Holiday-Part II

Christmas is bearing down. That seems to be the case more every year. I’m not sure if it’s me advancing in years that makes time move more swiftly or perhaps it has to do with how busy everyone is in general. I have always loved and continue to love the message of hope that Christmas exudes. The thing I disdain more every year is how Christmas becomes more about the “things” that are given or received. Now before you all say I’m hypocritical let’s except that fact that a huge part of the excitement that surrounds Christmas has to do with the children and watching their eyes light up as they open their gifts. I think that has to do with the joy the adults gain from it all. That being said, as you age a bit Christmas should really be more about the message.

It’s true that with each passing year that Christmas seems to become more of a commercial event than religious. Our schools can not even mention any religious connotations at the risk of a lawsuit. Isn’t it ironic that the minute anything of a catastrophic nature occurs that everyone turns to God but when things are seemingly in human control so many want to be dismissive about anything religious. I won’t let that fact disrupt me from celebrating Christmas for my own reasons. I think the Thanksgiving holiday is all about taking stock whereas the Christmas holiday is all about understanding where that stock comes from and why we have the privilege of being able to give thanks.

So enjoy your Christmas for your own selfish reasons but at the very least enjoy it. Try to be mindful of the many people out there struggling to even have a Christmas and the many people that will have no Christmas. Although Thanksgiving has passed, I think it still important to give thanks if you are fortunate enough to be able to have a good Christmas.

I sincerely wish all of you a most blessed Christmastide and I hope for more than just presents under your trees, I hope for everyone to come to realize that the only true gift you will get this Christmas is the gift of our savior.

The Real Thanksgiving

As I sit here this morning having a cup of java and pondering my life to this point it has become quite clear to me that being thankful is very important to being happy. Reflecting on what you have is always more productive and honorable that what you want. It’s sometimes challenging as our society these days and really not just these days but for as long as I can remember really seems to place a value on things you have acquired. BMW’s and 15,000 square foot homes don’t impress me. Don’t misunderstand, I’m happy for those people and their achievements but the “thing” part of the equation doesn’t electrify me.

I’m sure you can remember when you were young, if you’re my age, how oftentimes when opening a package how initially the wrapping was sometimes more impressive than what was inside. But think again about how long the wrapper would last and how long what was inside would last and in the end what meant more. I think it’s an appropriate analogy about my subject. What is important is not the BMW but the person driving it and how they live their life. What is important is not the 15,000 square foot home but the people inside and how they live their lives.

So my point this morning is this; be thankful for everything in your lives but be most thankful for not the packaging of your life but about the real substance underneath. You have a rich life if you are surrounded by a loving, caring group of friends and family and you are striving to make a difference somehow in not just your own life but in the lives of others. Be mindful of the real value of the “things” in your life.

I do indeed hope everyone realizes a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and is safe in their travels. I am thankful for everyone and everything I have and hope I can continue to give back to the best of my abilities and try and make a difference for others.

First Week in The Corporate World

So this was my first full week of exposure to the corporate world. It has been both fascinating and fraught with challenges and adjustments. When it comes to the technologies I am working with I am pretty well educated, however when it has to deal with the corporate process to achieve goals and objectives I am in my infancy. It’s really all about the process in a corporate world and I am learning this now.

The environment I am working with now is one that is foreign to me at least on the security side. I have had plenty of (too much really) exposure to the patient side of hospitals but this is a new type of client I am about to work with. I will now be intimately involved with the security side of the medical environment. That has me both excited and hesitant. Excited because this type of client really needs the services my company offers; Hesitant because I will now be involved very closely with bean counter types. When I was a locksmith the beans were of a much smaller size. So decisions made will be far reaching financially and have an impact on the company’s success. So the pressure with this type of client will be more substantial.

I am not complaining, mind you, just trying to convey the challenges that lie before me. I’m not even certain how much blogging I will be able to continue, at least in the short term. I am grateful for this opportunity even though you may not be getting that yet. I guess I am thinking through how to handle these next few weeks of more training and more exposure to the new environment. It’s a little disconcerting to have to manage people that actually know the process better than the manager. I plan to make that change but have to be patient in getting to that point. I suppose every manager goes through that type of atmosphere in a new job. But knowing it and dealing with it are not always the same when it comes to executing the correct path.

I will try and keep you up to date about my exploits when possible. I truly hope that everyone reading this has an exceptional Thanksgiving and says a little prayer for me to succeed in my new endeavor. I know I can do it……now I just need to prove it.

Life and Change

Life is full of surprises. All who are sentient beings and have any degree of self awareness know this to be true. Many of us who even think we might be in control of most any part of our lives only need to roll out of bed in the morning to see how our arrogance is misplaced.

Now we may be in control of some minor details but the masterpiece of life is not ours to paint but rather to strive to find where in the painting we are to be included. I believe we spend the majority of our lives squinting at that painting and wondering. I think the question of why are we here is much less relevant than where are we here.

We each have our own gifts and talents to add to the mix of humanity. We may not even yet be fully aware of what those gifts may be. The ultimate challenge and satisfaction in life is to actually discover our own intimate purpose in this world. Some sadly never really discover this and therefore never fully answer that question within themselves.

My mind has been obsessed with this point of life lately for more personal reasons. I am in deep contemplation about where I fit in this world as far as my career is concerned. I am about to embark upon a significant change in the direction of my career path and am praying that I am making the right decision. For those of you who know me at all know that I don’t make major changes in my life without a tremendous amount of retrospection and self examination. Am I pursuing this path because it is God’s will or my own? I’m really hoping the answer to that question is both.

We really glorify our maker by not only finding our way in this world but by seizing upon it and making a real difference. How do we do this? It’s for each of us to individually discover. Life is abundantly full of choices.

So I am making a shift in my career. I am both excited and a bit intimidated. I suppose both of those qualities are healthy. Without either of those I would question the purpose of the shift.

I have received just an incredible amount of encouragement and support. My young yet sometimes wise daughter points out that I have a number of people that care about me. That fact is not lost on me I assure you. I am feeling a bit like George Bailey these days when he came to the realization that your wealth can really be measured by the amount of people you have touched and therefore touch you back.

My thanks to all who have prayed for me and encouraged me and foremost my thanks and love go to my dear wife.

Stewardship

I had a few requests to see my presentation to my congregation regarding stewardship. It is a little lengthy but I am happy to share so here it is:

My name is Peter Bourey and I’ve been a member of St Timothy’s for over 20 years now. You have been treated to a couple of speakers before me who have done a wonderful job talking about what St. Timothy’s has meant to them and why it’s an important part of their lives.

So let me give you a short story about my history here at this place. When my previous wife Karen and I moved to Raleigh we shopped for a church that represented our Christian roots and beliefs. St Timothy’s was a natural and easy choice for us. The rector at that time, Fr. Hale was gracious and welcoming to us and we knew we were home.

We had a little baby, Marlee who also eventually fell in love with this church. Quite honestly, I was not regularly attending at the start. This changed for me with the introduction of our new incoming rector, Fr. James. I quickly grew to learn that he and I were lock-step in our faith. I knew I was home and I knew I wanted to do more. I really didn’t wait to be asked to get involved. It just seemed natural for me.

I went through a pretty horrific event with the death of my wife Karen but all the while St. Timothy’s was right there with me helping me in many ways. Instead of asking questions about the whys, my faith grew, and grew because of this magnificent church family. I have since been blessed to get remarried here to a wonderful woman, Linda and watched my baby girl become a woman who now, incidentally, teaches other children in Wake County!

In November of 2007, my wife Linda was given the news that she had cancer. It was another daunting test of my faith. Frankly my wife handled the whole thing better than I. In the end however, our faith, a faith which has been nurtured here at St Timothy’s saw us through it all. Frankly there is no way to attach a value to all the support both Linda and I received during that difficult time.

One of the attributes of this great church is that its parishioners have always shown an incredible generosity. Some parishioner’s generosity doesn’t end even after their death. A recent example of this is a gift given by Alice Levoff, a portion of which went to repair and restore our chalices. I know you’re listening Alice and thank you! Check out our angel tree at Christmas and see how long those little angels hang on the tree. We, as your Vestry, are constantly reminded of just how generous you can be. That being said, we are in unchartered territory when it comes to this economy. It has affected us all. I would just encourage you to consider St Timothy’s as one of your priorities.
I have been serving on the Vestry a number of years now and also am privileged to be your current Senior Warden. I have tried to be as active in the many church groups as possible which has enriched my life. Why bore you with my life’s story here you may ask? Quite simply I am trying to convey to you how I have received much more from this church than I will ever be able to repay. This church should be your companion for life to get you through the hard times and to help you celebrate the good times. St Timothy’s has been just that for me and my family.

