tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17073796504251356782024-02-08T05:00:40.135-08:00Frank Schwall's BlogFrank Schwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766509685271543082noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707379650425135678.post-17312043242249771262013-07-15T07:01:00.001-07:002013-07-15T07:01:22.992-07:00
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last week I got the results of the CT scans as a follow up
to the 12 rounds of chemo I received for colon cancer. The scans showed no
signs of cancerous tumor growth so that is great news. I appreciate and am
thankful for all the support and prayers I have received. It worked. So I do
not have to undergo any chemo treatments for now. I go back to see my
oncologist at Sloan Kettering in 3 months. They did find a blood clot in the main
portal vein in my stomach. I get blood thinner injections to correct that
problem. Evidently blood clots are not uncommon for chemo patients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all it is good news. The frustrating
thing now is waiting to see what happens next. It feels better when you are
taking action steps like chemo to solve the problem. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For now I will exercise and eat right and move
on and that will be my action steps. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My goal in writing this blog is to get people to schedule
yearly appointments with their doctors. All to often these stories get glossed
over and everyone just goes about their business. I hope that the details I am
sharing will get people to take action. You have to go to the doctor every year
to get blood work etc. done. It can save your life so get it done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thanks again to
everyone for their support and prayers. Here is the link to my Swim Across
America page. SAA raises money for cancer research. It is a great organization and
we would appreciate your support. </span><a href="http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/LongIslandSound?px=1084546&pg=personal&fr_id=1944"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/LongIslandSound?px=1084546&pg=personal&fr_id=1944</span></a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Frank<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Frank Schwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766509685271543082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707379650425135678.post-58339970351637759512013-06-19T17:47:00.001-07:002013-06-19T17:47:54.686-07:00Frank Schwall Update<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tomorrow I start my last round of chemo for my Stage III C metastatic colon cancer. It is the 12<sup>th</sup> round. I started at the end of January after surgery in December. It’s been 3 days every two weeks. One day at the infusion center and then two days with a portable pump bottle. On July 8<sup>th</sup> the group at Memorial Sloan Kettering will do tests ( scan and blood work ) to see what if anything is going on and then on July 11<sup>th</sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I meet with the doctor to find out the results. Hopefully I will be NED – no evidence of disease. If that is the case I get some time off and will go back in 3 months for another scan. Most likely if there is a tumor growing it will be on the liver or lungs. That is how it usually works with colon cancer. You see I had a lot of cancerous lymph nods so most likely I have cancer cells floating around in my blood. They are looking to grab onto something and grow a tumor. The chemo is designed to kill those cells before they find a spot to grow again. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there is a tumor in either of those areas I will be classified as Stage IV. Then they might do surgery or chemo or both. But I think that all will be clear.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The purpose of my telling everyone this is to get people to take action now. I don’t want people feeling sorry for me – no need to. I do what people to heed my advice. So I hope that describing this stuff in detail will at the very least scare you into doing what you need to do to take care of yourself.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here is what I have learned. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">1.You have to go to the doctor </span><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">every year</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">. Not every two years or every 5 years but every year. </span><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">If you don’t you are a wimp</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feeling fine is not a reason to skip your annual checkup. You have no idea what could be going on in your body. So </span><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">suck it up</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> and get it done.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2. If you are 50 or over you need to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">get a colonoscopy</i>. If you have a history of colon cancer in your family – even extended family like a great aunt or uncle you need to <u>get a colonoscopy</u> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">now!</b> Colon cancer is called the silent killer. Blood work and a colonoscopy are the ways to know for sure what is going on. