Dirkmonster

Ten Courageous Choices

Author, pastor and Nashville resident David Foster has written the game-plan for the choices that comprise a courageous life in the real world.  This is a great piece.

If you have never attended a service at Bellevue Community Church, you would find it to be quite a different church experience indeed.  It's a positive, inspiring, non-religious environment that always affirms the spirit.  Check it out at any of the 4 weekend services and/or make plans to get in on the craziest Easter Celebration in town April 14-16.

Where are You?!!?

Here I am! If you'd like, please add yourself to my Frappr map showing the millions thousands hundreds growing group of Dirkmonster Blog readers.  Below, see where all of us call home.

Getting Faster

With April 29 on my mind, I ran my first race of 2006 this morning.  The 12th Annual Tom King 5K gave me a look at the home stretch of the upcoming Country Music Half Marathon.  Don't think it didn't cross my mind as I ran by the Titans Stadium: Will I see this again in about 6 weeks?

While I still have some training to do in order to accomplish my goal at the 13.1 mile distance, I was able to set my personal best at the 5K (3.11 Miles) distance today.  And with most of the best runners waiting to participate in the longer event of the day, I was able to finish in the top third overall.

Dirkmonter's results:
Time: 00:26:02
8:24 mile pace
135th place overall out of about 450 finishers
15th out 0f 35 finishers - males 35-39

I'm looking forward nervously to the Country Music Half Marathon April 29th.  Finishing in under 02:30:00 is my goal.  See you out there!

Social Computing

Just came across this today on my quick trek around the blogosphere - Steve Rubel is an "A List Blogger" and "word of mouth" advertising guru. I highly recommend subscribing to a feed of his blog at http://www.micropersuasion.com

This week Rubel highlights the changes that the marketing, advertising and PR industries are undergoing.  There's a new marketing toolkit that companies are having to employ in order to compete. It's called "Social Computing" and Forrester has recently published in-depth research on the topic.

Read Rubel's take here.

Jenna Claire is 1 year old!

Photos from Jenna Claire's first birthday celebration are posted here.  Safe to say she likes cake.  But then again she likes broccoli, cauliflower, beans and bread.  No picky eater is she. 

Jenna Claire also took a few steps last week leading up to her birthday.  She clearly prefers crawling as it is a more efficient means to either chase or flee from her brother.  Her mother and I have observed that at this point Ross is Jenna Claire's favorite.  He always makes her laugh and brings her toys to play with (especially when she has something he's rather have). 

Gotta go - I hear the little girl waking up from her nap.

Latest Tribute to U2's Bono

Did your kids ever get hooked on a song that had to be played over and over and over again?  Such was the case when Ross was turned on to the classic "If you're happy and you know it (clap your hands, etc. etc.)".  Riding in my truck elicited a Pavlovian request: "I wanna hear Happy, Daddy!"

After the a few hundred times, I wasn't happy and everyone knew it.

But give the kid credit.  His musical taste is pretty mature.  So when I turned him on to Ireland's favorite sons we'll never fight over the music selection again.

This is Music City after all - and in Music City even 3 year old kids love rock and roll.

Enjoy one of Bono's youngest fans covering "Vertigo".