Great Quote by Tex Winters

Tex Winters is the assistant coach for the Lakers. He is the mind behind the triangle offense that Phil Jackson has run with the Bulls and the Lakers. Here is a quote from Phil Jackson's book The Last Season from Tex Winters that I thought was pretty amazing:

"Tex (Winter), who is definitely no Buddhist, has a saying that I've grown to love: 'You are only a success at the moment that you do a successful act.' You can't be a success the next moment because you have already moved onto something else, even if it's accepting an award for the successful moment that just passed. That is why I've always told my players the glorification comes from the journey, not the outcome."

The Alchemist

On the recommendation of my friend, I recently finished reading the book The Alchemist. It was written by Paulo Coelho and is an international bestseller. Based on a quick internet review, The Alchemist appears to be quite popular internationally.

The book is interesting. It is described as a fable, and anyone reading the book should remember as much. It lacks much of the normal detail and plot development of a novel. The book concerns a young man and his efforts to follow his dreams. It discusses how the world conspires to help you achieve those things that you really want to accomplish, and the consequences of following or failing to follow your dreams.

I sincerely was somewhat bored by the book. I am glad that I finished it because I enjoyed the climax and the ultimate conclusion, but at various times I considered not reading on. However, there were a few tidbits of wisdom that I liked quite a bit.

For example, in one portion the main character is speaking with a camel driver. Everyone in the camp is living in perpetual concern about tribal raids. The camel driver explained, "I'm alive. When I'm eating, that's all I think about. If I'm on the march, I just concentrate on marching. If I have to fight, it will be just as good a day to die as any other. Because I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. You'll see that there is life in the desert, that there are stars in the heavens, and that tribesmen fight because they are part of the human race. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living right now."

It was a good enough book. It was also short. I don't know that I would recommend it to a friend to read, but I wouldn't attempt to dissuade him from reading it.

Preparation for the MS Century: Entry #3

The weather is doing its best to try and keep me from being fully prepared for the MS Century. While I was able to ride to work on Monday, Tuesday and Friday of this week, the weather has been uncooperative over the holiday weekend. It has rained all weekend and the weather has been somewhat cool. The only time the weather was truly cooperative was on Sunday, which did not leave me much option.

I was able to spend a little extra time on my bike on Friday. I took a longer route home than normal. I took the road through Mapleton and followed it all the way to the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon. I then went through the river bottoms in Spanish Fork. I was planning on spending a little more time on my bike, but it started to rain.

Preparation for the MS Century: Entry #2

One of the ways that I am preparing for the MS Ride is to ride to work. My normal route is about 28 miles round trip. They are doing some construction on the road through the west fields in Springville, so I had to take a detour today. (I actually attempted to ride through the construction last week, but I learned once again that a road bike is definitely not a mountain bike.) My detour took me on the old highway from Spanish Fork through Springville and ultimately to Provo.

The ride was nice, if not a little bit longer on account of the detour. It would have been very nice if the bank sign in Springville did not show that it was only 32 degrees when I rode by. I had noticed the cold when I left the house, but it didn't feel too bad because I was bundled up and because the wind wasn't blowing. I wondered if the temperature was wrong given that I didn't feel colder. The bank sign at the Far West Bank near our office in Provo confirmed the temperature.

When I got to the office I felt pretty good except for the fact that my toes were freezing and I had a strange red spot from the cold on my belly. I can only guess that it resulted from air blowing down the front of my jersey and pullover.

Riding your bicycle in Utah to commute ultimately ends up being a trade of good weather on one part of the ride for not so good weather on another part (unless you are riding in the winter and the weather is never good). Right now it is cold in the morning, but perfect in the afternoon. However, when July rolls around, it will be beautiful in the morning and miserable in the afternoon.

DNA & the Book of Mormon

Here is the link to an interesting article on newly discovered DNA markers in native American populations that are similar to Hebrew markers. The reason why I am posting this article is not for the alleged support that it provides to the Book of Mormon, but because it explains the many issues related to DNA evidence and attempts to prove or disprove Hebrew ancestry in indigenous populations. It is an excellent discussion of the difficulties of DNA, as well as issues raised by Lehi's non-Jewish ancestry.

Larry Miller, the Jazz, and Sunday Games

Here is a link to an interesting article on Larry Miller, the owner of the Utah Jazz and a member of the LDS Church. The author of the article took a Sunday drive with Miller yesterday while Miller was attempting to avoid all things Jazz. Miller generally does not watch or listen to Jazz games on Sunday.

Interesting note, I remember this same story coming up during the NBA Finals in 1997. The Jazz had a home game against the Bulls in the Finals in Utah. The press made a big deal about Miller not attending, and then Miller showed up at the Delta Center in the closing moments of the game to watch. I can't blame him in the least. I was watching that game in 1997, and I spent yesterday afternoon watching the game on my couch.

