foolish wisdom

Pray for Girls

2012-01-21T10:27:00.002-06:00

The three deadliest words in the world have become: "It's a girl!"

A new documentary film is bringing to light the gendercide of over 200,000,000 girls a year being murdered or gone missing strictly based on the fact they were born girls. The statistics are sickening. The UN reports approximately 200 million girls in the world today are ‘missing’. India and China are said to eliminate more female infants than the number of girls born in the US each year.

Don't skip over that line, India and China are said to eliminate more female infants than the number of girls born in the US each year.

As a Daddy of two precious little girls and loving (almost) every minute of it, this turns my stomach and I'm thankful this documentary film will hopefully bring to light what has been in the shadows (at least to me and many in the US).

Take a second to read this article and then watch the films trailer below. Share as appropriate.

More Please

2012-01-19T10:47:00.001-06:00

Of course below is the commercial that started it and now has roughly 50,000,000 hits even though the kid playing Darth Vader has never seen Star Wars.

If I Ever Go Missing...

2012-01-13T17:36:00.000-06:00

Look for me here.

Time to Finish That Book By My Bed

2012-01-12T17:14:00.001-06:00

In related book news...

In order to entice more people to read, rather than spend time on social media and the Internet (like you are doing now), Milwaukee Public Library has learned a few things from all those books they are surrounded by and decided to launch the following ads:

Well said Milwaukee.

[via]

Jesus > Religion

2012-01-12T16:44:00.000-06:00

Psst... pass it on.

Old Navy Goes College

2012-01-09T10:06:00.002-06:00

I'm loving the college line from Old Navy these days. I've always thought Auburn needed better PR on their clothing and think this is a good start and price point. You might have heard about this line on the news as they got more than a few universities founding date wrong... oh well. I'll take the good with the bad.

Navy Large AU Tee $20

Orange Hoodie $25

Auburn Tigers Blue Tee $14

A few Hello Kitty Auburn shirts in there too just in case you're in the market. That Hoodie for $25 might be too good to pass up on.w

Twitter Update: @mrchrishill

2011-12-20T10:42:00.000-06:00

For those following along this blog, I thought I'd share some of what have been catching my eye lately that I've posted on twitter instead of here at mrchrishill.com. Sorry folks, but twitter is just an easier medium and it continues to steal my affection away from blogging on a regular basis.

More Please: I can't get enough of this song The Black Keys - Gold on the Ceiling
My fake lottery tickets was a big hit at the dirty Santa tonight. Thanks for those who helped with the idea.
Christmas Daddy Date w/ Caroline to Annie
Smile: Part 2 of Sh!t Girls Say
Don't show this video to your kids if they ARE NOT getting a puppy for Christmas
17 Bizarre Details About Kim Jong-Il
RT @elizabeth banks: Appreciate all the concern over Avery Jessup's fate now that Kim Jong Il has died. We're at a pivotal moment in history.
For My Geeks: "Unboxing" taken to a new level
The Dad-Connection: How Dads Love Their Daughters Without Words
Southern Belle: I love that my 2 year old calls pixie dust "dixie dust."
Movie Review: After reading the book, Moneyball (2011) was good but needed more umph, especially as a very casual baseball fan.
Movie Review: Contagion (2011) taught me that having teenage girls w/ teenage hormones will be a liability during the next world epidemic.
Annie Facts: Tomorrow was the most performed song in the 70s, 80s and to this day, it’s sung somewhere in the world every 20 mins!
The Nicest Place on the Internet - Endless Hugs
Pay Attention Parents: Be careful telling your child to sing loud and clear for this years Christmas play
The End is Near: For the first time in nearly 20 years of fine dining Gibson's Donuts is out of donuts. May God have mercy on your soul.
Did anyone else notice that it could snow on Christmas in Memphis this year?

Be sure to follow along and not miss all of the fun. @mrchrishill or check back for more updates later.

Year In Review [via Google]

2011-12-18T00:47:00.002-06:00

I always look forward to these... great choice this year of song from one of my favorite artists Mat Kearney. Crazy how much happens in a year and how fast they go.

2010 was worth remembering as well if you have a short memory.

All I Want For Christmas

2011-12-05T15:39:00.001-06:00

You have no idea how hard it is to get Kristen to do these videos with me... I think this one turned out pretty good.

Merry Christmas!

Bad Mix: Kids + Flour

2011-11-21T13:49:00.001-06:00

Are you kidding me? This almost looks too destructive to believe.

