Something to take my mind off the winter time / flu bug blues

I'm at home trying to beat a flu bug. We had about 10-12 inches of snow in the last day, so there is snow everywhere. Nowhere to go and no energy to go anyway so...I started looking at my pictures and found something that made me smile. This event goes back to last fathers day...

My wife gave me and the two boys a gift for fathers day that was unique and really very cool; Mario Andretti Racing School. We went to the Joliet Speedway and had a riot. I had my car up to 153 mph and nosed the boys out by a hair. The experience of driving an Indy car was incredible. I would like to do it again and since we have already been through it once, we will be allowed to drive even faster the next time. Scary? Initially I was a little nervous waiting to drive. By the time I was ready to roll I was not afraid at all. I like fast cars and this was the fastest I would ever drive a car legally. Plus, the cars are engineered to stick in the turns...they are not going anywhere. The Andretti folks were awesome as well; very professional. It was obvious to me that they took this very seriously and that safety was a priority. I can't thank them enough for the great day we had.

I know we all thanked M that day...but I will do it again...thanks hon.

You can see some pictures here

Bright Copper Kettles

Yesterday I got a text message from my son (who never reads this by the way). His text asked me if I ever heard of a guitar player named Andy McKee. I told him I had not and he said he would show me this guy when he came for dinner. Well, he came and he showed. Wow. There is a lot of talent out there to be found. Check these clips out. I found Don Ross up at CANdYRAT Records also. I ended up going to CANdyRAT and buying all kinds of cd's. Sweet styles...

Andy McKee



Don Ross




Incredible. Brilliant.

Whiskers on kittens

I had the opportunity to see Ben Folds this summer in Chicago. Great show. He is definitely having fun up on that stage and that's contagious. I have listened to most of his recorded music and some of it misses the mark on me but some of it makes me smile or think. I like to do both but I probably do the smiling thing a lot better. The video is for his song "Still Fighting It". Sweet song written by Ben to his young son...This is from the "Rockin' the Suburbs" CD which I love from front to back. A double selection coming up!


"Everybody knows it sucks to grow up"



"I am the luckiest" This one has made me get emotional more than once. I truly feel that I am the luckiest. To all my loved ones out there, this is how my love for you makes me feel.

Raindrops on Roses...

I have been thinking about this ever since I read another blog in which the author ranked a list of the "greatest guitar players". I have always had a fundamental problem with ranking artists and art itself. Who's to say what is the greatest piece of artwork ever? Now, if you create a list that is your personal list and do not disparage others opinions or argue that your list is THE LIST, that's a different story.

I'm convinced that appreciation of the arts is as personal as your fingerprints. There is no right or wrong...the art touches you and you experience a personal reaction to it; positive, negative or somewhere in between. There really is no need to justify your personal feelings for art to anybody. They're yours and they're personal. Nobody should try to convince you that you are wrong about your choices or that a particular thing that you like stinks...if someone or something "stinks" in your opinion it's OK to think it but its probably more mature to keep it to yourself.

I have a friend that absolutely loves ABBA...I don't. As hard as it is for me, if it comes up I just go silent on the subject. My real statement might be that ABBA can not be found among the 8500+ songs on my iPod. Did ABBA stink? Absolutely not. They were making music and it's music that has delighted millions. I admire anyone with the fortitude to make music...to put it out there. I don't have to personally love it or "get" it.

Music means different things to different people. Among other things, it can evoke emotions, vivid memories and mindless comfort. I am going to share some of my personal feelings and opinions about musicians or songs that touch me somehow. These will be my personal thoughts and feelings. I hope this stimulates me to get the words flowing here again.

The first example of music that can conjure a powerful emotion in me, comes from a rock hall inductee that rose out of the C&W world. He is one of my favorite pure guitar players. The song is, I still can't say goodbye by Chet Atkins, C.G.P. I cannot get through this 4 minute and 7 second song without crying (hearty weeping!). Beautiful sentiments by Chet and it gets me every time. When it randomly pops up on my iPod, I will change it if I'm not in the mood for purging my tear ducts. Do you have a song or performance that pushes your buttons?

