...2010 Fantasy Champion

Told you this was going to be the result. Enough said. Winner!

...."it's just a day in the life of an Interior Designer"

An interior designer is responsible for the interior design, decoration, and functionality of a client’s space, whether the space is commercial, industrial, or residential. Interior designers work closely with architects and clients to determine the structure of a space, the needs of the occupants, and the style that best suits both.

The position is a combination of engineer and artist, and it takes a unique type of mind to handle both of those concepts well. Interior designers have to be good with more than color, fabric, and furniture; interior designers must know materials, have budgeting skills, communicate well, and oversee the ordering, installation, and maintenance of all objects that define a space.

They also have to know about electrical capacity, safety, and construction. This broader range of required knowledge distinguishes them from 'interior decorators.' Interior designers have to be able to work with contractors, other vendors and clients alike, planning and implementing all aesthetic and functional decisions, from faucet handles to miles of carpeting —and all this usually must be done within a fixed budget (and often in a hurry).

Interior designers are hired for their expertise in a variety of styles and approaches, not merely their own personal vision. Therefore, they have to be able to balance their own tastes and their clients’ tastes—and be willing to put their clients’ tastes first. This requirement can be frustrating at first for many who enter the profession. Interior designers are often asked to begin their planning before construction of a space is finished; this means that they must be good at scheduling and comfortable reading blueprints.

This element of the job comes as a surprise to many new interior designers, who expect to have less of an administrative and technical role and more of a role in influencing the overall feel and appearance of a space. Those who thrive in the industry say this ability to balance the practical with the aesthetic is crucial to being a successful interior designer. Interior design is hard work, but those who do it well find the work very satisfying.

I have learned a lot in the last year from one designer in particular, here in Portland...congrats on a well deserved project! You are one of the best I have worked with in the past 20 years. Again...great job!! I watched as you controlled your client while providing excellent answers to the same question...over and over. Your demeanor and expertise actually 'disarmed' the client and literally "won" the business for us. I am proud to work with you on this project.

I know you would just say, "It's just a day in the life of an Interior Designer."

....why is this ball smiling?

CINCINNATI - Moments after Jay Bruce caught a routine fly for the final out, the public address announcer called everyone's attention to the standings board behind the right-field seats, the one that was about to reflect a seismic shift in the NL Central.

Finally, the Cardinals had been knocked off their perch. The Cardinals had been in first place since July 31. The defending champions opened a five-game lead before going into a pronounced downturn, losing nine of their last 12.

Now, for the first time since the middle of last season, they're looking up.

Alerted by an announcer, the 26,712 rain-soaked fans pointed at the NL Central standings board and cheered when it reflected the change at the top after the final out. The Reds moved into a half-game lead by winning seven of eight.

Cincinnati hasn't been in first place this deep into a season since June 8, 2006.

I grew up with the ‘Big Red Machine’ so I am looking for any “little” victory I can find with the Reds today…(keep your eye on Bruce in right field)….

Ahhhhh… The Big Red Machine

In 1975, the Big Red Machine lineup solidified with the starting team of Johnny Bench (c), Tony Perez (1b), Joe Morgan (2b), Dave Concepción (ss), Pete Rose (3b), Ken Griffey (rf), César Gerónimo (cf), and George Foster (lf). The starting pitchers included Don Gullett, Fred Norman, Gary Nolan, Jack Billingham, Pat Darcy, and Clay Kirby....but it didn't start off that way.

On Opening Day, Rose still played in left field, Foster was not a starter, while John Vuckovich, an off-season acquisition, was the starting third baseman. While Vuckovich was a superb fielder, he was a weak hitter. In May, with the team off to a slow start and trailing the Dodgers, manager Sparky Anderson made a bold move by moving Rose to third base, a position where he had very little experience, and inserting Foster in left field. This was the jolt that the Reds needed to propel them into first place, with Rose proving to be reliable on defense, while adding Foster to the outfield gave the offense some added punch. During the season, the Reds compiled two notable streaks: (1) by winning 41 out of 50 games in one stretch, and (2) by going a month without committing any errors on defense.

