Unbelievable! Tonight we watched the 3rd of the 3 movies we got back on Saturday night. It's title..."The Cove". I honestly had no idea what I was about to watch! Seems I am on track for being a glutton for punishment this past few days. Nor did I have any conception that the show I loved as a child, "Flipper" would have such a shameful and impactful effect on me tonight. By the way, we knew her as Flipper, but her real name as a dolphin in captivity was Kathy. Apparently dolphins and whales, unlike humans, have voluntary breathing systems. Simply put, they make a conscious effort to breath. Kathy quite literally committed suicide while in captivity. She literally dove into her beloved trainers arms, looked him in the eyes, took a last breath and then just died in his arms. As I listened to this tonight, I did well up. Had I known then what I know now. All I can say is that as children we are so naive and innocent. Had enough yet? No!? By all means, read on.
"The Cove" was a documentary...not a movie.... It was a true and very upsetting film on the mindless slaughter of roughly 23,000 dolphins each year in Taiji, Japan. Before tonight I thought that we as humans were beyond this type of barbary. There are so many things that in our day to day lives we are completely unaware of. And what is an even sadder truth, is that we as humans are destroying ourselves in the process. Among other issues with this senseless scenario, dolphin meat contains extremely high toxic levels of mercury and the meat is sold, disguised as anything other than dolphin meat, to the unaware and uninformed citizens of Japan, and was even used as the primary staple for school lunches to Japanese children. At the time of this film, many Japanese didn't even know about what was happening in their own country.....much like most Americans have no idea what they are being fed. Doesn't mean much to you? Have you ever seen the deformities to babies born with mercury poisoning???
Yes, after contemplating my lunch at Subway today, and hardly able to drive by Mc Donalds without my guts wrenching, now I will sleep with the saddened knowledge of this atrocity. And it literally all started with "Flipper"....no joke, I am as serious as a heart attack!! Add another flick to your list from 'Greg's Picks' for one of those nights you need an eye opening dose of reality, and just what is going on around you and your little bubble of life. "The Cove". If you don't want to watch the movie, at least check out this link and see what on earth it is I am babbling about.
In the meantime, fear not, this blog will not become a posting ground for environmentalism, much like I try to contain political views. Frankly, these past two posts have exhausted me! However, these are things that I think are pretty important, or at very least have impacted me to the extent that I have become cognizant and more aware of what is happening in this world that is just all wrong! If you have ever watched 'Whale Wars' on the Discovery channel, this takes it to the next level, and has dealt another blow to the dwindling respect I have for the Japanese government. We owe it to ourselves, our bodies and the environment we live in and will hand over to our kids and their kids. Again, only "we" can make the changes needed! It's not 'Avatar' or 'Star Wars', but 'The Cove' really should be watched.
"Five": Alaska, the 5th Year
Posts
All Comments
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Oh, to eat again.
At the end of a good fulfilling Sunday, what better thing to do than sit down with your wife in front of the tele to watch a movie together, in front of the fire. Dogs were pretty excited about it, because a movie in the human world equates to popcorn being thrown continuously to the doggies! Fire up the sound system, for good audio effect, get into your comfies. And now...showtime!
Saturday night I got called into Kenai for a service call. After hours calls are money makers so I don't mind, and it looked to be a quickie anyways. So Maryann came along for the ride. We had a nice dinner out at the Uptown Motel and afterwards ran over to the video store to grab a couple of movies to watch over the next couple of nights. Last night was the first and pretty good. Fast forward to tonight.
So after popping the popcorn, and dialing in the sound system. Did I ever tell you how Maryann and I got back together after being apart for several years? It was back when the west coast had an epidemic breakout of ecoli, from tainted burgers with Jack In The Box, back around 1992/93. Yup, I was an official statistic. After slamming a couple of bad burgers, I found myself dieing in my apartment, completely laid out. I had been puking all day, smelled of "sick" felt like death worn over, and as I laid on my couch with my sister keeping watch on my dieing ass, there hence comes a knock on my door. As my sister opens the door and I roll my head to see who had come to bid me farewell, there was Maryann. I had seen her briefly months before for the first time in 4 years, and tonight she came to see me because she had moved back to town. Couldn't have picked a better night to stop by! So love sprouted that night, despite Jack In The Box and mad meat! Your wondering how this is relevant to the story I was telling, aren't you.
So as M loads the DVD in the player, after the coming features are previewed, on comes the show. But this is no show. Unannounced to me this would be the DVD that may well be the end of my eating. If you ever wanted to go on a diet, and just can't seem to pull it off.....go out and get the DVD called "Food Inc". If this doesn't change your mind about ever eating again, you are already in trouble anyways!
