So Long To "A Word in Edgewise"

Time to close the pages on this chapter. It's been a fun ride for sure, but as most of you know, I've decided to pack things up and move to a new location/site.

In my last post I mentioned wanting to have a site where I would feel comfortable inviting anyone I know to come by and read, even a pastor from church. GSAP!!! That raised a few questions from some of you. (Thank you for the comments and emails)

I just wanted to clear the air about the "anyone" reading part and a couple of other things that were mentioned.

Like some of you may have contemplated doing, I thought of putting together a place where no one I know in "real life" would know about. There I could say anything I wanted to without fear of having to answer to it later. In essence I could be anonymous,  a chameleon. That does have an appealing aspect to it for sure, but the more I thought about it, the more this thing called being a Christian kept nudging at me. Let me splain...

One of the things that has turned me off to so called Christians on more than one occasion has been a little thing called hypocrisy. Claiming or preaching one set of standards while living by another. Or... portraying to be a certain type of person while in the presence of one group of individuals, while being totally different around others.

As I looked over my previous posts I came to the realization that I wouldn't feel comfortable sharing a few of them with just everybody in my webs of relationships. By and large I don't think I'd worry about 99% of them, but it was that one percent that was bugging me. Case in point: A couple of posts back... I saw a cactus that made me think, "Now there's a limp prick." Was it funny? Yeah I think so, but would I have said that in front of one of the pastors at church? Not likely.

So went the rub. Why would I say something here on my blog that I wouldn't say to a guy from church?

OK, so does this mean I'll never say anything offensive again. I'm quite sure the answer to that is no (Welcome to being human), but maybe it means I can at least try a bit harder to watch myself in this venue

Also, it does not mean I'm turning into some hollier than thou type. There are far too many of those individuals who have their head firmly planted in the sand running around. 

~~~

One other thing that came up in an email was: Perhaps I was worried about what someone I know might read in the comment section. Trust me, censoring what any of you have to say is not my intention. As I have maintained all along and will continue to do with the new site, the only comments I will remove are spam or hate filled ones. The later I fortunately have never encountered from anyone.

(I have done away with anonymous comments though. I was getting spammed on a semi-regular basis and it was driving me batty.) 

~~~

I mentioned that the things I've said/written about in the past are all a part of who I am. It was asked of me, "If these things are all a part of you, then why change?"

