This will be my last post of the year as I start my holiday season with my family. This has been a great year for me in many ways and a difficult one in others. In all though, I have enjoyed it. Since this is my last post of the year, I think I will leave you with a few brief thoughts.
I imagine many of you wondering what you will do for the next year. Will the new year bring joy or heartache? Perhaps a bit of both. Will it bring comfort or will it be overly difficult? The funny thing is it really doesn't matter. I look forward to the new year. I look forward to finding out what is in store for me. Every day is a gift I get to open one minute at a time. Sometimes that gift contains coal, other times it contains something shiny. The funny thing is, the coal will keep you warm for hours while the shiny thing may only hold your interest for a few minutes. Granted if the shiny thing is a new furnace, it might keep you warm for quite a bit longer, but I digress. I guess what I am trying to say is, open each day with an expectation of joy and the little bit of wonderment at what it will contain and you will find that most days you won't be disappointed and the days you are will be a little less painful.
With that in mind, have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Thank you for reading, and as always, and for the last time this year, have a great day.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
What does race have to do with it?
So my turn on graves is winding down. This has been, well, not a lot of fun. As sad as it is, it seems I have finally become accustomed to this shift. I actually sleep until three in the afternoon. Not that I feel rested. All the same, I will be glad to be off this shift. I have, however added a bit more to my story because I have had the time. If you want, check the link to the right.
I have had a few thoughts running through my head for a while and I think I would like to share them. Those of you I have talked with regularly may have heard some of these, to the rest of you this will be new. These are my thoughts on "racism" in America. Why did I put it in quotes? Not because I don't believe there is racism, but because I believe we make it a bigger problem than we ought to. Think about it. How many nations out there feel it is necessary to list race in any story not involving a white person? How many countries out there ask for race on surveys, tests, and as a measure of diversity? The fact is, that most nations don't. America leads the world in this. Think about it. How many people refer to themselves as African-Englishmen? How about Latino-french? The fact is, that no matter how much we celebrate our diversity, we encourage racism by the very labels we use.
Think of it like this. You go to work and you are labeled as a male/female-American day in and day out. Does this indicate diversity, discrimination, or simply labeling? The fact is, it is a form of discrimination. We label things so that we can categorize them. If we were to drop the extra part and just label everyone American, we would find that a lot of the discriminatory practices would go away. I am not saying racism would be eliminated, but it would certainly be on the back burner. If you eliminated all references to race, sex, religion, etc. that are used to discriminate, the only thing left is who that person is. That means that you are hired or not for who you are. When you go into a job expecting to be treated a certain way because of some label you have, you are propagating that stereotype. When you decide that you will accept the label someone else has placed on you or on another, you are propagating discrimination. The only way to reduce discrimination is to minimize the labels which breed it.
Note that I am not saying that you should not be proud of your heritage or that you should deny what you are. I am simply saying that by using extraneous labels to define people by how they appear or were born, we condone discrimination. Don't believe me? Watch the news and TV. Tally up the number of times a black man/woman is described as African-American versus the number of times they are referred to by name. I am not talking about descriptions of suspects, that is one where you can't really avoid it as it is part of an identifiable trait. I am referring to stories where the race of the person involved really has no bearing other than as to highlight/disprove stereotypical traits. You will be surprised. For instance a story about a successful business man might read something like "John Smith donated 100 hours of community service." This is how it should read in all instances. Yet when a non white man is involved, it suddenly reads, "John Smith, an African American success story, donated 100 hours of community service." By comparing the 2 sentences you find a contrast so startling, you should be offended. Is the first John Smith less successful? Is it so amazing that an African-American can be successful? Unfortunately, we are trained from an early point that this is how it should be.
If we are not allowed to discriminate in business, why are we allowed to discriminate in the press? The funny thing is, I have been castigated and called out for these views. I have been told that I am minimizing the importance of the minorities by saying these things. I have been called a racist jerk for saying that race has no part in how we describe people daily. Yes, I am white. But does it really matter? Is what I wrote any less true because of it. Or did you just read the parts that said African-American and from that decide that I was racist? Let's drop the unnecessary labels and just be Americans.
Well, that wasn't a Christmas post, but I felt it needed to be said. Thank you for reading and, as always, have a nice day.
I have had a few thoughts running through my head for a while and I think I would like to share them. Those of you I have talked with regularly may have heard some of these, to the rest of you this will be new. These are my thoughts on "racism" in America. Why did I put it in quotes? Not because I don't believe there is racism, but because I believe we make it a bigger problem than we ought to. Think about it. How many nations out there feel it is necessary to list race in any story not involving a white person? How many countries out there ask for race on surveys, tests, and as a measure of diversity? The fact is, that most nations don't. America leads the world in this. Think about it. How many people refer to themselves as African-Englishmen? How about Latino-french? The fact is, that no matter how much we celebrate our diversity, we encourage racism by the very labels we use.
Think of it like this. You go to work and you are labeled as a male/female-American day in and day out. Does this indicate diversity, discrimination, or simply labeling? The fact is, it is a form of discrimination. We label things so that we can categorize them. If we were to drop the extra part and just label everyone American, we would find that a lot of the discriminatory practices would go away. I am not saying racism would be eliminated, but it would certainly be on the back burner. If you eliminated all references to race, sex, religion, etc. that are used to discriminate, the only thing left is who that person is. That means that you are hired or not for who you are. When you go into a job expecting to be treated a certain way because of some label you have, you are propagating that stereotype. When you decide that you will accept the label someone else has placed on you or on another, you are propagating discrimination. The only way to reduce discrimination is to minimize the labels which breed it.
Note that I am not saying that you should not be proud of your heritage or that you should deny what you are. I am simply saying that by using extraneous labels to define people by how they appear or were born, we condone discrimination. Don't believe me? Watch the news and TV. Tally up the number of times a black man/woman is described as African-American versus the number of times they are referred to by name. I am not talking about descriptions of suspects, that is one where you can't really avoid it as it is part of an identifiable trait. I am referring to stories where the race of the person involved really has no bearing other than as to highlight/disprove stereotypical traits. You will be surprised. For instance a story about a successful business man might read something like "John Smith donated 100 hours of community service." This is how it should read in all instances. Yet when a non white man is involved, it suddenly reads, "John Smith, an African American success story, donated 100 hours of community service." By comparing the 2 sentences you find a contrast so startling, you should be offended. Is the first John Smith less successful? Is it so amazing that an African-American can be successful? Unfortunately, we are trained from an early point that this is how it should be.
If we are not allowed to discriminate in business, why are we allowed to discriminate in the press? The funny thing is, I have been castigated and called out for these views. I have been told that I am minimizing the importance of the minorities by saying these things. I have been called a racist jerk for saying that race has no part in how we describe people daily. Yes, I am white. But does it really matter? Is what I wrote any less true because of it. Or did you just read the parts that said African-American and from that decide that I was racist? Let's drop the unnecessary labels and just be Americans.
Well, that wasn't a Christmas post, but I felt it needed to be said. Thank you for reading and, as always, have a nice day.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
The evolution of my Christmas.
Things are weird right now. I have the nagging suspicion that I am missing something. I either forgot something or am not seeing something I should. I can't help but think that it has something to do with something important, I just don't know what it is or what it is for. The worst part is, this vague description isn't helping either. Oh well, must not have been that important (how many times have I said that only to be proven wrong).
You know the holidays are near when everything you do is based on one day a week or more away. Yes I am talking about Christmas. When I was single, I really didn't think about it to much. It was just a day that the stores were closed, there wasn't much on TV and I didn't have to work. It came and went and I had nothing to worry about. Oh, I might buy a gift for a friend, but that was one day and not much else. Then I got married. Christmas got a little more complicated. I now had to decorate the house a little bit and get a tree. Then we exchanged gifts and had friends over for Christmas dinner. It was still a pretty easy thing. Not a lot of effort or time was spent on planning or set up. We didn't spend a lot of time discussing the Christmas budget, we just spent what ever was left after bills and groceries on gifts.
Fast forward about 10 years. We now have four wonderful kids and we have spent the last month trying to figure out what our budget is. We have tried to determine what we are going to spend, not only on the kids, but on us as well. We spent nearly a week discussing our families out of state and what to do for them. Then we procrastinated and didn't do much. We have scheduled Christmas and planned meals. We are running in circles trying to figure out what to do while the kids are off from school. It just never stops. The sad thing is, I haven't found any other way to make sure our boys enjoy Christmas. The kicker? We actually enjoy it a bit.
Yup, Christmas is upon us and is rapidly catching up to us. Pretty soon, we will have to start planning and shopping in October (we already should have started in November, we just procrastinated a bit to much).
Thank you for reading and have a great day.
You know the holidays are near when everything you do is based on one day a week or more away. Yes I am talking about Christmas. When I was single, I really didn't think about it to much. It was just a day that the stores were closed, there wasn't much on TV and I didn't have to work. It came and went and I had nothing to worry about. Oh, I might buy a gift for a friend, but that was one day and not much else. Then I got married. Christmas got a little more complicated. I now had to decorate the house a little bit and get a tree. Then we exchanged gifts and had friends over for Christmas dinner. It was still a pretty easy thing. Not a lot of effort or time was spent on planning or set up. We didn't spend a lot of time discussing the Christmas budget, we just spent what ever was left after bills and groceries on gifts.
Fast forward about 10 years. We now have four wonderful kids and we have spent the last month trying to figure out what our budget is. We have tried to determine what we are going to spend, not only on the kids, but on us as well. We spent nearly a week discussing our families out of state and what to do for them. Then we procrastinated and didn't do much. We have scheduled Christmas and planned meals. We are running in circles trying to figure out what to do while the kids are off from school. It just never stops. The sad thing is, I haven't found any other way to make sure our boys enjoy Christmas. The kicker? We actually enjoy it a bit.
Yup, Christmas is upon us and is rapidly catching up to us. Pretty soon, we will have to start planning and shopping in October (we already should have started in November, we just procrastinated a bit to much).
Thank you for reading and have a great day.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Working at home 16 hours a week is actually pretty good.
Cast party tonight went great. We had a great time and were able to honor those who thought they were able to hide behind the scenes. OK, maybe they weren't hiding so much as serving where they were most able. Either way, they finally received the recognition they deserved. We couldn't have done it without them. As Trey said, you don't realize just how many people beyond the actors are required to pull off a successful show. We actors sometimes forget that or find a way to overlook them in our arrogance. It is humbling to realize just how much work those behind the scenes put into the show. Thanks again.
Now that I've gone all sentimental, I think it is time for me to move on to something that bugged me a bit. Today on the way to work there was an news story about stay at home dads. It would have been a half way decent piece if they hadn't ended it with statistics designed to make men look lazy and useless. The quote was that men on the average are doing a mere 16 hours of house work a week at home. They then went on to say that these stay at home dads finally understood what a stay at home mom did. Let's straighten something out here. I understand exactly what goes into a mothers day and it is busy. I have seen it and understand it. But if you want to throw out numbers here you go. Add to that 16 hours, 40 hours of work to make sure you can afford to stay at home. Add an average of 10 hours commuting to that work. Now add an average of 7 hours doing work not associated to house work. By the way there are 164 hours in a week. The average stay at home mom spends 40 hours a week sleeping. Add another 10 hours a week watching their chosen TV show. Add another 10 hours a week updating their face book and another 10 hours socializing at play dates. The point isn't to make women fell bad, or men to feel more arrogant (heaven knows we don't need that), the point is to acknowledge that sometimes spouting random numbers generates more dissent and hurt than otherwise.
The fact is that with men doing an average of 16 hours a week of house work, we are actually keeping up with our partners and helping out quite a lot. The idea that when we are apart our partner is doing nothing is ludicrous. That is what these stats would have you believe. That if your husband isn't at home doing house work, he is playing; or that if your wife is a stay at home mom, as soon as you leave the house, she sits down in front of the TV and does nothing. I try to follow a basic rule (note I didn't say I always succeed, I am not perfect), as long as my wife is working , so am I. The exception is when I work back shift, then I get to sleep for the first few hours of the day and help the rest before I go to work.
That's my 2 cents. Thanks for reading and, as always, have a nice day.
Now that I've gone all sentimental, I think it is time for me to move on to something that bugged me a bit. Today on the way to work there was an news story about stay at home dads. It would have been a half way decent piece if they hadn't ended it with statistics designed to make men look lazy and useless. The quote was that men on the average are doing a mere 16 hours of house work a week at home. They then went on to say that these stay at home dads finally understood what a stay at home mom did. Let's straighten something out here. I understand exactly what goes into a mothers day and it is busy. I have seen it and understand it. But if you want to throw out numbers here you go. Add to that 16 hours, 40 hours of work to make sure you can afford to stay at home. Add an average of 10 hours commuting to that work. Now add an average of 7 hours doing work not associated to house work. By the way there are 164 hours in a week. The average stay at home mom spends 40 hours a week sleeping. Add another 10 hours a week watching their chosen TV show. Add another 10 hours a week updating their face book and another 10 hours socializing at play dates. The point isn't to make women fell bad, or men to feel more arrogant (heaven knows we don't need that), the point is to acknowledge that sometimes spouting random numbers generates more dissent and hurt than otherwise.
The fact is that with men doing an average of 16 hours a week of house work, we are actually keeping up with our partners and helping out quite a lot. The idea that when we are apart our partner is doing nothing is ludicrous. That is what these stats would have you believe. That if your husband isn't at home doing house work, he is playing; or that if your wife is a stay at home mom, as soon as you leave the house, she sits down in front of the TV and does nothing. I try to follow a basic rule (note I didn't say I always succeed, I am not perfect), as long as my wife is working , so am I. The exception is when I work back shift, then I get to sleep for the first few hours of the day and help the rest before I go to work.
That's my 2 cents. Thanks for reading and, as always, have a nice day.
Christmas foods: Or how to gain 10 pounds and enjoy every minute of it.
It's a new week and time for the weekend update. To begin, I guess I have to start with the final days of the show. They went great. My sons and wife enjoyed it and in all it was a great time. The final cast party is tonight and I am looking forward to it. In all, it was a great time and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
That actually covered the weekend. Between the show, sleep and church I really didn't have time for much else. I did get to make my first batch of divinity today and it turned out awesome. I look forward to enjoying more of it at the wrap party tonight.
