Mike Travis - Life in Educational Technology

2022 Resolutions in review

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 19:39:00 -0800

I was near the end of 2022, it is time to review my resolutions. How did you do?

1) Half Marathon in April - I hope it will be in person. Click here if you want to run it as well. Recently, I had many physical limitations to training; however, hoping for a fresh start in 2022.

Success! I did run the half marathon with Suzy. It was a disaster of a night as there was an electrical fire in the hotel we were staying in. The power was shut off and we were outside waiting for almost two hours in the middle of the night. Didn't sleep much and had to hike up 12 flights of stairs and back down to run the race. I did well, but was about 10 minutes off my goal at 2 hours.

2) Publish the next book in my kid's series - my most recent book, "Billy's Most Embarrassing Day" was so much fun to write! All of my books are available on my website, Travis Publications.

Nope! Didn't do it. Frankly, I need a break from writing books that don't sell. :-)

My job in curriculum requires a lot of writing so that was my focus in the second half of 2022.

3) Continue to work on stress levels - figuring out how to effectively balance life and work. There isn't a real way to measure this quantitatively, so I will just have to monitor it on a regular basis.

Success! I have been feeling a lot better about stress and balance. I am working on running 62 miles for the month of December. And, another half marathon is on the horizon for 2023.

Take care, everyone, stay safe and set your own goals.

Mike's 2022 New Year Resolutions

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 18:48:00 -0800

As I sat down to think about my resolutions for 2022, I realized I never published resolutions for last year or even set any. I was in a dark place with the pandemic and other things, and couldn't really think about goals.

However, I am in a much better place at this moment! Except for a recurring pandemic that never dies.

So, let's get to it:

2) Publish the next book in my kid's series - my most recent book, "Billy's Most Embarrassing Day" was so much fun to write! All of my books are available on my website, Travis Publications.

Take care, everyone, stay safe and set your own goals.

Mike's 2020 New Year's Resolutions

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Fri, 27 Dec 2019 10:03:00 -0800

It is hard to believe we have reached another milestone in history, the year 2020. Remember in education when we were saying, "21st Century Skills"? And, that was 20 years ago!

As always, I love to share my New Year's Resolutions in the hope that it will inspire others to take on resolutions as well. Setting goals and trying to achieve them is the best way to grow as a human.
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Mike's 2020 New Year's Resolutions:

1) Continue to combat the effects of stress in my life. This resolution involves not only my personal stress, but the stress of others in my family and around me. Again, not a measurable one, so to speak; however, one way to check my stress is to mark "red" days on the calendar when I didn't do well with stress. I will look for patterns and work to lessen those numbers. Combating stress for me involves a number of things:

Eating healthy meals (I just got an Air Fryer and an InstaPot as gifts, I am going to try and cook more meals at home).
Exercising more (with my second goal, I will have to do more running)
Look for opportunities to relax and put away the work and devices and just "live"

2) Run a half-marathon in April. As many of you know, I have run many half-marathons and 6 full marathons. I was training for my 7th marathon in December of 2012 when my knee had extreme pain. I eventually had surgery in the summer of 2013. Doctors said I would never run again. However, with acupuncture and dietary changes, I started running again slowly a few years ago. I am up to about 3 times per week. I am ready! It is time to train for a race. The race I am signing up for is the Windward Half Marathon. Ironically, this is the first half marathon I ever ran in 2008 and it was by mistake (see link). Of course, this lead me to running many more marathons in the future, so I can't complain too much.

3) Publish my 5th book! In November of 2019, I completed my fifth NaNoWriMo. This is the National Novel Writing Month Contest with the goal of writing 50,000 words in one month. I have used this contest as the impetus to publish four books. I am going for five this year! This year's book is a prequel to my Cooper's Destiny trilogy and will be about how Cooper becomes a freelancer. Since I have seen so much excitement at my elementary school for books, I am writing this book at that level. It is a fun opportunity to draw in some interest to my series. If you are interested in my books, you can find them on Amazon or here at my website - travispublications.com.

And, that is it! I can't wait to hear about all your New Year's Resolutions as well.

With Aloha,

-Mike :-)

My 2019 New Year's Resolutions

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Sat, 29 Dec 2018 09:13:00 -0800

Welcome to 2019! What will this year hold? How will life change? We can only predict the future, but not guarantee it.

One way to help you predict your future is

to make New Year's Resolutions and stick to them!

Here are my 2019 Resolutions:

#1 - Combat the Effects of Stress - I have learned a lot about stress over the past few years from my acupuncturist. Stress has a direct effect on your body's natural ability to fight illness, disease, and overall well being. I know going into 2019 that it will be a stressful year. I need to prepare to combat the effects of stress so I don't internalize the feelings and make myself sick, or take out the stress on my loved ones. For this resolution, these are the steps I will be taking to combat it:

Run at least two times per week (try for 3 days, if possible)
Do yoga once a week either in a studio or on my own
Take time for myself to write at least once a week (writing for pleasure has been a big stress relief and it helped me to produce and publish three books so far, check them out at http://travispublications.com/
Enjoy the beach! We are only three miles from one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, I need to take advantage of this and sit at least once a week and watch the waves roll in.
Deep breathing exercises - there is a lot to be said about just taking a minute and taking some deep cleansing breaths. Just a few of them can clear your head and prepare you for the next task.
Finally, when I am feeling stressed, do one of the five steps above! It is important to recognize when stress begins to take over and take steps to alleviate it.

