A Call To Action!

Hello, friends! 

A few weeks ago, The Flatwater Free Press, an independent news organization in Nebraska, wrote a story about how nitrate levels in water around hog farms owned by our current governor were unusually high. The story was written by Yangqi Xu, a Chinese international (and Mizzou alum!). 

When asked about the story, Governor Pillen's response was less than forthcoming and more than a little racist and xenophobic. 

In case you want to cut right to the chase, here's what Pillen said: "“Number one, I didn’t read it. And I won’t. Number two, all you got to do is look at the author. The author is from communist China. What more do you need to know?”

Pillen was asked about his response later by other journalists and his response was not to apologize but to completely dismiss the question as part of the "political side show." 

Friends, this is absolutely infuriating on a number of levels. Firstly, as a Chinese American living in Nebraska, comments like these, to go along with accusation by our senators that the Nebraska Chinese Association is a front for Communist propaganda and spying, make it very clear to me that I'm always going to be an outsider around these parts and there's a very good chance that my children will always be treated as outsiders too. This sucks, and it sucks hard because for the most part, I like it here. 

Secondly, it just sucks that the Governor can't own up to his mistakes. I'm not calling Governor Pillen a racist; I've only met him once. However, it's possible for people who aren't racists to do and say racist things. This is one of those times. Had Governor Pillen admitted to his mistake and apologized, there'd be no problem on my end. People mess up all the time. It's the lack of reflection, the defensiveness, and the inability to repent that really gets me, especially coming from someone who says faith is such a big part of his life. 

Here's where things get interesting. Friends, especially those living in Nebraska, I'm asking for your help. Could you please take a minute to call the Governor's Office and encourage him to publicly apologize to Ms. Xu and to retract his previous statements? It doesn't have to be a long message. I can even provide a script for you. 

"Hello, Governor! My name is ______________ and I am a resident of Nebraska. I was very disappointed by your comments made about Yangqi Xu of the Flatwater Free Press. I have friends in the Asian American community here in Nebraska that were hurt and offended by your comments. If we want Nebraska to be a place that is open and welcoming to all people, we cannot be making assumptions about people based on their birthplace. I encourage you to publicly apologize and retract your previous statement. Thank you." 

The phone number is: 402-471-2244

To entice you, here's a photo of my lovely Chinese American children who live in Nebraska and who I'd rather not have their motives constantly questioned because they look like they might come from a different country. =0). 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

The Return of Migraine Season!

Hello, friends! 

A few weeks ago, I got hit with COVID for a few days. The worst of it was the fatigue (I needed a LOT of naps) but my other symptoms weren't too bad. I'm definitely glad that I didn't appear to have any long-COVID effects. 

However, one of the things that has been a little more frequent these past few weeks has been headaches, which is unfortunate.

For a long time, I had a pretty bad migraine problem. Through a lot of observation and analysis, I figured out that there were three main factors that contributed to my migraines; my water intake, my sleeping patterns, and the weather. While I can control two, I can't control the third. 

One of the things I've done over the past few years has been committing to drinking more water. I shoot for at least 100 ounces every day, and I've been pretty good about keeping up with that. That's done a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of helping me not have migraines anymore. In terms of sleeping patterns, I found that I when I have consistent sleep patterns along with taking longer naps when I do actually nap, that helps as well. 

The one thing that I haven't been able to control is the weather. I've had the most migraines in October and March, which I think has to do with the change of the seasons. I've read some studies about how the change in barometric pressure can trigger migraines, and the October and March in the Midwest bring on a lot of weather changes. 

Lately, the weather changes haven't been a big deal because I've been really diligent about the other two things. However, in the past few weeks, I've definitely had more headaches. Thankfully, none of them have turned into full blown migraines. I'm still able to function, get work done, and play with the kids. 

I don't know if the headaches are COVID related or not, but I do know that I don't like them much. If you're the praying type, I'd certainly appreciate them. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam 

Back to Class!!!

Hello, friends! 

I'll start with what everyone really wants to see, photos of my kids! Here they are at the start of the school year: 

Why am I starting this post with photos of my kids from a few months ago? Because yesterday was MY first day of school and frankly, no one wants to see photos of me when you can see photos of my kids! =0). 

Over the course of the past year, I noticed that there were parts of my job that were going well but other parts where I definitely needed to grow and develop to get to the next level of effectiveness. One of those areas was in Project Management. I actually spend a lot of time managing projects within the Region and these projects have had various levels of effectiveness. I wanted to up my game a bit, so I enrolled in a Project Management Course at the University of Nebraska - Omaha (#GoMavs). 

The course is mostly online but there are a few on campus days, including yesterday and today. Yesterday was my first day back in a classroom in a LONG time and friends, I have no problem telling you that it was awesome! 

I tell people all the time that one of my greatest regrets from my college days was that I wasn't a good enough student. There's an old saying that in college, your options are get good grades, have a social life, or get enough sleep and you only get to pick 2 of the 3. I definitely had a social life and got enough sleep... It wasn't until after graduation (#GoBears!) that I learned how much I love to actually learn things. I really enjoy figuring out how things work and getting to the bottom of questions. I think it's helped me in my job and in more recently, in my preaching. 

Friends, it's only been one day but I'm already learning so much about Project Management. There's always a cross between excitement and dread when you learn something new but also realize that you've been doing something wrong for a long time. Still, I'll take the good with the bad. 

Day 2 of class is right now as you're reading this, so I'm probably sitting in the classroom with my notebook open, a pen in my hand, and a question on my lips. Learning new stuff is awesome! =0). 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam