It Has To Be Done! (Part Two)

     Yesterday, I told you that the post was not going to have anything to do with the title.  I had planned to write something and the blog turned out to be something else.  Well, I am going to back up time here and write the post that I was going to write yesterday today.  Dows that make sense?  It shouldn't.  At any rate, here goes. I have had a cup of coffee this morning, by the way.
     You can all shout for joy!  I have decided to go back to the gym and work out.  I have seen that I am beginning to gain weight again, and after loosing 70 pounds and gaining 10 back, I don't want to have to loose the 70 all over again.  I want to loose another 50, and I can do it.  Any comments of encouragement would be greatly appreciated. 
     I want to tell you the truth here.  I worked out and lifted weithts again for the first time yesterday.  Besides getting up and going to the gym, I felt great. This is also something that I want to do and that is put more discipline into my life.  There are certain things that must be done, and I need to do them on a regular basis. 
Sorry, I didn't mean to get serious, but I do have that in me.  I very rarely know where it is, but it is there. 
     I have one more thing to say and that is Hi Drew!  I am not going to explain that, it is what it is.    

It Has To Be Done

     I know that sometimes you as my loyal reader have to wonder what the title of my blogs have to do with the content of the blog itself.  Believe me, sometimes I wonder myself.  Take today's title as an example.  The title has nothing to do with what I am going to talk about. 
     Let me explain to you.  Most of the time I begin writing at about 5:00 AM Pacific Standard Time (05:00 on the 24 hour clock, and if you are impressed  that keep reading.)  I have just awaken from a night's slumber and have not exactly arrived at a point of lucid consciousness.  I know that the task must be done, so I write many times half asleep. Generally, I am taking in my first nourishment-a cup of coffee. I do add milk not cream because I don't need the calories and to the coffee I add artificial sweetner again because of the calories. You can probably tell if I have drunk the coffee because the blog that day probably makes more sense.
     What does today's title have to do with what I have written?  Absolutely nothing in that I was going to write about something else completely different than what I am writing about today.  That's just how my mind works. I have not had my coffee yet, so that kind of explains it all.  To those on the other side of the world who are not reading my blog, it is the late afternoon (17:00 in whatever timezone is opposite of PST...see I told you I was going to impress you about time.) where you are living.  You are awake-at least most of you.
There are no excuses for not being understandable and brilliant.  What does that have to do with anything?  I better go have my coffee.

I Have To Do What?

   When the advertisement for the temporary job came out, I took the job.  It looked like it would be a lot of fun, and let's face it, I couldn't pass up the cash.  For the amount of time that I was going to work and for what it paid,it was worth it.  I was goin to go to a very busy store and pass out samples of a well known product.  This was almost like stealing.
    I got to the store where I was to pass out samples and reported to the store manager. It was very, very busy.  I told him who I was and what I was there for. I knew I was in trouble by the next question he asked.
    "Are you sure you want to do this?" The store was very busy.
    "Uh, yes."  I replied with a great amount of wonder as to his question. The store was very, very busy.
    "Well, the ad agency really wanted women to do this...the prettier the better.  Well, here take a look at this.  This is the job kit they sent over.  It has your uniform.  You can change in my office or in the men's room.    Uh...I would suggest my office and you will see why.  The product is in the back and you can easily find it. Good Luck!" The store was very, very, very busy.
    What was that all about, I thought to myself. I opened the box and found my "uniform".  There it was, the wig, the skirt and the extra large sweatshirt with the company's name and logo, all hot pink with huge chartruese lettering . I was supposed to wear this stuff. The store was very, very, very, very, very busy.
     I guess pride goes before the fall, so I made the best of the situation and put on the garb.  The wig hurt my head, the sweatshirt made me too hot and the skirt kept falling down which is a scary thought in and of itself. I had to keep reminding myself that I was making a lot of money for this.  As many of you know, I was in an opera in August, and you have to play the part of a character and act.  For this job, I summoned all the creative juices that were in me and played the part as if I were a beautiful woman. That was truly a stretch as I looked like, well I will let you make the mental picture and fill in the blank with the adjectives of your own choice.
    I have to make a little confession here, maybe the story I just told wasn't exactly accurate.  My confession here is to reassure my second daughter who lives in Missouri that I haven't really lost it, again.  The part about the product demonstration was true.  I did not have to wear the uniform, and the product was given out by the store employees before I had gotten there.  But one fact was undeniable....The store was very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very busy.

