BSU BlogFest - Day Five: The Future

This is my final post of the five-day BSU BlogFest series, where BSU community members share their thoughts on a common topic each day.  BSU BlogFest is one of the featured aspects of Social Media Week, hosted by the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership.  Please check out other bloggers' contributions via the BSU BlogFest web site!

Friday's BlogFest Theme: The Future

Firstly, I have really enjoyed writing these blogs for BSU BlogFest this week, as well as reading many of the other contributors' thoughtful and fun posts.  I hope that we can continue this throughout the year perhaps on a weekly basis.  Blogging allows for people to reflect and share their ideas in a creative way.  It also provides insight into the lives of fellow BSU community members, especially for those of us who may not communicate much with each other outside of the classroom and the workplace.  I've definitely appreciated that folks have opened up to the extent they have.

So this final post for the week pertains to "the future."  I don't think I'm very good at looking far ahead in time, and that may or may not be a bad thing.  I'm kind of limited to being a "one year ahead" sort of guy but no further than that.  I suppose that's because I appreciate the idea of leaving many doors open for opportunities that might come my way.  Most of my major life decisions have come about purely by chance.  I've often initially disregarded an opportunity at first glance but then found that opportunity to be amazing after a second more thorough look.  This worldview I hold has something to do with my personality, I'm sure.  As a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) aficionado, I can quickly state and explain my type preferences: INFP (Introverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, and Perceiving).  The first three are fairly self-explanatory, but as a Perceiving type, I tend to go with the flow and let things happen to a certain extent.  I just don't feel the need to control everything.  By the way, if you ever want to know your type, just ask - I'm a certified MBTI administrator!

But I'll go out on a limb for this blog post and offer up a general somewhat rambling sense of what I think the future might hold for us. 

We are generally part of a global community nowadays because social media and the internet make it so easy to be that way.  But I'm a strong believer in the idea of a cyclical life.  I think within the next twenty years, we may very well find that the concept of a local community -- a village, as Hillary Rodham Clinton would say -- will dominate again.

As the world becomes a much more complicated and complex place, it's getting more difficult for anyone to make broad, sweeping decisions (other than perhaps in the corporate world).  That may sound pessimistic, but I don't intend that to be the case.  Where greater numbers of individuals might feel socially isolated (ironically) in a social media kind of world, I think we may find folks will return to focusing on relationships on a local level.  Why?  Because empathy and human connection flourish best with face-to-face communication.  Yes, for argument's sake, video communication is prominent today and that's the next best thing to actual face-to-face contact (such as when family and close friends are hundreds of miles apart).   But I think empathy is driven primarily by interactions with people physically and emotionally near to us.

Human (and other) life is sustained through emotional connections.  I think over time, many people will realize they'll get that by focusing on those who are directly in front of them.  I see beauty in that.  I see hope in that. 

I leave you with three quotes that I think best drive my admittedly vague but relevant point home:

"To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right." ~Confucius

"There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread, but there are many more dying for a little love." ~Mother Theresa

"If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else we must see our neighbors.  With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say like artists, we must see not just their faces but the life behind and within their faces.  Here it is love that is the frame we see them in." ~Frederick Buechner   

BSU BlogFest - Day Four: Community

This is my fourth post of the five-day BSU BlogFest series, where BSU community members share their thoughts on a common topic each day.  BSU BlogFest is one of the featured aspects of Social Media Week, hosted by the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership.  

Please check out other bloggers' contributions via the BSU BlogFest web site!

Thursday's BlogFest Theme: Community

So today, I decided I would deviate a bit from the prompting questions provided to us.  Today's post begins at my alma mater of Radford University in Virginia, but it ends with Bridgewater State University.  Though I've touched on it a little bit already, I really wanted to share in greater depth the community that started my career in Residence Life.  That would be the Residence Hall Association.

