Flash Mob for Mrs. Palubeski

Today, I saw the most inspirational story of a community (more specifically, Red Bluff High School students) come together to lift up one of their own. Here's the story:

about 5 months ago, Betsy Palubeski (teacher at RBUHS) was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. She underwent treatment and came back home on monday January 31st after being gone for over three months. The story is that when her treatment was done, the nurses sang "Zippededoodaa zippededay My oh My what a wonderful day". Quite a song to hear when you've just been told "Your cancer is gone".

Enter monday... Cindy Haase (another teacher at RBUHS) asked the high school band if they could learn the song and then today (friday) mob together with the rest of the school and march to the front of Mrs. Palubeskis house and welcome her home. I didn't hear about his until one of the members of the bank posted on his FB page about what was going to happen. Well, I got on the horn to KRCR channel 7 and KNVN/KHSL and both were able to make it. While their videos are a lot nicer than mine, I still made a mash up of what I recorded.

To say that being proud of the students would be an understatement. To say that the faculty that made it happen are awesome is an understatement. Simply, this was one helluva start to 2011 for students, teachers, observers, and Mrs. Palubeski. Here's the video that I shot. Share it, make people aware of cancer and early detection. Get involved with Relay for Life, donate platelets and blood, get on the bone marrow registry. DO SOMETHING. I don't have deep pockets, but i've got a big heart. I can't donate much money, but I can certainly donate time.



Mrs. P's husband also recorded a video and shared on Facebook. you can click HERE to go watch it. He's got a point... There aren't many places on earth that can do something this cool. Red Bluff, Ca is one of those places. This isn't just a great place to live, it isn't just a great place to raise a family. It's a place to become part of a BIG family. One that I have been part of for my entire life. It makes me proud to say that I am Red Bluffian Through and Through.

Here's where I call everyone to action: If you have defeated cancer, know someone who has, and ESPECIALLY if you know someone who has succumbed their battle to cancer, PLEASE, PLEEEAAASE find a cause to help support and donate to. Me personally, Relay For Life. I am hoping to raise $1000 this year. I raise $1000 and I will dye my hair purple and pink. I want to rid this horrible disease from this planet and want to celebrate more birthdays with friends who have kicked cancers butt and told it to never come back again. If you want to donate, click HERE. If you want to get involved, please email me justin.iiams@gmail.com and I will make sure you get in touch with the right people. Lets Save the TaTa's and Kill Cancer!

The Nice Guy

I'm Pissed!

This post may be a little out of character, but not often do I get riled about something negative that I want to blog about it. Tonight isn't the case.

I attended my first Red Bluff City Council Meeting tonight. There was only one part that bothered me and it was this: The Red Bluff Tehama County Chamber of Commerce was asking the City Council to approve of inserting a flyer in the utilities bill to "Support small business and shop local". Nothing super duper fancy, just a gentle reminder to help our local economy and support the small businesses that are trying to survive this economy. There were 4 yes votes and one no vote.

Needless to say, I was PISSED! I said on Facebook "CMON MAN!" It was directed at city council member Daniele Jackson but since we aren't friends on Facebook, I don't know if she'll see that. So afterwards I asked her "Why did you vote no?" She said "because it was too vague and there wasn't anywhere to put a local business to support" OK, well a couple minutes before the vote, the council asked the specific question "Will any business be mentioned or just a vague "shop local" kind of thing?" The chamber replied that it would be vague because if someone wasn't given the chance to put an ad in, there could be legal ramifications. I get that.

So it was decided to approve the request for the chamber however, every flyer had to be approved by the city manager. Fine, that works for me. But what really bothered me was that Ms. Jackson had the chance to further the discussion but she didn't. What bothered me even further was the fact that IF businesses were allowed to put in a business card size ad, there is only enough space on an 8 1/2 - 11 Flyer. So here's where the problem would lie IF businesses could pay to be on the flyer. 1) every business wants a piece but only a set amount (roughly 10) would be able to buy an ad each month. SO, first come first serve? Yeah that's gunna go over like a fart in church. Make it to where if you put the ad in once, you can't do it again for the year unless an opening occurs? Nope, that won't fly either. So then problem #2 arises. 2) if everyone wants to join in, then does it become a bidding war? If so, then WalMart will get dibs, Car dealers will get dibs, and other BIG businesses who have a large bankroll get dips and thus ruining the WHOLE IDEA of shopping locally. So what does that leave us with?

Here's my solution: The flyer would say this: "The Red Bluff Tehama County Chamber of Commerce encourages everyone to Shop Locally!" Period, Done, the End, FIN. That is a business card ad right there. And here's the kicker... The Chamber said they would pay for any extra charges that occurred for postage! So to me, this is a win-win-win. Small businesses get more support, the Chamber does their job, and the city doesn't pay a dime for it.

