Hey all,

  I haven't blogged since April from the looks of it, but I thought I could add this little note into my life.  I don't go home for the holidays, and people ask why.  Well I'll tell you why, I lived in California for the past 5 years and this feels like home to me.  Of course I miss my family but here I made some great friends.  I love the feeling of driving my jeep with the top off wearing a tank top and its 85 degrees on x-mas eve.  X-mas that was a different story little breezy... sweater mandatory in Hollywood since our blood is thin.  I guess I just want to say Happy Holidays to all of you and best wishes for the New Year. 

Balance is the key.  Whatever you do you have to find balance.  Now when it comes to the definitation of balance you know I don’t have to come up with bullshit with you.  Straight up…you know what you have to do to get balance.  It’s within yourself; whether it’s going for a walk in the mountains or running with the bulls you need to find what keeps you balanced.  Every positive have a negative and not to say that that is a bad thing, but you need to know that for every cause there is an effect, for every ball that is thrown high will fall to gravity and for every night there is a day.  Just stay true to yourself and you will be fine.   

Hello again, it’s been awhile.  A looooooooonnnnnnng while.  I’ve been busy with this and that and that and this so blogging has been last on my mind.  I guess today’s topic has to do with “Be true to yourself”.  You know what’s right and wrong.  You know what’s good and bad.  I believe in karma and if it comes back to ya it will by 10x.  I remember a story that I would like to share you all today.

Two monks are walking along a path.  They are not to speak or associate with the people outside.  They come across an elderly lady that is trying to get across the river with her basket of laundry.  As they both notice her falling and fumbling on herself one of the monks goes and picks her up and carries her and her basket across the river. He comes back and meets up with the second monk and they resume on their path.  The second monk is so aggravated wondering how could he have done such a thing.  They don’t speak to each other at all when traveling down this path.  Finally the second monk says.  “How could have done that, we were not to associate with the outsider at ALL?”   The first monks look at him and say “I only carried her across the river, you carried her for a mile”. 

It’s been awhile since I last blog, I guess I’ve been slackening.  But the beautiful thing about blogging is a new canvas to paint a picture to stir the imagination.  But all kid aside my condolences go out to the families of the tsunami victims.  My Dad once told me “there are no guarantee’s in life”.  And regardless if I listen to anybody, I will totally stand behind that that he said.  Many of us get to experience 2005 another year to laugh, cry, be surprised, and to hate.  Feelings are such a big part of our life; we need feelings or else were just inhuman.  Sometimes, I do get agitated about bills, work, certain situations, but over all they are soooooo minute in the big picture.  Of course I want you all to live your lives for that certain treasure that can only be found in the depths of ones heart, but material things really don’t seem that important to me when the forces of nature play a part in our life.  Memories are the only thing we take to our graves and let God judge us from there.  I guess all in a nutshell, Enjoy life each and everyday, because you don’t know what tomorrow holds in store for YOU.  Smile, Laugh, and feel happy, but honestly what can truly hold you back from what you want to do while your alive today and maybe not tomorrow….    & nbsp;  

Holiday season is near and people are getting stressed on crowded malls, ideas for gifts since it has to be better than last years, traffic (referring back to the malls) and crazy drivers, wrapping paper, hiding spots, money balancing, and work.  So I haven’t blogged in a while and what did I do today on a Sunday?  I watched A LOT of TV.  I just wanted to be mellow so I started I think at noon by popping the first dvd in.  Here is my Sunday itinerary of movies I watched and laid on the couch for 12 hrs.  Dracula 3000, I Robot, Species 3, Johnson family vacation, Bad Boys 2, Love Actually, Nip Tuck, and Phone Booth. And dinner….Chinese delivery.

I picked up the comics acouple Sundays ago and started to see all the new strips that I’ve never heard of.  I was very happy to see originals that I can still relate to from when I was growing up; Garfield, Charlie Brown (peanut gallery), Blondie, and of course For Better or for Worse.  Some things you just don’t want to change, but I remember the saying “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”  I guess as we get older so should the people living in the comics such as For Better or for Worse http://www.suite101.com/artic...  I remember when it was the parents and the 3 kids, now the parents have become older and the kids aren’t so little.  They went to college, met different people along the way and have jobs.  I might not pick up the comics that often, but it’s still nice to see that they have lasted this long.  I guess it just goes to show that growing up with For Better or for Worse will never get old…

Great Job Lynn Johnston for all the years of laughter, sorrow, and memories while growing up.

