Germ-central

Well, that was an interesting 48 hours. The evening following our fun brunch at our neighbors’ home, Kelly remarked how emotional our son was acting. She had a hunch he wasn’t feeling well.

That night, we discovered that Kelly’s Mom Sense was right on the money, only it began with Hallie, not Travis. Both kids spent all night throwing up. We finally turned a corner about 3:30 AM.

I worked from home yesterday, caring for our sick kids and doing a huge amount of laundry. Kelly had to make a business trip to Charlotte, which she somehow successfully did on reduced sleep. When she returned she had zero appetite and, not long afterward, she fell victim, too. She had a rough night last night. Fortunately today the kids seem to be 90% or so and took care of her while I was at work this morning.

Somehow I’ve managed to avoid all of this germy muck, though I was everywhere my family was over the past few days and I’ve also eaten everything they’ve eaten. While the rest of the family was laid low last night, I felt a burst of energy and took down our Christmas tree single-handedly. I’ve often thought I have the most sensitive stomach in the family but I may need to change my thinking.

At any rate, the Turners seem to be all on the mend. Our kids are pining to return to school, too. Things appear to be returning to normal.

Highlights of 2012 forthcoming

I know I don’t usually wait until January to begin my annual Highlights of the year posts. I’ve had tough time narrowing down my choices this time around, however.

Look for the first of these posts shortly.

New year looking bright

I’ve been pondering my reality today, after spending much of the morning and afternoon meeting new friends at our neighbors’ New Year’s Day brunch. The question of what I might wish for in this new year has crossed my mind.

Truth is, I am extraordinarily blessed. Things are going incredibly well for me at the moment. I have a loving family, a good job, plenty of outlets in which to channel my civic passion, health, happiness, good friends, and boundless potential. I am right where I need to be, always.

Does this mean my life is perfect? Not at all. I still have challenges to overcome. We all do. I will do my best to learn from my challenges so that they create in me a better person.

We all have a finite amount of time on this planet. Love what you’re given.

New Years resolution

If I had one resolution for 2013, it would simply be to focus on my goals. I remember reading a quote on a poster in my middle school library which said:

“Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal.”

It’s easy to get discouraged by little setbacks but that should never stop one from trying harder to make something good happen.

Peace to all of you for the new year.

-Mark

Couple tied up during Raleigh home invasion

WRAL says a home invasion took place in the city early this morning:

Two Raleigh homeowners were tied up during a home invasion early Sunday, police said.

Two armed men broke into the house at 3105 Sherry Drive around 4 a.m., woke up the couple who live there and demanded money from them, police said. The men tied up the couple and left after about 30 minutes, taking an unknown amount of money and a few other items.

This caught my eye as a man we met at a neighborhood restaurant last week told us that a home invasion had taken place in Mordecai last month. He said it wasn’t well-publicized. I’m trying to track down the police report on the incident in case there’s anything to it.

via Couple tied up during Raleigh home invasion :: WRAL.com.

Never doubt that a small quote can be misattributed

Today a Facebook friend posted a quote she attributed to Gandhi:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

Gandhi didn’t say that, I thought to myself, that’s Margaret Mead’s quote.

Except that it isn’t Margaret Mead’s quote, either. One of the earliest print references the is on page 79 of the book Earth at Omega: Passage to Planetization, by Donald Keys. Another item on Wikiquote says it was on T-shirts seen at a 1960s protest, though I haven’t seen any proof of this.

A bit more searching on The Internets brings one to the Institute for Intercultural Studies, where question 1 on the FAQ is about the source of this quote:
Continue reading →

Can you edit better than a third grader?

I don’t know what it is with the N&O’s editing, or lack thereof. It seems particularly bad for the sports section. It may due to my bias for the N.C. State Wolfpack but it seems there’s a general lack of knowledge for State coverage. I don’t know because I usually only skim the Duke or UNC stories.

N.C. State’s basketball team beat Western Michigan yesterday in a game in Raleigh. Sports writer J.P. Giglio wrote a good story on the game, but because Giglio referenced last week’s game against St. Bonaventure, whomever supposedly edits the sports page listed St. Bonaveuture as yesterday’s opponent on the front of the sports page.

Giglio wrote:

Just like the previous game against St. Bonaventure, Richard Howell fouled out Saturday against Western Michigan.

… and this is what appeared on the front of the sports page:

The Pack played Western Michigan, not St. Bonaventure.


Fewer than two weeks ago, the sports page flubbed the name of N.C. State’s basketball coach in a photo caption on the front of the sports page, calling him Mike Gottfried instead of Mark Gottfried. This error didn’t get by my eagle-eyed 8-year-old son, Travis, so why in the world did it get by the paper’s editors?

The N&O has a chance to offer the best coverage of local sports, and generally the paper does. For many subscribers, sports coverage is very important. That’s why I’m mystified that the N&O has let its sports editing get so bad. It may be enough to drive people away from the newspaper.

Governor, Mayor sign Dix Park lease

Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane, Governor Perdue, and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall sign the lease creating Dix Park

I got to watch today as Raleigh Mayor Nancy McFarlane, Governor Perdue, and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall signed the least that created Dix Park this afternoon. It was a fantastic occasion. I look forward to helping shape this wonderful new park.

Here’s Laura Leslie of WRAL’s story on the signing:

In one of her final acts in office, outgoing Gov. Beverly Perdue formally signed an agreement Friday to lease the Dorothea Dix Hospital campus to the City of Raleigh, which plans to turn it into a “destination park.”

The Raleigh City Council and the Council of State, a panel of 10 statewide elected officials, approved the agreement earlier this month, and Friday afternoon’s signing finalized the deal on the 325-acre site that is just south of downtown.