Tell Me About Your Fantasy

Well, this year I'm losing my Fantasy virginity. Fantasy Football, that is. I guess I've never really felt the need to go out looking for a league to join, and working with a bunch of women at both Blockbuster and CPS leaves little chance of an office competition. But this year, a couple of friends and several of their friends/relatives/coworkers twice removed had a spot open and I said I'd join. Mike (husband of Stacy, co-worker and close friend of Leah) played in this league last year and repeatedly said stuff like, "It's a lot of fun...You ought to play next year" and went on to tell me how it makes you interested in more teams than just one, and how you can root for opposing things in the same game and all of that.

So, I'm now in a 10-person league, fielding a team called the "Runswith Scissors". Winner of the fantasy Super Bowl gets $150, and consolation prize is $50. If you do the math, you'll see that I'm basically spending 20 bucks to talk smack and probably get picked on by everybody else. But maybe not.

So here are my starters, or at least, who I drafted first to primarily be my starters. Hopefully they'll take me home to glory by early January.

QB - Vince Young, Titans
RB - Larry Johnson, Chiefs
RB - Reggie Bush, Aints
RB - Marshawn Lynch, Bills
WR - Chad Johnson, Bengals
WR - Hines Ward, Steelers
TE - Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs
DE/ST - Chargers
K - Jeff Wilkins, Rams

Good gosh, this thing is serious business. CBS and ESPN both had Fantasy Football specials that I know of, and there might've been others. I counted at least 4 or 5 magazines at Kroger one night dedicated only to Fantasy Football. The likes of Hooters and Buffalo Wild Wings openly market to Fantasy leagues to host their draft party there (which obviously translates to $$$). There are still articles being written on ESPN about teams ease of schedule and how it affects Fantasy scheduling and all of that. I won't show all my cards here in case some of my competition happens upon this blog, but while I don't exactly have visions for hoisting the virtual trophy, I hope that I do well enough to enjoy it and learn from my mistakes.

Blame Game

Gosh, how I hate our culture where everybody makes themselves feel better by pointing the finger and saying, "But it's their fault!" You know, the "if McDonald's wasn't selling those Big Macs, my 8-year old wouldn't weigh 120 lbs" kind of thing.

The latest of which is the tragedy of the Virginia Tech shootings, where some introverted and disturbed young man kills a bunch of people and then, in typical gutless fashion, takes his own life. So now we must have answers! We must create panels and focus groups and spend lots of cash so that we can somehow feel better about blaming somebody.

My take is this: There is ONE person responsible for all of this, and he's now dead. Period. End of discussion. All this crap about "If the university had acted sooner...." is hogwash. I'm sure that VT and lots of universities have lots of things to learn from this tragedy, but you had a sicko mind who probably would've stopped at nothing until he finished doing what he set out to accomplish. The university has even said that a campus-wide "lockdown" would've been impractical and impossible....after all, this isn't your neighborhood elementary school. What would've kept this guy from going to the library or campus eatery or university center or bookstore and doing the same thing that he did in that academics building? Nothing, that's what.

Let's imagine for second that for some strange reason, VT had the cell phone numbers of every student on campus, queued up and ready to go in some super-duper text-messaging software. The freak kills his first two victims, and then the text message goes out to stay in your dorm or whatever because there's been an "incident". What about those people that think it's an isolated incident? Or those whose cell phones are plugged up charging or on vibrate at the bottom of the backback? Or simply didn't believe there was cause for concern? Same with email. You're trying to tell me that every potential target on that campus would've gotten an email within 2 hours of it being sent?

And how many times in these stories have we heard about him being mentally disturbed, but the same news article is forced to use the term "privacy laws." Heck, we now live in a world where a potential employer can't even ask, "What kind of employee was he/she?" to a former boss. I'm not saying that privacy laws are bad, but if wanna keep up this "You will not share this type of information for any reason" thing, then there will be one-off situations like this where the policy caused undesirable circumstances.

This event was a tragedy on all fronts. But it wasn't the fault of the gun shop, the university, the Dean, or anybody else any more than it would be ADT's fault for not more aggressively attempting to sell me an alarm system should my house get broken into.

Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself

Many who know me know that I recently had a foray into motorcycling. Recently sold the bike since it was an expendable, expensive toy. But I'm rather certain I'll own another.

Why do I ride? Yes, there are the stereotypes, and the obvious (and true) factors. You're more vulnerable. Less protected than in a 'cage' that a vehicle provides. But in my opinion, being aware of surroundings and respecting the bike and your abilities all make you a better rider. We're not all wheelie-popping 20-something showoffs who ride to impress (although it IS said that bikes are chick-magnets! LOL).

But really, why do riders ride? The following was written by a forum/message-board member who I didn't know and will never meet. Someone who passed away unexpectedly in 2004. I bet you're saying, "Ahhh...that bike got him...another fatality because those things are, after all, called 'donor-cycles.'" Nope. You see, he passed away at the age of 43 after having a cortizone shot. In his back. Doctor went too far with the needle. Had the shot on a Friday, had excruciating pain on Saturday, and on Sunday decided that something was desperately wrong and he was gonna go back to the doctor. He died on Monday. You know, I bet that he's glad he rode. Wasn't thinking about how dangerous it is, or how selfish he was being by throwing one leg over an 800 cc bike.

So for those who have ever wondered why people ride, I offer the words of the late Zane Schroeder.

Friday night, 11 o'clock. Crazy time to ride, but I wanted to feel the cold air on my face, needed to think. So I needed to ride. Kids were playing video games and oldest daughter was online and chatting with friends. Hell, they wouldn't even really know I was gone, but I told them I'd be back in a bit. Go out to Black Beauty, I swear she could tell we were gonna go out. Have to apply a little choke since I haven't rejetted and it was 50 degrees or so, I remind myself to check into buying the kit. Briman told me what to get. With a couple minutes warm up as I tied on my doo rag, cleaned the clear night glasses, pull on my gloves, a quick check of the bike and off I go. She sounds good tonight. The cold air smells good. Smells like nights in the country when I was a kid. It's amazing the power smells have to make you remember. Things that you haven't thought about in 20, 30, or more years come screaming back into your mind just from some molecules mixed in air. Riding on West Rd I pull up to the light at Hwy 6, hear some laughter, and look over to see a car full of teenage girls. I'm the age of their fathers, but they seemed to think the bike, or the image of a biker, were cool. I nodded and they giggled. I smiled. I like being that guy. Light turns so I headed out down Hwy 6 south........not going anywhere, just going. That's why we ride. Yeah, we ride when we "HAVE" to go somewhere, have to ride in to work, have to ride here because we're supposed to meet someone, have to ride there for some other reason, but the real reason, is to just ride. It's not that destination, it's that ride. Just like life. The destination isn't what we focus on. We focus on "the ride". The "Journey", or as Garth said, "the Dance". So I ride. Now, my mind is slowly being emptied. The stress is leaving, with each exhale, more and more leaves. Not all at once, not instantly, but it's leaving, I can feel it going. I stop in the left lane at a light and in the mirror, I see another bike. He pulls up next to me, in the middle lane. It's a Harley. Looks like a pretty new Night Train, Wide Glide, something along those lines with the skinny front tire, but man does it sound good. I think to myself (and it's been discussed here many times) that I could spend 600 bucks on RoadHouse pipes (or any other pipes for that matter), and my Vol would never sound like that. He looks like a biker. I wonder if I look like that to other bikers. I mean......I have my doo rag on, leather jacket, leather gloves, motorcycle boots, but do I look like a biker? Does it matter? I have to admit, to a part of me inside, yes it does. It does matter that I look the part. I notice he's got a Jesse James type cap on and nod as I looked over and I think, what the hell, and I give him a thumbs up as if to say, "I ride a bike, but I am not afraid to say I think you're bike is way cool". He smiles. He understands sign language. No one else is at the light so I tell him I wished my Volusia sounded like his Harley. He laughs and says it could, and I responded that all it took was money, he smiles and nods. Light turns green and we ride off. I look in my mirror, and he's coming over behind me. The Harley, letting the Volusia take the lead. What's he thinking? Is he just waiting for his time, and then he'll accelerate his Harley, having almost double the engine my Vol's got, and then pass me in contempt? I decide I don't care, I didn't come out to ride seeking a Harley riders approval, I came out to ride because I didn't want to think about stuff. I just wanted to ride. We're moving pretty good now, so I take the left side of the lane, he the right. He's riding right in the mirror so I can see he's there. Staying safely back, but letting me know he's there in case we need to move over. Air is colder here, there's fewer buildings, and more land. More trees. More green, and it's cooler over the land, than over the pavement. We need more green, although we have to have the pavement if we're gonna ride. I'll think more about that later. We go from light to light, changing lanes and passing a slow car, changing lanes again to pass a truck that had terrible exhaust. He's right there. Staying right where he's supposed to, but he's still letting the Volusia lead. The Suzuki is leading the Harley, and he's not too proud to let that happen. He's here for that ride too. Not for anything else. We run 65 mph down Hwy 6 after Groschke or whatever that road is called all the way to I-10. That feels good......the cold air..........I can feel it on my face and it's cold, but that makes me feel alive. I can feel my face cold, but I can feel. I'm not numb. Our lives make us numb. We get up, make coffee, shower, go to work, make a living, go home do husband and dad things and go to bed. The next day, repeat. Numb. It makes us numb. Is he thinking about being numb? Does his life make him feel numb sometimes? When the cold air makes my face cold, when my mind wanders and I think back, and remember a memory from years ago, simply because of something I smell, I'm not numb anymore. Yep, he's still there. We pull up to the feeder road of I-10, downshift, slow a little, downshift again, I really like the way drilled pipes sound downshifting.......I hear that single-pin cranked Harley gurgle and rumble as he downshifts as well and we both come to a stop. I'm alive. So alive. This ride is exactly what I needed. I look over at the Harley Dude, he's smiling. He knows. To top it off, he knows more. More than I give him credit for. Knows more that I give a lot of Harley riders credit for. Grinning, he says, "Thats a really good looking bike". He knew. He knew what I was asking myself. He was asking himself questions too, the same, but from a different perspective. But, now I know...........he's here for the ride too. He just chose a different steed. His iron horse, and mine, aren't all that different. Both metal monsters that let us breathe. Let us smell. Keep us from being numb. It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. "Thanks I say". He nods. Yep, he knows. We share the same secret. The "secret" that all reading this story know. As the light turns green, we pull across the intersection.......he changes lanes and rumbles off. With waves of gloved hands, the Harley Dude and I go our separate ways. We rode together for 10 minutes. But it could have been 10 hrs. It didn't matter. We understood. We're not numb.