This whole series of talks will hopefully stir you all to understand that this church is more than 4 walls with electric bills, water bills, payrolls to meet and all of the other practical necessities. It is your Christian partner for life. With this partnership comes a certain responsibility on everyone’s part. Stewardship is more than just writing a check. It is, of course, that! But it is a great deal more. You all enrich this church by participating. You just have to be present at an Italian Dinner put on by our youth group or a golf tournament sponsored by our Men’s fellowship to be exposed to the full joy of participation. You are a good steward by giving of not just your treasure but your time and talent as well. Please consider this carefully when deciding about your pledge.

Stewardship can make even the boldest and committed Episcopalians run for cover. I invite you to think of stewardship here as a privilege. The check writing part may not seem that way at the time but think of it this way. What you are willing and able to give is the very best way you can honor your God. You all have a direct impact on the level of ministry this church can provide. While that thought may be a bit frightening to grasp it is also a most wonderful representation of your love of God by supporting his house to continue on, grow and flourish, for you, your children and your children’s children.

Thank you and God bless you all us much as he has blessed me!

Thoughts On Air Travel

So my wife and I recently took a trip to Michigan to visit our Grand kids. I thought I would notate a few observations regarding air travel.

My first observation has to do with luggage. It is absolutely amazing to me to see how many people carry on these huge bags that can barely be stuffed in the overhead compartments. I understand, in my flight's case, saving the $15.00 fee for a piece of luggage and how that would motivate someone to move there house in a carry on. I guess it's another case of how things these days are "all about me" in so many people's view. So I would expect with these multitude of overstuffed bags being herded on the plane that my wife and I would be alone at the luggage pick-up carousel. I would expect it, but I would be wrong. There are as many people as ever jockeying for position to be the very first to grab their luggage as it careens off the conveyor belt. If these mammothed sized bags being rolled into the cabin weren't large enough the one's coming off the carousel could be a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment. So people and their luggage habits puzzle me a bit.

About that guy who always shows up just as the door hatch is to be locked; they always seem to look the same and act as if the plane had no business leaving without them. The other interesting thing is they have the largest carry on of anyone which always is a hassle as the luggage compartments in the overhead bins already have no vacancy and the next challenge is to make a 3x3 ft piece of luggage fill a 2x2 ft space. I just know someones potato chips are now just fragments of their original selves.

Why is the flight attendant that gives the mundane safety lecture, that no one listens to and obviously tries to ignore, the only one that can not speak something that closely resembles English? I thought I was being retroed back to a famous Cheech & Chong skit at a fast food drive thru. God help us if we ever had an actual in-flight emergency. And what is it about these oxygen masks that look like a plastic specimen cup with a rubber band threaded through? Does anyone actually believe that this device really even works at all with the exception of being perhaps an effective sling shot? It has always concerned me that what looks like the cheapest piece of junk on the plane is what could keep me alive should a sudden decompressive event befall me. Let's not even discuss how the seat would be my floatation device!

I remember when I was young(er) how airports were such an exciting place to visit. You could walk all the way to the gate with your party and see them off and watch their plane disappear. That was a very exciting thing for a kid. It's now a distant memory. These days you stop at the curb and hastily push off your flying friend or relative with a very abrupt goodbye so as to not be towed away to oblivion.

One thing about the Detroit Metro Airport; if you have any question as to whether or not to ride the tram....do it! Any airport that offers a tram....do it! I'm sure I'll have more thoughts about my trip but as for now I need to rest my weary self.

Men Vs Women

On the surface this may seem a rather obvious and almost unnecessary issue to address. I assure you it is one of the most important things you will need to learn in life as a man. The saddest part of this is you will indeed never learn this as a man and I count myself most definitely among you.

Women are incredibly the most gifted multitaskers you will ever know. They can successfully navigate through numerous tasks simultaneously with not so much as a flinch. Men are not. Simply put the very best thing a man can do dealing with most any task is doing it from beg ginning to end and then moving on to the next task. I think I've mentioned this before but the best analogy I can use is that a man is like a dog. You throw the stick and the dog forgets all else in his path even to the danger of it's own health and seeks out the stick and nothing you do or say can stop the dog. That analogy does break down with me in that I may stop and attempt to do something other than get the stick, in fact may attempt several tasks and when I do not finish any of those added tasks I forget not only where the stick went but most times I forget about the stick entirely. Morale of this story: men should not multitask period. Now I know you men out there are saying I can multitask and I would submit to you that you are in serious denial.

The next point to consider about our differences is quite simple as well: men could not survive without women. You may not be married in which case I would tell you there is a woman out there in your life that keeps you from hurting yourself. How many times have you heard of an elderly man's wife passing away and the man could not even open a soup can? There are some exceptional men out there that are capable of opening their own can of soup but most probably shouldn't be trusted with the lid of the can after it's removed. As men we like to think we are invincible and "the man of the house" and everything does and must pass through our authorization before it is official. We are morons if we think that. So to sum up this issue, we are morons.

I look at my desk and see a huge pile of unnecessary crap that not only is of no use to me but really is of no use to anyone and therefore I hang onto it. If you asked me to locate a particular document, I would suggest you pack a lunch if you are going to stand by after said request. I wander into my wife's office and am amazed how you could actually eat off her desk. If I make a request for a document, it will be in my hands, in most cases, before I finish the question. So women are organized and men are pigs. Again there are exceptions to this but I think any man who has an inkling of organization has an extra Y chromosome.

There is one area of life that men excel above women. Men are better drivers. That is, of course, until the man gets a speeding ticket or has an accident and you may then throw that entire mistaken premise out the window. Men are not better drivers we just think we are.

Back to one of my previous premises about women being organized and men being pigs, I invite you to inspect how a man cleans a room and how a woman cleans a room. Basically if only two legged creatures are the only apparent life forms a man thinks the room is clean. However, the woman will start at the top and work her way to the bottom not missing anything in between. My wife can turn a kitchen into an FDA clean room. I can turn a kitchen into a laboratory as well but for different and very disturbing reasons. So to sum it up men are pigs.

So to close this entry, I will repeat my previous assertion. The basic difference between men and woman is women could rule this planet without men but the reverse would be a major catastrophe so whenever you look into your wife's eyes or your mother's eye's you had better understand that without those wonderful people you simply would not exist.

Traveling And All It Holds

I am departing from the heavy thoughts of what took place in Upstate New York for now because frankly I'm weary and still processing it all and will comment on some of my observations and annoyances of the past week away.

Traveling on highways has never been completely easy or without peril but this past week has really illuminated how insane many drivers are these days. Speed limits are not only unobserved, for the most part, but they are basically scoffed at. As we were about to fling ourselves onto the Delaware bridge on I-95 which by the way has a 50 MPH posting I noticed two police cars planted in the median. I was doing something reasonably close to 50 and watched as cars flew by not only me but the two police cars. I have to believe these officers must have been making dinner plans or just enjoying the rest because I never so much as saw a shudder from those two cars. Perhaps they were suffering from writer's cramp as for every car that was doing something even remotely approaching the speed limit, there had to be 4 or 5 flying by with their tires barely making contact with the pavement.

This brings to my mind one question; What is everyone in such a hurry for? You could pick almost any portion of I-95 and be amazed at the sheer disregard for life or safety by an astounding number of drivers. I will never question how parts of I-95 can be completely shut down due to a 1000 car pile-up. Speeding is of epic proportions now and unless car manufacturers or our wonderful liberating government takes some sort of action it will continue. Perhaps this is a covert attempt at population control. So I guess my point here, if there is a point to be derived, is driving on any major interstate highway these days is not for the meek. I would close by telling you what my wife said about traveling on the highways but suffice it to say she will be flying most everywhere in the future no matter what the cost.

Another thing I realized this trip is I really miss the North. I know the winters are extreme and long but I miss it. I also know the economy is stagnant there and jobs are few and far between but I miss it. I miss the more relaxed life. I miss not being able to take a drive on a quiet road and just enjoy my surroundings. I miss the clean fresh air and the beautiful majestic mountains of the Adirondacks. Mostly I miss the ability to achieve solitude if one seeks it.

