I'm a believer!

1961 to 6119

Thoughts bouncing around my mind: ie, ramblings. Where did the past 50 years go? I felt so smart when in 1961 I saw that when this year was written out and then turned upside down it was still 1961. When is the next date/year this will happen again - 6119??

Twenty years can go by pretty fast; forty years goes by a little slower, but depending on one’s age it’s all relevant; my mom would ask, “How did the past sixty years go by so fast?” We’re all destined to see our own mortality sooner than we plan; it’s inevitable.

Holding one of my grandsons is different than holding one of my own kids when they were the same age. I’d like to hold them again but it would be an awkward moment…why is that? Oddly, I don’t have the same expectations or future plans of my grandsons as I did my four kids. I’ve seen firsthand that my plans and expectations didn’t matter; free agency being the proverbial two-sided sword. We make our own destiny.

My first house costs less than my most recent car did. My first car cost less than my current lap top computer. I delete all e-mails telling me someone from high-school is trying to “re-connect.” I can second-guess how I spent money over the years but none of it will reappear.

Grey hair is caused by children. I can’t imagine life without a microwave or my cell phone. I have no idea what technology will be in "everyday use" when my grandsons are my age; I went from turning a knob to manually change one of only three channels on a small black and white TV to watching videos on my cell phone. I look in the mirror and know I’ll never again see that once familiar young man without grey hair and wrinkles. I know what causes body aches – but I resist slowing down. I should have invested in real estate instead of the stock market but I’m glad I invested what little I was able to. (Hint to those under 30 reading this…don’t waste your money on any “CD” that won’t return $ in the future)

Life seemed better when we sat in our front yard in the evening talking and waving to neighbors. Sizzler isn’t nearly as good as it once was! Politicians are politicians; they’re in it for personal gain/status/egos. Pigs will never fly. Graffiti is not art. Family is more important than anything.

The good, the bad, the ego & satisfaction

Okay, so I don't do this anymore (referring to the picture above) also, I was never bald, heavy or wore a blue uniform, but I did put handcuffs on literally thousands of immoral folk over the years. There was a certain amount of satisfaction, sometimes more than others, when I'd actually put handcuffs on the bad guy, say "you're under arrest" and haul his/her sorry butt to jail. Truth is, some times I miss this. I wish I still had the ability of custodial arrest, but, since I don't, I've learned to be resourceful.
As you may or may not know, part of my job is to locate, identify and present cases to prosecute unlicensed "contractors". There's a fine line when I see a good person trying to make an honest living (I show leniency quite often.) as opposed to low-life, dishonest, fraudulent cheats, 'repeat offenders' or those who blatantly tout themselves a licensed contractor, knowing full well they should be licensed for a trade they advertise they can do. I play on the ego of these latter types. Such was the guy I filed case(s) on today. Last month while in a small town about an hour's drive north of Vegas, I found two business cards boldly pinned to a 'contractor' bulletin board in the local hardware store. I immediately recognized the business names as well as the 'construction superintendent' as who I'd dealt with before. His lack of respect of the laws kind of got my ire up. Both licenses have been revoked. The person named on the cards has never been a manager or qualified employee on either license.

*Long story short: I called him posing as homeowner interested in new pool installation. He had ample opportunity to tell me he can't do this anymore. He didn't. I made copious notes during our conversation, obtained his email address and verified who I was talking to. "Yep, them's my business cards." I gained his trust and through only two email conversations he acknowledged he can design and construct my pool and provided price quotes. *Oddly enough, a week long gap of no correspondence occurred, because he was "out of the country on a church mission assignment." (I didn't ask what church.) Today when I called him and let him in on my investigation he cried foul, using profanity not new to my ears, saying I'd used fraud to catch him. "Who's the fraud?" I asked him and told him the Supreme Court approves my methodology, the courts won't approve of his. He has three prior cases with plea bargained adjudications, one awaiting trial. I strongly recommended to the D/A no negotiations this time. . . (Note; the one outstanding case involves a homeowner who's out a lot of money, as this guy abandoned the job near the end when he had been paid in full. He's not very Christian.)

Pictures from places far. . .

far away. Here I am in the barracks at Ft Lewis, Washington, Army basic training. I was 18 yrs old. We were "buds for life." I can't remember their names & I don't know what happened to them. We all went different ways after basic training. Without hesitation, we relied on each other for everything.
This one below is Plieku Vietnam. All dressed up for guard duty that I pulled every third night. (Here I am standing in front of a bunker built between our hooches to run for cover during mortar/rocket attacks. The perimeter bunkers were just sandbag covered holes in the ground, and on the edge of our camp and jungle.) We sat on/in bunkers surrounding Camp Holloway. Each had the old, hand crank field phones. One hour watch, and sleep three, as there were four men to a bunker. A few scary nights and never enough sleep...

