jennifer newell » Miscellaneous

The Tebow Hate

swedishfish — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 06:01:22 +0000

I make it exceedingly obvious that I’m from Colorado. Part of that is being very vocal and enthusiastic about something that most Americans can get around: American football. Most Americans have some allegiance to an NFL team, and that team for me is the Denver Broncos.

It’s been tough for Broncos fans since John Elway retired. Our quarterbacks have often failed to the point of being run out of town, we haven’t yet found our long-term coaching solution, and it’s been five whole years since we’ve been to the playoffs.

Enter Tim Tebow, who arrived at a perfect time for Broncos fans to regain hope.

Tebow, to Broncos fans, is a welcome change. We know we can’t re-live the Elway days and we’re getting used to the idea that there are new things defining the sports culture in Colorado – and Tebow defines this new era.

Source: Globe and Mail

It’s tough not to form an opinion about the kid. He’s instantly controversial for both his gameplay and his faith. He famously supports the Colorado Springs-based Christian evangelical organization Focus on the Family, which, as a rather liberal individual, I abhor. But just months after the Super Bowl advertisement that drew national controversy, Tebow was drafted by the Broncos and landed his controversy smack dab in the middle of the Mile High City.

It’s true that Tebow lays it on heavy with his faith; he doesn’t reach a mic without praising Jesus Christ. But I haven’t found it as off-putting as many others seem to; I’ve learned to tune out the evangelicals, mostly because I realize that it’s their right to declare their faith just as much as it is my right to disagree with it. It isn’t a particularly odd belief that we should all be allowed to speak our minds without harming others. Plenty of other athletes go out of their way with thanking God, pointing towards the sky, praying during games, and so forth – but apparently it’s much more controversial when Tebow does it.

What really disappoints me is there’s just so much hate surrounding it. Just search “Teblow” on Twitter, for example. Plenty of other people have written about this; I’ve found some great pieces discussing what’s really hateful about the situation, that faith (in anything) can potentially make one look ridiculous, and the possibility that perhaps people really just don’t like the religion factor.

It doesn’t make sense to dislike him for his accomplishments on the field; in his first 8 starts, he actually did pretty well (others have even pointed out that his stats could compare to Elway’s), so it’s not like he isn’t living up to at least some of the hype. And yes, he’s been criticized as being a sub-par starting QB for his throwing style – but his mechanics are getting noticeably better and even the CBS announcers mentioned it on today’s coverage. Despite today’s loss against New England feeling pretty rough, wasn’t it widely anticipated that Tom Brady, a modern-day titan, would lead his Pats to a victory over the Broncos? Tebow still has a pretty solid record as a starter at 7-2. The reality is that Tebow has won more than he’s lost, even if it’s by the seat of his pants.

Tebow has also been served well by much more than his faith; he’s benefited greatly from his energy, determination, and will to believe in general. He chalks it up to God giving him the strength to win, but I chalk it up to his attitude – and maybe he isn’t the next John Elway, but he has to have some kind of an edge as a Heisman Trophy winner and national champion. When you tune out the religious chatter, the things that come out of his mouth seem slightly naïve but are also incredibly uplifting; he thanks his teammates more than he thanks Jesus, he puts the negatives behind him and strives to be better, and he doesn’t utter a single bitter or nasty word.

The bottom line is that Tim Tebow is a nice guy. On the field, he tells his opponents that he appreciates them and he supports his teammates with incredibly empowering words. Off the field, he’s building a hospital in the Philippines with funds from his foundation. He’s encouraging the kids who got suspended for Tebowing – you know, kneeling in prayer while everybody around you is doing something else – to follow the rules because it’s in the best interest of them and their classmates. He may extend his Christian sentiment a little far, but it’s not fair game to pick on his religion – especially since he has steered clear of explicitly involving the more controversial (read: bigoted) elements of the evangelical tenets that inflame and enrage many of us.

The hate will probably stick around for a while, but one thing is clear to me: regardless of all the hate that comes Timmy’s way, I highly doubt he could churn out even the smallest fraction of hate in return. In fact, the hate probably fuels him in some convoluted way; how satisfying is it to know that despite people counting on you to fail, you cleanly and humbly find success?

Win or lose, I’m enjoying every minute Tim Tebow spends in the spotlight and I’m glad Denver is where it’s happening. The Tebow hate? Well, guess it can’t hurt anyone else but the bitter souls who create it.

Sometimes it pays to just ask

swedishfish — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 23:48:30 +0000

This may seem like a rather ridiculous post, but I think other people might be able to benefit from it. This isn’t a paid advertisement, and in fact I’m not so sure they want people to know about this option, but hey — here it goes.

