Glass Houses

Yep, the title explains my rant of the day!  Of course, I am sure that not many people read this, so the "I am offended" list should be pretty short! haha.  Basically, there are too many people in this world that want to live in glass houses and machine gun rocks around them!  Not to say I have not broken the rule myself, but come on, some people are just in search of a way to look down on someone else to make their own miserable self feel better.

What is great, is that we don't HAVE to be a victim and let them win.  I take much pride and pleasure in watching their stones come flying and laugh my ass off at them!  There is nothing more hilarious than seeing someone pointing a finger and they don't realize that you know why there are four pointing straight back at them.  Maybe that is the way to not let people bother me, just realize that whatever they are saying about me, they have four times as much stuff in their own closet that they are hiding.

So, the next time someone says I am not a good person or I am to blame for something I will just continue to laugh and take pride in their own skeletons!  No one in this world knows my intentions and motivations but me and I am completely secure with them.

I really like the idiots that say that someone is responsible for another person's unhappiness, especially when it is people butting into a relationship.  The person that is accusing could be someone that is equally unhappy but yet they would never blame their spouse!  Tell me how that makes sense! LOL!  People are so stupid, especially those that want to destroy what others have out of their own selfishness.

So, I laugh at them and only pity the people that they are abusing in life.  I have never been a victim and I will never allow myself to be one!  So, bugger off, I love my life, love who I am, and know that there is always someone that I am going to make happy.  Jealousy is a bitch, enjoy cuddling up with that at night! bwahaha!

Imaginary People

Have you ever wished that you could turn back time and go back to your childhood?  After all, everything was so much easier back then.  There were no bills to pay, no children to be responsible for, and no REAL responsibilities in life!  But, most of all, the people in your life were real.  Your friends were your friends and whenever you needed them they were there.

It seems as we grow up that "real" part of a lot of people's personalities goes out the window.  The person that used to be there every Friday and Saturday night hanging out with their friends and caring about what they had to say has evolved.  Now, most of those people are the "friends" that are there for you when they need something or only stick around because of the success in your life.

Now, the people that know me well, know that there are very FEW people that I can actually utter the word friend to describe.  After all, that process has been a product of much pain in the past.  Now, caution is due and it seems like you have to enact a strict screening process for those that you hold close in your life.

So, why is it so hard to just be like a child?  For the religious types, that is what Jesus said to do, after all!  Likewise, for the non-religious readers, the concept still applies.  Why can we not just keep our friends close, sacrifice for them, love them, and be truthful at all times with them?  Is friendship a concept of the past?  Are people incapable of endearing themselves to others out of self-sacrifice instead of self-gratification?

I think those are good questions that we all need to look at ourselves and answer.  Everyone needs a little gut check when they look in the mirror and a good topic on which to conduct it.  Therefore, I challenge myself and anyone who is reading this to look in the mirror and say, "Have I been a good 'friend' today, last week, last month, or last year?" and if the answer is no, then ponder how to fix that.  The world sucks enough without having good friends in it!

Mister Fix-it

While taking the girls to school this morning I had the radio on and could not help but listen to the topic at hand.  What was that topic?  Let me tell you, it was a topic that has plagued male/female relationships since the dawn of our species!  Yes, it was about communication and the differences between men and women.  They were illustrating how a woman disliked her co-worker but was upset with her husband and thought her marriage was doomed because he seemed disinterested in her work issues and only commented on what she should do.  Luckily, instead of making a joke of it they merely pointed out that men are fixers!  That is what we do and what attracts women to us.

You see, it is not that we do not care what you are saying.  Merely, we are genetically predisposed to trying to fix the problems of our family.  So, we are basically incapable of just sitting, listening, and empathizing.  Most times we can get it together and realize that you need just that and fight our urge to throw out a solution.

However, one thing that women have to realize is that when you are hurting, we are hurting.  So, if someone is hurting your feelings we want to fix that and make you feel better.  Plus, we know that we cannot go to your work and go throw this woman through a wall.  Therefore, we try to give you tips on how we would solve the situation because we love you and don't want to see you upset.  I know, it is crazy, and probably more than annoying because all you want is someone to listen and let you get it out; but at the same time we are hurting because you are hurting and we want to see you feel better.

