I remember when we were coming into the Millennium 10 years ago today. Wow, how fast it seems looking back at it now. -It took an eternity to get here, but somehow looking back at it, it seem infinitely faster.
I was a young man in my late 20's at the time, newly married, and we returned to the Sunset Cliffs in San Diego, California where we were engaged the year before.
And that started my 2000's... -Just as this blog will end them...
If I were to look back at what my life was like 10 years ago, it just wouldn't make sense to me now. If I were to look at the resolutions I made back then, they would probably be the same as what I am going to make now. How does that make sense? It was 10 years ago, and my life has changed totally, and yet my resolutions would still be eerily similar. -Just like 99% of the population, right?
-Lose weight, make more money, and spend more time with friends and family. And that's also because I don't smoke, so I would throw that in there too...
Sound familiar?
Well, this year, those are a given. But for the launch of the new decade, I thought I would share a few things more just to make it different from all those other years where we say and a month later, we don't do...
THIS year, not only did I make out goals of what I want to change in my life, but I also drew out a plan how to get there. I started with ACHIEVING the goal first, and then worked backwards to where I am right now, which acts as a kind of road map on how to get there.
Along the way, I took obstacles that always distract me from achieving my goals (typically) and removed them and put them in a list of "Sacrifices" that I am planning to give up, because I know that although they offer instant gratification, they offer no long term value. I find that instant gratification holds me back from everything valuable that I want to achieve ALL THE TIME. -If it is easier, it is not going to be involved in my new plan. I also expect that there will be roadblocks along the way, and I have added those so that I will come to expect them, and they won't be a surprise when it happens.
In fact, I have realized that being in my comfort zone is not at all productive, and that unless I am doing something uncomfortable EVERY single day, I will not achieve anything worthwhile. Simply said, nothing I want to achieve is attainable without hard work and effort, and that means I need to get out of my comfort zone to do it.
But damn, is this scary.
Maybe that's the reason why most people aren't where they want to be? Because we all know how to get there, but it's the "Do it" part that we refuse to connect to because it is TOO HARD.
Let's look at weight loss...
I love it when everyone says "How did you lose the weight?" Like it's a real bloody secret?! Diet, and exercise. Big Effing Secret!!
But for some reason, everyone can't stick to the plan, right? We all want a pill, a plan, a way, something to make it easy, rather than just doing the work.
Do you know WHY we don't stick to it? It's because we don't have a "Why" that is good enough to execute this. The first casualty is always ourselves, right? We would do it for someone else, but never for our own good. How crazy is that? Let me share a story that makes my point...
An overweight man who had spent decades being obese learned that his son needed a kidney transplant. It was found that he was a perfect match to his son, and being a great dad, volunteered himself to donate his organ to his son. The medical staff came back and said that they could not operate on the obese man until he lost 100 pounds without it being a medical risk to his own life. -Fast forward to the end of the story. Guess what happened? Of course he lost the weight and was able to save his son's life because his "Why" was big enough to make it happen. He most likely wouldn't have done it had it just been for himself, and that is clear by every single year he probably gave himself a New Year's Resolution to lose weight and it never happened...
So what is YOUR "Why"?
What will make you execute your plan this year? Let me tell you, that if you don't have a FANTASTIC reason to change, don't even bother making a New Year's Resolution because you won't keep it.
And that's what makes us not execute. Nobody likes "Change", and if you want to improve things, you have to change. But change is HARD, and uncomfortable. And this year, I would say that if it is uncomfortable, you are in the right spot. If things are easy, you won't change.
Does this sound about right?
Now the only thing that stops you is having a plan, and having the support to get you there. I have my own "Why" and my own road map. I have a support group that is strong, and I won't "Count" on anyone but myself to get me there, so no expectations...
I have a vehicle to get me to where I want to go, and by vehicle, I don't mean a car. So if you are wanting to get out of your comfort zone for long term gain, I would like to have you on my support group. I will support you, and you can support me. Communication, and honesty is part of the deal, and many hands make light work.
So there it is...
I have given you my plan. If you think that you want on board on the same plan, with your own agenda, let me know. You know where to find me. To those of you who are tired of your life not being all that you want, and tired of making false plans in your life, let's kick some ass.
For those of you who don't, and are happy with your life the way it is, Happy New Year ;)
Friday, December 31, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Chuck's Thoughts on Christmas Day
Christmas comes just one day a year and it ends up taking an entire month to plan for, and just a few hours to enjoy it. So today, I thought I would be proactive about writing them down, so I can reflect on them on another day...
Being a Canadian, (I am biased to say this, but it is so true) Christmas is ever so better being surrounded by snow, than no snow.
A walk outside at the end of a long day of Christmas in order to clear your head, replay the events of the day, and have the cold bite at your nose while having a warm cup of hot chocolate is very therapeutic.
A warm fireplace after a large Christmas dinner with a cold drink (preferably Rye and Ginger) is a pretty cool moment. Add new slippers, a day spent in a housecoat or cozy pajamas, and a blanket on top of you while watching the movie The Christmas Story, and it makes for a great day
Watching Christmas through the eyes of a 2 year old girl brings a tear to the eye. Especially when that 2 year old girl is mine.
Not all the moments in Christmas are cool, but for some reason, we seem to forget those and concentrate on the moments that make it all worthwhile.
I feel terrible for those families that are spending Christmas alone without their loved ones for the very first time. I can only feel how horribly incomplete their Christmas must be without a loved one so near, when they are really in fact, very far away.
I love watching people in pressure situations during Christmas rush get frazzled. Everyone seems to be in such a rush for very good reasons, but they usually demonstrate how poorly prepared they are for these "tests"
I love the Christmas lights at night lit up by a new blanket of snow, especially in parks.
Money is always an issue, but on Christmas Day, it is usually forgotten...if only for at least a day.
I think of my many friends that I have spent great moments in my life, that I would like to share more time with. But as you grow older, and your life changes when you have a family, and these friends are reduced to phone calls and texts. -And to be honest, sometime they don't even get those... But I think of them often throughout the day, and I know I am thought of the same way.