I know I should not complain. I live a good life all in all, taking into account that economic stress is bearing on me a bit as it is many but I have a great deal to contemplate and be thankful for. I have a great family. I have a wife that I look so forward to growing old with and I have a daughter and sons that I am proud of . I may not have a lot of "things" but what I do have can never be taken from me and that is my family. I also have a church family that is a vital extension of my own family. They are always there to encourage me and to help me and to strengthen my faith. So thanks be to God for all that I do have!

Back to traveling as I was beginning to drift away from point which is a signature of mine. I used to be very unapologetically cruel to Northerners about lack of courtesy. I have rethought this attitude a bit. I noticed when I was in the North this time that people are people. You do have a mixture of friendly folks and rude folks no matter where you live. There is a hard edge to many in the North that may be interpreted, at first glance, as rudeness. If you talk to these people you will probably find out they are very friendly after all. The tough environment of the North, I think, can draw people into a sort of survival mode that can be misinterpreted. So what I'm saying is many in the North may not make a first impression of being amiable but if you actually spark a conversation you will probably learn otherwise.

I know there is more to think on about my recent travels and more to process and as I do I will impart my small slice of wisdom upon all who dare venture down that treacherous path. For now, I am weary, both physically and mentally so I must now search for some solitude of my own.

How To Move Forward?

I've been away from blogging for the past number of days. I am currently in upstate NY visiting my Dad as he is dealing with some serious health issues. My wife and I are hunkered down in the hotel for a day of rest.

While the rest is much needed it also avails my mind to do its sometimes twisted thinking. This blog is serious so if you are looking for laughs it may not be your cup of tea. This blog is concerning family but really is mostly about my Dad and really about how we all must deal with our aging parents. There is a finality about life or I suppose you could say a stark reminder of our mortality that stares us in the face sometimes. I'm certainly trying to deal with that process right now. The problem really is not how to deal with my own mortality but my Dad's.

Even now as I look into his eyes I see that solid strength that makes him so very special. The strength that comes from a steadfast belief in God and knowing that the next step for him will be the most joyous of all. The issue I grapple with is one we all do from time to time. It is how we cope when that awesome display of strength has left us here on Earth.

I have been trying to come to terms with losing the focal point of my family and how that void will be filled or even if it can be filled. My immediate family is spread all over this country. My family, which I suspect like others, has its challenges. These challenges tend to become less important when in the company of our Father. When that changes I wonder how our family will change.

These feelings I'm having are admittedly selfish. My hero is suffering and with that so am I. His will, his faith and his love are never in doubt but his body is now starting to fail him. He still moves forward and functions better than many much healthier among us and watching his body falter is the most difficult thing I may ever have to deal with. Please pray for everyone in my family and also for every family dealing with these same issues.

I am very fortunate to have my own faith which is absolutely vital right now in giving me comfort. I know the Lord will be even more blessed to have this man among his army of faithful souls. My immediate selfish conflict is still mostly about how our family will move forward and yet stay connected. The need to believe in the power of faith and love must keep me moving forward with optimism. No answers here mostly just thoughts.

Your Computer and Television Please?

So I’ve been thinking lately which in of itself is dangerous but give me a little slack. I want to propose a completely hypothetical situation and make you think yourself about just how you would or even could handle it. Let’s assume that this circumstance would be nationwide and affect everyone from Bill Gates down to minimum wage employee.

Here it is: In an instant we are completely and simultaneously separated from both our computers and our televisions. Now before you just shut down and close this think about it…I mean really think about it. I do realize that there are a group of people that would be mostly unaffected by losing their televisions and perhaps even jubilant about it. How would these same people feel about losing their computers?

I will speak for myself in how this technological void would affect me. I pay a majority of my bills online now so that would cost me a fortune in postage alone. It would mean if I had a question about something, I would have to actually open up an encyclopedia. Let’s think about how e-mail has become such an integral component of how we communicate both personally and in business. How in the world would we be informed about the weather? How about hurricanes and being able to prepare? If one of your answers is the newspaper good luck on that one. Our paper here seems to more and more mail in their columns or so called news stories and they always seem to be a few days behind most events. (Kind of like putting a sign up on your street saying “you just hit a bump”)

The computer has become not only a venue for playing games or socializing but has also become almost instrumental to the way many of us function. It has taken this large sphere we live on and made almost everything in this life instantaneous. This unfortunately has also created a whole society of impatient people who not only take for granted that they can find out immediately how sharks defecate but expect it. Think about the last time you were on Facebook and your computer froze. It probably ruined your day. We are literally attached with a lifeline to our computers.

Television might seem the easier of the two to give up. I invite you to really give that some thought as well. Many of us are entertained quite a few hours of our day by TV. (Yes Jim I know some don’t give a wit) Listening to conversation at work or even on Facebook you would think that we live and die by television. I would have to be honest here and tell you without TV it would take some getting used to. I am beginning to read more. Perhaps that’s the law for folks as they get older. Television by enlarge is a younger person’s medium. All you need to do is watch the commercials. About the only thing for older folks are the Viagra commercials and the History channel which by the way I would really miss.

How about how some parents would have to actually entertain their children besides planting them in some sort of prison-like little chair and putting them into a pupils dilated trance by the glow of Barney. I remember distinctly as a child being in a Bugs Bunny trance for most of my young age. The cartoons these days are just psychotic if you ask me. I like simple cartoons but them I am a simple man in many respects.

How would we survive without infomercials? I would have never found out what a supreme waste of money the Topsey Turvey planter is, for instance. Billy Mays would not have had a career or the Geico Gecko would have been out of a job. How would the car manufacturers waste hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising?

I think my point is being made here. I surmise if terrorists really wanted to bring our great country to a grinding halt, all they would need to do is confiscate our computers and televisions and we would certainly then be ripe for the picking!

Social Networks and My Take

This is my comment about the social networks and how they’ve pretty much exploded on the internet scene. I am speaking, in case you’ve been under a rock for the last year, of Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and the like.

I would not be so hypocritical to unequivocally deem them to be of no value because I do participate in some of the frivolity on specifically Facebook. I have found it entertaining as well as a vehicle to reconnect with friends and family of my past and I also play an occasional word game and more. I have pretty much abandoned MySpace and have no use for Twitter probably if for no other reason but I do have to have a life of some sort away from my computer.

I have heard the pros and the cons about the networks. The privacy issues that are breached at times and the underbelly of society making use of these networks to stalk and even ultimately assault the more gullible as well as innocent among us. That is a very unfortunate by-product of these internet networks but I would suggest that these predators usually find a way to achieve there despicable acts. Another way this would be less of a problem would be to have parents actually pay attention to what their children are doing although this may be too much to ask in this day and age.

I read an article just today how the Defense Department is now studying whether these networks and their armed force’s members are being too fast and loose with sensitive information dealing with national security. There are even Generals on Twitter from what I understand. I would find it quite unbelievable to see a General revealing classified information. This could be just another attempt at our government trying to control anything and everything. Perhaps there needs to be a social networking czar.

So my take on these networks is really that they are a benefit as long as they are somehow monitored by the companies that have created them. It would seem to be a minimal responsibility of these companies to comply with that standard. As with all things in this life there are always pluses and minuses to be weighed. I am hopelessly optimistic about humankind and the general population actually doing the right thing and that will always be my first instinct.

Don't Ever Forget

Today was that day. That day most Americans will and should never forget. That day when the world came falling down around us. That day when reality met complacency. That day when we were given a prescription of the most evil actions and people on the planet. That day when heroes were born among everyday people just doing their jobs.

Don’t ever forget that day and what it meant to all of us. Don’t ever forget.

More thoughts On Religion

As I sit here in somewhat minor sacroiliacal (yes I made up the word-get over it) discomfort at least my arguably fertile mind still works so it seems the perfect opportunity to think and write about that thinking. I invite you to hang on for this literary ride.

I love talking about this topic because it ruffles so many people's feathers and riles the rest. I will not speak of the advantages of one faith over the other because frankly I'm not qualified to make those judgements. I am Christian and quite comfortable in my Christian skin. The thing that really fascinates and puzzles me about the topic of religion is how so many are uncomfortable even broaching the topic. Perhaps it is similar in how people tend to avoid mirrors. It's much easier in many people's eyes to avoid anything that might spur self examination. I will go a step further. There are three words that strike mind numbing fear in many people. Three words that cause almost a physical reaction paramount to intellectual hives. Three words that may, in some cases in history, have stopped ethnic cleansing or wars or more. The three words you ask? I am wrong. Those are three very simple words when put together are one of the most powerful statements a person can make. I may have strayed from my religious comment but I believe that admission of being wrong is directly related to believing there is a higher power who already knows whether you are right or wrong. When you actually believe this you are forced through your faith to examine yourself and when you do this exercise in self examination you must be able to say you are wrong and ask for forgiveness.

