The DLC Needs Our Help!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Durham Literacy Center is participating in the Great Human Race on March 21st to raise money for its operations. As a tutor for the DLC, I truly believe in its mission and want to see it continue on.

So, I'm trying to raise at least $300 for the DLC by the deadline, March 20th. If I can get that amount, a donor match will double it to $600. If you can donate any money--whether it's $5 or $50--I would really appreciate it. You can make a secure, online donation at the following site:

www.active.com/donate/ghr2009/ericataylor

Or, if you'd prefer to write a check, you can make it out to "Volunteer Center of Durham", write "Durham Literacy Center" in the memo line, and send it to:

Durham Literacy Center
P.O. Box 52209
Durham, North Carolina 27707-2209

All donations, whether online or by mail, must be received by March 20th. If you have any questions about the DLC or this fundraising effort, I'd be happy to answer them. Thanks in advance for your generosity!

He Didn't "Beat It"

Much to my delight, Anoop Desai wasn't sent home from American Idol last night. Anoop, a Chapel Hill native and one of my favorite American Idol contestants, was definitely at risk after his performance of "Beat It" on Tuesday night's show.

Although I agreed with Paula that no one can really touch "Beat It", I actually thought that the same was true of all Michael Jackson songs. Using the songbook of "the king of pop" was simply a bad idea. Some people might be able to decently rework or cover a Michael Jackson song with help from studio production, but on a live show with a band and backup singers? No way. But, I digress...

There are definitely other contestants I like in this year's competition, but while Anoop is still in it, he's my favorite. In fact, lots of people in this area have Anoop Fever. Even the businesses along Franklin Street in Chapel Hill have Anoop signs hanging in their windows.



So, here's hoping that Anoop chooses a better song next week that shows off his ability to sing. (And if you're not yet convinced that he can sing, check out the below YouTube videos for some of his previous performances with UNC's a cappella group "The Clef Hangers".)

Singing Brian McKnight's "The Only One for Me"...


Singing Luther Vandross' "Here and Now"...

A Word's Worth

Matt and I watched Akeelah and the Bee last night (courtesy of the Netflix subscription that my mom and dad got Matt for Christmas...thanks!). If you haven't seen it, it's a movie that follows a girl from inner-city Los Angeles in her journey to advance to the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. As I watched the film, I was reminded of the power of words and literacy. In the movie, Akeelah's gift was spelling. It opens up her world to new opportunities.

Lately, I've seen firsthand how reading opens up a person's world to new opportunities too. As you may remember, I started volunteering as an adult tutor at the Durham Literacy Center in January. I have been (and will continue to be) meeting with my student--a 50-year-old man--twice a week from now through August. During our first month of lessons, I've seen his ability to read improve right along with his confidence. It's truly a privilege to be a part of the process.

[NOTE: The Durham Literacy Center is participating in the Great Human Race next weekend in an effort to raise money. In the current economy, the DLC is struggling just like other non-profits and needs funds to make sure that it can continue to exist. I'll be adding a new post later today with a link to my fundraising page. Even if it's $5, every donation truly counts. So, if you have money that you'd like to give to a worthy cause, please consider giving to the DLC. I would greatly appreciate it.]

SnoWii Day

Like many of our friends and family members in other states, we got snow on Monday; along with it came a somewhat unexpected day off from work. Our recipe for a fun snow day included several parts Wii (our games of cow racing have gotten a bit intense) mixed together with lunch at Southpoint Mall and a matinee movie. They ought to shut down the office more often.

North Carolina isn't known for handling its snow well; however, we're guessing our neighborhood is high on the snow plow priority list since we're located near a major mall and Interstate 40. Clearly, we weren't confined to the house.

Never played the cow race? Here's a sample from YouTube that shows the elusive perfect race.

Setting the Pace

What better way to spend a chilly, rainy weekend than to go for an early morning run?

Erica and I dragged ourselves out of bed on Saturday and completed the 5K portion of the N.C. State Run 'N Plunge. Erica trained for the race for a little more than a month's time, which provided the motivation to attend the "rain or shine" event when a nice warm bed competed for our affections.

I'm proud to report that my wife easily surpassed her personal goal and finished in sixth place for her 30-39 age group. Even more impressive is that she put up with my bad jokes throughout the race.

The North Carolina Hoops Scene

Anyone who knows us is aware of our fondness for the local sports scene in North Carolina, especially during basketball season. We recently had front-row basketball seats at the Alamance County YMCA, where 10-year-old Kevin Scott was knocking down jumpers in his final game of 2009.

Kevin is the son of my former UNC classmate, Glenn Scott. Glenn coaches Kevin's basketball team and also is the leader of Kevin's fan club, which has gotten to be pretty large. In attendance with Erica, Misako (Glenn's wife), and me at the game on Saturday, Feb. 21, were members of the Elon women's volleyball team. Glenn teaches at Elon and attends volleyball games with Kevin, so the girls figured they would return the favor.

After the game, we headed over to Mayberry Restaurant & Ice Cream for the team's end-of-season party, where Glenn had me give a brief speech to the kids about basketball and doing your best at whatever it is you enjoy. I've obviously spoken in front of plenty of college kids, but the 10-year-olds still made me a little nervous. Ultimately, though, they paid more attention than my students ever did.

Chapel Hill Idol

If you've watched the early rounds of American Idol this year you may recognize the name Anoop Desai AKA Anoop Dogg. The Chapel Hill native made it to the Round of 36 but now must wait to see if the judges will select him as a "wild card" selection for the Final 12 after the voters didn't put him through already (believe me, Erica tried, as did the owner of a local graphic design firm, who forwarded an email to all of his clients, including Duke Law, to stump for Anoop).

Needless to say, the locals are excited about Anoop. We saw as much in person on the weekend of Feb. 21 when we went to a performance by UNC's male a capella group, the Clef Hangers. Anoop, a Clef Hangers alum, attended the show and wound up signing autographs and taking photos with the many concertgoers who approached him. Check out a sample of the Clef Hangers' performance below.



The night before the Clef Hangers' performance we visited The Carolina Inn to catch up with one of our former professors, Mick Mixon, who plays in the band Franklin Street. Anoop's a big deal and all, but we love Mick, so we made sure to get a picture with him after the show.

Mick's not only a great guy with a positive outlook on life, he's also the radio voice of the Carolina Panthers. I tried to get Erica to contact Mick during the Panthers' live call-in radio show, but she didn't want to run the risk of asking a bad question on the air (Mick's really big on journalists asking good questions). This was our first time to see Mick since we returned to the Tar Heel state.