It is nearly impossible to wish everyone I love and know my well wishes today, even with facebook... lol
I like to think that my life is not as good as I want it, but it is always better than what I deserve...
I remember being a boy on Christmas Day and how all my uncles and aunts, grandparents, brother and my mom and dad would make it as good as we possibly could with what we had. No more, and certainly no less. And it was always great...
I still await Midnight on Christmas Eve and look outside for evidence of a sleigh and 8 tiny reindeer, even though my heart doesn't need this evidence to know that Santa exists.
But finally, I think that each Christmas will remind me of what is really important in life. Not because of the expense of it, or the presents you get, but because of the time you spend with those that might not be with us this time next year.
And Christmas always finds a way of making old problems subside, forgive and forget, and love abounds. -All part of being a little boy on Christmas when the world just wasn't so big.
And on this one day of the year, it seems that we can all be that person for a day, and enjoy being loved by those who we mean so much to.
Thank You, Christmas Day...
Being a Canadian, (I am biased to say this, but it is so true) Christmas is ever so better being surrounded by snow, than no snow.
A walk outside at the end of a long day of Christmas in order to clear your head, replay the events of the day, and have the cold bite at your nose while having a warm cup of hot chocolate is very therapeutic.
A warm fireplace after a large Christmas dinner with a cold drink (preferably Rye and Ginger) is a pretty cool moment. Add new slippers, a day spent in a housecoat or cozy pajamas, and a blanket on top of you while watching the movie The Christmas Story, and it makes for a great day
Watching Christmas through the eyes of a 2 year old girl brings a tear to the eye. Especially when that 2 year old girl is mine.
Not all the moments in Christmas are cool, but for some reason, we seem to forget those and concentrate on the moments that make it all worthwhile.
I feel terrible for those families that are spending Christmas alone without their loved ones for the very first time. I can only feel how horribly incomplete their Christmas must be without a loved one so near, when they are really in fact, very far away.
I love watching people in pressure situations during Christmas rush get frazzled. Everyone seems to be in such a rush for very good reasons, but they usually demonstrate how poorly prepared they are for these "tests"
I love the Christmas lights at night lit up by a new blanket of snow, especially in parks.
Money is always an issue, but on Christmas Day, it is usually forgotten...if only for at least a day.
I think of my many friends that I have spent great moments in my life, that I would like to share more time with. But as you grow older, and your life changes when you have a family, and these friends are reduced to phone calls and texts. -And to be honest, sometime they don't even get those... But I think of them often throughout the day, and I know I am thought of the same way.
It is nearly impossible to wish everyone I love and know my well wishes today, even with facebook... lol
I like to think that my life is not as good as I want it, but it is always better than what I deserve...
I remember being a boy on Christmas Day and how all my uncles and aunts, grandparents, brother and my mom and dad would make it as good as we possibly could with what we had. No more, and certainly no less. And it was always great...
I still await Midnight on Christmas Eve and look outside for evidence of a sleigh and 8 tiny reindeer, even though my heart doesn't need this evidence to know that Santa exists.
But finally, I think that each Christmas will remind me of what is really important in life. Not because of the expense of it, or the presents you get, but because of the time you spend with those that might not be with us this time next year.
And Christmas always finds a way of making old problems subside, forgive and forget, and love abounds. -All part of being a little boy on Christmas when the world just wasn't so big.
And on this one day of the year, it seems that we can all be that person for a day, and enjoy being loved by those who we mean so much to.
Thank You, Christmas Day...
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The More I Know, the Less I Understand...
There was a song by Don Henley called “Heart of the Matter” in which he says, “The More I Know, the Less I Understand” and I thought that this was a fantastic line.
It seems that in life, we are always bombarded by information. This starts from a young age when we are taught everything from our parents and family. We are taught such important things such as religious and political beliefs, racial profiles, who to love, and who to hate. We never question what we are being taught because we are too young, and the people who are teaching us this are the Sun, Moon and Stars to us.
Most of us grow up and never look into what we have been taught. We simply accept the lies and untruths that we have been taught, and eventually pass it on to our kids. I mean, who really checks out other religions to see if the one we are being taught it the right one? There are HUNDREDS of religions out there, so why do we seem to think that the one that is being forced on us is the correct one? Yet, we grow up defending these beliefs like they are our own, when in truth, they were subjected on us and we had little or no choice to believe these things. Then we go ahead and “force” these beliefs on others and all without really knowing what else is out there, from another point of view.
I mean, did you ever really ask why it is you believe what you believe? Chances are, it is either identical to that of your family, or opposite of it, because of your family… Make sense?
Well, the more I tried to question what it is that I REALLY believe, the harder it is to make decisions on ANYTHING!! I don’t want to be closed-minded, and I certainly want to welcome all information, so that I can make a realistic assessment. -But this being said, it takes MUCH longer to really accept something, or draw a conclusion to it, if at all…
I have now added much more “grey” area to my life that I now no longer NEED to have an answer for. In short, my brain no longer needs a definitive answer for everything, and I can safely say “I don’t really care” and mean it. I am actually thankful that I don’t have to be called upon for tough dilemmas that plague society today and make tough decisions on these because I simply would be the wrong person for that job.
So now, the more I know, the less I understand…Just like the song. This is especially true when trying to understand people, which is another story in itself.
So in the end, I think that I just sit back and make my observations with small reminders that what I am really seeing is only part of the story and try to keep a small space open for what really could be the “real story”. –After all, who am I to make the final assessment?
Oh, and the final lyrics to that Don Henley song? They follow the words, "The more I know, the less I understand" with "all the things I thought I'd figured out, I have to learn again..."
Touche...
It seems that in life, we are always bombarded by information. This starts from a young age when we are taught everything from our parents and family. We are taught such important things such as religious and political beliefs, racial profiles, who to love, and who to hate. We never question what we are being taught because we are too young, and the people who are teaching us this are the Sun, Moon and Stars to us.