After I made Flight Engineer, (as below), I didn't pull guard duty anymore. It was "my helicopter" and had to ensure the periodic maintenance was always done and it was always ready to go. Had some 24 hour work days. I missed several meals coming in late and the shower water was turned off. I'm with one of my crew chiefs' waiting for pilots to fly out on some mission of resupply, pickup troops, etc. I can't remember his name either. I was 19. (it's a can of Pepsi in my hand) Notice the oil/grease stains... in retrospect, I was nuts.

I am a lucky man; husband, dad, grandpa and son!!

The Chinese Fire drill

Ever wonder when this originated? In the little research I did, it's claim is the 1970's however it may have been here as early as the 1940's with the return of our soldiers from WWII. They had contact with the British, who during WWI had nick-named a clumsy or bad aircraft landing as a "Chinese landing." Eventually this spread to other phrases for anything done inept or clumsily. I remember it being a new thing to do in the 1970's. That's me in the picture above right near the driver's door as we rushed around my buddy's 69 Mustang when I was in Alabama, on a cold winter day, we had no extra money and needed some excitement . . . . :-) Believe it or not. (at least I blogged)

What I found out today

Today I found out why flavored carbonated beverages are called "soft drinks". It's because soft drink refers to nearly all beverages that do not contain a significant amount of alcohol (hard drinks). I grew up calling all soft drinks, coke; but later heard the terms"pop" or "soda." Strange how that is. Interestingly, a study in 2006 found most carbonated drinks actually do contain a little alcohol. . . hic . . . Didn't know that, did you? We can thank the CO2, which when added, results in a natural fermentation of the sugars and the flavor extracts used in these "soft drinks". Wait!! It should be noted that a typical container of yogurt of similar size contains about two times the amount of alcohol.
Now, you guys know too. Enjoy your yogurt....... :-)

a few thoughts on golf

There's several reasons why I like golf, none probably more obvious than the wild life on the course. . .
or, the wild life I might see on the way to the first tee. . .

or, the greenery & scenery hidden from view to the "non-players". . . (what can't be seen, is the slow-but-sure, developing confidence & improvement)but most of all, there's nothing like the sound of the ball falling into the cup after successfully reaching the green.

25 things you may not know about me

I stole this idea from Kimberly as I was at a loss for a blog topic. Even then, I wasn't sure I'd come up with 25 things to complete this (without totally boring reading - well, maybe only a little yawn). I only wish I'd had kept a journal, like how many monkey bars I could complete in the allotted time. I do know that I had the fasted time or the most completed sets of these monkey bars in my army basic training (item #9 below) in our final PT test.
1. I was born in Henderson, NV- St Rose Hospital.
2. I’ve sat on a dynamite box in the back of grandpa’s jeep riding up a bumpy trail.
3. I’ve sat next to a miner crimping blasting caps & fuses in these sticks of dynamite and then I tapped them down into holes with an old broom stick.
4. I never ditched a day of school in my life. (no one believe me!)
5. I wanted to play drums in school but Dad bought me the coronet instead-I was a less than enthusiastic student.
6. I was engaged to be married before Carol…. I was in kindergarten.
7. I’ve swam and water skied in a lake with water moccasins - until I knew - then no more.
8. I’ve shot rattle snakes.
9. I was platoon champ at hand over hand parallel monkey bars in the Army. (insert picture)
10. I’ve ridden in a car on Dayton Beach racetrack as well as on the actual beach.
11. I once tried dental repairs without Novocain...didn’t work out too well.
12. I built our house once. (with help, of course)
13. I tried to jump over but was thrown over a speeding car once.
14. I have a bone graft & its applicable hardware in me due to above jumping incident.
15. I used to ride to scout camp in the back of a pickup truck and enjoy it.
16. I used to slalom water ski.
17. Pre-LDS days I “inhaled” and had a few hangovers.
18. I’ve been in a few physical confrontations where I wasn’t sure of the outcome.
19. I was once the store’s only shipping & receiving clerk at Montgomery Wards in Vegas.
20. My last deer hunting experience made me realize I only went because of dad.
21. I ran away from home once. I was five years old and don’t remember the reason I felt I had to run away.
22. I drove from Alabama to Vegas in three days in a car without a working speedometer.
23. I rode my bike to school up into Jr High. (okay, not so exciting)
24. I’ve met both Clintons and Al Gore – more than once.
25. I’ve been in the ring with Mike Tyson.