I finally got back into the gym after I think 10 months hiatus.  Of course I wanted to start off slow so all I pretty much did was stretch, jog 3 miles, and end w/ abs and stretch.  Not bad for my first day back.  Hopefully it gets easier w/ each passing new day.

We have all the time in the world.  All the time that life will allow us.  All the time to do your soul searching and all the time to fulfill your dreams.  The sands of time will continuously fall to gravity and disappear and all that will be left are the memories to go by.  You can’t see it, you can’t taste it and of course it’s free.  The poor and the rich are treated equal by it and time is not racist.  Time can be your closest friend or your worst enemy depending on the situation your in.  Time can seem to go by fast or feel like it take forever to move along, but in reality it’s all the same.  

But you have a lifetime to think about it…

Changing it up so that life doesn’t feel so monotonous   is a good thing.  Sometimes people are afraid of change and want to stay content in the realm they live in where everything stays the same.  Nobody travels outside the bubble.  The bubble is the 10-mile radius of where you live.  You work, eat, sleep in the bubble.  You don’t even dare step foot outside of bubble b/c you don’t know what’s out there.  I felt that in this bubble, I was crawling when I knew I could soar.  When I moved to Cali from Oregon I was so ready that nothing could stop me.  My family and friends were sad to see me go, but I had to do this b/c I knew if I stayed my dreams would only stay dreams and never get a change to become reality.  My mind could only see the positive of what this new life had to offer, sunshine, palm trees, beaches and a new breath of life to consume my soul.  Sure it’s been a bumping ride and yes, I’ve had my share of winding roads, but those would of never happened if I never took the chance.  Now I look back and think how tough it was to find a job, hopping from place to place.  Moving all of my belonging from apt to apt and not knowing anyone.  Trying to pay bills and using credit cards for EVERYTHING!  Yeah credit cards are EVIL.  I don’t think the obstacles will stop coming, but I do know that I am ready for what life has to offer.  Take it one day at a time and sure enough you will build an empire.  Curiosity and the unknown fuel me, and I guess that keep me going.

Take a Chance………and make the change. 

Well, I do believe that fall is here.  Since it rained all weekend here in the So Cal area, we manage to watch several movies and lounge around the house which is a very uncommon thing since normally were out every weekend at the bars/clubs.  I know it felt a little weird staying home all weekend long, but it was also a nice change to stay mellow and enjoy life.  No Alcoholic beverages were consumed and the dress code consisted of sweats and a t-shirt.  Chinese food was delivered and hot chocolate was the nightcap.  Talk about a very mellow weekend, but very nice to do every once in a while.  Something about the rain that just knocks me out.  I woke up this morning around 9 am and heard the rain tapping at my window.  Knowing how wet and miserable it is outside I just fell back into my slumbering sleep with the covers pulled up to my neck.   Woke up at 11am went to church and came back only to fall asleep again on the couch at 4pm and awoken when the sky was black and 10 pm was read on the clock.  Now it is 2 am and I’m ready to go to bed again.  Yeah…I think there is something about the rain that soothes me and keeps me tranquil.  But, before I go I’ll leave a quote for the day...I really can’t today I’m a little tired.    & nbsp; 

Sunday was a great day, started out the day watching football at GT’s place with T, FK, & B.  Also watched a kick ass Movie Battle Royale.  For the evening it was Thai food with other good friends JK, MK, & J.  It was so much fun!  I had one of those laughs where you laugh so hard that it starts at the gut and penetrates towards the back not allowing you to breath.  It really has been awhile where friends just get together for dinner and laughs just for no reason.  I think that made me more complete than going to the bars on a Saturday night and hung over all the next day. Simple events with great friends are more valued than outrageous events with total strangers in my book.  I definitely want to treasure the friends I have and never take them for granted.  True friends are hard to find (especially in this day and age).  So I guess the moral of this blog is don’t build walls…build bridges.    

The sun is ready to come up on this Saturday morning and I haven’t slept yet.  It’s 5:25am and I have to head for work in about 1 hr.  So I thought why not blog until I hear the rooster crow.  Too tired for the gym and too awake to take a power nap, besides that would only be a tease after pulling an all nighter.  Which brings me to a time I can remember when I went to Hawaii with a friend (HL) from high school back in 1998.  We said, “lets go on a trip!”  “What the hell are we waiting for?”  And planned it in 3 months and off we went.  Since we were there only for 10 days we wanted to make everyday last to the fullest.  We woke up early and went to bed late (most of the time drunk off our asses).  We tried a different bar/club every night and during the day we were at the beach or checking out the sites.  HL and I were practically drunk 24/7 from Jack and cokes from sun up to sun down so I’m glad we took pictures b/c I can’t remember some points.  Well, one night I think we drank soooooooo much that we drank ourselves sober.  It was 3 in the morning when we left the club and walking back to the hotel we decided why not stay up and see the sun come up.   So we did just that, got back to the hotel pulled out another bottle of Jack and from our top floor balcony we sat in our lounge chairs sipping on Jack while the sky started to change from black to gray and then lone and behold blue skies above and blue ocean waves ahead.  I think the talks we had were the best part of trip.  We were friends back in high school, but that trip brought us closer together and I look at him as a fellow brother and part of my family.  It’s been awhile since I’ve gone on any kind of trip with friends; I guess that’s what happens when you get older.  Your adventures start to fade and reality starts to sink in…