Black Friday

     Those of you outside the US may rest easy, this message is not for you.  For those of you within the borders of these great United States of America I hae to say, are you out of your freakin' minds?  Is a $39.95 electronic device or whatever worth the $2.50 that you save over a regular sale to wait in line outside a store for hours and miss a great holiday such as Thanksgiving.  Are you crazy?  I am sorry, life is too short for that.

A Matter of Perspective

     Today is Thanksgiving Day here in the United States, and for most of us we will pause and reflect on the blessings and all the good things that have been provided.  The highlight for most of us is the Thanksgiving Feast, with a roasted turkey being the centerpiece of the meal.  Think of the turkey's perspective on this day.  Don't think on it very long though, just dig in!  Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm Sorry...Someone Has To Do It

     I am really sorry.  I did not choose this new career, the one of writer.  I know how many of you think that I am playing at what I do, and that is just not true.  This is hard work-work that requires a lot of creativity and dedication. Despite what you may think, coming up with stories and observations is not all fun and games.
     Take what I am doing today.  I have to go down to Valencia, by Six Flags Magic Mountain just north of Los Angeles, and play golf at the Tournament Players Course.  Not many people know about this course so it is my duty to shed journalistic light on this well kept secret.  I must bring it to the masses in its glory and beauty. Just think of the personal danger to me and to Rick, who will be recording the event in pictures. The freeway can be very dangerous and just think of the extreme physical exertion it will take to bring the story.  Pity us if you must but it has to be done, especially Rick because he is driving and is stuck for three hours listening to my stupid jokes and stories.
     Rick will be working hard to record the experience in the best light possible, literally.  I am going to have to weave a web of words that conveys the essence of the course. Just think of the mental energy, not to mention the physical energy it is going to take on both our parts. Life as an artist and writer is really difficult. 

Some Better Than Others

     OK, so I am tired today.  Yesterday's post was a very good one.  Today, I am taking off because I expended all my creative juices yesterday.  Tomorrow may be different but for today I am not even going to post.  Remember, Sunday is a day of rest.

Art Appreciation

     I enjoy art.  My tastes are fairly diverse, and I surround myself with as much expensive fine pieces of art as I can.  These are expensive pieces of fine art that have truly changed the world, and man's expression of his world. That's what the salesman told me. I know that salesmen always tell the truth because I was one once and I always told the truth. Hey, I paid a lot of money for this stuff.
     As I look around my humble abode, I can enjoy several pieces of fine art.  I enjoy statuary, and have made a sizable investment in it.  The alabaster dolphin that graces my kitchen counter is a beautiful white with reddish brown streaks.  This reddish brown color compliments my tanned skintones, and closely matches my eye color.  I picked it up after a couple of shots of tequila in Ensenada, Mexico... Ah, Mexico.
     What exactly is seaglass?  I don't know, but I bought two pieces of it and I like them.  The first piece is a multicolored pelican that is transluscent.  The selling point of this piece was the fact you could see the fish that the pelican had just caught in its beak.  This is the height of creativity and expression.  I also had in my possession another piece of high-end seaglass.  It was a clear glass dolphin coming out of a ball representing the earth, very beautiful I might add. Sadly, this piece did not survive the death march...I'm sorry, the move...to my appartment.
     I even support public art in a big way.  I donate to the State of California (DMV) a high three figure dollar amount to continue the priveledge.  As a result of this contribution, I have hung my front liscense plate in a place in my kitchen that need a piece of fine art.  It is just the piece I needed, damn the expense.
     Finally, I come to my most beloved and enduring piece.  I have hung it above my kitchen table/work area...the table is in the kitchen because we couldn't get it into the office so my kitchen became the office...and gaze on it constantly.  It is truly one of the most important pieces of art ever painted.  It rivals the Mona Lisa.  That piece is entitled "A Bold Bluff"  and is the painting of dogs playing poker.  WOW!!!  

