Michigan Accent

service dogs helping veterans

bcp — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:38:54 +0000

I love dogs, but I had no idea the extent to which they could be trained to help humans. I read a story about a Marine who spent three tours in Iraq, and is struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He now has a service dog, specially trained to help veterans with PTSD. Some of the ways in which the dog is able to help are incredible.

The story also made me realize how ignorant I was about some of the effects PTSD can have and the daily pain it causes, and makes me even more grateful for the sacrifices our soldiers have made.

National Finalist Knights

bcp — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:24:40 +0000

This is an overdue congratulations to the 2009 Calvin College Men’s Soccer team. They did all of us alumni proud when they made it to the NCAA Division III Finals last weekend, taking the runner-up spot in a 2 – 0 loss to a team that has won 6 of the last 8 national titles. It marked the best-ever finish for an MIAA school. Well done, fellas.

holiday preparations complete

bcp — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:00:51 +0000

Thank you, Trader Joe’s. I eagerly anticipate each and every cup.

fond farewell, Kenwood

bcp — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:20:01 +0000

I said good bye to a faithful friend this week, selling my Kenwood component stereo. Having purchased the stereo my freshman year in college, we’ve experienced many events together: graduating from college, getting married, moving to Virginia, and on and on.

Thanks to the wonders of craigslist, I was able to sell it for the asking price within a day. I was comforted by the fact its new owner is a Kenwood enthusiast who lost his original stereo in a house fire. He’s been searching for a replacement, and was happy to provide a loving home.

Thanks for all the memories, Kenwood. You’ll be missed.

seasonal appliances?

bcp — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:30:38 +0000

On a family outing to Home Depot this morning, we decided to check out some coffee makers. Our trusty coffee maker we’ve had since getting married (Mr. Coffee special at Target for $20) has served us well, but is showing signs that it may not be long for this world. After cranking out an estimated 50,000 pots, I’d say that’s $20 well spent.

Not seeing any coffee makers, we asked some helpful Home Depot employees where we might find them. They responded by saying they didn’t have any, because coffee makers are seasonal. Um. What? That’s like saying they don’t sell toilets right now because they’re out of season.

While we’re on the topic, does anyone have any recommendations for good coffee makers? We’re looking for something with a carafe and built in grinder. Suggestions?

timeless words

bcp — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:59:39 +0000

This past week marked the 45th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s “A Time For Choosing” speech, given for Goldwater’s campaign in ‘64. In listening to the speech again, I was struck by how timeless his words are. While the world is a much different place now, and the political players are different both within our country and around the world, it’s remarkable how applicable the principles remain.

bad ad

bcp — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:11:10 +0000

The field house where I’ve played some indoor soccer sent me email letting me know about a great sports sale at a local store. Yikes.

U.S. versus CRC

bcp — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:04:47 +0000

I was able to attend the World Cup qualifying game this week between the U.S. and CRC (Costa Rica, not the Christian Reformed Church). In spite of the 40 degree temps and light rain, it was an incredible game to see. The U.S. dominated the game, but was down by 2 at half. They came from behind, and playing with only 10 men tied the game with 20 seconds to go in stoppage time. The tie clinched first place for the U.S. in the CONCACAF group, and prevented Costa Rica from qualifying.

For the record, Jozy Altidore, all of 19 years old, is an amazing player to watch in person. Almost always double and triple teamed, he rarely lost the ball and was fascinating to watch.

Anyone have a couple extra tickets to South Africa next summer? Just wondering …

If they only win 1 game this season …

bcp — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:59:20 +0000

In anticipation of today’s NFL game between the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins, my brother said, “If [the Lions] win only 1 game this season, I hope this is it.” Being Lions fans living in the D.C. area, we rarely have cause to celebrate. But today’s victory is certainly one of those moments, ending a 19 game losing streak dating back to 2007. They couldn’t have chosen a better team to use to end the streak.

As fun as it was watching the Lions look like they actually belong in the NFL, it will be just as fun watching this town try to figure out what happened. They take their Redskins football just a tad bit seriously.

Confederations Cup consolation

bcp — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:44:54 +0000

The U.S. Men’s Soccer team had an amazing run in the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa. The U.S. team was less than impressive in its games leading up to the tournament, and stunk up the place in its first two games of the Cup. Against all odds, they won the last game of Group play and advanced to the semi-finals (thanks to goal differentials).

In their semi-final match, U.S. beat Spain, the number 1 team in the world. Spain had a 35 game unbeaten streak heading into the match, but the U.S. won with a stunning 2 – 0 shutout, easily marking it as one of the biggest U.S. victories of all time. Unfortunately, in its first-ever FIFA tournament final match, the U.S. gave up a 2 – 0 lead, losing to Brazil 3 – 2.

While they came up short, I was proud of the turn-around they made, and it gave me a bit of hope for next year’s World Cup. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Tim Howard in goal. He was easily my favorite of the tournament.

While it was heartening to see the U.S. do well on the world stage, I’m anxious for the day when those types of results are expected. Donovan’s quote after the game summarized my sentiments well: “We are in the position where we don’t want respect, we want to win.”