Hulk Is A SuperVillain

Growing up, I read comic books. In those stories was the Hulk, a giant green mass of unearthly strength. I also watched the TV story of the same with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. I really enjoyed the narrative, but as I've grown older, I have considered this tale a bit differently.

A Remembrance of the Important

This weekend we became suspicious that our daughter Kara had aspirated and might have developed pneumonia from it. Before dawn, Kara cried out screaming from her bedroom. When we arrived, she had vomited significantly. We tended to her, cleaned her up, laid her back down on her side and let her rest. She slept soundly for the next several hours. In fact so soundly that she had to be awakened two hours after her normal rising time.

Do You Believe?

How do we know whether someone is a Christian or not? It is an interesting question posed to me recently -- not in the way of examining others for their hypocrisy but rahter for me to examine my own.
 

A Case For Druids

There has been a lot of action and reaction from the US Supreme Court ruling ordaining same-sex marriage. Some states, mine included, have chosen preemptive legislation to protect ministers from being forced to perform ceremonies that do not align with the creed of their church. While I support this move, I do find it sad we have reached a point of political defensiveness that it has become necessary.
 

The Riteful Owner

There sure have been a lot of polarized issues lately. Today, the US Supreme Court ruled that Same-Sex Marriages are a Civil Right and must be permitted in every State. Obviously, social media lit up with opinions -- and surprise, surprise, not very many people played nice.
 

I'm Still Standing

Yesterday I shared my personal thoughts in a Facebook post. It created a bit of a minor stir. Everyone shared politely, but tense emotion about the topic could be felt through discussion.

It's Just A TV Show

First of all ***SPOILERS*** in case you have this on DVR and have yet to watch it, but here are my thoughts on How I Met Your Mother.
 

The Art of Mind-Reading, Part II

I left off last time with the idea of how well I get along with my wife has to do with how well I can read her mind. Let me reiterate this is not about her, but rather a real skill I should try to improve.
 

Of course I do not have any sort of clairvoyance or other mental prowess. But I do have powers of observation. How often do I “know” how someone is going to act or react in an upcoming situation? How can I know this if I am not a mind-reader?
 

The Art of Mind-Reading, Part I

By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
  ~Socrates
 

While Socrates’ quote is humorous and perhaps even something to which we relate, but I’m not sure I agree. Or perhaps I should say, not all philosophical thinkers have bad wives. I like to believe I think “deeply” as would a philosopher – and I have a great wife.
 

Of course, I also understand that how well I get along with my wife is proportional to how well I can read her mind. That’s not a slight on her, by the way. It’s a credit (or demerit) to how well I pay attention to her needs.
 

What’s The Count And Where’s The Play?

When I was a pre-teen playing little league baseball, I had a coach who had a method to help my teammates and me “keep our heads in the game.” When our team held the field, he told us that after each pitch – after each time the ball returned to the pitcher – each of us should mentally ask ourselves, “What’s the count and where’s the play?” During practices he would spot check to see if we could answer those questions. At times, one of the players would not know when asked. “Take a lap around the field,” the coach would say.
 

But Who Is Me?

Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
 ~ Malachy McCourt 

I held on to a lot of anger for years after my divorce. The bitterness ate away and corroded the true me, but it happened at slow pace – so much so that I barely noticed the change. And I carried this hatred with me for a long time and without being aware of it.
 

You'd Better Work...

I read an article today about marriage that caught my attention. At first I thought it was mocking the institution, but soon realized it was standing up against those who believe marriage is an outdated idea.
 

The Billboard

Today I received inspiration at a most unexpected place – a funeral.
 

More A Matter Of Self Than Circumstance

I am no marriage expert. I am not a counselor. I have not performed or assisted in any scientific studies on the topic. My profession does not remotely work with the subject matter. I have no credentials to qualify me to discuss the matter.

Standing In My Own Sunshine

I'm writing a quick note here because yesterday's post had a little higher "read count" than average. That and a few personal message sent directly to me.

