Friday, September 30, 2005

Friday - After Disney

Today, I got up and worked out a new client. I'm back to an early morning schedule -6:30am. I'm actually glad to be waking up earlier. For some reason, I didn't get a headache today, and I think it had something to do with getting up early. I didn't have headaches as bad when that was my regular routine. Maybe I'm just less tense, since things are going in forward motion. After that client, and came home and ate breakfast, studied, then worked out more clients. It's nice having the facility just up-the-street.

After lunch, I napped, then went for my first day of work at Sports Authority. The above picture is me training on their 'training program'. It's flash based. Decent, but I think they could do better. I can tell my age. Not that I felt old, but at how young everyone else looked, and how they talked about work. Nice people, but I can tell they've been there awhile. Let's just say, I hope I feel different about working there than they do, in the future. They didn't say bad things about the company. Nothing like that. Mostly about each other. It was pretty entertaining, actually.

I came home to the usually exhuberance from Abby and ChiliDog, and Nancy. Abby seemed especially glad to see me.

You're reading what I did after that.

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Fun

We've moved. You can see our new Kitchen in the back ground. Yeah, there are no walls, but the view....
Yep, that's Cinderella's Castle in the background.

Here's the view from the other side, ground level. That Mansion in the background is really big. It's nice in the daytime, but spooky at night. Weird lights, howls, and it has it's own graveyard. I hear the owners name is Gracey. They refer to him as Master Gracey. There's a rumor that his wife died in the attic. Nancy and I snuck on the property. We found his fiance's ring, embedded in the stone. It looks more than 100 years old. Hmmm.

This next picture is of our roof. The Real Estate agent -a funny looking guy with big ears- told us it actually grew it's own roof. We'd never have to replace it. Maybe a bit of patching on the thatch here and there, but only when there are big winds.

That's right, it's Disney World, and we've moved into Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. We paid enough for it. Hope they can keep all those trespassers off our property now. I wanted to set my computer up in the Library, right next to the kitchen, but the contractor had it roped off. Guess they had some detail work. Nice furniture, though. We're told it's hand made. The only thing Nancy didn't like was how far away the bathroom was -about 100 yards away from the bottom of the tree. I was warned about peeing off the Master bedroom in the middle of the night. What she doesn't know, won't hurt her. Just hope I can aim away from the kitchen.


Business is better. School is good. Sports Authority hired me, and we spent the day at Magic Kingdom. And, I still live in vacationland. Palms trees, theme parks, beaches, and cute wiggly girls (thanks Nancy). Everyone once-in-awhile, even when things look not so good on paper, you look around and think, "life is good." Today was one of those days.

This is a slow time of year for the theme parks, and especially slow during the week. As you can tell, we went to the Magic kingdom today. It wasn't busy, at all. We got on and off almost everything in about 5 minutes. Even Pirates and Space Mountain.

I trained my clients this morning. We walked the dogs, then headed out. Pretty much did the whole park from 12 till 5:30. Even the Hall of Presidents.

So, if you're reading this, and things haven't been going good for you, please don't think I'm trying to 'rub it in'. When things are going well, it's nice to really enjoy them. I hope you enjoy your day, and the next.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Being Good

This is a picture of my Grandfather, Elmer Thompson. Each of us has someone that comes to mind when we think 'good person', 'kind', 'honorable'. For my family, he is that person. I'm not sure, but I don't think the Catholic Church allows non-Catholics to be Beautified or Sainted. Otherwise, I'd be calling him, Saint Elmer. Actually, I already do.

I try to live to his example, and I do mean, example. He walked the walk, and rarely ever talked it. He lead by showing the path, not talking about it. He was a good man, and lived a good life. A simple life. In this day and time, it's difficult to follow his path. It gets sidetracked with stuff, and I do mean stuff.

Granddad made living a good life look easy. I'm not sure how. I imagine he struggled with issues, just as anyone, but I wonder what kept him on course. Maybe, that is for each of us to determine.

Why does it seem so hard to 'be good' in today's world. I know I've fallen short. Just ask my ex wives. Yes, plural. Ask my friends. Ask my family. They know my short-comings. I struggle, just as anyone does, and I fail sometimes. When I do, I try to make ammends, as best I can.

It's interesting how, instead of a sports figure, or businessman, inventor, politician, on anyone of renowned accomplishment isn't my role model. A simple man is.

Okay, enough of the thought provoking material. On to my life. Simple.

I trained my clients, this morning. Nancy had already walked the dogs, so I missed out on that. I'm such a creature of habit. I woke up with another sinus headache, and it didn't really seem to go away, until it rained.
I went to orientation at Sports Authority today. Pretty basic, straight forward stuff. I think it will be a good compliment to my business, especially during the holiday season. That's when many clients tend to slack off a bit, for obvious reasons. It's also when retail picks up, for obvious reasons.
My class is off for two weeks. It meets just once a week, on Tuesday nights. I studied today, and slacked off tonight. I'm looking forward to getting into this major. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with it. Knowing my unique ways, I'll probably do something fun. Hopefully, I'll be able to make a decent living, without compromising my principles.

This is a picture of a hike my brother and I went on, the day after Christmas a few years ago, in Talula Gorge North Georgia. See the water behing me? I fell in it, just moments after this picture was taken. It was about 35 degrees outside, and 40-45 degrees in the water. I got to feel the effects of hypothermia that day. It's probably the closest I've come to death. I'm writing a short story about it. I'll need some help from my brother. I don't remember much for about 20 minutes after hypothermia set it. Just bits and pieces. The only thing I remember was how bad I just wanted to go home. Obviously, I made it. It was an adventure, and I'm glad I made the trip. I don't like cold water at all, though. Anything under 90 degress feels cold to me.

I think one of the reasons I go to Disney so often is because my Granddad loved it. He was a good, responsible man, but still a kid at heart.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

Superficial Deep Thinking

Literary Fiction.
Sounds intellectual, don't it? I hear this statement said by many new authors. "My novel is Literary Fiction." I always thought that was determined after the writer was dead, and certainly not by the writer.

I've read many pieces of work that others term Literary Fiction. Some were actually good stories deeply covered by the authors frequent essays on life. The Picture of Dorian Gray was a good example. The story itself is timeless, but I became overwhelmed with fatigue at Oscars conversational essays on Victorian England, women, and politics in general. It's great if you're studying that time in history, and probably much more interesting. But, lets face it; Wilde was simply depressed.

I've been in writing classes where writers are under the impression that depression and despair are the only way to get in touch with yourself. To get 'deep'. Deep Thinkers. Emotionally deep. They were in touch with their inner self.

