California 2010

A new look to my ol' blog.

To my world, I am back on here. Most of 2008 deleted along with most of my previous life. Unless certain parts are brought up... yet again... they will not be seen.

Now for California. A great trip. I strongly advise a trip after the abrupt end to a school year comes along. I flew in on Wednesday and was happy I had a place close to the airport booked the first night as it helped me gain my bearings. The 6-hour flight did tire me out. However, when I landed I was happy with the texts telling me that the Canadiens won Game 7 against the Penguins. Epic moment.

Day 1 was spent taking the BART to downtown, picking uop my Jeep Wrangler, picking up my Sirrus Specialized bike (a great rental as well!). I loved Bouchaine Winery as I was given an hour and 15 minutes and provided with some great inside information. I loved the Carneros district. I then hit downtown Napa running into some maritimers doing the chicken dance. Entertainment!

Day 2 I biked 21 miles from my hotel through the Stag's Leap District and back. After barely making it through dinner at the Bouchon Bakery (exercise and wine plus food intake equals passing out), I slept well. Thomas Keller's restaurant comes highly recommended.

Day 3 was spent at the sterling Vineyard... great spot before biking back to my parking spot at the Old Faithful Geyser in Calistoga. After chekcing in my hotel, I completed a dream journey to DeLoach vineyards followed by a great dinner at the Harvest Moon Cafe. Amazing spot.

Day 4 was spent at Benziger Winery. This was an amazing spot! I also bought the book "Hope's Edge". I then made my way into Petaluma... a great night. My last two days, I toured San Francisco, saw Alcatraz, biked Golden Gate, saw Sausalito, went to Restaurant Gary Danko (two month reservation)... and left with a little calamity. Met some great people...

FYI: Scrapbooking... that's a whole new industry!

Currently working on our COSMA certification. Off to Ottawa to go see the family for Samuel's birthday.

The Final Push...

Pictures of 1. My first Weber. 2. First family road trip in 21 years. 3. Dad's retirement weekend.









Huh? What just happened? Florida came and went (19 college kids and I was one of two coaches... never is a long time but never again!). I went home, we came back, we did Opening Day, and next week is tennis playoffs?!

This week... off to Carolina for the College Sport Research Institute (CSRI) conference in Chapel Hill where I am presenting twice, taking an undergraduate team to a case study competition, and participating in the Annual Drake Group activities.

Conference, last week of classes, exam week, graduation, our annual faculty retreat and then... I am allowed to say it... the countdown to my May trip to California is on. 22 days to Napa!

*Happy Birthday to Dianne Brander and happy 42nd wedding anniversary to Mom and Dad.

Orlando, Part II

As the cycle of life continues, we often find new traditions begin. Looking forward to catching up with Paul over coffee this week at the hot tub before the tennis team wakes up. Jogging begins back with less effort this week, too. While there is less excitement in my life than this time last year, this also means less drama...

Looking forward to my week with 70 degree temperatures.

Canada Wins!

Photo: Post-game champagne after the game for the ages! I am celebrating not getting any abuse for 4 years.




What a month. That's all I can say. It began with a championship in intramurals, a court case, the Olympics, impromptu pub crawls and ended with a day where United wins the Carling Cup and of course Canada's 3-2 win over the USA.

Winter Survival

Pictures... loving my fireplace, my Napa/Sonoma trip has been planned, dreamed about, and booked, and finally, after the great efforts in intramurals, I got to pose by the ultimate soccer club championship trophy.

Oh, the stories... between court dates and limo rides on pub crawls, it's been quite a month already. 20 days to Orlando...

Joel

Champion Again...

As the picture shows, after playing intramurals at several schools as a student, I finally can say I won an intramural championship winning the NISL (Nichols Indoor Soccer League) championship last night with Dappermans FC. My first championship since the UNM Icewolves won the Southwest Showcase and my first as a participant since the 1997 Alpine Rec. League Championship. At 37 years old, you begin to appreciate these things more.

