Happy New Year, 2013!

December 30, 2012



With two days left of 2012, I don’t think that there is one person in the world who isn’t thinking about the past year. Everyone makes mistakes and experiences failure. Everyone has successes, that they trumpet to the masses or that they live with in silence.
In general, people just go through their daily lives and a few even get into such a pattern that often times, they aren’t even aware of what day it is.
I think that is the type of person I am. I live for my days off. It’s not that I have this awesome agenda for my days off; it’s just that it is the break up of the monotony that is my life. Two days that I can do something different. Of course, these two days in themselves are monotonous as well.
Think about it; we work all week for the weekend. The weekend comes and we spend it doing totally different monotonous things.
My weekends, which happen to fall on Thursday/Fridays, usually go like this:
Sleep in an extra hour…
Take Chico out for his walk
Nap for a little while longer
Catch up on Twitter and Facebook
Go out and pay my rent and buy groceries
Come home and nap some more.
Laundry
Nap some more
Clean up my room a bit
Surf the web
Go to bed,
Get up, do breakfast, make my lunch, go to the gas station
Go to work…
This is how it is almost every week. I guess one could call it being in a rut.
Yes, my life is so different now from my life in California. Well, maybe not. But, at least when I was back in Los Angeles (The San Fernando Valley, actually), there were a lot of things to locally do.
Back home, I spent a lot of time cruising book and music stores. I loved being able to go the Northridge Mall on weekends and The Northridge Mall Farmers Market on Thursday nights during the Summer.
There were restaurants, movie theatres, bike paths at Balboa Park, theme parks and all sorts of stuff to do.
I spent time with my friends, went camping, took day trips and it seemed that there was always something to do. There was always some place to be. Perhaps it is that I was younger and always willing to try something different. The Southern California lifestyle was always full of action. Living in the Valley, I was centrally located to everything.
Universal City Walk, where I spent quite a bit of time.
I used to hang in Hollywood, The Beverly Center, The Grove, and The Strand on Venice Beach. I spent time biking in Santa Monica, I spent weekends at Disneyland; after all, I had to utilize my annual pass, didn’t I?
Mom and I would take day trips to Tijuana, Mexico (just across the border from San Diego), just to do some light shopping and have lunch.
There were weekends in San Diego, and week long trips to San Diego with friends and their disable clients. Some of the most fun times I have ever experienced.
There was always something to do; somewhere to be and, people to be with.
My life was very different.
This unfortunately, is no longer my life. This may appear to be sad to read, but my life now is quite lonely. I have acquaintances that I have met at work. A couple of people, I do consider to be friends, but everyone is so busy.
Most of the people I work with are either younger or older than I. This makes it hard to actually build relationships and find someone to actually become involved with.
The fact that I am quite comfortable in being a “loner” does help things. However, I have to admit that I miss having long conversations with my friends back home.
2013 is upon us. I don’t have many regrets anchored in 2012. The usual things…
Not saving more money, not taking such good care of myself and not taking or utilizing the opportunities that have presented themselves.
I’m lazy; and always have been.
At my age, I should be in a different place in my life; I should be where I was 8 years ago. I had a home, luxury cars and a career. I no longer have those things.
I won’t say that I miss them, but perhaps I should still have them.
I told myself that when I left Northpoint, I would have a job with little or no responsibility. I have that now, of course with that, also comes the decreased amount of income.
So, with 2013 upon us, the question comes up: what next? What goals do I set for myself for the coming year? The obvious answer is: I don’t Know. I am comfortable in my life,
however, I am aware that I do need to make some changes in my life. Do I attempt to move up in my company, where there are opportunities? Do I continue to go on as I do, with no real goals in life, except to spend as much time with my family; or do I try to make more friends and spend time out of my very comfortable man cave? There are so many questions that I have for myself in the next year. Quite honestly, I have no idea where I’m headed in 2013. I do know that there are things I need to take care of, personal problems with the law, nothing that big and notorious, but things that are annoying and must be dealt with quickly.
There are things I must address with the State of California. I have been at their mercy for far too long.
I’ve never been one to make New Year Resolutions, per se, however I do try to focus on being a better person and make efforts to better myself in some way throughout the year.
I’m not sure what it’ll be this year. Maybe to try to save a bit more money;
or even perhaps to focus on working more this year. Perhaps, I’ll try to take on more responsibility at work in the coming year.
Some people focus on acquiring relationships; getting a boy/girlfriend, meet new people and such things. For one, I’m too old to aspire to such things. Relationships don’t work for me. It’s too bad, because I would like to have a special someone in my life; someone to share a quiet moment with, go to the movies with; someone to wake up with; and not necessarily involving sex, perhaps just some good company; companionship.
I believe that these are not things that we work for; that we aspire to; but I think these are things that we need to be on the lookout for. I think that opportunities present themselves during our daily journeys and we either notice them or not. I for one can be pretty oblivious. I am quite bright; I function well into the genius level; but I’m a bit dense sometimes. I have a sharp mind, ready wit and notice almost everything; when I want to. I think my mind just works differently now. I spend a lot more time humoring myself in my own mind. I find the world to be a wondrous place filled with some awesome people.
I also recognize the evil that exists. All one has to do is turn on CNN; or just pay attention to ones surroundings.
I work in what is supposed to be the Happiest Place on Earth. For being that; there are a lot of awful, mean people who come through our turnstiles. I witness it everyday.
We get visitors who are not at all happy, and appear to be interested in making those around them just as miserable as they are.
Tomorrow is New Years Eve day. The last 24 hours in 2012. We survived December 21, 2012; what was supposed to be the End of Days, at least according to the MAYANS.
We are still here, thank the Lord above. I do believe that tomorrow is not guaranteed. I believe that everyday is a gift; a gift to be cherished. Unfortunately, for myself; I spend too much time focusing on all of the negativity that is present in our world. I have mentioned before; I am a self confessed news junkie. If it’s happening somewhere; I want to know about it. I pride myself in being well versed in all that happens in the world. I spent my youth reading TIME, NEWSWEEK, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, US, PEOPLE and various other periodicals on a weekly basis. Though I did all this; I was always surprised to find that I knew so much about anything that was going on in the world. I could become involved in almost any conversation on almost any topic instantaneously.
I can’t do that so much anymore; though I still get my weekly TIME magazine, I don’t read it as religiously as I used to. I think I’ve become bored with politics, world issues; especially because things in our world have only gotten worse. Death, destruction, infanticide, homicide, ethnic cleansing, all are just getting worse in our world. I believe it will continue to do so.
I am wondering what 2013 is going to hold for us; what will we experience and discover?
What path will humanity take? Will she become more benevolent; or malevolent? Will human beings learn to love, protect and cherish one another or will it continue to search for ways to destroy one another? There are so many questions that we all have. There is so much to think about; so much to aspire to.
For the next day or so, I personally am going to sit and contemplate what I hope to accomplish for myself in the next year of my life on this planet. I will continue to be grateful for all that I have, but mostly for all those individuals that are in my life on a daily basis; for these truly are the riches that I posses. The people in my life are the most important things I have. The things I cherish most. I think I will work on finding more ways to care for them in every way possible. That is how I am going to spend my next year. It sounds like a productive way to spend my life.
Happy New Year everyone; may we all have a healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2013; we deserve it!

Newtown, CT

Just a small note about the CT school shooting.  As tragic as it was, the search for the reasons is most likely going to be futile.  Evil doesn't need a reason, just opportunity. I often wonder how many individuals who engage in heinous acts have any idea of what they do. I would imagine that the number is low.
With the tragedy in Newtown, this past week, everyone is understandably upset.  Let this not lead us to rash decisions.  We will mourn the loss of the twenty innocents who were taken away so early from us.  We will try to understand why; though I don't think we'll ever come to any conclusion.
Some individuals who commit these types of crimes have an agenda, or have been desensitized of violence and carnage due to immersion in movies and video games.  That's what happens when a society relies on television and SONY to baby sit their children.
Still some, have an emptiness; something needing filling. Performing some sort of evil deed, may help alleviate this hollowness.
Personally, I feel so sorry for the individuals who were taken away so young; I feel even more for those that they left behind. May the Lord smile upon them and ease their suffering.
More and more, people need to understand that we ourselves, are responsible for our own safety. We cannot rely on the police and other law enforcement agencies to provide our daily protection.
What occurred in Newtown, CT isn't something that was unexpected; I think the part of the country that it occurred in is surprising; but, not that surprising. Columbine, Aurora, Tucson, Virginia Tech, The Amish School in PA and so many others have been leading up to this. This occurring at anytime is a tragedy to say the least. This occurring during the holiday season just makes it that much worse.
My heart, filled with sorrow goes out to them. I hope during this Season of wonder and fellowship, that we can all remember these unfortunate families in our prayers.
Merry Christmas, everyone; may God bless us all.

The GOP and Latinos...

               HEADS UP:

This posting may have some elements of politics… That being said; It is NOT my intention to offend anyone. I am not like that. This is strictly my opinion based on my observations….

I am going to make some explosive statements here; but they are informed explosive statements. I will attempt to explain everything in due time when an avenue makes itself convenient.

