Is Social Media addictive? I’m beginning to think so. I mean, it’s not THAT bad…. yet. It’s not like I can’t walk away from the keyboard any time I choose. Hmmm, wait a minute. I wonder if I really can?

Walk away that is. Like if I really had something important to do, I’m sure I could push the keyboard aside and take care of whatever it is I need to get done first, then resume whatever I was doing prior to the interruption. Did I just say interruption? That almost makes it sound like my regular life is getting in the way of my life on the Internet.

Is it possible to have two separate lives, one online and one off? Come to think of it, that already sounds weird to think about even having an online life. Well, maybe not that weird. I mean, basically everything that you need to do these days can be done on the computer. From Banking to paying bills, buying shoes to books, food to furniture, it’s just about all online now. In fact, there’s pretty much nothing you can’t do on the computer these days.

So I guess it’s not that crazy to think that you can conduct an entire life online. Heck, look at all the Dating Sites that are available. If you spent enough time on them (which no doubt I’ll get into in another Post), without a doubt you’d be able to find a spouse.

I guess about the only thing you can’t actually ‘buy’ online is a ready made family, complete with kids and a dog but who knows, just by me typing that it could give someone an idea to start up a new Site called “Efamily.com”. I have learned to never say never when it comes to the Internet.

And you can count me among them, just think of all the Bloggers out there in the Blogosphere. Sure, most of the Blogs have been taken over by BlogBots and are no longer manned by real humanoids but there are still many many Blogs whos content is updated weekly, if not daily, by real live people with lots to say.

And so that leads us to the basis of this Post, Social Media as it’s come to be known. I’d have to think that most everyone is familiar with the “Big Three”, namely Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. YouTube could also be considered amongst them as well, as far as popularity is concerned but it’s more of a place to post videos than an actual interactive socializing Site.

While there are literally hundreds of “Social Sites”, according to the Alexa Rankings, those are currently the most popular. Perhaps not in that order, I haven’t checked lately but as far as I know, there aren’t any others in the same Ballpark.

MySpace seemed to be where all this online socializing really got started. If you’re like me, I always thought it was just a place for kids to hang out online, and perhaps it was in the beginning but no doubt it grew to be a place where people, young and old, from around the globe are able to coexist and e~mingle whenever they want to.

Over the last year or so, MySpace seems to have fallen out of favor in the online world. Not exactly sure as to why. I guess, like all things trendy, what’s IN one minute can just as easily be OUT the next. I myself enjoyed MySpace but to be honest, it was mainly because the creativity that it offered regarding the customization of your profile page was a huge attraction to me.

In fact, I spent more time on there tweaking my profile than I actually did interacting with anyone. I started on there as a recomendation from a friend as she knew I was in search of a blogging platform and at the time, it afforded me a small place to share my stuff.

I will say though that I met some great (and some not so great) people on that Site. Now, when I say met, I mean that in the online sense as I never actually met them in person. Two people stand out to me more than ever and if it wasn’t for my time on MS, I never would have met them and so overall, I have very fond memories of that Site.

I tend to refer to it in the past tense as even though I still have my profile page there, I very rarely visit the Site. As we all know, Social Media can take up so much time and like they say, “So many Sites, so little time”, or something like that.

I’m not entirely sure if I moved on to Twitter next or not. I believe I started my Facebook page before Twitter but I never added any content, let alone visited FB with any regularity. At that time I was putting more effort into building up my list of Followers on Twitter.

I was considering getting into Internet Marketing and the number one priority (or so I was told) was to build a list and so that’s what I did. I believe I’ve been on there about eight or nine months, created a few different profiles (in an effort to target different niches) and I probably have a minimum of 25K followers. To some, that might sound like alot but there are so many people with so many more followers than that.

As I gravitated away from the Internet Marketing idea, I have spent less and less time on that Site. To be honest, I never really got it. I mean, it’s a zillion little 140 character blurbs from random people, coming at you shotgun style and nearly impossible to keep up or keep track of anything that’s going on.

Especially since all of the SpamBots started taking over. Word got out that somehow Twitter was a gold mine for monetized traffic and next thing you know, it became flooded with every piece of software which would allow all these rookie spammers to flood the Site every second with Biz Opp after Biz Opp.

Of course, that’s in addition to all the Porn Chicks tryin’ to get you to check them out on their Sites (which will require you to Sign In) and when you add in all of the fake profiles, it’s pretty much a non stop roulette wheel of who knows what. I still go there once in a while to share my Blog Posts but that’s about it.

Since I’ve spent less time on Twitter, it’s allowed me to spend a bit more time on Facebook. Now, what’s really strange about that is the fact that FB held the least amount of allure for me. I mean, talk about a boring looking profile page. With almost zero customizability (is that even a word?), it’s not the most attractive place to hang out.

That’s the main thing that I miss about MySpace. At least people were able to show a bit of their personality, who they are on their profile, which I really liked. Facebook is more or less devoid of personality, pretty much Plain Jane as it were. But I guess that doesn’t matter to most people. Apparently just being able to interact with people around the world is enough of an attraction.

So what then, is the huge attraction to Facebook. They recently reached over 500 Million users and when you consider that the population of the United States is just over 300 Million, that truly speaks volumes about the attraction of the Internet and the Social Media Sites.

In fact, Facebook is the number two most visited Site, both Globally and in the United States. The only Site with more traffic is Google. That’s pretty strong in anybodys book. How long will this last? It’s anybodys guess but there’s no denying their presence on the Net.

Is that what draws so many people in? They want to be part of something bigger than themselves, they have a need to belong? It’s anybodys guess. I’m sure that lots of them just want to interact with friends and family while others want to branch out, meet new friends and still others are only there for business reasons. Whatever your reason, it’s hard to deny the fact that once you Log In, it’s next to impossible to Log Out!

That feeling that you’re missing something, that someone could be trying to contact you but can’t because you’re not logged in, that you aren’t keepin’ up with what’s going on in the world just continually gnaws at you. I’m sure you’ve experienced the feeling, your computer continues to call out to you.

Log In…..Log In…..It’s OK, it will only be for a couple minutes, then I’ll let you go…..go back to whatever you were SUPPOSED to be doing…..just Log In…..it will be ok…..I promise…..walk towards the light…..this way…..towards the light of the Monitor…..

Next thing you know, you’re back in your chair, computer sparkling to life and then it’s www…Fac…. NO, I CAN’T DO THIS! Not today, I have so much I need to get done. maybe later….but NOT now. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But no matter how much you struggle against The Force, it’s just too strong, the urge is just too much to resist and so you figure, what the heck, why fight it. Then you pour yourself a cup of coffee and settle in because you and I both know that you’re going to be in that chair for quite a while.

And so this brings me back to my original point. Is Social Media addicting in any way. I mean, there’s no denying the attraction (no, not the Law Of Attraction) to these Sites but is it truly impossible for us to say NO or at this point, are we slaves to the Social Media Secret Sauce?

I sure hope not because as far as I know, there isn’t a 12 Step Program, no Big Book, no Meetings, no pills, potions or lotions yet invented to prevent me from following the light….the light of my Monitor.

If you think that you might be addicted to Social Media or perhaps you’re lucky enough to be able to just walk away from your keyboard, I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts and if you enjoyed this post, I’d appreciate it if you’d share it with all your friends on the Social Media Sites. Not that you’re addicted and spend alot of time on them, only in your spare time.

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Happiness. That oh so elusive thing that we all search for. Endlessly scowering the earth for that fix, a way of transforming our lives into our dreams, come true. It can take months, weeks, years, an entire lifetime and still there are no guarantees we’ll ever find it.

Happiness can and does mean something entirely different for each and every one of us. Luckily there are numerous opportunities for us to fulfill our dreams, to find our true happiness.

For some of us it’s things. A collection of stuff would make us the happiest people on earth. Perhaps it’s a beautiful new Home, a Car, a Boat, a Motorhome, all those endless things that we are conditioned to think, from an early age, that are the keys to happiness.

