Greetings dear readers,

The following blog posting should not be read if you are easily offended or if you wish for things to stay the same forever. In any manner, read at your own risk and do not say I did not warn you! And oh yeah…DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS!

I may offend a few people here but I must do I must do. There are some things that are starting to lose their seasoning and should be placed in the same area with the words “groovy and hip” And also placed into storage with leisure suits, pet rocks, mood rings, long sideburns, and hula hoops. So without any concern for what others say and think, here are some things whose time has certainly come.

Shaved Heads – OK guys that is about enough. We know that you are bald so why not go back to wearing a hat? It is just getting old. Time for some changes please!

Hyphenated Last Names – I know that there are reasons for these things, but we got along for centuries without them. I know that people have the right to do all kinds of things with their names and I respect that, but please think about what it will look like on the back of a football jersey. I can’t watch a college football game without struggling to read all the many different names.

Exactly – The phrase “exactly” has pretty much been used as much as “groovy” and you know what happened to it. Why not try another phrase….any phrase….please!

Sports Broadcasters – And while we are at it, there are many people that would love to watch Sunday Night Football without listening to Chris Collinsworth running his mouth incessantly and making it difficult to enjoy football. And it is time for the UFC to replace Joe Rogan as the guy knows everything about everything and never shuts up. The other guy can barely get a word in from time to time.

I know that these are just my opinions which few people will read and even fewer will appreciate, but these are some things that need to be said, like it or not.

Suppose that nothing in the world was real….except thought? Thought is all powerful and literally the seeds of reality and the world around us. Now imagine that thought is our true essence. In other words, we are thought entities and not our physical bodies and brains.

If we are not our physical bodies or brains, then we must be operating the human brain from a remote location. That remote location is our true identity and where we actually exist. The human brain does not create thought, it only receives thought like a television or radio does. This would explain the sophisticated circuitry of the brain (similar to looking at the inside of a television or other kind of electronic device).

What if the human brain takes thought and turns it into reality, in the same manner a television takes the electrical impulses of atomic matter and turns them into images and sounds for us to enjoy?

If this is true, then we are literally creating the world around us as I write these words. However, it is not like Samantha on “Bewitched” or Aladdin and his magic lamp. We cannot create any kind of reality that we want. This is due to the way that the human brain’s hardware is wired and the software that we have programmed into it since birth.

We create the world around us largely on a subconscious level, and this is necessary to make life on earth challenging, interesting, beautiful, and worthwhile. If we could snap our fingers and have anything that we wanted, where is the fun in that? It would be exciting for maybe a day or so.

It reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode from the early 1960s. A gangster dies and meets this person in a white suit. The man in the suit explains to the gangster that he can have anything he wants. After a week or so of winning every time he gambled and successfully conquering every woman that he met, he got bored.

He then asked the man in the white suit if he could lose every now and then. The man told him that he could arrange for him to lose at certain times, if he wanted to. But the gangster wanted it to be random, so he would not know the outcome, and this was not possible. Finally the gangster asked the man, “What kind of heaven is this?”

And the man replied, “Who ever told you that this was heaven?” and he laughed and laughed.

I used this story to illustrate the meaningless of an existence where you could easily obtain your heart’s desire. We were well aware of this when we worked with the creator to design the hardware of the human brain and the amazing features that it controls, within the human body complex. This explains the limitations of our power of thought on earth, and why it is often difficult to get what we want.

I just wonder how I can use this knowledge to my benefit. Maybe just knowing that there is no real death or life is enough to give me some peace of mind. As I see it, the brain and body dies, that is for certain. But we are not our brains or bodies. We simply control them remotely.

Is there life after death? I think there is no such thing as life or death and that our true essence in neither living nor dead. Life is only a reference to what happens on the planet earth. After all, you will not find life on any other planets or other solar systems as far as we know. Death is only a state of matter when life on earth changes or is recycled back into the maze of wondrous thought manifestations.

Am I correct or am I full of it? It really does not matter much does it? Our human bodies and brains will someday return to dust and then we will know. But I have a feeling that deep down inside, we have known the answer all along.

It is not about making a million dollars of having the finest cars or houses. It is about appreciating the feeling that comes from sharing life experiences. It is about a baby’s first smile and laugh. It is about the pain that comes from letting go of your children and watching them grow up. It is about sitting and enjoying a wondrous sunset and appreciating the warm feeling of sitting around the furnace register in the wintertime, and having hot chocolate, and telling stories to kids and watching their eyes widen and mouths smile at Christmas time.

