Some thoughts...

My thoughts on:


Little Princesses. I was at work today and working at EPCOT, one is usually surrounded by little princesses and young pirates, fairies and the like. We take pride in the service we provide to our thousands of guests that come through our turnstiles on a daily basis. Many of those guests are young guests; or little guests. Of course, many of these younger guests dress up to emulate their favorite princesses, characters or pirates. As cast members, we make a BIG DEAL about this. We bow and say things like, “Welcome, Princess: thank you for gracing us with your presence…” Sometimes we ask for their autographs and shower them with attention. The kids love it, the parents are grateful and glow with happiness and we as cast members, enjoy the interaction with our youngest guests, whom hopefully, one day; will be bringing children of their own to relive their memories through them.

When young pirates come through our turnstiles, we behave in the same manner, only using pirate jargon. I especially enjoy this; I go a bit over the top when I do this. I enjoy using my “arrghs” and “Avhast there’s” I call the young buccaneers “matey” and “me earties.” This is just expected when one visits Walt Disney World, or any of the Disney Parks. We encourage our guests young and mature to cherish their experiences. Imagine my disgust today, after making a big deal about a couple of young princesses who were coming into the park on their very first visit, then hearing two other guests; a married couple, without children I would imagine; state to one another how foolish these children looked being dressed like this and the immaturity of the “employees” who were making a fuss about this…! I was aghast! I was miffed; pissed; upset, angry, irked and it took all of my self control to hold back a lashing from my tongue.

How dare these individuals come to our house and tell us what is foolish?!?! I imagine these two, should they ever become parents, they’ll insist that their children take lessons in eloquence; dress their sons in ascots and penny loafers; which is fine, should you be into that; it’s not a bad look. These are the same individuals that well dress their daughters in black patent leather shoes, frilly socks and Sunday dresses with gloves, hats and teaching their children that horrible rule; Children Should Be Seen And Not Heard…

I don’t think how people choose to raise and indulge their kids, is anyone’s business. You want to express your point to your significant other, tell them out of ear shot of other people. Most people don’t care one bit what your beliefs are, despite what they may tell you to your face. For myself; if anyone criticized the way I would indulge my children, niece or nephew, or god-daughter; and it not be their parent; I’d very bluntly tell them what they could do with their opinion, and, remind them that opinions are like a certain appendage that every human body has.

Our world is so fucked up that people are losing their minds when it comes to trying to figure out how to protect our loved ones; especially our children. If parents/guardians want to let their children live in a fantasy world, hey, the longer the better. Our world is filled with sick fucks. All one has to do is watch the news, read the paper, listen to the radio to be shocked into remembering how easy it is to lose control of our society.

I knew a man once, who was opinionated and sick in his thinking. Not that all whom are opinionated are sick, but if the shoe fits…
This individual spewed trash like it was being paid for. He used his children as trained dogs when he had company. He’d snap his fingers in front of his guests and humiliate his kids into waiting on him hand and foot. What an asshole. I despised him from the moment I met him and I made sure he knew it.

Life is too short; and provides its own set of stresses and failures; life beats one down hard enough on its own; why would anybody else choose to do the same? Live and let live; let the kids play, indulge them, play with them and get in on the act!
If you have a little princess, pirate, space ranger, clown, cowboy, fireman, policeman, sailor, soldier, airman or whatever; encourage them to live it out; encourage them to embrace it while they can. All these entities can be taught the responsibilities that these alter-egos must possess. And finally; when it’s time to put the costumes away or when they’re too shredded or faded to wear; nay when they are outgrown, remind them that just because the costume is off; doesn’t’ mean the inner being is gone. Bow and curtsy to your daughters; encourage them to reciprocate; teach your young pirates about loyalty and friendship; model it, live it and believe it; chances are, they will too!
Just my thoughts…

The Old Dayz

When I was a young lad, growing up in Southern California; I was weird! I was born at 6 months of gestation and was allergic to everything when I came into the world. I couldn’t eat all of the things normal people ate; peaches, nectarines, apricots, oranges all sorts of nuts. I could eat sunflower seeds though! That’s a good thing.  Hence, I became a VERY picky eater. When I was little; I was a skinny little thing. I never drank milk or dairy products (except ice cream!), I hated cheese. I never ate fish sticks, or pork chops or anything like that. Mom is a phenomenal cook and makes incredible food, Mexican, Italian, or whatever. I am like her; I’m a great cook as well. I think individuals who are daring are great cooks and chefs.

My mom tells me stories of when I was young; I’d lock her out of the house and eat the summer fruits that were in the fruit bowl on the table. I’d get so sick, my grandfather and uncle would have to come and get into the house then rush me to the hospital. This apparently happened a few times and my mom got into the habit of pinning a door key to her blouse whenever she went outside. The kicker was we had all of these fruit trees in the backyard; all of the forbidden fruits, literally in the back yard. I guess I finally decided to stop eating these fruits, even after I outgrew most of the allergies. I still can’t eat apricots; those things land me in the hospital every time. It’s okay; I guess I really am not missing anything.

I am a great baseball enthusiast; I love the sport. Living in Southern California; I spent most of my time at Dodger Stadium; 2 or 3 times a week. I had tickets for one game for each team of each homestand. I loved sitting in the bleachers; eating Dodger Dogs, drinking my COKE and having my chips and salsa. My friend Jim Overall always had his Dodger Dogs and his big pretzel with mustard. I thoroughly enjoyed the times I spent at the game with Jim. He was a great friend. In fact, I think all of the individuals whom I had in my life during what I’ll call the “Northpoint Years”, were pretty awesome.

