Christmas Spirit

Just a random question / thought. At the time of year, when we are all supposed to be most caring, forgiving and understanding of one another, do people's attitudes go right to $#!@?

It's odd, going grocery shopping and a young boy with some special needs asking an older (60ish) "gentleman" if he would like to buy some chocolate, and the "man" ripping a strip off the poor boy.

Consequently, however, two women bought chocolate off the boy who might have otherwise just said no thank you and walked on by. Why did it even set the guy off though?

Why, when going into stores in the holidays is one more likely to be shoved and hit, than politely asked to move?

Just random thoughts on a random day.

To Aunt Phyl

I didn't have the privilege of knowing you for anywhere near long enough. The time I have known you, however, it was clear what a remarkable, strong, genuine and caring woman you were.

I don't think there was a time I saw you where you didn't favour me at least once with that smile that was so full of life.

I remember every visit and the stories you would tell of your family. Your pride in them was evident from our first meeting. It was also evident that you were the rock and the soul of that family.

You've just passed but you're missed dearly. In time we will find our own ways as you would have wanted. But for now there is a void left that I'd Aunt Phyl shaped but larger than life.

Thank you so much for having been a part of my family and allowing me the honour and privilege of being part of yours. I will never meet another woman like you but I will always remember you.

With love, joy at having known you, grief at your passing and happiness knowing the full life you lived,

Dan

A Day Of D&D

So today should prove to be interesting. I'm driving to London on a Sunday in order to participate in a D&D game being run by a team member from work.

The general background of my character is a dearven berserker who's on the run foul tempered and has changed his name to something that sticks out more than a sword through a Kender (yes I am a dork). My actual participation came about because Richard needed someone to stir the pot a little and liven up the group he's playing with.

It's been a long time since I've done this but lets see how it goes. It should be fun either way.

Rogers and the iPhone

It appears as though I may finally have my iPhone setup and working with Rogers and a proper plan setup.

Since most of my phone usage other than text messages is at home on my wireless connection it makes sense to have the 500am data plan for me. What this means is that the helpful Rogers person today saved me $20 a month thanks to being able to bundle the services I want better. Yay more money in my pocket.

If I had wanted to modify my base plan I could have gotten slightly more daytime minutes with the my5 long distance but that would mean that if anything happened in the next few years and I had to cancel my phone I'd be on the hook for $400 instead of $200 and have only the things I barely use to show for it.

What I've found during my decade if cell phone use is that I use it's talking capabilities rarely. Read: I've never used more than my 100 daytime minutes and I have unlimited after 6pm. Also I have free long distance on my home phone so if I need to make a long distance call I wait until I'm home, so there's no point in switching for me.

As for how I'm liking the iPhone it's been pretty good so far with just a couple of issues. It appears as though it is dropping signal a bit too regularly at times for my liking. Has anyone else noticed this or is it possible that it's my phone's antenna being buggered although to be fair this happens most in bad weather. On the sunny days it almost never happens, but I think I'll take it into Rogers tomorrow to have them run a check on it just to be safe.

I think my favourite thing about the iPhone so far is that I never have to leave the comfort of my couch again to figure things out. ;) I can lookup ps3 trophies and xbox 360 achievements easily, see what is on at the movies or even check my messengers and/or webmail accounts.

In conclusion, Chris I apologize or the ribbing I gave you over the phone. Once again you were a smarter man than I. ;)

Smiles when the pain comes...

Well tonight was the first game of the season and I can already tell that I'm going to be paying for two years of barely any physical activity.

On one hand I did far better than I expected but on the other hand I stunk up the joint in the field. Usually in lob ball I am lacking in the batting but I'm great inthe field. Today though I was 2/3 with a triple single and deep fly out but muffed two easy plays in the field.

The triple was my classic opposite field hit but surprisingly the single was a hot shot to left that the fielder just happened to be in the right spot for.

The fielding though was more annoying. Missed am easy ground ball and then threw the ball away when playing third on an easy out

Only the first game though so plenty of time to improve but I still dislike doing worse than I know I can even in my first game in two years.

Next game is next Thursday at the same time same place.

Btw for anyone who cares this was posted from my iPhone using blog writer lite.

Context Switching in Human Relations....

It's been an interesting dynamic changing from my old team at my work place to the new one. There are some marked differences between the two teams, some good and some bad on each side.