We’ve all heard the saying, “He who dies with the most toys, WINS!” Makes sense doesn’t it? Well, it does to me anyway. Not that I’m ever gonna have the most toys (or ANY toys for that matter) but the basic premise seems to be legit. Maybe toys ARE the key to happiness? Hmmm…….

Others might believe that a loving family could hold the key to happiness. A spouse that truly loves them, lots of kids to share their life with, perhaps even Grandkids to continue on the chain of happiness. Maybe they grew up in a large family and to them, a large group of loved ones around them constantly would truly be everything to them.

Some might think that having the perfect job or career could hold the key for them. Not only because it could bring in large amounts of money but the title could afford them the prestige that would truly bring them happiness. To live up to, maybe even exceed their own potential would be their greatest reward.

And oh yes, we can’t forget to add money to the list of keys to happiness. Matter of fact, perhaps I should have put this at the top of the list. There’s a pretty good chance that this would be the number one most requested. I’d have to believe that most everyone thinks that money would be the answer to all of their problems.

After all, aren’t the richest people in the world the happiest of anyone? I don’t know any of them personally but I’d have to wonder if they truly are. With all of the responsibility, not to mention the high stress level that also goes with the territory, I have to question how truly happy they really are….inside.

I’m just like everyone else, on a quest for happiness. Nothin’ wrong with that. For me though, while I used to think that money was what I wanted most in life, MY key to happiness but over the last three or four years I’ve come to realize that it’s something entirely different that’s going to truly make me happy. Inside. And after all, isn’t inside where it counts the most?

Unfortunately I’ve come to learn that my key is something so much more difficult to obtain than money. Heck, money is easy when you think about it. Find someone that’s making alot of money (hopefully doing something you’d enjoy doing, something you’re passionate about) and model yourself after them. Do what they do and don’t stop until you’re wealthy….or wealthier. Pretty simple, huh?

No, my key is so much more elusive than that. Even more difficult than capping a gushing oil well a mile underwater. Heck, I only wish it was that easy. That only took a couple months, my search could take an entire life time. And still no guarantee I’ll find it after all that. I’ve come to learn that the key for me is true love.

Yeah, I can hear you already, sayin’ good luck with THAT one! See what I mean about gettin’ rich or fixin’ an oil leak? Those things pale in comparison to finding true, undying, commited, do whatever it takes to make it work, love. Ok, that’s enough. Please stop laughing at me.

But if there’s one thing about me, it’s the fact that I’m too stupid to know when to give up and so I’ll continue on my journey because I know inside that the minute I stop trying, as soon as I quit moving forward, that’s when the woman of my dreams will surely never be found. For all I know, she could be just around the next corner, searching for ME and if I stop trying, we’ll never meet. And that would truly be a shame.

While my pursuit of happiness might seem impossible to achieve, not to mention ridiculous to some, others might be able to relate on some level and it’s quite possible this could also be their reason for continuing on each and every day. Their motivation to continue their own pursuit of happiness.

Ahhhhh, yes, the “Pursuit of Happyness”. One of the best movies of all time. If you haven’t seen it, you should. I won’t give it away here but let’s just say that if you want (or need) a lesson on the importance of perseverance, what drive and motivation, in the face of impending demise, are all about, then you should watch this movie. I guarantee you will come away with a new perspective on just how hard YOU actually work to achieve your goals. Might be the wake up call you need.

Goals. Aren’t they basically the driving factor for all of us? The force that guides us to all that we want to achieve in life? We all tend to set them, yet some of us stay focused on them more than others. Some have a way of keeping a laser type of intensity on them, a burning desire, while others will set one after another and never reach any of them.


And how do we retain our focus, keep our concentration directed towards where it should be in order to meet these goals? That seems to be different for everyone. Just as different as the keys to happiness are for each of us. Unfortunately there isn’t a magic pill that we can all take to help us get to where we wanna be. I so wish there was as I’d buy stock in that Company immediately! That would help achieve one of the keys on my list.

All this brings to mind a question of sorts. While we search for our keys, are we supposed to be miserable along the journey? What kinda fun is that? Why not learn to be happy now? Happy with what we have instead of miserable because of what we don’t have. Wow, now there’s a concept!

Sure, we all need a healthy desire for more to keep us moving forward, motivating us to do more, to be more, to have more but at what cost? To live a life of misery, thinking that someday we’ll be happy, once we find our key, THEN we’ll be happy?

Who’s to say we’ll ever find it? And if we don’t, what then? We ended up spending our entire life miserable, more miserable than it had to be, that’s for sure.

Why is it then that we find it so difficult to even be the slightest bit happy with what we have now, no matter what it is? Sure, it might not be everything we want but I’d have to think that most of us, without much trouble at all, could immediately think of something in our lives we can be happy about.

We all have Pity Parties, “Woe is me” times, but at the end of the day we ALL have something to be happy about, something to be grateful for. I’ve been goin’ through lots of crap these last couple years and sure, I’ve got tons of stuff to complain about (and regretfully, sometimes I do.={) but even I can come up with things in my life to be happy about.

Once I had a friend say something that really struck a chord with me. She said, “Next time you want to complain about your life, just think about the millions of people around the world that would give anything to have your life.”

After I began to recover from the feeling of standing about one inch tall, I couldn’t help but agree with her and see her point. Sure, my life was suckin’, my world was crumblin’ but at that same point there was someone else on the planet that had no food, no water, no shelter and she really helped to put things into perspective for me.

No doubt my life wasn’t up to my standards, wasn’t what I wanted for ME but there were people that were doing so much worse than I was. So I had to be grateful that I lived in a Country that would afford me the opportunity to basically do anything I wanted to do, to be anything I wanted to be. I had to give in and admit that I actually am lucky.

While I don’t have everything I want, I don’t think anyone does. Not even Oprah. I mean, how much would it suck to have so much wealth that nothing excites you anymore? You could buy anything on earth, a hundred times over and nothing to stop you. But nothin’ even gets you motivated enough to so shopping.

To be honest, that doesn’t really sound all that good. I LOVE MONEY but when there’s nothing left on earth for you to buy and you have to start looking at buying an actual Planet (Hmmm, will it be Venus or Pluto? Maybe Uranus?) on Craigs List, that’s when you know the fun train has just about reached the end of the tracks.

Luckily, most of us don’t have that problem. We’ll NEVER have that problem. Our problem is that we’re just not happy with what we currently have but that can easily be remedied. Not by what we have in our wallet or our Bank account but by what’s between our ears.

Sure, we could always be happier and someday we might be but let’s make a choice today. All it takes is a slight shift in our thinking. Let’s choose to be happy now. Because someday may never come….

If you are struggling with happiness, forgetting to be grateful for what you have, I’d enjoy hearing about it and if you enjoyed this post, I’d appreciate it if you’d share it with your friends.

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Focus. Such a simple word. Heck it’s only five letters, how tough can it be? Apparently extremely difficult, for me anyway. I seem to be surrounded by so many distractions these days, each of them prying me away from all of my intended tasks.

Every night I create my ‘tomorrow list’ , my list of goals for the next day. Sure, no guarantee that I’ll get any of them done but more than likely I’ll accomplish at least one or two. Not too much to expect, is it? Which in turn gives me some semblance of moving forward towards my goals. And to be honest I need to feel as if something is getting done, otherwise the days fly by and at the end of the week, all I have to show for my effort is the same list I started with, only it’s five times longer than Mondays list.

Very defeating to say the least. Give up, pack it in, forget about everything I'm trying to accomplish? Nope, I just keep pluggin' away at it, hoping to make it through another day of relentless interuptions. Yet at the end of the day it seems to be more or less the same ol' story. Nothing to show for it but a headache and an ulcer. Not exactly what I was looking for, that's for sure.

