Sunday Song: "Man In The Mirror" by Michael Jackson

Art Credit -- Mirror Ball by M.C. Escher

So I heard this story today at church and I liked it so much, I decided to share it. Sorry if it's not as well-told as the priest told it, but I'm keeping it simple here. ..

There is a knight and he is traveling with his horse when all of the sudden the horse stops and almost knocks the knight off his back.

"Why on earth are you stopping, horse?" says the knight.

"Because there's a little bird on the ground lying on his back with his feet in the air and I didn't want to hurt him," said the horse.

"A bird? You almost killed me because of a bird?" says the knight.

(Turning to the bird) "Bird, why are you lying on your back like that with your feet up in the air?" said the knight.

"Because the sky is going to fall and I want to save everyone."

"You think lying here in the middle of the road with your feet in the air is going to make a difference?" says the knight.

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot stop the sky from falling, but I can do something. I can try."

The moral of this story is so true. You may only be one person, but you can make a difference in this world, whether it's through helping others, donating money to those in need when you can or just taking care of our earth's resources. All you have to do is start at the most elementary place -- within yourself.

This whole principle reminds me of one of Michael Jackson's most powerful hits -- "Man in the Mirror," hence why I chose it as my Sunday Song. Great lyrics, great beat.

"I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways

And no message could have been any clearer...

If you wanna make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself, and then make a change."

This Bud's No Longer for Me

By now you all have probably heard of sale of Anheuser-Busch "The King of [American] Beers" to Belgium's InBev.

To me, this is one of the most disappointing news bites since Mother Teresa's death.

What is more American than the Budweiser name?

Beer is one of life's pleasures. For as long as I can remember, myself and my family have been Bud Light drinkers. Now what will we turn to?

Yes, it will still be produced in America.

Yes, they say American jobs are safe.

But where's the American pride?

Anheuser-Busch has been U. S. owned for 130 years... It truly is an American point of pride and an icon of what it means to be American -- especially for those who live in its home city, St. Louis.

There's Miller people, Coors people, Bud people and microbrew people. The fact that Budweiser is an American beer is really important to its very loyal beer drinkers, and it's going to hurt Budweiser now that they're no longer American.

I feel sorry for Anheuser-Busch's PR/marketing team. This has got to be a nightmare. What's going to happen with their branding? Their witty campaigns have always been shaped around the beer being American-owned and produced and they have built a loyal following because of this. Now what direction is in store? The job undertaking is going to be tough for the Belgian brewer. It will be interesting to see how consumers will respond to the European takeover.

According to a new Web site, SaveAB.com, "like baseball, apple pie and ice cold beer (wrapped in a red, white and blue label), Anheuser-Busch is an American original."

So, what's next for you?

Looks like I'm officially on to drinking a different, cheap, red, white and blue beer -- Pabst's Blue Ribbon. It's almost the same, right? And at least I can feel that American pride with each passing sip...

Sunday Song: "Vienna" by Billy Joel

Billy Joel has been one of my favorite singers since I was a little girl. Everytime I hear the familiar sound of his voice, it takes me back to my childhood...falling asleep to Lullabye (Goodnight My Angel) in the back of my parent's car, laughing at the "cadillac-ac-ac-ac" lyrics in Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) and dancing to Uptown Girl with my dad at countless Daddy-Daughter Dances.

Billy Joel and Elton John were the first musicians I ever saw live. I remember it well. It was '95 and my mom randomly got tickets and when she picked me up from school that day, she surprised me with the news. I was in heaven. We had horrible seats, but that didn't phase me -- I was experiencing two of my heroes. Live. I danced and sang my little heart out to the millions of hits the two uber successful "piano men" have made throughout their careers.

So the other day...

I had a long, tiring day at work and was flustered because I started thinking about the millions of tasks I wanted to accomplish this weekend. I hit shuffle on my iPod and, like fate, I heard this week's "Sunday song" (Vienna) and I really listened to the lyrics for what felt like the first time in my life. I thought, "Dang Billy, are you reading my mind?"