The YouTube user description says, "Mommy was not feeling well and had to stay in the bathroom longer than usual during which my two boys, ages 1 and 3 took my new bag of flour out of the cupboard and destroyed my house. This is from ONE 5lb bag. Don't believe me? Hand a full bag to a 3 year old and see what happens."

Good chance if this happens at the sorority house I can see my wife disappearing for a few days until the mess is cleaned up.

Quote of the day, "It looks like a snowman puked all over my living room."

[via]

Backstage with Robert Earl Keen

2011-11-16T14:05:00.001-06:00

Just another random backstage conversation with country legend Robert Earl Keen - as a part of my wishful "backstage conversations series."

Favorite Random Quote of the Night: I asked him about city names in his songs and how come Memphis is a popular choice of his and other song writers. "Its a kind of a crossroads of the country... and then FedEx."

Worth It: Memphis Trolley Ride

2011-11-09T10:53:00.002-06:00

For those still in the dark, Memphis has an excellent trolley line that takes you back in time and is a great way to see the city (downtown).

I caught this post recently and the video (below) made me think I need to jump on it soon and test it out at night.

I can't tell what it is, but something about the video begs also for a sermon illustration on top of it. The only thin missing is the process of it stopping and people loading/unloading. Maybe I've seen too many Nooma videos.

Weekend Update

2011-10-24T12:12:00.000-05:00

Just when you think parenting young kiddos makes life routine... a great weekend comes out of nowhere and slaps you in the face and tells you, "Hey - you live a great life! Soak it up and say thanks."

So this good weekend update shout outs go out to...

Orpheum Memphis for bringing Memphis the Musical to town. We celebrated in honor of Kristen's birthday with some friends after dinner at Spindini. The play was very refreshing. It is not only a fun show with good music and a good story, but amazing to see the story of racial reconciliation through music (if that makes sense) take place (and shared) with Memphis historical roots. Just knowing this won "best musical" on Broadway in NYC makes me proud to call Memphis my home once again. PS: If you take pictures someone will come threaten to take your phone/camera away from you.

Keeping with the racial reconciliation through music theme (not on purpose, but still worth a shout out)...

Next up a big shout out goes to the Memphis Sounds. I had heard about this lounge from friends that hired the local band for a wedding this past summer, but this was my first time to visit this famous establish located under the downtown Econo Lodge. This place moved on to the "must-experience Memphis" list for me - see also Wild Bills. I think what made it the most fun for me was that Kristen was by my side and loved the whole experience.

Dancing on the dance floor well past 1AM with bride still makes me smile thinking about it.

The house band is lead by a woman who goes by the name, "Big Baby". No explanation necessary.

After a juicy burger at Alex's Tavern after Memphis Sounds - Saturday morning came early and it was a joy to celebrate Cousin Emmy's second birthday party in the park. [video embedded below]

Saturday night provided a great distraction from the Auburn massacre (via #1 LSU) to witness Gardner and Kyle seal the deal in marriage. It was a joy to get to catch up with some great friends and see SOS be transformed into an amazing reception hall.

Our girls even went to early church on Sunday without fighting us... it was truly a weekend to remember around here. I hope you and yours celebrated a good weekend as well.

Michael Winslow - Whole Lotta Love

2011-10-19T11:01:00.001-05:00

This guy still has a few more minutes of fame... It gets crazy around 1:30 - wait for it.

Based on Perceived Beauty

2011-10-04T12:37:00.000-05:00

As a father to two beautiful little princesses, stats like these keep me awake at night.

They keep me in their tender faces sharing with them that beauty comes from the heart and that God has made them beautiful inside and out. Again and again like a broken record they will hear that I love them no matter what. That there is nothing they can do to earn more love and nothing they can do to fall from my love - Jesus's love for us is not based on perceived beauty or performance.

What are you teaching your daughters about beauty at home?

[Read the full article: Based on Perceived Beauty]

There’s no doubt that the media has impacted our current perceptions of beauty in a powerful way through a pervasive presentation of unnatural and mostly unattainable beauty. The pressure to try to match up has never been higher on women, men, and now children of all ages.

42% of 1st to 3rd Graders want to be thinner. 81% of 10 years olds fear getting fat. [Dove Real Beauty Campaign]

More than half of teenage girls are, or think they should be, on diets. About 3% go too far, becoming anorexic or bulimic. [ANRED]

In 2004, the average age girls started to use beauty products was 17. In 2009, the age has dropped to 13.

8 to 12 years old spend $40+ million a month on beauty products. Teenagers spend $100 Million. [NPD Group]

Cosmetic surgery procedures for those under 18 has doubled in the last 10 years. [American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery]

Culture and the media is having it’s say. As a parent, what messages are you sending to your children? What conversations are you having?

