Turn The Page…

“Every day we're standing in a time capsule
Racing down a river from the past
Every day we're standing in a wind tunnel
Facing down the future coming fast”

- Rush

Another year come and almost gone… Didn’t we just mark our entry into the 2000’s last year? What? That was SIX years ago almost… Where have the years gone? It’s been how long since I was there? …that I did that? …that I saw them? I’m getting old…

It seems like almost yesterday when I was looking forward to getting out of high school… Carefree days visiting with friends, staying up all night, walking around town, playing tag all over large bales of hay, playing AD&D through an entire weekend, racing along back country roads… Where has life gone? What have I to show for all the years so far? What will I have to show in the future?

The past is now so clear, the present is starting to fade, and the future is obscured… What is coming towards me down the river of time?

To all… Happy New Year! May your future be bright…

At What Price, Immortality…?

For as long as I can remember, I have liked History. So much, in fact, that I at one time entertained the thoughts of getting a degree in History and either working for the Library of Congress, or finding a nice, quiet, conservative college campus somewhere in the mountains (I would prefer the Rocky Mountains) to teach History.

I started college working on three majors: Information Technologies (as I also love computers), History, and Political Science. Needless to say after the first two semesters, I came to a cross road of decision; stop killing myself with credit overload, save money, graduate sooner, and go for something that will make me money OR focus on something I had a true passion for, that wouldn’t make me a lot of money, but that I could immerse myself in gladly for the rest of my life…or until dementia sets in, whichever comes first. Needless to say, I choose the money… [Break to listen to B.O.C. on the Internet radio.]

So, here I am few lustrums later working in I.T. It’s been good to me, but I still dream of history… Which brings me to my point…

I have always been drawn to stories of immortality, or time travel, or being something with a much, much longer life span than what is normal for the human race. This explains why I enjoy stories by Poul Anderson, H. G. Wells, and Roger Zelazny.

Time travel (H. G. Wells) would at least offer me the opportunity to see history like no one else has, but for a finite time. Likewise, a much longer life span (Roger Zelazny) like an Amberite would allow me not only to see history, but to create and recreate it by traversing to different shadows of reality. But again, for a finite time. Immortality however, (Poul Anderson) as found in “The Boat Of A Million Years” could be the most fascinating option. These people were immortal and could live thousands and thousands of years. However, the immortality came with a twist… These people could be killed if hurt badly enough. Were they lucky enough, however, life went on and on and on…

But what if I had the opportunity to become immortal, and very difficult to kill… In fact, what if I had to kill to survive, to maintain my immortality… Yeah… Good old vampire type immortality…

Either way, after a few hundred years, or a few thousand years, of existence, what would I be? Would my memories fade over time even as they do as we live our 70, 80, 90 years as human mortals? Would I still find things in the world that were new and exciting? People? Philosophies? What place would I have in the world? Would I still be human? Would I still be sane? Would I still feel for others? Love them? Care about them? After all of the loss, the separation over time, would I still care to have relationships? Would my knowledge and experiences of all the centuries be truly useful? Would I still be young, or would I feel extremely old, tired, and useless?

What price would I pay eventually for immortality? Or what price might the world pay for my existence?

Life Sucks. Get A Helmet, Okay?

Well... If any of you have ever listened to older Denis Leary stuff, then you know that isn't quite how the line goes, but it will suffice.

I could use a helmet today… A really, really big one… Bigger than the one Dark Helmet wore in Spaceballs… In fact, I’m not sure anyone really makes a helmet as big as the one I would like to have had on today, because basically boys and girls… Life sucks! At least it does today.

This is all work related. And I like my job, don’t get me wrong. It’s a good environment, with good people, with a good salary, and good benefits. But, as a manager, there are times when I really hate my job. Most of those times have to do with having to manage people. Today is a primary example of a bad people management day…

I had to fire someone on my staff today… Nine days before freaking Christmas, and I have to tell this person that, Hey, Merry Christmas… You’re fired!!! Happy Holidays!! Enjoy the start of the New Year in the unemployment line!!!!