In all seriousness, for nearly a decade and a half, M and I have already been in tune to the shenanigans that the food industry is up to, where our real nutrition has gone, and how our government has allowed these injustices to continue. It is absolutely sickening, and so many people including more than likely you, the reader, have not much of a clue how cheated you have been by an industry, and the government that is supposed to look out for us, our health, our safety. You have a doubt.....go get the movie! Read up on it, it is public information....it is real!!
The relevance of my bout with ecoli and this post is simple. As I was telling that brief story of one of the worst illnesses I ever had (until the tainted chicken episode a month and a half ago), I was watching the story of someone else who had ecoli from ol Jack the same time I did. This little boy wasn't as fortunate as I. His systems shut down and he died slowly. I got to listen to his mother tell the story of her precious sons death, due to practices in the food industry. An industry that seems normal, but is about as corrupt as any crime we have ever witnessed, yet is perfectly legal and unchecked because so many people are misinformed and/or clueless. And we are wondering why so many people have so many illnesses and are dieing from cancer and other incurable diseases.
As I said, we have been on to this for a while. But recently M has become more aware of the evolution of the food industry. In many cases we are simply not eating food anymore. It is literally chemicals and genetically engineered filler. After watching this, I have lost my appetite. We are so conditioned to eating out of habit, memories, and boredom that it may be really difficult to pass up what is bad for you. And of course the fact that you think so many things are good for you, yet they really aren't doing your body or metabolism any justice. Yes, this may be the night I never eat again! This may have been the last supper for me. Go get the movie. "Food Inc". It is sure to make you a little more weary the next time you go to get your favorite crap food!
Oh, and once again, NAFTA has bitten us in the ass! Thanks Bill. I hear your wife ol Hilary, our beloved Secretary Of State is working silently and diligently with anti gunners in the U.N. to put a worldwide ban on firearms and firearm trade, in an attempt to steal our second amendment rights from under us. I dont really know. Once is ignorance, twice is stupidity!
A footnote: The movie just ended and I do have one thing to add. There is hope despite my descriptive despair. "We" can make a difference. Much like the way so much power and influence was taken away from the cigarette industry for example, through education and our voices speaking out with what we choose to buy, we can change this. We have the power to eat healthy! Maryann has asked me if I want to go into Kenai and do a Mc Donalds run tonight before bed. Twisted sick little monkey she is!
Saturday night I got called into Kenai for a service call. After hours calls are money makers so I don't mind, and it looked to be a quickie anyways. So Maryann came along for the ride. We had a nice dinner out at the Uptown Motel and afterwards ran over to the video store to grab a couple of movies to watch over the next couple of nights. Last night was the first and pretty good. Fast forward to tonight.
So after popping the popcorn, and dialing in the sound system. Did I ever tell you how Maryann and I got back together after being apart for several years? It was back when the west coast had an epidemic breakout of ecoli, from tainted burgers with Jack In The Box, back around 1992/93. Yup, I was an official statistic. After slamming a couple of bad burgers, I found myself dieing in my apartment, completely laid out. I had been puking all day, smelled of "sick" felt like death worn over, and as I laid on my couch with my sister keeping watch on my dieing ass, there hence comes a knock on my door. As my sister opens the door and I roll my head to see who had come to bid me farewell, there was Maryann. I had seen her briefly months before for the first time in 4 years, and tonight she came to see me because she had moved back to town. Couldn't have picked a better night to stop by! So love sprouted that night, despite Jack In The Box and mad meat! Your wondering how this is relevant to the story I was telling, aren't you.
So as M loads the DVD in the player, after the coming features are previewed, on comes the show. But this is no show. Unannounced to me this would be the DVD that may well be the end of my eating. If you ever wanted to go on a diet, and just can't seem to pull it off.....go out and get the DVD called "Food Inc". If this doesn't change your mind about ever eating again, you are already in trouble anyways!
In all seriousness, for nearly a decade and a half, M and I have already been in tune to the shenanigans that the food industry is up to, where our real nutrition has gone, and how our government has allowed these injustices to continue. It is absolutely sickening, and so many people including more than likely you, the reader, have not much of a clue how cheated you have been by an industry, and the government that is supposed to look out for us, our health, our safety. You have a doubt.....go get the movie! Read up on it, it is public information....it is real!!