I’ll go more into the “Northpoint Years” at a later time; just let me say that these are the years most of the changes came into my life. I became who I am, in a way. I made some wonderful friends during this time and I miss them all terribly.

There was time at the Lakers games and Might Ducks of Anaheim, Kings, Clippers; I really enjoyed the Dodger Games best though. I guess getting back to my point; I am extremely happy that I outgrew most of these food allergies; there is nothing better than sitting at the game, peanuts in hand, being chased down by an icy cold Coca-Cola.

The first time I had that combination was a memorable one. The story goes(as reported to me by my father), dad had taken me to Hansen Dam Park in Lake View Terrace, California. That is where I grew up. On the weekends, they had pony rides, a train that went around the park, stage coach rides and a big lake for fishing and stuff. I guess one Sunday afternoon, dad took me to the park and got me a coke and some peanuts, when all of a sudden I got really sick; scary sick. I ended up in the hospital, yet again and they found that I had peanut allergies. From that moment forward, they scrutinized everything that went into my mouth. It wasn’t a fun time growing up when it came to eating.

Somewhere around my 17th birthday, my little Japanese doctor, Dr. Tong, was giving me a physical and after many tests told me that I’d outgrown most of my allergies. This was great news to me, because I was getting out and about more on my own. I didn’t need mom and dad to clear everything I ate.

So, getting back to Dodger Stadium and peanuts; it was great to finally be able to enjoy these sporting event staples together. I have to say that still at times, I’d forego the peanuts and have a bag of sunflower seeds stashed in my pocket and by the time we left the game, it looked like there had been a party of parrots sitting in my seat. This was too funny. I felt bad for the ushers who had to clean up after me.

It’s interesting to think back on one’s life and to analyze how one’s life has evolved.
In a previous posting, I stated that after I started driving, I no longer rode my bike, or roller skated or rode on my skateboard(which, admittedly I was never good at anyway), I did pick up biking again about 15 years ago. I picked up an awesome Schwinn Sidewinder mountain bike (which is still in my garage, needing some TLC), and began taking small rides around the area. The first 2 miles were killers, but within a couple of months, I was up to 12 miles, 3 times a week! I started riding for fun and would ride over to Super Crown Book Store in Granada Hills. I’d ride over to Blockbuster Video, to pick up my movies on Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday nights were my video night. I’d rent a few movies, get some take-out and sit in my man cave and watch movies until bed time.
This was the life. I had this awesome super bean bag chair that I loved sitting in. I almost never came out of my room on these days.

I remember this afternoon, I was riding somewhere in the vicinity of Devonshire and Sepulveda Blvd’s., when a car full of teen age girls shouted out at me, “Get a Car!” I laughed and retorted, “I have a car…” Actually, I had a couple of cars. This was humorous and I often wondered why we push aside all the things we enjoy in our youth, when we grow a bit older? Could it be that society deems bikes, skates and skateboards for only the children? What about being a child at heart? Granted, the only place I ride a bicycle now is at work, backstage when the opportunity presents itself. I don’t roller skate anymore, but I’d like to live somewhere that I could once again do that. I do have this awesome kick scooter; it’s a XOOTR Ultra Cruz that I picked up in New York on a trip there. I really like it and I XOOTR all over the place out here.

There are days that I will XOOTR over to Posner Park, just across the street; hang out at BAM (Books A Million) and then XOOTR home. The downhill areas are the most fun, because that scooter can fly. It isn’t like the razor scooters they sell. It is really high quality with Swiss designed wheels and frame. The deck is made of layers of birch topped with a great anti-slip layer. The XOOTR folds up really easily and has a strap to hang it over your shoulder.
If I lived closer to work and could take a bus or something, I’d XOOTR to work or ride my Schwinn, which I do plan on having serviced fairly soon. I think that this would help relieve stress some and just give me an opportunity to be out and about under the sunshine!

For now, I enjoy riding Marisol (my Ninja ZX9R) to work; or even Roy’s V-Star to work. I get to park really close to Cast services and it sure beats walking clear across the parking lot at the end of a long day on your feet. Well; that’s all for now; I have some laundry to do and all that unexciting stuff that comes on your day off!
Later!

Good, Clean, Fun

I have lived most of my life cautiously. Not all of it; but most of it. When I was little; I was a straight up coward; I grew up very sheltered because I was a very sick child. I didn’t really go outside and get hurt playing sports until I was almost in my teens. Being born prematurely, I had allergies to everything. It was terrible. I went to hospital on a regular basis, I couldn’t eat anything or even play outside; it was not a fun existence.

As I grew older, I became a bit more daring. I rode my bicycle all over the San Fernando Valley; traffic back then was much lighter. Of course the day came when I started driving; so I really never rode my bike again. I didn’t lace on my roller skates, or touch my skateboard; which I was never really good at anyway.

Growing up in the Valley was interesting. There was so much to do. There was always something to do; somewhere to go. Weekends were for hanging with my friends. We would go to the movies, or fill in to one of our cars, (though most of had no licenses) and go to the drive-in, listening to one another’s reasons why we weren’t with our girls instead of being with one-another. We had lots of fun together. It was clean fun. A couple of my friends smoked and drank; but that was it. No one indulged in drugs, or hard alcohol. We’d spend time at our high school football games, go roller skating, mainly because the girl I crushed on all through high school liked to roller skate.

