The Adventures of Jim...

Michael Jordan made me go see U2

Yes...you read the title of this post correctly.  Michael Jordan made me go see U2 in concert tonight.  Not only that, but he made me go see Van Halen in concert last night.

I know, that sounds odd.  You may even wonder how it could possibly be true.  Do I have a personal relationship with MJ?  Does he even know who I am?  How could he exert that level of influence over me?

Back in the days when he was an 'active' professional athlete, I got to see Michael Jordan play ball.  Baseball.  One July 4th, I was visiting family in Birmingham, Alabama.  They have a minor league baseball team that is part of the Chicago White Sox organization, and it was during his first retirement when he was giving it a go on the diamond.  He turned out to be an unremarkable baseball player and, thankfully...for the world of basketball, returned to the hardwood a short while later.

So yes...I did get to see Michael Jordan play baseball.  But I never got to see the greatest basketball player in the history of the game lace up the sneakers and do that which captured the imagination of the world.  (You can argue that MJ wasn't the greatest basketball player ever.  You can argue that...but you would be wrong. <smile> )  Oh, there were times when the Bulls came through Dallas to play the Mavericks.  For those  games, tickets were always in high demand, which meant high cost.  Simply, I could not justify coughing up the bucks to go.

That is something that I will always regret.  At some point along the way, I made the decision that if ever I had a similar chance in the future with athletes, musicians, etc., I would not pass it up.  I guess that if I were to describe it more accurately, I would say that it was my regret over not ever seeing Michael Jordan play, rather than MJ himself, that caused me to make different choices.

When I heard that Van Halen was re-teaming with David Lee Roth, launching a North American tour and coming to Dallas, I jumped at the chance.  Van Halen is not only one of my favorite bands of all time, but their most successful album (named 1984, and released in that year) came out when I was a senior in high school.  So, in addition to having some great tunes, the album and the band have great sentimental value for me.  I did not know whether or not tour they'll ever tour again, or whether they'd come close enough for me to go see them, in the future.  So, I paid more money than I ever thought I would to go see them in concert.

Earlier this year, my youngest son Michael posted a note on Facebook that indicated he wished he had the money to go see U2 in concert.  For those of you who've been living under a rock, U2 is perhaps one of the best and most influential rock bands ever.  I'd put them after the Beatles, and before everyone else.  Not only have they seemingly been around forever, but they're still current and relevant, and producing great new music.  Will they do concert tours after this one?  Possibly.  Will they come anywhere near Dallas on subsequent tours?  Maybe; maybe not.  This could have been my best and and final chance to see them in concert.  And the fact that I could take Angie and Michael to see them sealed the deal.

As with Van Halen, I forked over more money than I ever thought I would.  If it ends up being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I can be regret-free in the knowledge that I took advantage of it. 

How was tonight's concert?  As glad as I was to have gone, I was a bit disappointed with it.  Oh, my disappointment has nothing to do with U2 or their opening band, Muse (of whom Michael is a big fan).  Their stage, video, lighting, and other affects were amazing.  It is just that, while there were seats in the stadium where the acoustics were good and the show sounded great...the seats we were in were not among those.  The sound was muddled, at best.

So, I've learned...while JerryWorld might be a good venue at which to watch the Cowboys play, it is currently not capable of having a large rock concert sound good in every seat.  Hopefully, they'll get that fixed, and/or I'll have another opportunity to see U2 in concert.

The bottom line, however, is that I had a great time.  Not only will I be able to say that I saw U2 in concert, but I'll be able to say that I shared the experience with loved ones.  And that is something that I can at least partially attribute to never having gotten to see Michael Jordan play basketball in person.

(Sidebar:  What have you put off doing?  Whether it is going to see a particular athlete play or rock band in concert, make whatever decision that will leave you with no regrets.)

Introducing a new blog: Jim!Rants

In a previous post, I mentioned that I planned to introduce a new category of posts to this blog:  Miscellaneous Rants.  I've been known to have an opinion or two on various things ranging from sports to politics to pop culture, etc.  What can I tell you...things occasionally get under my skin.  When they do, I was going to use that category as the forum on which to opine about those things.

