An Unbelievable Week

I don't think I have ever lived through a week where so many celebrities have left us as I have this week. If you don't mind, I will give you a quick retrospective from My Perception of Reality. Prior to that we will play word association with each of them:

Ed McMahon: Johnny Carson

Farrah Fawcett: Dad's Poster (strange, but I will explain)

Michael Jackson: Mowtown 25- Jackson's Moonwalk Moment

Billy Mays: Signature tag line, "Hi, Billy Mays here for ___."

On June 23, the world lost Ed McMahon. I will remember him mostly from being on "The Tonight Show," but we cannot forget "Star Search," "Bloopers & Practical Jokes," and that sweepstakes deal. While I do remember him for the aforementioned shows, he was not a huge part of my world. I am just too young to have a strong fondness for him. That also wasn't terribly surprising because he was not doing well for some time.

The morning of June 25 took Farrah Fawcett from us. I remember her almost like I do McMahon- "Charlie's Angels," but a little less, oddly enough. The one thing I remember most was age 13 or so and rummaging around in the attic looking through all of the boxes. I found all of these cool toys my father had a a child (especially the Civil War Army set- where is that Dad?) and suddenly saw a poster of this amazing woman with the biggest smile I had ever seen. The iconic poster had been in my attic for years and I had no idea. How funny is that? However, her passing was not surprising either. Her story had been chronicled as well over the last several months.

As it turned out, June 25 was more greedy that we had ever imagined. It became more monumental. Relaxing with my family in my in-laws' pool, I hear the unforgettable news that Michael Jackson was no longer with us as well. That guy, I remember! Now I am getting personally affected by the week's events. I now stop playing with Gabriel in the pool because I want to be clear that what I am seeing is true. Unbelievable. The tortured man that had morphed from a pop icon into a strange Howard Hughes-like figure. By this stage of his life, I believe that he was known more for merely being Michael Jackson than the pop icon I knew as a child.

The MJ I knew blasted out the greatest record of all-time when I was an impressionable youth. Virtually all of "Thriller" was nothing more than hit after hit after hit. Completely different sounding material throughout, but collectively, set the stage for all music since its release. He was the Elvis and Beatles of my generation and shaped our culture in ways no one would have ever imagined. He was also the first black artist to be played on MTV. I can distinctly remember the videos for "Billie Jean," "Beat It," "Thriller," "Bad," and several others perfectly like there is a VHS tape in my mind. Jen and I had just introduced Gabriel to him a couple of weeks ago...

It's always amazing to see people come out of the woodwork when someone like him dies. All of these athletes and celebrities paying homage, saying that he was one of their favorites and have all of his records, and the like. I call B.S. I do not believe it for a moment. All of his records? Seriously? Don't disgrace him and don't play me for a fool. His past few records were mere blips on the radar. Most of these people would not have been caught in public rocking his material for fear of an image crisis.

Now, it's in fashion to be a Michael Jackson fan. Last week, many would have said he was a freak and see him more as an alleged child molester. I have always seen him as a person with an amazing gift, never with the chance to enjoy his youth, and now living to recapture all that he never experienced. Most who know me know that I believe that he was living in a world where he could be an 8-year-old. If you listened to him speak and truly listened to his thoughts, he saw the world differently than we do as adults. He thought it was okay to have little kids sleep over in his house and in his own bed? He loved climbing trees? This guy was the ultimate Peter Pan. He named his estate Neverland Ranch! He was a boy trapped in a 50-year-old body and incarcerated by his own fame. It is quite a depressing story if you really think about it.

Today, I wake up to the news that Billy Mays has passed away. I think I have had just about enough. At this point, I am in a state of shock. I loved that guy. He was freaking awesome. He was the Elvis, Beatles, and MJ of the TV pitch! This guy was absolutely amazing to watch. I was always wanting to buy something this guy was hocking whenever I saw him on TV. That is, until I got a Tivo and could fast forward past him.

Then I saw commercials for the show "Pitchmen," starring Mays and Anthony Sullivan. They would find an item to pitch, complete production, and tell the inventor whether it was a success. That was a show I had to watch. These guys were awesome to watch. Their interactions were to great and both of them had little quirks about them that gave them a personal connection to their audience. The show is absolutely remarkable and I am looking forward to buying several of the products I see on the show.

There is a new episode of "Pitchmen" on my TV recorded this morning. It's going to have to wait a while...