I don't really plan on changing the type of posts I write or even the style in which I write them, just some word choices and overall content. In other words, I'll still be the same nut job I've always been. (You'll understand when you see the title of the new blog.) The change is simply (hopefully) an outward way of expressing the same person I am.

~~~

OK, over analyzed enough? Yeah, I thought so. Bottom line...I'm just having a do over.

So without further ado, The new blog is going to be called "Running With Scissors" and can be found here. Or, if you prefer to copy and paste it in your menu bar, http://runningw-scissors.blogspot.com/

Thank you all for spending time with me here over the past couple of years, and I hope to see you at the new digs. Your friendship has and will continue to be of great value and inspiration to me and your comments are what keeps me wanting to keep posting.

Time For a Change

Hey there.

In the past few weeks I've contemplated whether or not to keep this blog going or to just shut it down. No big "life changing" event has taken place.I just feel like shifting gears from where I've gone with this site so far.  The biggest question that I've kept asking myself is this, "Would I feel comfortable giving this URL to everyone I know?" And trust me, it didn't take much effort on my part to quickly answer with a "Not bloody likely!" Sure, my wife, mom, and one brother read it. A few other extended family members read it from time to time and a couple of "real life" friends stop by on occasion, but that's far from everyone I know.

How about any of the pastors from the church I attend? Would I feel comfortable with them reading here? Hmmmm... I know none of them would put themselves on a pedestal and claim to be above another person, but I certainly don't think I'd feel comfortable with them reading all the things I've come up with over the past couple of years.

Am I ashamed of some of the things I've said? Heck no. Far from it in fact. All of the posts here have been a part of who I am. Sometimes serious, often times wacky,  and all points in between. I just think I'm ready to tone it down a notch.

Some of you may be saying, "Tone what down? You're pretty tame."

In many respects you're probably right, in other circles not so much possibly.

Guess it's all a matter of perspective.

I read far more vocal and visual posts from several of you I know. That doesn't bother me at all. I've enjoyed my interactions thus far. Again, I'm just ready to change my own way of communicating, not any of you.

I'm working on a new site that I can start up soon. It'll be a clean slate so to speak.

Don't know if this makes any sense or not, but thought I'd share a bit of what's been on my mind of late.

I'll be sure to post again with the details of the new digs when it's ready.

In the mean time, for any of you with a computer (yeah that's all of us) here's a spin on the Abbot and Costello classic "Who's on First" that is downright hilarious. Click here to read it. Your funny bone will be glad you did!

Goodbye Dr. John

After taking a week away due to work, I turned on the computer today only to find some rather sad news. I learned the blogging world is a little bit quieter today. Dr. John of "Dr. John's Fortress" passed away earlier today.

I met John about a year or so ago when I was writing "Wordzzles". (a writing challenge hosted by another site.) He instantly impressed me with his command of witty writing and his flare for words large and small larger. He continued his story telling on Portrait of Words and co-hosted that site (along with Thom) in my absence. On his own site, he offered up sermons on Sundays, entertained us with tales of the happenings in a town known as Pigeon Falls and kept us abreast of the poor bungling Agent 012. (my personal favorite)

Our visits to each others sites waned over the past couple of months. Don't know why, just did. I wish now I'd have gone by more often.

I'll miss John. . .

Sometimes it's not easy or comfortable saying something when another passes, but the ones left behind can always use a kind word or thought. If you have a mind to, please go by and leave a note for John's wife Betty. She writes on a blog that can be found here.

Yes I'm 43 Going on 12

While at work today I saw this cactus at the corner of the patio and the first thing I thought of was, 

"Now there's a limp prick"

Whistle While You Work

Since so many of you have asked, I thought I'd share with you what it is I do for work. OK, that's a lie. No one has ever asked... that I can remember, but what the heck, I'm gonna share anyway.

About six years ago I started transitioning by business away from general contracting (remodels, painting, drywall, etc.) to a more specialized field. Now, along with my brother Mark, I transform blah or downright ugly concrete floors into ones that the owners can be proud of.

The pictures below are very often a representation of what we find when we show up.

(Concrete floors with failing paint, oil stains, etc.)

After a significant amount of surface preparation and a variety of
products, these are some of the results we achieve.

Residential Garage

Epoxy with colored chip broadcast into the finish

Artist's Studio

Acid Stain

Paint Store

Epoxy with colored chip broadcast into the finish
& Clear epoxy combo

Residential Garage

Epoxy with colored chip lightly broadcast into the finish

(Ultra high gloss finish)

Residential Garage

Epoxy with colored chip broadcast into the finish

Fire Station

Gray urethane w/ yellow urethane safety stripe

These are all finishes applied over concrete slabs.
Cool no?

Yepee...More Taxes

Way to go Oregon voters. 55% of you decided you haven't donated enough money to the government and as an act of boneheaded stupidity kindness passed measures 66 and 67 tonight.

Oh, but wait, by passing these measures we will be helping the schools you claim. Riiiight. Seems to me the same argument/reasoning was used in 1984 when the state lottery was passed. Let's see...how has that worked out? Well, guess what? It hasn't! The classrooms are still without many of the necessary essentials to operate on their own on a daily basis.  Every year the list of items that has to be supplied by parents grows, and grows, and grows some more. The teachers very often find themselves dipping into their own pockets too trying to provide items that should be on hand, but aren't because the funds aren't there. Is this because no money is being spent on the lottery? Hell no! It's because B.S. stories of how money will be funneled into the school systems with the likes of the lottery and measures 66 & 67 are just another bunch of lies perpetuated by government officials, school administrators and other money hungry pukes for the sole purpose of padding their retirement funds.The money is there alright, it's just not going to where it should.

With an unemployment rate at 11% currently, the way to insure that it will rise is to do exactly what you have just done. Raise taxes on business owners and corporations.

Yeah I know, politics on this blog... Every once in a blue moon I go there.

For 99.9% of you reading this, these measures passing in Oregon will have little to no impact on you. I know it may not apply to you, but I just had to vent my displeasure with this particular vote.

GRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Old Friend

Today marks Bubble Wrap's 50th Birthday!!!

Wahooo!!!

Who has not enjoyed a sheet or two of this during their lifetime? Ha, just thinking about this stuff puts a smile on my face. I've poked at the little bubbles one by one, put them on the ground and stomped on them and even twisted a sheet of them to get that machine gun like effect. Each and every time it's brought out my inner twelve year old.

And to think, some people even use them to ship things with. What fun is that?

Don't have any Bubble Wrap lying around to enjoy? No worries, click here. Once there scroll down and click on "Pop Some Virtual Bubble-Wrap Now" and you can have a virtual piece of your very own to pop. You use your mouse or touch pad to pop the bubbles (hint- hold down the shift key while popping to pop a bunch of them at a time).

Enjoy

Randon Thoughts

This world of Blogging has introduced me to some pretty cool people. That means you... aaaand you... aaaand you over there. . .yeah, you too.