I've decided to go a different route, and have created an entirely new blog:  Jim!Rants.  On that blog, I'll share my HSOs (you'll have to read the first post for the definition of that term), rants, and soapbox moments, for your rumination and entertainment.

I'll post on both blogs regularly, and I invite you to tune in to both.  You will be glad you did!

Have a very Mountain Dew Christmas...

Ask anybody who knows me "what is Jim's favorite beverage" and without hesitation they say "Mountain Dew".  Though I like several soft drinks, it is absolutely my favorite.  I've even collected some Dew-related stories that I use in keynote addresses, and my affection for the greatness even merits a separate category on my blog.

Knowing my affinity for the Nectar, my youngest sister sent me the following succession of pictures, of someone who feels the same as I, and focused those feelings with a holiday theme.  Enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

 

And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, the piece de resistance...

 

Call it what you will (and several possibilities come to mind); I call it a thing a beauty.  It's like watching an angel get its wings...  <sniff-sniff>

My Christmas Q&A

I'm not one to normally participate in those e-mail chains.  Really.  In fact years ago, I famously flamed a sister-in-law, CC:'ing ALL of the people who she'd sent the you-never-know-it-might-be-true e-mail about Microsoft paying people to test an e-mail tracking program.  Even offered to write a check for $1,000 to anyone who could provide proof of being paid for such.  Surprisingly, I never had to write that check <fake shock>.  Not surprisingly, I didn't get any more of those e-mails from her.

And I've been know to have a choice word for the "forward this e-mail if you love Jesus" e-mails.  (For the life of me, I can't find that one in the Bible.)  Sooooo....I'm somewhat of a Capt. Poo-Poo when it comes to those sorts of things.

That cold hardness aside, a month or two ago, I did participate in a questionnaire e-mail with some of Angie's family.  But I don't do the whole "forward it to 10 of your other friends" bit.  I just send it to the distribution list that was on it when I got the note.  In some cases, it lets them know a little bit about me.  But in most cases, my answers are strictly geared to make them laugh.  That's me; forever the ham...

Yesterday, I received one of these questionnaire from Angie, who had received it from my daughter.  It had 25 Christmas-related questions.  Angie posted the answers to hers on her blog, so I thought I'd do the same.  I've tweaked a couple of the answers a little bit here and there, to bring them closer to achieving their maximum comic potential.

If my answers help you understand more about me, that's cool.  If they gives you a chuckle, that's even cooler.

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01. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper.

02. Real tree or Artificial?
Artificial.  I only have to buy it one time (and I'm cheap...uhm...frugal), and it's less mess/hassle.  Both good-goods.

03. When do you put up the tree?
When I get good and ready, dagnabbit!  And you darned kids get off my lawn!!!  (Seriously...no set time; sometimes around Thanksgiving, sometimes a little after.  This year...a little before.)

05. Do you like eggnog?
Nope.  Unless it tastes EXACTLY like Mountain Dew.  That would be totally awesome.

06. Favorite gift received as a child?
This is an easy one.  A BB gun, with which I shot my older sister.  In the butt.  Yeah...good times.

07. Hardest person to buy for?
My Mom & Dad.  What gift could possibly top having me? <blink-blink>

08. Easiest person to buy for?
Veronica.

09. Do you have a nativity scene?
No.  Well...via Angie....yes.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail, because they're a little easier to use in person at the store.  For instance, I've received WalMart gift cards via e-mail, but I either have to use them online, or convert them to a physical card to use at the store.  Oh wait...that question meant just regular Christmas cards, didn't it?

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A 80's-ish sweater (given in the mid-to-late 90's) that screamed out "THE GIVER OF THIS GIFT APPARENTLY DOESN'T KNOW ME VERY WELL...AND HAS NO FASHION SENSE."

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
It's not even close.  "A Christmas Story" wins by a leg...lamp.  So many quotable moments.  ("You'll shoot your eye out"..."Dad's gonna kill Ralphie"..."Must be Eye-talian.  Says Fra-gee-lay"..."FUDGE!!! (The queen mother of all dirty words)", and countless others.