I think there's another reason people are afraid of religion. Perhaps it coincides with many things in life and also relates to our modern society as a whole. It takes effort. Why do so many marriages fail? Why let someone else take care of you and all your needs instead of doing it on your own? It takes effort. We are fast becoming a culture of the easy way out. I hope and pray that the many people in this world that have given up on making an effort find resurrection of hope and worth at some point. Life on this planet is too short to not make an effort and because of my faith I also know that the effort made now will pay dividends in my spiritual and ultimately final destination.

Are there answers to this? I have none at the moment. I merely make a couple of points for you to consider. This is a complex issue and one that man has grappled with since the beginning of time I suspect. There is much to think about where religion is involved. It is a challenging time to be a Pastor as I've come to witness. I do believe we are in a cycle that will change at some point. I see my particular faith in the Episcopal Church as in serious upheaval. In my eyes it all boils down to who our leaders in my church believe is the ultimate authority. If they conclude it to be God, I remain stoutly in their corner. If, on the other hand, they are to conclude it is man, that could pose a serious problem for me in the future. Time will tell as time always does.

Words Mean Things...Or Do They??

I thought I would examine a few words and phrases in life that have become nearly extinct or at the very least on the endangered species list. You may be thinking this is a political rant but it’s not the specific intention although many things in this life do dovetail in politics. So let us delve into the mystery of lost English shall we?

One of my pet peeve words that, although is spewed out by many, is not sincerely spewed: responsibility. Webster’s defines the word as this: 1 : the quality or state of being responsible: as a : moral, legal, or mental accountability b : trustworthyness 2 : something for which one is responsible : burden ; has neglected his responsibilities.

This is becoming a more difficult concept to grasp with our wonderful government taking hold of all parts of our lives. The easy way out of most every hurdle in life these days is to claim it is someone else’s responsibility. Health care is not my responsibility it is my governments. Isn’t that great? No need to take any of those difficult tasks on anymore as our government will take care of us even if we aren’t willing or able to take care of ourselves. It’s all about being easy now. No need to actually work for anything any longer because everything now is a right and nothing needs to be earned.

I love this phrase because it is a way of completely disarming a discussion without ever coming to some sort of logical understanding: “Who are you to judge?” Everyone seems to want the answers to difficult questions in life but when they perhaps hear something they don’t want to hear it is almost always followed by “Who are you to judge?” If you don’t want a judgment then I suggest you don’t ask any questions because most answers to difficult questions in this life require a judgment of some form. We make judgments ever day regarding most every facet of our lives. So don’t make a transparent attempt at political correctness by asking that question. You will be wasting your time with me on that one.

How about this phrase that people seem to gloss over in trying to explain this difficult situation in our country: Illegal aliens. It’s quite simple in my eyes. We are either a nation of laws or we are not. If the justice system is indeed to be applied evenly for all then if you are breaking a law it should be dealt with accordingly. If you fail to do this then it basically gives no incentive to the rest of us to actually follow the law. I won’t go deeper on that topic so as to not be asked “Who are you to judge?”

How about this phrase? “Self-reliance” It kind of goes hand in hand with that responsibility word I suppose. Forty years ago it was not only the way to survive it was the accepted practice to live by. Where I lived you actually did wear boots with straps and more than occasionally had to pull them up and move on. In many cases you had people willing to help as long as you displayed you were actually trying to help yourself as well. These days if you want help just run to your government with your hands out and don’t worry too much about whether you really need it; it’s your right.

· Here’s a word that used to mean something: journalism.
1 a : the collection and editing of news for presentation through the media b : the public press c : an academic study concerned with the collection and editing of news or the management of a news medium2 a : writing designed for publication in a newspaper or magazine b : writing characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation c : writing designed to appeal to current popular taste or public interest

I love these definitions but especially 2 b. direct presentation of facts or description of events without an attempt at interpretation: When did this change? I challenge you to watch any network and I don’t care on what side of the aisle you are politically there is always a very open attempt to interpret and often without the facts. Journalism in its purest initial form is, for all intensive purposes, dead. You are now forced to try to filter through everything you hear and see and try to ascertain the truth. And while we are talking about that word let’s define truth.

1 a archaic : fidelity, constancy b : sincerity in action, character, and utterance2 a (1) : the state of being the case : fact (2) : the body of real things, events, and facts : actuality (3) often capitalized : a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality b : a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true c : the body of true statements and propositions3 a : the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality b chiefly British : true 2 c : fidelity to an original or to a standard

Isn’t it fascinating that such a short simple word can have such complex definitions? Compare that to lie;

1 : to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive2 : to create a false or misleading impression

There you have it. It’s much simpler to lie than ever tell the truth but then while it occurs to me:
“Who am I to judge?”

Technology (Part Two)

Keeping with the theme of my last post on technology, I must tell you my excitement about converting my albums to cds has been tempered just a bit after finally figuring out the process. The instructions (not that I tend to do instructions well) are quite vague and seem to be written by audiophiles for audiophiles of which I am not. The terminology might has well have been written in Sanskrit. Where I did find answers was on this particular software developer's website in a FAQ area. It seems there was another inept audiophile want-to-be who simply posed the question I was trying to formulate and voila the answer was there written in a language I understand: English!

I'm certain that as time goes on and I become more experienced it won't take me the better part of a week to copy one album! So yes as much as I do still like and am impressed with technology it must be entered without any misconceptions that there is a significant learning curve for rookies like myself.

I started looking through all my albums and can't believe some of the crap I have hung on to. I actually have an "All In The Family" album full of skits from that show. I have albums like one my Dad gave me years ago, The Best Of The Osmonds! They gave it as a gift thinking, and I remember this distinctly, that it was hip and popular. I don't believe a needle has ever touched that album and I'm not thinking it's one I will be converting. I will go through more and sometime give a more complete list of all the hideous albums I will never copy. Should anyone want an Osmonds album let me know. It's ripe for the picking.....hey perhaps Craig's List might be the way to go. I might get like a quarter for this thing.

So I was reading an article in today's less than impressive paper about the apparent war beginning between two types of technology. Companies have, in the past six months or so, introduced something called a Netbook. It's basically a junior sized laptop with most of the features of a laptop with a few limitations. Now the Iphone and the Blackberry have competition of sorts for mobile computing. It should be interesting to see this thing unfold and who the winners and losers will be. Personally I could care less about either but I know many are addicted to their "crack"berries and Iphones. My fingers tend to be too large for most anything but a standard keyboard and I'm already way too connected so you may hang on to your mobile computing devices and I will just gawk and wonder if anyone has a life other than the Internet and/or texting.

Another device I have a love-hate relationship with is my printer and my wife's printer. Her HP printer uses up half a cartridge, it would seem, just running the initialization when a cartridge is changed. Pretty slick marketing HP and all the different ink cartridges out there. What's that all about? Could they not become more standardized? It's insane really but a huge moneymaker for all the printer companies.

That's all for now and I will move on to new topics in the future. I am thankful to John for getting me back a real computer that I can actually use. This summarizes the computer and what it means to us all; To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer. ~Farmer's Almanac, 1978

Technology And Me

First let me unequivocally state I love technology. I should say I love most technology, however, there are some forms of advances I'm not enamoured over. I have a fascination with computers and a large portion of that fascination is in what makes them tick. In fact, you are much more likely to see me with the cover off my CPU checking out the system than on the keyboard pounding out some inane blog; wait that's a bad example. So blogs not withstanding, I tend to be more of a techie than many.

One technological item that I have not fallen in love with and refuse to become immersed in is this whole IPod thing. I was looking around recently in a Walmart and I could not believe all the gadgets that have IPod docking stations. They have alarm clocks, treadmills and a host of other devices that have docking stations. I refuse to buy anything that I need to have an IPod to use. I know there are tons of people that have 30 million songs on their IPods and I congratulate them but it's not something I will warm up to anytime soon.

