What's it like to bowl a Perfect Game ?

As far as I'm concerned, it's AWESOME !!!

Here's a picture of my perfect game in bowling:

That's right!  I threw a 300!

12 Strikes!  In a ROW !!!

Oh sure, you "haters" will just have to point out that it wasn't real bowling and was instead just a bowling app on the iPad.  So what?!  Have YOU ever bowled a 300 game?  Real or computer simulated?  My bet is NO!

I am certain the "real thing" would be ridiculously more satisfying, but I refuse to let that lessen my joy in the virtual accomplishment.  I'll never bowl a 300 for real.  I'll almost certainly never hit a hole-in-one in golf either, but if I did that in a video game I'd be just as excited!

So mock me if you must, but I took a picture of PERFECTION so the world will always know that The Original JC "lived the dream" ...

for at least one brief, shining moment!  :)

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A New Beginning ?

At work, earlier this month I began reporting to a different Manager, who works in a different site, and joined a different part of our organization (although my function and role will remained basically unchanged).

Normally these kinds of changes put me in a reflective mood.  But this one is just getting me excited for the winds of change.

Here are a few of the POSITIVE things I am very excited about in my immediate future as related to this change:
 - Learning pros and cons of being managed remotely.  I have WFH (work from home) reps that have reported to me for years and this will help me understand better what they may be feeling or experiencing.  Good or bad.  Then I can adjust to correct anything that isn't already good.
 - Gaining greater clarity on the Progressive world outside of just Colorado Springs.  It is easy to do things the CO way and assume that is the Progressive way.  Perceptions will be broken down.  Greater consistency will be achieved.  And for one of my reps (John F) I will be in a better position to support him as he just came from PHX.
 - Broadening my "contact" list.  I love to get new ideas from different people.  Being able to reach out to a whole different site and workgroup will allow me to continue to grow into the person I want to be.
 - My new Manager sounds like he is very committed to helping us develop skills that make us more qualified for that next job level.  I haven't ever really had that in my current role so the chance to be "coached" on my areas of weakness (always referred to as "opportunities" in the Progressive world) is a VERY exciting prospect.
 - A fresh start.  I'm anxious to move from the performing level to the mastering level and I think movement (especially around the end/start of the year) allows for this to happen more easily (team members don't push back when it's a "new year's resolution" of sorts).

So bring on the new reporting relationship.  Bring on some diversity of thought.  Bring on peers that I've never really worked with before, whose strengths I can hopefully learn from.  Bring on the next diem to carpe!  :)

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Do you recognize this ?

The "knob"                                   The "crank handle"

What you see above is a picture of the no-longer-connected portion of my window crank handle.  I was exiting my vehicle at my parent's house and my leg brushed against the inside of the door.  I heard a loud "SNAP" and then noticed something go flying 10-15 feet away from my car.  I walked over and picked it up, only then to realize what it was.

This may not seem like a big deal, after all, how often do you need to roll down your windows anyway?  Apparently, more often than I realized!

It has been a challenge to roll the window down in the drive thru at restaurants, let alone put it back up as soon as I drive off after getting my food.  And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Thankfully it is wintertime so I have until the spring to figure out how to re-attach the knob to the window crank handle.  I am hopeful that some good super glue and my being careful will help me avoid some crazy duct-tape remedy.  But if that happens at least I'll have another easy blog post!  :)

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Plank you ?

No that's not a misspelling ... it is a pun.  Not a really funny pun, but a pun nonetheless.

And this blog post is a mediocre post ... but it is a post nonetheless.

Here's a picture of myself, Kevin Amsden, and Aaron Summers (L-R) doing some version of planking.  But to be honest, I'm not sure we did it right.  But we did do it nonetheless.

Our wives were hesitant to take a picture "from below."
In hindsight, that was probably a very good idea.

And here's a picture of some actually cool planking.  Although, I guess a plank being cool is in the eye of the beholder.  And no, that's not a pun so don't try to figure it out as one.


You gotta be a gymnast of sorts to pull this off!
Nicely done lady!



I told you this was a mediocre post.  Don't blame me that you're still reading it nonetheless.  :)

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Did that just say Amsden ?!

We've got some pretty cool friends with the last name Amsden.  Until we met them (just a little over a year or so ago), I had actually never heard of that last name.  Not a big surprise I suppose, since there are LOTS of last names I've never heard of, but what WAS a big surprise was when I saw their name on a roadway sign in the middle of Wyoming last month!

If you've read any of my blogs about Thermopolis, WY then you need no introduction to the reason why we were in the middle of Wyoming last month.  If not, read the following blog or this blog and then come back to this one.

While driving to our destination I was reading different road signs that pointed out the rock formations and different eras each was formed during, etc.  And that was when I saw the following sign:


This is actually the sign on the way back home from
our vacation spot.  But they're identical!  I promise!

 

And this is the actual AMSDEN Formation
(across the street from the sign of course!)

Now, I love my own last name because there are so many things you can do with it.  Case works great for literally hundreds of rhymes or other "fun" and creative word associations.  But we don't have any rock formations named after us!  That is wicked cool !!  :)

My lingering question though is this: how do I creatively poke fun at our friends, the Amsdens, about their being as old as rocks?!  :)

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Ever do a WASGIJ Puzzle ?

The more clever readers of this blog have already realized that WASGIJ is simply Jigsaw backwards.  Those who did not know this should not discontinue reading nor feel bad.  But those savvy readers who figured that out without the images below can rightly pat themselves on the back.

I've blogged before about how I enjoy doing puzzles.  Many in my extended family know this and I have recently received some very cool puzzles, one of which is featured on the left and below and is the topic of this short blog post.



This is the front of the puzzle box.



This is the "finished" puzzle

The most fun thing about completing this puzzle was that the picture on the box only offered a limited amount of help.  I'll not waste time explaining where the artist got a few things wrong, but would rather like to focus on what they got right: it was a fun kind of challenge and definitely a unique twist on the standard jigsaw puzzle.  Even with most of the puzzle completed I still had to wait to see all of the unique things in the ocean that are headed for the shore in the massive tidal wave.  My kids enjoyed pointing out some funny things too.

Thanks Brian and Tisne for the fun puzzle!  :)

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Do you Foursquare ?!

Of course the iPad (and iPhones, etc.) are primarily used for "business" and official, very important, and serious stuff ... but what you might not know is that there are actually some FUN things you can do on an iPad.

This is a most shocking revelation, I know, but it is nevertheless true!

I've found several fun apps myself (such as this bowling game I play) and some that I had just "heard about" (like Angry Birds, etc.) But my buddy Mark has introduced me to several apps over the past few days (and many more before then, but those were for more serious use).

I got signed up for Foursquare which apparently allows you to check in at a variety of locations once you are within the right proximity. Then you get "points" for the number of places you check in and a variety of bonuses for other things. It is somewhat of a sub-culture where not everyone even knows about it. I think an iPhone would be much easier to check in with, but it's not too tough on the iPad.

I have earned a lot of points already, even with cheesy check-ins like Gate 30 at the Airport, etc. There is a benefit to this silliness ... Mark was able to get us free chips and salsa at Chili's by "checking in" while we sat at our table. Better yet, you can become the "Mayor" of any location by "checking in" the most over a certain period of time. Looks like I'll have to set up a location for "The Case Place" and maybe my neighborhood so I can be the mayor of those areas ... that'd be fun! :)

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