13. When do you start shopping?
Usually not soon enough.  I'm trying to get started earlier this year...but I say that every year.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Only White Elephant gifts.  My sense of personal integrity is way too high to consider doing that for anything else.  (Or if I did recycle, I wouldn't admit to it, lest one of the recipieints of this note received such a re-gift.)

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
No absolute favorite; I like alot of Christmas food.  Turkey/chicken and dressing w/cranberry sauce is always a winner.

16. Lights on the tree?
Yep-yep.  Gotta do something with all my extra cash, and supporting the families of electric company employees - especially during the holidays - seems downright noble.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Don't have ONE favorite.  Like a lot of songs (I actually have Steve Wonder singing Ave Maria, if you can believe it), but only versions that aren't lame.  (That is according to my definition of lame.   ...and I reserve the right to change my definition of lame.  Yo.)

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
I'm trying to get in the mode of traveling less around Thanksgiving/Christmas.  That goal is either complicated or helped (depending on your perspective) by the time I split with the kids with their Mom.  Luckily, my family is coming here for Christmas before we head to MO.  So...I'll get all of the perks of spending it with extended family, while not having to travel to both.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
Let's see...Pookie, Earl, Shah-NayNay, Bubba, Lil' Bow-Wow, Lil Brudder, Shaniqua...I'm drawing a blank on the rest of them, so I guess my answer is "no".

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
As a kid we always had a star.  As an adult, I can only remember having  an angel.  I'm good with either.  Or a picture of Captain Kangaroo.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
A Christmas purist would probably say Christmas morning, but the eternal kid in me always wants to open presents early.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Trying to balance family, community, and work activities.  And the super-congestion of the last minute shoppers (like me).  It only compounds the stress of what should be a peaceful time, and that bites.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Balls.  (Write your own jokes.)

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
See my answer to #15.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Not sure.  I'm still building my list (thanks to Angie for suggestiong Kaboodle).  I need to get a hobby that's conducive to gifting, don't I?

No, I don't know what happened to question #4.  This list of Q's is exactly as they were in the e-mail.

It's a conspiracy, I tell you...

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of spending the day with my yougest son.  We decided to go hiking in the morning.  The Texas-OU game started at 11 AM, but no worries...I have a DVR!!!  So I set the game to begin recording in our absence.  We got home while the game was in progress, so I just hit rewind...and we began to watch.

I know that in many areas of the U.S. there are various college football rivalries.  I'm not as familiar with others as I am with the ones that exist between the University of Texas, Oklahoma University, and Texas A&M University.  I have good friends who have attended UT and A&M, and family who are from Oklahoma.

Though I've lived in Texas for over 20 years, I didn't attend college here.  I don't have any hard-and-fast allegiances with any of the Texas schools, and that probably wrankles some of my friends who have difficulty seeing past their almost-rabid support of their schools.  (I joke with them that I can't relate, because I didn't go to a school where "them made me drink the Kool-Aid".)  But I digress...

So my son and I were watching the Texas-OU football game.  #1 ranked OU versus #5-ranked UT.  And it was a really good game.  I fast-forwarded through the commercials, and we were catching up to realtime, but we were still some number of minutes behind.  The problem is that my DVR only recorded to the end of the timeslot shown in the schedule, which ended with about 6 or 7 minutes remaining on the game's clock (probably approximately 30 minutes of actual time).

So...we didn't get to see the final minutes of the game.  I love my DVR.  I love the ability to pause live TV, rewind it, etc.  I love the ease of setting it to record a program that is coming on the same day.  I love it!  But the problem with live sporting events running past the pre-scheduled time frames is ridiculously frustrating.  With technology being what it is, the networks MUST have the develop flex-schedules for live events.

In the meantime, I'll have to remember to set my recorder to include 1 to 2 hours AFTER the actual event I want to watch.

The effect on my perspective...

On Saturday, Angie and I took Veronica to see Kung Fu Panda.  I'd seen many of the trailers, and it looked like a pretty cute movie.  I'm a sucker for most of the animated movies that have come out in the past 6 or 7 years.  The animation is outstanding, and I dig how they include stuff humor; stuff that isn't necessarily geared towards the kiddos.

I'm not a professional movie critic, so I don't have any quotes suchas "it's the must-see, feel-good hit of the summer", but I did really enjoy it, and would recommend it for audiences of any age.