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">3. <u>You have to know your family’s medical history</u>. For the most part this stuff if genetic. Yes you should eat right and exercise but even if you do that you can still get cancer. In large part because you might be predisposed to get it because of your genetic makeup. So here is my suggestion. This does not need to take a lot of time. But ask your parents questions. Ask your aunts and uncles if they know of anyone in the family with medical conditions. I know that the last thing you want to do is find out what is going on with your crazy uncle’s colon. But doing so might save your life and allow you to walk your daughter down the aisle at her wedding or make a great toast at your son’s rehearsal dinner or coach your grandkids little league teams – all the things I plan to be doing in the future. You can send or email or even better at the next family gathering take 2 minutes to bring it up. Then get back to having fun. Your doctor has to know what is up with your family – even great grandparents count. (as it turns out my great grandmother had colon cancer as did my great aunt) Think of it like this. If you are a financial advisor or CPA how can you give your client advice if they don’t tell you all the facts of their situation? If you are a lawyer your client is doing themselves a disservice if they don’t tell you all the things that apply to their case. Doctors are no different. If you can’t tell them the facts of your extended family’s medical information then you are </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">wasting everyone’s time</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So if I got your attention and you are going to take action you can quit reading this now</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">. (expect you need to check out the link to my Swim Across America page – fundraising for cancer research) Otherwise I will fill you in on some more details.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I have not lost my hair. For the most part I have kept a regular schedule. I have also been running our church’s junior youth group and coaching my daughter’s 2<sup>nd</sup> grade softball team. But one of the drugs I was getting Oxaliplatin was really<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
strong. In the cold weather it caused me to feel like a thousand needles were
sticking in my face. I could not drink anything cold for several days after
each round because my mouth and tongue would also feel like they were full of
needles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could not hold anything cold
because my fingers would sting. Anyway after 7 rounds of that stuff my
platelets were so low that they had to quit administering it. But that was more
rounds than most people could tolerate. By the way – scare technique alert – if
your platelets are too low you can bleed to death – even internal bleeding from
a fender bender. So it underscores the power and dangers of chemo. At one point
my white blood cells were too low so they gave me a booster shot to get the
counts up. That was probably the worst time. I was moving slow and really tired
for a week. Usually I slept some in the afternoons during each of the rounds.
In 4 or 5 days I ended up feeling fine. One of the side effects of chemo is
numbness in the fingers. I am experiencing that now. It feels like my fingers
are asleep. Not that big of deal and it is supposed to end soon. I also want to
mention the steroids I was given to offset the chemo. The steroids helped to
keep the nausea at bay and too boost my immune system – I never got sick with
flu or fever so that was great. A lot of people really struggle with their
immune system during chemo so I was lucky. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also helps to stimulate the appetite.
Steroids work …so I am now losing the weight I gained i.e. Swim Across America.
I used to think that steroids were no big deal. I did not care that much about
the performance enhancing drug thing. But now I will say this. Steroids suck.
At first you can feel the energy but in the end it just feels weird and not
right. So if you have a kid playing sports who is looking for an edge tell him it’s
not worth it. It is a great drug for doctors to prescribe to help with specific
things but I now believe it was not meant to just help you get stronger so you
can show off.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The worst
part really has been having to see others – many people younger than me - deal
with cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see them at the treatment
center and hospital. It is depressing. I can take it but it is heartbreaking to
see some of the other cases. I almost start dry heaving when I walk into the
place each time. But I thank God it is me and not anyone else in my family or
among my friends. I do believe that God gives us what we can handle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason I got this is to spread the word
of the importance of early detection. And as my buddies who love the blues know
we just call it some more mileage.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two more
things. I really appreciate all the support and prayers and good karma I have
gotten from people I know and people I don’t know. It makes a difference and I
am luckyfriends. It has been proven many times. So
thanks.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last thing.
For the last 3 or so summers I have participated in and event called Swim
Across America. It is an organization that puts on swimming events which are
used to raise money for cancer research. Most of the swims are in open water.