Was the termination justified? Yeah… But right before Christmas? I had to do it, I know I did, and it wasn’t my fault this person did the things they did to warrant termination… But right before Christmas??? {FYI… I wanted to at least wait until January… Wasn’t an option left open to me…}

SO… I get to tell someone that just bought a new house a few months ago and is trying to get on with life that not only do you have no money for Christmas gifts, but you have no money now for the house payment, or the car payment, or food, or electricity, or gas, or…or…or… SIGH…………..

I have an obligation to my company to do the right thing… I have no problem with that… I would fire my own mother if I had a business reason to do so… BUT NOT RIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS!!!!

Oh well… Life sucks, get a helmet!

Insomnia Is An Art Form...

I want to sleep… I have to get up in three hours… I worked 11 hours yesterday… I’ve worked many more over the past two weeks getting ready to move the office from one location to the other. I’m already tired from all of that, and now, I can’t sleep. I went to bed five hours ago, but sleep has not come… Anyone have a really big hammer???

I guess it could also be that I’m going to the hospital tomorrow for tests. This will be the second time as the first time they were unable to complete the tests to the point of having any useful information. I’ve already been told that most likely what they fine is going to require surgery. This will only confirm the suspicions. I’m not looking forward to this, and given my already tired frame of mind and body, I think this is why I am unable to slumber tonight.

This really isn’t true insomnia… I’ve suffered that before, many years ago. Contrary to popular beliefs, sleep depravation will not cause you to go insane…assuming you were already insane to begin with, which I think maybe back then I might have qualified for the term. Who knows…

Well… I know I won’t sleep while typing on a computer, so I guess maybe I should stop and try to rest. But it is so convenient still being in bed with a wireless laptop.

Of Winter, A Wolf, And Twilight...

I imagine myself as Elric of Melnibone… I have been called by Man the White Wolf, and many other names… I was in the Northern Wastes when an omen showed itself to me and beckoned me to follow… It was a white wolf… I have followed on impulse, starting a journey through a frozen land ensconced within eternal twilight…

I follow the white wolf not knowing where I am going or why… I have no companions; I have no friends to accompany me… Only Stormbringer at my side, now howling for souls, but there are none to feed the demon, and as such, my strength dwindles, my life ebbs, and I know it is not long before I will perish in this hellish place, alone, cold, and as empty as the land through which I journey. But I must follow where the white wolf leads as I am drifting through the multiverse and must find myself back to sanity, or that at least which I call sanity. Without a guide, I am also lost. As it would seem, I am doomed.

Where are you Arioch!? Donblas!? Xiombarg!? Won’t one of you show yourself to feed my sword? Come for me!!! I await you!!!

But nothing… Just the cold… Just the emptiness… Just the white wolf leading me onward…

A Day That Will Live In Infamy…

December 7, 1941… A little before 8:00 a.m. (Oahu, Hawaii time), about 180 planes launched from Japanese carriers attacked the American Pacific fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor without warning. The attack, carried out in two waves, cost the lives of about 2400 Americans, 1177 of them alone lost when the USS Arizona exploded and sank. A little over twenty ships were damaged; all but three were eventually returned to service. More than 300 of our aircraft were lost or destroyed. It was a stunning victory for a country to achieve over the United States given how far away Japan was and how poor they were in resources. It was also a costly mistake by Japan as it galvanized America in a way they never expected and brought a unified, resource rich and technologically sound country into World War II.

Why should we remember this attack every year? If for no other reason it would be due to the historical significance of the date in American history… Or to remember yet another sacrifice made for this country by our military personnel… Or to remind us that there are those in the world still today that seek to bring harm through violence to our country and are prepared to do so without warning… Does 9/11 ring a bell?

It was Thomas Jefferson who said, “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” It was true then, it is still true today.

Blog Chain Letters...

Ok... Thanks to "another random slacker" I had to take the time to actually dredge up memories from the past to complete this little The Five Things MEME. [Side Note to ars: May Arioch taste your soul sooner than later...] Anyway, here goes...

