Life is Beautiful

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah

2011-12-24T15:36:00.002-06:00

I have absolutely NOTHING intelligent to say, except peace and love and Happy Holidays to all!

I literally get chills when I hear Darlene Love singing the greatest rock 'n roll Christmas song of all time . . . It happened again last night at 11:31 pm Central Standard Time . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Ciao!!

Bobby T Reprise

2011-11-26T11:40:00.000-06:00

Earlier this year, I wrote this post as a tribute to my dear friend Bobby T, who passed far too young . . . I ran into his son at the gym yesterday, and it's fascinating how life works at times . . . I've been thinking a lot about Bobby T lately, and to see his son was the highlight of the day, without a doubt . . . As I left the gym, my feeling was, I have to reprise this post as a tribute to Bobby T, but also for his family, who are experiencing Christmas without him for the first time . . .

My good friend Bobby passed a few days ago (A toast to you Bobby), and the memorial service/celebration of life was held yesterday . . .

Bobby . . .

No words can adequately describe exactly who and what you were . . . The speakers tried, and everything they said was so accurate, but there was more . . . Every one of the hundreds there could have spoken, but still there could be more . . . You were the epitome of "bigger than life" . . . Listening to your younger brother was like listening to a toned down version of you . . . The same sense of humor, but not quite with the edge your had, and delivered in a softer voice . . . But still, it could have been you speaking . . . I laughed my ass off, because I and everyone else could easily see and hear you in all the situations he described . . .

You always thought you were smarter than everyone else . . . In truth, you probably were . . . You thought you were a better athlete . . . Again, probably . . . You thought you were better looking . . . Well, I'll give you this . . . You were a handsome dude! But I'd never give you the satisfaction of admitting that to your face . . . Are you satisfied now Bobby? You WERE all of those . . .

You were a terrific husband and father, and then grandfather . . . You always had your priorities in line . . . You knew where to expend your energy . . . I think you actually liked your grand kids more than your own! Well, maybe not, but it's always easier with grand kids, isn't it? You don't have to discipline them, you can spoil them, and then send them home for the parents to deal with the "damage" you've inflicted . . . And you inflicted a LOT of damage, spoiling them like crazy . . .

What a friend you were Bobby! The more you liked someone, the more you insulted, trashed, and savaged them . . . But, you could pull it off in an affectionate way, and get away with the trash talking . . . People expected it, enjoyed it, and some actually wanted to be the butt of your shots . . . How many times did you call friends "peckerhead'? How many times did you call ME peckerhead? I should have kept a running total, because I know the number is up there . . .

I remember so many crazy things you said and did like they were yesterday . . . You calling me fat and ugly? You probably don't remember that, do you? Let me refresh your memory . . . We were sitting with some colleagues discussing something or other, and I made what I thought was a brilliant point . . . You looked right at me and announced, Snake, I don't know how anyone as fat and ugly as you can have any friends . . . Everyone laughed, because that was classic Bobby . . . Insult someone so outrageously that no one can possibly take your comment seriously . . . 'Cause I'm definitely not fat Bobby, and you know that . . . The ugly part, well, that's subjective . . . Hah!!

You loved to greet people with a good-natured insult . . . Anyone foolish enough to try to match it would be hit with another insult, making it clear you'd play that game as long as they wanted, and you'd win . . . Always, you'd win . . . So, one day I simply responded with, Bobby, is that the best you can do? You didn't have a comeback . . . You just shook your head . . . Remember? Probably the only time I ever got you, and you'll probably try to tell me I'm making shit up, because NOBODY ever got you . . . But Bobby, I'm not making shit up . . .