One of the things I took note of during the movie were some of elements and portrayals of Chinese culture.  I've had had the very good fortune of traveling to Singapore in 2006 and Taiwan in 2007.  (I received an invitation to go to China this spring, but was not available to go.  I hope to receive another invitation in the coming years; I'd love to go.)  I absolutely would not characterize myself as an officianado in Chinese culture, but during those trips I did learn a ton more than I knew before.  And I am definitely more sensitized to any unflattering characterizations.

So...it was interesting to see how those Asian culture elements were handled.  I tought that the filmmakers did a great job of balancing respectful portrayals while also making the humor pop.  All around, it was a good movie.

I would also imagine that this movie will do HUGE business worldwide.  It's easy enough to do the voices in any number of languages without there being as noticeable a disconnect between the voices and mouths of the characters.  Among the other countries, I expect the Asian countries to really embrace this film.  I sure did, and I'm glad that I took my girls to see it.

Ski-doosh...

I am a bad influence...

When I've blogged about Eddie's skill and enjoyment of chasing squirrels, I mentioned that I don't plan to encourage him to scrap with every animal that crosses his path.  D'ya ever notice how some plans just don't work out?

On a couple of occasions since his first conquest, I have sicced (sp?) him on a couple of other squirrels in our back yard.  And then came Friday night.  Eddie, Veronica and I were returning home from running some errands.  As I pulled into the car into garage, my headlights swept across the fence of my neighbors house and the space between our homes.  It was there that I saw them...reflections of the headlights from the eyes of a most menacing, evil, and vile creature lying in wait...the bunny rabbit.

Yeah, I know that bunnies are neither evil nor vile, but I'm going to claim that this one was anyway, so as to justify my actions.  I noticed that he did not move; apparently he was not startled by the car.  In fact, I think that is part of his menacing nature.  It was his way of saying, "hey, I'm not scared of you.  You ain't so bad."  And then it happened...he glared at me in the most menacing fashion.  Brrrr...

It would have been bad enough if I were the only one there, but Veronica was with me.  How could I subject her to such peril.  I wasn't worried about Eddie, because I knew that if it attacked him, he could fend off the foul beast...and then (as I am want to say) a brilliant idea popped into my head.  I told Veronica "don't open your door...and give me Eddie."  As quietly as I could, I got out of the car and walked over to the side of the garage nearest to our danger, one hand underneath and holding Eddie, the other on his back, holding down his dog tags to prevent them from clanging around and alerting our foe to the impending attack.

As I approached the danger zone, I gently tossed Eddie about 2 feet past the garage's outer wall.  As he landed, he looked between the houses, and with no hesitation was off like a rocket!!  He never barked once, probably because he knows that it would only slow him down.  (I'm guessing that he's done the wind drag calculations that would come from running with his mouth a'flapping.)  Not only did he vanquish the beast from our yard, he brought safety to the surrounding homes by chasing it down past two are three houses next to ours before trotting triumphantly back home.

HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO!!!

(Yes, I know my rendition of this story is silly, but every once in a while we could all use a good laugh!)

A night to remember...

I don't necessarily have a "bucket list".  (If you don't know the reference, there is a movie currently out about two old terminally ill men leave their cancer ward and set off to complete things on their wishlist of things to do before they 'kick the bucket'.  It's entitled "The Bucket List".)  If I were to write a bucket list, however, I'd most likely include traveling and seeing sights around the world, and attending various events.  And if I were writing such a list...I would definitely have put a Van Halen concert on the list.

I've posted multiple blog entries about my excitement in looking towards last night.  I took Angie to the American Airlines Center to see them in concert.  Here's a pic that we snapped before it started.  Geeky-cute, ain't we?

The crowd was an interesting mix.  There were teenagers.  In fact, as we were about to have our tickets scanned before entering, there was a family behind us, and the teenage boy exclaimed "I AM SO GRATEFUL".  Apparently, the tickets were a Christmas present.  I'm guessing that his parents had to shell out a pretty penny for the tickets, and had probably reminded him of that fact.  So...good on his part to reinforce that he appreciated it.

