Ordinary People--Puppy Love

I've just re watched the movie, "Ordinary People". One of my favorite scenes is toward the end of the movie. Tim Hutton's character is waiting outside the house of a girl he wants to see.

So Tim didn't want to wake up the girl's family by calling, so we're given the impression that he waited outside her house for hours to see her. Now he doesn't know how she'll react to him, for their only previous date did not go so well.

And mind you, while he's waiting outside, we're talking the dead of a Chicago winter.

The girl, played by Elizabeth McGovern, sees Tim from the window of her home and comes outside to see him.

They talk. In their insecurities, they get their ideas out. It's such a precious moment. They really like each other and want to be together, but each thinks that the other may not like whom he/she is.

Tim asks Elizabeth, "Are you going to school today?" He's just had such a cathartic experience that he doesn't even know what day it is.

But you realize they like each other. They can both be themselves and be honest with the other.

I remember the first time I had a girlfriend. Feelings of insecurity==Does she like me, what do I say to her, she's so nice why would she like me==you get the idea.

Our first love is not something to be taken lightly. It's a real experience in our life.

When my son was born, I remember driving home from the hospital with him for the first time. I don't think I ever went over 30 miles per hour, I didn't blink my eyes too much, and both hands were steadfast on the steering wheel.

These are real experiences we experience, they should be valued.

No More Dennis Prager

I have few mentors in life.

One of them is Dennis Prager.

Dennis has changed my life for the better. There is no doubt that he has been a positive influence on my life.

When OJ was found not guilty, my solace was Dennis's monologue that day. I couldn't tell you what he said, but I can tell you that it was brilliance personified.

When 9/11 happened--It was through listening to Dennis that I found comfort.

Now Dennis has chosen to charge to listen to his musings. I will not pay. Maybe he is correct in charging, but I think he will now lose quite a bit of his listeners.

I do appliance, heating and AC repair. Going into my customer's homes while they had Dennis on the radio gave me joy. For someone who listens to Dennis, they find him out, and they are usually dedicated listeners. When some of my other customers were listening to other programs at Dennis's time slot, I always asked if they ever heard of Dennis Prager.

Now, I don't do that. For one, my business is slow, and in this world of access to info, I want it quick and I want it free. That's just how it is. If someone who I like would begin to charge a fee, I'll just move on.

But when the next big crisis happens, will I be listening to Dennis? You bet.

Michael Jackson

So I lied.

When Michael Jackson was alive, I looked upon him as a sad weak person.

Now that he's dead, I realize next to Elvis Presley, he was one of our greatest music icons.

Look at the difference between the two: Alive--Sad & Weak___ Dead--Great Icon

It made me realize something. When someone is alive, our expectations are for more, and we demand more. When dead, we reflect on what they were, what they accomplished, and appreciate how our lives were made richer because of them.

I actually wrote another post, that I deleted, saying that Michael Jackson was selfish because he chose drugs over being there for his children.

But you know, Michael made my life richer by being who he was. And for that I thank him.

So the point I'm trying to make, I should not judge people so harshly, but accept them for who they are, and enjoy what they offer. And what they offer is themselves, whatever that may be.

What is Happiness

Before I write about "Happiness" I want to write about my blog.

Even if no one reads my blog I don't care. I am realizing more and more how nice it is to put my thoughts on paper. This is something I'm doing for me.

To be able to put my thoughts down has allowed me to actually view what goes on in my head. And I like what goes on inside my head, more than I thought. So, I highly recommend you start your own blog, you'll be glad you did.

What Dennis Prager says on happiness



Onto Happiness

What about happiness? Is it important? I believe it's very important. And it's our responsibility to strive to be happy. Sounds like a contradiction in terms, but happiness just doesn't happen. Like anything in life, it's something we work for.

I believe I'm a happy person. Sure, I have my moods, but overall, I'm happy.

First thing I do in the morning is to walk my dog, Bugger Butt. Now I don't know who enjoys this walk more, but Bugger Butt's tail wags a lot more than mine in the excitement of leaving and going for our daily jaunt. She gets to enjoy all the luscious smells of other dog shit and gets to take one herself. My main enjoyment is picking up her shit. "Oh yes, life is a joy".

When I walk in the morning with Bugs, it gives me a chance to thank God. First I thank Him for my life. I am so "lucky" to be alive at this very moment. Then I just thank him for whatever comes to my mind. It might be for the beautiful sky, the plants around me, the air that is somehow miraculously created, well you get the idea. It's my belief that everything around us is a miracle.

So, #1, I believe happiness is gratitude. When you're with people, do they express an overall gratitude or ingratitude? That will tell you if they're happy or not.

