Does this count as a post?

  

I'm not sure I know any actually...

We'll never forget the way you thrilled the nation

The Chicago Bears went down to defeat today. Unfortunately my daughter A was excited to go see her first Bear game and she saw a clunker. Sorry A but that's football. Were the pigeons on the field?

Rex Grossman was miserable and the rest of the offense was offensive. As an avid football fan, former player and student of the game it seems he gets "happy feet". It happened in the Arizona debacle and it happened today. For all intents and purposes he is dropping back, bailing out and throwing off his back foot. The Bears are likely to make the playoffs this year. If the happy feet don't get fixed, I don't expect that they will go very far. C'mon Rex! I know you've been hurt in the past but if you can't look down field and forget that huge men are trying to flatten you, find another career. He played like a rookie again. Ugly dude, very ugly.

I think there is some good in the loss though...better to get that undefeated crap behind them for the second half of the season. 7-1 first half record...I'll take it. Same number of wins the Cubs got in the first half of their season this year I think.

I tried to install a wireless print server today to no avail. Every computer project I take on never goes smoothly; you know point A to point B. I seem to visit every letter in the alphabet along the way. What a royal pain in the arse and I have no printer at this point. Very frustrating.

I Saw a Dead Head Sticker on a Cadillac

Today was clean the garage day...It was getting tight in there. Lots of crap laying around...gone. Not a fun thing but it had to be done before it gets too much colder around here. The cars will fit comfortably now.

I miss being able to play golf. It's more fun than garage cleaning.

Also worked on the guest list for our upcoming Christmas Open House. The party was fun even if it got a little nutso late in the evening. We are paring the list of those that didn't respond last year. Some of you may be surprised to know that all of my invitable relatives are making the cut again. Relatives have more leeway on the "you drank how much?" scale than others...That's all I'll say about that.

I miss playing golf. It's more fun than working on an invitation list or writing a blog entry for that matter.

Matty told Hattie

Better late than never...had a wonderful dinner tonight with my kids at Tuscany in Little Italy. Excellent Italian cuisine if I do say so. Tried to get reservations at a few other spots but at the last minute is was impossible. Tuscany turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.

After dinner some of the less fortunate ones went to see the Bulls home opener. It was disappointing as they blew the game with less than a minute to go. The refs must have called a billion fouls on both teams. Boring!!! Watching the Bulls leaves me with one thought.

Go Bears!!!!

Ramble on

I'm off to a rough start with this NaBloPoMo thingy. My first post nightmares can be found in yesterdays post. Today I was just about done with post #2 and my computer locked up. What fun!

I now have the NaBloPoMo Yoda graphic on my site thanks to my birthday girl computer geekette. Hooray for Kt!!! I like it. I also like having blog specialists like my daughters as a resource.

Negative campaign ads are clogging the airwaves. A word of advice to the politicians out there, save your money for your trial. No credibility exists in any political ads whatsoever and if some does it's a waste. I might use a Quija board to pick a candidate in some of these races. Maybe I'll just vote for the one most likely to go to jail first. That sounds a whole lot easier than picking one that will actually do some good for we the people.

I miss golf.

A huge thank you goes out to my sister Sooz for everything she is doing to help our mother. I will include an adjective that describes our mom somewhere in each of the next several posts. Your job is to figure it out. It won't be

difficult.

An adjective for my sister is awesome.

Name that band...still among the best shows I have ever seen.

Antivirus program plays keep away with my word document for the last time

I wrote the following last night using Word in anticipation of posting it at 5:00 A.M. this morning. Well, my Norton Antivirus program would not let me open it this morning because I needed to renew. I removed Norton Antivirus. Screw you. Who do you think you are? Microsoft? I will buy another antivirus program after I post this. Symantec you pushed me too far this time. It was a long day but the sales call went well.

Blog month starts off with me having to catch a plane to Indianapolis at 7:00 A.M. I’m returning later in the afternoon so it’s just a long ass commute. But I have to get up at an ungodly hour to get the plane, fly to Indy, rent a car, flawlessly schmooze a potential new client (falling asleep or yawning is not an option), return the car, get on the plane and return home. I’m really glad I don’t have to commute like this every day. My regular daily commute has been reduced to 5 to 7 minutes.

