In My Room

In My Room

In My Room by The Beach Boys

There's a world where I can go
And tell my secrets to
In my room
In my room

In this world I lock out
All my worries and my fears
In my room
In my room

Do my dreaming and my scheming lie awake and pray
Do my crying and my sighing laugh at yesterday

Now it's dark and I'm alone
But I won't be afraid
In my room
In my room

Written by Michelle Patricia Gayle, Eric William Martin, Gary L. Usher, Brian Douglas Wilson • Copyright © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

I have my room - do you? My room has a comfy couch, TV and computer. I call it my Man Cave. As a matter of fact I have a cube on my computer desk with the words: "MAN CAVE WHERE MEN CAN BE MEN." This is where I can be alone with myself to think, fantasize, plan, write, read and watch TV. It's my private time with only the dog snoring next to me.

Everyone (male or female) should have a room. Everyone should have a private place to themselves even if it's only for a few hours. This should be the place where you think positive thoughts not negative thoughts. 

This should be the place where you plan for a better future. This should be the place where you shut out all the negative shit going on in the world. This should be the place where you get all your worries about what bad things Trump and the Congress MIGHT do that will make you unhappy. 

This is NOT the room to think negative, be depressed, be angry or dislike yourself.

If you don't have such a place, use the bathroom if you have to, lock yourself in a closet if you have to, buy a locker outside the house if you have to or go to a bench in the park and think all the positive things I stated in the previous paragraphs. YOU DESERVE TO HAVE THIS ROOM!!

BTW, I'm Writing This Blog:

In My Room

What Will Happen In 2017

What Will Happen In 2017

Because Donald Trump will be our next President everybody is wondering what will happen in 2017. Half the people in the United States and around the world worry there will be social disaster, major military involvement in countries outside the US, trade wars with countries like China, isolation from our democratic friends in Europe and other countries connected to the United Nations and a roll back or major change to programs like Global Warming, Social Security, Medicare, Obamacare, etc., etc., etc.

The other half of the people in the United States and around the world see 2017 as the best year in a long time. Stocks will go up, regulations will be reduced creating more American jobs, the rich people will get richer which will trickle down to more jobs for the middle class, trade countries will have to trade on an equal basis, policies that restrict growth in many small businesses and industries will be changed to make it easier to do business, the Federal deficit will be reduced by changes to many social programs, policies that restrict the output of coal and oil will be changed so that the country will never have an energy problem and the military will be beefed up so America will be better safer.

WOW, on which side of the pendulum you swing, 2017 will either be a bad year or a great year. 

I'M CALLING BULLSHIT!!!!

Trying to figure out if I'm going to have a bad or good 2017 based on what Trump and the Congress will or might do ignores the fact that I have control of my happiness. I have no doubt I'm going to have a wonderful 2017.

I have my health, I have a loving wife, I have great friends and family, I have enough financial security to travel sometimes, eat wonderful food and live in beautiful Southern California. Because I’m retired, I also have time to write, read, play, exercise and watch mindless TV.  

Trump and the Congress might make my fabulous life a tiny little better or worse, but they will not have any affect on my happiness. 

2017 Will Be A Great Year Because I Will Make It So!

Resolutions

Resolutions

Resolutions are both a good thing and a not so good thing.  If you have to wait for the New Year to make a resolution you're not real serious about the resolution in the first place.  For example, if you say: "my New Year resolution is to stop smoking," I believe your odds of accomplishing that resolution is less than twenty percent.  If you want to stop smoking, take the steps to do so now.  This might be the hardest thing you've ever accomplished so, don't believe waiting for New Year will make it easier.

The good part of making resolutions is you have an idea of what you have to improve upon in your life.  The goal of your resolutions should be ones that will make you happier. Improving your health is a great resolution.  Stop being angry at someone who has done you wrong is a great resolution.  Getting rid of the things and/or the people in your life that have made you unhappy is a great resolution.  Deciding to get more out of life is a great resolution.

Getting a dog, buying a car, getting a new home, paying your bill on time, saving money, going out more, seeing your children, etc. etc. are not resolutions.  These are the everyday things you should be doing as a way of life.