Happy people are seen as superfical. Shallow. Flighty. Ignorant Head in the clouds. Even selfish.

Happy people see the depressed as manipulators, martyrs, and selfish.

There is an element of truth to both.

Someone who is depressed is selfish, by nature. Their despair causes their thoughts to be consumed by their own pain. They spend so much time thinking on their despair, their feelings, their pain, they barely have time to think of anyone else. Brain chemistry is changed. Neural connections are lost, and depressive ones are made stronger. Depression is a tough thing to work though. I know.

Someone who is happy, by nature, must ignore certain aspects of life around them. The must turn a blind eye to injustice, poverty, the feelings of others, and even their own feelings. But, as you've probably already concluded; that's not real happiness.

Both are selfish states of being. Both have turned their mind so inward, so focused on themselves, their perpective on things around them becomes distorted. Depression doesn't have the monopoly on distorted thinking. Even happy thoughts can become distorted.

"I feel better when I have a cigarette."
"I can drive on one more beer."

If you'll click on a few of the links above, you'll see some of the thought distortions that can happen.

Everyone has thought distortions. It's hard not to. For some, the distortions become so severe, they affect every thought. That's when depression or mania sets in. But someone doesn't need to be in a clinically depressive and/or manic state to be consumed by distorted thinking. Even people who are borderline depressed, or just unhappy have many elements of distorted thinking. The distortions affect the persons perspective of themselves, the world around them, and the people around them. Even the people they are close to.


Anyway, as I read through many 'Literary Fiction' books, the elements of distorted thinking jumped at me from the page so hard, the books flew across the room. I did finish them, though.

Give me a good story, any day!

This weekend:
Yesterday, we went to Epcot. Yeah, we go there a lot. Why? We can.

Lastnight, my computer crashed. I was trying a system maintainence program, mostly to get rid of duplicate files. I tried everything on it, including the registry cleaner. Mistake. Couldn't even reboot. Luckily, us power-users are use to that. Didn't lose any files, program, or anything else except time. Got everything reloaded, and working again. Funny thing is; I learned how to do it listening to Kim Komando. Haven't learned anything close in school yet. Then again, I've only had one class toward this major, so far. We did our usual walks, and visited Sam's Club. Forgot the Melatonin. I hope the sheep aren't too busy tonight.

Some good links: These are some mental health links.

If you're really bad off (suicidal thoughts), this is a good site: Depression Resource, Have-A-Hearts Suicide Help. Visit that one, AFTER you've called the Suicide Hotline, on your cell phone, from Waffle House. Why Waffle House? 24 hour supervision, good food, good counselling, and you'll probably see the same people at the mental health center.

Self Help - Why pay for one? This one covers what most of the others say anyway.

Some Depression Assessment sites: One, two, three, four.

Better yet, get over your damn, stupid-ass selfish self, and go help someone worse off than you. You'll be amazed how quickly your perspective changes.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Forward Motion

Funny thing about life; Einstein was right, mostly. Things may not be relevant to the observer.

After seeing the Movie, What the Bleep do we know?, I read more about Quantum Mechanics, and how it explains our reality. The more I studied, the more I began to believe Jesus was probably a Quantum Physicist. So was Moses, and maybe even Daniel. Solomon almost certainly was. (Yes, I know almost certainly is an oxymoron, but that's what Quantum mechanics is all about). Job was just a very patient person.

Then, there is the concept that we don't exist in a Universe, but rather a Multiverse. Imagine; more than one of ME! I wonder what my alternate realities are like. According to Penrose, this might be possible. I think even I would get annoyed with me. Basically, if I get this right, Penrose says it's probably not the observer that pins down reality, but that gravity is responsible. I'm glad about that. Controlling reality would be a hellava management job. I'm going to have enough trouble ruling the world, when I become Emperor. I'll delegate. Dilbert style. Dogbert's my hero.

Anyway, things in my life lately felt like they were stalling. Sometimes, even going backwards. Theoretically, this is possible, but not in my awareness. My awareness dictates that I observe my reality forward in time. I'd hate to have to go back in time. Just like anyone, there were moments of my life I don't want to bother with again. Elementary school, for one. Once of that was enough.

Forward motion is a funny thing. Most of the time, it doesn't seem to forward. It seems like we're just running in place. More like sprinting. Sometimes, it seems like a stroll. When were having a really good time, forward motion is unbelievably fast. When we're not having time, especially in emotional pain, forward motion seems stuck in molasses (I still have no idea how they make such a sweet tasting syrup out of a little rodent's behind).

Things are moving forward for me again. Yesterday, I finished several homework assignments, did some practice tests, got hired by Sports Authority, saw a play at Rollins College - Starting Here, Starting Now, donated training sessions for the silent auction for the theater Guild, and when I got home, I had a request for personal training info in my inbox.

Like I said, I'm glad I'm not in control of reality or time. I'd be way too tired.

With this post, I wanted to show how one can use the internet's hyperlinks for 'footnotes'. It's far superior to the old footnoting way, and it's actually fun doing it. I used Wikipedia, mostly. I was too lazy to use anything else - one of the drawbacks of hyperlinked footnotes.

Try out of few of the hyperlinks, and learn something new. I did. It was fun.

Swedish


Swedish
Originally uploaded by bodycoach2.
This is a pic of Nancy when she got back from a luncheon. I thought she, and her dress, looked very Swedish here. I guess it was the colors. That, or I'm Scandinavian obsessed.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Purpose

The Mac Mini is getting a 'quiet upgrade'. What other news is there? Funny thing is; I don't even own a Mac. Nancy does, though. I'm not a MacFanatic, but the Mac Mini is a great tool for a great price. I like Tech, pure and simple. Windows, Mac, and I want to learn Linux. For my degree, I'll have to.

I've learned something; when I'm blogging, I need to copy the html to clipboard every few sentences, just in case I have a page crash. Too many times, I've got mostly done with a blog, only to lose it for some reason.

My training has been dry lately. Except for Yoga, and a basic strength sequence of Chins, Dips, and Squats, I haven't done much else. Those are the basic three, and will cover your basic functional strength needs. My biggest problem is that I've had nothing to train for. No reason.

One thing I've learned as a Personal Trainer: If you why -your reason- isn't strong enough, anything will stop you. If your why is strong enough, nothing can stop you. I've had no 'why'.