What I'm more interested in, however, is not the team dynamic but the dynamic of how I fit into both. I've never been one to sit back and quietly watch if I feel something is going drastically in the wrong direction, but I do try to offer either constructive criticism or find out what I'm missing that makes things seem like they're headed towards a cliff.

The challenge in doing either of those, for me it seems, has been in curbing my naturally aggressive communication style. The good news, in this aspect though, is that this is *not* a communication style I want, nor is it something I'm content to just leave be and hope it sorts itself out. Some problems that I'm having in rectifying this though is recognizing the effect certain speech patterns I use have on others and trying to break those habits, as well as taking a breath, pausing, and re-thinking ways to say certain things when in the middle of a disagreement.

One thing I do think I have going in my favour for this self improvement, however, is that even if I'm not able to read people completely, I do at least notice facial expression changes, body language changes and changes in stance. Unfortunately these changes are usually post-point when they would have been useful, however they indicate something which either worked well or poorly in my conversation and can be filed away for reference at a future point in time.

All in all though, I feel as though I've been making progress in this area. Perhaps not as much as I would like, but at least a small baby step. The things I'm really working on doing for 2009 in this area, though, are:

1) Toning down sarcasm;
2) Think, then speak;
3) Help others avoid my mistakes.

There are a lot of talented people on the new team I'm on. The one concern I have is that a lot of them have the same style of communication I've been told time and again is hampering me / giving a negative impression to certain people. If nothing else comes of 2009, I'm hoping that I'll in some way be able to help the other members of my team be able to avoid creating the perceptions of themselves that I've created for myself. Time will tell though.

Thank You Mats

It's funny, I've never been a Mats Sundin fan. I've acknowledged his skill and the fact that he was probably the most talented leaf for over a decade. However, I don't think he should have ever been the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Why? Simply because he wasn't the gritty type of hockey player that the Leafs seem to need as a captain.

He had skill, size and flash but did he ever actually manage to lead the Leafs to a cup? Unfortunately no. Perhaps, though, the leadership he gave was that although the squeaky wheel gets the grease, it's better to just sit down shut up and do your job to the best of your abilities. Either way, the interesting point for Saturday night was: How will Toronto fans react to Mats. Will the cheer the man who led the Leafs for years on end, without ever asking to be traded? Or would they boo the player who declared he wanted to be a Leaf for life, loved being in TO, wanted to win a cup here, but who wouldn't lower his salary expectations to make cap room to pick up the extra star the leafs so desperately needed nor waive his no trade clause to try to help the team become better?

In the end, I'm happy to say the fans were what has come to be expected in TO from other places in the world. The fans said thank you Mats in their own way, kicked off by a video tribute during a commercial break and for the first time in my memory the stoic ex-Leaf actually showed some emotion.

So on the record, once and for all. Thank you Mats for all you did. Your skills, ability and leadership will be missed going forward but most of all thank you for not coming back as a Leaf. Not because you aren't skilled or won't be missed but because Toronto needs to have it's younger players step up and take the lead, while you need and deserve to win a cup before the end of your career. Here's to you Mats, may you find success wherever the hockey puck takes you.

Skate 2, The Hall of Meat and Entertainment

So, first and foremost, here's my Skate2 Skater tag:


I love the Skate! games, simply for the replay editing and the funky bails you can do. I've uploaded a few videos from Skate 2 thus far, mostly bails but there was one awesome air line as well going from a balcony and using a tilted letter A for the landing ramp.

Just for myself so I can watch them easily in the future, the video links are:

Bails:
- A massive bail from an upper balcony onto stacked letters and a bike rack. Includes the end of another bail where my skater ends up laying on a picnic table looking like he's having a nap. Link

- Bailing from a grind attempt and flying into a pole that's in the most inconvenient spot imaginable. Link

Successful Tricks:
- Finally nailing a trick from the upper balcony into the slanted A as a drop in ramp. Link

All in all I have to say I think this is one of EA's best game franchises of late. It's easy to play but incredibly challenging to master, and nothing is quite like the bails you can do in it. Fun to play for fiteen minutes or even two hours straight.