The one that I participate in takes place in the Long Island Sound. I started
doing it not because I knew anyone who had cancer or had some cancer related
story but because it seemed like a good cause and it is really fun. The swim
gives me something to get in shape for and it makes for a fun day. Little did I
know that I would end up swimming as a patient/survivor this year. What is
really weird is that Memorial Sloan Kettering is a sponsor and their logo is on
the towel that all the competitors are given. I just noticed that last week. So
here is the link. If you can, I would appreciate your support. Please nothing
crazy. $10 or $20 would be so appreciated. You can do it all online. The web
site has all the information about the organization. </span></span><a href="http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/LongIslandSound?px=1084546&pg=personal&fr_id=1944"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/LongIslandSound?px=1084546&pg=personal&fr_id=1944</span></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I will let
everyone know how things go on July 11<sup>th</sup>. Take it easy. Frank <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
</span><br />Frank Schwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766509685271543082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707379650425135678.post-64032358237087183552013-01-17T17:07:00.004-08:002013-01-17T17:07:56.920-08:00CancerI have been diagnosed with Stage III C metastatic colon cancer. I had 12 inches of my colon and 32 lymph nods, 14 of which were cancerous, taken out on December 14th. I start 6 months of chemotherapy tomorrow, Friday January 18th. I will get 3 days of chemo every two weeks for a total of 12 treatments. At that time CT and PET scans will be done to see if there are tumors growing. If yes then I will keep doing chemo. If nothing is growing then I might be able to take some time off. The general consensus is that I will need to "manage" my cancer for the rest of my life. As I always say 85% of all statistics are made up so I am taking the stats that apply to my condition with a grain of salt.<br />
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So why am I telling everyone about this? Yes, I have always enjoyed attention, but only for good things. Attention, sympathy - pity party - or being a downer are not the reasons for this post or for future posts. My reason for writing about this is to raise awareness that will lead to each of you taking ACTION! Physicals every year and colonoscopies BEFORE you turn 50. This applies to the girls too.<br />
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I have heard about cancer stories before, good and bad including Katie Couric's husband and Tony Snow the White House Press Secretary for GW Bush, but I never paid attention mostly because the stories were not explained in detail and were not graphic enough. I want to make people WAKE UP and internalize what can happen if they do not take action now.<br />
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So here is my story. My last physical was in the summer of 2009. Everything checked out fine and the doctor told me I did not need a colonoscopy until I turned 50. Starting about 1 1/2 years ago I noticed I would get short of breath when I exercised or walked up stairs or hills. It would not last long and I was not short of breath when I was sitting. I would get frustrated while swimming or attempting to run on the treadmill. I have always been decent at distance things but I figured that I was getting old and was out of shape. I would get tired at the end of the day but who doesn't? I would fall asleep on the train home but when I got up to exit I would see half of everyone else asleep so I did not think anything of it. <br />
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I went for a physical in December 2012. The doctor gave me the thumbs up but that night the on call nurse called to ask if I was ok. She suggested I get a blood transfusion. The blood work showed that I was severely anemic which meant I did not have enough blood in my body. I was told to go back to the doctor the next morning so that they could re do the blood test. They thought it must be some sort of mistake. It was not a mistake. The doctor could not believe I had been operating with this condition. He said I must be bleeding. (They call colon cancer the silent killer because it can go undetected - even the bleeding)<br />
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I got a colonoscopy on December the 12th. The doctor found a big tumor that was almost blocking my colon plus a lot of lymph nods. When I woke up from the colonoscopy he told me I had cancer and needed to check into the hospital for surgery. The surgery was successful. We then interviewed several oncology groups and decided to use the group at Memorial Sloan Kettering in the city. So tomorrow I get a "port" put in my chest. It is like a hole that allows the tube from the chemo to be injected into my vein. I will go to the infusion center for a day and then take home a portable bottle of chemo that will continue to go into me for the next 48 hours. So it works out to be about 3 days of chemo every two weeks. There are side effects but they are different for each person. I don't plan on having any side effects and will power on through the whole thing. I will not let my kids see me as anything other than the guy they have known their whole lives. That is the most important thing to me.<br />
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This is not going to be pleasant but I can take it. I don't want it to happen to you so take action tomorrow. Call your doctor and schedule a physical if you have not had one in the last year and also request a colonoscopy. Don't let your doctor tell you to wait till you are 50.Frank Schwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766509685271543082noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707379650425135678.post-82285052468076128272012-07-03T11:44:00.001-07:002012-07-03T11:44:52.588-07:00I am doing the 4 mile Long Island Swim Across America on July 28th. Click on the link for more information.<br />
<a href="http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/LongIslandSound?px=1084546&pg=personal&fr_id=1510">http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/LongIslandSound?px=1084546&pg=personal&fr_id=1510</a>Frank Schwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766509685271543082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707379650425135678.post-24720010417343473552012-07-03T02:33:00.000-07:002012-07-03T02:34:01.283-07:00Frank Schwall Swim Across AmericaFrank Schwall is participating in the 4 mile Long Island Swim Across America event on July 28th. <br />
Click on the link below for more information.<br />