Man, you really got all over me about The Tie . . . You knew I loved that tie, and you hated it! It was a love it or hate it tie, with no middle ground of opinion . . . It seemed like 80% loved it, and 20% hated the thing . . . First time you saw it, it was in a group of people . . . You just looked at it for a few seconds and said, That is the UGLIEST tie I've ever seen! And walked away . . . Just like that . . . From that point on, I did my best to torment you with The Tie . . . And it seemed to work . . . It was liked showing a cross to Dracula . . . You'd recoil and say something like, Get away from me with that fucking tie! Or, maybe the best line of all, It would be easy to strangle you with that tie, since it's already around your neck . . . You'll be happy to know Bobby that I'm no longer in possession of The Tie . . . I left it in a hotel room two years ago and no doubt someone else wears it and loves it now . . . And maybe they have a Bobby they can torment with it! I hope so! Ah yes, The Tie . . .

One of the things I appreciated most about you was your iconoclastic nature . . . You didn't put anyone on a pedestal that I ever knew of . . . As a matter of fact, you always enjoyed kicking the pedestal out from under people who took themselves too seriously . . . A classic Bobby T moment . . . I KNOW you remember this one Bobby . . . The new boss came in, he gathered the staff and began to talk in serious tones about what he expected . . . A few minutes into his well-crafted speech you said, McMillan, you've been here five minutes and you're already pissing me off! Great, classic Bobby line . . . You took all the shine off his metal . . . And only you could pull that off! How did you get away with so much Bobby?

But the best part, by FAR, was your loyalty . . . Once a friend, always a friend, no matter how many insults you hurled in a person's direction . . . Fifteen years ago when those whackos came after me, trying to destroy my reputation . . . You and so many others jumped into my corner because you knew it was all bullshit, but you were there first . . . You made damn sure that my reputation wasn't damaged . . . And then, you and others exacted your revenge on them on my behalf . . . It was a beautiful thing to see at the time . . .

Yeah, Bobby, you WERE one of a kind, and everyone who knew you can think of you and laugh, because you constantly made us all laugh, often at our own expense . . . But we loved it, and we loved you Bobby . . . No, that's wrong . . . We LOVE you Bobby . . . Present tense . . . And it ALWAYS will be present tense . . .

Snake

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

To all my American brothers and sisters . . .

2011-11-24T11:36:00.003-06:00

Hope you'll have a GREAT Thanksgiving weekend . . . And, save some turkey for me!! :)

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Ciao!!

Don't you love . . .

2011-11-12T10:47:00.001-06:00

. . . stuff that makes you laugh out loud?

Like this . . .

And this . . .

And especially this!

Well, at least they make ME laugh out loud, which is what counts, right? :) And BTW, I realize a little is cut off on the right, but I'm sure you get the point . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Ciao!!

To forgive, or not?

2011-11-01T09:57:00.001-05:00

A few days ago, I attended the funeral of a friend who passed away far too soon, just ten days short of her 54th birthday . . . The pastor and a few other people spoke about her, her life, and the qualities that made her such a beautiful person . . .

One of the things mentioned more than once was her forgiving nature . . . She could get angry, but never held a grudge against anyone . . . She forgave everyone . . . Believe me, she'd had some difficulties in life and probably had legitimate reason to hold a grudge or two, but she just refused to do it . . . Her feeling was that holding grudges only imprisons the mind and soul in a negative state, which then has a subtle but definite effect upon other aspects of life . . . We can't be emotionally and spiritually free unless we have the ability to forgive . . .

A note about forgiveness . . . It doesn't mean that we necessarily have to ever speak to a person who has wronged us, or have anything at all to do with them . . . It simply means we stop thinking negatively about them, and let it all go . . . That takes away the power they have over us . . . Sounds simple, huh? But is it, really? Sometimes simple is more difficult than we'd like . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Ciao!!

I am no better, and neither are you . . .

2011-10-16T19:00:00.001-05:00

We are the same, whatever we do . . .

That's Sly . . . Everyday People . . . The man is a genius!

I'm so tired of separation . . . Let's unite . . .

2012 is coming . . . It isn't about the end of anything, but a subtle transformation into a new age . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Ciao!!

Angels among us . . .

2011-10-15T11:52:00.000-05:00

My biological father was an alcoholic, and probably a drug addict too . . . He left my life when I was three, so I really have no recollection of him whatsoever . . .