I think it’s time to change that…    & nbsp;   &n bsp;  

“What the Mind of Man can Conceive and Believe, it can Achieve!”

Napoleon Hill had some really good quotes and thought I should share them with you and maybe they can help you on what ever your endeavors are.

1. “Who you become by reaching your goals is much more important than reaching for the goal itself”


2. “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care about them”


3. “All communication is either a cry for help or a display of love”


4. “You’ll never know how far you can go, until you go too far”


5. “Go as far as you can see, b/c when you get there, you’ll be able to see a little farther”


6. Motion creates emotion


7. “Where there is faith in the future, there is power in the present”


8. What you dwell upon grows


9. “You are totally responsible for what happens in your life.  If you can’t control an element of an event, at least you can control your response and attitude towards that event”


10. “What you think about, you bring out”


11. “Our imagination is a preview of life’s coming attraction”

Thought I might end it with Henry Ford’s quote “If you think you can or can’t do something, you’re right!”

And remember........only you can prevent forest fires....

The endless journey in one’s mind can be a better journey around the world at times.  You can fly through their thoughts, sail through dreams and drown in their sorrows.  You can travel the deepest caverns of ones mind and see adventure after adventure.  The places that one can take you can be breath taking and mesmerizing.  The stories that you can learn from the oldest of old can paint pictures of jagged coral reefs in clear blue waters off the shores in the tropics to the eye piercing crystal glaciers of the northern and southern poles.  Many stories are told from all ages from near and far.  Stories of fishing in Alaska, piloting a jet liner around the world, back packing through Europe, studying in the swamps of the Amazon, to just having coffee at the corner café on a Sunday afternoon.  Living your dream is not the best part of life, but the experiences you’ve encountered along the way are.  You remember when you your little and when ever the grandparents came over they always had stories to tell and the little ones to tell it to.  As their eyes lit up to hear the next part or even to ask questions like “what happened next grandpa” or “grandma, did grandpa really catch a fish that was 30 ft long?”  Even if it was a tall tale……….it was still a story that caught the audience and captured the heart.  Never let the story die in your life.  Pass it on so that other people can see your paintings.  I bet they would be priceless……   

  First I would like to thank JYK on a great gathering for his B-day. I had a blast!   Many more joys to bestow upon you on the many years to come.    Second I would like to welcome a good friend to the tblog family.  AlphaQx2.  You will be able to see his blogs from this link at Da Dude Dat Did Da Deed. Here on my right…. your left. 

   We will return to our normal blogging hrs tomorrow.

Quote of the day:

“The greatest quality on earth is the willingness to become”

Quote for yesterday:

“Loneliness is not the absence of affection, but the absence of direction”

When everyone says yes, try to say no.  When everyone goes high, try going low.  And when fitting in is just a phrase to get into the click, try dancing to a different beat.  Individuality is the name of the game and your name is the start.  Your face, your clothes, the car you drive, and the way you are distinguishes who you are.  Those little things that people do oddly is their trademark, and that trademark is what make you stand outside the box. 

When I went to Oregon I went to a friends house warming party.  It was about 1 in the morning and around 20 people left.  We were playing music, drinking beer and laughing to our hearts content.  It started to rain and it was really coming down.  I opened the door and took my beer out into the rain with me.  People watched to see what the hell I was doing from the front door to the windows out looking the front of the house.  It felt great!  Looking up the rain came down out of the black sky above and then when the drops were in reach of the streetlights they illuminated the neighborhood with its shower.  I watched the rain as it fell from the heavens and consumed the neighboring houses, cars and lawns.  Hearing the sound of it hitting everything sounded like an orchestra fine-tuning its instruments.  I finally came in when I was finished with my beer and soaking wet, but that didn’t bother me at all.  The rain dripping from my hair and face as I wiped it away felt like a refreshed shower from nature.  My friends came up to me a said “Tom, what the hell were you doing?” my reply, “I’m enjoying the rain.”  