The relevance of my bout with ecoli and this post is simple. As I was telling that brief story of one of the worst illnesses I ever had (until the tainted chicken episode a month and a half ago), I was watching the story of someone else who had ecoli from ol Jack the same time I did. This little boy wasn't as fortunate as I. His systems shut down and he died slowly. I got to listen to his mother tell the story of her precious sons death, due to practices in the food industry. An industry that seems normal, but is about as corrupt as any crime we have ever witnessed, yet is perfectly legal and unchecked because so many people are misinformed and/or clueless. And we are wondering why so many people have so many illnesses and are dieing from cancer and other incurable diseases.
As I said, we have been on to this for a while. But recently M has become more aware of the evolution of the food industry. In many cases we are simply not eating food anymore. It is literally chemicals and genetically engineered filler. After watching this, I have lost my appetite. We are so conditioned to eating out of habit, memories, and boredom that it may be really difficult to pass up what is bad for you. And of course the fact that you think so many things are good for you, yet they really aren't doing your body or metabolism any justice. Yes, this may be the night I never eat again! This may have been the last supper for me. Go get the movie. "Food Inc". It is sure to make you a little more weary the next time you go to get your favorite crap food!
Oh, and once again, NAFTA has bitten us in the ass! Thanks Bill. I hear your wife ol Hilary, our beloved Secretary Of State is working silently and diligently with anti gunners in the U.N. to put a worldwide ban on firearms and firearm trade, in an attempt to steal our second amendment rights from under us. I dont really know. Once is ignorance, twice is stupidity!
A footnote: The movie just ended and I do have one thing to add. There is hope despite my descriptive despair. "We" can make a difference. Much like the way so much power and influence was taken away from the cigarette industry for example, through education and our voices speaking out with what we choose to buy, we can change this. We have the power to eat healthy! Maryann has asked me if I want to go into Kenai and do a Mc Donalds run tonight before bed. Twisted sick little monkey she is!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Red eyes, but happy happy joy joy!
Just thought I would update. Yes Erin, it is true.....this kind of thing does in fact happen all of the time according to the customer rep M spoke with at Alaska Air while she tried to straighten the mess out. Thus, I am convinced that the airline industry has found a niche to have fun and make coin at our expenses! I am surprised Peter Greenberg has never pinned this one! Or maybe he has and I have missed it.
In any event, John was rescheduled to leave Anchorage at 6:00AM on the 20th. He flew out of Kenai on Era, the small local company for in state Alaska travel, at 10:40PM on the 19th. Yes, if you have done the math, his penance was that he would be bored out of his pickin mind for nearly 7 hours in the Anchorage airport terminal! Remember, his own undoing. But there is a God and God did rein down upon our son mercy. When he checked in last night at Anchorage at 11:00PM or so, he was offered an early flight out at midnight. At no additional cost, he accepted and arrived in San Fransisco at about 8:00AM this morning as opposed to getting there at his original time of 2:30PM this afternoon. Still a whole day late, but nonetheless there. Woo-hoo, man!
His friends got the call at around midnight before he departed Anchorage that they would need to get up a little earlier than they expected to be able to pick him up when he got into SFO. But when I spoke to him this morning as he was getting his luggage, they were arriving in the parking lot to get him. So, he is there, sounded very happy and relieved and is more than likely right now as we speak having fun somewhere in San Fransisco, hopefully not in the Mission! We did try to rehearse him on where not to be in the city!!
So, all's well that ends well, hundreds of extra dollars later, and a head full of red eyes.
In any event, John was rescheduled to leave Anchorage at 6:00AM on the 20th. He flew out of Kenai on Era, the small local company for in state Alaska travel, at 10:40PM on the 19th. Yes, if you have done the math, his penance was that he would be bored out of his pickin mind for nearly 7 hours in the Anchorage airport terminal! Remember, his own undoing. But there is a God and God did rein down upon our son mercy. When he checked in last night at Anchorage at 11:00PM or so, he was offered an early flight out at midnight. At no additional cost, he accepted and arrived in San Fransisco at about 8:00AM this morning as opposed to getting there at his original time of 2:30PM this afternoon. Still a whole day late, but nonetheless there. Woo-hoo, man!
His friends got the call at around midnight before he departed Anchorage that they would need to get up a little earlier than they expected to be able to pick him up when he got into SFO. But when I spoke to him this morning as he was getting his luggage, they were arriving in the parking lot to get him. So, he is there, sounded very happy and relieved and is more than likely right now as we speak having fun somewhere in San Fransisco, hopefully not in the Mission! We did try to rehearse him on where not to be in the city!!