In the 1975 season, Cincinnati clinched the NL West with 108 victories, then swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in three games to win the NL pennant. In the World Series, the Boston Red Sox were the opponents. After splitting the first four games, the Reds took Game 5. After a three-day rain delay, the two teams met in Game 6, one of the most memorable baseball games ever played and considered by many to be the best World Series game ever. The Reds were ahead 6–3 with 5 outs left, when the Red Sox tied the game on former Red Bernie Carbo's three-run home run. It was Carbo's second pinch-hit three-run homer in the series. After a few close-calls either way, Carlton Fisk hit a dramatic 12th inning home run off the foul pole in left field (which is considered to be one of the greatest TV sports moments of all time) to give the Red Sox a 7–6 win and force a deciding Game 7. Cincinnati prevailed the next day when Morgan's RBI single won Game 7 and gave the Reds their first championship in 35 years.

Now that...was baseball.

An autobiography--'The Perfect Dog’- by Mr. B

Hello, my name is Dillan Hall--writing under the name of Mr. 'B'--and this is co-authored by my papa....

Description & Appearance:
I am a Maltipoo. A what? A hybrid dog crossed from a Maltese and a Poodle. This cross gives me a smooth silky wavy coat and I am a well-proportioned dog with impressive agility. (Oh, and I like to eat)...

I can make a great therapy dog and have an uncanny instinct to gravitate towards an ill or needy person, whether a child or an adult. The size of a Malitipoo will vary depending on its pedigree but generally malitipoos are between 5 and 12 lbs. (It's none of your business what I weigh)....

Temperament: I am very personable, playful, bright and spunky. I enjoy romping around with other pets, cats or dogs, but very much prefer to chase my own toys. Much like my Maltese heritage, I am bounding with energy and love a ‘good’ game of chase. And like my Poodle heritage, I am much, much smarter than you will ever be…. and pick up obedience tasks easily. (and I really like to eat).....

I am very gentle natured and not very mischievous. Housebreaking is not a long arduous chore (and I prefer a clean pee-pad). Smart and capable, I am always eager to learn new tricks. Of course, I make a great companion dog and do well with children (if I have to…but I prefer my mama and papa only).

Health: I am very healthy benefiting from gene mixing and avoiding many of the hereditary health problems such as Luxating Patella and White Shaker Dog Syndrome Maltese and Poodles purebreds occasionally exhibit. (I like to eat).....

I will enjoy a long life of 12-15 years….or longer.

Care & Grooming: I would do well in an apartment but do enjoy the occasional walk or romp at the park…I do love my multi-story home…I love running up the steps. I love toys....I love toys....

I DO NOT shed (yuck!), making me a great hypoallergenic breed. I have a full coat of hair that should be trimmed monthly to keep my hair from matting. Regular brushing will keep my coat clean and tangle free. The occasional bath is necessary as I am not afraid to get my paws a little dirty. I dislike haircuts.

Books from my reading list: 1) The Dog's Mind--Understanding Your Dog's Behavior by Bruce Fogle  2) Think Dog--An Owner's Guide to Canine Psychology by John Fisher  3) Don't Shoot the Dog!--The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor

My favorite song: 1) I love my dog by Cat Stevens

“So, I love my dog as much as I love you,
But you may fade, my dog will always come through.
I love my dog, Baby, I love my dog. Na, na, na...”

(That’s all I can remember…)

History:  As a hybrid breed, my history is short. Generally, Maltipoo breeders aim to breed one generation of Maltipoo from purebred Yorkshire terrier and Poodle parents. This is to take advantage of hybrid vigor and the Heterosis effect which results in a healthier, more vigorous dog with a reduced chance of genetic disease. Pure breeds and inbreeds often carry genetic disease.

