to share a story with you… 24 years ago I had the honor and the privilege of joining the “Big Brothers Association if Greater Indianapolis”. My little brother DeMarrco was 11 years old at the time. We were very good friends and even though I joined thinking that I would be able to help someone I soon found that my little brother helped me as much as I helped him. We both grew as people.

A few years ago my wife and I had lunch with my little brother (he is 6’2” not so little any more) and his wife. He is now 35 years old, and they have two children. To see him grow into a responsible man made me extremely proud… As a matter of fact I thought that I could not have been happier with the decision to join the Big Brothers organization.

Well I was wrong I did get happier… four years ago my daughter (she was 21 at the time) called me from her apartment at Indiana State University… she was extremely excited… she said, “Dad, guess what? I met my Little Sister today and we have so much in common!”

My daughter had joined her local chapter of the Big Sisters Organization… my experience made an impression on her and because of my decision over 20 years ago; she is volunteering her time to someone else today.

The reason that I wanted to share this story is to bring attention to a great organization... The Big Brothers and Sisters chapters are always looking for great people that would be willing to share themselves and their time.

If you have been looking for a worthwhile way to volunteer, look into Big Brothers and Big Sisters, you’ll be glad you did... for years to come!

Rod (Big Brother) White

If and When

If you can think of different solutions; your problem is half solved... put action to it and let it evolve.

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If you drink, let it be due to an unquenchable thirst and drink from the fountain of knowledge...

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If you must steal, only steal the heart of your partner...

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When you speak, let it be about the joy of life, the greatness of liberty and the ability to pursue happiness... Let it be about the good in people...

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When you pray, let it be a prayer of thanks, a prayer of counting blessings not problems...

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When you give, be it love, be it time, be it work or even play, give it your all... Give it all away--

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Rod White

In Memory of My Grandmother White October 22, 1914 - July 13, 2007

Wow, it is hard to beleive that she is gone... My grandmother lived to be nearly 93 years old and she died as she lived; peaceful and surrounded by love. This picture was taken the last time that I saw her...

The question of longevity has been around forever, and today our society does all sorts of things looking for the veritable secret to a long life...

Well my grandmother had the secret; I never saw her jog, I never saw her doing crunches or working out in the gym. I never saw her concerned about eating foods with less fat. I have never seen her drink alchohol... And I don't remember her saying to many cuss words...

What I did see from my grandmother was that she had a lot of love and she lived her life by trying to give every ounce of it away... While we will all miss her we are grateful that she was able to live a full life. Her and my granddad had 14 grandchildred, 31 great-grandchildred and 26 great-great grandchildren.

We are greatful for the example that she set for all of us, she instilled in us the importance of Church, Family and just being good people... As one of my cousins so eloquently put it, "she had a way of making each one of us feel like we were the most important person in the world."

We can all learn a lesson from Annette Taliaferro White... We just need to live our lives by giving away every ounce of love that we have and by always remembering to treat everyone we meet as if they are the most important people in the world! If we follow this lead and if we are lucky, longevity could be ours.

We will miss you grandmother... until we meet again...

Your Grandson
"Roddy" (As she always called me)

"Always do the right thing"

I was at the grocery store today with my daughter... As we were leaving I saw a father push his grocery cart into the cart return... on the way back to his car he stopped to push a stray cart to the cart return. His little boy asked, "daddy, why did you do that?!?" His father answered, "because someone did not do what they were suppose to do."



Besides the obvious life lesson he was teaching the little one, there is a message here for the rest of us... the grocery cart is a mere metaphore for a bigger message...



In business and in life how much better would things be if we would all do the things that we are suppose to do? What if we always did the right thing the first time? I don't know about you but I would love to live in that world...



Peace

Rod



"I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think."



Socrates

Dads

Next week is fathers day... I think about my dad often. I am reminded of the last time that I was able to speak to my dad while he was still coherent. He was excited because he was seeing a new doctor that advised him that he had been misdiagnosed and that with the new prescription he would be back to normal in a matter of weeks... He sounded better than he had in months!

