Hey Kids,
Today was the first day of Spring, I think. Maybe the first full day of Spring, or something like that.
We sprung to Antelope Island for the second time in two weeks. That’s us (to the far left) with our MC Touring club.
Cars are great. But if given the choice, always go with the bike.
Day 26
Hey Kids,
These are bears.
They are chocolate and delicious.
I ate mine.
I bought a second one for my baby.
She ate hers too.
This is love.
Day 25
Hey kids,
I ride a motorcycle. In fact, right now, I have two motorcycles and they constitute the only means of working transportation that I own.
I really enjoy it. I love the fact that I do what few people do. Not only do I ride a bike, I ride it most everyday. I experience the seasons like few others do.
If you ride too, you know that motorcyclists wave at each other. It’s a way of saying, “Hey! You’re out here too!” I love doing it. It’s an nonintrusive connection. It never fails to feel good.
But there are riders out there who don’t wave back. Why? I don’t know.
A rider today rode past me and ignored my friendly gesture. A hard looking guy, his jacket bore a patch with the unmistakable emblem of the US Marines. He’s earned the right to snub the likes of me, I figure.
Sportbikes sometime ignore me on my cruiser. Harley riders ignore me when they recognize the Japanese design. Mopeds seem too surprised to wave back before I’m past them. Maybe they wave, but I miss it.
BMW vs. Harley. Dirt vs. Road. Two wheel vs Trike. Victory vs Gold Wing. I guess there’s some divisions among the bike groups. Sometimes they wave at each other, sometimes they don’t.
The only thing I see as a commonality in all the bikes is that there’s a person sitting on top. A person who has already decided to do something a large percentage of humans do not. They have exposed themselves to the elements, the dangers, and the hope no one hits them; and they have ventured out for whatever reason. Bike riders are generally nonconformist at heart.
As a nonconformist, a few may feel the resistance to be expected to wave because “that’s what people on bikes do.” Let them be.
Some may want to wave over hand, some under. Some like a head nod up, others down.
It really doesn’t matter. I posted on Facebook today: “Nothing annoys the nonconformist more than another nonconformist who does not adhere to his idea on nonconformity.”
Wave if you want to. Don’t worry if you get a wave back. Don’t wave when others wave to you if you don’t want to. Nonconform however you wish.
You can even ignore my urge to nonconform if you want to; you’re the rebel.
Day 24
Hey Kids,
We went to the movies last night. They showed a Frozen short. I didn’t think it was possible for me to dislike Frozen any more than I already did. I was wrong.
People watching at the movies gives an interesting glimpse into my fellow humans. A few thoughts:
I’ll show up late on occasion but I am astounded by the number of people who come in significantly late and show no remorse for being disruptive. If the previews have already started, be quick, quietly apologetic, and don’t stand directly in front of me and watch the screen.
I’m tight so I never buy the over-priced food. On occasion I’ll spring for the popcorn. I know we all have our quirks about our spending habits, but paying more for the crappy treats than I spend for the tickets themselves strikes me as wrong. Other than being told it does, I don’t see how popcorn enhances the experience. Not even a truck load of popcorn.
Is a refill on that truck load of popcorn really necessary? And if it is, what is the best time and way to get that refill? Binge eat the whole tub once you find your seat and refill during previews? Pace yourself so that the tub empties as the plot slows, run out to the lobby and refill, missing only 10-15 minutes of the dull filler scenes but rearmed for the big ending? Or refill on your way out for the ride home and the NetFlix after-party?
Do you clap at the end of a good movie? Disney movie last night. Feel good ending. Lots of families. I expected clapping. None. Yet I’ve seen a Star Trek movie explode in a wild foray of cheers once. Go figure.
Phones. Put the phone away. Enjoy the moment. And if you must, check it to see if it’s the baby sitter and then put it away. Or if circumstances demand, go to the lobby, make the call, text, or snap chat, and get your popcorn refill at the same time.
If you’re a leaver due to phone addiction, mid-movie popcorn refills, or you have a small or weak bladder, please get the seats on the end of the row. Not the middle. There are not enough “sorry’s” and “excuse me’s” to make it right.
But how and whatever you do, enjoy the movie.
Day 23
Hey Kids,
I want to share some advice that I’ve heard recently from someone I trust to give me advice, Seth Godin. I wish we had more time and contact for me to give it more context. But this quote will have to do for now.
“You are not your career.
“You’re ability to follow instructions is not the secret to your success.
“You are hiding your best work, your best insight, and your best self from us every day.
“We know how much you care and it’s a shame that the system works overtime to push you away from the people and the projects you care about.
“The world does not owe you a living. But just when you needed it, it has opened the door for you to make a difference.
“It’s too bad that so much time has been wasted, but it would be unforgivable to wait any longer.
“You have the ability to contribute so much.
“We need you.
“Now go and make a ruckus.”
Don’t wait for the word go; do it. Do it now!
Love,
Dad
Day 22
Hey Kids,
Some days, like today, I wonder what are we all doing?
Today was payroll day, meaning checking my staff’s punches and making sure they got them all in. Then make sure no one worked over 40 hours. And then make sure no one worked under 40 hours. Approve their approvals. Submit. Report that I submitted. Wait for someone to check my submission. Fix anything the checker found that was submitted improperly. And then say done.
Then we wait for the paycheck to be calculated and on the given day, deposited in our checking accounts. After taxes, of course.
We trade our hours for money. Our life for coin. To give to bill collectors. So really, we work for them by the hour. Self-inflicted, I know.
I’m really seeing it as a weird way to live.