Legends of Wrestlemania - Part 2 (includes some duds)

So, a few days late, I'm giving my unasked for take on the roster of the Legends of Wrestlemania game being published by THQ on March 24th, 2009. One main point I touched on in my previous post, and which chafes mildly is the fact that Randy Savage will not be in this game. This is a sad sad realization for this game considering that Savage had some of the best matches in Wrestlemania history (Ricky Steamboat vs Savage for the Intercontinental Title.... The Mega Powers Explode... The title tournament at Wrestlemania IV...). People will just have to create their own Pomp & Circumstance using the Create A Legend feature. Now without further ado, the list and my take on it:

The Wrestlers
Andre The Giant
- It would be utterly impossible to have a Legends of Wrestlemania game without the largest and most recognizable athlete in wrestling history. Everything about Andre was larger than life, and hopefully his role in the game will match the career he had. Plus, who wouldn't want to use Andre in a ladders match against Hogan??

Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
- One of the original, and best high flyers of all time. Steel Cage Match. Don Muraco. Splash off the top of the cage for the win. Plus what wrestling fan could forget Roddy Piper smashing him in the head with a coconut.

Animal & Hawk - The Legion Of Doom
- The most decorated tag team in wrestling history. I don't know if there was a single federation in which these two did not hold the tag team titles. Combining speed and power, they dominated tag team divisions wherever they were.

Junk Yard Dog
- Uhm, why? I really *really* don't get this one. The only match that was close to memorable for JYD was Wrestlemania III vs. King Harley Race. He was a charismatic and entertaining wrestler, but as far as being a Legend of Wrestlemania, I'm sorry, Giant Gonzales was more of one. He at least knocked out The Undertaker.

Arn Anderson
- The Enforcer, Double A, Arn Anderson. One of the smartest and toughest singles competitors in Wrestling history. Only one problem: I don't even remember him being in a Wrestlemania, let alone having a good match. I'm pretty sure he and Tully Blanchard were in as The Brain Busters, but really this is another flop for an inclusion, probably to make up for either Savage or Mick Foley not being in the game.

Kamala
- Why oh why didn't I take the blue pill? What about Ax & Smash of Demolition? Virgil? Owen Hart? Ron Simmons? I don't even remember one entertaining match with Kamala during his entire career in WWE, let alone at a Wrestlemania.

Bam Bam Bigelow
- The Beast From The East. A classic agile, entertaining, recognizable and vicious big man. A fitting tribute to Scotty "Bam Bam" Bigelow, R.I.P.

King Kong Bundy
- 5 count. The only wrestler confident enough to only accept a win after a 5 count was registered. Known as the human apartment building (or tenement block, take your pick), Bundy is one of the most vicious heels in wrestling history. Who could forget his splash on the midget wrestler (I'm sorry, I don't know the politically correct term) at Wrestlemania III that caused him to get ganged up on by his teammates and opponents.

Big Bossman
- It's time to head to Cobb County Georgia and meet the long arm of the law. Whether it was during his time with The Corporation, under The Doctor of Style Slick, or as a face, the late Bubba Rogers always provided and entertaining and physical match and when it came to Wrestlemania, he always upped the ante.

Koko B. Ware
- Not one of the most talented wrestlers, Koko always upped his game at Wrestlemania and his matches always brought the fans to their feet. If only Owen were in the game so fans could re-create High Energy.

Big John Studd
- One of the few wrestlers I ever saw with the ability to go toe to toe with Andre. The $15,000.00 body slam challenge was a stroke of genius (if not a classic match) and he deserves to be in the game if only for that moment.

Michael P. S. Hayes
- One half of The Fabulous Freebirds, Michael Hayes was the Attitude era decades before it even came to be. A master on the mic and always entertaining in the ring. Again, just one problem: I don't remember him in a Wrestlemania.

Bret Hart & Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart - The Hart Foundation
- An almost perfect mix of speed, technique, power and insanity. Both wrestlers were accomplished singles and tag wrestlers, with a mean streak a mile wide but the ability to make the fans love them at the same time. If only The Powers Of Pain and Demolition were in the game, fans could re-create some of the most classic tag matches of all time. Hell, even The Bolsheviks so the shortest tag match in history could be re-created.

Mr. Perfect
- Simply perfect. I should probably decline to comment given he's possibly my favourite wrestler of all time, so I'll just suffice it to say: The name fits like a glove.