So, all's well that ends well, hundreds of extra dollars later, and a head full of red eyes.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
1:30AM on the 19th: The Plight Of The Red Eye
I have always suspected that the 'red eye' flight made available by most airlines is just a cleaver and creative way to screw most people out of money. This has always been just a suspicion, and will most likely never come out in the news headlines, nor be caught by any kind of consumer rights advocate group. But none the less I will personally always suspect!
Several weeks ago, John saved enough money to buy a plane ticket outside. (for those who have no idea, no, he isn't going outside in the yard, 'outside' is what Alaskans refer to the lower 48 and the rest of the world as) So Maryann went ahead and helped him find the best deal online, and of course paid online with "OUR" credit card because he is still in the process of doing the grown up duty of establishing credit. Which I have to commend him on because he always pays his debt and is getting a good standing in the eyes of the credit world. Upon completing the flight itinerary, she let him know that he would be flying out of Anchorage at 1:30AM on the 19th. This is where the airlines get you.
If you 'think' to yourself that line, 5 times fast...."departing at 1:30AM on the 19th" you will realize that in fact it means "departing at 1:30AM on the 19th". But if you are like 7 out of 10 people surveyed, you will in fact miss your flight! Because, you will not be at the departing gate at 1:30AM on the 19th, but rather 1:30AM on the 20th. Confused? Think about it. I admit, I am a dummy as well, because we both have had to re-check our past itineraries with that whole 'red eye', departing 12:00AM-1:30AM crap. Difference between John and us is...he didn't catch it. He never read his itinerary. It was emailed to him.....but he never checked it!!!!! Yes, John missed his flight this morning at 1:30AM! He was going to be there tonight, the 19th, at 1:30AM.
Not sure if this is a common issue amongst the masses of young people who have decided to take the world by the short hairs, and move out on their own, but my observation is that there is an invisible sign on the inside of the door leading to the outside (the outside of the house in this instance, not outside of Alaska). That sign states that 'You are now independent. You have to be responsible for yourself, your actions and how you affect those around you from now on. You will have to make your own way and provide successfully for yourself. You will hit ruts and in some cases potholes in the road along the way, but you have to buck up and brush off. You need to put a positive impression on all those around you so that they will look up to you and respect what you are doing for yourself. You will have to be able to make your own plans, back them or cancel them, and pay the consequences when and if you don't follow through. You have to make your own life, because nobody will make it for you.'
There is of course the fine print on that sign as well, that states something to the effect that 'if you stumble and have to fall, we will help you the best we can (as any parent). But you have to take your licks and learn your lessons. Once is a lesson.....twice is your own foolishness.' The fine print also says something about 'parents being there to help you, guide you, give you sound advice, and support you when you are at a loss.' Somewhere between sneaking his mattress out at 12:45 in the morning back in June and taking two weeks to move his personal possessions out of his bedroom.....our son missed that sign!
Then there is the BofD. The Bank Of Dad. I think we all have banked there at one time or another. This bank is good for a cheap loan, with low to no interest, and most of the time you are never declined a credit line. Here at the compound, BofD has a 24 hour customer access point. Our customer is always on time with reasonable payments, and always has paid his balance down to zero. He is an upstanding customer! Actually, I sometimes wonder if he knows how lucky he really is to have his own branch of BofD available to him. So many kids as well as adults dont!
In doing tonight what any reasonable parent would do, and that is setting him straight on what lesson there is to be learned from missing your flight due to your own negligence, some facts were brought to the table.
Fact 1: Mom bailed you out of this one. She spent 3 hours on the phone to make alternative arrangements so that you would only lose 1/2 of your plane fare. Mind you, it cost an additional $275.00 on top of the $530.00 that was already paid for the round trip fare. Fact 2: As always, the Bank Of Dad was there to make sure that $275.00 was readily available because you didn't have it. Fact 3: The statement; "when I move out it will be a piece of cake because I will always have extra money with my job" dont hold a squirt of piss when you never have enough money to handle "real life situations" and have to alternately pull withdrawals from the Bank Of Dad to do so. So you should really re-think what you mean when you state, "I am always giving all that I make to you (dad). If I wasn't always paying you (dad) back, I would have food in my fridge and the money I need for gas". Hmmmm. That makes sense. Fact 4: Dont crap on the hands that are there to catch you when you fall.....they may not be there one day when you are falling, because they went to wash off all of that crap and missed you!
