ANOTHER SNEAK PEEK CHAPTER FROM MY UPCOMING BOOK

Well, I have not posted a blog in about a month. The writing time that I set aside every day has been taken up with the book I am writing.  I hope to have it done and E-published within the next 3 or 4 months. Meanwhile, here is a sneak peek at one of the chapters.

From the book 'THE SELF HELP BOOK FOR PEOPLE WHO HATE SELF HELP BOOKS ' 
©2017 Speedcat Productions

CHAPTER 10

Sand Dunes

Have you ever felt like you are climbing a sand dune? You start at the bottom, and begin climbing. You get a little way and then slide down. You know if you can get up to the top, that the answers are right on the other side. It's a long way. It's hot and it's, well, sandy. It's in your shoes, it's in your shorts and chafing places that sand really should not be.

We do this to ourselves all the time. We beat our heads against the wall trying not to get a headache while hoping to figure out answers that are on the other side of the dune. We somehow have this Hollywood vision of sweeping vistas and a beautiful mountain landscape waiting once we reach the top of the dune! Sometimes it's a mirage.

Here is a thought. Sometimes it might take a little longer, but maybe walking around the sand dune might be a better answer. You expend less energy by walking instead of climbing, and you don't get sand in your crack.

If the answer is on the other side of the Dune, it will still be there whether you go around or up. (Some people even try to dig a tunnel through the dune to get to the other side....but that image is just too horrendous to even think about....

I have learned that when you get to the other side, it's easier to handle whatever you find there if you are not exhausted from getting there. Because, sometimes the answer is not what you expect it to be,

Expectation is the key word here. We all have expectations. They can involve work, upbringing, marriage, dating, friendships and pretty much everything you do with a vision of what you desire out of something. Even a pet, or new car...If it isn't what you picture in your idyllic mind, you are disappointed and unhappy. Why? Part of it is expectations that others have planted into you. “I just got this great Jack Russell Terrier. He is the perfect dog...... So off you go to get a perfect dog of your very own. You bring your Jack Russell home and he barks all night and tears everything up and becomes your worst nightmare. You call your friend and chew his ass because he planted these expectations in your head. He didn't mention that he lives on a farm. You live in a one bedroom apartment in the city. Expectations depend a lot on the perception you garner from what others say. Be it friends, relatives or advertisers. Advertisers are the worst for planting expectations in our heads. Climb the sand dune and the world is better on the other side. What a large pile of crap.

Now, here I go again telling you that positive thinking is not what you should subscribe to. Not at all. We all have to have expectations, and not all of them are going to pan out like we want them to. It goes back to how we react to the outcome. If you go into things without depending on a particular outcome, you will find things work better in the long run. If things work out the way you picture, great. If not, Then take the pitch as it comes. Sometimes when you are looking for a fastball, a curve ball comes sneaking up to you. You have to be ready to hit whatever is pitched no matter what you might think it's going to be.

I told my wife when we first moved to Las Vegas where people do NOT know how to drive, 'Here is what you do to survive driver here...(or anywhere really). Be aware of those around you. Think of the craziest, stupidest off the hook thing they could possibly do...and prepare for that! That way when they do it, you are not taken by surprise.

One more thought about sand dunes. They are fluid. Always moving and being reshaped by the wind. They are not stagnant like a huge rock wall (which as we said before is also changing constantly, but at much slower pace). Sometimes if you have a goal, and you climb the sand dune to no avail, and you don't have the ambition to walk around it, maybe just leave it be for a while. Come back to it later. Maybe the winds of change will reshape it and even make it a smaller hill to climb.

Life is a desert of shifting sand dunes. Unpredictable. Erratic. Harmony changes into dissonance, the immediate outlives the profound, esoteric becomes cliched. And vice versa.  – Ella Leya

A LONG DAY OF MOURNING

Today. October 2nd, is already a day of mourning on my annual calendar.  Today would have been my son Michael's 30th birthday. Today I light a candle for him. We lost him on Father's day 2005.  Happy Birthday, my son. I love you and know you are with me always. 