I did however spend the better part of 12 years using up 3 hours a day getting to work and back. I did it because I had to but it mostly sucked. Most of those years were spent on a commuter train which is much better, safer and less expensive than being stuck in your car. I did have a lot of time to unwind and read on the train and I met some nice people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. One of them works with me now and has for many years. So like everything there were some benefits.

My all time record driving commute was 3 and a half hours to get to work and 4 hours to get home. I believe that was the day that male pattern baldness started to become a bigger part of my life.

Commuting does play a big part in the lives of many of us. Here’s a modern blessing or toast for all of you. “I wish all of you the commute of your dreams.”

National Blog Posting Month

This is something that my lovely daughters happened upon and if they're going to do it, I'm going to do it. A blog a day for the entire month of November. I have no idea what will come out of this short of my daughters saying something about the fact that I did real well for the two days that I actually posted something. Maybe I should have saved this for tomorrow...damn!

I will post something every day in November.

Kicking politicians through the uprights

It's that time of the year! Unfortunately I am not talking about football season...

American politics and our political leaders are an embarrassment to us all. Discuss.

The Pathetic Cup

Warning: If you are not a golfer you may get lost in this rant or your eyes may glaze over.

At my local golf club there is an annual event that is modeled after the Ryder Cup. Two teams playing against one another. Individuals qualify for the team based on their tournament performance over the course of the season. For the sake of argument, lets call it the Harry Cup.

Now that it'’s over, here is my real take on the frickin'’ Harry Cup. My opinion is that the winning or losing of the Harry cup competition won'’t hold any true value unless there is some revelation and the cheaters (aka sandbaggers) disappear. Sandbaggers manipulate their handicaps to give themselves an advantage.Will Barry Bonds home run record ever have value? Will he ever be respected? Baseball is a game that was not founded primarily on the principle of honor. Golf is. If there is one life lesson to take from this game it'’s that you are the only one looking over your shoulder and you should do so with honor. Cheating on one'’s handicap is dishonorable and disrespectful to the game and to your fellow golfers.Hey bagger boy, you are missing the entire frickin point!

I know the sandbaggers won'’t disappear but I don'’t have to respect their actions or stoop to their level for the sake of claiming a victory in a meaningless local tournament or any tournament. What I set out to do was have fun playing the game, challenging myself and getting to know some very nice people.It'’s really the only reason I would ever play in this thing in the first place. The reward is in the process. Mission accomplished. I had a great time.I am not pointing fingers at anyone or asserting that sandbagging has been confined to one team or the other. I am not saying we lost or won because of sandbagging. I'’m saying that win or lose I would have felt the same way about the tainted value of a victory.

It's a goddam shame. There is no better reward than prevailing in a fair competition. There is no better feeling than playing on a level playing field and giving it your best; even if your best isn't good enough on any given day. The cheaters are stealing that from all the competitors.

Is it just me or does the idea of cheating to beat your “friends” in anything, let alone a golf tournament, seem pathetic? I'’m sorry but it pathetic. Make it a capital P Pathetic.

Freedom?

This whole same sex marriage fiasco makes me want to puke. Freedom in America should not be subject to religious interpretation. Same sex marriage is not harmful or dangerous to anyone and the government has no justifiable basis to deny this freedom. None. Nada. Zippo. While I really don't see this ruling affecting my personal life directly (I have always been an opposite sex marriage kind of guy), the denial of freedom in the "Land of the Free" absolutely affects all of us. Mr. Bush and the rest of you self righteous religious fanatics, what part of freedom are you failing to grasp? You are free to express your opinion on this matter but you are not free to make your opinion a law that eats away at every American's basic right to freedom and the pursuit of happiness.

Wake up!