#2 - Publish the final book in my Cooper's Destiny Trilogy

For this year, I have chosen only two resolutions. The reason is that the first one is something that will be challenging on a daily basis. If I can learn to combat the effects of stress, I will live longer and love my life more, which is more important than any other resolution I could make!

Happy 2019 to everyone!

2018 New Year's Resolutions - Revisited

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Fri, 28 Dec 2018 18:54:00 -0800

Every year I go back and look at my resolutions to see how I did. This year is no different.

#1 - Successfully move back to the windward side of the island

Success! We found a wonderful fixer-upper in Kaneohe and we are very happy we are back on the Windward side enjoying the beach.

#2 - Publish the second book in my Cooper's Destiny series

Success! Book was published in August, a few weeks late, but I did it! I actually have the first draft complete for the third and final book in my series.

There are now six books at the Travis Publications line - three are mine and three are my mom's, please check them out at: http://travispublications.com/.

#3 - Habituate Good Behaviors --- Success!

While I didn't do everything on this list below, I have been running at least three times a week and trying to do other exercises when I can. Most of the other exercise is working on the house, but it counts!

The body habituates to good and bad behaviors; a body at rest will stay at rest. While not as quantifiable, I want to focus on habituating good behaviors, examples of this are:

Running at least two times per week
Doing other exercise at least three times per week, whether it be lifting, yoga, swimming, etc.
Eating healthier - ensuring that I have vegetables at lunch and dinner, avoiding the high sugar desserts, and most of all, focusing on avoiding dairy and gluten products
Taking time to relax and enjoy the place I live at least once a week - even it if is only for half an hour, just taking time away from technology to enjoy this beautiful island

#4 - Setting Fun, Healthy Exercise Goals that others can Join in on every 1-2 Months

Success, sort of ... I started out the year with a goal for everyone, but not many people participated. So, I kind of left this one behind. I have set personal goals and met them.

A thought from a friend encouraged me to create the 1st Annual Veterans Day Virtual 5k/10k Run on Facebook (link here). People from around the country joined me in the adventure. Then, at the end of November, I asked people to join me in "1000 push-ups before the end of 2017." These challenges were doable and fun. I want to continue creating these social media exercise goals as a way to bring others together for healthy living.

Geez, I think, this might be my best year on resolutions yet! Remember, setting resolutions helps you to think about the upcoming year and decide on your short and long-term goals. Go for it!

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

-Mike :-)

2018 New Year Resolutions

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Mon, 1 Jan 2018 11:08:00 -0800

Welcome to 2018!

The first time I posted New Year Resolutions on this blog was in for 2012. It is now six years later. A lot has changed in my life since then, but I am a firm believer in setting goals to help guide my future. I hope all of you will consider resolutions (goals) as well.

Now, let's get to those resolutions!

#1 - Successfully move back to the windward side of the island - In 2005, our family had a decision to make; we were living in the smallest house in Kailua (3 bed, 1 bath, 700 sq. ft.). It was in a wonderful location, only 3 blocks from the beach, but it was just too small for a family of four. We decided to move to Mililani. It was an excellent decision and I won't forget the 12 years we lived in our townhome. However, with our oldest daughter graduating this year from Mililani High School, we are ready to move back to the Windward side and to the beautiful beaches. The plan is to move in June. Here we come Waimanalo, Kailua, Kaneohe, or Kaaawa!

#2 - Publish the second book in my Cooper's Destiny series
It is hard to believe that I have written three books in three years. I think I have the writer's bug, if there is one. I am struggling a little more with this story and finishing it up, but I should be able to publish before the end of the summer, I hope. In case you are interested, here is draft of the synopsis for the new book: In 2201, most humans live in underground cities; however, space travel is expanding. In Book One: Topside, we met Cooper, a 14-year-old boy with a knack for fixing things. He made his living as a freelancer going “topside” to the ravaged cities in search of treasure. When an old man tells him that his purpose can be greater, Cooper ventured to the stars and began his training to become an Astro-Mechanical Engineer to one day make an interstellar trip to a new planet. However, a terrorist organization known as Earth Only Agents (the EOA), has different plans for the future of mankind and for Cooper.

There are now four books at the Travis Publications line - two are mine and two are my mom's, please check them out at: http://travispublications.com/.

#3 - Habituate Good Behaviors
The body habituates to good and bad behaviors; a body at rest will stay at rest. While not as quantifiable, I want to focus on habituating good behaviors, examples of this are:

Running at least two times per week
Doing other exercise at least three times per week, whether it be lifting, yoga, swimming, etc.
Eating healthier - ensuring that I have vegetables at lunch and dinner, avoiding the high sugar desserts, and most of all, focusing on avoiding dairy and gluten products
Taking time to relax and enjoy the place I live at least once a week - even it if is only for half an hour, just taking time away from technology to enjoy this beautiful island

#4 - Setting Fun, Healthy Exercise Goals that others can Join in on every 1-2 Months
A thought from a friend encouraged me to create the 1st Annual Veterans Day Virtual 5k/10k Run on Facebook (link here). People from around the country joined me in the adventure. Then, at the end of November, I asked people to join me in "1000 push-ups before the end of 2017." These challenges were doable and fun. I want to continue creating these social media exercise goals as a way to bring others together for healthy living.

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These four resolutions will certainly keep me busy this year!

I hope you take the time to choose at least one New Year Resolution and try to complete it. Setting goals is good, it is how we can reach beyond ourselves to grow and change.

