Dorothy, Patrick and Joelle and baby

Dorothy, my oldest daughter, and her husband Patrick live in Durham, N.C.

They've been praying for a baby.

Now they may have found one--from Joelle, who lives in Ohio.

This past weekend, Joelle drove to Durham to meet Dorothy and Patrick for the first time.

She is the birth mother. Dorothy and Patrick will be the adoptive parents.

We wish them all well.

Turn up your sound and click on the slide show (with music) at this link to see what happened when a young woman from Ohio connected (finally in person) with Dorothy and Patrick.

Powerful anti-abortion trailer

Don't know what side of the abortion debate you are on, but an independent film maker has just created "Blood Money."

Definitely powerful and moving and food for thought.

Click on the hotlink boldface headline above to see a trailer to "Blood Money."

Magazines alive and well

When you think of struggling media, do magazines come to mind?

See magazines as on a downward spiral?

Think again.

Ellen Geer, a Winthrop University alumna, sent me this intriguing video, "Twenty Tweetable Truths About Magazines," of how well mags. seem to be doing in 2009.

To access the video, turn your sound up and click on the hotlink boldface headline above.

Tom Sorensen connects with Winthrop students

If you're been reading the Charlotte Observer very long, you've encountered stories or columns by long-time Observer journalist Tom Sorensen.

I had especially gotten interested in Sorensen after reading one of his columns (about the Carolina Panthers) a few months ago in which he shared that he had cancer. At that time, he called himself "the cancer columnist."

He asserted in that particular column that he could get away with writing a lot of stuff that others couldn't, because he's the cancer columnist.

That aside, read Sorensen if you want the true skinny about the Carolina Panthers. He has a sort of self-deprecating style that immediately appeals to a lot of Observer faithful readers.

So how did Sorenson and Winthrop University students cross paths?

We had wanted for several weeks to have Tom as a our special guest at a session of the Winthrop chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. We actually had him booked a few weeks ago to come to one of our meetings. But then he had to beg off because of undergoing chemo and suffering from lack of energy.

We understood and wished him the best. We still liked him.

Then I had a thought (a scarey thing, I know.)

If Tom couldn't come to Winthrop, we'd come to him.

That's what we did last night at Shoney's at exit 90 on I-77 (Carowinds.) A group of Winthrop students (and Judy Longshaw and her husband), and yours truly shared a few bites with Tom Sorensen. We all swapped lies with one another and had a good time.

I should mention that Tom had just arrived back from Phoenix, Ariz., where he watched and reported on the Panthers crushing of the once-mightly Arizona Cardinals. We appreciated that he could join us and give us some of the stories behind the stories that grace the sports pages of The Observer.

He seems to be feeling well, and we are thankful for that.

Keep writing, Tom Sorensen. You've got a gift--for covering sports and for inspiring others.

Did I mention that he's working on a book? Bet it will be an engaging read.

(Thanks to Kathleen Brown and Judy Longshaw for snapping the pictures that accompany this blog post.)

How to break out of a rut

If you're writer, you've been there.

For some reason, the ideas seem harder to come by.

Sentences are like big boulders that won't move.

Brain clog (smog?) seems to have taken over.

How to break out of the rut?

Well, for one thing, get over it!

There's no such thing as writer's block. Never has been. Never will be.

What if a nurse, getting ready to stick you with a needle, suddenly became paralyzed and said: "Oops! I can't do this. I have nurse's block."

What if a professor walked into a classroom and told her class: "Ladies and gentlemen, I can't teach today. I have professor's block."

What if your car mechanic said he couldn't repair your engine because he had mechanic's block.

Really and truly ridiculous when you think about it.

Strategies for getting your creative bounce back:

Many of the following ideas for infusing your day with creativity come from a Oct. 27, 2009, Wall Street Journal article written by Alexandra Levit, a business and workplace author and speaker.

1. Block out some time on your calendar to think about creativity. That way you elevate its importance in your mind. Clear your head of everyday worries and challenges. Put on some music and let your mind go long. Dream. Think. Imagine.

2. Change your reading habits. If all you read pretty much consists of one publication or Web site each day, expand your horizons. Read something new or different.

3. Read before you doze off into slumberland at night? If so, jot down ideas on a notebook on your nightstand; ideas might also come to you in the middle of the night.

4. For that matter, have a pen or pencil and paper with you everywhere you go. Write down interesting things that you hear, see, smell, touch...--anything that provokes an interesting train of thought.

5. Break out of your comfort zone. Never been to a wrestling match or a NASCAR race, for example? Go to at least one of these and you'll experience the world from an entirely different perspective.

6. Don't be afraid to just bounce around ideas--even if they're stupid. Keep throwing your ideas out there. Keep brainstorming. Once every so often, something sticks!

7. Realize that the brain is a webbed site. Your brain is connected to every part of your body. That means if you've been sitting or lying down all day, the brain might be close to shutting down. Get out and exercise. Get the blood pumping! Word is that when Einstein couldn't think clearly about his theories of physics, he'd ride his bicycle. Massage or stimulate your body and you do the same with your brain.

8. Know that creativity doesn't necessarily understand a deadline. Keep working. The good ideas will come--eventually.

Friends of the opposite sex?

If you're a woman, is it possible to have a friend of the opposite sex?

What about vice versa?

Turn your sound up and click on the boldface hotlink headline above to learn the latest on this touchy but interesting question from media personality Bridgette Alese, who has her own show.

Carolina Panthers--what this team needs

The Carolina Panthers lost yesterday in Charlotte to the Buffalo Bills.

The Panthers were supposed to beat the Bills, but alas, Jake Delhomme threw multiple interceptions, playing a key role in the Panthers losing another game.

Jake, of course, doesn't bear full responsibility for the defeat. Others, among them the Panthers' Kenny Moore, who fumbled a very catchable punt with only a few minutes left in the game, should be blamed.

I happened to be there at the game yesterday, sitting in a section that seemed to have more Bills fans than Panthers fans.

If I hear "Let's go, Buffalo!" one more time..., I'll puke.

But anyway, everyone seems to be wondering what's wrong with the Panthers.

What's mainly wrong is they don't have a winner as a QB.

What they need is a proven winner to help turn the whole Panthers culture around.

What they should do: Get a guy named Tim Tebo when he graduates from the University of Florida.

I'm not a big Gators fan, but Tebo, who won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore, seems to almost carry his team to victory every week.

He refuses to lose.

The Panthers should bring him on board.

Secondary solution: Get a QB hometown (Charlotte) guy; his name is Chris Leak. He led his team, the University of Florida, to the national championship when he played quarterback there. He's a winner, leading Independence High School in Charlotte to at least three straight state championships in football.

Those are my suggestions.

Are you getting this, Carolinas Panthers?!