Memory Meme

1. Who was your first prom date? My high school sweetheart who I eventually married.
2. Who was your first roommate(s)? It was a socially maladjusted guy that was obviously perfectly matched to me. No, strike that...he once said this while crying "my mommy told me I had to be a big boy when I went to college." I asked the college to find me another room after that incident.
3. What alcoholic beverage did you drink the first time you got drunk? I don't know for sure but I think it was bourbon.
4. What was your first job? I worked for a little company that did inventory of liquor stores. I never got to count the liquor but I was great on the beer nuts and swizzle sticks.
5. What was your first car? It was a turquoise 1967 Ford Galaxy 500. It was quick, it had a 390 horsepower engine. I loved that car...we called it the Peacemobile. Ah, the 60"s.
6. When did you go to your first funeral? My grandpa. Funerals suck.
7. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown? It had to be when I left EGV for college. It was scary because I didn't know anyone there but it became my new "home" pretty quickly.
8. Who was your first grade teacher? ? I think her name was Sister Terese.
9. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane? I flew to St. Louis from Milwaukee and then on to Dallas. I was a junior in college.
10. When did you sneak out of your house for the first time, who was it with? I never did.
11. Who was your first Best Friend and are you still friends with them? I think Dan Martin and yes we still keep in touch.
12. Where did you live the first time you moved out of your parents’ house? I lived in a dorm at college. My room was known as the club 402 so my room number will never fade from my memory. The name of the dorm is gone from my brain.
13. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day? ? I try not to have bad days. My best friend and partner Michelle is usually helpful with that.
14. Whose wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid/groomsman? My uncle Mickey's. I was about 15 or so. I stood up with one of the bride's sisters. Her husband threatened me and told me not to try anything with his wife. I was hopelessly hetero at this point in my life but my honest response to him had he not been a huge neanderthal of a guy that might hurt me would have been..."you are kidding aren't you?"
15. What is the first thing you do in the morning? Make coffee.
16. What was the first concert you ever went to? It was R.E.O. Speedwagon and Styx at my high school.
17. First tattoo or piercing? No
18. First celebrity crush? Candace Bergen...I still think she's an attractive package.
19. Age of first kiss? The first one that I want to remember was when I was in 6th grade. Amy....I liked it. The next time I went to confession I confessed it to the priest. He asked me if I did anything else and I had no clue what he was asking.
20. First crush? Gigi in first grade. We moved away when I was in 3rd grade but her family moved to EGV when I was a senior in high school so I got to know her again. That was pretty cool.
21. First time you did drugs? I went to college in the early 70's. Pot was a given and it was relatively cheap. Never messed with anything else recreationally.

Miracle Cure or Say No to Drugs

Well, it has been a while but I had to get this out there. For the last 3 years of my life I have been feeling kind of lousy. I had a myriad of bothersome muscular pain, occasional dizziness, muscle cramps, shortness of breath and last but not least, escalating anxiety. In the process of trying to figure out what was going on here, I was told I should have my gall bladder removed a couple of years ago. OK, you're the doctor. I thought this would solve the problem. Well, I did feel slightly better but not good.

This all started because somehow I was convinced I needed to get a physical when I turned 50. I entered the doctors office feeling great and came out and felt like crap for the last 3 years. Thanks for that!

I was trying to convince myself that this malaise was just part of the aging process and I would have to deal with it. Fortunately, I was wrong.

I've never been a big medication fan and until my 50th never really took anything outside of some advil, tylenol or aspirin. Well, my doc suggested that I take Prilosec OTC every day for treatment of my heartburn and GERD. I had been taking it for about....3 years. You see where this is going? It didn't occur to me that this drug (with the safe sounding OTC (over the counter) in its name) might have such serious and debilitating side effects. The packaging didn't give me any clues as to what this medication could do.

On a lark, I decided about 8 days ago to stop taking the Prilosec. I was grasping at anything at this point to try to feel better. Within 24 hours every symptom was gone. I felt as if I came out of a haze. I felt like me again for the first time in over 3 years. I still haven't come close to having any of the negative symptoms that I listed above. I have three words to say here "What the FUCK!"

I went up to the internet to research side effects as soon as I realized I was cured of the 3 year curse. I feel like a fool for doing this so late in the game but late is soooooooooooo much better than never. I visited this sight named askapatient.com and any others I could find. I discovered on askapatient that my side effects were not unique. Son of a bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb. God damn it! I cannot believe I suffered through this and the info was a few clicks away. While I am frustrated that it took me so long to figure out, I am ecstatic about the way I feel. Pissed and giddy at the same time...

