I live in New York!

2:47 pm  EST – NEW YORK

Hi family and friends!

As I sit in my new apartment on this lovely New York Saturday, I can’t help but think this is a perfect time to find anything to distract me from football.  I was out earlier today sporting my Maize and Blue and garnered a few comments from Michigan and Ohio State fans alike.  Since kickoff though I have been holed up in my apartment and I don’t have any intentions of leaving right now.

Thus, a blog post.

I don’t think I have posted this yet, but I LIVE IN NEW YORK!  The Big Apple! The Empire State!  The City That Never Sleeps!

After about a month in the city, I am still very much enthralled by its every nook and cranny.   I walk to work with my head to the sky staring at the Chrysler building and the get off the metro with the hundreds of thousands of others making the commute each morning at Grand Central.  Everything keeps moving, it’s difficult to stop – which is why this holiday weekend has been a welcomed pause in the action. 

A lot of the people made the trek home, but I was able to spend some time with Sarah and some of her newfound city friends.  We had ourselves an orphans’ Thanksgiving and it was turkey-tastic. Plenty of food, football, EUCHRE, poker, and lots of laughs.  While the traditional family part of the holiday was noticeably absent, I was fortunate to have the next best things.  Also, even though I wasn’t at home for the holiday, it sounds like my family wasn’t really either – my brother Danny was admitted (and now readmitted) to the hospital for an abscess in his throat and is now undergoing surgery to remove his tonsils.  Poor little bugger.  He’s been taking a physical beating since being diagnosed with Mono a week or two ago.  I hope he starts feeling better so he can keep his grades up and get into a great school like the one his oldest brother went to.

What else have I been up to?  Well, I got a job.  I work as the Sales and Marketing Assistant for the world-leader in online tutoring.  Our headquarters are down near 40^th and Madison.  I have been catching up with some old friends that live in the city, and have already gone to see a few shows!  Sarah took me to go see the 5^th Anniversary of the Jersey Boys on Broadway, I went by myself to go see my buddy Dave Matthews and his band perform at Madison Square Garden, and this coming week I will be going to go see DJ David Guetta spin some tracks at a local club which should be a lot of fun. 

Also, I had the opportunity to go see Ellis Island and head to the “Top of the Rock” with Sarah, her mother and grandmother.  There are never-ending things to do in this city and I have every intention of taking advantage of as many as I can.

I also have intentions of taking it easy and trying to find the right balance of work, play and rest.  It is certainly poised to be a grand adventure and I hope to share it with many of you – I currently live with another girl by the name of Sarah (I call her Sarah Roomy) who is a special education teacher in the southern part of Manhattan.  She helped me finish my first homework assignment last week which was to write a post for my company’s blog. Check it out here. We also have a couch with your name on it so get on over here!   

Thank you FTC!

In the spring of 1998 I had the luck of skipping a day of school and attending my first political rally with members of United Auto Workers at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit.

I was twelve years old when I delivered this speech. I have notes handwritten on the side reminding me to use hand gestures and say things like 'good morning' and 'Welcome to the UAW's take your child to work day' so that I wouldn't forget.

It was also the day that I stood in the center one of the world's most historically industrialized cities and declared with 100% confidence that "[children's] opinions matter" and "that young people are capable of helping make this world a better place to live" .

I still believe those words. And I ended my speech that day confident that I could present my opinions clearly to anyone – regardless of age, gender, or sex.  

Four years after my grade school FTC days I applied for admission to The University of Michigan. I wrote one of my essays on our group and how much we were able to accomplish. To this day when talking about my life principles I cite my time in grades 5-8 as having a significant impact on who I am as a person.

Kids Can Free the Children has been a part of my life for almost as long as I can remember. It has shaped who I am as a person and will undoubtedly continue to be a point of reference for myself and my identity as I continue on to other things. 

Thank you to all who have made this possible and I look forward to continuing working with you in a new capacity!