It is, though, a double day of mourning in the wake of the horrendous (not a strong enough word) events that unfolded here in the city I love, Las Vegas. I won't go into the whole story, because everyone knows what happened.  My Wife Nikki and I were sitting at home. We had just finished watching Walk The Line, and my phone started beeping.  Having been a 911 dispatcher in one of my past work incarnations, I have a police scanner app on my phone. It alerted me that 40,000 people were listening to the scanner.  That's a lot. Flipped it on along with the TV to see the events unfolding. Listening in real time to the officers and the dispatchers. The strike teams and SWAT teams. The amazing coordination of our law enforcement and support agencies.  They came in amidst total pandamonium and took control. They quickly located the shooter and confirmed he was dead.  It was amazing to hear in real time. We knew details long before the news channels reported.  

I woke up this morning to many e mails and texts asking about my welfare.  I did a show at Caesar's Palace the night before and was invited to come to the concert last night. I declined.  I like to spend Sunday night with my son and my wife. Which I did.  I, as a spectator do not like large crowds unless I am performing for them. We realize last night that no one is safe from a madman.  The entertainers had a hard time realizing what was happening, because on stage, it's loud and hard to hear.  I have been on many stages this size, and seeing the video, praise the people who cleared the stage in the short precious time they did.  

This could have been much much worse. As we listened to the scanner, there were reports of shots fired at Bellagio, Caesar's Palace, Tropicana, Flamingo, New York New York and the Paris. 
My first thought was that it was a coordinated terrorist attack. Thank god the shots fired reports at the other properties were unfounded. One gunman. This time.  Face it...Las Vegas is a target. We are very vigilant in our security in this town. There are thousands of cameras in every hotel / casino here and many sharp trained eyes that are watching everything you do.  How did this guy get all these guns up. Suitcase? Golf Bag? Something that security didn't catch.  I see a future where we will have to run bags through a scanner at check in like at the airport. But even then, unlike the airport, we have free range at hotels.  All this is yet to be revealed. 

For now, today, this moment, I mourn the loss of my son Michael, and pray for the well being of all the surviving victims of last nights shooting, and pray God's Speed to Heaven for the ones who did not make it.  Bravo to all the first responders, and the brave every day citizens who kept themselves in harm's way to help others who were hurt. Last night they were all just people helping each other.  Humanity can come together and be one force for good. 

Take a moment of silence for the departed and Good night and God Bless

The Yellow Shirt...............

I work, as you may know, at Jim Marsh Kia in Las Vegas (plug plug). We have a variety of polo shirts that we wear, including White, Red and YELLOW.  We are only required to wear the YELLOW shirt on Saturdays.  Now, when I say yellow, I am not referring to a light canary, or even a mustard, or traffic light speed up to get through the intersection yellow. I am talking full blown, neon, glow in the darkness of space, stop traffic, blinding highlighter YELLOW. Even Yellower than that!

When there are fifteen of us gathered for our saturday sales meeting, we brighten up the room, and believe me, it's not because of our sparkling personalities. It is, the YELLOW shirts. 

When we got the yellow shirts, there was much grumbling. jokes about removing stains with a highlighter, radioactive references, and of course, the whole, 'We look like security guards'  narrative. 

(If you have ever been to Vegas, you know that all the security officers in the casino hotels wear bright yellow shirts. .... but, I dare say, not THIS YELLOW).  That being said, I really kinda like the shirts. We were all required to purchase 1 of the shirts. I purchased 3, because I like YELLOW.  I would wear the shirt every day, and actually wear it a couple times a week, prepared for the yellow shaming from my friends,  all in fun. I have even seen a few of them wearing the shirt when not required. ?  It works with my skin tone. 

Every so often on a Saturday, a customer will be on the lot, and out of professional courtesy, I will ask them if they have been helped.  "Oh, yes", they will say.  "The guy in the YELLOW shirt is finding a car for us".... Much like the man in the bowler hat in The Thomas Crown Affair.  Yes, very helpful.

Soooooo, yesterday, being a Saturday, YELLOW shirt day, my day ended by me having to pick a customer up at McCarren airport.  He was flying in to drive his new Kia from Jim Marsh Kia (plug plug) back to L.A.  So, being the extreme customer service kinda guy that I am, I drove the 40 minutes to the airport, dealing with flight delays and the whole bit (his flight was delayed over an hour) and waited patiently for him in the baggage claim area to arrive.  I did inform him that I would be in the brightest YELLOW shirt I believe he has ever seen, or indeed will ever see again. 