My reasons have varied in my professional career; Proving a point of a training philosphy (that simply didn't work), Proving that the philosphy was really a cult - and proving that wrong, proving to myself I could get bigger - and achieving it, training for inline speedskating, training for Mountain Climbing, and training to be attractive to women. Of those, only speedskating really hit home with me, but the I simply couldn't devote the training and expense to make that work. I might try again someday. Still, it didn't hit the core reason for me

I'm a show-off. It's why I was a gymnast. I love being in front of an audience. Nancy took her daughter, Laura, and Laura's husband Brian out for my and Brian's birthday. We saw Cirque Du Soleil - La Nouba a while ago, and I wanted to jump up on stage with them. The guy flying on the scarves was impressive, and I wanted to do that. Maybe someday, I will.
I've come up with a purpose: I want to create my own performance, using strength and flexibility. Somehow, I'd like to incorporate Power Rings into that performance. I'd like to work up to some basic contortionist skills along with the strength display.
Here's an example:

Pretty good, for not having done it in many years. On that day, I just jumped on them, and did one. It wasn't as good as when I was a competative gymnast, but it was pretty good. I impressed myself.

I'll try to post pics of my progress here, and on my flickr pages.

Today

I trained my clients this morning, walked the dogs with Nancy, did a basic Crossfit type of workout, and started studying. In between studying -which I can maintain for 20 minutes, at best- I did stretching, and parrellette strength work (those are the handle thingies you see above).

In the future, I might start posting my workouts. I might even start posting my meal plan. That works for many of the people doing the Body For Life program.

Hopefully, I'll be able to create a performance that might impress YOU!

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Assumption

I'm not sure what to write about today. Not that nothing is happening, just not sure how to write about it.

My family has some tension going on. Sux. We all use to be close, but now there's other things going on that keeps up apart. In distance and relationship.

The problems seem to be based on assumptions, but I guess most problems are. We assume people will understand something, but they don't. Is it our fault? Theirs? Reminds me of that T-shirt I saw; "We're having communication problems. You need to listen." Once the problems start, and are not dealt with, it just keeps going. Sometimes, to the point of no return. Critical Mass (Never understood what Massachusetts had to do with physics, other than MIT).

Assumptions are made on both side, but are usually the wrong assumptions. Interesting how both assumptions are usually wrong. This is true in any relationship, especially families. Even marriages. Business relationships seem to thrive on wrong assumptions. I think many business even bank on it. Especially banks.

We assume our wife/husband/son/daughter/mother/father will understand. Of course, they don't understand, because they assumed you meant something else. They get angry, or hurt, then you get angry because they don't understand. Your anger, or sometimes fear, prevents you from being able help the person understand. The other person is deep into their position, and cannot really even hear what you say.

Maybe, we're assuming we're assuming, when we're not really assuming at all. We assumed wrong. Maybe, we're presuming - Presumption.

Presumption- Behavior or attitude that is boldly arrogant, or offensive.

That sounds like what the other person is doing, right? Maybe, it's our presumption that's truly causing the problem, not our assumptions.

So, for I hope my family quits their presumptions, and works things out. Of course, I'm the one that's right. I make no assumptions. Yeah. Right.

Guess I did have something to write about.
I assumed wrong.

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Oil

Does anything good every come from it? Does oil produce the same frenzy gold once did? Or, is the love of oil, rather than money, the root of all evil?

I'm sure oil and petroleum products do some good. I wouldn't be making this post without it. But then again, I'm not sure if that's a good thing.
I wouldn't be able to have cold food without petroleum products, unless I lived in the north. Way north.
I probably wouldn't have the allergy medicines available for me, not that they really work anyway.
I wouldn't have the nice shoes. Wait, these are Birkenstocks. Good ole hippy shoes. But, someone had to drive them here.

I guess we'd have to look at what a world would be like without oil. I guess just look back 150 years ago. Yep, that should do it. Not too pretty, huh?

Maybe, in the near future, synthetic oil will replace fossil fuels. Or BioFuels. So far, oil looks good at first, but like the girl that was a 10 across the room, gets worse as you get to know it. Then, it robs you of all life, infects your body, and festers in your soul.
A bit dramatic, maybe. Maybe not.

Alternatives? They'll come. They have to. Eventually. Hopefully, soon.

One thing is for sure; for us to have less fear from terrorism, gas prices, ecomony problems, each and every one of us will have to become Personally Energy Independent. Maybe, it will help each of us gain a level of true independence.

Enough lecture and essay.

I did Yoga today. No DVD, just my own. I did good too. Even threw in some inversion poses, strength poses, and balance poses. I felt really good after that.
In class tonight, we went over more Microsoft Word stuff. I'll pay much more attention when we get to Excel, PowerPoint, and Access. I did find out I'm the only one emailing the instructor my homework. I wonder if this is 'being the teachers pet'.

This is a pic of Nancy and I, waiting for the Vet to come in for ChiliDog's checkup. Chili was intestigating the waiting room.

Chili was not happy when it came time for shots. Not happy at all. Neither was I. Made me a bit queezy.

It seems Chili broke her hip playing with other dogs, when she was about 6 months old. It's going to need surgery, and she should recover just fine. I'll do her canine physical therapy -possibly a job opportunity?- and she might even be able to do Agility training and competition.

I'd like to see what she'd do with cattle, a 'mate?

Sunday, September 18, 2005

Frustration

For the fifth day in a row, I woke up with a sinus headache. Today was the worst so far. After Tylenol Sinus, it didn’t go away. After Excedrin, it didn’t go away. But, the Excedrin add the usual gastric bleeding and pain. I spent the day obsession on stupid things, like why the Coffee Mate dispenser wouldn’t work, or finding files to delete to create more hard-drive space. Well, maybe the last one wasn’t so stupid. I want to store more audiobooks –as though I really need anymore- and lots of pictures. When I hurt, I obsesses on weird things for distraction.

I have a pretty kick-ass system, and I’m learning how to do it on the cheap. In the future, I want to see how little I can spend upgrading, not how much. Hopefully, by then, I’ll have a choice. In a few day's, I'll post some pics of my setup. I just need to clean my desk. Okay, maybe I'll show the pics in a few months.