Our lives are a collection of many small and seemingly insignificant things. But all these small things add up to some very amazing adventures. Yet, I still am going to try and figure out how I can use this kind of knowledge to my advantage, and would appreciate any thoughts from others.

Have a wonderful holiday dear readers and understand that Santa does exist, if you want him to, so let him have his day and also let him make the kids feel special at this time of year. It will sing in their memories until they take their last breath of precious air.

Maybe you are not as young as you once were. Few people are (except maybe Joan Rivers or Chuck Norris). Anyway, you could sit and brood about it, but that will not solve much. Instead, you may wish to come with me on a journey of enlightenment that will show you some amazing benefits to growing older.  Here are a few reasons to enjoy the fact that you are a bit older now.

Reason Number One – You can afford to be more honest now. After all, what is the worst case scenario…you offend a few people? You have been on this planet for a few years and now it is time to express your true opinions (at least some of them). Anyway, they will just pass it off as senility or maybe blame the medication that you are taking. But there is a reason to use reason number one with caution.

Be careful about expressing true opinions to your kids. Of course, this does not apply to positive things and any kind of praise, as this is always acceptable. If you alienate the kids you may find yourself in an awkward position in the future when they are trying to figure out what to do with “Dad” or “Mom”. So keep this in mind the next time they forget to call or need to borrow something.

Reason Number Two – Now that you are older you can enjoy the fruits of your labor. You have sacrificed many years to take care of the kids and now you get to watch them take care of theirs. Not only that, you get to be the “good guy” and give the grandkids candy and presents, while the parents have the hard part and are the “bad guys”.

Reason Number Three – You might be able to get some pretty good discounts on car insurance and when you buy certain things. I remember that there used to be “senior citizen days” in Kansas City, and people over 55 could get a ten percent discount at certain stores. However, I live in Florida, so if the local merchants did that, they would soon find themselves out of business. But if you live up north, you may have some very good discounts coming your way, so take advantage of them.

You can get discounts through AARP, but expect a lot of ads in the mail. They will try to sell you life insurance and stuff about three times a week. Of course, you always have the option of placing that kind of mail in the same type of file system that I use. My file system is picked up every Tuesday morning by a blue truck.

Reason Number Four – You can move into a senior community if you are over 55. Senior communities do have advantages as there are no noisy neighbors. You can go to bed at any time and take a nap in the day without a lot of booming stereos and power saws buzzing in the neighborhood. There also are not a lot of wild parties (which may or may not be a good thing depending on how you look at it.)

Some senior communities have club houses and golf courses to enjoy if you like that stuff. And you may not want to mow the lawn or fix things on the house anymore, and this is another advantage. However, if you like it out in the sticks, you may have to be like me and stay where you are for now.

Reason Number Five – Suppose you are in a bank and someone decides to rob it. They are not as likely to take you hostage. In fact, you may be able to walk right out of the door. Besides, no one is going to expect you to be a hero anyway.

Reason Number Six – You no longer have to place much merit on the opinions of others. Maybe someone does not like you…so what? Maybe someone criticizes something that you do….so what? You have finally reached an age of maturity to where you realize that those people are no smarter or better than you, so their opinions mean very little, if anything. You can have peace of mind in not caring about some things. There is a freedom is not allowing others to bother or upset you. In fact, there is liberation of doubts, fears, and anxieties that have burdened you for decades.

Reason Number Seven – Today’s last reason and maybe the best is not being too careful about how you look. You are not trying to attract that special someone, and if you are looking for that special someone they are just going to have to accept you for the way you are. Now that is freedom! You still try to look your best, but you finally realize that you are pretty OK just the way you are, and others are just going to have to deal with it. So, if I wear a T-shirt with a hole in it to the local convenience store, the clerk is not going to look twice, and I will still be able to buy my lotto tickets and gasoline.

Greetings dear readers, today I am going to approach a sensitive subject from a lighthearted viewpoint. After all, as we advance in years there is little one can to freeze time or stop the clock. However, we can at least get some enjoyment from our advancing years. For example, I am writing today’s blog in a nice large font, to make it easier to read.

If this font is not big enough click on the page and hit “Ctrl +” and keep hitting it until you can read this (or until the computer beeps for you to stop hitting those buttons).

If this font is already too large….this information may not apply to you.

At first, I was going to blog about ways to take advantage of your age, but then I realized that many people out there may be in denial. So, I think it is best to help out those that are not sure if they are over the hill or not. With that in mine,  I have come up with a few ways to tell if you have seen your better days.

Without any more ado, here is my top ten list. You know that you are over the hill when……..