As we ended the conversation I said, "I love you dad". He responded that, "I am glad to hear you say that son" and then we hung up... Unfortunately the new prescription did not work... and we soon found that the original diagnosis was accurate... You see, my dad was diagnosed with "early onset Alzheimer's" disease... There were good days and bad, the disease takes it's course in about 8 to 10 years... It was not very long after our last conversation that he began to show the more advanced stages of the disease, wandering, fits of anger, frustration... often incoherent... We finally had to admit him into the hospital... My dad past away September 5th, 2002... He was only 66 years old...

I am writing this post because as Father's Day approaches I realize that many of my friends reading this still have your fathers in your life... One of the things that I can cherish for the rest of my life is that while he could still understand I had the opportunity to say, I love you...

Folks, there is nothing in the rules that say you have to wait for Father's day... remember tomorrow is never promised. Tell your dad and all of your loved ones that you love them, and do it every chance that you get... To all of you dad's, Happy Father's Day...



Rod White

In Memory of Farrow White Jr
"I love you Dad"

Driving fast!!!

Today marked the 91st running of the Indianapolis 500... and Dario Franchitti of the Mario Andretti race team, was the winner of the rain shortened event... As race fans and casual observers know those guys and gals go real fast! They often exceed 200 miles per hour during the race... Below is my Indy car story...

I must admit that even though I lived in Indy for 23 years that it was not until I moved to Texas that I truly understood how fast they really go... On December 3rd, 2004, I along with about 30 of my colleagues had the opportunity to actually drive an Indy car!

We flew into Vegas for a three day event that included meetings, fine dining, great company and yes a little gambling... But the most intriguing part of the trip was our visit to the "Mario Andretti" racing school... You should have seen us... we were having cocktails the evening before the event and everyone in the room was bragging on how fast they were going to go... Some of us were a little reserved and unsure but we all took a part in the good natured fun... of course well into the cocktail party (for some reason) our bravery seemed to intensify...

The day of the event arrived and on the bus ride to the track the bravado continued to intensify... Everybody was going to be the fastest! Are you ready? Was the question of the day... we arrived at the track and we were now standing in line receiving our racing suits and helmets... The atmosphere had suddenly changed... no more could you hear the load bravado, it had been replaced by a more pensive mood... We were all dressed and herded into a classroom where we received 15 minutes of instruction... thats right we were about to get into an Indy car and go around a track at warp speeds and to prepare us we got 15 minutes of instructions! Well if you thought it was quiet while we were in the line, now there was total silence... And from what I can remember about the instructions I think they said when the light turns green floor it! Seriously they did give great instructions...

We were loaded into two vans and given a once around the track to get a feel for things and received a repeat of the instructions... then we were dropped off at the starting line where one by one we took our turn climbing into the cockpit of an Indy car and going really fast... You should have seen this once boisterous group of brave souls waiting their turn... Let's just say collectively bravery was no longer the word of the day...

As my turn arrived to get into the car, I was petrified but willing... I squeezed into the opening and was thankful that I was not claustrophobic!!! An instructor sat on the front of the car and gave me last minute instructions... "Just keep up with the pace car and you'll be fine"... Also watch the "flag man" He will waive a white flag if you are to far behind and a yellow flag if you are to close to the pace car." Now I'm approaching the starting line and the light went from red, to yellow ( I was desperately trying to remember all of the instructions but they were a blur) but when the light went green I just put the peddle to the mettle! I stepped way outside of my comfort zone! I drove 8 laps around the track but my top speed was only 141 miles per hour...

I pulled into the pits and got further instructions from the man sitting on the hood... he said, "You're doing fine, you don't have to worry about hitting the wall, your tires are made to hold onto the track, just keep pace with the lead car... (Sure uh-uh) But I took heed and went out for another 6 laps... This time I decided to throw caution to the wind and stay as close to the pace car as possible... what an absolute rush!!! Wow! All I could do is let out a yell "Whooo---hooooo---hooo-hoo! Hitting those corners and completing the 6 laps was amazing!