Now for the fun stuff. Since I didn't get any comments or suggestions for themes for this week, I think I will go themeless. Themes get in the way of free thinking and free flowing thoughts anyway. Today i think I want to talk about Christmas foods. When I think of Christmas foods, the first thing that comes to mind is the vast array of candies. Divinity is the first that comes to mind. I love it, but I only make it at Christmas time. Same thing with fudge. Why? Why do I limit myself to these treats once a year? I guess mainly because I tend to gain so much weight when I eat them. Then there is the question of Christmas dinner. The variety of what is acceptable for Christmas dinner is as varied as, well, the candies available. Some believe ham is the only way to go, while others tend toward a repeat of Thanksgiving with turkey. Still others end up with a Hodge podge of meals that would blow your mind. I lean toward the whatever is in the stocking and around the house, but I follow my wife's wishes and make a meal for supper. We've been sticking with ham the past few years, so that is probably where we'll go this year.
So what is your favorite Christmas food? What about dinner, do you go ham, turkey, or the more traditional goose? Or is there something else that you just can't do without on Christmas? Either way you look at it, Christmas is yet another holiday, that is, at least partially, defined by its food.
Have a great day and thanks for reading.
That actually covered the weekend. Between the show, sleep and church I really didn't have time for much else. I did get to make my first batch of divinity today and it turned out awesome. I look forward to enjoying more of it at the wrap party tonight.
Now for the fun stuff. Since I didn't get any comments or suggestions for themes for this week, I think I will go themeless. Themes get in the way of free thinking and free flowing thoughts anyway. Today i think I want to talk about Christmas foods. When I think of Christmas foods, the first thing that comes to mind is the vast array of candies. Divinity is the first that comes to mind. I love it, but I only make it at Christmas time. Same thing with fudge. Why? Why do I limit myself to these treats once a year? I guess mainly because I tend to gain so much weight when I eat them. Then there is the question of Christmas dinner. The variety of what is acceptable for Christmas dinner is as varied as, well, the candies available. Some believe ham is the only way to go, while others tend toward a repeat of Thanksgiving with turkey. Still others end up with a Hodge podge of meals that would blow your mind. I lean toward the whatever is in the stocking and around the house, but I follow my wife's wishes and make a meal for supper. We've been sticking with ham the past few years, so that is probably where we'll go this year.
So what is your favorite Christmas food? What about dinner, do you go ham, turkey, or the more traditional goose? Or is there something else that you just can't do without on Christmas? Either way you look at it, Christmas is yet another holiday, that is, at least partially, defined by its food.
Have a great day and thanks for reading.
Friday, December 9, 2011
A little of this and a little of that.
Amazing how time flies sometimes. I managed to finish a few things I was doing and suddenly it was 3am. That's when I realized I hadn't done anything with my blog. Oops. So here goes. First off, we did another show tonight and it went really well. Once again, we had a sold out house and a great audience. The entire cast was energized and lifted by them. We are getting this down and there are getting to be fewer mistakes and we are getting things together. In all it went well. Looking forward to tomorrow night's (I guess it is actually tonight).
I have been having an interesting week at work. not a lot going on, but what is going on is, critical and keeping us here. Unfortunately, this means there will probably be overtime, which means I may end up working again this weekend. I certainly hope not, but you never know. We are getting closer to the stand down which is good and I am looking forward to it.
Since next week will be my last week before I take a couple weeks off for Christmas and New Years, I plan on doing a theme next week. I would like it to me something related to Christmas and the Christmas season, I just don't know what. Thus, I give it to you. If you have an idea, please, post it in the comments. I redid my permissions so you aren't required to have an account to post (I just moderate the comments to prevent stuff I don't want my kids to read from getting on here). Or you could give it to me in person if you happen to run into me. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
I really don't have much else to say. I just want to thank you as always for reading. Have a great day.
I have been having an interesting week at work. not a lot going on, but what is going on is, critical and keeping us here. Unfortunately, this means there will probably be overtime, which means I may end up working again this weekend. I certainly hope not, but you never know. We are getting closer to the stand down which is good and I am looking forward to it.
Since next week will be my last week before I take a couple weeks off for Christmas and New Years, I plan on doing a theme next week. I would like it to me something related to Christmas and the Christmas season, I just don't know what. Thus, I give it to you. If you have an idea, please, post it in the comments. I redid my permissions so you aren't required to have an account to post (I just moderate the comments to prevent stuff I don't want my kids to read from getting on here). Or you could give it to me in person if you happen to run into me. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
I really don't have much else to say. I just want to thank you as always for reading. Have a great day.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Tired, unwired, and whatever, It doesn't have to rhyme.
Today, I found out the show is sold out. Not just a couple shows, every single one. Not a seat left. Absolutely amazing. I am really looking forward to it. 5 shows left. I couldn't be more thrilled.
Now that I have covered the news, I will continue with my regular post (not that there is anything regular about my posts). I am yawning and tired for some reason. I got a decent amount of sleep today, so I have no idea why I just want to curl up and go to sleep. The problem is, I have to stick around and go to duty section muster then quarters. At least I have a lot of stuff to keep me busy. I just wish I could figure out a better way to stay awake.
I just looked at the calendar and realized that I have 17 days until Christmas and I haven't bought a single present. What is wrong with me. I used to have my Christmas presents bought, wrapped, and hidden by this time. I guess, over the years, I have just gone shopping later and later. Next thing you know I will be shopping December 26 and celebrating Christmas on New Years. At least I finished the Christmas letter. Now I just need to figure out how many people to send it to.
Since it looks like I am starting to cover a dozen random topics to no good end, I think I will just call it a night on this post. Have a great day and thank you for reading.
Now that I have covered the news, I will continue with my regular post (not that there is anything regular about my posts). I am yawning and tired for some reason. I got a decent amount of sleep today, so I have no idea why I just want to curl up and go to sleep. The problem is, I have to stick around and go to duty section muster then quarters. At least I have a lot of stuff to keep me busy. I just wish I could figure out a better way to stay awake.
I just looked at the calendar and realized that I have 17 days until Christmas and I haven't bought a single present. What is wrong with me. I used to have my Christmas presents bought, wrapped, and hidden by this time. I guess, over the years, I have just gone shopping later and later. Next thing you know I will be shopping December 26 and celebrating Christmas on New Years. At least I finished the Christmas letter. Now I just need to figure out how many people to send it to.
Since it looks like I am starting to cover a dozen random topics to no good end, I think I will just call it a night on this post. Have a great day and thank you for reading.
The Christmas Letter (or How to torture yourself once a year)
Who knew that writing a Christmas letter could be so....you fill in the blank because I am sure it is all of that and more. As you may have guessed, it falls on me to write the families annual Christmas letter while my wife gets to "edit" it. I put the edit on quotes, not because she does nothing, but because she doesn't read it so much to find grammatical and spelling errors (that's what word is for) as she does to weed out the portions and phrases she either doesn't agree with or she considers to much information. Granted, she is usually right. If you follow my blog at all, you have probably noticed I tend to be long winded and repetitive. I tried fixing it once, but it just wasn't me.
The point here is that I write the letter, she cuts it up, I rewrite it, she approves it and we send it out. The problem is, she can't wait until I am done to edit it. As I am typing a sentence (by the way, I tend to think as I type and may end up writing a single sentence 6 or 7 times before I consider it acceptable), I will suddenly hear her voice come from behind me telling me that the sentence I just wrote doesn't make a lot of sense. I love her dearly and am thankful for her input, I just wish sometimes she would wait until after I am actually ready for her to read it.
She has gotten better about it. She actually asks me if I am ready for her to read it most of the time. She just forgets every once in a while and then I hear her dancing in the background with a comment she wants to make. She just bounces from one foot to the other sighing until I ask her what is wrong then mumble the standard nothing. We eventually sort it out and the letter is better for it.
Maybe I am ranting a bit much here. I most definitely will be in the doghouse when I get home, but the truth is, without her input, the annual Christmas letter would be a short book detailing not only the events of the last year, but the emotions, and backgrounds for each event. Oh, and I would probably forget to mention how the family is doing, so there is that.
The Christmas letter is always better for her input, but writing it is a day or two of torture that we endure together (and sometimes because of each other) to keep our families informed. Currently, this years letter is at one and a half pages and I have yet to mention any event specific to a single family member, let alone how they are doing. That is just one of the tasks I have before me this night. Actually, it is pretty much the only set task I have before me tonight and I still have 5 hours to do it in. I have a feeling I will be cutting a lot out of this years letter. Better to cut things out than to have to add more. If you want one of our Christmas letters this year (and you didn't get one last year) or you have changed your address since the last card, leave your email in the comments so I can contact you to get your address.
Well, that is the post for tonight. Thank you all for reading and have a nice day.
The point here is that I write the letter, she cuts it up, I rewrite it, she approves it and we send it out. The problem is, she can't wait until I am done to edit it. As I am typing a sentence (by the way, I tend to think as I type and may end up writing a single sentence 6 or 7 times before I consider it acceptable), I will suddenly hear her voice come from behind me telling me that the sentence I just wrote doesn't make a lot of sense. I love her dearly and am thankful for her input, I just wish sometimes she would wait until after I am actually ready for her to read it.
She has gotten better about it. She actually asks me if I am ready for her to read it most of the time. She just forgets every once in a while and then I hear her dancing in the background with a comment she wants to make. She just bounces from one foot to the other sighing until I ask her what is wrong then mumble the standard nothing. We eventually sort it out and the letter is better for it.
Maybe I am ranting a bit much here. I most definitely will be in the doghouse when I get home, but the truth is, without her input, the annual Christmas letter would be a short book detailing not only the events of the last year, but the emotions, and backgrounds for each event. Oh, and I would probably forget to mention how the family is doing, so there is that.
The Christmas letter is always better for her input, but writing it is a day or two of torture that we endure together (and sometimes because of each other) to keep our families informed. Currently, this years letter is at one and a half pages and I have yet to mention any event specific to a single family member, let alone how they are doing. That is just one of the tasks I have before me this night. Actually, it is pretty much the only set task I have before me tonight and I still have 5 hours to do it in. I have a feeling I will be cutting a lot out of this years letter. Better to cut things out than to have to add more. If you want one of our Christmas letters this year (and you didn't get one last year) or you have changed your address since the last card, leave your email in the comments so I can contact you to get your address.
Well, that is the post for tonight. Thank you all for reading and have a nice day.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Pianos, practice, and regret.
Good news, I slept well last night..er...today. Man, being on graves really messes with your language and how you refer to the past. Anyway, while I was at work...last night, I wrote some more on my story. You can see the link to the page on the right, it's the only one there. "The Cleric's Path" is its name, by the way. Now on to the meat of the post.
I have a confession to make. I started typing this post and actually had a large amount written. It started off as a legitimate complaint I had and turned into a rant on welfare. I won't mention anything else on it, because you deserve better. Instead I think I will take a break while I clear my mind and come up with a better topic.
OK, Got it. While surfing the net, I found an incredible set of videos. They are on YouTube. They are made by a group called "The Piano Guys." I just spent 3 hours enthralled by them. As you probably guessed, there is piano playing involved. The thing that makes it really great (other than the fact that the piano is player is really awesome) is the fact that they don't just play known music, they put their own twist to it and make it better. Oh, and the second member of the group plays the cello, and makes it cool. Definitely worth checking out.
That was just an intro, you see, it got me to thinking. I used to take piano lessons. I quit when I was a teenager and was going through that period where I couldn't believe I wasn't the center of the universe. The fact is I wanted to write music and felt that I knew enough to do it on my own and that I didn't need to practice stuff other people wrote. So, now I can slowly plunk out tunes and read a little bit of music and have one song I made up that I play over and over and over (just ask the wife). So that leads me to the "thought provoking" question of the day. What is the one thing (you can have more if you really want to, like I could stop you) that you regret quitting or giving up? We all have something we either did as a kid or were made to learn that we quit as soon as we were able. A secondary question might be, what did we start that we wish we hadn't, but I won't go there.
That's all for today. Thank you for reading and have a great day.
I have a confession to make. I started typing this post and actually had a large amount written. It started off as a legitimate complaint I had and turned into a rant on welfare. I won't mention anything else on it, because you deserve better. Instead I think I will take a break while I clear my mind and come up with a better topic.
OK, Got it. While surfing the net, I found an incredible set of videos. They are on YouTube. They are made by a group called "The Piano Guys." I just spent 3 hours enthralled by them. As you probably guessed, there is piano playing involved. The thing that makes it really great (other than the fact that the piano is player is really awesome) is the fact that they don't just play known music, they put their own twist to it and make it better. Oh, and the second member of the group plays the cello, and makes it cool. Definitely worth checking out.
That was just an intro, you see, it got me to thinking. I used to take piano lessons. I quit when I was a teenager and was going through that period where I couldn't believe I wasn't the center of the universe. The fact is I wanted to write music and felt that I knew enough to do it on my own and that I didn't need to practice stuff other people wrote. So, now I can slowly plunk out tunes and read a little bit of music and have one song I made up that I play over and over and over (just ask the wife). So that leads me to the "thought provoking" question of the day. What is the one thing (you can have more if you really want to, like I could stop you) that you regret quitting or giving up? We all have something we either did as a kid or were made to learn that we quit as soon as we were able. A secondary question might be, what did we start that we wish we hadn't, but I won't go there.
That's all for today. Thank you for reading and have a great day.
Monday, December 5, 2011
More overtime and I am still tired.
Yet another great show! And, yes, I am at work...again. So much to do and so little time to do it. maybe I can get some other things done. Then again, maybe I will just surf the web until I figure out what I am getting my wife for Christmas. Who knows, maybe I'll just take a nap. The sad thing is, I probably could and no one would care. I am so tired right now that I can't keep a single thought going long enough to write it down. How I typed this much I'll never know. Hopefully, I am more coherent tomorrow and I can actually complete a decent blog entry. The other side is that when I get tired I tend to ramble on things and I end up saying things I probably shouldn't and might regret later. With that in mind I will end this for tonight. Thank you for reading and have a great day.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Bonus post: Overtime and more.