I am a true American. I am a mixture of many cultures/heritages. I have grandparents from Spain, Mexico, Italy, and The United States. I have great-grandparents from even farther away.
I grew up in a small unincorporated area of Los Angeles, in the San Fernando Valley. Pacoima, California; is where I called home.
When I was little, and moved into my neighborhood on Louvre Street (we pronounced it loo-ver), sometime around 1968. It was a nice little neighborhood. Predominantly Mexican families made up the neighborhoods of the area. As time went on, I and my family lived our lives and existed in our little house in Pacoima, California. I am the product of a private education; primarily in Catholic School; but then private colleges as well.
I didn’t have a lot in common with the kids in my neighborhood and as a child I was sickly so I didn’t go out too much. I didn’t have many friends in the neighborhood, except for a few that lived down the street, who attended Catholic School also, but a different one. In retrospect; they weren’t really friends, but I didn’t know the difference. The thing we had in common was that none of us fit in with the other neighborhood kids. We didn’t go out and ride bikes and stuff like that. We didn’t play tackle football on the asphalt. We didn’t take off at all hours to see what kind of trouble we could get into.
Believe me; there was lots of trouble to get into, even in the mid 70’s. Now all of this info is going to lead to a question that has been asked quite a bit since the Presidential Election a couple of weeks ago.
The Republicans, GOP, has been asking themselves and everyone else, how do “we” reach out to the Hispanics? Good question… is there an easy answer; no.

I think the greatest problem for the GOP to overcome is that they are trying to lump all people of Latin decent together. That can not be done. When one uses the term Hispanic, they are trying to describe a group of people, usually of darker skin from Latin America. Latin America will be considered Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Cuba, Panama and Chile’. There are also other countries that I am sure I have not mentioned. All of these people have some things in common, but not enough so that they can all be counted together.
Truth is, most of these peoples, don’t even like each other. There is no kindred spirit, or feelings of brotherhood amongst these cultures. You see, most Latinos’ are very macho and consider themselves to be better than everyone else. Don’t ask me to explain this, just take my word for it.
This is just a snip-it; a bit of a look at these diverse cultures.
Now for the message for the GOP; you can’t lump everyone together when trying to reach these groups. Education is the key. Unfortunately, most of these individuals are not products of higher education, for those that are, I believe that they lean to the left; in vast numbers. So, how does a group get the attention and loyalties of these people? First, you have to understand these people as a group and as individuals. Most of them, in all the cultures, care about what happens in their four walls. They are very family oriented, predominantly Catholic or other denominations of the Christian sect. They care about leaving the world a better place for their children. They want to insure that their children have a better life in a better place than they did.
This, for the most part has occurred; however, not by much. Now, I invite anyone who wants to get the attention of these cultures, to come into their neighborhoods; live amongst them, get to know them. Get to know their heritage, their philosophy on life; get to know their food; their street food, the holidays they celebrate and how they celebrate. One thing you will find is a great sense of family. You will find a sense of pride for what they have been able to accomplish in their adopted land.
I think, mostly you’ll find this amongst the elders of the families. A number of the younger family members, you will find; are struggling to find out who they are. I don’t know that the younger members of these cultures are comfortable with their lives. They don’t identify with elder people of their cultures. They hang in the fringes of hip hop and would rather seek acceptance amongst the African American culture. Of course, we know that this group leans heavily to the left. I don’t want to give the impression that there is great camaraderie between these cultures; there isn’t. However, when finding a group to identify with; people of Latin descent ally themselves with other minorities.
Again, drive through and visit the areas that these people live in. It is a dire place, a place that most of us wouldn’t want to have a flat tire or break-down in.
I came from one of these areas. When I was little, it didn’t bother me; I didn’t know any better. However, as I started getting older and spreading out into other areas, I saw the difference between the area that I lived in and the area that my new friends were living in. My parents encouraged me to stay with my own type of people. I didn’t. I couldn’t identify with the people in the barrio. I was different. Not better, just different. I watched the news, immersed myself in artsy pass-times. My hobbies were of a different nature than of those I lived around. I didn’t sit on the corner and sniff glue. I didn’t indulge in drugs or imbibe liquor at a young age. I still don’t. I went to movies with my friends, spent Sundays on the lake in our boat. I went to Disneyland and Magic Mountain. I spent a lot of time at Universal Studios. I was a person of fun. My father was a working man, and made a very good living. That didn’t really drive him to want to move out of the area we lived in. I think he identified with a lot of the individuals that we lived around. That is a topic for another writing.
My father was not political. He couldn’t care less who was in the White House because he believed and I believe, rightly so, it didn’t affect him. He had a skill. He was a brilliant automotive electrical engineer. He worked nearly everyday of his life; until he became too ill to work.
Dad was a great spotter of someone whom one could label a bull-shitter.
He wasn’t easily swayed. Many in the Latino cultures are. They are easily roused up and will follow anyone who makes sense; in some cases, anyone whom they can blame for their ills and lack of success.
In order to understand the beliefs of these peoples; one has to live in their shoes for a while. Most come from an impoverished place in their countries of origin. Mexico, for instance, has some beautiful, lush, wealth riddled places; but those are far outnumbered by the areas that are nothing more than shanty towns on the fringes of society. I understand why the people that come legally come to our country; it is for the opportunity for a better life. For those that come illegally; they undergo horrible experiences, which can include rape, starvation and death; just for the opportunity to come to this land of plenty we live in. These people don’t trust their elected officials, nor should they. I remember as a child, my grandfather (Grandpa Pete) would tell me about the vastness of resources in Mexico and the corruption that occurred there. He believed that Mexico, should they ever get a decent leadership politically; would be one of the richest nations in the world. I believe that. Unfortunately; those in power are easily corrupted.
That leaves us in our current dilemma; how do you reach a people that don’t trust politicians or leaders in a society? For one; these individuals who want to reach these people so badly, need to establish a presence in their midst.
Not just on weekends, during election seasons; but a ever present presence in their neighborhoods where they can get to be recognized, known and trusted individuals of a community. The GOP isn’t very good at that.
I know it may sound like I lean to the Right; I don’t. I consider myself to be a moderate; and from those I discuss my beliefs with; they think I’m a libertarian. I don’t really see that; but I guess anything is possible.
I usually don’t vote the party; I vote the man. I believe that we need a strong leader in the white house with unwavering beliefs and courage. In this last election; both candidates had flaws; after all they are only human. I believe, as I have stated again and again; that the greater of the evils was victorious.
I believe that government spending needs to be reigned in; government handouts, to other undeserving nations; needs to be abolished. I don’t have a problem with entitlements as they are being called, except in a couple of instances.
I believe that everyone should have health care; I believe that those who truly need help; should have it. I do have a problem with those on the dole simply because they refuse to take a job that is beneath them; or because they can’t find work because of a criminal record.  I think these people need to get off their lazy duffs and get out there and work.
Latino peoples aren’t lazy for the most part; they take pride in their work and they are hard workers. Most don’t want a handout; but if the opportunity presents itself, why not?
The GOP needs to re-invent themselves; maybe to a new named party like the Party of The American People; or maybe the New American Republican Party; something like that. Reaching the members of a Latino group has to start with two factions; the elder and the younger. I believe that reaching the middle members of the group; such as the 21-34 year olds; will be difficult. Education is the key. It is time for the GOP to cast away all of their shadows and embrace the heritages of those they so desperately need to reach.
Again, there is a way. I will repeat my ideas on this;

1. Get to know the peoples that you are trying to reach. Spend a lot of time in their neighborhoods. Set up establishments, offices, information centers.
Invest in some after school programs, offer tutoring, mentoring, think tanks to help these people solve the problems that they face on a daily basis. Don’t solve their problems; but help them attain the tools they need to do it themselves. These are a proud people. They don’t want handouts; just thoughts on solutions and resources to be more independent.

2. The GOP needs to be inclusive; embrace the people that are here. Don’t chastise those who are not here legally. Instead, offer ideas on how to help them attain citizenship. Encourage these individuals to not hide, but to get out and promote a sense of community. Encourage these people to learn English, to find ways to share their heritage with the other people in the community. Encourage them to take pride in themselves and the area they live in.

3. The GOP needs to target young Latinos; sit and meet in round tables and listen to the needs and ideas of these people. Encourage them to have community/neighborhood meetings amongst themselves. This will enable them to discover what they need and maybe come up with an idea of how they can self-attain what is needed again, solving immigration issues with the elder members of the community. Instill a sense of civic pride; so many of these peoples live in run-down areas of society. I think that a beautification committee would allow people to get involved; and again, the GOP could take a co-leadership role in this endeavor. I will say it again; walk in their shoes; live in their community. Invest in the future of these peoples; legal or not; they are Americans.
There is a strong sense of family and religion with this culture. Spend time in their churches, schools and neighborhoods. Get involved in their celebrations, embrace, promote their culture and assure them that they are a cherished part of society. This isn’t hard. It just takes the desire… the ganas, like Jaime Escalante so simply stated.

The Democrats claim to do all this; but nothing has come from it for these peoples. They see that; so, being ignored by one side; they chose to ignore both sides, especially the side they perceive to be white, wealthy and out of touch. It’s way past the time to sit with and embrace these people.

The GOP needs to start a grass-roots campaign to bring these people in; like YESTERDAY. The GOP has so many things in common with the Latino people. They need to find this common ground and invite this community to build on it. They need to cultivate this society’s heritage and let it flourish for the entire nation to see; everyone has something to offer. Good Luck, Republicans… you’ll need it.

2012 Time Magazine Person of The Year Nominees?!

TIME magazine released it’s nominees for 2012 Person of The Year. If you haven’t heard who they are, here is the list in no particular order:

jay-z
psy
e.l. james
stephen colbert
jon stewart
OGM gabby douglas
michael phelps
YAHOO CEO marissa mayer
barry obama
hillary clinton
bill clinton
mitt romney
paul ryan
malala yousafzai
sandra fluke
Egyptian president morsi


I believe this to be the complete list and if I’ve mistakenly left anyone off, my sincerest apologies.