This "Say no to Drugs" thing has a whole new meaning for me. The crap the drug industry peddles seems far more dangerous than the one I used occasionally in college which had me frantically looking for a Oreo cookies. My advice, be careful what you put in your body. Just because your doctor tells you to take something, don't give up your absolute right to decide what you do with your own body. The info is out there....be diligent...be decisive....be smart.

Christmas 2005

I'm stealing this from my daughters who in turn started the thievery.

What is the best gift you received this year? (Tangible gifts only, please!)
This is difficult. I got a lovely guitar to take to home #2. I'm really excited about that. I also got photos of all the kids and the pictures are excellent. The thought behind them was wonderful. Chocolate covered cashews are evil.

What is the best gift you gave this year?
I think I had a hall of fame year this season. I gave my lovely partner a limited edition John Lennon lyrics (Woman). I gave my lovely daughter limited edition John Lennon lyrics (Happy Christmas). My other lovely daughter received a great computer to take her into her IT masters program. We gave the two boys X-box 360's...Getting them was a trick. And there is always the Uncle J Christmas ATM imitation on Christmas Eve. I think my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews would speak in favor of this act.

When did you do most of your shopping/creating?
I started sometime after Thanksgiving. I am an expert consumer. Most of the shopping was done online.

Did you go shopping the day after Thanksgiving (U.S.)? day after Christmas?
No frickin way on either day. Did a little online shopping after Christmas.

What stands out already about Christmas 2005?
I had a wonderful time with all of our kids. It was peaceful, relaxing and full of joy for me. My batch of homemade Christmas deep dish pizza was outstanding and da Bears beat da Packers!

Just do it

Another quotation with meaning for me.

"Write in your heart that every day is the best day of the year" Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you only had one more day to live, what would you do? I'm pretty sure you would not choose to be mean to anyone or worry about your job or pick a fight with anyone. Well, I don't know about you but I don't have a guarantee for tomorrow. I like my odds but life is one big uncertainty. One of the things I would do is surround myself with my loved ones and make sure they knew that I loved them. I do love them and I hope they know it. I will try to keep letting them know at every turn.

It takes wisdom to be able to live this way. Wisdom is hard earned knowledge. It can't be taught and it can't be purchased. It takes effort and experience. I'm willing to make the effort one minute at a time. The wisdom for me centers on two things my much adored father said to me on his death bed. "I can't believe it went this fast." and "I should have partied more." For those of you who knew my dad #2 is an understatement.

So, thanks to my dad I know its going fast and I am trying to make the most of every stitch of time that I have. I am not going to waste an opportunity to show or tell my loved ones that I love them. I am not going to spend time feeling sorry for myself. I am not also going to put myself in the position to say that I should have partied more. I believe in making everything a party. Even work.

You wanna party? Join me
Are you a loved one? I love you

Macca, thanks man!

I just wanted to write my thoughts about seeing Sir Paul McCartney in concert. I have been fortunate to have seen him a number of times. It's always been wonderful. This time was no different. One of the things I noticed at this show was how many people spent time smiling from ear to ear. I'm sure I was smiling as I was looking at them. Smiles are always a good sign.

Oddly, I have a feeling that I will never see him do a live show again; probably a combination of his age, my age and having seen him a number of times.

During the show, I felt like I was saying goodbye to an old friend. A friend I've never had a conversation with, shaken hands with, hugged, shared a meal with, never helped move or bailed out of jail. Yet this is someone special to me. Maybe because he never did ask me to help him move. No, that's not it. It was the gift.

Thank you Paul (and John annd George) for all the joy you've brought to me. You sparked my interest in music which is one of the greatest gifts I've ever received. It continues to make me smile.

Well, I deliberately soaked up every minute of the show and made sure I said goodbye to him after he finished the last song. He is forever responsible for one of the good parts of who I am.

Don't Worry Write Your Masterpiece

I have always loved quotations. There can be a lot of wisdom found sometimes in very few carefully connected words. They make me smile sometimes but mostly they make me think and I like that. So...I will share some in the days ahead that struck me.