10 YEARS AGO

I was suffering from severe clinical depression… My marriage had failed in divorce earlier in the year… My Ex and her new husband had fallen out of site (against court orders) and I was heading into the Christmas season not knowing where my daughter was, how she was doing, or anything… I was trying to scrape enough money together to get a lawyer to take a contempt case back into court… I had buried my father in late September… And so far in the year, 12 other members of my family had died… I was having thoughts about reenacting one particular scene out of “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

5 YEARS AGO

I was working in an I.T. position for a globally known electronics manufacture. The money was good, the job was good, and I was trying to find a polite way to decline the attentions of someone who wanted to adopt my last name as her own. I had a nice little apartment with a fireplace and a balcony. I was starting to enjoy life somewhat. I was looking forward to the time off (16 paid days at the end of December) from my job during which I was going home for a family Christmas dinner and to visit some old friends.

1 YEAR AGO

My son turned two towards the end of the month. I was a few months into a new I.T. position and was really enjoying the job and the company. Overall life was going along pretty good.

5 YUMMY THINGS

Chili, Mr. Bobe’s Pizza, my Mom’s vegetable soup, Cherry pie, a good cup of coffee.

5 SONGS I KNOW BY HEART

“Black Blade” & “Veteran Of The Psychic Wars” (Blue Oyster Cult), “It’s Been Awhile” (Staind), “How You Remind Me” (Nickelback), “Another One Rides The Bus” (Weird Al Yankovic

5 THINGS I WOULD DO WITH A LOT OF MONEY

Play in one high stakes poker game in Vegas, Take care of family and friends, Pay off all debts, Start my own bookstore, Giggle when looking at my bank balance.

5 THINGS I WOULD NEVER WEAR

Spandex, Anything advertising any product, A plaid suit, A tutu, Underwear that didn’t come out of the package.

5 FAVORITE TV SHOWS (CURRENT)

Smallville, Charmed, Reba, Supernatural, Blue Color TV

5 FAVORITE TV SHOWS (LEGACY)

Star Trek, Space:1999, Magnum P.I., Hill Street Blues, The Six Million Dollar Man

5 FAVORITE TOYS

Um……….

5 PEOPLE WHO GET THIS MEME

I think this segment of the chain breaks here…

Agents of Fortune…

A happy 61st birthday to Eric Bloom of Blue Öyster Cult fame… The last opportunity I had to see B.O.C. was a year ago last September. All I can say is, they still ROCK! If I’m doing that well when I get to be their age I will consider myself lucky. Maybe there is something to be said for sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll.

I have been a fan of B.O.C. for a long time now. A good friend of mine who also enjoys the writings of Michael Moorcock introduced me to their music when he found out that Moorcock had worked with Bloom in writing some lyrics for a few songs that B.O.C. performed. I first listened to those songs, then the rest of the album, and was hooked.

One of the best of their concerts I have seen was in Denver back in the early 90’s. It was a small venue, I was spitting distance from the stage, and they rocked the house for 2 ½ hours… Went off stage for about 20 minutes, and came back out and gave us 45 minutes more… I didn’t hear right for the next four days, but what an experience.

It’s hard to think of these guys getting to be that age, but then again, I have to look at how old I’m getting and how long I’ve been listening to their music… All of the sudden it’s hard to think of ME getting that old!! Oh well… Just wait until I’m about 95, in the nursing home, confined to a wheelchair, jamming to B.O.C. and yelling at a young nurse about my sponge bath!!!! I can hardly wait!!!

If you'd like to know more about B.O.C., click here and ENJOY!

Star Wreck: In The Pirkinning

Short post... First, I hope all of you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Second, if you are a fan of Star Trek and/or Babylon 5 as I am, you must check out www.starwreck.com when you have 1h 43m 31s to kill.

I usually am not to keen on fan related works, but this is a rare exception! Enjoy!!

Up In Smoke... That's Where My Money Goes...

But at least it isn’t illegal smoke… It’s just the normal cigarette smoke of Marlboro Ultra Lights…

Today is the day of the 29th Great American Smokeout. A day for people, like me, all over the country to stop smoking for at least 24 hours, and preferably for the rest of our lives. It’s a good idea. Let’s face it, smoking kills… It’s expensive… $4.54 for one pack of cigarettes over in Ohio I found out the other day when I was there… Let’s see, if I lived in Ohio, and I only buy by the pack (…which wastes even more money vs. by the carton), and I smoke about one pack per day… $1616.24 at least per year. That sounds ludicrous doesn’t it? Spending that much money to more than likely cause my own untimely demise?