Let’s all peruse this list for a second; or five. I think; and I emphasize the I; think that anyone who is even considered for this honor, dubious or otherwise; should be someone who has inspired the world positively. There have been many people who did not deserve to be named TMPOTY, I won’t even mention their names; some of these people are so heinous. None of these names are heinous. A couple are questionable; but not because they are not going to or haven’t made news or impressions on their civilization; but primarily because I don’t think many of these people inspire. In MY opinion; and most of my friends will think I am going to mention Mitt Romney; I’m not. I would’ve loved it; if he’d been elected President; but he wasn’t.
The name that jumps off the page to me is, 14 year old Malala Yousafzai. This is a girl that spoke out in support of educational rights for all girls and women. The Taliban, chose to extinguish her voice. Thankfully, they failed. I find it offensive and an insult
to see the names of some of the other nominees on the list. Young miss Yousafzai is an individual to be celebrated; honored and emulated. I hope young American girls and women chose to emulate the character that this brave young woman exhibits. America needs people of this type of character to be role models. I hope she wins.

The Advent of the 2012 Holiday Season

Well, which is a deep watery subject, Thanksgiving has come and gone. Black Friday, which started on Ebony Thursday, has gone by as well. Now we await cyber Monday and the weeks leading up to Christmas. The White House has received its Holiday Tree and people are out spending money like it's doomed to be worthless someday soon.
Thanksgiving was another awesome one at home with my family. Mom, Roy, Nicole, Amber, Jonathan and Chico were all home and I think it was excellent! Everyone works so hard to make the family meal, especially mom. I think she overdid it a bit because she is home in bed really tired. Everyone helped her, but there is still so much to do to prepare for a holiday meal.
One can wonder about how a contemporary Thanksgiving compares to the original with the Native Americans and the Immigrant Americans (pilgrims)? I read somewhere the original Day of Thanks lasted almost 7 days. That's a long party! I personally have experienced a party that lasted three days (alas, that is a topic for another writing sometime down the line!), which was incredible in its own right. A seven day celebration with no booze could become a bit annoying I would imagine.
Thanksgiving; the word needs no definition. A day of giving thanks for all the blessings in our lives. For the Original immigrants who came here, they were thankful for surviving the terrible North Eastern winter. For us today, we are mostly thankful for our loved ones and probably football. Black Friday too! I for one tried to remember all the individuals suffering the aftermath of Super Storm Sandy, not to mention all the other individuals on the planet who are suffering from other catastrophes. Sometimes, it is hard for me to get past all those individuals who are so less fortunate than my family and myself. We as a family are not wealthy, but we do have a number of luxuries that others cannot afford. I am so very grateful for all this. I only wish I was in the position to help those that are less fortunate around me. I often remind my loved ones of this. There are so many people worse off than I am or we are.
I remember living in Southern California and seeing the homeless begging for money at the freeway off ramps, in front of convenience stores, street corners, busy intersections and such. I am glad I am not one of these people; well, not yet, anyway.

Not everyone who begs for donations is needy...
I was off an one of my excursions to do a movie and dinner with my friends one Spring afternoon. I stopped at the Bank of America on Devonshire and Sepulveda Blvd. like usual. For a few weeks there had been this woman there on an old bicycle, a few store bags and rags in her bike basket. She had been there soliciting money and in front of a bank, well, she banked. On this particular afternoon, as I was leaving the ATM, I began to dig though my pocket for whatever change I had to give her. As I approached her, a very well dressed, and easy on the eyes woman blocked me and said in a very matter of fact manner: "don't give that woman any money; I work at Circuit City and she came in and bought a $400 DVD player, CASH!" I paused for a moment and glanced at the woman in the house dress, beat up sandals, ripped socks as she looked away, jumped on her bike and rode away.
All I could think was, WOW!
I suppose the saying; You Can’t Judge a Book by It's Cover pertains to this instance. Here all this time, I've been working for a living; I am such a sucker.
As the Holiday Season gets rolling; I’m sure we are all going to witness wonderful and scandalous events. Let’s not forget what is important during this Christmas Season; FAMILY, FRIENDS and GIFTS! Well, maybe not so much the gifts. Enjoy your friends and family; treasure them and let them know you love and care for them.
Later.

Being Thankful

To Be Thankful...
I sometimes feel so ashamed to be me. I am a self-confirmed news junkie. I see all of the tragedies/travesties that the world offers. I see the suffering in Haiti, Syria; other areas of the Middle East. I see and feel the suffering of those in the North East, who are currently suffering the aftermath of Super-Storm Sandy. It is appalling to me that in todays age, despite our economic woes; that we allow fellow humans to suffer so.

I myself often forget about these individuals, unless I am being bombarded with their suffering on CNN or some other news station. I instead choose to worry over my selfish needs. Of course, like many others, in moments of peaceful contemplation; the times when I am quietly communing with the Lord, I apologize for my self centeredness. I acknowledge that I am so much better off than so many people in the world. I am so thankful for this; and so ashamed of the way I think sometimes. I try everyday to change this about myself and vow to never stop trying.

Today, on this day of giving Thanks for all that I have, all the individuals in my life; both past and present, for all that I am; I will pray for the Lord to bless and protect those who have so much less than I. I will give thanks for all those with whom I share my daily experiences with; all those who make up the realm of my life; both past and present.

I hope we can all try doing this today; and maybe even more. Maybe, we can all take some time on a daily basis and remember those who suffer so much more than ourselves. Today, let us all be thankful for what we have and cherish and maybe for what we take for granted and forget to cherish. Let’s all take today and cast away all of the trivial incidents that we carry in our minds and hearts. Let us take today to heal and allow ourselves to let go of all the unnecessary baggage that we weigh ourselves down with every day. In this way, perhaps we can lighten our minds and souls. Hopefully this will allow us to cherish all we have in our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

humorous observations

I find it so humorous when people get nervous about biometric screenings when coming into the park. Some of the questions we get are too funny. I recently had one guest ask me if they get checked against child support records! I just about fell out laughing, on the inside, that is. I responded to the guest that the records are crossed matched with The Department of Homeland Security. I assured the man that I was just kidding. He asked if he had to place his finger down and I told him he didn't if he had I.D. on him. He did and appeared to become relieved when he didn't have to get the biometric set. Made me wonder; who is this guy? He was just too scared to be hiding from some state attorney general over some unpaid child support. Of course, now, state governments use the I.R.S. to collect for them. I guess in retrospect, I can understand this individual’s apprehension.
The threat of big brother looms everywhere; just look at Kick Buttowski! No, really; I think people are so over scrutinized that they wonder why companies do what they do. I mean, has anyone tried to get a library book lately? Has anyone tried to rent a video? One would swear they will soon be asking for signatures in blood or better yet, chiseled into granite.
Welcome to the world, 2012!
I understand a day laborer in Bel Air last week asked for two forms of I. D. a social security card and references before he would start pulling weeds! Gotta' love Californians'; legal or not!
Of course there is the story of the third grade teacher in Providence, who when informed that the parents of one of her students wanted a parent-teacher conference, she immediately called he lawyer to find out what her liability was.
Paranoia runs wild in the streets of America.
Think about this: police cruisers prowl the streets all day long with network connected laptops at their disposal; all so they can run license plates on cars. I personally think that this should be illegal. If you get popped running a red light, cutting off some poor schlep as you pull a u turn into the Starbucks you just passed and you are observed by one of our upstanding police officers, well then, you get what you get. Otherwise, I think that it should be illegal for
Law Enforcement to bother you.
When you get down to it, police are just like us; only they get to carry guns, pull you over, violate your rights and most cool of all, get these hot girls they pull over all worked up over a ticket, decide to let the girl go, in exchange for a phone number of course, then go out and have gratuitous sex from a thankful hottie!
Other than that, police are just like the rest of us.
They are People with absolute powers that have been corrupted absolutely.
I found myself walking through a store today, I wont mention which one; okay, WALMART. I asked a woman wearing a WALMART smock and name tag if she worked there, dumb me; she replied no and continued on her way.
She worked there; otherwise, why would she want to wear that hideous smock that these individuals who are employed there are forced to wear on a daily basis? It must have given her a great feeling of power knowing that she pulled one over on me. Anyway, I was helped by this incredibly cute brunette who led me to the refried black beans with a smile. I, being a loyal Disney Employee, would never do that.
I know some who would; but I wouldn’t. I try to greet each guest with a smile. I try to answer all of their questions with a smile and politely, because let’s face it; sometimes these questions are pretty interesting; my favorite… “What time is the 3:00 parade?”
Disney actually sells a shirt depicting Goofy asking this question. Funny. Of course, there isn’t too much that I don’t find funny. I think I enjoy searching for irony in the daily happenings of others. I won’t say that I’m socio-pathic, but I am a bit demented at times. Not in a bad way; I just have a weird sense of humor. I’ll laugh at anything… Ever have a friend stumble in front of you, where you run to see how he/she is? I do that, and when they respond that “they’re fine”, I bust out laughing at them… usually just for effect. I’m strange like that. Although sometimes, it’s funny! I don’t find it funny when someone gets hurt; usually. So I don’t laugh when someone gets hurt… usually.
Like, I’ve been watching the coverage of the skirmish between HAMAS and ISREAL; it think the suffering of the citizens of this area is heart-breaking. I hate children and women suffering. I hate to see men suffering. However as I watch CNN’s coverage and hear how the Palestinians are complaining that Israel is defending itself too aggressively, I laugh. You play with the tiger, you get eaten. HAMAS doesn’t care about the people of GAZA; they want the Palestinians to feel pain; to suffer and even die. It helps their cause.
They now have stock footage to show the world. Poor HAMAS.. being killed for launching rockets at a NUCLEAR POWER! Perhaps this is going to end up being put on the Darwin Awards?
That would be funny. Would any intelligent individual, start a fight with people who can obliterate you? Perhaps, the Palestinians are hoping that IRAN, EGYPT, SYRIA and the rest of the Middle East comes to their defense. Idiots. I think feel for the individuals that are innocent in this; if there are any innocent parties involved. I feel for the suffering children on both sides. I wish people would learn to get along. I think this well end badly for the civilians in the GAZA area. I wish they would oust HAMAS and learn to live peacefully. I doubt that this will ever occur.
So, onto other things. The Holidays are here! That time of the year when one gets all dressed up in festive clothing, eat rich, sugary foods, over-charge on their credit cards; indulge in pushing, fighting, biting, scratching, hair pulling, cursing out motorists in parking lots; flipping the bird to cashiers and store managers, all while in search for the perfect, overpriced, over commercialized gift for someone who will probably re-gift any-way! I can hardly wait!
Now, back to the poor guy who was scared about using the biometric scans at WDW;
I wonder if he spends his time hiding his face from the countless video cameras strategically placed in every parking lot in every shopping center, Wal-Mart, grocery store, ATM, red light intersection and satellite circling the globe? Poor guy; I am sure he gets no rest. I hope he learns to chill out. As for me, I am awaiting the holidays with great zeal. Yup. Great Zeal! You’ll hear more on that in the coming days or weeks; indeed you will.