Kind of reminds me of Tiger Woods and his Father Earl. Tiger would be practicing, hitting golf balls on the Driving Range or wherever and just as Tiger was in the middle of his backswing, his Dad would knock over his golf bag or throw a couple balls in front of him, something to that effect. Anything he could do to distract him from what he was doing.

At first, all this did was anger him. You know Tiger, I'm sure he was cussin' up a storm. But as time went by, he gradually began to learn to cope with these distractions and 'play through' them. If you follow golf at all then I'm sure you've seen Tiger stop his golf swing, at the beginning of his down swing because of some type of distraction. For anyone that's ever played golf, you know how difficult this is. Once the body is moving, it's nearly impossible to halt all of that forward momentum. At least not without throwing out your back in the process.

Yet Tiger has done this on many occasions, choosing to 'cancel' the shot rather than hitting the ball when he's not 100% commited to it. He would much rather start over completely than to hit a shot that he's not comfortable with. That takes some split second decision making, not a maybe I will, maybe I won't attitude. Again, only a rare few are able to even attempt this, let alone pull it off. In fact, I was watching a Tournament a few weeks ago....sorry, I kind of lost my focus for a minute. Back to my original thought. What was it again? Oh yeah, Focus. Highly sought after yet one of the most elusive of all traits.

This morning is a prime example of letting all the distractions around me take over, redirecting my focus to other areas and not allowing me to focus on the task at hand. Five TVs going at the same time but only two people home [and one of them is on the computer]. Most of the TVs seem to be on the same channel, yet all of them are about 3 seconds out of 'sync' and so it seems as if they are all screaming from various 'bottomless pits'. HELLO, HELLo, HELlo, HEllo, Hello.....HOW, HOw, How......

Dishwasher roaring away, the soapy water whooshing back and forth as the dial 'clicks' from position to position. Click, Clack, Bammm! With each cycle change I can hear the 'system' go through the motions. Lather, Rinse, Repeat! Oooops, that's if you're shampooing your hair. Lost my focus a bit there.

As I was saying, with every cycle change of the dishwasher a new distraction is evoked, causing me to lose my train of thought again. Hmmm, why is it so easy for me to focus on the sounds of the dishwasher but nearly impossible for me to continue to focus on my writing?

Then the Tea Pot starts to whistle it's never ending tune. Like a screaming Steam Locomotive barreling down on me, my mind instantly travels back to the 60's TV show, The Wild Wild West and that bitchin' Train Jim and Artie always ended up celebrating on at the end of each adventure. Jeez, that Caboose was so beautiful inside. Funny how they never showed the Engineer. I wonder if there was anybody piloting that train? And that coolishly evil 'mini~me' guy, Dr. Miguelito Loveless, he was such a great nemesis. Did you see the episode where they....sorry, distracted again.

What's THAT noise? Oh, the friggin' vacuum. Yes, that is a necessary task around the house but does it have to be done NOW? Why can't it be done when I'm out of the house, running errands or something? Who does the scheduling around here anyway? Then it occurs to me. I should probably help out around here a lot more and I could start by doing some of that vacuuming myself. How will I find the time to fit THAT in to my schedule as well as all the other things I need to get done? Then the guilt starts. Yep, I better put that on my list.

Where the heck is that list anyway? Oh, here it is. No, this can't be it, it has a date on it from two weeks ago. Unfortunately this IS the correct one. I never bothered to start a new one, just kept adding to the old one. Didn't have anything I could cross off so might as well keep it going. Why waste the paper? Oh, that reminds me. I need some new legal size yellow tablets to write out some rough drafts for some of my future Blog Posts. Hmmm, where's my Office Depot list? Have you ever been to Office.....sorry, distracted AGAIN!

Holy crap, what was THAT? Sounds like the Space Shuttle just took off from Bryans Air Force Base! As I run to the window, I realize it's the Tree Trimmer guys that pulled up across the street earlier this morning. My ear plugs helped to deaden most of the chain saw noise but when they fired up the Chipper, no ear plugs invented are ever gonna knock down that turbine from hell. At this point all I can hope is that they attempt to shred a limb that is just way too big, jam the machine and have to call it a day. I mean, I hate to have anybody miss any work but it sure would be nice to have them call it a day a bit early. Hmmm, I wonder if they get paid by the hour or if they're on salary? I had a salary job once and I nev...sorry, distracted again. Dang It!

As I was saying, Focus seems to be so hard to come by these days. With the world around us so full of noise pollution, it's nearly impossible to find a place to 'hide out', far away from all of the distractions that seem to keep us from our intended mission. All I want is just a little peace and quiet for a change. Is that too much to...hang on, somebodys at the door. BRB....

"No thanks, we just rent here. Sure, I'll give your card to the Landlord but I know how cheap he is so I doubt he'll want any of these trees trimmed. I'm sure he'd much rather just wait for the next storm to do the work for him and save some money. His theory is to let Mother Nature take care of it. If it's meant to come down, it will." Speaking of storms, just a few days ago we had an incred.....ooops, got a bit distracted there.

Focus. Why is it so easy to focus on all of the outside distractions and not on the more important tasks? I want so badly to get these things done. This got me to wondering. Am I'm just making excuses? Cheesy reasons for never getting any work done? Shouldn't I be able to write in the middle of a hail storm, with the doors and windows wide open, all the TVs on, stereo playin' full blast, gardner weed whackin' the bushes and a.... uh oh, what the heck is THAT THUMPIN'?

Not another Police chase! That helicopter sure is flyin' low and now it's doin' circles! THUMP, THUMp, THUmp.... Maybe they have the guy surrounded already? That sure would be nice, then perhaps they could 'wrap it up' sooner. Just drag the guy out of the car already! I mean c'mon, guilty until proven innocent, right? More than likely he carjacked the Minivan anyway and now that it's absolute junk from the Spike Strips and the PIT Maneuver you put on it, commence with the 'beat down' and haul him to the Gray Bar Motel. Speakin' of police chases, did you see that last episode of Worlds Dumbest Criminals where the guy tried to....dammit, distracted again!

OK, no more excuses, I gotta stay focused or I'll never get this Post finished! I'm not usually one to just start writing a new Blog Post from scratch. It's very rare, if ever that I just sit down and write one 'on the fly' but for some reason I feel very inspired this morning and no doubt I need to vent a bit. Normally I do a rough draft first and then whittle it down so that it's only way too long as opposed to being WAY WAY TOO LONG!

Yes, I admit I have an issue with overly long Blog Posts but I hate to feel 'cramped' and to have my thoughts stifled by the so called 'rules' of the Blogosphere. Who made up these rules anyway? And who's gonna enforce them, some kind of Cyber Sheriff? Flyin' around in a 'Virtualcopter', screaming out on his bullhorn, "That Post is TOO LONG! Delete It Immediately! Put your two typing fingers in the air and step away from the computer!"

Like in that movie that Sly Stallone did called Judge Dread. He was some sort of Lawman from Outer Space, flyin' around and passing judgement on all these Cyberdudes. That was back when movies only cost about $7.00, nowadays they are outra....jeez, gettin a bit off track again. I gotta work on that.

I really have to get better at staying focused, that's for sure. I'm beginning to feel like an Octoblogger with thirty five arms, each of them working on something without the others knowing exactly what that something is.

Multi~multitasking, which is never good because for the most part none of the tasks are ever completed and the few that are are basically done half assed and by no means anything to be proud of. I take pride in everything I do. That's why I tend to put 110% in to whatever it is I'm doing, regardless of its level of importance. Doesn't always show but I know inside that I did my best. I think that all started way back when I first....Damn Dogs, what are they barkin' at NOW? Hold that thought, I'll be RIGHT BACK....

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OK, so I never know when to shut up. No idea when enough is enough. Too many thoughts, so little mind. Ooops, I mean so little space. I’m well aware that my Blog Posts are extremely long, thank you. And yes, some might even consider them to be too long.

But here’s my dilemma. How am I supposed to be able to stifle a thought, an idea? How do you stop in the middle of a tumultuous tale? How can you even begin to put a limit on genius?

