tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81619109102205110932024-03-19T03:09:14.726-04:00Rob J. Quinn’s BlogWelcome! I’m the author of Reach Past Your Limits
and The Birth of Super Crip.Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-32775116504241730482024-03-08T12:00:00.001-05:002024-03-08T12:00:00.142-05:00Retro Rob: My “Top 5 Movies” (2012)The
Academy Awards are coming up on Sunday night, so it’s a good time to re-post my
“Top 5 Movies,” launching my “Retro Rob” series celebrating
the upcoming 20th anniversary of my very first blog post.
Surprisingly, I’m still ok with my list, posted almost 12 years ago (April 4,
2012). I’m not sure if that says more about me or Hollywood. “The Shawshank
Redemption” would likely be on Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-29987198068112473492024-02-29T08:48:00.003-05:002024-02-29T08:48:52.182-05:00Looking Back as 20th Anniversary of Blogging ApproachesThe overhaul of my website was just about complete, including an
overdue new profile picture and cover photo that I’m quite happy with. It’s no
small feat to get a good picture of yours truly smiling on que thanks to
cerebral palsy. So, I started thinking about writing a new bio as a finishing
touch.
And I kept thinking about it.
And thinking about it.
Blogger gives me 1,200 characters to Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-32528330924956033742024-01-10T16:49:00.006-05:002024-01-18T16:10:27.635-05:00New Year, New SiteI rang in the New Year putting the finishing
touches on moving robjquinn.com to its new home. While Blogger might not be the
final stop, I’m happy with what I’m seeing so far. I’m even more pleased at the
prospect of not having to set aside an hour or two just to deal with the
mechanics of Squarespace’s editor when publishing a blog post.New Year, new site . . . new profile picture?It was a bit Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-45102108167454515682023-12-21T09:01:00.000-05:002023-12-21T09:01:43.246-05:00Merry Christmas ’23 Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-9160644800533965432023-11-14T08:08:00.003-05:002023-12-14T16:44:25.772-05:00Fall 2023 in PicturesOne tree started this post. Its leaves were just starting to turn. Flames of red amongst the green. I took a picture
of it. (I always did like redheads.) And I decided to take some more pictures on my walks and around the house. I’m by no means a “photog,” but I really
got into it. I started thinking of it as “fall from my perspective.”A few years ago, I published a post called “A Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-26178963761821211112023-10-24T08:34:00.014-04:002023-10-24T09:00:58.663-04:00Bullies in the MainstreamI
sat in the dean’s office. I can hear the two kids who had been pulled out of
their classes just outside the door talking to each other before the dean gets
back from whatever he was doing. They’re asking each other, “Do you know
why we’re here?” “I have no idea, do you?”
Life was pretty good as a senior, with anexception or two. This group shot of seniorsis from the yearbook.My
speech Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-8566434471500391052023-10-24T08:32:00.008-04:002023-11-12T11:55:51.743-05:00Bullies in the Mainstream (Part II)(READ PART I)
The jump from eighth grade to high school was more difficult
than going from “special” school to eighth grade. Some teachers were intent on
letting students know that we were “in high school now” and wouldn’t be coddled,
which I’m sure is fairly standard. But at times that message seemed to spillover
to include an open dislike for having to teach disabled students. An
inaccessible Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-47830019624682570112023-08-30T14:00:00.000-04:002023-12-20T16:54:28.032-05:00Rob’s Quickies for Summer ’23Hot takes. YouTube “Shorts.” Facebook “Story.” Tweets – or X posts – that can’t be more than 280 characters. It’s what we do now. Nothing too long. No one’s going to read it or watch it. Great news for a guy writing a novel. With that in mind, I considered bringing back Rob’s Rants instead of doing my annual summer recap, but “rants” might have too much of a negative connotation for today’s Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-6626490881555991472023-06-07T16:04:00.037-04:002023-12-20T16:54:32.559-05:00Quick Note of Thanks after SurgeryI want to thank everyone involved with my emergency appendectomy early on Saturday morning of Memorial Day weekend. Everyone from the police officers to the ambulance crew, to the people at Bryn Mawr Hospital and Bryn Mawr Rehab — you’re amazing. “Thank you,” doesn’t quite cut it, but I hope it will suffice for now. And thanks to mom for orchestrating everything, especially in the middle of the Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-23081977561928307092023-02-07T12:30:00.002-05:002023-12-20T16:54:36.399-05:00The Bet Life and Super SundaySuper Bowl LVII is Sunday. It’s the day everybody and their grandmother becomes a riverboat gambler and throws a shekel or two on the game, whether they’re in a block pool or taking their chances on the point spread.Proof positive I grew up an Eagles fan -- and was one for 40 years, only to see themhave their most success now. Maybe it wasme, Philly? 