My boss.

I work for a small company, 12 folks.  My boss is a hard nosed, angry, lonely man that has a way of crawling under your skin and making you want to rip it off.  I have been there 2 years and have seen 5 people go.  I have to believe that you should do what you love and if you are in a job you hate, you should leave.  But until then, how do the millions of people who despise what they do because of the people they work for get through each day?  It just puts a sick feeling in my stomach.  Hope you’re not lonely, without me…..

The Christmas/New Year BLEW

Alright, I have been back to work this week so no real time to review the BLEW.  The random site of the week though has got to be ‘Werewolf’s Lair‘.  Excuse my spanglish, but holy shit.  Werewolf is hysterical and honest.  This site basically describes the day and night life of a guy living in Bangkok.  He is self employed by day, and briefly talks about his business life.  But the major discussions are the night life, and he sums the site up best “The people I am writing for are men who come here on business or holiday, who experience the incredible nightlife and the fantastic women, all available for a the price of a big mac or two, and start to dream about living here.”  Hence, this site is not for the church going American, it is detailed, raw and, well, entertaining.  You never know what you are going to find here at WorldPress, but you can bet your ass I am going to find out.  Remember friends, be a Do-er.  Werewolf is one, for sure!

Losing your best friend

This week I lost my best friend.  She had an awful disease, and was quite young.  She was always so happy, and in turn, made me happy.  I told her everything over the course of 5 years, and although I don’t think she understood it all, she knew the meaning of what I told her and her licks reassured me I would be ok.  I loved that dog with all of my heart.  I can’t stop thinking about her little face in my hand, her eyes were so soft and understanding.  Although she is gone from me physically, I will always have her in my heart and mind.  Rest in peace my beloved friend.

BLEW - The Weekly Blog Review

Going to start a weekly review of blogs I randomly come across. Well, not so much a review of the content. Who is to say what is good and what is not? Certainly not me! So, it is not going to be a page promoting some and blasting others. It will be a review of what kind of blogs are out there so I can remember the places I have been so I can go back!

• The first is More Than 10. This is by far my favorite blog, if not website, I have visited thus far. Corduroy13 does an awesome job organizing the site and allowing a group discussion of the band I listen to most - Pearl Jam. When you get to the homepage, you will see the songs most recently reviewed on the left. On the right, you will see a categories column. This is broken down into Pearl Jam studio albums, solo projects etc. Clicking on the links brings you to a new page, where you can comment on each song from the album you chose. It is great to read other fans views, and to communicate with fellow Pearl Jammers. Just a wonderfully put together site, clearly a lot of time and hard work was put into it, and it is just a great place to chat. Thanks More Than Ten!

• Next is Beeler’s Life. Again, these are sites that I just randomly come across, no rhyme or reason. Beeler’s life is just that - the daily life of the creator, Eric Beavers, in Georgia. I have really enjoyed reading his entries. A part of me feels like it is wrong, to be reading about some strangers life, his daily to do list. But I guess that is what the point of these blogs are - an online journal of our daily lives. I don’t know if some people forget that anybody and everybody can read them, but Beeler’s Life is just an honest account of one man’s life in Georgia, along with his wife and 5 children. So, getting back on course - yes, a part feels like it is private info I have come across, but he makes the reader feel welcome, and isn’t just ranting like myself! So well done Eric, I look forward to reading more in the future and wish you the best as you set aside more time for writing. If you like his blog, you may also like ‘For Better, For Worse, For Life‘.

• I cannot forget 38 Pitches, this is where is all started for me. This site is authored by major league baseball pitcher Curt Schilling. He is a hall of fame contender, has had a wonderful career and helped the Red Sox win two World Series. It is rare when a public figure like this communicates with the outside world. Topics are primarily about baseball, and because of his fame, he gets a lot hits (most are the typical ‘you suck’ idiotic rants) but I like getting the inside information from an honest person in the game.

• And the last one for the week is The Traw Bros. This site is funny, just opinions from a couple of guys on everything from sports to love. They comment on daily events, and even have an advice section. I gotta spend some more time here so consider this a sneak preview.

So that is the week in review. Remember this - some people are watchers and some people are do-ers. Be a do-er.

Ice Running, the ipod and 9/11

It is winter here in New England. Bare trees, snow on the ground, kids sledding. For the runners out there, today was one of those perfect days. Sunny, not too windy, and air just cold enough that you are not sweating profusely and warm enough that your lungs aren’t getting sliced by the rawness. Went to the local track to do some speed workouts. This time of year, only the first 100 yards is accessible as the remaining 3/4 is covered by snow and ice, and sits in the shade away from the warming sun. Today, however, my sacred 1/4 plot was a mix of ice and slush so I deferred to the parking lot. I am still up in the air when it comes to the ipod and running. I love music and running, but the two together don’t really mix for me. If I am on the road, it is a definite no for me, I don’t want to end up road kill (which reminds me of how awful this month has been in terms of the number of people who lost their lives while walking in the streets because the sidewalks are not plowed). Certainly, during a race it is a no. But when I am on the track, it has been 50:50. When I first got an ipod, I used it all the time. Now, it is more of a distraction/annoyance than anything. Besides the ear phones falling out, cords hitting my face and out of sync rhythms (yes, all can be fixed) I lost out on the whole point of running for me: to enjoy it. I recall reading this excellent article in Runners World a ways back about
John Moylan, an avid runner who worked in the twin towers. He almost lost his life that day, and was unable to run for almost a month likely because of the emotional toll it took on him. Running is a way for me to get some perspective everyday. In the daily grind of life, it is my release. Whether its exercise, reading, driving etc, having some kind of way to deposit these pressures is a good thing. If you have never run or walked for exercise, or have gotten distracted from the routine, there is no better time to get back on the horn. Grab a pair of sneakers, and walk for 10 or 15 minutes. Try it a couple of times a week. My bet is that you will get addicted to it because of how good it makes you feel. God, life isn’t easy. All you can do is keep keepin’ on. Like the wise man Red once said “Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin”.

