Some Common But Creative Mid Week Activities To Try

There are those folks that work on weekends for various reasons: school, or the career field they are in. Or, you may work during the week and want to do more than be on your smartphone or watch TV. Being that I have pulled weekend shifts in the past and have had time off during two and three day stretches, it forces one to be more creative when finding fun activities going on. Here are a few suggestions.

1. Local community/church/college activities.

Check the newspapers and the online calendars. Many of these places have shows, plays, open mics and such during the week.

2. Exercise

Many gyms have active classes during the week, and around in the community. Also, when it's warm out, you can walk, jog or run.

3. Movies

4. Sporting events (youth to professional).

5. Concerts

6. Doctor's appointments, dealing with errands.

These are things that you wouldn't have time to do on a normal week. However, if you're not preoccupied during the week, you can use this time to complete those duties.

7. Volunteer work, including after school tutoring and mentoring.

8. Shopping

9. Taking a casual drive.

10. Trying out restaurants in other cities.

Restaurants aren't usually as packed during this time and often offer good deals. For example, Ruby Tuesdays allows kids 10 and under to eat for free on Tuesdays.

Hope this helps fill the time during the week (which may be your weekend.)

Do you currently do some of these activities? What are some other ones you would add to this list?

Five Years Of Writing: Where Has The Time Went

It's extremely hard to believe I decide to start blogging five years ago on April 18, 2010.  I feel grateful for my loyal readers and all of the support I have received along the way. It has definitely been quite a ride.

It seemed it took forever for me to start blogging and to stay focused with it. Now it's like second nature and I strive to have good topics of discussion weekly. This is why I named it "random intelligence and such". I may have started out with reviewing sweet teas, but I have covered many topics, people, places and areas. Sports, love, music, entertainment, food, other writers, and most anything popular. I even have my bi-annual awards pieces, highlighting the stupidity and injustices throughout the year.

I have researched, studied and worked to improve as a writer, and grow my avenues beyond writing. Some things to expect are a couple of e-books, more online publications, some public speaking engagements and many more. I simply love reading and writing, and I want to do it as much as I can. 

This is also a thank you to Blogger for allowing me to keep my posts going for this long. Patience is a virtue and it has carried me through my writings.

Continue to support me as I push forward. Happy 5th Birthday Drew's World Of Random Intelligence and Such!

Playing God Is Serious Business: Know When To Say When

Many of us like to take risks in life, push our luck. Often we may not realize how daring we are being. Please believe, there is a difference between being bold and being a buffoon.

Basically, you don't want to put your life in danger or shorten your life span. We do have free will and a set destiny, including our eventual death date. Nevertheless, why make life harder on ourselves?

Professional athletes may be some of the worst offenders. Take Kobe Bryant for example. He has had several surgeries on various parts of his body, the last two have been season ending on his knee. He has hardly been a factor in the NBA as of late. He already has five championships, several records, Olympic gold medals, and millions of dollars, not to mention a loving wife and two lovely daughters. Kobe should seriously not play God and think seriously about retiring.

Peyton Manning was at a similar crossroads three years ago. He could have been paralyzed. He did his due diligence, rehabbed hard and sought every professional opinion before coming back. He's still planning on playing at age 39 since he continues to pass routine physicals and stay healthy. Patrick Willis announced his retirement today. He decided for himself and his family that testing God and his own athletic prowess wasn't an option.

I have been faced with this several times in my life. I do lead a very healthy lifestyle but I still take risks. A year ago, I entered an eating contest where I ate a giant burger in under 30 minutes. This was a one time thing and I was full for days. I also run and have a half marathon around the corner. I was reminded today about running too close to the road and the sidewalk. My running style has allowed me to avoid injury and accidents over the years. But it still got me to thinking. I want to stay as safe as possible. The only routes I currently run on are those with back roads and little traffic or running trails with at least a sidewalk. Since I am doing more outside running now, these safety measures will continue to improve.

So use good judgment in your life and don't think the Good Lord is automatically going to bail you out because you make a foolish choice. Trust Him, trust yourself and use good reasoning and common sense.

What are some ways that you have tested and played God? Do you think that even when you make poor decisions, God always protects you?

Hashtag Knowledge: #thisishowyoushouldusethissocialmediatool

Many use hashtags regularly in this social media driven world. It started with Twitter when hashtagging catchphrases,  trending topics,  talking about sports, television shows, and your favorite teams became popular.  Now you see these tags on all three of the major social networks: Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram. Also, they're getting too long and out of hand. People are using entire sentences now and excessive tags in a post. It's become messy and clique'.