Zane "Zookoff" Schroeder Joined: Aug 10, 2002

Oh, the Torture

Leah and I are officially back in the "let's find us a new house" mode, but of course, we now have the task of selling ours. But it still never hurts to casually look at those available homes in the marketplace which would pique our interest. Since Leah has an in-house Realtor(R), she's always making suggestions or finding nominations online via a searchable database (that is essentially a direct data dump from the MLS).

In car terms, we found a practically new vehicle today on a car lot for several thousand bucks less than the Kelley Blue Book, and all it needs is a good run through the car wash and maybe an air freshener.

Yep, we found a foreclosure that's been on the market (this time) for about 2 months. But it was built brand new in 2004, and in mid-2005 was put on the market due to a potential relocation. Some time after 2 different listing agents and 3 listing contracts, the bank came a' calling and presumably showed them the street.

So we have a 3 year old house (in an area that we wouldn't mind being in), whose only problem is stale air due to lack of circulation, some dust and spider webs, and I think Leah and I counted 2 mild stains on the carpet. 3 BR, 2 BA. Tiled kitchen, unfinished bonus room, his/her closets in the master bath, nice fixtures, cool plant ledges....and the current asking price is $12K less than the dude paid for it 3 years ago. In an neighborhood of a bit larger houses, it seems. So we'll keep an eye on it. Maybe David Copperfield can make it disappear like he did the Statue of Liberty several years ago.....

Things About Me, 1 - ??

Ok, so I know that Jeff's done it, so has Scott, and now Jennifer bursts back onto the blogging scene doing it. When I first starting reading them, I remember thinking, "Good gosh, I doubt very seriously that I could come up with 100 things about myself to write." Call me modest, call me boring....call me SOMETHING. But as I read Jen's, I started coming up with a few of my own. So let's see where this goes, shall we? I can't promise 100, or even 50, but maybe I'll get going and won't be able to stop. What exactly do you know about Eric C. Russell?