A New Window to the World

I love technology. I love finding tools, gizmos, and gadgets that make life faster, easier, or more fun. I love text messaging because it allows communication at a distance and adds to the instant gratification our society desires. Heck- blogging allows me to write an open letter to all people interested and keep a bizarre type of 21st Century diary...

For quite some time, my sister has been on me to join Twitter. She has been on it for quite a while and has told me that I really need to be a part of it. What's in it for me? Her response was simple- "It allows you to tell everyone what you're doing." Okay, but why do I really want to do that? I don't really care to know all of that about anyone. But- she is my sister and she is quite tech savvy as well, so I opened an account several months ago. I started to create my account and had to provide and email address and my cell number if I wanted my updates delivered to my phone. That wasn't something I was looking forward to divulging. I have an easy email address and an even easier cell number. If I am forced to change it because my info was sold to some marketing company, I am not going to be happy about it. After creating my account, I immediately chickened out and closed my account. How pathetic is that? I didn't like having to provide that information.

Months later, I was listening to my favorite radio show and heard Coach John Calipari (a guest on the show) give out his Twitter ID to follow him on his transition to Kentucky. I like him a lot and he has such an inspiring vibe about him. So I rejoined Twitter and began to follow him. Obviously, I also began to follow my sister, mother, and a couple of others that I knew had accounts. Then it clicked. I got it. I realized that this was one step further from society. Allow me to explain.

In the past, we communicated face-to-face. Next, telephones allowed us to communicate verbally without any visual contact. Then we create the Web and email, which eliminates the verbal communication provided by telephone. It also allows for one to send a message when time permits and the recipient to read whenever they have time. SMS (or text messaging) became vogue as a short message that allows a person to communicate is written bursts. Make a statement, go about your business. Instantly respond and continue what you are doing. Another step away from personal communication. Finally, Twitter- basically the most impersonal way to communicate to others. Now we can just shoot out a mass message that is not directed toward anyone in particular.

People have continuously said that the Web has brought the world closer together, but the converse is also true. We no longer have any real need for personal communication. We are able to distance and isolate ourselves further and further from one another. We can hide behind keyboards and shield ourselves with our cell phones. It is quite disheartening. Is it any wonder that people are so depressed living in a world where we continue separate ourselves from one another?

That said- I have thoroughly enjoyed Twitter. I am having a great time with it. If you wish to follow me, you may. Search for me: @mrogerson. I would appreciate it. I am making my sister proud. Thanks, Michelle- I am not sure what you have done to me and I am not sure if it is for better or worse. I guess we will see as time drifts on...

Get out of the tech world for a minute or two and do something novel- give someone a hug! That should be more instantly gratifying than any technological advance in our society.

Meet Virginia

In less than 48 hours, I will be returning back to the house I grew up in for quite possibly the last time. It will be quite strange to leave the only house that I truly remember. All of the memories that I have would the least thing I carry out of the house.

It has been an amazing relationship between that house and I. The both look completely than the first time we met. It was a brick front with compressed board side and back with a sloping back yard into a small creek. There were no trees in front. The kitchen was cramped and it also had a dining room and living room combination that lead into the foyer and den. It only had 3 small bedrooms and 1 bathroom to share. The hall ended at my bedroom door and my parents door was directly in front of mine.

I was a 4 year-old kid that loved to entertain and perform for anyone that would be willing to watch. I learned to ride a two-wheel bike in front and played basketball on the goal at the edge of the driveway. I met the school bus for the first time at the edge of the driveway.

The house grew into a 4 bedroom, 2 bath home with an extended kitchen, an office transformed from a living room, and a greenhouse window as I grew into a kid who broke the same window in the front with a baseball. Trees were planted in the front yard and would do my homework in my bedroom after school.

As time passed, the house started showing its age in different ways. The linoleum and carpet were upgraded and the trees in front were removed as I left to enlist in the Air Force. We hardly recognize each other anymore. The faux wood walls are now being replaced for sheet rock walls as I have replaced my earring for a salt and pepper goatee.

We often cross paths over the years, reminiscing on the good times we shared. This time, we have a lot of catching up to do. I will miss the old girl. It was the first house that Gabriel ever stayed in when we came to Virginia. The street in front of the house was both my field of dreams for baseball and the gridiron of our touch football games. The memories will always be fond but when the time comes to cross over the threshold for the last time, It will be like losing a member of the family.

I can't wait to see the old girl and will thankfully have my wish request to pay my respects...