Here are some discrete ways to use hashtags in your social media posts and otherwise. 

1. Short but sweet.

You need not use one long as a summer day, as the example in the title. Use a buzzword or two that gets right to the point. Try quick phrases instead of whole, run-on sentences that have your former English teachers feeling embarrassed. Now I find it interesting that people use shorthand and slang regularly, but can suddenly construct a complete sentence within a hashtag. That seems odd and backwards to me.

2. Less is more.

In my post about Instagram last year, I touched on this point. Use five or less tags. Better yet, try to keep it to about three. More than five makes the post seem messy and distracting. It's almost like a cry for attention when you have about 50 long tags #really #attentionwhore #unnecessary #seewhatIdid #hotmess

3. Make them meaningful and catchy.

The original intent behind these was to further the social networking process. This is why when you watch a TV program,  you see a tag on the bottom of the screen. That gives you a starting point right there.  Now be creative and come up with some quick ones that grab attention and apply to many folks and your post. Examples are #workflow,  #turnup (which I despise) #God, #awesomeness #happy, and #epicfail. Use your emotions and your words.

4. Don't use them in a serious post or a remorseful one

Even hashtags have their place. If the post is one of a serious tone, perhaps you shouldn't be drawing attention away from it.  One colorful may not do harm, but it could be best to refrain from them all together. 

5. Don't get so obsessed with them that you are having entire conversations with them.

I have a longtime friend who I do this with for kicks. Nevertheless, try not to do this on a social media platform. Regular words do not go out of style,  and remember what the actual purpose of a hashtag is. It is intended to draw attention towards a certain topic, nog away from the discussion at hand.

Happy hashtagging! 

Do you use hashtags in your social networking?  How often and how long are your tags typically?

Properly Choosing A Sports Team To Root For

We all have various and often unorthodox reasons why we root for the sports teams that we do. It could be family related,  the local team,  your favorite athlete,  or you simply like their colors and logo.

Now if you're confused on which team to root for in any sport,  no worries. I'm here to help you with unbiased pointers.

1. Don't jump on the bandwagon. 

If you go for the teams that are winning right now, you may be sorely disappointed.  Every team has a down year, or decade. It seems exciting and popular to root for the hot team and to rock that gear, but believe me, a true fan it will not make.

2. Look outside your area code and zip code

Don't feel obligated to cheer for the local team. Find a team that fits your needs, persona, and you will want to stick with long term. This should be a team that will make you love the sport more. 

3. Evaluate your requirements for a team

Yes you should have these. Here are some sample ones. They should be a consistent winner,  not necessarily a consistent champion (although that is nice). Your squad should be a tough,  gritty and rebellious one. The team should be one that defies all odds to overcome and win. They have a strong, loyal fan base for years. A rich history is nice and important.  Also, a good sports town (not necessarily a major media market) can be key. Either way,  know what you want and like to see, and go with that.

4. Don't feel the pressure of family and friends

They can have you all twisted up like "we've all been Cowboys and Lakers fans for decades". Go against the grain, and be the black sheep by choosing the team that no one else you know cheers for. Think of this: ten years ago, how many Clippers fans were there? Given all of the recent controversy, they are no longer team B in Los Angeles. 

5. Be true to your school

If it's a college team or a pro team with many players that went to your alma mater, this is an easier decision.  Therefore, be a proud alumnus and root for your school. This also eliminates having to root for different schools in different sports.

Why did you choose to root for your favorite sports teams? Do you consider yourself a bandwagoner? How do you feel about your local team?

Locker Room Culture Throughout Sports

There are just a few weeks left in football at all levels. The NFL, and the Miami Dolphins has a locker room hazing and bullying scandal so extreme it would take Olivia Pope to fix.

Many out there are familiar with this Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin saga that continues to develop and unfold daily.  There are many schools of thought, suggestions, excuses, and remedies.

My question is this: why are we not looking at the locker room of the Miami Dolphins?

Often when something like this happens on a sports team, especially a professional one, there's a lot of dysfunction and a lack of leadership in the locker room.

I have played sports, and I will tell you the locker room encompasses a variety of things.  Confidentiality.  Teamwork. Unity. Fun. Game planning. Harmless playing around and bantering occurs at every level in every team sport. Usually when it gets out of hand, it's up to the team leaders and captains to settle it on site.  The objective is not to let anyone outside of the team find out what is going on: no coaches, no family members, and definitely no media.  The unwritten rule is to go to the coaches only when it is at such a dangerous and harmful magnitude.