Before going to college, I was painfully shy and didn't have much confidence in myself.  High school was definitely not my cup of tea.  The first thing I did when I graduated with my high school diploma was dye my hair bright neon red (like Woody Woodpecker red) since that kind of thing was never allowed in a private school setting.  This was my way of showing my "punk" independence.  The funny thing is by August when it was time to set off to college for the first time, my hair color faded to pink.  Pink hair is an interesting way to start college, I suppose.  I had all the first-year student jitters, but I was starting a new life with a blank slate.

I laid low during my first year, but I made a great friendship with a pal Marcus who remains my best friend to this day.  He was really outgoing, so his friends became my friends.  We ended up being roommates during my sophomore year, and that's when things really took off for me.  Little did I know that I would soon finally know what it means to be a part of a community.  Marcus was elected president of the hall council where we lived.  I didn't run for anything, as that was too overwhelming for me.  But mid-year, the vice president position opened up.  No one was interested, and Marcus encouraged me to go for it.  "What?  Speak in front of the five or ten people who attend the weekly meetings?  No way!" I said.  I always chuckle to myself when I think back to that moment in time.  But Marcus was relentless, and he brought me over to meet with the Resident Director.  The RD told me if I was interested in the position, it was mine - she could appoint me.

So I took my first step.  As the vice president, I helped run programs for the hall council.  I also decided to develop a web site for our hall council since I had those abilities.  Back in 1998/1999, not many people really knew how to design web sites because it required knowledge of HTML.  After I designed the web site, our's was one of only two among the 18 or so hall councils.  I really felt like I was making an impact in the community.  The Area Coordinator supervising the four halls in our area recommended I design the web site for the RHA, and I was SO excited.  I feel giddy just thinking back to that moment.  So the RHA created an appointed webmaster position for me.

A strong community helps individuals feel empowered.  That's what it did for me.  The weekly RHA meetings were definitely a step up from the hall council.  They tended to get about fifty hall representatives every week.  I wasn't satisfied with just creating the web site at the time.  I also pushed for a campus wide contest to design a logo for the RHA, since they never had one.  And I spoke up in every RHA meeting.  For me, that was a big deal but it helped me develop more confidence in my public speaking abilities.  Remember, speaking in front of five people was terrifying for me.

Ultimately, I ended up being the vice president of policies and procedures for the RHA after a highly contested election.  I was on top of the world.  But then in April 2000, I suddenly faced an illness that required major emergency surgery.  That ended up being a life-changing experience.  A little bit of it was because it was life-threatening so I respected life a heck of a lot more.  But the BIGGER, more important part for me was that all of the RHA Executive Board members stopped in to see me at different times during my week-long hospital stay.  The cards and outpouring of support was overwhelming. 

RHA E-Board Retreat at Radford

At this point, I truly knew what it was to be part of a community.  It's not just about planning programs, going to conferences, or pushing for campus policy changes -- though those are really important things.  It's about a sense of belonging.  It's about finding purpose and meaning.  It's about developing your identity.  And it's about giving back to others.  The RHA brought me out of my shell and instilled self-confidence.  It changed my life.  And I knew I wanted to give back.  It's because of that community, I was encouraged to go for graduate school in higher education.  An assistantship as a resident director paid the way.  I will always remember my first RA staff with fondness, and there was a point that I got every one on my staff a simple key chain with a symbol of a hand that represents "Unity."  It remains on my key chain to this day.

Fast forward several years to our current academic year at BSU.  I am really proud to currently serve this year as one of the co-advisors for BSU's fantastic RHA.  They are a wonderful community of student leaders on the executive board and among the general body.  They are doing great things this year and creating a bigger name for themselves on the campus and throughout the region.  I applaud them, and it's an honor to help advise the same kind of community that made me who I am back in 1999.  RHA is something truly special.  It's what community means to me.

BSU Blogfest - Day Three: Leadership

This is my third post of the five-day BSU BlogFest series, where BSU community members share their thoughts on a common topic each day.  BSU BlogFest is one of the featured aspects of Social Media Week, hosted by the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership.  

