Jeremy LangleyLoving God, Family, and Reba

I’ve never ridden in a taxi. Don’t hold it against me. I grew up in a town of less than 1,500 people. The only taxi cab we had was the one Mama drove!

While in Oklahoma City for the CASE District IV conference, Jeanie Bismark, executive director of the SAU Foundation, was determined to get me in a cab. I was excited. The opportunity came on Sunday night as we prepared to hit the town for dinner. Cattleman’s Steakhouse in the OKC Stock Yards would be our destination.

Like someone who was very sophisticated and seemed to know what he was doing, I walked out the front door of the Skirvin Hilton Hotel and asked the valet to call us a taxi. He asked where we were going, and we told him. Without missing a beat, the valet looked up to the back of the parking lot and beckoned a black, stretch limo. Our ride awaited.

A limo?!?! Yes, a LIMO!!! Needless to say, we were a bit giddy. Josh Kee and I actually had photos posted to Facebook before we ever left the car. It was too neat to pull up at the restaurant in a black limo. I felt event more sophisticated than when I had asked the valet to hail a cab for us!

The driver gave me his card and asked that I call him when we were ready. The only thing neater than arriving at the restaurant in a limo was leaving in it. I must note that the driver worked on tips only and that no university money was spent for the limo ride.

Later in the evening, some of our colleagues from SAU rode in the limo. The driver remembered us. I guess we were the only ones to get that excited over the ride that night.

I still have the driver’s card. I guess I’ll have to look him up next time I’m in OKC. It was a very memorable experience to say the least.

Whew!

What a busy couple of weeks it has been. Fresh off of a very busy Founders’ Day week (a week in which we had the biggest party in Southern Arkansas University’s history), I left for my first CASE District IV conference. In case you don’t know, CASE is the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. Our district IV conference was in Oklahoma City. It was an excellent conference. I learned more than about different aspects of higher education advancement than I knew existed, and I was able to pick up some information that will significantly assist me in my job. I hope some of it helps the university as a whole.

I’m blessed that my job gives me the opportunity to travel. I was able to do some things that I really wanted to do. I went to the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the Myrial Botanical Gardens, rode in a limo to dinner, ate at an array of excellent restaurants, saw good friends that I haven’t seen in a while, and waited in the cold wind for a trolley for almost 30 minutes. The trolley never showed up.

I’ll blog about these events separately. I had an amazing time, but I’m glad to be home. I’m glad to be in Magnolia. We have a lot of events coming up. I’ll keep you posted.

Well, in case you missed it, we made it through Founders’ Day at SAU. I know, I know, in this new media age, I should have written this by 10 p.m. on April 1, but I was busy. I didn’t even get home til then!

What a day it was. I got to work about 7:20 a.m. and began implementing the plan that had been put together over the course of several months. The plan had been fine tuned only hours before I left work on Tuesday. I’ve got to stop here and note that there was an absolutely wonderful out pour of support from the entire SAU community that helped make Founders’ Day a success. I don’t know how we would have ever pulled it off without their help. I am blessed to work with such wonderful people.

So after arriving at work, the day soon began to pick up steam. Volunteers began pouring in to fill balloons, ice down 3,000 cokes, set up tables for the cook-out, and so much more. At the same time, the student activities staff was working with the professional stage company on the mall to erect a huge, and might I add very impressive, stage on which Tracy Lawrence would soon sing.

Then noon came, and it was time for the first major event - the groundbreaking for the SAU Alumni Centennial Bridge. I went over to the Welcome Center for that event, and then stopped by the baseball field for the 1 p.m. game. It was part of the celebration, and it allowed for a brief break and bite to eat. My hat’s off to Don Davis who was grilling for us.

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I was just about to write a thought-provoking, insightful blog post about something extremely important, but I was temporarily distracted, and now I can’t remember what that topic was. Oh, well. I’m sure it will come back to me later.