It appears the Miami Dolphins failed on all of these counts.

Now the coaches I had were in tune with their locker rooms. That was mostly because of careful observation and good leadership.  The Phins are going to have to develop these traits in order to repair this mess.

I saw a nearby high school team become ruined recently due to extreme hazing in the locker room. It leaked to parents and the outside media and the fallout equaled that of an earthquake. Nearly a dozen guys were thrown off the team, and the jayvee squad was dissolved and promoted to varsity.  A year later, the head coach left. Up until late this football season, this team had a losing streak dating before that debacle. 

Will the Dolphins have something similar happen? Yes many can agree that Martin could and should have handled it better. Incognito should never been allowed on the team again. However, it starts from the bottom up. The proper leadership must be developed to prevent this behavior going forward.  Incognito has had a horrible disciplinary record since his college days. He would not survive in a stable, functional locker room.

Many athletes know how locker rooms can and should be. The consensus is you want peace, comfort and tranquility. This is how you build a winner, and keep the media from reporting on you, night and day.

Let's hope sports teams everywhere learn from the Dolphins, especially in this anti-bullying era.

Merging GHS and BHS: The Unbiased Pros And Cons

It's almost time for another school year to begin.  In Cherokee County,  SC, this past school year had a tumultous ending. There were several budget issues, which prompted board member Alan McEntire to make some proposals. One of the ones that drew the most attention was merging Blacksburg High School, Gaffney High School and the Cherokee Technology Center into one school. There was also long term talk of combining some elementary schools and all of the county's middle schools.

McEntire, however, needed a quick solution to the budgeting woes, and before the new fiscal year began.  He found that the county was spending thousands of dollars more on Blacksburg students than those of Gaffney. His next proposal really stirred the pot: closing Blacksburg Middle, and moving the students to Blacksburg Elementary and Blacksburg High.

Blacksburg is long known for their strong, tight knit community, especially regarding education. Therefore, they banded together to try and prevent this immediate move. Town residents circulated petitions, made their presence known at three different meetings, wrote letters, and expressed their views via social media.

The smoke cleared and when the budget was approved on June 25, Blacksburg Middle stayed open.

However,as a Blacksburg resident and an employee in the city of Gaffney for 10 years, I don't think this matter is over.

The simple fact is there are people in Gaffney that want to see the schools merged and have for a while. Now someone (McEntire) has come forward with a plan to do so.

I'm going to explain as simply and as unbiased as I can why a merger would not be in the best interest of the county.

1. It would be most beneficial to Gaffney and not Blacksburg. For years, it has been a case of the haves and have nots in Cherokee County. Gaffney has the bigger, nicer schools, state of the art sports facilities, and simply the upper hand. Meanwhile, Blacksburg did receive a new gym and a 9th grade wing. However, the football stadium hasn't received anything in over 30 years but a new concession stand, bathrooms, and cement poured under the dilipating visitor's section. Also, the baseball field is at the elementary school.

Both Blacksburg and Gaffney stand to lose what they have, especially Blacksburg. And the Gaffney Indians wouldn't even be called that anymore. It would be something like the Cherokee County Indians.

2. McEntire clams that mergers and closings would save the county money long term. But what about now? It will cost millions of dollars to build a new high school, not to mention the extra wear and tear on the school buses. The residents simply cannot afford that gamble right now.

3. The district lines need to be redrawn before any talk of a merger begins. Many students that attend both schools would potentially live much farther away from the new school, especially those in outer rural areas.  These such students should be given an option to enroll in a closer school in a town such as Cowpens, Chesnee, York, or even Shelby.

4. Both communties pride themselves on their schools and sports programs. You would have way more division than anything else. Change doesn't come easy in small cities and towns, and it shouldn't come at harming the students and communities long term. Mergers have been successful at other places and counties. However, those places had different agendas and circumstances.

5. It's always about the money, often in the form of the sports programs. Gaffney has one of the top sports programs in the state. They have been luring Blacksburg players for decades to come and play at the larger school. Merging the schools could potentially mean more revenue, and ensure that the powerhouse football program stays in the largest classification, the Big 16. Of course the community as a whole would have to fall in and show support. This could be more trouble than it's worth.

Well this is my piece. I would honestly like to see the best happen for the entire county. However, the school board needs a good, long term plan for saving and budgeting money, and not go for the quick fix.