Well, because of the head and stomach problems, I think it’s time to turn the RANT mode on:
  1. FBI –yeah, you Carnivore, CIA, Homeland In-Security, IRS, listen up! Your bosses are incompetent! And, their boss isn’t even a Republican!! He’s a friggin Skull! We, the American people, didn’t even get the benefit of a real election! Yes, that’s right! I’m one of those freaks who believe America got Skull-fucked. Yes, I’m one of the insane people who think Kerry threw the election, and helped the Skulls. Now, for the record, I don’t care about conspiracy stuff. I don’t care if a candidate is actually part of a conspiracy. They can have at it all they want. But when the only two choices we have are a part of the most successful boys club in history, doesn’t feel like much of a choice, especially when both candidates keep silent about their affiliation. That silence spoke volumes about true allegiance to me. Check it out. Republicans and democrats alike, have been had.
  2. Our government has shown its complete incompetence. We see that everyday, about Katrina. What’s worse, they’re incompetence is only increasing. We hear one things, but we see another. Folks, no matter what your income level is, your survival in a disaster is up to you. We now know our tax dollars have been completely wasted, far beyond what we ever imagined.
  3. The Iraqi constitution problem? Why don’t we give them ours? We’re obviously not using it anymore, especially the Bill of Rights.
  4. To those business who are part of the financial, credit, and legal situation: Does operating a business in a manner that keeps struggling people in a continuous struggle really help? Does it really make you that much more money? Is it really worth it? If it is, well, just remember the movie Fight Club, and don’t be surprised if that actually happens. Piss off the peasants long enough, and you’ll see, just like Marie did.
  5. To the conservative Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Mormons, and pretty much any other religion; You’re all WRONG, and throughout history, most your actions prove my point. To think that any human could even comprehend what God is, is pure vanity. No, I’m not an atheist. Far from it. And I’m certainly no one to tell you what is right, or what God is.
  6. Everyone who lets themselves fall into a category of ‘liberal’ or ‘conservative’ – Go ahead, jump on the bandwagon. It’s a lot easier than thinking for yourselves. And, you get to be in the club. You get to point the finger at someone else, and claim, “It’s THEM. They’re the problem.” (Remember, that was Hitler's tatic). Lot easier than looking at yourselves, huh? Go ahead, follow someone else’s river of thought. Just don’t be surprised where you, or your country, ends up. Or even your religion.

    Okay, enough of my lunacy. Rant mode OFF.

    These pics were from today’s attempt to get out of the house for awhile. You can see how successful it was on our mood.
Sorry, Pier One. It wasn't your fault. Ya'll were nice to us, even when I sat at your nicely decorated table, and asked in frustration, "Can I have a menu now, please."

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Publishing

Nancy and I spent a good bit of time in Borders. Just like everything else, we have our routines at Borders:


Come in through the Caf̩ РMuch less a cold air hit.
We head for the 1st tier book area – the ones right inside the front door.
We then move to the next tables, usually some new books. Most books on these tables have paid for their placement. Nancy and I look through each table, studying cover art. We look for the ones that catch our eye. A book has less than a second to catch your eye, and for many books, the cover art can make all the difference. We watch other people at the tables, and see what catches their eye.
I usually move on to the magazines, then the fitness books, then the language books, then the writing books. Sometimes I’ll look through the computer book area, but that gets overwhelming.
Nancy will go through the tables, then move to the sci-fi and fantasy area. She’s a bit more thorough in her perusing. We usually meet up to go home when either of us have to go to the bathroom. The ones at WINTER PARK BORDERS ARE GROSS!!! (hint)


Nancy will usually by at least one book. I have absolutely no business buying any books, paper or audio. I have almost 5,000 e-books on my computer, and usually keep at least 100 on my PocketPC. I have about 20gig of audio books, and keep about 500meg on my toy. I’m fairly sure I could never listen to all of them, even if I listened to all of them straight thru- till I died.

Thanks be to libraries. And, Capt’n Jack Sparrow might be a bit proud of me too.

The last six books I’ve read have been e-books. I figure; if I’m going to be one of the pioneers in the e-book publishing industry, I ought to set the example. Now, a regular book feels clucky, bulky, and a waste of good trees to me. My e-books are just 1 and 0; binary data. No trees died to please me. At least, not for reading.

The future of publishing will look something like this: You’ll go online, download a book, audio book, song, picture, or maybe even a movie, and pay after you’ve used the material. In most cases, you’ll be able to pay what you think it’s worth, not some publisher or marketing agent thinks they can get for it. And, most of the money will go directly to the creator.

No wonder the RIAA and MPAA are scared silly. And agents. They’re a dying profession. Right now, they’re just trying to sue there way to death, and milk as much money out of everyone before they go down. But, mark my words, they will go down. It’s economic and technological evolution.

Hopefully, inventors will figure out ways to make these things happen with few resources than we use now. The more I look around, the more I realize how wasteful, and overconsuming a society we are. I feel guilty having been suckered into it. I feel even more guilty that I still participate. But, what’s a good little consumer to do? Live in an eco-village? Too many feminists for me.

Oh, by the way; My first order of business as Emperor of Blogairia; resend the 19th amendment. It was the downfall of American society.

I studied even more today. Almost a compulsion. Personal Training is something I love, but the market is glutted, at least it is here in Orlando. And when consumer confidence is down, the trainer is one of the first expenses to go. So, everyone be good little consumers, and come spend your money on me!

Pictures are not supported by Blogger for Word add-in, so I'll have to do a lot of cut and paste. Maybe I'll start time-stamping my day for you.

I didn’t do Yoga again. I will tomorrow. I have to. Physical tension and pain are building up again. Advil and Aleve are not good anti anxiety medications. Neither is chocolate, caffine, and sudafed sinus. Ugh.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Sloth

It’s easy to point a finger at someone else, and decry ignorance. The hard part is to look in ourselves. What do we ignore?

There’s a level of anxiety each of us carry. It doesn’t have to do with our personal life. It concerns the world around us. In Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he calls this the Circle of Concern. That circle contains the things we are aware of, the things that we know affect us. Some things we can do something about. Those are in our Circle of Influence.

The anxiety we feel is something everyone before us had to deal with. Wars, plague, famine, despot kings and tyrannical dictators – there’s always something. Something that threatens the way we live. Only a few people are able to do something. The writers of the Declaration of Independence felt that if someone was able to do something, it was their duty to do so. Some sacrificed their lives for that. Others people went about their lives as usual, as best they could.

I think the men who wrote the Declaration wanted that. I don’t believe they intended everyone to take up arms, and fight bloody old King George. At least, I think they hoped it wouldn’t come to that. I think they fought and worked, so most people didn’t have to fight.

Not all of us can do something about what we’re concerned about. The War in Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, poverty, hunger in Africa, the environment, and whatever popular conspiracy theory is hot – so many things to be concerned about.

Each of us must ignore some things to go about our daily life. It’s the only way to get through the day. It’s difficult to face our own contribution to the problems we’re concerned about. Our consumer society depends on ignorance; our own.