Please check out other bloggers' contributions via the BSU BlogFest web site!

Wednesday's BlogFest Theme: Leadership

I will be perfectly honest with you about something: you probably will have heard some version of almost everything I write on today's topic of leadership.  Frankly, I am willing to bet my walking stick collection on the fact that if you go to a bookstore's self-help section, you'll find every basic leadership concept/cliché known to human-kind in those books.  So why bother?

Because knowing leadership concepts and living those concepts are two entirely different things.  Gaining experience and learning from that experience is the only sure-fire way to become an effective leader.  Granted, it is possible to be a naturally-born leader, but even then it's pure luck -- the first baby to leave the womb in a multiple birth delivery leads (okay, that's an example of my dry witty humor).  If you didn't close your browser after the first paragraph, you may have done so by the end of this one.

Assuming you're still reading, I'd like to *cough*preach*cough* share some leadership concepts that I personally find important based upon my experiences. Sure, as I said, you've heard all this before.  But it's kind of like listening to Baz Luhrmann's "Sunscreen." It contains insights you likely knew at least subconsciously, but it's beautiful to hear and reflect upon.  Don't know that song?  After you've read through my blog, you can click on the video for the freakishly good song at the end of this post.  Oh, you're welcome. :)

Mike Goodhart's Top Ten Leadership Concepts You May Want to Consider

1. Find your niche or passion, and run with it.  If you're struggling to take the lead on something, reflect on what you personally enjoy doing.  Chances are if you're good at something, you have a lot to teach other people in that area.  Start an intramural sport on campus.  Bring your photography skills to an organization.  Join the chess club and show off your mad skills.  In the medieval days of 1999, I was good at making web sites when few others did them. As a shy kid, I made a web page for my hall council and ultimately the Residence Hall Association.  This is what started the chain of events in my world of leadership to my current role as a resident director.

2. Tread lightly.  If you have a blunt firey personality and you're in conflict with others, know that tact and diplomacy might take you farther with them.  I've seen too many people's ideas get rejected because they were just too forceful.

3. But be direct, too.  If conflict scares you, take a cue from John Mayer's "Say."  Say what you need to say.  You might find you'll feel better.  This is totally more like me.  As an introverted sensitive type, I often worry I'll hurt others' feelings or risk hurting my own feelings in the process of confronting someone.  But I've had a lot of success where working relationships and friendships have bloomed following a respectful confrontation of a behavior.

4. Take responsibility for your mistakes.  If you do something wrong, own up to it.  There certainly may be consequences, but you'll find your integrity is intact and people will respect you for it.  As a supervisor, there are few things that bother me more than when someone doesn't take responsibility for their actions.  And for me personally, when I've made a mistake and immediately went forward to admit I screwed up, I found I could move on with my life much more quickly.  Sure, I faced the penalties but my colleagues and supervisors saw that I could be trusted to do the right thing.

5. Learn from your mistakes.  So you owned up to the mistake the first time.  Don't let it happen again - learn from it.  You will make mistakes in the future, but as long as they're not the same ones, there's a good chance you're growing as a leader.  Oh, how I have made MANY mistakes.  But I can proudly claim that I reflected upon each of those mistakes, considered how that mistake came about, and told my brain -- "brain, don't let that happen again."  My employer references can pretty much promise to potential employers that I won't get something wrong twice.  

6. Don't be afraid to be goofy.  As long as it's appropriate, people can relate to you much more if you can demonstrate a fun sense of humor.  I have no problem singing Minnie Riperton's "Loving You" in front of 90 people.  Ask the RAs here at BSU about that one.  But I'd like to think things like that help people feel comfortable approaching me and getting to know me.  This is especially important for me since I am an introvert and tend to be quieter than other leaders.

7. Take the time to recognize other people for what they do well.  Others will have a lot more buy-in with a group or task when they know you are aware of their accomplishments and thank them for it.  However, not everyone wants public recognition; sometimes they prefer subtle behind-the-scenes appreciation.  To be honest, this is an area that can occasionally be a weakness for me.  But I recognize that and try to be proactive in turning that weakness into a strength... which leads me to my next point!

