Cool!

Vicki gave me this tapestry for my birthday. I'm not sure what it depicts but I suspect it may be out of the story of Siddhartha Gautama. Whatever it is....it is major cool and I love it.

I've made an interesting observation with my brief foray into political posts. Mainly, that there is no longer anything like political discussion anymore. There are a core group of Neo-cons (ironic term, that) who basically care nothing at all about the political process or the welfare of the nation. They care about winning....and remaining winners. The war, the economy, the security of our country; they don't mean a thing. They have more or less sold their souls in a devotion to Bush and spend their days defending what is increasingly becoming the indefensible.

But they keep trying...bless their hearts. One fellow blogger has even gone so far as to devote himself to posting photos of "the good stuff" happening with the occupation of Iraq. He seems to be running out of photos and I don't really have the heart to tell him that the ones he has used are posed and a couple of years old.

I rapidly have reached the conclusion that nothing could happen to shake their faith in their idol. They've invested too much of themselves in a lie and, like Bush himself, cannot bear to admit the terrible mistake they have made.

What's my progress on the BFL Challenge?

Who knows? I don't care. What with the changes recently in my job, I just haven't had the time to devote to exercise like I should. I am working on my eating habits. Since I really don't experience the emotional stress I had in the past...I'm finding that I don't eat just to manage my moods. This is giving me some time right now to develop habits for healthy and sane eating that I hope to carry into the next challenge.

Oh yes....I will do another....one way or another.


current music: Birthday Lyrics - The Beatles

Try to remember...

I've gotten a lot of static lately about comments I have made concerning Bush, the war, and a general tendency of Republicans who seem to go to any length trying to justify some rationale for their blind obedience to the party line. I'm not going to name any names because some of those folks addicted to their Kool-Aid are actually people that I like...I just think that their reasoning is screwed up. We share the same love of country, it's just that when I speak of country I'm talking about what's good for our nation....when they speak of country, they are talking about what's good for Bush. One of the most common slams I get is that I "hate America" and am giving aid to our enemies by criticizing Bush and the war he lied us all into.

My...how short their memories are.....

"American foreign policy is now one huge big mystery. Simply put, the administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign policy."
-Representative Tom Delay (R-TX)

"You can support the troops but not the president" -Representative Tom Delay (R-TX)

"If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy."
-Karen Hughes, speaking on behalf of presidential candidate George W. Bush

"Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen is they're going to be over there for 10, 15, maybe 20 years"
-Joe Scarborough (R-FL)

"Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?"
-Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99

...and what is probably the most ironic quote of them all.....

"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."
-Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)


Here is President Bush showing the families of nearly 15,000 dead and wounded soldiers, and the rest of the country, how he cares. It's the same sentiment expressed every day by countless blogs dedicated to glorifying the war in Iraq....while letting other people fight and die in it.



When will we throw this war criminal in prison?

Cat blog Monday

Okay....so I've been somewhat of a downer for the past few posts. Writing about bad kids, arguments, and pointing up a reminder of something a lot of people don't seem to really want to think much about.

To make up for it I present my cat, Ginger. She's a Maine Coon...at least mostly, no telling what other genes are in her makeup. She's big and she's round and she's furry. She's also kinda mean. She thinks it's great fun to attack my legs and run off expecting me to chase her, hobbling along and trailing blood from my wounds. When she's not biting me or running around the apartment as if her tail was on fire, she likes to sit in my lap and watch the letters form on the computer screen while I type.

She's a pain...but so am I...therefore we get along just great.

Coming home today I saw something rather odd. There was a man crossing my parking lot with no shirt, no shoes, holding up his baggy pants in one hand and carrying a brick in the other. He looked as if he was on a mission. I will wonder for the rest of the night just who is was going to visit.

Day 50

current music: They're Coming to Take Me Away - Napoleon XIV

Wake up!

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky
How many years must one man have
Before he can hear people cry
How many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind
--- Bob Dylan

Arguments

I've been thinking about the process of arguing, especially in how it relates to couples. I know several friends who have recently been enmeshed in arguments with their partners. There's lots of anger and hurt feelings, as well as a certain amount of fear, shared by all these friends of mine. I must say that I can relate...I've been there too many times.