Heterosis is the phenomenon where crossing two inbred lines can yield a offspring with superior genetic constitution. This increased health and vigor does not create a superior breed, but the advantages obtained from it are what produce hybrid vigor. This goal in this scenario is not to create a new breed, but to create a happy and healthy pet.

The deliberate cross breeding of the Maltese and Poodle creates a wonderful new crossbreed (me!!). I share the qualities of both pure breeds. Did I mention already? I am extremely intelligent, eager to please, and very loyal to my family.

p.s. I like to eat!

Theodore Roosevelt never said 'yes we can'

Theodore Roosevelt Accomplishments

President Theodore Roosevelt was surely one of the greatest United States presidents. He was a man of many accomplishments. Teddy Roosevelt was a volunteer Rough Rider in the Spanish-American War. Before becoming president, he was Secretary of the Navy. Roosevelt was a published author.  What many people may not know about Theodore Roosevelt is the deep gratitude we owe him. Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to seriously think about saving some of the beauty of the United States for future generations. With Roosevelt in office, more than 200 million acres of land in the United States was conserved.

Theodore Roosevelt the Conservationist--Passenger pigeons became extinct about the time of Roosevelt's presidency. Roosevelt then established the first National Bird Preserve in Florida in 1903. This was the start of the Wildlife Refuge System in the United States. This would be the first of many acts by President Roosevelt to conserve land and important historical and archaeological sites throughout the United States.

The United States Forest Service was established while Teddy Roosevelt was president. Many national parks and preserves were set up by President Roosevelt. Some of the areas that President Roosevelt placed under protection were the Grand Canyon, Crater Lake National Park, and the Mesa Verde National Park.

Theodore Roosevelt's Antiquities Act--Theodore Roosevelt also passed the Antiquities Act in 1906. This act allowed presidents to preserve sites as national monuments without needing approval of Congress. The very first national monument established by Theodore Roosevelt was the Devil's Tower in Wyoming. This act also allowed Theodore Roosevelt to protect the Grand Canyon after failing to make it a national park. Since the Antiquities Act was passed, it has been implemented more than 100 times.

Tell me more!

---The Teddy Bear is named after Teddy Roosevelt. While hunting in Mississippi during his presidency, a few of the men in Roosevelt's party treed a small black bear and summoned Roosevelt so that he could take the shot. Roosevelt decided that killing the young, trapped bear was not sporting, and spared it. A New York toymaker heard the story, and asked Roosevelt's permission before styling a child's stuffed toy bear as the "Teddy Bear". Roosevelt gave his permission, noting that he did not expect many sales.

---Roosevelt had a photographic memory. He could read a page in the time it took anyone else to read a sentence.

---In 1912, Maxwell House coffee once asked the President what he thought of their product. He responded: "It’s good to the last drop". Sound familiar?

---He was the first President to ride in an airplane. He flew for four minutes in a plane built by the Wright Brothers on October 11, 1910.

---Once while preparing to give a speech on October 14, 1912 in the Milwaukee during a campaign, a crazed man attempted to assassinate Roosevelt, and shot him with a pistol at nearly point blank range. Roosevelt declared "it will take more than that to kill a bull moose!" and finished the lengthy speech before visiting a hospital. Even though the bullet entered his lung, he still gave the speech!

---Oddly, Roosevelt's wife and mother died on the same day, February 14, 1884.

---After Roosevelt retired from politics, he led an expedition in South America to find the source of a river known as "the River of Doubt". Most of the party died, and Roosevelt caught the fever yet survived. The river is now named "Rio Roosevelt."

---Roosevelt won the Nobel Peace prize in 1906 for his role of peacemaker in the Russo-Japanese War. Although an aggressive president when it came to military matters, he is the only president to have been awarded the honor while President of the United States andthe first American to ever win the award.

---After he left office in 1909, Roosevelt went on an African safari that netted many of the specimens that now stock the Smithsonian Institute.