8. Practice at what you don't do well.  Especially if your weakness is tied to your personality.  Try to improve in areas that you lack confidence.  It's the only way that you'll truly grow as a leader.  I was terrified of public speaking as a first-year college student.  But then during my sophomore year, a vice president position opened up in my residence hall council.  My roommate (and best friend now for 13 years), who was the hall council president at the time, encouraged me to take it on.  The idea of speaking in front of even ten people scared me.  But I decided to take on the challenge.  Later, I ended up on the Residence Hall Association executive board as the webmaster.  I made it a point to speak on something every week to the entire RHA general body.  That was the only way I would ever improve at public speaking.

9. Actively listen to what others have to say - and don't interrupt.  It's really easy to think that you know what a person is talking about, but try to block out your own thoughts and instead truly listen to them - and let them finish their thoughts.  I like to finish my sentences when I speak with someone about a concern that I have.  When I see that person nodding their head, demonstrating eye contact, and staying focused, I feel a lot better.  Sometimes people just need to vent a little, too!

10. You don't always have to be the leader.  Let others take the lead sometimes, too.  You just may find that you can learn something about yourself when you watch someone else shine in the spotlight.

BSU BlogFest - Day Two: Technology

This is my second post of the five-day BSU BlogFest series, where BSU community members share their thoughts on a common topic each day.  BSU BlogFest is one of the featured aspects of Social Media Week, hosted by the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership.  

Please check out other bloggers' contributions via the BSU BlogFest web site!

Tuesday's BlogFest Theme: Technology

Today's question is: "What role does technology play to help or hinder relationships?"

Admittedly, I feel stumped about this question because there are many lenses through which one could view this dilemma.  Experts in political science, psychology, sociology, information technology, and anthropology could sit at a table (or Skype) to discuss this question, and you'd likely find widely different perspectives with no agreed-upon conclusion.  So I think it makes the most sense for me to share a few piecemeal thoughts.

1. It's never been easier to stay in touch with friends and family with social media.  I figured I would start with the most obvious statement.  We have Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Blackberry Messenger, instant messaging (such as AOL), text messaging, and of course lest we forget -- e-mail!  I know people whose grandparents utilize some of these applications which goes to show you how easy it is to use social media.

2. Building relationships with people across the world (i.e., networking), including those in positions of power with whom you might not otherwise feel comfortable approaching, is becoming a simpler process.  I recently attended the ResLifeTECH conference at Western New England College that highlighted social media's expansive reach in student affairs (it was an overwhelming but enlightening conference for me).  One of the presenters, Jenna Magnuski of Northeastern University, talked about how she was nervous for interviewing at a professional conference, and she used Twitter to express that anxiety.  Someone tweeted her back and offered to assist in preparing her.  It turned out this person was a vice president of student affairs (or similar position), so she ended up connecting with someone she may not have otherwise felt confident approaching.

3. Cyber-bullying is a problem we can't ignore.  There are unfortunately many, many cases of people being bullied through social media channels.  This is true especially for adolescents and young adults who are still developing their identities and self-confidence.  A decade ago, if you were bullied by someone, at least it was only when that person was physically nearby.  But nowadays, social media unfortunately gives bullies a lot more power to make life difficult for someone.  Victims of cyber-bullying simply cannot get away from bullies because social media is a constant presence.  Of course, cyber-bullying has garnered the attention of educators, administrators, parents, and the media, so steps are being taken to address this problem.

4. Social media is ever-changing and in flux; technology that progresses too much for society can lead to something called "future shock."  In 2002, when I was in graduate school, I was captivated by a book I picked up on my own called Future Shock, written by Alvin Toffler. It's an "oldie" written in 1970. The author defines future shock as "the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time." Wow. Alvin Toffler, a sociologist, basically attributes many social problems (i.e., depression, addiction, violence, etc.) to technology that is advancing too quickly for people.  His book impacted my worldview significantly, as I infused many of his arguments into the way I think about technology.  It's easy to feel overwhelmed by technological advances, including those within social media.  There always seems like there is a new web site or way to communicate with each other.  And Facebook seems to change its' privacy settings and overall look on at least a monthly basis.  We are forced to adapt more quickly to changes, and there is great danger in that psychologically.

