Don Kowalewski
Writer. Ad Sales and Marketing. Social Media Content Creator. Aeropress Coffee. Makes the best salsa in the world.
Things I Did: Caught Santa on Video
My 6-year-old had a great idea …set-up a camera and catch Santa on video. Luckily, my very expensive, top-of-the-line flip-cam has a motion and sound activation setting (allowing it to double as a security camera), so we decided we could do this. We tried a couple of different places around the house but we worried that if Santa knew we were trying to catch him on video, he would consider that “naughty” and might skip our house all-together. The decision was finally made to hide the camera in the tree …Santa would NEVER see it.
What follows is amazing. My children and I have analyzed this about a dozen times and here’s what you’re about to witness and hear.
:05 …Santa opens our fireplace doors (audio)
*** turn your head to the left (the camera was on it’s side) ***
:05-:17 …Santa walks across our family room to the tree (audio footsteps)
:17-:20 …Santa steps in front of the camera and squats down to get presents out of this bag.
:20-:25 …Santa puts presents under the tree (there is some debate here on how Santa works …some theorize he arrives at your house with all the presents wrapped …others believe he wraps them magically and at lightning speed under you tree as he pulls them from his bag).
:25-:31 …Santa is done putting presents under the tree and stands up and turns to leave.
:31-:35 …Santa can be heard eating cookies and drinking milk (audio plate and glass being lifted and set down).
:35:40 …Santa walks back to the chimney and you can hear him whisk away and the fireplace doors close behind him (audio footsteps, fireplace doors).
Our BIG regret is putting the camera on a branch that was too high. As you can see, only a foot or two lower and we would’ve seen the man in red. Or is it even possible to catch him on camera? Part of me thinks he knew the camera was there the entire time and purposely kept himself just out of sight.
There’s always next year.
Things I’m Doing: #26actsofkindness, #26aok, #26acts, 26 Acts of Kindness
I wish I could fly through space like Superman in reverse of the Earth’s rotation and go back in time and change things from last week. But I can’t. I wish I had words or deeds at my disposal that could make the parents, siblings, Grandparents, teachers, neighbors, friends, everyone in Newtown, and the entire world feel comfort. But I don’t. I wish I had 100,000 or 500,000 or 10,000,0000 readers of my blog so that when I wrote something from the heart, it would ripple through the blogosphere, Interweb, and the cosmos like the most viral thing that ever went viral. But I have 12 readers on my best day.
Luckily, someone who does have access to a great many followers, fans, and readers has come up with a wonderful and beautiful idea …26 Random Acts of Kindness for the next 26 days to honor the 20 children and 6 adults killed in Newtown.
In the wake of the Newtown shooting, my Facebook News Feed was solemn for only a few hours before it became a battle ground for blame and name-calling and misguided “solutions.” All I could think of when I heard of the shooting was, “how can I make this world a better place,” and, “who needs a hug, because I sure need one (many) and I’m ready to be giving some?”
Most of my Facebook friends were like me (sad, confused, searching), but a few others jumped right to “angry”. I actually un-Friended two people (one a right-wing extremist and the other a left-wing extremist) on Facebook. I had considered un-Friending both in the many months leading up to the election, but I didn’t because I felt like it’s not a bad idea to see what the extreme viewpoints look like. But the ignorance on display right after the shootings made me too sad and too mad, so I won’t be Facebooking with those two anymore. Keeping negative people around will only destroy your spirit.
Here’s my favorite quote from one of the clergymen who spoke before the President spoke last night.
“Let us be childlike, but not childish.”
I’m like most people and I ask, “what is the answer?” Is it part of the American culture and our American tradition, a nation wrestled free from England through a bloody war, a nation still nursing visible scars from a war fought between ourselves for individual freedom, or the two World Wars we helped end by military might? Is it partly because our fictional heroes are quick-draw cowboys in black and white hats, G.I. Joes, and boxing champions? Are we disposed to violence? Or is it because we have too many guns and not enough laws to keep them out of the hands of evil and mentally confused people? Are schools, malls, stadiums, airports, and movie theaters not safe enough? Do we not teach enough morality and values in schools, in our homes, and in our churches? These questions don’t have answers. Whatever the “reason” or “answer”, it’s a fact …America is violent and we can get pretty angry.