The flight board informed me that I had about a 25 minute wait until his flight arrived. So, there I stood, playing words with friends, and candy crush peacefully minding my own business when out of the blue, it began.

A weary disheveled traveler walked up and asked me where to go for lost luggage.  I informed him that I do not work there, and I am sorry, I have no clue.  He then read my shirt: the bold red letters above the left pocket saying Jim Marsh Kia (plug, plug), shook his head and walked away.  Within  30 seconds, a  young couple in party mode (there was no doubt), walked up to me with alcohol induced increased speaking volume, demanded I take them to the shuttle for the Flamingo hotel and casino.  I smiled and said, I don't work here.  They, in no uncertain terms, informed me that I should not be wearing a F****** YELLOW shirt.  They then proceeded to stumble up to a Limo driver, also waiting for his customer and yelled at him, for probably wearing a funny limo guy hat.  I just shook my head, made a remark to him about tourists, and continued my vigil. 

Within another minute, a somewhat looking confused gentleman with his cap on sideways and 46 pounds of gold chains proceeded to ask me, quite forcefully to show him where the international terminal was.  I told him, I wished I could help, but I don't work here.  He paused a moment, and said, "Hey, I was just askin'...do you know where it is?" I told him no, and he walk off in a huff. 

Now, I have been at the baggage claim all of about 7 minutes and have guided people to the rest room, shuttle busses, and baggage carousel 12.  Hmmm, maybe it is time to hide. So, I took a post behind the ATM in the corner.  Alas, the radiance of the YELLOW shirt is not easily dimmed.  More people, more directions, more "Sorry, I don't work here."  

I looked up. Another man headed toward me. My initial thought was to kick him square in the...."Hey, Ron....we made it...."  It was my customer. I hurried him and his girlfriend out of the baggage claim into the safety of my car, and drove to where the paperwork was signed. Delivered the car and put a cap on the night.  

On the way home, I stopped at the Casino to pop in to see who won the fight. As I peered at the board, happy in knowing I had accomplished my mission with my customer, Someone tapped me on the shoulder.  I turned around to face a nice older gentleman. "Excuse me," he said, "Do you work here?" 

I thought I would share Nikki's Blog this week. It's GREAT

http://dflenergyhealer.blogspot.com/2017/07/searching-for-spirit-addiction-energy.html?spref=fb

Please read and share

July 4th

Happy Birthday America.  I write this on July 5th, because I was really busy being a proud American last night.  I live in Las Vegas, so, it's all about finding a good vantage point where one can see the whole strip from a distance.  Then, let the fireworks begin.  The rocket's Red Glare....The Bombs Bursting in Air...

It is a bit concerning that a lot of people think of the 4th of July as a celebration of some kind of Fascist rule of America. I have seen a lot of reports about this.  Yet others think of it as no more than an excuse to get ripped and blow shit up.  It has gotten to the point where people are afraid to fly an American Flag in their yard. To many, showing patriotism seems to be un-American in some way.  In short, there are a lot of backward thinkers in this world.  People who jump at the chance to poop on our party. They don't like Christmas, or July 4th, or any holiday that celebrates greatness and goodness.  They seem to come out every time there is a Holiday. Oh well, to them I say, have a nice day.

No one has the power to ruin my good time. I am a proud American. I practice a Live and let Live attitude, as long as these people don't try to ram their beliefs down my throat. I am all about listening to all points of view. But, if I happen to disagree with a point of view, don't get in my face over it and tell me I am wrong. 

I was talking to someone the other day, and the topic came around to Johnny Cash. I told him that I do a Cash tribute show. We got to talking about John being a great american hero. A patriot. A man of the people. He said..."There aren't enough Johnny Cashs' in the world"..... Enough said. 

Have a great day!

My Kia Blog about your car and the heat.

I thought I would share my Kia Blog from today across the board. This is good advise for any car owner.

http://cashatkia.blogspot.com/

Have a great Day

Post Father's Day Thoughts

I thought I would save my Father's Day blog until after Father's day, as a reflective blog rather than a 'I look forward to...' thing. 

I spent the day with my wife and 22 year old son. He got me a beautiful watch and we all had a great time on Mt. Charleston (Just outside of Las Vegas).  Picnics in the woods are always great. Especially when it is 114 degrees in town. A nice 78 degrees on the mountain.  A lot of people do not realize that there is a whole world of stuff to do away from the strip in Vegas. But's that's another blog.