10. You thank the cashier at your local convenience store for asking for your ID.

9. You have a pair of reading glasses at your desk, in the kitchen, and in your car, and you can’t find any of them!

8. You think that “emo” is a large bird.

7. And, you had to look up the term “emo” on the Internet, just to find out what I was talking about.

6. People in their 30s and 40s are calling you “sir” or “ma’m”.

5. You are watching a classic movie channel and remember seeing the movie at the drive-in. (Well, at least part of the movie)

4. You actually know what a drive-in movie is.

3. You have to ask one of the kids to show you how to use the CD player in your car.

2. You need your reading glasses and a magnifying glass to read the instructions on a medicine bottle.

1. And the number one way to know that you are over the hill…Someone is complaining about the neighbors not mowing their lawn……and it is you!

Perhaps this has awakened some of you from a long slumber that started in the 80s. If so, fear not, as I will offer some words of wisdom (or at least semi-useful advice) in the next blog. The next blog will be about ways to take advantage of getting older. You may have more things in your over-the-hill arsenal than you think, so hang on until tomorrow (or perhaps the next day).

Well, the holiday season is upon us….and you know how I can tell? This Black Friday there were two people in a fist fight over an XBOX game. This happened at the Lake Wales WalMart where my daughter works. Nothing says Christmas like senseless and selfish violence huh?

But do not let that put a damper on your holiday season dear readers. There are plenty of reasons to bask in the company of those you love. It is a shame that with so many people, those closest can be the most irritating.

Fortunately for me, I do not have that problem. Maybe it is because I am the irritating relative? Maybe not. I like to think that I am just fortunate, and leave it at that. Have a wonderful holiday season and take time to tell someone close to you that you appreciate their efforts. After all, time is one of the most fleeting things we face, and no one knows exactly how much they have left.

Today’s blog is about a little dog that was only little in stature. Few times in life you meet someone that touches your soul and you are one of those special creatures. For 16 years you blessed and enriched my life immeasurably in a way which I could never repay. Words cannot express how I feel your loss.

Chip, you were my constant companion and friend. You comforted me when most people in the world thought I was simply nuts. And all you asked in return was love. If only people could be like you little pal!

I also wish to write about something of a spiritual nature, and you dear reader, are free to accept or reject it. However, all I ask is that you give it some thought, and it may bring you some comfort.
Many people subscribe to some kind of organized religion, and I am not going to mock or ridicule any belief system, and you know why? Because I cannot prove that it is wrong. And you know why, because our true essence is way beyond our own comprehension. Think not? Explain our true existence and what happens after death, and then present concrete provable evidence.

That being said, I wish to relay some information to people that are suffering with some kind of loss in their lives. Look around you. Everything is in a constant state of cycling and recycling. This means that nothing ever really goes away, at least for very long.

Everything around you is changing form, recycling, and changing back into form. In fact, there is a basic law of the universe that states matter or energy cannot be created nor destroyed. I am not sure what life is, but I know it is energy, so the same can be said of that. So I see all life as in a constant state of change and recycling. How this occurs is beyond my comprehension, but think about this.

In life, you meet a few individuals that touch the soul. You feel like you have always known each other, and this should tell you something. Some things are beyond the mortal plane. Have we lived and loved before? I feel that we have, and it makes more sense for life to be recycled than to constantly have to create new life. After all, life is energy and you cannot simply create energy.
We cannot fathom a timeless existence, yet that is how I see our true essence. Time and everything on the planet is an amazing illusion. And it is necessary for this amazing experience called life on earth.

You are free to think of me as simply nuts, and you will not be the first to do so. But I believe that sometime in the future, I will come across a little dog, and we will both instantly know that we have lived and loved before. And the same goes for all the people in my life that have touched my soul. There is a reason for profound feelings, and you simply cannot pass them off as electrical impulses. We are much more than that…far more.

Perhaps physical memories cannot survive brain death. Yet, I believe that we have cosmic or spiritual memories that can. These are not memories with words, but with feelings, and things that you just “know” instinctively.

I know that some will read this, and refer me to their religion and why it is the only religion and why I must accept it or be damned. Well, I am not asking anyone to accept my beliefs, because I cannot prove them. So, please do not ask me to accept your beliefs as you cannot definitively prove them.

And please do not speak of things that God has supposed to have done, said, or commanded, as you are only referring to words that are written by common man, and this proves nothing to me. It is all a matter of faith, when it gets down to it. When things are accepted on faith, no one is wrong, and no one can be proven right. That is why I cannot see why millions of people want to kill each other over something that cannot be proven. Why can’t they simply agree to disagree? This way, they could actually work together and make the world a much safer and better place to live.