I recently purchased a USB turntable and now am planning a project to convert my rather large selection of albums to CDs. Let me explain what an album is to the generation x'ers out there. They are vinyl disks that have grooves broached in them and contain music. It's how music USED to be enjoyed. But they have degraded over time and will only continue to degrade further. So I'm delving into what can only become a grandiose nightmare of converting my many albums, some of which will never be available commercially again. My sweet wife is putting up with my grand idea and intentions but I'm fairly certain she will fast become weary of what will be long hours of conversions.

Here's another technological advance that I am not sure about: books on CD. On the one hand, I see the value in occupying one's time while driving great distances. On the other hand I see a whole new generation of illiterate kids coming from books on CD. Why read something when you can actually have it read for you? Also there is a little troubling scenario of a couple thousand pound missile hurdling down the highway while someone is entranced in A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson.

One little piece of technological ingenuity is not only favorable to me but a must have. As a man this will come as no surprise to many women: remote controls. I can't get enough of these devices to satisfy my primal urges of control. I have tower fan remotes, ceiling fan remotes, the usual TV, cable box, DVD player remotes and stereo as well as a window unit air conditioner that I occasionally turn on just to use the remote! Perhaps the only drawback to all these remotes is that I'm certain I have driven the stock in Duracell up.

How about cordless phones? Almost no one thinks about this technology but I can tell you that when that technology surfaced it was a big deal to many of us who were tethered for a great deal of their lives to some sort of phone. These days just wandering aimlessly with either a cordless home phone or even better driving aimlessly with a cell phone are everyday events that most don't think about or appreciate.

So these are a few things that I mulled over and tried to reasonably discuss. I'm sure you have more to add to my list. I will continue to embrace some forms of technology and shun others. Now I think I need to go turn on my air conditioner just to be sure I don't require new batteries.

In The Twinkling Of An Eye

Two days ago I was reminded of a couple facts about my life that I am neither proud of or able to readily change. Now when some people read this they will probably tell me to grow up and keep my perspective in a more logical order. They may be right but I am too set in my ways and changing some things about me, as my wife will grudgingly attest to, will be a monumental task. Here's what took place to rock my world, so to speak: my main desktop computer crashed.

The first thing most anyone would say is something like, "You did back up all your important files, right?" That would be followed by me throwing a sort of blank dead in the pupils stare with little else to be said. It is a question that literally makes me nauseous. I may be jumping the gun here as right now my CPU is resting in the hands of a computer repair establishment that will call me in 3 or 4 days with my "options". I can't wait for that call.

One of the issues that I am reminded about in this sudden turn of events is how much that box of silicon chips, transceivers, diodes, cables, etc. has become such an ingrained part of my ritual of routines. It's my escape from reality and my reminder of reality all in one box. I learn about the world from that box. It's in my little office which at times can be a sort of temporary refuge from all the disappointments and cruelties of this world.

I am typing this entry on a laptop. Laptops are great for mobile computing. They offer a taste of the desktop while being, for me at least, just a little more tedious to type on for any length of time. This may be a problem for me because I am a product of the typewriter generation and I find it more difficult to type on a small keyboard. Now I know all you "youngsters' out there that can type novels on your blackberries are sighing at this moment. That's fine as perhaps you will be throwing a little more oxygen at your skulls full of mush. This can only be beneficial.

Another thing that I am not proud of is how this event has put me in a bit of a funk. My wife puts up with my moods, how I will never know, but I want to change that about myself yet sometimes feel powerless to do. In all honesty I don't handle change well at all. It's what steeps me, in some people's eyes in being behind with the times. I would and will never describe myself as progressive. I will always be of the mindset if it ain't broke don't fix it! There are already too many people in this world with too much time on their hands who are constantly looking to change anything and everything. I am literally tired of the axiom "new and improved!" It almost is never really that new and many times is less of a product.

I am digressing as I almost always do but my main point in writing this is to try and remind everyone to back up everything that is important because in the twinkling of an eye it can be lost. I am about to end this entry as it has taken me twice as long as normal because of this God forsaken small keyboard! I'll keep you all posted as to my computer's prognosis. Prayers are welcome.

Where Has All The Time Gone?

This is probably an overused axiom but I’m going to once again state it; where has the time gone?”

The time I’m referring to is the progression of my daughter who I affectionately refer to as my little girl and always will, by the way. It seems like yesterday that she was spitting up down my back as I sauntered through a Lowes Home Improvement center completely oblivious of this fact. In fact I remember her first impression on this world…..as they opened the curtain to the nursery there was my little girl on her side, butt facing us all and having what I have to believe is the most very satisfying first bowel movement outside the womb. I can only think the little one is saying, “Man I’ve had to do that for nine months!”

I remember her first bike. It was a pink Schwinn Tigress I believe it was called. It had the training wheels and the whole nine yards and I remember the thrill of seeing her ride this bike.

You see, children are just a series of thrills to behold throughout their early years. The first step, the first word (intelligible), the first solid food, the first school, their first bed and the list goes on and on. The funny thing is my daughter is now 22 going on 23 and she still finds ways to thrill me. Now she is faced with adult pressures and adult stresses and she seems to come through pretty well, finances not withstanding. She is faced with her own health care and figuring out if she gets vision on her health care. President Obama will be helping her with that soon enough.

I remember a year ago helping her find her first apartment. It was quite an ordeal and not without debates but all in all it went pretty well and she just had her first lease renewal came her first rent increase….not such a thrill for her but indeed a lesson in life.

Children are a kind of walking legacy to their parents. All the toil and long nights and early mornings and all the battle wounds to cure along with all the science projects (don’t get me started on the submarine!) and all the term papers and all the tutoring and poking and prodding to try and make her do her best. It comes to fruition before you even know it has passed. And then you say to yourself; where has the time gone?

Now it’s Grandchildren to sort of fill the childless void although your children never REALLY leave home as we are finding out. I’m not sure what the chapters in the next 20 or 30 years will hold but there is indeed one thing I do know….in 30 years I will be saying; where has the time gone?

ACL What?

I am raising a beef with this entity that is government supported and does nothing in most cases but cause havoc where none should exist. I am referring to the ACLU. I have a new name for this group. A= Americans (debatable but I’ll give them that) C= Causing
L= Litigation U= Unnecessarily.

I’m sorry but this group takes civil liberties so far that it distorts all sense of proportion, perspective or common sense. It is one thing to promote civil rights and champion anyone who’s civil rights have been violated but they are taking any case where 1 or 2 people are offended because a prayer of thanksgiving is said before a dinner? I’m sorry but this “non-profit” organization has become too powerful and intrusive and needs to step back and look at what’s really important.

The lawsuits they have entered into in the past are way over the top which end up costing taxpayers millions of dollars in litigation, and these so-called reforms are almost always for 1 or 2 “offended” people. They are more concerned about the medical and mental health treatment of felons and convicts then they seem to be about the victims of their various crimes. They definitely fall under the liberal and self-proclaimed progressive factions of our country and because of that I think they should be self-funded and not get tax payer support.

I guess as long as they have that government nipple to bleed that all the ACLU lawyers will stay right in line to engage in all the frivolous and ridiculous litigation they can get their claws on regardless of the issues or outcome. I wish I had that kind of job security.

So as you can see by this brief entry they got my dander up once again. They have no concern about the repercussions or eventual outcomes of their litigation merely to keep lining their pockets at our expense. Perhaps some day they will do something that actual is beneficial to the majority and not just take care of the 1 or 2 “offended” people!

Prayer...What Exactly Is It?

This is a topic that seems to scare many people and I’m not certain why. In my way of thinking there are three types of people in this world, the people that pray, aren’t ashamed to talk about it and do it regularly. That’s type one. Type two would be the people that give prayer lip service, who say they will pray for you or for this or for that and leave it alone and never really actually pray, although I suppose the lip service is a form of prayer. Then there’s type three. They don’t talk about prayer, don’t pray and unless they are faced with an incredible personal crisis and have nowhere else to turn. (To whom I’m not certain)

I am type one. I’m not ashamed to tell anyone I pray for many things and do it regularly. I am, in fact, comforted to be able to pray. I don’t pray for a million dollars, although if you’re listening wouldn’t refuse it, but I do pray for most all areas of my life and for all my friends and family on a colossal list of different issues. I don’t do this with any expectations of always getting what I want because what I want and what God wants could be quite a different matter. I do it because I consider the action a way of expressing myself no matter what the consequences. Where in this life can you do that?