If you remove the beginning, how can your audience hope to get a feeling for where it is exactly you’re thoughts are coming from? Let alone which direction you’re heading? How they got to this point in the first place?

Leave out the end of your Post and it’s just a big build up leading to an even bigger let down. Like leading the herd to the edge of a cliff and telling them they will get to the ‘ending’ [literally] if they just trust you and keep heading forward.

Of course, they do get an ending of sorts so in essence you did deliver on your promise BUT more than likely most of those that did take your advice, choosing to jump off the cliff in search of the ‘climax’ won’t be coming back to your Blog any time soon.

Even if you choose to keep the middle of the story, the ‘meat & potatoes’ so to speak, what’s to keep you from adding the necessary ‘condiments’, the extras, all the things that turn a snack into a meal? I’m not talkin’ Lobster here, just the trimmings.

Next thing you know, it’s spilling off the plate. Not even the place mat can contain it all. At that point you’re basically FORCED to move forward because even though you’ve already trimmed all the fat before you even got started, saving all the ‘good parts’ has only served to create a more appetizing ‘nugget’ while sacrificing a feeling of fullness. Similar to a Chinese meal, you’re hungry again in half an hour.

So difficult to resist the ‘add ons’. I mean c’mon, how can you have a decent Top Sirloin without A1 Sauce? OK, OK, I’m not talkin’ a Ruth Christ ‘Dream Steak’ here but a decent steak nonetheless. I also like to throw in a bit of butter and sprinkle on some pepper but hey, that’s just me.

Then you have the baked potato sitting there, naked as can be. Butter? That’s a no brainer. Sour Cream? You bet. Chives? Why not? Heck, a few of us lunatics [yes, I'm one of them] like to add a bit of ketchup to this delectable American staple and next thing you know, you need a separate plate for the potato as it’s turned into a meal of its own.

At that point, your meal looks kinda ‘half baked’ without a nice, fluffy salad to balance things out. Here we go again, get out another plate!

And so it begins anew. Iceberg lettuce? I don’t think so. Not with THIS meal. Spinach, Romaine, anything but Iceberg. Then you pretty much have an endless amout of ‘add ons’ that will bulk this up to be a ‘real’ salad, one befitting the rest of your oversized meal. Don’t even get me going on the dressing, that’s another story entirely.

Hang on! Steak. Potato. Salad. The only thing missing at this point is dessert. The list of delectable choices is neverending, all of which would be perfect compliments to the exquisite meal that you’ve created.

This doesn’t begin to take into account any ‘appetizers’, let alone drinks. It’s beginning to get so painfully clear just exactly how a Blog Post can get away from you in quite a hurry, as this one obviously has from me. Next thing you know, you’ve got a Novella on your hands. YIKES!

All your attempts to keep it short, simple and to the point have more or less gone out the window. So difficult to get your point across knowing that with each word you write, you’re coming closer to the impending end. The edge of the cliff, the point of no return.

Yet proceed you must. There’s no turning back, too many hungry appetites to feed. Don’t want to leave your readers starving for more. Or do you?

Can you leave them hangin’ with a Part Two, let alone a Part Three? Will they be intrigued enough to ‘tune in’ again at a later date? More than likely they’d have to re~read Part One again before proceeding on to Part Two and beyond, adding a bit of redundancy to your story which simply has to put a serious hurt on the anticipation level of your ‘Taller by the minute’ Tale.

Maybe if you wrote the complete 2000+ word Post in its entirety, then just ‘cut it’ into manageable ‘chunks’ without a ‘heads up’ as to where in the story line this was going to occur, perhaps this might allow you to keep the level of intrigue at its peak. Hard to say without experimenting with it a few times.

One thing’s for sure, this whole ‘Post shortening’ thing definitely goes ‘against the grain’ for me. It’s painfully obvious that I have alot to say, whether Blogging or in person so knowing that I have to stifle my thoughts ahead of time gives me no writing satisfaction whatsoever. As I mentioned earlier, knowing when to shut up is not one of my strong suits.

Take this Post for example. This was supposed to be an exercise in Blog Post ‘limiting’, my first attempt at a Post that was high on content yet short on ‘fluff’. So much for that experiment.

Next time I think I’ll stick with a TV Dinner or maybe even just a bowl of cereal. Something that’s more or less ‘self contained’ with a designated beginning and an obvious ending. Both of which are easily seen right from the start.

Fulfilling? Not hardly. Satisfying? Probably not. But I guess it fits more into the description of a ‘so called’ Blog Post. At least more inside the general consensus of what a Blog Post should be. So that’s a start anyway.

After all this, it still leaves the question unanswered. “How DO you stop a Brainstorm?” I’m not really sure but stay tuned because if I do figure it out, no doubt I’ll be blogging about it.

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Did you happen to catch the final round of the Masters Tournament last Sunday? If not, you really missed something special. Similar to the Superbowl, where lots of ‘non~footballers’ around the world tune in on that Super Sunday, I’d have to imagine that there are plenty of ‘non~golfers’ that tune in to watch The Masters each year as well.

Largely considered the ‘Holy Grail’ of golf, Augusta National Golf Club is known worldwide as one of, if not THE most beautiful golf course in the world. Every square inch of its glorious greeness manicured to perfection. It’s as if they individually trim every single blade of grass to its appropriate height and then comb them all to ensure they are facing the correct direction.

Mere words can’t begin to do justice to the magnificence that is the Augusta National. Both Bobby Jones and Clive Roberts created a masterpiece that all other Golf Clubs can only hope to aspire to. The drive down Magnolia Lane, en route to the nearly 100 year old Clubhouse [resembling a Southern Mansion] brings goose bumps to even the biggest names in golf.

Steeped in history, the list of names that have traveled this road and won this Tournament are no doubt the ‘Who’s Who’ of golf. Jones, Sarazen, Snead, Demaret, Hogan, Player, Palmer, Nicklaus, the list goes on. To win here is to place yourself among golfs finest. Truly an honor.

If you play golf, no doubt you’ve fantasized about making that drive, exploring the Clubhouse, visiting Butler Cabin [where each year the Green Jacket is presented to the winner] and if all goes well, a quick trip up to the ‘Crows Nest’ where Bobby Jones himself contemplated his golf swing.

Only St. Andrews in Scotland, known as “The Home Of Golf”, having held ‘The Open’ since the early 1800′s can be considered in the same ‘class’ but as far as ‘this side of the pond’ goes, none can hold a candle to the Augusta National Golf Club.

Unfortunately, this year CBS tried their best to mess things up but luckily for us viewers, they were unable to succeed. Doing all they could to transform the Masters Tournament into the “Tiger Show”, touting his ‘comeback’ to competitive golf as the most important thing to happen in the golf world since Jack Nicklaus first picked up a shortened golf club made for him by his father, Tiger more or less became a non factor about the time he reached Amen Corner.

While I’ll admit Tiger did play well considering this was his first time playing after his five month ‘layoff’, they continually attempted to give the impression that he was the only golfer with a chance to win and it would be up to him to make the mistake that would cost him the Green Jacket. Definitely not fair to the forty some other World Class golfers on the course, all playing their hearts out for a Green Jacket.

The roller coaster ride that is Sunday at The Masters was never a disappointment. Didn’t matter who you were rooting for, birdies, bogeys, even a few eagles were seen flyin’ around those hallowed grounds. At times the roars were deafening, becoming a distraction to quite a few of the players as the course is designed with the tee boxes rather close to the greens. Many a player was forced to back away from their ball, choosing to wait for the galleries reactions to other golfers shots before proceeding ahead to their own.

Luckily for me, my ‘faves’ continued to produce one thrill packed shot after another. I had narrowed my choice of winners down to two, either of which deserved to win it after their remarkable displays of shot making skill throughout the week.