I’m going to keep writing. And one day, when my writing reaches enough people who enjoy it and I can exchange my writing for the things I need. I will be done with working by the hour. And instead, live by my art.
Back to writing. Make the dream a reality.
Have a nice day.
Day 21
Hey Kids,
Took a trip to Antelope Island, the large island on the Salt Lake City side of the Great Salt Lake. To call it an oasis might be a stretch of the imagination, but it is an island of intrigue. Bison, deer, antelope, coyotes, elk, big horn sheep, all make a good living surrounded by a near dead body of water. And within sight of the reflected city lights from the 2-point something million people just across the short side of the lake.
The island is left undeveloped and undisturbed most of the time. Hardly any of the locals venture out despite the paved causeway. It’s even a State Park. In that way it’s an oasis of discovery, surrounded by a severe lack of interest. Other people’s loss,
I love to visit. We packed a picnic lunch and headed to the ranch. On the eastern side, towards the southern end is the well preserved remains of a working ranch. It operated for 133 years. Now it’s a treasure trove of how past generations lived and worked. Not really a museum but a self-guided walk through time, it makes me wish I could live there and see it in its “glory days”.
But there’s sadness too. In a pasture rusts three vehicles. Two trucks and one tractor. They each have seen better days and now just sit, day after day, season after season. Kids climb in and around them, photos are taken upon them, and very few people see much more than junk.
I love these vehicles and I wish I could take them home. I wish I could make them run again and fire them up. But their day is done. Their engines will no longer turn. They are now tombstones to their own forgotten past. But these guys can live on in the photos they star in and I’ll add to their tribute.
Someone, one day, take a picture of my tombstone and post it in your blog; whether or not you know who I was or what I did. I’d appreciate it. 
Day 20
Hey Kids,
I would be daft not to make mention that today is Pi day. As in 3.14, March Fourteenth. And this year being 2015, one could say 3.1415. Happy Pi Day. OK, now that I’ve said it and recognized it, let’s move on.
Last night I attended a book launch for Brandon Mull, the author of Fablehaven. He had invited four other authors and the fans showed up en masse. Hundreds of them. They filled the auditorium The line for book purchases was only eclipsed by the lines to have books signed. It was crazy.
The treasures were books. The cheers were for authors. The excitement was for reading.
There are those who say books are dead. I say those people don’t know what books are.
Day 19
Hey kids,
I have on my desk, a toy replica of Speed Racer’s Mark 5. I bought it a the Dollar Store for a buck.
It has been on my desk now for many years and occasionally someone might ask me about it. A few people recognize it and some ask if I liked the movie. I’ve never seen the movie.
Back in the day, sometime around 1971- 72, I watched the cartoon version of Speed Racer immediately after school. Daily, I had to see what would befall Speed, Trixie, and Pops, and of course Racer X. Afterwards, I hit the neighborhood to find my friend Bobby and we would re-enact the races with our Hot Wheels added with passionate discussions of the episode just watched.
That was a long time ago. But Speed Racer, which I doubt I could stomach today, was exciting to me. It was fun. It was shared with a friend.
Bobby disappeared one day. Word was that his father had come and kidnapped him and his sister. All assumed they were taken back to Mexico. I never saw or heard from or about Bobby again. My family soon moved to another neighborhood and I don’t remember Speed Racer being quite the same again.
I barely remember his face exactly. I recall his blue jeans, dirty white t-shirt, and crew cut black hair. I think of Bobby still and hope everything went well for him in his life. I wonder if we would have remained friends. With the amount of moving my family did, I doubt it. I’ve retained near zero school-time friends. But maybe one from kindergarten may have been different, the bonds a little tighter. Who knows?
The toy Mark 5 reminds me of Bobby. Of being a little 5 year old kid. Excited over something that really means nothing. Enjoying life before real school started. Before responsibilities. Before anything. Just joy of living and playing.
The Mark 5 takes me there when I let it. I hope somewhere out there, Bobby also remembers the Mark 5 and finds that same nugget of childhood joy in the folds of his memories.
I hope he now knows the identity of Racer X too.
Day 18
Hey Kids!
I saw in my email today that the University of Utah placed third in the World Cup Quidditch Championship.
They beat out schools like UCLA and Arizona in the Western Regionals to get to the World Cup. I didn’t know that Quidditch actually existed, let alone as a completive sport on the University level.
Quidditch, as anyone would know by now, is the sport played at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter book and movie series. The players fly around on brooms trying to put a misshaped ball called a Quaffle through a series of elevated circles, while dodging other balls called Bludgers, and while two specialized players chase a Golden Snitch.
To make it possible for muggles to play, some elements have been changed.
My point is not to explain Quidditch, or to make light of the fact that near-gown-ups are playing a make believe game, ignoring the fact that the game is essentially impossible. My point is that sometime during their time before college, these students were touched enough by something they thought was wonderful and they still want to be part of it.
Harry Potter resonated with millions of people. Tens of millions, maybe hundreds of millions. JK Rowling didn’t just write a book, she touched people. She made a difference in their lives. She brought them a joy and a feeling that they don’t want to let go.
What can we do to touch people. Write a world class best selling book series that inspires kids of all ages to read? Sure. How about just be nice to people? Smile. Say thank you. Hold a door open. Support a fund raiser for that little kid at the door. Do something nice for someone else.
You’ll never know how much something will mean to someone else. What impression you might make. But if you did something nice everyday for someone else, you might find that your legacy might be a nicer you.
And that’s better than winning First at the World Cup of Quidditch.
Well, almost.
Day 17
Mike M Jensen 