Tony Memmel at Redamté Coffee House

April 22, 2012 — 3 Comments

Tony Memmel played a show in Madison, WI last night and it was awesome.

I could basically end the post there, but I won’t.

It was a blast to connect with Tony again and finally meet his beautiful and talented wife, Lesleigh! They are just such kind and down-to-earth people. Plus, his beard…I’m so jealous. My wife and I brought our kids to meet them, too, and it was priceless to see my son Sam watching Tony’s every move. And later, my wife would say to me, “I wish we lived closer. They’re so great. Plus, I have about a MILLION questions for Lesleigh! She’s the only woman I know who is also married to a one-armed man!” Love it.

Haacks and Memmels showing-off our Lucky Fin bracelets!

Tony’s performance was fantastic. He made Redamté Coffee House his home and made us all feel comfortable. He even played One Week to Philadelphia, just like I “asked” him to! (I demanded it on Facebook, actually) Lesleigh sang with him on a few of the songs and their voices blend beautifully. The tour was sponsored by the Lucky Fin Project and Tony gave a nice plug and thank you from the stage, which was really cool. I hope to have video of the concert up soon!

After his performance, Tony graciously agreed to do a short interview for LOH. Enjoy!

Connect with Tony at his website, on Facebook and on Twitter!

Also, join the LOH fun on Facebook and Twitter.

UPDATE:  See Tony’s FULL PERFORMANCE here!  I’ve also made separate videos for each song.  Enjoy!

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How To Clip Your Nails One-Handed

April 17, 2012 — 20 Comments

Listen.

I fully understand this is kind of nasty.  The sound of nails being clipped is like nails on a chalkboard to me.  When people do it at work (WHY??) I walk around to find the culprit and then judge them in my mind.  Seriously.

Don't clip your nails at work. It's gross.

That said, I’ve had numerous requests to see how I do it.  And I’m nothing if I don’t do whatever anyone tells me to do.

Enjoy the video!

Flossing is next.

Don’t forget to “Like” the Facebook Page and follow on Twitter!

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Nick Newell Is The Man

April 14, 2012 — 9 Comments

That was insane.

I just got back from a bar where I watched MMA up-and-comer Nick Newell win his fight to remain undefeated. 7-0, baby. And honestly, I don’t know how he did it. How he got out of the second round and managed to actually win the third is mind-boggling. The win was a true testament to Nick’s training, endurance, stamina, skill and determination. So proud of him.

Right after the win.

Let me tell you about watching the fight, too. It was hilarious. I was at a bar, just watching the fight by myself. Between me and the TV was a group of seven dudes playing darts and Golden Tee. None of them realized I had one arm. Finally, one of them noticed Nick and yelled, “That dude has one f***in’ arm!” They all started watching and making comments (“They prob’ly don’t let that dude wear a hook in the ring”), not knowing I was right behind them. Then one guy came over during the second round and was like, “Do you see this guy?? F***in’ amazing.” He still had no idea I had one arm. After the fight, he came back over and said how impressive Nick was and I told him I kind of know Nick. Then I gave him a LOH business card. He looked at the card, furrowed his brow, then looked back at me…and then it clicked. “Oh sh**, well now it makes sense. Awesome, man.” I couldn’t help but laugh.

What I noticed was that even though they were making comments about Nick’s arm (none of them really derogatory, just…uninformed?), none of them said anything to the effect of, “He’s really good for having one arm.” They were surprised at how good he was given his short arm, for sure, but he transcended his difference and got props simply for being a great fighter; not a great one-armed fighter. I know Nick will like that.

Great fight. Great night.

Congrats, Nick!

(Follow Nick on Twitter or “like” his Facebook page!)

In Hope
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How To Play Piano One-Handed

April 11, 2012 — 48 Comments

I’ve always loved playing the piano.

My two favorite pianists.

I took lessons for a little while when I was young and I took music theory in high school, but mostly I’m self-taught.  As with most things I do one-handed, I just figured it out.