Have a wonderful 2018 and please stay in touch!

-Mike :-)

2017 New Year's Resolutions - Revisited

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 19:47:00 -0800

We have come to the end of 2017. Yes!

It is time to take a look at my New Year's Resolutions and see how I did.

#1 - Family, Home, and Love - The world has become a lot angrier over the last year through the election season; sadly, I don't think 2017 will get much better. So, how do we navigate the world around us? Well, the best way for me is to take care of my family, to make sure my home is a happy place, and to treat everyone around me with respect, love, and care. I have no idea how I will assess the success of completing this resolution; however, I think, it is a goal we all need to set.

This year was a great year for family. I saw my sister and her family in January for a gymnastics meet. Then, in June we had a wonderful family reunion on the beach in Kailua. So wonderful to have everyone together and time with family. I will call this one accomplished!

#2 - Publish my second book - I took on the National Novel Writing Month competition again in November of 2016 and what came out of it was my first attempt at science fiction. I am well over the 50,000 words; however, the book needs some work. My New Year's Resolution is to finish it and get it published. Look out sci-fi fans, I might give you something interesting to read sometime in late summer!

I did it! Published my second book and my first science fiction novel. Meet Cooper, a 14-year-old boy with a knack for fixing things. He is one of the freelancers still willing to go “topside” to ravaged cities in search of treasure. When an old man tells him that his purpose can be greater, Cooper must examine his family's past and consider a future in the stars.

Click here to see the ordering options - http://travispublications.com/

#3 - Learn how to do a dive - Well, this one is a carryover from 2016. I never learned how to dive as a child, even though the rest of my family can dive just fine. Now that I have been swimming so much, I need to try and learn to dive.

I hope you enjoy the video of me finally learning to dive after 49 years on this Earth! I have to thank Suzy, my wife, and my sister and brother-in-law for their advice in making this happen. I also have to thank my parents for renting a place for all of us on the beach that had a pool that was 10 feet deep, which gave me time to learn and practice

We recorded this on Facebook Live, which was fun!

#4 - Staying Healthy and Strong - Oh, man, do I miss running. With my permanent knee injury, this isn't an option, but the swimming is going well and I want to incorporate other exercising into the mix. My goal is working out 3-4 times per week. Linked closely to exercise is healthy eating. You would be amazed at how much better my stomach feels now that I have given up gluten and dairy. Now, I need to learn how to add more variety to my diet. Maybe I will try to make a new, healthy dish once a week and see how it goes.

Guess what? I am running again! The healthy living, better diet, and acupuncture lead me to feel strong enough to try running again. No more marathons in my future, but definitely some shorter runs. I am running 2-3 times a week and the knee is feeling a lot better!

Wow! This was a good year for my resolutions. I completed them all! Guess I have to challenge myself a little more in 2018!

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas, everyone!

-Mike :-)

2017 New Year's Resolutions

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Sat, 31 Dec 2016 14:21:00 -0800

Well, it is that time of year again. Every year, I set New Year's Resolutions to help guide me and give me something to shoot for throughout the year. I hope you will also consider setting resolutions for your own life, sharing them helps to make them real as well as allowing others to help you in the journey.

#1 - Family, Home, and Love - The world has become a lot angrier over the last year through the election season; sadly, I don't think 2017 will get much better. So, how do we navigate the world around us? Well, the best way for me is to take care of my family, to make sure my home is a happy place, and to treat everyone around me with respect, love, and care. I have no idea how I will assess the success of completing this resolution; however, I think, it is a goal we all need to set.

#2 - Publish my second book - I took on the National Novel Writing Month competition again in November of 2016 and what came out of it was my first attempt at science fiction. I am well over the 50,000 words; however, the book needs some work. My New Year's Resolution is to finish it and get it published. Look out sci-fi fans, I might give you something interesting to read sometime in late summer!

#3 - Learn how to do a dive - Well, this one is a carryover from 2016. I never learned how to dive as a child, even though the rest of my family can dive just fine. Now that I have been swimming so much, I need to try and learn to dive.

#4 - Staying Healthy and Strong - Oh, man, do I miss running. With my permanent knee injury, this isn't an option, but the swimming is going well and I want to incorporate other exercising into the mix. My goal is working out 3-4 times per week. Linked closely to exercise is healthy eating. You would be amazed at how much better my stomach feels now that I have given up gluten and dairy. Now, I need to learn how to add more variety to my diet. Maybe I will try to make a new, healthy dish once a week and see how it goes.

I hope these resolutions inspire you to make your own. Setting goals helps us stay on track for the future. You can do it!

Sending love and happiness for the whole year to everyone who reads this!

-Mike :-)

2016 New Year's Resolutions - Success!

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Fri, 30 Dec 2016 19:34:00 -0800

It is always great at the end of the year to check in on my resolutions to see how I did. So many people give up on their resolutions early; however, if you plan them correctly they can help you to guide your whole year.

Here we go:

#1 - Present Successfully - I have three presentations lined up for the year, one at the HCTM Conference and two at the ISTE Conference. I want to plan ahead and do the best job I can for the participants attending.

Well, I didn't have a chance to present at ISTE because of lack of funds, but my HCTM presentation went very well! So, I will call this one a success!

#2 - Get My First Book Published - In November of 2015, I participated in the National Novel Writing Month - http://nanowrimo.org/. In this personal contest, you attempt to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. I was successful and finished the word count three days early; however, now the real work begins. I need to finish the book, get it edited, and try to get it published. That is my goal for 2016.