With gratitude, then comes contentment. I'm satisfied with my life. I love my wife, my home, and my life. Sure not everything is exactly how I want it, but all we can control is ourselves. My son is in prison. I wish he was here with me. But there's nothing I can do about it.

Also, something my mentor, Dennis Prager, said concerning happiness: "The missing tile" syndrome". Think of it like this: When you walk into a beautiful room and there is one missing tile. What happens? You don't focus on the beautiful room, you're looking at the missing tile. So in each of our lives we may suffer from the missing tile.

My missing tile was my teeth. It is something that gave me a lot of insecurity. A few months ago I got veneers on 6 of my front teeth and it came out quite nicely. Now it's not perfect, but it definitely has made me much happier and after all these years that missing tile has been replaced.

Something else that I believe that brings happiness is personal responsibility. Another word for maturity. To realize I am responsible for the actions that I take and its repercussions. We live in these crazy times expecting government to make us happy. And it's that belief that will take us as a nation toward servitude.

And a great part of maturity is "delay of gratification". There's another oxymoron: How can happiness and delay of gratification be one in the same thing?

Here's an example I will give that we experience daily: "Do I eat this, do I drink this, though I know in the long run, it is not good for me". A mature person will say "You know what, I think I'll forgo this immediate pleasure now, for a possible payoff in the future". Now one doesn't know if the payoff will ever happen, but experience and knowledge tells him it will, and he chooses to do without the immediate pleasure.

Where most of us can see this is in smoking. Now if you smoke, I know your grandfather smoked 3 packs a day and lived to be 105, but the statistics show that if you smoke, most likely you'll get to suffer its consequences. And you probably do already, but aren't honest enough to admit it. So here's a classic example of delay of gratification: If you quit smoking, sure you'd feel like shit, but after you go through that terrible period, your health gets restored, you're no longer a slave to a disgusting habit, and you save at least $4/day.

I was in Vegas a few months ago and a pack of cigarettes in the vending machine was $8.50. I thought "Jeez, by the time you've finished putting the quarters in the machine, you're done jonesing for a cigarette."

Some say being around someone who is unhappy is like being around someone with bad breath or smelly farts. Now I don't like smelly farts by any means, but I'll take that over being around someone unhappy.

My father-in-law is a happy person. He's 85 and I think one of his keys to a long life is his outlook on life. Every time I see him, he is the first to reach out his hand to shake mine. He's a person I like to be around. That's the kind of person I want to be, a happy person who others want to be around.

So happiness is a choice. It's very easy to say how things are messed up. But can we find the blessings in life and be thankful for them?

My Golf Day

I love to golf. Not only am I pretty good with the game, I also enjoy the camaraderie. And to be in beautiful surroundings is the icing on the cake.

So today I played with my buds and we had our usual good time. I shot 75, which for me is a pretty good score. This golf course I played is easier than others, so I tend to shoot lower on this course.

It's still my goal to shoot 72 and then to break par. And I do think I will attain that goal.

My favorite golf tournament of the year is "The Masters". It is one of golf's 4 majors, played in the beginning of April. So it is the time of Spring, beginning of longer daylight, and renewal. This year myself and some friends celebrated by going to Vegas for that weekend.

Tiger is my hero in the sport's world. I do think he will go down as golf's greatest player ever. He's not given that nod right now, but everyone believes it to be the case.

Below is a skunk that I filmed on the way to the golf course. He has a can stuck on his head and can't see where he is going.

Why I love the Internet

When I first realized some of the potential of the internet was when I was designing a program for my business back around 1995. You know what's really funny? Some of you kids weren't ever born yet. Holy cow, I'm getting old. (Oh my God, an idea for another post).

Here's a question if someone may answer as an aside. In my first paragraph I close with "post)." Does the closing parenthesis go to the left of the period (like I have it) or to the right of the period in this instance?

So back to why I love the internet.

I ran into a simple problem, but no one was able to help me, and I could not find help on the internet.

I sent out a "help me, I'm stuck" question and some fellow tried to answer my question. He said if it didn't work, to send him the program.

I ended up sending him the program, he fixed it for me and my problems were solved. This was a gentleman in India.

So here I am in America, he's in India, I never leave the comfort of my home, neither he, and I got my problem fixed for free. (And I probably spent 40 hours trying to figure it out myself.)

Well, here's another problem I had. It's something small, but you know how it is, it just nags at you and you want to figure it out. Now this problem is very simple, but don't laugh at me.

Here it is: When I create a post and I want to "link" somewhere, I've always just pasted the link in the body of my post, i.e. http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/. Now I've learned how to link like this

Pretty simple stuff, but if you don't know something, you don't know it.

