The Touch, the Feel, the Smell of Books

I admit it: I regularly read the last page. It doesn't matter the typeface or genera, I must know what happens at the end before I finish reading through an entire book. Once I know what happens, I then go back and read the middle. And when words are made up or difficult to pronounce, I skip them altogether. 

That's just one of many reasons I love books. 

Old-fashioned ones. Soft- and hard-covered. The kind you can pick up and take with you. Display on your bookshelf books. Ones that don't require Internet or wifi to access. Books you can crack open, crease and flip through. Books with pages that can be dog-eared, ripped and turned over. Books that have binding, a certain smell, a unique personality and sometimes even a unique jacket cover that's tied to its publishing date. 

Old-fashioned books have owners. They've been given as gifts and thus bear a "to whom," "from whom," quotes and dates. There's even scribbles, doodles and notes on certain pages of them. They have histories and stories themselves: where they were bought, how they were found and why they were chosen.

Books can transport you to new places, but you can also take old-fashioned books to destinations: long walks,  the bathtub, even the beach. You can get them wet. Dirty. You can even spill ice cream on them. And while the pages may water spot or stick together from the liquid or food,  there's no risk of a power shortage or an electrical shock.

Books don't just sit pretty on the bookshelf or spark conversations, they have functional and design uses too. They can be used to press, prop or straighten  things. 

While I have a love for old-fashioned books, I don't have a need to collect them. Yes, I have many of the original 56 Nancy Drew hardcover books, but I prefer to borrow books from the library and my friends.

I even borrow the occasional eBook and book on CD and listen as someone reads me the story while driving from here to there. 

But with digital books, it's hard to flip to the end to find out what happens. It's more of a point and scroll. And forget about fast-forwarding the CD to the "last page." Also, I don't seem to retain the information or get nearly the same satisfaction as I do when I settle in with a good, old-fashioned book.

A Unique View of the U.S. Senior Open

The Omaha Country Club recently drew in more than 157,000 through its iron gates for the U.S. Senior Open. For many, the love of the game or the opportunity to see Funk, Couples, Watson or Allen tee off, make par or shoot a birdie was what drew them to the event. But for me, it was the chance to see an entirely new view of an area I'm very familiar with.

That's because I grew up across from the Omaha Country Club. In fact, the house where I was born and raised and where my parents still reside, faces the first hole. I learned that on Saturday, the first time I've ever stepped foot on the course. Sure, professionally, I've been to lunch, attended meetings and took a tennis lesson or two at the club, but I've never been invited to golf there. Much less walk on the greens. 

As a kid, I scouted every inch of our neighborhood with my siblings. When you grow up with horses, a fearless, older brother and lack of a cell phone, it's no big deal to pack a lunch and ride your horse all day miles from where you live. 

Thinking back to those days when I was like 10 or 12, as we made our way up Country Club to 72nd Street, sure, you'd pass by golfers and the young caddies waiting for a ride home. But we never talked to those guys and gals, much less stepped inside the grounds. I do remember a couple of times after a big snow, climbing across the wooden fence to go sledding down the fairway. It was only after consulting the hand-dandy map they give you when you enter the grounds, it's the ninth fairway we always sled down. And had I know then what I know now, we should have traveled the distance to the back nine, where the steeper hills are located. 

While walking the course twice on Saturday, I noticed all kinds of things. Like fairway two is the entire length of Fairway Drive. In grade and middle school, I'd run up and down Fairway to get to my piano lessons at Mrs. Hart's house, who lived at the top of the street. Or that fairways three and five sit just behind Country Club Oaks where we used to trick or treat. And there's a new house being built that faces State Street.

It was fun to see old neighbors, reminisce about our days growing up and soak in the atmosphere during the U.S. Senior Open. More importantly, with my VIP passes and special parking pass, it was fun to be able to literally park across the street and walk to and from the event. 

To date, I've only golfed twice and both times happened to be the coldest days of spring with a howling wind. So needless to say, golf is not a game I'm good at. But being the pros and the fans, it was awesome to see real golf in action. I have a new respect for the game, the skill and the luck involved. And while I've always been proud to grow up across the street from the Omaha Country Club, now I have an even greater appreciation to be where I'm from.  

Flight Delays Lead To An African Proper Walk

Work occasionally takes me to places other than the office. My travels include Philly; Nashville, Tennessee; New York; and Richmond, Virginia. I enjoy these short excursions as a way to get out of the office and talk to our customers and prospects about what concerns them in finding new customers.

While the places are fun to go to and clients and vendors interesting to hang out with and get to know, it's really the people in the airport who I find the most fascinating. Most recently, I came across Michael Farley at the Richmond National Airport during a flight delay. And while I only spoke to him for 15 minutes, he inspired me to think about a future bucket list endeavor: the Proper Walk. A 10-day, 150 mile trek across Africa.