😒About two years ago, I decided to try Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-13062885743721255682022-12-22T13:52:00.003-05:002023-12-20T16:54:42.277-05:00Wishing You a Merry Christmas Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-19566521110838054452022-11-23T14:30:00.147-05:002023-12-20T16:54:52.464-05:00Happy Thanksgiving ’22We went to Hobby Lobby to get some new holiday decorations for my“apartment.” This turkey will survive theweekend—and hopefully many more!Happy
Thanksgiving to all of my readers! May it be a peaceful and joyful holiday for
everyone!
I
am truly thankful to those of you who have taken the time to read my work over
the years. I don’t blog as much as I used to as I find that I have the Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-6412109042760367532022-09-16T08:00:00.128-04:002023-12-20T16:54:57.574-05:00Sifting Through a Long Summer of ’22: Glitches, Rip-offs, and Moving ForwardI
survived it. That’s how I feel about the summer of ’22. A bit dramatic, I
realize. And there was nothing life threatening going on. There just wasn’t
much good going on.Toasting summer farewell with mybuddy John was a highlight of theseason. (A different John thanthe one mentioned in the post.)For
the first time in a while, I didn’t get to go down the shore for a vacation.
Certainly, many Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-53137300125713438222022-08-10T22:08:00.013-04:002023-12-20T16:55:03.632-05:00Finally cracked 7 miles!Proof positive of cracking the 7-mile mark witha pic of the display from the screen of the display on the exercise bike.It took a lot longer than I thought it would to go from 6
miles to 7 miles . . . but I finally cracked 7 miles on the exercise bike for
the first time post-shutdown. Just made it at 7.02. (Picture is from the “cool
down,” which I kept pausing to get my phone ready.) The Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-65775303438355956362022-05-26T17:00:00.027-04:002023-12-20T16:55:08.797-05:00A Thought as Memorial Day ApproachesOur government can force us to shut down our lives, yet is incapable of doing anything about stopping mass shootings. We need more than gun control. We need to re-do the basic structure of government. We need term limits on everyone. We need money out of politics. We need a media that reports facts and then shuts up. We need to be more of a democracy instead of a republic; we should be voting on Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-81545807312230891632022-02-22T17:00:00.039-05:002023-12-20T16:55:14.853-05:00A Mask Question, Super Bowl Thoughts, and USFL CuriosityClick the Play button to listen to my video podcast!(Transcript below)Click here to watch it on YouTube.Hey
Everybody, it’s Rob J. Quinn. They say nobody reads anymore, so I thought I’d
try something new with a video podcast. This could be the worst idea ever for a
guy with a speech disability, but I recently turned 50 and I figured it’s time
to shake things up.I
have a couple topics I want to Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-7121782954933534572021-12-12T17:00:00.549-05:002023-12-20T16:55:19.103-05:00Decked the HallsBlogging has not been a priority for me lately, but I thought I’d post some pictures of my decked halls and wish readers a merry Christmas, happy holidays, and best wishes for 2022. I think we could all use a happy new year. I don’t have any big year-end wrap up to post. My sports gambling “career,” which I decided to pursue during the shutdown, has gotten off to a much slower start than I would Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-64063815765764618472021-09-01T13:37:00.051-04:002023-12-20T16:55:23.373-05:00Seeking Positivity: A Summer of One Step Forward, Two Steps BackA trip to the shore and a family reunion highlighted a summer
that had its share of disappointments and signs of hope for the future. As the
shadows are becoming a bit longer on my late afternoon walks, it’s time for
what’s becoming my annual look back at summer.The whole family! It was good seeing someold faces and finding out what some ofthe newer faces look like!I
was fortunate enough to get Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-9852988788861501232021-05-04T17:00:00.019-04:002023-12-20T16:55:31.065-05:00My Workout: Stretching My HamstringsIn this “My Workout” video, I demonstrate how I stretch my
hamstrings . . . and the need to do the little things that can enhance your
workout.Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-37442324528908159322021-03-12T09:00:00.012-05:002023-12-20T16:55:35.817-05:00One Year Later . . .A year ago, I could still cycle for an hour at the gym.