Getting revenge is a bad resolution.  Doing something you really don't want to do, but it will make you more money is a bad resolution. Buying a car or house you really can't afford is a bad resolution.  Leaving the job you love and are great at doing for a promotion to one that has more stress, less fun, but more money and more power is a bad resolution.  Stop taking risks is a bad resolution.  

I don't make resolutions.  They can be restricting.  They can make me unhappy if they don't happen.  My goal is to get the most out of the life that is available to me.  I don't want to make a resolution I have to do because one day later my priorities might change. I don't want to make a resolution that requires the outside world to reach my goal.  I don't want to make a resolution where things I can't control could make me unhappy.

I want to live life doing the things that make me happy.  I want to appreciate the things that I have accomplished.  I want to pat myself on the back for the problems I've overcome.  I want to believe I have control of my happiness.

I want to love myself unconditionally.  Now that's a fabulous resolution!

Insecurity

Insecurity

Definition of insecure

1. 1:  not confident or sure :  uncertain <feeling somewhat insecure of his reception>
2. 2:  not adequately guarded or sustained :  unsafe <an insecure investment>
3. 3:  not firmly fastened or fixed :  shaky <the hinge is loose and insecure>
4. 4a :  not highly stable or well-adjusted <an insecure marriage>b :  deficient in assurance :  beset by fear and anxiety <always felt insecure in a group of strangers>

As you can see there are many forms of insecurity. Most of us have it to some degree. The ones who don't have any insecurity are not playing with a full deck. Where does this insecurity come from?

Ninety five percent of insecurity comes from previous acts. Growing up in an insecure family environment is probably the biggest reason. Having a traumatic event happen in your life. Failing at something you thought would definitely work out. The loss of someone who you put a lot of trust in and was your Mentor. Financial ruin. Divorce. Depression. 

In my opinion, the most insidious form of insecurity is worrying about things that have yet to happen.

Can anything be done about insecurity? Some of the worse statements a person can make are: "I have to stop worrying about things," "I have to get a grip on this situation," "I'm just going to convince myself to never be insecure again," "next year I'm going to fix this."

The reason these are bad statements is because they are all bullshit. The sooner you accept you are fearful and insecure, the best chance you have to change that pattern. You can't wipe out years of upbringing with words. You can't change major events in your life that made you worry about the future with words.

Sooo, for those of us who feel insecure and worry too much, we have these choices. Drugs (this is my very last choice and I only recommend it as a last resort). Find a good Mentor. Talking to someone who you trust and has your best interest in their heart can go a long way to helping you change your life stealing habits.

Do something positive every day. Positive actions begets more positive actions. The more positive actions in your life the more confident you become. The more confident you become the less insecure you become.

Worry. That's right, keep worrying. You can't stop it so why fight it. "The more you resist the more he (worry) will insist." Accept worrying into your life. 

The only way I have found to minimize my worrying is to take a step back and intellectually think about what I'm worrying about. Is it something that has already happen? If so, let your body worry. If it's something you're worrying about that might happen in the future, remind your intellectually self that nobody knows shit about what's going to happen in the future. 

What will worrying about future events do for you?

Absolutely Nothing

Old Man Look At My Life I'm A Lot Like You Were

Old Man Look At My Life I'm A Lot Like You Were

If you're reading my blogs you know I spent my life trying to not be like my father. He worried all the time. He never would take a risk. Life happened to him - he never made it happen. Sure, I was able to break some of those molds, but to be real, I worried a lot. I always played it safe. I took more risks than him, but they were controlled risks not out of the box risks.

I also got some good things from him and some bad things. I got his bright brain which helped me stand out and get ahead in business. I got his sense of humor (he always said funny is funny no matter the format). I got his honesty - He was and still is the most honest man or woman I knew/know. However, I also got his bad spine, which even today I feel is a great trade-off from the good stuff.

My mother on the other hand wasn't the brightest bulb in the room, but I got her love of life, her quirky sense of humor, her love of people of all ages and ethnic groups, her great thick hair (age and stress took most of that away, but that wasn't her fault) and on the negative side her horrible sense of direction. Send my mother two doors down from my house and she would never be able to find her way back.

I was a master computer programmer, but my lack of risk taking never pushed me to go on my own or with a group of others to try to change the world or get rich. I took many risks by changing jobs and careers that I believed would make me happier, but I always did that within the confines of major corporations. I never risked not having a paycheck on Friday.