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<a href="http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/LongIslandSound?px=1084546&pg=personal&fr_id=1510">http://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/TR/OpenWater/LongIslandSound?px=1084546&pg=personal&fr_id=1510</a>Frank Schwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766509685271543082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707379650425135678.post-28479817108724505652012-03-08T08:01:00.000-08:002012-03-08T08:01:28.703-08:00Toastmaster Speech 4 - The Elevator Speech - Oh! Tell Me More<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Toastmasters Speech 4 – How You Say It</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Elevator Speech – “Oh! Tell Me More!</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Frank Schwall</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Imagine for a second that you are at an airport on a Friday - about to board a plane for the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ride home</b> from an <u>industry conference</u>. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your objective at the conference had been to establish business relationships and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">get follow up appointments</b> to sell your company’s service. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are very tired and disappointed in your lack of success. </span></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally you and your fellow passengers are called to board the flight.</span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">As </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">begin to file down the jet bridge you realize that one of the industry leaders you wanted to meet is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">walking right next to you</b>.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">spirits briefly soar</i> as you introduce yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But <u>reality sets in quickly</u> when she asks you </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">“so what do you do?”</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">You quickly estimate that you will have </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">this person’s attention for about one minute before she takes her seat in first class. </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">(You of course are relegated to an exit row in the middle of the plane.)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How do you respond?</span></span></u></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are you prepared to give her a clear, concise and compellingly descriptive account of what you can do for her?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And most importantly does it set the stage for a future conversation?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Filler words and rambling on will not get the job done. </span></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What you need is an “elevator speech”. </span></span></u><u><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The term elevator speech comes from the idea that in real life you only have the time it takes to ride in an elevator to get people interested in you or whatever it is that you do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As Mike McDaniel says –<u>“The goal</u> of an elevator speech is to get the person you are talking with to respond by saying” – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Oh! Tell me more!”</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Tonight</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> I am going to talk about how a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>brief combination</u></i> of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">descriptive words</b> can help make your elevator speech a great one!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">An advertising executive in the 1950s and 60s named Rosser Reeves <u>(a real lifeDon Draper from Mad Men)</u>really <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">perfected</b> the idea of the selling sentence or elevator speech. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The Mars Candy Company hired him</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> to design a campaign to sell <u>M&M’S</u>. Do you remember the line? <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>M&M’S melt in your mouth not in your hand. </u></i></b>Pretty good selling sentence right?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It got people’s attention and caused them to want to know more about the product. Remember – you want people to say <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Oh! Tell me more!</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now let’s think for a minute about an elevator speech or selling sentence <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>that did not go well. </u></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is a little bit of a stretch so give me some latitude here to make my point.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How many of you have you seen the movie The Christmas Story about the kid who wanted a BB gun for Christmas? </span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ralphie was the kid’s name. He practiced and practiced his form of an elevator speech so that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">he would be prepared</b> when his mom and Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the time came and he got the question he said…</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“I want an official Red Ryder, Carbine Action, Two Hundred Shot, Range Model Air Rifle.”</span></span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He spoke to fast and sounded and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">did not leave anything open to the imagination.</i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What was his mother and Santa’s reply to Ralphie’s request? </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">--- Did they say “Oh! Tell me more!”</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">No. They said <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“You’ll shoot your eye out.”</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">His request was dead on arrival. There was no room for any follow up questions. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe he could have said <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“I want a special toy that that will help me emulate the great pioneers that settled the west.”</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That might have gotten his mom and Santa interested and set the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">stage for buy in follow up questions</b> - so that it would be easier for Ralphie to get <u>into the details</u> of describing what he wanted.