Family

Mom is so awesome. I remember her cutting the crusts off of my sandwiches for school , of course she had to, the nuns took my pocket knife away one lunchtime...
Yes, you are correct in assuming that I am a product of a Catholic Education. I was in what were once called Parochial Schools, only before all the scandals of priest and nuns that are so highly publicized today. I started in pre-school and Kindergarten, then went to an eight year school for first through eighth grades, then finally high school for ninth through twelfth grades. I can honestly say I was very comfortable and respected by the nuns and priests I was surrounded by. And beyond all that, I received a top notch education. I owe that to my parents who put my education and that of my brother, Roy above all else. There are some downsides to a private education, one being the naivety that one has while being so sheltered all ones life. I wasn't like the kids in the neighborhood that I watched playing outside while I was inside doing homework. Not that I was any better than them, just different. I was accepted by them when I did go outside to play with them, but I didn't fit in completely.
I wasn't as rough and tough as some of the kids growing up in my neighborhood and when I got into squabbles, sometimes I wasn't as well prepared as them to defend myself. That didn't matter to me, there were a couple of older kids who watched out for me(more on that later), thankfully. I was of a premature birth, a significant premature birth, like three months early, so I was always a bit smaller and being a forceps baby, I had an oddly shaped head, kind of diamond shaped, if I stop to think of it now. So I was always kind of a misfit, I guess in a lot of ways I still am. I was never really good at sports as a kid and I didn't have all of the growing up skills that one would acquire while growing up with friends. Alas, I did have intelligence. I spent quite a bit of time at libraries, museums and on various trips around where I could always learn interesting stuff. As I matured my family would try to introduce me to sports and stuff like that but I really had no interest in it. Mom would set up what are now called "play-dates" for me with peers from school, but I really had no interest in what they wanted to do. On Saturday's I would go the movies. Usually alone, because it was a safer time and one could go places alone. I read a lot and could spend hours perusing book stores at the mall or wherever a lonely bookstore could be found. I still enjoy doing this, but now I get most books on my iPad.
It took me a while to come into my own, as it is said. I made a couple of good friends in my life and had some awesome adventures growing up. Some of those stories may make it onto here for you to read at some point.
Mom always made sure that I was choosing the right friends. That wasn't a difficult thing to do. I didn't like to get into trouble. I did meet a couple of guys who were troubled souls. Life didn't turn out well for them. I have to admit; it is a very interesting experience knowing someone who is sitting on death row. I have a very special little girl; who is not so little anymore who is facing a capital death charge in Texas. She got involved with the wrong guy. Twice. She had awesome friends at one point in her life; her parents were well involved in her life, she abandoned her support system.
Mom always harped on us; and to some extent she still does. I won’t tell her this, but I am so glad for this. I don’t know what I’d be today, if it wasn’t for her. To this day, she still makes my unsweet iced tea for me. She always asks me if I need my dinner fixed; fixing my lunch, etc. I usually decline this stuff because I don’t want her to over do for me. I really want her to take care of herself. I love my mom; and without her, my life would be so empty. I love my brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew. Without all of them in my life; I’d have nothing. Of course, I can’t ignore Chico; my Chihuahua. He is awesome, though he is a pain in the @$$ sometimes. I am a very blessed person; I never forget this fact and I am so thankful to the Man Upstairs!
I don’t know how many people think this way anymore; I can’t tell you how many people I know that complain of siblings, parents, nieces and nephews; poor fools; I love my family. Sure, at times I get irked about little things; but after I rant for a moment; I thank my lord and my lucky stars. I’ll say it again; Thank you lord for my life; my family and friends. I am so blessed and I am grateful.
I hope all of you feel the same way. LATERZ!

Blessings

People/families split over election during the holidays? It can't be!
I've been reading a lot of Facebook posts of people dreading the holidays in fear of having to discuss the election results. I think this is hilarious! You find some individuals completely capable of defending their choices in this past election. Mind you, they don't have to. People’s choices are their own and should never be compelled to defend them. I for one am extremely dissatisfied with the outcome of our recent presidential election. As a group, I wonder what people were thinking. I know the other side thinks the same about me. The elections are over, thankfully; let's focus on what really matters: our family and friends. Bring on the turkey, ham, lasagna, pizza or whatever you choose to place at your table this Thanksgiving night. Remember, if you are lucky to be sitting at a table, surrounded by those you love, you are extremely blessed. Just remember to include those individuals in New Jersey, New York and everywhere else our fellow Americans, nay our fellow humans are suffering at this joyous time of the year.
I hope that when we say grace at our table this Thanksgiving, maybe even at our daily meals, we can all remember to mention our countrymen who are suffering this year.
It is impossible to avoid arguments with family about politics, religion and whether Star Wars or Star Trek is the better movie series. Just enjoy the comfort of family and friends and forget Romney and that other guy that I’m pretending didn’t win the election. Have a wonderful holiday!

Giving Back

So as I am here at work I had the opportunity to chat with a College Program cast member named Emily. Emily hails from Missouri and comes with an excellent work ethic. She is self proclaimed non religious person. One could find it so interesting, albeit inspiring on how this individual chooses to spend her very valuable free time. Emily is a college student who chooses to spend her free time giving to the community. She spends a day helping and volunteering at the ASPCA in her city. It would appear that she finds this a selfish act because she sees it as being one sided, spending her time there cuddling a cat, which seems to make Emily feel better, never-mind what joy it may bring the feline.
Emily spends another day of the week volunteering at the local boys and girls club. She didn't elaborate on her actions there, but I imagine it doesn't entail cuddling and grooming children. Maybe she helps out with kids requiring assistance with their homework, or maybe she organizes a round of outdoor games; or maybe ebb helps plan and implement art projects. There is so much character that is built and cultivated in the boys and girls clubs of America. I can imagine all the children who must be thrilled to see Emily when she walks in.
Emily helps out at a local hospital too. It impresses me, how one individual can make such a large contribution to her community. Not a financial contribution, but a rare and valuable contribution; her time, caring and effort. There is no price that can be put on that. It is something that she will never get back, something that when completed, touches individuals (pets) in a way that gold couldn't provide.
Indeed the time we spend volunteering, whether it be serving the less fortunate at a soup kitchen, or may it be hugging an orphaned kitten, is indeed the Lords work. It is priceless. Would it not be wonderful if we could all do this?
So many people are legitimately busy and few have any time for themselves to recharge. I wonder if volunteering would help fill a void in the lives of all those people that throw themselves into their work to hide from whatever realities that exist in their lives?
In my youth I spent time working with under privileged children. Many came from broken homes or alternate living situations. I must admit that in the last few years that I have not been involved in these agencies that provide mentors or special friends or big brothers, etc; my life has been a bit emptier. For me, this used to be a life; a life where I made a difference; where my actions mattered. I don't live that life anymore. My life now really impacts no one in particular; perhaps guests who are trying to rush to their dinner reservations in Canada or Norway. Maybe individuals who are trying to get to the princess breakfast in the morning. I can't whine about this because it is what I asked for. I wanted this next segment of my life to have as little responsibility as possible. I accomplished that. I guess I wasn't counting on the emptiness this would cause
I am blessed to have a wonderful family. They are the sole purpose of my existence; without them, I’d be no-one and have nothing. Somehow, I still feel somewhere deep down; that I should be doing something more with my life. That is my issue; and my issue alone.
Getting back to my cp friend; all I can say is that I am so in awe of her. I hope that her actions continue for many years to come; and more so, I hope that her actions encourage and inspire others to donate of their time when they are able.
If everyone could do one thing a month for someone, some agency, we’d have an excellent world.

