Hello,
Two years ago today one of the greatest musicians ever died. Can you believe it's already been 2 years since Michael Jackson died? Where were you when you heard the news? I was working at Verizon Wireless and was in what was called transition. It's a period of 11 weeks when we were transitioning from training to actually taking calls by ourselves. I actually heard the news from one of the customers who called in. He asked me if I had heard that Michael Jackson had died. I hadn't heard at that point. It hit me like a ton of bricks, I had to take a quick break and talk with one of my supervisors. I had to have a connection with someone to commemorate his death. I remember I was in a daze the rest of the day. R.I.P. Michael.
Nick Charles is someone that didn't quite have the same impact on the world as Michael Jackson. However he was an inspiring figure at the end of his life. (BTW: I know that both of these men are deeply flawed, but aren't we all? We all make mistakes and hopefully learn from them. I try to remember most people for the good they've done or the positive impact they left. Michael Jackson left behind some of the greatest songs ever. Nick Charles died with grace and left behind a legacy of enjoying every minute our Heavenly Father gives us.)
A few months ago Joe Posnaski wrote this amazing feature in Sports Illustrated, this is in the Point After feature.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1182632/index.htm
Nick Charles died this morning at the age of 64. Charles would have been 65 on June 30th. I looked around the 'net but I wasn't able to find out if he was able to take his daughter to Disneyland. However he was able to reach 3 of his other goals, have one more Easter, see his daughter play the piano and to see his dream home built. I love how he wanted to reach one more Easter, that was probably especially moving for him and those around him as he prepared to die. A man at the end of his life celebrating beginnings that comes with Easter.
Now on to things that are nowhere as important. I find it hard to believe that I'm living in a time where pretty soon 2 of the 4 major sports leagues will be in a lockout. How does that happen? One of the main tenets of corporate America is urgency. Of course, that's mainly for the lowly rank and final employees. However I'm surprised that neither one of the leagues or player associations is having more urgency. MLB and NHL this is your time to shine.
Tonight is the Gold Cup final. The United States will battle Mexico for the Gold Cup Title. (I hope this isn't like the ending of the "The Killing", you know unresolved. Although it's very disappointing that the final can end in a tie. The USA is 2-3-2 in Gold Cup finals. Soccer I love you, but you don't play a game to end in a tie.) The game will be at the Rose Bowl (Go Trojans) in LA, however some people are projecting that up to 80% of the crowd will be cheering for Mexico.
I love the United States Men's Soccer team, but something tells me they'll never be one of the world's best. It seems to me they'll be just like Charlie Brown, who will never be kick the football. Or like me who will never marry Jennifer Aniston.
However the US Women's Soccer team, now they are another story. They are constantly among the elite and have actually won World Cups. They won in 1991 and 1999. Who can forget Brandi Chastain's shirtless celebration in 1999. Speaking of the Rose Bowl, if memory serves me right the 1999 finals was played there. The US was third place in the other 3 World Cups. The next Woman's World Cup starts Sunday in Germany. The United States first plays on June 28th, they'll be playing Korea DPR at 12:15pm EST. Colombia and Sweden are the other two countries in their group.
Great songs:
The Clash have a song that's titled "The Magnificent Seven". It reminded me of this song:
Which reminded me of this song:
Now let's go back to The Clash's "The Magnificent Seven" song:
Shawn Colvin's "Sunny Came Home". (As always one of the best things about youtube.com is the comments written below the video.)
From one of the saddest songs ever to one of the all-time most joyous songs. This is John Denver's "Thank God I'm A Country Boy":
Which reminds me of this amazingly beautiful song, John Denver's "Annie's Song". Not to be too maudlin, but this song is dedicated to all newlywed couples that might be struggling financially. Just be grateful for what you have. Many people look back at this time as some of the best times of their lives.
Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash's "Jackson":
The very under appreciated James Blunt:
themusicaddict
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