When he left, never to return, the family (my mother, my sister, and me) began to fall apart . . . Then, my maternal grandmother stepped in . . . Without her action, I'd likely be dead now, or in prison, or doing something completely meaningless . . . She was the angel that saved us, that saved ME as a child with no means to deal with anything . . .

And I wonder, how many people have that angel? Or, someone who literally saved them when they had absolutely no way to do it themselves? My guess is, many of us have that person . . .

But, I often think of those who are cast adrift by life, and who have little or no chance of ever achieving dreams and goals . . .

We often minimize our impact, because we think we're only one person . . . What can ONE person do? In truth, one person can do a lot! So, at some point, if you have the chance to help someone, do it! Be their angel in a time of need . . . Be compassionate and empathetic . . . And sometimes though, that means kicking someone's butt . . . I've had my butt kicked more than once, and it was EXACTLY what I needed at the time . . . lol

Peace and love . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Ciao!!

Inspiration

2011-10-13T19:22:00.001-05:00

What is life without a little inspiration now and again? Hopefully, occasionally I'll say something to someone that may inspire them . . . And, I look for inspiration anywhere and everywhere . . .

So, yesterday, at the gym, I was planning to do cardio, abs, and arms . . . I not only did that, but was on the receiving end of some serious inspiration . . .

Case one . . . A young man I've known for a few years is opening his own fitness facility next week, and he has a terrific, optimistic outlook on life . . . I love that! I hope he's wildly successful . . . He's planning to offer a wide range of options for clients . . . He knows I meditate, and have taught meditation to individuals and groups . . . It seems, he wants to offer meditation, and asked if I'd do it . . . I might, or might not . . . I spend so much time out of town that really, it might not work . . . But the point is, this young man will do VERY well . . .

Case two . . . One of my gym buds is in his early thirties, and looks the picture of health . . . It's been tough for him . . . He injured his back badly a decade ago, and has had surgery . . . After the injury, because of the pain, he drank heavily and went crazy with prescription pain killers . . . He became addicted to alcohol and drugs . . . He's long since over that, but there's more . . . He has two daughters with his ex-wife . . . Now he's dealing with a condition that might be MS, or something else . . . This man has such a positive outlook, it's incredible . . . He said, I want to inspire people, I want to be there for my daughters when they graduate, and walk them down the isle . . . When he tells me what's happening (he spent significant time in the hospital last weekend), he isn't complaining . . .

Case three . . . Someone I occasionally spot for, and another gym bud, won in his category at a national bodybuilding competition last weekend . . . Atta boy Steve!!

So yes, without question, life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Ciao!!

Did Isaac Newton envision this?

2011-10-05T20:01:00.001-05:00

My feeling? NO!! LOL

But, JB is one of my all freakin' time favorites . . .

Peace and love . . .

Life is beautiful baby . . .

Ciao!!

Life is too short . . .

2011-09-27T16:24:00.003-05:00

"Life is too short, grudges are a waste of perfect happiness, laugh when you can, apologize
when you should, and let go of what you can't change. Love deeply and forgive quickly, take chance give
everything, and have no regrets. Life is too short to be unhappy, you have to take the good with the bad, smile when you're sad. Love what you’ve got and always remember what you had. Always forgive but never
forget, learn from your mistakes, but never regret. People change and things go wrong, but always
remember...LIFE GOES ON!!!"

Those are the words of George Carlin after the passing of his wife . . .

Yes, I truly believe this . . . Forgive . . . I forgive everyone . . . Does everyone forgive me for my perceived transgressions? Probably not . . .

"Perfect happiness" . . . Nothing is perfect, but we have to rise above the shit we ALL experience . . . Rise above baby! Happiness truly IS within . . .

Yes, life is too short to be unhappy . . . Let's NOT be whiny and negative and complaining . . .

Smile and laugh when you're sad . . . YES!! And as my beloved grandmother always told me . . . When you feel badly, DO something for another human being . . . Acts of generosity evoke gratitude . . . Generosity and gratitude raise consciousness . . .