As I look around, and consider the things I’m concerned about –and my contribution to making them better or worse- it becomes difficult to determine how I should live. I realize I ignore many things around me, things that concern me, whenever I do something as simple as eat dinner, brush my teeth, and drive to work.

How far away from the mindset of the framers of the Declaration of Independence have we come? What do we ignore, because of our dependencies?

Okay, enough of that deep crap.

This is my first attempt at using the Microsoft Word Blogger Add-in, so I hope it goes well. If you’re reading this post, and the links are working, it did. Next time, I’m going to try it with pictures. I’ll try to give you some decent one. Maybe a few indecent ones, too. The links for today are in the text, so have at them.

Today:
Today, I studied, but not as much as I intended. No clients today. Didn’t do Yoga either. I’ve really been dealing with sinus headaches a lot lately. Today, it was to the point of distraction. I hate anti-biotics, and I broke down and used them for a cycle a few weeks ago, but the sinus headaches are back. I’m wondering if it’s just part of the whole tension thing.

I’ll be starting some part-time work soon, till my Personal Training business picks up. I hate not working. My sloth-ness wants to consume me. Like a disease.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Blogairia

I've often joked about becoming an Emperor, and the things I'd do as one. So, since I'm too lazy to overthrow the current U.S. government, I've decide to create my own country:

I shall become the Imperial ruler of Blogairia. I'll figure out the details later.

I've surfed through a few blogs, and am learning what makes a successful blog. I'll start putting some of those things into practice a bit at a time. You'll have a consistent format, and some entertaining things to see, read, and maybe even hear.


This was actually a week or two ago. I didn't have any good pictures to post from today, but I wanted to give you something. This was in Petsmart. We got ChiliDog a little bed. She likes it. No matter where we go -petstore, Sams, Wal-Mart, even a bookstore- Nancy looks for things for the pups. As she has said, "People have told me they hope to come back in the next life as one of my dogs." This is true. Luckily, she treats me like top dog. Except for the collar. I hope she doesn't get any ideas.


This is a picture I'm very lucky to have found, and have a copy on my harddrive. Indeed, it's an honor to have this. It's the world first photograph. It was by Joseph Niepce, in France, 1826. The exposure took 8 hours! Click on the picture to learn more.

Digital cameras have changed the photography industry. It was bound to happen. Some may see it as a loss, but then again, we don't do cave paintings anymore either.


This is the cover art for the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival's application brochure, and website. Click on the picture to learn more. I really like being part of it.

Some Links:

  • Terra Wind - Highways jammed with holiday traffic? Take the river!
  • Mac Mini - The name says it all
  • Crossfit - A really good training concept

All Hail and Praise oh Kind and Mighty Emperor Danny!

Da Svedaneya

Monday, September 12, 2005

Conception

When does life begin? Birth? 1st, 2nd, or 3rd trimester? Conception?

Personally, I think it began WAY before that. We are energy. Our energy existed far before this biological mass we currently posses, and it will exist far after we're done with these cellular vessels.

Yeah, I just saw the movie (click on the title of this posting to see what I mean). Personally, I intend to share my energy while I'm here. I've consumed enough for a few biological lifetimes.


Abby and Chili are bonding just fine

Nancy and I are glad to see the pups getting along, playing, and even cooperating. Abby watches out for and protects Chili when other dogs approach us on walks. Abby's showing a new level of confidence. We hear it too, in growls that make our blood curl. I guess the rotty part of her is coming to maturity.

Nancy making a new friend

Don't know what her name was, but she watched Abby and Chili walk by, and had a cute conversation with Nancy. Abby wanted to talk too, but I don't think the cat like what she said.

Cat's are interesting creatures - the house kind, and the large wild kind. The pretend to be independent, but seem to love being around us. The have affection surges, just like we do, and can be kind and gentle. But, cross them the wrong way, and you'll remember it for a few days. Oh, and they don't let you forget; you just get to borrow their house while they're there (I really had to work to figure out how to use all the the/ir/y're/re iterations).


That's Nancy's house in the background, and my truck -a Ford Ranger. She shares it with me. My truck was a present from Uncle Charley, after he crashed mine into a tree - see previous posts. I was trying to learn how to get myself into the scene of pics. I'm better looking than I thought. Nice smile, good cheekbones. And, I'm proud of my Thompson nose, dammit!

Another view of the house

I think this was actually before Uncle Charlie, Aunt Francis, and Cousin Jean came to visit. There aren't as many trees now. On Google Earth, you can see down into our pool.

Today

I studied again. Pretty much all day. For ONE class! Maybe a bit of overload, but I really do want to learn this stuff. It doesn't even feel like studying. I'm going to school, basically, to learn new ways to play with toys. Adult Kindergarten. I figured out how to network pc's and macs, something we need around here. I swing both ways on that, not attached to either. I did Yoga this morning, too. My body is feeling much better already.

Looks like I'll be getting some extra part-time work, till my business picks up. I'll report more on that when it happens.

I'm going to try to blog everyday. My goal is to provide four things

  1. A journal of my day and life
  2. Some pics for you to see what's going on
  3. A small window into Danny land -if you can stand it
  4. Links to some interesting places

I hope you enjoy my blog. Please, share it with your friends, especially the links.

Links To Enjoy

Dancing Rabbit Eco-village - Kind of like Little House on the Prarie

What the bleep do we know? - Nuff said

EPIC - Click on 'watch EPIC 2014. An interest look 'backward' from 2014.

Cory Doctorow's Literary Works - This guy is good! And, he encourages you to download his books for free. Actually helps sales!

Facial Training - An alternative to cosmetic surgery.

Yoga Journal - Should be part of any action hero training program

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Welcome, Foolish Mortals

Good Evening
When hinges creak
in doorless chambers,
and strange and frightening sounds
echo through the halls,
Whenever candlelights flicker,
where the air is deathly still,
that is the time
when Ghosts are present
practicing their terror
with Goulish delight.
No, this isn't the Haunted Mansion at Disney -my favorite ride in the Magic Kingdom- but it looks like it could be. It's just one of the houses in our neighborhood. Looks like is should belong to someone from Skull and Bones. Could be just off campus of Yale, in New Haven. It's actually a really nice looking house.
Now this one is different

This house is on our nightly walk. It's been for sale a few times in the last two years. I believe the elderly lady that owned it passed away about two and half years ago. Sometimes, at dusk, we see lights on in certain rooms, sometimes upstairs. But, we haven't seen anyone near in it in a long time. The grass is regularly mowed, but other than that, we see no other upkeep. Vines are growing up the front, and the damage to the screened in pool has never been repaired.