Monday.  I think that is all I have to say.  It’s self-explanatory.  For some reason we all dread Mondays.  It's a sign of a new long week.  It’s a sign of more workload to take on and more drama to take on at the work area.  A workweek is broken down as such: 

Monday is the drink a lot coffee day.  Get back into the swing of it after a weekend of fun and relaxation with the work piled high on your desk.

Tuesday is still coffee day, but you look forward to Wednesday (still work piled on your desk, but not as high as Monday)

Wednesday is the hump day so from here on it’s all down hill.  You start to feel better b/c you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel and you start seeing a clearing on your desk.

Thursday is the second to the last day so people start getting excited and are planning their weekends.  You start getting the mingling itch and might even make Thursday a warm-up night for Friday (not the dance clubs yet, but a casual low key bar)

Friday is the day that you can’t wait to start your weekend so whatever you don’t finish you leave for Monday (which in turn makes you feel like crap on Mondays).  And after your long week you go to a hot spot with friends and laugh, get intoxicated, puke, and have a hangover all day Saturday and Sunday. 

Now have you ever wondered that as much as you dread going to work and consuming yourself with all that you do from the beginning of the week to the very end that there is someone at there that wishes he/she would give anything to be in your shoes and living the life you’ve made for yourself? 

Example:  The seventeen-year-old leukemia patient staring out the window of the sixth floor in the general hospital 

Don’t take your week for granted....

When I sit in front of the computer at night from time to time, I feel like that TV show “Doogie Howzer MD”.  For those who have never seen it or have forgotten, it’s about a boy genius that is 16 yrs old doing his 2^nd resident at a hospital where I forget.  It was a on the air from 1989-1993 missing syndication by 3 episodes.  

Well, after the 30min episode you would see Doogie sitting in his bedroom in front of his computer typing what he learned for that day.  What he typed wasn’t long, but in not so many words I thought it was pretty deep. 

So after I get home from work I turn on my computer and grab a water.  I first check my e-mails and then when it comes time to blogging I usually have to put my thinking cap on and go off on a tangent.  I want it to be a learning experience for all who read my blogs and at the same time teach myself a thing or two on what I’ve learned.  I use this as time to release the thoughts in my head and also the things hanging over my head.  I think it’s very therapeutic. 

Phrase for the day:

“You will never change who you are until you decide on who you would rather be”  

When I went to Oregon about 4 weeks ago I manage to rummage through some old picture and letters I has stowed away as keepsakes.  I came across forgotten letters from people I have lost contact over the years and Yes, I came across pictures of significant others that I thought we would never loose touch.  What ever came of those lost friendships?  I don’t think of them all, but certain ones I still think to this day what has happen to them.  Are they married?  Do they have kids?  Are they still residing in the same area?  I went to Hawaii some years back and met someone that I had a great time w/  She honestly made my year in one 10 days vacation trip.  After I left the Island we managed to stay in com by letters and holiday cards.  That lasted about a year and a half.  2 year later I receive a msg on my machine that she is getting married and would like me to be there.  Well, I deleted the msg and haven’t called her since.  That was about a year ago.  I don’t think it would be right to attend the wedding b/c I still want to remember her the way WE were that summer.  Young, happy, and free….

As I looked out the window of my office today I noticed it was getting dark earlier, which is a sign that summer is coming to an end.  Put away the board shorts and tanks and pull out the sweaters and jackets.  Get ready for another year of seasons, holiday cheer, Birthday parties, and Sports are back in session.  Another year to be better than the last.  Another year to learn more than the last.  And another year to grow more than the last.  Take the good and throw out the bad. 

During the fall, take that walk down a wet muddy trail through the forest as the leaves change color and fall to the path before you.  Take in the smell of rain and it's cleanliness.  Feel the hibernation taking effect of the trees, plants, and environment.  Fun things to do is rake the leaves into a pile and jump into it (not head first). 

Winter is not one of my favorites, but it does have its perks.  Snowboarding and……….more snowboarding.  If you’re a winter lover then taking a evening stroll in your down jacket and beanie is a requirement.  As you breath you can feel the crispness of the air and see the vapors as you exhale.  The cool refreshing feeling numbs your face as your nose starts to turn red (Kleenex might be needed).  Fun thing to do is make snow angels, snowmen, snowball fights and stay away from yellow snow. 