I did it! The book is published! And, I learned a lot along the way. If you are interested, you can buy the book here on Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/Faded-Jeans-Army-Greens-Desert/dp/1533631271

#3 - "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." - Gandhi

I am hoping this is the year that I find balance between work, family, and my personal health. Without the ability to run or play tennis anymore due to my permanent knee injury, I must continue to try and re-invent who I am physically and mentally.

This one is tough to define success; however, I would say that I am getting closer to the harmony I am looking for. I have changed my diet and gone six months on it. The changes are real, my knee is stronger, and swimming as my new activity is going well. I have also learned to better balance my life, spending more time with family and learning how powerful stress can be as a factor in living life.

#4 - Okay, this is a weird one. I want to either learn to do a cartwheel or be able to dive into a pool. I don't know how to do either of these and 2016 is when I figure one of them out!

Well, this was didn't go so well. I tried a few times during the year at the beach at the pool to achieve one or the other, but to no avail. I guess maybe what they say about "old dogs can't learn new tricks" might be true for me. Anyway, I want to push this one to 2017, but if you want a good laugh, click on the video below to see my final attempt at a dive before the year ends.

2016 New Year's Resolutions

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Sun, 27 Dec 2015 13:52:00 -0800

A new year is upon us and it is time, once again, for me to choose my resolutions for the new year. While I have struggled the past few years with trying to accomplish all of my resolutions, I will again set manageable goals and work to achieve them.

#3 - "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." - Gandhi

#4 - Okay, this is a weird one. I want to either learn to do a cartwheel or be able to dive into a pool. I don't know how to do either of these and 2016 is when I figure one of them out!

I hope you enjoyed reading my New Year's resolutions and you will make your own goals and share them.

I wish you all a Happy New Year filled with love, joy, happiness, and a little relaxation.

-Mike :-)

2015 Resolution Review

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 23:37:00 -0800

Well, this year wasn't so good when it comes to my resolutions. Let's make this quick:

#1 - Try to Keep Anxiety and Stress in Check --- Not so good on this one. It was a rough and busy year for me and I didn't get so much time to relax, but my stress levels are improving. The only good news is that some of my harder responsibilities are going away in 2016, so there is a better chance for change.

#2 -Compete in one bike race event in 2015 --- I tried to make this happen, but I couldn't really find a good race to compete in that I felt safe on the road. Oh, well, another one down.

#3 - Beach time - Some months were better than others, but I did spend more time at the beach than I was hoping for.

I think this is the first year in a long time that I didn't do very well with my resolutions. Even when I checked them, I didn't see how to effectively reach them. I guess I have to make a resolution to try to meet my resolutions in 2016.

Time to say goodbye to 2015.

-Mike :-)

Memorial Day and My Friend, James Tatum

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Mon, 25 May 2015 23:26:00 -0700

A twist of fate and three hours is all that separated two soldiers - one soldiers' story ended in tragedy and the other one continues on today, always trying his best to honor the other.   This sounds like a movie, but it is the true story of my life and how it changed one day in February 1991.

Let's go back in time a little. I was a struggling college student who couldn't find his place in any college class.   I knew that I would need a radical change to improve my future. I have always been very patriotic and felt the need to show this by enlisting in the Army. Either way, it would force me out of Boulder and to a new adventure that would hopefully make me mature, and, in addition, give back to my country that had given me so many freedoms.

When you sign up for the military, they don't give you the full details about everything. You learn most of them along the way. Preparing to sign on the dotted line, I noticed it was an 8 year commitment. My active duty term and then inactive years tacked on. The duty officer told me not to worry, after active duty, you were out, unless they called you back in times of war.   We both had a good chuckle. It was the late 80s and there wasn't much chance of a world war. Famous last words ...

I signed up as a Petroleum Supply Specialist. Hey, there weren't many choices at the time, it was either that or Food Service or Infantry. And, actually, Fuel Supply allowed me to fulfill my childhood dream of driving a big truck (to the right is my 5 ton diesel truck).   Basic training and advanced training were filled with amazing stories as well, but I will save that for another time.   I went to Ft. Jackson, SC for basic, then to Ft. Lee, VA for advanced training, and finally Ft. Dix, NJ for more training. I got a great assignment in Ft. Ord, CA (Monterrey Peninsula) for my final duty assignment.   If you have ever read Clear and Present Danger by Clancy, you will learn about the 7th Infantry Light, which is the unit I was assigned to, but our unit was focused on mobile air defense artillery (2/62 ADA).

I worked hard in my unit as both the fuel supply specialist in the field as well as the motor pool vehicle dispatch clerk.   It was a great adventure, but as I approached the end of my enlistment in October of 1990, I began to worry. Hussein had taken over Kuwait and war seemed to be inevitable. The word got out that the military was starting to close the doors and not allow anyone to get out. My date was approaching, but I had a lot of leave built up so I was able to get out in September and narrowly avoided the stop gap.   I returned to Boulder with a new found maturity and readiness to start college once more. Why I chose University of Colorado again, I will never know, but I started classes in January as the war buildup was in full steam. I knew that my adventure back in Colorado was short lived, and the inevitable was going to happen. On that fateful day in early January, I got the letter.   As soon as I say the envelope, I knew what it was and the cadence song echoed in my head, "Got a letter in the mail, go to war or go to jail ..."   I shipped out a week later back to Ft. Lee, VA.   I spent the entire day waiting in line to get all the medical paperwork filled out and re-issued my equipment. Then, it was two days of training back in the fields where I was more than two years earlier. This is where I met James Tatum. Tatum and I were in similar situations. Both of us had served our time and gotten out, only to be returned by letter. He was from a farming community and we talked at length about farms and things. We quickly became friends. He was an upbeat person with a great smile and always optimistic.