Most of us grow up and never look into what we have been taught. We simply accept the lies and untruths that we have been taught, and eventually pass it on to our kids. I mean, who really checks out other religions to see if the one we are being taught it the right one? There are HUNDREDS of religions out there, so why do we seem to think that the one that is being forced on us is the correct one? Yet, we grow up defending these beliefs like they are our own, when in truth, they were subjected on us and we had little or no choice to believe these things. Then we go ahead and “force” these beliefs on others and all without really knowing what else is out there, from another point of view.
I mean, did you ever really ask why it is you believe what you believe? Chances are, it is either identical to that of your family, or opposite of it, because of your family… Make sense?
Well, the more I tried to question what it is that I REALLY believe, the harder it is to make decisions on ANYTHING!! I don’t want to be closed-minded, and I certainly want to welcome all information, so that I can make a realistic assessment. -But this being said, it takes MUCH longer to really accept something, or draw a conclusion to it, if at all…
I have now added much more “grey” area to my life that I now no longer NEED to have an answer for. In short, my brain no longer needs a definitive answer for everything, and I can safely say “I don’t really care” and mean it. I am actually thankful that I don’t have to be called upon for tough dilemmas that plague society today and make tough decisions on these because I simply would be the wrong person for that job.
So now, the more I know, the less I understand…Just like the song. This is especially true when trying to understand people, which is another story in itself.
So in the end, I think that I just sit back and make my observations with small reminders that what I am really seeing is only part of the story and try to keep a small space open for what really could be the “real story”. –After all, who am I to make the final assessment?
Oh, and the final lyrics to that Don Henley song? They follow the words, "The more I know, the less I understand" with "all the things I thought I'd figured out, I have to learn again..."
Touche...
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The Christmas Story Movie
The Greatest Christmas Comedy bar none... No arguments, because I won't argue with someone who doesn't agree with that.
Ralphie was my childhood idol. Everything about this movie speaks volumes about growing up as a kid in a Suburban neighbourhood and yearning for Christmas Day to provide you with the one passion that you have faked being good all year long to get...
I want to sit down and have pints with the person who wrote this movie, because this guy has lived a childhood that we can all relate to. -The wicked teacher trying to thwart your best effort to throw in a clue of what you most want for Xmas so that Mom and Dad, and maybe even Santa Claus will know what to bring.
I mean, C'MON, does anyone know how HARD it is for a boy that age to just TRY to be good for an entire year for a small kickback like an official Red Ryder carbine action, 200 shot range model air rifle?!
We are pumping with all these ego-gratifying, women-appeasing emotions rocketing throughout our bodies, and we just feel the NEED to be bad. Hell, now that I think about it, I STILL have those same feelings, and I don't have me a Red Ryder BB Gun to shoot my eye out....
I miss the days before Xmas where they would play The Christmas Story in a 24 hour marathon. I would sit there all day to watch it, and laugh my ass off....
A couple of my Favourite scenes...
The F dash, dash, dash word scene. "Except I didn’t say Fudge. I said the queen mother of all dirty words..."
The flagpole tongue experiment and the ensuing Triple Dog-Dare hierarchy of dares.
The leg lamp
The Bumbass's Dogs.
Asking Santa for the RR BB Gun
And when Ralphie snaps and finally beats the shit out of Butch the bully.
Awwwww, nothing says "Good Will Towards Men" like that...
Enjoy your own Christmas Story;)
Friday, December 10, 2010
David Caza
Read this story and then you tell me what you think...
http://www.google.ca/url?q=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/10/19/merritt-sex-offender051019.html&sa=U&ei=kEECTeb8J47GsAOl8fi3DQ&ved=0CBAQFjAB&usg=AFQjCNFCb9ehMZBi-Cexm0TmYJinAZH-mQ
People like this make me absolutely sick to my stomach...
This man, David Caza has been convicted of 42 sexual offender accounts against kids!! He was sent to prison where he served his time and refused any and all therapy to help his with his compulsion to stop diddling little boys...and then, when his time was up...
WE LET HIM GO!!
We paroled this son-of-a-bitch and then to top it off, we even had the police telling the media that he was at a high level to re-commit his sexual offender crimes. Now, I don't know what that means to you, but to me, it means that he is going to ruin at LEAST one more little boy or girl's life by sexual assaulting them, or even killing them.
And guess what? This article I attached above was written in 2005. They picked this guy up on (surprising!) another sexual crime in child porn just recently.
Now, if they pick this guy up AGAIN, and they don't stick his ass in prison and let him rot in there until they bring back the death penalty, then you will see me on Parliament Hill lobbying for his release so we can take care of this piece of shit the good ol' fashioned way...
So please, do us all a favour. Please re-post this blog if you care about our children. Get this out there so that we may help rid the world of people who prey upon our innocent children. It is our job to protect them, and give them every chance to grow up in a society of opportunity. Do we just pay lip service to protecting our kids? Do we simply only care about our own kids from pedophiles? We MUST do something MORE to protect these villains from ruining our precious children.
So please... It's obvious that this problem is not going to correct itself. It's obvious that many, many more children are going to be abused until we correct this, which is unforgivable upon my conscience. This needs to be corrected in our infrastructure, and at our levels of government and legislation. Please, for the love of our children, make it a point to do something like talk to your Member of Parliament about this, and do your part to protect a child out there who has yet to be abused...
http://www.google.ca/url?q=http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2005/10/19/merritt-sex-offender051019.html&sa=U&ei=kEECTeb8J47GsAOl8fi3DQ&ved=0CBAQFjAB&usg=AFQjCNFCb9ehMZBi-Cexm0TmYJinAZH-mQ
People like this make me absolutely sick to my stomach...
This man, David Caza has been convicted of 42 sexual offender accounts against kids!! He was sent to prison where he served his time and refused any and all therapy to help his with his compulsion to stop diddling little boys...and then, when his time was up...