The past two years of my life after college have flown. I haven't had a single moment to rest -- consuming my life with adulthood -- a career, a car payment, a mortgage, multiple bank accounts, a 401k and marriage.

But Billy (or God?) sent me a reminder.

When life gets crazy, we all just need to slow down, stop and smell the roses and remember, our versions of "Vienna" will come when the timing is right.

Slow down you crazy child

Take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while

It's alright, you can afford to lose a day or two

When will you realize...Vienna waits for you?

Free Slurpee Day, A Holiday Not to be Missed

Happy realization today: It's July 11. As in 7/11. As in 7-Eleven,

America's favorite convenience store.

To honor the store's day of "birth," locations around the nation are offering their 7.11 oz. Slurpees to their patrons free of charge.

I've always been a fan of Slurpees, so you betcha I'm going to nab one on my commute home tonight.

To salute the day, here's some fun facts from the Slurpee Nation Web site. There's some pretty interesting useless information here.

• Early prototypes for the Slurpee machine made use of an automobile air conditioning unit.
• Bob Stanford, a 7-Eleven agency director, coined the term "Slurpee" in 1967.
• Winnipeg, Canada is generally thought to be the Slurpee capital of the world, due to their amazing Slurpee fanaticism. (really? yes)
• At Slurpee, we call it a BrainFreeze. The scientific name for it is Sphenopalatine Ganglioneuralgia.
• Pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth is a known cure for brainfreeze.
• The current world record for drinking 6 oz. Slurpees in one minute is ELEVEN.
• Every day more than 11.6 million Slurpee drinks are consumed around the world.
• More than 40% of all Slurpee drinks are sold during the months of June, July and August.
• The average Slurpee drinker's age is 29.

Wow. Good stuff here. And great Web site, 7-Eleven. Happy birthday!

Detroit Firefighter: My Brother, My Hero

I have so many heroes and wonderful people in my life. As many of my posts indicate, I get inspired by people. A lot.

One person who inspires me immensely is my own brother, Derek, who has been a Detroit firefighter for the past eight years. (Photos posted are of him!)

He works on average 48 hours a week. He is awoken in the middle of the night (interrupting REM sleep patterns constantly) just to learn the fire called in was a false alarm. He's seen run down buildings and crack houses burnt to the ground. He's helped to rescue tons of people -- including children and the elderly from burning buildings. He drives the fire engine (don't get me started for people on the road not parting ways....) And he has a heart of gold.

He cares for his family, including his wife and my two nephews, Nicholas (8) and Kyle (4). Along with his exhausting job as a firefighter, he also works all sorts of side jobs to keep afloat (i.e. cutting elderly neighbors lawns, always helping friends, etc.). I am so proud of him. He worked so hard to get where he is and he honestly LOVES his job, unlike many people in this world. Just wanted to post to say how special he is to me!

My brother Todd is also a hard-working American hero and a recent new daddy to baby Owen! But more on that to come in a future post...

For now, here's a little tribute to Derek:

A Fireman's Life

A fireman's life is one big surprise,

Usually he laughs, sometimes he cries.

There's always stress, toil and strife,

Hoping he's good enough to save just one life.

His wife understands, when he misses dinner,

If he runs out of church, don't think he's a sinner.

Answering a call, is tops on his list,

Regretting each one he's ever missed.

He tries and tries, but can't make us see,

The happiest men, still work for free.

Jumping from bed, fighting the cold,

Knowing what to do, without being told.

He rushes to the station, jumps on a truck.

Depending on skill, never on luck.

Putting his life on the line, for an unknown friend,

Hoping and praying, it won't be the end.

"The Bravest Men in the World", the title is fitting,

They all do their best, never come close to quitting.

Next time you see them, all their lights blinking,

Take just a minute, to think what they're thinking.

It's a hard job, so show them you care,

And help them out, with a little prayer.

-- Daniel S. Driscoll. --

Thought for Music Lovers

"What is love?