Preparation for the MS Century: Entry #1

It may be too late, but I have begun to train in earnest for the "BikeMS: Harmon's Best Dam Bike Ride" on June 28, 2008. The ride is a century or 100 mile ride in Cache Valley, Utah. It begins and finishes in Logan, Utah, and goes as far north as Idaho. Here is a link to the route. I rode the 100 mile route last year. It ended up being somewhat longer last year because I got lost and ended up on the wrong side of the valley. Not my greatest moment, to say the least.

As many of you know, I have particular interest in the ride because my mom suffered from multiple sclerosis for about ten years before she passed away. A large portion of the proceeds that are raised from the event go toward supporting research to search for a cure for MS. Having seen what my mom suffered through on the best of days has been impetus enough for me to try and support the search for a cure.

I have decided to keep a running journal of my preparation for the ride. I have to admit that my training this year started somewhat late. I have gone on a few random rides, but until last week I have not been riding regularly. This can be attributed in large part to the unusually cold and wet weather that we have had this spring. And, admittedly, as much as I like riding my bicycle, I being cold much more.

Last week, I began to commute to my work on my bicycle again. Due to my schedule and the weather, I was only able to commute on my bike two of the five work days. Luckily, the weather yesterday was beautiful. Yesterday afternoon I hopped on my bike and put in about fifty miles. It was a nice ride. However, I really was not ready for point of the mountain. It was very difficult, but the view into Salt Lake County was rewarding. The goal had been to ride to my in-laws' house in South Jordan, but I ended up getting lost and tired. Overall, it was a good ride.

The Power of One

I am currently reading The Power of One. It is a book that follows a young man's life in South Africa in the 1930s and 1940s. It came on a recommendation from my sister-in-law, and I can sincerely say that it is a very enjoyable and engaging book. Among other things, it addresses the issues of religion, race, and personal fortitude in the face of overwhelming adversity.

One of the main characters in the book is a German professor of music named Professor von Vellensteen. He has served as a mentor and friend to Peekay, the book's protagonist. He has been imprisoned for the duration of the war based on his failure to register as an alien at the beginning of the war.

The professor is often imparting his wisdom to Peekay. The following comparison between cleverness and intelligence is one of my favorite things that the Professor taught Peekay:

Cleverness is a false presumption. It is like being a natural skater, you are so busy doing tricks to impress that you do not see where the thin ice is and before you know, poof! You are in deep, ice-cold water, frozen like a dead herring. Intelligence is a harder gift. For this you must work, you must practice it, challenge it, and maybe toward the end of your life you will master it. Cleverness is the shadow, whereas intelligence is the substance.

The book is inspiring and enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone.

The Kingdom

After much delay, I have finally decided to begin the Kingdom of Fife blog. While I enjoy my family blog, I figure that this will provide me a forum for addressing issues of interest to me personally. So, instead of discussing my toddler's potty training, I may discuss baseball, Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize, LeBron's aspirations to become the global icon, or mechanic's liens. Okay, probably not mechanic's liens unless worst comes to worst.

For example, tonight I think that I will discuss a group called The Parrots. The Parrots are a Japanese tribute band dedicated to the Beatles. They are the house band at a club called Abbey Road Live House in Tokoyo. They speak very little English, but when I listened to them covering Beatles's tracks I could have sworn they were from Liverpool. NPR ran a story on them this week.


What caught my attention most when I was listening to the NPR story was a quote from the individual that imitates John Lennon. The story talked about how this individual had gone to England to visit all of the old Beatles sites. He then was quoted as saying the following:

"I know I'm so far from John, and my personality is completely different from his. John is always above everything," Yoshii says. "I want to become closer to him. I'll always love him, but I can never reach him."

I couldn't help but draw the religious parallels from the statement. It sounded as if he was speaking of Jesus Christ (which is ironic given certain Lennon claims concerning the Beatles vis a vis Christ). Of course, that got me thinking about the Parrots and what they have accomplished. They have gone out of their way to mirror the Beatles--to sound, to dress, and to perform like the Beatles. And they have basically accomplished this while being from a culture and while speaking a language that arguably have nothing in common with those of the actual Beatles.

So, if they can do it, why not us with Jesus? If they can focus themselves on the Beatles and study the Beatles and take the kind of steps that they have taken to become like the Beatles, then why can't we do the same thing with Jesus? In the end, we can attempt to shape our lives in the image of Christ's, but only if we are willing to adore him and study him the way the Parrots do with the Beatles. The analogy isn't perfect, but it struck me at the time.