46%

As I am sitting here this morning, enjoying my cup of Nescafe Suave, listening to KFI am streaming on my ipod and go groove, i am shocked to hear that they are reporting that 46% of Californians are contemplating leaving California! I, currently live in Florida. I uprooted my family in November, 2006, after having visited Walt Disney World in August of 2004; the one week when they didn't have a hurricane. Florida was hammered that summer.
My god-daughter, Ashley and I came down for eight days and we had a blast. It was one of the most fun times I have ever had.
I had been working for a longtime, in an incredibly stressful job in Southern California.
I was the type to really enjoy theme parks. I was forever at Disneyland and Universal Studios, Hollywood. I used to spend a great deal of time at Six Flags Magic Mountain, but as I matured, I became more obese and couldn't ride the fun rides anymore.
I could still ride everything at Disneyland and Universal, so I dropped the Magic Mountain season pass and kept the other two.
I had reached about 400 pounds in that part of my life. It was rough, but not for me. I didn't notice it. Though I guess I did get more winded at times.
Other than that, I felt great.
Seven years later, I find myself in Florida, having lost about 160 pounds and being much more active. Leaving California, was an extremely life changing event for me.
I no longer eat out 21 times A WEEK, nor do I just sit around all day. I am on my feet all day long, I walk Chico several times a day and try to move around more. I frequently have dance parties of one in my bedroom. I ride my XOOTR whenever I get the chance, and still plan on having my Schwinn Sidewinder fixed when I can find the money.
In Los Angeles, one never really leaves their car. I would ride my Schwinn back home and be ridiculed for not having a car, or so people thought. Actually, I had several cars.
I remember one afternoon, I was riding to Hollywood Video on Sepulveda and Devonshire, when a car full of girls passed me up and shouted, "get a car!" I thought that this was funny. But that is the mentality of people in Southern California.
The traffic was dangerous. Crime was very high in my area of residence. Drug dealers, drive-by shootings were a frequent occurrence. To me it was just safer to get home from work and stay there.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t help one live the healthiest of lives. I have to admit, even though I was gaining about 10 pounds a year, you get to a point when it is too late.
A time when your clothes don’t fit you and you have to order everything online; from big and tall stores. I am now happy to say that I can now shop off the rack. Of course, I still buy clothes from LL Bean and a few other places. I still wear all of my BIG clothes, and am shocked at how BIG they are on me. I feel like I’ve wasted away to nothing. Of course, my doctor(a quack), still calls me obese. My comment to him is usually, “You should’ve seen me when…”.
Anyway, with extremely heavy traffic, pollution, gangs, graffiti, congestion on the streets, the cost of living; I can see why so many people are considering leaving California.
I loved being a Valleyite, an Angeleno, a southern Californian. I never thought I’d leave my home state. In retrospect; it has been far from perfect and ideal; and yes, there have been some very, very tough moments; I still think that my move from California, has been a great thing.
California, is still worth saving. Costs of education, property, fuel, electricity, water and other needs, can be brought down. I think that so much of California, especially in Los Angeles County, where most services are paid by taxes, to city/county workers, monies can be saved by competition. Let the private sector bid on landscaping, sanitation and other services that don’t need to be provided by high-paid city workers. It’s just a thought. I don’t know if it will work; but why not look into it?
I heard that if a half cent sales tax isn’t put into effect, LAPD will have to lay off 500 police officers. Knowing LAPD, I think that this is a good thing. I believe that the LAPD is amongst the most corrupt police departments in the nation.
Why not let the more cities incorporate? I know that The San Fernando Valley is chomping at the bit to secede from the City of Los Angeles. The City of San Fernando Valley could let the LAPD go and let the county Sheriffs do the law enforcement. Other than the North Valley, crime is relatively low in the valley. LADWP may be a bit of a problem because there are shared power stations and water reservoirs scattered throughout the county/city. They would just have to learn to compromise on this.
The same could be said about other areas of the city. Woodland Hills, Tarzana, Encino and Studio City could all be part of the City of San Fernando Valley. Van Nuys could be the city government center. This would help the rest of Los Angeles as well; more ability to focus on the schools in the inner cities, on services in the inner cities. More police to be deployed to the inner cities. This is necessary; trust me on that. I understand that somewhere on the books, there is a plan to cut the state of California in half! There would be a north and south, California. This could be cool too. I don’t know if this would ever happen. But with the financial ruination that California is facing; something has to be done and soon.
If it is indeed true, that 46% of Californians are thinking of leaving the state, California is going to become a ghost town of sorts. The economy may suffer a bit; or maybe not. I think we are all going to see what happens in the future. I know for me and my family, Florida is an attractive locale. Good schools, no pollution, light traffic (comparatively) and some fun occasionally. I like it here; though one doesn't make so much money around here. That’s okay though. We’ll see what comes around.

An Aspiring Writer...

As an aspiring writer, I try to utilize whatever tools I have at my disposal. I use documents to go on my palm T/X, iPad and iPod. Recently, I have been using I do notepad for the iOS devices. So far, I like it. When I use my desktop or laptop I use ms word, which is my favorite word processor. I plan on playing with the app on iPod to see how the copy and paste works with it. If it doesn't I will have to set up my Drop box account, I haven't subscribed to use the cloud yet.
I guess I am not really an aspiring writer. I’ve submitted manuscripts, movie reviews and commentary to various websites, magazines and blogs.
I frequently have so many ideas running through my mind; it is hard for me to just focus on one thing. I have a tendency to go off on tangents. I have always been notorious for this. I think I do some of my greatest writing when I go off on tangents, because sometimes, my mind just stumbles onto something great.
I started this little note, as just a way to use the I Do notepad on the ipod and am now finishing this note on MS Word on my laptop; which I rarely use anymore, because I am really enjoying using my ipad when I am out and about. I, like many find that carrying my laptop is too heavy for everyday use. If I plan on sitting around BAM or Starbucks for hours, drinking coffee and writing; then I guess the laptop is okay.
However, I find myself on the ipad more and more.
I started doing my mobile note writing on my Palm T/X, which had Documents To Go downloaded on it. Now, using the T/X is just not convenient. My ipod has DTG loaded on it and I am able to email my notes to one of my email accounts. From there, I just open it on the computer, copy and paste it, do some tweaking and then post it to blogger or tumblr.
This past election season, I spent a lot of time writing anti-Obama notes. No more; the election is over and somehow, he continues to be the President of these United States. My only comments on this are: I am extremely disappointed in the American electorate for giving this man 4 more years. The other; Americans will get what they deserve. No more. Fin.

I think for a while; I am going to write more about my daily experiences. Actually, I am really only posting one blog a week. It is my intention to be able to do a daily blog. I don’t know if I have enough memorable experiences to do this. I am going to pay closer attention to what and who I encounter throughout my days. I am the type of person who tries to find humor in everything I experience. Not so much lately though.

Life in America; isn’t easy. I guess it really isn’t easy anywhere; so many things to do, work, laundry, grocery shopping, doctors appointments errands, paying bills, going to the bank, etc. If you have children, then whoa! Having children, adds even more; taking the kids to school, buying school supplies, making lunches, making breakfast, dinner, providing snacks; and if you have a pet; then even more to do; walk the dog, take the pet to the vet, feed the fish, feed the cat, so the cat doesn’t eat the fish; put the dog out so that the dog doesn’t make the cat a chew toy, or chew up the furniture, which my neighbors have to contend with on a weekly basis, by the way.
On top of all this; you have to try to find a way to unwind so that you don’t end up going postal on some tower overlooking some plaza with unsuspecting people about to get wasted and make the six o’ clock news.
I don’t know when we, as Americans made our lives so complicated. In a perfect world, we should be able to work; spend quality time with our families, enjoy a couple of days off doing the things we love with the people we love. We should be able to save some money, maybe to take a vacation once a year. I think we should be able to put money away for the future, to help our kids, if we have them, get a leg up on life, whether that is helping them pay for college, buy their first car, start a small business or just give them some financial security. All these things aren’t easy to do. All of these things I have just mentioned take quite a bit of sacrifice.

It is no surprise that people are always tired. People do so much running around and on top of that, are loaded with stress. It’s no wonder that people rely on alcohol, pot, barbiturates and other chemical devices to find away to escape it all.

When I was young, my dad worked really hard. He worked six days a week, building a business that was top in its field in the San Fernando Valley. Often, he worked overtime as well, and I remember mom, Roy and I driving to Northridge, CA to have dinner with dad at his shop. Dad worked hard, so that we could have everything we needed and then some.

When it came down to recreating, dad would go fishing. He would hitch up his boat and head out to one of the area lakes or even out to the ocean for some deep sea fishing.
As a little boy, I would go fishing with my dad to either Hansen Dam or Echo Park to fish with dad. Summer nights would often find us out at The Santa Monica Pier for some fishing. Most of the time, I just roamed around and looked at what other people were catching. I didn’t like fishing. I hated the smell. I still do.

Unwinding, for me used to be different; I’d spend all my time at the area theme parks. I had the money to do so. Not anymore. I work for Disney, so I am always at Disney.
I actually, spend most of my time watching television. I enjoy this. I never really watched television back home. I guess there wasn’t much for me to watch that I really enjoyed; other than CNN.

Time does change people. I get more tired now; more burned out. I get to the point where all I want to do on my off time, is nap and kick it in my man-cave. I don’t think my mom likes this; she likes to be out and about. She is stuck at home so much while I am work.
I know Chico doesn’t like it when I just stay in my room. He would rather be out and about, spreading his scent on the neighbor’s trees and lawn. He loves barking at anything that moves; dogs, birds, lizards. He enjoys his life when we are out. In actuality, I like spending time out and about with Chico too. He makes me smile. Chico never ceases to amaze me. If one day, I’d wake up and he’d say, “Hey Al, let’s go outside so I could get my treat..” it wouldn’t surprise me all that much.

I think as I get older; I want to travel a bit more and maybe rekindle my relationship with my cameras. I am an avid photographer; I could say, professional, photographer. I’ve been published and have been paid for my work. So yeah, I guess I am a professional.
One day, maybe I’ll post pix on my tumblr account.
For now, its getting late. I’m watching Ancient Aliens on History Channel and I’d like to get back to it.