Yes, I understand they approved it. But why not ask those questions? It was my first time and didn't know the protocol for asking questions otherwise I would have. But isn't that why we have a city council? For them to think of those questions before hand? They see the agenda.

Anyways, Here's something that politicians don't do very often or at all. If Daniele reads this little blog from a guy in Faaaar Northern California, Please accept my apology for sounding like an ass on facebook. I thank you for giving me a direct and honest answer to my question when I asked it. I don't like having Foot in Mouth syndrome, but I know how to apologize when i've been a jerk and tonight I was. With that, Please forgive me for speaking and assuming before asking to get clarification. It won't happen again.

Kindly,

The Nice Guy.

a guy who knows about a community

I grew up in a small town. I returned to that small town (Red Bluff, Ca) back in 2004 after my 4 year contract with the US Navy. Since returning home, I've met hundreds of people who make a great impact in the Community. From sports organizations to non profits to your everyday heroes that help a small town stay alive and in our case, thrive.

About six months ago, I was sent a friend request by a dog... Yes a dog. His name? Kaiser Von Hindlick... I got the notice on my phone and at first glance, I thought this was some kind of spam account or something even worse. To my surprise, when I got home, I got on the computer and checked the account out. The dog's owner, Dan Mabry, sent me a friend request shortly after. From first glance, Dan seemed to be just an average guy who had a funny sense of humor. However, after a few weeks, I realized he was much more than "average".

And so now over the past 6 months or so, I've seen Dan jump head first into the topics and problems that face our local community. We had a missing teenager, and he spent his days and nights tirelessly asking people to get the word out. Missing dogs, homes lost to fires, home insurance rates skyrocketing because of ISO ratings.... You name it, if its a problem for our local community, he's there trying to find a solution for it. He's a Rudy. To him, no problem is too big if you get enough people involved. He isn't pushy in trying to get people to purchase insurance through him. He's too busy trying to make a real difference in the area.

About two months ago, he shared a story of a neighbor who had been battling with Wells Fargo. The story goes that his neighbor had reached a deal with Wells Fargo Mortgage and weeks after the "Deal", she was served with a foreclosure notice. Being the hero that Dan is, he hopped on the horn and shared the information of the CEO of Wells Fargo along with email, fax, and phone numbers for the office of the CEO.

I have had many conversations with Dan, and I consider myself lucky to have met him and his lovely wife Debi, and their awesome dog Kaiser. If there were a photo in the dictionary next to the word Local Hero, Dan's face would be there. If you have a chance, swing by his page and say hi. Send a friend request to his dog who responds with "ARRF", and see just how much of a difference this man is doing in our community. I wish everyone had a man like Dan in their community.

Happy New year everyone!

For those who aren't home with us

During the four years I spent in the Navy, I was fortunate enough to be able to spend every Christmas and every Thanksgiving home with my family. However, for hundreds of thousands of troops, sailors, and airmen, they aren't able to be home with their families.

During Christmas, please take a moment to appreciate your family. Appreciate that they home with you and not in a foreign land protecting our country. Give your spouse and kids extra hugs and kisses, hug your parents and if you still have Grandparents, sit with them and listen to the stories they tell. I miss my grandparents dearly and wish I would have sat and listened more to them. When I was deployed, I wished I would have told my loved ones how much I adored them and cared for them.

And so, this Christmas, I will be overly sappy, quick to forgive, and slow to anger. For I have everything I need. Family. I have a special surprise for my loved ones this year. I will record it and share it after Christmas for everyone to see.

I wish you all a VERY Merry Christmas, a Happy safe, and prosperous new year! Lets head into 2011 Ready to Rock and Roll!

Endurance

Yesterday I began my journey of running. Yeah, that kind of torture that you do when you walk fast. I'm fairly certain that during the Spanish Inquisition, they made people run as a form of torture. Anyways, talking about torture isn't the purpose today. Endurance is.

I've never been an endurance kind of runner. Sprinter, yes. I've got a collection of medals and ribbons from school when I sprinted. That's another reason why I was one helluva Goalie in soccer. However, I never had endurance to run more than a few miles without feeling like I was going to die. I've realized that endurance spans across more than just physical boundaries too. I would like to think I have good mental and emotional endurance. I've always been the shoulder for someone to lean on or cry on when they needed it.

A couple days ago, I watched the series finale of Little People Big World on TLC. I've watched this show since it started. I was amazed to see this man (Matt Roloff) who is literally half my size, take on the world and become a successful businessman. He took a ranch with nothing on it to an attraction in Oregon. I was equally amazed to see his wife Amy fearlessly take on the world and take hurdles in stride. I remember an episode where she was grocery shopping and the item she needed was on the top shelf. She didn't go ask for help... She CLIMBED the racks to get what she wanted. I remember thinking to myself "That woman is awesome!" I have looked up to her ever since.