I know, it is one hell of an emotional catch 22!  But, this is where we find ourselves on a regular basis.  So, all we can do is hope that women will realize that when we try to stick our noses in and offer up our solutions the best of intentions are there!  We annoy you because we love you and, quite frankly, are incapable of becoming your girlfriends as well as husbands!  So, take the good with the bad and love us for what we are.  The radio DJ made a good statement and said that as long as we are not the type of guy that is out there selling your kids toys for drugs and we are genuinely good men, then don't hold it against us; look for our good and why you are in love with us!  All we want is to see you happy and taken care of.  It is how we show our love for you!

Social Elite

One thing I have never believed in is that a certain group of people are better than the rest.  Therefore, one of my pet peeves is seeing someone who has a bit, or a lot, more money than another person treat them as if they are of lower class or significance to this world.  What gives someone that right?  What gives them the idea that just because there are hundred dollar bills in their pocket that they can demean someone else because they have twenties?

Let me tell you, in my job I have met some of the most interesting people that I have ever met.  Some of them would put the "social elite" to shame with their intelligence and business potential.  Granted, they may waste it on criminal endeavors, but still that sense is there.  I remember a quote from Albert Einstein that says, “I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.”  That quote means a lot because that is how we are supposed to live.

I guess this is one of my soap boxes again because of stuff that I see from day to day.  However, it is still true.  No one deserves belittling remarks or unfair treatment because of assumptions!  Not to mention, some of the people that think they are the smartest in this world are truly the most ignorant!  How great it is to see the mighty fall!

Blast From the Past

So, I took my father to go see the movie "American Sniper" yesterday.  Not only was that movie amazing, but it definitely possesses the ability to transport my mind to days of the past.  Plus, another great thing about the movie was it did not just focus on the shooting and killing of war and glorification that most Hollywood films radiate.  This movie also focused on the personal and emotional toll that war takes on the individual and their families.

As he was going through some of his firefights I could almost hear the whiz and crack of rounds impacting stone.  Luckily, there were few people in that theater that could truly relate, but you could tell the ones that had been there.  You could see the emotion in people's faces when you knew that something was replaying in their minds.

It is amazing how your mind can trap an event and replay it for you in gory detail over and over.  You can smell the same smells, hear the same sounds, and see the same images as if they were happening in the here and now.  But it is just a memory, just something that happened in your past.  So, how can it saturate your mind now and never be watered down with time?  How can a memory be so real so often?

Just like Chris Kyle many Veterans go through the same thing and see the same results.  Families are alienated, spouses are frustrated, and children are confused.  Maybe with this big push for awareness and movies like "American Sniper" PTSD can finally get the attention it deserves.  When it is all said and done us Veterans have to live with the things that we did and the things that we saw.  Some saw very little and some saw more than can be understood.  Either way, all Veterans that have actually seen combat will have seen more and experienced more than 99% of the population!

So, the next time you judge someone for being an asshole and write off his dismissive remarks or demeanor; maybe you should consider where he has been and what he could have been through.  Maybe people should do a little research instead of just assuming that all people in the military can just flip the off switch when they are back home or out of the military.  There is NO OFF SWITCH people, God flipped it into the ON position and then ripped the switch out of the wall making it irrepairable.

Inside every Veteran is the person they used to be and that person can come out quite a bit.  However, there is the person that they were, the person that needed to survive, the person that saw horrific things huddled inside that comes out every now and then.  That person will forever be ingrained in our personalities and our attitudes.  You know why?  Because we have seen and done more things than you ever will and we did it so that you did not have to!  So, be thankful that WE are the ones dealing with the images and sounds of our past and treat your loved ones like me with the respect due.  We took that bullet for you and take it every single minute of every single day.  You rest easy as we awaken in night terrors and soaked in sweat!

Get up Fatty!

Yep, I am referring to myself!  This is my public declaration that I am tired of looking in the mirror and saying, "What the hell happened, man?" and cringing!  So, I have the elliptical, the running shoes, and the disgust of the reflection.  Therefore, miles will be put on that machine and the pavement.

Maybe I should keep a daily log, for accountability purposes, on here at the end of every blog.  That sounds like a good idea.  And if I get slack, feel free to bust me up and make me get off the couch.  It seems like obesity and laziness is an epidemic in our society today and I do not want to be another victim.

When I was a Marine I hated the forced physical training that we had to do.  The endless 5 o'clock in the morning runs and grueling calisthenics sessions that some thought were fun!  Looking back, though, even though they were not enjoyable I did feel great after those runs and workouts.  When I was done it was almost like being high!