This started with furniture. When I moved to San Diego, I didn’t have a whole lot of options when it came to furniture. I wasn’t willing to spend a lot of money at first; furniture is an auxiliary concern when you’re dead broke (and I really was – I lived on ramen noodles and the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches they sometimes provided at work). I also came here with what could fit in the car (and a whole seat of that space was devoted to my passenger), and that certainly didn’t allow for much furniture. I opted to bring a stability ball for desk seating; it was collapsible, easy to pack, and good for posture.

Stability balls (source: http://www.resistaball.ca/)

Except there was one problem.

I somehow lost the plug that would keep the ball inflated. I couldn’t seem to find a replacement plug at the store or athletic shops (“Well, you’ll just have to buy another ball,” they told me). That left me to look online.

I found plenty of stability ball plugs online. They were decently cheap, too. I thought it would be just that easy — they only cost $1 (way inflated for what they are, but not a big deal) and couldn’t be difficult to ship. I’d have a ‘chair’ again with the click of a button and a few days’ wait.

Uh, not so fast. Turns out not a whole lot of sites don’t offer decent shipping for even the smallest or cheapest items. $10 ground shipping for a $1 item? Certainly I could order a few more stoppers than that, but is $13 really worth it? I just wanted a few lousy plugs so I could sit at my desk.

After scouring the web, all I could find was a set of 3 at Gaiam.com (an awesome Boulder company!) for something like $5. Sounded great, so I ordered them — but when I received them, they weren’t the right ones at all. They were special to a particular ball and wouldn’t work for mine (nor for most stability balls). I decided just to put up with sitting on a Rubbermaid container (which later broke beyond repair and forced me to get an actual chair).

Well, now that I’m past my super-broke days (and have furniture again), I wanted to do something with the stability ball, but still didn’t want to pay $10 in shipping. I renewed my search and couldn’t find anything else new that didn’t cost an arm and a leg (relatively) to ship — so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to pick up the phone and try to get better shipping.

Turns out it only took one call. I called Sportsmith.net, spoke to a representative, and asked about shipping.

sportsmith.net

“I only want a few of these things and I don’t want to pay $10 for shipping,” I told her. “That’s kind of high for three bucks worth of an order.”

“Well, we can send it uncertified,” she replied. As if that’s some kind of concern. I mean, really, I’m just spending $3 on product here. “And that’ll cost you $2.”

For 60¢ in postage? Instead of $10? Sure.

And that was it. That’s all it took. The stability ball plugs came in the mail five days later and now I have a functioning exercise ball again. The best part? It was way easier than I thought it would be. I hardly had to bargain, only had to push a few buttons (literal buttons, not figurative), and probably spent three minutes on the phone.

Moral of the story? Sometimes you just need to ask. Turns out some places are willing to work with you if you just pick up the phone and talk to somebody. Or, ya know, don’t lose stuff in the first place.

Aubrey Sacco still missing in Nepal

swedishfish — Sun, 16 May 2010 22:58:38 +0000

Aubrey Sacco, missing in Nepal

Aubrey Sacco did not board her plane on Saturday and is still missing in Nepal.

Members of her family are planning on traveling to Nepal to continue the search for their daughter while it appears that no leads have led them any closer to finding her.

I check every day, several times a day, to see if there is any more news about the search. While things get more and more serious by the day, I’m holding on to positive thoughts that Aubrey will be back on a plane to Colorado in no time and that she will be reunited with her family. Personally, it’s given me some perspective and has made me think a lot about the most important things in life. It really makes me want to go back and visit my parents soon. I can’t imagine what her parents, Paul and Connie, are going through, and how her brothers are dealing with this stress.

Please, please keep tweeting, blogging, and posting on Facebook about Aubrey. The more we can get word out that Aubrey is still missing, the better chance we have of getting information that may help find her.

Aubrey’s family continues to make updates on the Facebook group dedicated to sharing information about her disappearance. The Sacco family stresses that this is the best source of information for updates on Aubrey’s whereabouts.

Also, big thanks to Elephant Journal for continuing to tweet about Aubrey and publishing a post about her disappearance. This has helped get a lot of exposure, make a lot of good connections, and gain advice for where Aubrey may have gone.

Help find Aubrey Sacco, 23, missing in Nepal

swedishfish — Tue, 11 May 2010 02:28:38 +0000

Aubrey Sacco, Boulderite and Colorado native, missing in Nepal

This afternoon I received a text from my brother: “Can you retweet my last tweet? Morgan Sacco’s sister is missing in Nepal.”