I read a book this weekend. That’s right. I read a book. The whole thing - cover to cover. It was the latest from John Grisham, “The Apprentice.” I absolutely love anything with Grisham’s name on it as author. He is one of the only writers who can keep my attention. I bought this latest book on Thursday night during a quick trip to Walmart, Magnolia’s social Mecca. I started on it as soon as I got home, and thanks to a day off work on Friday, I turned the last page sometime around 2 p.m. Saturday. What an awesome book. My only complaint, and this is my complaint with every Grisham book, is that the ending leaves one hanging. In almost every book, they just ride, boat, or drive off into the sunset. I want to know what happens next. Maybe he’ll write a book one day that does nothing but give the ends of the stories.

This time next week I’ll be at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. I’m attending the CASE conference. For those who don’t know, that’s the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. I’m looking forward to it. I’m glad that my job allows me to travel from time to time. It seems to be getting more frequent here lately - even if some are only day trips. It gets me out from behind my desk and out of the office. I love my job, but I hate sitting behind a desk all day.

Now back to thinking about my last topic. I promise, as soon as I remember what it was, I’ll provoke your thoughts. OH, and add Paraguay and Indonesia to the global phenomenon that is JeremyLangley.com!

Until next time…

Life is extremely busy for me these days - and I mean EXTREMELY busy. I’m not really complaining, I guess.

Coming up on April 1, SAU is celebrating its 100th birthday. We’re calling it Founders’ Day, and as chair of the Centennial Celebration Committee, my plate has been pretty full. The stress is getting a bit more intense as we get closer, but I know a lot of that stress is coming from trying to force myself to perform up to standards that I may have set too high. We’ll see. There is a wonderful steering committee behind the celebrations, and I am blessed to get to work with them. I’m determined that there will be abundant sunshine on April 1. Please pray that I’m right. For more information on the festivities, click here.

Besides Founders’ Day, there’s Muleriders on Tour. That’s where we’re going around the state holding gatherings for alumni and friends of the University. A lot of work, but there should be a lot of profit in the end by getting alumni back involved in the University. We held our first MOT in Texarkana this week. It was extremely successful.

I’m thinking about taking a vacation at some point in the early summer. Now I just have to decide where to go and what to do.

Stay tuned…

Thanks to help from my good friend @shelleyKeith (that’s Twitter lingo, by the way), every time I post a new blog a new Tweet will automatically be posted on my Twitter account. Notice the new “What I am doing…” spot on the right column. Those are my most recent Tweets.

I will soon be a true new media mogul.

I love my job. Have I mentioned that lately? I guess my favorite part about it is being able to leave the office and work beyond the boundaries of the University’s campus.

I had one such opportunity yesterday. I traveled with my boss, SAU President Dr. David Rankin, and SAU Tech Chancellor Corbet Lamkin to the Arkansas State Capitol in Little Rock. We had business to attend to, and with the General Assembly in session, let’s just say we weren’t the only ones in that grand building with a mission.

We were sitting in a room on the Senate side of the Capitol, and I kept thinking, “if only these walls could talk.” I would assume a lot of extremely important business has taken place in the room where we met. If I used the six degrees of separation theory and started with some of that room’s previous occupants, I would assume I could reach foreign leaders, kings, queens, famous actors and actresses, and maybe even some of my own heroes. But could I get to Reba through those six degrees? Maybe, just maybe.

But what stories could we hear if those walls did talk? The political scientist in me would love to know, and the journalist in me would love to write it all down.

The day wasn’t all politics, but there was enough of it to make me happy. I absolutely love to be involved in and study our political system. I guess that’s why I have a college degree in political science. Before getting to Little Rock, I had a unique opportunity. The three of us - in our shirts and ties - ate lunch at the Bear City Diner in Bearden. Let’s just say we probably looked a bit out of place in this particular diner wearing a tie. I was relieved that Dr. Rankin suggested we leave our jackets in the car.