So, maybe I can get that feeling back and also that weight that I had.  Yeah, for those of you that have seen me, would you believe that I was all the way down to 172 at one point?  Granted, I looked like a bobble head then, so 185-190 is my goal.  And even though a good weight number is a sincere goal, I think the healthy feeling and ability to do things with your children without losing your breath is even more of a motivator.

Onward ho, let the journey begin!  Tomorrow shall be the first mileage/time count on my blog!

Mad Men

Maybe it was meant to be, or pure irony, but yesterday I wrote about simpler times in our history and today I managed to stumble upon an establishment that rewinds time!  Of course, that rewind is merely extended to their drink menu.  But, that is a step in a good direction if you ask me.  After all, what ever happened to the time when people went to a bar to actually sit down and talk over a drink?

Today, social gatherings are dominated by loud music and binge drinking!  What is wrong with the days the show "Mad Men" illustrates?  Of course, I use this illustration merely in the realm of social interaction out on the town, excluding the workplace.  Anyway, why can we not just sit back, enjoy a drink that takes more than ten seconds to prepare, sip said drink, and enjoy the company of a woman or group of friends?

After all, the purpose of meeting someone is to get to know them through conversation right, not brail?  Once again, I digress that we are a now, now, now generation that does not want to work for anything.  It seems that men just want to go out and get as drunk as they can and flirt with women doing the same thing in an attempt to sleep with them.  Where is the respect in that?  Even old Don, in all his exploits was someone that took the time to get to know someone.  Even if your intentions are to just have a night of fun, what is wrong with sitting back, getting to know someone, and letting alcohol merely cut the tension?  This generation does not seem to understand that, though.

However, I look forward to my chance to sit back, order up an Old Fashioned for the first time and merely sip away, enjoying my thoughts and the company that I am sharing.  I, for one, enjoy the ability to be immersed in the person, or persons, that I am spending the evening with.

So, as Friday night approaches, maybe we should all think about how we are going to arrange our evening.  Are we going to actually take the time to soak it all in, or merely let it be a loud explosion that we recover from tomorrow?  Maybe I am just getting old, but I shall forego the latter.

Bartender, may I have an Old Fashioned please?

Poppin' the Cherry!!

Yep, I am breaking the seal and talking about politics, in a sense.  As I eluded to in my last blog, I believe that this country is heading down the proverbial drain, and quickly.  Most people live in a dream world where it is all going to be okay, and "this is just a phase."  However, as I look at world events and the ever decreasing security of our country and it's financial assets I am somehow herded into the corner where the "doomsday preppers" have been put for years.

Without a doubt, I think there is going to be a collapse within our country and my generation is definitely going to be here to witness it.  As sad as it sounds, I think that we are going to be set back a hundred years and society will be nothing as we see it right now.  So, poke fun at the people that are stockpiling food and preparing to defend their homes.

How do I feel about them?  I think that they are smart and intuitively in tune with the world climate.  Nothing is going to stop the ball from rolling down the hill and I hope that I am not one of the poor sheep standing at the bottom watching when it hits terminal velocity!  I hope that I am one of the few that has seen it coming and prepared in whatever ways I possibly can.

Who knows, maybe we will get lucky and instead of the widespread violence and panic that is predicted we actually see neighbors come together to survive.  Would that not be an amazing picture?  Of course, the inclination is there, but the will has to follow.

No one can predict the future and what it is going to hold for us.  However, I do know that consistently our government has NOT looked out for the best interest of the common man.  Therefore, it is on our shoulders to make sure that our families are taken care of, and also those around us.  So, as our political arena is consistently polluted with corruption and greed I am going to practice the opposite and stockpile and share!

Okay, enough of the conspiracy theory soap box!  It is out there, and I might just touch on it again down the road...we shall see!!

Simpler Days

I had touched on the subject of a simpler life without all the hindrances of technology the other day.  And, to tell you the truth, that has weighed on my mind ever since!  Would it not be an interesting environment to live in where our lives were not guided and controlled by the latest and greatest in technological advances?  What if we went back to a day and time when technology was there to make our self-sustaining lifestyles a bit easier for the common man?

Maybe not everyone is into history as much as I am, but I remember stories of American families working the fields together and then lounging by the fire in the evenings.  In today's day and age that is something that is considered a rare treat!  Kids these days are so wrapped up in their distractions such as Xbox or their iPods that they do not even know how to plant a seed, let alone a field!  What would they do if there was no longer electricity!?