I changed wives, but I did so to preserve my sanity and happiness. The risks I did take all turned out great, but I never went for the brass ring.

Sooo, I am my father and mother's child. Now that I'm older I'm happy with what I've become. I try my best to never look back and say I "shoulda" or "coulda" done this or that. When I was young, I blamed them for my fears. I blamed them for my lack of being all that I could be. My sister got caught up in that and she wound up with an unhappy life.

I just turned seventy two and I must say:

Old Man Look At My Life I'm A Lot Like You Were - Which I Greatly Appreciate

Colonoscopy

Colonoscopy

For those of you under fifty years old getting a Colonoscopy is probably the last thing on your mind. For those of you over fifty, getting a Colonoscopy should be in your top three things to consider. 

The facts are there, ninety five percent of the people who get a Colonoscopy every five years after fifty have a ninety eight percent chance they won't get colon cancer or get an immediate cure if they do. Getting a Colonoscopy is on par with a man getting a PSA test (a test for prostate cancer) every two years and a woman getting a mammogram (for breast cancer) every year or two. 

Again, the facts are that today there are so many ways to fight cancer if you catch it early. Catching it too late, once it has spread to other organs, increases your risk of dying from cancer exponentially.  Why wait until it's too late? These are easy procedures.

The PSA test is just a blood test. A mammogram just requires a short procedure of pressing you beautiful breasts against a machine that will take a picture. Yes, it feels cold pressing against that machine, but better endure a moment of cold and squashy breasts to ensure a longer life.

Getting a Colonoscopy is another story. I just had one on Tuesday. The actual procedure is not only easy it's the best two hours you're going to get. Oh sure, they're going to shove a long tube with a camera on it up your ass, but you'll be having the best Propofol (the stuff Michel Jackson used) sleep you ever had. 

When you wake you'll feel great and the only thing that will hurt is when they remove the IV in your arm. The downside is the day before the procedure.

There are a few ways to clean out your disgusting intestines. One way is using a product called "Go Lightly" (WOW is that an oxymoron). You have to drink a gallon of this crap. A glass full every twenty minutes. It's lemon lime flavored and after drinking all of it you swear to yourself you'll never drink another 7UP the rest of your life.

About an hour and a half after drinking your first glass, believe me you're not going "Lightly" to the toilet. You're running there and blowing out things you never thought could ever reside inside you. After each glass (until the gallon is empty) you're running and blowing for about four or five more hours. They should shoot the marketing person who named this stuff "Go Lightly."

The other method (which my Doctor suggested I do) is to drink three ten ounce bottles of Citrate of Magnesium. You drink one and a half bottles at around five o'clock at night with sixty four ounces of fluid. The good news is you have the majority of the day to get things done. With "Go Lightly" your entire day is consumed with running and pooping. The bad news is the Citrate of Magnesium takes around five hours to get you going.

The going is not as intense as "Go Lightly," but you never know if you're going to fart or poop so you have to sit on the toilet forever. After the first bottle and a half you have to swallow the second bottle and a half at three o'clock in the morning. A few hours later you find yourself on the toilet until seven in the morning. If your procedure is at eight o'clock, that's a tight squeeze (PUN). 

The bottom line is you get no sleep with the Citrate of Magnesium, however you don't get as sore of an ass as with the "Go Lightly." The day before the Colonoscopy SUCKS THE BIG ONE!

The thing that saves the day is the procedure is easy and you know in a few days if you're still mister perfect. As annoying as these tests are, it's a great feeling knowing you care enough about your life and took the time to potentially extend your life.

Never Forget, Life IS Great

You Talk Too Much

You Talk Too Much

You talk too much, you talk too much. Yakety-yakety-yakety-yak all the time. We all know people who talk too much. Some are loud talkers and some are low talkers. Both are as annoying as a pack of laughing hyenas. 

If it's your spouse, you usually respond, in between them taking a breath, with:

* Yes dear
* I hear you dear
* I'll do it immediately dear
* I'll never do that again dear

If it's a friend you usually just nod your head up and down for agreement and back and forth for disagreement. No sense in trying to get a word in edgewise because they will just flap their jaws faster than you. 

