This morning my computer decided not to boot. It has been acting up for about the last month or two, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint what was wrong with it. My registry was corrupt, apparently caused by some hardware problem (anything from my keyboard, to my power supply, to my motherboard…). So frustrating!!

After awhile I finally got it to boot up, but it looks like I’ll have to reinstall Windows to make sure everything works properly. Even if I do that, the whole thing could happen again. I can try replacing different parts to see which one is causing the trouble, but I really don’t have time for trial and error. It will take several days between replacing a part and seeing if it ever crashes on me again. So… I’ve made a decision. I’m going to get a laptop tomorrow. I’ve been wanting to get one anyways, and that way I can work on fixing this computer whenever I get a chance (and the money).

It was a memorable experience to be a part of the first Motown Winter Blast in Detroit. I was very impressed!! There was lots of things to see and do. The snow slide was a big hit, with lines as long as 1 to 2 hours. People also seemed to enjoy the sled dogs and the ice skating rink.

Snow sculpting went very well. We finished our sculpture without having to rush very much, but we didn’t place in the top 4 either. It’s still fun, but it would be nice to place in an event!! See my Motown Winter Blast 2005 gallery for all the pictures.

The festival was larger than they had planned. They expected 100,000 people to attend, but 275,000 people actually attended. Everything was planned out very well, so it didn’t seem too crowded. I talked to one of the people who was in charge of keeping everything organized, and he said that there were 800 volunteers for the festival this year! That was a lot of people, and you could tell, since just about everywhere you looked you could see a person wearing a Motown Winter Blast jacket. But next year during the Super Bowl, there will be 8,000 volunteers!! There definitely are lots of people trying to make a difference for Detroit!

So far, I think they’re doing a good job making a difference, too. My view of downtown Detroit has changed. Before, I would only go downtown for Lions or Tigers games, but now I wouldn’t mind going there more often. I have to say that I was a little skeptical—and I don’t think I was alone—when I heard about how they’re trying to change Detroit’s image. But I think they’ve really done a lot to help it, especially if they can continue the success of the festival even after the Super Bowl.

Starting Thursday, I’ll be working on a snow sculpture at the new winter festival in Detroit, called Motown Winter Blast. The festival is put on by the Detroit Super Bowl XL committee and is running this year to prepare for the Super Bowl in 2006. It seems like it’s going to be a real nice thing for the city of Detroit. They’re really trying to improve the city’s image for all the people who will be around for next year’s Super Bowl. I’m glad to be a part of the event. The closer it gets, the more excited I get about it, so I hope all goes well. If you’d like to find out more about the snow sculpting event, see their page for the General Motors Snow Spectacular & Ice Show.

I’ve decided to change focus on things in my life. I’ve noticed lately that I feel a lot better when I flex my creative muscle. It makes me feel good to be more right-brained and think with more of an open mind. I like seeing things that are visually pleasing, especially if it was something I designed.

The last few years, I’ve been focusing on more left-brained ways of thinking—most likely because of all the programming I had to do in school. I trained myself to be super analytical and too fact oriented. I taught myself how to spend endless hours on programming projects while losing track of time and the real world. Sometimes I felt like I was using a magnifying glass to focus on tiny things when I didn’t pay attention to the big picture. The longer I worked like that, the harder it became to take a step back. I think now I’ve finally noticed that.

I occasionally still find myself going back to the analytical, left-brained way of thinking, especially when I’m doing any type of programming. I’ll sit at the computer and type away, trying to get things right, no matter how long it takes me. I’m the kind of person who just has to find a solution to a problem. It’s actually making me cringe right now. But I don’t want to totally stop programming. In a way I actually like it, and I will be fine with it as long as I keep focusing more on my right-brained way of thinking. I just need to be able to take a step back and look at the big picture, and do things every day that will strengthen my creative ways. Boy is this tough.

During my senior year at Millington High School, our Varsity football team had a slogan, “Believe & Achieve.” To us, it was more than just any old slogan. It was the truth.

We lost our first game of the season to one of the worst teams in our conference. We knew we were supposed to be better, but we let ourselves down. That one loss brought our team together, and we focused on our new slogan. Every time we entered or left the locker room, we smacked our hands on a poster with the slogan written on it. We knew that we had to believe in ourselves—no matter who we were playing—in order to have a successful season. We ended up beating the defending state champs (Montrose) in the playoffs, only to lose to the eventual champs (Detroit Country Day) in a close game. We didn’t win the state championship like we hoped, but it was a great experience because we all came together and we believed in ourselves.

“Believe & Achieve” is also an important slogan for everyday life. In order to make any great accomplishments, we need to believe in ourselves. The second that you doubt yourself, you will begin to fail. If you really believe that you can do something, and you put the effort into it, it will become much easier to accomplish. This is something I’ve believed in since that football season.

Look what they’re displaying at Pistons games now. Do you really think this message would stop people from throwing objects if they were really infuriated? Anyone who would throw things in the first place wouldn’t pay attention to this! It’s got to only be a good gesture to make it look like they’re preventing any incidents. Anyways check out the other Pistons pictures from the game vs Boston.