What sometimes amazes me is that Vicki and I haven't had an argument yet. That's to be expected when a relationship is brand new...after all, both put on their best faces and are pretty much devoted to the feelings of the other. This is called the 'sparking' phase...where everything about the other is wonderful and perfect. Most people settle into the beginnings of a real relationship shortly afterwards and, once again, our own needs start to make themselves be known. Sometimes, those needs are in conflict with another.

Here's where I think couples get into trouble with arguments.

A couple still cares very much about the other, so they naturally tend to ignore their own needs and desires and stuff them way down deep so as not to deal with them. But they are there...oh yes indeed. Eventually, they bubble up and spew out all at once...usually at an unpredictable time and most often not related in any way to what is going on at the moment. Then all the emotions come out and there is no 'working things out', there's just emotions slammed back and forth until there are only hurt feelings on both sides.

What's the answer? Communication. Talking when a particular need for self or discomfort about a partner arises. This is, of course, much easier said than done. It takes an enormous amount of trust. Remember what I said about fear? To communicate at this level with somebody that you care very much about takes the assurance that you will not lose the other by expressing things when you're not sure how the other will react.

STFU!

The other evening, Vicki and I went out to eat. Nice restaurant, a bit on the pricy side but great food and a quite dimly lit atmosphere. Well...almost quite. We were lucky enough to get a booth next to a couple who decided to dine out with their precious little child. The kid yelled pretty much the whole time, punctuated every now and then by a piercing scream that almost made my ears bleed.

This will probably piss off all the mommy bloggers out there, but I gotta say something... while you may think your own young child is the darling of the universe, the rest of us just see an ill behaved little brat that could use a sedative and generous amounts of duct tape. We adults don't go to adult restaurants to listen to kids scream and yell. We don't think it's adorable to watch them tear around the other tables like a rabid baboon. It ain't cute. It ain't sweet. It's annoying as hell.

Get a babysitter, for pete's sake! If you can afford to eat at a nice place surely you can spare the extra few dollars for some teenager to watch your kid at home for a couple of hours. If not, then go to McD's or some pizza play pen with all the other screaming varmits and let adults eat with other adults in peace.

I'm half way through the BFL challenge. Not going as well as I had hoped, but I have taken my weight down below 200 lbs. I plan on a push for the next six weeks. I'll be spending the day plotting out my diet and exercise to see if I can actually get to my goal of 180 by the end of this thing.

Day 42

current music: Good Times Bad Times - Led Zeppelin

Scaredy Cat

I've come to the conclusion that a lot of my problems arise from the simple fact that I'm scared of a few things. This is a natural reaction for anybody that has a few years of living under their belt and knows that life often hits below that belt....hard. I'm always seeing decals and t-shirts sported by kids proclaiming the boast "no fear". Heh...just wait you young pissant, you'll learn all about fear soon enough.

What am I afraid of? Glad I asked.....lemme tell ya....

I'm afraid of my new relationship. Now don't get me wrong, Vicki is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I am so in love with this woman that it, at times, just leaves me in a stunned stupor. That's where the fear comes in. I'm seeing this relationship going into the direction where we pretty much share our lives on just about every level. I've tried this before with others....usually with disastrous results and major blows to my heart. In just about every way though, Vicki is different from any woman that I have ever met. We seem to have a connection right down to our souls. As I've said, we are steadily moving into what looks like a lifetime together, but experiences of the past want to keep my guard up. Then I start to get scared that this bit of fear will sabotage the one true love that I have ever known.

I know.....what a wuss.

Day 39

current music: The Pretender - Jackson Browne

Home Again, Home Again....

After several months of having these on loan to a friend, I got them back. No more trudging to a crowded gym or trying to look half-way presentable at five in the morning...I can stay home and concentrate on doing full resistance training in the comfort of my castle.

I don't really mind all that much going to the gym. I do intend to use it for my cardio days because I find the elliptical machine much easier on my knees than jogging. Still....I've never really liked the weight machines at the gym. It seems that it either doesn't really work the muscle groups that I want or the movements just feel unnatural. Then there is the wait while other people might be using the machine....hard to keep up a pace when that happens. The gym does have free weights but the pit is in the middle of the whole place and I'm not too fond of being on display while I grunt and lift. Having the Powerblocks back home makes it much more likely that I will push for high points each and every time.

Body for Life has already paid off. My workplace had a little contest to see who could lose the most weight over the last six months. I won by half a pound...a nice little cash prize.

Wait 'till they see me in two months.

Day 31

Current Music: Under Pressure - Queen