~~~

We were at the mall tonight and as we walked by one cart after another (The ones located in between the stores in the middle of the walkways) I couldn't help but feel like we were at the county fair. The people working at these carts are like a bunch of damned carnies.

"How about a new case for your cell phone?"...
"Come over and take a look at these great deals on these sunglasses!"...
"Calendars, 75% off!!!"...

It seems that you can't even walk through the mall without these cretins of sales coming after your pocketbook. Sheesh!

~~~

What would you call it if Gary Cooper were around, went on Martha Stewart's show and baked cookies with her?

High Noon Macaroons

~~~

Work continues to be as busy as it is during a normal SUMMER. Yeah baby!!!

~~~

When dropped, cats always land on their feet. Convexly, buttered toast will always land butter side down.

I propose the following:

Butter the top of a cat and hold it out at arms length. When dropped it will miraculously hover just inches off the ground!

~~~

They say money doesn't bring us happiness, but I know for a fact, my mood improves dramatically when my bank account has a positive balance as opposed to a negative one.

~~~

I received great customer service on more than one occasion this week. My faith in humanity has been restored.

~~~

The last two movies I've seen at the theater have been very good. "Avatar" and "Sherlock Holmes". My faith in Hollywood has been restored. We're on a roll.

~~~

That's it for today kiddos.

Make a Freakin' Decision Would Ya!

Is it me or has the world gone stupid?

While at Starbucks this morning I was waiting behind a thirty something year old woman who, when presented with the question,"What can I get you?" from the younger girl behind the counter, proceeded with a monosyllabic, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa....." This drawn out one letter response continued for what felt like hours.

Let me tell you, it took all the strength I possessed to not to slap that woman up beside the head and scream at the top of my lungs, "It's a flipping coffee shop you mental midget! How about ordering a cup of coffee!!!"

A moment later the princess of pathetic managed to find a consonant to go along with a brand new vowel and uttered, "Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm....."

Wow, now we're getting somewhere!

I started to think with progress like this, by 2012 she might actually put it all together and place an order.

By now the line was several bodies deep and there seemed to be a collective "WTF", unspoken, but none-the-less ever present. Then, just before my hands wrapped tightly around her throat, the young woman in front of me managed to whisper, "I'll have a Grande Mocha."

Lord take me home! A decision has been made.

Crimany, I felt like I was on the USS Minnow from Gilligan's Island, "Three hour tour, Three hour tour..."

Was I wound too tight? Probably so, but come on, how darned hard is it to order a simple cup of coffee for cryin out loud?

Changing Colors

I got a wild hair up my backside and decided to start playing with the colors on the blog. Not sure if I'm going to stick with it the way it is or change it around some more. Do feel free to weigh in with your opinion. Like it...hate it? Too dark? Is it the best thing since sliced bread? Lay it on me. Heck, I might even listen to what you have to say...

A Trip To Remember

We made it home safe and sound from our trip, and with excellent timing on our return I might add. The day after we got back it snowed a few inches. The amount may have been small, but in the Portland area it doesn't take all that much to wreak havoc on the highways. It did create some pretty good business for the auto wreckers though. Anyhoodle, we were warm and dry at home watching the news coverage instead of being stuck in it with everybody else and that was a-ok with us.

I'll be sharing some photos of the trip with you in the next few days. In the mean time I thought I'd share a story from one of my most memorable camping trips with my buddy Randy. You may recall he is the one who is going through cancer treatments right now. I really wanted to see him while we were down there, but the day we were supposed to go to his place he wasn't feeling up to it. Overall he is doing well, all things considered, but was just having an exceptionally bad day. Let me reiterate my disdain for cancer.

I originally posted this true story when I first started blogging, but I don't know if any of you read my site back then. Thought you might enjoy seeing it now.