Am I being hard? I dont think so. Growing up is hard enough. I have been there. Which one of us hasn't. But I think that learning from the school of hard knocks is supposed to build character. I hope it helps to make us more responsible. All in all I have to commend John on his journey through young adulthood. He is doing well so far. We only hope that he will continue to succeed and move forward with his dreams and desires. And for Pete's sake, that he will double check his itineraries in the future! For those of you fortunate enough to see him while he is down there this next 9 days, we hope you enjoy his company. He has alot to do and so little time to do it in. But let me not leave this post with any confusion. Even when your kid is out of the house, raising kids is frustrating as all get go at times, and does leave me talking to myself! He is a good kid that boy, but he has alot of growing up to do!!
A neat little footnote, our blog, Kenai Alaska Or Bust, Adventures On E (see link at the top of this page) was also mentioned: and Basecamp Nikiski all got honorable mentions of sort in the small local community paper last week, in an article about blogging on the peninsula. Hats off to the 3 of us!! Kudos.
Several weeks ago, John saved enough money to buy a plane ticket outside. (for those who have no idea, no, he isn't going outside in the yard, 'outside' is what Alaskans refer to the lower 48 and the rest of the world as) So Maryann went ahead and helped him find the best deal online, and of course paid online with "OUR" credit card because he is still in the process of doing the grown up duty of establishing credit. Which I have to commend him on because he always pays his debt and is getting a good standing in the eyes of the credit world. Upon completing the flight itinerary, she let him know that he would be flying out of Anchorage at 1:30AM on the 19th. This is where the airlines get you.
If you 'think' to yourself that line, 5 times fast...."departing at 1:30AM on the 19th" you will realize that in fact it means "departing at 1:30AM on the 19th". But if you are like 7 out of 10 people surveyed, you will in fact miss your flight! Because, you will not be at the departing gate at 1:30AM on the 19th, but rather 1:30AM on the 20th. Confused? Think about it. I admit, I am a dummy as well, because we both have had to re-check our past itineraries with that whole 'red eye', departing 12:00AM-1:30AM crap. Difference between John and us is...he didn't catch it. He never read his itinerary. It was emailed to him.....but he never checked it!!!!! Yes, John missed his flight this morning at 1:30AM! He was going to be there tonight, the 19th, at 1:30AM.
Not sure if this is a common issue amongst the masses of young people who have decided to take the world by the short hairs, and move out on their own, but my observation is that there is an invisible sign on the inside of the door leading to the outside (the outside of the house in this instance, not outside of Alaska). That sign states that 'You are now independent. You have to be responsible for yourself, your actions and how you affect those around you from now on. You will have to make your own way and provide successfully for yourself. You will hit ruts and in some cases potholes in the road along the way, but you have to buck up and brush off. You need to put a positive impression on all those around you so that they will look up to you and respect what you are doing for yourself. You will have to be able to make your own plans, back them or cancel them, and pay the consequences when and if you don't follow through. You have to make your own life, because nobody will make it for you.'
There is of course the fine print on that sign as well, that states something to the effect that 'if you stumble and have to fall, we will help you the best we can (as any parent). But you have to take your licks and learn your lessons. Once is a lesson.....twice is your own foolishness.' The fine print also says something about 'parents being there to help you, guide you, give you sound advice, and support you when you are at a loss.' Somewhere between sneaking his mattress out at 12:45 in the morning back in June and taking two weeks to move his personal possessions out of his bedroom.....our son missed that sign!
Then there is the BofD. The Bank Of Dad. I think we all have banked there at one time or another. This bank is good for a cheap loan, with low to no interest, and most of the time you are never declined a credit line. Here at the compound, BofD has a 24 hour customer access point. Our customer is always on time with reasonable payments, and always has paid his balance down to zero. He is an upstanding customer! Actually, I sometimes wonder if he knows how lucky he really is to have his own branch of BofD available to him. So many kids as well as adults dont!
In doing tonight what any reasonable parent would do, and that is setting him straight on what lesson there is to be learned from missing your flight due to your own negligence, some facts were brought to the table.
Fact 1: Mom bailed you out of this one. She spent 3 hours on the phone to make alternative arrangements so that you would only lose 1/2 of your plane fare. Mind you, it cost an additional $275.00 on top of the $530.00 that was already paid for the round trip fare. Fact 2: As always, the Bank Of Dad was there to make sure that $275.00 was readily available because you didn't have it. Fact 3: The statement; "when I move out it will be a piece of cake because I will always have extra money with my job" dont hold a squirt of piss when you never have enough money to handle "real life situations" and have to alternately pull withdrawals from the Bank Of Dad to do so. So you should really re-think what you mean when you state, "I am always giving all that I make to you (dad). If I wasn't always paying you (dad) back, I would have food in my fridge and the money I need for gas". Hmmmm. That makes sense. Fact 4: Dont crap on the hands that are there to catch you when you fall.....they may not be there one day when you are falling, because they went to wash off all of that crap and missed you!
