Pursuit of the Positive

This past weekend I had the privilege of going to new a shop that opened in Millbury.  You wouldn't think it was such a big thing, but for me it was very fulfilling and a very proud moment as well.  What was in this store, cupcakes.  That wasn't even what made it great for me, even though I do have one of the biggest sweet tooth’s known to mankind.  It was the accomplishment of the owner that has me beaming.

Renee King, owner of The Queens Cups.  Photo by: Steve Balestrieri

I used to be a youth worker for a community center in Worcester in which I will not name.  I used to have a t-shirt that read "Youth work:  The relentless pursuit of the positive".  That is what I strove for in working with youth.  Not so much that I wanted them to behave well for me and accomplish the task that I gave them for the day, but to succeed long after I had interacted with them.  There have been a lot of hits, even having been out of that profession for thirteen years.  I have seen kids go on and do well in school, go off to college and come back successful.  I have seen kids go on the opposite path and wind up in jail.  This year alone I had seen one of the kids I used to work with murdered, and I saw one play in the MLB All-Star game.  It's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.

But my visit to this new store made me so happy, not because of the absolutely ridiculous tasting cupcakes that are made, but the owner was one of the kids that had come before me when she was really young.  Her name is Renee King and she is the owner of "The Queen's Cups" on Millbury Ave. in Millbury.  I have been close to Renee's family for the better part of 20 years.  I used to work with her mother at the community center and I had also worked with her two older brothers.  Renee, used to be afraid of me for some reason. She would get all shy and quiet and would never talk to me.  When Renee was about 6 years old, her family moved to Millbury, but I stayed in touch with the family after they moved.  I have always looked out for them, even though they have never needed my help, and they have done the same for me.

Renee is a very strong young woman and I am very happy to know her.  She definitely takes on a lot and is always in "pursuit of the positive" , not just with children, with anyone and anything.  We coached basketball together a few years ago and she tried to turn every negative that came at her into a positive.  So it did not surprise me when I found out that she worked with children in the same capacity that I and her mother did.  What did surprise me was this unbelievable talent that she has for baking cupcakes.  In my eyes it came out of nowhere but in hindsight nothing that Renee does should ever surprise me.

So if you are looking for a sweet treat or are looking for the right dessert for a party I suggest that you head down to The Queens Cups, 238 Millbury Ave, in Millbury.  You will not be disappointed, you may even ask for more.  Tell Renee that Nick D. sent you, and that he could not be more proud of her.  

By the way, go for the Reese's Overload...it's heavenly.

3D

If you don't take it from me, ask my wife.

Life IS like a box of chocolates

Everyone has that movie that while flipping through the channels they stop on, always.  I have to admit I have several.  I like my movies and I like seeing them multiple times.  The other day I was flipping through to see what I could have on as background noise while working and I came across one of my All-Time favorites, Forrest Gump.  I must say if you are not a fan of this movie then the movie is not the problem, it has to be you.

That last sentence reminds of a conversation I had with my cousin while I was in Italy visiting family a couple years after the movie was released.  He asked me if I liked it.  I looked at him like he was crazy for even asking the question.  He told me he thought it was just "ok", and that he really didn't get it.  That's when it hit me.  That movie is an American thing.  No disrespect to other countries around the world but Forrest Gump is truly a piece of American Pie, and it has been truly embedded into American Culture.

Was there a message in that movie?  I think so.  I believe there were several.  It told us that anyone was capable of achieving success, not matter what the odds, isn't that what the American Dream is after all?  It showed us that people truly have a destiny whether they want to believe it or not.  It gave us a, somewhat skewed, view of American history and how it intertwined into America lives.  It showed us the benefits of the Civil Rights movement in the South.  It showed us the beauty of America while he was running across country and it showed us the ugly side of Vietnam and the AIDS epidemic.  

Most of all it showed the loyalty that Forrest Gump had and the loyalty that people befriended him had towards him.  He loved his Momma, He loved Bubba, he loved Lt. Dan and obviously he loved Jenny.  He would do anything for any of them and it showed when he kept his promise to Bubba's family on the partnership they had, or how he took a legless Lt. Dan and made him his first mate and partner.  He showed it when the dispatcher told him his mother was sick and he immediately jumped in the water to get to her, even though he had a boat at his disposal.  He took care of Jenny no matter the circumstance and never questioned what happened to her.