Here's a sample of his playing...stunning touch....this is a cover of Don McClean's Vincent

Hot or Not

In honor of it being really uncomfortably hot in my office I think I'll do this list.

What's Hot

My Office
Rock Band
Barack Obama - Can we call him Rocky?
Hybrid Cars
The New England Patriots
Scrabble
Florida

What's Not

Hillary Clinton
GWB
Gas guzzlers
The real estate market
Brittany Spears
Greedy politicians
Greedy lawyers
Greedy everything

Gimme some hots and nots...That's all I can write. I am melting in here.

Drugs Suck or Just Say No

I have been away for over a month...let's call it a sabbatical. It sounds better than "being a lazy ass". I had lots going on with some travel, craziness at work and the holidays. All of those added up to what seemed like a lock of an excuse. It is an excuse...

I've been thinking about sharing the info below for some time...so here goes the ramble...

I had been feeling lousy off and on for the better part of 4 years. It all started with a visit to the doctor for a physical when I was about to turn 50. I was a picture of health until that visit to the doctor. Physical good; doctor bad. The first thing he did was put me on heartburn meds and a statin drug for reducing my cholesterol. What transpired after that is a horror story of sorts. I began to feel pains everywhere. I was getting nauseous, lightheaded, having nightmares and then I started having muscle cramps. Well, I stopped taking the statin and some of the problems went away. In the meantime, the doctors were looking for reason for the remaining issues and decided my gall bladder was not functioning properly and they convinced me to have it removed. Once gone, the problems they attributed to the gall bladder did not go away. Oops! Can I have my gallbladder back? Man!

Anyway the problems continued. Over the course of this journey, I had a bout with pancreatitis and generally felt horrible if I even had the slightest hint of an alcoholic drink. It sucked. I was seriously concerned that I had something really serious. Oh yeah, one other symptom that kept building was anxiety. I had never experienced it before and I really thought I was losing it altogether. And feeling like that was not me.

For some reason I decided to finally quit taking the heartburn medication (Zantac 150 twice a day) in November. Why I had never considered it before is beyond me. Within a couple of days all the symptoms were gone. I mean gone! No anxiety. No pains all over. No problem after a glass of wine. Me, I am me! OK I'll deal with the heartburn with Tums and Gaviscon...things that don't hurt me more than the problem! All of these symptoms turn out to "rare" side effects. Not rare enough.

For some reason my liver struggles with processing certain types of drugs. Did the pill pushing MD's ever consider that? No, they would rather give me more pills and lop off body parts.

The lesson is this...use the internet to do exhaustive research before putting anything into your body. You know your body better than anyone. Obviously, there are medications that are wonderful and necessary. There are also meds that are capable of poisoning you. I was being poisoned and the so-called experts were without a clue. Be careful. If you think a drug will harm you, just say no. I have and I'm feeling so damn good about that!

Cool Juke Box

A friend of mine sent this to me. Its kinda cool. It's amazing how many songs I have fogotten from the early 60's. I'm thinking it's mostly because I wanted to. The same can be said for a lot of these years...

Whoever did this did a nice job.

On My Way Back Home

Tomorrow.

I enjoyed the weather today including the heavy rains we got around 4:00 P.M. The area is in desperate need of rain so I was happy to see it. It was quite relaxing to sit under the covered portion of the lanai, listening to music with the rain in the background.

One more day and then it's back to the rudeness we call Winter. Cold, gray, blustery, damp....yuk. If you say you like it, you are making the best of a bad situation. I have done it for years. I have lost the energy to pretend I like the weather, I don't. I hate it. End of discussion.

There are good things about being back up north so I will concentrate on those things. I hope I get to spend some time with my kids and get some things done at work.

Oops

Well I blew the NaBloPoMo thing Friday. It was a combination of a somewhat busy day, internet service that was kind of flaky and brain damage. We had a party in the evening and when we returned I just plain went to bed. I was bummed when I awoke and realized that I messed up so late in the game. I gave it a good try as evidenced by my schlepping my computer from place to place. I guess I like the contest because of the pressure it puts on me to write something. Oh well I'll try again next year.