Farley, who grew up in Iowa and still frequently visits his mom in Dubuque, came up with idea and has spearheaded the Proper Walks. The money raised goes towards the Makindu Children's Program. You can read on Farley's story and the effort by going here.

I've run a marathon and several halfs. I've also raised money for lots of walks. It's tough, especially when you're doing both. Naturally I asked him what it's like to walk 150 miles in 10 days? "It was hard. The terrain was steep at times and flat in others," he said. But Farley went on to say people who embark on this journey are never the same when they return. And I believe him. 

If you're interested in the proper walk, it will set you back $10,000. But Farley says they assist those who are fundraising with speaking engagements, the very reason for his particular travel day. 

Mt. Kilimanjaro is on my list of must dos before I die. So what's the harm in a 10-day walk across Africa to boot? Camels accompany you and there's beverages too. After all, it's for the kids! 

Watch Out for the Subtle Cuddle

Gus in a Subtle Cuddle.

When I was younger I naively thought men and women could be friends. So I thought nothing of it when a guy friend of mine invited me over to his house for dinner. My birthday was in a couple days, I knew he liked to grill out and I thought others would be there, so I accepted. No big deal, right?

When I got there, I was invited to a glass of wine, hors d'oeuvres, music and candles. No one else was there. I can't remember, but I'm sure I asked where everyone else was with a vague response. A little strange, I thought. But again, I reasoned, it's my birthday dinner, right? And people are busy, a little flaky, whatever. So we sat down to dinner, which was great and chit-chatted. It was nice. Normal. Then it got down right weird.

He invited me to watch TV in the basement and since he has a nicer TV than I do, I reasoned, why not? So I accepted. We sat down and because its like 10 degrees cooler in the basement, he handed me a blanket. I readily accepted and snuggled in. Then, he snuggled in right next to me. To be clear. I am a cuddler at heart and can snuggle with the best of them, but not with my friends. So I politely, but firmly said, "Thanks for dinner. But what are you doing? I don't snuggle with my friends."

Obviously he felt weird and so did I, so I left soon after. And our relationship has been off ever sense. Sometimes, he's down-right rude. Whatever. The point is, whether you're a girl or a guy, this can happen to you. To avoid a similar awkward exchange, watch out for the following warning signs of the subtle cuddle:

1)    Only you are invited to dinner.

2)    The mood is set to romantic when you get to his/her house.

3)    He/she invites you to watch TV in the coldest room in his/her house.

4)    Once he/she snuggles up and you freak out, he/she gets a wounded look in their eyes.

Have you ever been a victim of the subtle cuddler? What did you do. I'd like to know

Donny Downer

I recently watched one of my friends get married. These two have been together for nearly a decade and they're truly meant for each other. I'm all for marriage. It's a beautiful thing--especially between two people who are committed to each other and willing to give 110%. But I don't want to talk about their happiness or that marriage takes work. I want to talk about Donny Downer.

You've probably met these guys: they hate their job, loathe their neighbor and think all women are crazy. I had the pleasure of dating one of these guys and wow, it was fun! ;)

While positivity and adaptability are two of my top strengths, I can only handle negativity and rudeness for so long before I snap. And when I go to weddings and see normal people have normal relationships, I'm reminded it's too late to settle.

Back to Donny, let's just say it never worked out, but there were some five key takeaways I learned from his attitude.

1. Listen to your gut. There's a reason you never thought it work in the first place.
2. Thankfulness goes a long way. My upbringing and experiences have taught me to be grateful for the things you have and not to complain for things you don't have. In other words, be thankful for your job, the roof over your head and that you can walk. There are many people in this world who have less than that and yet even they find reasons in their day to smile.
3. If there's no kindness in his eyes or on his lips, kindness is not in his heart either. Very early on, I noticed that he never complimented me on the way I looked, never congratulated me on my achievements and always looked to criticize. Mind you, I don't need people to tell me nice things about myself all the time, but once in awhile kindness is nice. 
4. He's laughs at, not with you. I don't take myself seriously and I love to laugh and joke around. While we did laugh, it always tended to be at my expense. It gets old.
5. To him marriage is a contract. Here's a fun thing about dating in your mid-30s. Within the first two dates, the topic steers towards marriage. This Donny Downer said he'd never marry anyone without a pre-nup. To which I say, if you own your own island, a couple houses or consistently wear a black hoodie and created a social network some one billion people are part of, then yes, a pre-nup is in order. If not, you probably don't have much money. And worse, you have no concept of what the word "forever" truly means. And to you I say, no thanks.

It's these experiences that remind me of the way my dad treats my mom and vice versa. Namely as it says in 1 Corinthians 13:4, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."