40 Years Ago

     What did we do forty years ago?  Where were we without the technology we have?  I found out in a couple of ways Tuesday night after I had just moved in.  It was the pits!
     Tuesday morning, as I said, I had all of my belongings moved into my new apartment.  The satelite TV technician came and set up my  TV.  Growing up, I remember three channels.  Life was easy.  It was a scandal when Harry Pappas challenged the big boys and started his independent channel 26 here in Fresno.  He was viewed as an outcast.  How dare he challenge the domain dominated by channels 24, 30 and 47.  I believe channel 18 was up and running, but it was Public Television, and nobody watched Public Television except those devoted to Sesame Street.  My satelite TV was up and running and I was a happy camper.  I had other things to do so I turned off the TV and did what I had to do.
     What I am going to say here is just a bit of wisdom I have garnished over my many years.  When something is going to be installed by a technician...where were we and what would this world be without technicians?...the TV company said that the echnician would arrive between 8:00 and 12:00, and they tell you that someone needs to be there when the technician is there the technician shows up at 11:59:59? I guess that is the way that God set up the rythym of life, I don't know.
     I'm sorry that I have led you astray from the story I began to tell so back to where I was going with this.  I returned to the appartment, opened a cold one...not going to say what...and sat down in my favorite chair to watch TV.  I used to plop down on the couch to watch TV, but we couldn't get the couch out of the house during the move so we left it, sort of like the stuff that went down with the Titanic.  It was going to be great, watch TV in my new apartment with no interruptions.  Life is sweet. 
     I turned on the TV.  The screen came on and all I got was the dancing logo.  Where is the remote?  I think that the tv companies logo is quite futuristic, but I want to watch TV, not watch a logo dance around the screen. I pressed every button I could think of and up came a 771 message.  What the heck is a 771 message.  OK, let's check the cable and the how it is hooked.  Just to be safe, let's call customer service so that I know that it is hooked up properly...An hour later the customer service man on the phone says that the problem is not in the hook up, but in the system.  He would have to send out a...technician.  When?  The earliest would be by Friday and this was Tuesday.  Needless to say, my patience was being tried.  The customer service man told me that he checked his schedule and there was an opening for tomorrow at when else....between 8:00 and 12:00 and someone had to be there.
      Life was so much simpler 40 years ago.  We didn't have a remote.  We turned the TV on by pulling out the on-off button.  We changed channels with a dial.  We had an automatic dial where you pushed a button and the TV cycled through the channels manually with a motor...now that was high technology.  We hooked up the TV antenna that was up on the roof bestowing us the pleasure of watching a whopping four channels, and channel # 4 very rarely came in clearly.  The antennae wire was brown and flat, and screwed into the back of the TV.  The only technician was the TV repairman, and if he came out you knew you were in trouble. Oh, for a simpler life.
     What did I do when I had no TV Tuesday?  In bed at 7.

I Am Truly Moved...At Least My Furniture Is

     I finally got moved totally into my apartment yesterday.  Home Sweet Home has moved a few miles away from where it was.  The cause of this event is another story, one that I may tell at a later time and many of you know it so I won't go there.  Other than totally alienating half of the people that I love because of my less than Christian attitude for that short time, the move went well.  Home is where the heart is, or any other place that circumstances or the fortunes of life force it to be.  I survey my new domain and I am King and absolute ruler...well, not so much as I don't own the place I only rent it.
    

Wow! What Happened?

     I understand that this title might be a bit misleading. but bear with me.  As you all know, my posts most of the time are anything but boring.  I like to hook you in with my titles using my wit and charm (ladies, are you listening?). Here goes.
     I sing in a community choior, as I think I have said before.  Yesterday was a rehearsal for the performance which will be today.  Here's the story.  We  were arranging in the risers and were ready to rehearse, but there was a slight problem.  Some of the singers sit on the floor in chairs to sing as the performance is an hour long and some can't stand that long.  The performance is grueling and demanding, so they sit. 
     There was an older lady, who was supposed to perform in a chair and when she went to find a chair there was not one available where she was supposed to sit.  There were open chairs about fifteen feet away from where she was to sit.  We in the bass secection just watched in apathy, myself included, as the lady went over and got her own chair and dragged it to where she was supposed to be.  Whatever happened to chivalry and gentlemenly action.  Is it dead?  To the defense of us low-noters and true men (just a minute, let me duck to dodge the things the tenors are about to throw at me) the tenors just watched as well, which is probably expected of the high-noters.  Tenors, I am sorry that I just said that.  Will you forgive me and I want you to know I have nothing against you tenors. many of my friends are tenors.  I have known many manly tenors and I better quit this discussion before I really get myself in trouble if I already haven't.  
     Chivalry is dead.  Just a short time ago, had this happened ten men would have gotten out of their places and got the chair for this lady. As I have said before, most changes are good but not all changes.  This brings up another question.  I think that we need to look at how we treat each other, male or female.  Oh well, I am going off to find a lady I can find a chair for.