Since I first discovered this wonderfully cruel game known as golf way back in the mid 1980′s, Fred Couples has been a fixture at the top of countless Leaderboards. With his ‘sweet as molasses’ swing, a tempo that could put a baby to sleep and a demeanor for all to envy, “Boom Booms” fan base is truly global.

To this day I can still remember the first time I asked him for an autograph. It was sometime during the late 1980′s, on one of my first visits to La Costa Country Club for the Tournament of Champions that I had my first ‘up close and personal’ interaction with one of my Idols.

Freddie was making his way to the practice putting green and summoning up all my courage, I interrupted him long enough to ask him to autograph my visor. All the while smiling, he made it seem as if he had nothing better to do, like I wasn’t bothering him at all. A very pleasant experience to say the least.

Contrast that with an interaction I had with Greg Norman around this same time. While walking from the practice tee to the putting green, I asked “The Shark” for an autograph to which he politely declined. His response to me was that since it was drizzling a bit, he wouldn’t sign autographs. I even offered to hold his umbrella for him while he signed my visor [that's how star struck I was] but again, he replied with a resounding NO!

Hard to believe that both of these episodes, along with quite a few others [like the day Arnold Palmer smiled at me, making me feel like I was the only fan in the Gallery] have continued to stick in my mind over the last twenty or so years but that’s how much I idolized these guys back then. In my mind they had succeeded in conquering a game that I honestly felt could never be conquered and I held great respect and admiration towards them. I still do to this day.

And while I still have great respect for Greg, I must admit that my interaction with Freddie that day truly taught me much more about Fred, the person than it did about Fred, the golfer. Freddie is the epitomy of a true gentleman and someone I could only hope to emulate.

So, to see him in contention all week, especially since he’s been battling career ending back problems over the last few years was most definitely a wonderful experience.

And of course there’s Phil, Tigers closest rival. Both of them have consistently been #1 and #2 in the World at any given time throughout the last decade or more. Battling each other since the Junior Golf days, they’ve been trying to top each other for quite some time.

Phil, having grown up in San Diego, has been a well known fixture in the local golf community since he was very young. From Junior Golf to the Pro Tour, his name has definitely become synonymous with golf in San Diego. From the little Par 3 Course at Presidio Hills to the long ocean swept fairways of Torrey Pines, everybody’s heard of Phil.

Back in the mid 1980′s, my friends and I would try to ‘cure’ our ‘golf fever’ by getting in a few holes here and there, whenever possible. Rarely having lots of spare time, let alone any spare cash, I’m not ashamed to admit that we had found a few ‘secret spots’ scattered around town. Hidden ‘jewels’ that, given the right time of the day [usually weekdays after work], would afford us an opportunity to ‘sneak on’ and play a few holes.

Always looking for the perfect ‘gap’ in the groups while continually keeping our eyes peeled for the dreaded Marshalls Cart, ‘blending in’ was as much an art as it was a science.

One such day stands out as being just a bit more special than some of the others. Balboa Golf Course, a City owned municipal course right in the middle of town, is set up in such a way to where the front nine sends you out to the furthest edge of the property and then back towards the Clubhouse as you round the turn, right around the eighth or ninth hole.

As we made our way down the trail to hide out among the trees at the back of the Tee Box on No. 4, things were looking good as far as an opening was concerned. The groups were beginning to thin out because by this time in the afternoon, it was impossible to get in eighteen holes, let alone nine which meant that they’d be stranded way out on the far end of the course just about the time it got dark. This lead to a long, cold drive back to the Clubhouse in the dark, something not many were up for.

It was around this time that the Starter would let the High School Team tee off on #1 and walk as many holes as they could get in. Seemed as if they were allowed to practice pretty much every afternoon, Monday thru Friday. At least during the school year. There were about three or four foursomes of them so no problem letting them go by. Heck, they certainly had more right to be there than we did, that’s for sure. HA!

Not that my buddies and I were any good but we always played the Blue Tees. We wanted to experience all the course had to offer, definitely wanted to get our ‘moneys worth’. The High School Team also played from ‘The Blues’. No surprise there, they wanted their moneys worth as well.

So as we sat on the bench, waiting for our ‘opening’ to materialize, the last of the High School groups walk up to the tee box and we give them the ‘signal’ to go ahead and play through. Not sure who was more nervous, them or us. They didn’t want to look like ‘hacks’ when they tee’d off, figuring we MUST know how to play if we’re on the blue tees and we didn’t want to get busted for sneakin’ on. Oh, the anxiety of it all!

Keeping in mind that these kids were about ten years younger than we were, we weren’t too worried about them ‘schoolin’ us. As I mentioned, we could hit it OK back then so no worries. At least not until this tall, lanky kid walked up to the tee. My only thought was
C’mon, hurry up and hit it before another group comes up and we lose ‘our turn’.
Then, it gets even weirder. This kid ended up standing on the ‘wrong’ side of the ball. Yep, a ‘Lefty’. Up to this point I don’t think any of us had actually seen a left handed set of golf clubs, let alone a real, live golfer that could actually use them. Like a ‘goofy footed’ surfer, the whole thing just seemed so wrong.

Yet, right in front of us stood this ‘kid’ and I’ll be the first to admit that I kinda felt sorry for him. I mean, golf is hard enough from the ‘right side’ of the ball but it’s gotta be nearly impossible to play from the ‘wrong’ side. How was he ever going to enjoy this brutal game swinging left handed, let alone be any good? Then he swung….and EVERYTHING changed!

No. 4 is a rather long [seemed like it at the time anyway], narrowish par four and to be honest, up to that point I’d never seen a tee shot hit that far on that hole. EVER! It started out low, rising slightly as it rocketed forward until it fell to the grass, landing soft as a feather. SWEET!

My buddies and I looked at each other, none of us saying a word. As they left the tee, we all mumbled under our breath in unison, “Holy Crap, did you see that?” Which of course we had. I mean, how could you miss it? You don’t see shots like that everyday. Especially not at Balboa and for sure not from some high school kid standing on the wrong side of the ball. Yet, there it was. Well, actually it was so far out there we could hardly see it but we still knew it was out there somewhere.

Yep, you guessed it. That was the first time I’d ever seen Phil Mickelson hit a golf ball and it no doubt left some kind of an impression on me. So much so that it seems as if it was yesterday. None of us said another word until they were far enough in front of us so as not to hear us. Heck, we were pretty much speechless at that point. We proceeded to tee off, knowing full well that we had just been put in our place. ‘Schooled’ by a high schooler and I gotta admit, it didn’t feel good. We obviously had alot to learn about the game of golf. With our tails tucked neatly between our legs, we forged ahead with a new respect for the Pros out there actually making a living playing this game.

I’ve seen Phil play at a few different tournaments since then, Torrey Pines, La Costa, even Riviera and he never ceases to impress. He’s a true gentleman, both on and off the course.

So to see him take control of his game and control of The Masters Tournament last Sunday was truly a thing of beauty. Nobody handed the Green Jacket to him, he EARNED IT! He played the best he’s played in quite some time and nobody deserved to win it more than he did.

Add to it everything that he and Amy, his Mother Mary, his entire family has had to endure over this past year and in my book there couldn’t be a more deserving champion. Congratulatiions Phil, Absolutely ‘AMY’zing!

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Honest, I did my best. I really tried my darndest to resist temptation. Although I know all the reasons, too many calories, too much grease, any way you choose to look at it, just not healthy for me. Yet, here I was, caught in it’s greasy grip, the mile long line up at the In ‘N’ Out Burger Drive Thru, anxiously awaiting placement of my order.

With the line being so long I still had time to do the ‘right thing’, to turn around and go back home. After all, this burger wasn’t something I had to have, only something I wanted and that alone wasn’t really a good enough reason to indulge. Or was it? Like an invisible magnetic force, pulling me closer and even though I did resist, I still found myself being pulled forward toward that little red framed window. It was at this point that I came to the realization that there was no turning back, no matter how hard I tried.