From Ft. Lee we shipped off to Ft. Knox, KY. It is from here that we would catch flights to Saudi Arabia to be assigned a unit. You see, the Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR) were a special group. We were soldiers who had served our time with honor and were out, back in the civilian life. Some of us had been out for almost a year, for me, it had only been a few months, but we had tasted the freedoms again. It was tough for some to adjust back and it was only made more difficult by the fact that we were going to war. And, even though, in hindsight, the war was over in days, we didn't know this at the time. We were taking special pills that were supposed to prevent the effects of anthrax and other nasty chemicals that Saddam has stored away and was ready to use against us.   So, on the last night, Tatum and I took a cab and went out for dinner.   It was a somber night and we both sat with our own thoughts about the future.   I had settled many of my differences with various girls and friends back home, because I had this weird feeling that I was never coming home. that this was the end for me.

We were awoken early and taken to the airport. Ironically, they were still flying commercial aircraft into Saudi Arabia. We took an American Airlines plane from Kentucky to New York to Rome to Saudi Arabia. We were on the plane for more than 24 hours, only landing to re-fuel. The flight attendants were wonderful and made us pretty comfortable, but I was ready to get off when we landed. We came in late at night. As soon as we got off the plane, the sirens went off. We immediately had to jump into a trench near the runaway until the "all clear" was sounded.   I was in a completely new land and not sure if I would make it through the first day!

The picture to the left is probably the last one of James Tatum. At the airport, we were put in cots to get some rest before being shipped to our next spot. So many times they just didn't tell us what was going on.   And, we always spent so much time just sitting and waiting, playing Spades, or just sleeping. In the morning, we were taken by bus to the Quartermaster Detachment unit. As we pulled in past the guard shack, we saw the patriot missile teams we had heard so much of on the news.   They were designed to strike the Scud missiles that Saddam was launching at random times out of the sky. We stayed a few days at this unit. It was crowded and they had everyone sleeping in what appeared to be a huge hangar. There were actual beds here, Army beds anyway, and they were lined up in huge rows. If you had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, it took you forever to find the bed again.   Every day, we were called out to formation and they would read names out and the assignments.   Other people that came with us on the plane were being chosen and leaving.

Here in this unit, we had no idea what was going on with the war. We had no idea how long we would be here or what would happen. One day, we were called out around lunchtime, and my name was called to the 2nd Armor Division (out of Ft. Hood, TX). My heart sunk. From what I heard from others, this unit was one of the leading forces that would be entering Kuwait and taking on the battle. Tatum looked at me, and not much else needed to be said. We both understood that I was headed to the front lines and he was staying here.

A few hours later, we clasped hands for the last time and I boarded the bus. The bus traveled for about a few hours on the highway and we arrived at another makeshift unit area. I guess it wasn't time yet for me to join my new unit. That evening, I sat outside the tent looking up with a few of the other soldiers and we saw the missile cross the sky. We heard about it, but didn't know the full details at the time. The next morning, I was off to Kuwait to join the new unit where I was for more than three months. When I returned home, I found out the truth, the missile had struck the barracks where I had been not three hours earlier, 27 soldiers were dead and more than 90 injured.

Here are some stories about that event:
http://www.qmfound.com/14th_Quartermaster_Detachment.htm
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/02/operation_desert_storm_20_year.html
http://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/26/world/war-in-the-gulf-scud-attack-scud-missile-hits-a-us-barracks-killing-27.html

I write this story for two reasons:
1) To honor SPC James Tatum one more time on this Memorial Day, 24 years later.
2) To remember and never forget that life is fragile and many times it is just a small twist of fate (or luck of the draw) that allows one to live and another not to.

Thank you to all the soldiers and families who are serving and have served in the military, especially to those, like James Tatum, who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

-Mike (SPC. Michael G. Travis)

My 2015 New Year's Resolutions

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 13:35:00 -0800

Every year I make the effort to come up with resolutions for myself and ways in which I can meet them. 2014 was a good year for my resolutions and I made progress in all of them, check my last post for my review. I tried last year to use my calendar to remind me to check my resolutions once a month; however, I failed to do this carefully, so I will try a new way to do this using the site futureme that allows you to send an email to yourself in the future - https://www.futureme.org. Try it out, cool stuff! Now, to my resolutions!

#1 - Try to Keep Anxiety and Stress in Check - If you know me, you know that sometimes I can be a little high strung, stressed out, and worry about everything. I would like to look for ways to self regulate my stress. Not sure the solution, but probably monitoring when I am stressed would help, trying some yoga, and other stress relief exercises. My goal is to have less "stress" days each month, which I will monitor on my calendar.

#2 - Compete in one bike race event in 2015 - Six marathons and many more sprint triathlons have given me the "competitive" bug. After my knee surgery in July, my running days have come to an end; however, I have taken up biking! So, I have the goal to race in at least one event this year or maybe participate in one of the half-century or century rides around the island.