"Worry is a misuse of the imagination" Dan Zadra - Business executive

I don't believe in worrying. I always found it to be a terrible waste of energy. The connection with imagination never occurred to me. But worry is just that...creating little negative cartoons in your own mind. Maybe it's a gift but most of the time I have been able to realize that I was about to "worry" and change my thinking. Imagine all the good things that one can conjure if you take your negative imagination and go the other way. I like the idea. As Sir Paul McCartney sings "What's the use of worrying? No use."

Brothers and sisters

Hurricane Katrina. What devastation. What an opportunity. Come on people. Reach deeply into your pockets and give. Our neighbors need help. Consider American Red Cross or Operation Blessing. The FEMA website has a list of others. Pick one, pick two, pick them all. There are a lot of people in a lot of trouble. Here's your chance to reach out and be a part of the recovery effort. Count your blessings and then share whatever you can and then some. What if it was your brother or sister, daughter or son?

If you consider yourself part of the American community, it is. Get busy.

Clues for the clueless?

My wonderful oldest daughter wrote this in a mail to me as a response to an article I had sent which pointed out that there were many many parents and spouses of killed servicemen and women that strongly disagree with Cindy's position. Just trying to present all sides...

"I guess I think that people like this aren’t listening to Cindy Sheehan, not really. I think that they see the protest of the war, but forget to hear what Sheehan is saying—that she doesn’t want anyone else to suffer the way all of these parents have. I suppose, too, I just don’t see how that dishonors any of the soldiers who have given our lives for their country.

I feel for any parent who loses a child to a war, no matter the cause or reason. But I think that the hopelessness I would feel, knowing I lost my child to a war that has no reason—or reasons that have been disproved—would be somehow different. It’s terrible, all of it. The insurgency’s not getting weaker, and more Americans (and many, many more Iraqis) will die. We can’t tame it, and I hope these people don’t think that we can, not with what we’ve got on the ground now. It’s not dishonoring the sacrifice of their children to ask that no more Americans be subjected to a fight we can’t win, is it?"

Heres my take...

All wars defy reason. I happen to believe that we do not know the complete truth about why we went into and still remain in Iraq. I also happen to believe that sometimes our leadership must decide what we (the public) need to know. There are intelligence reasons for withholding information at certain times.

At the same time, having watched Hotel Rwanda and knowing that the “West” was roundly criticized for “letting” Rwanda happen I can’t help but think we (America) cannot win. We ousted a brutal dictator in Iraq. Isn’t this a good thing for the good people of Iraq and the world community? Extracting ourselves from this mess is now the issue. How and when we get out without throwing the Iraqi people back to the lions is the central issue and should be our leaderships #1 concern. I admit that my #1 concern is that our leadership doesn't have a clue sometimes. (Don't we all?)

I think what our front liners are doing by proudly carrying out their duty, is something that we all need to get behind. I choose to believe that they are risking their lives in an attempt to free people they don't know because its the moral thing to do. I am proud that they are serving for us and hope as strongly as anyone out there that they return home as soon as possible. I also hope that the people of Iraq embrace sovereignty and protect it with the dedication that we do.

Hey Leaders...c'mon with the clues already. Get us out of there!

Evil Demon

Ok, it's time to go public with this. I am quitting the habit of smoking. I began the effort on Monday and am doing very well. Failure is not an option.

Now, having said that, cigarette smoking is an evil demon. The characterization of the ciggys talking to you and saying "Oh it's ok. I'm your friend. One won't hurt. Have one now." is more truth than fiction. Addictions are not fun to kick but this addiction is not fun to keep any longer. It's a pain in the ass. The anti-smoking fanatics keep reminding me how bad this is for me and more importantly to them, how it is bad for them and intrudes on their space. I wish they would mind their own fucking business but that is another issue. I did not decide to quit because of their inane efforts. I decided to quit for me and those that love me because they want me to quit not for the nameless know it alls that want to force their beliefs on me.

I can't wait until the nutrition nutcakes make me eat my cheeseburger in the parking lot so the fats don't leech into their systems. What's the quote "...from my greasy dead hands".

Only three things are certain, death (hey health fanatics this does include you), taxes (a thank you note from Uncle Sam would be nice, thats all I'm saying) and people that insist on foisting their will on other people (bite me!).

Think the withdrawal thing has put an edge on me? Ahh, you can bite me too!

Now this is good form!