I’m one of those guys that loves trivia. I have no idea why, but I consider a gift. My wife, on the other hand, tends to think of it as a curse. For instance, last night while driving home from dinner, Kaitlyn, our eight year old, announced from the back seat that she would very much like for her mother to turn the radio on. In all honesty, her request wasn’t as cordial as I described, but I’m trying to be polite. If you’re reading this, and you have kids, you’ll know they can be proper as royalty when in the presence of others, but when it’s just their parents and/or siblings, their social filter tends to be turned off. So, a song comes on, [Read more…] about Bet You Didn’t Know All This Stuff About August
It’s Never Too Late To Become Independent
Hey Readers! Can you believe this weekend is already July 4th? I guess it’s true what they say—the older you get the faster time passes. At this rate we’ll be talking about ringing in the New Year in a week or two! I remember when I was in my late teens, a year felt like, well, a year. I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I figured I had enough time to come up with something. As you may recall from previous posts, I ended up taking a job in college at the local movie theater that earned me just enough to help pay rent, buy a few text books and to eat three square meals of fast food, pizza and ramen noodles a day. I thought I was on top of the world, making enough money to scrape by every month, confident in the knowledge that I was in charge of my life. Independence Day was every day in my 19 year old universe. But then the bottom fell out… [Read more…] about It’s Never Too Late To Become Independent
Learn More About The Second Chance Act: An Interview With Attorney Rodney Rose
Last week I was very happy to write about The Second Chance Act, legislation that offers non-violent offenders the opportunity to have their criminal record expunged in order to help them find gainful employment. I have to say, this ground-breaking bill can literally change lives—and already has—which is what Horizon Goodwill is all about! Recently, I had the opportunity to discuss the details of The Second Chance Act with Attorney Rodney Rose, Horizon Goodwill Industries’ Director of Regulatory Compliance and In-House Council, who actually helped write new verbiage to be added later this year within the existing bill. I suggest you take a few minutes to read what Attorney Rose had to say regarding The Second Chance Act, Horizon Goodwill’s Legal Expungement Assistance Program (LEAP)and how both are helping to improve the unemployment rate in Washington County. [Read more…] about Learn More About The Second Chance Act: An Interview With Attorney Rodney Rose
There Is Such A Thing As A Second Chance
In last week’s article, “The Lessons Our Fathers Teach Us”, I mentioned second chances. I think we would all agree, everyone has had a lapse in judgement at one point or another, usually in our younger years before we realized the negative consequences our actions can have. Imagine, just for a second, how would your life be today if you were caught and charged for stealing that stop sign at the corner of 5th of Main? Your friends thought it would be a cool idea, and it would look amazing hanging on your bedroom wall—but what if that missing sign caused a horrible traffic accident? Not such a cool souvenir now. Remember that graduation party? You know the one, where you had a few too many beers but decided you could still drive, and somehow made it home, but for the life of you, there is no recollection of actually being in the car. What could have happened? Pretty scary… [Read more…] about There Is Such A Thing As A Second Chance
You’ve Never Seen A Hearse With A Trailer Hitch For A Reason
I’ve always had an eclectic taste in music with the exception of thrash metal, hip-hop and, well, country. It’s not that I despise those genres, I can find something that appeals to me in each of them, it’s just there are so many other types of music that gets me going and only so many hours in the day. I just might get flamed for this, but I never really cared for the headache inducing sounds of Metallica, or the rhyming styles of Run D.M.C. As far as country goes, I do have a soft place in my heart for Johnny Cash thanks to my father, and I guess I can listen to Willie Nelson when the spirit moves me, but it’s just not my thing. Hey, everyone has different tastes—that’s what makes the world go round after all. But I did hear a pretty catchy song today by Kristian Bush that just may have me changing my ways. In order to explain how I found myself actually not only enjoying this particular song and artist, but even prepared to give the singer my seal of approval, first I have to explain my convoluted theory of music. [Read more…] about You’ve Never Seen A Hearse With A Trailer Hitch For A Reason
The Horizon Goodwill Awards Dinner—An Eye Opening Experience
This past Wednesday, my wife and I attended Horizon Goodwill’s 60th Annual Awards Dinner, our first time having just moved to the area from Pittsburgh a little less than a year ago. We were both so moved by the event that I felt compelled to dedicate this week’s blog to our experience, sharing what we learned about this incredible organization, the spirit of community and yes, my disappointment about choosing the wrong week to start my diet. [Read more…] about The Horizon Goodwill Awards Dinner—An Eye Opening Experience