1. Was born Wednesday, March 28, 1973--6 weeks premature. Weighed 5 lbs, 14 oz and had severe jaundice; didn't get to go home with my mom and spent lots of time under bright lights.

2. I could've been the youngest of two kids--My mom miscarried a baby prior to having me (she miscarried another prior to my brother being born).

3. I became a Notary Public in March 2003, and my current commission expires 2/23/11.

4. I was 'valedictorian' of my 7th and 8th grade class, an honor I would've no doubt retained had I stayed at Raleigh Egypt, thus firmly establishing Scott's role as my lifelong inferior. But now he has letters after his name and I don't.

5. My first car was a 1967 Mustang coupe that I got for my 16th birthday. 2nd car was a 1986 Mustang LX convertible that I bought on my own. 36 months @ $216/mo.

6. In 8th grade, I frequently cried in frustration when attempting Algebra homework. I guess the logic of 3x + 3y = 12 and 4x - 2y = 10 just didn't 'click'. (x = 3 and y = 1, in case you're wondering).

7. I'm a certified SCUBA diver. Did my classroom and pool time while at Vanderbilt, and did my certification dives locally with The Dive Shop at Greers Ferry lake in Heber Springs, AR. Haven't been diving since. Good think the certification is for life.

8. I once held a student pilot's license and logged 8 or 10 hours of flight. My instructor was too busy trying to get hours and advance his career to get little ole me more flight time, so the license expired 3 years after issuance.

9. My first kiss was on a church bus. Actually, on a charter bus returning home from a church trip.

10. I can juggle. Not 10 rings like those freaks at the circus, but the standard 3, thank you.

11. In high school, I placed 4th in Memphis and 8th in Tennessee on the National Spanish Exam.

12. I've been in 2 major auto accidents in my lifetime. The first, in 1990, was a virtual head-on collision caused by somebody trying to beat traffic against a green light. I escaped with a contusion of the nose which by all estimation should've been broken. In the 2nd, I was turning left and was t-boned by a 17-year old who was speeding down Walnut Grove and had been drinking (police report said, "judgment impaired."). I was extricated using the the jaws of life, and I had a broken left collar bone, compound fracture of my right tibia, as well as a fractured fibula. Yes, the metal rod is still in there and is lots of fun at airports.

13. I alphabetize my CD collection, first by artist (last name, first) and then album title. Not because I'm some OCD freak, it just seems the most logical way to find one that I'm looking for amongst a collection of 200+.

14. I utterly despise turnip/mustard greens and steamed cabbage.

15. My first job was at the age of 14, working at the Mid-South Coliseum, walking around yelling, "Popcorn, peanuts!". Commission was $.10 per item.

16. My first W-2 issuing job was as a bagger at Kroger. Started there making $3.50/hr and 3 or 4 weeks later was promoted to checker.

17. I shook hands with First Lady Barbara Bush in Nashville in 1992.

18. I didn't learn to swim until my dad and step-mom bought their house in Bartlett with the pool. I remember taking swimming lessons as a kid, but something never clicked. I would kick and move my arms and nothing happened. One day, I guess I got it all together.

19. I had a 24" 10-speed bike (as opposed to the standard 26") because I was too short.

20. I have never smoked, or dipped, and didn't drink an ounce of alcohol until I had turned 21.

Whew...20! That wasn't so bad. Stay tuned for more!

Missions Possible

Leah and I are blessed to go to a church that is very much missions-minded. In addition to 2 local mission churches, we also have numerous mission trip opportunities on a yearly basis. In 2007 alone, Faith Baptist has or will have sent mission teams to every continent except Antarctica. We even have flags hanging in our building of every country that we as a church have been to....I don't know exactly how many there are, but it's an impressive display.