#3 - Beach time - we live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, yet, life gets the best of us and many times we don't get to the beach on a regular basis. My resolution is to go to the beach at least three times a month. I am hoping for more, but I will set the goal low and adjust as needed.

This year, I have decided to focus on my personal life, I have professional goals for the new year as well, but I am not going to list those here. I am going to look for ways to have technology help me achieve all my goals.

I wish all of you the best in your own new year's resolutions. If nothing else, it is an opportunity to take a look at your life and reflect.

Happy New Year!
-Mike :-)

2014 Resolutions in review.

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 11:41:00 -0800

The annual time in my life when I review my resolutions and create new ones. Let's look back:

My Resolutions for 2014:

#1 - Become more organized - At work and at home, I let the piles of paperwork and other unnecessary things gather around me. Instead of putting things aside to do later, my resolution is to try and deal with it at the moment. In this way, I will cut down on the clutter around me and leave a cleaner life! (I never said my resolutions were easy!) ---- Not bad on this one, I did plan time at least once a month to go through the clutter. And, I have tried to make more things electronic so that I can organize them that way.

#2 - Re-Invent my exercise life - As many of you know, massive knee injuries in 2013 left me with the reality that after 3,700 miles of running, I will have to find a new way to exercise or I will end up using a cane for the rest of my life. I know that I enjoy biking, weight lifting, and surfing, but I must add in other non-impact exercises like swimming into my routine. ---- I had knee surgery in July and I was back to exercising soon after that. I have been biking a lot as a replacement to the running and have made the switch, putting in more than 100 miles on the bike in November. While I still miss running desperately, I am trying to make the change.

#3 - Focus on professional growth - I was elected as President of HSTE (Hawaii Society of Technology in Education) and I will be traveling to two conferences this year as part of this leadership. I need to spend some time focusing on my growth as a technology leader and helping to grow my organization. --- This was a great year for the HSTE organization and I am proud of the work I accomplished in leading it. There is still more for me to do in this organization, but I am glad it went well and I survived.

#4 - Family time - This one is a carry over from 2013 and it is still so important to me. My daughters are growing up fast and I need to find time and ways to enjoy spending time with them and Suzy. It will be tougher this year with being gone to conferences off-island, but it can be as easy as shutting the laptop and playing Wii with them. ----- Success on this one as well, returning to the classroom in the fall, I found I had a little more time in the evenings to spend with family. I still want to continue with this one, but overall it was an improvement!

It seems this year, my resolutions are not as measurable as in previous years. It will be tough to figure out if I actually have "met" them at the end of 2014; however, they are what I need at this time as I look to the new year!

OCD, no, not that one!

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Tue, 5 Aug 2014 19:27:00 -0700

Many of you have asked about my knee and the challenges I have faced. After completing 6 marathons over the past four years and running more than 3,700 miles, I hit a major snag. I was on a short run in October 2013 and I stopped to tie my shoe on a bench, when I put my foot down to start running again, I had a huge amount of pain in my knee. It was so intense, I almost couldn't make it back home. After begging three doctors for help, they finally agreed to an MRI. Here is what they found (below). The black area highlighted in the picture by the yellow arrow is the end of my femur bone. The femur bone is the inside bone that comes down to your knee. It is critical because this is where most of the weight of your body is centered at the knee. The sports doctor now understood why I was in so much pain.

The MRI revealed what is called OCD, not the one you are thinking. This one refers to Osteochondritis Dissecans (OCD). Here is a pretty good website about what it is: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/89718-overview. In summary, this is a rare condition in which blood flow to the bone is disrupted for some reason usually resulting in part of the bone and underlying cartilage dying.

Over the summer, I tried the easiest of surgical solutions, which is called "micro-drilling". In this procedure, the surgeon uses a needle to poke holes in the damaged part of the bone with the goal of getting blood flowing and hoping that it forms a harder shell over the bone area. The procedure is much more successful in younger patients where their bones are still growing and shaping. In older patients, like me, there is only about a 40% chance of it being successful. However, since it is the easiest of solutions, it is the first step. The biggest problem with this procedure is that you can't put any weight on the leg for 4-6 weeks. So, needless to say, it has been a long, difficult summer trying to move around on crutches and hopping around.

Now, the bad news. I have been told by three doctors already that even if this procedure works, all it will do is lessen the pain; however, it will never give me the strength I need to run again. The other surgical options were much more invasive involving either trying to put in part of a bone from a cadaver in the gap to actually cutting my shin bone and adding screws so that the weight of my leg would be displaced to my other bone away from the femur. However, neither of these will actually allow me to run again.

If you read this and have heard of any miracle doctors, please send them my way. I will be able to bike and swim soon, but it is not the same. I want to run again!

The One That Got Away - no worries ...

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Wed, 5 Feb 2014 22:55:00 -0800

Riding my bike this week, my music shuffled to Katy Perry's "The One That Got Away".

Here is just a few of the lyrics:
In another life
I would be your girl
We'd keep all our promises
Be us against the world

In another life
I would make you stay
So I don't have to say
You were the one that got away
The one that got away

The song makes me think back to some of the choices I have made in my life. At each of those times, I knew that I was making a monumental decision, a decision that would forever alter my future. Do I join the Army? Do I re-enlist and go to Officer School or get out and go back to college? Do I stay with this girl or break up? Do I move to Hawaii or stay in Colorado? Do I take this job or keep looking? Do I help start a new business or stay at my current job?