See many of you soon!

m

Starting a Revolution

It was a fantastic Sunday here in Tennessee. It was quite sunny and not too hot outside. After looking at baby furniture with Jennifer this afternoon, I needed to mow the lawn before our trip to Virginia next week. I waited until around 6pm to let the sun start the process of resting over Tennessee and began to mow the front yard. While I mow the lawn I can relax, listen to the iPod and let my mind wander and allow it to have a recess from the daily activities.

After the front was completed, I caught myself thinking about my neighbors. The patriarch is was laid off due to the failing economy. He found some work in Louisiana that keeps him away from home several weeks out of the month. Every few weeks, I see him with his family for a few days and he's off again trying to be a good husband and provide for his family. I thought that it would be a nice gesture to help his family out by cutting his front yard for his family. The wife and children were not home, so I figured that it would be a great time to do something for them without them knowing about it. I was not looking for any credit- just the idea of doing something for someone in need would be something that we should do more for one another.

I brought my mower over and quickly cut the front. In and out- like a sniper completing a clandestine mission. It didn't take long. About 20 minutes was all it took to do something nice for someone. It really got me to thinking about our society...

I don't have a lot of money to help someone- but that is not what this is really about. It's about giving someone something that you cannot get back. It's the one thing which everyone on earth is given the same amount. It's the gift that you cannot keep, the currency you cannot save, and the great equalizer of the rich and poor: time. Giving your time means much more than money. If someone has millions of dollars and gives a hundred thousand to a cause, it is a nice gesture. But did it really hurt to give that amount? You have millions to to still go home to at the end of the night. Just like the parable of the widow: Jesus said the woman humbly giving all she had left despite the amount was more than the pharisee proudly giving much more.

What if each of us began to do something nice for someone without looking for any return? How would this world be different? The payoff for taking 5 or 10 minutes out of your day to do something for someone could be tenfold! I am challenging each person that reads this blog take 5 to 10 minutes out of their day sometime this week and give a part of yourself to someone you work with, a neighbor, or even a stranger. There is a reward that you get that is better than money and recognition- it is letting someone know that you care. It may be the one thing that changes their mind from doing something regrettable. It may be the the thing that someone needs to lift up their spirits on an otherwise tough road they are traveling. It lets them know that even if they feel isolated and alone, there is hope even in the darkest hour.

Leave a reply and let me know what YOU did to make someone else's life better!

Thanks for reading...

m

IVF Success Story

There is good news: the Rogerson family will be growing soon! Jen and I completed our IVF treatment and it was an overwhelming success! We found out that she is officially pregnant on Friday. The jubilation I thought I would feel is not here. Instead, I feel relief. Relief? It was like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders and I was finally able to catch a full breath. I could finally rest without worry. I was as relaxed as I have ever been in the past few years. Yeah- I thought that was strange too, but allow me to explain.

It has been about 4 1/2 years since we started trying to conceive. We have taken every pill, changed eating habits, tested monthly, and used every method possible to try to have children. We have seen more doctors about our issues than I would have ever dreamed. Jen completed a regimen of shots 2-3 shots per day that she thought was impossible a year ago. So when the time came to get the call from the doctor's office, I had been through all of the stress I could deal with. It was truly weighing the both of us down. It was consuming Jen over the past few years and I could do nothing but continue to use the same words to console her as I did every month. 

Transfer day approached and we went into the doctor's office. They gave me a pair of scrubs and allowed me to go into the operating room. Jen did not want me to wear my Yankee cap under the cloth cap, but she did not have a choice in the matter. The Yankee cap was going into the operating room as well. Just prior to performing the returning the embryos transfer, the doctors allowed me to see them inside the incubation chamber. They were textbook-perfect embryos from what the doctors told us. It was truly amazing to see. When you are able to see that first-hand, you know without a doubt that a life starts at conception. We also got a picture of the embryos as well- the earliest baby pictures ever! It was a pretty awesome day.

It had finally came down to a 30 second voicemail left to us from a doctor's office. So when we listened to the voicemail that would change our lives forever, it was more a sigh of relief than excitement.

I thought Jen was going to be concerned about my emotional reaction, but surprisingly she was the same way. Her reaction was more of a state of shock than relief, but the relief was there. I saw a relaxed look from her that I have not seen in quite a while. Rest assured- we are both quite happy that this day has come. The excitement will surely permeate through the relief in the coming weeks as we get closer to see if we will be having twins. That would be fantastic! We are looking forward to finding out and I will keep you posted. 

Thank you to everyone that continued to pray for us throughout the past several years. Your support does not go unnoticed and we are indebted to you always.