Driving Home With Pops

I-75 - 11:03 AM

Howdy, y'all,

Happy Labor Day. As the title states, I am on my way home from the Riverhouse with Poppa Schrags and we are jamming to the XM Prime Country. Big fan. Aaron Tippin just took us through the top twenty American workforce country songs and now George Strait is asking us to Check Yes or No.
I guess now is as good of a time as ever to recount a little bit of the summer, seeing as it is coming to a close.
I finished up tour with Sara Brown, hit our last couple of schools in the Greater Toronto Area and managed to make it home for the end of June and out to New York for the Fourth of July. Sarah Miller and I managed to do the town right that weekend: we saw a play, celebrated her birthday (and Canada Day) with her friends and coworkers, I got to see (and ice) Cody, watched Joey Chestnut eat whole bunch of hot dogs, rode a rickety old wooden roller coaster on Coney Island, sang at a piano bar with Jake and McVey, met some fellow Wolverines and watched the fireworks over the Hudson river before hopping a bus back to the land of maple syrup and honey.
The summer in Canada was spent mostly heading back and forth from the recently opened Leadership Centre. Had a great summer and met some great kids and even snuck back to Detroit once more for my grade school 10 year reunion. Great to see some old friends. Recently, Fell, Solomon, and Kelly came and visited for the Tigers-Jays series at the Rogers Centre. I should have pictures of that up soon.
The days in Toronto for me are coming to a close. I have decided not to stay on as a tour speaker for another year and am looking forward to spending a little more time in one of two places right now: Detroit and New York. As a song by Dave Matthews states "Turns out not where, but who you're with that really matters". And while I have met some lifelong friends in Toronto and throughout the world the past several years, it is nice to know that home is calling and it most certainly is in the U.S..
While the task of finding work right now seems very daunting, I am excited for the possibilities and feel good about my prospects.
Tonight I will be helping my Uncle Marty and Aunt Donna in the Lions club tent at the Arts, Beats, and Eats Festival in Royal Oak and then tomorrow is the big draft day for my brothers and my fantasy league. Any ideas on who I should take?
I'll be getting off soon to see my sister's new apartment, so I must be on my way.
If you happen to be around Toronto, Detroit or New York in the coming few weeks, be sure to get at me! Go Lions! Go Blue!

Prairie land

Hello world!

I am sitting in the middle of a dirt road in front of the St. John's United Church 'Field of Honour' (Canadian for cemetery) in Bonnyville, Alberta. It's 11:24 and I was hoping to catch some stars out here before I head back to the bright lights of the big city on Tuesday, but because I am so far north it is still light out! Crazy, hey?

It is very peaceful where I am right now. You can hear all the sounds of the night animals and the rumbling of the cars from the highway out in the distance.

I figured I'd take a few minutes to reflect on these past few months I have spent traveling and really take it in. Since the beginning of the year I have traveled with two partners to four continents, six countries, sixteen states/provinces, and over 80 schools. I have hiked six state parks, climbed the Great Wall of China, drove a Lamborghini, poked a jellyfish, Rick-Rolled an entire restaurant, and warmed up with snuggies at a baseball game. I have met friends new and old and even picked up a new portable computing device to help me keep in touch with them. It's wild to think that I when I get back to Toronto that I will even be prepared to face a summer all in one place.

And while I know that I will never be able to truly get rid of this travel bug bite (I will especially miss the fact that every night I get a new little bottle of shampoo and conditioner), I am looking forward to spending more time in one area and having a selection of clothing bigger than one suitcase.

I am excited to watch the World Cup, cheer on the Red, White & Blue, watch a few Jays games at the Rogers Centre and grill out with my new roomies.

I am excited to see what role I will be taking on throughout the summer, excited to watch as FTC continues to grow and we prepare for another We Day extravaganza, and excited to take some time off and go home to see family and friends.

And while I sit here with the grasshoppers chirping, the coyotes/wolves howling in the not too far distance, and the stars finally starting to show themselves in the prairie night sky, I can't help but think of how fortunate I have been - not just for the places I have visited, but also for the people I have met. I have learned so much in the past year but one of my biggest takeaways will stem from a comment I heard several times at schools in Hawaii referring to families that lived on the beach:

Families may be houseless, but they sure aren't homeless.

Even though I have been houseless for pretty much the whole year, I have always felt close to home through emails, late night Skype sessions, phone calls, and rendezvous with friends and family in far away places. The Hawaiian kids know what's up. And I couldn't do it without you so I just want to say thanks.

Oh, and there is an open invite to come visit Toronto this summer. I'll take you to a Jays game.

Goodnight!


- Sent via Schragooster

Baseball As America

To Commissioner Selig and baseball fans everywhere:

Every so often we, as humans, are given the opportunity to catch a glimpse of perfection. As paths cross and stars align, the perfect storm of fate and coincidence allows us to forget the limitations of humanity and peer into heaven for a brief moment before we are snatched back down to earth (sometimes abruptly).

Baseball fans around the globe experienced that tonight. As the outs started stacking up for Armando Galarraga and the Detroit Tigers, the entire baseball community held their breath for their chance to witness the rare events that make up a perfect outing. Some had seen it before, others had just heard about it, and when Austin Jackson made a super-human effort mirroring past heroes of the game, there was no doubt that magic was inevitable and that history would be made.

And while the hushed voices were whispering amongst each other seeking confirmation that they were, indeed, observing the same events unfold; none were prepared for the reality check that occurred after having reached baseball's equivalent of perfection.