Mark Your Calendars: Being Elmo

2011-09-25T19:56:00.003-05:00

I mentioned how excited I was to see "Being Elmo" when I heard it was featured at Sundance. Seeing the first released trailer [below] makes me even more excited for it to release close close by or online soon.

Mark your calendars for October 21st, 2011.

http://beingelmo.com/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1787660/
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/being_elmo_a_puppeteers_journey/

Watch With The Kiddos

2011-09-21T09:49:00.002-05:00

I not only love this song, but I love the presentation of the video. Nice work.

Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me

2011-09-20T15:27:00.002-05:00

Thanks Winston for sharing this recently. I feel for those stuck back in a large office, working with an older audience that never learned forwarding emails is usually a terrible idea. In a former life, I could count on a classic forward at least once a month from a usual suspect that never learned her lesson from the time before. Coach Rand if you are out there, you know what I'm talking about.

Enjoy. Feel free to forward this one on - just not to me.

Auburn's Spirit Survives

2011-09-15T11:42:00.002-05:00

Classic Rome. "Eagles never quit and quitters never Eagle."

War Eagle - PreGame Stadium Videos

2011-09-15T11:22:00.003-05:00

Please forgive the lack of Auburn posts this season. With expectations being slightly lower than last year's national championship run many have predicted a losing record. But sitting 2-0 right now (with wins on last second plays both games) I am expected lots of stories from last year and an actual "rebuilding year" with most of our key players making bank in the NFL still wishing they were on the Plains. I can see us winning at least 7 games.

Currently the Sorority House is planning on road tripping at least one game with the girls. I leave tomorrow for my first visit to Clemson, SC to see Auburn attempt to go 3-0 against another strong Tiger team. Please don't hesitate to give us a shout if you're going or have tickets you need to be used.

It wouldn't be football these days without promo videos and hype songs to get you excited to see some Saturday football action. War Eagle!

The "2011 Auburn Inspiration Video" is the video they are playing before kickoff. Sorry you might have to click through to youtube to see it. The theme song this year is Vox Populi, 30 Seconds to Mars.

The following "2011 Auburn Tunnel Video" is the video played as the team enters the stadium. Although not a fan favorite, it still gets the job done.

Bonus: For the kids wondering what Aubie has been up to this offseason:

Google Drive By

2011-09-07T14:00:00.001-05:00

I've always wanted to see the Google Maps car drive down my street and do something memorable for him to catch on camera and post on the interweb for all the world to see.

What would you do? Would you think about how long your grass is? Would you wish your favorite college football team flag was waving proudly? Would you do a handstand? Take your shirt off and wave it over your head? Would you freeze up? Hide? [video embedded below, see original post if not visible]

Well if he goes as fast as he does here, you might not even have time to think about it - especially if you hit camera first but meant to hit video on your phone.

Be on the lookout, Google is coming to your neighborhood.

The above pic is our old Google Maps Street View Pic... stay tuned to find out the new one looks like. I too am curious.

Find more interesting Google Maps Street View Pics here.

Golf Talk

2011-08-03T09:44:00.001-05:00

This fall will be the 8th Annual Amateurs for my buddies and I to steal away from family and act like golfers. Since the start we always talked about celebrating big for our 10th year. With 2013 closer down the road, many ideas have been toss around, but one that won't go away is of course The Old Course.

Although I know our rag tag group of local non-profit and business men around town usually go for something much less expensive, this video made me think hard once again about where we will spend the 2013 Amateurs.

Any suggestions from my professional internet viewers on where we should celebrate our tenth anniversary?

You Know School Is About To Start When

2011-08-03T09:19:00.003-05:00

You know school is about to start when ...You see your wife's beautiful face on the front page of her school website a few days before she heads back to class.

"Dedicated..."

Teachers who know each girl and how she learns

It has been a good summer and although the website's top banner is taking up way too much room, I wouldn't change another thing about this image.

Enjoy the last days of summer!

[PS - Congrats to those families who won the lottery receiving Mrs. Hill as their Pre-K teachers this fall!]

Happy Friday: Grab A Soda

2011-07-15T14:57:00.001-05:00

I'd love to grab a soda with this guy or at least visit his store if I ever hit LA. You don't find many people this excited to do what they do anymore. Even in my non-profit world, this guy would stand out - in a good way.

This Is Informative, You Should Watch: Social Media Update

2011-06-29T11:56:00.000-05:00

Some interesting stats on this one... for those still bragging about not being on Facebook or scratching your head about Social Media strategies for your business/non-profit/life/family be sure to take good notes.

[via]