Happy 2019 ... Resolutions?

Tick Tock...2019 is almost here.  If you had resolutions for 2018 that are not yet achieved, you'd better get on it! You are running out of time, and soon you will be too late and will have to stack them up on your 2019 list....Personally, I don't do resolutions, because, in general they are just too stressful....Especially when you tell EVERYONE what your resolution is...'cause then they are watching you.....and REMINDING you....

New years day. New years Eve, actually the whole "time" thing is just an illusion.  Time is a relative thing. I mean twice a year we all RESET time either ahead or back..Every 4 years we add a day to the year...WE are the only ones that care about time.  Our ancestors didn't give a crap about time. It was like 'Big ball of light in sky...go hunt. try not to be food to saber tooth cats...Big ball leave sky, small white light, dark...go to cave go to sleep...start again tomorrow...'

People are the only ones who are ever "late" for anything.  All other animals arrive when they get there. 

Today is Winter solstice. The shortest day of the year. so, there are cycles, but time is really meaningless.  So, as January 1st comes and goes, know that if you make a resolution, just do it. Don't put a time limit on yourself.  It's just passing of the big ball of light into the smaller ball of light. 

Happy New Year....

Wow...Holidays are HERE!

I didn't think it had been this long since I last wrote.  I have been busy finishing my book which we will E publish soon.  I have also been working a lot on my KIA blog.  Too much to do, never enough time to do it all. Which brings me to today's idea.  The Holidays are HERE! Thanksgiving was last week... here....gone.... Christmas is now upon us!  We are a bit desensitized because, after all, a lot of the stores have been green and red since mid October.  I did hear Christmas music in the first week of November this year. Wow.  

So, now you had your family in for a huge gathering last Thursday. In 1 month you get to do it all again.  It's too much!!! No one has time in 1 tiny month to do anything new that you can talk about around the dinner table at Christmas. So you get stuck hearing all the same stories that you heard at Thanksgiving...

Having family stay with you is tough.  You get so used to your routine and suddenly you are cooking for twice as many, (Stuff you would not normally cook), watching movies your houseguests want to watch, and just totally wonking up your daily routine in general.  By day three, it's like an episode of the Twilight Zone. Rod Serling standing in the corner of the room with a cigarette in his hand and that choppy cadence in his voice reminding you that there is no leftover gravy in The Twilight Zone!

Here are a few tips for surviving Holiday Guests. 

1. Remember...YOU invited them (most of the time)  If you dive into a pool of sharks, knowing there are sharks there, that's on you!

2. Wait to do your Christmas shopping. That way, while the Family is there, you have an excuse to get out for a couple of hours by yourself, hence a bit of peace and quiet. 

3. Practice breathing. When you get frustrated just inhale...exhale...repeat as necessary. 

4. Remember the definition of insanity...doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.  Maybe THIS year try inviting less people, or better yet, go to their house and annoy them for a change.

5. Send love to those who annoy you. Remember, they are your teachers. 

6. Look for the gift. If your folks are older, you may not be able to spend Christmas with them next year. And believe me, once they are gone, you will wish they could be there. 

7. Watch Christmas Vacation.  The Griswalds can teach you a few things. Like thank goodness Cousin Eddy belongs to them and not you. 

Happy Holidays / Merry Christmas / Happy Hanukkah / may you be blessed in whatever manner you celebrate. 

Happy Father's day

It's that time of year again.  Happy Father's day to all the Dads out there. 

I think I mentioned last year that I am lucky enough to have 2 Dads.  My Dad, and my Stepfather.  Both of them amazing men who did a great job raising me. I am grateful to them every day. 

Sometimes we take Dad for granted, knowing they have always been there for us, and then suddenly something happens. You get that phone call that there is a medical "procedure" that needs to be done, and though it's not anything "serious" it's still an indication that everyone get older every year. My step dad just had some back issues that have effected his mobility. Not a huge thing, but still, a reminder that he is not getting any younger. He is 85.  To me he is still, you know, in his 40s. 

I think we have a hard time dealing with parents getting older.  It also reminds us that we are driving down that road as well, and putting some miles behind us all the time.  

For some reason, Father's day get a second tier rating.  It's never as big a deal as Mother's day, which is a huge card and flower day. Fathers day is more of a hardware store event.  Dad would much prefer a power tool to a bunch of roses and candy.

I have a Son who is going to come hang with me on Sunday. He and my wife, (His Stepmom) and I will go up the mountain for a picnic. It will be a great day.  The nice thing is, he loves to spend time with us, and it's always great to see him.  

Not to dwell, but it is also the day I lost my oldest son.  So Father's day is always a bit hard for me.  We will take a moment on the mountain to say a prayer. 

Bottom line is this...No matter what your situation, let your Dad know that you love him.  Because he is here today. He may not be there tomorrow.  If Dad has already passed on, say a prayer and talk to him. He will hear you. 

Have a great day!!

The Olympics are over???

I almost missed it this year.  The Winter Olympics. They came and went without a lot of fanfare. Or maybe there was fanfare, but I was on the wrong channel.  I expected lots of social media. Facebook, twitter, instagram, whatever...but...there was very little of that.  Strange.

I remember when I was a kid...back in the 70's...everyone was talking about the Olympics! Months before they started! Granted, the Summer games were always a bigger draw, but the Winter games also generated a lot of buzz.  There was American pride, and everyone was glued to the games to see the USA kick some ass.  It was the Cold War all over again. Didn't matter as long as we beat Russia. 

So this year, they banned Russia from the games because of doping. (Go figure). The ones they did allow to compete were the Olympic Athletes of Russia or OAR. Nothing they did went into the official record books. As a matter of fact, they had to give couple of medals back after the Russian curling team was busted for doping.  THE CURLING TEAM IS DOPING???? WHAT THE HELL IS THAT ABOUT?? Gotta pump up before you slide a rock down the ice. And those guys sweeping the ice...they need that extra steroid bump to handle the brooms.....That being said, curling is one of those things that you won't admit to watching, but it draws you in. hooks you...and soon you realize you have watched this thing for the last three hours. It's quite memorizing.  More so than the skiing I think. I can watch downhill skiing for about 15 minutes. It's all the same. These guys and girls are so good, they never fall. Snooze. What's on PBS?

I missed most of the opening ceremony, didn't care about the closing ceremony,  and in between caught snippets here and there.  I did tune in to the figure skating to see Johnny Wier's  hair.  All kidding aside, there was some amazing skaters this year.  

The event I like the most is the skeleton. These guys are shooting downhill on the ice covered bobsled run on what is basically a half sized Flexible Flyer doing about 90 MPH. Arms at their side, no real way to steer....These guys have my total respect.  When I was 12 years old, I was on my Flexible Flyer going down dead man's hill.  I lost control and hit a tree face first at maybe 10 MPH.  I had to drink Thanksgiving dinner through a straw.  

So, with the winter Olympics over, life gets back to normal. Which isn't much different than a week ago when it was in full swing. Let's start getting ready for the 2020 Summer games. I'm pumped!!