For today, I vow that I won’t be angry, violent, condescending, or sarcastic. I will be the exact opposite of “angry” or “violent” and I will commit to @AnnCurry‘s “26 Days of Random Acts of Kindness”. You never know who you might be crossing paths with and whether they’re having a really bad day, bad week, bad month, or maybe a bad couple of years, so a simple smile might be a start. Holding a door. Looking across a restaurant and paying for a stranger’s lunch. Sitting uncomfortably on a plane without an armrest because the person next to you is using it. Giving up your seat to someone wherever you might be. The list and the inspiration can go on and on and on and if we’re lucky, maybe 26 Acts of Kindness can create a tidal wave.
I leave you with this nice story from my old high-school friend Matt, who posted this on the evening before the Newtown tragedy, and I felt it was touching and heartwarming because we’ve all been “Lewis” at one time or another in our lives, and Lord knows I’ve pretended not to notice a “Lewis” at least once or twice – and I’m ashamed of that. I’m not saying the Newtown shooter, or the Columbine kids, or the Aurora Batman theater shooter wouldn’t have done what they did if they had been loved, helped, or listened to, but I can tell you it wouldn’t have hurt if someone had been kind to them.
Thanks for reading and thanks for joining me, and many, in#26ACTS. Tomorrow I’ll talk about “shaking the tree” for the goodness of all.
Matt’s Story:
I tell this story with respect. It’s humorous, but I mean no offense. I took my daughter to her school’s “fun night” where all the city’s elementary schools could send their kids. I stayed with her a while until she found a friend, but I got the times in my head wrong and ended up staying the whole time, sitting against the wall and playing Sudoku. There was a kid in the corner wearing sweat pants and a shirt that was too small. He was big. Not just big, but kind of lumpy looking. He was by himself, and I really felt for him.
Both his shoes were untied and I told him to tie them. He said, “I know, I like them that way.” I told him he was going to fall and break his noggin’, but he just shrugged.
Lewis and I found my daughter making crafts in the cafeteria. I borrowed back $2 from her and gave them to Lewis, who ran off after a snow-cone. He diligently returned, inhaling the icy mess. It was bright red, and he said, “it’s like the ocean after a bloody battle.” He still had the other dollar and said he was keeping it in case the one snow cone didn’t hit the spot.
Meanwhile, my daughter came over, distraught that I had taken the money back from her, because she and her friends now wanted candy. I said, “Sorry, I don’t have any more money.” Lewis looked at her and then at me and motioned for me to take the extra dollar back. He would sacrifice.
Later, it was time to go. Lewis followed me into the gym as I was trying to find my daughter. The last I saw of him was his big body standing in the frame of the door, looking for me, and then he got lost in the crowd. I tried to find him to say goodbye, but lost track of him.
Godspeed, Lewis. Godspeed.
Things I Wonder: What is the Future of Kaleidoscopic Raygun?
I’m not sure I can officially call myself a “writer”, but I’m starting to feel like I’m getting close. The journey began about 8 years ago when I read an article in Fast Company about “blogging” and said, “hey, that’s sounds interesting, I’m going to blog about stuff.” And so I blogged about “stuff.” It was nothing more than online verbal diarrhea, exactly what you’d expect a blog to be, and I enjoyed the creative outlet. I wrote about my hair, clothes, TV shows I liked, and my running and fitness. It was, as I put it, a blog about me written for me and if you enjoyed reading it, too, well, I was happy to have a fan.
My wife liked it. It’s like I had an audience of one.
I wrote about American Idol every week, for fun, and about a dozen people seemed interested in my stupid opinions on that show. And then someone was starting a website and said, “hey, you should write your American Idol blog for my site,” and so I did. And then the guy stopped wanting to run a website, but that was after we’d convinced two other people to write for the site, and so me and them …we took it over.
While running the site, we bumped into a radio talk-show host who wanted someone to write for her website – so I said I would, and I did for a long time. And while I was writing for her, and for my blog, I happened upon a company that manages people’s branding sites and writes content for them, so they hired me for some side jobs. Before I knew it, I was writing about TV, about motivation, weight loss, speaking to dead people, and plastic surgery …and then this social media company hooked me up full time with a motivational speaker, guru guy. And I wrote for him …and started to help him write his book.
One of the people on his team pointed me to a company that writes articles for other people, and I hooked up with them and started writing about odd things like green-living in Manhattan, cell phone usage in Africa, and benefits of the G.I. Bill. Then they hired me to write a book about a big music festival that I’d never been to that featured a hundred bands I’d never heard of. So I wrote that book. I must’ve done OK because recently I edited a 12,000 word diet/fitness book for another client of there’s.