It was also somewhat of a sad day. It was the 12th anniversary of the passing of my 1st son. He was 17 and died in a car accident June 18th, 2005. So when father's day falls on the day of his death, it's tough. But, I was surrounded by love and caring throughout the day. So all was better with the day. 

I also am lucky enough to have 2 Dads.  My DAD in Texas and my Step Dad in California.  Both amazing men who I love dearly.  Father's day is always great in that concern.  Bravo to them for raising me right. 

There are a lot of scenarios around Father's day. Many don't have a Dad to wish Happy Father's day. Some are estranged from their Father.  Some have a Dad that has passed on.  I hope everyone took a moment to just thank the person who was or is your father. Even if it's was just to silently give thanks.  

May you always find peace and happiness in your life.  

Have a great day

In a world of Tech....

We forget that a lot of what we do is reliant on user names and passwords. 

My parents are both getting up in years, and as a result, there are medical issues that happen.  Life can change over night, and fortunately nothing has happened yet that warrant any "drastic action" on my part.  But, as parents get older, it is important that someone in the family, be it a child or sibling or even a close trusted friend have all the information needed to make a transition as smooth as possible.  

Many people will leave it to the attorney to handle the estate, but inevitably the issue of user name and/or password will pop up somewhere. Bank accounts, insurance, even utilities. You, as the relative or friend, need to sit down with your parent / senior friend and get a list of all accounts that have user names and passwords. Names of lawyers, auto mechanics, Doctors, insurance agents.... anything you can think of that may pop up.  If they change the password on an account, it should be updated on the list.  Ideally, if the parent or friend is not comfortable giving this information to you, they need to have it where you can get to it in case of death, coma, or any other reason that they can no longer take care of their affairs.  This makes it easier to wrap up loose ends. 

I know this sounds like common sense, but there are many many families out there that do not plan for the future. We don't like to talk about death, but it is waiting for all of us.  Make it easier on your loved ones to cope in what will already be a mega stressful time.  If you have older parents or siblings, make sure you have the information you need to get through the situation. Have a family meeting, talk about it and I promise you will all rest better for it. 

Have a great day!

Happy Mother's Day

I called my Mom this morning to wish her Happy Mother's day.  We talk every other day or so anyway, so there was not a whole lot to "catch up on".  She said something though that struck me.  We live a couple of states away, so we don't see each other on Mother's Day, and she said it was sad because of that fact.  I told her at that point, that we really should not have a day every year that forces us to remind ourselves that Moms are great. We would not BE HERE without her!  Every time you see your mom or talk to her should be Mother's day. Just like every day that you live to see another sunrise with your spouse should be Valentine's day.  And Christmas...you get the point.

Anyway, I will keep this short since you have to call Mom today.  For those departed Moms, there will always be time to say a little prayer...Happy Mothers Day to all the Moms everywhere!!

Have a Great Day!

I am still around, I have just been busy

Hello out there in bloggerland.  I am still here, I have been busy with some other stuff, including my ne Kia blog.  I have been with Kia for 5 years in May, and I thought it might be a nice idea to start a blog for Kia owners with questions. it's at cashatkia.blogspot.com   Check it out. I answer questions about Kia, but there is a lot pertaining to any car really.

Let's see...My son introduced me to the FOAP app. A photo sharing experience. You can sell your photos online too. Pretty cool. 

I have also been gearing up for the Spring and Summer, doing stuff around the house, in the house on top of the house...never ends. 

Also, I have been spending a lot of time with our new pair of 8 week old kittens. The word "NO!" is thrown around the house A LOT! They are a ton of work, but great to have cat energy in the house again. No doubt you will hear about them again. 

So, I hope everyone had a great April.  Summer is right around the corner.  I will do a few blogs upcoming on things to do in Vegas in the Summer that don't include the words  "It's frickin' hot" !! Vegas is way more than just the strip. Stay tuned. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel. 

remember my websit... ronnieleetwist.com  and hey, friend me up on Facebook  facebook.com/ronnieleetwist

Have a great day!

A Look At April Fool's Day

When we were kids, we LOVED April 1st. Spent days or weeks coming up with the one prank that would shock, stun, piss off,  or have a reaction of total hilarity.  Sometimes they were not funny.  The guy who jumped off a bridge to scare his girlfriend and realized he miscalculated the length of his bungie cord.  Oops.  It goes back to the old saying of what a Redneck (excuse me, NASCAR American) says before he dies is....."Hey, Hold my beer and watch this"...

