Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.  ~Niccolò Machiavelli

You know I saw this video posted, over and over again on Facebook.  I will admit I did watch it a few times, just being so surprised by the content, and more surprised by the commentator.  Yes it was Ashton Kutcher, correction Chris.

It seemed like he was waiting to give this speak, waiting for the perfect time, waiting for the most influential audience, the Teen Choice Awards.  Yes the teens.  It’s like he specifically and methodically chose his audience.  Wise move on his end!

But what really made me watch and listen to his carefully chosen words, was the content, the real guts of his speech.  He purposefully chose phrases to capture everyone’s attention, yet turned those preconceived catchphrases, those arresting words into his own to really drive his point home.

Never disliking, nor never really being a huge fan of Mr. Kutcher’s, (expect I loved Punked) I would have never listened heard about his speech if it were not for friends of mine who were impressed with the actors message.  The message of hard work, using your head and living life to the fullest.  Pretty heavy topics, especially for an acceptance speech.  Kudos to Ashton for taking a stand and caring about the youth of America!

What really makes his communication impactful, is that it came from him.  The movie star him who is normally a silly goofy type of guy that seems to be a screw around and not to be taken seriously.  In all reality I bet he has worked hard and recognizes it.  He seems to appreciate good old fashioned blood, sweat and tears, especially when others do the same.

Going back to his message, and rolling it over again and again in my head, I wonder, what sparked this on?  Then to take it a step further, did he really write that speech?  I’m not saying he’s an idiot, because on the contrary I think he’s anything but.  However, it just seemed a bit heavy for him.

Although,  I do truly believe he was sincere in what he was saying.  I do believe Ashton has a big heart and is a hard worker.  Not that I have anything to go off of, I mean I’ve never met the man, I’ve never even seen him in person and I’ve never really followed any of his interviews.  Yet, I do believe he meant those words wholeheartedly.  I do believe he is humble inside and he has a strong work ethic.  I do sincerely believe he is a good person.  Despite any of his public  issues.  Of course, I believe some things are private and should be handled as such, but I guess the media doesn’t listen to me.

Wonder if making the movie Jobs opened the actors eyes?  Learning about Steve Jobs and acting his role, I’m sure was quite an experience for the actor.  Even though playing roles for the big screen, I still think actors personally change with each movie.  I’m sure they learn new ways of thinking and realities that are quite the opposite of their own, at least the good ones do, and they see life differently.  Who knows maybe it was totally unrelated, something someone said to him.  I’m sure I’ll never really get my answer, unless Ashton Kutcher shows up on my doorstep to chit chat over tea or a beer or something.  Maybe it’s personal to him?  And therefore really none of my business.  But regardless, I’m still curious.

Maybe I’m just taking this to heart because he spoke words that I have always believed in and lived by.  Anyone who really knows me, knows I’m a silly, off the wall, hyperactive artsy type.  It’s true, yet I’m also a very hard working, putting myself through college, twice, and working three jobs at one time in my younger days; and I’m a structured driven entrepreneur.  I come from a family of blue collared, physically demanding hard workers.  Even to this day, I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty, literally, I help my dad chop and stack wood every year.  Getting dirty and breaking a sweat in places other than a gym to accomplish a job is no big deal to me.  In fact, I appreciate it.  The opportunity to build character and have a sense of accomplishment.  Something I’m trying to instill in Kyle.

Trying not to look the gift horse in the mouth, I plan on showing Kyle this video.  It may or it may not mean anything to him, but it never hurts to use a good example when it presents itself.  I will say this with all sincerity, Kyle already knows a great brain and mind is what it takes to rule the world.  I never had to tell him, he just always knew.

The Steve Jobs movie looks really good and I can’t wait to see it.  I hope it truly portrays our recently deceased Apple genius.  Reading a few books on the innovator, I am curious what they will bring to light and what will be hidden to those who don’t care, or don’t care to really read about such a unique and troubled man.

Well done Ashton, well done!  Take the time to see the clip for yourself and really hear what he has to say.  You’ll be impressed!

See below and let me know your thoughts.

How many legs does a dog have it you call the tail a leg?  Four.  Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.  ~Abraham Lincoln

Kyle hanging out in the Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C. 6/27/09

Yesterday was a great day!  Kyle played my assistant while we went to Shadyside.