I was psyched! I returned to the pits and found that my top speed was 154.09 miles per hour!

After we all had our turn, we each got another treat... we got into a double seated car with a professional driver in the front and away we went... the driver took us around the track 4 times at a top speed of 180 miles an hour! It was absolutely incredible! You would not believe how close we were to the walls in the turns... It was literally inches!

The whole experience was one of those once in a lifetime events and one that I will always remember... I would strongly suggest the experience to anyone that has the opportunity!

We received a commemorative framed photo that included our group standing behind an Indy car as well as two single poses standing next to and inside of the car... the frame included a certificate of our top speed... We also received a Mario Andretti golf shirt and cap...

So today I was happy that Dario Franchitti won the race because my old buddy Mario Andretti is the owner of Dario's race team... Congrats to all of today's Indy 500 participants, and congratulations to my colleagues who for at least that day in December, raced like pros!

Rod

"If you put yourself in a position where you have to stretch outside your comfort zone, then you are forced to expand your consciousness." Les Brown

"My friend, leaving one's comfort zone is no small chore! Trust me, I've learned this first hand. I can say that when all's said and done it's worth it!" Josh Hinds

Racsim raises it's ugly head

I was on the golf course Wednesday enjoying a round of golf and was surprised to find a racist comment written on the wall. I did not get overly upset but I am still surprised by the ignorance that still exists... I wrote the poem below that describes the situation...

There was a racist on the golf course today, how could that be?

They put it in writing for all to see...

It was not as surprising as it was shocking...

To witness this hatred as well as the mocking...

Perhaps they were jealous of young Tiger Woods...

Because he plays the game so freaking good...

Whatever the reason it's still not right...

But there it was written in black and white...

Right in the restroom written on the wall...

Was the phrase, "Nigars stick to basketball."

They misspelled the slur which shows their IQ...

Animals like this belong in the zoo...

Racism is painful and still very real...

After reading this writing, what do you feel?

R-Dub

Selling Your Home

The process of selling one's home can be nerve racking... OK so it does not rate real high on the list of world problems... But anyone that has gone through the process can relate...

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Our house has been listed for less than a month and for some strange reason paranoia has already started to creep in...

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We have done all of the things that you see on HGTV to prep a house for sale... We know it is a lovely home, and we know that it will show like a "model"... We know that of everyone that has ever visited our home comments on how nice it is... So will someone tell me why we run around every time we get a call to "show" the house trying to make sure everything is perfect?!!! Why, after the showing do we go the through house looking for things that may not have been just right so that we can fix them for the next showing? A spot here, a spot there... did we do this? Did we do that? When in reality it does not matter what we do because each person/couple or family will view things in a total different light and form a totally different opinion...

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The only thing we need to do is to be patient, yeah that's the ticket... patience... That's it, I'll be patient... and let things fall where they may!

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Well I have to go, there is a car slowing down to look at the for sale sign and I just remembered there is a spot on the wall I'd better get the paint out!

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Have a Powerful Day!

Rod

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"Chance favors only the mind which is prepared"

Louis Pasteur

The downfall of the Sub-Prime Mortgage Industry

OK folks, It has finally happened... I officially have to much time on my hands... I have created a blog. The purpose of the blog is to offer a forum for my friends and colleagues to sound off regarding current and historical events... Sometimes the topics will be serious and other times it will be on the lighter side... Please keep your comments clean...

Today I am interested in your opinions regarding The recent downfall of the Sub-Prime mortgage industry... Whether you have been impacted in a positive or negative way let me hear from you... If you have no idea what the Sub Prime market is feel free to say so... If you are sick and tired of people and their blogs feel free to say so... the bottom line is this is a forum for your opinions!

Enjoy
Rod

"Victory has 100 fathers and failure is an orphan."

Unknown