---Roosevelt welcomed "the strenuous life"--engaging in daunting physical tests and venturing into hostile locations, even though, taking inflation into account, he was likely the richest president in history due to his family's estate.

---Most of the original National Parks and the National Park system were created by Roosevelt.

---Roosevelt was the first to dub the executive mansion "The White House".

---Roosevelt authored over 25 books.

Well...now we have Obama. Here is a partial transcript of (then) Sen. Barack Obama's remarks after he won the Democratic presidential primary in South Carolina.

“Don't tell me we can't change. Yes, we can. Yes, we can change. Yes, we can. Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future. And as we leave this great state with a new wind at our backs and we take this journey across this great country, a country we love, with the message we carry from the plains of Iowa to the hills of New Hampshire, from the Nevada desert to the South Carolina coast, the same message we had when we were up and when we were down, that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we will hope.”

“And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the American people in three simple words -- yes, we can.”

Obama….please stop campaigning…become a real President. Stop saying we can…and learn from the past...learn to do!!

My backyard buddy...

I have a buddy that visits me each day. Hummingbirds are very small birds with a high metabolism. A great deal of energy is spent flying, so they must feed almost constantly. This little guy....and his buddies keep me busy making fresh batches for the feeders.

Hummingbirds can consume up to twice their body weight in nectar every day. They usually feed on nectar and insects. Hummingbirds actually lap up the nectar with their tongues. A lot of people think that hummingbirds have a hollow tongue like a straw. Their tongues do have grooves on the sides that collect nectar. When the bill constricts, the hummingbird can swallow the nectar from flowers and feeders.

Hummingbirds are able to perch and will do so at my feeders regularly. Because they fly so much, they have poorly developed feet. They can barely walk at all. The hummingbird is much more comfortable in flight.

The flight of hummingbirds is amazing to watch. They are able to fly up, down, forward, backward and sideways. They can stop in midair. Hummingbirds are famous for their aerial display. Some displays are courtship displays; other displays are aggressive. Hummingbirds fly great distances when they are migrating. The Ruby-throated Hummingbird migrates approximately 600 miles across the Gulf of Mexico.

Hummingbirds lack a true song. Instead, they vocalize chirping notes. Most calls are short buzz trills and chirps. Hummingbirds' wings 'buzz' or make a whirring sound while the birds are in flight. This sound is referred to as a "wing whistle." As a matter of fact...I think I hear him saying, "Hey mister!! Your birdfeeder's empty!!"...(gotta go)

a perfect day...

Ever since I was a young boy, I have wondered why on earth an older couple would want to stay in their manicured yard..and relax. I used to see 'older' people actually enjoying themselves in dialogue...in their yard.

How could this be I wondered? Why are they not out hiking or camping I thought? I wanted to scream at them over the fence..."get out and enjoy life"...wow...how boring I thought.

With the weather so perfect in Portland this Memorial week-end, I am sure that several hundred..if not thousands of people are flocking to find a piece of property to pitch and tent...and sleep on the ground.

But something special happened this weekend...I realized that "I" am that older person I saw when I was a young boy...my wife and I are that 'older couple' that enjoys listening to our huge water-feature pond, feeding the ravenous appetites of the Goldfinches, and more importantly I am not "afraid" of who I am (and have become)...I am at peace with myself! Finally!

We have worked for 15 years to get the look we have now... (we have worked longer on this yard than the number of years I was alive when I used to see old people in their yards). Well, I love my yard for the way it bombards my senses and shields me from the rat race. When I look out a window, walk out a door, or drive up in my car, I'm blinded by my own smile. After one of Portland's toughest white winters I can't get enough of its myriad shades of green and the songs of all the various birds.

The scent when I mow the grass ... wow, that fresh green fragrance ... there's no smell that brings back more Saturday morning memories than a freshly mowed lawn. The sound of the water splashing in our pond near the back patio, and the twittering of birds in the feeders in our 'bird garden' connects me to the natural world in a way that completely drowns out all other ‘stressful’ things in my life.