WE LET HIM GO!!
We paroled this son-of-a-bitch and then to top it off, we even had the police telling the media that he was at a high level to re-commit his sexual offender crimes. Now, I don't know what that means to you, but to me, it means that he is going to ruin at LEAST one more little boy or girl's life by sexual assaulting them, or even killing them.
And guess what? This article I attached above was written in 2005. They picked this guy up on (surprising!) another sexual crime in child porn just recently.
Now, if they pick this guy up AGAIN, and they don't stick his ass in prison and let him rot in there until they bring back the death penalty, then you will see me on Parliament Hill lobbying for his release so we can take care of this piece of shit the good ol' fashioned way...
So please, do us all a favour. Please re-post this blog if you care about our children. Get this out there so that we may help rid the world of people who prey upon our innocent children. It is our job to protect them, and give them every chance to grow up in a society of opportunity. Do we just pay lip service to protecting our kids? Do we simply only care about our own kids from pedophiles? We MUST do something MORE to protect these villains from ruining our precious children.
So please... It's obvious that this problem is not going to correct itself. It's obvious that many, many more children are going to be abused until we correct this, which is unforgivable upon my conscience. This needs to be corrected in our infrastructure, and at our levels of government and legislation. Please, for the love of our children, make it a point to do something like talk to your Member of Parliament about this, and do your part to protect a child out there who has yet to be abused...
Thursday, December 9, 2010
John Lennon -Life after 40
"Life begins at 40."
That's a quote from John Lennon in Oct. of 1980, after he had just turned 40 years old. Of course, he had no way of knowing that in 2 short months, he would be dead despite it.
The real question in my mind is wondering what John Lennon would've amounted to in his life after 40 years old, so today I am going to chime in and give you my 2 cents.
I've loved The Beatles ever since I heard the Album "Something New". John Lennon was always my favourite because he was much more open, and outspoken than the rest of The Beatles. -He always seemed more charismatic and full of life. I read as much as I could about him growing up, and I began to realize what a conflicted man he really was...
I can only imagine what kind of hard life he had growing up in a slum of Liverpool, the dreary port city he grew up in at the start of the Second World War on the west coast of England. Not having had a father present in his life, and his mother shipping him off to live with his Aunt Mimi probably gave him feelings of abandonment for his whole life.
Fast forward to the height of your career when you have reached global stardom and you are only 26 years old. By the time the world's most successful band finally breaks up, you are 30 years old and just starting your second marriage with your "soul mate" and still, you are a very conflicted man. Add drug abuse, and years of pressure to the mix, and you can see that John Lennon lived a life of never wanting for anything. Money, Fame, Notoriety, he had it all, but he was still a very conflicted man.
Something that most people don't realize is that he had a young son Julian Lennon, who was born at the onset of Beatlemania. While most fathers go to work and come home to see their son, Lennon had to chose to be a father to his son, or be on the Ed Sullivan Show and work on his now infamous career. Touring the United States and the World meant being an absent father to Julian, and he wouldn't really start to begin having a relationship with him until Julian was in his teenage years.
Deportation issues threatened Lennon living in the States for much of the early 70's, and with trouble between him and Yoko, his life became a downward spiral of pissing bigwigs in Washington off with his Anti-War rants in the public eye. John Lennon was a very outspoken man, and I think it was fair to say that he didn't care about picking battles when he "went off"
It wasn't until Sean was born in 1975, on his own birthday, that John Lennon became to "find himself" He spent the next 5 years with Sean as a stay at home dad, and put his career on the back burner. He became very visible in NYC, and if you knew John Lennon's routine, you knew exactly where to find him at any point in the day. He made it perfectly clear that NYC was his home, and he felt really comfortable there.
So by the time 1980 comes around, his son Sean is 5, and Julian is starting to build a relationship with his very absent and famous father. Double Fantasy, his last album has been released, and it is some of his best work in many, many years. He seems to be finding peace with himself at age 40, and with those around him.
Enter Mark David Chapman, his assailant. A very pathetic and mentally unstable man who guns Lennon down outside the Dakota building on Dec. 8, 1980. Ending the life and legacy of John Lennon.
And what do I think would've happened had Lennon lived? I think he would've become the father he wanted to be to both his sons. I think his career would've flourished after the sales of Double Fantasy and given him the confidence to get back into the music industry. Technology in recording was just starting to evolve in the 80's and I think Lennon would've been very much involved with that in his rock and roll music.
I think you would've seen him at Live Aid, and also singing in "We are the World", being very involved in humanitarian causes. I think you would've seen him involved with the AIDS epidemic, and become very vocal about these causes.
And finally, I think you would've seen a very bitter John Lennon finally put his demons aside, and realized that a Beatles reunion is something that the entire world wanted to see. I think John Lennon in the 1980's would've given that gift to the world. And what a gift it would've been. It would've launched every reunion tour in the world for every band that ever broke up and got back together. Who knows, maybe the Beatles would've put out more music and reunited just like The Eagles did after so many years of break-up.
Sadly, this is something we will never know. It exists on a different time line continuum that was deviated from reality on Dec. 8, 1980, the day John Lennon was gunned down by Mark Chapman.
And the rest, as they say, is history...
That's a quote from John Lennon in Oct. of 1980, after he had just turned 40 years old. Of course, he had no way of knowing that in 2 short months, he would be dead despite it.
The real question in my mind is wondering what John Lennon would've amounted to in his life after 40 years old, so today I am going to chime in and give you my 2 cents.
I've loved The Beatles ever since I heard the Album "Something New". John Lennon was always my favourite because he was much more open, and outspoken than the rest of The Beatles. -He always seemed more charismatic and full of life. I read as much as I could about him growing up, and I began to realize what a conflicted man he really was...
I can only imagine what kind of hard life he had growing up in a slum of Liverpool, the dreary port city he grew up in at the start of the Second World War on the west coast of England. Not having had a father present in his life, and his mother shipping him off to live with his Aunt Mimi probably gave him feelings of abandonment for his whole life.