Anyway, straight from Wikipedia is a paragraph or two on the origins of April Fools Day...just in case you were wondering. 

The custom of setting aside a day for the playing of harmless pranks upon one's neighbor is recognized everywhere.^{[1][dubious – discuss]} Some precursors of April Fools' Day include the Roman festival of Hilaria.

Bertha R. McDonald, in Harper's Weekly explicated an origin of April Fools' Day, stating that some "authorities gravely back with it to the time of Noah and the ark, and the London Public Advertiser of March 13, 1769, prints the following paragraph concerning this theory: 'The mistake of Noah sending the dove out of the ark before the water had abated, on the first day of April, and to perpetuate the memory of this deliverance it was thought proper, whoever forgot so remarkable a circumstance, to punish them by sending them upon some sleeveless errand similar to that ineffectual message upon which the bird was sent by the patriarch'."^[2]

In Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392), the "Nun's Priest's Tale" is set Syn March bigan thritty dayes and two.^[3] Modern scholars believe that there is a copying error in the extant manuscripts and that Chaucer actually wrote, Syn March was gon.^[4] Thus the passage originally meant 32 days after March, i.e. 2 May,^[5] the anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia, which took place in 1381. Readers apparently misunderstood this line to mean "32 March", i.e. April 1.^{[citation needed][6]} In Chaucer's tale, the vain cock Chauntecleer is tricked by a fox.

In 1508, French poet Eloy d'Amerval referred to a poisson d’avril (April fool, literally "Fish of April"), a possible reference to the holiday.^[7] In 1539, Flemish poet Eduard de Dene wrote of a nobleman who sent his servants on foolish errands on April 1.^[5] In 1686, John Aubrey referred to the holiday as "Fooles holy day", the first British reference.^[5] On April 1, 1698, several people were tricked into going to the Tower of London to "see the Lions washed".^[5]

In the Middle Ages, New Year's Day was celebrated on March 25 in most European towns.^[8] In some areas of France, New Year's was a week-long holiday ending on April 1.^[9][10] Some writers suggest that April Fools' originated because those who celebrated on January 1 made fun of those who celebrated on other dates.^[9] The use of January 1 as New Year's Day was common in France by the mid-16th century,^[5] and this date was adopted officially in 1564 by the Edict of Roussillon.

In the Netherlands, the origin of April Fools' Day is often attributed to the Dutch victory at Brielle in 1572, where the Spanish Duke Álvarez de Toledo was defeated. "Op 1 april verloor Alva zijn bril." is a Dutch proverb, which can be translated to: "On the first of April, Alva lost his glasses." In this case, the glasses ("bril" in Dutch) serve as a metaphor for Brielle. This theory, however, provides no explanation for the international celebration of April Fools' Day

AND THESE OF COURSE  (copy and paste)

http://tiphero.com/top-10-worst-april-fools-day-fails-of-all-time/

HAVE A GREAT DAY

Sometimes You are just at a loss...What to do, What to do?

We start everything with good intentions.  We go to the gym every other day for a month, then by month three we are going only when we feel guilty about not going.  We give up bad eating for a month until we lose that 5 pounds and then it's back to the Snickkerdoodles and Lattes. 

It's the same with a blog. You go into it and say, I will write every day or every other day. Something deep and meaningful.  But alas, it is not that easy... especially when you see so much crap out there, and you try to avoid being part of that big old river of crap.  That is why I felt I needed to write something today.  The problem being, I don't  really have anything to touch upon. I don't want to get involved in writing about politics, because it does not matter what side you are on, whatever you express is going to draw negative energy from one side or another. You can't win. So I chose to keep that energy out of my life. 

I don't talk religion, because that melting pot is dangerous ground as well. You get labeled as racist, which makes no sense at all, because religion is not race. 

You can't talk about crime because again, even if the facts point to a certain race or gender, you are racist. 

You can't talk about lifestyle (or life choice / gender identity) because then you are labeled "something or other phobic." 

