Dimes for Diapers

This is exciting... my 10 year old daughter is doing her very first service learning project. She's picked the New Haven Diaper Bank to try to help and is hard at work both in school and online trying to fundraise. I'm using a bunch of different outlets to try to help her reach her modest goals of $500 by February 11th (that's the due date on the service learning project). Obviously I'm proud of her, and am even more excited to see her accomplish her goals.

She and I shot a video (outtakes coming soon), built a blog and started to use my Facebook account to promote her efforts (i.e. we'll do anything to raise the money!) In addition, she got the school principal to agree to let her distribute flyers to every class in school - pretty slick I thought.



Kids today, eh?!

Here's her first post on her new blog:

Hi!

This blog and web site is designed to help raise money for the New Haven Diaper Bank - I'm doing a service learning project called "Dimes and Dollars for Diapers" and my goal is to raise as much money as possible.

Here are some of the facts of why I'm doing this project:

• Safety net programs, like Food Stamps and WIC, which are supposed to provide poor children with basic necessities do not cover diapers.
• An adequate supply of diapers can cost over $100/monthly
• Infants need up to 12 diapers a day; toddlers about 8 diapers a day. In low-income households babies may spend the whole day or longer in a single diaper.
• Cloth is not an option for most poor people. Most childcare centers require parents to provide disposable diapers. Furthermore, most people living in poverty do not have easy, affordable access to washing facilities.

You should donate now because without clean diapers, lots of bad things can happen.

• Parents who are working or in school cannot take advantage of free or subsidized childcare if they cannot afford to leave disposable diapers at the childcare centers.
• Inadequate diaper changing increases the risk of numerous health problems from skin diseases to hepatitis.
• A baby crying non-stop from being in a soiled diaper for a prolonged time is at greater risk of abuse.

For more information, please visit the New Haven Diaper Bank.

Please consider visiting her blog and:

• Make a donation of course!
• Send the link her blog: http://diaperdrive.blogspot.com/ to your friends who care about babies who need diapers
• Learn more about why this is a problem
  

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Fantasy Golf

Not only is real golf hard, it turns out that fantasy golf is hard as well! I'm playing as part of The Golf Space's fantasy golf group on Yahoo! and am having a tough time picking players. I mean, if it isn't Tiger or Phil, then who the heck do you pick for points?

This week I've done especially badly picking guys like Pat Perez and Carl Pettersson, neither of whom I'd know if they knocked on my front door and said hi, I'm Pat Perez (or Carl Pettersson for that matter).

In any case, fantasy golf is sort of fun for just this reason - it's a chance to get to know some guys who you wouldn't normally have even noticed. J.J. Henry is from Fairfield Country in Connecticut near where I live. Being a homer, I usually try to get him on my roster as much as possible (bad strategy usually).

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My 2008 Golf Resolutions

Happy new year!

Sure, I have other new years resolutions (less bread, more exercise etc), but what's really important are my golf goals for the coming year. I have 3.

1. Play more golf! This happens to mean a new job that will allow me to play more. I played the most golf I've ever played in 2007 (about 20+ rounds), and this year I'd like to play at least 5-10 more.

2. Stay in the moment on every shot. I'm very zen about golf (it's why I started playing in the first place). But as I started to shoot lower scores last year, I noticed that I kept looking ahead and figuring out what I needed to shoot to make my goal over the last few holes. That's bad! I resolve to not do that and enjoy each shot for what it is.

3. To fully counter #2, above, I want to shoot a 95 or lower this year. Take that Mr. Stay in the Moment.

How about your golf resolutions, got any?

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Golf in Africa

Not really golf, but I did grab a club and do some putting on the green while we were on Safari. I played a little putting game with myself and won the Africa Cup. Sweet.

You can read about my amazing African adventure on my other blog.

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GolfGameNews.com

Grant from GolfGameNews.com reached out to me to let me know about his new golf newsletter.

GolfGameNews.com (GGN) operates a free email newsletter to help you improve your golf game. Our newsletter includes a combination of the latest golf tips, instructions, course locations and reviews, products, articles, and more.
Delivered to your inbox daily!

I'm an official partner (woo-hoo) and because you are a faithful reader and because it's invite only right now, you are officially invited!

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Book Notes: Golf is Not a Game of Perfect

I finally got around to reading the first of a few different Rotella golf books. I chose "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect" to read first and was thrilled with what the book gave me.

I took several key lessons from the book and want to focus on just 2 right now.

The first thing is how to manage my game on the course. The book goes on and on about to manage your game while playing a round of golf. What I loved most was specific details and ideas on how to tailor my game based on the clubs and shots I am most confident in making.

For example, instead of risking a driver on a long par 4 or par 5 hole, why not plan out a series of shots that will get me in position to get on the green in regulation with my best shot - a 70 yard gap wedge.

Instead of hitting driver on a 450 yard yard par 4, next season I'll try this.

• Tee off using my 3 hybrid to about 200 yards.
  
• To get to 70 yards from the hole, my second shot will be my 5 hybrid which I hit between 170-180 yards.
• At that point, I'll be about 70-80 yards from the hole/green and will be in position to hit my favorite shot - the one I have the most confidence in, most of the time. If I chunk the 2nd shot, I can still play my pitching wedge or 9 iron from 120 yards or closer - both shots I'm fairly confident with.

This is a key difference than what I'm doing today, which is hitting driver (badly) to try to get to 150 yards, then trying to hit a 5 iron to the green. I usually mis-hit or over hit that club and end up in the rough. Can't wait to try this!

The second big thing I took from the book is putting. Basically, I was taught to try to put to either a 3 foot or 6 foot circle. Rotella's technique is to try to sink the putt - go for the hole. I like this because it makes sense. Why not try to sink the putt, then if you miss, you miss close. My putting is horrible anyway, and I figure it can only get better from here, right? Right?

I absolutely loved this book and the mental/confidence approach it preaches. I am anxiously awaiting to play this coming year.

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It's Time to Buy New Gear

Isn't it?

Drivers get started here...

Putters here...

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