Back in November of 2006 on my birthday while having breakfast at "The Grove" on Central Avenue (miss that place!) in ol' ABQ, I set the "Big Four" goals I wanted to accomplish, one of which was "to one more championship or race as a player or participant". While I fell short that year in a few of my efforts (despite a great hat trick performance in the UNM playoffs), a great job, a Ph.D., and a championship won have eventually come along... nice to see the running on the beach last summer and in Florida also eventually paid off as well.

It's 6 AM the day after a big game and I am wide awake... I feel like a kid again. Campione, campione, ole, ole, ole!

Beginning of the Third Winter Semester

This morning I somehow had the wherewithal to take a picture at 6:30 AM to capture the moment. So here I am holding up three fingers to signify my third WINTER semester at Nichols. At the end of this year, I will have spent more time at Nichols than any other school... wow. Despite the snow, I am quite happy to be at Nichols College.

Big news... my court date is on February 8th. My Red Sox tickets are in my usual hiding spot so that means my favorite ex-landlord's heoin addict roommate still might be able to find them if he gets into my house in the near future.

Florida dreaming... heading back there in 52 days for tennis.

Florida Video...

Pelicans diving, Christmas lights on a boat, dolphins, and fireworks on New Year's Eve...

Back On My Feet in Auburn...

(Photos: "A-O-K!" Escaping to the La Quinta Inn with a new camera to capture the transition; The new fire place.)



Drama...
Well, I didn't mean to take 3 months off. Even with the influence of facebook, I still keep the blog simply for my own records. However, there was some "drama" in my life. The bottom line is today I sent my small claim in for the civil suit against my former landlord (YAWCAM comes highly recommended!). It's a story for the ages that will be probably told for a long time once the settlement comes in. Just when I didn't think the stories from the "Dr. Phil twins and their Muppet vet" could be topped while living in Oxford, they were! (Just a reminder to myself: "Just don't tell Dan about Pete... he's crazy too." ) Yeah... Still have superintendents and newspaper Editors waiting on them as well. You can't make this stuff up! Goodbye, Oxford!

Good Stuff...
I got tenure tracked in October and the Nichols College Women's Tennis team 15 and 2 losing in the semi-finals. With a strong recruiting class, things are looking up. I had a great time at the NASSS conference in November revisiting Ottawa. Thomas and Samuel still light up my life!

Moving on...
Starbucks and thier famous Caramel Macchiatto are still doing their magic in my grading work. I knocked out 4 sets of exams today. I am not leaving for Christmas this year until Tuesday and with one other big exception... heading to Florida to meet the parents in the warm weather.

Special thanks to Ev for the nice words about my "Last Lecture"... will be in touch more often on here. Happy Holidays. Talk to you all from Florida... more posts and pictures to come.

Last Lecture Video!

From the Nichols College Website...

Headline: "The Last Lecture Series" SRO

It was standing room only (SRO) on Tuesday, September 15th, as Dr. Joel Cormier and Dr. Joanne Newcombe kicked-off the Nichols College Last Lecture Series based on the national bestseller THE LAST LECTURE by Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch.

Pausch’s book details how after his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer, he decided to give a last lecture to his students and colleagues sharing life lessons learned. After reading Pausch's account, Chair of Nichols Reads, Professor Luanne Proko, chose the book as summer reading for members of the Class of 2013 and then, organized The Last Lecture Series to help students reflect on how they can best realize their own dreams. In total, 14 Nichols professors are scheduled to share their life wisdom with students in six sessions ending September 30th.

First up was Dr. Cormier, an assistant professor of sport management in his third year at Nichols College, who gave students what he called his “Whole-Parts-Whole” Method to live by:

The only limitations are your own
Surround yourself with great people
When you lose, don’t lose the lesson
“Love the battle”
Use success as a “stepping stone,” not as a “pinnacle”
Cormier shared family photos to demonstrate how his family’s encouragement helped him pursue his dreams. As he grew up in Canada, he had every kid’s dream of being a hockey star, but his physical size was a hindrance. Instead, he developed a desire to coach with the help of three mentors who were instrumental to his success:

Coach Vernon Frizzell, who taught “Failing to prepare, is preparing to fail”
Coach Terry O’Malley, who taught “Get everybody on the bus”
Coach John Smith, who taught “Don’t be afraid to delegate”

Cormier candidly talked about his career failures, as well as his decision to go for a Ph.D., “the ultimate solo mission.” Today, he has established new goals and dreams as a way to stay focused on "next steps." Cormier ended his presentation by stating that his symbols of hope are his nephews Thomas and Samuel, and that this lecture is for them.


Video is ten minutes long....

Big Tuesday at Nichols...

Photo: Nichols College Tennis coming at you!






Not since the UNM Icewolves' championship game in Arizona in February of 2006 has there been something for me to compare to to the excitement one gets as a coach anticipating a big match or game... it's gameday in Dudley.

A "failed search" that involved some unethical questions in June of 2007 with today's opponent does not fuel the fire as much as having watched behind the scenes the amount work the amazing people involved in this program have put in.

Hoping for a double-Long Island fist pump today!

End of Summer...

Pictures: First, the self-awarded "Chunky Monkey" Award- a symbolic gesture to tell the world ("Thank you for being you") that I am still at it! Ran a 23:40 5K in Brighton this morning... with 3 minutes being devoted to dodging traffic. The "Canadian Corral"... a new bar in Oxford to take my friend Herb Howell to when he visits next week? No... I basically learned that if you can't move until the end of October, you make the best of your living situation. I have extended my living space until November with my new porch space with help from my parents. A great place for wine, tea, and my journal that was rediscovered.

As the moon lingers a moment over the bitterroots, before its descent into the invisible, my mind is filled with song. I find I am humming softly; not to the music, but something else; some place else; a place remembered; a field of grass where no one seemed to have been; except a deer; and the memory is strengthened by the feeling of you, dancing in my awkward arms. Norman Maclean in "A River Runs Through it."

The summer definitely wasn't what I had originally expected. Cruising along going into Paul's wedding expecting a "summer of fun" after a great NASSM convention and then... the Hawaii wedding invitation went by the wayside (joining the Cape Cod invitation from April- I musta did good work there!), crazy weather, and a trip home to recover. The beach was amazing in the mornings and I have already made plans for Europe next summer (watching the 2010 World Cup in a pub in London just sounds too cool!). At the end of the day, I got back in shape, showed my parents a great time in New York, and I still cried when my mother left me two weeks ago. Gold Cup and Saucer goes tonight and how I wish I was there in the MacDonald Stable. Year Three at Nichols begins tomorrow.

Goodbye, PEI!

"Summers close to the beach"... fulfilling a goal in the summer of 2009.











I am in a different frame of mind. Coping strategies, good books, a new fitness regime, and a different outlook on life. Time and space provide detachment... just hope I have done as well as I think I have.

"Running for Joy"

Finishing the race... hopefully the start towards a new horizon.






“Success isn't how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started.” -Steve Prefontaine




Two years ago today, my great escape came at New Mexico when I was hired by Nichols College. As many might recall, around that time I decided to play a little indoor soccer before leaving. What was supposed to be a final game of fun, ended a good run of fitness as I partially tore my Achilles tendon. It set me back as in my words at this time, “it is best shape I have been in a long time”.

I came home a month ago to detach. On my first morning back, with the music on my MP3 and reunited with the beach, I began a routine of running on the beach... I ran the first day in 21 minutes; It was a run that began with tears and ended with tears looking at the waves crashing on Brackley Beach. Tears of joy and relief to be home or just away from the mental cues of a “disturbing” situation, I am not sure.

This routine of running on the beach every day continued for the whole past month (except during my tapering stage this week). As the miles began to pile on, and the distance of the runs got longer and the time suddenly much shorter, my ultimate goal reappeared of a sub 20:00 5K re-appeared. Yesterday, entered in a local 5K race here on PEI, it was with much irony that an almost similar situation that motivated me into running 2 years ago has helped me seek detachment from it. Still far from my utlimate goal, the mental and physical benefits of running have been a reward in itself.

A week from my return to the United States, I am looking forward to the Fall semester and my continued efforts of "running for joy".