I always wondered about these things, the regrets and the questions, but then I read Richard Bach's book "One". This book explores the idea of him traveling to visit other "threads" of his life to meet his other self. What made me so interested in the book was his idea that every decision we make creates new "threads" of our lives. In one thread, I stayed in the Army and did become an officer and that is one of my universes; in another, I continued in school and never even joined the Army. For me, it meant that I no longer had to regret decisions I had made, because somewhere out there I had a thread that continued on with my other decision. I would never have to regret the "one that got away" because in some universe with some thread, I stayed.

So, if you are still with me, I suggest to you that you don't have to fret on the decisions you have made or the "one that got away", because somewhere out there, that thread continued.

No worries ...

-Mike :-)

2014 - New Year's Resolutions!!

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 10:27:00 -0800

Every year, I set New Year's Resolutions and publish them on the Internet for everyone to see. I do this for me to document my goals, but also, hopefully, to inspire others to set resolutions as well. A new year is a time of reflection, but it can also be a time to set short and long-term goals for the future. As you get older, time seems to move much faster, and if you don't have a plan, the year might slip away and you will have made no changes. As my favorite quote from Richard Bach states, "Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they're yours". It is to bring change to your life and it starts tomorrow with a new calendar year!

My Resolutions for 2014:

#4 - Family time - This one is a carry over from 2013 and it is still so important to me. My daughters are growing up fast and I need to find time and ways to enjoy spending time with them and Suzy. It will be tougher this year with being gone to conferences off-island, but it can be as easy as shutting the laptop and playing Wii with them.

It seems this year, my resolutions are not as measurable as in previous years. It will be tough to figure out if I actually have "met" them at the end of 2014; however, they are what I need at this time as I look to the new year!

I hope my resolutions will inspire you to create your own and monitor your progress throughout the year. I have set a reminder on my calendar at the end of every month to check how I am doing and remind me of what I set.

Happy New Year!!

2013 - Year in Review

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Tue, 31 Dec 2013 09:57:00 -0800

Well, I guess I am not much of a blogger, my last post was my 2013 resolutions!!

Here is a review of those resolutions.

#1 - Get the hood and actually graduate with my Ph.D.
--- Done! It was a wonderful graduation, especially when I got "hooded" and then got to sit in the stands with the other professors.

#2 - Find success in the Honolulu Marathon and achieve a "best time" for me in this race
--- Sadly, this did not happen and will not happen again, probably. I faced knee injuries throughout the year with arthritis, then I broke my toe, finally, I messed up my left knee so bad I found myself in the urgent care and a trip to get an MRI. Basically, I have torn the cartilage below my thigh bone in my knee. This is where all the support comes from for doing running and other "pounding" exercises. The doctor says it is time for me to re-invent myself through other exercises. I spent six weeks on crutches.

#3 - Find a balance in my exercise - I have started this re-invention and I am lifting weights, doing the stationary bike, and swimming. I have to take it easy and be careful not to re-injure my knee.

#4 - Utilize my PhD to educate others - Success! Last summer, I started teaching as an Adjunct Professor for Argosy University. I have been teaching Education classes to Master's Degree students who are in American Samoa. It has been a great experience so far!

#5 - Family time - I would say I have found some success with this and have tried to spend more time with my family and balance my life more. I seem to have more time on my hands lately with no more dissertation writing and no training for marathons. My full time job is still very time consuming and stressful, but I have found more time for my family.

Well, there you have it! I think I would say that I have succeeded on 4 out of 5 of my resolutions! Not bad! It only my medical injuries hadn't held me back. At one point, I was even considering running the marathon on crutches, but Suzy talked me out of it.

Up next, my 2014 Resolutions!

2013 New Year's Resolutions

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Tue, 1 Jan 2013 10:58:00 -0800

Setting resolutions is the way we plan out our lives and succeed in our goals. This year, make the effort and set some for yourself.

My 2013 resolutions are:

#1 - Get the hood and actually graduate with my Ph.D. - just working on the final edits to the dissertation paper having passed my defense in November, so this one should be easy to complete, I hope.

#2 - Find success in the Honolulu Marathon and achieve a "best time" for me in this race - I have run 6 marathons since 2008, but I have struggled with achieving great times in the Honolulu Marathon (my PB for all marathons is 4:01). The course is difficult due to the amount of people walking and I always seem to have problems in the last 4 miles heading in from Kahala. I define "success" as not feeling like I am about to collapse after I finish and I want to beat my last two times that were a 4:45 and 4:41, respectively. (I wasn't planning on ever running this race again, but couldn't resist the early bird price of $26.20.)

#3 - Find a balance in my exercise - for the last few years, I have been focusing so much on running that I have worn my knees out. In 2012 when I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my right knee, I realized it might be time for some changes. My goal for this resolution is to work on cross training throughout the year - less focus on running, more on the non-impact exercises like biking, swimming, walking, hiking, surfing, and weight lifting. To quantify this resolution, I would like to do at least 3 different types of exercises each week, reducing the focus on running.

#4 - Utilize my PhD to educate others - while my dream is to be a professor and teach education classes full time to undergraduates, there are no openings right now on this island; however, that shouldn't stop me from teaching part time, so I will apply and try to start doing this in the summer.

#5 - Family time - Our family struggled in 2012 with lots of medical problems, beyond my knee diagnosis, and it has made me re-think some of my priorities. I resolve to work harder on spending more time as a family. So, this means at least one meal together as a family each week, but I would like to try and have at least one activity together as well, whether that be playing a game, going to a movie, or just going to the beach together.