We spent times at Disneyland, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Universal Studios, Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm and all kinds of things in Southern California. I’ll write about some of these adventures at some point in the future.

I don’t have really cool, wild party, drunken exploits to reminisce on, but there were some pretty fun times. I am reminded of an evening out with my cousins, my three bestest pals, Sal, Cel and Tim. I discovered pizza late in life. I didn’t like cheese when I was a child, so I was a little late when it came to the discovery of tacos, nachos and pizza. I still don’t eat cheese-burgers.
Anyway, this one Saturday night, we’d decided to go to the moves in Northridge and decided to end the night at My Brothers Restaurant. It was an Italian food place with candles on the table and the cool thing was that they served COKE by the pitcher!
We walked in like we owned the place; we did that everywhere. We all had money from working and we spent it like it was water. Myself, I made my money working at a music store in San Fernando, CA. I played in a band, occasionally and I made money with my camera, photographing weddings, quincenearas and whatever else needed photographing.
Anyway, getting back to My Brothers Restaurant, we sat down and ordered; two large pepperoni pizzas and salad.  As we waited for our food, Cel started playing with scraps of paper from the straws, throwing them into the burning candle and amusing himself by watching the flame flare up and go back down.

At some point, Cel got bored with the little flare ups and decided to wad up a napkin and proceeded to throw it into the flickering candle. The flame that shot up was impressive. It looked like someone had built up a bonfire on the table in front of us. Without panicking, I took a glass of ice water and proceeded to pour it into the candle, but not before the glass around the candle shattered, allowing flaming wax to flow out upon the table. I put the fire out just as the owner of the restaurant brought us our pizzas; TO GO. We were banned from the restaurant, and as we exited, I proudly stated: “We’ve been thrown out of bigger dumps than this!”
We went home to have our pizza, sans pitchers of COKE. My cousins were a bit embarrassed, this having been a new experience for them.

This is a good example of what our typical nights on town were like. Living in Pacoima, I tried not to stay in that area too much. There was nothing but troubles there in the neighborhood. Most people I grew up with, and knew in the neighborhood I grew up in, ended up in prison or dead.
I decided I didn’t like those choices, so I chose to not hang out thee so much.
Most of my off time was spent in and around the other parts of the valley from Northridge to Encino, Tarzana to Studio City.

 I still remember the night I discovered Encino. Cel, Sal and I had gone to the movies in Northridge and decided we wanted to go to this hot dog place we’d heard about; it was called Carney’s. The cool thing about Carney’s was that it was on a Train Car. There were three around us; one in Hollywood on Sunset, one in Studio City on Ventura Blvd. and one in Glendale that I never found.

I think growing up in the 70’s and 80’s was a great time to grow up. The stressors and pitfalls that are so prevalent today; were absent in our time of youth. Like I stated earlier; we had good, clean fun; something that is missing today for kids out and about. It isn’t as easy to find safe fun today. There are drugs, gang shootings, abductions, rapes and other terrible pitfalls that abound in today’s society. I watch the news frequently, (I’m a news junkie, remember?), and it frightens me. My niece and nephew hang with their friends on weekends as I did and their father did, but it’s not as safe an environment for them today as it was for us. We try to tell them everything to watch for. We try to monitor who their friends are and encourage them to bring their friends home for us to meet and get to know.

Times are different. Everyday, I thank the lord that I am no longer a teen-ager trying to find himself and his place in the world. I think that is one thought that really terrifies me. Maybe, my experiences can help others grow to find themselves; and perhaps, one day I will write something poignant that will inspire someone to make good choices for themselves or even just to let someone know that there are kindred spirits out there. I think that everyone has something to say. Everyone’s voice should be heard. I also think that if you have ideas, thoughts, rants, dribble; you owe it to yourself to express yourself. You may impact someone’s life in a positive way and never even know it. For the next month or so, I am going to make the attempt to share some of my experiences; some of you may see an Al that you didn’t know; or even knew existed. For now, I’m going to go and do some reading. Enjoy!

Family and baseball

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, in Southern California. I lived in a small part of the valley called Pacoima. I moved into Pacoima in 1968.  I was just about 4 years old when we moved into our own home. I enjoyed living there for a while. We had an enormous back yard; it was about ¼ - ½ acre. When I was little, I got winded just walking from the front yard to the back.

I lived in that neighborhood most of my life. It would be decades before I moved from there. I’ve mentioned before that I lived in a predominately Mexican neighborhood. There were people there who moved from Mexico to the U.S. and children of people from Mexico. As time went on, my neighborhood was starting to look like Mexico.

I can’t tell you how many times I had to slow down coming home to let someone’s stray chicken cross the street. Some of my neighbors had goats, sheep; I never thought I’d live near so many farms. My dad even got involved in this stuff; one day, he brought home two turkey chicks. He named them Tallulah and Tilly; imagine his surprise when Tallulah turned out to be a TOM Turkey! They were funny animals to be around. I won’t say that it didn’t bother me, having turkeys around the yard; at least we had a large enough yard for them. My Irish setter, Candy didn’t really mind them; she would just watch them when they trotted around the property.

Tallulah and Tilly, often ate fresh pomegranate from our tree. We had the largest Pomegranate tree in The San Fernando Valley. I go to the store here in Central Florida and purchase pomegranates here; I find it funny that they charge $3+ for a fruit that was only half the size of the ones I had at home. The girls ate well. They were funny; they had these bizarre behaviors for turkeys. Unless one spends time with them, you’d never know what kind of personalities they had.