Bonus post! Gotta love having to work overtime. I understand the idea that as a member of the military I am to follow orders, but when you are directed to do something that ruins whatever plans you might have had while on shore duty, common sense would say some compensation is in order. While it may be true that I don't typically average a 40 hour work week on shore duty, that doesn't change the fact that my weekend is essentially ruined. Instead of enjoying time with my family and going to church tomorrow, I will be sleeping. Instead of sharing the bed with my wife this weekend, I get to share my feelings with you. Not that I don't enjoy sharing my feelings with you, it is just that I prefer my wife and my bed to being at work. Oh, well, guess I am just stuck with it. Besides, I am just complaining really. The fact is, the job really isn't that demanding and my bosses do allow me to take time off when I ask for it. They just want to nix the idea that we are entitled to it and I understand that. Once you let people think they are entitled to something, they stop asking for it and just start taking it.
Wow, I really went off, didn't I? Subject change! The play tonight went awesomely. I think we nailed what we missed and discovered new ways to improve. I'll get the notes tomorrow, but in all reality, I am happy with how things are going. We actually sold out for the second night. I also found out that we have one show with only 2 seats left and another with only 1 (both are next Saturday). Overall, we only have around 100 tickets left and 5 shows left to go. I almost think we should add another weekend. Then again, maybe not. I am exhausted. Between doing the show and then immediately working all night, I am not getting much sleep. It doesn't help that I naturally wake up when sunlight hits me. Thus, once I get enough sleep to make sure I don't pass out standing up, my body wakes me up. This means I am sleeping about 4 to 5 hours a day while on graves. Thankfully, god is giving me the strength.
Enough of a downer. If you haven't got your tickets to the show and you are in the area, better hurry up. thank you for reading and have a great day.
Wow, I really went off, didn't I? Subject change! The play tonight went awesomely. I think we nailed what we missed and discovered new ways to improve. I'll get the notes tomorrow, but in all reality, I am happy with how things are going. We actually sold out for the second night. I also found out that we have one show with only 2 seats left and another with only 1 (both are next Saturday). Overall, we only have around 100 tickets left and 5 shows left to go. I almost think we should add another weekend. Then again, maybe not. I am exhausted. Between doing the show and then immediately working all night, I am not getting much sleep. It doesn't help that I naturally wake up when sunlight hits me. Thus, once I get enough sleep to make sure I don't pass out standing up, my body wakes me up. This means I am sleeping about 4 to 5 hours a day while on graves. Thankfully, god is giving me the strength.
Enough of a downer. If you haven't got your tickets to the show and you are in the area, better hurry up. thank you for reading and have a great day.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Opening night: Full house and an awesome performance
Great show tonight. Lots of energy and a full house. It would have been the perfect night. Then I came to work and found out I have overtime this weekend. So, now instead of going home after Saturday and Sunday's performances, I get to go to work. Such is life and it just keeps going. It could be worse I suppose, I could work with people who aren't willing to let me show up a little bit late. At least I still get to do the show.
Well, I really don't have much else for tonight, just hope that I can get through these next couple of weekends without to much trouble. We shall see. I really need to arrange some help for the guys I do the table with so he isn't stuck doing it by himself every night. I feel so bad about it. Oh well.
Just want to give a shout out to my fellow cast members, make up and costume personnel, backstage help, and orchestra members. Great show with 6 more to make it even more awesome. Look forward to it.
Well, time for me to end this as I see I am starting to repeat myself. As always, thank you for reading and have a great day.
Well, I really don't have much else for tonight, just hope that I can get through these next couple of weekends without to much trouble. We shall see. I really need to arrange some help for the guys I do the table with so he isn't stuck doing it by himself every night. I feel so bad about it. Oh well.
Just want to give a shout out to my fellow cast members, make up and costume personnel, backstage help, and orchestra members. Great show with 6 more to make it even more awesome. Look forward to it.
Well, time for me to end this as I see I am starting to repeat myself. As always, thank you for reading and have a great day.
Notes on our first full dress rehearsal.
Wow, What a high!! That was a great rehearsal. True, there were a few minor, and I mean minor, hiccups, but nothing we can't fix for tomorrow's show. Even the audience we had was awesome. So much energy in one area. I am so looking forward to the actual show tomorrow night. The only downside is how fast I have to get out of my costume and make up to go to work. I am still buzzing from it. Now opening night jitters are a coming down the road. Bounce, bounce, bounce. Wow, what a ride!
I know I have a few minor things to work on, I missed one line and was a tad late on a cue, but otherwise, things went well. I am so amped up, I can't even think straight enough to write on anything else. Guess that's a hint that I should stop writing for tonight and let you all go. Enjoy yourself and have a great day.
I know I have a few minor things to work on, I missed one line and was a tad late on a cue, but otherwise, things went well. I am so amped up, I can't even think straight enough to write on anything else. Guess that's a hint that I should stop writing for tonight and let you all go. Enjoy yourself and have a great day.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Short and .... what was I saying?
So close and yet so far, that is how this musical is feeling right now. We are so close to having a complete show and yet it feels like we are so far away. I am nervous and a bit anxious. The bugs to work out are fewer, but we still have them. Tomorrow is essentially our first show even though we are calling it a rehearsal. We will be in full make up and costume and we will have an audience made up of all those who will be serving during the shows and thus be unable to attend as members of the audience. I guess I have just learned how to hide my nervousness. Hopefully I can work through it. I do have to give a shout out to Mr. Warbucks as he has been an inspiration and source of strength to me through out this.
On a different note, work is going well. Not much going on so I have time to catch up on some training and other work I haven't been doing. It is amazing how things tend to pile up when you aren't paying attention. For some reason I just don't get, I seem to be falling behind again. Oh well.
I think my posts will remain short for a while longer, I just can't seem to get the show out of my head. Not that I am complaining about it. It's a good thing to have in my head at this point in time. I will write as I can, but don't expect anything witty or longer for a while. As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
On a different note, work is going well. Not much going on so I have time to catch up on some training and other work I haven't been doing. It is amazing how things tend to pile up when you aren't paying attention. For some reason I just don't get, I seem to be falling behind again. Oh well.
I think my posts will remain short for a while longer, I just can't seem to get the show out of my head. Not that I am complaining about it. It's a good thing to have in my head at this point in time. I will write as I can, but don't expect anything witty or longer for a while. As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Only 3 days till opening night, Uh oh.
This has been a heck of a week so far and only promises more to come. This is the final week of rehearsals for the musical and things are going slowly. The last 2 days have been less like a rehearsal and more like a drawn out test of in place systems. Granted we need the tests, but it does little for the work on the play. If all goes well, tomorrow night we should be able to run through the play in its entirety tomorrow night with lights and sound on stage with all the props for the first time. I hope it all goes well, otherwise, we could be in trouble since we have the full dress rehearsal with make up the following night and opening night the next night. Did I mention that I am a bit nervous? I hope it all goes well.
Well, I am a bit frazzled at the moment and am having trouble thinking straight (most likely due to the nerves and lines running through my head), so, for that reason, I will close this out. As always, thank you for reading and have a great day.
Well, I am a bit frazzled at the moment and am having trouble thinking straight (most likely due to the nerves and lines running through my head), so, for that reason, I will close this out. As always, thank you for reading and have a great day.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Thanksgiving: The turkey isn't just what you eat, it's what you're left with.
Wow, what a weekend. As much as I love thanksgiving, I am glad it is over. As I may have mentioned last week we had a bug going through the house. All four of my boys had it at one point in the week, but all were over it before the holiday. Thanksgiving went off pretty well, the turkey turned out all right and the boys ate decently. As of today, we have exactly 2 pieces of cherry pie left out of 4 total pies (2 pumpkin, 1 apple, and 1 cherry). In all honesty though, we had to throw one of the pumpkin pies away due to mold (I forgot to put it in the fridge). My wife got sick Friday and was down all day. She was mostly over it on Saturday, which was a good thing, because the kids had gone insane by that time and needed to get out of the house.
With the sickness going around and the holiday, we realized they had only left the house 1 day the entire week. This meant that by Friday, they had had enough of each other and were bound and determined to kill each other one way or another. So Saturday morning, we took them to Toys-R-Us, gave them each notebooks (I took notes for the toddler), and told them they could write down whatever they wanted for Christmas. They took a couple of hours going through the aisles writing down toys they wanted and now mom and dad have a long list to go shopping with.
After that, we took them to eat at McDonald's, mainly because they have a playground there and it is cheap. We let them go wild for about an hour then took them home. Apparently, that wasn't enough because within 5 minutes, they were at each other again. It didn't stop until late Sunday night, when we finally sent them to bed. By then, both mom and dad were worn out. So as I said, what a weekend.
Thankfully today was a school day and they all felt well enough to go to school. I got to make sugar cookies with my youngest and made about 7 dozen so all in all it was a good thing.
Well that's about it for today. Have a great day and remember kids, the day is only cloudy if you look at the sky. OK, that didn't make any sense to me either, but it is what it is.
With the sickness going around and the holiday, we realized they had only left the house 1 day the entire week. This meant that by Friday, they had had enough of each other and were bound and determined to kill each other one way or another. So Saturday morning, we took them to Toys-R-Us, gave them each notebooks (I took notes for the toddler), and told them they could write down whatever they wanted for Christmas. They took a couple of hours going through the aisles writing down toys they wanted and now mom and dad have a long list to go shopping with.
After that, we took them to eat at McDonald's, mainly because they have a playground there and it is cheap. We let them go wild for about an hour then took them home. Apparently, that wasn't enough because within 5 minutes, they were at each other again. It didn't stop until late Sunday night, when we finally sent them to bed. By then, both mom and dad were worn out. So as I said, what a weekend.
Thankfully today was a school day and they all felt well enough to go to school. I got to make sugar cookies with my youngest and made about 7 dozen so all in all it was a good thing.
Well that's about it for today. Have a great day and remember kids, the day is only cloudy if you look at the sky. OK, that didn't make any sense to me either, but it is what it is.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Thanksgiving Week: Thank God you guys read this stuff.
What are you reading this for?! It's Thanksgiving! Go spend some time with your family stuffing your face, watching TV and maybe playing a few games. Sheesh.
Since you are here, I may as well finish what I started with my final Thank you for this Thanksgiving week. But I think instead of saying thank you or telling you something I am thankful for, I am going to instead issue a challenge. As you go through this day, I want you to dig deep and think of a single defining event that you are thankful for. I could be good or bad, it just has to be something that is a defining moment. One of those moments that you look at and realize that without that event, nothing you have today could be.
Something you maybe needed to happen to set you up for today. Maybe it taught you an important lesson that lingers with you and shapes nearly every decision you make. Maybe it brought a person into your life that changed how you lived it and is still bringing about these changes. Maybe it is an event so simple that you are astounded in just how much it has influenced who and where you are. Maybe it was a moment of stupidity, or maybe a moment of genius. Just dwell on it and you may be surprised what your mind brings up.
I am not asking you to share it, although you may if you so choose. This is just something I think can be a real help to you in finding who you are. This shouldn't be easy. It shouldn't be something that is on the top of your head. This is something so deep in you that you have nearly forgotten it. Granted it may be something you think of often, but you probably won't recognize it as the life changer it became. I only say this because as I was typing this I had a dozen thoughts go through my head. I discarded each one as I found an event before it that led to that event.
First I jumped to my marriage, but I realized that without my early entrance to the military it would never have happened. Then I realized that my entrance into the military would never have happened had I not been where I was. As I traced back this thread, I found my defining moment to be something that occurred before I started school. Back to something I had little recollection of. You see, when I was born, my father was a dairy farmer in southern Iowa. I see the surprise in some of your eyes, since most of you only know him as a plumber and electrician. It's true. He owned a dairy farm in Ringgold county Iowa. He had a sawmill on this farm as well. My memories of the farm are very vague. I only really remember a white house and a big bulldozer. The defining moment came when I was about 3. That year, dad went bankrupt. As I said, this is all something I pieced together from conversations with dad and other things I have read. The bankruptcy lead dad to move to Nevinville, Iowa and take up plumbing and electrical work to pay the bills. Due to dad's business and the needs of the family, it lead him to move us 2 more times, the final move to Shannon City, Iowa and the East Union School District when I was in second grade.
Why do I call that my defining moment? My entire life hinges on it. Without that moment, I would have grown up a dairy farmer and sawmill operator, thus I never would have learned all I did about plumbing and electrical from my father. My wife would never have met my sister in junior high and thus would never have known me. I might never have been disillusioned by the church I grew up in and thus not had the experiences I did, not all of which were good, but all of which contributed to my understanding and have since strengthened my faith. I can't begin to list all the other things that hinge on this one event. I am sure it was painful to my father when it happened and I know it couldn't have been easy, but I am thankful for it as it is key to who I am and what I have become. Maybe I went back to far, but this is what I came up with over the past thirty minutes while I wrote this. I am not done thinking on it and maybe I will add to it later, or maybe not. But it does beg the question, how much of our lives is based on stuff we can't even comprehend when it occurs?
What about you? What is your event? Think on it and thank God for it. Maybe you'll find something you haven't thought of for years.
Have a happy Thanksgiving and let everyone around you know just how thankful you are for their influence in you life. Thank you all for reading this, knowing you read it is what allows me to keep writing.
Since you are here, I may as well finish what I started with my final Thank you for this Thanksgiving week. But I think instead of saying thank you or telling you something I am thankful for, I am going to instead issue a challenge. As you go through this day, I want you to dig deep and think of a single defining event that you are thankful for. I could be good or bad, it just has to be something that is a defining moment. One of those moments that you look at and realize that without that event, nothing you have today could be.
Something you maybe needed to happen to set you up for today. Maybe it taught you an important lesson that lingers with you and shapes nearly every decision you make. Maybe it brought a person into your life that changed how you lived it and is still bringing about these changes. Maybe it is an event so simple that you are astounded in just how much it has influenced who and where you are. Maybe it was a moment of stupidity, or maybe a moment of genius. Just dwell on it and you may be surprised what your mind brings up.
I am not asking you to share it, although you may if you so choose. This is just something I think can be a real help to you in finding who you are. This shouldn't be easy. It shouldn't be something that is on the top of your head. This is something so deep in you that you have nearly forgotten it. Granted it may be something you think of often, but you probably won't recognize it as the life changer it became. I only say this because as I was typing this I had a dozen thoughts go through my head. I discarded each one as I found an event before it that led to that event.