I will try to keep writing a little more frequently than usual. Thanks to those that read my rantings.

Jim, Jen and Eric are heading home today. It was fun having them here with us. I wish they could stay a little longer but it's not to be. M & I are coming home Tuesday night. I will be the one that's kicking and screaming. This weather here is really easy on my body and being able to play golf is good for my psyche. I cannot tell a lie, I love the weather here.

Later.

Thanks

Yesterday was the rant today a list of some of the things I am grateful for

I give thanks for:

the love of my children; how much I love them and the love I get from them.

the love of my wife; how much I love her and the love she returns to me.

all the people I can call friend.

the good fortune that has smiled upon me and my family.

my extended family; we have crazies and I love them anyway.

the overall health of all those in my life.

being born an American. I love this country and I think I understand how special this place is.

those that have given of themselves to preserve this country.

the talents that have been bestowed upon me.

the great turkey dinner I had today and the great turkey sandwiches I will surely eat tomorrow.

realizing my love for music. It is icing on the cake for me.

having the fortitude (read lack of brains!) that pushed me to start my own business 20 years ago. We have run our business how we wanted to run it and have developed a reputation in our business second to none.

my wonderful staff. They are my other family and I love them for all that they have done for me.

being blessed with a sense of humor and being an optimist most of the time.

I will end this as I did last year by imploring my readers to resolve to do something charitable on a regular basis. It is our responsibility to help those who need help. Not for what you expect to receive in return but because it's the right thing to do.
To all my friends and loved ones, I love you more.

Anti-Thanksgiving

This is my second annual Anti-Thanksgiving post. My daughter A came up with this idea and I like it.

I am not thankful for:

war - The USA has been involved in too many of these damn things. I know it's considered naive to think that wars will just disappear but if we don't work toward ending them for all time, it will never happen. As John Lennon said "imagine all the people living life in peace". I like to imagine that. Instead of spending all that military money we could spend it on taking care of each other...

my digestive system - plain and simple it's broken and those that are supposed to know how to fix these things are clueless.

United Airlines - once good, my hometown airline has now crossed over into a company that has lost sight of what it is they do. From what I see now they mistreat their passengers and don't care if they do. My opinion; but I have been mistreated just about every time recently. I used to fly them a lot; United you had me and you lost me.

that people in this world are still starving - Can't we figure this out?

the stranglehold that the oil business has on the world - the guys below should be helping with this; not helping themselves. We need to kick this habit and we had better accept the challenge and get it done. I have faith in the American people; it's our politicians that are holding us back.

politicians - Do something for us; not for yourself, the special interests that own you or for your damn party. Make this country better or get the hell out. Please!

people that aren't generous with the less fortunate - Find a local reputable food bank and feed some of your neighbors. There but for the grace of god...

greedy people - see above...money is a better slave than master

terrorists - having no remorse for killing people is brutal. It's uncivilized.

mean people - relax, be nice, there's no need to be nasty

the punks that stole my guitars - I can't believe that I have never heard a peep from the local police department. They caught one of the suspected kids wearing my watch for god sakes. I have not heard from them since May.

the celebrity culture - Who really gives a damn about the personal life of Brittany, JLo, Brad, Angela, and so on and so on? Leave them alone, they're human. Would you want all your personal foibles, real and fabricated, broadcast to the world? I think not. Take all the energy given to the pursuit of this crap and turn it for something useful. Just don't get rid of the ridiculous rags that you buy in the checkout line at the grocery store. Those are comic books anyway. OK so this rant is a little mixed up.

Heather Mills - go away, leave him alone. I don't care about you one iota. You married a legend and you cannot undo any part of that. It's bigger than you and, in fact, it's bigger than him.

religious zealots - religion is like silk underwear. If you are wearing it and are comfortable, good for you. If you wear it on your sleeve, it's not going to look very good and I really don't care to see it. I'll choose my undies (or not); you choose yours.

That was kind of fun...tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I am looking forward to sharing those things I am thankful for.

Location 4

We made it down to Florida. Happy to be in the warmth. When we left Chicago this morning it was cool and dreary; arrived in Florida to sunshine and 80+ degrees. I like it.