So what’s the big deal here you may ask? There is a reader or two I know of that have already either stopped reading or are rolling their eyes as they read. (Which is hard to do I’ll grant you) If you consider yourself a follower of most any faith I think it’s critical that you are comfortable actually talking to your higher power of choice. I am Christian so I talk with Christ, God the father and any Saint that might be listening in. Do they hear me? In my opinion, absolutely they do. Will they act on my prayers? In my opinion, in their own way and according to God’s will. Might that coincide with my will? It might……it very well might not.

Prayer is a difficult concept to actually nail down. Even Webster doesn’t have a clear definition. I think it is different things to different people. It is dismaying to see the act of prayer being snubbed out by so many government entities as they need it more than ever and by the way while I’m thinking about it, there is definitive statement in the constitution regarding separation of church and state. Look it up! Our nation’s roots are really steeped in Christianity and that is simply fact.

So whether or not you humbly ask for guidance or for strength or wisdom you are praying. Isn’t that scary? Many of you who don’t consider yourselves religious are really praying all the time! So if you are a religious objector or non-believer know that I will be praying for your redemption. How does that grab you?!

Dog Days

We are now in the “dog days” of summer. I got curious, as I tend to get, to find out the origins of this phrase as it is used quite regularly by many people. So here it is:

The term "Dog Days" was used by the Greeks as well as the ancient Romans (who called these days caniculares dies (days of the dogs)) after Sirius (the "Dog Star", in Latin Canicula), the brightest star in the heavens besides the Sun. The dog days of summer are also called canicular days.

The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius, the Dog Star, rose just before or at the same time as sunrise (heliacal rising), which is no longer true, owing to precession of the equinoxes. The ancients [who?] sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather.

Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies" according to Brady’s Clavis Calendarium.

So there you have it; those zany Greeks. It had a far more impressive origin than I even had imagined. Here in North Carolina we are smack dab in the middle of the canicular days. It was over 100 degrees yesterday and made the century mark today as well. For those of us who work outside from time to time you didn’t need to tell us it was hot. I probably have a more difficult time as I am in and out of it numerous times in a day.

That’s enough self-pity for everyone to endure. This was simply a little investigation into that term “dog days” and I thought you might find it interesting and if you didn’t boy did you just throw away a few minutes of your time. Happy dog days to you all!

Death By Natural Causes?

I'm not sure why I get preoccupied with the strangest concepts at times and this next one is no exception. It is to make a short story long: death.

When you begin to get a little older you start actually reading the obituaries more often. It's possibly a law similar to the law about moving to Florida as soon as the steering wheel on your car gets below eye level. That being said as time has moved on as it painfully wants to do, I've noticed one thing about obituaries that has been an outflow of our health care. We are the beneficiaries, especially in this country of medical advances galore. The drugs continue to multiply to treat a growing list of syndromes and diseases. While this is impressive in of itself, the fortunate or unfortunate fact is, depending upon your perspective, people are living longer. Many diseases that not many years ago were a death sentence are now not only survivable but curable!

I know what your starting to think. What in the world is his point and when will he get to it? I'm glad you asked. Here it is ; I challenge you to read the obituaries and find someone who actually has passed away due to natural causes. Our medical community in all it's triumphs has succeeded to make almost any death un-natural. Not long ago I read where a 94 year old man died from a heart attack. Would not this be considered death by natural causes? I sincerely hope I live to be 94 but I think I'll make a provision in my living will that if I have a heart attack at 94 years old I want it to be called death by natural causes!

I might be splitting hairs as I tend to like to do, in fact I can split a hair three ways sometimes, but in my way of thinking, unless it's a homicide or a car accident or a child , that in most cases death is a natural occurrence and should be considered as such. As a side note, the Christian part of me knows that death is not only a natural event but a necessary event in moving to our next state of everlasting life.

Death is a taboo topic most of the time but this spin is really in how it's described. All of us want to live as long as it is possible while still enjoying a decent quality of life but let's face the ultimate fact is that our bodies will shut down. We will move on to our next life where our bodies will be no longer needed. Where doctors won't be needed or medicine or coroners or any of the rest of it. So our deaths on this planet will, in most cases, not just be of natural causes but they should be hailed as finally reaching our most natural state of existence....eternal life!!

Regrets

Ralph W. Sockman once said “Let us not bankrupt our todays by paying interest on the regrets of yesterday and by borrowing in advance the troubles of tomorrow.” Life is really too short to hold onto regrets and yet we do. I suppose some of us regret a love lost. Perhaps others the choices we’ve made on a myriad of issues. I don’t have many regrets but I have a few and perhaps they might surprise you.

I think there may be more than a few people out there that regret their career paths chosen. This is not to say that I am not happy doing what I do but as time has moved forward and I have grown in areas I really did not know existed within me I do have a regret. This regret may surprise some of you but it is from the heart so I will share it with you all, none the less. I regret not advancing my spiritual life in such a way that I might affect those that need spiritual guidance. I think that I would have made a pretty effective Priest. I was unaware of this only a few years ago but a sort of epiphany has struck me that if I had studied and pursued that life I could have done a good job. I think I’m a pretty good listener and I think I can, at times, guide people to make right decisions based on truth. I am by no means perfect as no man since Christ has been but I do think I have an ability to lead that would have served me well in ministry. So perhaps that’s a bit of a shock to some of you but to all who really know me well I think it makes sense.

I have another regret that is somewhat private and personal but I feel a need to express it. I want to state emphatically that I am deeply in love with Linda and if there is anything in this world I will never regret it was meeting and later marrying this wonderful woman. My regret really goes back to my previous wife and it is something I can do nothing about or change but it is something that stays with me. I would expect that only a very small minority of people have ever had their spouse die at a young age and be in the same house when it happened but not in the same room. My previous wife, Karen, passed away over 10 years ago now after suffering a year long bout with a serious illness. Here’s the regret: I never got to tell her I loved her or goodbye when she passed. She was in a room right next to me and I discovered her passing which happened quite quickly. So there’s a rather personal regret that I cannot change.

I regret not being able to provide a more financially stable and healthy environment. We are happy and we live comfortably but we are by no means wealthy in a materialistic sense and I regret not doing more. Then again there are many people I know that have many times the money in the bank and are either bankrupt in a relationship or bankrupt spiritually so I what I should be doing is counting my blessings.

I guess this was another self-therapy lesson for me. Regrets really are a waste of good energy. Instead of looking at something that perhaps you’ve missed out on you should instead look at all you have to be thankful for. Glass half full type of mentality which I generally possess. So as Alexander Graham Bell once said, “When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” Here’s to looking at the open doors more often.

Ahh summer!!

My lovely wife and I visited our farmer's market this past Saturday and it was in full vigor with all the most delicious and freshest of fruits and vegetables. I love this time of year. I don't care what kind of a hothouse or what foreign country that tries to imitate fresh summer vegetables it can't be done the way God takes care of it.

I challenge you to taste a better tomato than a freshly picked summer tomato and watermelon is absolutely incredible this time of year. I, like many of you, have tried numerous times during the off-seasons to find fresh produce that can replicate what summer produces. There is a taste that is captured during the spring/summer growing season that can not be reproduced artificially. I wonder why that is?

Here's a little observation dealing with our farmer's market. We have a very large, very impressive farmer's market here in Raleigh. We visited it at about 8:30 AM on a Saturday and the place was packed with people and it was getting more packed by the minute. Generally speaking, the people of this area are extremely friendly. That is until there becomes a sort of competition for fresh fruits and vegetables. At that point, it would appear all bets are off! You will see a kind and considerate woman plow over an elderly person for the perfect melon and no apologies will be forthcoming even after CPR is successfully administered. The farmer's market is no place for the weak of mind or body it would appear. The parking lot is also fraught with dangerous drivers and pedestrians just chomping at the bit to take someone out rather than let them get the juiciest peaches.

So there is a price to be paid when it comes to obtaining fresh produce in our city. When you visit, be offensive minded and have your best game face on because only the fittest get the really freshest product. So not only will you be sufficiently satisfied with your sweet tomato sandwich experience but also in knowing you took out a few other competitors to be able to enjoy it.

The Morning Paper

I am about to embark on new and uncharted territories. I have been getting some sort of morning paper almost my entire adult life. It has been such a part of my morning routine that I'm not certain how I will deal with this but the simple fact is in about a week I am terminating my morning paper delivery. I can't speak for other parts of the country but our paper has slowly declined in content, substance and value. They have had layoffs due to the economic slump which may be a contributing factor but also the surge in Internet use is making the paper old news and increasingly irrelevant.