I remembered instantly who Ryan was talking about. I didn’t know her well, but I saw Aubrey on the CU campus probably only a handful of times. Regardless, it scared me right out of my sleepy stupor; she had been traveling in southeast Asia on her own. I checked Ryan’s Twitter account and found a link to the Facebook group, where people have been posting messages of support and the membership has been growing steadily. Aubrey’s cousin Amanda has asked people to spread the word, especially on social media, so we can find people who can help.

Aubrey’s last verified location was at Shyabrubesi on April 20, where she checked in before her trek and after she arrived from a bus trip from Kathmandu. She was trekking the Langtang region and planning on taking a popular route from the Lonely Planet guide. She was supposed to be back by April 30 or May 1, when her parents expected to have heard back from her — but nobody has heard from her.

Aubrey Sacco

Since then, there have been strikes in Nepal — strikes that have shut down shops, transportation, and services all over the country. There’s a strong likelyhood that Aubrey has been unable to contact family because of these strikes, but the Saccos still want to find their daughter is and it’s the community’s duty to help make it happen.

I rang up (okay, direct-messaged) the Elephant Journal with a plea: please help! Knowing that readers of the Elephant Journal not only care about the well-being of a valued member of the spiritual community, but may even know others who can help find Aubrey, I figured it would be one of the best ways to spread the word on social media.

Waylon got back to me in minutes. He said he’d publish something if I could get it to him this afternoon. After getting ahold of Connie, Aubrey’s mother, I had a detailed explanation of the circumstances and a piece to go with. Also, the Daily Camera was looking for information. By evening, the Daily Camera / Colorado Daily, Greeley Tribune, and the Elephant Journal all had information about Aubrey posted on their sites. Faithful Elephant Journal readers are tweeting and re-tweeting about Aubrey.

Today I have seen a huge demonstration of community and I’m hoping that this continues. The Saccos are a good family and they deserve to see their daughter step off the plane on May 15, when she is scheduled to come back home.

Before then — and I mean, right NOW — please spread the word. Pass these links along. Tweet about it. Join the Facebook group. Do whatever you can do get this message around the world and in the hands of people who might be able to help.

UPDATE: The Denver Post is also writing about Aubrey and I’ve included the link below.

UPDATE, pt. 2: The Greeley Tribune has published a piece about Aubrey for the Tuesday edition. Link below.

UPDATE, pt. 3: I’ve added a few more blog posts and television coverage.

The Price of Mediocrity

swedishfish — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:43:41 +0000

Shopping malls depress me.

I work at a shopping mall every so often. For some reason it doesn’t depress me too much to work there — there’s always someone to talk to, always something to do — but I still get a little depressed watching some of my customers, especially the ones who look unhappy to be there.

Sure, a shopping mall represents American consumerism at its finest — but it isn’t my biggest disappointment with shopping malls. It seems like malls highlight the mediocrity in all of our lives. It separates us by who can afford better and those who can’t. It separates us by age and stages in our lives. It highlights mediocrity by these slight differences, even though everything is housed under a single roof. Mediocrity is one of my biggest fears; I am almost more afraid of mediocrity than I am of failure. I’m not quite sure what that says about me, but I’m sure that in one way or another, it labels me some kind of overachiever.

I don’t want to live a mediocre life. Of course I expect that I will get settled someday — you know, get married, have children, have a career and whatnot. But when I look into the faces of some of the women in the mall, the ones dragging around three kids and extra baby weight, I wonder if they’re happy.

It’s not so much the shallow aspect of getting older and having children that I’m worried about. I definitely don’t want to be the kind of woman who abandons looking her best because of several kids and a lack of motivation or time. It’s more because I feel that a woman who at least tries to look her best is telling the world that she values herself. I see plenty of women with several children, a husband, and a career who look great and are obviously happy. But I see many who aren’t.

I see women who look like they married because it seemed like the right thing to do. Or women who had kids because they were afraid that it was getting too late to do so. Or women who may have given up careers they loved to create a family life they never necessarily wanted, but were told by society that they had to fulfill. And yes, I do see plenty of women who probably gladly gave up a working life for little bundles of joy and a comfortable domestic life.

Whether I will become a hard-working career woman without a husband and children or a domestic goddess with a handful of little brats, I don’t know. Maybe I’ll find something in-between. Either way, I hope I never settle for mediocrity. I hope I will be smart enough and listen to myself enough to know when I am risking settling for mediocrity. I don’t want to be the woman a cashier working at the mall notices as being unhappy in a mediocre life.

Postscript: Don’t get me wrong — this isn’t about a shallow concern of fashion. It’s about looking and feeling one’s best. It’s also about having the wisdom, luck, confidence, or whatever, to choose what is best for oneself — not necessarily what society says is best.