Three Things Thursday

1. Don't get me wrong. I like this Indian summer we're having here Wisconsin. Really can't argue too much when we've got temps in the upper 70s, sun, no clouds and barely any wind. The thing I don't like? I'm kind of over the whole, "dripping so much it looks like I just stepped out of the shower" phase when it comes to my runs. If I was running at noon, during the hottest part of the day, maybe I could understand. But I went for my run at 6 p.m. tonight and by the time I got home 4 miles later, the sun had set and it was starting to get dark. And I was still dripping wet. Hey Mother Nature. Let's compromise. How about upper 60s? That would make me happy.

2. Uh, what am I going to do this weekend? The Badgers have a bye week and the Packers don't play until Sunday night football. That's a lot of extra time to fill. Oh yeah. That's right. I've got a 25-mile bike ride for breast cancer awareness on tap along with having to fit in an 8- or 9-mile run. And a whole lot of extra time to enjoy the outdoors. Can't wait.

3. I can't avoid it. I've got to mention something about Steve Jobs. I admit. I'm not the type of person that needs everything Apple. Yes, I have an iPod (two actually - a shuffle and a classic). Yes, I considered getting an iPhone, but I ultimately went with a Droid. I like my PC. I don't have an iPad. But I like the Apple products.

I keep going back to that commencement speech Jobs gave at Standford in 2005. He said some great stuff. Things that apply to all aspects of life. And because this is my blog, I can do what I want. And I'm putting those nuggets of information here. Mostly for me, but maybe they'll make you think as well.

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever."

"You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Yes, they're the three quotes that everybody has been throwing around on Twitter and Facebook. But that must mean the man when on to something when he said them if they still pack a punch six years later. I think the man knew about more than just computers. RIP Steve Jobs.