Am I being hard? I dont think so. Growing up is hard enough. I have been there. Which one of us hasn't. But I think that learning from the school of hard knocks is supposed to build character. I hope it helps to make us more responsible. All in all I have to commend John on his journey through young adulthood. He is doing well so far. We only hope that he will continue to succeed and move forward with his dreams and desires. And for Pete's sake, that he will double check his itineraries in the future! For those of you fortunate enough to see him while he is down there this next 9 days, we hope you enjoy his company. He has alot to do and so little time to do it in. But let me not leave this post with any confusion. Even when your kid is out of the house, raising kids is frustrating as all get go at times, and does leave me talking to myself! He is a good kid that boy, but he has alot of growing up to do!!
A neat little footnote, our blog, Kenai Alaska Or Bust, Adventures On E (see link at the top of this page) was also mentioned: and Basecamp Nikiski all got honorable mentions of sort in the small local community paper last week, in an article about blogging on the peninsula. Hats off to the 3 of us!! Kudos.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Let us recap 2009.
I was thinking of a unique post to signify the end of an old year and the bringing in of the new. However, I find myself constantly annoyed by all of the recap, memorable pictures, best looking people, famous quotes, and all of the rest of the memorization of each year past. I mean, "I was there, man!" Why in the name of Pete would I want to re-live it all at the end!!
So I will deviate from the regular 'year past' protocol. Instead, lets look at 2010, and all the promise, disappointment, and potential excitement it has in store:
- Depending on what cultural ancestry chain you follow, there will be only 2 more years until the world comes to an end! That means this is the second to the last for those who are counting!
- Congress will be coming up to the fence post this year. Hopefully there is a Vaseline shortage!
- We have only to hope for a strengthened economy, and hope the job rate heals itself. With all of the free money that has been injected into the system, one can only hope.... John seemed unfazed when I informed him that his kids and their kids would be the ones to pay off this one.
- June will mark the 3rd consecutive and most successful year of the loading. Mind you, we hope the remaining 6 months will continue to be successful...
- I have been feeling a major twitch lately. No, not that. I mean similar to the one that has preceded every major 'life change' we have encountered. Hmmm, what could it mean. There may be a huge opening in the vortex of possibilities for us/me in 2010.
- The Chinese food restaurant will re-open in April!
- I fear we may fall into a new tax bracket. And gone are the glory years of claiming John as a dependent.
- We are hoping to continue new and bigger renovations here at the compound. Well.... "well" being the key word....it all depends on whether we sink a new well, in which case our hopes for the finances of renovations may not 'hold water'....this year.
- John is planning on finally pursuing his career as a line firefighter.
- Ted and Patty will be coming to Alaska!
The list could go on and on. I suppose 2009 had it's weak spots, and it's triumphs. But we are looking to a bright year in 2010. We feel pretty blessed and pray for those near and far who have suffered loss, faced adversity, dealt with the unbearable. I guess the most important thing is to look for a promising future. Words cannot always take away the frustration, or the sorrow.
As for resolutions....resolute if you feel the need! I look at them as "diets". It is easy to do something that is good for you. And easier to get tired of it and let it slide leeway. Maybe a better way to see it is to look at what you can personally do to make life better be it for yourself or someone else. If any of you are loaded with excess cash, giving me some would make it easier for me to travel more! I see things in "me" yesterday and today that could use some phase-in. And I am sure, these things will be there tomorrow. I highly doubt during sleep tonight the 'resolution pixie' will magically transform my will. It is always work in progress! Maybe suggesting that we will do something about it in the 'New Year' substantiates some kind of profound inner will....I don't really know.
Dick! What ever happened to Dick Clark? I find myself going to bed well before midnight the past 3 or 4 years. Does he even drop the ball anymore? Speaking of balls.... Ahh, never mind.
Here are a few pics I took the past couple of mornings. Just another reminder of winter and it's beauty! And for those intrigued or bewildered by this past summer's events with Mt Redoubt, it seems she is getting restless once more. The other day after a series of small quakes, the AVO Alaska Volcano Observatory - Redoubt - Activity Page put the volcano back into a 'Yellow' status. Nobody really knows, but there is some speculation that it may erupt again. Or, the dome just may collapse....keep in mind it grew over the summer. So, we wait and hope that it will simmer down. In any event, our love goes out to Michelle and her family, and we ask for your prayers for them as they are dealing with a pretty serious situation. Our heart is with you Michelle. To everyone else, may the new year bring you all that you hope for. In defense of my feelings on the issue, and in regards to new years, I do recite a verse that sums it up for me....