Fast forward to the height of your career when you have reached global stardom and you are only 26 years old. By the time the world's most successful band finally breaks up, you are 30 years old and just starting your second marriage with your "soul mate" and still, you are a very conflicted man. Add drug abuse, and years of pressure to the mix, and you can see that John Lennon lived a life of never wanting for anything. Money, Fame, Notoriety, he had it all, but he was still a very conflicted man.
Something that most people don't realize is that he had a young son Julian Lennon, who was born at the onset of Beatlemania. While most fathers go to work and come home to see their son, Lennon had to chose to be a father to his son, or be on the Ed Sullivan Show and work on his now infamous career. Touring the United States and the World meant being an absent father to Julian, and he wouldn't really start to begin having a relationship with him until Julian was in his teenage years.
Deportation issues threatened Lennon living in the States for much of the early 70's, and with trouble between him and Yoko, his life became a downward spiral of pissing bigwigs in Washington off with his Anti-War rants in the public eye. John Lennon was a very outspoken man, and I think it was fair to say that he didn't care about picking battles when he "went off"
It wasn't until Sean was born in 1975, on his own birthday, that John Lennon became to "find himself" He spent the next 5 years with Sean as a stay at home dad, and put his career on the back burner. He became very visible in NYC, and if you knew John Lennon's routine, you knew exactly where to find him at any point in the day. He made it perfectly clear that NYC was his home, and he felt really comfortable there.
So by the time 1980 comes around, his son Sean is 5, and Julian is starting to build a relationship with his very absent and famous father. Double Fantasy, his last album has been released, and it is some of his best work in many, many years. He seems to be finding peace with himself at age 40, and with those around him.
Enter Mark David Chapman, his assailant. A very pathetic and mentally unstable man who guns Lennon down outside the Dakota building on Dec. 8, 1980. Ending the life and legacy of John Lennon.
And what do I think would've happened had Lennon lived? I think he would've become the father he wanted to be to both his sons. I think his career would've flourished after the sales of Double Fantasy and given him the confidence to get back into the music industry. Technology in recording was just starting to evolve in the 80's and I think Lennon would've been very much involved with that in his rock and roll music.
I think you would've seen him at Live Aid, and also singing in "We are the World", being very involved in humanitarian causes. I think you would've seen him involved with the AIDS epidemic, and become very vocal about these causes.
And finally, I think you would've seen a very bitter John Lennon finally put his demons aside, and realized that a Beatles reunion is something that the entire world wanted to see. I think John Lennon in the 1980's would've given that gift to the world. And what a gift it would've been. It would've launched every reunion tour in the world for every band that ever broke up and got back together. Who knows, maybe the Beatles would've put out more music and reunited just like The Eagles did after so many years of break-up.
Sadly, this is something we will never know. It exists on a different time line continuum that was deviated from reality on Dec. 8, 1980, the day John Lennon was gunned down by Mark Chapman.
And the rest, as they say, is history...
Monday, December 6, 2010
Pearl Harbor
Many of you who know me, know that I love History. I especially love American History, and most especially, that of WW2.
Tomorrow happens to be one of those dates on the Calendar in American History that falls into the category of acknowledgement.
December 7, 1941 was the day when the then-Empire of Japan, launched a sneak attack upon the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands, and upon the United States of America. Hawaii, wasn't a state in the Union then, but it was more or less an American outpost, that had recently been utilized by the US Navy to extend it's ability to fight in the Pacific, instead of using it's own bases in San Diego, and San Francisco.
During the attack of the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, the US lost all of its Battleships, and over 2000 men and women lost in the attack. The entire fleet that was at anchor was absolutely devastated. It immediately gave the Japanese Empire control of the entire Pacific to conquer all that it wanted with nobody to stop them.
The only positive that could be said from this, is that the United States' aircraft carriers were all out of port that day, and we spared the same fate that fell on those of the battleships. Almost by default, the US Navy became dependant on carrier warfare, which was just beginning to replace the Battleship as Queen of the Seas.
Of course, we all know how this story plays out...
The United States fought back adapting to the only other option it had with its Navy, and out-fought and out produced the Japanese to become the Superpower it is today. One may look back at this date in history and wonder if the then-neutral USA would not have been attacked in the manner, if it would've entered into the war, and stopped the Japanese and Germans from the tyranny of their governments, and the disgusting horrors that they were inflicting on the people who faced them?
And then I started to wonder if each and every one of us has had our own personal "Pearl Harbor"?
-Something that has stung us, and motivated us to dig deep down out of our own comfort zones, and work like we never thought possible, to achieve the result of what we are today?
Certainly it could be said that the United States would never have entered the war and placed such immense resources to be the Militarized might that it became, and never looked back unless it was attacked, and needed to be defended? It grew exponentially over the next few years, and became the largest Navy that this world has ever known. I doubt this would have been needed if the entire nation stopped being divided, and worked together on one commonality and united together to be one people, against one cause.
And looking back at this moment today, I can see that each of us individually has probably had our own moment of being "Pearl Harbor'ed" and how has it made us better for the experience? Have we united with our support system, and fought with every resource that we have, or have we sat amongst the wreckage and looked around thinking, "This is impossible to fix" and given up hope?
I know that there are moments in my life where I have done both of these reactions. I can tell you with surprising detail how I have fought back and rebuilt myself from devastation, and I can also tell you humiliating moments where I was unable to fight back because I lacked the will and fighting spirit, being a broken man.
But writing this note now, I can tell you the way I would like to see myself in the example of History, and I know it can happen, because history has proven that it can happen over and over and over again. The key is to keep an open mind, have tough skin, and work hard. All the other things you will pick up if you have the desire.
Before the Christmas season sneaks up on you, prepare your body, soul and mind to NOT get Pearl Harbor'ed. And if you are in the middle of rebuilding, keep solace in the fact that it can always get done if you have the will to fight.
But always remember the day of Pearl Harbor...