I was in the practice of listening to the Dodger games out on my front porch on the nights that I wasn’t at the games. I had my hibachi or smokey joe jr and made my Dodger Dogs, had my coca-cola and just enjoyed listening to the game on the radio. Imagine my surprise when I found suddenly that Tallulah and Tilly also enjoyed listening to the game.
They would suddenly show up on the brick planters near where I was sitting, and just took great interest in the voices coming from the small box sitting on the side table that I had. I wondered how they had come to show up in the front yard.

The next day, I went to the back yard and tried to figure out how they got through the gates, but no matter where I looked, I couldn’t find where they’d breached them.
I decided to pay closer attention the next time they showed up in the front yard. A couple of nights later, there I was listening to the Dodgers on the radio, snacking on my sunflower seeds and Coke. All of a sudden, Tallulah shows up, having leapt from the roof of the house onto a small tree and then leapt down to the ground where he was able to leap up to the brick planter. A few moments later, Tilly followed. They took up different sides next to the radio and proceeded to watch the radio intently.


Again, the next day, I went to the back yard to see how they got up on the roof. They were so portly, they couldn’t fly. As I was looking in the back, I noticed an aluminum ladder that was propped up against our tool shed. The roof of the tool shed was only a few feet away from the roof to the house, the back part of the house where it was much flatter than the main section of the house.

As the summer went on; they continued to come and enjoy the evening Dodger games with me in the front yard. After a while, they started to roost up on the roof and Tallulah made several attempts to roost on the neighbors pine tree, unfortunately, Tallulah was a bit too heavy and would fall through the branches onto the front lawn. After a while, the feelings of awkwardness of having two turkeys in the yard went away.

Toward the end of the summer, I came home from a day at Universal Studios, Hollywood to find that Tilly and Tallulah were missing. So, I did what any good son would do; I went off in search of my fathers two missing turkeys. Up to this point in my life, I was fairly proud that I’d never embarrassed myself in my neighborhood. I was fairly respected, with a nice sprinkling of feared amongst my neighbors. I think some of that was lost as I walked around the neighborhood investigating the whereabouts of two wayward turkeys.

I walked up one side of the street and then down the other. I asked anyone whom I came across, if they’d seen anything strange, a couple of turkeys. Most people hadn’t seen anything. I went around the block and continued asking anyone I came across if they’d seen the two birds. I came across this gentleman, working on his car and told him that I was searching for two... when he replied, “the turkeys?!” Imagine my surprise when I heard this. I spoke to him for a few minutes and he told me where the turkeys were. Before I continued on my way, he asked me about my pomegranate tree. He asked if he could have some pomegranates and of course I obliged him. I went and found Tilly and Tallulah and decided that I wasn’t going to put two turkeys in my Shelby Turbo CSX.
I gave the man who had incarcerated Tilly and Tallulah 20 dollars and assured him that I’d be right back to take possession of the two birds.

I went and found my dad who had no problems putting the birds in his Renault Alliance.
I took my dad to the house where the two birds were and upon their release, they followed him to his car, where he placed them in the back seat of his Renault and proceeded to drive away, turkeys and all. What a life I lead…

The turkeys continued to thrive at home; for a while anyway. Eventually, they went off on their way again; this time, I couldn’t find them, no matter how long I searched for them. That Thanksgiving was especially sad for my dad. He didn’t enjoy the holiday; as a matter of fact, he didn’t eat a bite. I felt bad for him. I missed the girls.
A few weeks later, dad brought home a chicken; they named him Danny Boy.
What a life I have.

A Muddied Hero?

Just a comment about this Lance Armstrong fiasco; I personally don’t think it is as big a deal as so many are making it out to be. In today’s athletic field, people no longer engage in sports or activities for fun; they do it for fame and fortune.  Athletes don’t get off on having a trophy on their mantel. Sportsmen don’t care about a ring; they care about the endorsements that they are showered with. One bicycle race will earn you upwards of $75K, whereas one NIKE endorsement will earn you $75 MILLION dollars.
In the days of old, athletes didn’t have such technology available to them as do today’s sportsmen. Super multi vitamins, computerized exercise and training regiments, video scrutiny of their competition, are all available to today’s athletes and competitors. None of these things are illegal, but they do give athletes an edge.
Let’s take it one more step; chemical engineering that can enhance your performance. What drives people to use this next step? I think it is rooted not in ego, but in greed. When using performance enhancing chemicals, you are not doing it for that trophy on the mantel; you are using it to better your numbers to secure all the riches that being a champion will bring you.

Like all other things; it’s greed. Book deals, shoes, jerseys, bicycles, posters, all of these things bring in revenue. Gone are the days when people engage in a weekend activity for the pure fun of it; at least on the semi-professional/professional level.

Let’s go down farther on the chain; parents find that their child has an aptitude for throwing a baseball at a young age. Years back, a parent or sibling would be out in the back yard playing catch with their child every evening. That isn’t true today; today, parents would be scrambling to send their children to specialty camps to train them from a young age to be a professional athlete. Start building up their portfolio at a young age. Get them into the right schools, community teams and most importantly, bringing them the attention of professional sports scouts.
Kids in sports are encouraged to emulate their heroes; the positive and the negative aspects of their lives that they exhibit. Children and adults alike are so easily swayed and mesmerized by the promise of money, fame, women (or men); all the things that fame and fortune bring you. Ask any kid playing hoops in your neighborhood; “what is your goal?” He/she will tell you; “to play pro basketball and have a shoe named after me..”