Being located just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Shadyside is such a quaint, close-knit community that forces you to get out and walk around and explore.  My kind of joint!  We were down there to pass out flyers, meet with business owners and supply posters for the Thrill of the Hunt Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt. Obviously, the scavenger hunt is taking place in Shadyside, at the end of the month on Saturday June 29th.  If you are a dog owner, you won’t want to miss this event!

Traveling about an hour to get to our destination, allows for some serious dashboard time.  I couldn’t help myself, I told Kyle I got him his birthday gift.  I also mentioned that I will have to fork it over early.  He politely smiled and shrugged his shoulders.  I said, “Don’t you want to know what it is?”  He shrugged again and said, “Umm ya I guess but I know you’ll never tell me” without an ounce of enthusiasm.  I’m not surprised, he knows very well that I won’t by him toys or video games.  My gifts to Kyle have always been unconventional.  Meaning they are either educational yet fun, or a skill or an opportunity to try something new, which he may have never done so.  I’m all about the experiences in life.  Examples, piano lessons, guitar lessons, flying a plane, swimming lessons, the Harry Potter book set, Chess set, Monopoly game, tickets to see Lion King the musical with the family and so on and so forth.  Even though he loves the gifts, he is still a bit shortsighted by his love of Legos, video games and toys.  At least at this point of his life.

Yes, that’s Kyle in the Air & Space Museum in Washington D.C., holding a Lego set! He hasn’t changed yet. 6/27/09

Well, little does Kyle know, I purchased him a Bricks 4 Kidz camp for a week.  The morning session is Animal Grossology and the afternoon session is Space and Astronomy -Star Wars.  As we drove, I though I’d get him a little bit psyched up by offering clues.  He wasn’t about the guessing game, so I made him.  I said, “Ok, I’ll give you two clues, number one, it involves animals and number two it involves space.”  Now Kyle’s imagination and complete silliness took over.

He was saying, “You got me a dog in space.  You got me a cat in space.  You got me a dog shaped comet.  You got me a dog and a telescope.  You got me a telescope to look at dogs in space.”  Then the ultimate comment.  “You got me a dog shaped telescope!”  We both busted out laughing, for what came next took our breath away.  I said, “How does that work, you lift up its tail and look through its bum hole?”  We were dying!   And then, maintaining consistency with our wild imaginations, we took it to the next outrageous level.   I said, “Ya and to zoom in our out, you push the paw and when you’re done, you put the tail back down.”  Kyle was laughing so hard, no noise exited his mouth.

After a while we started talking about the sounds the dog shaped telescope would make, and it went on from there.  Good times!

It was one of those gut stretching moments that seems like only Kyle and I really appreciate.  We do have such a great time together and he has such a great personality and imagination!  Even if it is just riding in a car.

On a side note, Kyle was such a great kid the entire day.  Even as I met with business owners, he was polite, shook their hands and really sincerely helped me!  He even had a great idea of stopping those people who were walking their dogs to give them a flyer.  Great idea buddy!  Go straight to our target market.

Kyle never once complained about walking, however he did take advantage of the opportunity to window shop while moving through the streets.  I can’t blame him, I did the same!  We did swing by the Apple Store, of course why not we were right there, to take a peek at what’s new and exciting.

On a side note, Kyle mentioned he lost his ipod.  What?  Are you kidding me?  He said, “Umm well I know it’s somewhere in my room.  I just haven’t found it yet.”  O Kyle!

Another great day with the little man, totally unplanned and very productive on my end.  Kyle is excited about the Dog Gone!  Scavenger Hunt, as am I!  It’ll be a fun event.  More on that later.  So don’t miss the fun and go to the Thrill of the Hunt website (ThrillScavengerHunt.com) and purchase your Dog Gone! Scavenger Hunt tickets!

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I recently learned something quite interesting about video games.  Many young people have developed incredible hand, eye, and brain coordination in playing these games.  The air force believes these kids will be our outstanding pilots should they fly our jets.  ~Ronald Reagan

Nicole, Mom & Ryan hanging at grams house 1984

This past Christmas Kyle got a PlayStation 3 (PS3), not that he needed an additional means to play more video games.  But just as expected, he was ecstatic over the purchase.  What really cracks me up, is he has the Wii with a boatload of video games and Wii Fitness, which he barely plays anymore.  Let’s not forget all the games he’s purchased on his iPod Touch, the computer and he still plays with his Nintendo DS.  I guess he has a game for any occasion and any location.