It’s always funny when people are listening to me play and then at some point realize I’m doing it with one hand.  They get a quizzical look on their face and say, “Wait…how are you doing that??”

In late 2008 I broke my short arm.  As I began to heal and the swelling started to go down, one of my greatest fears was that I wouldn’t be able to play the piano anymore.  I remember going to my in-laws’ one day and trying to play. My arm was still swollen and I couldn’t hit one key at a time.  I started to cry.  I was mourning the loss of my ability to play piano…albeit prematurely.  Eventually the swelling went down and I gained most of the mobility in my elbow back and my piano playing resumed.  Talk about a joyful feeling!

I’ve always had fun making-up stupid songs, too.  Ask my kids.  Or my wife.  Just don’t ask if they like it.  With that in mind, I present to you the video of how I play piano one-handed!

(Join the LOH Facebook community and follow on Twitter, too!)

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I Faced My Fear And It Was Awesome

April 10, 2012 — 2 Comments

Last week our family went to Disney World.

It was awesome.

We rented a house with my wife’s family (10 adults, 7 kids) and hit four different parks.  The kids were amazing, the skies were sunny and the Kingdom was magical.  Besides seeing my wife weep with joy as she watched our daughters meet the real life princesses, my favorite moment came when my son overcame his fear of roller coasters.

Granted, I don’t know that Sam has ever even had an opportunity to ride a roller coaster, but when we suggested he go with us on Expedition Everest, that fear became real…real fast.  While the ride was still theoretical, Sam convinced himself he’d love it, so we walked toward the mountain with our Fast Passes.  As we neared, Sam pointed and said, “Dad, look at that mountain!”

 

"Oh, no."

“Yeah, man!  THAT is the roller coaster!” I said.

“Oh…no,” Sam whispered.  “I changed my mind.”

We got to the base and Sam read the sign.  I asked him what he was most afraid of and he started rattling off everything on the sign.  “Heights, far drops, speed, sudden turns…”

So, I started my convincing.

I told him roller coasters are made to scare you, so it’s ok to be scared, but that’s what’s fun!  I told him I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him and that I’d be right by his side the whole time…screaming like a girl.  I told him I knew he could do it and he needed to believe he could, too.  “Just keep telling yourself, ‘I can do it!’ over and over,” I said.  And with that, we started up the mountain to the coaster.

Right before we got on, Sam looks up at me and says, “Dad, you know what I’ve been saying over and over in my head all the way up here?  ‘I can do it.’  And I know I can!”  I smiled and we piled in.  Moments later we were hurtling through a mountain at breakneck speed, screaming all the way, hands high in the air!  At one point the tracks appeared torn apart by a Yeti, the coaster stopped and began going backwards.  As soon as we righted ourselves, it was time for the drop.  Down the mountain we shot, stomachs in our throats…and loving it!

After the ride, Sam and his two cousins hooted and hollered, “THAT WAS AWESOME!”  They loved it…thankfully.  As we walked away, Sam said, “I faced my fear, and it was awesome!”  I think he got that line from his cousin Noah, and I was so happy to hear him say it.  He really did face his fear and I was so proud of him for doing so.  And it paid off for him!

Sam

Facing our fears is difficult, but so often it leads to good things.  Full disclosure: I’m terrible at facing my fears.  Absolutely terrible.  I think that’s why I was so proud of Sam.  And inspired by him.  I kept thinking about how he can use this experience when he comes up against other fears and how valuable it’ll be.  Then I got to thinking, “Wait, how did I convince him to face his fears?”  In this case, it was because I had faced the exact same fear…20-some years ago.  I was terrified of roller coasters as a kid.  Then, in junior high, our class got to go to Great America and all my friends were going on the American Eagle coaster.  It was only the biggest, scariest, wood-iest of them all.  But, I couldn’t chicken out.  Ahh, peer pressure; the ultimate motivation to face your fears.  Well, I got on the ride and ended-up loving it.  From that day forward, I’d ride anything.  Even if it scared me.  I knew from experience that it’d be great.  That’s why I was able to speak so confidently and persuasively to Sam.