Once again I find myself returning to my blog, as it helps me to concentrate and put my thoughts in order. It has been a very rainy weekend and the low barometric pressure really causes me a lot of inner ear problems. I was feeling particularly rotten and of course everyday things have been stressing me out.

I realized that things have never run smoothly for very long and a huge portion of my problems could be cured with a huge cash infusion (which does not appear to be on the horizon). So I went to the Internet and searched “things never run smooth in my life” and I came across a most interesting site.

I found an online blog or journal from a young woman in the UK named Donna. She was complaining that nothing ever runs smoothly in her life, and with just cause. At the age of 19 she was diagnosed with a fatal genetic heart condition called dilated myopathy. At the age of 26 she was on her second failed transplant and was waiting for a third.

She mentioned the fact that she was on oxygen and it has been very difficult her with all of the hospital treatments and therapy. She also mentioned that her immune system was basically nonexistent from all of the therapy and anti-rejection medications. On top of that, she had developed pneumonia is both lungs.

Through all of this, her amazing resolve and personality shined through her words. You could tell that she was an amazing person to be around. And at that time, I realized that there are major problems in life that money cannot solve. This young woman only wanted to enjoy simple things in life with her young daughter and new husband, but it was not to be.

She wanted to live so badly, and was trying desperately to live her life to the fullest. She has recently got married to someone that she felt was her soul mate. At the wedding, they could not dance their newlywed dance because she was not well enough. Yet, she chose to go through with the ordeal, because that is what she wanted to do, and it gave meaning to her life.

As I read the words of this beautiful young woman, I realized that life was not fair. All this time I have been thinking about all of those people that are so much more fortunate than me. Instead, I should have been thinking about the millions of people that have it much worse than me. It is all a matter of perspective I guess. And it makes me see how very fortunate I really am in life.

On July 2, 2010, Donna lost her struggle to heart problems, and the world lost a beautiful person, but the eternal gained an angel. I hope that I can remember Donna, even though we have never met, as I think that she has helped to change my current perspective on life. Thank you Donna, wherever you are.

Did you ever notice that it is always something, and things never run smoothly for very long? I used to think it was just me, but now I am not so sure. Why is it that things can never be good for any amount of time?

Yesterday I spent all day in the heat working on my lawn tractor and I finally got it finished. it runs fine now, but as soon as I was done, I noticed a gas leak. That little rubber grommet or busing at the bottom of the gas tank was deteriorated and as a result gasoline leaking. Now I have to take care of that problem. Such is life.

This is not unusual as it has been going on in my life since I can remember. And I have come to a conclusion. This has been going on for so long, that the chances of it continuing are almost 100 percent. So instead of trying to fix everything, I am going to try to do some things that will make life just a little better. I figure that is something I can do. I cannot stop things like the ravages of time and poor attitudes of other people, but I can make things a little better.

Ahhhhh Baby steps may be the answer. Instead of trying to become a millionaire, it may be better to concentrate on being a thousandaire. That I can do. Why frustrate myself with things that may never happen, when I can enjoy little things in life and try to find ways to make small improvements?

Instead of having that magnificent house on a hill with the picket fence, I will try to make things a little more comfortable in my manufactured home in Central Florida. No, I am not giving up, I am just readjusting my goals so I can actually achieve them.

Maybe a new recliner chair will be next. Of course I need to get the Mercury running and catch up on my writing assignments (due to my KC trip and a recent illness). but a new chair is something that I can achieve, in the near future.

Perhaps I need to look at life through a clear glass, instead of a wonderful and beautiful kaleidoscope. After all, looking at things through many colors and shapes can be an easy way to lose one’s way and get lost or even trip and fall. (due to obstructed scenery) And besides that, clear glass is a true perception of the world around us.

This has been Always Something Tuesday, brought to you by a slightly altered (and perhaps better) outlook of life.

Have you ever wondered why so many people idolize and worship sports figures? There is nothing wrong with it and it helps many people to escape the boredom and troubles in life. Yet, it can sometimes interfere with our lives when we take it too seriously. Maybe it is time for a gentle reminder, it is just a game.

If you are watching your favorite team or player and they are not doing well, you may become angry or disgusted. But wait a minute, ask yourself, “Why am I so upset?” Now wait a few moments for a reply.

You might be upset because you feel betrayed or most likely, you feel that their play is a reflection on you, because you support them emotionally. It is not that the team or individual failed, but in some manner, you failed. But it is time to think about one thing, you have not failed, and it is only a silly game.