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now think about what you want the essence of your elevator speech to be.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s say you are working on your elevator speech for work. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">First you need to brain storm. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Write down all the things that you and your company do for your clients.Do you provide convenience, comfort, safety etc.? </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Don’t be specific at first. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Write down everything that comes to mind. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Remember, no one wants to hear titles. For instance that you are a Managing Director of the Global Trading Desk at Goldman Sachs -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>boring!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">They would rather hear that you make people rich! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can give them all your titles after the client says “Oh! Tell Me More!”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, narrow down all things that you do to it most simple form. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Try to make this elevator speech <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">15 words or less.</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Pretend you are talking with your 82 year old aunt.</span></u></i><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> Be creative and get the client so interested that they say – “Oh! Tell Me More.”</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The last important thing to remember is an old adage from comedians. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Don’t step on the punch line!” </span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Stick to your selling sentence and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">then stop.</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let the person you are talking with speak first after you are done. If you have been successful they will say <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">– “Oh! Tell Me More!!”</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thank You.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">PS – My Elevator Speeches -</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In as little as 4 hours I can provide my clients with the fastest, safest and most beautiful private jets in the world, without long term contracts, so that they can get to their destination in the most convenient<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>way possible. Any jet,anywhere , any time.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I provide clients with safe, fast, cost effective private jets on demand at any time andany where in the world.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Elevator speeches are sometimes referred to as a selling proposition or a selling sentence. You have to be able to explain what you do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">without taking all day</i> and leave enough out there so that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the client gives you permission</b> to go on. </span></span></div>Frank Schwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766509685271543082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707379650425135678.post-3714231550603295712012-02-16T19:04:00.000-08:002012-02-16T19:04:26.533-08:00Wake Up - Speech for Toastmasters<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">Wake Up !!<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">Toastmaster Speech 3 – Get To The Point<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">In 1875 a committee was formed in the US House of Representatives to study the impact that the Horseless Carriage would have on the country. The committee was labeled the Horseless Carriage Committee. The committee report can be found in the Congressional Record. Here is an excerpt from the report.<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Horseless Carriages propelled by gasoline might attain speeds of 14 or even 20 miles per hour. The menace to our people of vehicles of this type hurtling through our streets will call for prompt legislative action. The cost of producing gasoline is far beyond the financial capacity of private industry and the development of this new power may displace the use of horses which would wreck our agriculture.”<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">It is obvious that many of the US Political leaders of that time were out of touch with what was happening in their world.<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I believe that is happening again. Our political leaders are focused on the wrong issues and are unable to see how the world is changing.<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The goal of my speech tonight is to “Get to the Point”. My point is that our political leaders need to --- WAKE UP!!<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">I hope to persuade you to agree with me that the political conversation from both our political parties needs to first focus on recognizing today’s global realities and secondly to lead us in finding ways to enhance our countries natural advantages.<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">In getting to my point and persuading you to my way of thinking I will discuss how our political leaders see the world differently than CEOs. I will discuss how as Tom Friedman of the NY Times states, average is over, and that our country is well positioned to take advantage of this new world paradigm.<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Think about what a politician sees when he or she looks at a map. They see states that contain voters. They want to be popular in each state regardless of the reason. Now think about what a CEO of a premier company that makes great products sees when he or she looks at a world map. They see places where their products can be made and sold. Michael Dell is always reminding people that 96 percent of his potential new cus<st1:personname w:st="on">tom</st1:personname>ers live outside the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> – the rest of the world. He points out that it is helpful to make at least some parts of the products he wants to sell in the countries where he wants to sell them. Many companies consider themselves to be global companies and citizens of the world. They have offices and factories and design teams located all over the place. The do not view things in terms of exports and imports. Tom Friedman writes that these CEOs rarely talk about outsourcing. The topic of Outsourcing is so 10 years ago. Their world is integrated. There is not an out or an in anymore. Many of their products might be designed/ imagined in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region>, manufactured in the <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region>, marketed in <st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region> and orchestrated by people here in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>. So the old phrase Made in <st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region> or Made in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Japan</st1:country-region></st1:place> are outdated. Most things are Made in the World. So our political leaders need to recognize this fact and quit acting like this is the 1970’s. They need to lead us in making policies that won’t attempt to fight the trend like the Horseless Carriage Committee but to take advantage of the trend.