If it's someone you meet at a bar you do the head nodding thing while trying your best to get the hell away from that person. Going to the bathroom works. Saying I'm meeting a friend at another bar works, but then the talker has chased you away. 

In all these cases your physical actions don't describe what you brain is dying to scream out:

* Give it a rest
* Talk to the hand
* You're going to get lock jaw if you keep this up
* I'm calling bullshit
* You're so loud you're pissing everybody off
* Do you realize you're a low talker and nobody can hear the bullshit coming out of your mouth? 

And then there is my favorite:

Would You Please Shut The F..K UP!

Love One Smile

Love One Smile

As you know I sometimes hear a song that sets in motions wonderful feelings inside me. Sara Smile by Hall and Oates is one of those songs. The thing is there just aren't enough Sara's in this world. Sooo, try thinking about the one you love when you read the words (with my few edits) below.

Sara Smile 

Written by Daryl Hall, John Oates • Copyright © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

Baby hair with a woman's eyes

I can feel you watching in the night

All alone with me and we're waiting for the sunlight

When I feel cold, you warm me

And when I feel I can't go on, you come and hold me

It's you and me forever

Love One, smile

Oh, won't you smile awhile for me, Love One?

If you feel like leaving you know you can go

But why don't you stay until tomorrow?

And if you want to be free

You know all you got to do is say so

When you feel cold, I'll warm you

And when you feel you can't go on, I'll come and hold you

It's you and me forever

Love One, smile

Oh, won't you smile awhile for me, Love One?

Love One, smile

Oh, won't you smile awhile, Love One?

Smile

Oh, won't you smile awhile for me, Love One?

Oh, smile awhile

Won't you laugh, Love One?

Thank you for making me feel like a wonderful person

Keeping me crazy, crazy

Smile awhile

If You Have A Love One Who Doesn't Read My Blogs, Read Or Even Better Sing This song To Them. They'll Love You For It.

My Dirty Little Secrets

My Dirty Little Secrets

In my last blog "You Don't Know Me" I stated that I would do my best to open up to you who I am and what I'm all about. This blog is the start of things to come.

* I despise almost everything Donald Trump stands for regarding social issues - Immigration, women rights, global warming, etc. etc. However, when I look into my brain I realize many of the financial things he stands for I have to agree with him.

We have been too soft on China. Many of the deals we have agreed to don't put America in first position. Many of the jobs we have lost to other countries are because we have made America an unfriendly place for Corporations to do business. 

We have too many rules and regulations. We have too much bureaucracy. Some of the regulations to protect Americans have goon too far. In the long term, the deficit will cause suffering for us seniors and our children. Drug prices are too high and we have done nothing to bring them down.

Sooo, there is one on my dirty little secrets - I actually like many of the financial actions Trump wants to implement.


* My issues with my son is affecting me more than I'm willing to tell people. On the outside I act like it's no big deal, but inside it really hurts. I'm frustrated and confused and I don't know how to change it. We were friends. We were able to talk about things that were details of what was going on inside each other. This problem has caused me to not have a relationship with my two fantastic Grandchildren and that hurts even more.

Sooo, there you are, I'm exposing my second dirty little secret -  Even though I say I don't care, I want my son and my Grandchildren in my life. 


* Next week I'll be 72 years young. For a 72 year old, I'm in dam good health. However, I have had four disks removed from my neck. I have an arthritic condition in my lower back with two bulging disks. I don't like to talk about it, but I'm in pain every day - all day. 

It frustrates me because I know there isn't much I can do about it. I do my best to not show it to the outside world. I even joke about it by saying: "My engine and transmission are great - I just have bad bumpers." I even have pain free dreams. Those are my best dreams.

Sooo, there you are, I'm exposing my third dirty little secret - I'm afraid my spine will get worse and I won't be able to deal with the pain without serious drugs. The scary part for me is what effect it will have on the one I love the most - my wife.

As promised, there will be more dirty little secrets to come in time. However, the next few blogs will be more positive.

If you have the guts to share your dirty little secrets with someone - do it. It can be cathartic. 

You Don't Know Me

You Don't Know Me

One of the best things about getting older is you become more comfortable letting your guard down. If you've been reading my blogs you know a great deal about me - how I think and how I act. However, even though you know a lot about me - You Don't Know Me.