As I watched the line continue to grow behind me, I was amazed at how many people were obviously on the same wavelength. How can it be so crowded at 2:00 in the afternoon? Hasn’t everyone already eaten? I purposely waited until way after the basic ‘lunch hour’ to avoid all this commotion but apparently it didn’t do me much good. On the other hand, maybe it did. It’s quite possible this line was even worse a couple hours earlier.

Sitting there, sunroof open, soakin’ up the sunshine along with a few great tunes, it seemed we weren’t moving at all. Goin’ nowhere fast. That’s when I noticed a huge gap in front of the car directly in front of me. Why isn’t this idiot moving? Doesn’t he realize that there are about 100 cars behind me, filled with starving people chompin’ at the bit to get up to the speaker box? I can already feel about 400 eyes burnin’ holes in the back of my head, wonderin’ why I haven’t moved forward in quite some time. Don’t make me go all crazy and start honkin’ my horn!

Then it dawns on me. He’s not moving because there’s a girl taking his order on a faux Ipad and transmitting all his info electronically to the ‘insiders’ way before he ever get’s to the speaker box. Keep in mind we’re nowhere near the giant lifesize outdoor Menu yet, not even close and yet she expects us to know what we want. I guess it’s easy to assume that most everybody has a pretty good idea what they want already, especially considering the Menu only consists of about ten choices.

Sure, there’s a choice of with or without onions, even how you want them prepared and a few other intricacies that aren’t actually ‘spelled out’ on the board but for the most part, everybody has their favorites and one would assume they get the same thing every time. I know I do, that’s for sure. While I might change up the drink choice once in a while, it’s very rare that I’ll mess with the rest of the order. Why mess with a good thing? For those that do choose to risk it all, there is the “Not So Secret Menu” which would allow for some ‘out of the box’ thinkin’ but I don’t really need to go there.

Finally, I get the ‘signal’. The sign from Olga the Order Taker to please pull forward. “Wait! What’s going on here?” As I move forward to fill the gap in the lineup, she walks forward at the same time, seemingly mocking my forward progress. Is she making me chase her? Does she just want to feel wanted? Needed in some way? Typical woman. At this point she HAS to know she’s both wanted AND needed as she’s the direct connection, the ONLY connection to the powers that be. Without her, me and everybody else in this huge pile of people behind me are pretty much screwed. Up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

It’s then that I realize she’s just moving forward to allow everyone to fill the gap in the lineup and to give the impression that we are actually making some sort of progress. Inching ever closer to the promised land, the land of the free, the home of the brave. Well, the place where you pay for your food, which is just about the same thing.

All of a sudden, I heard a voice come over the outdoor loudspeaker. “Nine hundred sixty nine, number nine hundred sixty nine!” Hmmm, that answers that. As I was waiting in line, I found myself wondering if it would have been faster to walk inside but as I scanned the faces of all the people that were standing in line and sitting at the outdoor tables, I got the impression that they were just as irritated at the overly long wait. In fact it almost looked like they were somehow blaming those of us in the Drive Thru for the outrageous amount of time they had to wait for their food. Good thing I didn’t walk in.

Finally, so close I could almost touch it but not quite. One more car and I’d be there. Well, not exactly. More like one half of a car. I would have to pull all the way forward, more than likely hitting the bumper of the guy in front of me in order to be able to climb out my window to hand my money to the girl with the headset on. This was due to the fact that a guy a couple cars in front of me had decided to tow a trailer through the Drive Thru [which I can relate to but that's another story that I'll save for later] thus causing the line to be a bit out of kilter.

“Ok, here we go. Here’s my money, now where’s my food?” “Your food? Oh, you pick that up at the next window.” Hmmm, the NEXT window? What next window? I can’t see another window. Are you sure there’s another window? There must be some kind of mistake!

“No mistake. Please pull forward!” Hmmm, where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, about an hour ago when I placed my order with the girl holding the Ipad. Here we go again. Up ahead I can see a curve in the road, perhaps the window of which she speaks is up around the bend. Now, when I say road, this ‘road’ is similar to the old Autopia Ride at Disneyland in that it has high curbs along the sides that seemingly ‘guide’ you to the promised land. If you somehow ‘jump’ these curbs, you’re either extremely drunk [again, saving that story for later] or you really didn’t want your burger bad enough after all.

After negotiating this final curve, through the haze and the ‘ripple effect’ coming off of the overheated cars in front of me, I can just make it out. Like an oasis in the desert, a lake surrounded by palm trees, it’s the little window with the red trim. The window that the girl with the headset spoke of oh so long ago.

But this window is different. Very different. Not quite sure why but I just know it is. Then it dawns on me. It ‘smells’ different. Yep, this is THE ONE! The one I’ve waited all this time to get to, the one I ‘broke all the rules’ for. As she read my order back to me again, I wasn’t even listening to her. I just kept saying “YES, YES, YES! Whatever, just give me my food!” The food I ordered about two hours ago. The food I payed for about an hour ago. THAT food.

At this point I pretty much couldn’t care less how close the contents of the bag were to my actual order. In fact, I’m so dizzy and light headed that I can’t even remember WHAT I ordered!

“Says here you’ll be taking it home to eat it, so we’ll bag it up.” “YES, THROW IT IN A BAG SO I CAN GET THE HECK OUTTA HERE!!!” I’m so hungry at this point that the bag is a mere annoyance, I’ll most likely eat that as well while on my way to the burgers.

“Oh, also says here that you ordered a Chocolate Shake.” “I did? Oh yeah, I did.” That was such a long time ago I more or less forgot. Good thing she remembered or I would have had to come back. Heck, I’m not even sure I could have handled that and more than likely I wouldn’t have bothered. I would have just cut my losses. To go through that line again wouldn’t have been worth it.

And we’re off! Got my bag of burgers ‘n’ fries, my Shake and I’m outta here. The way they designed everything here, in order to get back out to the street, you have to wind your way back through the parking lot, skirting the lineup of folks in the Drive Thru lineup. Hmmmm, what a small world.

Just think, only a few short hours ago I too was in this lineup, anxiously awaiting my dream meal. If they only knew. Only had a clue as to the journey that waits ahead for them. I wonder if they’d stay in line if they knew how long it was gonna be before they actually got their food?

As I continued to weave my way between the mish mash of cars, all of which seemed to be in a big hurry to go nowhere, I noticed the changes on the faces of the occupants. The further I got away from the end of the burger rainbow, the more the faces were filled with anxiety and anger. Before I knew it, it started to look like a freeway onramp at 5:00 on a friday afternoon just before a three day Holiday weekend.

Tempers were flaring, blood was beginning to boil, horns began honking, people were cutting other people off, all signs of courtesy being thrown out the window only to be replaced by BURGER RAGE! It has to be seen to truly be understood but there it was, continuing to manifest itself right in front of me. No doubt about it, this was absolute Burger Rage and there was no way to stop it.

How could this have happened? How could a simple trip to the local burger joint turn into an anxiety filled stress test? Only one answer. It’s gotta be the LAW OF STARVATION. Since the beginning of time, the hunt for food has brought out the most savage of tendencies in man and this was just another example of how some things never change.

Upon nearly making it to the exit of the parking lot, almost free, I decided to just find an open parking space, relax for a few minutes and eat my burger in peace. I was pretty much worn out from the whole experience and believe it or not, even hungrier than when I first arrived there oh so long ago.

Sitting there, thankful that I had gotten my food and my time in line was over, I enjoyed my burger and fries. Every last deep fried greasy bite of it. Topped off, of course, with that exquisite Chocolate Shake. To say it was delicious is an understatement.

Upon sucking that last bit of Chocolate scrumptuousness through the straw, a strange thing occured to me. All that frustration, anxiety and stress that I had just suffered through such a short time ago was nearly gone from my memory. All that Burger Rage had been erased, only to be replaced by the sweet memories of a great burger [with grilled onions], real potato fries and an incredible shake.

Some kind of magic? I think not. Will I be coming back again? You bet. It’s the law. THE LAW OF STARVATION.