Personally I don't care if you agree with anything I ever say or not. You are entitled to your thoughts as I should be to mine.  But, If one expresses an opinion that is different from yours, blasting a blogger with hate comments serves no purpose. Instead of spewing hate in one line comments, why not start a blog of your own and spell out your concerns. Ahhh, the problem there is you don't want to get the hate comments either. It's a vicious circle which is why I don't write too much anymore.  

Granted, I don't get a lot of hate comments, because I try to keep my blog's topics along the lines of interesting stuff rather than op-eds. 

I draw my observations on reading other people's blogs and seeing some of the comments.  It's terrible and disrespectful. I am sure if some of these people met these bloggers face to face that they would not dare to actually say some of the things they say in the anonymous world of the internet. 

So, I suppose I will limit this blog to Music industry advise, and the occasional life experience.   (Oh, and since I sell Kia, I will answer any questions you have about these wonderful vehicles).

A revamp is in order, and I am going to take a little time to figure this out. 

In the meantime. Be nice. 

Have a great day!

Be happy in your perfect imperfection.

"No one is perfect".  How many times have we heard this or even used it as an excuse for lack of knowledge or experience?  

The whole perfection thing is a lot of pressure. We are raised to be the best we can be. That is WAYYYY different than being perfect.

You don't have to be perfect. Perfection is a illusion. It's unattainable. It's a unicorn.  Great to imagine, but in real life, it's still a horse with a horn glued to its head.  

However, there is a way, somewhat Taoist to look at this. If you have have imperfections, and those imperfections make up the person you are, then it would only fit that you are perfect in your imperfection. You are the perfect you. 

We are hit from all sides with media and peer pressure to look a certain way, or dress with a certain style, or have a perfect hair style yadda yadda yadda.....It tends to make one very self conscious about one's self.  You hear the horror stories every day. Young kids turning to drugs, self mutilation, depression, isolationism, suicide...all for what? Because they don't fit in with the latest trend. 

True, some people are genetically predisposed to "good looks" or "athleticism" or brilliance...and some are not as attractive, or strong or smart.  Nature will always balance. Yes, it has been proven that mates tend to gravitate toward the strongest of the herd. Or the prettiest..(example Bird of Paradise). In nature, this is for survival of the species. Humans do not have that problem. We get together, hang out, have sex with each other and boom....on goes the species. And yes, sometime alcohol is involved that makes you pair up with someone that for whatever reason you would not normally pair up with. 

Point is, there is someone for everyone. What I find unattractive in someone, the next person with see as the one they have been looking for all their life...perfect in their imperfections.  A lot of "imperfection" has to do with self image.  We all can do things to make changes in what we see as faults in ourselves. All good. Make those changes.  Embrace those changes. But, be sure you are doing it for the right reason. You can not be beautiful to others until you are beautiful to yourself.  You can only love others when you love yourself first.  Embrace your imperfections and love them. Life is a wonderful thing once you  realize that you don't have to be a clone on the model on TV who is pushing the latest "make yourself perfect" product.  Just be the best you that you can be.  

Have an "imperfect" day!

No B Side

As an observer of all things going on around me, it appears that the media has lost the fact there there is a B side to all that is going on in the world right now. 

Let me clarify. "B Side" is a music industry term that originates from when record labels release 45s. One song on each side. and A side (Which was supposed to be the hit song) and a B side which featured another song on the album that was good but not being considered as an A side single.  So, you played the A side song and the B side may NEVER get heard. 

Funny thing, though, sometimes people want to know what's on the B side. And occasionally, a B side song is a hit.  Maybe a DJ at a radio station played it by mistake. It's happened many time in the course of music history. Google "B SIDE HITS" and you will be surprised at what songs charted that were never supposed to be hits.  
Now, in the world of CDs and MP3, and streaming services, the B side is not a factor anymore and we now hear the Chart Cut and it's all we ever hear. (Listen to XM radio and tell me what the repeat rotation is) I was a radio DJ for many years. My luck was that they never made me follow the national rotation, and I was allowed to play what I wanted.  So, I mixed it up a lot and played songs that you didn't hear a lot, but everyone remembered. The songs you don't hear anymore."

I have a point to all this. Really.  It has to do with the news media. 