Coming home we had a similar experience at a small diner in Sheridan. It is one that I have frequented more times than I could possibly count, but I’ve never caught the name. Who said you had to eat at a big named resturant to get a good meal? I don’t think you do.

That’s enough rambling from me for now. I hit the road on business again in about two weeks. This time, I’m leaving the state (and the nation if you count driving through the Indian Nations as leaving the country). I’m going to Oklahoma City for the C.A.S.E. conference. I’ll explain later.

The next two weeks will be my busiest at SAU yet. Despite assisting in research for energy grants, I’m helping with the planning for an alumni and friends of the university event at the Texarkana Country Club on March 17, and then there’s that little party we’re throwing for the university’s 100th anniversary on April 1. I wish it were a joke! It’s going to be the biggest blow-out of a party you’ve ever seen. I’m more than just a bit stressed. I’ll be glad when it’s behind us!

So I’m ahead of schedule. I’ve already set my clocks ahead by one hour in hopes that I won’t arrive at church in the morning just in time for the invitation. Actually, I’m planning on going to Sunday school. (For those who might not know - and probably don’t really care - I moved my membership to the First Baptist Church of Magnolia last week, so I haven’t been to Sunday school there yet.)

Back to this “springing forward” of the clocks. I really don’t appreciate it. Does Congress not realize how busy we Americans are these day? Can we really afford to lose an hour? I can’t. I’ve got a lot going on - trips to Little Rock for work, planning the University’s 100th birthday party (the BIGGEST party in a century), leaving for a five-day conference in Oklahoma City only two days after the party - and I don’t think it will ever end. I NEED THAT HOUR!!

I wonder what would happen if, say, you moved from the Central Time Zone to the PacificTime Zone on the night of the springing forward. Would you essentially fool the system and not only gain back your stolen hour but get an extra one, too? Maybe I need to stop thinking about this stuff so much.

While watching the news tonight (KATV, of course), I was reminded why we do this whole Daylight Savings Time thing. Congress thinks we save energy by messing with time. There are still just as many hours of daylight as there are if we didn’t switch. I think it’s all a bunch of bull.

Now on to something more productive - sleep (I hope).

It’s true! Everyone is reading JeremyLangley.com! (So I’m stretching it a bit, forgive me.)

I just looked at the analytics of the site, and since the launch less than a month ago, there have been 66 readers from Arkansas and one each from California, Minnesota, Michigan, and Tennessee. Two have logged on from Georgia, and two have clicked on JeremyLangley.com all the way from the United Kingdom! I have actually had international readers!

So, what is the next step, you might ask? You have to tell all of your friends, family, and every stranger you meet on the street to log on. Be sure and comment while you’re here.

Now, back to the serious news.

I have given up all carbonated beverages for Lent - and I’m Baptist.

Let’s start from the beginning. I’m addicted to Dr. Pepper. Yes, addicted. It’s like a drug. Over the last several years, I’ve tried to quit or even just cut back, but my attempts have been only temporary resulting in a relapse. I’ve even considered contacting that television show “Intervention.” But they’re dealing with real drug addicts.

When I have tried to give them up in the past, I’ve gone cold turkey. I’ve cut out all carbonated drinks and all caffeine. When I did this, I went through caffeine withdrawals. Literally. I had a massive headache that lasted for days on end, and nothing would touch it.

Fast forward to today. I have friends who are Catholic, and I saw on their Facebook pages where they were giving up certain things for Lent. I don’t even know what Lent is nor have I attempted to find out. I just thought it sounded cool, so I announced that I was giving up all carbonated beverages - not just Dr Pepper - for Lent. So far, I’ve made it a week. I am still drinking beverages with caffeine (coffee, tea, etc.), so I haven’t had any of the withdrawal problems. I am determined to make it the full 40 days of Lent without any type of carbonated beverage. (And, yes, I only know that Lent is 40 days because I watched that movie “40 days and 40 nights.”)

So, wish me luck! One week down, six to go!