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Today I heard another show, probably Ray's and it began w/ a spoken word performance on immigration; great stuff.

A few weeks back, I caught one of my favorite Medeski, Martin & Wood shows I’ve seen to date. These guys seem to be a point in their career where they can do no wrong, and the show I saw definitely did not disappoint. So I thought I’d ask a friendly taper if we could use his source of the show for our next podcast and he happily complied with the ask, so hopefully this little podcast mix will help you groove your way through your Sunday. I threw the tracks together using my new “DJ” setup and it’s the first of many more mixes to come from me. Think of it as a dubbed out version of the memories I came away with from the show. Enjoy!

It's been a while Urbana (the city that starts with yo"U"), but I couldn't let this latest nonsense go without publishing another addition of "The Rant".

First, let me start this rant with a question. In your walk of life, whether it's as an professional, student, athlete, etc., what does receiving a compliment or recognition do for you and your continued performance at your job, school, etc? Before answering, let me address those of you who may tend to take things to extremes. I am an avid proponent of humility and placing others ahead of yourself. This is an excellent quality to have and will only serve to extend the power of your influence. Nonetheless, if we are all honest with ourselves, we like to receive compliments and/or recognition. It confirms for us that what we are doing makes a difference. Now, the challenge is to not allow those to "go to our head" and inflate our ego (which is an entirely different topic for a rant on another day). My point today is to simply address the value of a compliment.

Grand Prairie Friends is having a Native Plant Sale at Lincoln Square Village on May 8th, 2010 from 8am to 1pm. There will be dozens of prairie plants along with additional woodland species and herbs for sale. Volunteers will be available to help you choose a variety of plants for various habitat types. For a plant list and more information visit: http://www.grandprairiefriends.org.

Grand Prairie Friends is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit, conservation organization composed of people from many walks of life who share a commitment to preserving and restoring tallgrass prairie and woodlands across East-Central Illinois. Proceeds from the plant sale will go towards their operations.

Well, hello Urbana, the city that starts with yo"U"!! It's been a while, but I believe it's time for another addition of "The Rant".
In watching the Winter Games, it dawned on me, what is the best way to describe an athlete? I would have to say "heart". When you hear that word, the scientific term means nothing more than an small organe that sends blood through your body. But think of the symbolism. It is THE most vital organ in our body and it sends the necessary blood to the rest of us so we may experience life. So when you describe an athlete, the most complete defenition is "heart". Now, this can be a positive or negative description. We've all heard folks say he or she has a lot of heart or they have no heart. I realize to be successful, it also helps to have God given talent or athleticism. But, if you ask me if I'd rather have a talented athlete or an athlete who is all heart, give me the latter every day. The reason is you cannot measure the power of the heart of someone. The movie "Rudy" comes to mind. He probably had more heart than any football player who has ever stepped foot on the grid iron. Unfortunately, he was undersized and not blessed with much physical talent.