We are in a time of great division. It is not the first time, and it will not be the last time.  I don't choose sides, I observe what I perceive to be only A Side information.  All the media seems to thrive on is the anger and the negative energy that is spewed forth by people who don't or won't accept the current world and political situation. 
You see riots, and angry mobs, celebs who think they have the voice and ear of the people. And it's only so because the news media shoves it into your face and surrounds you with this hate and anger. All for ratings.  Bear with me. If  you are watching the news and there is rioting in the streets, and cars being set on fire, and you switch to the other news channel and see some warm and fuzzy story about happy people doing good things, do you shake your head and go back to the riots and anger because it's "more interesting?"  It's like listening to the first 10 seconds of a B side single and deciding that the A side song is better because that's what the record company has chosen to give you. It's what the networks chose to broadcast because they know that you will watch. 

I want to see the B side to all this hate and discontent. Show me the good. There is good in everything. It's the Yin and the Yang. You can not have one without the other.  Problem is, we are only looking at the Yang. We need a little more Yin I think.

I used to counsel teens. At the beginning of a group session, which I KNEW was going to be all about bitching about their parents and their life, as teens are prone to, I would go around the room and tell them to give me a HAPPY before we started. It had to be thought out . Not "I'm happy to be here...or I'm happy the 49ers won the Superbowl. (It was a long time ago) It had to be a genuine, happy feeling. It was hard for them. They were so programmed to be negative that it was beyond them to think that they had anything at all going for them. But.. they managed in the end to come up with something thought provoking. 

We have a higher power of some sort watching over us. I believe that.  Sometimes we just need to turn off the constant A side and flip to the B side and see what is there. It might be a better song. 

Have a great day.

I Have had to take a step back

I know it's been a couple of weeks since I have posted.  With all that is going on right now, new President, people happy about it, people not happy about it, people acting like total asses as well as those making their voice heard, using their first amendment rights the right way, I thought I would just sit back and take it all in.  I have been loath to write, because I don't like to get involved in politics in my blog if I can help it.  That being said, let me express my concern with people who take an event like the inauguration of our President, (like him or not) and make it an excuse for senseless violence. We the people have the right to protest. It's a right given by our forefathers. It's a wonderful thing. BUT, if you are going to throw bricks through windows of a business whose only fault is that the building is in firing range, then you have no right to bitch when you are arrested and charged with rioting and vandalism. You should go to jail. Do not pass go! You are a punk.

There is talk of paid protestors, other countries promoting this kind of thing and celebs cheering it all on.  I never thought in my life that I would agree with Michael Moore, but his statement rings true. If you want change, run for office. Start with your school board or City Council. Run for Congress or Senate, because it's not the other guy's responsibility to make the changes that you are passionate enough about to throw bricks through someone's business and drive up the cost of their goods.  If you want change, get off your ass and make your voice heard through the right channels. Calmly and purposefully. Violence leads to fear...fear leads to hate, and hate leads to the dark side of the force.  Peaceful protest will make your thoughts known. All for that! They will bring to the forefront all you are passionate about.  Change starts with you. Raise YOUR head above the crowd. Don't think you can? What makes anyone in office different than you? Maybe THEY decided that they wanted to be the voice in the crowd that was heard.  Love Trump or hate him.  He made his voice heard. He told people what he was passionate about. God bless him for being that person.  

So, these are my thoughts watching the events of the last few days.  I don't choose sides, I am not worried about what MIGHT happen....Only what is today. 

Have a great day!

Remember this when you look at ALL YOUR FRIENDS on Facebook...

I am currently writing a book. I have been working on it for quite a long time, because it's the kind of thing you have to write when the mood hits you, and you have a great thread of thought...much like a blog. It's a chance you take that anyone will be interested in what you have to say.  I enjoy writing, and I hope to someday E publish this book. If one person reads it and it helps them, then it was worth taking the time to do. 

The book is called The Self Help Book For People Who Hate Self Help Books (c)2016..... 

I have read a ton of self help books, some great, some not so...but most have one thing in common. They are written by people that have a lot of letters after their names. All good...not dissing anyone. I am writing mine from just years of observation and experience. I would like to share one of the chapters with you here, just because social media is such a thing now. We are get pulled into the Facebook Rabbit Hole. So here we go. This chapter from the book is called: 

