One week from the 2011 edition of the NFL draft

One week removed from the NFL Draft on April 28th, subdued though it may be this year by the lockout and labor talks that don't seem to be going anywhere.

Three hugely gifted Bama players are sadly leaving the Tuscaloosa fold and joining some of my favorite college players of the past fews years in the NFL.

Rolondo McClain is in RaiderNation, Mt Cody in Baltimore, Javier Arenas is in KC - so the question is where is Mark Ingram going to fall?

This guy was the workhorse of the 2009 National Championship. He willed Bama to win. I'd like to see him slip to the 49ers in the second round, but for his good hopefully he will be a Tim Tebow-styled higher pick than expected.

Marcell Dareus is another amazing young phenom who factored highly in the Bama championship - his interception return in the BCS title game garnered him the MVP. The dude is a stud, and just like Ingram - he has the drive to succeed. Cleveland Browns general manager Tom Heckert described Marcell as "relentless" and "a high, high motor guy who makes a ton of plays for a defensive tackle." Sad he won't be in Tuscaloosa this fall.

Finally, Julio Jones, who is little short of being a superman. He played most of the year last year with a broken hand, and he catches balls. He ran a 4.3 40 yard sprint with a hairline fracture of his foot (that he'd found out about 2 days prior). Julio might go to the Browns, to become the new face of their franchise.

Bottom line is compare these three guys to Cam Newton who expects himself to transcend the QB role and to be a football icon. Really? John Gruden humiliated him and made him look underprepared. Gruden has since downplayed the clip saying Newton is the best of the QB class. Remains to be seen. If Carolina picks him, he could be the next Vince Young - a great talent whose ego could not handle the load of losing because he did not want to put the time in.

You won't have those dedication questions on the Bama boys. Good on them. Proud to cheer for them.

Roll tide roll.

Totaling up where I've lived

Was amusing myself today on all the places in the US I've lived, and I'm not a military kid :)

The list:
Jackson,TN
Tuscaloosa, AL
Kissimmee, FL
Orlando, FL
Greensboro, NC
Winston-Salem, NC
Raleigh, NC
Medford, OR
Ashland, OR
Park City, UT

10 places so far, and a number of homes in each town. Been fun, but a bit of a wild ride.

Next stop for the Moveable Feast...

Utah! We're backtracking a bit, geographically, to Park City, UT.

Can't wait.

Will be a great new job at Backcountry.com and a whole new world of outdoor adventures.

Our route:

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Google's Local Business Center

Google has added to Local and has made a fantastic small business marketing tool even better. Google local is terribly underutilized even though it is really where a potential customer enters into the conversion funnel for a brick and mortar store.

I assume Google is opening this additional analytics data so it can encourage small business owners to help develop their search results. It's a win for both - especially for the small business that needs to promote themselves with little advertising budget.

For the small business owner you boost your keywords and content in the Google system, and then get more information in return on topics such as zip codes which are requesting the most driving directions to your location. Maybe that won't be a surprise...but maybe it will be if, for instance, in Ashland, OR you see many searches for your restaurant or hotel are coming from San Franciso. You can tailor a page or offer directly to SanFran customers using this knowledge. Make it easy for them - as in: "Driving from San Francisco? We're easy to find, and we'll help with the vacation expenses...as for our 10% discount"

on my way into work...

I drove past a trailer park and saw a lady standing outside of it, holding a sign pointing toward where people would be coming out of McDonalds and Dutch Brothers. She had wet hair which looked like it was partially blow-dried and was dressed in a purple sweatshirt with black slacks.

I thought to myself that she got up this morning in a worn out trailer (all of them are in that park). When she awoke she knew she had to go out there and hold up a sign asking for help. She had to take a shower and think about that, blow dry her hair and get dressed thinking she would soon be standing out there – probably seeing people she knows while she holds up a sign for help from people going to McDonalds and getting coffee.

That would be so hard for me in so many ways, so embarrassing honestly and so hard on my pride. I don't think I could do it.

That compared to me dealing with this petty stuff that make my daily grind (“reporting and accuracy!”) made me feel pretty pathetic to be feeling sorry for myself about my job and where it seems to be going.

It's all about your perspective in life, right?

There are plenty of others far less fortunate. Be thankful for everything you have, while realizing it will eventually fade away. Live in the moment now - while you still can - and help those around you.

That, I believe, is the secret to life.