British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith
- Awesome intercontinental and European title matches at Wrestlemania. Incredibly fast, powerful, smart and agile, Davey Boy epitomized the wrestler of the 80s. In tag or singles matches, he was a force to be reckoned with and managed on occasion to carry a pay-per-view.

Nikolai Volkoff
- One half of the Bolsheviks, I'm looking forward to his being in the game just to hear him sing the "Russian" national anthem again. One of the greatest heels of all time, he could get under fans skin like almost nobody else.

Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
- Strutting and cutting with Brutus, you can re-create one of the most charismatic teams of all time (The Mega Maniacs of Hogan & Brutus), or one of the most conniving and dangers (The Dream Team of Brutus & Greg Valentine). Nothing quite like watching him put his opponents to sleep, then pull out the shears for a little bit of a trim on his opponents.

Ravishing Rick Rude
- Never quite a main eventer, it wasn't for lack of talent, skill or charisma. Rude had the misfortune of having to compete against Hogan and Ted Dibiase for top billing as a superstar in the 80s. The fact that he even managed to make The Ultimate Warrior look excellent in their Wrestlemania match speaks volumes about his talent and merit for inclusion.

Dusty Rhodes
- Another inclusion that puzzles me. I remember one match with Dusty & Sweet Sapphire against Sensation Sherri & Randy Savage at Wrestlemania. That was possibly the worst match I ever saw Savage involved in, and it had to do with The American Dream.

Ric Flair
- Woooooo. Relive his retirement all over again. A true superstar who spent his career making other wrestlers look good. Under appreciated by a few, over appreciated by many, Slick Ric truly was the dirtiest player in the game and had classic matches with Shawn Michaels and Randy Savage at Wrestlemania. He could bring the fans into the match with something as little as running a hand through his hair, and another deserving entrant into this title.

Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
- Nobody got beat up quite like The Hammer. Ten punches to the face, one face flop and the crowd was on it's feet cheering for whoever was beating him up. One of the wrestlers you loved to hate, many a Wrestlemania would have been lackluster without his talent and passion.

Rowdy Roddy Piper
- Does this mean I can spray Morton Downey Jr. with a fire extinguisher in the game? No one ever really knew what Roddy was going to do in the ring next, nor on the mic. Some of the most memorable moments in wrestling belong to The Hot Scot, at Wrestlemania or anywhere else.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan
- Uhm, why? A definite fanf avourite, there is no doubt but I went through my Wrestlemania DVD collection and came across exactly 3 matches he was in, one he may have been in and all of them were yawners. I loved Hacksaw, but definitely not a Legend of Wrestlemania.

Sgt. Slaughter
- Deserves inclusion just because the character he played during the Gulf War had his family and he placed into protective custody and had some crazy fans actually take sniper shots through his window. Plus he inspired a G.I. Joe character, how could he not be included?

Shawn Michaels
- The Main Event, The Showstopper, Mr. Wrestlemania himself. Enough said.

Honky Tonk Man
- Shake Rattle & Roll against Jake Roberts. Play Rhythm & Blues with Greg Valentine, or just annoy people with bad singing and shots with a real acoustic guitar. The Honky Tonk Man is the best Intercontinental Champ of all time, from a time when that belt indicated the best technical wrestler in the company. If he wasn't in the game, no one should be.

Stone Cold Steve Austin
- The definition of The Attitude Era had some of the most memorable matches ever with The Rock, Mr. McMahon and Triple H. THE face of wrestling during the late 90's and early 2000s, Stone Cold redefined an industry and was one of the main reasons the WWE won the Monday Night Wars.

Hulk Hogan
- Hogan owned the 80s, despite the fact that the last 3 minutes of his matches were so predictable you could call them along with the announcers. Transcended the industry and was one of the main reasons Wrestlemania I was such a success and helped Vince McMahon launch the WWE into the mainstream.

The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase
- Everybody's got a price, and the talented Ted Dibiase owned pretty much anyone else in the ring. From the ability to talk to having no wasted motion inside the ring, Dibiase owned the hatred of fans for years. One of the most underappreciated wrestlers of the era, and definitely a Wrestlemania legend.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley
- Triple H, The Game, and one of the smoothest wrestlers in the ring. Trips can brawl, wrestle, cheat, entertain and take the reigns at the biggest spectacle of the year and have a match to end all matches.