But I Have 4627 Friends on Facebook

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Okay. Take a DEEP breath. All but about 12 of these people are not your friends. Maybe a few more or less. Go through your "Friends" on Face Book and write down the ones you would trust your kids, Dog or Spouse with. Who can you call as a house sitter if you have to go out of town? Yup. Short list. Multiply all this by the number of friends on Twitter, Voxer, Snap Chat Yadda Yadda Yadda and you still end up with about 12. So why are you sharing you most personal stuff with total strangers? And why do they think you really care about what they eat every 42 minutes? It's really gotten out of hand. Okay, so I am an entertainer. I have a couple of Face Book pages. I think I have a total of about 2500 "Friends" between the two pages. I perform and send invites to everyone. I figure asses in seats means ticket sales. But, at lets say, Christmas Time, if I want to send out a personal greeting to people on my pages, there are only MAYBE 30 people that I feel I know well enough to invade their personal space. And some of them are iffy. Don't let the number of "Friends" you have in cyber space lull you into a false sense of being all that. We are really not that important to anyone but ourselves. We measure our success in terms of likes, shares and comments. We have all done it. We have liked some crap on Facebook that we didn't spend more than a 10^th of a second looking at because the person is our “Friend” and we want all his “Friends” to see that I am his “Friend”...What a crock. In the great scheme of things, it's meaningless. There is no personal contact. It's an illusion that we have all these friends that we “Connect” with when we sitting at home in our underwear at 2 AM looking at our Facebook page because we have forgotten how to really communicate.

When something goes wrong and we put it on Facebook or instagram or Twitter, whatever your social media of choice, we get responses of condolence, prayers, advise, whatever from all these people we don't know. But how many of them are responding because they are really praying for you, and how many are just doing it because you had 231 other people do it and they want to feel like they are part of the collective conscience. That's all good and well if they actually say a prayer for you. How many times have YOU said someone was in your prayers and never thought about them again??

As a sales person, I sit and hand write 5 to 10 cards a day to clients that have bought cars from me. People I work with are astounded by this. That someone can actually sit down, with a pen and a blank card and envelope and write...in your own handwriting mind you.....a couple of sentences to another human being. It does not involve a keyboard, an e mail address or a data plan. It's olden days stuff. I actually had someone ask, “What do you do? Mail it?” It's a damned shame. It's a shame that these guys are missing out. I get calls from these clients thanking me for taking the time...(2 minutes) out of my day to think about them. Oh, and they come in and buy another car.

I have all my clients in an e mail database, I have a ton of them on Facebook, and yes it would save a lot of time and postage to just bulk email a big “How have you been” to 400 people at the same time. But, it's just another email. Lost in 50 others they just got. But when someone goes out and opens the mail box and there, nestled among the bills and junk is a bright blue envelope, with their name and address hand written upon it, well, That's special. Someone once said, If you can count your friends on both hands, you can count your REAL friends on just one hand, and out of those 5, maybe two are true friends. Be careful who you share your thoughts, loves, fears and food pictures with. All of it will be in cyber space, uh, FOREVER!

                                           ******************************

Hope you got something out of that. I hope to be done with the whole thing sometime this year!

Have a Great Day!

These questions need to be answered......

This was posted on Facebook. Needed to share here as well. enjoy
I am 57 years-old and I have so many unanswered questions!!!! I still haven't found out who let the Dogs Out...where's the beef...how to get to Sesame Street... why Dora doesn't just use Google Maps...Why do all flavors of fruit loops taste exactly the same, or how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop......why eggs are packaged in a flimsy paper carton, but batteries are secured in plastic that's tough as nails, yet light bulbs too are in a flimsy carton... Ever buy scissors? You need scissors to cut into the packaging of scissors... i still don't understand why there is Braille on drive up ATM's or why "abbreviated" is such a long word; or why is there a D in 'fridge' but not in refrigerator... why lemon juice is made with artificial flavor yet dish-washing liquid is made with real lemons... why they sterilize the needle for lethal injections... and, why do you have to "put your two cents in" but it's only a "penny for your thoughts" where's that extra penny going... why do The Alphabet Song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star have the same melody... why did you just try to sing those two previous songs... and just what is Victoria's secret? ....and what would you do for a Klondike bar and you know as soon as you bite into it it falls apart...and Why do we drive on Parkways and park on Driveways? do you really think I am this witty?? ... I actually got this from a friend, who stole it from her brother's girlfriend's, uncle's cousin's, baby momma's doctor who lived next door to an old class mate's mail man...Now it is your turn to take it from me...Peace!!
Copy and Paste, change the age, and enjoy your day!!
Too funny not to post.