I would say my wife knows me best, but there is so much going on inside me that even she Doesn't Know Me. As a matter of fact, as much as I want to believe I know everything about me, even I Don't Know Me.

I have friends and loved ones, but I can't say I Know Them. I know enough about them to care for them and share my feelings with them, but again, none of them Know Me. I want to tell them more, but it's hard because so many things about me are bottled up inside.

All people have some level of barriers. They create those barriers to protect themselves and trick themselves into believing they are protecting their friends and family by not sharing. The fact of the matter is they are really keeping things inside because letting those things out hurts.

I'm much more open than most and I wish they were more open with themselves. It would make it so much easier for me to open up if they opened up. However, the fact is we live in a world of relationships where they Don't Know Me and I Don't Know Them.

I'll bet you believe you Know Yourself. The issue is we don't take the time to look deep inside to really get to Know Ourselves. We tend to keep everything on the surface until the day comes when an event happens that awakens us to realize much more about ourselves.

That even could be how we react to an accident. That event could be how we react to a love lost. That event could be how we react to facing death. I could go on and on, but we will never truly Know Ourselves (good or bad) until that event happens.

I believe, we Human Beings, would be much better off if everyone shared how they think, act and feel. It's probably too scary for that to ever happen, but I want to believe more good would come out of it than bad.

Can you imagine what life would be like if you told your best friend what to like and don't like about them? Can you imagine what you would feel like if they told you what they like and don't like about YOU? In my opinion it would make for a much better and closer relationship.

Can you imagine what life would be like if you shared your deepest and darkest secret with the people you trust? Can you imagine what life would be like if they did the same with YOU? In my opinion getting those things off your chest would bring everyone closer together.

Sooo, I'm going to do my best to be honest with my friends and family. I'm going to do my best to share my deepest feeling with my Blog people and the outside world. It may come back to haunt me, but I want everyone (including myself) to;

Know Me

When Was The Last Time You Tried Something New

When Was The Last Time You Tried Something New

We are creatures of habit. Doing the same thing day in and day out makes us comfortable. Doing the known is much less scary than doing the unknown. A friend of mine, Mike Bemiss, wrote a preamble in my first book, "Never Buy A Hat IF Your Feet Are Cold - Taking Charge Of Your Career And Your Life," that stated: 

Beware The Known

It's not the UNKNOWN that we must fear. As children, everything was unknown. But, as we get older, we start to build walls around ourselves, at the limit of what we KNOW. We build the walls of our own jails, with fear of failing at doing something UNKNOWN.

Too soon, we build a castle of security around ourselves. It has no doors, and few windows...it's the KNOWN. We live and die in there, with only an occasional timid peek out of a high window, at the UNKNOWN.

We build the walls of our KNOWN so high, that we cannot escape - and our souls wither and die for the lack of new experiences.

I refuse to build that wall. Each stone I would use to build it, I'll use instead as a stepping stone into a new and different UNKNOWN. And when I die, as we all do eventually, my only regret will be that I never got to discover that next UNKNOWN just over the horizon.

I appreciate the KNOWN. But I refuse to be limited by it. It can be a trap - if you let it - and you will never experience the next UNKNOWN - and that is the most special UNKNOWN of all,

The Next One

WOW, doesn't that say a lot - thank you Mike. I grew up in a "KNOWN" family. The most new thing we did was go to Atlantic City every other year. When my parents went to eat Chinese food they would both order the same thing - Shrimps in Lobster Sauce. 

I would ask them why didn't they try something new and their answer was: "we KNOW Shrimps in Lobster Sauce is good and the many other things on the menu might not be as good. We like to stick with the KNOWN.

I do have my routine, but because of my fear of being like my parents, I have always pushed myself to try new things. They could be business things or personal things. Just one example was, I changed my computer programmer job and went into sales. That first year scared the crap out of me and I would get hives. However, I lived and did well in sales.

I truly believe my life has been enriched by trying new things. They don't always work out the way I had hoped, but at least I can avoid saying "I should have tried that out.

Sooo, look at your life. Enjoy the KNOWN, but ask yourself:

When Was The Last Time I Tried Something New

It Makes My Heart Hurt, But She's "My Girl" Update

It Makes My Heart Hurt, But She's "My Girl"
update

Today, March 3rd 2017, is a very sad day in my and my wife's life. Our beloved dog Zita lost function in our back legs. We sadly had no choice but to send her wonderful positive energy out to the Universe. 