New ones comin' as the old ones go,
Everything's moving here but much too slow now,
A little bit quicker and we might have time,
To say "How do you do?" before we're left behind.
- Robert Hunter
Moon setting around 9:30 AM.
Spectacular 'alpenglow' upon sunrise. Notice the pink hue on the snow....
More morning 'alpenglow'. Pictures do little to tell the color spectrum!
So I will deviate from the regular 'year past' protocol. Instead, lets look at 2010, and all the promise, disappointment, and potential excitement it has in store:
- Depending on what cultural ancestry chain you follow, there will be only 2 more years until the world comes to an end! That means this is the second to the last for those who are counting!
- Congress will be coming up to the fence post this year. Hopefully there is a Vaseline shortage!
- We have only to hope for a strengthened economy, and hope the job rate heals itself. With all of the free money that has been injected into the system, one can only hope.... John seemed unfazed when I informed him that his kids and their kids would be the ones to pay off this one.
- June will mark the 3rd consecutive and most successful year of the loading. Mind you, we hope the remaining 6 months will continue to be successful...
- I have been feeling a major twitch lately. No, not that. I mean similar to the one that has preceded every major 'life change' we have encountered. Hmmm, what could it mean. There may be a huge opening in the vortex of possibilities for us/me in 2010.
- The Chinese food restaurant will re-open in April!
- I fear we may fall into a new tax bracket. And gone are the glory years of claiming John as a dependent.
- We are hoping to continue new and bigger renovations here at the compound. Well.... "well" being the key word....it all depends on whether we sink a new well, in which case our hopes for the finances of renovations may not 'hold water'....this year.
- John is planning on finally pursuing his career as a line firefighter.
- Ted and Patty will be coming to Alaska!
The list could go on and on. I suppose 2009 had it's weak spots, and it's triumphs. But we are looking to a bright year in 2010. We feel pretty blessed and pray for those near and far who have suffered loss, faced adversity, dealt with the unbearable. I guess the most important thing is to look for a promising future. Words cannot always take away the frustration, or the sorrow.
As for resolutions....resolute if you feel the need! I look at them as "diets". It is easy to do something that is good for you. And easier to get tired of it and let it slide leeway. Maybe a better way to see it is to look at what you can personally do to make life better be it for yourself or someone else. If any of you are loaded with excess cash, giving me some would make it easier for me to travel more! I see things in "me" yesterday and today that could use some phase-in. And I am sure, these things will be there tomorrow. I highly doubt during sleep tonight the 'resolution pixie' will magically transform my will. It is always work in progress! Maybe suggesting that we will do something about it in the 'New Year' substantiates some kind of profound inner will....I don't really know.
Dick! What ever happened to Dick Clark? I find myself going to bed well before midnight the past 3 or 4 years. Does he even drop the ball anymore? Speaking of balls.... Ahh, never mind.
Here are a few pics I took the past couple of mornings. Just another reminder of winter and it's beauty! And for those intrigued or bewildered by this past summer's events with Mt Redoubt, it seems she is getting restless once more. The other day after a series of small quakes, the AVO Alaska Volcano Observatory - Redoubt - Activity Page put the volcano back into a 'Yellow' status. Nobody really knows, but there is some speculation that it may erupt again. Or, the dome just may collapse....keep in mind it grew over the summer. So, we wait and hope that it will simmer down. In any event, our love goes out to Michelle and her family, and we ask for your prayers for them as they are dealing with a pretty serious situation. Our heart is with you Michelle. To everyone else, may the new year bring you all that you hope for. In defense of my feelings on the issue, and in regards to new years, I do recite a verse that sums it up for me....
New ones comin' as the old ones go,
Everything's moving here but much too slow now,
A little bit quicker and we might have time,
To say "How do you do?" before we're left behind.
- Robert Hunter
Moon setting around 9:30 AM.
Spectacular 'alpenglow' upon sunrise. Notice the pink hue on the snow....
More morning 'alpenglow'. Pictures do little to tell the color spectrum!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Ho, Ho, Huh....
Besides wanting to wish everyone a "Merry Christmas", at the risk of offending those who don't want to hear that phrase, I thought it appropriate to post some interesting photo's that signify the sign of the times. These are all hand picked and real time originals, not Internet pics. This is how the days leading up to Christmas have come down at the compound.