Now I just need to learn how to speak in such a way to myself.

What’s your roller coaster?

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People I Want To Meet In The Next Year

April 6, 2012 — 1 Comment

Originally posted on RyanHaack.com

A while ago Brad Lomenick posted a list of people he wants to meet in the next year.  I love the idea, so here’s mine (in no particular order):

1. Donald Miller (Going to meet 5/6/12!)

2. Abigail Thomas

3. Anne Lamott

4. Jim Abbott

5. Tony Memmel (Met 10/23/11)

6. Sara Groves (Met 3/9/12)

7. Sage Cohen

8. Brené Brown

Those are the ones I thought of right off the bat.  I feel like there’s a legitimate chance I can meet them all, too.  I’ve actually had personal correspondence with all of them, so that’s a start.

I know there are more that I’ll add to the list, but I figure I’ll keep it manageable for now.

And what’s the common thread here?  All of these people have inspired me in some way.  Whether by their writing, their lyrics, their voices or their skills, they’ve all shaped me somehow.

Take Jim Abbott, for instance.  I was born with one hand and grew-up loving sports.  In 1989, I was 12, and Jim Abbott, a one-handed pitcher, burst onto the scene.  I was a pitcher in Little League and admired him like no other player.  I followed him throughout his entire career, the ups and downs, and even his stint with my team, the Brewers!  Jim’s crowning achievement was throwing a no-hitter with the Yankees and to this day I occasionally go watch the end of that game on YouTube.

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The picture above is of some of my favorite baseball cards of Jim.  The owner of the card shop where I went every weekend to find a new card gave me that signed picture.  That was a good day.  I’d love to meet Jim one day and just thank him for his inspiration.  I’ve got a year, right?

Each of the people listed above deserves a little write-up, but I’ll save them until after we meet.

Who are the people you’d like to meet this year? 

In Hope
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How To Play Tennis One-Handed

March 29, 2012 — 2 Comments

Ok, so I realize the title is a bit of a misnomer.

I’ve never played tennis competitively, but I’m not bad. Hopefully this video helps you see how it can be done with one hand.

See. One-handed.

Alternate titles I considered:
How To Jump Over A Tennis Net Without Dying One-Handed
How To Sweat Profusely One-Handed
How To Be Dad-of-the-Year One-Handed

Enjoy!

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How To Shoot A Basketball One-Handed

March 27, 2012 — 3 Comments

March Madness is in full swing, so I thought, “Why not post a video of how I shoot a basketball?”

I’ve always loved playing basketball. You can see the joy on my face in this video from 1987. (I think this was the only time I ever played basketball with my prosthetic arm.) There’s just something about that “swish” as the ball goes through the net. Even better if the net is made out of chain. I’ve never played organized basketball, either for school or a rec league, but I’ve always played with my friends. Mostly we play 21 and I hold my own. Usually.

I remember once when I lived in Minnesota, I went to a park to play with my roommate. He was a black dude from Milwaukee who gave himself tattoos while we watched TV at home. I was the only white kid at the park. I called next game over and over, but they never let me in, so finally I just marched my little self out onto center court and stood there defiantly. “I’VE. GOT. NEXT,” I said sternly. A few of them laughed, but they could sense I was serious and they let me pick my team. I was so amped-up, I was flying around the court, making shots left and right. At the end of the game, they all gave “the white boy” his props…and I promptly left while I was on-top. Genius move, I think.

It was only on my way home that I thought, “Not only am I white, but I have one arm.” Not a single one of them mentioned it and Jehmel, my roommate, never said it was a factor, but part of me wonders.

Regardless, that day I proved I could hang with the big boys.

Literally. Every one of them was about a foot taller and at least 100 pounds heavier than I was.

(My only regret in the video below is that I didn’t block one of Sam’s shots and scream in his face. That would have been epic.)