Romney: Fact or Fiction?

Politicians talk, that is there job.  But for Mitt, he talks a little too much.  More often than not, what comes out of his mouth is what he thinks the audience wants to hear.  Well, you say, what is wrong with that?  Shouldn’t you try to hoodwink the people, and get as many votes as you can?  Sure, if you are not genuine, that is the only way you are going to get votes.  But in this day and age of cell phones and youtube, every word you say is likely to be recorded especially if you are running for president of the United States.  Once the media gets a hold of your inaccuracies, you are done for.  Let’s backtrack here (we can call this pullin’ a Mitt), and say that once your rival media unravels your lies, they will bury you and before you know it, you are  getting hit with the ugly stick faster than Clemens can say “Never touched the stuff”.   Others have done fine jobs in listing his recent flip flops, but let’s watch it actually unfold as he was questioned by K Couric on 17 Dec.  Let’s play it round by round after she asks when the last time he lost his temper and what came of it, and see him dig himself a hole, pull a Mitt, and then backpedal out.
Romney: You know, I talk about becoming intense. I never talk about losing my temper. (LAUGHS) I don’t think I lose my temper. But I become …
Couric: Well, when was the last time you became intense?
Romney: I become intense. Well, there was a TV or radio talk show host the other day in Iowa that began drilling me about my faith. And I became intense in confronting what he had said. And we went back and forth. Unbeknownst to me, he had a hidden camera on the console. So this then popped up on the Internet - as our exchange. And I was intense. I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t out of control. But I was intense.
Couric: Would you say you lost your temper a bit?
Romney: No. No, I didn’t lose my temper. I was intense. And expressed my views directly and forthrightly. I remember once I really learned to manage my temper when I was angry with one of my sons when they were very, very young. And Ann and I talked about it afterwards and said, “You know, it doesn’t make sense to ever really lose your temper with a child.” And, I said, you know, “I’m not gonna do that anymore.” And I have not, I just haven’t gotten angry and lost my temper that I can recall in a long, long time.
Couric: Come on. (LAUGHS)
Romney: Oh, you get, you get…
Couric: I mean, there must be times…
Couric: When you feel like you’re going to…
Romney: They’re the road experience.
Couric: You’re going to get really angry or you just get furious, even if it’s just an instance.
Romney: Oh, sure. Oh, of course. And–
Couric: When was the last time you did that?
Romney: You know, sometimes on the road when I’m driving, if someone does something, you know, I might (LAUGHS) express my anger. I don’t do in a visible way.
Couric: You don’t do any rude signs, do you?
Romney: No. No rude signs, no. They, they’ve been flashed in my direction. But rarely in the or never actually near the direction, you know, I’ve kicked a door a couple of times. I remember kicking a door the other day. Not the other day. It was probably a few months ago.
Couric: Why’d you kick the door?
Romney: Well, I heard something that a particular member of the news media had said. And it was wrong. It was exactly the opposite of what was real. And it’s frustrating to see things that you that you know being distorted. But I don’t tend to express that openly or publicly.
Couric: What happened when you kicked the door other than stubbing your toe?
Romney: That was it. That’s typically the result of anger is being hurt yourself and not accomplishing anything for it.

Universal Healthcare

Doctors save lives everyday.  Insurance companies take them away.  It is hard to believe that if you don’t have money, you can’t live.

Presidents: Democrats or Republicans? All the same pile of shit to me.

This time around, similar to prior election years, I am faced with a pool of bad apples to rule this nation. Honestly, I am better off grabbing a sword and randomly stabbing it in there to pull out one of those worm infested fruits, because what is the difference? They are all selfish liars with no real intentions of making this country a better one. There should be a system where we actually all have input. Before a law is passed, or a major decision is to be made, there should be an online poll, and each citizen gets a single vote. Go to war for money and oil? Um, no. Pass stricter emissions laws? Yes. It is not that difficult, just make the decisions that make sense. Hey, any sour apple will be better than the manure we have now.

Stemcells - What the Myc?

Recent advances in stem cell generation are very exciting, even more so without the use of the oncogene c-myc (Nat Bio). There is skepticism still because of viral insertion, nuclear reprogramming, DNA stability. With all new findings, it will take time to optimize the system. So this should be a period of excitement not discouragement.

Girlfriends

I love my girlfriend.  Nothing novel about that, she is fantastic - who woudlnt?  This is my last rant of the night - this is my first day of blogging so I am trying to understand this whole thing.  I have read others blogs, people who have been posting since 2004 - it is literally a web log of their life.  They write everything - sex lives, who they cant stand, personal info.  So, what if these other people you are writing about read your blog?  Is that the point?  Anyways, with Christmas coming up, I am so excited because I spent so much time this year finding cool gifts for GF.   I look back at my previous relationships and wonder what I was thinking.  Obligation.  That is what I was thinking.  You spend so much time with a person, and it just becomes like a daily task.   With GF, it is a whole new world.  When you find someone who has so much in common with you, that thinks about you all day, goes out of their way for you, tells you nice things - someone who genuinely loves you, it is just a great feeling.  Love, to me it isnt so much a feeling as it is an action.  Someone who tries to help you be the best you can be.  I just like thinking about her, she always puts a smile on my face with just a memory.  What I dont get about girls though is how awful they can be to each other.  My GF has a bunch of friends who treat her so poorly, it makes me ill.  They are not in relationships, and they constantly make her feel unwanted because they ‘dont want to talk to someone who is in love’, because they wont understand what it is like to be single.  I dont understand women.