Dressing myself wasn’t an issue. I was making more of an effort to get out
socially. Basic movement certainly wasn’t something that I was concerned about.
Stretching my hamstrings has always beenimportant for me as someone who hascerebral palsy and spends most of his dayin a seated position -- in other words, legsbent. Now, it's easier (andRob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-63810937886961280222020-12-02T12:00:00.045-05:002023-12-20T16:55:44.601-05:00Reach Past Your Limits is for YOU!Reach
Past Your Limits T-shirts are now available!
My mom, Donna, and I showing off theReach Past Your Limits t-shirts.After
a lot of effort trying to figure out exactly how to make this happen, I’m very
excited to have some cool Ts to go along with the e-book. They feature our
awesome new logo, which is simple and direct, while sending a clear message
that we’re ready to go! Graphic designer Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-14962854398029445162020-10-16T09:00:00.047-04:002023-12-20T16:55:47.681-05:00Exploring Motivation . . . with Rebecca Levenberg, Amputee Rock Climber and BloggerBefore
the pandemic, Rebecca Levenberg could often be found on a rock-climbing wall—participating
in the sport she fell in love with after she became an amputee.Rebecca holding her climbingleg at the 2018 internationalFederation of Sport ClimbingWorld Championships held inInnsbruck, Austria.“At
first, I liked climbing because it used my muscles and exhausted me like my old
Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-16346951407808633512020-09-10T09:00:00.003-04:002023-12-20T16:55:51.234-05:00The Unexpected Summer of 2020Making
a new T-shirt available, creating a fun contest for readers to show off their
favorite exercise, and doing some interviews about motivation with interesting
people. That was how I expected to spend a good portion of the summer of 2020
to promote Reach Past Your
Limits, my e-book intended to motivate readers to make
exercise part of their lives.
Summer brought plenty of theunexpected, Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-14859299413849510902020-07-24T09:00:00.019-04:002023-12-20T16:55:55.968-05:00Play Ball . . . Finally!The crack of the bat is what I’m looking forward to the
most. I’ll enjoy squeaking sneakers on the basketball court, maybe even the
sound of a good check into the boards on the ice. But more than anything as
sports return, I’m looking forward to the sound of a baseball being smacked
into the outfield for a base hit.
It might be a while before we can actually go outto the ballgame, but it’s Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8161910910220511093.post-3307595362409061952020-07-10T09:00:00.002-04:002023-12-20T16:56:02.022-05:00A Change of SceneryI
needed a week away. I rarely say those words because my life doesn’t really
generate the feeling of being overwhelmed by daily life and I think they are
overused. But quarantining and being on my own five days a week for about a
month gave those words real meaning for me. I was thrilled to get “down the
shore” over July 4th.
Rob at Sun Dogon the Beach.There’s
nothing like sitting on the beach Rob J. Quinnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07005490138648417255noreply@blogger.com0