Mr. Joyce's botched play call reminded us of our humanity. It reminded us that baseball, just like life, cannot be perfect. And that is why it represents us. In what other sport are human errors counted and tallied? In baseball, when a mistake is made, players and coaches make note and then move on - there is work to be done.

As many baseball fans across the country continue to clamor for expanded use of an instant replay system it is my wish that they will consider the effects it will have on a game that, at its roots, was designed to mimic the simple and complex nature of our being. And while we examine the use of technological aid in determining the intricacies of a game, the simple question must be asked: should we?

In a game that was conceived in romanticism, should we take on the themes of the 21st century and openly embrace the use of technology to correct our errors or should we rely on the fact that we are human and make mistakes? What place does baseball hold in American society? Does it change with the heart of the nation like it did in Jackie Robinson's time or does it allow us to escape the complexity of our modern life and bring us back to a simpler time?

These are questions that I think will undoubtedly lead to the greater use of an instant replay system and by examining them, gives us the opportunity to look at ourselves from a different perspective: to see how much we are willing to adapt and what effects it may have on our understanding of human nature.

In answering these questions, the path that baseball takes will almost certainly reflect the essence of our nation. And as long as we continue to examine the game in this matter, baseball will always be America's game.

Go Tigers.

Alberta!

Hello everyone!

Greetings from the food court of the West Edmonton Mall where I am struggling to get through a plate of 5 items from the Oriental Delight. I still have a half a plate and a huge chicken ball in front of me and I have stalled considerably. Not to worry though, as I will be here for at least a couple of hours while Sara B. satisfies her Sex and the City fix while watching the new movie. I was gonna go see Shrek 3 (or is it 4 now? Maybe it's 4..) but decided I would get some grub instead and hang out with Schragooster and people-watch. Great place to do it as you'd imagine.

Meanwhile, I have decided that Alberta is Canada's best kept secret. Edmonton (or at least the mall) has just about anything you can ask for: a roller coaster, an indoor wave pool, an ice rink, a casino, a pirate ship... Haha the only thing missing is a baseball diamond and a basketball court (which I'm not convinced they don't have). I have been to the mall just about every day since I got here last Sunday and haven't really gotten bored of it.

Nextly, I have been driving around a lot and have come to the conclusion that Edmonton has the best radio stations out of all of the cities I have been to. I can get a steady flow of good, modern country, classic rock, pop, classical, and I even caught an Italian station this morning on the way to church- it was funny I stopped on the station because the song wasn't working properly and the DJ (in Italian) was just like "well, sometimes these things don't work properly... Let's start over from the beginning". Haha - tell me, have you ever heard a song on the radio that just stops playing, mid-song? I mean as much I know it happens, to hear it on the Italian station just made my weekend.

And a pretty incredible weekend I have had at that.

Friday, Sara Brown and I decided to take off for the city of Jasper, AB, located comfortably in the valley of Jasper National Park. Only about a 4-5 hour drive from Edmonton, Sara and I took to the highway armed with a full season of How I Met Your Mother (great show) and without any reservations for accommodations in Jasper. We figured we'd find a place once we got there, right? Wrong. The cheapo places we were fixing to stay at were booked solid and so we made the game time decision to go "camping" in our Nissan Versa for the night.

We made a bonfire, took a little hike, cooked some hot dogs, had a little bit of spirits before we called it a night while it was still light out around 11:30 pm. That's right, it was still light out. Crazy, eh? We made it to about 2:00 am before we took to the road to find ourselves a proper hotel room for the night. The campsite was fun and all, but the freezing cold?- not so much.

Because we were able to warm ourselves up and because we spent our horseback riding money on a hotel room, we decided to take the sky tram to the top of the mountain that we had been staring at since we got there. Great decision. Here is the mountain from below:




We made it to the top fairly quickly and decided (again, perhaps a little brazenly) that since we made it this far, the extra little hike to the summit was necessary. This, despite the fact that we possessed no appropriate hiking gear and their were ample warnings from the tour guides and the clearly marked signs saying that it was ill-advised due to weather conditions and a recent bear sighting.

Who are they to tell us to turn around when we are so close?! So up we went (following the lead of several other groups ahead of us) in our croc-sandals, winter jackets with no toques (or winter hats as we call them back home) and our run-of-the-mill, everyday, take-a-picture-at-your-friends'-birthday-party cameras to conquer one of the highest mountains in the Rocky Mountain chain - Mount Marmot (or was it called Whistlers? I still haven't figured that out).

A couple of inuksuks, whistling marmots, amateur photographs, wet socks, and several tumbles later we made it back to the chalet-restaurant area at the top of the tramway having conquered the mountain and with our body temperatures probably about the same as they were the night before while slowly freezing to death in our sedan. Ahh the great outdoors!