Tomorrow happens to be one of those dates on the Calendar in American History that falls into the category of acknowledgement.
December 7, 1941 was the day when the then-Empire of Japan, launched a sneak attack upon the island of Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands, and upon the United States of America. Hawaii, wasn't a state in the Union then, but it was more or less an American outpost, that had recently been utilized by the US Navy to extend it's ability to fight in the Pacific, instead of using it's own bases in San Diego, and San Francisco.
During the attack of the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, the US lost all of its Battleships, and over 2000 men and women lost in the attack. The entire fleet that was at anchor was absolutely devastated. It immediately gave the Japanese Empire control of the entire Pacific to conquer all that it wanted with nobody to stop them.
The only positive that could be said from this, is that the United States' aircraft carriers were all out of port that day, and we spared the same fate that fell on those of the battleships. Almost by default, the US Navy became dependant on carrier warfare, which was just beginning to replace the Battleship as Queen of the Seas.
Of course, we all know how this story plays out...
The United States fought back adapting to the only other option it had with its Navy, and out-fought and out produced the Japanese to become the Superpower it is today. One may look back at this date in history and wonder if the then-neutral USA would not have been attacked in the manner, if it would've entered into the war, and stopped the Japanese and Germans from the tyranny of their governments, and the disgusting horrors that they were inflicting on the people who faced them?
And then I started to wonder if each and every one of us has had our own personal "Pearl Harbor"?
-Something that has stung us, and motivated us to dig deep down out of our own comfort zones, and work like we never thought possible, to achieve the result of what we are today?
Certainly it could be said that the United States would never have entered the war and placed such immense resources to be the Militarized might that it became, and never looked back unless it was attacked, and needed to be defended? It grew exponentially over the next few years, and became the largest Navy that this world has ever known. I doubt this would have been needed if the entire nation stopped being divided, and worked together on one commonality and united together to be one people, against one cause.
And looking back at this moment today, I can see that each of us individually has probably had our own moment of being "Pearl Harbor'ed" and how has it made us better for the experience? Have we united with our support system, and fought with every resource that we have, or have we sat amongst the wreckage and looked around thinking, "This is impossible to fix" and given up hope?
I know that there are moments in my life where I have done both of these reactions. I can tell you with surprising detail how I have fought back and rebuilt myself from devastation, and I can also tell you humiliating moments where I was unable to fight back because I lacked the will and fighting spirit, being a broken man.
But writing this note now, I can tell you the way I would like to see myself in the example of History, and I know it can happen, because history has proven that it can happen over and over and over again. The key is to keep an open mind, have tough skin, and work hard. All the other things you will pick up if you have the desire.
Before the Christmas season sneaks up on you, prepare your body, soul and mind to NOT get Pearl Harbor'ed. And if you are in the middle of rebuilding, keep solace in the fact that it can always get done if you have the will to fight.
But always remember the day of Pearl Harbor...
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Which Kind of "Hot" Person Are You?
I've said this before, but I will say it again...
I'm glad I'm not "Hot"!!
Certainly everyone has their attractive traits, but mine will never be the sort where I walk into a room and people look and stare at my beauty. -And I'm fine with that.
Actually, I look at it now as a wonderful gift.
For most of my adult life, I have befriended volleyball players. Having played the sport at a Varsity level in College, I have developed wonderful friendships with these people in the sport of court and beach volleyball. Of course, these people are some of the most attractive people in all of sports. Tall, athletic bodies, and hard working. -This usually translates into a good looking person, right?
Hanging around these people will always make someone like me, at 5'8 (172cms) look like second fiddle. I have just come to accept the fact that I will never be tall, dark and handsome. Sure, I have a look that works for me, but it's never going to be that raw attractiveness that each and every one of us wants to look like...
But because of this, I have had to really work on my personality. I have had to create attractiveness where there was none conventionally. This has been a lifetime process, and it never quite stops. But do you know what I've noticed? I've noticed that the really attractive people don't seem to work on it like we "Trolls" do.
Why is that?
The answer is because they usually never have to.
They get so much attention from every single person admiring their beauty, that they never usually have to work on their personality. In fact, if you find a really attractive person AND they have a great personality, you have pretty much found the Unicorn of the earth, in person form. They just usually don't exist, and are indeed very rare. (Don't get me wrong, I'm being facetious here because I know plenty of good looking people with great personalities, but they are very rare...)
And I think that this serves everyone well, otherwise they would change it, wouldn't they?
Attractive people without personalities don't develop one, because they feel that they will always find someone to put up with them because they are so attractive. Unconventionally attractive people develop great personalities to create more opportunity and develop "inner beauty" which is the most treasured, and offers longer-term happiness. And lastly, people who aren't attractive, and choose not to develop a personality, just leave themselves a life of few options and choices, and allow themselves to wallow in their own misery.
It is MUCH harder to develop a personality and character, than to be just be naturally beautiful. In fact, it is a lifetime process! But guess what? Eventually, looks fade... And when they do, you usually see those people who were once naturally beautiful clinging to their youth in any way they can, and they realize that they can't compete with who they once were. -The people out there who are younger and better looking than they are now. Realization then hits them, and they usually have to adapt into being a "better person" at this time.
To me, personality is the most attractive feature of finding a person to befriend, or love romantically. It's funny how we can usually have an easier time befriending the most unattractive person who has personality galore, but we could usually never date someone like that. And that's just how powerful looks really are...
In fact, most people that I know usually try the "Hot" person approach in their first few times, and then usually "settle" for a person of balance, who isn't as attractive as they would normally choose.
And in this process, we normally find someone out there that is usually more conventionally attractive than our mate, but not as hot as we find them as our mate now that we realize that their personality works with ours.
And that's what beauty evolves to, isn't it?
I can look at a million really hot women in bars and clubs, and think to myself, "How ugly is that person in real life" simply because I know the amount of maintenance, drama, and attention associated in being in a relationship with someone like that.