With tears in our eyes, I've decided to resend a post I wrote months ago knowing that this day would come. We loved her and she loved us for over 13 years. Life goes on, but it just won't be the same without her. 

If you have a loved one that you feel the same the way we felt about Zita, hug, kiss and love him or her right now, because this day will come like it or not.

Please read the Blog I wrote a few months ago:


Below are the first lines of the Temptations song "My Girl"

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day
When it's cold outside
I've got the month of May
I guess you'll say
What can make me feel this way
My girl (my girl, my girl)
Talking about my girl (my girl)

I have two girls in my family. My beautiful and fabulous wife and my loving dog Zita. If you've been reading my blogs you know how much I appreciate my wife. However, I haven't said much about Zita. Zita is thirteen years old. For a sixty pound dog, that's around ninety human years.

Like most ninety year old people, Zita doesn't hear well, her sense of smell is diminished and she has two arthritic hips. Getting up and down steps in our house is a struggle for her. I just can't tell you how sad it is for my wife and I to watch her struggle. It Makes My Heart Hurt, But She's "My Girl."

At this age she is more loving than ever. I guess she knows she needs us more now than when she was younger. We took her off the street and when she was younger she was very independent. Now, she hugs us all the time. On one hand we love hugging her back. On the other hand we know she knows the end is near. It Makes My Heart Hurt, But She's "My Girl."

My wife and I made a pact that we would never allow her to suffer just to keep her alive. At her age, putting her through a hip operation is not acceptable. Sooo, we watch her struggle to get up our many stairs. She still is able to get there, but slowly, very slowly. It takes both my wife and me to help her get into the car when we take her to the Vet.  It Makes My Heart Hurt, But She's "My Girl."

We love her and she loves us. We appreciate her and she appreciates us. We know the day is soon so we treat her with the same dignity and respect we gave my eighty nine year old mother. 

We remember all the good times we've had with her. Just the other day we laughed with our cousin who Zita bit in the ass when she first met her. We remember how she fit in with everyone at our house parties - they loved giving her treats. Even today she smiles when we tell her we're having a party and many humans are coming over.

We hope we'll have her for one or two more years, but we're realistic.

It Makes My Heart Hurt, But She's "My Girl."   

Election Depression

Election Depression

For those of you who are depressed over the election, I feel your pain. I immediately decided to do two things. One double up my dose of Paxil and two stop reading anything being said regarding Trumps win.

I always want to see the world as it could be, not what it is. I love America. I believe in the goodness of the American people. I also strongly believe "what goes around will come around." I have always said in my blogs that no one person will be able to bring America down even if that person is the President.

There have been a lot of negative statements from Trump about what he will do as President. I say, let's not get depressed until he tries to do them. Remember, there is a Congress that has to agree with him and wants to keep their jobs. Just because the election is over, we the depressed still have a say on how this country will be run.

Two years seems like a long time, but in two years most of the Congress seats will be up for grabs. The Tea Party proved what they could do in that second year election - they turned the House majority to the right. If Trump and this Congress do the things we fear they will do, we the depressed will vote them out of office and Trump won't be able to screw any more things up.

To keep myself sane, I want to believe Congress won't let him do many the the things he said he would do. Mexico will not build a wall with their own money. The Republican Party wants the deficit to go down. Therefore, they will not let him spent money; we don't have, to build his wall.

Trump wants to deport illegals. I want to believe this Congress will find a more humane solution. It will probably not be exactly what we depressed want it to be, but it won't be as bad as his right wing, things he said to get elected, statements.

Women are a powerful political block. They also represent huge numbers of votes. I want to believe Congress will not let Trump do bad things to women and that includes taking away their right to choose. If I'm wrong, we the depressed will throw out this Congress two years from now.

Trump is a business man. He does a lot of business overseas. He talks about getting better deals which I, as one of the depressed, believe is a good thing. My hope is he doesn't let his ego get in the way and piss off other Heads of State. I want to believe he won't.