Unfortunately, the pool is not working right. The heat pump is not pumping heat so the water is a chilly 73 degrees. That will not do it. Hopefully I can get the service people out here tomorrow so that we can use the pool this weekend.

My body clock is our of kilter. From Vegas to here in the matter of a couple of days is tough. I feel incredibly tired. Getting this post in is a major effort. Hence, the drivel...

I did write down every tune that came up on my iPod while listening on the flight but I'm too tired to list them. I will do that; just not now. I need to lay my head down and slip through sleep's dark and silent gate. Soon. Very Soon.

Can't Trust That Day

Five questions for a Monday


1. Are there any songs that you dread hearing because it will get stuck in your head and you can't shake it?


2. Can you share a favorite Christmas memory or two?


3. This is a quote attributed to Albert Einstein. "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." This is a quote from the show Northern exposure
"Sometimes the mind, for reasons we don't necessarily understand, just decides to go to the store for a quart of milk." Which one can you relate to? Both?

4. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall?

5. Do you understand the fascination that some people have with horror movies?

Homeward Bound

Today is our travel day. I am going to lose access to the internet sometime around noon and we don't get home until around midnight, so this post is coming to you pre-caffeine.

I am tired of Vegas and ready to be home. It's loud here and it's dry here.

The people watching has been enjoyable as usual. The way some of these people dress is remarkable so I will remark about it. There are a lot of women here that haven't mastered the knack of keeping their breasts inside their clothing. Some women can't seem to find dresses that actually cover their asses. One woman had less material in her clothing than on her purse. Some of it looks ok but mostly it looks cheap to me. With the men here the wackiness usually shows up in their hair. I'm really sorry that I didn't keep my full head of hair long enough to go for the spikey, dirty, ponytail mohawk look.

Well, I have to pack and get ready to check out of here and then wait around until 5ish to get back to home sweet home.

Food Glorious Food

Last night was pretty much fun. First we had dinner at Il Mulino which I will give 4 stars. I'm taking a star away because it was a bit loud in there which makes conversation a little tough when you have a table for eight. I am not very tolerant of loud restaurants anymore. As loud as Vegas is it would have been nice if this place had better acoustics. Aside from that the food was delicious. When you sit down they give each diner a delicious little chunk of Parmesan cheese, some salami and a plate of marinated zucchini that was heavily laced with garlic. Very nice start. Michelle and I split a caprese salad with some prosciutto for our first course. I ordered a special of Dover Sole which was not quite as good as this dish at Nicks in Chicago but it was still very very good. Everyone enjoyed their entrees, Michelle had Veal Marsala and two of the folks at the table had veal parmesan which was uniquely prepared. The other entree that was to die for was lobster ravioli with a really nice light tomato sauce. I was glad I didn't overstuff myself. One other note on the restaurant...$$$$$$$.

After dinner we waddled over to the Mirage to see the 10:00 P.M. showing of Love. The show was great. Great music, great staging, great acrobatics and a lot of great dancing. I would like to put the sound system in the theater on my Christmas List. It's my favorite Cirque show because I love the soundtrack (duh!). I recommend it to all Beatle fans, rock fans and those that like to leave a show with a smile on their face.

Today is Michelle's birthday so we watched her beloved Michigan Wolverines play some really ugly football. She spent the balance of the afternoon at the Spa being pampered...in fact, she went at 2:00 P.M. and hasn't returned as of 5:30. I watched some more football and gambled a bit and had some success I might add. Winning money is as fun as it is rare here in Loon Town.

We are planning to have another nice dinner for M's birthday if she ever returns. Bye for now!

Day 2 in Loon Town

Day two in the war zone they call Las Vegas wages on. I started the morning with a back spasm that almost put me on my knees. I'll chalk it up to a strange bed in a strange place. It's still sore so it was one hell of a spasm. Aging gracefully? I think not.

Not much luck with the gambling today so far, which I have come to expect. I rarely talk to people that win here. Looking around the casinos don't seem to be lacking funds. My advice is don't gamble with money you ever hope to see again. If you get to keep it for a little while you are ahead of the game.