This was a gift a friend of mine received for Christmas from a mutual friend of ours. Twisted sick little monkey he was, but I have to admit this Barack Obama Chia Head was a novel idea that every household should be required to have!
.bmp)
As you can see, my friend had his own message to send to our mutual friend. Good thing he has a cool sense of humor. I wonder what Chuck thought about gratitude when he received this 'Thank You' card?!
This is a gift we received yesterday. When Maryann walked out of the Post Office with it, the 'uni bomber' came to mind. Redneck wrapping paper: for those economically oppressed times! I have always said duct tape is all purpose.
Hmmm. When I walked in the other day, I thought to myself, "cool, Maryann ordered a pizza for dinner". Imagine my total astonishment when I saw the sticker in the lower left corner, telling me I couldn't have my pizza until Christmas! We do love and appreciate resourcefulness!! Guess what I'm having for breakfast this morning...
After nearly aborting the whole concept of a Christmas tree this year, a last minute 'Festivus Miracle' transpired, and this cute little tree appeared in our 'go-go cage'. I was hoping for a partially clad Rockette up in the cage this Christmas, but the cutest Christmas tree ever will do just fine! Guess it's time to put the 'pole' away for another year.
Yes, this was an interesting Christmas. The first as official empty nester's and definitely entertaining from where I sit! Make sure to check out this link to my latest Stage Of Life Christmas story.
A hopeful Christmas - Retirement Blog - Stage of Life - Stage of Life - Rewards for Life's Journey > Stage - Retirement > Posts
A special thanks goes out to the United States Postal Service for doing an exemplary job at essentially screwing it all up once again! The word down the pipeline is that people all over the nation have fallen victim to the inept inabilities for the Postal Service to efficiently deliver Christmas joy. And, for those mail loving sympathizers out there, let me comfort your doubt by reminding you that the Postal Service can't even deliver a letter in August properly. So the whole "their overwhelmed at Christmas time" crap doesn't fly here! This will be the first Christmas ever that I will not have the delectable honor of snacking on the seasonal anticipated 'Holly Grail' from pops. Thanks USPS....you suck! Maybe we should have overhauled the Postal system as opposed to non existent health care.....
To everyone both far and near this season, we wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas.
This was a gift a friend of mine received for Christmas from a mutual friend of ours. Twisted sick little monkey he was, but I have to admit this Barack Obama Chia Head was a novel idea that every household should be required to have!.bmp)
As you can see, my friend had his own message to send to our mutual friend. Good thing he has a cool sense of humor. I wonder what Chuck thought about gratitude when he received this 'Thank You' card?!
This is a gift we received yesterday. When Maryann walked out of the Post Office with it, the 'uni bomber' came to mind. Redneck wrapping paper: for those economically oppressed times! I have always said duct tape is all purpose.
Hmmm. When I walked in the other day, I thought to myself, "cool, Maryann ordered a pizza for dinner". Imagine my total astonishment when I saw the sticker in the lower left corner, telling me I couldn't have my pizza until Christmas! We do love and appreciate resourcefulness!! Guess what I'm having for breakfast this morning...
After nearly aborting the whole concept of a Christmas tree this year, a last minute 'Festivus Miracle' transpired, and this cute little tree appeared in our 'go-go cage'. I was hoping for a partially clad Rockette up in the cage this Christmas, but the cutest Christmas tree ever will do just fine! Guess it's time to put the 'pole' away for another year.Yes, this was an interesting Christmas. The first as official empty nester's and definitely entertaining from where I sit! Make sure to check out this link to my latest Stage Of Life Christmas story.
A hopeful Christmas - Retirement Blog - Stage of Life - Stage of Life - Rewards for Life's Journey > Stage - Retirement > Posts
A special thanks goes out to the United States Postal Service for doing an exemplary job at essentially screwing it all up once again! The word down the pipeline is that people all over the nation have fallen victim to the inept inabilities for the Postal Service to efficiently deliver Christmas joy. And, for those mail loving sympathizers out there, let me comfort your doubt by reminding you that the Postal Service can't even deliver a letter in August properly. So the whole "their overwhelmed at Christmas time" crap doesn't fly here! This will be the first Christmas ever that I will not have the delectable honor of snacking on the seasonal anticipated 'Holly Grail' from pops. Thanks USPS....you suck! Maybe we should have overhauled the Postal system as opposed to non existent health care.....
To everyone both far and near this season, we wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)