And to sit on the patio at the end of the day with a cool beverage, and feel the garden air play over my face, with the fragrance, and the splashing and twittering, and the scent of grass now mingled with the aroma of a perfect t-bone on the grill ... well, put it all together and it's the ultimate escape. What I did not know as that young boy (many moons ago)..is that "I deserve to sit on my ass after working all these years."

I love my yard...I love my wife....and I am not afraid to say...”I love my life."

a simple breakfast!....

With the winter that we had this year...it is now time to celebrate the 'true meaning' of spring. This morning I had breakfast with a visionary in my industry that gave me hope that 'I am on the right path' in my thinking about customer service. He and his wife were open, honest, and easy to talk to.

I am again excited about the future which (at times) depending on who or what you listen to....is as though the 'sky is ALWAYS falling.' This team provided 'just enough' information to keep me wanting to know more about them and I look forward to our dialogue again someday. Sometimes it makes sense to 'bounce' ideas off another person...just to make sure you are on the right track....and you know what? I am!

I am extremely good at what I do and now....after all these years...I am finally beginning to believe it myself. No matter what business you are in....every business is a "people business." Whether you are dealing with internal or external customers...being able to deal with people is the key! I tell everyone that they're in the people business, and passion makes the biggest difference. If you're going to have an impact on somebody's life, you have to be excited about what you do.

Try this…before your next shift; ask yourself how passionate you are about your work. Does it show? Get honest assessments about your level of desire from coworkers or your spouse. Many employees let life and its circumstances get them off track. If this has happened to you, think back to when you started. Remember the lives you touched, the people who will never forget you, and try to recapture your passion.

You should also associate with people who have a passion for people. It sounds corny, but birds of a feather really do flock together. If you've lost some of your fire, get around people who haven't, because passion is contagious.

The second thing you must do is control your attitude. Attitude is more important than education, appearance, skill or talent. It can make or break personal relationships, business organizations, and teams of all sorts. The good news is that you have a choice every day regarding the attitude you wear. You may not have control over things around you, but you can control how you respond to them. Focus on the way you interact with people and attend to their needs. You must consciously decide to not let external factors affect your attitude, because doing so impedes your ability to give your customers your best.

And....positively interacting with people and building successful relationships requires effective communication. This goes far beyond the verbal. You have to interpret mental states and discern true meanings behind words. You must learn to communicate at the emotional level. This involves eye contact, tone of voice, body language and facial expressions listening with your eyes as well as your ears.

The final way to improve the quality of life of those you interact with is sharing your sense of humor. Of course making jokes during emergency situations is improper. But in many instances, when appropriate, a moment of laughter can give any stressed-out person a change of perspective. It can break the ice and put you on the fast track to building a relationship.

And I certainly hope that I built a relationship with the two I had breakfast with this morning...sometimes...a simple breakfast meeting can put you on the right path to your personal success!

Recipe for my 50 year “Love Cake”

• 4 lbs. of pure love

• 1 lb. butter of youth
• ½ lb. of good looks
• 1 lb. sweet temper
• 1 tsp of naughty smile
• 1 lb. of ‘blindness for faults’
• 2 ½ lbs. of self-forgetfulness
• 1 lb. pure listening (refined only!)
• ½ lb. pure sweetener
• 1 lb. of good humor
• 2 tsp of sweet argument
• 1 pint of rippling laughter
• 8 cups of common sense
• 1 oz. modesty


Put the love, good looks and sweet temper into a well furnished house or apartment. Beat the butter of youth to a cream, and mix well together with the ‘blindness of faults.’ Cream the butter and pure sweetener. Stir the listening and good humor into the sweet argument—then immediately add naughty smile. Add the rippling laughter and common sense then work the whole together until everything is well mixed, and bake gently forever.


Note: Do not over process mix.


I love you JoJo!