First I jumped to my marriage, but I realized that without my early entrance to the military it would never have happened. Then I realized that my entrance into the military would never have happened had I not been where I was. As I traced back this thread, I found my defining moment to be something that occurred before I started school. Back to something I had little recollection of. You see, when I was born, my father was a dairy farmer in southern Iowa. I see the surprise in some of your eyes, since most of you only know him as a plumber and electrician. It's true. He owned a dairy farm in Ringgold county Iowa. He had a sawmill on this farm as well. My memories of the farm are very vague. I only really remember a white house and a big bulldozer. The defining moment came when I was about 3. That year, dad went bankrupt. As I said, this is all something I pieced together from conversations with dad and other things I have read. The bankruptcy lead dad to move to Nevinville, Iowa and take up plumbing and electrical work to pay the bills. Due to dad's business and the needs of the family, it lead him to move us 2 more times, the final move to Shannon City, Iowa and the East Union School District when I was in second grade.
Why do I call that my defining moment? My entire life hinges on it. Without that moment, I would have grown up a dairy farmer and sawmill operator, thus I never would have learned all I did about plumbing and electrical from my father. My wife would never have met my sister in junior high and thus would never have known me. I might never have been disillusioned by the church I grew up in and thus not had the experiences I did, not all of which were good, but all of which contributed to my understanding and have since strengthened my faith. I can't begin to list all the other things that hinge on this one event. I am sure it was painful to my father when it happened and I know it couldn't have been easy, but I am thankful for it as it is key to who I am and what I have become. Maybe I went back to far, but this is what I came up with over the past thirty minutes while I wrote this. I am not done thinking on it and maybe I will add to it later, or maybe not. But it does beg the question, how much of our lives is based on stuff we can't even comprehend when it occurs?
What about you? What is your event? Think on it and thank God for it. Maybe you'll find something you haven't thought of for years.
Have a happy Thanksgiving and let everyone around you know just how thankful you are for their influence in you life. Thank you all for reading this, knowing you read it is what allows me to keep writing.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thanksgiving Week: Thank God for my Wife!
Yes, it is Thanksgiving week and I am continuing the theme. I know I said I wouldn't, but I can't help it. I have to say just how thankful I am for my wife. She told me she read my blog and then she informed me that it was definitely me. I have been married long enough to realize that responding, "who else would it have been?" would have been a bad idea and so I let the opportunity pass. The strange thing is, I know she would have just chuckled, OK, maybe not chuckled, more likely she would have given me that smirk she has; either way she would have laughed it off to a certain degree. She gets me (most of the time) which is a good thing. Even when no one else does, she is there to lean over and whisper in my ear, "say you're sorry and try something different." The other phrase she gets good at is, "I don't think I am the only one that didn't get it." She is usually right. The really sad part of that is that usually I didn't get it either. It's pretty bad when your wife gets something you didn't and you are the one that said it. It has happened to me (not that I admit it).
She not only gets me, she understands what I mean when I say, "I am normal, for me." It takes someone really talented (or really insane) to put up with me for so long. She is definitely the anchor that keeps me from drifting into the reef with the stranger tides. Take the time I told her I could relate to jack sparrow and understood where he was coming from, she simply said, "I know."
There are times that I wonder why she doesn't laugh at one of my jokes, then I realize she smiled even though I had used that joke at least a hundred times before. You may think I am kidding, but I have literally used some of my jokes that much. I forget that they aren't original and use them. It isn't until my wife rolls her eyes and sighs that I realize what I have done. At least she doesn't get mad.
She is also the kind of lady that won't let go of something she is right about until I admit it. I can be stubborn too, but when she gets that look in her eye, I tend to surrender and she is usually right. Usually it is about money. Usually because I want to spend it and she doesn't. I guess that is why we can afford to have what we have. I love her for it and am so thankful she is in my life. I am really good at convincing myself that a want is a need that I can be real stubborn about it. Thankfully she is patient with me and can usually convince me how wrong I am. the wonderful thing is, she knows just how often to let me have that want. Often enough to keep my hopes up and keep me happy, but not so often that I break the bank.
She is also a wonderful mother. I think that she knows more about our boys than I do. Which is fine since she is with them more than I am (as much as I would like that to be different). I couldn't do it without her.
I could go on and on, but I can already feel her face turning red. It does turn a lovely shade of red when she is embarrassed (so does my shoulder if I embarrass her to much, but that is besides the point). I couldn't live without her and that is all that there really is to say. I am so thankful for her. So thank you dear.
Have a great day. Only one more post for this week so see you then.
She not only gets me, she understands what I mean when I say, "I am normal, for me." It takes someone really talented (or really insane) to put up with me for so long. She is definitely the anchor that keeps me from drifting into the reef with the stranger tides. Take the time I told her I could relate to jack sparrow and understood where he was coming from, she simply said, "I know."
There are times that I wonder why she doesn't laugh at one of my jokes, then I realize she smiled even though I had used that joke at least a hundred times before. You may think I am kidding, but I have literally used some of my jokes that much. I forget that they aren't original and use them. It isn't until my wife rolls her eyes and sighs that I realize what I have done. At least she doesn't get mad.
She is also the kind of lady that won't let go of something she is right about until I admit it. I can be stubborn too, but when she gets that look in her eye, I tend to surrender and she is usually right. Usually it is about money. Usually because I want to spend it and she doesn't. I guess that is why we can afford to have what we have. I love her for it and am so thankful she is in my life. I am really good at convincing myself that a want is a need that I can be real stubborn about it. Thankfully she is patient with me and can usually convince me how wrong I am. the wonderful thing is, she knows just how often to let me have that want. Often enough to keep my hopes up and keep me happy, but not so often that I break the bank.
She is also a wonderful mother. I think that she knows more about our boys than I do. Which is fine since she is with them more than I am (as much as I would like that to be different). I couldn't do it without her.
I could go on and on, but I can already feel her face turning red. It does turn a lovely shade of red when she is embarrassed (so does my shoulder if I embarrass her to much, but that is besides the point). I couldn't live without her and that is all that there really is to say. I am so thankful for her. So thank you dear.
Have a great day. Only one more post for this week so see you then.
Thanksgiving week: Thank God I am Weird.
It's Thanksgiving week and thus I thought a theme is in order. I almost went against the grain and picked a theme that wasn't "what I am thankful for," but fate intervened and left my mind blank on alternate themes. Thus it is that I give you, "What I am Thankful For" week. Don't you just love how original I am (Please note the sarcasm dripping off that last statement). To continue, please enjoy this post.
As you may have guessed, I like to go away from the usual and tend to go for the, shall we say, less normal avenues. So, while I am thankful for all the usual stuff, wife, kids, health, family, etc., I am going to delve into some of the deeper things I am thankful for. Not to detract from that other stuff, it is all important to me, it really is, I just felt that i needed to go deeper this year and find some new stuff I am thankful for.
I think that for me, I really have to be thankful for just how odd I can be. Think about it, if I weren't a little of center, I would be "normal" and thus would probably not be writing this. If I were to write a blog (I'm not sure if blog writing is considered a normal activity or not), Firstly, the name would probably be more boring, but I would probably spend the next paragraphs detailing just why I am thankful for my wife (not that I couldn't write pages on it, I just feel that you probably wouldn't be interested. Feel free to comment if I am wrong.) The great thing about being slightly, OK, really weird, is that I can engage in thought processes that most people wouldn't touch. Granted, this may be unhealthy at times, but I find that I am much more creative that way.
Being odd isn't just something I am, it has become something I strive to pass on to my sons. I think I succeeded a little to well with my oldest, but it seems to be working out for the best. It's like I told my boys, weirdness is inherited in my family, their mom managed to get lucky and have some of it rub off on her.
I can't imagine what a "normal" life would be like. Mostly because normal to me, is boring and means being like everyone else. Sure, I try and blend in every once in a while. It tends to remind me that failure is something you need to shrug off and is usually an indication that you did something wrong. I have yet to figure out what that is, but I keep trying none the less.
If you have ever wondered what it would be like to be weird, try saying something off the wall for no reason at your next friendly gathering. If you feel weird about it, well, I hate to say it, but you're normal. Me, I say something and it isn't until people stare at me with wide eyes and mouths hanging open that I realize that I must have said something weird. Weird can't be faked (and neither can normal by the way). I think it is a good thing. It makes you stand out. I like to think it is what attracted my wife (I can't think of anything else that would so I am sticking with that until she tells me otherwise.)
Being different can be a good thing, especially if it means that you are someone others want to be like. I can't help but wonder if Einstein was considered weird. Not that I compare myself with Einstein, not even I am that egotistic. I like to think that my weirdness is a result of my genius. I'm still waiting for the genius part to show through, but that doesn't stop me. Yes, I like being weird and I am so thankful that I am. If it weren't for being weird, I'd be normal like the rest of you.
Thank you for reading. Have a great day.
As you may have guessed, I like to go away from the usual and tend to go for the, shall we say, less normal avenues. So, while I am thankful for all the usual stuff, wife, kids, health, family, etc., I am going to delve into some of the deeper things I am thankful for. Not to detract from that other stuff, it is all important to me, it really is, I just felt that i needed to go deeper this year and find some new stuff I am thankful for.
I think that for me, I really have to be thankful for just how odd I can be. Think about it, if I weren't a little of center, I would be "normal" and thus would probably not be writing this. If I were to write a blog (I'm not sure if blog writing is considered a normal activity or not), Firstly, the name would probably be more boring, but I would probably spend the next paragraphs detailing just why I am thankful for my wife (not that I couldn't write pages on it, I just feel that you probably wouldn't be interested. Feel free to comment if I am wrong.) The great thing about being slightly, OK, really weird, is that I can engage in thought processes that most people wouldn't touch. Granted, this may be unhealthy at times, but I find that I am much more creative that way.
Being odd isn't just something I am, it has become something I strive to pass on to my sons. I think I succeeded a little to well with my oldest, but it seems to be working out for the best. It's like I told my boys, weirdness is inherited in my family, their mom managed to get lucky and have some of it rub off on her.
I can't imagine what a "normal" life would be like. Mostly because normal to me, is boring and means being like everyone else. Sure, I try and blend in every once in a while. It tends to remind me that failure is something you need to shrug off and is usually an indication that you did something wrong. I have yet to figure out what that is, but I keep trying none the less.
If you have ever wondered what it would be like to be weird, try saying something off the wall for no reason at your next friendly gathering. If you feel weird about it, well, I hate to say it, but you're normal. Me, I say something and it isn't until people stare at me with wide eyes and mouths hanging open that I realize that I must have said something weird. Weird can't be faked (and neither can normal by the way). I think it is a good thing. It makes you stand out. I like to think it is what attracted my wife (I can't think of anything else that would so I am sticking with that until she tells me otherwise.)
Being different can be a good thing, especially if it means that you are someone others want to be like. I can't help but wonder if Einstein was considered weird. Not that I compare myself with Einstein, not even I am that egotistic. I like to think that my weirdness is a result of my genius. I'm still waiting for the genius part to show through, but that doesn't stop me. Yes, I like being weird and I am so thankful that I am. If it weren't for being weird, I'd be normal like the rest of you.
Thank you for reading. Have a great day.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Last of the week.
Due to my schedule, this will be my last post for this week. I have to say that this has been an interesting day. I was allowed to go home early last night and thus woke up around 10am. Needless to say, tomorrow will be interesting as I will have to stay awake until the middle of the afternoon. Should be interesting.
Speaking of interesting things, we had proof today that the occupy wall street movement is filled with idiots. Today, they decided that since they were being ignored by the rich people, they would inconvenience everyone else. Makes sense, I mean, if you represent people, what better way to show your support than to cause a traffic jam and make sure the 99% that you represent are late to get home for dinner. Yup, that is exactly what they did. During the afternoon rush hour, they moved their protest to a heavily traveled bridge and blocked it for an hour, cause we all know that the 1% drives in rush hour traffic in uncomfortable vehicles while their family waits for them to bring home dinner. At some point, they will have to realize that they are hurting more people than they are helping. They certainly aren't putting any effort to find jobs. Amazing how the movement started at the 2 year point of the recession, almost to the day their unemployment benefits ran out. OK, I have ranted on that enough.
I am so looking forward to Saturday. We are going over act 2 again (my favorite act) and spending some time working on the musical numbers. I really need that. We are only 2 weeks away from opening night. I am so excited. My wife has our tickets and the boys are excited as well. Should be fun.
I am running out of things to talk about so I think I will end this one early tonight, I have been going long for the last couple days so I will just end this one tonight. Thank you for reading and have a great weekend.
Speaking of interesting things, we had proof today that the occupy wall street movement is filled with idiots. Today, they decided that since they were being ignored by the rich people, they would inconvenience everyone else. Makes sense, I mean, if you represent people, what better way to show your support than to cause a traffic jam and make sure the 99% that you represent are late to get home for dinner. Yup, that is exactly what they did. During the afternoon rush hour, they moved their protest to a heavily traveled bridge and blocked it for an hour, cause we all know that the 1% drives in rush hour traffic in uncomfortable vehicles while their family waits for them to bring home dinner. At some point, they will have to realize that they are hurting more people than they are helping. They certainly aren't putting any effort to find jobs. Amazing how the movement started at the 2 year point of the recession, almost to the day their unemployment benefits ran out. OK, I have ranted on that enough.
I am so looking forward to Saturday. We are going over act 2 again (my favorite act) and spending some time working on the musical numbers. I really need that. We are only 2 weeks away from opening night. I am so excited. My wife has our tickets and the boys are excited as well. Should be fun.