I am fine and coping with my dog issues, as well as my personal ones. I do apologize if my post yesterday concerned anyone. At times, I not only wear my heart on my sleeve but also model it on the billboard of the busiest section of the highway.

Character Revelations

“Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won't have time to make them all yourself.”
~ Alfred Sheinwold

We all know that paranoid person in the office or some other social environment. The one who acts out of fear, the one that reminds us of Tom Smykowski from Office Space running across the corporate landscape between the building and coffee restaurant warning his officemates that the company has hired consultants. The truth is that we all act out of fear at times, but the person who displays habitual response to perceived fears creates a lot of problems for themselves. And we see it obviously in others!

How You Doing?

At the beginning of the year, I recreated my FaceBook profile and destroyed the old one. This post is not about why I did that but rather the connections I lost when doing so. Today, I worked through some old lists, my phone contacts, etc, to reconnect with many people who slipped through the cracks of my profile upgrade.

Life: Chapter IV

Specifically, Chapter IVF – MESA – ICSI …and for those not in the medical field, that means Kristina and I are trying to have a baby, but there have been complications which are preventing this from happening the traditional way.

God Save The Queen

I learned something today which really drove home how fortunate and convenient we have things in our modern society. I know I take food and shelter for granted, but this tidbit emphasized how spoiled I really am - and how much "common" society has grown complacent with receiving what its members want with little sacrifice.

The piece of trivia: In 1947, Princess Elizabeth of England (now Queen) had difficulties getting material for her wedding dress. Because of the devastation left over from World War II (remember this is two years after its end), even the heir to the throne could not "simply buy" a wedding dress or even the materials for it to be made. Knowing this, the young lady devised a frugal and strategic plan. For the next four months she saved enough ration coupons to purchase the material and hired a designer, albeit an upscale designer, to fashion her gown.

Perhaps she learned this thinking from her royal upbringing, but I like to think it was due to her training as a mechanic in the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service. Yes, the Queen was original a mechanic in auxillary service to the British Armed Forces.

Despite the surprise of labor skills acquired by the top-upper class, the fascinating thing to me is the royals and politicians were subject to the same laws as the "common" folk of England. The concept of equal application of the law really meant something in America's mother country, especially in a time of crisis and recession.

This makes me think about the changes over the past half of a century. If the then-future-queen of England was not too good to have to ration with the rest of her countrymen, from where has this concept of entitlement come - an attitude that seems quite pervasive among every class today? Is it a social change? Can technological convenience and human laziness be the explanation? Does the reason lie in a more complex web of several factors?

I'm not sure if the answer is knowable, but this simple story of prudence has made me rethink the "snootiness" of royalty and ponder the idea that all upper-class are out of touch.

Moving At The Speed Of Life

I have so many thoughts, and so many blessings have occurred I’ve been unable to share. I want to write more blog posts, but life keeps getting in the way.
 

Perhaps I can use my own blog as a notepad of outlines for future things to discuss. Then maybe those who have remained loyal to reading my sparse and inconsistent statements could even vote on what I should detail when I find the time.
 

Top Thoughts:
 

• More details about our misadventures of elopement
• The adjustment to married life: the good and the out-of-practice
• My Wife: Incredible Blessing and Unfairly Outcast
• Rachel’s new boyfriend and how a seasoned dad handles this new hurdle
• Kara’s surgery and details about RETT and the trip to Houston
• A Visit from Russ (and the Price of Admission)
• Social Media and my new personal policies on FaceBook
• Home Improvements, New Purchases and how to keep it all in balance
• Reasons for Stability: A View of the Social Value of Money
• Secrets I’ve Kept Private (but am willing to announce)
• Wedding Photos, Slideshow…Better Presentation than a FB Album
• Summer Movies – and my plan to sneak away and watch them
• How Apolitical I’m Feeling Lately
• Next School Year: The Challenges
• Thoughts on lightening up, smelling roses and just laughing more
 

Okay, that’s my running list. Tell me what you think and what you'd like to have to discuss, explain or just plain rant about. I promise to set aside some time and post a little more often.