It goes farther; performance enhancing chemicals are everywhere; baseball, football, soccer, weight-lifting, running, biking, swimming; just about anywhere that there is fame and fortune to be found. They try to find ways of controlling it; ways of detecting it; but chemical engineers are smart; they find ways to hide it.

In some parts of the world, an athletic scholarship or contract is a way out of poverty. I find that to be so sad. It is just one more way of being exploited by the system. Ever watch kids playing baseball in The Dominican Republic? Did you ever watch a little league game here in the U.S.? I don’t mean one that your children are playing in; just hanging at the park and watching a baseball, football or basketball game? They are quite interesting. What I find most interesting is the interaction of the parents on the sidelines.
Unfortunately, some parents take it so seriously. They seem to forget that sports for children are to teach them skills that help off the playing field. Fair play, good sportsmanship, integrity and the list goes on.

So, Lance Armstrong has admitted to doping; big deal. Is it right? No. Is it the norm in today’s sports? Quite possibly it is. Lance Armstrong shouldn’t be torn down. He should be celebrated for what he is; a great athlete. All people make mistakes; everybody lies; doesn’t anyone watch HOUSE? That isn’t what is important. What IS important is that Mr. Armstrong wants to come clean and continue doing what he loves. Perhaps he wants to see if he is still able to compete; without the chemical assistance. I say, let him. I for one will continue to cheer him on; and parents; take this opportunity to teach your children about the choices they make. It helps build character.

Recharging the mind...

January 13, 2013


How many people go off everyday in a personal quest to find themselves? It’s not like their lost; perhaps they are just looking for more than they have. Could it be that we as a people have grown tired of all the technology and meaningless pass times that we engage in that our souls and inner beings hunger for more? I know a guy who has so much. He has just about as much as anyone could ask for or desire and yet with all this; he is still empty on the inside. He still yearns for more. I don’t believe he is yearning for more physical items, just to feed his mind and soul more.

You hear of and meet people everyday who are on some sort of personal quest; looking for something that will enable our existence to make sense.

Could it be that we have put too much importance in our technology? I think maybe that we count too much on our toys. I think we are too dependant on our tablets, smart-phones, video games, mp3 players’ ipods and the like. I don’t think that many people remember what the world was like before all these things came along and joined our world. I know that things were not as convenient for us as they are now. We now are able to carry the world in our pockets. There are smart-phones that are available to us that have the power of some desk top computers. The information that the world offers is now available to us, literally at our fingertips.




I believe that this is a double edged sword. Humans have evolved to be resourceful, intelligent entities. We have come so far in our development because we have strived to learn so much. Seeking information in books, reading articles, experiments in labs, exploring our world around us; all of these things have made us in essence who we are. Technology, while improving our lives in some ways; has in others promoted deterioration in other facets of our lives.

In the not too distant past, taking a trip in an automobile was much different than it is today. One would pick up a map, pack their necessities and be off on a trip filled with excitement and adventure. One would plan a route, find hotels, restaurants, gas stations and points of interest, all while exploring while on their trek to their destination.

Today, excursions aren’t really like that. We plan our commutes into a GPS or our smart phone, which do have GPS capability and follow the directions that the little voice gives us. I would guess that one would miss the banter with your navigator who is holding the map; missing the adventure that a wrong turn would bring. I guess it hasn’t. We are a people who no longer stop to smell the roses. We draw a line and get where we’re going as fast as possible to sit on some beach or poolside at some resort and drink ourselves blind. Some vacation. Some adventure. I think that there is a better way.

I am not advocating for people to turn away from technology, but perhaps using it with more moderation. I think it is so fun jumping in a car, grabbing a map and taking to the open road. The fun is in the trip and usually not the destination. So many people don’t know what it’s like to stop at tourist traps and seeing the wares of local peddlers. Fun like this is just out there waiting to be had.



Of course nowadays, one has to concern themselves with the high prices of gasoline, car insurance and vehicle maintenance, but I guess you can’t have everything.

One day, I want to hop a train and ride the rails… I don’t mean AMTRAK, I mean a freight train. I think it would be awesome to travel like a vagabond for a while. It may be a bit dangerous, but I think that it would be an adventure that one could write about.
Anyone want to join me?
I know that I probably couldn’t really do this, but it would be fun to think about. I have met people that have bicycled Europe and told me of great exploits. Sound like real fun and adventure to be had. All one would need would be a pack with a sleeping bag, tool kit, water bottles some extra clothes, CLIF bars a camera, pocket radio a book and of course a bicycle.

There was a book called Biking Los Angeles that I read when I lived in California. I read the book and came to the conclusion that anyone who avidly bicycled in or around Los Angeles was lacking a few brain cells. The traffic around Los Angeles is rugged.

My friend Marianne likes to take tours. She was telling me about a trip she took to Europe. She mentioned that she enjoyed driving in the English Countryside. Her stories were filled with lively anecdotes about tiny roads, running into sheep filled towns and meeting the locals at the local inns. This sounds like a great deal of fun as well.

I guess the most important point of this post is for us as a people to get out and have some fun. Let us all put the technology away and go out and explore. Grab a friend or three and see the sights.
Let us all get away from the computers, televisions and just enjoy the camp fires and good times with friends.