I mentioned before that my Dad died ten years ago. The cause? Respiratory Failure… A nice euphuism for saying he died of emphysema brought about by smoking for more than fifty years, and when I say smoking, I mean chain smoking three or more packs a day. The last week of his life, he was on a respirator. The tube was down his throat so he couldn’t talk. A few days after I got back home they tried to remove him from the respirator and told him that if they couldn’t get him off of it, most likely he would never be able to breath on his own again. He managed to stay off for about ten minutes. He sat there on the side of the bed in the ICU ward, bent over, gasping for life. Needless to say, he wasn’t in a talkative mood or condition. They were starting to put the tube back into his mouth when he put his hand up to block it, he looked at me, and said “…I love you son.” Then he pointed to my shirt pocket where my cigarettes were and said, “…Get off those things while you still can.” Those were the last words my Dad ever said to anyone. He died two days later…

Well, needless to say, I still smoke. I still enjoy lighting up when having a good conversation and some coffee, or when I’m sitting at a Denny’s at night having coffee and reading a book, or when I need to think, or when I’m stressed… Even knowing what it is doing to my health, I like it. It is a strange relationship I have with my cigarettes.

The simple fact is, I need to quit. I would like for my kids to have me around longer than their 20’s or 30’s. I don’t want to harm their health, so I don’t smoke in the house, I don’t smoke in the car, I don’t set us all in the smoking section when I go out. I remember how it used to be when I was a kid… Dad smoked in the house, the car, everywhere. Of course, you could still wander down the isles of our local IGA shopping for groceries while smoking. Everywhere you went… Movies, the hardware store, THE HOSPITAL, the workplace… Smoking… How times change.

So today, I’ll smoke a few extra cigarettes just because it is the Great American Smokeout… But soon… I need to quit… I want to quit… I will quit… I just hope I do it on my own terms and not because Thanatos is there to tell me I’m quitting…


[Do you want information on how to quit smoking??? Click here....]

Let’s Go Fly A Kite…

[Music On] …Up to the highest height / Let’s go fly a kite / And send it soaring / Up through the atmosphere / Up where the air is clear / Oh, let’s go fly a kite! [/Music Off]

There was a time in my childhood that I really enjoyed flying kites. I didn’t have a favorite type, color, or style of kite, I just wanted to tie some string to something, throw it in the air, and watch it go…

I do remember about the time I stopped flying kites… It was the spring of ’78 and everyone was excited since we had just come through the, now infamous, Blizzard of ’78. It was warmer, it was getting green, the sky was blue, the clouds light & white & fluffy, and there was wind. Good time to fly kites!

I got a balsa wood box kite kit, spent a bit of time gluing everything together and getting it all ready, got my string, and away I went. It took a little effort to get it up in the air, but once it started to go it was great. I must have had it out on about 800’ of string and was just standing there in the lot, watching my kite, peaceful and content…when a strong gust of wind hit the kite, the string broke, and…well, yeah, down went the kite.

The problem with where I lived and kite flying was the woods, tree lines, ditches, and fields. The wind had blown the kite over the woods back behind the house, and since the string had broke, all I could do was guess as to where the thing might have gone down at and go try to find it. I searched the rest of that day and the next, didn’t find the kite. So, I gave up on it. Talk about feeling like Charlie Brown… All I needed was for my girl friend (as in, she was a friend and female) next door to come along with a football.

Anyway, to continue, towards the end of the year, maybe December, I was back in the woods doing something and as I was walking along towards the north edge of the woods I happened to look up at this really big and tall tree; up in the very top, on the south side of the tree, hung the skeleton of my box kite. I think if the thing had been about four or five feet higher in the air it would have cleared that tree and come down in a field. Needless to say, I left my kite there in the now hallowed branches of that tree and that is about the last time I remembered flying a kite.

That is until last year when I was taking a camping vacation along Lake Michigan. We happened to have some kites there and I started flying on again there on the beach. I was once again amazed to find how peaceful and relaxed I became standing there holding onto the end of a piece of string while watching this cheap piece of plastic toy flying overhead.