Here's how it's done (and this is assuming you're blogging like this): Simply "highlight" the word that you want to take you to the link of your choosing. How do you highlight? Take you "mouse", left click, and drag it over the word. When highlighted, release your mouse.

Then click on the "Hyperlink" Icon, that's about the 6th tool from the left (on the top of the page) if you are on the page in your blog where you create a post. Then paste the link into the appropriate spot, close window and walla, you've done it.

Like I say, it's a small thing, but it's something I've thought about for hours and wondered how it's done. I knew it was simple, but I just didn't know how to do it.

I remember one time as a kid, I heard something on the TV that I've never forgotten: "To a genius everything is simple". And the begging answer is: Of course, that's why he's a genius.

Caloric Restriction

In 1935 a scientist wanted to see what starving animals would do to them in relation to stunted growth and cancer. What he found out, turned out to be the opposite of what he was expecting.

That's what is great about science. True science. Not bullshit stuff. He (Clive McCay) expected to see certain results but got the opposite of what he was looking for.

These mice that were restricted in calories ended up living longer than normally fed mice. Wow!

These experiments have been repeated over and over again, along with other animals, including monkeys. A professor from UCLA took up the torch in the 1970s (Roy Walford) and his studies have continued to show that CRON is also a viable alternative for mankind.

There are actually people in Western Society who have studied the results of CRON and have taken upon themselves to practice this discipline.

If you would like to read about it, "Google" "Calorie restriction" and do the same with "You Tube". There is an abundance of information on the subject.

Daily Food Diary

Do you ever wonder how many calories you actually eat in one day? I mean truly, truly eat day in and day out?

I know for me, I eat a lot more calories than I think I consume.

Here is a program that you can download and keep track of your daily calories:

http://spaz.ca/cronometer/

Now I'm just beginning to use this program myself. I'm quite excited about it, though it takes a lot of work (I think especially in the beginning), but I believe the payoff will be in spades.

Why I am a Vegan

A vegan is someone who eats no animal products of any kind. No fish, cow, chicken, pig or things that come from animals. Such as: milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt.

At least that's my definition and that's why I'm really a sort of, kind of, a wannabe vegan. For the most part I'm vegan, but every once in awhile, I'll have a hamburger, ice cream cone or a delicious steak.

The reasons I'm a (wannabe) vegan are 3 fold and I will give 2 reasons for each one.

1. The damage it does to the planet

A. In the middle of the US there is a large aquifer starting in the northern US that goes all the way to Texas. It's being dried up at an alarming rate due to the raising of animals. It is estimated that for every pound of beef it takes somewhere between 2500-5000 gallons of water.

B. The Amazon forest, the "Lungs of the Planet", is being razed to raise cattle.

2. The way these farm animals are treated

A. Let's face it, if you like beef, chicken, pork, it just flat out tastes good. But at what cost? None of us likes the way animals are treated on our factory farms. Enough said about this, but we all know it's a very painful subject and it's best if it's kept swept under the rug. All I will say is that there is "cold evil" and "hot evil". If I pay someone to kill somebody, though I may not have actually committed the murder, I'm just as guilty.

B. Well, I said I'd give 2 points. I love my dog. If my dog had to spend one day like the average day of a pig, in a pen where she can't turn around, lay in her own excrement, and God knows what else....

3. For my health

When we're younger we can get away with not being careful with what and how much we eat. But it's in our later years that we reap what we sow of our choices made when younger. I argue that when we need our health the most is when we are older.

Also, I believe there are "Laws of Nature", or "Laws of God", what have you. It is my belief that we are not meant to eat the kind of food and the quantity of food that we eat on a daily basis. And if those "Laws" get broken, eventually the price will have to be paid. Mother Nature doesn't fool around. Her penalties can be stiff and demanding, but if we align ourselves with her, life is meant to be lived with joy and abundance.

Think of this: We are the richest country (or close to it) on this planet and we are the most obese. One would think that with this wealth, it would transfer into health. But it does not. If one wants to quantify wealth with the amount of medicines we consume, surely then we're #1.

Maybe I'm way out in left field on this. I could be completely wrong. God knows, I've been wrong many times before. All I know is that when I try to be as honest and true to myself as possible, this is what I know. Surely I'm in the great minority. It would be great to be like everyone else in their diet preferences, it would make my life much easier. But in the end, I must be true to my core beliefs or what's the use of living?

Article about Prostate Cancer

This is a picture of my Mom, Dad and I.

My Mom and Dad are the ones who taught me to golf and gave me a love for that great game. It has been a great passion in my life that brings me lots of enjoyment.