Checkout Kevin Laue as an example of a guy with one hand who’s really good at basketball!

He's got almost a foot and a half on me. Lucky.

He’s got almost a foot and a half on me. Lucky.

(Join the LOH Facebook community and follow on Twitter, too!)

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Clenched Hands Brave Demands EP By Tony Memmel

March 25, 2012 — 3 Comments

Tony Memmel’s music is always filled with hope.  And authenticity.

His new EP, Clenched Hands Brave Demands, is no different.

Themes of movement and growth are pervasive throughout Tony’s new project, whether he’s talking about the world spinning on without him or our desire to be simultaneously speeding up and slowing down in life. Like I said earlier, I love Ton’y authenticity, too. So, while we’re all trying to grow, he recognizes that sometimes it doesn’t feel that way (from Spinning on Without Me):

When you stand, you risk the fall
I put my money down, I play my hand
Another year on track
for two steps forward, two steps back
and I don’t wanna be there anymore

My favorite track is the soaringly beautiful I Could Make You New.  I love the lyrics at the beginning of the song:

My blood is grief, but my veins aren’t jaded
My heart is light, but it gets so weighted 
down with everything I hold onto
Sometimes that means hanging on for dear life, too

The title track is my next favorite.  I think it’s the tightest song on the EP.  I could be totally off here, but there’s something Springstein-ish about it.  And Lesleigh’s vocals on this track are perfect; a beautiful touch.  Listen to it here:

Make sure you’ve subscribed to Tony’s blog, liked his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter so you don’t miss the announcement when the EP is officially released next week!

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Meeting Kyle Maynard

March 24, 2012 — 1 Comment

I’m a big fan of learning from experts.

So, when my friend Travis told me that Kyle Maynard was coming to Wisconsin this weekend, I got really excited.

I used my trick and emailed Kyle earlier this week and when he responded, I was over the moon!

After a rough start (car trouble), I made the two hour trek to Tomah from Madison and arrived just as Kyle’s book-signing session was starting.

Me and Kyle

After meeting Kyle briefly, I hungout with his best friend and manager, Joey, for the next hour and a half.  Joey is great.  It was a blast to connect with him and pick his brain about speaking and publishing.

The hosts of the event invited me to stay for dinner and afterwards we all headed over to the high school to watch Kyle’s presentation.  There were probably a thousand people there!  And Kyle’s talk was fantastic.  Poignant, hilarious at times, powerful…he has a gift for challenging and encouraging others.  If you haven’t read his book, No Excuses, you really should.  He wrote it when he was 19 and it’s perfect for kids and adults alike.  His “No Excuses” message is still prevalent, but as he said, “If you come across someone who’s positive 100% of the time…RUN.”  He realizes that we all have those days and even those periods in our life when excuses creep in, but how do we respond to those times?  Do we let them keep us down or do we get back up, dust ourselves off and move forward?  He challenged us to get rid of one excuse last night.  We can all handle that.  So, what’s one excuse that is keeping you from what you want to be doing?  From your dreams?

Get rid of that excuse.

He also spoke about finding your purpose, your “why.”  When we know our why, there’s no how we can’t overcome.

It was so fun to watch all the people talk to Kyle after.  Seeing their smiles and tears and hearing them laugh; clearly that’s what it’s all about for Kyle.  Hearing their stories.

Yesterday was an experience I won’t soon forget.  Kyle and Joey were both gracious and kind and I count myself lucky to have gotten the chance to get to know them.  And to top it all off, Kyle agreed to do a little interview for LOH!  “Joey, can I borrow you for a minute?” I asked, needing a camerman.  Yeah, I probably could have phrased that differently.  Oh, well.  Enjoy!

Make sure you go to Kyle’s website and checkout the videos of him being super famous.  You can also follow him on Twitter.  And the documentary about his quest to fight MMA, A Fighting Chance, is on Hulu (naughty language alert).

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