Why am I talking about all of this? Well, I’ve been stuck at the office all day today and I walked outside a little while ago to have a smoke. It’s sunny, the temperature is nice, there are a few clouds in the sky, and there is wind. I’m stressed… I’m not happy about working on a weekend… I have a lot of things on my mind at the moment… But for a minute, I stood there, looking up into the sky… And remembered… All of the sudden, I had this urge to head to a hobby store, find a balsa wood box kite, some string, and fly my way into bliss… Come on, everyone!!! Let’s go fly a kite!

The Eleventh Month, The Eleventh Day, The Eleventh Hour…

The year is 1918… After more than four years of fighting, papers are finally signed in France by Germany bringing and end to the conflict. Armies started to withdraw from their positions, and a world weary of conflict gave a sigh of relief. Hugs, kisses, laughter, and cheer were present most everywhere… The “War to End All Wars” the “Great War” was over.

Of course, anyone who has studied history knows that this “Great War” did not provide an end to all wars. It ended up being called World War I because a scant twenty years later (as W.W. I officially ended in 1919) World War II broke out with the German invasion of Poland. Once again, the world was thrown into chaos.

Originally, November 11 was called Armistices Day starting in 1938. It was designated as a day to pay respect to our military who served during World War I. However, once our country had come through World War II, some started thinking that maybe we should have a special day to honor our veteran’s from all wars. Changes were made, and ever since 1954, we call November 11 Veteran’s Day.

I have always had a special appreciation for Veteran’s Day going back about as far as I can remember. For one thing, my father was a combat veteran (European and Pacific theaters) of World War II and taught me from an early age the concepts of honor, duty, and patriotism. He would tell me about the war, about his three brothers who also enlisted, but thankfully, never saw combat, along with the reasons why the now called “greatest generation” fought in World War II. For another, Veteran’s Day was the day before my father’s birthday. (He would turn 83 tomorrow were he still alive. Happy Birthday Dad… I love you and miss you…)

Aside from my fascination with World War II, which led to the study of other American wars and history in general, my father also regaled me with the tales of my Grandfather who was an infantry soldier during World War I. Let me digress for a moment…

World War I actually started in 1914. It was a European conflict and at the time, the United States was still for the most part practicing isolationism. So, even though some wanted to enter the fray early, the government stayed out of it. But a few events over the next couple of years changed the American viewpoint. Two primary causes were the sinking of the R.M.S. Lusitania, a British passenger ship, by the Germans in 1915 killing over 100 Americans and the Zimmermann letter (early 1917) sent by Germany to Mexico trying to entice Mexico to attack the United States and reclaim territory lost by Mexico to the U.S. during the middle 1800’s.) Finally, America had enough and declared war on Germany in April of 1917. However, the bulk of our military forces, under the command of Gen. John Pershing, didn’t enter into Europe until the summer months of 1918.

Of the roughly 2,000,000 U.S. military sent to fight in W.W. I, over 115,000 never made it back… And over 200,000 were wounded… World War I saw the end of warfare that was restricted mostly to armies… It saw the end of a code of conduct and chivalry that had been observed for centuries… For the first time, it saw massive civilian casualties, but nothing like in World War II where almost 50% of the dead were civilians. It saw new weapons of destruction; Tanks, submarines, chemical warfare, and airplanes.

This brings me back to my Grandfather… Back home in Illinois, his family was contacted by the War Department informing the family of his death somewhere in France. They were uncertain as to the final disposition of the body due to the war time conditions. They held his funeral; the government presented a flag… But what no one knew at the time was that he actually was not dead. He had suffered a very serious gun shot wound in his abdomen. He was found laying on a battlefield, bleeding, suffering, dying, by a local French family. They took my Grandfather and for the next few months they tended to his wounds, they fed him, they sheltered him, and they hid him from the German patrols. Eventually, my Grandfather was able to travel and they helped him get across enemy territory and back to the American army and, eventually, home.