5. The infrastructure for social media is not sustainable in its current form.  This is definitely my biggest concern about technology and social media.  We live in a world of more than six billion people, and that number is rapidly increasing.  Because of limited resources on the planet, it is impossible for everyone to have access to social media in the way that many of us do in developed countries.  All of the technology built around laptops, iPads, and cell phones requires a lot of materials.  In all stages of the consumer process -- building, shipping, and disposal -- there tends to be a lot of waste.  So while I love social media, I also harbor fears as a concerned citizen that problems of sustainability must be addressed before we cause too much harm to our planet (and ourselves).  Limited resources + many people = conflict.  Imagine that on a global scale.       

Two things are clear -- technology in the form of social media is here to stay for quite a while, and we should expect social media to dominate our lives.  We have to make individual and collective choices as to how we use technology and social media, for better or for worse.

BSU BlogFest - Day One: Learning

This week, I am participating in Bridgewater State University's BlogFest, a five-day blog series focused on a different topic/theme each day.  The blogs are written by BSU students, staff, and faculty.  As a Resident Director here, I'm excited to also contribute my perspective!  BSU BlogFest is one of the featured aspects of Social Media Week, hosted by the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership.  Social Media Week aims to initiate conversations via various social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs. For those interested, follow me on Twitter at @mtgoodha (please know I'm still getting the hang of it).

Please check out other bloggers' contributions via the BSU BlogFest web site!

Monday's BlogFest Theme: Learning

We've been offered a prompting question for each theme just to help exercise our brains, and I can easily work with today's prompt:  "What has been a learning experience that has impacted you the most in your life?"

Learning is such a broad concept, but to start this conversation, I think it's important to consider that learning is an individual experience that is affected by many factors such as genetics, the way we're treated as children, personality, teaching and learning styles, and social interactions.  We don't all learn the same way, and "teachers" don't all teach the same way, either.  I put the word teachers in quotes since they could be in or outside of the classroom.  The best form of learning is one that contributes to our personal growth and confidence throughout life.  While learning might be a single "ah-hah" moment, I like to think that it's more about a series of moments that reinforce our growth.

For me, my most impactful series of moments of learning revolve around reading and writing.  Writing is among the abilities where I feel most confident.  As a relatively quiet introvert, writing plays an integral role in my life.  My "teachers" empowered me with (and reinforced) the ability to read and communicate in the written form.  It's a useful skill that helps counterbalance an adequate speaking ability (certainly, I can speak publicly with some confidence, after much life-long practice - but it's not my strength).

Confidence in reading and writing started for me at an early age when my mother nurtured an appreciation of words.  She saw I loved when she read books to me and I'd request it often as a toddler.  She was then purposeful in directing me to read books out loud to her; I enjoyed reading out loud so repetitively that it became fairly annoying!  But, this reinforcement and attention instilled my quickly progressing enthusiasm for vocabulary in the English language.  When you love learning about something, you tend to stick with it.

The Alluring Speak & Spell

Remember the movie E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial?  Well, it's a prime example of how the media can influence what we learn.  There's a significant scene where E.T. uses a Speak & Spell toy to phone home.  Product placement in the movies at its finest.  I was three years old when E.T. came out in the theaters in 1982.  So when I got this toy and used it frequently, it reinforced my love for words - and more importantly, spelling the words correctly.  It's probably not a coincidence that a little later in life, I'd look forward to and thrive in annual spelling bees in school, eventually making it to the regional levels in the eighth grade.  Thirsting for re-living the Speak & Spell experience?

