Yeah, Man, Good Stuff Coming

And no, I’m not going to trash anyone. I’m just going to make you think. At least, I hope to make you think. That’s the goal.

I’m going to tell you cool stuff about why the majority is always wrong, and how to be in the 3% that actually do things right. 

And more stuff...to make you think a little, and hopefully, enable you to see things in a clearer light.

Yeah, buddy! 

But first, I have to take four boys to an escape room and Star Wars and what not.

Merry Christmas Eve!!

We’re heading north for a vacation home so we can spend a very merry Christmas with all three kids! Peace to you all!

Flattery

If reading someone’s forum and posting about it is the “highest form of flattery,” I know of one blog that is all about flattering me and flatters me several times a day. Especially when they say my blog has “no readers.” Well at least they got it partly right. There are a few “nobodies” who read my blog several times a day! And how about this absolute gem— a forum supposedly about FF and the Chase NEVER TALKS A BOUT THE CHASE. To me, that’s hilarious. I get way more press time than F does on a blog supposedly about F and the chase. And at present, I’m not even “chasing” right now. My daily life appears to be very important to some. And some seem to revel in a false belief that my world is crumbling all around me. Yeah, okay. Remember that shirt that said to just sit in your wrongness? Lol! If constantly posting about a particular person is “flattery,” who “flatters” me the most?

Oh, and Christmas is almost here! I’m excited for a fun time with my family. You know what’s funny, though? That other blog will post about me posting negativity at a time of a year that should be promoting good will. While they keep on with their daily character assassination. How is that not hypocritical?

I Heard...

I heard that some people want to buy me gifts for Christmas. That is very thoughtful! However, I like to collect shirts with numbers on them (I think its an Asperger's thing).

I took the liberty of finding the ones best suited for me.

And I like tee shirts that say a little something of my ancestry:

And as my Viking blood courses through me, you all know I am not afraid of a good fight:

This is one I'd proudly wear as a message to some guys out there:

And sometimes, you just gotta block out all the delusional loons that screech every time you post something happy in your life:

Other days, this is what I'd wear as my message to them:

And I ALWAYS remember the One who gives me strength:

And one that shares a little bit of what makes me stand out in a crowd:

So there's some ideas for ya. You can ship them to The Winner's House, Naples, FL 34120. The postman will know who you mean. :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS! May we all find a little light and laughter this holiday season!

Christmas Time

Update: I’m going to be busy through Christmas, but I’ll be updating on Instagram and maybe Twitter, so feel free to follow me there. :)


We won one of the prizes in the holiday Christmas house decorating contest! Well, I should say James won, because he did 99.99% of the work. We/he won the prize for "Best Theme." We tried to go with the nostalgic Christmas TV specials, and I guess it was a hit with the judges.

While the outside is decorated to the hilt, we like things a little simpler inside:

Zuri likes to hang out on the rug by the tree. She reminds me of when I was a kid in the days before Christmas when my mom would have Christmas music playing and I would lie down on the carpet by the tree, breathing in the blue spruce-y scent and finding a kind of cozy comfort in the twinkling lights and festive sounds. 

We also have a Charlie Brown christmas tree, which reminds us to treat everyone with kindness.

James gave me my Christmas present early. He went WAY overboard, but its something we can all enjoy:

It is a very peaceful and contented time of the year, but I will miss my mom especially this year. My mom was responsible for some of my best Christmas memories, and I know she knows that. That's comforting to me. 

So, in the spirit of Christmas (which should be all year), let's take a break from the back and forths. and enjoy time with our friends and family. Let's concentrate on spreading joy, not gossip. Let's open our hearts and not so much our mouths. Let's take the time to reflect on the gift God gave to save us from ourselves--Jesus Christ. 

Good Stuff and Good News

It looks like I have the dream job! If I accept the job offer, I'll start after the New Year. I'm very excited about it, but I also have another job opportunity that looks like it'll pay just as much and be just as enjoyable, so I'm weighing my options and told the office manager of the first offer that I'm very honored and ecstatic to be offered the job, but that I have another opportunity that I'm weighing, so I'll let her know for sure next week. She was very cool about it, and said she understood and it was wise to consider my options. It'll come down to insurance, I think. Both jobs offer great insurance, but the first offer slightly tops the second. Insurance #1 includes medical, dental, and vision and has a premium of $40 a paycheck, with a $1500 deductible. The second job offers a couple different plans, and both have about the same premium, but higher deductibles. So, I'm talking to some people from my old job to see which one would be the best for me.

