There’s Power in Numbers

11. November 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: charity, penn state

5154961857_e80eb98a5d_oIf there’s one thing that Penn State has, even in this time of crisis, it’s numbers. There are over 557,000 members of the Penn State Alumni Association. This doesn’t count for alumni who are not members of the Alumni Association.

There’s strength in numbers.

Yesterday, a group of concerned alumni turned their concern into a grassroots movement in support of a RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization. The goal set by these alumni was to raise $500,000 for RAINN, about $1 for each person in the Alumni Association.  Ninety-two percent (92%) of every dollar goes directly to programs to help victims and prevent sexual violence.

Penn Stater’s responded. In less than 24 hours, over $64,000 has been raised.

Donations don’t make up for the mistakes and atrocities committed members of the faculty and staff at Penn State, but they does show that we are not them.

We are Penn State.

We Are Penn State, and We Are Proud — A Message to the Pride

10. November 2011 · Write a comment · Categories: family, football, giving back, hope, penn state, struggles, tragedy

IMG_0092Brothers, sisters, friends and family; We Are Penn State.

We are not defined by the actions or inactions of a few members of the faculty and staff of the university, no matter how ugly the traditional media, the blogosphere, or other outlets may paint us in this time of crisis.

If you are like me, the news thats come out of University Park over the past week has been disturbing, confusing, and frightening. The news horrifies us because it runs counter to everything we believe in about our schools traditions and our heroes.

Lets not forget that our heroes can still be honored even if theyve been dismissed by the Trustees. Whether you believe that Joe Paterno was rightfully or wrongfully dismissed, we all agree that he did more for the students and the university than any other person in the history of our institution. None of us can imagine Penn State without Joe and we will miss him.

Ive been shocked to see some of the comments in the twittersphere which have called for everything from not sending kids to Penn State, to employers rejecting resumes with Penn State on them. Im sure some people may in fact choose to take these actions. If so, this will be unfortunate.

Penn State is more than football. Penn State is more than Joe Paterno. And Penn State is damn sure more than the pedophile, Jerry Sandusky.

Penn State has produced some amazing people who have given touched our lives: Mark Parker (CEO of Nike), Steve McCurry (National Geographic Photographer) and Richard James (inventor of the Slinky) to name only a few.

Penn State helps mankind. Penn State students raise millions of dollars each year at THON to benefit the Four Diamonds Fund. THON is the largest student run philanthropy in the world!

Fellow Penn Staters, we have many reasons to be proud. Please dont give up. Please wear our colors and support our school in these trying times.

We Are Penn State.

The Lance Lookback

27. March 2010 · 2 comments · Categories: cycling, daily life, family, fatherhood, gear, good things, mr. grey, nostalgia, penn state, sidetracks, smiles

I went for my first ride on my new bike today despite the fact that it was still a bit on the chilly side.  Loaded up on layers and hit the road at about 12:45.  I got in a good 1.5 hours on the bike – enough to stretch out all my cables and need to get some adjustments done – and clocked about 16 miles.  This was not only the first ride on the bike, but the first ride of my season.  I may have overdone it, but it was really hard to stop.  For the first time since I started riding again two years ago, I did not get passed by anyone on the trail – this may have had to do with the fact that there weren’t a lot of people out there, but I’m gonna count this as a Win anyway.

I had no virtually no discomfort on the bike and did not suffer from numbness in my hands and feet like I normally do on my mountain bike.  This is awesome!

During the ride I had a lot of time to think, which is part of why I ride.  I had two things pop into my head as I was riding.  The first was the memory of riding with one of my D-phi brothers Dano back in 1992/93.  Dano was into road bikes and I was into mountain bikes.  He had a sweet Cannondale and I had a clunky steel Schwinn road bike that didn’t even fit me really.  I remembered Dano kicking my ass on hills.  I wonder how I’d stack up with him these days.

The second was a vision of the future.  A friend at work was telling me the story of one of his friends who was recently out for a ride with his son who at some point, gave him “the Lance Lookback” and bolted on like lightening.  I had a vision of Mr. Grey doing that to me sometime in down the road and well, I can’t wait for that to happen.  It’s gonna be pretty damn rad.

A Typical Morning with Reflections on Proper Shaving and Attire

02. February 2010 · 2 comments · Categories: america, chesapeake bay, dad, daily life, death, family, fatherhood, home, marriage, mortality, penn state, poems, self, sidetracks, thoughts

I wake to the sound of ocean surf and seagulls.  Not real ocean surf and seagulls, but the recording built into my alarm clock.  Although I live near the Chesapeake Bay, my home is not near enough to hear the waves or gulls.  Five-fifteen comes too early, I think as I hit the snooze button and acknowledge that I will not be getting up at the prescribed time.  A trip to the gym sounded good last night, but I will pass on exercise, again.  Thursday, I think; it could be any day of the week, really, they all blend into one anyway.

Those damned gulls are at it again and now I need to get up.  Beating the traffic depends upon it.  I have a commute that will last an hour at a minimum, and could be as long as an hour and a half on a bad day.  Getting on the road early means I can usually beat the traffic in the morning and has the side benefit of being able to leave before the end of the business day.

Pulling myself out of bed, I try not to wake my wife.  Following the shower I shave my face and the pesky widows peak on my forehead.  I’ve been cutting my hair with clippers for ten years to one uniform length.  Sometimes, I shave my entire head with the razor, but recently I have been too lazy to do it.  Several years ago, my wife had told me to shave off the widow’s peak, even if I didn’t shave my whole head.  Somehow, this is an improvement. More »

A retrospective of 8 years

11. September 2009 · 1 comment · Categories: culture, dad, daily life, death, environment, family, fatherhood, frowns, gardening, gratitude, green, incongruities, mr. grey, penn state, smiles, struggles, stupidity, thoughts, time, tragedy

Eight years ago today I remember exactly where I was when I found out about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon: Office Depot in Annapolis, MD. I was there to buy some paper so I could print out my expense report and send it in via snail mail to get paid for my expenses. I remember the kid behind the counter, jacked up hair, lots of piercings, in the Office Depot uniform – incongruous to say the least. He seemed like he was high, ranting and raving about planes flying into buildings in New York.

Green Park, London

As I walked out the door, I called my best friend and asked if he’d heard anything about this. “Yeah, I’m watching it on TV like the rest of the country,” was the response. The comment cut into me. It insinuated that I had my head in a hole or something. It had been a nice day up until this point. Sunny and warm, but the humidity had cleared out finally.

I spent the rest of the day trying to work, but overcome by the events – like the rest of the country. I was living in an apartment in a waterfront house on Spa Creek. I tried to fish some to get my mind off it, but there were fighter jets in the sky, patrolling the area since the Naval Academy was just down the street. That was the first time I realized the Academy really is a base.

More »

« Older articles