Keepin' it going...

So, after being off and running with this fun game, I'd like to thank those of you that have already offered up some GREAT guesses. And, I'd like to say that there's probably not a good way to let you know if you're right or wrong, warm or cold, you get the idea. BUT, please don't let that discourage you from taking a shot at it, because you can have the satisfaction of guessing correctly and it being documented! So by all means, continue the conversation (privately), and remember to do it messaging Carly or me via Facebook, email, or text. We appreciate your playing along, and let the madness begin.


May 21st Clue #1

-6 in a Japanese Trend.


May 28th Clue #2

-"One small step for a feathered friend, one giant leap for our family."

June 3rd Clue #3

June 7th Clue #4

June 10th Clue #5

June 13th (Due Date - final clues)

And It Begins

I'd like to officially any and all of you to our little game of fun and mischief. I'm actually glad you stopped by, and even more nervous this time around with all the savvy, clever hunters that Carly and I know you to be. And, let me remind you that when you get a guess, send it to me or Carly privately via Facebook or email. We appreciate your playing along, and let the madness begin.


May 21st Clue #1

-6 in a Japanese Trend.


May 28th Clue #2

June 3rd Clue #3

June 7th Clue #4

June 10th Clue #5

June 13th (Due Date - final clues)

So, Here's the Deal...

...in case you've been wondering what's up.

-We moved to Austin 6 weeks ago.
-We're having our 3rd kid in 4 weeks.
-It's time for the NAME GAME.

The 1st clue is revealed tomorrow (Friday the 21st), with additional clues coming on the dates below.

May 28th
June 3rd
June 7th
June 10th
June 13th (Due Date - final clues)

Now, you remember the way this works...you have a guess, you send it to me or Carly privately via Facebook or email. We appreciate your playing along, and let's have some fun.

Weekly Office

February 24 - "I have taken my downstairs office and I have turned it into a place to hang out, a place where unattractive and attractive people can get together to meet, to greet, to see the ones that you love, to love the ones that you see..." (Michael)

February 25 - "When I discovered YouTube, I didn't work for five days. I did nothing. I viewed 'Cookie Monster Sings Chocolate Rain' about a thousand times." (Michael)

February 26 - "When the baby emerges, mark it secretly in a kind of mark that only you could recognize and no baby snatcher could every copy." (Dwight)

March 1 - "Why are you helping her? You're not even dating. She's my friend. And ultimately, my strategy is to sort of merge into a relationship without her even knowing." (Michael)

March 2 - "Ronni was 'blah!' Things were at an all-time sad here, but then I got an e-mail from Ryan that he was coming back to town and I called the temp agency and I told them, I will pay you any amount, just give me Ryan Howard. Give him to me. I want him. I need him." (Michael)

March 4 - Michael: "So how much are we going to lose?" Jim: "I would like to lose sixty-five pounds." Michael: "Yes! All right. Who else? Angela, can I put you down for ten pounds?" Angela: "No. My doctor wants me to gain weight." Michael: "If you gain weight, you will die. I want you to live forever. I want us all to live forever."

Jesus was a Jew

Christ could have been born a Roman. The proudest claim of His day was "Civus Romanus sum!" (I am a Roman citizen.) At His birth, Rome ruled the world and to be a citizen of Rome meant you could enjoy all the privileges of the empire.

Or Christ could have been born a Greek. This race has given to the world aesthetics and a beautiful language. Rome conquered Greece...but the Greek language would become the universal language. But Christ did not choose to be identified with "The glory that was Greece or the grandeur that was Rome" according to Poe. Rather He became a member of the most downtrodden, despised race of people in His day. In fact, we are still dealing with anti-Semitism in our era. Just try and get your mind around the horrors of the Holocaust...I've been to Dachau, it's terrifying. Jesus was a Jew!

Sholem Asch writes about being a Jew: "Jesus Christ is the outstanding personality of all time...Is still a Teacher whose teaching is such a guidepost for the world we live in...He became the Light of the World. Why shouldn't I, a Jew, be proud of that?"

Why, then, do we today still attempt to portray Christ as having blond hair...perhaps it's time to show proper respect to the heritage of the son of God.

The Secrets of Unhappiness

What's bothering you? That's what the government decided to find out when it launched a $10-million study, "The Primary Causes of Unhappiness," in 1994. Mental-health professionals throughout the country conducted more than six thousand interviews during which subjects were asked to list those problems causing them the most concern and worry. The recently released results of this government study found that the primary cause of mental distress in this nation is government studies.

Almost 80 percent of all respondents indicated that information provided to them by government studies had three or more times been the cause of significant distress and had caused them to alter behavior that they had previously enjoyed. Most subjects reported that they had been happy or relatively happy with their livers until learning of the dangers that they faced. For example, more than $85 percent of all persons interviewed for this study claimed they had little or no knowledge of the existence of the ozone layer until being informed that it might be disappearing, and they had previously never been concerned about it at all. A similarly high percentage of respondents reported having little or no concern about global warming causing rising tides until made aware of this by government studies.

The general unhappiness caused by government studies reached into the home and workplace. Almost 100 percent of all persons interviewed reported that they had never or almost never been concerned about using microwave ovens, cell phones, or living in proximity to power lines until government studies raised issues of potential dangers. In particular, respondents reported that they had suffered depression, worry, anxiety, and general unhappiness after reading government studies concerning the effects on their health of the most commonly enjoyed foods. According to this study, at least half the people queried had given up or significantly decreased their consumption of the foods they most enjoyed. They had reduced intake of most sugar-based products, particularly chocolate, as well as most fried foods, foods containing saturated fats, foods grown or raised on farms using pesticides or chemical fertilizers, and foods resulting from any form of genetic engineering. They had also significantly reduced or eliminated drinks containing sugar or caffeine. They reported being fairly to very upset by government studies indicating that sugar was potentially dangerous while sugar substitutes were potentially even more dangerous.

Conversely, the respondents had significantly increased consumption of foods whose taste they most often described as "poor to cardboard." The study also found that those people interviewed had moderately to significantly changed their normal behavior patterns due to government studies. In many cases they reported that they had reduced time spent on "enjoyable" activities, including watching television, while increasing the amount of time spent on "less enjoyable" activities, such as exercise.

The government study concluded that the elimination of government studies might significantly improve the mental health of citizens. But it also recommended that further studies be funded to consider the consequences of such an action.

A Special Connection...?!

In 1986, Peter Davies was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Peter approached it very carefully.

He got down on one knee, inspected the elephants foot, and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Peter worked the wood out with his knife,after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot.

The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Peter stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away.

Peter never forgot that elephant or the events of that day. Twenty years later, Peter was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teenage son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Peter and his son Cameron were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Peter, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down.

The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man. Remembering the encounter in 1986, Peter could not help wondering if this was the same elephant. Peter summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing, and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder.

The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Peter legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.

Probably wasn't the same elephant.