Soap Box on immigration

Immigration ~ yup, varied opinions, but, illegal is illegal for a reason. Do I want families already here split up? Not really. Is it fair some receive free medical care? Nope. (I'm really mad about the new sales tax on my property which funds this new medical care program that was shoved down our throats.) Why can't we stop the illegal border crossings? What's more cost effective: beefed up border patrol or all the social programs to support illegals? I've heard the argument, "Not all coming across are drug dealers and criminals, some just want a better life." Of the numerous who cross every day, how many are the criminal element? Some of you may be too young to remember or know about the Mariel Boat lift from Cuba, April to October 1980. President Jimmy Carter gave them all amnesty. Free room and board. Relocated them all across the USA. Fidel Castro had emptied prisons and insane asylums to include with those who just wanted a better life. (Carter is a Democrat) I can vouch for the increase in crime rate with their arrival in Vegas. Our "Naked City" became famous then. What about us, as in the United States? You and Me? We just want a better life, too. Especially, since I'm close to collecting social security. I've paid my dues: US Army and employment for 40 years +. I don't demand anything. I just want what I've earned. Okay, I'm stepping down off my soap box now. . .

To blog or not to blog . . .

. . . while watching TV. This has never been a question of mine. I can multi task. . . . like last night while driving and eating my DQ Blizzard steering with my knees, I only hit the lane divider bumps a few times. It's something I learned sitting behind the wheel for 10 hours for so many years, I just wasn't in a Toyota in those days. (for the record traffic was very light and we had no close calls & no one honked at me) Anyway, as I blog stalk I enjoy some of my favorite TV shows, such as this new season of Deadliest Catch...a job I wouldn't want.
Other shows are just educational...reminds me of the reel-to-reel movies I sat through in school, albeit, they were black and white and much less entertaining and not-so-high-speed film.

Then there's watching NFL or College football. . . action. Maybe I live my life vicariously through some of this stuff. I doubt I'll ever travel to the places on The Planet Earth show, I'll never be on a crab boat in the Bearing Sea and I'm past my football years.

There, at least I blogged. No contest, no return from private setting and certainly not a spoof on those who had, it's just a look into my mind-set. (I left out golf and cycling, but you already know I like these.) "Ancillary" to this, I enjoy reading all the blogs I visit; which show us we're all human with similar thoughts, both young and old.

One of life's little pleasures

Since the Monkey Boys have moved out I try to take them a Slurpee each Wednesday (and a big gulp to Lindsay). I wasn't able to this week, and it hit me today, that I missed another opportunity to see them. These days will be all-too-soon, gone, as they grow up. I took these pictures the last time I was there. They are always glad to see me. I don't know if it's because I bring them Slurpee's. . . .
Sandler "Mmmmmmmm, this is good Doodah".

Cohen, "Yea, thanks Doodah."

Hurley, "Heeeeeyyy, where's mine?"

Show and tell

As you know or may not know, Carol got me a gift certificate at Callaway Golf for Christmas and then again for my Birthday. First came this driver then the club set that included the hybrid 4 iron on the top picture. (the 4 is my new favorite club) My older set was used when I bought it and had graphite shafts. I was told graphite is better for amateurs and older players, more flex, more forgiving, blah blah blah. When I got "fitted" for my new clubs the computer analyzed my swing. My club head speed, the ball trajectory angle and ball speed all pointed to steel shafts. After using them twice I'm convinced they are better and make a difference. "Steel is real."

Last summer I read how a 58 yr old guy died while playing golf. Sad. Apparently he fell over a small cliff while trying to recover an errant ball along the rough. Maybe this mixture of playing on the edge of danger mixed with the beauty and serenity of the course is what lures me to it. Today I found at least six other golf balls while I was out in the rough (no cliffs) looking for one I'd sliced off the course. Any one out there with unused golf balls, I can give them a good home....

(PS I'm grateful for Mark's patience with me...it's all his fault I'm enjoying this so much.)

My birthday @ work

This is what I found when I walked into my "cube" at work this morning. How nice, someone here remembered me! The balloon looked familiar and then I noticed why... it's been passed on, used on three other March B-days & recycled to live another day. The bag was empty by the way, which is good, because I didn't get the prior three birthday boys anything either. Birthdays have become a mixture of good and bad. Good: like anyone, I like to enjoy "my day." Bad, like anyone, I don't relish the idea of getting old. But old is relevant. I remember how hard it was when I turned 30! I'd reached that milestone age from my generation that said, "Don't trust anyone over 30!" It's been easier ever since. At least I'm not the oldest one listed on the card attached to the bag. And besides, it's impossible to have grand kids without aging!!

Words no longer used?