3 Days!

Don’t boo, vote!
7.8% unemployment
Las Vegas
JAY-Z
Let the rich pay a little more…

I remember in my youth, witnessing the excitement that occurred in my family’s home over the forth coming elections. It was almost like a holiday in my house; or maybe more at my grandfather’s house.
My grandfather, Pete; or what I called him, Grandpa Pete, was a die hard republican. He was a great fan of President Richard M. Nixon. I was very little when WATERGATE occurred. I remember hearing all of the talk of impeachment and all that which went along with it. My grandfather was livid.
President Nixon left with great shame placed on him and poor Gerald R. Ford had to assume the reigns of power for the strongest nation in the world. Poor guy; he wasn’t prepared for it. He continued until the next election, where Jimmy Carter defeated him.
I don’t remember much about the Carter years, except witnessing long gas lines. I remember my parents talking of the oil embargo and complaining that they could only purchase gas on certain days. Another think I remember, was seeing gas prices. In the early 70’s gasoline was 29 cents a gallon! I received an allowance of 1 dollar a week. That dollar went a long way. Nestles Crunch Bars were a nickel! Coke was 10 cents.
I would go to the move for $1.75 and popcorn and such cost 2 bucks. Those were the days.
Fast forward to today. I am on the way to fifty years old. Time has flown. I have a lifetime of experiences that I have mainly forgotten. Trips I’ve taken to various points in the world, vacations with my family. I took many vacations with friends at different times. Gas prices are now hovering at $4.00 a gallon. My pay hasn’t really changed in the last 12 years. Having changed careers, I now make about 1/5th of what I used to make in California.
My generation has experienced 9/11, earthquakes, hurricanes, wars, terrorist acts, presidents that have lead us to greatness and unfortunately, presidents that have made promises and not kept them.
We are now 3 days away from our next election…. Some people say, “so what?” Some people don’t really care who wins the election. I have spoken to many who don’t like either candidate. I have spoken to people who love the Democrat; why, I just don’t understand. Some really like the excitement that the Republican is generating. I fall into this column. I don’t think that this comes as a surprise to anyone though.
I have my reasons. I don’t want to bash the current president, because he has a tough job. I, for one, would never want to take on his job. He has to run what was once the greatest country in the world. I say “once” because we are now struggling and I don’t believe that we could be true leaders in the current state that we are in.
World leadership is still in our reach, but so much needs to be done, so many different areas of trouble that need to be addressed. I have said it many times, “How does one man, meet the needs of so many people?” I liked Ronald Reagan’s attitude: “Delegate authority and don’t interfere.” I think it was easy if you had the common sense, courage and strength that is needed for anyone who sits at the desk in the oval office. I also believe that you have to have a great love for your country. I believe that you have to be the ultimate booster for your nation. You have to love it; you have to support it. I believe that instead of finding fault with it and apologizing at every opportunity for your nations short comings, you need to find a way to fix it and make it stronger. Protect the integrity of the promise of your country for all of her citizens.
As we await the election of 2012, the North East is in dire shape. Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey, New York and a few other states very hard. People are scouring dumpsters for food, waiting up to five hours in line for gasoline for their generators. Some people are freezing in homes that are submerged with up to six feet of water. People have no blankets, clothes, heat or any of the necessities that are necessary to live meagerly, much less comfortably.
All this going on while the leader of our nation is fund raising in Las Vegas and running back and forth shouting out to any person with a camera, “We need to keep moving forward, instead of going back to the failed ideas that got us where we are.”
That isn’t leadership. I said that I would never want to be a president; I don’t think I would have the diplomacy that is needed. I know that being the person that I am, I wouldn’t be out fund raising for an election that takes place in 3 days; how much money does one need anyway? Most people will vote for the individual that they believe will do the better job… or will they?
Myself, if I were President; I would be all over the North East, bringing in food, water, heaters, tents, blankets, trailers, clothes, anything that I could to help ease the suffering of the citizens of our country.
That is not what our current leader is doing… I’m not surprised.
“Change, has come to America…” Change did come to America; a negative change.
The election of 2012 will come to be known as one of the most ugly, negative, divisive, truth avoidance elections ever. I personally, am a bit ashamed of how a sitting president can behave in such an immature manner.
I hope change does indeed come to America in three days time. I hope that America finds her path again, and elects a leader who is not afraid to lead. Should this fail to occur; I for one will be the voice saying, “We have reaped what we deserve…”
Wake up, America, the alarm is screaming: “Wake Up!”

Happy Friday; or not....

FREE CELL PHONE
CHANGE
HOPE
GOING FORWARD
SANDRA FLUK
33 BILLION DOLLARS
40 PERCENT DAILY LOANS
“NOW THEY WORK FOR US…”
HURRICANE SANDY
1 MILLION DOLLAR DONATION FOR SAME SEX MARRIAGE
VIA BRAD PITT

I had the opportunity to get my curls trimmed back yesterday afternoon. I remember when I was a kid, taking a trip to the barber with my dad, grandfather, uncle on Saturday afternoons. It wasn’t always for the purpose of getting a hair cut; sometimes, in fact most times, it was just to give them a chance to sit around and josh with one another.
I find it interesting to hear the conversations that go on. Probably the same as in any other venue; except for California.
People are worried about jobs, jobs, jobs and the deficit. Watching some economic show the other night; I was jolted when the reporter stated that every American man, woman and child owed 50 thousand dollars to pay their fair share. This apparently grows 40% every day! Wow; and to think, I actually worried and stressed about paying off my credit cards; what a fool I was!
Despite all of the barriers in front of us at this time; we actually have an awesome opportunity to start anew; or at least take that first step. Many people believe that our problems will not be solved by a new occupant in the White House. I don’t think that I agree with this, but maybe; a new occupant will turn the wheel in another direction that could lead us to a path that could lead us to a new destination.
We, as Americans; need to focus on being independent. Independence in energy, independence in our economics. We borrow 40% of every dollar that the U.S. Govt. spends on a daily basis. Most of that loan comes from China. Have you seen the newest commercial where the Chinese speak of fallen civilizations; they go on to say that it is okay because “now America works for us…” this is followed by a room full of laughter.
Go ahead and laugh, America; it is destined to be true if we continue to go on as we are.
I, like many others have been watching the news and coverage of the devastation that was caused by Hurricane Sandy. It is unfathomable to me to even think that in this great country of ours, people are suffering so horribly. We have every type of resource that is needed to help these people in distress. We need some air-boats out there; industrial generators, six wheel vehicles to traverse the streets; food, clothing, water, blankets; we THROW THIS STUFF AWAY on a daily basis; why is it so hard to move it up the coast to the North East? Hell, we can move 100 thousand troops in three hours! Tanks, choppers, AAV’s, tents, water purification units! Why can we not be prepared for a storm and it’s aftermath here on the continental U.S.?
I think we need to evaluate all that we are undergoing today, people. I think we need leadership that is wavering. Leadership with some intelligence and courage. I think we need a new, fresh face, navigating our way for these next four to eight years. Think hard this weekend, salute your flag and pray for guidance.
Wake up America; it’s about to be too late!

Time Running Out

Flex-ability
Re-distribution
Save yourself for someone special
Children's choir
Benghazi...

I haven't written in a while. Not because of a lack of interest, but because there is so much to write about! I find myself getting more and more shocked by the ignorance of people. There are a couple of political advertisements coming over the airwaves recently. I am sure that everyone has seen them, but I am so shocked by them. I don't think I am the only one who is offended by them.
One, the one that really burns me up is of some actress from some meaningless television show, who encourages young girls to choose a man like President Obama to have their first sexual encounter with! Really?! Who in the world is going to want their daughter(or son) to choose a man who admittedly ingested cocaine, eats man's best friend and who has no backbone to show any type of pride in their country? I am personally sickened by this. Please tell me that I am not the only one!
Young girls are so impressionable. Pre-teens, tweens and teens are bombarded by sexual pressure from all sides. music, movies, television, friends books, magazines, the internet; it is nearly impossible for these young individuals to fend off their desires and natural urges. Young girls get enough pressure from young boys; they don't need it from Obama's super-pacs. I don't understand why more people are not up in arms.
It's not just this ad. Now, there is a new commercial with a school child choir singing about their perception of what the world will be if Obama isn't re-elected.
I will keep saying it, America needs to wake up. With five days left until the election, it is imperative that people understand how dire our situation is.
I am at that point where I don't really worry about my future. It is what it is. I am concerned for my niece and nephew and their future. I am concerned for the future of all the children who have touched my life and who are growing up, preparing to the enter the work force, Preparing to begin their lives.
Just because we have ruined our present times, doesn't give us the right to ruin their futures as well. It is time for us to not worry about ourselves so much, but instead to concern ourselves with the life and possibilities we leave to the next generations. Should we leave them a country where the mortgage is in the hands of the Chinese? I think not. I believe any individual with a brain, will see the truth that Mitt Romney has the courage and ability to hand the keys to America back to our society.
Wake up, America. We have one clear choice to take our country back, to regain our prestige, honor and integrity that has been destroyed in the last 12 years. Don't waste your vote on the illusion of hope and change; instead, give ourselves the promise and the HOPE of real CHANGE... Something stinks in Washington D.C. let's clean out the cage, for all of our sake's.


A C

Watching TV, Food and Wine and other stuff...

BAYONETS
HORSES
BIG BIRD
BULL$HI*-*R
ROMNESIA….