I am running out of things to talk about so I think I will end this one early tonight, I have been going long for the last couple days so I will just end this one tonight. Thank you for reading and have a great weekend.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
GMT: General Military Training (official), or General Misuse of Time (reality)
It is official. I go to work Thursday night as usual and then don't go home until Friday afternoon due to this annual Holiday GMT. It has to be one of the longest and most ridiculous training sessions the Navy has to offer. Allow me to give you the run down of last year's marathon of pain. It began innocently enough with 30 minutes of explaining what was going to happen and when. Then we went into Sexual assault training. It wouldn't have been so bad except that the lady giving the lecture (and it was a lecture) accused every guy in the room of rape, multiple times, over the course of an hour. The next hour wasn't any better as a different lady explained that every guy in the room was guilty of domestic violence, we just hadn't been caught yet and that if we were accused we were guilty until proven innocent. The next hour was taken up by the command anti alcohol squad explaining the perils of drinking and what was available to all of us addicts out there to help us find a cure. Little did we know that this was just a fore shadowing of what was to come. We got released for a one hour lunch (which is kinda hard to do when 300 people simultaneously assault the 4 food joints within striking distance).
When we got back the CO talked to us about what was going on and his thoughts for the next 45 minutes. This was then followed by the most annoying 3 hours of the day. It began with a Sheriff's department representative who, over the course of an hour, explained the DUI laws and gave about 4 stories of drunk driving cases that ended tragically along with graphic photos (just the thing to see right after a greasy meal).
Next up was what we here in the office call simply "creepy lady." To be fair, this lady lost her son to a drunk driver. What got to us, wasn't the fact that she talked for an hour about him and the incident, it was the fact that through out the story and lecture, she stood there petting a tennis shoe. It wasn't until the end of the lecture that we discovered that the shoe had belonged to her son, just to make sure we were thoroughly creeped out.
We had now sat through 2 hours of drunk driving stories given by people who thought the best way to convince a bunch of sailors not to drink and drive was to either gross them out or try and make them cry. And then..., we got Handy Al. I don't think that is really his name, I just remember this guy in a wheel chair with no legs and one arm that pointed out that a ball cap with those clapping hands on it was his handy cap. Anyway, he spent the next hour explaining just how much of a drunk and druggie he had been and the drunk driving (yes a 3rd hour of anti-DUI lectures) incident that took his legs and arm. It probably would have been moving and interesting except for the fact that it was well into the afternoon, we were tired of being called drunken wife beating rapists, and that the room was now hot and filled with the smell of sweat, farts, and McDonald's. In other words, we just wanted to go home. To bad we still had an hour of Don't Ask, Don't Tell training that was about as informative as a blank piece of paper. This is the time of day that a smart person remains quiet when the lecturer asks, "are there any questions?" To bad there were a bunch of idiots in the room. So, yes, it was extended for another 30 minutes as people had to ask questions that had already been answered or couldn't be answered.
All I got to say is, "I hope it goes better this year." At least there won't be a DADT lecture at the end and hopefully they learned from last year that 4 hours of anti-DUI training was a bit excessive. I doubt it, but I can hope.
Well, thanks for letting me vent and reading my blog. Have a great day and yadda, yadda, yadda.
When we got back the CO talked to us about what was going on and his thoughts for the next 45 minutes. This was then followed by the most annoying 3 hours of the day. It began with a Sheriff's department representative who, over the course of an hour, explained the DUI laws and gave about 4 stories of drunk driving cases that ended tragically along with graphic photos (just the thing to see right after a greasy meal).
Next up was what we here in the office call simply "creepy lady." To be fair, this lady lost her son to a drunk driver. What got to us, wasn't the fact that she talked for an hour about him and the incident, it was the fact that through out the story and lecture, she stood there petting a tennis shoe. It wasn't until the end of the lecture that we discovered that the shoe had belonged to her son, just to make sure we were thoroughly creeped out.
We had now sat through 2 hours of drunk driving stories given by people who thought the best way to convince a bunch of sailors not to drink and drive was to either gross them out or try and make them cry. And then..., we got Handy Al. I don't think that is really his name, I just remember this guy in a wheel chair with no legs and one arm that pointed out that a ball cap with those clapping hands on it was his handy cap. Anyway, he spent the next hour explaining just how much of a drunk and druggie he had been and the drunk driving (yes a 3rd hour of anti-DUI lectures) incident that took his legs and arm. It probably would have been moving and interesting except for the fact that it was well into the afternoon, we were tired of being called drunken wife beating rapists, and that the room was now hot and filled with the smell of sweat, farts, and McDonald's. In other words, we just wanted to go home. To bad we still had an hour of Don't Ask, Don't Tell training that was about as informative as a blank piece of paper. This is the time of day that a smart person remains quiet when the lecturer asks, "are there any questions?" To bad there were a bunch of idiots in the room. So, yes, it was extended for another 30 minutes as people had to ask questions that had already been answered or couldn't be answered.
All I got to say is, "I hope it goes better this year." At least there won't be a DADT lecture at the end and hopefully they learned from last year that 4 hours of anti-DUI training was a bit excessive. I doubt it, but I can hope.
Well, thanks for letting me vent and reading my blog. Have a great day and yadda, yadda, yadda.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Weekly Update
Things are getting interesting now as the holidays approach. We are just 17 days from opening night on the play and rehearsals are getting intense. There is so much I have to do and so much we need to do that it has become a grand scramble to iron out the wrinkles and get the final touches done. I am so looking forward to the final show. Actually, I am looking forward to when I can actually get sleep at night. That won't happen regularly until January though.
To make things even more interesting, there is a safety stand down this week which means I will end up odd shifting one day so that I can go. I find out tomorrow whether this means I go after being on grave shift all night, or whether I have to go back to work for grave shift after spending all day in the stand down. Either way, I am not looking forward to it. I really don't know which would be worse, getting a night off then having to spend all day in a theater being bored and going in that night or trying to stay awake after being up all night. I kinda think the second would be better since I have to go on a Friday. We'll see what happens.
Other than all that, things are going well. I spent some time talking with my brother in law the other day and am glad that he is doing well. He is flying to my home town to spend Thanksgiving with my sister. That should be a blessing. And I am looking forward to Thanksgiving as well. Since I will be working graves the night before Thanksgiving, we have decided to celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday so my wife doesn't have cook Thanksgiving dinner while I sleep and she can actually enjoy her games. Should be fun all around.
I am out of things to say tonight. Hope you all have a wonderful day and find yourselves blessed these holidays. Have a great day.
To make things even more interesting, there is a safety stand down this week which means I will end up odd shifting one day so that I can go. I find out tomorrow whether this means I go after being on grave shift all night, or whether I have to go back to work for grave shift after spending all day in the stand down. Either way, I am not looking forward to it. I really don't know which would be worse, getting a night off then having to spend all day in a theater being bored and going in that night or trying to stay awake after being up all night. I kinda think the second would be better since I have to go on a Friday. We'll see what happens.
Other than all that, things are going well. I spent some time talking with my brother in law the other day and am glad that he is doing well. He is flying to my home town to spend Thanksgiving with my sister. That should be a blessing. And I am looking forward to Thanksgiving as well. Since I will be working graves the night before Thanksgiving, we have decided to celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday so my wife doesn't have cook Thanksgiving dinner while I sleep and she can actually enjoy her games. Should be fun all around.
I am out of things to say tonight. Hope you all have a wonderful day and find yourselves blessed these holidays. Have a great day.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Challenges of Faith
Today's post is directed at my fellow believers. While it should come as no surprise that I am a Christian (at least I hope it isn't a surprise), this post is not meant to push you away. It is just something that I felt the need to say. I gave that warning so that those of you who have decided that "all things God are wrong" and get angry at the mere mention of religion can be aware of what this post contains. I would encourage you to read it, but I don't expect it. It is your choice and one I respect. Thank you for following my blog. I hope this doesn't chase you away from it. Have a great day. For the rest of you, please read on.
Things are always the most interesting when you challenge God. Just a quick hint, God wins...always. You may think you are winning and that you have proven him wrong, but you need to remember that he knows just how big a fall it takes to bring you to him. Some of us only need to stub our toe, while others require getting a bit closer to meeting him in person. Some think that just because God doesn't answer immediately, he isn't going to. All you have to remember is, God's schedule and your schedule are not necessarily the same. God has eternity, you don't.
I always find it funny when my wife gets angry at shows that contradict her beliefs. At least until I realize that a lot of people are like that. Of all the things I have learned from the bible, the lesson I find the most interesting is the lesson of patience with others. Take James, Jesus's brother, for instance. James refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. What makes this so amazing is that, of all the people in the world at the time, James knew more about him than anyone. Yet he refused to believe. We don't know why, it isn't really pointed out. It took Jesus's resurrection to convince him. What this means to me is that God will reveal what he needs to to those that need it when they need it and until that time, they will refuse to believe. I have to think that of all the people to disbelieve in Jesus, James hurt the most, and yet God was patient. He knew that once James witnessed the resurrection, that he would realize the truth and become the leader he needed to be.
It is the same today. We have to have patience with other people's beliefs. they just haven't been properly introduced to God. I am not saying that they need to be physically introduced, that is extreme. I am saying that we have to have patience and introduce God to them by showcasing what he has done for us. We have to live in a way that stands out. If you are blending in and keeping your head down, you are probably not living as Christ wants you to live. To live as a Christian is to be fundamentally different. When you make a decision based on your faith, you have to call it that, you can't blame it on your schedule or on your wife. The best example I can come up with is a topless club. If a guy asks you to go and you respond with any excuse other than "I believe that is wrong and I refuse to go there," you are being dishonest with the person who asked you and your faith. That is the hardest thing for you to do, live in your faith and by what you know is right in a society that redirects the norms toward the immoral.
I think the biggest mistake that we as Christians make, is to try and push our beliefs and morals on others through laws and extremist actions. What I am saying is that, we have to live with in the society and prove that our way is better by living it, not by beating others with it. There are some things we do need to take a stand on and share our beliefs. There are somethings we need to help direct laws towards, particularly when it comes to our children. If something can adversely affect our children and how we raise them, then by all means we need to ensure we push laws to protect them. Otherwise, we end up driving more people away from the faith than towards it.
While we may be passionate about something, we have to be able to argue for our beliefs to the public without basing our arguments on our faith. While it may be true that our faith is what drives our arguments, today's society has decided that anything faith based is wrong. What this means is that the instant you mention your faith in an argument, you have lost against a non believer, because at that moment, they have decided you are a religious nut and thus everything you say is based on your beliefs and not rooted in fact. Regardless of whether or not it is true, that is what they believe. I know, because I was one of them for many years. "The bible says it? Then it is a useless argument, no further action required. Negate all previous comments." That is the modern mantra and what I followed until I started looking at the facts. God brought me around by logic and truth. Although the bible was involved, it wasn't what ultimately brought me back to God, it was examples set by other Christians through actions and logic.
The interesting thing in all of this is that I have yet to find a single belief and moral direction in the bible that you can't argue without mentioning the bible. What I mean is that you can convince nearly anyone that what the bible directs is right and needs to be done without mentioning the bible or God in any way. Then when you convince them of the biblical standard (without using the bible) you get to see the look on their face when you reveal your source.
I guess through all this, the main theme is, live your life through faith to the best of your ability and god will take care of you and the rest. People will judge you on your actions, even if they ignore or dismiss your words. I believe that your words support your actions, not the other way around. Actions will always reveal the truth eventually. You may be real good at hiding that little vice you have, but I guarantee, at some point, someone will discover it and your actions will reveal the truth, or falsehood, of your words.
Thank you for reading. I know that this won't change a lot of minds, but it is what I think needs to be said. Have a great day.
Things are always the most interesting when you challenge God. Just a quick hint, God wins...always. You may think you are winning and that you have proven him wrong, but you need to remember that he knows just how big a fall it takes to bring you to him. Some of us only need to stub our toe, while others require getting a bit closer to meeting him in person. Some think that just because God doesn't answer immediately, he isn't going to. All you have to remember is, God's schedule and your schedule are not necessarily the same. God has eternity, you don't.
I always find it funny when my wife gets angry at shows that contradict her beliefs. At least until I realize that a lot of people are like that. Of all the things I have learned from the bible, the lesson I find the most interesting is the lesson of patience with others. Take James, Jesus's brother, for instance. James refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. What makes this so amazing is that, of all the people in the world at the time, James knew more about him than anyone. Yet he refused to believe. We don't know why, it isn't really pointed out. It took Jesus's resurrection to convince him. What this means to me is that God will reveal what he needs to to those that need it when they need it and until that time, they will refuse to believe. I have to think that of all the people to disbelieve in Jesus, James hurt the most, and yet God was patient. He knew that once James witnessed the resurrection, that he would realize the truth and become the leader he needed to be.
It is the same today. We have to have patience with other people's beliefs. they just haven't been properly introduced to God. I am not saying that they need to be physically introduced, that is extreme. I am saying that we have to have patience and introduce God to them by showcasing what he has done for us. We have to live in a way that stands out. If you are blending in and keeping your head down, you are probably not living as Christ wants you to live. To live as a Christian is to be fundamentally different. When you make a decision based on your faith, you have to call it that, you can't blame it on your schedule or on your wife. The best example I can come up with is a topless club. If a guy asks you to go and you respond with any excuse other than "I believe that is wrong and I refuse to go there," you are being dishonest with the person who asked you and your faith. That is the hardest thing for you to do, live in your faith and by what you know is right in a society that redirects the norms toward the immoral.
I think the biggest mistake that we as Christians make, is to try and push our beliefs and morals on others through laws and extremist actions. What I am saying is that, we have to live with in the society and prove that our way is better by living it, not by beating others with it. There are some things we do need to take a stand on and share our beliefs. There are somethings we need to help direct laws towards, particularly when it comes to our children. If something can adversely affect our children and how we raise them, then by all means we need to ensure we push laws to protect them. Otherwise, we end up driving more people away from the faith than towards it.
While we may be passionate about something, we have to be able to argue for our beliefs to the public without basing our arguments on our faith. While it may be true that our faith is what drives our arguments, today's society has decided that anything faith based is wrong. What this means is that the instant you mention your faith in an argument, you have lost against a non believer, because at that moment, they have decided you are a religious nut and thus everything you say is based on your beliefs and not rooted in fact. Regardless of whether or not it is true, that is what they believe. I know, because I was one of them for many years. "The bible says it? Then it is a useless argument, no further action required. Negate all previous comments." That is the modern mantra and what I followed until I started looking at the facts. God brought me around by logic and truth. Although the bible was involved, it wasn't what ultimately brought me back to God, it was examples set by other Christians through actions and logic.