Believe it or not but Forrest Gump has become ingrained into our pop culture.  Mainly because the movie represents a certain piece of Americana that makes Americans proud.  But how many times have you uttered the phrase "...Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you are going to get".  Have you ever had to go to the bathroom and say "I gotta pee" in that southern drawl that Tom Hanks made so famous.  How many times have you referred to actor Gary Sinise as "Lt. Dan".  It had become so subliminally ingrained into our pop culture that there now is a Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant.

You may not agree with what I have said above, or maybe have never realized it, there is nothing wrong with that.  But the next time you are surfing through the channels and the movie that you can never get past is on, ask yourself why is it you can't get past it?  Stupid is, as stupid does.

3D

If you don't take it from me, ask my wife.

Upon Further Review

If you haven't heard by now the National Football League (NFL) has locked out its referees and are using replacement officials.  If you truly haven't heard by now you must live in a cocoon because last Tuesday morning all anyone was talking about was the call made in the previous night’s game.  The NFL has long since replaced baseball as America's Pastime and that is mainly because of the product it produces.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has recently had a referee scandal that spoke to the integrity of the game, and also had a player lockout last year that caused games to be missed, nobody cared.  Major League Baseball has been marred in recent years by a steroid scandal.  Baseball’s biggest problem is their inflated payrolls which see the same teams capturing playoff spots every year.  If the league were to miss games due to a lock out, nobody would care.  The National Hockey League is currently in a labor dispute which doesn't seem will be rectified soon, nobody cares.  Last year when there was a hint of the football season being interrupted it was the leading story every day and both sides came to agreement and the season was not touched, everybody rejoiced.

It's because the NFL is a fine tuned machine from top to bottom.  From league officials, to owners, to the players, to hit dog vendors.  The NFL has a great product.  That product is now being tarnished because of a labor dispute with its game officials, and its showing on the field.  I truly feel that  Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, is the best commissioner in professional sports, but he has dropped the ball on this one.  Call it professional pride, call it arrogance, call whatever you want but he needs to step in here and get something done, and done soon.

As a lower level official in two sports (baseball and basketball) it’s tough to take in what is happening to the replacement referees in the NFL, they are just pawns in a wicked game of chess. They are just trying to do the job they were hired to do and do it to the best of their ability.  Unfortunately for them, they are in way over their heads and it is obvious to everyone that watches the games.  That speaks volumes to the integrity of the NFL.

Being an NFL official is truly a difficult job, and not one I think I could ever do.  The rules to remember, the level of play and the speed of the game alone makes the job difficult.  To ask officials that haven't gotten higher than Division II college football and most of them Division III to work at that level with only a couple of weeks of training is unfair, and is some regard could be considered criminal.  These guys have been set up to fail from the word go.

I am a long time believer that the outcome of game is never really determined by an official’s call.  If the teams and players want to play the game to a point where it comes to the call of an official, that is the choice that the teams made and they have to live with the call.  I have told batters in baseball many times when they strikeout to end the game "Swing the bat and don't leave your at bat in my hands".  Games should be decided between the lines and not by the guys with the whistles.

However, I truly feel the replacement referees are not affecting the outcome of games, with the exception of the Green Bay/Seattle game. The replacement official have no control of the game, they don't understand the Instant Replay rules, they don't know what to look for on Pass Interference calls, and they lack confidence in their calls.  That makes the coaches preparation for the game and the players execution that much more difficult.

Last week everyone was talking about Interception/non-interception in the Monday Night game or the ball that went over the upright in the Sunday Night game, which led to Patriots coach Bill Belichick to grab a referee as he was running off the field.  Those weren't the calls that had me scratching my head that weekend.  In Minnesota the referees in the 49ers/Vikings game allowed 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh to challenge a call on the field with no timeouts, TWICE.  Once shame on him, twice shame on you.

Once this labor dispute is resolved it is likely that we will never see these officials again.  Not only have they ruined any chance of ever officiating in the NFL but they may not be welcomed back to their local college boards back home, and for what?  To be part of the chess game.  A big price to pay if you ask me.

So I beg you Commissioner Goodell, Please end this lockout and get the true NFL officials back on the field, America needs its game back.

3D

If you don't take it from me, ask my wife.