I think that no matter what we choose to do to help us relax and get away, it is important. We need to recharge our batteries just like all the toys that we have. I for one am in the process of planning a small trip for myself. I will pack a bag, grab my XOOTR, a good book, my tablet and jump on a bus off to have a small adventure at one of my personal magic spots on Earth. I’ll be sure to post photos and write notes about it when it happens.
Why don’t you all do the same?

Gun Control and such

Gun control is all the rage right now. Our Vice President, Joe Biden is spearheading the fight to control personal weapons amongst our nation.
Anyone ever read the Constitution of The United States of America?

I know that our fore-fathers didn’t mean for us to have AR-15’s and HK-MP5’s or AK-47’s. I believe that their forward thinking was brilliant; in order to insure a free nation; the people of that nation need to have the ability to protect themselves against the government, should that government ever turn on her people. When thinking about this, maybe the prospect of holding assault and military type weapons isn’t a bad idea.

As a nation; we’ve been lucky with our leaders. Most have believed in the integrity of the Constitution and the safety of our nation’s citizens. However, in recent years, most people feel that the threat of terrorists makes gun ownership much more reasonable. True, one doesn’t normally walk around with an assault weapon in his or her backpack, but having one locked away in the closet does allow one to sleep more soundly.

Maybe some things we can look at are weapons owners being compelled to safe guard their weapons by the use of gun safes, locks, cables and the like. Most gun owners don’t commit crimes, but sometimes, people commit crimes with legal gun owner’s weapons. Most likely due to unsafe storage practices.

The truth is, that there is no easy answer when it comes to the important issues of life. Gun Control, Abortion, Tax Reform, International Adoption, Nuclear Weapons disposal; the list is endless.








In order to address any social problems; one has to look at the underlying problems; the antecedent that creates the issue.
Some nut job takes an assault weapon and slaughters 20 innocents… It is a tragic happening. True, without assault weapons readily available, he probably wouldn’t have been able to kill twenty children; however, I believe where there is a will there is a way. He could’ve used any number of other devices to inflict carnage. Some may have been more gruesome and not as quick.

Our society is a sick society. If only 2 percent of our culture is socio-pathic or psycho-pathic, that’s a lot of disturbed people.
Unfortunately, most of these individuals aren’t discovered until it’s too late. However, if we all strive to find viable answers to the problems we are all experiencing our nation and world could be much safer for all of us.

It’s the same with drunk drivers, drug abusers and just about anything else that can be a danger for people. Instead of wanting to remove anything dangerous from our society, especially things that are necessary, or controllable, perhaps we just need to find a way to safe-guard these things. Implementing laws and enforcing them will be tedious; but in the long run, perhaps be more beneficial to all.

The masses don’t really want gun control. Just watch the news. There has been a run on gun stores to purchase these very models that are on the endangered list. An unarmed society is a vulnerable society.
It is our own responsibility to be able to protect ourselves whenever necessary. We wouldn’t be able to do that with extreme gun control.

Let us look into an improbable future; let’s say we get a leader in the White House who decides that he wants to take over the country; forego election. Not that we have anyone like that in the White House now, or even in the Chute for the next election in four years; but at some point; our luck may run out. It’s inevitable.

Just the same; let’s not be rash in any of our decisions. Let’s look at what is on the table and take every problem, analyze it and come to a cohesive, functioning plan; true debate, where our citizens, national and international are safe. Let us as a people be the individuals that benefit from a democratically elected government. Let’s make decisions that will make sense for all of us.
More later…

Social Video; electronic witness...

The news today is focusing on the Indian woman who was raped on a bus and who later died of her injuries in the hospital. The other top story is that of another rape, this one occurring in a small Ohio town, the act perpetrated by a couple of high school football players on an unconscious teen girl. The ironic thing is that this story would never have come to light if not for the other teens who by way of their cell phones, recorded the incident, then uploaded it to the web.

Technology today has become the new police nanny of the world. The inability of people to control their uploading impulses is helping local and federal authorities in capturing criminals for crimes that never would’ve been reported. Granted, most of these people who are being caught for these viral exploding crimes, should all be high contenders for the Darwin Awards, I think it’s great that there is actually a good use for all of these social media outlets. I think that Google and Youtube should be on the police payroll. If not for these outlets, so many crimes would go unpunished.

One has to wonder; what kind of mental midget would create havoc, participate in heinous acts and embed them on video for the entire world to see? As I mentioned earlier, these individual are truly deserving of the Darwin Awards.

All one has to do is look on the internet and find all kinds of foolishness. I remember seeing videos of individuals doing everything from destroying mail boxes with baseball bats from a car to people rioting at the park while at their kids’ football games.
I’ve seen videos of people engaged in home based ultimate fighting clubs. There is a myriad of things to watch if you look long enough.

Getting back to this video that has originated in Ohio over the last few days; it is a tragic happening, and most shocking is the fact that the world would’ve never found out about all of this occurring if not for the individuals recording this on their cell phones.
There is all kinds of speculation on the guilt or innocence of the boys involved in this attack on this poor teenage girl. What I find interesting is that the individuals who recorded this tragic event are not liable for any of this; unless they delete any video that has been saved on their electronic devices. Then, apparently, they can be charged with destruction of evidence and interfering with an investigation. I find this very interesting.