My Grandfather died before I was born. My Father did not recall the name of the family, but he remembered his dad telling that as he spoke no French and they spoke no English, there was no real communication during his ordeal. Somewhere, in France, I figure that a grandchild or a great-grandchild knows this story from the other side. To you I say, “Thank you…” To the French government (and some other French people) I say, “…It’s still not too late for you to be speaking German!”

It is Veteran’s Day… I’m sure you know a veteran… Thank them for their service, their sacrifice. Regardless of what you think about war and conflict, please remember that our military men and women have kept this a free nation since the American Revolution. I doubt if any of our honored dead went to war with the intention of dying for their country, but we, as a country, have lost millions in conflict.

I will leave you with this to think about… During World War I, on Christmas Eve in 1914, many soldiers from both sides stopped shooting at each other and started to celebrate Christmas. The armies were close enough to each other at some points along the line that they could hear each other singing. After awhile, some soldiers from both sides left their trenches to meet in the middle to exchange gifts and celebrate. There is even official record of a game of football (soccer I think) being held between the foes. This lasted through Christmas (in some parts, through the New Year) and then the shooting began again.

Conflict happens… It always has, and I personally think it always will… But there are moments when differences can be sat aside and mutual respect for one another can thrive. This could be but for a few hours, or a few days, or week, or even years. The longer, the better…

Dad, Granddad, Great-Great-Granddad (Civil War) - thank you for what you did for your country. I remember… And I hope all of you who may read this will remember as well… Happy Veteran’s Day!

All I Ever Needed To Know In Life I Learned From Playing Dungeon’s and Dragon’s

I always like coming across stories from people claiming that Dungeon’s and Dragon’s ruined their life, or made them evil, or drove them away from God, or enticed them into having unhealthy fantasies about their teachers, pastors, person next door…whatever. The general claim by many is that Dungeon’s and Dragon’s is intrinsically evil and should be avoided at all costs. Well, to quote a famous phrase from one Col. Sherman T. Potter, “Horse Hockey!!!” (If you watched M*A*S*H, you’ll understand…)

People, let’s face it… You would be hard pressed to come up with much on this planet that is designed to be evil. For example, take an iron skillet. You can feed your family by using this device and a little bit of Crisco. Or, you can knock someone senseless… (Marion showed you how in “Raiders of the Lost Ark!”) You can use a truck to haul firewood to your home to heat your house in the winter, or, you can go run someone down in a fit of rage because you missed your favorite episode of American Dad! Popcorn… How evil is popcorn?!?!? Well, ask the family of someone who choked to death while eating popcorn at the Saturday Afternoon matinee and maybe they will think it was evil… Um… Mathematics!!! Nothing wrong with that, right?? Well, look at John Nash and maybe you might think differently… Or nuclear scientists who used math to create atomics…? The simple point is, people can take pretty much anything and use it in some very wrong ways. The Bible, The Koran, The Book of Mormon… Ill used by many all over the world, but that is another long topic. For those people out there who think that Dungeon’s and Dragon’s ruined their life, I would have to question if you ever really had one to begin with, but that is just my not so humble opinion.

I will tell you now that Dungeon’s and Dragon’s made me the individual I am today, and for the most part, I like who I am. This game challenged my ability to think, to be creative, and to explore situations and topics that I would have never been able to explore in “the real world.” [Disclaimer: The events listed below contain adult themes and situations, or out right felonious acts of violence and debauchery. Reader’s beware…]

I lived and learned vicariously through my characters that: Unprotected sex can cause you serious harm, some of it so serious you may need a limited wish spell to cure the malady; Drinking and driving, uh, er, riding can cause serious bodily harm and/or an untimely death…your own or the person you happen to run down…which can still lead to your own death when the whole village comes after you for killing one of their own and hangs you in a tree; Drugs… The most common experience with drugs is that YOU DIE! You either get stupid and get killed, get some bad drugs and die, someone kills you for your drugs, you get killed trying to get drugs, or you get drugs and get stupid and start drinking and then it all goes down hill from there; A lack of education doesn’t get you far in life; When you go and cut the head off of the big bad ugly dude that has been raping goats, killing local farmers, and insulting their women.....his bigger, badder, uglier brothers might come and kill off your entire family to get back at you; Being mean to other people only lasts for so long before they get enough of it and hit you over the head when you aren’t looking; That power is GREAT…right up to the moment you are killed because you have too much power; That a pissed off wife that you have cheated on in AD&D can make Lorena Bobbit look like an amateur; That money will NOT buy everything in the world and usually what it will buy isn’t what is going to really make you happy in the long run; That you can NOT handle every adventure without the help of your party; That for every choice you make, there is a consequence…sometimes a bad one for a good choice, sometimes a good one for a bad choice, but usually, good=good and bad=bad and don’t forget that just because you personally are not impacted by a choice that the others around you won’t get blasted…