<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Now let’s talk realistically about jobs. In the past here in our country people with average skills, doing an average job, could earn an average lifestyle. But as Friedman says – average is over. Adam Davidson writes in The Atlantic magazine that in the 10 years ending in 2009 <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region></st1:place> factories shed workers so fast that they erased almost all the job gains of the previous 70 years. Companies now have access to technology, software and au<st1:personname w:st="on">tom</st1:personname>ation not to mention access to cheaper labor in other parts of the world. These companies are not going to look the other way and pay US workers for jobs they don’t need to fill. Now our political leaders of the day blame the loss of jobs on political policies – taxes being too high or too low or greed or some other reason that is an easy scapegoat. Or they change the subject entirely i.e. birth control. But one of the main reasons we have lost jobs and are seeing higher unemployment is that the world economic paradigm has changed. Of course this is a hard pill for the American worker to swallow. I’m sure all the horse owners and horseshoe makers, not to mention the horses, got pretty upset too when the car starting putting them out of business. The point is to adapt to the trend. Instead of placing blame our political leaders need to be leading the charge in empowering our people to adapt and thrive in this new world.<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">The last point I want to make is that this is not bad news. Think about it. What country has historically welcomed talented people / immigrants from all over the world more than the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region>? What country has the best capital markets that are safe and credible? Our currency is strong and our stock exchanges are stable. The <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> is a great place to register for patents. And in our country .we have benefited by government funding of research and innovation that has led to huge gains in space research, bioscience and clean energy. There will be plenty of jobs for our citizens to design and market products and to manufacture and retail high end products. And of course all aspects of these products need to be shipped places and that shipping will continue to be a growing industry.<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">So our political leaders need to learn a lesson from the Horseless Carriage Committee. They need to change the political conversation and focus on today’s global realities and help lead our citizens to compete in a global interconnected economy where products are Made in the World, where average skills can no longer support an average life. Our political leaders should not fall back on petty placing of blame for the changes we are experiencing but instead embrace the changes and help to empower us to thrive. So to get to the point – our political leaders need to Wake Up!<o:p></o:p></div>Frank Schwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766509685271543082noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707379650425135678.post-34992655273137827892012-01-24T20:07:00.000-08:002012-01-24T20:07:01.753-08:00Frank Schwall - favorite JFK quote<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Frank Schwall 1/24/12<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have been reading the Chris Matthews JFK biography. One of my favorites quotes from JFK comes from an address he gave the Americas Cup Teams on September 14<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> 1962 in Newport, Rhode Island.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it is because in addition to the fact that the sea changes and the light changes, and ships change, it is because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it we are going back from whence we came.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Can’t wait to get back to the beach.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Frank Schwall<o:p></o:p></span></div>Frank Schwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766509685271543082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707379650425135678.post-71276513908961767312012-01-09T07:11:00.001-08:002012-01-09T07:11:51.906-08:00Frank Schwall Toastmaster Table Topics<div align="center" class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Table Topics Questions for Toastmasters</span></span></div><div align="center" class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1/4/2011</span></span></div><div align="center" class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By Frank Schwall</span></span></div><div class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.” Ralph Waldo Emerson – What thing or things are you enthusiastic about in this coming year?</span></span></div><div class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“There is no friend as loyal as a book.”Ernest Hemmingway – What book or books are you wanting to read this year?</span></span></div><div class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“People never notice anything.”Holden Caulfield JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye – What are you going to do this year that people will notice?</span></span></div><div class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the movie Forrest Gump – Forrest is talking about a stock investment his partner Lt. Dan suggested. Forrest says “Lt. Dan got me invested in some kind of fruit company called Apple. So then I got a call from him saying we don’t have to worry about money no more and I said that’s good – one less thing.” What do you not have to worry about in 2012?</span></span></div><div class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” Ralph Waldo Emerson – What kinds of things – hobbies, new approaches etc. are you going to experiment with this year?