Home Recharge

"I long, as does every human being, to be at home wherever I find myself.”- Maya Angelou










Between my readings of The Dalai Lama's book "The Art of Happiness" and seeking detachment, I am finding myself back on track. While the blog has been pretty well replaced by facebook, I have kept the blog up simply to keep checked in. I have jogged on the beach almost everyday... I was golfing in the annual Charlottetown Boys and Girls Club celebrity golf tourney yesterday (it was tough to get a run in with all the golf and drinking going on!).

I'll be ready to thrive when I get back to Massachusetts.

Heading Home...

Pictures. Pre-wedding at the driving range. My t-shirt that I wore all around Vegas is still around. And then me wearing a tuxedo... last time?





Sunday, June 21st, 2009... Live from the Logan Airport, it's Joel heading home to PEI. Since I keep personal things off here, I will only say that it was an emotional roller coaster lately and I am ready for home. The law of attraction has been studied and re-studied lately but I am not going to make any comments on here that will get me into (more) trouble. In short, I am "right some ready" for the "Oy-land".

I went to the Sox-Braves last night and ate at Giacomo's Boston North End this afternoon after going to an I-Max movie. Fun to play tourist once in awhile. My plane leaves tomorrow at 8:15 AM. Think I am going to hit the hot tub first. Now...

The Summer Wind Is Coming Crashing In...

Having joined facebook recently, I still keep the blog for my own entertainment. Pictures: Post-presentation afternoon talking life with N8 and Mark. A bottle of wine (Napa Valley, 2004) was waiting for me when I arrived home.




NASSM went well as I was quite pleased to see all my UNM connections there. It turns out that "cornhole" is an actual sport. After a quiet stir-crazy week, I have a big week in my world. Sox-Yankees, rehearsal party, and then Paul's wedding. Pictures to come. Then it will be Sox-Braves weekend followed by...

"I can't wait for the beaches, I cannot wait for the lobster, and I cannot wait for the Moosehead... not necessarily in that order." A Notre Dame hockey coach in 1999 as quoted in The Guardian

Ten years later, almost three years since my self-labelled "Lights will guide you home" homecoming in December of 2006, I would say the quote fits more than ever.

Between Trips...

Pictures... May 15, 2009: Anniversary of Defense- enjoying J. Lohr (post-celebratory wine one year earlier) pictured with the guy who settled me down on that famous morning, and the person kept in perspective in the afternoon while on the phone with him consuming some of that J. Lohr, Thomas enjoying Nana's cooking, the 3rd Annual Cormier Rib Contest (HGTV's Neely's Cola Rib sauce was my entry), and my second to last morning (penultimate?) with Samuel... I was even more tired than he was.

I didn't take any pictures but had a great time in Montreal for Paul Brower's bachelor party. I would have liked to got a picture from Hurley's from my reunion with John Flood. Beautiful day in a beautiful city with a great guy. We made it back in 6 hours yesterday... motivation to go see the Habs next year... if they ever get out of the bars for me to actually see them at the rink!

Memorial day... Off to the NASSM Conference to present part of my dissertation. Going to have a BBQ this afternoon.

End of Year Two... and my first Doctoral Robe

Pictures: End of exams. "Victory" or "That's Two"... Living the dream. On Saturday, Dr. Colleen Colles having been a big part of my new life and supporting me last year trying to finish the dissertation, hooded me. Pictured with Professors Tim Liptrap and Kim Charbonneau after the ceremony. For a video of the procession (I am at the 3 minute and 6 second mark... I say hi to my Mom):

http://www.nichols.edu/news/2009_s1/grad2009.html


Off to a faculty retreat this morning. Friday, I will be on my way to see the nephews. The anniversary of my dissertation defense will be spent with family with a good Italian amarone I just picked up last weekend. Apparently, I made Fred Macdonald's column back home on the Island on Saturday.

Happy Summer... yes, I said Summer. I am living the dream!

Exam Week...

Six (6) hours of grading later... I was at Bobby Flay's restaurant recently and this picture from 10 days ago seems to be a fitting picture for the end of a long grading day. FYI: The food was so good I cried. I love NY!











Wearing the doctoral robe for the first time on Saturday. More pics to come...