Maybe the greatest lesson I ever learned while playing Dungeon’s and Dragon’s is that camaraderie is a wonderful blessing not only inside of the game, but outside in the real world. I was introduced to some wonderful people a long, long time ago drawn together by a fascination about this new game called Dungeon’s and Dragon’s… We came from different walks of life; there was a scholar, a cheerleader, a musician, a “Joe Schmoe”, a geek, a couple of other odds and ends, and a football player/honor roll student/should have applied himself much harder/computer loving/didn’t fit into anywhere type dude. Under most circumstances, the type of people that usually wouldn’t have ever gotten together, much less became friends. But thanks to this wonderful game, we did. And to this day, the friendships endure.

Even to this day, when we have the rare chance to get together, we all fondly remember the days of old, the dim lighting in the basement, the rattle of the dice, and all of the wonderful countries and worlds we “grew up” together in while learning a lot of important life lessons in the safety of a pencil, some paper, and our imaginations.

I am an only child in the fact that my sister died in infancy many years before I was born. But when playing with my friends, I had several brothers and sisters at my side. And in the real world, I come to count one of my old companions as a true brother and I will cherish our relationship for the rest of my life. Does any of this sound evil? Naw... Didn't think so... Maybe that has something to do with PERSPECTIVE... Oh well... Just my two cents worth...

In Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” series, there is one saying that always conjures up great memories for me: ‘Dovie’andi se tovya sagain…’ ‘Time to roll the dice.’ Now where did I put my dice bag???

Two Tin Cans, And Some String...

Not that I have seen any children actually doing this for a long time, I remember back in the day when we used to get bored in the summer and try a number of things just to see if they would work or not. The good thing is, I don’t believe we ever totally destroyed anything, including ourselves, in the process. A variety of things we tried simply didn’t work the way we thought… Like trying to jump off the porch roof while holding onto two kites to see how far we could glide… You know, that kind of stuff…

I do remember one little experiment we tried that actually was some what impressive. We heard that if you took two tin cans, put a little hole in the bottom of each one, and tied the two cans together with some string, that you could talk back and forth like the telephone. Well, needless to say, Ma Bell was never threatened by our “breakthroughs…” But the cool thing about it (to us at the time anyway) was that it really worked. More or less… Of course, we quickly switched to more hi-tech stuff like walkie-talkies and CB radios!

Now jump ahead thirty plus years… We now can do without the string because our tin cans are able to talk to each other without wires. Between my cell phone and my wireless laptop, it is amazing what I can accomplish. (Ok… So a lot of the time I want to flush the cell phone and throw the laptop out the window…) But none the less, it is cool to be able to sit by the ocean, watching the waves role up and down the beach, have a beer in hand, and be talking to someone two thousand miles away stuck in their office. Or my personal favorite, sit outside in my porch swing while connecting back to my office getting some work done. Or, at times using a wireless internet card, turn a park into my office for the day.

I never realized how much I relay on wireless communications until I went on a vacation, a real vacation, last year. I went camping for almost two weeks at a county park along Lake Michigan. I was about 1 ½ mile outside the range of all the cell towers. No internet… No phone… Left the pager at home… I really suffered the first week. It was like I needed technological de-tox. But that second week was pure bliss…

Well, talk about something too long and it’s bound to catch up to you… I need to answer my cell phone… I wonder what would happen if I pulled out the battery and tied a piece of string to the phone…??? Happy communicating…

Ah, That Java Jive...

And no, I am not referring to that insidious little program delivered by the Sun corporation that seems to blast several other applications that make use of java every time they release an update.