Besides the teenagers, there were also people in (I'm guessing) their late 40's and 50's, and every age in between.  (Side note:  I thought it was particularly telling that the advertisement that was included on the tickets we got via e-mail from Ticketmaster was for Just For Men.  Now that's knowing your target audience, eh?)

The entertainment started before we even got to our seats.  There were several women in the crowd who caught my attention, and I couldn't help thinking "I bet you were hot...20 to 30 years ago..."  And they were wearing outfits that were so unfortunate.  They basically said "I have no friends".  (A true friend would tell you when you look ridiculous.)  I wanted to walk over to them and "share" that they really should move (mentally) into 2008...sheesh. 

And then there were the guys who apparently didn't want to pay whatever it is that they charged for a beer at the arena, so they got hammered beforehand.  I especially was amused by the guy who walked up to the concession stand as Angie was getting some bottled water, and said/shouted to the concession stand lady "CAN YOU TELL ME HOW TO GET TO MY SEAT.  I'M IN SECTION..."  I thought...dude...as much as tickets cost, why would you show up in such a state.  You probably won't even be able to remember the concert!"

Our seats were not phenominal seats, but they were pretty good.  We were in the first level above the main bowl, to the extreme left of the stage (from the stage's perspective).  We got to our seats about 20 minutes or so before the opening act kicked off at 8:00 PM.  The opening act was okay, but nothing like I'd the type I'd expect to open for Van Halen.  It was Ky-Mani Marley, the son of legendary reggae artist Bob Marley.  Theirs was a rock-reggae mix.  It was good, but not great.  (In my opinion, Van Halen probably didn't need an opening act.)

After Marley finished his 30 minutes set, roadies swarmed the stage to take Marley's instruments and staging off the main stage, and to set up for Van Halen.  During that time, I had a chance to speak to the couple sitting next to us.  She said about her husband "he keeps telling me that he's waited for this since 1984, and he was only 9 years old then".  My first thought was "yeah, I've been waiting since then, too".  My second thought was "okay, the guy is 8 years younger than me...".

The show kicked off, and I was definitely not disappointed.  They played alot of their signature songs (Panama, The Cradle Will Rock, Dance The Night Away, Hot For Teacher, Janie's Crying and many others), and they sounded great.  I had wondered about whether or not they would offer renditions of their songs that were in keeping with the originals that I remembered, because long-time bassist (and founding VH) member Michael Anthony is no longer in the group.  Replacing him was Eddie's 16-year old son, Wolfgang.  It probably helped tremendously that most if not all of bass lines in VH songs were simple, musically speaking (probably because they were ones that Anthony could carry off while toasted.)  But Wolfgang did a credible job.  He doesn't have a strong, showman-like stage presence, but come on...he's 16 years old and playing to a crowd of around 20,000.  So, I'm willing to cut him some slack until he grows into it.

It was extremelly cool, however, to see he and his father playing together.  I can't imagine what it's like for them, though Eddie has got to be proud.  (I did a read a quote from Eddie from several years ago that he "couldn't wait to make music with his son".)

Alex Van Halen was...well...Alex Van Halen.  He's a phenominal drummer, and obviously still has the chops he had years ago.  About 1/3 of the way through the show, everybody else left the stage and he did an extended drum solo.  It was so extended that I went to the restroom about 7 or 8 minutes into it, and had to time to to get back to enjoy the last 3 minutes of the solo.  Yeah...that long.

David Lee Roth...I could do without.  He's not a rocker, he's a pompous, arrogant, glitzy, slimy showman.  I found an article written about one of their earlier shows in this tour which included a couple of sentences that summed it up perfectly:  "Now that's not to say we'd WANT to see a 52-year-old Roth acting his overtly-hetero-yet-still-kind-of-homosexual egotistic flare of two decades ago, but it does beg the question: What else does he have to offer?"  I mean, he's a great vocalist, even though he doesn't quite have the range he did years ago, but I can do without his self-absorbed schtick.  In fact, I got flat out ticked-off at one point.  He announced that it was Eddie's birthday.  Predictably, the crowd roared.  When Wolfgang said "let's sing happy birthday for him", Roth responded with "shut the f^*k up!!".  Yet..in the middle of the next song, HE stops and leads the crowd in singing it.  Way to go Dave...way to dump all over a kid for wanting to sing Happy Birthday to his dad, then doing it anyway when YOU deem it right.  Idiot.