What will I miss about the paper? Mostly the routine as I am definitely an individual that takes comfort in a set routine. Should one little thing disrupt my routine my day can quickly become unhinged. It is both a blessing and a curse at the same time. I wish I could be more flexible in that regard. I will miss Pickles. I know, I can still get Pickles online but it's that sense of excitement about just how funny it will be and how much it will mirror my own life. (It's often almost unsettling how close he and I are) I will miss listening to my wife sigh as she reads various stories that give rise to the notion that common sense is slowly being sucked out of every area of our society. I will miss the sports section that I peruse every morning and other than checking out where my Yankees are and what the Canes are doing, I'm not sure why. I will miss hearing how my friend Ed is doing taking the commercial real estate world by storm as every week he seems to be featured some way or another! I will miss an occasional flash of literary brilliance although the occasions seem to have been directly affected by the layoffs that have taken place. Mostly I'll miss the routine.

I think that the degradation of print media has been taking place almost in direct correlation to the rise of the Internet. In one way, the newspaper has always almost been a symbol of forward thinking and community awareness and although these things can be drawn from the electronic media it just doesn't seem the same to me. Then again, I still think cell phones are the scourge of the Earth so I have a ways to go in acceptance of new technologies.

So there you have it. I am getting ready to sail into uncharted territories. I am shedding the increasingly antiquated habit of reading my morning paper. I guess I will have a few extra minutes to do something else now. I better think of something that will fall exactly into that time slot as to not disrupt my routine. That would be a true tragedy.

Project Complete (Well Not Really)

I would be the first to tell you that painting is not my favorite chore in the world but that being stated, there is really no better feeling to me than doing something yourself and appreciating the finished product.

My wife and I undertook the rather intimidating project of painting our living room. It is the largest room in our house which is true for many homes such as ours and it also has the magnificent feature of a vaulted ceiling. When I utter magnificent I really am speaking in the aesthetic sense not so much the maintenance sense. To give you a clearer picture it is 16 feet at the center peak and I was using an eight foot ladder. I am six foot two inches tall. Do the math and you will quickly understand the precariousness of painting the dreaded peak. Add to that the ceiling fan planted precisely in the middle of the peak and well it was interesting to say the least. I must publicly congratulate my wife for having really a minimum of freak-out moments during this entire project especially when I was dangling from the aforementioned ladder.

Another aesthetic feature is something aptly named popcorn ceiling. Anyone who has it knows exactly what it is and most people that have it seem to wish they didn’t. I’m stuck with it for now and painting this marvel of surfaces is both tiring and messy with the emphasis on messy. When I was through I had popcorn in places I didn’t know I had places. I looked like a melting snowman when it was completed. There is no way to neatly paint a ceiling and I, of course, am an overachiever!

My wife’s role in this was pretty impressive I must say. She’s what she proclaims to be a normal height and thus she stayed a little closer to the ground although she did get on her step stool from time to time. She was a painting fool though and really tore through a lot of the trim. I could have no better partner to help me with this job and she made it a much more tolerable event. One of the many reasons I love her is she’s not afraid to dive in and get it done and not only appreciates the finished product but had a lot to do with it.

So we are almost through with this room. One accent wall to paint today and then an armload of wall plates to replace and re-hang about a hundred or so pictures replace what furniture we still own with a couple pieces to be delivered this Saturday and we can relax. Did I say relax? Anyone of you who owns their home knows that’s a misnomer. It’s on to the next “project”.

Celebrities and Other Stuff

I thought I would broach the topic of a few "celebrities" and my opinion of them whether solicited or not and most always it's the later.

Michael Jackson: Here's a guy (?) that really received most treasured status upon his death but in recent years while he was alive received slightly less glowing reviews. It's true he was never convicted of any pedophilia, however, it's also true he paid off a few families to procure that status. First, in all fairness, I did listen and enjoy a few of his songs while he was at his pinnacle before he decided to become a white African American. He continued to get stranger and stranger and finally I could no longer even watch him without it feeling as if I was watching a impending Nascar multi-car pileup. So Michael rest in peace and I suspect your true judgement has now taken place.

Bernie Madoff: What a slime ball. This man single-handedly took down a great many people in his Ponzi schemes. Granted, many of these people were independently wealthy and you would think know better than to put all of their financial eggs in Madoff's basket but it is what it is. Being wealthy doesn't exclude you from being an idiot. You may think what he became famous for only will affect wealthy folks but watch to see just how many companies these wealthy folks own go down in flames because of his scams. One interesting side note is I have a couple friends who work at Bernie's new home and they are both quite "excited" to meet the man. I will leave the rest to your collective imaginations.

Lance Armstrong: OK I know I will receive flack for this but I just have to say enough already! The guy is an amazing cyclist but I am over hearing about him. I know he has come back from cancer and is an amazing athlete and really knows how to pedal a bike. ENOUGH already!

Sonia Maria Sotomayor: Just please go ahead and approve her for a seat on the Supreme Court. Stop making it sound as if the little (R) republicans are going to do anything but grumble and complain and in the end just confirm her. It's all smoke and mirrors and the longer it takes, the more absurd the whole process will become. Just confirm her and get it over with!

Sarah Palin: I love this woman and think she is the best thing to happen to the Republican party if for no other reason to wake the elite upper echelon of Republicans and make them perhaps ponder the little guy out there. The second best thing to happen to the Republican party is Barack Obama. If anyone is actually paying attention to something besides who's texting them this guy should dismantle the Democratic party or at least send it spiraling into disarray. I'm hopeful....

OK this is not a celebrity but it is so very annoying to me that I have to comment on it. Who does the Geico Insurance Company advertising campaign? I fail to see the advertising validity or value in a little stack of money with glass eyeballs on top. This is not clever and does not make me want to frequent this company for anything. It is, in fact, the most moronic idea I think I can ever remember. They need to can this whole thing. The amazing part is some company out there was paid incredible amounts of money to produce this concept. I wonder if they're hiring?

We spend way too much of our time and energy idolizing celebrities. These people are typically given some sort of higher status when it comes to political viewpoints or just opinions about anything. When it comes down to it, I think I value the opinion of people I come in contact with on a regular basis much more than I every will consider what Rosie O'Donnell thinks about global warming. Read and become educated and know the facts!

Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite was a Liberal and made no bones about it and although I had little to agree with him about while he was alive I have very vivid memories as a child watching many historical events unfold with Walter at the helm of CBS news. This was back in a time when you had NBC, CBS or ABC to watch...oh yes and where I lived CTV which was a Canadian network.

So while he and I were opposed politically as I grew up and became more Conservative I still remember his emotions when Armstrong put his foot on the moon. It was an amazing spectacle and his coverage made it feel that much more important in my eyes. I really was glued to the TV and even watching it today gives me chills. For that matter, watching Apollo 13 still gives me chills...the one with Tom Hanks that is. It's one of my favorite movies even though I know how it turns out every time I watch it. The feelings of pride in being an American while these accomplishments were attained may never be recaptured for me in quite the same way.

Another very poignant event was that of John F Kennedy's assassination and the funeral that followed. It was an emotional time for many Americans and I make no apologies for tearing up when I heard the news. Walter Cronkite's raw emotions showed as he announced the shocking news and I think he mirrored most everyone else in our country at that time. It was a sad time but it also was a very clear display of how our country's system of government could go into action and make a peaceful and orderly transition of power. I'm not so sure that things would happen as smoothly in our modern era.

So this blog is really to say one thing to Walter Cronkite, may he rest in peace, and that is thank you. As a child during those very significant historical events you made me sit up and take notice. Whether or not I agreed with you later in life is not the point here. The point is to say God bless you and keep you in the palm of his hand.

United States of America?

So I sat on this little story for a couple days to try and formulate an opinion without sounding uncaring or the latest catch-phrase, intolerant.

When did English become the second language of our country? There may be certain sectors of this country that are oblivious to this fact but in many areas English speaking people are fast becoming a minority. There is a major grocery store chain in my area that, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to make a larger portion of its stores "Hispanic Friendly". What that entails entirely I'm not certain. One of the requirements of a Hispanic friendly store will be to have a significant portion of its employees able to communicate using Spanish. I'm sure that the grocery selections will cater more to the Hispanic culture and signage will also be more prevalent in Spanish to make it easier for our new residents.