So although skin-deep beauty looks great at first, and really evokes strong pheromones in the beginning, it really pales in comparison to how ugly that person will become in the lack of a personality over time. And then you look at the most beautiful person, and realize how ugly they really are. And the attraction leaves your soul, and you can never find that person attractive ever again. -Even though their looks are exactly the same. But then, some other person will come along and do the same thing over and over again...lol
Ah, it's a continuing story and so my question remains the same:
Which kind of "Hot" person are you?
I'm glad I'm not "Hot"!!
Certainly everyone has their attractive traits, but mine will never be the sort where I walk into a room and people look and stare at my beauty. -And I'm fine with that.
Actually, I look at it now as a wonderful gift.
For most of my adult life, I have befriended volleyball players. Having played the sport at a Varsity level in College, I have developed wonderful friendships with these people in the sport of court and beach volleyball. Of course, these people are some of the most attractive people in all of sports. Tall, athletic bodies, and hard working. -This usually translates into a good looking person, right?
Hanging around these people will always make someone like me, at 5'8 (172cms) look like second fiddle. I have just come to accept the fact that I will never be tall, dark and handsome. Sure, I have a look that works for me, but it's never going to be that raw attractiveness that each and every one of us wants to look like...
But because of this, I have had to really work on my personality. I have had to create attractiveness where there was none conventionally. This has been a lifetime process, and it never quite stops. But do you know what I've noticed? I've noticed that the really attractive people don't seem to work on it like we "Trolls" do.
Why is that?
The answer is because they usually never have to.
They get so much attention from every single person admiring their beauty, that they never usually have to work on their personality. In fact, if you find a really attractive person AND they have a great personality, you have pretty much found the Unicorn of the earth, in person form. They just usually don't exist, and are indeed very rare. (Don't get me wrong, I'm being facetious here because I know plenty of good looking people with great personalities, but they are very rare...)
And I think that this serves everyone well, otherwise they would change it, wouldn't they?
Attractive people without personalities don't develop one, because they feel that they will always find someone to put up with them because they are so attractive. Unconventionally attractive people develop great personalities to create more opportunity and develop "inner beauty" which is the most treasured, and offers longer-term happiness. And lastly, people who aren't attractive, and choose not to develop a personality, just leave themselves a life of few options and choices, and allow themselves to wallow in their own misery.
It is MUCH harder to develop a personality and character, than to be just be naturally beautiful. In fact, it is a lifetime process! But guess what? Eventually, looks fade... And when they do, you usually see those people who were once naturally beautiful clinging to their youth in any way they can, and they realize that they can't compete with who they once were. -The people out there who are younger and better looking than they are now. Realization then hits them, and they usually have to adapt into being a "better person" at this time.
To me, personality is the most attractive feature of finding a person to befriend, or love romantically. It's funny how we can usually have an easier time befriending the most unattractive person who has personality galore, but we could usually never date someone like that. And that's just how powerful looks really are...
In fact, most people that I know usually try the "Hot" person approach in their first few times, and then usually "settle" for a person of balance, who isn't as attractive as they would normally choose.
And in this process, we normally find someone out there that is usually more conventionally attractive than our mate, but not as hot as we find them as our mate now that we realize that their personality works with ours.
And that's what beauty evolves to, isn't it?
I can look at a million really hot women in bars and clubs, and think to myself, "How ugly is that person in real life" simply because I know the amount of maintenance, drama, and attention associated in being in a relationship with someone like that.
So although skin-deep beauty looks great at first, and really evokes strong pheromones in the beginning, it really pales in comparison to how ugly that person will become in the lack of a personality over time. And then you look at the most beautiful person, and realize how ugly they really are. And the attraction leaves your soul, and you can never find that person attractive ever again. -Even though their looks are exactly the same. But then, some other person will come along and do the same thing over and over again...lol
Ah, it's a continuing story and so my question remains the same:
Which kind of "Hot" person are you?
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The Mexicans are Taking our Jobs!!
When I was a kid, I used to watch a very famous cartoon of 2 crows named Manuel and Jose. These 2 crows were Mexican, and cast a very strong stereotype. -They were lazy, always drunk, sleeping under trees, and were portrayed as being really stupid. They had heavy Spanish accents and slurred their speech most of the time because it was obvious that the creators were trying to get the idea across that they were always impaired. Considering that I lived in Canada, and there wasn't really a lot of Mexicans to talk to, this was probably my first introduction to a Mexican. I watched this show as a little sponge, and this TV cartoon showed me what every Mexican was all about. -Or was it?
Fast-Forward to me present day. I was talking with some friends the other day, and the topic of this Arizona legislation coming forward to prevent Mexicans from working in the USA illegally came up. From the way I see it, this was the bone of contention:
"Mexicans are taking away our jobs here in the USA and are here illegally."
And I agreed with a portion of that...
They are taking away the jobs that nobody else will work. And it's been this way for many decades...
Having been a recruiter in the food and packaging industry for the past 15 years, I can safely say that I have some good knowledge of the workforce here in the Greater Toronto Area. I can tell you how hard it is to present opportunities to working class people and get them better opportunities to move to. I can also tell you that the menial jobs out there for minimum wage like machine operators, are even harder to find people to work.
In fact I can safely say that in my 15 years of experience of recruiting, I don't want to work those jobs because it is an endless search of labour. You simply cannot ever have enough people to occupy these jobs because the turnover is endless. These are the jobs where white people are rarely found. If I walk in any of my clients factories, I would say that 95% of the labour force in these positions are non-Caucasian. Is there are certain reason for this?
Sure, white people don't want these jobs. Plain and simple.
So let's look at the jobs that these illegal Mexicans are taking away from other Americans...
I've been to the San Joachim valley in central California. It is the largest agricultural provider in the state, if not the country. I have family living there, and I've seen the farms and labour in these operations. Now out of all of these labour jobs, I have not seen a white person near them. And I would safely say that if there was a position a white person wanted, we would search it out and have it.
