Schools all around America are walking out and staging protests after the latest school shooting tragedy. I support these kids who are honoring the victims with 17 minute presentations, one minute for each soul we lost. Freedom of speech and rights to protest are some founding principles that make our country great. These practices can't happen in many other countries, we should be very grateful for this right (and especially those who gave their lives for our rights.) That being said, I don't support kids walking out of class during school. I have even more respect for those who fight for what they believe in on their own time. Full disclosure, I'm biased on this. Some would attribute it to my OCD, Type A nature, etc, but I've had Perfect Attendance since 7th grade, all the way through college ---- and basically in my career since. If you walked out on your job today, there would likely be consequences to face, right? You need to work at your job to pay your bills and live, right? I support that the kids who are trying to honor and make positive differences, also the schools who are managing these unprecedented situations. You can see how each local school is handling it, including Newton, Vernon, Pope John, Hackettstown, Hopatcong, High Point, Sparta, Sussex Tech, Lenape, High Point and Kittatinny by clicking here.
They have come up with 7 smartphone habits of highly successful people, and some of these make sense. Basically the best practices are not to be plugged into your phone 24/7, taking breaks, and organizing your smartphone time better. These habits are consistent with those successful people who tell us not to multitask and focus on one thing at a time. #TunnelVision #LaserFocus. You can click here and see more about those successful smartphone habits.
What is the reason why chinese food can be so delicious yet so unforgiving to us? The SALT! Some of their meals have 5X the amount of salt that Big Macs do according to this article. You can see the healthier chinese food options by clicking here.
My family, is my everything. My parents and sister are also my best friends. They have come out with studies that having sisters make you healthier, and I completely agree. You can see the story by clicking here. I was 6 when my sister was born, and it was a touching moment. My Dad asked me "Steve, what do you think we should name her?" Well my sister was born January 6th in the late 80s. I had just spent the previous 2 months watching The Alf Christmas Special. Alf of course helped deliver a baby, and named her Tiffany because the girl was wearing a Tiffany bracelet. When I suggested Tiffany, all smiles turned to frowns and my Dad immediately yelled "Steven, we're not naming your sister after that Alf movie!!!!" I froze in fear and said the first name that came to mind that wasn't Tiffany. How about Suzanne? We to this day still have no idea how I came up with it, didn't know any Suzannes, none were in any of my classes. She probably wants to kill me daily because her name Suzanne Allan gets misspelled on a daily basis.
While I have hit the jackpot with Awesome Girlfriend Megan, my friends here in Sussex County, living here in Jersey away from my family and friends back home for the past 4 years hasn't been easy. Suzanne is the one who makes this possible. With her Wicked Strong Boston accent, she keeps me in the loop on my family and friends. When my family has doctor appointments, she keeps me plugged in. Yesterday during the Nor'Easter when Boston was hit with 12-26 inches of snow, she let me know that my Grammy, Uncle and Aunt were without power --- and let me know when they had their power restored. She has sent me therapy putty and 1 lb dumb bells to help me do physical therapy on my fractured wrist, always taking care of me. Oh, and she took me to see my favorite Celtic player ever, Paul Pierce get his number retired last month! Best. Sistawh. Evawh.