So, will YOU do something to raise consciousness?

FORGIVE . . . RISE ABOVE . . . DON'T WHINE . . . BE GENEROUS AND GRATEFUL . . .

And when we encounter weak people, our strong vibration might just help them RISE ABOVE!!

Together, we CAN do this!

Peace and love . . .

Life is beautiful baby!!

Ciao!!

Am I allowed one more?

2011-09-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

OK, I said I was saying goodbye to blogging, but I HAVE to write this one more post . . . :)

I'm sitting here with morning coffee, and pondering a few things . . . Like, along with everyone, how truly imperfect I am . . . And, how much inspiration we can draw from the strength of others . . .

I spent a few hours on Saturday with two very dear friends . . . One of them has a terribly serious form of cancer, and treatment is not always successful . . . It's multiple myeloma . . . Only 35% of victims are still with us five years after diagnosis . . . It's almost one year now . . .

However, this man displays such incredible strength of spirit! He's upbeat and positive, and never speaks of anything but recovering . . . He seems to be doing quite well so far, and no doubt his attitude is playing a huge role . . .

He said something that truly resonated with me . . . He said, and this is a direct quote, I'm doing my best to live every moment, every day, as big as possible, because that's the only way to do it . . . He no longer takes anything for granted . . . And, he said it perfectly . . . THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO DO IT . . . BIG! He hit it squarely on the head baby!

It's impossible not to be inspired by this person . . . Maybe we all need a friend who can inspire like this, to make us realize we should be more grateful for what was have, and to be perfectly involved in every moment of life . . .

So Tommy, I and everyone else you inspire thank you for being you! And you know what? If anyone is going to make it, it's YOU!

Life is beautiful!

Peace and love . . .

Ciao!!

Goodbye

2011-09-16T19:39:00.001-05:00

Been a blast . . .

My posts say everything about what I think and feel . . .

It's about the mind and the heart! Don't forget the heart . . .

To those who read my posts . . . I wish you well!

To those who commented . . . Thank you!!

Be grateful . . .

Peace and love . . .

Ciao!!

Life is beautiful baby!

Gratitude with Deepak Chopra

2011-09-14T16:15:00.000-05:00

An excellent and short meditation by Deepak Chopra . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Happy

2011-09-13T20:17:00.001-05:00

Know what pisses me off?

People who are all about negativity . . . I don't get that . . . I don't enjoy that . . . I don't like that . . . Nor do I tolerate that . . . I simply walk away from those people . . .

Yeah, I'm a happy, a positive person . . .

Had a chat with a dear friend whose wife had surgery recently . . . It's cancer . . .

And we talked about . . . Why do we not value the moment until we have a traumatic experience? Is there something about the human being that prevents us from enjoying the moment? Until . . . We are smacked in the face?

So, my message is this . . .

Enjoy and treasure the moment . . . And if you do, you're one of the point zero zero zero one percent . . .

Life is beautiful baby!!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Random stuff on a chilly afternoon . . .

2011-09-12T15:52:00.003-05:00

Just back from lunch with a friend . . . Had planned to get to the gym, but ate too much, so will let it digest for an hour and write this in the meantime . . .

So many people who worked at the WTC site after the attacks have developed cancer . . . Why is it that they have to fight so hard to obtain health benefits that should be automatic?

Serena went ballistic again at the US Open . . . I don't like to see that . . . I have nothing but admiration for the Williams sisters, but man, ya gotta dial that stuff back Serena! Did it help you win? Not quite . . .

I don't talk much about politics, but the Republican party in the USA has gone absolutely freakin' insane! Some of those tea party folks are just plain whacky . . .

Summer is ending . . . I NEVER like to see it end!

No matter what I do at the gym, and no matter which supplements (all legal!) I take, I can't seem to get past 180 . . .

I hope I'll never encounter a salt water croc . . . Those things are beyond vicious . . .

I'm a Steelers fan, but they looked OLD against the Ravens yesterday . . .