The Rock
- I was never a Rock fan, but even I have to admit, whenever he stepped between the ropes you could add "instant classic" as a description of the match. One of the most entertaining wrestlers ever, The Rock and Austin owned Wrestlemania during the Attitude Era.

Iron Sheik
- The man from Tehran, Iran had one of the classic gimmicks of all time with the loaded boot. Using the classic "Americans are weak" heel angle, The Sheik earned the ire of fans at many an event and Wrestlemania was no exception.

Ultimate Warrior
- The fact that he wrestled some of the greatest of all time who managed to make even him look good is the only reason The Warrior should be in the game. One of the worst wrestlers ever, his inclusion could only be so that Rude & Hogan aren't punished for his lack of talent.

Jake The Snake
- From the time he walked through the drapes, Jake out-thought everyone and told a story to the fans unlike any other talent could. Classic matches abound at Wrestlemania for The Snake with his match against Honky Tonk Man standing out in particular.

Undertaker
- 16 & 0. The only undefeated wrestler in Wrestlemania history, Taker is the phenom of the WWE and is truly a Legend of Wrestlemania.

Yokozuna
- Banzai! He may hold the record for the shortest WWE Heavyweight Title reign ever from when he beat Bret Hart and then lost to Hulk Hogan in the same night. A monster in the ring, Yokozuna deserves to be here if only for his choice of Manager, Mr. Fuji.

MANAGERS

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
- One of the most grating, annoying and heat getting managers of all time. Whether it be from outside interference or just running his mouth, The Weasel.. er Brain... drew fans into the arena just in the hopes that someone would beat him down. Without fail, that happened at Wrestlemania.

Mr. Fuji
- The devious one himself, Mr. Fuji had a career both for wrestling and for helping some of the most untalented wrestlers ever look like stars.

Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart
- Before he drank the kool-aid, said his prayers and ate his vitamins, Jimmy Hart and his megaphone could drive wrestlers and fans to distraction. With the high pitched voice, high energy antics, and ability to look terrified even at Koko B. Ware getting his hands on him, Jimmy made stars out of anyone who was lucky enough to work with him.

Paul Bearer
- The only member of the roster Bearer managed was The Undertaker, and for that alone the demonic mortician deserves to be in. Helping guide the Taker to a splendid record, Paul Bearer's facial expressions, movements and voice lent an eerie quality to Taker during his rookie years in the WWE. Without Bearer, Taker's star would not have risen nearly as fast as it did.

That's the entire roster. There are some flops in here, but all in all THQ did an excellent job given that they were forbidden from including some of the more deserving wrestlers from Wrestlemanias. The other thing working against THQ for this game, is lookign back, each era has a few select talents and most of the memorable matches involved those talents only. Either way, I'll be posting my thoughts on the game after I've played it and re-lived, re-defined and re-created some of wrestlings most memorable matches.

Legends of Wrestlemania - Part 1

This entry is going to be a two part entry on the upcoming game by THQ, Legends of Wrestlemania (Official Site: http://www.legendsofwrestlemania.com/). I've been a wrestling fan since the early 80's. I own the Royal Rumble collection, the Wrestlemania collection and numerous DVDs on various superstars, title belts, feuds within wrestling and wrestling organizations.

The upcoming game by THQ looks like one I've been jonesing for, for nearly ten years. Why? It returns wrestling games to a simpler time, but brings back all of the stars I grew up watching. Except for one, rumour has it. I'll go into that rumour later, but for now I just want to say that from the trailers and gameplay teasers it looks as though this game is designed and will transport people back into the Golden Age of wrestling. From the camera angles used, to the funky old solid steel ring barriers, to hearing Gorilla Monsoon (RIP) commentate in the clips that precede each Wrestlemania match it appears to be designed to be a flashback to that time in my memory.

