First Thing I Did...

...When I got off the plane was kiss the flag. I'll probably do that after every international flight now. I got really nervous when the plane took off too. The whole plane was shaking and the overhead compartments were rattling. Was this how it was going to end?

Get Inspired: Quit Smoking

It may be too quick to push another "Get Inspired" post, but let's start this thing on the run.

This is about how the new smoke free rules on campus inspired one woman to quit smoking. While smoking provides a relief to many, the health hazards involved with smoking are obvious. It is not just about quitting smoking because of the new rules at the U, but also better your health.

Bobbie Young works in HR at The U. She's probably been smoking for longer than many of you have been alive. But she quit for her kids:

“I needed to quit for health reasons. I wanted to quit for my two sons. I got that (e-mail) in December and the program started in January so I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. I just hopped onboard,” Young says.

Young has tried to quit before and she understands that it's a tough thing to do:

“I knew I could quit. It was just a matter of getting back into a group kind of situation. There’s something about being part of the group for me personally that makes it, I don’t want to say easier to quit, but more meaningful. It’s like you’ve made a commitment to others outside of yourself to try and do the best you can,” Young says.

So I implore you to stop smoking and I hope this story helps you to get there. Remember, you're not the only one facing this challenge. Good luck and if you need someone to talk to about quitting, I'm always around.

Get Inspired: JFK

I'm going to start a new series of posts called "Get Inspired" which will feature posts about things that inspire/d me. This one is a preview video for The U's celebrating of the 50th anniversary of JFK's introduction of the Peace Corps on the steps of the Michigan Union.

My Random Thoughts From Madrid and Barcelona

MADRID
-Very impressed
-Very modern/very clean
-Hotels with hardwood floors and nice bathroom

-Walked around Madrid, saw the Templo de Delod, Roseada, and Santiago de la Florida.

-Walked by the Plaza Espana, Jardines de Sabatini, Palacio Real, Teatre Real, Plaza de Oriente, Puerto del Sol, Puerto Santa Ana, Banco de Espana, Plaza de las Cibeles, Paseo del Prado.

-Visited the Reina Sofia, saw Guernica. NBD.

-Lots of beautiful women.
-Men look weak/Euro
-Weather is perfect
-Metro is clean and efficient albeit a little confusing
-Too much pork in the diet
-I'm done with Sangria

-Went to Nike Store next door from the hotel, the new Inter jerseys are absolutely dopetacular.

BARCELONA
-The airport is like a shopping mall
-not very impressed by the outside of the Camp Nou
-A woman helped us to get on the right side of the metro even though that meant she missed her train.
-La Rampla is a pretty neat gathering of tourists and all that. WE DIDN'T GET PICKPOCKETED!
-Horchatas at Bar del Pi. Baller.
-Saw Real Madrid play some beautiful one touch football on the TV today. They looked unstoppable.
-Mourinho is god.
-Walked down by the Mediterranean, really baller.
-Restaurant we wanted to go to was closed, found India street in the process.
-Went to a Mediterranean/Middle East place instead. Good food.

-Unlike some people, I love taking bus tours of the city to learn where everything is and what its story is. There was a beautiful french girl on the blue line. I melted in the hot Barcelona sun.
-Picasso Museum was cool. Science and Charity is pretty.
-Had Basque food at night. Their deserts are fantastic. Starting to get this hang of speaking Spanish to native Spanish speakers thing.

-La Sagrada Familia is so much cooler when you actually see it than the pictures. The detail and thought that Gaudi put into the building is incredible.

-La Casa Mila was pretty cool too. Gaudi is very unique.

I loved Montjuic. We climbed the hill, took the funicular, went the fort at the top. It was pretty awesome. We also went to the MNAC and Miro Foundation. That was sick as well.

I saw Lionel Messi score a hat trick and I saw David Villa make his Barca debut. That was pretty cool.