Springs is the rebirth of the environment.  “April showers will bring May flowers” the weather starts getting warmer, may be a couple of drizzles depending on where you’re located.  And if you ever watched Bambi, spring is when people come out of the wood works and start hooking up.  The Bambi thing, don’t ask me…somehow after all these years I still remember Thumper getting “twitapated”(it means falling in Love) I just lost major man points just now.  Fun things to do are Road trips (not too hot) find an open road and pedal to the metal (use caution in police populated areas).  Picnics in the park, and dog walking.   

Now Summer, Summer loving, surfing, traveling, barbeques parties, showing off tans…. and figures.  Pretty much do what you have been doing all year, but wear shorts and tank tops once again.  Fun things to do, hiking, mountain biking, Beach BBQ, and camping.  365 days for you to dispose of.  365 days for you to make the best of.  365 days for you to live to your hearts content.  Don’t waste a single minute of it!    & nbsp;   &n bsp;  

I remember when I was 8 yrs old and all I wanted to do is play during recess come home from school and watch cartoons and wake up early on Saturday morning to watch more cartoons and then play with my friends that lived in the neighborhood.  But could you get me to wake up early during the weekday for school?  No Way!  Talk about loving the simple things in life. 

I remember when I was in high school and all I wanted to do is hang out with my friends during lunch, talk to girls at the lockers and watch the clock till school was out.  Could you have gotten me up early to make it to class? Barely, I knew my grades depended on it. The only things you cared about then is getting your drivers license and then a car, finding a date to the prom and lunch money.  Looking back…still the simple things in life

 I remember a little bit from the little bit of college I did…studying, studying, and who was that cute girl sitting 3 seats across from me………oh yeah, and more studying.  The only things to worry about were making the grades since your now paying for your classes, making it to work on time after class and then after work study for the exam that is this Friday. Still feel like the world will end if that girl doesn’t know who you are by the end of the semester, but looking back…was still the simple things in life.

Now, I’m working a full time office job (40 hrs plus). Wear a tie, clock in and clock out, have that 30 min lunch break and worry about rent, utility bills, car bills, credit card bills, shopping for food, cleaning products, hygiene products, looking at gas prices and trying to find the best price (same goes for the grocery shopping).  Try to find time to go to the gym and think of ways to eat right.  And right now I might not be thinking this is the simple things in life, but I didn’t think those were the simple things in life either at the time.  I think I better start because 10 years down the road when I do realize it.  I don’t want it to pass me by like the other times.    & nbsp;

When I woke up this morning I had a permagrin on my face and a twinkle in my eye for the dream I just left of something so pure and simple that it truly was………………a perfect daze. 

    & nbsp;   &n bsp; I guess I will start from when I can remember and go on from there, and hope that more will come to me as I write this. 

You’re tired and so we retreat to the bedroom in our home.  I notice it’s not night at all and the sun’s rays are somewhat blocked by the oak tree with it’s outstretched limbs holding bundles of green leaves right outside our window in the backyard.  The bedroom is simple with navy blue walls and white window frames.  I don’t see any pictures, dressers, or drawers.  In the center of the room is a queen size bed with white fluffy soft sheets. Just to the head of the bed are two clear swinging glass doors that led to a flowery courtyard with a black metal fence that came to chest high.  The beautiful bedroom floor was made of dark stained wooden boards that gave our home that older look, but perfect for the moment. 

    & nbsp;   &n bsp; We lay on our sides close together with you in front of me as pretty much all I see is the back of your head with your long shining black hair, and my right arm stretches under your neck and over the pillow.  You intercept my right hand with yours as our fingers intertwine like we are on the same music page ready to harmonize.  As for my left hand………it lays gently on your belly for your carrying a new addition to the family.  I remember the happiness we both feel as we just lay there in our own little world on a mid afternoon day.  Sleep is the last thing on our minds as we just lay there holding conversations and getting lost in each other’s mind as if we just met for the first time.  We amaze one another with passion, intellect, and mystery as I know were positively happy being with each other and nothing else……..a dream caught on paper.

To wish is something we have all done in our lives, whether it was to wish for a new car, a new job, to win the lottery, or even to find the person of his/her dreams.  Wishing is a way to get what we want, but think it’s unimaginable.  Wishing helps us personally to broaden our horizons, or even make us start thinking of what could happen.  From an eyelash blown in the wind to candles blown out on your birthday, wishes find a way to leave our heart and into the world.  Ever wonder when you come upon a wishing well and know if you throw a penny to make a wish, what if you were to throw a dime or even a quarter…would that up your chances of your wish coming true?  I think that would be wishful thinking.  Regardless if you believe in wishes or not, always remember someone out there is making the exact same wish you are and maybe someday the wish you wish finds it’s way from this world and into your life…………..One can only wish.