Unfortunately, my father died in his late sixties, like his father before him. It was prostate cancer that took his life.

Here's a promising article: http://discoverysedge.mayo.edu/de09-2-kwonblute/ about a new technology that could possible render prostate cancer moot.

My Dad was a good father. Not perfect, but all in all, he was a hell of a guy. More than one person who knew him, came to me and said in so many words, he was one of the kindest men they had ever known.

And I loved my Dad. A friend of mine who is in his 60's has a father that is almost 90. They both still play golf but they never play with each other. For me, give me one more round with my Dad over at Andrews in MD.

Hell, while I'm at it, let's finish off the evening eating some crabs and drinking a few cervezas.

I love you Dad.

Bugger Butt

This is my dog "Lady MacBeth", AKA Lady Bugs, then Buggers, and finally has evolved to "Bugger Butt".

This is my first dog ever, and I must say, I've come to love my dog.

There is no question that I have never given this animal a reason not to trust me. Her commitment to me is boundless, I'm sure if the situation arose, she would give her life to save mine.

A few examples about "Bugger Butt": I'm walking her while talking to my Father in Law. As we were walking, I would tell Lady what to do and she would do it. For me, it was no big deal. But my FIL was amazed and just couldn't believe it. After I was made aware, I realized, "Yeah, Lady really does listen to all these different commands that I give her".

Another example: I'm walking her very early in the morning. Like 5 AM. There is this dog that is in his backyard that is separated from us by a fence and a hill. Now I know Lady loves this dog. When Lady gets in the area, she kind of gives out this cry in her voice. But Lady also at the same time listens to me. Now I don't usually have Lady on a leash, so I said to Lady, "Go say hi".

Now with Lady, the only time I ever tell her to "Go say hi" is when people are around and I know she wants to visit with them and they with her. So when I told her to "Go say hi", I meant that she could climb the hill and visit with her friend. But what happened was that she turned around and started running to this woman that was about 300 feet from us. I had to stop and think what the Bugger Butt was doing, then I realized Lady was going to say "hi" to the woman. I tell you, even that one astounded me.

So Lady and I are best buds. Sometimes when I get up a night I will lie down next to her. She realizes to make the most of the opportunity, rolls over on her back, sticks her legs straight up in the air, having me give her a belly rub. She loves it.

Some of My Heroes

Some of my heroes:

I have heroes. People that I look up to and respect. Here they are:

Charles Krauthammer
Dennis Prager

Dr John McDougall
Dr T Colin Campbell
Dr Joel Fuhrman
Dr Esselstyn

Jeannette

The first two mentioned men are thinkers and writers of today's political/economic times. They greatly influence my thinking and I'm deeply indebted to them.

The four doctors are doctors who have studied nutrition and have had the courage to follow the science that has changed their lives. By them having the courage to learn and speak out, my life has been greatly enriched. For that, I can never say thank you enough to these men.

And lastly, my wife. For several reasons: 1. I did not name a woman. 2. If I'm publishing, and who knows, maybe I might get famous, I'd better learn to be politically correct. And #3. You know she's going to read this, and if I didn't mention her, she'd kick my ass.

What's different about me

Why have a blog?

It will be fun to see what happens with this blog, and I certainly enjoy reading other blogs, but this is my blog.

So why would one want to read this? For one it must be different.

So, what's so different about me, that you would find compelling enough to read?

Here goes:

I believe in fasting. Not just skipping one meal, or eating chicken instead of steak. I actually believe that going without food (and that's all food) for days or even weeks. I have several times fasted anywhere from 1 day to 2 weeks. No food, but drinking water only.

The average knee jerk reaction is that I'm off my rocker. But I always wonder when others give that knee jerk response, do they actually give themselves the time to ponder if fasting might be actually beneficial to one's health. I can't help but believe if people are honest with themselves, deep down fasting makes intuitive sense.

Having a million dollars, does that make one rich? Here's one definition I believe defines rich: Being able to take 10 days of one's life, do nothing, fast, and allow nature's surgical knife do it's operation. Such a simple definition of wealth, but how many people could do that?

My Personal Blog--Yeah

This is the first post to my personal blog. Yeah!

I'm quite excited about this. It will be part journal and autobiographic to begin. I just said the same thing twice, and not only that, I repeated myself.

I get to post what matters to me.

Because it's my blog, I will share what's important to me. I'm not here to make friends, but actually I'm here to make friends. That I guess is what's called an oxymoron, but do you kind of see what I'm saying? OK, I hear what you're thinking---"Man, I don't know what an oxymoron is, but I do know that this guy's a moron".

Well congratulations, you and I are hitting off right away.