The interesting thing in all of this is that I have yet to find a single belief and moral direction in the bible that you can't argue without mentioning the bible. What I mean is that you can convince nearly anyone that what the bible directs is right and needs to be done without mentioning the bible or God in any way. Then when you convince them of the biblical standard (without using the bible) you get to see the look on their face when you reveal your source.
I guess through all this, the main theme is, live your life through faith to the best of your ability and god will take care of you and the rest. People will judge you on your actions, even if they ignore or dismiss your words. I believe that your words support your actions, not the other way around. Actions will always reveal the truth eventually. You may be real good at hiding that little vice you have, but I guarantee, at some point, someone will discover it and your actions will reveal the truth, or falsehood, of your words.
Thank you for reading. I know that this won't change a lot of minds, but it is what I think needs to be said. Have a great day.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Living on autopilot.
Tonight on the way home from AWANA, I witnessed the weirdest thing. As we were pulling up to a stop light, an ambulance went through the intersection with lights flashing and siren wailing. Before it even cleared the intersection a Fire engine came up to the intersection with its lights flashing and siren wailing. As the Ambulance went straight across the intersection, the Fire Engine slowed and made a right hand turn (which happened to be the direction we were going). The wife and I thought it was weird and speculated that there might be 2 emergencies occurring simultaneously in 2 different areas. As we approached the next stop light, we saw the Fire Engine make a U-turn (it was a divided road) and head back the way it went. It was at this point that we realized that the Fire Engine had made a wrong turn (there was nothing between the stop lights that would have needed a Fire Engine).
This got me to thinking. What is it about us guys that makes us do dumb things? Take the previous for example. You have to wonder whether the driver thought he knew a shortcut, got a bad address and thought the Ambulance driver was wrong, or if he just got distracted and made the turn he makes every day on his way home from work (autopilot).
The first one is something we men do as a matter of course. Think about it. How often have you heard some guy tell you that he "knows a better" way. We all do it. Maybe it's when we are driving, or maybe it's when we are doing some mundane task at home. We do it for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, it is just because we think we can shave a few seconds off the trip and sometimes it is just because you said we couldn't. I never said it made any sense, it just happens. I can't think of anything we can't make into a competition. The dumber the better. And we hate to lose. That is what us guys call a hint. Let us win every once in a while. The odds are that we are right every once in a while. The more often you let us know that we were right, the less we feel the need to tell you about it.
The second kinda ties in with the first. We can't always be right and if we have bad information, we tend to be wrong more often. Depending on the source of the information, we tend to think others are wrong if they contradict us (note that we may think you are wrong just for contradicting us regardless of the source, it's just the way we are.) Because of this fault, if we misinterpret or just plain miss part of what is said, we will continue to act on the previous information until we have better information on hand.
The third excuse, while inexcusable in this situation, is all to common. If there is a route or action that we take daily, we tend to do that action automatically. I know that you women do this to, I have seen my wife do it way to often. Say we are driving to a store that is on the same route we take to work everyday, the only difference is that we turn off one exit earlier. As we near the exit, instead of reminding us that we are exiting here, you start talking about how things are going at home. you just changed our train of thought from "don't miss this exit" to "yes, dear, that's great/sad/bad/etc." We have now engaged the autopilot because heaven knows we can't maintain more than one train of thought on our tracks. It isn't until after we are past the exit and well on the way to work that you casually mention that we missed the exit. Yes, we know, it is our fault, we were driving after all. We understand that you thought we knew where we were going. We did, you put us on autopilot and autopilot said this was the way to work, so we must be going to work. The same happens on the way home. Next time you are out with your guy and he's driving, ask him what the color of the stop light was when you are a block or two past it, I'll bet he can't tell you and that he starts to panic that he just ran a red light. It was green when we went through it and thus we dismissed it since it held no special meaning. We didn't have to stop and that was all we cared about. This is especially true if we are on a route we drive every day. As long as we are doing what we normally do, we don't really remember any of it. We did it right, we just didn't bother to waste the memory on it.
I think a lot of men go through life on autopilot. If you think your guy is ignoring you, he may just be on autopilot. It isn't his fault, really. It's just the way we are. If we do something repeatedly, we tend to find the most efficient means to do it and do it that way from then on. Once we get stuck in a pattern, we have to work to change it. This means that if you get comfortably into a schedule with your guy, you are well on your way, if you aren't there already, to putting your guy on autopilot. Once we are on autopilot, we don't remember anything. Why waste the memory on something that means nothing. Change it up, make it mean something. If he can't remember what was said or done, make sure he wasn't on autopilot.
Have a great day and remember, just because we are responding, it doesn't mean we didn't engage the autopilot an hour ago.
This got me to thinking. What is it about us guys that makes us do dumb things? Take the previous for example. You have to wonder whether the driver thought he knew a shortcut, got a bad address and thought the Ambulance driver was wrong, or if he just got distracted and made the turn he makes every day on his way home from work (autopilot).
The first one is something we men do as a matter of course. Think about it. How often have you heard some guy tell you that he "knows a better" way. We all do it. Maybe it's when we are driving, or maybe it's when we are doing some mundane task at home. We do it for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, it is just because we think we can shave a few seconds off the trip and sometimes it is just because you said we couldn't. I never said it made any sense, it just happens. I can't think of anything we can't make into a competition. The dumber the better. And we hate to lose. That is what us guys call a hint. Let us win every once in a while. The odds are that we are right every once in a while. The more often you let us know that we were right, the less we feel the need to tell you about it.
The second kinda ties in with the first. We can't always be right and if we have bad information, we tend to be wrong more often. Depending on the source of the information, we tend to think others are wrong if they contradict us (note that we may think you are wrong just for contradicting us regardless of the source, it's just the way we are.) Because of this fault, if we misinterpret or just plain miss part of what is said, we will continue to act on the previous information until we have better information on hand.
The third excuse, while inexcusable in this situation, is all to common. If there is a route or action that we take daily, we tend to do that action automatically. I know that you women do this to, I have seen my wife do it way to often. Say we are driving to a store that is on the same route we take to work everyday, the only difference is that we turn off one exit earlier. As we near the exit, instead of reminding us that we are exiting here, you start talking about how things are going at home. you just changed our train of thought from "don't miss this exit" to "yes, dear, that's great/sad/bad/etc." We have now engaged the autopilot because heaven knows we can't maintain more than one train of thought on our tracks. It isn't until after we are past the exit and well on the way to work that you casually mention that we missed the exit. Yes, we know, it is our fault, we were driving after all. We understand that you thought we knew where we were going. We did, you put us on autopilot and autopilot said this was the way to work, so we must be going to work. The same happens on the way home. Next time you are out with your guy and he's driving, ask him what the color of the stop light was when you are a block or two past it, I'll bet he can't tell you and that he starts to panic that he just ran a red light. It was green when we went through it and thus we dismissed it since it held no special meaning. We didn't have to stop and that was all we cared about. This is especially true if we are on a route we drive every day. As long as we are doing what we normally do, we don't really remember any of it. We did it right, we just didn't bother to waste the memory on it.
I think a lot of men go through life on autopilot. If you think your guy is ignoring you, he may just be on autopilot. It isn't his fault, really. It's just the way we are. If we do something repeatedly, we tend to find the most efficient means to do it and do it that way from then on. Once we get stuck in a pattern, we have to work to change it. This means that if you get comfortably into a schedule with your guy, you are well on your way, if you aren't there already, to putting your guy on autopilot. Once we are on autopilot, we don't remember anything. Why waste the memory on something that means nothing. Change it up, make it mean something. If he can't remember what was said or done, make sure he wasn't on autopilot.
Have a great day and remember, just because we are responding, it doesn't mean we didn't engage the autopilot an hour ago.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
What did you get?
We all look at things differently and find that we need direction from time to time. The question you have to answer is, where do you get that direction from? Some rely on what feels right. This may work from time to time, but is hardly reliable. It may feel right to sit on the couch and do nothing, but it gets you nowhere. Some rely on past experience. This is fine as long as the situation is identical to what has previously occurred. In my experience, things rarely happen the same way twice, and if they do, it is usually because you did something to direct it that way. Sure we can apply past experience as a guide for what to do, but it in no way ensures success. In fact, I can't think of anything that ensures success. I can think of several things that can influence the outcome favorably, but nothing that ensures things will go as you want them.
I can already feel the response from my pastor coming. I ask that he note that I said as you want things to go. Just remember, what you want and what God has planned aren't always the same. In fact, I find that you stand a better chance of getting what you want when you want what God wants even if you don't know what that is. It's kinda like Christmas. You know, that one gift you have no idea what it is because its shape doesn't match anything on your wish list. You open it and at first you really have no clue what it is or how to use it. You kinda smile and nod, then give a feeble thanks and set it aside, not really sure what you are going to do with it. The next morning as you are going through all your gifts and find that you are bored and not really satisfied with what you wanted, you pick up that mystery gift. You sit there and study it and start to puzzle it out. Maybe someone comes by and sees what you have and gets all excited.
"You know what you have there?!" they ask, "its a whatchamacallit. Check out what it can do." As you watch them demonstrate all the wonderful uses you become more excited. Soon, you can't live with out this gizmo that, just yesterday, you had no clue what it was. You forget about all those gifts you practically bought for yourself because you just had to have them. That's when you realize that you aren't even sure who gave you that wonderful new gizmo. Or maybe you do, and that's when you realize that you didn't even think of getting them anything. You completely forgot about them.
Is that what your relationship with God is like. Does he give you a gift that you have no clue how to use or even what it is and you ignore it? Did you completely forget to thank him for that unexpected gift? I know I have. The neat thing is. God is willing to continue to give and help you. While some of us my have gotten the proverbial wonder gift from a distant relative and forgot to thank them only to have them drop us from their Christmas list, God will never drop us fro his. Granted, he may nudge us back to where he wants us to be and sometimes those nudges hurt...a lot, but he never forgets us or abandons us.
I am writing this for a few reasons. Firstly, because I recently received one of those nudges. You see, of all the shifts I have to work, I hate graves the most. While on graves, I am in an almost constant state of exhaustion. I am grouchy most of the time and sleep rather poorly. To make it even more interesting, I have to perform in our church's production of "Annie!" This means I have to be alert enough to do my lines and my already bad schedule is no worse. It made me look at why I was doing this play. Was I doing it as part of the outreach, or for myself? I realized, I was doing it for the wrong reasons and that I needed to recenter my life. Through this, I have rededicated my life to Christ, starting with this play and my attitude while I am in it. I realize that I have not put forth the effort that I should have and have rededicated myself to it.
I find that God has the best understanding of when subtle works and when it is time for the megaphone. Luckily, I responded before the megaphone was necessary. Where are you?
I can already feel the response from my pastor coming. I ask that he note that I said as you want things to go. Just remember, what you want and what God has planned aren't always the same. In fact, I find that you stand a better chance of getting what you want when you want what God wants even if you don't know what that is. It's kinda like Christmas. You know, that one gift you have no idea what it is because its shape doesn't match anything on your wish list. You open it and at first you really have no clue what it is or how to use it. You kinda smile and nod, then give a feeble thanks and set it aside, not really sure what you are going to do with it. The next morning as you are going through all your gifts and find that you are bored and not really satisfied with what you wanted, you pick up that mystery gift. You sit there and study it and start to puzzle it out. Maybe someone comes by and sees what you have and gets all excited.
"You know what you have there?!" they ask, "its a whatchamacallit. Check out what it can do." As you watch them demonstrate all the wonderful uses you become more excited. Soon, you can't live with out this gizmo that, just yesterday, you had no clue what it was. You forget about all those gifts you practically bought for yourself because you just had to have them. That's when you realize that you aren't even sure who gave you that wonderful new gizmo. Or maybe you do, and that's when you realize that you didn't even think of getting them anything. You completely forgot about them.
Is that what your relationship with God is like. Does he give you a gift that you have no clue how to use or even what it is and you ignore it? Did you completely forget to thank him for that unexpected gift? I know I have. The neat thing is. God is willing to continue to give and help you. While some of us my have gotten the proverbial wonder gift from a distant relative and forgot to thank them only to have them drop us from their Christmas list, God will never drop us fro his. Granted, he may nudge us back to where he wants us to be and sometimes those nudges hurt...a lot, but he never forgets us or abandons us.
I am writing this for a few reasons. Firstly, because I recently received one of those nudges. You see, of all the shifts I have to work, I hate graves the most. While on graves, I am in an almost constant state of exhaustion. I am grouchy most of the time and sleep rather poorly. To make it even more interesting, I have to perform in our church's production of "Annie!" This means I have to be alert enough to do my lines and my already bad schedule is no worse. It made me look at why I was doing this play. Was I doing it as part of the outreach, or for myself? I realized, I was doing it for the wrong reasons and that I needed to recenter my life. Through this, I have rededicated my life to Christ, starting with this play and my attitude while I am in it. I realize that I have not put forth the effort that I should have and have rededicated myself to it.
I find that God has the best understanding of when subtle works and when it is time for the megaphone. Luckily, I responded before the megaphone was necessary. Where are you?
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Current events in my life. Short.
So things just got interesting. I found out today that, due to civilians messing with their schedules, my shop is now going into rotating shift work. This means that I am going to Graves for 2 months. It would have been swings for a month then graves for a month, but I had to change it so I could maintain my role in the upcoming play I am involved in. So now, I will be changing which shift I work each month. Yay. All because a bunch of civilians decided to take a weird schedule that required extra coverage and no one wanted to go to other shifts. Gotta love being a surge volume.
On a happier note, I will get off early today to go to my sons parent teacher conferences. Hopefully things go well. Then I get a 4 day weekend so I won't have to go back to work until graves Tuesday. Should be fun.
I won't be making another post until Tuesday for this reason. Granted it will be closer to early Wednesday morning, but I will post then. Have a great day.
On a happier note, I will get off early today to go to my sons parent teacher conferences. Hopefully things go well. Then I get a 4 day weekend so I won't have to go back to work until graves Tuesday. Should be fun.
I won't be making another post until Tuesday for this reason. Granted it will be closer to early Wednesday morning, but I will post then. Have a great day.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Colds and the ability to concentrate.