So what if someone can throw or catch a ball better than you? So what if someone can hit a ball over a net or into a hole in the ground? These people are not heroes. In fact, they are absolutely nothing without the support of common everyday people that shell out their hard earned money to support them.

The real heroes are the men and women that get up in the morning when they would rather sleep for another couple of hours. They go to a job that they are not thrilled with because they are supporting their families. The sacrifice and do without things that would like to have, because they have people that are depending upon them and they do not want to let them down.

These are the real heroes in my book, and they go mostly unnoticed for their entire lives, except for birthdays, Christmas, and days like Mother’s or Father’s Day. They are the ones that should have the attention. But instead we shower our affection on people that do not even know (or care) that we exist.

So what if they lose a game? When the game is over, they get into their fancy sports cars or luxury vehicles, and drive home to their mansions and supermodel wives. We do not really need these people. In fact, they need us, and we have more power over them than we realize.

It is not fair that the NFL should blackout home games to good people, like a selfish, spoiled child with a toy (that they do not wish to play with, but they want no one else to have any pleasure from). If they want full stadiums, they should lower the costs and take a few million from their pockets and the pockets of the players. (so the real heroes can enjoy themselves)

With each NFL game that is blacked out, I lose a little more interest in the game. And I am willing to bet that things like blackouts would immediately stop if no one showed up for the games for only one week. But people cannot see or realize the enormous power that they possess.

In summation, it is only a game. The real heroes are everyday people that put it on the line each and every day to make a better life for their families. They sacrifice so much more than sports players because they cannot comfortably retire in luxury after a few short years. Do not let professional sports ruin your day or even one minute of your precious time. It is simply not worth it. Enjoy the game, but do not let it bother you if they do not perform well. It is not a reflection on you, as you are the real hero in this story, because you are real and not fantasy.

I have been reading about parents carelessly leaving small children in cars in the hot weather, and of course it usually ends in tragedy. A recent story in the newspaper has left me bewildered.

At first I wrote about the thoughtless parent and this act of negligent homicide. But then I started checking online and saw that it is happening a great deal more than I thought. I guess just because I cannot fathom it, does not mean that it cannot happen. Also, I am not going to save anyone by complaining. So instead, I am going to remind parents to be very careful in the hot weather.

Make a reminder system, to eliminate any chances of this terrible kind of tragedy happening. If you are a woman, leave your purse in the back seat by the baby. Get into that habit. If you are a man, place your cell phone in the back seat. After all, it is safer not to use it while driving anyway.

If you drive alone with a small child a lot, keep a stuffed animal in the back. Strap this animal in the front seat whenever you have a child in the back seat with you. Perhaps there is only one chance in millions that it will happen. But, do you want to take those odds with your child? I think not. People beat long odds everyday and hit the lottery, and strange and unusual things can happen, but not if you are fully prepared.

Do everything that you possibly can to protect your little ones, please!

Everyone knows that her reckless behavior caused the death of her innocent child, including the jury. They felt that the prosecution did not meet their burden of proof, in the eyes of the law. But they forgot about what would happen when you exonerate someone for such a horrendous crime.

When you intentionally let someone go free, you must share some of the shame, and the guilt that has been brought down, because you had the ability to do something about it, and you chose to be “proper and legal”. Sometimes “proper and legal” is not the right thing to do. You have to speak up for those that can no longer speak, in whatever manner that is possible.

In the future, every breath of her freedom is bought with the shame and guilt of the legal system and the people in it. Every book that she signs, she signs with ink bought from the blood of an innocent. Every dollar that she makes from this terrible situation is blood money. This goes for money that everyone else makes from it, also.

But in the future, these people will not care. They will rationalize that they have a right to make a buck, just the same as anyone else. After all, if not them, then someone else, right? My answer is no, and the answer for anyone that wants to sleep at night and look themselves in the mirror is “no”.

This goes for anyone that buys any books or goes to see any movies about this terrible situation. If you do this, you are condoning everything about it. You are in part, sharing the guilt, blame, and humiliation. So go ahead, indulge your curiosity, after all it is only the death of an innocent child, and what is that compared to reading about some juicy tidbits of gossip or gory happenings, right?

Well dear reader(s) this is no longer going to be a daily column. I am going to concentrate on specialty blogs and online article writing.

I will still post here from time to time and I will leave all the past postings in tact.

My new writings will be at hubpages.com

and at

Household Products Review Blog .
If you are thinking about buying things from home appliances to DVD movies, check here for information.

Best of luck to everyone that has taken the time to read this blog.