It has been a fun week. Like many, I’ve been watching television. Finally caught up on Once Upon A Time, wow, love where the show’s going. I really enjoy watching HOMELAND on Showtime; this too is an awesome show.
I also have been watching the news and people watching when I have the opportunity.
Do you ever look at the attire people choose to wear when going out? I often do this and ask myself, “Self; who dresses these people?” “Who are these people?”
I was able to spend some time at the EPCOT Food And Wine Exposition last Thursday and decided to try out some of the food that were offered by the hosting nations. I liked the Argentinean Empanada; spicy, but good. I’m not really a Pork eater, so I didn’t try Hawaii’s Pork, Pineapple slider. It did sound good though.
I was able to try out the Key Limen (that’s what it’s called) Wine, made by a Florida winery. I don’t drink alcohol, so I didn’t have anything to compare it to. I thought it was okay. I could not see myself buying a bottle to drink here at home. In reality, I enjoy my un-sweet Pomegranate Iced Tea. It was interesting though.
While I am on this topic, boring as it may be; I managed to get my favorite dessert while I was strolling EPCOT. It was in Japan; it is called a Kagagori(sp). In the past; it was an AMAZING fluffy shaved ice with incredible flavors such as melon, tangerine, cherry and a couple of others; no Kirin though. I stopped to buy one(a shaved ice, not a Kirin) and was VERY DISAPPOINTED when I dug into it. It was awful! The ice was as course as an American Snow Cone. This ruined my day. I know, it’s trivial; but I was so looking forward to it. I decided to head to France to get a chocolate croissant at the bakery. This was good. I know what you’re thinking; why not a Funnel Cake from the American Pavilion? Well, the last time I bought one, it was a breezy day and when I turned to walk away from the Funnel Cake kiosk, a gust blew all the powdered sugar onto my face. It would've been funny if it happened to someone else. I guess it was funny TO someone else or other people who witnessed the confectionery mishap. Well, that’s why I didn't get the funnel cake.
It appears that there is a scandal brewing with the Libya stuff. In the last couple of days, emails were released by the State Department. The content of these emails appear to state that The White House (and those who occupy it/work there), were notified of the Benghazi attack in real time. This would afford the President and his Cabinet to launch drones, planes, etc. to monitor the unrest in real time.
This has set forth a vast amount of questions from the Republicans, but not so much the news agencies (except FOX). I guess the biggest point that these people are making; is that if we could see it happen; why could we not intervene? Knowing a bit about how military operations work; it does take some time to work out the logistics. In my humble opinion; this may have been avoided with a strong security detachment stationed at the embassy. I think all embassies or such offices, should have a permanent security detachment on site. Most Diplomats travel with DSA’s; Diplomatic Security Agents. These are typically former Special Forces personnel, tasked with defending our diplomats and their staff/families abroad. No such luck in the Benghazi case, though the ambassador apparently was continually pleading for such a unit. I don’t know what will come, if anything on this investigation. I can say that you don’t hear anything here about it. Most news outlets ignore any topics, stories and investigations relating to anything that paints our Inept President, unfavorably. This is nothing new. We can go back in the last three years and find dozens of stories that have been ignored by the news houses.
I don’t think that it’s fair; but this is political life in America. I truly think some big changes need to be made. More on that later.

More observations

I had a very pleasant conversation with a Haitian woman the other day, while working at the International Gateway. I was feeling a bit melancholy; I’m not sure why. However, I was standing near to this woman and she began to speak with me. She was pleasant. She had an infectious smile and then decided to begin speaking of her life.
I find it interesting how we can spend time with people; and frequently a great deal of time and still, perhaps learn nothing of the person we are interacting with.
Though we only spoke for approximately 45 minutes; she told me about growing up in Haiti. She spoke of her sister in law who was a wonderful cook. A woman from Mexico, who loved to cook for her family.
This woman, whose name I am not going to mention, began to tell me how she had a wonderful man in her life. She is aware of the many blessings in her life that God had bestowed upon her, but she knew something was missing. For many years she and her husband were trying to conceive a child. Alas, her doctor told her that she would never have a child. Of course this devastated her. I don’t think she ever mentioned it to her husband.
She told me of the sadness that this caused her and that one night, on her bus ride home, she decided to pray; to put this matter into the hands of the lord, God. As we continued to converse, a smile came upon her face as she told me “now I have two babies.”  She wiped a tear from her eye and continued to speak. She touched my shoulder and said to me, “God will take care of you. You just have to believe.”
This surprised me because I hadn't told her anything about my life. I, am incredibly adept at conversing for hours and saying nothing of any importance. Sometimes, after speaking for long periods of time, nothing that can be put together to make any type of coherence.
Though, many people don’t know this; I frequently converse with the lord. It isn’t always praying, just communing. Like I would have a conversation with anyone else. I talk to him when I’m riding the NINJA, at work, when it’s quiet. Whenever I have a quiet moment to speak to him. A lot times, I ask for things; like anyone else, and then I tell him, that I understand if the answer is no.
I spent my life in the Catholic Educational Institutions (Catholic Schools). I think that this was very good for me. I received a top level education. I don’t think that it educated me in being street wise, though. I was a very different person out of school. A bit of a misfit, you could say. I didn't know much about girls, or what was cool as far as music and television. I was confined to my house Monday through Thursdays to do homework, etc. Friday, through Sunday afternoon; I was a bit freer. It didn't matter though. When I was little, I had to go wherever mom went. Usually this meant my Grandparents, or grocery shopping, or going to J C Penny’s for shopping. So, I would get to play outside for a couple of hours a week.
This, in the beginning wasn't too fun; I wasn't as good as the other kids at bike riding or skateboarding. I didn't swear like they did; nor did I even see things that they conversed about; in the same way they did.
Skip to today. I guess I still am a bit of a misfit. I’m not like everyone else. I don’t drink, smoke, indulge in altering my reality with chemical science. I’m a homebody. I love sitting in my man-cave at my computer, writing or watching CNN, NETFLIX, Ancient Aliens, UFO HUNTERS, etc.
I listen to music, Jazz and Blues mainly, sprinkled with some TOTO, John Mayer, Dave Koz, David Foster, Dave Grusin and George Benson.
I enjoy reading, having conversations with my mom and hanging with my Roomie, The Homey Chico.
I did watch the second Presidential Debate the other night. I am sure I’ll have something to say about that one in the next incarnation of this site. For now, everyone think of something that you’re thankful for today; not the stuff that bothers us; but the stuff you are grateful for and say thanks to the Entity upstairs. He’d like that.

I love sunshine. I walked out this morning, to take Chico out for his morning stroll to empty his thimble-sized bladder and realized what a beautiful morning it is. Today is my Sunday; meaning, I go back to work tomorrow. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have a job to go to. I was having a conversation with my mom the other day and was shocked to realize that I’ve been working for 38 years now. Not solidly, but mostly.
I started working with my father in his Auto Electrical shop when I was ten. Every Saturday morning, with the exception of the last Saturday of the month, he’d get me up at 7:00 and we’d be off to work. I swept, mopped, cleaned, sorted and helped deliver parts to garages and auto part stores. I got paid well and during the summers, I’d fill in for week-long shifts when people went on vacation. I learned how to utilize tools and learned how to replace starters, alternators and all kinds of other things.
My dad would tell me during working hours, I wasn’t his son. I would chuckle and go about doing my job. Working with him and his partner, I’d learn early how important work is in ones daily life and in shaping who one would become in later life.
Dad didn’t want me to take over the family business; he wanted me to be better than that.
He often told me he didn’t want me to have dirty hands.
I think he really wanted me to be a dentist or something like that. I couldn’t do that. I don’t think I could put my hands into some strange person’s mouth on a daily basis.
My fathers hard work and mothers ability to manage money, afforded my brother, Roy and I a very good life. Private education, music lessons for me, dance lessons for Roy.
Family vacations, cars, boats motorcycles and lots of wonderful memories that we made as kids.
Not everything was wondrous. There were some problems in our family life; The Brady Bunch doesn’t exist in the real world. People change. They change political values, religions, jobs, marital status; they change their way of thinking; their values.
My family underwent this. I’ve heard that men go through changes in their 40’s. I didn’t. My dad did. He changed. He still provided and maintained the household; but he was different. I was growing up, going to school, immersed in my own life and issues. My brother continued along with mom guiding him. Dad was around less and less; I tried not to pay attention to this, but it was noticeable.
Dad had no real outlets except for us; and when we began to grow apart, I think he was a little lost. Dad loved fishing, sitting around camp-fires and BS-ing all night long. My brother and I didn’t really enjoy that. We were movie and mall and theme park kids.
Dad went through a rough time; however he never stopped working until he became too ill to work.
I’ve known people; how have NEVER held a job in their lives. They never got up early to go to a job, never had coffee and donuts with friends in the morning. They never brought home a paycheck. Some of these individuals chose to experiment with drugs and alcohol and were trapped in this endless circle of inebriation and run-ins with the law.
My best friend growing up; became one of these guys. He was an awesome worker and was brilliant in his field even when he was under the influence of whatever it may be that he was using. However, he lost his family and the respect of so many people around him. Not his party friends, who were MUCH WORSE than he was. But all this affected his life anyway. Too bad… I hear that nowadays he doesn’t do much; he was sidelined by a serious knee injury a few years ago. I hear he just sits at home and argues with his dad all day and just does his thing and waits for his settlement check to come.
I get tired of working sometimes. 38 years is a long time; and I still have about 25 years to go. Hopefully, I’ll find a way to earn an income that’s easier and maybe even home based. A friend once told me that it’s a great big world out there and that there is so much to do. My question is: how do you find the time to go out and look? When you have a daily job to go to; it’s hard to take the time to go out and look for something different. In our current job climate, it’s dangerous to make any moves. Small business owners are functioning; operating very cautiously. But, change is important in all facets of ones life to stave off stagnation. This is something I am considering right now. It is something I am perpetually contemplating. But for now; it’s my Sunday; laundry day; TV day. Maybe some reading; maybe some writing. Perhaps; I’ll just sit at the piano for a while; do a social cam video and fiddle around on twitter. Have a great day all!