What can you say about Ray Lewis of the Ravens? This dude is still playing like a 28 year old . . .

I was flipping through channels last week looking for a college football game, and I happened upon Keeping Up with the Kardashians . . . I have to ask, how much cosmetic surgery has Bruce Jenner had? At a certain point, people just start to look VERY weird . . .

As I compose this, Nadal and Djokovic are going mano a mano . . . I have to go with Rafa, 'cause I always like the leftie . . .

Can you believe it? I've never owned a cell phone . . .

I was at a restaurant recently and saw a man with a group of six . . . He had two blackberries going, and was completely ignoring everyone else . . . I thought, Why not just stay home?

A gym bud just got back from Thailand . . . He said, Snake, you have to go!

OK, I'll go . . . And . . . I'll be humming this song . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

A GREAT summer . . .

2011-09-05T19:58:00.001-05:00

Yeah . . . Wonderful . . . Absolutely fantastic!

I can hear Mozart playing his piano in the background . . . lol

Time with family . . . Time with friends . . . A cancer victim hanging in . . . Traveling . . . Whale watching on the West coast . . . Visiting friends on the East coast . . .

Working out like a demon . . .

All in all . . .

I won't and can't complain . . .

Life is beautiful baby!!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

To those . . .

2011-06-23T23:03:00.002-05:00

. . . two or three who read this blog . . . lol

I'll be gone for a while . . .

Wishing y'all the BEST!!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Do we hear the messages?

2011-06-22T10:39:00.004-05:00

I love this joke, and its message . . .

Preacher Joe is standing on the steps of his church while the flood waters rise . . . As the water reaches his waist, a boy in a rowboat happens by . . . Get in the boat Preacher Joe! The water is rising! . . . No, God will save me! says Preacher Joe . . .

A half hour later, water up to his chest, and a second boat comes by with a young couple in it . . . Get in the boat Preacher Joe! This is serious! . . . No, God will save me! says Preacher Joe . . .

A while later and the water is up to Preacher Joe's neck . . . A third boat appears . . . Get in the boat Preacher Joe! You're gonna drown! . . . NO! God will save me!! says Preacher Joe . . .

Alas, the water rises even further and Preacher Joe drowns . . . He goes to Heaven, where he meets his Creator . . .

I've done everything I can to follow all your rules, I loved you and feared you, and you let me drown, says Preacher Joe . . . I don't understand?

God looks down at Preacher Joe with a bemused look . . . You're my son and I love you Preacher Joe . . . And I know you did your best . . . But you dumb motherf*****! I sent you THREE BOATS!!

Moral? The Universe sends us messages, both subtle and not so subtle . . . Are we AWARE enough to recognize them when they come our way?

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Looking for inspiration?

2011-06-21T13:09:00.002-05:00

Daryn Kagan was a fixture on CNN for several years . . . She began doing sports when CNN had their evening half hour sports show at 11 pm Eastern time . . . She then transitioned into hard news and did a weekday morning show with Leon Harris . . . I always thought they had terrific chemistry together and was sorry to see them go . . .

DK now has a website . . .

http://www.darynkagan.com/index.html

The website features feel-good and inspirational stories . . . There is something there for everyone who might be looking for some inspiration, or who might be experiencing self-pity, or simply killing some time online . . . This site is definitely WELL worth checking out! I go there regularly and always find something inspiring . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Who goes to Heaven?

2011-06-20T10:30:00.000-05:00

No, I didn't write this, but I do like it!

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
as I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
who made me sputter and gasp--
the thieves, the liars, the sinners,
the alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
was rotting away in hell,
was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, "What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

"And why's everyone so quiet,
so somber - give me a clue."
"Hush , child," He said, "they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you."

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

What now?

2011-06-19T20:53:00.004-05:00

I've always been a serious athlete . . . Still am, and will be until my last day . . .

And always a serious sports fan . . .

Yeah, I'm on the spiritual Path, but we ALL live in the real world too, right?

The last two months have been pure sports porn . . . I mean SPORTS PORN!!