</span></span></div><div class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“There is no such thing as bragging. You are either lying or telling the truth.” Al Oliver – what accomplishment or accomplishments are you going to be bragging/telling the truth about this year?</span></span></div><div class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“You can observe a lot by watching.” Yogi Berra – What trends/people/bands/ are you going to be watching this year?</span></span></div><div class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Can one still make resolutions when one is over forty? I live according to twenty year old habits.” Andre Gide (French author) – What twenty year old habits do you still have?</span></span></div><div class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“One resolution I have made and try to keep is this. To rise above the little things.” John Burroughs (naturalist followed Thoreau) – What little things are you going to rise above this year?</span></span></div><div class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“The difference between involvement and commitment is like a ham and eggs breakfast. The Chicken was involved but the pig was committed.” Unknown – What are you committed to this year?</span></span></div><div class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">11.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Happiness is good health and a bad memory.” Ingrid Bergman – What thing would you like to forget from 2011?</span></span></div><div class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">12.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.” – Dan Cook Washington DC sports writer. What in your life has been written off by others but is not over?</span></span></div><div class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">13.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“It is all over but the shouting.” Rick Bragg – do you think the Republican Presidential Race is all over or does it remain to be seen who becomes the Republican nominee in 2012?</span><a href="" name="_GoBack"></a></span></div><div class="ListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">14.</span><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to it.” Oscar Wilde – How did you deal with temptation on New Years eve?</span></span></div>Frank Schwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766509685271543082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707379650425135678.post-73920435121379865372012-01-08T15:50:00.000-08:002012-01-08T15:50:55.463-08:00Table Topics for January Toastmasters by Frank Schwall<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Table Topics for Toastmasters International<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By Frank Schwall<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.” Ralph Waldo Emerson – What thing or things are you enthusiastic about in this coming year?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“There is no friend as loyal as a book.” Ernest Hemmingway – What book or books are you wanting to read this year?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“People never notice anything.” Holden Caulfield JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye – What are you going to do this year that people will notice?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the movie Forrest Gump – Forrest is talking about a stock investment his partner Lt. Dan suggested Forrest says “Lt. Dan got me invested in some kind of fruit company called Apple. So then I got a call from him saying we don’t have to worry about money no more and I said that’s good – one less thing.” What do you not have to worry about in 2012?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” Ralph Waldo Emerson – What kinds of things – hobbies, new approaches etc. are you going to experiment with this year?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“There is no such thing as bragging. You are either lying or telling the truth.” Al Oliver – what accomplishment or accomplishments are you going to be bragging/telling the truth about this year?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“You can observe a lot by watching.” Yogi Berra – What trends/people/bands/ are you going to be watching this year?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Can one still make resolutions when one is over forty? I live according to twenty year old habits.” Andre Gide (French author) – What twenty year old habits do you still have?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">9.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“One resolution I have made and try to keep is this. To rise above the little things.” John Burroughs (naturalist followed Thoreau) – What little things are you going to rise above this year?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“The difference between involvement and commitment is like a ham and eggs breakfast. The Chicken was involved but the pig was committed.” Unknown – What are you committed to this year?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">11.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Happiness is good health and a bad memory.” Ingrid Bergman – What thing would you like to forget from 2011?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">12.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.” Dan Cook Washington DC sports writer - What in your life has been written off by others but is not over?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Frank Schwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766509685271543082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707379650425135678.post-88616582894167769772011-12-23T08:30:00.000-08:002011-12-23T08:30:23.994-08:00Every Time<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mickey Mantle, the great baseball player for the New York Yankees, was asked if there was ever a time when he walked up to the plate with the sole intention of hitting a home run. He answered yes… every time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That answer captures the essence of Mickey Mantle. He was funny, bold, a great story teller and larger than life.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mickey Mantle was also a complex person, part hero and great friend but he could also be bad father and husband. Tonight I am going to discuss 3 aspects of Mickey’s life organizing it into 3 categories. First I will discuss his athletic accomplishments as a baseball player. Then I will talk about some of the fun times Mickey had by telling a story Mickey liked to tell. I will conclude my talk by discussing the last years of Mickey’s life as he came to terms with his accomplishments and failures.