Well, there you have it! My five resolutions for the year! Good luck on setting yours and finishing them. You can do it! You just have to believe in yourself.

2012 New Year's Resolutions in review

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:53:00 -0800

Posted on my blog on December 31, 2011, these were my 2012 New Year's Resolutions.

So, how did I do?

#1 - Pass my dissertation proposal defense (probably Jan/Feb) - Passed it in March 2012!

#2 - Finish my dissertation (probably by the end of the summer) - Passed my defense in November 2012, and just sent in the last (hopefully) set of edits to my dissertation paper at 191 pages!

#3 - Graduate with my PhD (probably be the end of the summer) - This was the only one I didn't complete, I will have to wait until May 2013 to graduate.

#4 - Break a two hour half marathon (my record is around 2:10) - Did in in March 2012!

#5 - Take time to contemplate my future ... - I did this, and now I am in a new role at school as Director of Educational Technology. Still need to work on my future a little more ...

Well, 4 out of 5 isn't too bad. Those were some tough resolutions this year.

Do you have any regrets?

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:45:00 -0800

A few months ago, one of my students interviewed me for a class project. I was surprised at the challenge of the questions, but one that struck home was this one - Do you have any regrets? In addition, he asked me if I had a time machine, if I would go back and change anything.

I have contemplated these questions many times in my life. As an avid science fiction reader, I have always wondered about with it would be like if I could go back in time and change things I had done before or made different choices; however, the reality is that I have reached a place in my life where I am very happy. I have a wonderful family, a great job educating students, a great place to live in beautiful Hawai'i, and I am in the process of finishing my dissertation for my Ph.D. What would happen if I went back and changed something? What would be the effect on my current life? Would I miss meeting Suzy in my math class at UNC in 1992? Would I be living in Hawaii? Would I have two great daughters? Would I even be an educator?

When you reach a place in your life where you are happy, it is time to say goodbye to the bad memories in your past, of which I have many. It is time to forgive an forget. It is time to say that all of the decision made, whether right or wrong, have led to the moment I am in right now. By returning to the past and thinking about regrets, you only risk losing what you have now.

So, I say, work on getting yourself to the place where you are happy and content. I mean, certainly, I would love to make more money or have more time to spend with my family, but all in all, life is great! Once you reach that point, step back and free yourself from the pain of the past and move forward with no regrets!

What do I run?

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Sat, 7 Apr 2012 15:29:00 -0700

Sometimes people ask me why I run so much. My answers are simple:

1) I run to stay fit - I love McDonalds and Coca-Cola. It is impossible to stay healthy with a diet that includes these items, so running balances this; well, it has so far!

2) I love to read but I don't have time - I have no time to read fiction with a full-time job, grad school and a family, so I turned to audiobooks. I can't tell you how many I have read while running over the years, but I would estimate at least 30 books.

3) I am very competitive - It started one day when I found out a colleague's time for the 5k. I set my sights on beating it, and have never stopped. Then, it was the desire to have the Honolulu Marathon t-shirt, just so I could say I did it once. Well, next week will be my fifth marathon! Nike+ has helped a lot setting goals, seeing the times for each run, trying to beat them and better myself. Set a goal and go for it!

4) Running is a cheap exercise - No need for fancy equipment, gym memberships, or trainers, running only requires a pair of running shoes around $100.

5) Stress Relief - I have a lot of stress in my life, I have the constant weight of helping to support my family, the stress of being a teacher, and the fear of failure. Running burns the stress away from me. When you are running for hours on a sidewalk with the trees casting shadows all around you, it gives you time to contemplate and work through issues and goals, fears and dreams.

So, you want to take up running? Here are some hints from someone who has run over 2700 miles in the last four years.

Go to a running store so they can help you choose the right shoe. The shoes are critical to your safety and endurance.
Get yourself a ready-dry shirt to run in. It keeps the sweat away from you.
Pick some nice routes around your house where you can either loop back to get fluids or a route with drinking fountains spaced regularly. Running with water bottles is just extra weight.
Get yourself the Nike+ app or another app so you can track your miles and set goals.
Look to Hal Higdon to help plan your training, especially long distance training.
Have fun when your running! Listen to music or an audiobook!

Two other quotes to encourage you:

- Never give up, never give up, never give up (Heard at my sister's graduation speech in 1987).

- Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours. - Richard Bach, Illusions ------ You can do it, if you believe in yourself!

Good luck, and may the traffic lights always change to green as you approach!

2012 New Year's Resolution Updates

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:15:00 -0700

#4 - Break a two hour half marathon (my record is around 2:10).
Stretching every bit of energy I had today, I finished with a 1:59:40. Crazy!!

I have now completed 2 of my 5 resolutions for the year!

2012 New Year's Resolution Updates

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:14:00 -0700

#1 - Pass my dissertation proposal defense - done! I am now ABD (All But Dissertation) Status.

2012 New Year's Resolutions

mike@two-che.com (Mike Travis) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:09:00 -0800

Time to set 2012 Resolutions:
#1 - Pass my dissertation proposal defense (probably Jan/Feb)
#2 - Finish my dissertation (probably by the end of the summer)
#3 - Graduate with my PhD (probably be the end of the summer)
#4 - Break a two hour half marathon (my record is around 2:10)
#5 - Take time to contemplate my future ...
Good luck to everyone on their resolutions! Just believe in yourself and never, never give up!