The Super Worm Equinox Moon.....

Soooo....Today is the first day of Spring!  It is also a Full Moon, and evidently it has something to do with worms...

It happens occasionally when the moon is full on the day of the spring Equinox. Today the daylight and darkness are the same length.  (Simplified, I guess that means 12 and 12).  

I love breaking out the telescope and doing moon viewing when there are super moons.  The last event was the blood moon a few months back. Pretty cool.  So, I hope everyone enjoys the Super Worm Equinox Moon. I won't be watching, because, yes, its cloudy and going to rain tonight.  I know this big ol' moon will still be there in its full glory. Hiding.

It's called a worm moon because it's the first full moon of March, and because the ground is thawing, the worms start to come out of hibernation.  I don't know...They could have had a better name like the new flower bud moon, or the thank God winter is over because I am so over shoveling snow moon.  Maybe the we have to turn the clocks ahead and loose and hour of sleep which I think is stupid moon. How about the "It's Spring and I am super randy" moon. The weather is warming up and road construction season is starting moon. or "You think a regular full moon brings out the crazies, just wait til tonight" moon.

I am sure you get the point and can come up with a great name of your own. 

In the meantime, go out and enjoy the Super Worm Equinox Moon. 

Happy Birthday....... to me

 So today I was sharing my yellow shirt blog (August 2017) with a coworker and she said to me "Why don’t you do more blogs?"  So here I am once again thinking about what to write about.

The obvious thing would be my 60th birthday coming up on March 25. Never thought I’d get this far, but since I’m here, when people ask how old I’m going to be my response it’s just,  “A little bit older than I was yesterday”. 

 Birthdays are a funny thing... they come along once a year and they mark the date of your birth, but time really doesn’t really care if it’s your birthday or not. I tell people I’m going to be 60 and they look at me and say "oh my God you don’t any older than being in your late 40s." I find that is complementary because I try to take care of myself, and I don’t want to look or act my age. If one were to really think about it  when you hit 60 you’re really not much older than you were when you were 59 yet we’re starting a brand new decade and psychologically that can be a bit daunting.

 I’m proud to say that I’m only on one regular medication at 60, and that’s for a blood sugar issue. Between diet and exercise and this light medication I think this shouldn’t  be a Big deal. I do feel much better and have a lot more energy since I’ve watched my diet in the last couple of weeks.. as a matter fact my wife and I took a nice long hike in the high desert around Las Vegas last weekend it was great. So I guess I’m as young as I feel right now I feel like I’m probably in my mid 40s. I look in the mirror And the guy looking back at me doesn’t look at all like the 60-year-olds I remember when I was in my 20s. I guess everything is relative and I do see that the passage of time seems to go faster, as people say it does when you get older.  I never really understood that concept because time doesn’t pass any faster now than it did when I was 18. Maybe it’s because when you’re older,  One tends to use their time more wisely, therefore you have less wasted time and the time you do use seems to go faster because when you’re doing something you never have enough time to get it done. When you’re sitting around, time seems to go by in a crawl.

I hear a lot that 60 is the new 40. Actually 60 is 60 and 40 is 40.  Even in  good health I enjoy now, I know there are things that I won’t do now that I could easily do when I was 40 years old. I won’t go into a long list but those of you were in your late 50s or early 60s know exactly what I’m talking about. And… It’s OK. I don’t have to be at 40-year-old.  I can be proud of where I am and know that people look at me and don’t think I’m a broken down old man.

In my job I see a lot of people who are younger than me with one foot in the grave, and it is really sad because they have that “ I’m old”  state of mind.  This is not really a healthy thing because you can talk yourself into being old at any time in your life. I’ve run into 40-year-olds who think life ends at 40,  and it’s very sad. But all you have to do is just look in the mirror every day,  and thank your higher power that you woke up on the proper side of the lawn this morning, and then get on with your day... embrace it, love it and enjoy life instead of thinking about the fact that you might be a day older today than you were yesterday. People ask me...”you’re going to be 60 ...are you having a big huge celebration? ...what are you doing? It’s a big birthday ....yada yada yada”...I just tell them every day is a celebration for me and every day is a Birthday I’m 21,900 days old!  I think all in all I’m doing pretty damned well. Embrace today like there’s no tomorrow. And take each day like it is a gift. Take care your health because it’s stupid not to. And if you don’t take care yourself, then you have no place to bitch about feeling like you’re 1000 years old. I’m looking forward to my birthday although I’m a little sad that I can’t eat the cake. But I’ll let others enjoy that for me.

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!!

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