I wonder now, if parents are destroying their teen’s cell phones to keep their kids out of this mess that is going on? I don’t know what I’d do if I had a teen involved in this case in this way.

Perhaps this could’ve all been avoided if there had been one simple thing: parental supervision at this party. I don’t know what kind of parent would allow their kids to go to some party full of football players, where there is most likely going to be alcohol and perhaps even drugs? I believe all this could have been avoided if only parents would be more responsible.

Parental responsibility is a very touch subject. Having spent my life, working with children with special needs; I was surprised to find just how many children weren’t organically impaired, but how many were simply products of their upbringing. This is a topic for another posting. I know there are many families out there who are on the verge of collapse. So many parents don’t have any idea of how to raise problem children.
Rearing mainstream children is hard enough. But the failure of some parents to set limits, enforce rules and to hold their ground is resulting in the undermining of their children’s success in their future life.

All of this chaos in Ohio could’ve been avoided if only there had been parental supervision in the house on the night of the party. I don’t even know, nor have I been able to find out if there were ANY adults in the house. If there were; those adults are in a very actionable position. If there weren't  then the homeowner is in an extremely liable position. Either way, if you have children of any age; be sure to educate, love and limit your children. Don’t be afraid to properly raise your children; it’s your job as a parent.

dribble...

So all the talk today is about the Fiscal Cliff and the inability for our Government to take care of everything that needs to be addressed. I’d like to say that I’m surprised, but I am not. Speculation is that these battles are going to continue to play themselves out for the next 3-6 months. Of course the people that suffer are the citizens that put all of these people in office to represent their interests. It’s kind of sad.

When you look at the FACT that the president has failed to put forth a budget in the last four years, one has to ask themselves, “what is this man thinking?!” We hear on the news shows and read in our weekly periodicals, that Americas’ budget is running at 40% borrowed money. Mostly borrowed from China! I don’t know how we as a society, a country and as a people, allow our elected officials to continue doing this. I don’t know how we even allow them to begin doing this. I think for those that don’t care and are just enjoying the ride; these people are in for a rude awakening.

Anyway, this is a topic we may visit over and over again in the next few months, maybe even years. I for one have other things to talk about. Mom, Roy, Nicole and the kids went on a two day trip to St. Augustine. I hear that St. Augustine is a quaint little coastal town. I chose not to go so I could stay here at home with Chico and just enjoy the quiet that there is to be found here at home. Okay, that got old within a couple of hours of everyone leaving. I don’t like being alone. I could never live by myself or even have a job where I work in some little cubicle, cut off from people.

True, I do have my door closed most of the time that I’m home, but that is so that I don’t bother anyone with the noise that I make here in my man cave. You know music, television, etc.

Roy asked me why I chose not to go with them, he know me and knows I’d rather be at home playing with my toys. The truth is, I am a homebody. I like being at home. During the holidays when people are bustling and visiting and out amongst the masses; I can be found here in my man cave: it is where I am most comfortable. I find comfort in listening to streaming blues and jazz. I love watching the History Channel, CNN and all the other channels I watch on television. Spending time on the internet also allows me some peace and time to contemplate life on a grand scale. Someday, I’ll write about that; but not today.

It is a rare treat for me to be home on a weekend. I am currently on vacation for a week. I don’t know if that may be extended. Life today is extremely chaotic. I have always been a believer in a simple thought: Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. I am going to take some time to catch up on some reading, writing and cleaning up my cave. I love spending time here at home with my mom, brother and rest of my family, and I am currently trying to find a way to do that more freely. I have said before; it would be nice to be able to find an occupation that will allow me the freedom to be home more often. I think I could definitely enjoy working from home, for a while anyway.

I weather this week is supposed to be cool and rainy, which bothers me. I guess I’ll not head out too far from home. That’s okay though, because I have some reading and writing to catch up on as I previously stated.

One thing that I don’t want to do is to be glued to the television. I for one am so tired of hearing about the fiscal cliff and all of the silliness that comes out of Washington D.C.
There is other news in the world; I wonder if there was a news agency that chose to report solely on positive, uplifting stories, if they’d have good ratings? Do we as Americans, like to lavish on the suffering of others?

Coming from the San Fernando Valley in California, I am no stranger to drama in the city. I have experienced several earthquakes, including the Northridge Quake and the Sylmar Quake. I went through the fire storms, riots, El Nino, La Niña and just about everything else that occurred there while I lived there. I think the most memorable and infamous were the L.A. Riots and The Northridge Earthquake. After the Northridge Quake, we had no power or water services for nearly a week. I remember having a conversation with my friend, Cel, about how now it was our turn to be watched from around the world. I guess everyone gets their turn.

Anyway, it’s time for me to take some time to think and relax. I have some things I have to contemplate in these next couple of weeks. I look forward to it. I need it.

Malala 2.0

                        January 4, 2013


Touching on a topic that I brushed upon in an earlier post,
I stated that I was hoping that Pakistani teen, Malala Yousfazi would have been chosen TIME Magazines’ Person of The Year because she is such a wonderfully courageous individual.

Malala was released from a British Hospital earlier today after being treated for gunshot wounds to her head and neck. This gunshot wound was inflicted by the heinous cowards of the Taliban. She wasn’t a soldier, or a terrorist. She didn’t inform for the government. She simply had a very dangerous agenda; a dangerous agenda according to the Taliban; allow girls to become educated…  That’s all; allow all females to become educated so they can contribute to society as well. This was such a dangerous threat to the Taliban that they ordered her death.

