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When I looked ahead to 2010 (pronounced two-thousand ten at least until we get to next year…but that’s another post) I wanted to make a goal of being healthier. VIOLA, along came Christine, my new BFF. I’ve been healthier longer than I knew! I love Taco Bell And to think I always considered it junk food! 2010 just keeps getting better and better… I am blessed with the gift of sleep. I sleep deep. I sleep long. I sleep well. I am neither bragging nor complaining. It is just a statement of fact. As long as I can recall I have been a deep sleeper. It has made for some funny stories in my life. Like the time when I fell asleep on a road trip with my head out of the window and my parents let me continue to sleep even when we drove through a rainstorm. “Just to see if I would wake up”, but I digress. I do not dream in my deep sleep. I know they theory is that EVERYONE dreams, or so ‘they’ say. However, I contend this is the same as the age-old question ‘if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound’ IF I dream, and do not recall it, was there ever really a dream? Football, a game not really played with feet. It just one of the many anonymities of the game. Another is why the Indianapolis Colts would choose to remove Peyton Manning and other key players and give away any possibility of a perfect season. I remember the ’72 Dolphins. I was a Dolphin Fan at the time…imagine the little kid me in my Dolphin jimmies watching my team play their way into history. It was exciting! It was amazing. It was more monumental than any 9-year-old kid can fathom. Today I am a few year older and I can truly appreciate the rarity of the perfect anything. I can not imagine how or why you could or would choose to squander that chance. I’m just glad it’s not my regret. Today is Christmas. As with the holiday each year, I have decided to never participate again. It is a day of frustration and irritation. Each year I believe it will be this wonderful epiphanal event, and each year I am greatly disappointed. It probably is an interesting study into the human resilience that I am always hopeful for the holiday of my dreams and therefore I continue to be miserable and disappointed year after year. We have all heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. Given this definition, I am nothing short of insane for Christmas So, Merry F’in Christmas to you and yours…. I for one have grown weary of the me generation. Just for the record I do not mean a specific age group by the term generation, I mean the time / era in which we all live. Maybe every generation has been the me generation, and a time passes we forget the bad and remember the good. Maybe there never was a time when businesses were happy you were their customer and actually gave customer service. Maybe, there never was a time when neighbors helped neighbors without expectation of a payday. Maybe there was never a time when every business owner didn’t try to screw over the competition, or even those who attempted partnership. I however, enjoy believing there was a time when we, as a people, cherished each other. When we worked together and there was some sense of needing each other or at least caring about each other. There is the possibility that I have just crossed some imaginary line into fuddy-duddy land and in my codger-ness am imagining a time when everyone of any age wasn’t just in it for when they could get out of it. Maybe we have all become so afraid of being taken advantage of that we automatically put on our ‘get you first’ attitude. For the record, I appreciate you! Thanks for reading this, thanks for being my customer. I expect nothing in return, except maybe that you come and read again some day, or maybe leave a comment….I guess we really do all just want something As you know, I am a fan of Twitter. I love that little social media outlet. I am often amazed at the large message that can be transmitted in 140 characters of less. My favorite from this past weekend (Thanksgiving weekend) simply said “Families are Complicated”. It is a simple statement of fact families are complicated. The thing about family complication is the multi layers of complications. There is the ever present complication brought on by the mere fact that families are made up of human beings. Humans just have difficulty with interaction. Maybe this is caused by ego. Maybe the underlying issue is self-esteem or lack thereof. Maybe it is more primal and relates to dominance. My guess is that the combination is the real culprit. The thing about families is that no two are alike. The dynamics are unpredictable. The older I get the more I realize there are no ‘Walton Families’ and yet we all have a little piece of ‘Walton’ in us. For me, my family may not lay claim to “Walton Mountain’ but I can lay claim to ‘Wright Mountain’ in the hills of West Virginia. It is the place where we laid my grandmother to rest a few years ago. Right next to her parents and their parents, etc. While I may live far a field from that life and that place, I know it holds my roots. Families are complicated. They do not always seem worth the trouble or the time to make them work. However, they are our past and they are our future; both of which are really just a whole lot of ‘right nows’ strung together. We may have all grown up and moved away, but still in our hearts we’re yelling ‘good night, MaryEllen’ and ‘good night, Jim Bob’ down the hall. We’re just doing it via e-mail or unlimited cellular minutes. I have a full fantasy life. I know without a doubt that there are those whose fantasy life is greater them my own. I must say I have come to respect their dedication and diligence. It a time consuming endeavor. It is not for the faint of heart or those who lack commitment. In years past, I have dabbled in the world of fantasy; but this year I took the plunge. It is really the only way you can come to appreciate the imagination, resilience, stamina and desire required. Of course, I am talking about fantasy football; and this year for the first time, I am in four leagues. My standard every league I have played in for 4 years. A new keeper league (we just found online but is proving to be great fun. I am also playing in two leagues related to e-mail listservs I participate in (a Cubs and a Panthers one). I am also in three pick ‘em leagues and one survivor league. I also dip a toe into the College pick ‘em. There are days when I feel completely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of fantasy in my life! I must admit that I take solace in the fact that I am a weekend fantasy warrior. I rarely let it take over my weekdays (except of course when there are Thursday games). I may not be pounding the gridiron, but I’m feeling the hits. I’ve been a dog lover my entire life. I cannot recall a time before I loved dogs! Growing up my parents believed dogs were outside creatures. As an adult, I do not! My dog is my child, my companion, my confidant and my friend.
I can not imagine living without the total and unconditional love and affection of a dog. It has even become unimaginable to go to the bathroom alone. I need those 75lbs to hold my undies to the floor J
If you’ve never experienced the love of a dog, the unquestioning adoration, admiration, and devotion; I feel extreme sadness for you. So the next time you visit my home please ignore the dog hair, the nose prints on the windows, or the whips from a waggin tail. This is their home, you’re just passing through. Yesterday, I had lunch at the Firehouse Grill in Monkey Junction (where I live). I love the sandwiches, and have become friendly with the owners (mostly because we share a last name). At any rate, the television was tuned to CNN and there was a scroll saying that according to their poll 28% of Americans think Sarah Palin is ready to be President. There was extreme amusement from my table as we tried to think of narrower and narrower groups she was ‘not the best of’ to be President. For example: ‘I don’t think she’s the best woman for the job’; or I don’t think she’s the best Alaskan for the job’; or I don’t think she’s the best right wing nut job for the job.’ You get the picture. I never watch Oprah. However, last week I set my DVR to tape the show where Ellen was on. Somehow, I inadvertently set the machine to record every Oprah. As it turns out, I recorded the show with Sarah Palin. Of course, I cannot just delete the show without watching it. Color me surprised! She was charming, amusing, and gracious. She was not at all the bumbling idiot of the campaign. She was nothing like the country bumpkin come to town she portrayed in the election. Don’t get me wrong, I am no fan! Nevertheless, I’m not as shocked and amazed as I was yesterday. Live & learn. |
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