I sat at a blackjack table today and a nicely dressed Asian gentleman sat down and began betting the table maximum $5000. He wagered $15,000 on one hand and the dealer made a 5 card 21 to beat him. He was at the table for about 25 minutes and lost at least $40,000. I played there for and hour and a half and broke even. All my bets combined are not close to $5,000. Some people have more money than they know what to do with.

My new blackberry has a bad habit of calling people when I sit down and have in on my belt. I am going to try the Keyboard Lock so I don't wake up my speed dial folks by mistake.

Gotta get ready for dinner. Going out to a nice Italian restaurant tonight and then going to the 10:00P.M. performance of Love. I am so looking forward to a night of high quality Beatles music. It will be a nice respite from this loony bin.

Lost Wages

We made it to Vegas without a hitch. Airplane on time, hotel reservations actually reserved...

This is kind of a transition day...two hour time change and the traveling will render me useless in an hour or so. That's about the time we have to be at dinner with our clients. They are old friends so there is not a lot of pressure but it will be interesting.

The weather is nice here and the casinos are awaiting my arrival or should I say the arrival of my hard earned money. Unfortunately for the casinos, I will not leave them much. Looking forward to seeing Love tomorrow and watching some football games here on Saturday.

Talk to you later from the great State of Nevada.

Blog on the Run...Blog on the Run

One of my regular visitors gave me my first blog award. It's the "Be the Blog" award that is now located over there on the right. The award is given to "those bloggers that are showing time and time again that they are true to themselves and that they ARE their blog". Thanks, Barb. It's always fun to win something and sometimes I feel like a blog.

You know when I started this NaBloPoMo thing I forgot to check my travel schedule. I will be posting blogs from four different states over the course of this month. I have already been to DC. I am leaving for Las Vegas tomorrow, heading for Florida next Tuesday and then making a trip out to San Francisco at the end of the month. Since I got my "crackberry", I stopped traveling with my laptop. Well, my laptop and I are back on the road together. Five states in a month! Thank God for high speed Internet everywhere.

So it goes...tomorrow I will be posting from sin city. The local sport in Vegas is people watching because I don't think there is a larger collection of strange varieties of humans to be found anywhere else in the US. Oh sure, you'll see some alien like creatures just about everywhere you go but in Vegas the sheer number of rare species are staggering. It might just be the only thing besides gaming lessons that's free in Las Vegas. I swear there are hundreds of hotel rooms in the town that do not have mirrors because "people you can't really want to intentionally look like that in public, do ya?" As James Taylor so aptly put it "Is that the way you look?".

Talk to you tomorrow from Las Vegas...

Anybody seen my inspiration?

I don't know where my inspiration went tonight but I got nothin'. I am not doing a good job of making notes on the various blog ideas I come up with during the day. Now I am tired and cannot come up with a thing...

I played golf today. It was unseasonably warm here and I wanted to test out my surgically repaired hand. The test was successful. The repaired finger is actually very good; the sutures are still a little sore. I was concerned that the hand would not hold up and my concern was all for naught. Now if I could just get these stitches out...

Heading to Las Vegas Thursday for a little fun in the name of business entertainment. One of our best clients and best friends in the business loves Vegas (he's from Philly!), so we'll meet him there and do the Vegas thing. I won't lose a lot of money because I never really bet a lot of money. We'll have some fun going to see the show "Love" at the Mirage, which I have seen once, and am looking forward to again. A night of Beatles music in Vegas is settling. The place is whacko...A couple of days in Vegas is enough for us...back home Sunday.

Can't wait to go down to Florida for Thanksgiving for the weather. I wish all my kids could be there with us but some things are hard to work out these days. Hopefully, we can get together and eat another turkey sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

To all my friends and loved ones, I love you more

What do the Boomtown Rats know anyway?

Five questions for a Monday

1. Do you have an iPod (or other mp3 player)? If yes, how many songs do you have and how would you describe the music in there?

2. What TV show from your childhood do you remember and why?

3. What is your best quality? worst?

4. The Beatles or the Stones?

5. Are you looking forward to anything that you have planned for this week? month?