I don't even like walking on the same side of the street as that house. It just feels wrong.

Now THAT's a Leaf!

I'm not sure what kind of plant that is, but the leaves are impressive.

This weekend, we didn't really do a whole lot. I think Nancy and I are still in a slight funk from Belle's death. But, we're laughing more, and starting to remember Belle with fondness.

About three weeks before Belle passed, we took care of Chili, for Nancy's daughter, Laura. Laura's schedule has changed quite a bit, and she wasn't going to be home enough for the energy requirements of an Australian Cattle Dog, also known as a Queenland Blue Heeler.

Chili is a bundle of energy, as any herding dog would be, but our twice a day walks, and ruff and tumble play with Abby keep her worked. She's a wonderful little dog. We have too many nick-names for her at the moment. She's just too cute for one name.

When Chili first arrived, Belle took to the mother role again, and gave her a few lessons. It was cute to watch. Even though she only had a few weeks, I think Belle taught Chili a lot.

Abby didn't know what to make of the new 'interloper' at first, and just ignored her most of the time. The rest, she only seemed mildly annoyed. Now, that Belle has gone, Chili and Abby are bonding, and play in the backyard, probably three times a day. It's interesting to watch Abby assume the lead role between them. I think Chili will help Abby's confidence.

Next week, I intend to get about three weeks ahead on my studing. I also intend writing a newsletter, and getting it ready to post to my CoachDANNY.net site. I'd like to get a few more clients. Katrina has put a damper on business. I feel a bit guilty even saying that; thousands in the Gulf region lost their businesses, jobs, homes, even their clothes. I help as best I can, but even so, each of us has to keep our own lives going. Still, my thoughts are with all those people.

A Few Links, Just For Fun

Doombuggies.com

Diggnation

Despair

The Joy of Tech

and my personal favorite: Five Florida Writers

Friday, September 09, 2005

Friends


Mike, Karen, Estelle, Nancy, Danny
Our project, Florida Shorts, would probably never have happened if each of us tried individually. The talents and encouragement from each helped push the book to publication. This picture was a booksigning last year in Ormand Beach. It was an author festival. There were 75-100 authors there. I think we sold one book. For some reason, barely any public showed up. The weather was good, not too hot or cold, as you can see. I think the event just wasn't well publicized. My long white adventure shirt is to keep the sun off me. I don't want to get more skin cancers removed. Ugh. We had a great display, probably the second best of the show. One author, Angela Pitenis, sold over twenty books; Rubber Band Wars. She wrote it when she was 13 or 14 when she wrote it. At the show, I think she was 15. Cute girl, and very smart. At 15, her conversation skills were better than most adults. She'll write more, I'm sure, and do very well. I think she was the only author that sold any books. I bought one. It was really good.

Book Signing at Urban Think Bookstore in Orlando

That's me, behind the clothes line of miniature shorts, and Mike to the far left. You can see our table display. The Mac had a PowerPoint presentation rolling. This was a fun event. We sold 11 books. We thought that wasn't much, but we later found out the average booksigning sells only 17, unless it's a 'name' author. The place is interesting. Different than a Borders or Barnes and Noble, but I liked the industrial atmosphere.

We've had other booksignings. In Sanford, we sold the most books, almost twice as much as the other signings put together. We discovered that 'old Florida' was our market.

Getting a book publish isn't hard. That's the easy part. Getting people to buy your book is the hard part.

Please, pretty please, buy our book.

Even if you don't want to buy it, you can download it for free on our website: Five Florida Writers.

The point of the title of this post?: Even if we don't sell anymore books, or I ever sell my books, the friends I've made in my writing pursuit have been worth it all. Especially these friends.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Today

I couldn't think of a better title. Sorry.
More notes on getting older:
I had a headache all day. Sinus/tension type. I think it has something to do with the low pressure the Tropical Storm creates. Allergies were kicking up, too.

I didn't have alergies like this until I turned 40. I've always know I was allergic to coconut, and possible silver nitrate. I've had a severe outbreak three time, bad enough I had to go to the emergency room. But I've never had the typical allergies -sneezing, sinus congestion, etc.

It's like the Seinfeld episode; the one where George suggests he break up with a girl by suggesting a threesome. The idea was suppose to repulse the girl, and cause her to break up with him. Didn't work. She went for it. Problem was, Jerry wasn't into it.
"I have to buy new clothes, new furniture, a new hairstyle. I'm not ready to commit to being an orgy man."

I kinda feel that way.
"Now I have to buy hypo-allergenic soaps, clothes, and allergy meds. I'm don't want to be an allergy man."

Then, there's the whole intestinal stuff. But, we won't go into that tonight.

Today
I trained my clients this morning, then studied alot. I studied stuff that wasn't even in the book. I have some CD's I got at Sam's club that teach the same stuff. I like the CD's better than the textbook. A little animated girl talks to me. I like girls, even animated ones.
I studied Norwegian too. Not as much as I'd planned. The headache kept me from concentrating. But then, that's not much different than how my mind works anyway. I'm lucky to complete a thought. Writing helps.

We went to The Florida Writers Association meeting tonight. A screenwriter, Wayne Carter, did the presentation. It was a good presentation.
















His book, Hollywoodaholic is about how not to go crazy being a screenwriter. His story about going out to Hollywood was good enough to make a movie. Not sure if I want to do screenwriting. I might. I have a few stories that might fit that mode, but I need to learn the formating and style. My sister, Robin, has a degree from UCF Film School -and one in drama from University of Georgia. She's given me some good info. I might crack it open now.

Nancy and I did Yoga tonight. It's good to get back doing it again. It keeps the physical tension down, big time. Best anti-anxiety treatment ever, for me at least. The dogs kept interrupting us.

When I first started, I'd get all bent out of shape about them interrupting us (get it? ...'bent out of shape'). I'd get all aggravated -which most people can never tell- and yell at them. Then, I realized that's not what Yoga is about. It's about slowing down, kindness, simplicity, stuff like that. Now, when the dogs come it, we 'pause/paws', and huggy and kissy on them. Petting a dog is relaxing too. It's part of our Yoga now.

I think Jesus would have done Yoga, if he'd know about it. The conservative Christians (which I think is an oxymoron) think Yoga and Christianity are mutually exclusive, that it would be worshipping something or someone else. Now, I dont' claim to know it all, and I'm rarely ever right -don't really care about being right any more- but the conservative Christians are just plain WRONG on that. Course, I think they're wrong on pretty much everything. They are anything but Christian. (Religious rant over now).