Meanwhile, as I’d meet people, I’d say, “I write for people” and suddenly more people wanted me to write for them. A charity asked me to run their Facebook, blog, and Twitter. Then a local home builder. Then a school. Then a resale clothing shop (that’s my latest one). And, if that’s not cool enough, some legendary dude from the advertising industry said, “hey, write my book for me.”
So, I am.
I ramble through this all because yesterday, I was trying to explain to someone why I do it, how it fell into my lap, and why I enjoy it …and even I thought it sounded made up. But it’s not. It’s all true.
So I say this …who cares if people laugh at you because you have a blog or that you’re always on Facebook and Twitter …you enjoy it, right? Then, enjoy it. And if you meet enough people and ask enough questions and keep your ears and eyes open, you never know what could happen.
That’s my story. Part 1. To be continued.
Things I Do: Make Donnie Jalapeno Salsa
Is my blog really the place to brag about myself? Is it really the place to brag about Donnie Jalapeno Salsa? Well …yes …that’s exactly what a blog is for. It’s one thing if people brag about themselves on Facebook and Twitter, but if you go the extra mile and write entire blog entries about yourself and what you do, you’re really mastering the concept of self-adulation and being an egomaniac.
Maybe I should shoot a YouTube video of myself saying great things about myself. Hmmm …maybe that’s going too far.
Well, for now, I just wanted to share a nice note one from one of my biggest Donnie Jalapeno fans. She was soooooo happy I came out of retirement and I guess my salsa was as good as she remembered.
“Honestly you make the best salsa I/we have ever had, anywhere! I believe your destiny is to make this for others to have and love. Thanks for including us in the order. We will take some anytime you make it.” -C.G.
I’m making more this weekend. Get your order in by COB Thursday.
Things I Do: Take Pictures of License Plates
A little backlog of license plate photos, here …but first, a little background. About a year ago, a co-worker took a picture of a vanity license plate and he thought it was a real novelty. I said something like, “I see vanity plates all the time.” I tend to exaggerate, but not in this case. He challenged me, however, and said, “all the time? Really?” I insisted, “yes …every day …I see them everywhere.”
Well, he refused to believe it and said I should prove it by taking pictures, so I’ve spent a year taking pictures of license plates and truthfully, I didn’t think vanity plates were as common as I had claimed. Turns out …I really do see them all the time. Now, my kids like to see them and figure them out. My friends on Facebook prefer seeing stupid license plates over posts from their other friends about politics. So, I’ve just kept it up.
For those worried about my safety, trust me …I never take a picture while my car is in motion. I miss almost as many as I see …believe it. I post them to Tumblr almost as soon as I snap a picture, but as I’m driving, sometimes there’s a backlog, like today. Here’s five I haven’t posted. Enjoy.
Things I Do: Make Donnie Jalapeno Salsa
It’s been nearly 9 months since I made a big batch of Donnie Jalapeno salsa, but thanks to my many fans who love it, they were begging, “we need some for our World Series parties.”
In a word: flattered
Why did I stop making it every week? I’m not really sure why. It might’ve been because I had a few writing gigs and so many other time commitments, something had to give. However, I still make the best salsa on the planet, everyone agrees with that fact, and it was fun getting back into the kitchen and whipping up nearly 5 gallons of the stuff.
I’m going to get back to making this more regularly …like, maybe every other Thursday for Friday pick-up (sorry, delivery will be limited).
Start thinking about Thanksgiving …want to impress your family and friends …bring Donnie Jalapeno Salsa to your get-together.
Things I’m Doing: 44 Days of Ties (Day 19)
The year was 1997. Bill Clinton was in the White House. The Spice Girls were topping the pop-charts. People were still watching TV shows on NBC. And I was entering the corporate world.
There I was, selling radio ads at a local Detroit radio station wearing a suit everyday …the same suit …every day. Hey, don’t laugh. I wasn’t going to charge suits on a credit card.
Because I only had one suit, I was trying to mix things up with different shirts and ties everyday, so maybe people wouldn’t notice. People noticed and I know they noticed because one day, in walks one of the hot-shot old dudes at the station who might’ve watched Glengarry Glen Ross a few too many times and he says to me, “that’s an ugly tie. Are all your ties that ugly? Hey, I have an idea …I have some ties I don’t wear, I’ll bring ’em in and you can have ’em, and that way you won’t go around town embarrassing yourself.”
Nice, huh?
So, here’s one of those ties that’s still in my collection 15 years later. Is it a great tie? Is it a brand I recognize? No. But it’s khaki, blue, grey, and black, which means it goes with everything, and everytime I purge the ol’ tie rack, I still can’t part with it.
