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