Great minds have been grappling with this question through the ages, and in the modern era, they have come up with many different answers. According to the Western philosopher Pat Benatar, love is a battlefield. Her paisan Frank Sinatra would add the corollary that love is a tender trap. The stoner kids who spent the summer of 1978 looking cool on the hoods of their Trans Ams in the Pierce Elementary School parking lot used to scare us little kids by blasting the sweet hit "Love is Like Oxygen" -- you get too much, you get too high, not enough and you're gonna die. Love hurts. Love stinks. Love bites, love bleeds, love is the drug. The troubadours of our times all agree: They want to know what love is, and they want you to show them.

But the answer is simple. Love is a mix tape."

- Rob Sheffield, contributing editor for Rolling Stone and the writer of Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song as a Time. The book traces Sheffield's relationship with the love of his life through stacks of revealing, worn-out cassettes. It's a wonderful book given to me by my dear friend, Meredith. Music lovers: This is a summer must-read!

Don't Stop Believing: Gaganda Rin 'To (Things Will Get Better)

While waiting to catch a plane home from my honeymoon in Mexico last week, I bought a People magazine. Not something you typically see me read, but shoot, everyone has their guilty pleasures and there wasn't a lot to choose from that wasn't in Spanish.

I never buy People for the worthless celebrity gossip at the front of the mag, but the stories in the back about the "real" people that make a difference in this world. I told Jason, this is my chocolate and porn in a sense -- I literally am addicted to seeing and reading about others doing inspiring things.

Well, part of my excitement while reading the mag was over a celebrity/real person mash-up composed of one of the greatest classic rock bands of all time -- Journey and a 'real' person.

In case you haven't heard the story yet, Journey's front man, Steven Perry left the band to do his own thing years ago (BOOOO!)... To replace him, they grabbed Jeff Scott Soto, but ended up firing him last summer. In my mind, the band members must have figured they'd never find a voice quite like Steve's (streetlights, people -ah-oh-ah!), until one day...they stumbled upon YouTube and ran across a Journey song video with a singer from the Philippines -- Arnel Pineda. (Oh the effects of social media!)

The coolest thing about Arnel is his story. The guy began singing at age 5. His parents, both tailors, encouraged him to enter amateur singing contests. When Arnel was 12, his mother died of illness, leaving his family in some serious debt. Arnel's father took his three younger brothers to live with relatives, but Arnel, the oldest, had to quit school and collect scrap metal, bottles and newspapers to earn money. He was living in the streets, sleeping at a park or on a wooden bench at a relative's house. In a TV interview, Pineda described waiting and watching while his relatives ate breakfast in the mornings, hoping some food would be left over for him to eat. Reflecting on his childhood, Pineda said he felt no self-pity. He always kept a positive outlook, thinking, "Gaganda rin 'to." (Things will get better).

Pineda was discovered while he was the lead singer for the group "The Zoo," which covered American classic rock hits from bands such as Journey, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith.

Videos of The Zoo performing cover songs began appearing on YouTube in February 2007. In June, Neal Schon of Journey contacted Noel Gomez, a longtime fan and friend of Arnel who uploaded many of these videos, to ask for Arnel's contact information. Neal sent an e-mail to Arnel inviting him to audition to be Journey's front man. Arnel initially dismissed the e-mail as a hoax, but after being persuaded, he finally replied to the e-mail. Ten minutes later, Arnel received a phone call and in August, Arnel flew to the U.S. for a two-day audition.

In December, he was announced as the lead singer of Journey. CNN Headline News ran the story as part of their "News to Me" segment. They called it a rock n' roll fairytale. And that's exactly what it is. From a kid who grew up collecting scraps to know being in a band he once idolized...Dreams really do come true -- Any Way You Want It! As long as you have Open Arms. (feeling punny today)

Watch a video about the new singer and hear him belt the lyrics to "Don't Stop Believeing" here. He's pretty flippin' good if you ask me! They are coming to DTE in Clarkston in September. I am seriously contemplating going. If you need some faith, this just may be the show for you, too.

*Cough* Sarah: B-day Present???