At the heart of this game though, is the Re-Live, Re-Create, Re-Define mode for the various Wrestlemania matches. In Re-Live mode, you take the part of the superstar who won the match, and have to win the match again yourself, hitting the various memorable spots from the match on your way to earning a medal ranking. In Re-Create, you take the part of the superstar who lost the match, and attempt to win, earning your way to a medal ranking and in Re-Define you play either wrestler, attempting to win the match but with a new modern stipulation thrown in for good measure (Ladder Match, Cage Match, etc.). One more addition / change would have made this game *exactly* what I've wanted in a wrestling game for years though: Play The Loser. In every wrestling game made thus far, you always have to be the winner and how you get to be the winner doesn't matter. You can be as cheap and un-entertaining as you want so long as you get that win. Let's face it, wrestling is scripted and even the best wrestlers lose from time to time but every single one of them must do their best to make the match entertaining no matter what side of the win they are on. Why couldn't LoW have modified Re-Live mode so you could be either superstar, but if you pick the one that loses, you have to make the match as entertaining as possible by hitting various spots, but still lose the match (and/or title) in some way?

Now, granted this would be a very very difficult aspect of a game to pull off with balance, but like the Superstar mode in football and baseball games, it would add a whole new level of goals to wrestling games for a career mode. The question is, would the WWE or TNA or any other wrestling organization allow this? Everyone knows the matches are scripted, but so long as no organization out and out acknowledges it there is always the air of possibility that something might be real. Hopefully, for gamers who love wrestling everywhere, someday this will become a reality.

The rumour I alluded to earlier has to do with the roster for LoW (which I will talk about in depth in a post on Monday or Tuesday). The rumour is that Vince McMahon has told THQ they had to pull Randy "Macho Man" Savage and Mick Foley from the game. While Mick's loss is no big deal to me personally, the removal of Randy Savage if true (which I'll find out about on Monday) ruins at least eight classic Wrestlemanias. There can be no re-creating the Championship tournament at Wrestlemania IV won by Savage, nor can the classic match between Savage and Rick Steamboat be relived by fans. I don't know and can't pretend to know the reasons behind Savage not being in the game if it is true but for wrestling fans of this era, I hope the rumour is just to stir up trouble. After all, what good is Wrestlemania without a little Pomp & Circumstance? [non-wrestling fans: Pomp & Circumstance is the music Savage used to enter the ring during his WWF/WWE career.]

On Monday I'll look at the full roster once it is revealed and offer some thoughts on each of the superstars in the game.

Role Models, Sports Stars and the Everyday Working Hero

First some background: I'm a baseball player. I've played baseball every year from 1984 (another post on that year some other time) until 2006 and ached to play it in both 2007 & 2008. Some of my fondest, most cherished memories are from watching ball games with family or playing ball during the spring, summer and fall.

Given that information, it may be surprising to learn that I wasn't surprised at all to find out about the rampant use of steroids in the 1990s and early 2000s. The surprising part about the scandal was that it came from a book written by José Canseco and that anyone was surprised by his claims. Looking around at the sizes of players over the years, the amount of mass put on by players, it seems like everyone tried to ignore the abuse in the hopes it would just go away. One of the problems with cheating and short cuts though, in anything not just sports, is that the longer they go unchecked the more rampant they'll become.

Flash forward to today (February 10th, 2009) to hear a radio talk show talking about why people should care about the stars who used and abused steroids, calling out Alex Rodriguez in particular for being a role model that everyone should be let down by. For the parents of today, looking at his actions on the field and off, if Alex Rodriguez is a role model for your children you're doing something wrong. Likewise for Tie Domi, José Canseco, Kirby Puckett, Rafael Palmeiro and even Roger Clemens. Truthfully I don't know if there are role models in sports anymore for the children of today other than the bit players like John McDonald, nor do I even know if there ever were any role models in the form of "Superstars". Look at Babe Ruth - alcoholic & unfaithful. Ty Cobb - by all accounts one of the meanest players and people ever to play the game of baseball.

So who should be role models for our children? Who should be the ones they look up to and try to emulate. I've said it before, I'll say it now and I'll say it again. The role models for our children should be us. Everyday people who work, pay the bills, take care of their own and help out their neighbours and others. The role models should be the ones who do everything they can to provide for their children and their families, then come home and manage to make time for their wives, their husbands, their children, their siblings and everyone else in their lives. I'm blessed to know a number of these people I would call role models, I work with them and am proud to call a number of them friends.

To all of them, to everyone that inspires me every day by being themselves: Thank you for being one of my role models. For helping me to realize where I want to be with and for my family everyday, and how I want to be with my children when I have them. I don't know how you do it, and I hope and wish for the strength to do the same when my time comes.