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that the words "you're welcome" have been replaced by the words, "no problem." ?? Not that long ago, I noticed that after asking a store clerk, waitress, fast food clerk, etc a question or for an item and I'd received it, I'd say "thank you." In stead of the once heard, usual standard reply to these words of "you're welcome," I began hearing NO PROBLEM. Sometimes it was exaggerated and drawn out as if they were doing me a favor just doing their job... (try noticing what you hear next time). I'd begun to feel as though maybe I shouldn't have asked for a side of mayo, more water, extra napkins, my check so I can pay and leave, a to-go box, or just a simple 'thank you' at the end of the money exchange at In n Out, Taco Bell, Marv's Hamburgers or any other fine eatin' establishment. Maybe I'm witnessing the evolution of our language. After all, 'twenty-three-skidoo' is no longer around ~ (Waaaay before my time, which had something to do with getting out while the getting is good, time for me to leave.) Now days it's: See ya. Elvis has left the building. I'm outta heeeeeeeeere. at least I blogged again

Here tonight, gone tomorrow

I don't know if our neighborhood is unique with this phenomenon or not, but either us or the neighbor two doors down, will put out on the sidewalk, furniture, baby toys, etc, we have no more use for (you know, items of some value; not-enuff-to-trash and too lazy to haul to the DI) and viola! The next day they are gone. (not quite like it in this case, but it usually is.)

It beats saving up a pile of stuff for a yard sale and it's easier than hauling it piecemeal to the DI. (Truth be told, our neighbor and us have actually taken advantage of one another's generosity a few times.) There is a guy who drives our neighborhood with a staked sided pickup truck, looking just for these "finds," but several times, we've been able to witness other happy folks find the items, hesitate and with convincing from us, that it's free for the taking, see them load up, drive away, being able to see our treasures going to good use again, not to mention the good fortune for the "finder."

See the world differently

See things in a whole new light. Get your rose-colored glasses today. . . but before you do, have you wondered where this idea originated? A quick google search indicated two possible ways. One, being that the romantic artwork during the Victorian Age of the 17th century, the viewer associated these paintings of flowers & rose gardens with optimism, such as "painting a rosy picture." Another theory is that early mapmakers used rose petals to keep their glasses scratch-free. Through time, rose-colored stains formed and hence, they looked at their maps through these rose-colored glasses. Some say optimism is a way of cooping with the negativity in life, as obstacles are always put in our paths. My family are my rose-colored glasses: my hope, love and my life. As Carol so eloquently put it once, "you have your crap, I have mine." If we dwell on it, it still won't improve. If we ignore it, it will still be there. We all have them, just different degrees. Personally, I like my plain RayBan's. . .

How long can we keep going?

I recently saw a bike blog with a fictitious magazine article with a look into the future of how Armstrong predicts a return in the 2051 Tour de France. With age-enhanced photo it said he'll be 77 years old and still plans on riding. . . . I really doubt it, almost the same way as I doubt Brett Favre, at only 40 yrs old, will return after the beating he took by the New Orleans Saints playoff game. Lost, but only by 3.

I wonder if I'll be riding at 77. I hope I am at least still playing with my grand kids and hitting the golf course. (There, I blogged. seems Fb has taken over our communication sharing.)

Over or under, Coke or Pepsi . . .

How you prefer your toilet paper actually reveals a lot of what kind of person you are.

The same scientific study of which coke you drink, also exposes the real you.

*They both match your out-look on life - don't let either be a serious hang up - do what you wanna do, go where you wanna go; be yourself and learn to be flexible. (Sorry, I had to blog about something, don't believe a thing about any scientific studies on these two topics.)

Old McDonald

I can't believe I'm doing Farmville now.........don't laugh. Carol says to call it a "Zen Garden" as in therapy. What in the world do I need therapy for? I'm normal, stable, on the downhill side of life and an old man who should be fully retired by now. But, then I see there are those who take it way to seriously, have found ways to cheat or legally advance and out-score their neighbors and even written a book on it.

Maybe this explains why my blog page has not been updated very often. My life is consumed by Facebook, grandsons, golf, hang-gliding, crosswords, bike riding, work, husbandly things, bull-riding, cooking, laundry, tae-kwon-do, base jumping, football (which is almost over) and my love of reading. Not much time for anything else. But, I enjoy visiting other blogs :-)

one nation under God

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VUo8OuFaiI&feature=player_embedded

This is a quick video I got via email at work, kinda says it all. Enjoy. Hope you can copy and paste if it's not already in the fancy format that allows you to just click on it
:-/

Random thoughts & musings

Why aren’t airport pat-downs done like a real cop would to them? (After Id done a few, I'd lost any embarrassment, especially when I did find a weapon or contraband!! If you’re too modest, don’t fly.) The repetitive second guessing and finger-pointing everyone is doing is getting old. I can’t think of many things scarier than seeing a fellow airplane passenger trying to ignite a bomb while on final approach ~ or at any other time. When will our homeland security and TSA directors quit bowing to public opinion and profile these idiots at borders and airports? Not ethnic, race or religious, but totality of circumstances. On other thoughts: Can I really eat healthy at Taco Bell? How does Brett Favre do it? It’s said that elephants never forget but what do they do that’s so memorable? Where was I going with this? Certainly, not to the airport … maybe someday, we'll all ride 'bullet trains' across the country in stead of flying.
Happy New Year everyone!