No, I’m talking about that wonderful consumable that has ancient origins from the area of Ethiopia… That wonderful drink that at one time the Catholic church called “…a hellish brew…” The one and only Coffee!

There are not many things that I really find myself craving, but coffee is an exception. Coffee is what really most satisfies me when I need to wake up, when I need to think, when I need to relax, when I need something to make me feel normal. Without coffee, what’s the point…?

A few years ago, my doctor asked me during one of my visits if I drank coffee. I assured him I was a major coffee lover. He then proceeded to ask me how many cups I usually drank per day. I looked him straight in the eye and said, “…Doc…I have no idea. I measure my intake based on pots. Do you know how many cups are in a pot???” Needless to say he just shook his head, jotted down a few notes in my chart, and handed me a prescription for elevated blood pressure! [NOTE: Job stress related elevations… I know the coffee has NOTHING to do with it!]

I have found, though, that coffee is not always an appropriate beverage to imbibe. For example, based upon personal experience, I do NOT drink coffee before leaving the house on my daily commute to work. There is something about heavy metro traffic, a bunch of idiots on the road, and me being hypersensitive because of all the coffee coursing through my veins that does not make for a good combination!!! Take this morning… I’m driving along about 70 mph with the rest of the traffic and all of the sudden everything comes to a 45 mph grinding slow down. The reason? Six city highway dump trucks… Three of them in the far right lane… Three of them in the middle lane… All of them driving at 45 mph… Left lane open with traffic doing 70 mph… Two lanes trying to merge to the left to get around the trucks… Not a good thing. Now imagine if I had been drinking coffee… My first inclination would have been to try and shove one of these 6 ton vehicles off the road using my economy car. The whole mass, momentum ratio thing was not in my favor. And in my more sedate state of mind I realized this… But if I had been on COFFEE…!!!! Rubbing is racing, right??!!??

Well, anyway, my cup is empty and I need to go infuse myself with more coffee. Have a cup on me while you’re at it!!!

My First Time...

…he mused out loud to no one in particular while finishing the last drag on his cigarette.
“First time for what…?” asked the voice behind him.
Startled, he whirled, dropping the still smoldering cigarette to the ground to find… Nothing… No one… The street was empty… Only a few leaves blowing along in the gutter.
Squinting, his breath showing in the cold night air, he peered more closely down the street. Was something there?
“Um, excuse me, I don’t mean to be rude, but first time for what…?”
Again, the voice right behind him, once more making his heart leap as he spun to see… Nothing…

Well, duh!!! I mean, come on... When the voice talking to you is inside of your own head, what would you expect to see???

Have you ever had cause to contemplate all of the “first times” that have occurred in your life? I mean, you can be a few minutes old and already have an impressive count of “first times.”

But as one grows older, the number continues to rise… And eventually, one is hard pressed to really remember the plethora of events that qualify for being counted in the “first time” category…

The first time...

…I realized if I make a mess in my diaper it’s yucky!
…I took my first steps.
…I said my first words.
…I went to school.
…I rode a bike.
…I fell in love.
…I had my heart broke.
…I made it with the really cute girl from band.
…I found out I was going to be a parent.
…I drove a car.
...I left home.
...I got my first job.
...I lost a parent.

And the list could go on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and... Ok... You get the picture.

But this very day, November 3, 2005 is my first time I have ever posted in my very own blog! Come to think of it, it is also the very first time I have ever posted in ANY blog. That isn't to say I haven't read a few from time to time, and I've thought about posting before, but for some reason I just simply never did get around to it. Just like I have resisted the urge for quite some to actually have my own blog. But now... It's too late... I have past yet another "first time" milestone... Sniff...

So... What will I do now with my little blog? Engage in titillating conversation with anyone and everyone? Perhaps... Dazzle the masses with my charming, and witty discourse? Rectify the problems of the other denizens of this electronic forum? Perchance, could I even dare to enlighten the world with my profound comprehension of and Answer To Life, the Universe, and Everything!?!?!? Could I STOP having these delusions of grandeur...????

No... I think for the most part I will simply share some of my thoughts from time to time, and look forward to a different perspective from others than that which I am accustom.

Greetings to you all...