If I was ever to write a book, I would make it about what a Utopia it would be for the electrical grid to permanently fail.  Yes, I would have to leave out the part of the impending riots and complete lack of control in the world, but that would also be due to technology.  Fortunately, though, my story would involve families once again centering their days around spending time together and producing the needs of the family.  No, it would not be about how everything comes a bit more into perspective.

When was the last time we sat down next to a fire with our kids and talked about their days?  When was the last time we just looked up into the stars and wondered what was up there and discussed it with them?  I bet most people cannot remember the last time!  And that is something that I am going to change in my own life.  I have a back yard and a front row seat to the universe, it is about time I used it!  Not to mention, come spring time there is definitely going to be a garden in the back yard and we are going to learn to be a bit more self-sustaining, and for good reason.

I will make that a post tomorrow though...our future in the current economic/sociological downfall!

Manic Moonday

So, I definitely wanted to put something positive on here to kick off the week.  But, how is that possible with a rainy, gloomy, MONDAY!?  As if it was not hard enough to have to wave goodbye to the weekend; we have to do it with a gloomy backdrop.  I say that on days like this that we are allowed to deem it a second Sunday and try again tomorrow!

Unfortunately, we are stuck with the daily grind of work, work, and more work starting today.  But, at least we can say that we suffer through these kinds of days to earn that vacation, pay for that car, get the kids into a good college, and make plenty of smiles at Christmas time.  Is that a good thing or a bad thing?  Do we work our life away just to miss most of it?

Sometimes I am very jealous of the third world country residents.  Most of them work to feed their family, and by work I mean grow their own food or raise their own livestock.  How fulfilling would that be?  After all, you are technically working from home and most of the time your children are involved in what you are doing.  It is just like OUR country was in the 18th and early 19th centuries.  Was that such a bad life?  Was it so bad NOT having televisions and Xboxes to gather around and instead sit around a fire reading and talking?

Maybe I was just born in the wrong century, but I believe that a simpler life is a happier life.  Most days I wish that we could go back to just that.  Who knows, with the economic and social climate of the world right now we might just head back to it before long.  I, for one, am not completely opposed to that idea.  Striving for more technology has caused more problems than it is worth in my opinion, but that is probably something to build on for tomorrow's blog!  Enjoy your Monday!

The Golden Years

You know, I try to keep my rants to a minimum, but I just have to throw this one in to round out my first week of blogging.  What could it be, and what does the title mean, you might ask?  Well, I have been a victim of the endless frustrating moments of dealing with the elderly drivers that our roads are plagued with.  Maybe it is because we are one of the many retirement destinations or just because I am becoming more and more aware of it!

Whichever reason it is, I believe that it is the most aggravating factor on the road.  I can deal with the teenager blowing my doors off at times, or the soccer Mom being cautious in her SUV that is too  big for her to handle.  However, the old person that takes a corner like they are driving an eighteen wheel truck, goes fifteen miles per hour UNDER the speed limit, or wiggles their way into a parking spot by going back and forth over and over, I believe, is the most dangerous driver on the road!

After all, the faster paced things on the road we are ready for and know to look out for.  However, statistically someone going under the speed limit causes more crashes than any other driver.  Also, the younger, more impatient drivers, gauge a person taking a corner without caution and are more apt to run into someone that takes nearly a minute to make a ninety degree turn.  So, yes, I think there is a legitimate reason to believing that the older you are the more stringent your driving test and requirements need to be.

People need to learn to step up and remove driving privileges from some of the older generation.  I know, I know, this depresses them because they are losing their ability to get around on their own.  But, do you really want that to be your excuse when they mow down some kid because their reflexes are too slow or drive through a storefront because they got confused between the gas and brake?  Of course you do not want to see your parents like that, so do the right thing and GET THEM OFF THE ROAD!

And NO, I DO NOT hate old people!  I just think there is a large demographic of them that are dangerous to those of us on the roadways...

Baby, it's cold outside...

And here is one of the reasons that I truly love living in North Carolina, the weather!  As many native Carolinians are cursing the cold as if it were a horrible plague that had made it's way to town I am rejoicing.  Why, you ask?  Well, I am obviously not from here which means that I came from somewhere that cold riddles the winter ferociously, Illinois.

Yes, us "Yankees" can sit back and chuckle at the short term struggle that southerners go through during the winter.  After all, there are few winters that I cannot remember FEET of snow piling up around the house.  Not to mention, school was not cancelled, especially for wind chills that were ABOVE zero!  I know, I know, this is resembling the classic, "I walked to school in four feet of snow, uphill both ways!" kind of story.  However, it is not, it is merely a reflection on how the winters down here are still a blessing to me.