As if this wasn't enough, we still wanted to see some animals so we made the call to go hike up to a point where supposedly sheep usually hung out. While there were no sheep there, we did encounter some elk along the way and on our way out of town we saw some sheep wayyyyyyy up on the side of some mountains. I am still miffed as to how the heck they got to where they were and what their intentions were of getting down. Short of learning how to repel down a mountain side I don't know how they were going to do it.

The entire trip back it rained and just as we were pulling into Edmonton it decided to snow for a couple of hours. That's right, snow. It's Memorial day weekend and while my entire family is canoeing down the Au Sable river in 80 degree weather, I pull into a heavy falling of snow in the greater-Edmonton area. I actually really enjoyed it though, because it seriously felt like Christmas - also because I went to the mall and bought myself a present: a World Cup 2010 Team USA soccer jersey! USA! USA! So excited for the world right now. There is nothing like a good old fashioned sporting event to bring people together.

Alright, well, the other half of this OD stir-fry medley is staring at me coldly from the plate to my right. Work must be done. As the French Canadians would say "Au revior", gopher.

PS- Pictures can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2766245&id=2207325&l=686c7fc0bf


- Sent via Schragooster

Location:87 Ave NW,Edmonton,Canada

Edmonton the city, not the street

Hello everyone!

By the time I get a chance to send this I will be in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, where they still have a hockey team called the Oilers, there is a supposed HUGE mall here and is in the heart of Canadian cowboy country. Sara B already mentioned a trip to a boot shop might be in order.

I am getting in the mood by listening to the country XM radio station right now and playing Texas Hold 'em (the computer is smoking me, it's embarrassing). We just took off from Vancouver where we had a little bit of time to catch up with some coworkers that we haven't seen in a long time and hang out with the BC office. Great times. And it was nice to be able to reconnect with some people from the office - and started telling us about a stellar new group of facilitators and speakers coming in for the next year. I am excited to meet them.






In other news, I had three hours to kill at the airport today and so I am taking full advantage of this iPad. After today I can completely justify this purchase. I was able to watch almost the entire Tigers game while waiting for my flight. I downloaded a map for Edmonton and figured out how to get to the Travelodge. I read a bit of Middlesex and checked my Facebook and Twitter. Even worked a little on a flyer using the Pages application. I'm still trying to figure that out. It's May Long Weekend here in Canada so we have tomorrow and Monday off (awesome) and I plan on doing laundry and calling my mother.

As it turns out, we have started our decent into Edmonton and are experiencing a bit of turbulence they tell me (and then again in French). Looks like ill have to catch you on the flip side..


- Sent via Schragooster

Where in the world?

Hello friends and family!

Happy Monday! This week finds me in the small town of Vernon, British Columbia, where today marks the 76th school I will have spoken at since I started my tour way back in October. It sure doesn't seem like that many.

I have been going through pictures and starting to post some of them on facebook and I am having fun looking back on all of the students. Most of the faces I remember, if not the names, and I can certainly remember the incredible amount of smiles, excitement, and passion that they share. No matter where I have traveled the common theme has been that the students are ready and willing to do something for others. I have seen 8 year olds decide that there is too much litter and that they want to organize campus cleanup days. I have seen students risk popularity points and call each other out on acts of bullying. I have seen a family get together and rally around their daughter in efforts to raise enough money to adopt an entire village in Africa.

And that's just scratching the surface. Every school I have been to has been involved in their local and global communities in some way or another. And sometimes it's just a small group with a super energetic educator, sometimes it's the whole school community. It's exciting to see that no matter what our age, background, or location, there is inherently a desire in each of us to want to do good for those around us. And while definitions of what is 'good' may differ, it is easy to see that hope, desire, faith, willingness, whatever you want to call it is a good enough reason for kids to DO something, anything, to make their mark in a positive light.

On top of all of this, I have been fortunate enough to have visited some of the earths greatest natural treasures, man's greatest triumphs and disasters, and have fostered relationships with friends new and old. And while I know there is still much more work to do, I can't help but stop every now and then to count my blessings and thank all of you for being a tremendous part of it all. I am really one of the luckiest men on the face of the earth.

But what good is it all without pictures? No worries, my friends.

Think We!: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2760195&l=929e6a8ec0&id=2207325

Mahalo, 'Ohana! : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2760196&l=b11838092b&id=2207325

Might Mo and the Sunken Ship: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2760192&id=2207325&l=a06a0af2b6

More to come soon, it's speech time!

Steve

- Sent via Schragooster

Location:Okanagan Hwy,Vernon,Canada