With the availability of this new console, my sister decided to encourage his already obsessive behavior by purchasing him his very own Burnout Paradise and a few other games.  Kyle LOVES that game.  Every year since the establishment of ‘Aunt Nikki and Kyle’s Week of Fun’ Kyle has practically mastered the game and dreams about playing that game every year before vacationing at Nicole’s house.  In fact, if he hears Paradise City by Guns N’ Roses, he’ll get in this almost nostalgic state and have a yearning to visit my sister to play.  No joke!  He’s actually said to me, “Aunt Heather now I really want to go to Aunt Nikki’s to play Burnout Paradise.”  Now Nicole and Kyle can play Burnout Paradise with each other in the evenings.  Since my sister is four hours away, this is kind of a neat way to hang out, through a video game.  I guess any excuse to spend time with each other is a good excuse.

Kyle playing his Nintendo DS.  T-shirt courtesy of Aunt Nikki c. 2009

Sometimes I wonder if the desire to play video games is an inherited behavior.  Ryan wasn’t really that into video games, he would rather be outside hunting and fishing or working on cars.  Playing every once in a while, I can say I’m not really big into video games myself.  I would rather be reading, snowboarding, running or hiking.  My sister, although I would never constitute her as a gamer, does like to play video games more than any of us.  My dad, forget it.  He’s never touched a computer and the only Wii game he’s ever played was Cabela’s Hunting.  Probably because we have a plastic gun type of accessory to house the Wii remote control, giving it that kind of hunting feel.  Mom will sit and play a Wii game if Kyle pleads with her to do so.  She tries, but the games are a lot more complex than they used to be and her eyesight isn’t all that great.  Let’s not forget her reflexes aren’t what they used to be either.  How do I know?  Mom had the potential to be a modern day gamer.

Way long time ago, in the 1980’s, when Atari came out, my parents purchased us the console and a few games.  Prior to, we had a very basic game called Pong.  Not too exciting but was enough to stimulate us for a while.  Now, when the Atari arrived, it did catch our attention, at least initially.  We had Frogger, always one of my favorites and still is.  As a matter of fact, I downloaded it to our Wii console but the desire to play it isn’t there anymore.  On a side note, Seinfeld did an episode on Frogger.  It was great!

Another game which logged a lot of hours was Combat.  This one required two players and dad owned it!  Within Combat, there were different games such as tanks or airplanes.  Basically you shot each other up until someone was out of ammo.  That was up dad’s alley, not really my bag.  Ryan on the other hand loved Pole Position!  This was his cup of tea.  It was a racing game whereas you viewed the screen as if you were really driving the car.  You needed to avoid other drivers, maneuver around curves and avoid crashing.   It was fun picking the different courses.

I can’t remember Nicole having a favorite game, but I’m sure she did.  A few other videos we owned included Q-Bert, Space Invaders, Pitfall, Missile Command and Donkey Kong.  There were many more games to purchase, but we didn’t get new ones just because we wanted them, only for special occasions, unlike kids of today.

This is what our Atari console looked like! Love the 80’s!

Intentionally, I left one game out of the list because it is the spotlight of my rant.  The one the only, the original Pac-Man!  I look at Pac-Man as the Angry Birds of our present day.  Coming as part of the Atari console package, along with Combat, Pac-Man was the game!  There was even a cartoon made to continue the phenomenon.  Being a relatively simple game, your yellow Pac-Man guy had to eat these dots or pills in the maze without being attacked from Blinky (Red), Inky (light blue), Pinky (Pink) and Clyde (Orange), the ghosts.  Naturally there were opportunities to power up and gain additional points.  Each level became faster and faster and the mazes changed slightly, becoming increasingly difficult.

Back in the day, mom was our master Pac-Man master.  She really was, without question.  Presently, we relive this tale of how the most unassuming member of the family, who stood on the sidelines watching everyone take their shot at the title, turned into a Pac-Man powerhouse behind closed doors.  Yes mom, kicked all of our butts!  I’ll never forget the day we realized mom rained supreme with this simple Atari game.

Mom doesn’t look like she’s having a nice day… 1980’s

It happened on the most ordinary of days.  Upon filing into the house after coming home from school, we naturally ran to the Atari console to challenge each other to a game, letting our hair down and relaxing before homework.  One of us, either me, Ryan or Nicole plugged in the Pac-Man game.  The high score glowed throughout the room, blinding our eyes and taunted us like a cruel joke.  We seriously didn’t say anything at first and just kind of stared at each other wondering who accomplished this feet without everyone knowing, and when?  Just then, mom walked into the living-room sporting a huge grin on her face, as if proud of herself for kicking her very own flesh and blood’s scores to the curb, in a single day!  Mom’s master craftsmanship of game playing was done in one day, while we were at school and dad at work.