The Russians think they now have a friend in Trump. I choose to not believe that. When he gets debriefed by the Foreign Relations Committee, he will realize they are not our friends and if anything he may put more clamps on them then Obama has already done.

Trump says he wants to get out of the Iran deal. I don't agree with most of what he is for, but I do agree with his position regarding Iran. Iran hates America. Doing a deal with somebody you can't trust will eventually become a bad deal.

In my opinion the scariest things he will try to accomplish is putting in a Conservative right wing Supreme Court Justice, changing laws regarding LGBT rights and his belief that Global Warming does not exist.

If Congress elects a Supreme Court Justice that helps overturn "Roe Vs. Wade" and other women's rights and the rights of the LGBT community, the streets will be full of protesters. Currently, seventy percent of Americans believe in women's and Gay rights. We the depressed will rise up and fight. I want to believe Congress knows this will happen and knows they will have no chance to keep control in the mid-term election. 

I know four years is a long time, but if we somehow can't change Congress in two years we the depressed will surely replace Trump in four years.

Regarding Global Warming, even if Trump doesn't believe it exists, as a business man he sees the potential of making America independent of fossil fuel. He sees the massive job growth potential of going green. I want to believe he will do the right thing regarding Global Warming (probably because he already has money invested in green companies).

Sooo, yes I'm depressed now. However, with my strong belief in America and the American people, I'm going to get over my depression tomorrow and wait and see how it all plays out.

My glass is always half full and I choose to believe:

We Will Survive President Trump

Wednesday Can't Come Soon Enough

Wednesday Can't Come Soon Enough

Today is Monday November 7th, 2016 the day before Tuesday November 8th and then Wednesday the day after Tuesday. I'm so looking forward to Wednesday when all the noise will be gone. 

I like reading the newspaper. I like reading the news on my computer or tablet. I like watching TV. However, these last few weeks have made the things I like to read or watch so painful I'm so looking forward to Wednesday.

Wednesday is the day we will find out who wins and who loses. Wednesday will be the day when we'll know the outcome of the zillion California Propositions. Wednesday will be the day when the noise will stop.

We could probably pay to put a human on mars with the many, many millions that have been spent to convince us which candidate to vote for. We could probably cure cancer with the many, many millions spent to convince us which proposition is good for us. Wednesday is the day the many, many millions stops.

I am so done with the attack ads from both candidates. I am so done with "NO" on this proposition and "YES" on the same proposition. I am just DONE! Wednesday is when the pain of round the clock noise stops.

By Thursday we can get back to the normal negative news. It's almost a relief to read or watch who shot who. It's almost a relief to read or watch a bus and a car smashing into each other. It's almost a relief to read or watch which Muslim town had more Civilian casualties. You know I'm just kidding, but this election's noise has been almost as painful.

As for me:

Wednesday Can't Come Soon Enough

It's A Look

It's A Look

"I would rather look good than feel good"   Ricardo Montalbán

Born November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican radio, television, theater and film actor. He had a career spanning seven decades (motion pictures from 1943 to 2006) and many notable roles. During the mid-1970s, Montalbán was notable as the spokesman in automobile advertisements for the Chrysler Cordoba, in which he famously extolled the "soft Corinthian leather" used for its interior. He became famous as Mr. Roarke the main star in the television seriesFantasy Island. He played in the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. He won an Emmy Award in 1978 for his role in the miniseries How the West Was Won^[2] and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 1993. Into his 80s, he continued to perform, often providing voices for animated films and commercials, and appearing in several Spy Kids films as "Grandfather Valentin".

I'm sure Ricardo Montalbán was joking, but his in front of the camera persona would make you believe he was telling the truth.  He always looked fantastic even when he was eighty.  Dressed to the hilt.  Beautiful with perfect hair and his accent just made his physical being look even better.

What's really interesting is, I've come across people (men and women) who would make the same statement.  How they look is critical to their self worth and their self being.

What I've also found in my many years of people watching is, more than seventy five percent of people have a look.  I assume it must be how they see themselves.  Some look like they're still living in the fifties.  Some look like they stared in the seventies movie "Disco Fever."  Some have purple hair.  Some wear their pants so low you can see the crack in their ass.

Starting today, do some people watching.  It's a lot of fun.  When my wife points someone out to me I always say to her "It's a look."  What I mean is, even if I believe they look ridiculous, it's their look.  It's how they want the outside world to see them.  Judging them is wrong.  Enjoying their personal statement is right.