Anyway, recently on Sunday nights, there have been reports from some of these mission teams that have recently returned. The reports have ranged from testimony and pictures to fully edited video. In recent weeks, reports have been given from a World Changers trip to Alaska, as well as an orphanage-visiting team in Guatemala and a medical and evangelism squad in Brazil. What got to me the most was a 74-year old woman, who really wanted to go to Brazil (a $2500 trip, btw) and tell little kids about Jesus. In her words, she said she prayed for God to tell her if she was supposed to...."I told Him that if he didn't answer me, I was gonna go anyway." Now at her age, she could probably provide a laundry list of excuses as to why she wasn't fit for a trip like that. ..But she stood at that podium and said that as long as she can walk, she's gonna go back to Brazil.

Which got me thinking. I've done 2 mission trips with the Merton youth to Petoskey, MI and one trip with the Vanderbilt BSU to the Bronx, NY. But I really don't think that somewhere along the way, God said, "Sit back and rest on your laurel, dude....3 trips is plenty--give somebody else the chance to step up."

So I found one of our associate pastors after church last night and asked him about how far in advance these trips are planned. He asked me if I had any location that God was laying on my heart. Nope...but I do speak Spanish pretty well so maybe something in Central or South America would fit me. The only thing that would be standing in my way at this point would be a U.S. Passport. The rest....the ability to raise funds, arranging time off of work, leaving my family for a short time...would all be in God's hands.

And that Spanish thing....He asked me if I'd be willing to teach a class, kind of along the line of a discipleship time frame, that would introduce the language to people who might be interested in mission trips to Spanish-speaking countries or simply those who wanna learn a few words. He was the leader for the Guatemala trip and his son went with him. They recently bought a pricey tutorial kit because his son was smitten with the culture and language, and he thought it would make a great basis for an intro class.

Kinda funny how God works on you with stuff like this, huh?

Time For a Change

Interviewed for a new job today . . . sort of.

I've been a licensed Affiliate Broker since July of 2002, and have spent my entire real estate (albeit part time) 'career' with one company: Crye-Leike. CL has been around the Memphis area for a long time and is without question the market leader in the Mid-South area. But as in any big vs small debate, be it grocery store or metropolitan area or real estate company, you will undoubtedly find out that some people are best suited for one while others find themselves at home at the other.

So, today I interviewed with another company, but I pretty much had my mind made up (based on phone conversation I'd already had with one of the brokers) that I was gonna make the switch unless something just earth-shattering changed my mind. It didn't. So now I've gotta get signatures from both parties, pay a couple of different entities for the right to switch, and all will be said and done. And we'll see where it takes us.

I've definitely learned a bunch in the last 5 years. I actually think I enjoy helping people BUY houses better than I do listing them. Yes, it's more time and probably more mileage on the ole vehicle, but much is expected of a listing agent in the way of marketing bucks and all of that, and sometimes sellers just can't understand why people aren't lining up to buy their home. I've learned not to take things too personal, which is something I believe I'll always struggle with. By my estimation, I've missed out on over $8,000 in commissions because family members have used another agent for whatever reason. Maybe I need to change toothpaste or something.

But on the other hand, I've helped 3 engaged or newly married couples buy their first home, I've listed 2 different houses that closed within about 30 days, and I've met a great family from the other side of the state who found a listing of mine on the internet (they didn't buy my listing, but I did help them find a house!). And don't forget the house of my senior prom date (who dumped me on my derrier before I went off to college), which got me feet wet in the business.

So, look for the unveiling of a new postcard or business card sometime soon. Hopefully I'll get a chance at some new revenue streams with the new company (e.g., relocation leads, foreclosure listing, etc) and the portion of my ego that is connected to my real estate business can experience an upswing.

I think there are a lot of misconceptions about Realtors that some of us take for granted....Maybe I'll revisit that at another time. Most of us can offer services that you might not expect, and we'd love the opportunity to help (and yes, maybe even make a bit of money doing it). For example, if your co-worker is moving to Bumbletree Falls, ID and has no idea how he's gonna find a house, most Realtors can provide simple information to a referral network and have someone from the new area contact them to make the process easier.

We don't all drive Cadillacs and Mercedes, and a lot of us don't make a kazillion dollars every year. Real estate is an expensive business to stay current in, but the people that are in it for the right reasons do it because they love people and love helping those people by providing expertise on an often complex process that is emotional, legal, financial, and everything in between.