Now that I'm on that kick, I hope we can get the fake Republican that's in office right now, OUT. Elizabeth Dole would have been WAY better. I don't know what he is, but he's NOT a Republican. I just hope the Republicans figure that out.
Friggin bonesman.

Education

Our education system is broke, and I don't mean financially. It's old, outdated. We are using an Industrial Age education model during the Information Age. Bill Gates wife, Melinda French Gates, discuss this concept in a speech on May 12, 2005.

I doesn't matter how much money we throw at the current education system. It doesn't matter how big or small the classrooms become, it won't help the kids become prepared for the modern workplace. Right now, the only thing the education system does is babysit the kids, while teaching them to become good little consumers. In my view, the current education system isn't just obsolete, it's making the problem worse.

The classroom is the wrong learning environment for many people, including me. I'm guessing about 50% of the people in any educational facility at this moment are in the wrong place.

Some of the problems, as I see it:
  1. Kids, even in colleges, are expected to learn subjects at the same rate. The current grading system doesn't grade on what was learned. It grades on how well the student learned at the suggested pace. Some students learn subjects faster, and other subjects slower.
  2. The agrarian based calander we use now must go. There is no need for summer vacations. We could replace with seasonal vacations; 1-2 weeks per season.
  3. Students could learn subjects at their own pace. This would require learning and practicing time management - something kids will need for the future. There would be no need for grading, or pass fail. Once a subject is learned to the required levels, a certificate of that subject is earned.
  4. Activity must be part of any new system. I'm almost convinced inactivity is a major cause of our health problems, including depression and anxiety. The current system is teaching our kids how to be inactive, and creating a society of phyiscally incompetent people who have no confidence in their physical abilities.

Those are just some things, some ideas. I don't have the answers, and I could be entirely wrong about all this anyway.

Maybe, my education can help me do something to make changes.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Achievement

Most of my life, I've had this sense that I was given many gifts. I've also had the sense I've wasted them.

Our society is strong on achievement. We hear the terms overachiever and underachiever. I bet anyone reading those words immediately pops a mental image of a particular person. I ask you this; Why did you stick that label on that person?

I'm an overachiever in some areas, and underachiever in others. Doesn't everyone? I bet that person you thought of is like that. This country seems to respect the ones who can measure their achievements in monetary units. Sports figures, especially the ones who break records, or make the big $$. Business moguls, and even the silver spoon super rich, born into wealth are admired, respected, and emulated. Why?

For the longest time, I felt guilt for not wanting more. Something was wrong with me. I didn't care to achieve, but I kept trying anyway. I felt I was born with many gifts, and I owed it to my existence to use them.

Over the years, after much pursuit, thought, evaluation, and acceptence, I realized what I really wanted to achieve;
When I die, I want to have many people attend my funeral, or memorial service. I want a procession of those who knew me, and would miss me. I hear people say, "I don't want tears, I want joy, and partying when I'm gone. A celebration of my life." That's bullshit. I want outright sobbing at mine. I want to have affected people so much, they would miss me that much. It would mean I had a strong connection with those people.

And, the Lamentation of women would be pretty cool too! (Weeping and wailing).

I'll never really know if I did achieve what I want.

Today
Today, I trained clients this morning, walked the dogs with Nancy, and came home to rest. I wasn't feeling very well, a bit feverish. Not really bad, but not my normal energy and strength. I haven't done Yoga in a few weeks, and my body tension/pain is increasing. Yoga is the best anxiety treatment. At least it is for me. It may be the Tropical Storm hanging off our coast. Lately, I really feel the changes in air pressure, especially in my joints.

It's funny; as I get older, I feel I should be taking notes.

Dressed Up



Royal Palm Awards Night

These are from the 2004 Banquet. Nancy won 1st place for Short Story, and 2nd place for poetry. Except for some controversial MC'ing, it was a really good night.

You can see and read more about Nancy at her Yahoo360 Blog

I met Nancy in a writing class, and she decided I should ask her out. So I did. It didn't take much work on her part, and I was properly motivated. I'm sure you understand. Been together since Jan 1st, 2003.

Writing is something I 'can't not do', if you understand. I have to write. So many stories in my head, I have to download them or I'll burst. I've taken a few writing class, courses, and groups. Our group, Five Florida Writers, put out an anthology of our short stories and poetry in the book Florida Shorts. We'd really appreciate it if you purchased a copy on Amazon. Even if you don't want to buy it, or don't have the $$ at the moment, download the free ebook. You can purchase a printed copy later, if you want.

I did the cover picture, text layout and formatting; basically all the tech work. I'm our IT guy. It was an incredible learning process, and a great adventure putting the book out.

Marketing? That's a different beast all together. We're still learning.

Okay, that's enough marketing for the moment.

I went to class lastnight. This is my teacher, Mr. Ware. He's good. I'm already familiar with much of the material in the class, but there is some stuff coming up I really need to learn. Mostly MS Office details - Excel and Access. I can muddle my way through other Office programs. I've used it for so long, I sometimes feel like an 'expert'. Vain, huh? I've learned to catch myself when I get that idea. Whenever you think you really know something, a challenge come along and reminds you, you're not an expert.

So, I listen in class. As best as an ADD guy can.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Crossing the Rainbow Bridge

This morning, we said our last goodbye to Belle. She will be missed. She was buried with a few things from each of us; Nancy, Amy, Laura, Abby, and myself.








We each said good-bye, even Abby. She seem to have some sort of understanding. I'm not sure what dogs understand about death, but Abby understands her companion, mentor, teacher, and mother figure is not around anymore. Nancy made sure everything was right for Belle.








We put her to rest. I read a few poems. Got choked up a bit, and struggled through them.

Abby watched the horses in the next field. Chille watched the goats behind us, wanting desperately to heard them. But they were patient with us. Abby and Chille, I mean. I don't think the goats really cared.




Belle was covered, and Abby's marked her friends place with her paw-prints.

I'm sure Nikki, Nancy's Akita that passed just a few weeks after we started dating, was waiting to escort Belle across the Rainbow Bridge.

Monday, September 05, 2005

Epcot

That's a little better. Smiling faces, probably the first time this week. We needed a 'time-out'. This was in front of the Stave Church replica in Norway pavillion at Epcot, my fav place in Disney.

Nancy in front of the church replica

We had a good day. Rode 'Test Track', Mission Space, ate at the Land, and of course, visited Norway.