Remaining stunned and in complete shock, we challenged mom to a game of Pac-Man, but alas it was a futile attempt at reclaiming our place, ever.  For the duration of the Atari gaming system in our household, mom was undefeated.  We sincerely tried, all of us.  We also had our cousins up, but alas the damage had been done.

Mom played Pac-Man so much her wrists would even flare up and bother her, but she would push through the discomfort for the thrill of the game.  Sometimes we would have mom play just so we could watch her and learn the next levels in case one day we would make it that far.  Mom was seriously fast with her ninja-like reflexes.  It’s almost like she was using The Force to guide her through the mazes.

What was mom’s top score?  Seriously, I don’t even remember and neither does she, but I do remember it was always better than any score I’ve ever seen on any free standing Pac-Man machines found in the arcades and any friends Atari console.  Mom doesn’t really play anymore but she still lives the memories of her gaming days through this story.  Kyle doesn’t really understand, even though he knows what Pac-Man is, we had a Plug & Play containing old Atari games.  But I can tell he really can’t visualize what I’ve witnessed and what we lived to tell the tale.

Looks like mom was the Piper family’s original gamer!  Look out Kyle if you ever decide to challenge Gigi to a game of Pac-Man, you will be rudely awakened!

At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child’s success is the positive involvement of parents.  ~ Jane D. Hull

You know, more than not, Kyle manages to pleasantly surprise me.  The other day I was watching TV and I received a couple text messages from Kyle from his new iPod Touch I got him for Christmas.  First I’d like to say, when Kyle is not with my family he is missed terribly and we are always wondering what he’s up to.  So, needless to say, receiving an unprompted text message from Kyle made my night.  On a side note, like most 10 year old kids, Kyle doesn’t like to talk to family members more than needed, especially when a game awaits his attention.  But what really threw me off guard, earlier that day, was when dad and I Facetimed Kyle right after school (not his choice).  I wanted to make sure he was still alright from when we were Playing Chicken With a Drunk Driver.  Anyway, he was texting to see if he could take his new iPod Touch to school and daycare.  Can you believe it?  How sweet and responsible!  I naturally replied, “Surely, it’s yours.”  Then I texted him, “Did you practice your piano and guitar?”  The response I got was, “I took a shower and I’m ready for bed”, followed by “I got an A on my spelling test.”  After congratulating him, I asked him to go practice his instruments before bed.  He then texted me back asking to Facetime.

What a pleasant surprise!  He wanted me to hear him practice his piano, guitar, and trumpet.  Not to mention, if I know Kyle, he doesn’t like doing anything by himself and he lives for attention and compliments.  So this was an easy win-win for him.  We made a little chit chat before he laid down the iPod Touch while he went through the notes on his guitar.  Sometimes the signal would break up a bit but, for the most part, it was pretty clear.  While I was listening, I had to watch the his ceiling fan spin.  It kind of made me a little motion sick, so I couldn’t look the entire time.  Then, every once in a while, Kyle would peek the top of his head into view.  He looked like a groundhog popping its head up and down.  Usually, all I saw was the top of his head down to his nose.  It was actually kind of funny.

Next, Kyle had to move to another room where his keyboard was set up.  Instead of a ceiling fan, I got to watch the ceiling and the corner of the wall.  I kept waiting for the head popping into view and I got my wish several times.  He also kept checking to make sure I was paying attention, which I certainly was trying to be the best audience via Facetime.  Then came the trumpet.  He played a song two or three times before he wanted to move onto a more important item… his Lego Star Wars Death Star!

When he said he was done and I finished complimenting him and letting him know how happy I was that he finished his work before bed, Kyle decided he wanted a new picture for his wallpaper of his iPod Touch.  He asked me if I would go to the kitchen and take a picture of the Lego Star Wars Death Star. I did and then he wanted me to instruct him on how to add the picture.  It was getting late, so I told him I would help him out the next day.