Relationships... to have or not to have?

So, I was sitting on the backstage bus the other day, on my way to the International Gateway entrance and even though I was listening to my ipod, rather loudly, I could still hear the conversation of a couple of girls speaking a few seats away from me.
It appears that one of them was having trouble in her relationship with someone.
I’ve never understood much about relationships. What creates them? What feeds them? How do some endure; and why do some die swiftly; and, why do some suffer lingering misery?
I’ve never been lucky when it comes to relationships. Yes, I’ve had a couple, but never really satisfying. In my youth, I was a hopeful romantic. Now, I try not to even imagine what the possibilities could be. I would rather save my fragile heart anymore pain.
I have to go out of my way to avoid even engaging with members of the opposite sex and when I do; I have to continually remind myself that I am only in the process of making acquaintances. I met a really awesome girl at work yesterday. She was smart, witty, and attractive. She stirred something in me that haven’t stirred in a long time. It did make me contemplate what the possibilities of life could be. But, having strode down that road many times before, finding only dead ends; I enjoyed the moments we spent interacting together and continued on my way; as always.
I am the kind of man that sabotages his own relationships.
When I was a younger man, this was out of fear; not knowing if I was able to sustain and maintain a relationship with another. I always promised myself that I would never force a woman to endure pain or heartache because of me.
Everyone has that friend; the one we secretly admire and loath; the one that has no problems luring members of the opposite sex. It appears that they have their fair share and yours too. I was that person in my youth. Unfortunately it didn’t carry over to my adulthood; and my main problem was that I never got the girl I wanted; almost like my sights were off. I always got the girl to the right or the left… except for maybe once or twice… and those times were wonderful.
I have tried being myself, being someone different, whom I kinda’ was in an earlier life.
Being mysterious and worldly, dark and brooding can be alluring to the opposite sex; but in my experience, it is too exhausting to carry on for long periods of time. However, if you are looking for a short lived, exciting tryst, this may be the way to go. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is not the route I want to take. As I mature(get older), I find my needs and desires change. I no longer am looking for that burning, sensual, white-hot love affair. I want more; I want companionship. Someone to go to a move with; someone to have a conversation with; someone to enjoy a quiet night on the couch with; or even share a morning cup of coffee with as one is immersed in the morning paper or weekly edition of TIME magazine. Funny how time changes you. I find it strange how ones needs, emotionally, physically and sexually change from day to day. I wonder if anyone thinks like I do; or if I’m just totally insane? So many questions… and perhaps one day, I’ll have the answers… but probably not.

Not everything is bitter....

I guess sometimes it is easy to focus on the negative. In our personal life, in society, the economy, traffic, pollution, taxes, gas prices, the cost of groceries, the work place; one could go on for ours listing everything that is wrong and the things that drive us mad.

If you listen to those who think they are in the know, you'd hear that people believe or at least they say, America's Best Days Are Behind Them. I think this is a pile of dung. Americans have been told that we are unable to compete in the new world economy. That we have grown lazy and weak, fearing hard work and casting aside innovation   common sense and a backbone. I think people abroad see us as Snooky watching, Honey Boo Boo followers who are more interested in whom Kim Kardashan is going to marry and quickie divorce next.

People abroad, and maybe even some of our own citizens think we are too immeshed in the lives of Selena and Justin. Well, I guess we could be. However, in defense of Americans everywhere, I don't think that the majority of Americas working class really gives a shit about whether or not Selena Gomez gets knocked up by Justin, or whether or not Justin splatters himself in his Lomborghini Murcielago while leading the paparazzi on a high speed chase on some Los Angeles freeway.

The world in general think of America as the place where the worlds movies and music are born. It eagerly awaits the freshest works and offerings from Kanye, Gaga, Clooney and Brangelina to experience and form their opinions on Americas p,ace in the world. These people, are chumps.

Our greatness lies not with bankers, wall street or reality show stars that more often than not embarrass themselves nightly in front of our citizens who are trying to escape the trappings of their daily lives; for at least a little while.

America's strength and power has been and always will be her citizens. America's wealth and backbone, intelligence, integrity and will, lies in her citizens. When those abroad witness the greed of wall street, politicians, bankers, corporate CEO's and CFO's, boards of directors for the fortune 500 who are more concerned for their investors bottom lines and dividends, than they are for the people who are being poisoned, radiated and forced out of family homes owned by generations before them, it's easy to think that America is falling.

I want to inform these individuals, that they are wrong. Everyday, we are in the presence of innovators. Teachers, doctors, nurses, store cashiers and everyday common folk that try to make a difference in everything they do throughout their day.

In the not too distant past, America was the greatest country in the world. We were world leaders in industry, arts, entertainment. Unfortunately, I think people put too much of their nest eggs in the care of Wall Street. This hurt us.

Americans, want a better life. We are willing to work for it. I just don't think that we know what we need to work at. Small business is struggling, major industry pays next to nothing. I think small community based private business's is the way to go.

Apparently, the jobs number reflects a drop in those who are unemployed. I think that the new number is skewed. We need the innovators to lead and we also need the banks and investors to back these innovators. When Obama bailed out the financial institutions, the banks, grabbed their money and locked it in away in welded shut vaults. They should've realized the american economy needed a hand up. They didn't. This has hurt the economy greatly.

Still, Americans carry on. They watch football, baseball, have backyard barbecues, go to school, and continue to look for work. Admittedly, some people have given up looking for work and only time will tell where our economy goes. Something to look forward to, the holidays. Many stores, businesses will be adding jobs for the masses and though these jobs are mostly seasonal, some who shine and stand out amongst the rest, may be offered long term part and full time positions. Things are getting better, finally. There is still much to do and with America preparing for another Presidential election, wondering, who indeed is the right man to lead us further out of this economic abyss, we currently find ourselves in. I for one, am watching, reading, investigating the facts as best I can. I hope all of you are too!


A C

More about me...

I am one of my favorite subjects. In a past life; I was quite comfortable being hidden away in the background. I’d go to parties, events and get togethers in large groups so I could hide in plain sight. I hated to be noticed anywhere and despised having to engage in menial, mind-numbing conversation. I was happier, sitting at my piano, riding my bike or hiding behind my Canon.
Time has changed me. I, nowadays, tend to make a spectacle of myself wherever I go.
I make an entrance; shout out to anyone in earshot, “Hi, all you happy people!”
I don’t know when exactly this change occurred. I probably shouldn’t think on it too much. It really isn’t that important.

My life was a mixture of safety and hazard. I grew up in a rather poor, gang ridden area of the San Fernando Valley. I was one of those poor people, living in Pacoima. I wasn’t poor; my dad made a very good living. My brother and I wanted for nothing. We had the music lessons, dancing lessons, played sports, had cars, motorcycles and boats. We attended private schools, traveled, vacationed and shopped at the best malls. We hung at The Beverly Center, The Westside Pavilion, Rodeo Drive and everywhere else there was to have fun. Weekends, we were at Disneyland, Magic Mountain (it wasn’t Six Flags yet!), Universal Studios, The Santa Monica Pier and all over Southern California.

As I grew into adulthood, the same pattern continued. I never was a drinker, a partier, nor did I ever experiment with drugs. Some people would think that I was boring… I guess I was. I was never excluded by my friends when they went out. I was the one who insured that everyone returned home safely. My best friend, Frank, would call me a cheap date. I’d drink unsweetened iced tea all night long; for a buck-seventy-five!

I spent my early adult life, educating and molding young lives. I worked with dual diagnosed; developementally disabled children, adolescents and teens. Later, with my friend, Frank, adults. I found my way to a Day Treatment facility where I worked for another 16 years, meeting and working with some wonderful people. My life meant something. I am one of those rare individuals, who is aware that he indeed did make a difference in many young lives. That is a feeling that I don’t think can be emulated by using any manufactured substance… except maybe a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey.

Many years later, I find myself living in Central Florida with my family. I currently am a cast member at Walt Disney World. I find it funny that this is where I end up. I love meeting people from all over the world. I basically get paid to play. The days are long; I stand all day; trying to keep my smile on my face all day, which isn’t all that difficult. Sometimes, guests can make my day difficult. Overall, I love my job. Of course; I don’t make anywhere near the money, I used to make. And I don’t spend all that much time playing in the parks like I thought I would. Back home, I was always at Disneyland.. It was my way of cultivating my sanity.

My days off are quite peaceful. Other than the running around I do, shopping and running errands with my mom, I spend time watching NETFLIX, reading books on my ipad, listening to music and talk radio. I like spending time with my Chihuahua, Chico... my room-mate, my homey… I ride my Ninja, my XOOTR; occasionally take a walk up the street. I enjoy my life. Sometimes, like many others, I wish that there was more to it. It would be nice to have someone special to come home to, that wasn’t my mom or that didn’t have four legs and a wagging tail; however, my life is what it is, and actually, despite it’s short-comings, is the life I’ve earned. I can’t blame anyone for my situation.

I used to make a very good living, but that was a lifetime ago, now. I’m fortunate, I have a place to go everyday, get paid, if you can call it that; have benefits and spend most of my day with a smile. It isn’t that bad of a life. I guess what I want to get across in this note is that no matter where you are in life, and though you can imagine yourself in a much more lucrative, desirable place in life… Most likely, your life is one that is coveted by someone much less fortunate than yourself. We recently celebrated my moms 70th birthday. I am so glad to still have her in my life. Without her, I’d be lost. I think I should tell her this more often.

So today, take stock, be thankful, and make a plan for tomorrow. If you can’t save a dollar, save a dime. If not a dime... Etc. Have a great day!