The NBA playoffs, the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs . . . Something every night . . .

I love basketball and love hockey . . . Played and coached . . .

But now, there's no basketball and no hockey . . .

I'm an addict without his crack . . . Where's my freakin' meth? Where's my sports porn?

How do I fill my time?

Watch porn? That gets boring after three seconds . . . So, no . . .

Buy a few Makita cordless tools, and put an addition on the house? Maybe . . . lol

Spend ten hours at the gym? But, seven point five of those are spent reading . . .

Read voraciously? Wait a minute . . . I do that now!!

Meditate? Done, and done!

Spend a week with Deepak at his Malibu compound? Just waiting for the invite . . .

Guess I'll simply have to do what I did before . . . Which was, what? March seems like so long ago . . . Can't remember . . . LOL

OK, maybe I should move to Venice Beach!!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

A terrific book . . .

2011-06-18T09:55:00.000-05:00

Wayne Dyer is a great author . . . One of his books provided me with the impetus to move forward when I felt a bit "stuck" . . .

Background . . . I was in Palm Springs in August, 2006 . . . I had picked up the book The Power of Intention at the airport to read on the flight, and then for some pool reading material . . . I just noticed it at the last moment . . . That book spoke to my mind, heart and spirit like nothing I'd read in a long, long time . . . In a way, it said everything I believe, but more effectively than I could say it . . . From time to time, including the last week, I'll pick it up and read part of it, or just open it to a page to see what gems of inspiration the Universe wants me to see at that moment . . .

My suggestion? If you haven't read it, pick up a copy and get going . . . A GREAT book!

Life is beautiful baby!!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

I LOVE this message . . .

2011-06-18T08:49:00.001-05:00

Seane Corn is a world-renowned yogini, and one of my heroes . . . This video is awesome, the message is beautiful, and well worth taking two minutes to watch . . . She nails it exactly . . .

http://www.seanecorn.com/

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Are YOU the friend you'd want to have?

2011-06-15T14:18:00.000-05:00

There are things that define us . . .

One of which is, what kind of friend are we?

Think about it . . . Analyze . . . Go deep . . .

Are we loyal? Are we compassionate? Are we empathetic? Do we wish the best for everyone? Are we petty? Are we envious? Do we gossip? Do we take people for granted?

Who and what are we as a friend?

Am I the friend I'd want to have?

Yes . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

The Last Day

2011-06-14T09:41:00.006-05:00

Two weeks ago, while having lunch with a friend, we somehow got onto the topic of our last day, and what it might be like, and what kinds of thoughts and feelings we'd have, knowing that this is it . . . Realistically, most of us won't know our last day is our last day, because death can often be very sudden . . . However, we were talking in theoretical terms . . . And by the way, this topic was not morbid or depressing in any way . . . It was actually very enlightening . . .

A good chunk of it was spent talking about relationships, and how we'd hope that we would have those in order, just as we'd hope to have financial affairs in order . . . What really struck me though was a comment he made . . . He said, I hope that I'll be back on good terms with person A and person B . . . Apparently, there are two people he's estranged from, one a family member and one a former friend . . . Without getting into details, he felt he is not entirely to blame for these two relationships going south, but at least partly . . . So, he's wondering if there's any hope in patching things up, and re-establishing the relationships? He truly does want to, but seems to be feeling fear that if he makes the first move, he'll be rejected, or perhaps perceived as weak by the other parties . . . In other words, it's like a game of relationship chicken, and let's see who's weak enough to blink first . . . After listening to him articulating his thoughts, I responded that he should put the fear aside and listen to his heart, listen to the Voice . . . He's a spiritual person, and knew exactly what I was saying . . . And really, if he makes overtures and they're rejected, then he knows there's no hope . . . It's done . . . And if someone perceives him as weak for reaching out first, then so be it . . . But, he would know within himself that it takes strength, not weakness, to reach out . . . And really, don't we all tend to place too much emphasis on what others might think? And finally, I said to him, What if they're feeling the same thing you are, but don't have the strength to reach out? In that case, it's up to you to do it . . . It's the only way to find out if differences can be resolved . . . Someone has to jump in feet first, right?