I have no intentions here to say we should not welcome all cultures (legally) as this country has always consisted of immigrants. Where I do take issue is with the accommodations we are expected to make. When someone from a foreign country moves to the U.S. they are aware before they even set foot in this country that we are an English speaking nation. English is our national language. We could not move to Russia or Mexico and make demands that they learn English. I would venture a guess that if you went to Russia and called a vendor that there would even BE a button to push for English. So why is our country expected to provide more and more accommodations to make things easier for foreign cultures? Would someone care to explain that to me?

It would be my expectation as a foreigner that I would be responsible to learn the language of whatever country I decided I wanted to call home. There's that dirty word surfacing again: responsibility.

So we have Grocery store chains spending money to become Hispanic friendly. We have the DMV in my state printing a drivers manual in Spanish. (at tax payer expense) We have more and more Hispanic television stations. I'm not really picking on Hispanics but they are the biggest issue we face here in NC in terms of making so many cultural accommodations.

I am happy that they are proud of their heritage. That being said they came to this country and they should be expected to abide by our way of life . You are either an American or you are not but if you want to live here and be afforded all the opportunities that so many have sacrificed for your minimum expectation should be to learn ENGLISH.

Oh and one more thing; if we make these accommodations for Hispanics then we should be doing the exact same thing for the Koreans, Japanese, Indians, Germans, etc. So get ready DMV, you have a lot more manuals to be printing in the near future!

Why Are We Here?

So why are we here? This is a great question that philosophers have been examining and wrangling over since really the beginning of self-awareness. Is there a purpose or meaning to our existence? Are we just random pulses of cells with really no distinct rationale? I’m about to give my uneducated opinion. I say uneducated because I’ve never even taken a philosophy class or studied that discipline but I do consider living a few years a license to dispense my thoughts.

I do believe that we will never know the answer to that question in this life. I surmise that when you examine the broad scheme of this planet and all its magnificence and all its unharnessed power that you have to come to the conclusion that while each one of us individually may not be part of a single plan, our existence has a meaning. I don’t think we are part of Darwin’s theory of evolution. I don’t discount evolution to some extent but I also believe this evolution to be a part of God’s plan.

I’m always a little amazed as to how some people really think they have no reason for being. It must be a horrible way to live your life because if you really have that opinion what is the very point in continuing on in life? It would seem to me that you would be constantly cynical and not regard life as being precious or even important.

So in my little way of thinking I believe that life is very precious and that how we live out our lives is important to our next step which I believe to be salvation. The very meaning of salvation is to be saved. Before you just stop reading don’t think I am getting all religious or Biblical on you although for many that wouldn’t be a bad first step. How can you really talk about the meaning of life if you don’t ponder what is on the other side of our existence on Earth? That in fact would be the core issue in determining our very meaning.

So there you have my opinion. We are indeed on this Earth to complete part of a larger plan. How we live, how we treat our fellow man and how we leave our mark will be ultimately the most important meaning to our existence and to our soul’s future. Take what you will from this entry but my main point is this one statement; yes you are important!

Who Inspires Me?

I have written in the past about some of the people I am about to mention but thought it was worth thinking more about. So here’s my list of people that truly inspire me and why. I’m not talking about people like Tiger Woods or any other celebrities but really about day to day people that have made a real difference in my life and in my perspective. This list is also not in any particular order.

My Wife:

This is one special lady. She has an innate ability to look at me and make me laugh or run. (mostly laugh) She has had her share of battles in life, not the least of which is cancer. She has faced every battle head on and with honesty and dignity and I want to model myself and my ability to face any adversity after the love of my life. This woman has been there to be a very integral part of my daughter’s life and success and for that I will be forever grateful.

My Dad:

There is no single man on this planet that I admire more or want to model myself after. He has not always had things easy but he never wavered about his most important thing in life; his family. It could have been easy to just abandon his family when things were at their lowest point but that is something he would never do. He did his very best to keep the family together and to provide for everyone to his fullest. This man has left his mark on me for my lifetime and I think also has left his mark on the world as well. It’s all I could hope for in my life.

My Priest:

We all have people in our lives that tend to influence us to be the best we can be. This man has been one of those influences to me. My life has not been without mistakes as I expect most of us could say, but there has always been one man I could turn to and trust for the right words and direction. He is the most complete man of God I’ve ever known. His faith has always come first in his life and he no only talks the talk but he really does indeed walk the walk. I can only hope to continue to develop my faith and model myself after this man.

My little girl:

One of my regrets is not following through with my schooling and becoming a music teacher. I have always been envious of the people that seem to do things all the right way when it comes to their life’s dreams and she is right on track in that regard. She is a gifted teacher and is more faithful a person at 22 than anyone I have ever known. I admire her as a person and admire that she is using her gifts to make a better world.




My Step Son :

Here is a guy who has been almost literally to Hell and back. He is not without his faults as are the rest of us but what I admire in him is his incredible ability to fight through some pretty significant obstacles which might bring mere mortals as me to my knees. He has the biggest heart of anyone I have known. He will do whatever he can for anyone he can with little regard to the impact it will have on him. I want to pull from that mindset and try to be a better person in that way.

My Boss:

Yes my boss. This is a man who has always been very loyal to his employees and has even put the company before his own needs many times. He is extremely passionate about the profession and about being successful in it. I have always admired that passion in any person. Successful entrepreneurs all have that one thing in common; passion. When it comes to raw knowledge about my profession, he has forgotten more than I think I’ll ever know.

My Cousin from Delaware:

This will come as a bit of a surprise to him but I admire the person he is and I definitely admire the writer he has become. I try to improve in expressing myself through my writing and I have him to thank for nudging me on. He is a gifted writer of many forms and I envy that gift and wish I had a more broad ability to write as he does. One of my goals is to become more adept at expressing my feelings in different types of writing and I have him to thank for giving me that goal.

Both my Sons in Florida:

They have not had an easy road to hoe but I am very proud of them both for making good lives for themselves and having beautiful wives to share their lives with. I am also very proud to be a Grandpa and a Grandpa to be due to each of them. The old saying about taking lemons and making lemonade applies here. With the help of their loving mother and supporting families they are both sons to be proud of and to admire and to inspire.

There are others but these people tend to be an important focus of my life both past and present. Each of them brings different gifts and inspires me in different ways but each also fulfills my life. I owe a lot about who I am to each of these people and I can only hope to take from each of them all the things I admire and want most to achieve.

Open Up Your Wallets (Another Political Rant)

The most unrepresentative of House of Representatives just slid through one of the biggest legislative debacles in our country's history. How did this happen? How could this happen? The way it happened was the complete and utter ignorance of the masses and the complete and utter apathy of most people in this country. It was passed by a majority of congressman never even opening it up and reading a single page.

Here are just a few examples of this lunacy that might see the light of day should the Senate also ram it through. We will be required to have a building inspection using a new national building code that will require us to pass a "green" set of codes, otherwise we will not be able to sell our own property. Oh and this inspection will be at our expense. Our electric rates will be rising for the average family somewhere between $1200.00 and $1900.00 per year. Can you afford that? Gas prices will likely spike $2.00 to $3.00 a gallon more because of the new taxes imposed to supposedly promote green technologies. Can you afford that?

Things are really getting out of control in Washington and we are all about to suffer from a massive growth in government and a massive cut in our personal liberties. No big deal right? It probably won't have much effect on me right? WRONG! If you enjoy paying higher taxes, higher overall prices and watching jobs continue to evaporate than no it will have little effect on you.

I still am amazed by how many people are just sitting back and watching everything unfold as if it was fiction. Oh, and I better get this blog online before Obama sensors it. You just can't make this stuff up. I would have never dreamed that this great country could go under such a heavy assault from the left and it would happen almost unchecked.

Our politicians should be absolutely ashamed of themselves. The perpetual process of getting re-elected and making careers out of what was never intended to be a career has really become a form of legal prostitution. I know...I know...I can hear the naysayers and see people reading this shaking their heads saying it's just another crazy right winger trying to spread doom and gloom. I hope you're correct. All I can suggest to you is to not just listen to what is being said but read and pay attention to what is actually being done and when everything is all said and done you might even say something to the effect...this guy wasn't so crazy. I want to be wrong about this, I really do. I can only react to what I see so take it or leave it but don't forget it and we'll revisit this whole thing in a few months.