Ever have one of those days that just jumps up and grabs you by the nose and refuses to let go. Today is such a day for me. I have a cold that is killing me right now. To make it even more interesting, I didn't get my coffee this morning due to my forgetfulness last night (I forgot to set my coffee maker to auto-brew). In other words, if the rest of today goes like this morning did, it is not going to fun at all. I also have AWANA tonight. That should be fun. A cold with a ton of kids going nuts. Every Wednesday I get a new respect for teachers and I only run the games.
I really am having trouble focusing so I think I will just end this early today. I apologize for the shortness of it and, hopefully, I will feel better tomorrow. Have a great day and keep on moving.
I really am having trouble focusing so I think I will just end this early today. I apologize for the shortness of it and, hopefully, I will feel better tomorrow. Have a great day and keep on moving.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Halloween: Scaring Others Hurts.
So yesterday was Halloween. Took the boys trick or treating and they had a blast. My oldest decided that nothing was going to keep him from going to any house and getting what they were giving. A few of the houses had some scary stuff going on and he went up. He may have had his head on a swivel, but up he went. It was our 6 year old that would stare wide eyed at a house and in no uncertain term inform us that he was not going to that house. Surprisingly, our 3 year old went to a few scary houses as well. In all, it was a good night.
I remember as a kid what trick or treating involved. Usually, it meant going to my Grandma's house and going around her neighborhood. Mainly because I grew up in the country and didn't have any neighbors close enough. Our costumes were less elaborate and usually homemade. The great thing was, what my mom lacked in ability she made up for with creativity. I remember the year we went as pirates. Mom took some pieces of cloth we had lying around and sewed a jar lid ring to the side and placed it on our heads as a bandanna. thus the jar ring acted as an earring and coupled with our winter boots, torn jeans, and some of her old blouses over our regular clothes, we were quite the pirates.
After my Mom passed, things got weird. Our costume were left up to us to design and make. this meant our costumes became simpler and less inventive. Mostly because we waited until we got home from school on Halloween to come up with our costumes.
Then there were the years I refer to as my hooligan years. Those were the years that my friends and I became that group that parents warned their kids about. The ones that scared the kids hoping they would drop their loot and run so we could get the candy. Most people frowned on teenagers who trick or treated, we just wanted our share. I really regret those days. It is one of those things that I am not particularly proud of. The most ironic part of it all is, not one kid ever dropped their Candy. They may have let out a satisfying scream and ran in mid air while spinning in a circle (which, by the way, is even funnier than it sounds), but they never once let go of their candy. That brings up another pointer for those of you who think that this may be fun to do, never scare a kid that is carrying anything that can be used as a weapon. This includes, plastic swords, baseball bats, wands, brooms, sticks, or anything that can be swung. Even though they may break when they hit you, it still stings and the smaller it is the nastier the bruise. The one thing they won't swing is their candy. Even if it is in one of those solid plastic pumpkins, they won't use it for defense. Apparently, the mere thought of losing a single piece of candy is more frightening than that apparition that just jumped out in front of them. They'll break that sword they just got on your shin, but they won't lose a single piece of candy.
I guess the moral of all this is to just have fun. If you want to scare kids, be blatant about it. Make sure the parents are aware it is going on and be prepared to have a ton of bruises the next day. Kids can be vicious.
Until next time, have a great day and don't be afraid to be yourself.
I remember as a kid what trick or treating involved. Usually, it meant going to my Grandma's house and going around her neighborhood. Mainly because I grew up in the country and didn't have any neighbors close enough. Our costumes were less elaborate and usually homemade. The great thing was, what my mom lacked in ability she made up for with creativity. I remember the year we went as pirates. Mom took some pieces of cloth we had lying around and sewed a jar lid ring to the side and placed it on our heads as a bandanna. thus the jar ring acted as an earring and coupled with our winter boots, torn jeans, and some of her old blouses over our regular clothes, we were quite the pirates.
After my Mom passed, things got weird. Our costume were left up to us to design and make. this meant our costumes became simpler and less inventive. Mostly because we waited until we got home from school on Halloween to come up with our costumes.
Then there were the years I refer to as my hooligan years. Those were the years that my friends and I became that group that parents warned their kids about. The ones that scared the kids hoping they would drop their loot and run so we could get the candy. Most people frowned on teenagers who trick or treated, we just wanted our share. I really regret those days. It is one of those things that I am not particularly proud of. The most ironic part of it all is, not one kid ever dropped their Candy. They may have let out a satisfying scream and ran in mid air while spinning in a circle (which, by the way, is even funnier than it sounds), but they never once let go of their candy. That brings up another pointer for those of you who think that this may be fun to do, never scare a kid that is carrying anything that can be used as a weapon. This includes, plastic swords, baseball bats, wands, brooms, sticks, or anything that can be swung. Even though they may break when they hit you, it still stings and the smaller it is the nastier the bruise. The one thing they won't swing is their candy. Even if it is in one of those solid plastic pumpkins, they won't use it for defense. Apparently, the mere thought of losing a single piece of candy is more frightening than that apparition that just jumped out in front of them. They'll break that sword they just got on your shin, but they won't lose a single piece of candy.
I guess the moral of all this is to just have fun. If you want to scare kids, be blatant about it. Make sure the parents are aware it is going on and be prepared to have a ton of bruises the next day. Kids can be vicious.
Until next time, have a great day and don't be afraid to be yourself.
Monday, October 31, 2011
A new direction and refocusing.
I'm back. Sorry for the lack of posts, last week I was in a transition class that kept me from computers (through sheer lack of time). It was an awesome class and put out a lot of good information. Other than that, I have been kept pretty busy.
I have done some reflecting and realized that I have been allowing to many distractions to come into my life. They crept in slowly until, suddenly, the things that I needed to do were on the back burner to things I wanted to do strictly for selfish reasons. I allowed myself to be distracted by entertainment websites and useless browsing instead of actually putting effort into the things that I needed to get done. I would justify what I was doing by telling myself that there was no rush until there was. After last week, I realized that I needed to refocus. I realized that I needed to prioritize what I was doing and start actually following up with what was happening.
The class I was in convinced me that I need to start focusing on what I can do to direct my future and to figure out where I am going. I allowed myself to be convinced that living in the moment and not worrying about the future was the best way to live. Why worry when you can enjoy the now? turns out, if you ride the wave, you eventually crash into the shore. If you direct yourself just a bit, you can swim out onto the beach instead of the rocks. I will continue to post daily as it is a way of organizing my thoughts and communicating who I am, but I will be eliminating a few of my regular features to allow me a little more freedom in what I write. I will continue to have at least one day a week where I try my hand at humor (I get mixed reviews from my family) to ensure that this doesn't become a blog to cry to, I just won't have it on a regular day.
I thank you for your support and continued readership. I will try to make sure I continue to touch on current events and other things that are going on in my life. Have a great day and keep on trucking.
I have done some reflecting and realized that I have been allowing to many distractions to come into my life. They crept in slowly until, suddenly, the things that I needed to do were on the back burner to things I wanted to do strictly for selfish reasons. I allowed myself to be distracted by entertainment websites and useless browsing instead of actually putting effort into the things that I needed to get done. I would justify what I was doing by telling myself that there was no rush until there was. After last week, I realized that I needed to refocus. I realized that I needed to prioritize what I was doing and start actually following up with what was happening.
The class I was in convinced me that I need to start focusing on what I can do to direct my future and to figure out where I am going. I allowed myself to be convinced that living in the moment and not worrying about the future was the best way to live. Why worry when you can enjoy the now? turns out, if you ride the wave, you eventually crash into the shore. If you direct yourself just a bit, you can swim out onto the beach instead of the rocks. I will continue to post daily as it is a way of organizing my thoughts and communicating who I am, but I will be eliminating a few of my regular features to allow me a little more freedom in what I write. I will continue to have at least one day a week where I try my hand at humor (I get mixed reviews from my family) to ensure that this doesn't become a blog to cry to, I just won't have it on a regular day.
I thank you for your support and continued readership. I will try to make sure I continue to touch on current events and other things that are going on in my life. Have a great day and keep on trucking.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Read the comments.
Every morning, I read the news on the Internet. Some of the stories I read because they are new and interesting. Some I read because they are continuations of what I have already read. But no matter which one I read, I always look at the comments. I probably shouldn't, because it just convinces me that there are a lot of idiots out there. Some people say things that aren't true to get rises out of people (recognized by the way they repeat whatever comment got the worst rating before theirs or by stating the exact opposite of the most liked comment). Some comments are actually thought out and coherent. These are the comments I tend to pay the most attention to as they are the ones that reveal the underlying beliefs of society. Try it sometime, you may find yourself amazed at just how much our society has declined.
Take the recent ruling by a judge here in Washington. The ruling was that the names of the people who signed the petition to put the issue of gay rights on the ballot should be released to the public. The arguments for and against were heated. Those for the release cited that you signed at your own risk and thus had no protection. That they had the right to avoid doing business with those that signed it. They also said that this didn't constitute harassment or vengeance as it was just a part of the free market. Those against the release of names cited the harassment that would result from the release of names. It amazes me that we can redefine things to meet our narrow views of the world. Granted, I have done this myself, but I also corrected myself when the truth was pointed out to me. How can you say that choosing not to do business with someone as a result of a petition they signed is not retaliation for signing the petition, is beyond me. It is a scare tactic. If you don't sign on the line for the community watch and agree to pay for it, we will ensure you don't get business. That is a felony as it is a protection racket. How is that different from saying that because you signed that petition, I will make sure that no one does business with you? It isn't and yet it is being touted as just the price of a free market. Amazing isn't it.
Looking back at what I wrote, I realized I just gave you a second installment of Manic Monday by accident. Sorry, But I had to say it. Have a great day and don't let it get to you.
Take the recent ruling by a judge here in Washington. The ruling was that the names of the people who signed the petition to put the issue of gay rights on the ballot should be released to the public. The arguments for and against were heated. Those for the release cited that you signed at your own risk and thus had no protection. That they had the right to avoid doing business with those that signed it. They also said that this didn't constitute harassment or vengeance as it was just a part of the free market. Those against the release of names cited the harassment that would result from the release of names. It amazes me that we can redefine things to meet our narrow views of the world. Granted, I have done this myself, but I also corrected myself when the truth was pointed out to me. How can you say that choosing not to do business with someone as a result of a petition they signed is not retaliation for signing the petition, is beyond me. It is a scare tactic. If you don't sign on the line for the community watch and agree to pay for it, we will ensure you don't get business. That is a felony as it is a protection racket. How is that different from saying that because you signed that petition, I will make sure that no one does business with you? It isn't and yet it is being touted as just the price of a free market. Amazing isn't it.
Looking back at what I wrote, I realized I just gave you a second installment of Manic Monday by accident. Sorry, But I had to say it. Have a great day and don't let it get to you.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Manic Monday: Occupy Wall Street: You got the wrong address.
First off, I would like to apologize for not posting last week. I was busy and decided to put the blog on the bottom of the list. After a week off, I feel as though I was missing something so I am back.
Today is Monday, which means, Manic Monday! Today, I think I will tackle this Occupy Wall Street thing. After reading what it's about and what the protesters are saying, I find myself of two minds. On the one hand I sort of agree with what they are saying, but on the other, I find it to be overridden by angst against our system. Allow me to explain.
The parts I agree with are the some of the base points. The first being that the majority of Americans have the minority voice in our government. Our Government tends to listen to the biggest donors (this is done by both Democrats and Republicans), which are not the majority. How many middle class families can afford $1,500 a plate fundraising dinners? The Democrats like to point out that the republicans are the most vocal for these businesses, but you have to ask yourself, are the Democrats really against them? They had 2 years in which to raise taxes on them and they waited for the inevitable swing to blame it on the Republicans. I agree that we should raise the taxes (or at least remove the deductions they use to not pay taxes) on the rich.
The second thing I agree with is the underlying message we are feeding our kids these days. The one that says you have to go to college to get a job. Years ago, college was what you used to make yourself stand out. You got your degree in the field you were going to work in and you worked in that field. You followed it all the way and became as close to an expert in the field you wanted to work in as you could, then you worked in it. Now, we are told to, "just get a degree." Really, what in? It doesn't matter, the employers "just want to see that you are capable of learning." I looked it up (it was quoted to me so I had to), less than 30% of college grads are working in the field in which they got their degree. Granted, Lawyers don't necessarily have to have a pre-law degree to go to law school, so they aren't technically working in the field they got their degree in, but it is still a statistic that I find disgusting. Especially when you add on the fact that the average college grad owes $30,000 in student loans. Couple that with a tight market and you start your career in debt and behind. Not a recipe for success. Let's be realistic, we don't need a degree to be work in a mail room or as a receptionist. These two positions were the starting points of many a millionaires careers. The other side of this is that these college grads are led to believe that their degrees rate a higher starting pay. The sad truth is that this is false. When you have 20 people vying for the same job, the person who will do it most economically (cheaply and good enough), gets it. The guy that tells the hirer that he will do it for whatever and has the ability, will get it over the guy with the degree that demands a higher salary. That's just econ 101.
Now for the tough part. I disagree with the Occupy Wall Street movement on a couple of issues. The first being the ire directed at inequality in pay. Yes, there is inequality in pay. This happens in a society such as we have. The rich must be taxed. If you tax their income, they will keep it in the company as much as possible. If you tax the company profits, the company will put the money into expanding the company and thus create more jobs. Simple economics. Yes, this is contrary to what the republicans preach, but it is the truth. This means the problem isn't with the CEO's or the wealthy, it's with our government. The Idea that all pay should be equal, or close to it, is a communist ideal. To protest that corporations should share their wealth, is ludicrous. You have to reward innovation and business sense. Failure to do so, will lead to loss of business and thus loss of jobs. Allow the rich to amass wealth, but at the same time, tax them in such a way as to aid the nation. The difficult part is finding the balance. We have to find a balance where we tax the wealthy enough that they find it better to reinvest in society, but not so much that they leave altogether. The same with businesses.