Steve Jobs had a look - tee shirt, jeans and a sports jacket.  Johnny Cash had a look - black.  Phyllis Diller had a look - wild.  Hitler had a look - and it wasn't pretty.  I could go on and on, but you get the idea.  Take a step back and enjoy their look - it's fun.

Judging other people's look is wrong.  What I mean is, seeing someone and saying: "look at him - he must be gay."  "Look at the way she's dressed - she must be a hooker."  Judging without even knowing a person is wrong, wrong and more wrong.

I love bright colors.  I wear red sneakers.  I have a pair of blue and brown glasses and a pair of red and black glasses.  Does that mean I'm gay?  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but my wife would disagree. 

My wife's look is always a beautiful lady.  Even in jeans, she makes sure she looks beautiful. My look is anything that makes her happy.  I don't really care so I let her pick out my clothes.  I do want to look good and she helps me look great.  My friend Kenny didn't have a look until he let his hair grow very long.  Now that's his look.  We hate it, but it's his look.

I do have a problem with people who will do major things to their body to get a look.  Going from a 32 bust to a 38 bust via plastic surgery is a look, but at what price.  It's not just the money.  You'll have a bad back the rest of your life and when you get old those balloons will really look terrible.  Getting surgery so you look better in clothes, doesn't work for me.  How about finding clothes that make you look good just the way you are.

Doing cosmetic surgery so you keep looking younger is something I can live with as long as you don't get addicted to it.  All of us have seen people who did too much and now they don't look natural.  I look at cosmetic surgery this way:

• Will the surgery make me sexier to my wife?
•  Will my friends love me more if I have the surgery?
• Will I hit the lottery if I have surgery?
• Will I write or play the guitar better if I have surgery?
• Will I like myself better if I have the surgery?
• Can I stand seeing that old guy in the mirror?

In my case the answer to all but the last one is NO!  The last one "can I stand seeing that old guy in the mirror" is yes.  The reason is, when I look in the mirror I see my eyes.  What my eyes look like is "Kenny from South Philly" - young at heart and full of life.  Therefore, there isn't any cosmetic surgery in my future.

What's your look?  If you don't have one, think about getting one.  Don't do it for "them," do it for you.  Don't think about how they will see and judge you - think about how you want them to see you.  It's your look and nobody can take it away from you.  If they don't like it - who gives a shit.  

Please remember, beauty is in the mind of the beholder.  See beauty in as many things as you can.  If someone you know completely changes their look and your first reaction is you don't approve, slap yourself upside your head and say:

It's A Look"

Halloween

Halloween

Today is Halloween and it brings back memories when I was young. My friends and I didn't have much money so we made a plan for Trick Or Tweet. We didn't have money for costumes so we put our shirt on backward and put on different colored masks over our eyes. 

The plan was simple. We didn't want to Trick Or Tweet in our neighborhood because all we would get was a few pieces of candy or worst yet, have to come into a neighbor's house so we could get an apple. Our goal was to find houses that gave out a few pennies or a nickel.

We would walk miles to a neighborhood of middle to upper middle class families (the real rich people were too far away). BTW, in the fifties a kid could walk alone without being beat-up or shot.

Once in the neighborhood we would seek out the money givers and communicate to each other who they were. Then we would switch shirts and masks so the other kid could go to the same house. We did get a lot of candy (no apples because these families took one look at us and would not let us inside) and by our standards a lot of money. AAH! Those were the good old days. 

Today, kids have to go with their parents (or they risk death) and unless someone gives you a dollar it's better to get candy because candy today is expensive and pennies or even a nickel isn't worth a shit. 

As adults we would have the most fun at Halloween parties. We made our own costumes which brought out the creative juices in all of us. One of my favorites was a friend who came in a tee shirt with a cereal box pasted on one side of his shirt and a bloody axe pasted on the other side of his shirt - Cereal Killer! 

Today, the store bought costumes are fantastic (if you can afford them) and the people who love Halloween are very nice. However, many homes don't even turn on their lights because they're afraid a kid in a costume might be carrying a gun. 

AAH! Halloween Is Just Not As Much Fun As The Good Old Days