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Grow Up? Who, Me?? Not likely. At least not anytime soon. Sorry to say but growing up is right up there with getting old and neither one are in my immediate future. At least not if I can help it anyway.

Recently I was over at a buddy of mines house, a friend I haven’t seen in about three years. We were hangin’ out, BS’n about BS. You know, the usual. Inside the garage sat his recently purchased Harley Davidson, a bike he had wanted for quite some time. Needless to say I was super happy for him.

It’s a sweet bike with all the accessories anybody could want. As I looked it over, one thing that really grabbed my attention was the license plate frame. I’ve been into Cars and Motorcycles of all types from as far back as I can remember so no doubt I could easily appreciate a bike as nice as this one. But for some reason it was the license plate frame that stood out the most.

At first it didn’t strike me as all that odd. After all, during the last few years I’d seen this ‘saying’ plastered all over. Whether it be T~Shirts, Coffee Mugs, Window Stickers and yes, License Plate Frames, I’ve seen it everywhere. I’m sure most of you have as well.

As I mentioned, I’ve been involved with antique and collectible cars for quite awhile, mainly Woodies and you see tons of this stuff at all of the Woodie Events. The Woodie crowd spans quite a few generations, so no big surprises there. Never thought too much about it, one way or another.

Although as far as I’m concerned, I never really felt like I could relate to it. While I was fully aware of what it meant, I just never felt that it applied to me whatsoever. At least not in the same way that many others seem to be able to relate. Definitely not on my ‘wavelength’, that’s for sure.

Not to sound too harsh but it’s great for the ‘older’ crowd but surely no one from ‘MY’ generation would nor in my opinion should ever be caught displaying anything of this sort on their Woodie, let alone on their body or anywhere else. It’s an ego booster of sorts for the older folks but not anybody my age.

Yet here I was, standing ten feet from my buddies Harley and there IT was, seemingly mocking me. Like staring into the blazing inferno known as the Sun, it hurt to look at it yet I found it nearly impossible to look away. It had me under it’s spell and I couldn’t figure out why. No flashing lights, no Disco Ball, nothing whatsoever to really draw ones attention to it. Yet there it was, proudly displayed for all to see. Only about five inches by about eight inches or so, not like a giant Billboard on the side of the freeway. Yet, judging by it’s impact on me, it might as well have been. In small, one inch high letters, for all to see, it read “OLD GUYS RULE!” WTF???

I say proudly because he keeps his bike super clean and I’d be shocked if there was anything mounted anywhere on this bike the he didn’t feel was a reflection of his personality. From the full fairing with lowers right back to the saddle bags, this baby was meant to be a comfortable ride and ride it he does.

Weird then how the first thought that popped into my head was that this must be his Dads bike. Only one problem, his Dad doesn’t live in San Diego and he surely would never leave it at his sons house anyway. His Dad loves to ride, so he’d have his bike with him at all times. Nope, this HAS to be the Harley that I’d heard about him buying a few months ago. The one he picked out himself, his “Baby”.

So, what gives? How in the hell could he have something like this on his cycle? If it wasn’t meant to be there, perhaps from a previous owner or something of that sort, he sure as heck would have already taken it off and if I had anything to say about it, it would have gone straight in the trash.

After all, he’s only a year or so older than I am. Matter of fact, we both graduated from High School the same year so I’m havin’ all kinds of trouble wrapping my head around what I’m seeing. Who’s out of touch with reality here, him or me?

While I openly admit I’ve always had ‘trouble’ with age, especially mine, this was definitely something I wasn’t prepared for. Yes, as time goes by we all get older. But exactly when are you supposed to consider yourself an ‘old guy’? I guess if someone is younger than you are, hopefully quite a few years younger than you are, then perhaps they can look at you as an ‘old guy’ but when you’re the one calling yourself an old guy, that’s when it gets weird. It does for me anyway.

Kinda like the first time somebody calls you ‘Sir’. “Excuse me SIR.” “Can I help you SIR?” “Right this way, SIR!” Talk about sending shivers up your spine. Not the warm ‘n’ fuzzy kind of tingles either. More like Edward Scissorhands relentlessly dragging his ‘scissors’ across a chalkboard. YIKES!!!

My mind raced, not knowing whether or not I should even bring it up. How on earth could he consider himself to be an old guy? I did my best to take into consideration the fact that at this point he must weigh over three hundred lbs. and perhaps the fact that he struggles to walk around, not to mention just getting up out of a chair is a workout, might have something to do with his feeling old. Not that I can run a four minute mile or that I go to the gym five days a week but in my opinion I still get around ok. Well, for an old guy anyway.

Could it be just a matter of numbers? At sixteen, you get your Drivers License. At eighteen you’re allowed to vote. At twenty one you’re FINALLY allowed to drink alcohol and at forty nine you’re officially an Old Guy? Not cool, that’s for sure.

You hear people say all the time that age is just a number and you’re only as old as you feel. Now that I think about it, seems like it’s always the older folks that say this, not the younger ones.

When it comes right down to it, I still feel like I’m twenty nine and in actuality, I say that mostly out of guilt because in reality I still feel like I’m twenty three. But it seems wrong for me to even say that. Kinda sounds like I’m being immature and not facing facts. Not facing the fact that I’ve seen forty nine Xmas’, not twenty three.

OK then, who’s out of touch here? Him for throwin’ in the towel early and calling himself an ‘old guy’ or me for not allowing myself to face the reality that in todays world, I just might be an old guy too? Such a dilemma.

My Cousin just turned forty and it brought back a flood of memories, all the thoughts that had gone through my mind when I turned forty. No doubt she was a bit freaked out about it or at least I would imagine she was. Everybody builds it up to be such a major milestone in ones life that it’s pretty much guaranteed to have a huge impact no matter how much you try to go with the flow.

Even though they say that forty is the new thirty, you can’t help but wonder if all the so called ‘fun’ that you had in your twenties and thirties will now be replaced by a never ending downhill slide, grasping at anything you can hang on to before you slide off that huge cliff known as fifty on your way to that giant pit of quicksand known as sixty, slowly sinking your way down to your seventies and beyond. Well, let’s hope you continue on anyway.

I’ve got news for her. As with everything else in life, perception plays a huge part in your outlook and more than ever before, attitude IS everything. It’s entirely up to you. You can choose to be grateful for all you’ve seen, done and accomplished throughout your life or you can choose to wallow in the regrets from all you haven’t. The choice is yours and no one elses. Choose wisely.

As for me, I’m doing my best to let go of my regrets. While I haven’t come close to conquering this issue entirely, I’ve gotten much better at letting go and not continually beating myself up over the choices that I’ve made, both good and bad, throughout my life. After all, I surely can’t change the past and to continue feeling guilty about it doesn’t do me one bit of good. Again, I’m a work in progress.

One of my favorite sayings has always been “When all is said and done, the only regrets we’ll have are the risks we didn’t take” and it really helps me move forward. Not to say that as this pertains to dating and asking women out, I still tend to let the fear of rejection hinder me much more than I’d like it to but overall, I feel I’ve made great strides in this area as well.

I guess what it really boils down to is that he and I are both looking at our age from different vantage points. He’s been working for the same Company pretty much his entire life and it’s paid off in a big way. He’s just about to take early retirement and really looking forward to it. Me on the other hand, I’m the flake that never really stuck with any job longer than I had to and therefore it looks like I’ll be working for quite a few more years. Not that I wouldn’t like to retire early, hit the EZ Button and just cruise through life from here on out but that’s just not in the cards for me.

But I’d have to think that that might have some effect on his perspective on life. He’s lived his life according to the basic ‘schedule of life’ set out by those that came before him. In fact, he did it so well that he’s actually ahead of schedule and I can’t help but give him tons of kudos for a job well done. Obviously I never could have pulled it off, it’s just not ‘me’ to be one of the ‘herd’ so I give him all the credit in the world.