I appreciated it when teachers guided me in the right direction, too. Even in college. I distinctly remember when Dr. Tod Burke, a professor of criminal justice at Radford University where I received my undergraduate education, made it a point in class to everyone on how to properly spell judgment, writing it on the chalkboard. I was among many in the class who spelled it "judgement," but you better believe I remembered the correct spelling after that.

My second grade teacher made a big impact in my development, too.  I was learning that it was fun to put words together to create short stories.  I think it was Mrs. Capehart who saw how much I enjoyed writing.  She encouraged me to keep writing and then would occasionally send me to a kindergarten class to read my stories out loud to my slightly younger peers.  I'm so impressed by her creative means of inspiring me in this way.  This was a process that trended throughout my life, where I'd enjoy writing, then appreciate the positive (and critical) feedback from teachers, family, and friends.  English classes, especially ones that focused on creative writing, were consistently among my favorites.

We'll return now to my mother, who assisted in expanding my grasp of the written language by taking the time to review my papers that I'd have to do for classes.  She'd point out how I could re-word a sentence or where I needed to correct a grammatical mistake.  I yearned to know how to properly arrange sentences, where to place a comma, when not to use a semi-colon, etc.  I guarantee I will have re-read this blog posting several times to ensure it's as perfect as I can make it (no guarantee that it is perfect, though).

I firmly believe all of this learning -- and constant practice in writing on a daily basis -- has been exceptionally valuable for me.  Writing a final case study in graduate school, putting together a quality cover letter for a job, and maintaining two blogs are all examples of... well... a lesson learned.

(Not) Born to Run

An update on my role in the world of jogging and walking is long overdue.  The last five weeks have been difficult for me in terms of exercise.  Now's a good time to finally share what's been happening.

The last time I jogged was on February 7th.  It was a 3 mile jog, and I was proud of myself for finally beating the 12 min/mile pace.  I really felt like I was making progress in transitioning from brisk walking to jogging.  But I was ignoring the sharp pains in my shins.  You're told to "run through the pain" and I did, proudly.  But I've now recognized you shouldn't run through sharp pain.  That's your body telling you, "Hey, I'm not just tired - I'm literally falling apart here, so you had better stop this."  On that last jog, I even sprinted and though the pain intensified (it felt like a knife was cutting along the front of my shins), I stuck with it.

For several days, the pain stuck around, but I started to think maybe jogging just wasn't for me.  So on February 13th, I went for a semi-brisk 3.2 mi walk.  Still ignoring my body's screams, I walked through the sharp pain.  After that walk, I finally listened and decided I would rest until the pain went away.

Except the pain didn't go away.  Week after week, the pain was in fact getting worse.  Simple walking, standing up, sitting down, sleeping - it didn't matter, the pain was there.  So I scheduled an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon.  Maybe this wasn't just your simple case of shin splints.  I was lucky that I only had to wait a week for the appointment, even as a new patient.

During the appointment on March 7th, the doctor did a physical examination of my shins, pushing here and there, asking if anything hurt.  At one point, I nearly yelped in pain and he immediately thought it was stress fractures.  A stress fracture is a small crack in your bone, though not as bad as a full fracture.  It is however an indication you're overdoing it.  So he sent me to have x-rays and a bone scan to confirm that diagnosis. 

The tests were done on March 10th.  The x-rays were straight-forward but I'd never had a bone scan before.  They injected a radioactive fluid into my bloodstream, then I waited three hours for the radioactive fluid to spread throughout my system.  Then they did the actual bone scan.  They strapped me down (literally) and told me I would need to lie completely still for thirty minutes as a machine overhead scanned my body.  It's not like an MRI where you're in a tube; in a bone scan, the machine is simply above you, albeit only a couple inches above you.  Apparently, a bone scan can see where your blood is flowing in greater amounts.  If it is flowing more than usual in a certain place, it likely means your body is in the process of healing itself in that location.  Hence, if you have a stress fracture, the bone scan will show a dark area in that location because the bone is healing.  The bone scan results are then compared with the x-rays.