For those of you anxious about Presby, I'm putting together a timeline of his own posts that will show who he really is. I will also provide screenshots of posts by one of his aliases that prove they are the same person. It'll take me a little time.

I've been kicking up the workouts lately, and am starting to see some really positive results. I love boxing...it's such a great way to focus on coordination, strength, and endurance. I'm going to get James in some headgear tonight and tell him to try and stop me from a "knock out." I won't hit full strength, though. I just want to practice against a real person and concentrate on looking for openings, and speed.

James is doing a good job putting up outdoor Christmas decorations. He's been working hard on it, and hopes to win the community's decoration contest.

I've been going through the last of my boxes in the garage, and found yet another box of mostly Chase stuff, including my "grease stain" page, which I've been looking for!

So, lots going on. I'm looking forward to spending Christmas in NSB with Aidan, Joe, Callie, and James!

A Perfect Thanksgiving

I had the most wonderful Thanksgiving this year. Since I had to go to CA for a personal business matter, I decided to coincide the trip with Thanksgiving, because I miss many members who were once, and I still consider to be, family. Like my niece Kiele, who I haven't seen in several years. Here she is with Callie:

And my five years old but new to me nephew, Connor. And my ex's step-mother, Terri (David's mom), who I have a very strong relationship with. And Juli, my ex's sister, who I also get along great with. And of course, the perpetually jolly ad enthusiastic "Uncle David," my ex's half brother. It was bittersweet to have us all around the Thanksgiving table, eating, and laughing at old fun times without my ex's dad there. I definitely missed his booming, infectious laugh and his frequent "Holy Moly's."

So, as we went through pictures of past vacations, "Grandpa Jim" was in many, and you can just see the love he had for his grandchildren in his eyes. I mentioned it, and Terri started to tear up, and so, of course, we all joined her. But it's a good kind of crying, because we have those photos to always remind us how much he loved us all.

Connor was a hilarious little munchkin, and freaking smart for a five year old, counting past 100 and writing the alphabet like a machine. In fact, we sorta have a new nickname of Connor after watching a comedy sketch--The Machine. Connor liked it too. 

Here he is doing one of his favorite raps:

And again without hand motions and a clearer voice:

The first night, after I gave him the BatMan presents I bought him, he tagged along with me, and we played catch with his little stuffed zebra, who he appropriately calls "Zee." Every time he'd catch it, he'd say "Ganny," with the second syllable stressed. I glanced over at Dave for the meaning of this mysterious new word, and he just shrugged. Later on, after about 12,000 "Ganny's," I took a video and we finally found out what it meant.

He is the cutest kid. On Thanksgiving Day, Joe, Callie, Connor, and I played a board game called "Ticket to Ride." Connor was on my team, of course. He picked up the game surprisingly fast, and while most five year olds would just play with the plastic trains, Connor was very intent on learning the rules of the game and playing it right.

Then, later, he played Wii U with Joe, Callie, and Kiele. Mostly Connor ended up dying and floating around in a balloon above the alive players, but he had fun imagining himself inside that bubble, safe from harm.

He also knows when he's ready for sleep:

Everyone was great, and with Dave around, we laughed and laughed. Especially when Dave burned the bacon and still passed it around, saying it was just a "little" burnt.

During the trip, I got to walk down to the beach. I loved the weather and atmosphere there. We saw a baby dolphin jump out of the water twice, and even though I tried to get it on video, he or she wouldn't jump a third time. And I liked all the different flowers growing along the walkway...

Callie took me to see her high school- Santa Barbara High- and it was impressive.

Afterwards, we went to a couple thrift shops, and then a very very cool bookstore with some rare books. I really wanted this one signed by e.e. cummings, but it was too pricy. I got a few other not as pricy books, though.

I even found this one by FF, and it was autographed.

Anyway, we all had a really great time!