Epilogue: Lest you think this guy was a total a-hole, he wasn’t. Turned out he was just a really funny, really nice guy and he never changed, and some of the ties he gave me still had tags and were brand new so I kinda think he bought them for me as a gesture of kindness. He retired recently and he went out with a great reputation, on his terms, and seemed genuinely happy. Not a bad thing to strive for. Hmmm …maybe I’ll go find some young whipper-snapper around him, insult his ties, and carry on the tradition by buying him some ties and helping him get started.
Follow me @donkowalewski or ‘Like’ my pop-culture TV page, spunkybean: http://www.facebook.com/Like.spunkybean. Or follow my Tumblr blog.
Things I’m Doing: Not Texting for the Rest of October
Some have called me foolish. Some have called me crazy. Some have told me they could never do it and wouldn’t even try. And if you know me, you know I love my smart phone and I love texting. I’ve talked to people at parties about how I think text messaging is better than talking. I liked texting so much, I didn’t even want the iPhone or any device without a QWERTY keyboard with actual buttons.
Note: I’ve since gotten an iPhone and I still hate the keyboard, so I use Dragon Dictation.
But I’ve decided …I want to talk to people. I don’t want to be known as “the guy who always sends a text.” And I don’t know that’s what I was becoming known for …but still.
From now until the end of October, I’m not going to text anyone. It’s been three hours since I made this decision, and I’m being taunted and ridiculed, but I will not be deterred.
Why am I doing this? I don’t know. I do things. That’s all I can say.
Things I Do: Write Stuff About Things
It’s Monday night and luckily there’s nothing on TV that I watch or that I write about. Sooooo, I’m going to write about some other things not related to pop-culture or TV. Tonight, I’ll plop down at my writing desk, finish off this Americano, pick out some non-intrusive music, finish this blog entry about nothing, and then get to writing about new home construction, motivation and delegation, and if there’s time, I’ll help audition to write and edit a fitness ebook.
This isn’t the life of a best-selling author, but hopefully I’m making connections and building an audience so that when I do write my first book, everyone will be excited about it and say things like, “I’ve always liked the stuff he writes.”
The thing is, I enjoy it. I enjoy jumping from topic to topic and trying to top myself and put myself into a frame of mind to write for a specific audience.
Am I in a position to offer writing advice? Hardly. But sometimes people ask about writing and getting started and I tell them what I know …basically, I don’t know if there’s one path to getting started. The cool thing is, since there isn’t “one path”, you can sometimes invent your own. Like, if you want to be a lawyer, you have to go to college, study pre-law, then go onto law school, then get into a law firm, and go from there. Same if you want to be a surgeon …or a pilot. However, if you want to be a writer …you just write. And you can try this, and try that, and if you don’t like that, try something new.
Side note …I’m glad pilots and surgeons don’t have the option of dabbling.
But once you start, all I can advise is …find a voice. Sometimes, your client might not want your Shakespearean sense of prose and style, and sometimes they won’t want your sarcasm or your set-up and punchline, but that’s OK. Sometimes you’ll just need to write something straight …which is great practice.
So, that’s my advice …write. Look on Craigslist for someone looking for writing. Write for them. Keep good track of your time and your articles so you have a nice resume to show people.
Good luck. It’s 9:20 …I gotz to get to writin’.
Things I Do: Write About The Amazing Race
Lest you think I only write about home building, wealth, freedom, motivation, American Idol, and Survivor …there’s soooo much more to me. Like, I also write about The Amazing Race. My wife dreams of being on Survivor (which I admit I’d like to do, too), but my real dream is to be on The Amazing Race.
This Sunday is the premier of The Amazing Race and I’m especially excited because two contestants are from the Detroit area. That’s always awesome when you’re watching TV, right? When you realize the people you’re watching on TV are from your hometown? We’re all so easily amused. However, this is especially exciting, because Will (of the Gary & Will team) has been in my bowling league for the last 10 years. And as I mention in my preview, although I’m not very social and he and I have never really made small talk or idle chit-chat, the point is …he’s stood less than 3 feet from me talking to a guy on my team – MULTIPLE TIMES!
So naturally I just connect the dots and say, “hey, we’re like BFFs …practically.” But seriously, I’m rooting for Will (and Gary) and hope they go really far.
Follow me @donkowalewski or ‘Like’ my pop-culture TV page, spunkybean: http://www.facebook.com/Like.spunkybean. Or follow my Tumblr blog.
Don Kowalewski 