Malala Yousfazi was born on July 12, 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan. From a young age, she was eager to begin her education. She became an activist for women’s education. She was outspoken against the Taliban, who was attempting to take over her town and continued to encourage young girls to educate themselves. Malala has been awarded many accolades, including The International Children’s Peace Prize from Desmond Tutu.
Some world leaders have started an international petition to have her name presented for nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

On October 9th, 2012, Malala was shot in the neck and head while riding home on her school bus. Her zeal for life and education had placed a target on her. However, the individuals seeking to end her young life, failed. She hung on, fighting for her life in a Pakistani hospital where she made progress, enough progress so that she could be sent to the United Kingdom for addition treatment.

Malala Yousfazi walked out of Birmingham Hospital this morning; on her own two feet. Though she appeared very frail, and still faces many doctors appointments, treatments and cranial reconstructive surgery, Malala showed her strength and conviction today when she walked out of the hospital without the need for a wheel chair, only holding on the arm of a nun who accompanied her out of the hospital. She is going to remain in the U.K. where here family is, to continue her rehabilitation. I for one wish her luck and cheer on her Bravery. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all had the courage and strength that she possesses?

2013, a year for change?

January 3, 2013


I wake up this morning with the notion that everyday is a new chance at life. I wake up finding myself contemplating some changes; I think it’s time for a change. I’ve been in Central Florida for about six years now; and going on my seventh. I miss my California life; mainly my friends. I miss my eateries that I frequented; I miss how close in proximity everything was. I don’t have all that here.
There are some things that I don’t miss; I don’t miss the 170 pounds that I’ve lost. I don’t miss the traffic, the noise the pollution. I also don’t miss the gangs, crime, high gasoline prices. I certainly don’t miss all the hustle and how congested it was in Southern California. Los Angeles Freeways are every bit as crazy as one has heard.

Admittedly, I am not good with change. I am the type that likes to get somewhere and grow roots. I like to get to know my environment, surroundings and people that I work with. I don’t make friends easily, but I do acquire acquaintances readily. I like to meet people, get to know what they’re like; but as far as making friends, my true friends are in California and maybe a few other states scattered around.

I am fortunate to be able to be in a position where I am able to meet people from all over the world. I find this to be great fun. I think though that maybe at this point in my life, I should go somewhere where I may be able to move up in a company. I don’t know, I have lots of thoughts racing through my head at this moment. None are clear.

I have done what I wanted to do by moving to C. Florida. I really wanted to give my personal Mecca a try. I’ve now done that and it wasn’t everything I thought it would be. I have met some really great people. I have met some not-so-great people. I find it interesting on how there can be so much anger and ill-will at the happiest place on Earth. But, that is a topic for another day. Somewhere down the road…

My favorite topic is myself. It always has been. I am self centered. I am interested in the well being of others, but it is I that I can focus on and change if necessary. I think I need to change myself a bit. How exactly, hasn’t come into focus just yet. I have a couple of ideas floating around in my mind. I really want to find the spiritual me that I have kind of neglected in the last few years. I want to re-discover the musical me, the one who couldn’t be torn from his piano. The piano I haven’t touched in over a year. I need to get in touch with the thoughtful me; the me that had opinions on all important things in the world; informed opinions. I know that person still exists; I just hope that I could nudge him into the light.

I don’t think it will take a great nudge, just a bump. I miss so many of the things that I occupied myself with before. I know what the difference is; why I have become a bit less enthused, some of it my fault, some of it not. I know what I have to do. I am in the middle of formulating a plan; a plan of action that will hopefully lead me back to where I should be; to the path that leads me back to my life as it should be. It won’t be easy; it’s going to take some effort and lots of work. Nonetheless, I am excited. I’ll be moving in the next six months; somewhere up closer to and perhaps past Orlando. I think it’ll be awesome to live in a small town where everything is closer. Not like here, where I have to drive forever just to get to Wal-Mart. I am hoping that wherever I end up, there is an awesome coffee house and maybe a decent pizza place. I know that O’ Stromboli is in the area, and I really love eating there. But I also have to decide where I am going to work. I am not going to make the drive back here to Disney. It’ll be too far. I for one don’t want to commute that much.

I learned how to drive at a YOUNG age. I kinda’ learned by watching. By the age of 9, I was driving the side streets to the local market. It was only 3 blocks. At 14, I drove my dads truck home one Friday night... the 405 to the 118 and then home. Wow, what a rush that was. I used to really enjoy being behind the wheel. Now, I find it to be a task. I love riding Marisol (my ZX9R); she is always a fun ride! Even in the rain; I don’t mind.
But, I am tired of commuting. If only there were a great job I could do at home… something that will keep me closer to my family; that would indeed be ideal.

2013 is looking to be a different year; earlier, I mentioned that I’d found a new home at EPCOT; now I don’t feel that way. I may have erred and spoken too soon. It reminded me to not take tomorrow for granted. Either way, there are changes coming; some that have already begun; I for one; am optimistic, cautiously optimistic.

I’m home for the next week, and I am hoping to really write daily. I have endless topics to tackle; I just appear to have trouble choosing and I’ll be honest; sometimes sitting here at the computer, writing can be boring. I have the house to myself for the next few days; everyone is going to St. Augustine, FL and Chico and I are going to hang here at home. I plan on riding my XOOTR when I have some time, do some writing, reading and maybe test out the waters of the job market. That should keep my busy for the mean time.