So yesterday, I knew I wasn't going to be able to run a marathon, but I knew I would be able to run some kind of distance. well, within less than a quarter mile, I was certain that I was on the verge of death. I was about to send up the smoke signal, call 911, confirm my last will and testament, and die on the side of the road. But then, I realized that's now what the Roloffs would do. I kept pushing on. I didn't run a mile in 4 minutes... It took me 14 minutes to run 1.1 miles. but hey, it's a start.

And then last night, I was watching The Biggest Loser (yes, I know, I watch too much TV. I'm working on it!) I saw a woman who was once 260+lbs run a marathon in less than 5 hours. I watched two men both who were oncer over 300 lbs run it. So now, I know I can do it! Today, one and a half miles down. Yes, it will be a long struggle to get back into shape and prepare for a half marathon and even a full marathon. But I will do it.

so stay tuned, I plan on writing with more frequency as I run. I will probably start taking pictures of the places that I run and maybe take some videos while I'm out there. I will most likely be a heaping ball of sweat, but hey, it will be honest. Yes, I will expand my endurance to 26.2 miles and see if I manage not to die along the way!

And if there are any runners out there with advice, PLEASE, share it! I am gunna need all the help I can get!

Veterans day by a Veteran

Ten years ago, When someone would say "Veteran" I thought of some grey haired man telling war stories. I never would have imagined myself being a veteran. It's still weird sometimes to say "Yes, I'm a Veteran".

Anyways, that's not really the reason for this post. It's to say Thank You to those who have served our great country. It's to say Thank You to businesses that support our service members and Veterans on Veterans Day and every other day of the Year.

Here is a list of businesses that honor those who have Honored our county with their service:

Applebees is giving away a free meal to all veterans and service members.

Need2Speed in Redding, Ca is doing a promotion for Veterans. Click HERE to see their deal.

Chili's, Golden Corral, Outback, Logans, Marie Calendars, and Home depot are doing various promotions across the country.

Steve Barnes Painting gives a 10% discount Year round. Click HERE to see their deals.

This is just a very small list that I was able to gather today. If you know of other businesses that offer deals or discounts to Veterans, please share that in the comments!

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Now that is taken care of, I want to share some thoughts and ideas about Veterans that have been on my mind recently:

On Veterans Day, NO Veteran should have to work unless they want to. It's one day out of the year. Managers, small business owners, employers... Take a moment to thank any veterans that work for you. Thank them for your right to have a profitable business and the freedom to conduct that business.

On Veterans Day, Unless you are doing a promotion for Veterans or service members, either take the day off and attend a ceremony or simply close the store for one day with a sign "In observation of Veterans Day, we will not be open."

On Veterans Day, every person you see with a Veteran bumper sticker, hat, pin, or anything else indicating they served our Country, Stop what you are doing say "Thank You", and shake their hand. It takes less than ten seconds. If you have kids, make sure they say thank you as well.

On Veterans Day, realize that there are wives who don't have a husband coming home to them anymore. There are children who don't have a mom or dad anymore. There are parents who had to bury their child. There are brothers and sisters who only have a picture to hold and look at instead of being able to touch the face of a brother or sister who gave their life for our Country.

Lastly, on Veterans Day, take just one minute to say a prayer for those who haven't made it home yet. Pray for the quick and safe return of our everyday heroes who make our life a little bit easier each and every day.

As we said in the Navy, "May you have fair winds, and following seas".

Underdogs and Misfits

I was born and raised on the west coast. In Northern California, Giants fans are prevalent without a doubt. However, Giants pride diminished over the past 15 years. I think it started with Will Clark leaving. He was the proverbial Giant in my eyes. He was a nice guy, a team player, and he also played the same position as me... First base.
But then, something bad happened... Barry Bonds showed up. Have you seen the before and after photos of him? When he played for the Pirates, he was a itty bitty thang. and after he stole the single season record and the all time HR record, he looks like one huge muscle with a tiny head on top.

Barry Bonds put such a bad taste in my mouth for not only the Giants, but baseball too. He cheated. There is no gray area here either. He took drugs that gave him an unfair advantage against those other players who stayed on the straight and narrow. Needless to say, I quit rooting for the Giants and quit watching baseball.

But then, something strange, unusual, and wonderful happened.... We have a long haired pitcher who wears a bow tie, and another pitcher who looks like Zach Galifianakis. Who would have thought that a bunch of misfits and underdogs would win the world series??? I won't lie and say I did.

BUT, somehow, they won. What was it? Teamwork? yep! Determination? yep! a team that wasn't tainted by steroids? OH YEAH!!!

Needless to say, I love baseball again, I love the Giants again. Maybe this time around, sports can gain they awesomeness by taking a good look at who the Giants are and why they won. Now the wait until the next season starts. Until then, enjoy watching football basketball, and hockey! Go Kings! GO Sharks! eh crap, go... niners and raiders? Sigh