AtomJohnson Blog

As if it weren’t enough to share your birthday (March 14th) with Albert Einstein, I just found out that I also share a birthday with my Alma Mater, James Madison University.

I just saw a GREAT movie tonight called “Can Mr. Smith Get To Washington Anymore?” This documentary follows the 2004 Missouri Democratic primary to replace retiring 28-year veteran and former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt. It is told from inside the campaign of Jeff Smith, a 29-year old part-time political science instructor at Washington University. The film offers an unvarnished look at the inside of what national pundits called one of 2004’s surprising campaigns. And the film asks if it is still possible in America for voters excited by a person’s ideas and ability to get involved in the political process and elect a candidate who has not sold out, or bought into the existing political establishment.

If you have Netflix, you can watch the film through the new Watch Instantly feature.

You can literally drive 5 minutes from my house and feel like you are in the middle of Kansas.  Look left and you see mountains, look right and you are likely to see all the way to Virginia.  For me it is the perfect place to be.

One of Boulder’s many treasures is the Boulder Reservoir.  Apparently, Reservoir is a fancy French word that loosely translates to ‘lake’.  Whatever you call it, its an amazing place to take the doggies.  So, Sunday morning, Ben, Amy, Allison and I took the dogs there for some swimming.

I had heard that the North side of the Boulder Reservoir is an unofficial nude beach.  Last weekend I was running along the reservoir with Sadie when suddenly two naked men strolled out of trees.  I smiled, waved and said, “Hello naked people.” They waved in the exact same manner that they would have if they had had pants on.  It all seemed way too normal….

Last week I found a young couple wandering around the common house. The guy was wearing orange camoflauge hat. I said, “You have got to be from the South”. It turns out he is from Maine. I wasn’t even close…

The Southerner from Maine is Matt, his girlfriend is Kristina. They both just moved here this summer from Washington DC. So, on Saturday I took them and two of their other friends up to Lake Isabelle so they could quickly see why they moved to this incredible state. It was so nice to be back up in the mountains and even better to see it through their eyes.

This is potentially the saddest thing I’ve ever seen….

As I was reading CNN today, I came across an article entitled, “Young Blogger Loses Battle With Cancer“. As I read the article, I was touched by the story of Miles Levin, an 18 year old who died on Sunday after a long fight with Cancer. His blog on CarePages.com had become widely read by people around the world who were inspired by his courage to live life as fully as he could in the short time he had remaining. So, I registered at CarePages and searched for “LevinStory” to check out his blog. His 7th entry, on June 7th 2005 really struck a chord with me….he wrote:

I went to the driving range the other day and I was thinking…

I was thinking how you start out with a big bucket full of golf balls, and you just start hitting away carelessly. You have dozens of them, each individual ball means nothing so you just hit, hit, hit. One ball gone is practically inconsequential when subtracted from your bottomless bucket. There are no practice swings or technique re-evaluations after a bad shot, because so many more tries remain. Yet eventually you start to have to reach down towards the bottom of the bucket to scavenge for another shot and you realize that tries are running out. Now with just a handful left, each swing becomes more meaningful. The right technique becomes more crucial, so between each shot you take a couple practice swings and a few deep breaths. There is a very strong need to end on a good note, even if every preceeding shot was horrible, getting it right at the end means a lot. You know as you tee up your last ball, “This is my final shot, I want to crush this with perfection; I must make this count.” Limited quantities or limited time brings a new, precious value and signficance to anything you do. Live every day shooting as if its your last shot, I know I have to.

I found out today 5 year survival rates are just 20%.

As I get older, I realize the every moment of everyday is a ball ready to be swung at. Thank you Miles Levin for inspiring me and so many others to crush each shot with perfection!

You may have noticed that I rarely show my teeth in photos. It is because since college, I have developed what some might call a “messed up grill”.  My teeth have moved far enough apart that I know longer have to open to insert food.  While convenient and time-saving, my chances of ever looking like Tom Cruise are greatly diminished.

So, several weeks back, I started treatment with Invisalign.  These are basically clear braces that I wear when I’m not eating or drinking coffee.  When I tell people that I’m doing this, they either reply with, “What?!?!? You’re teeth are fine!”.  Or with, “Thank God! I was sick of looking at your tonsils everytime your showed me your teeth”.

Below are three photos.  The top one is where my teeth were when I started treatment.  The middle is where I am today.  The bottom is where my teeth will be when I’m finished with treatment in 6 more months.

I about peed my pants laughing at this!

One of my favorite things about my neighborhood is that sunflowers grow wild everywhere!

Ben and Amy closed on their new house on Friday afternoon, which meant we had to go out on Friday night and stuff ourselves full of salads, chickens and giant glasses of wine. This resulted an incredibly fun night of laughter and dancing. The following morning is one I could have done without, but I would certainly relive Friday night if ever given the chance.