Of course it gets a little cold, but it is only for a few days and there are no huge piles of snow and slush everywhere.  Not to mention there are no hours spent scooping snow out of the driveway just so you can back the car out and go down ice covered roads to get to work!

So, as the southerners run around dressed like Eskimos in fourty degree weather, I say Mother Nature hit me with your best shot!  As schools are closing because of "arctic temperatures" I defiantly wear shorts and flip flops!  Come on winter, let's see what you got, there is nothing that is going to make me cry frozen tears!

Daydreaming

You ever just caught yourself daydreaming in the middle of a moment?  Well, that is where I found myself last night.  As my kids were playing and hanging out all I could think about was the future.  As they chattered on and on about some random kids show and it's plot I just sat there thinking of how the future was going to look once they were grown and out of the house.

Fortunately, what I saw was a relaxing back yard with a pool and my grand kids jumping in and out!  After all, isn't that what we all work so hard for?  To be able to enjoy our grand kids as we were not able to enjoy our own?  Now, I am not complaining, I know that it is a grim reality that we have to work hard so that our children can have a good life and we can eventually provide a good getaway for our grandchildren.  And let me tell you, this reality is something that I look forward to with open arms.

There is nothing like the thought of being able to hand over a company to my children to run and as they drop their kids off to go to work I start my day enjoying the simple things in life.  Would I love to have that kind of time with my kids now?  Sure, who wouldn't!  But, it puts a huge smile on my face to think of the days that my grandchildren run to their Mom and Dad after a long day of work and I was able to cook them a dinner that we can all sit down and enjoy.  I look forward to my dinner table being full of family that enjoys spending time with each other!

So, as I sit here I digress into a world of splashes from the pool, dogs chasing children, and many toasts to further success!  Kids are great, aren't they!?

Love is dead...

You know something I have come to the conclusion of?  Love is DEAD!  Yep, the classic vision of love has been killed by my generation and is being stabbed repeatedly by the following generations.  No longer do people believe in the institution of love and the sacrifices that are involved.  Instead, they want something that is packaged up, easy, and ready in ten minutes.  The microwave generation of instant gratification has no idea what it means to put effort into anything, let alone a relationship.

What really kills me is how contradictory Hollywood is to what really happens in life.  You get movies like "The Notebook" that preach about undying love that weathers time and challenge.  However, who really puts that kind of effort into relationships these days?  No one!  That is the answer!!  Yes, everyone has these grand illusions of what love is and they enter into a relationship with the promises of "no matter what I will love you" but they really don't mean that.

Why is it so hard to put those kind of emotions on the line?  Why does it seem like the majority of my generation is so lazy that they will not risk in order to gain?  No one has a problem risking their money in Las Vegas or the stock market.  However, when it comes to their heart they would rather lose than risk anything.  Of course, it could just come down to pure laziness as well!  People who want these grand things but yet are not willing to put the effort into them.  Everyone wants someone else to do the work for them and allow them to reap the benefits.

Yeah, sure, maybe today I am a bit jaded at how people treat the institution of love and relationships.  However, I have not given up.  I believe that when you find someone that you truly want to be with that you hold onto that and keep it close no matter what the rest of the world has to say about it, or what is popular at the time.  Now, I am not saying that I sit there and cry over sappy love stories all night, but come on, things come and go, people should not!

Last Man Standing

So, why did I title this post, "Last Man Standing,"?  The answer to that is simple, this blog was inspired by that very show.  You see, my children and I have adopted it as one of our favorite shows because of it's family orientation; something you do not see much these days!  However, family orientation is not why I chose to use it as a title to this.  Instead, that entire show is centered around a Vlog that the main character Mike Baxter created for his outdoor supply company.  Now, you would think that would be boring, but instead it is his way to rant and rave about the good and bad things going on in his life and in the world in general.

Therefore, I decided that I was going to do the same thing!  I want a portal for me to put out my feelings on things going on in life from the cute puppies we all love to the Presidents we love to hate!  So, just like Mike Baxter I want to introduce my perception of reality and exercise one of the greatest things I fought for, the freedom of speach...

So, tune in, buckle up, and enjoy the posts that are to follow.  They might be about my work and it's infinite quirkiness, my family, or just the world in general around me.  Variety is the spice of life, right?