Kyle taking a pic of himself on iBooth

Well the next day came, and Kyle didn’t forget.  He texted me right after school while I was at work.  I was busy with email and told him to hold the thought.  In the meantime, he figured out how to add the picture.  Apple products are so easy a kid can pick it up and understand how to use it. (That was actually in the Steve Jobs book.)  We continued to text back and forth until I received an invite to Facetime.  What?  He didn’t know how to Facetime the day prior, but now he’s all over it.  You see, it was last Wednesday and I leave work a little early to pick him up for swimming lessons.  I was texting him, asking that he practice his instruments before I get there.  Well, evidently he wanted an audience again.  So I leaned my phone beside me so he could see me when the phone wasn’t facing the ceiling and I explained that I was going to address emails while he played.  He seemed fine with that and continued through his lessons.  It was kind of neat, communicating with Kyle, even though it was via phones.

Kyle made my days more enjoyable!  He even graced the office with his music, which bellowed from the tiny phone speakers.  Yep, unconventional gifts rock!  Giving Kyle the gift of music, games, communication, and handheld fun, in turn, gave me the gift of family communication and involvement!  Win-Win!

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. ~Steve Jobs

I think this is the start of something really big. Sometimes that first step is the hardest one, and we’ve just taken it. ~ Steve Jobs

…The crazy ones, we see genius, the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do. ~Steve Jobs

.. almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. ~Steve Jobs

I was checking Kyle’s math homework when they interrupted the news saying that Steve Jobs had passed away.  To be honest, I was not expecting that, even though I knew he had health issues and I suspected he was not doing well.  I was speechless.  Kyle saw the breaking news headline and I know he saw my expression.  He immediately asked, “Who was that?”  My response was, “He was a very smart man – a legend.”  Then the news went into a snippet about Steve, his accomplishments, etc.  So Kyle, unfazed by the shocking news, started talking to me and I immediately shushed him up.  “Let me hear this, buddy.  I really can’t believe it.” And as they talked about his survivors,  his wife and four children, all I could muster was, “That poor family.”

At this point Kyle realized that this news means something to me.  He then asked, “Who was he?” Silly me, it never dawned on me that Kyle didn’t know who Steve Jobs was.  After I watched the tribute I turned to Kyle and said, “Honey, he was the inventor and CEO of Apple.”   Kyle gave me one of those sideways looks, like a dog does that makes them look so confused, but awfully cute.  I said, “Because of him, we have my iPhone, our iMac, my Macbook Pro…the iTouch…the one to help pixar off the ground.  You know, Toy Story, Cars….”  Then it hit him!  He understands those devices, using them pretty regularly. He said, “O I like playing my games on your phone Aunt Heather.”  O Kyle, I guess he is, after all, a ten year old boy.

That started Kyle talking about his “maybe” iTouch gift for Christmas.  He asked how many days there were till Christmas, knowing he is always excited about Christmas (for the wrong reasons).  He said, “I can’t wait to get my iTouch, Aunt Heather.”  I said “You think?”  He gave me this look of, ‘I know it’ and ‘Look how sweet I am, Aunt Heather’.  I said, “Only if you play your cards right.”  He looked so confused saying, “What cards?  What do you mean?”  I laughed and said, “It’s a figure of speak, it means you better be good.”

Then, in our ride back to Kyle’s house, my sister called and immediately I said, “What am I going to do if Apple goes downhill? What if my computer is never the same? I can’t start using a PC, it won’t be the same!”  As I briefly talked to my sister, I realized Kyle was listening because he all of a sudden blurted out, “It’s a good thing I downloaded my game on the PC.”  I started to laugh and said, “Kyle nothing is going to happen to the iMac since Steve died, the computers are all fine, your games are fine.  I am talking about the future of the company.”  Ahh again, a ten year old boy…

While in the car, he asked me, “What made him so great?”  Wow, that was a loaded question.  I said, “Honey, he was a rare person.  He was smart, innovative, persistent, and a true visionary.”  Kyle asked me what a visionary was and the only way I could explain it was probably lame but he got the point.  I said, “Some people have ideas, lots of ideas, but that’s it.  They sit on those ideas, either because they are not motivated, afraid to move forward, they’re lazy, or they just don’t know how to take those ideas and make them into something.  They are the people who sit back and are always saying, ‘I thought of that years ago.’  Then there are those people who do, they are task people.  You tell them what to do and how to do it and they get it done.  They really are not the idea people.  Both types are smart and have their place, but then there is a rare breed of individuals.  They are the ones who have the ideas and the vision and they know how to make it into something.  More than not, their ideas seem unrealistic and crazy at first.  They become true visionaries when they turn that idea into a reality.  They become a genius when they can turn their reality into a lifestyle.  And then you know they are an icon and household name when the evening news is interrupted by their passing.”

Thank you Steve Jobs. Rest in peace!