Never Give Up

     There are times in a person's life that it looks rather bleak.  The temptation is to just give up and crawl into a shell.  It looks better to just give up and sit on the "pity pot".  What good is that?  What does it accomplish?  Move on, there is a lot to life and you will get through it.  I know how hard it is, I'm there.
     I don't want to share what I am going through right now.  My world seems to be coming down around me.  What was comfortable has been totally destroyed.  At times, my life circumstances seem too tall to climb.  The thought has occurred to me at very low emotional times to throw it all away and just give up. 
     Why?  There is so much in this life that I have not experienced.  I have done much in my very short life, and there is more to come.  That's exciting!  Grieving is fine, and there is a time for that and is a very important part of life.  Don't let that grief overcome and paralyze.  I understand that temptation is there and real when you go through trials, but whatever it is it will pass and in most cases come out on the other side a better person.
     At the risk of once again dating myself, I must say, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life." The choice is yours as to what you do with it. As for me, I see the fun and excitement that lay ahead and I choose to "Keep on Truckin". 

Endings and Beginnings

     I hate endings.  They are always so final, and if you dwell on them they can be sad.  The word "never" seems to pop up and strong emotions come up.  In life, the very word end can give the empression of there is nothing to follow or replace what has been either good or bad.  There is nothing after what has been, and can cause a period of mourning. 
     There is another way of looking at this.  Most of the time, when there is an ending somwhere ther is a new beginning.  I care to look at this as the glass being half full.  The old must go in order for the new to be planted and grow.  Endings of old things many times are followed by the beginning of new things.  The new, many times, far exceeds the old.
     I am sorry that this may seem so cryptical today, that is how I am feeling.  There are changes going on in my life, major changes.  Let the old end and be burried.  I am looking forward to the new and exciting beginning.  Its exciting!
    

Not All There

     I didn't post yesterady and I am just now posting today.  I am sorry about that, but the day just kind of got away from me.  I swore this morning that I was going to post right after I cleaned my bathroom...which didn't get done, by the way...but I got a phone call and I had to leave the house.  One thing led to another and just now returned to the house.  I know that you all would be very disappointed if I didn't write anything so I am writing now.  Hold on, cause here it comes.  You will truly love this, its quite funny.
     Wow, my kitchen stinks!  Just a minute, I have to answer the phone.  Hold on....Got to run, I have to leave so I will continue this post later. 

No Pain, No Gain...Boloney!

     Endorphines are supposed to make you feel great.  There is a flip side to that, though.  In order to have endorphines released into your bloodstream, you must lift heavy objects or walk long distances or do some other foolish thing to your body that requires some sort of physical work.  I am not against physical work, its just that my body sees no point in doing it unless it is neccessary, and a question of life or death.  These are things they don't tell you in the teacher credential program, sort of like not telling you that your students really are not motivated to learn and that when you first go into a classroom on your own you are fresh meat.
     What on earth am I talking about here.  Well, I have been noticeing that I have gained a few pounds recently.  OK, there was the surgery but that may just be an excuse.  Time for me to work out in the gym again.  Today was the day.  I am not exactly sore at this point, but...wait for it...wait for it...wait for it because it is coming.  I also have to work out at the ungodly hour of 6:00 AM.  If I am not in the gym by then, my day gets away from me.  Veni...Vedi...Vicci...I went, I saw and worked out, and it conquered.  Actually I do feel great and I am happy to be back working out.  It has been a very long time and believe it or not, I have missed it. 

Today is...