Two personal anecdotes . . . Two years ago I had a falling out with a friend . . . As we both look back, it was silly . . . But there were some hard feelings on both sides . . . After a while, I just thought, Screw this . . . It's ridiculous what's happening . . . I called him and apologized for my part, and eventually he did the same . . . And he said, I'm glad you called, because I was having similar thoughts . . . But if I hadn't called, would he have called me? I can't say for sure, but I doubt it . . . Now, we're closer than ever, but if someone hadn't made the first move, that wouldn't be the case . . . And we'd both be the losers in that case . . .

The second thing is that in my extended family, there is a mother and a daughter who are estranged, and have been for ten years . . . They're both stubborn, and in this case, there's blame falling on both sides . . . My guess is they'll never resolve their issues, mostly because each feels so strongly that if she reaches out first, it will be seen as weakness . . . But I do know that at some point, they'll realize what they've missed and deep regret will set in . . . I'm on good terms with both of them, and this whole thing is terribly sad to watch . . . Especially since there are grandchildren, who the mother has never seen . . . I know, it seems unimaginable, doesn't it?

Are you still with me? lol This is a bit longer than I thought it would be . . . However, the point is this . . . If there's someone you've been thinking about reaching out to, or wanting to reach out to, do it . . . Put fear and ego aside, and focus on the upside . . . The upside could be huge! The potential positive impact on two lives can't be measured . . . If we let fear make decisions for us, life loses a lot of richness . . .

So, on my last day, I hope all my finances are in good shape and there's no mess for my loved ones to clean up . . . And, more importantly, I hope I don't have any regrets where people are concerned . . . No "I wish I'd reached out to this person or that person when I had the chance" . . . And no, "How could I have let that opportunity pass?" . . .

My last day? Ouch! That could be today!! lol

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

PS . . . Today CAN'T be the last, because I haven't had my hole in one yet! But, I'll be on the course this afternoon . . . :)

LOVE basketball . . .

2011-06-12T22:04:00.000-05:00

Mavs ROCK!

Miami . . . Dallas . . .

No doubt . . .

Miami has more pure talent . . .

Dallas wins . . .

Life is beautiful baby!!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

The 5 pm phone call . . .

2011-06-12T10:48:00.001-05:00

Starting a Saturday with a cheeseburger for breakfast . . . lol

Some great cardio at the gym . . .

A peaceful ninety minute drive to a watery location . . .

Plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures . . .

An early start to happy hour with some family and friends . . .

Phone rings at 5 pm . . .

Answering it with, Hey Bro, wish you were here!

Followed by silence, then shocking words delivered slowly . . . I have something to tell you . . .

Nothing will bring a great day to a screeching halt like hearing the news that a dear friend has cancer . . . NOTHING! How do we deal with that? Answer? With difficulty, at least at first . . . I'll say this, however . . . This man will deal with it with grace and strength . . . He'll feel just as badly for friends and family as they will for him . . . He'll be cheering them up . . . And, he won't take anything in life for granted . . . He'll live each day, as the cliche says, as if it were his last . . . He'll be an inspiration to all those around him . . . This is VERY serious cancer, as cancer goes . . . He won't give in . . .

L'air is the Miracle Man . . . Is there room for another?

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

A cheeseburger for breakfast . . .

2011-06-11T09:44:00.002-05:00

A few stray Saturday morning thoughts . . .

Last night I grilled two cheeseburgers, but ate only one . . . That second cheeseburger for breakfast this am was awfully good!

Highlight of my day yesterday? A violet quartz crystal given to me by a great friend suddenly reappeared after being lost since January . . .

I DO believe in lost causes, and St. Rita . . .

If you haven't read my series on L'air (L'air V), please do that . . . Speaking of lost causes! L'air is the Miracle Man . . .

Gotta do some cardio today . . .