~~~

"Tastes Like Chicken"

In order to laugh at the world it's important we remember to laugh at ourselves once in a while. So please enjoy a chuckle at my expense.

Nearly a decade ago I went on several backpacking trips throughout the northern California area with a longtime friend of mine. Randy and I covered a lot of ground back then, ranging from places like the Marin County coast at Point Reyes to Desolation Wilderness in the Sierra Mountains near Lake Tahoe. This particular late summer morning our destination was slightly farther north, to a place called Bloody Rock. This is a remote area in Humboldt County where Cold Creek (which lives up to its name) runs into the Eel River.

Getting to the trail head from the city we lived in meant about a two and a half hour drive, so we decided to maximize our three day weekend by getting a early start. I had my Camero loaded and ready for the drive. It should be noted that this was not one of my brightest moments in history. You see this wonderful American made piece of automotive technology had a habit of dying at stop signs and burning through oil faster than a hummingbird on steroids going after nectar. Oh, and did I mention that we would be driving the last hour of our trip on a gravel road through the foothills in a sports car? OK so now you know I'm not exactly a rocket scientist, but hey, I was younger then and figured I had thought through parts one and two already. I threw three quarts of oil behind the front seat and figured we weren't going to encounter a lot of cross traffic at stop signs up in the hills.

4:00am the alarm rings. It's a quick shower and I'm off to pick-up my buddy. A few minutes later and I arrive at Randy's house. He throws his gear in the back of the car and suggests we stop by the bagel shop where his wife Mo (short for Monica) is working so he can say goodbye. She's busy getting ready to open the shop by five, but takes the time to give Randy the obligatory "be safe, do you have your cell phone?, did you put on clean underwear?........".

While we're there we load up on still warm, fresh bagels and coffee. I also grabbed a Superfood drink for later. Now if you're not familiar with this, it's a fruit juice and Spirulina blend with several other goodies mixed in just for fun and giggles. It tastes great but looks kind of like pond scum, (i.e. thick and dark green) It tends to make people go "yuck" just by looking at it and phrases like, "you're not really going to drink that are you?" are common. To tell you the truth I think that's really why I like it. Armed with all the essentials, it's out to the car. Putting the bagels and juice behind the front seat we are now ready for our big adventure.

The first hour of our journey is filled with laughter and stories. Just regular fun, but otherwise uneventful. That my friends is about to change! We had just crossed over the green bridge on our way into Hopland, the coffee is long gone and I'm a bit dry from munching on bagels. Perfect time for my Superfood! So I reach behind the seat and grab my treat, shake it up well, twist off the plastic lid and take a nice big gulp.

Let me pause for a moment and remind you that it's late summer at around 5:00am. It is therefore, still dark outside and I'm not completely awake yet. Once again that is about to change!

As I slam on the brakes swerving to a stop at the side of the road I grab the bag of bagels and jump out of the car. At this point Randy's eyes are about the size of frying pans and he's yelling, "WHAT !?!" over and over again. Meanwhile I'm grabbing bagels, biting off hunks, chewing them for a couple of seconds then spitting them out along the roadway. All the time Randy is getting more agitated, "WHAT, WHAT, WHAT'S GOING ON!!!" he insists.

Let me pause again and take you back to an earlier part of this story. We've already established that it's dark and I'm not wide awake. Now remember the part about my car needing oil on a regular basis? Friends, early in the morning it's not always easy to feel the difference between a plastic juice container and a quart of Castrol 10W30 motor oil. I have never tasted anything so foul in all my days before nor have I since.

Now I only recall my friend crying one time before and that was because of a death in the family, but let me tell you he cried tears of laughter that August morning. For the rest of that weekend any time it would get quiet he would get a smirk on his face, followed shortly after by chuckle or an amusing (to him) comment.

I'm pretty sure the laughter was one sided that weekend, but looking back at it now, it's a memory with my friend I wouldn't change for all the wealth in the world.