     Today is Sunday, or at least it is Sunday here in California.  There are a couple of reasons that I know this.  I went to church this morning and sang in the choir- I still have problems spelling choir.  I am a presbyterian and there were people in the church as well as a message from the pastor so I guess it is Sunday.  American football is also on, but that is no longer an indication that it is Sunday.  I understand that there is a game on Thursday this week.  The world is truly not the same.  I have no idea what day football, or soccer, is played in the other parts of the civilized world.  Australian rules football is another story. What about Rugby?
     At any rate, since it is Sunday I am taking the day off so don't expect me to post anything.  For those of you on the other side of the International Dateline it is Monday, so this post is for you.  I have nothing witty to say today for those who are on the my side of the world, so  on the other side of the world you can read this and chuckle at those of us on this side of the planet who are not laughing at my blog  I am not writing  today because it is Sunday. With all that is going on in my life, I need the rest in order to provide all of you the chuckles and belly laughs that you have come to expect.  This is hard work! So, you think that this stuff just comes to me out of thin air? It doesn't.  I must go now to rest my brain.  What am I going to write about tomorrow, let's see....

A Writer's Life

     There is a fundamental question that goes through the minds of all writers every moment that they live.  It is the guide by which they live, and it consumes that life.  That question is, What am I going to write about? 
     A writer's life is to write, and sometimes the ideas don't come.  On the other hand, sometimes you just can't turn them off.  They are all around you, flooding your brain to the point that you can't sleep or carry on a decent conversation.  I remember telling my publisher that I could do a story about a blank piece of paper.      
     People that I know can always see when I am trying to work out a story in my brain.  They recognize the blank stare and the talking directly to me with no answer from me.  I have had some interesting stuff thrown at me or done to me to get my attention when I am with someone. Thursday, it was a dozen Titleist golf balls, thrown softly at me by the golf buddies I was playing the round with that day.  Don't worry, they missed my head by only inches.  Steve has always been a bad shot, or so the incident report said.  He's a policeman by the way.
     OK, this was not one of my normal posts in that I didn't have you rolling on the floor with laughter.  I guess what I will have to do is to inject my sense of humor here, and ask you one of my questions for the ages.  Here goes.  What do you call an airplane that is not painted and takes off from Lincoln, Nebraska?  That ought to be simple, give up?  It is a plain plane that takes off from the plain.  Bad, I know, but what can you do with such short notice.  Besides, I had to free up space in a hurry and ignore all those ideas for stories that are dancing in and out of my small brain.  

Question, or Questions For the Ages

     My intent with this blog is to make my reader think and interact with my writing.  One way to do this is to ask thoughtful and provocative questions.  No, my first question this morning-it is morning here-is not " how do you spell provacative".  I must go deeper than that, and there are really two questions. 
     As a young man growing up, I asked myself this question many times.  What am I going to do and be like when I grow up?  Now that I have retired, I ask myself this question often.  What am I going to do and be like now that I have grown up? 

It's Another Great Day

     Good Morning to everyone!  I also would like to say Ola to the readers in Peru.  I wish you a wonderful Autumn day.  Wait a minute, is it morning in Peru?  Let me think about this a bit.  Is it Autumn in Peru?  I am totally confused.  Let's think about this a minute.
     If I say good  morning to someone who lives in St. Petersburg, Russia do I say good morning to his friend who lives in Vladivastok, Russia at the same time?  If I go to church on Sunday morning here in California, are people in Japan on the other side of the Pacific Ocean getting ready to go to church, if they go to to church?  Nope, its not Sunday there it's Monday afternoon and people are hard at their jobs. 
     Christmas is coming and I love to travel.  I have never experienced a white Christmas with snow.  I have never been to Australia and I might go there for the winter snows-does it snow in Australia?  If it does, I might go there.  Wait a minute, it's not winter in Austrailia, they are bgeinning their summer.  I'm confused, but let's go to the beach and have a white Christmas only with beach sand, not snow.  Does it snow anywhere in Australia? 
    I can't afford to travel to Australia this year, so I guess that idea is going to go down the drain.  If I pour that idea down the drain in Equador, I can pour part of it down the drain and it will go down clockwise and the rest I can pour down in a drain just inches away, and it will go down the other way, counterclockwise. 
     This planet of ours has some very interesting ways about it.  Of course it is not the same time or season in other parts of the world.  There are 24 timezones on the Earth and four hesipheres.  It can be winter in the North and Summer in The South.  Knowing this, I'm still confused.  What time is it, anyway?