And maybe somewhere on this ‘schedule’, there’s a certain date circled where you officially become an ‘Old Guy’. Again, if there is such a date it’s very apparent that I never got the memo. It’s just as well because had I gotten the memo I surely would have torn it up and thrown it away anyway.

I’ve spent my entire life refusing to allow myself to get old. Marriage, kids, all those types of things were for old people. Definitely not for me. It’s funny though, now that I’m at a point in my life that I’d love to get married and travel the world with my wife, my life partner, she’s seemingly nowhere to be found. Apparently I waited too long. Guess I should have grown up just a little bit sooner.

But that doesn’t mean I intend to allow myself to grow old. Nope, not me. In my opinion the minute you do that, the second you allow yourself to ‘think’ and to ‘feel’ that you’re old, in essence you’ve given up and there’s a rockin’ chair in your immediate future. The way I see it, Fifty is the ‘new’ Thirty! Apparently deep down I’m still a ToysRus Kid because I just don’t wanna grow up.

And if you EVER see me drivin’ down the road with an Old Guys Rule license plate frame, feel free to call the Cops because at that point I’ll more than likely have Alzheimers and I shouldn’t be driving anyway.


If you can relate to not wanting to grow up, let alone to get older, I’d enjoy hearing about it and if you liked this Post, I’d appreciate it if you’d share it with your friends.

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Is that so wrong? Too much to ask? It’s the age old battle, I would assume pretty much since the beginning of time. How can I spend my days (or nights) doing what I love, following my passions as opposed to spending an entire lifetime following the rest of the sheep, herded along the freeways, taking the safe road to nowhere and needless to say not too happy about it?

After all, isn’t working at what you enjoy more or less like not working at all? Wouldn’t you much rather spend your days with a big smile on your face as opposed to a permanent frown? I know I would, that’s for sure.

And when you do something you’re passionate about, you end up with a much nicer end result. Such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment from a job well done. Can you just imagine the feeling of never wanting your day to end because you’re having so much fun? Only to be surpassed by the relentless amount of sleepless nights, laying there, so amped up thinking about all the things you want to accomplish the next day. Heck, who needs an alarm clock when you never actually fall asleep anyway. Hard to imagine lack of sleep being a ‘good thing’ but I guess in this case it would be.

No doubt that’s the life I wanna live. Knowing that tomorrow is going to be even better than today was. Wouldn’t that be the greatest life ever? I’d have to think so.

OK then, now that we know HOW we want our life to be, how do we go about creating the life of our dreams? In essence, how do we cash in on our passion?

First off, we need to identify what it is we are actually passionate about. Basically it comes down to a matter of deciding what it is you’d look forward to waking up and doing every day, rain or shine, regardless of whether or not you were getting paid to do it.

I can name a few things right off the bat. I’ve always had a passion for Antiques & Collectibles. The thrill of the hunt, the rush of the ‘discovery’, the interaction with the current ‘custodian’ as it relates to purchasing the object, overcoming my overwhelming desire to own every rare antiquity on earth & finding a ‘new’ caretaker and lastly, the ‘warm ‘n’ fuzzies’ I get from knowing that my ‘find’ is on it’s way to a new home, increasing the enjoyment of all others that get to view it. And then the process begins again. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose but it never seems to diminish the thrill of the hunt.

Another dream of mine, ever since I wrote my first short story back in Elementary School has been to be a Writer. Most likely fiction but as much as I enjoy writing from my heart, it’s entirely possible that I would also dabble in the non fiction genre a bit. As I’m sure you can tell I’ve never actually taken any writing classes or persued it in any way so perhaps it’s the fact that Stephen King and I share the same birthday (NO, not the same year!) that might have something to do with my passion for writing, I’m not exactly sure. One thing’s for certain though, I really love Blogging and would truly enjoy taking it to another level.

I’d have to say that the third thing on my ‘list’ would be painting Murals. My goal would be to learn how to paint Trompe L’ O’eil, “Trick Of The Eye” Murals for both indoor and outdoor applications. For those unfamiliar with this style of art, in essence it’s creating the realistic feeling of something that although you know darn well it’s not really there, it appears so realistic that you have to question yourself as to what you’re actually looking at.

This can be as simple as a Faux plaster finish on an interior wall, maybe a ‘window’ with a view of the vineyard in the distance all the way up to a giant ‘hole’ in the outside wall of a building, thereby allowing a ‘peek’ inside at the huge Bank vault within, containing all kinds of untold riches.

Of course, all of these scenarios are only limited by ones imagination. Unfortunately, this painting technique requires years of training and as such will have to remain a ways down on my list of ‘wannados’. Right next to scowering the oceans of the world in search of sunken Spanish Gallions and Pirate Ships. I’m so enthralled by the thought of uncovering undiscovered treasures, one of a kind artifacts, things that mere money can’t buy. I get tingles just thinking about it. I guess I have some sort of an Indiana Jones complex.

So with the last two ‘passions’ on my list being a bit out of reach (for now) it’s still entirely possible that I could make a go of the other two. I’m enamored with history and to be able to travel the globe in search of the ‘rarest of the rare’, ‘only one in existence’ type items, with unlimited funding from a long list of interested buyers eagerly anticipating my next ‘find’ would truly be a dream come true. To peruse thousand year old buildings throughout Europe in search of who knows what and learning everything I can about the countries and their cultures would just be icing on the cake. And then to top it off, if I could write about my adventures along the way. My life truly would be a dream come true.

So with all that being said, now comes the difficult part. How do I go about creating this so called ‘dream life’. How do I bridge the ‘gap’ between following my passions, in hopes of making money rather than merely trying to find something that will keep me afloat for now, another ‘quick fix’, regardless of whether or not I enjoy it. No doubt it’s gonna take a huge leap of faith on my part to even remain focused long enough to give it a shot.

Especially in todays turbulent world, it can be very difficult to risk everything (or in my case what little I have left) to take a chance on living a life full of fun & pleasure. Not that there are any guarantees of making money these days by following a safer, risk free path yet it can still be much more dangerous to climb out on the ledge and take a leap of faith, hoping for a smooth landing.

If you’re anything like me, I grew up thinking that work was a necessary evil we were all forced to endure in order to survive. Definitely not something to look forward to, that’s for sure. Anything you wanted to do or enjoyed doing would have to be squeezed in ‘after’ work hours.

Getting over that ‘guilt trip’ is a challenge in itself. Let alone coming up with a way to monetize my passions. It’s no wonder I never attempted this transition to fun and freedom prior to this, it appears to be a road filled with land mines, all of them just waiting to explode.

Should I even allow myself to dream of such a fantasy life, a life of traveling around the world in search of the unknown? An endless list of anxious buyers, eagerly awaiting my latest Blog Post direct from a beautiful white sand beach in Bora Bora, boasting of all my newly found treasures. A life where my biggest problem is where to have these treasures shipped and remembering which bank account in Monaco I want the money to be deposited in. I get the warm ‘n’ fuzzies just thinkin’ about it.

I guess what it truly comes down to is the fact that it’s entirely up to me to change my life. To create the life of my dreams. No one else is gonna do it for me, that’s for sure. In fact I’ve come to realize that mentioning to others about how you plan on changing your life for the better only brings out feelings of animosity and then the negativity begins to flow. “How dare you try to enjoy your life when I’m stuck here at my 9 to 5 job, kids, mortgage, car payments, living paycheck to paycheck and no way out.” At least from those that still have a ‘regular’ job, not exactly a gimme in todays economy.

I’ve always known I wasn’t a 9 to 5er, yet I lived that life for many years. It was a miserable existence and one I’m not eager to go back to. I enjoy Real Estate (at least the way it USED to be) but until the RE Market comes back, not much guaranteed income there either. Hmmmm, what is it then that I’m really risking here? No wife, no kids, no mortgage, maybe there really is no better time than now to give this thing a shot. Why not? Why not cash in on my passion? The only thing stopping me….is me.

I’m evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they’re letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it’s still free.

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