When I returned to the doctor this morning, I really thought he'd tell me the bone scan confirmed stress fractures.  Instead he said, nope - it's definitely shin splints.  He showed me the x-rays and bone scan.  I find these fascinating, by the way.  The x-rays showed all was well with the bones in my legs.  But he pointed out the bone scan did show the shin splints at least.  There were clear dark areas along the sides of my shins, and he said it was a classic case of shin splints.  Granted, I do have severe shin splints, but now I kind of feel like I'm a wuss!  My pain tolerance must be lower than I thought.  The doctor said rest will cure shin splints, but he was concerned that the five weeks of rest I've had so far hadn't yet relieved the pain.

So, now he's recommending I get an MRI to get a closer look at the shin splint injury and see if there's any other factors at play here.  The MRI has yet to be scheduled, as they're waiting to hear from my insurance company for approval.  But at least the main diagnosis of shin splints is confirmed.

I will continue to rest my legs.  No brisk walking, and certainly no jogging.  The doctor said that perhaps, "jogging is just not your friend."  I'd agree.  All I really want to do is briskly walk - I enjoy walking, and I'm good at it.  Heck, I beat the 3 hour mark in a half marathon just walking, and I'm proud of that!  I'm just ready to get back to exercising.  I miss it all, and I can't wait to have it back in my routine.

The lesson here for me is that Bruce Springsteen's song "Born to Run" doesn't quite fit in my situation.  That's right, Bruce, you've got it wrong.  But you better believe that when I'm in good shape again and briskly walking, my iPod playlist will include that song out of pure spite!  Haha, it's good to have a goal.

I'll keep you all updated on what happens with the rest of my journey to full recovery.

Buckeye Chocolates

Yup, I actually prepared these.

Buckeye chocolates: The finest peanut butter & chocolate delicacy.  OH, you say, what the flippin' heck is a recipe doing on YOUR blog?  I know, I know... this is much too hard to believe.

I wanted to make these for my staff and for anyone else I know, and, ah - of course, me. :)  They are essentially a home-made version of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but a bit richer and (I think) more delicious.

Firstly, a little cultural fact about the Buckeye chocolate.  They're very popular in Ohio where folks bleed scarlet and gray (figuratively, as a preference).  Those are, obviously, the colors of The Ohio State Buckeyes.  You'll likely find these chocolate treats at a party for an Ohio State game, and they are especially common around Christmas.  The unique trait about a Buckeye chocolate is they're shaped like a Buckeye nut.  Now you wouldn't want to eat an actual Buckeye nut as they are mildly poisonous - it won't kill you, but it'll probably give you a stomach ache.  So the only way you can really appreciate this is by making Buckeye chocolates!

I shouldn't brag that much as it's a REALLY simply recipe.  But I actually use a kitchen for its true purpose perhaps once or twice a year, so it's a big "to do" for me. 

Below you'll find the recipe I use to make them. I've modified it from a recipe I found a few years ago. I was slightly disappointed in this batch I made tonight as they came out a tad soft. I'm hoping that leaving them in the freezer overnight will help. Regardless, I already ate one and it still tasted... magnificent.  The amount of time you'll spend making these is about 45 minutes, plus the time you leave it in the freezer or refrigerator.

Buckeye Chocolates Recipe
Servings: About 50 pieces

Ingredients:

2 (18 ounce) jars of creamy peanut butter
16 ounce package of confectioner’s sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter, softened
2 (12 ounce) packages of semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 tablespoon of shortening

Directions:

1. Blend together peanut butter, sugar, and softened butter. This will require you to use your hands a bit to mix it up!
2. Roll mixture into 1 inch round balls. Use flour on your hands if mixture is too sticky. Place in freezer for at least 1 hour.
3. Melt chocolate morsels with shortening. Whisk together until smooth.
4. Insert toothpick into each ball and dip into chocolate so that it is about 2/3 covered with chocolate. Place on waxed paper and allow to set in refrigerator.