If you've been to Norway at Epcot, you probably rode Maelstrom, and watched the little movie after. At the end of the movie, a young Norwegian boy reaches up to touch the thousand-year-old Viking longboat.

I never claimed to have grown up anyway.

I'll get there for real, someday.

Happiness and Sadness

It's interesting to feel happy and sad at the same time. I'm happy with my life, and sad that we lost Belle. Very sad. I'm happy to have Nancy, my family, Stephen and Brett, and my friends. I'm happy to be a part of the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival -and learn about art. I'm happy that my profession helps people, but sad that my biggest competition is apathy. I'm sad for all the victims of Hurricane Katrina, but happy for my friends who made it out alive and well. I happy about being a writer, but sad that I haven't heard from some writing friends in Louisiana. I hope they're okay. I happy I was able to give some to help people, and sad that I couldn't give more. I'm happy that I live in Florida, and sad that there's another twirly thing in the Tropical Atlantic.

Okay, enough of that mushy feeling crap.

My computer class is interesting. I'm excited about this new adventure. I'm not sure what I want to do with a degree in Computer Information Systems, but as I take more classes, I'll figure that out. Right now, I intend on going in the hardware direction, but that could change as I get me some more edge-u-mu-ka-shun. I do eventually want to start my own ebook publishing/marketing company. Things are changing fast, and I think that ebooks will take, as soon as there's something acceptable by the public. Cellphones with really nice screens are what I believe will work, but that's about three to four years off. Just in time for me to finish my degree

I'm back to learning Norwegian. I was doing an intensive review of Russian, in case I needed to CLEP or CLAST it, but it my not be necessary. If I have to, I'd like to be able to do it with either Norwegian or Russian. I really need to learn Spanish though. In fifteen years, almost half the country will speak Spanish. Linguistic evolution. People can hate that if they want. I'd rather simply adapt. I don't know why, but I was really struggling with Spanish. It's funny; my original intention of learning more languages was to be able to speak to more girls. Not necessary now, but I still want to learn. Makes me feel smarter.

It's labor day, and we're off for a few hours to EPCOT. It's difficult being in the house right now. Mental images of Belle popup everywhere, even on our nightly walks. We miss you, Miss Belle.

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Land of Opportunity?

It's easy to have good credit when you have more money. You can pay your bills on time; no late fees. You're not charged the highest interest rate on loans, and whatever you got a loan on is never 'upside-down'. You're not charged $25 for insufficent funds, because you were a few cents off when you were buying the 'cheapy' bread, milk, ramen noodles, and tuna.

Choices, I hear. It's all about choices. "You have to make good choices, the right choices," as though the person telling you has a clue what right is.

Katrina has done something to America, and even the world: It's put up front, right in our fortunate faces, the difference between fortunate and unfortunate. It put right in our laps, what happens when we turn our eyes away from what we don't like to see, what we don't want to think about.

America is not the land of opportunity we like to think it is.

I'm not knocking our country. I am knocking whats happened to it, and where it's going. I hope Katrina is a wakeup call.

The promise of opportunity isn't as available for everyone as we like to think. It's available, if the conditions are right.

The problem is widespread, and not limited to one political party -in case you were thinking that's where I was going. It's not caused by the wealthy, drugs, greedy corporations; though that do have a part in it. The problem is so widespread, it encompasses all parts of our daily life. I do think a big part of it is; what do we choose not to see? What do we ignore, so we can go about our life the way we want, or are working toward?

What choices are we making that we don't want to consider the widespread effects, because we might not like what we find?

Was that shirt you bought made by laborers, paid with slave wages? The ink that colored it? Where did it come from? The fibers that weaved it- who was involved in that? The people that packaged it? The people that shipped it?

The coffee your drank this morning -who farmed it? Who picked the coffee beans? You really think it was Juan Valdez? The gas you put in your tank? Where did it come from? The stupid girl at the convenience store checkout who was too slow -why did she get that way? And work? Does your job contribute, or consume? Is that churning in the pit of your stomach really reflux? If you hate your job, why? Because of how you're treated? Maybe you make enough money, but how you make it just doesn't feel right, but your too far behind the wire to give it up. Look around you on the ride home -what choices did they make? Do they look happier than you? Worse off than you? And when you get home, does it really feel like home? Does all the interior decor really help that much? Painting the picture over, are we? And the TV! Don't get me started there.

Choices. Yep, it's all about choices. Not just theirs, but yours, and mine. Those little choices we make, everyday. I think the choice of ignoring the ramifications of our own choices -ignorance- is the problem.

We need to take another look at this Land of Opportunity, and make sure we are really providing it.

I could go on, but you've probably already stopped reading. If you haven't, finish it yourself.

If you dare.

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Katrina

The images coming from the Katrina disaster are shocking. Earlier this year, we watched the Tsunami disaster. We thought we were safe from something like that. The US, especially the southeast, is uneasy now.

My sister called from Atlanta, lastnight. Gas prices were up to $6 in some places. This morning, here in Orlando, there is no gas. The stations are closed. Luckily, we filled up my truck on Tuesday, but Nancy's car is only at 1/4 tank. As far as fuel goes, the nation is scared.

I blogged last month about overconsumption. Looks like gas prices may fix that. Unfortunately, the fuel prices might affect my business. I hope not. When national financial worries occur, things like personal training become a luxury. A luxury to be done away with first. If that happens, I'll adjust how I do business. I'll find a way to make it affordable, and cost effective.

Last year, we were hit with three hurricanes; Charlie, Francis, and Jean. I call them Crazy Uncle Charlie, Freak Aunt Francis, and Just Ain't Right Cousin Jean. After each one, out power and water were out for at least eight days - with each one. We adapted. We're prepared now.

But not for something like Katrina. The only way to prepare for that is to 'get the hell out of dodge' (guess that guy didn't like those cars). We were inconvenienced last year. The people in the gulf are devastated!

I'm going through my clothes, and getting rid of anything I haven't used in awhile. Going to take it to Red Cross or Salvation Army, for the victims of Katrina. Right now, that's the best I can do. I wish I could do more.

Belle
The burial/memorial was rained out today, so we have to reschedule. We'll probably go up next week. It may seem trivial to bury a dog, with what is going on right now, but if you could see how Belle touched people's lives, you'd understand. She was the Mother Theresa of animals. She deserves our respects, human or not.

When I become Emporer, animal cruelty will fall under Hate Crime laws. And all the people who think the American Terrier (PitBull) is bad, need to study their facts. Kings can make bad proclamations, Dictators make evil decisions, and sometimes, a republic can make bad laws.