The second thing I disagree with is where it is located. As you can tell from my comments above, this should be a Occupy Washington movement. Camp out on the capital's steps, in front of the White House, and at the congressional offices. The CEO's are laughing at you because you are ineffectual in your actions. Move to Washington, and they may start quaking in their boots. Right now, the CEO's are finding your actions laughable because, while you may inconvenience them a little bit, they are still raking in the cash. While you may draw attention to yourselves, you are not inconveniencing anyone who can be swayed by your stance. True, the media is following you, but you are railing at the CEO's to change. True, some elected officials are listening and commenting, but they aren't afraid because you haven't targeted them. Move you your protest to Washington and start naming who is donating to who. Start pointing out the money and what needs to be done, not just in Washington, but in their home states. You can affect the elected officials' jobs with your protest by pointing out how they are stopping the necessary change. You can't do that by protesting the guys who worked their way up to the top and managed a company that made money. they just aren't going to listen because you can't affect their pay.
That's all I have for today. I know some of what I said is controversial, I just ask that you be respectful in how you respond. Thank you.
Today is Monday, which means, Manic Monday! Today, I think I will tackle this Occupy Wall Street thing. After reading what it's about and what the protesters are saying, I find myself of two minds. On the one hand I sort of agree with what they are saying, but on the other, I find it to be overridden by angst against our system. Allow me to explain.
The parts I agree with are the some of the base points. The first being that the majority of Americans have the minority voice in our government. Our Government tends to listen to the biggest donors (this is done by both Democrats and Republicans), which are not the majority. How many middle class families can afford $1,500 a plate fundraising dinners? The Democrats like to point out that the republicans are the most vocal for these businesses, but you have to ask yourself, are the Democrats really against them? They had 2 years in which to raise taxes on them and they waited for the inevitable swing to blame it on the Republicans. I agree that we should raise the taxes (or at least remove the deductions they use to not pay taxes) on the rich.
The second thing I agree with is the underlying message we are feeding our kids these days. The one that says you have to go to college to get a job. Years ago, college was what you used to make yourself stand out. You got your degree in the field you were going to work in and you worked in that field. You followed it all the way and became as close to an expert in the field you wanted to work in as you could, then you worked in it. Now, we are told to, "just get a degree." Really, what in? It doesn't matter, the employers "just want to see that you are capable of learning." I looked it up (it was quoted to me so I had to), less than 30% of college grads are working in the field in which they got their degree. Granted, Lawyers don't necessarily have to have a pre-law degree to go to law school, so they aren't technically working in the field they got their degree in, but it is still a statistic that I find disgusting. Especially when you add on the fact that the average college grad owes $30,000 in student loans. Couple that with a tight market and you start your career in debt and behind. Not a recipe for success. Let's be realistic, we don't need a degree to be work in a mail room or as a receptionist. These two positions were the starting points of many a millionaires careers. The other side of this is that these college grads are led to believe that their degrees rate a higher starting pay. The sad truth is that this is false. When you have 20 people vying for the same job, the person who will do it most economically (cheaply and good enough), gets it. The guy that tells the hirer that he will do it for whatever and has the ability, will get it over the guy with the degree that demands a higher salary. That's just econ 101.
Now for the tough part. I disagree with the Occupy Wall Street movement on a couple of issues. The first being the ire directed at inequality in pay. Yes, there is inequality in pay. This happens in a society such as we have. The rich must be taxed. If you tax their income, they will keep it in the company as much as possible. If you tax the company profits, the company will put the money into expanding the company and thus create more jobs. Simple economics. Yes, this is contrary to what the republicans preach, but it is the truth. This means the problem isn't with the CEO's or the wealthy, it's with our government. The Idea that all pay should be equal, or close to it, is a communist ideal. To protest that corporations should share their wealth, is ludicrous. You have to reward innovation and business sense. Failure to do so, will lead to loss of business and thus loss of jobs. Allow the rich to amass wealth, but at the same time, tax them in such a way as to aid the nation. The difficult part is finding the balance. We have to find a balance where we tax the wealthy enough that they find it better to reinvest in society, but not so much that they leave altogether. The same with businesses.
The second thing I disagree with is where it is located. As you can tell from my comments above, this should be a Occupy Washington movement. Camp out on the capital's steps, in front of the White House, and at the congressional offices. The CEO's are laughing at you because you are ineffectual in your actions. Move to Washington, and they may start quaking in their boots. Right now, the CEO's are finding your actions laughable because, while you may inconvenience them a little bit, they are still raking in the cash. While you may draw attention to yourselves, you are not inconveniencing anyone who can be swayed by your stance. True, the media is following you, but you are railing at the CEO's to change. True, some elected officials are listening and commenting, but they aren't afraid because you haven't targeted them. Move you your protest to Washington and start naming who is donating to who. Start pointing out the money and what needs to be done, not just in Washington, but in their home states. You can affect the elected officials' jobs with your protest by pointing out how they are stopping the necessary change. You can't do that by protesting the guys who worked their way up to the top and managed a company that made money. they just aren't going to listen because you can't affect their pay.
That's all I have for today. I know some of what I said is controversial, I just ask that you be respectful in how you respond. Thank you.
Friday, October 7, 2011
See you Tuesday.
The wife and I managed to figure out our phone issues. Come December (the end of our current contract) we are going to shift over to a net 10 phone. This is due to the fact that we don't use them all that much. This just makes a bit more sense than a monthly bill and a lengthy contract. Especially sense we don't know where we will be in a year after I retire. It just makes sense to have a pay as you go plan that reflects what we use, vice a contract that is more than we need. The good thing is our number should not change so the only inconvenience will be to us as we have to transfer all of our contacts. But that is in December and we are still in October.
I really don't have a lot to go over right now, so here does nothing. I am hoping I get off a bit early today as I have been the late guy 2 times a week for the past two weeks. It doesn't make me any happier that I was here until 1430 last Friday when everyone else left at 1015. But, then again, it is my job and no one ever said it was fair. Why have one standard when you can have two. That's just me complaining though. It's not like it's a hard job. Just boring and long. Makes it all the more annoying when you see others leaving at noon and you are stuck here all day every day, just because you refuse to make up reasons to leave early. Oh well. I am sure there is more to it than I realize.
I hope to be able to enjoy this weekend. That may not be possible since they rewrote the overtime schedule. Turns out this is now my weekend. If they need military for overtime, I will be one of those they use. I am currently only scheduled as on call Monday, which usually means I won't have to worry about it. It isn't official yet though, so I may end up working this weekend. That sucks a bit because I wanted to take the kids over to Seattle Monday since we just don't have time to do anything as a family with our current schedule. We'll see how it works though. I hate disappointing my kids.
Speaking of the kids, I made chocolate chip cookies yesterday. Ended up one short of 6 dozen. If I had been a little neater as I made them, I probably would have had that last cookie. Oh well, you can't win them all.
That's about it for this week. Just a reminder that, with Columbus day next Monday, there won't be a Manic Monday post (unless I decide to get angry Tuesday). Have a great weekend and smile at whatever comes to mind. Enjoy.
I really don't have a lot to go over right now, so here does nothing. I am hoping I get off a bit early today as I have been the late guy 2 times a week for the past two weeks. It doesn't make me any happier that I was here until 1430 last Friday when everyone else left at 1015. But, then again, it is my job and no one ever said it was fair. Why have one standard when you can have two. That's just me complaining though. It's not like it's a hard job. Just boring and long. Makes it all the more annoying when you see others leaving at noon and you are stuck here all day every day, just because you refuse to make up reasons to leave early. Oh well. I am sure there is more to it than I realize.
I hope to be able to enjoy this weekend. That may not be possible since they rewrote the overtime schedule. Turns out this is now my weekend. If they need military for overtime, I will be one of those they use. I am currently only scheduled as on call Monday, which usually means I won't have to worry about it. It isn't official yet though, so I may end up working this weekend. That sucks a bit because I wanted to take the kids over to Seattle Monday since we just don't have time to do anything as a family with our current schedule. We'll see how it works though. I hate disappointing my kids.
Speaking of the kids, I made chocolate chip cookies yesterday. Ended up one short of 6 dozen. If I had been a little neater as I made them, I probably would have had that last cookie. Oh well, you can't win them all.
That's about it for this week. Just a reminder that, with Columbus day next Monday, there won't be a Manic Monday post (unless I decide to get angry Tuesday). Have a great weekend and smile at whatever comes to mind. Enjoy.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Priorities: Find yours.
Let's start with a notice. I reread what I wrote yesterday and found quite a few glaring grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors. I have since corrected these and must apologize to any of you who care about those things. The rest of you who didn't notice, well, ignore the first three sentences.
Today I wanted to share with you some things that have been going through my head for a while. Then I thought about it and realized that may be a little gross, so I decided to give you this instead. Try and imagine the one thing that would change your life the most. Think on it. Don't just grab the easy, more money. Try and think of something that would make a substantial change. Something that involves more than paying the bills. Something that would make a difference in how you thought of yourself and how you acted. True, vast amounts of money might do that, but would it be a change you would be proud of?
We have all had the dream of being rich and not having to worry about money. Turns out, no matter what you do, you will eventually worry about money. It's just the way we are. If you don't have it, you worry about not having it and what you need it for. If have some but not a lot, you worry that what you are doing with it is right. If you have a lot of it, you worry about other people trying to take it and how you spend it. True, the worries are different, but then, so are we.
I like to go through this mental exercise every once in while, just to remind myself that money doesn't end all our problems, it just changes what those problems are. It becomes more of an attitude adjustment at that point. Yes, I would love to have a few hundred thousand dollars to get myself out of debt and living comfortably, but how would that change me and would I want that change? There is always something I can improve on and money is not something that is key to those improvements. Attitude is. I find it funny that people think that they would be better people if they just had more money. Not true. If you are a jerk (to put it kindly) before you have money, you tend to be a jerk after you get it. Money is an amplifier. It usually amplifies the trait you least like about yourself. The guy who never paid for a date, he spent all his money on cars, houses, and parties. The guy who was rude to the homeless, he ignores his old friends because they can't afford to hang with him.
There are exceptions, there always are. But usually, what you see as exceptions, are just amplifications of the rule. The couple that won the lotto and founded and ran several charities, they were active volunteers in their community before they won. The guy who payed off his debts and the debts of his family, he was struggling to get by and paid his debts before he fed himself. Money amplifies not only our personality, it amplifies our priorities.
In the bible, it says, "the love of money is the root of all evil." This has been perverted to "money is the root of evil." While to a degree this is true, I think it is more accurate to say, "money amplifies evil." The more money you have, the more obvious your priorities. Ask yourself what you would do with the money if you won the lottery. Would you invest it to make more? Maybe you would pay off all your debt first. Maybe you would give a bit to charity. Or would you just spend it on a bunch of toys? Where you put that money tells a lot about where your priorities are. What you find important is where you will put your time and energy as well as your money. By asking yourself these questions and being honest with the answers, you will find what you deem worthy of your time.
Now for the clincher. Where is your family on the list? Is it first? If not, what are you giving up your family for? Now is the time to adjust your priorities, not when you win the lottery. If your priorities are right now, they will be right later.
In closing, I just want to say that, by investing in things that are worthwhile (I can't think of anything more worthwhile than my God and Family), you can't help but be content. I am not saying you will be monetarily rich or that it will be easy. I am saying that even when things are tough, you will be able to find a way to smile. That investment will give you the strength you need to get through those tough times. Take a second and discover your priorities. Better to adjust them now and find contentment, then be miserable when you find your priorities left you alone.
Today I wanted to share with you some things that have been going through my head for a while. Then I thought about it and realized that may be a little gross, so I decided to give you this instead. Try and imagine the one thing that would change your life the most. Think on it. Don't just grab the easy, more money. Try and think of something that would make a substantial change. Something that involves more than paying the bills. Something that would make a difference in how you thought of yourself and how you acted. True, vast amounts of money might do that, but would it be a change you would be proud of?
We have all had the dream of being rich and not having to worry about money. Turns out, no matter what you do, you will eventually worry about money. It's just the way we are. If you don't have it, you worry about not having it and what you need it for. If have some but not a lot, you worry that what you are doing with it is right. If you have a lot of it, you worry about other people trying to take it and how you spend it. True, the worries are different, but then, so are we.
I like to go through this mental exercise every once in while, just to remind myself that money doesn't end all our problems, it just changes what those problems are. It becomes more of an attitude adjustment at that point. Yes, I would love to have a few hundred thousand dollars to get myself out of debt and living comfortably, but how would that change me and would I want that change? There is always something I can improve on and money is not something that is key to those improvements. Attitude is. I find it funny that people think that they would be better people if they just had more money. Not true. If you are a jerk (to put it kindly) before you have money, you tend to be a jerk after you get it. Money is an amplifier. It usually amplifies the trait you least like about yourself. The guy who never paid for a date, he spent all his money on cars, houses, and parties. The guy who was rude to the homeless, he ignores his old friends because they can't afford to hang with him.
There are exceptions, there always are. But usually, what you see as exceptions, are just amplifications of the rule. The couple that won the lotto and founded and ran several charities, they were active volunteers in their community before they won. The guy who payed off his debts and the debts of his family, he was struggling to get by and paid his debts before he fed himself. Money amplifies not only our personality, it amplifies our priorities.
In the bible, it says, "the love of money is the root of all evil." This has been perverted to "money is the root of evil." While to a degree this is true, I think it is more accurate to say, "money amplifies evil." The more money you have, the more obvious your priorities. Ask yourself what you would do with the money if you won the lottery. Would you invest it to make more? Maybe you would pay off all your debt first. Maybe you would give a bit to charity. Or would you just spend it on a bunch of toys? Where you put that money tells a lot about where your priorities are. What you find important is where you will put your time and energy as well as your money. By asking yourself these questions and being honest with the answers, you will find what you deem worthy of your time.
Now for the clincher. Where is your family on the list? Is it first? If not, what are you giving up your family for? Now is the time to adjust your priorities, not when you win the lottery. If your priorities are right now, they will be right later.
In closing, I just want to say that, by investing in things that are worthwhile (I can't think of anything more worthwhile than my God and Family), you can't help but be content. I am not saying you will be monetarily rich or that it will be easy. I am saying that even when things are tough, you will be able to find a way to smile. That investment will give you the strength you need to get through those tough times. Take a second and discover your priorities. Better to adjust them now and find contentment, then be miserable when you find your priorities left you alone.
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