But I digress...

Eddie Van Halen has had a well publicised history of problems ranging from alcoholism to cancer.  But last night...dude...the man is a guitar god.  He played all of their old stuff perfectly, but I was personally blown away by some of the extended solos he did.  He can make a guitar produce sounds that are remarkable.  He is to guitar what Michael Jordan is to basketball.  You watch it, you hear it, and you ask..."Did he just do what I think I heard?"  I was as giddy as a kindergartener at recess...

Perhaps my favorite part of the concert was when everyone else left the stage and Eddie put on an approximately 10 minute solo.  If you've ever heard the solo cut Eruption, just imagine that...times 10.  It was outstanding.

After "thank you Dallas, and good night" and leaving the stage, the band came back for the compulsary encore.  It has slipped my mind as to what major hit they hadn't played.  I was hoping for "Best of Both Worlds", but that was a Hagar-era tune, and Roth probably couldn't pull of the vocals.  Instead "Jump" was the encore, and was a very nice wan to finish the concert.

I had an absolute blast, and I'm glad that I went.  They will be playing a second date in Dallas on March 3.  I don't plan on going to that show, but if anybody reading this wants to buy me a ticket, I surely wouldn't turn it down.  Will I go to see them again in the future?  I don't know.  It's a possibility, in their current form.  If they boot Roth and bring back Sammy Hagar, then I definitely will.

Van Halen rocks on, and last night was one that I will remember for a very, very long time.

This is a remarkable week

I've had many remarkable weeks during my life so far.  Graduations, weddings, birth of children, winning the World Championship of Public Speaking...you get the idea that there have been several of them.

I am certainly not going to rank or prioritize any of them as being more important than the others, but I've got to acknowledge that this week is a pretty special one.

For quite some time, I've been blogging about the fact that I'm going to my first Van Halen concert this Saturday.  I've dug their music since I was in high school (which was quite some time ago), so I'm thrilled to get to see them in concert.  I know...they ain't what they were...but still...

Even before Saturday, however, a majorly cool milestone will occur.  It's one that, sadly, we rarely see these days.  On Friday, my parents will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.  Amazing...  I guess that after surviving the upbring of my siblings and I, their pretty much destruction-proof.  <grin>

We're not doing a big celebration right now; they are having a quite, them-only celebration.  (I did go to visit them this past weekend, however.)  Instead, we will be having a big, blow-out shindig for them this summer.  Why so long?  Well, my youngest sister and her family currently live in The Netherlands, where they are missionaries, specifically in ministry to children.  They are returning to the States for an extended haitus near the end of May, and it just wouldn't be right to celebrate such a momentous occasion without the entire family being present.

Besides, summer is better get-together weather than January, in my opinion.

So...Mom & Dad...my hat's off to you.  You are both...remarkable.

Blue Man ROCKS!!!

If you ever have the opportunity to see a Blue Man Group performance, I highly, Highly, HIGHLY recommend it.  We caught their show at The Venetian last night, and it was outstanding!

It is an amazing family-friend mix of rock music, interactive peformance art, comedy, theatre, etc.  We laughed, rocked out to the music, and enjoyed a visual feast of colors and darkness that was way cool.  I don't know how to adequately describe it in a simple blog post.

Angie was resopnsible for getting out tickets, and she did an outstanding job.  We had first row tickets on the upper balcony, which meant that we could lean over and see down onto the main floor when the Blue Men left the stage and ventured into the audience, seeking unwitting volunteers to bring up onstage (to participate in bits).

The "How To Eat A Twinkie" bit was a case study in non-verbal communication.  The woman they brought up was part of a 10-15 minute skit.  Though she was given no instructions, she understood what they wanted her to do just by their gestures and facial expressions.  And she wasn't a "plant", either.  She was just another show-goer.  It was outstanding.

So...if BMG goes to a venue near you, or if you have occasion to visit any of the permanent locations in which they play (New York, Boston, Chicago,  Las Vegas, Orlando, Tokyo, Berlin, or Oberhausen), TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.  You'll thank me...