Yet there are no white people here... Why is that?
It's because we don't WANT those positions!! -They are WAY too hard to work.
We don't want to pick cotton, tobacco, or vegetables. We don't want the sun beating down on our pale white skin, we don't want our soft hands bleeding from picking cotton, and we certainly don't want to live in over-populated labour camps. We don't want to be working in slaughter houses, chicken farms or hard labour factory jobs.
But these jobs need to get done, right? We NEED people like this to work these jobs, or the nation doesn't get fed. So who's going to do it?
There is a reason why these jobs have been occupied by blacks andLatin Americans for decades. Frankly, no white person will, or wants to do it because it is hard work and it pays very little. These are 2 reasons why Mexicans will do it. Because they are used to working hard, and they are used to making very little money for it.
So the way I see it, what are white people afraid of? Are you afraid of losing your job to a Mexican? -No. Are you afraid that a Mexican will enjoy a better life than you do? Clearly, this isn't the case, because I don't hear anybody complaining about other jobs being taken away from Americans. Say for example, a Latin-American by the name of Alex Rodriguez taking away the starting shortstop job of Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees. Actually, I'm kidding here, because they ended up giving A-Rod the lowly job of playing 3rd base for the Yankees instead...
But seriously, I don't hear how the white people in American sports are being rapidly replaced by non-white people. Baseball, Football, Basketball used to be dominated solely by white athletes and now they are the minority in each sport by a long shot. But nobody complains about this?! Americans LOVE their sports, but they don't generally give a shit about menial jobs they won't ever occupy. So where do you think the complaining would lie?
Isn't that funny?
I would think that if you are complaining about something, it would have to be something that really bothers you. I mean, it takes SO MUCH energy to be negative that you would have to be passionate about really opposing this issue. But as far as I can see it, there is nothing to oppose on this issue...
The only thing I hear about this is that some other American has to pay for the illegal Mexican working in the States, and the benefits that they "enjoy". So my only other thought to this is this:
If as a society, there were people who would sacrifice the quality of their own lives to do jobs that nobody else wanted, but it needed to get done in order for the quality of your life to remain at the level that it is, wouldn't you pay a little extra for it? You already pay more for many other everyday things in your daily life for a better quality product or service, so why would this be any different than that?
The answer is, it isn't...
Fast-Forward to me present day. I was talking with some friends the other day, and the topic of this Arizona legislation coming forward to prevent Mexicans from working in the USA illegally came up. From the way I see it, this was the bone of contention:
"Mexicans are taking away our jobs here in the USA and are here illegally."
And I agreed with a portion of that...
They are taking away the jobs that nobody else will work. And it's been this way for many decades...
Having been a recruiter in the food and packaging industry for the past 15 years, I can safely say that I have some good knowledge of the workforce here in the Greater Toronto Area. I can tell you how hard it is to present opportunities to working class people and get them better opportunities to move to. I can also tell you that the menial jobs out there for minimum wage like machine operators, are even harder to find people to work.
In fact I can safely say that in my 15 years of experience of recruiting, I don't want to work those jobs because it is an endless search of labour. You simply cannot ever have enough people to occupy these jobs because the turnover is endless. These are the jobs where white people are rarely found. If I walk in any of my clients factories, I would say that 95% of the labour force in these positions are non-Caucasian. Is there are certain reason for this?
Sure, white people don't want these jobs. Plain and simple.
So let's look at the jobs that these illegal Mexicans are taking away from other Americans...
I've been to the San Joachim valley in central California. It is the largest agricultural provider in the state, if not the country. I have family living there, and I've seen the farms and labour in these operations. Now out of all of these labour jobs, I have not seen a white person near them. And I would safely say that if there was a position a white person wanted, we would search it out and have it.
Yet there are no white people here... Why is that?
It's because we don't WANT those positions!! -They are WAY too hard to work.
We don't want to pick cotton, tobacco, or vegetables. We don't want the sun beating down on our pale white skin, we don't want our soft hands bleeding from picking cotton, and we certainly don't want to live in over-populated labour camps. We don't want to be working in slaughter houses, chicken farms or hard labour factory jobs.
But these jobs need to get done, right? We NEED people like this to work these jobs, or the nation doesn't get fed. So who's going to do it?
There is a reason why these jobs have been occupied by blacks andLatin Americans for decades. Frankly, no white person will, or wants to do it because it is hard work and it pays very little. These are 2 reasons why Mexicans will do it. Because they are used to working hard, and they are used to making very little money for it.
So the way I see it, what are white people afraid of? Are you afraid of losing your job to a Mexican? -No. Are you afraid that a Mexican will enjoy a better life than you do? Clearly, this isn't the case, because I don't hear anybody complaining about other jobs being taken away from Americans. Say for example, a Latin-American by the name of Alex Rodriguez taking away the starting shortstop job of Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees. Actually, I'm kidding here, because they ended up giving A-Rod the lowly job of playing 3rd base for the Yankees instead...
But seriously, I don't hear how the white people in American sports are being rapidly replaced by non-white people. Baseball, Football, Basketball used to be dominated solely by white athletes and now they are the minority in each sport by a long shot. But nobody complains about this?! Americans LOVE their sports, but they don't generally give a shit about menial jobs they won't ever occupy. So where do you think the complaining would lie?
Isn't that funny?
I would think that if you are complaining about something, it would have to be something that really bothers you. I mean, it takes SO MUCH energy to be negative that you would have to be passionate about really opposing this issue. But as far as I can see it, there is nothing to oppose on this issue...
The only thing I hear about this is that some other American has to pay for the illegal Mexican working in the States, and the benefits that they "enjoy". So my only other thought to this is this:
If as a society, there were people who would sacrifice the quality of their own lives to do jobs that nobody else wanted, but it needed to get done in order for the quality of your life to remain at the level that it is, wouldn't you pay a little extra for it? You already pay more for many other everyday things in your daily life for a better quality product or service, so why would this be any different than that?
The answer is, it isn't...
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