Dealing with disappointment

In terms of 'personal work' this is an area that I definitely have identified as needs improvement if I were grading myself.

In the past I have allowed disappointments, big and small, get in the way of the bigger picture, let them bog me down and even dwelled on them to the point that I couldn't moved past them.

This morning, as I landed back in Atlanta I realized I am getting better at it; dare I say I am actually growing?

The last few weeks have thrown a bunch of hurdles in my way, some I have shared with close friends, co-workers and even here and then there are a select few who know of a few that could never believe I would ever encounter, but here I am feeling 'ok'. Have these 'setbacks' bugged me? You bet, but I am working hard to deal with them as they come up, take it in stride and keep the bigger picture out there. I am no Stephen Covey fanatic or expert, but I do like the concept of "begin with the end in mind"; I'd like to think I am working towards my vision of what that is and when the road gets blocked I am actively seeking a detour that not only gets me back on track but also might provide some new scenery and a new perspective.

Teach the children...

In this case I don't mean my kids either.

The other day I was out to lunch with one of my business partners, one of our interns (22) and a couple of our production folks (who are young as well) and we started discussing classic comedies. Their 'library' consisted of all the good stuff from the 90's and today, which I like as well, but they had no depth of knowledge for the 80's. Sure, you may read this and say, what about earlier and sure there were the Mel Brooks classics but for me the true comic genius began in the 80's (go figure I am approaching 40).

So with that as the backdrop, I intend to educate today's youth (those old enough to watch R movies) and I need your help. I'll start with a few of my own, but I look forward to your input. FWIW - you can define comedy any way you like, personally, I will not include John Hughes movies, they deserve a separate category...

In no particular order except #1

Fletch
Caddyshack
Stripes
Trading Places
48 Hours
Night Shift


Ok - I have a ton, but now it's your turn.

Hey Gil, what happened to the weight updates, are you fatter?

Friends...sometimes they say the nicest things and sometimes they slap you in the face with reality, and then sometimes they ask you questions like the one in the subject!

To answer the question, no I am not FATTER! In fact I am down to 225 as of yesterday morning. I did hit 223 for a brief time and I am hopeful to get close to 220 before surgery on the 11th but given my trip to South Florida this weekend and then 4th of July festivities I might be ok maintaining the 225.

I do feel better and I think you can see the difference in my face, but not enough elsewhere yet. While the knee has been down I have worked hard with the 'pre-hab' (that's my own term, need to copyright) and I have also incorporated a lifting routine for the first time since I began running. The weight training may have slowed down the weight loss a bit but it feels good.

I have some pretty rigorous post surgery goals for myself and I am ready to get this done already. The postponement has lead to a couple of really good things: I get to fly into South Florida this weekend to see one of my oldest friends first child, born just a week or so ago. I can't wait to hold my newest 'niece' and welcome her to the 'family'. I'm also hoping to make it through a round of golf without a ton of swelling or doing more damage. Next week I'll get to enjoy 4th of July and not have to worry about changing bandages, dealing with crutches, etc... we have a ton of company coming in and I am looking forward to doing the things around Atlanta that we take for granted living here.

The little things

It always amazes me how much gratification and pleasure comes so much more easily from the small things that life gives us. It has been a pretty rough last few days as I continue to sit in a holding pattern on the knee and a couple other minor hurdles were put out there, but yesterday I received a nice little package in the mail from the State of Georgia that helped put things in perspective.

Does that have you curious? What did Gil do? Is he being sued? Is he being summoned? Come on already just tell us...

My new LICENSE PLATE came in the mail. Earlier in the year The University of Florida FINALLY got their own plates here in GEORGIA. Usually I would be the first in line, and actually I was, but something got screwed up so I just waited until my tags were up for renewal, which was this month! Yesterday, I poked my head in the mailbox and there they were, 2 new license plates...I'll have to add the picture when I take one :); so 2 cars down with Gator Plates, one to go when the 3rd car's tags are up (January). My tag #'s are 3176 & 3177. It gives me great pleasure to know 3175 other Gators are pissing of Georgia Bulldog fans on a daily basis in their lovely Atlanta commutes.

So with that I once again see all the small things in life that outweigh all the crap:

- the way Cydney hugs me in the morning
- the way Rae Rae screams 'Daddy' when I walk in from a long day
- the way words from a friend or family member can touch my soul so deeply
- a late afternoon thunderstorm that blows the heat away
- the warm sun beating down, while the wind blows by as you drive
- the lyrics of a song that capture your mood.or your life to a 'T'


Today, like everyday is a renewal, and sometimes even a revival.

The Guru will be back!

For those of you that were around last fall you might remember that I was a part of a Fantasy Football weekly internet video show. It was a lot of fun to do and we had some pretty good traffic.

I have spent a good portion of the 'off season' pitching the concept to my friends at 790 The Zone, which is Atlanta's premiere sports talk radio station. I am happy to report that we have agreed in principal to partner on the 2008 NFL Season.

The Guru will expand in reach, content and distribution! We will also grow with new talent. Joining Jordan and I will be Chuck Oliver from the station and we'll have plenty of surprise and celebrity guests throughout the season. We are signing on to produce 40, yes 40 segments. We will do 8 preseason shows starting in July to help folks get ready for the draft and then each week we will produce 2 segments.

Be sure to stay tuned for details and if you are interested in sponsorship opportunities to reach an amazing demographic (males 18-45 with DISPOSABLE income) feel free to let me know. Now is the right time to 'jump in'. We'll be seen by 25,000 plus loyal listeners in Atlanta on a bi-weekly basis and we think that will be just the start.

Saying Goodbye

You might think I mean to blogging since it has been such a long time, but I am saying goodbye to two very strong influences on me.

The first is Tim Russert who passed away a couple of weeks ago. No need to rehash what the media has already done to glorify the life that Russert lived. As a quasi-political junkie I loved watching Russert be one of the few media members willing to ask the tough questions and not back down. He also was 100% real and human. He loved his hometown of Buffalo they same way I love my hometown of Philly. I have wanted to pick up his book about his relationship with his Dad but never got around to it, now I need to. This political season is going to be insane and his voice will be missed.

The second is George Carlin, and I heard the news while driving into work early this morning and I got very emotional. As i was telling a good friend last week, the strangest things are making me emotional and bringing back vivid memories. Well, Carlin for me was godlike in the late 70's and early 80's when I 'discovered' comedy albums. I loved listening to Carlin and Pryor; I was able to escape into a world of laughter and dirty jokes. I'm sure the tributes will be rolling in from comics worldwide, and what you will hear is that the comedy that Carlin began lives on today in Lewis Black, Jon Stewart, Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock and so many more. He was raw, uncensored and honest and I loved it. The most amazing thing is he was as relevant in this decade as he was in the 60's, 70's, 80's and the 90's.

Both voices will be missed for years to come and will never be 'replaced', however - hopefully, my voice is back!