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s begin with Mantle’s athletic accomplishments. Mantle who was born in Oklahoma was a great all-around athlete. He was offered a football scholarship to the University of Oklahoma. But he signed with the New York Yankees and spent the better part of the 1950’s and 1960’s playing for the Yankees. Mickey Mantle was voted the American League MVP 3 times. In 1956, his best season, he won baseball’s Triple Crown – leading the league in batting average, home runs and runs batted in. He holds the unofficial record for the longest home run in a game. In 1960 he hit a ball 643 feet over the Tiger Stadium roof in Detroit. Mickey played in 12 World Series and was on the winning side 7 of those times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And in 1974 he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So these accomplishments are a big part of the legend of Mickey Mantle. But Mickey’s reputation as a fun loving and adventure seeking man who loved to tell stories of his escapades is also a big part of the Mickey Mantle story. To highlight this point I will share with you a story that Mickey liked to tell about a hunting trip with his best friend Billy Martin. The story shows Mickey to be fun loving and a joker but also shows the strong friendship and loyalty he shared with Billy.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mickey lived in Dallas after he retired from baseball. His friend Billy Martin had been hired to manage the Texas Ranger baseball team. So Billy and Mickey had time to spend together. Billy had been given a hunting rifle as a present and one day he asked Mickey if he’d like to go deer hunting? Mickey said no Billy you wouldn’t like it. We’d have to get up early and drive down to the hill country. But Billy was perscestant and Mickey agreed to set up the trip. Mickey knew a man in central Texas who had a big farm with lots of land that was perfect for deer hunting. So they got up really early and drove down to the man’s farm. When they got there Mickey told Billy that he needed to tell his friend that they had arrived and were off to go hunting. So Mickey got out of the car and walked across the barn yard that was full of farm animals cows and chickens and an old mule. The man was delighted to see two great baseball legends - Mickey at his front door and Billy Martin waiting in the car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The friend said it would be great for them to hunt but as Mickey was about to say thanks the man said he had a favor to ask of Mickey. He told Mickey about his mule. They mule was old and sick and needed to be laid to rest. He said I have had that mule for so long and I don’t want him to suffer anymore but I don’t have the heart to shoot him myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could you do me a big favor and shoot him for me. Mickey said come on I can’t do that but the man talked him into it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As Mickey was walking through the barn yard to get to the man’s house he started to think about all the times Billy had played practical jokes on him. So he got an idea for a joke to be played on Billy. Mickey storms back to the car and said <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“give me one of those rifles”. Billy said what’s wrong. Mickey said we got up so early and drove all the way down here and now that guy says he is not going to let us hunt on his land. I’m so mad at him I am going to shoot his mule. Billy said no Mickey you can’t do that. We’ll get in trouble and be in the newspaper it will be a big disaster. Mickey said I don’t care I am going to kill his mule anyway. So Mickey took the rifle, takes aim at the mule and bag shot him dead. But the next thing he knows he hears two more shots ring out. Mickey turned around and Billy said “I got two of his cows”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many more of these types of stories have been told but it was Mantle’s history with alcohol that adds a dark side to his life’s story. F Scott Fitzgerald once said “show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy “- His alcohol abuse led to a failed marriage and strained relations with family and friends. Underlying these troubles were two problems. First Mickey never thought he, like the rest of the men in his family, would live past his 40<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> birthday. All the men in his family including his dad had died an early death. They were miners who died of various occupational hazards of that type of work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mickey did not think he had much to live for so he lived like there was no tomorrow. The second thing that Mickey always had trouble understanding was his fame and popularity. It made him uncomfortable that so many people would do anything to get his autograph or shake his hand. He never thought he was that great. He was very hard on himself and always said he could have been a better player. Many times he said that he wished he was never famous. Drinking was a way for him to escape the pressure that came with the high public expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mickey began to come to terms with his problem in 1994 when he checked himself into rehab. In 1995 he received a liver transplant – the result of hard living – It was during this time that Mickey was able to come to terms with his fame but he continued to be hard on himself. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He famously said “if I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mickey said, "You talk about a role model -- this is a role model. Don't be like me. God gave me the ability to play baseball and that's what I wanted to do. God gave me everything and I just wasted it". Mickey died in 1995.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">None of us think that Mickey wasted it but he did live a complicated life shaped by his baseball accomplishments, his fun loving story telling ways and his attempt at the end of his life to address his problems. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mickey wanted to be remembered as a great teammate and in fact that is the inscription on his plaque at Yankee Stadium. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A complicated man that tried to hit a home run every time he went to bat.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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</div>Frank Schwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766509685271543082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707379650425135678.post-39762929968895315212011-09-16T21:24:00.000-07:002011-09-16T21:24:22.071-07:00Frank Schwall - Frank Schwall asks what to do?What should the Democrats do? - PanicFrank Schwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766509685271543082noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1707379650425135678.post-79849636752297602382011-05-23T21:08:00.001-07:002011-06-06T14:51:21.772-07:00WelcomeWelcome to Frank Schwall's blog!Frank Schwallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03766509685271543082noreply@blogger.com