I really don't believe the Israelis and Palestinians will ever come to anything close to an agreement . . . I say that with great sadness . . . Then again, I could be wrong . . . What did I just say about lost causes? Hmmm . . .

My dear friend the artiste, whose exhibition opening took place Thursday evening, has already sold nine pieces! Atta boy bro!

I was awakened early this morning by neighbors kids having a VERY loud party outside . . . It was 215 am, and Eminem was blasting, with Fuck this and Fuck that . . . Just what you want to hear at 215 am, right? lol The sad thing is, I was having the best dream, and they ruined it for me . . . Damn!

Life is beautiful baby!!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Gay or straight . . . A choice? Are you kidding me?

2011-06-10T12:21:00.003-05:00

You know the feeling . . . From time to time, we come across a story that gets the juices flowing . . . Or perhaps, boiling! Such is the case for me after reading yet again about a group that claims to be able to "straighten out" people, in this case boys, who exhibit the tendency towards "effeminate" behavior, or boys who may have "gay tendencies", whatever that means! These groups have been around for a long time, and many seem to have religious/fundamentalist affiliation . . .

Sometimes, we have to scratch our heads and wonder if this really is the 21st century? How on earth can some people (hopefully though a minority in society!) still be so incredibly backward in their thinking? To think that I've CHOSEN to be straight is absurd . . . To think that the gay friends I have or have had in my life have CHOSEN to be gay or lesbian is equally absurd . . . We are what and who we are! Gay, straight, bisexual, it's WHO WE ARE!

Does the Creator frown on homosexuality? Personally, I don't think the Creator could care less about a person's sexual orientation . . . Truly, it's a small part of the totality of the human being . . . I believe the Creator would be more concerned with how much love, kindness, compassion, empathy, etc a person displays . . . In short, what is in their heart?

Anyone who tells me that their God (or their CONCEPT of their God) condemns homosexuality is going to lose me right away . . . It isn't even worth discussing . . . And I can't relate to that God AT ALL . . .

My grandfather was born left handed . . . He didn't make the choice to be left-handed . . . In kindergarten a century ago, his left hand was tied behind his back to force him to use the right hand . . . The message being, there's something WRONG with you fella if you're left handed . . . How does that play on the psyche of a child, when they're told they're abnormal? How do others view them when they're portrayed as abnormal? Now extend that to sexual orientation, and the damage done to those who are forced into some kind of quack therapy in order to make them straight/normal(?)? It should be criminal . . .

The whole thing is sick . . . I'm not looking to get into a discussion with anyone about this, because we never change the minds of backward thinking people who base their backward thinking upon religious interpretation . . . Discussion is fruitless . . . I'm just blowing off steam . . . LOL And BTW, I'm NOT AT ALL insinuating that all Christians, or all Jews, or all Muslims etc take this backward approach to sexual orientation, and the need to change the orientation of certain people . . . I know several very religious individuals who have no problem with say, gay Christians or gay Jews . . . And I'd hope that most would feel exactly that way . . . Unfortunately though, there are still enough misguided ones around who can do a LOT of permanent damage through their whacky views and actions . . . No doubt, in their minds, I'm going straight to Hell . . . But, ya know what? There is no Hell! Man, THAT will surely get them going, huh? Hah!! :)

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

PS I'm left handed too, and proud of it!! :)

The body says no, but the mind says yes . . .

2011-06-09T17:57:00.004-05:00

I know what you're thinking . . . lol Nah, I'm talking about the art exhibition opening I have to attend tonight . . . My good friend the artiste has an exhibition opening tonight, and honestly, I feel like staying in . . . Have a bit of a cold . . . But what does a good friend do? He sucks it up and gets his ass to the opening . . . And really, once there, it'll all be good! Plus, I'm transporting L'air, the miracle man (I've written about him extensively here, the latest being L'air V), and it'll be wonderful to see him . . .

So what's the point of this? We do what we have to do, and that's that . . . Friendship and love override selfish impulses, right? Or, should? Yeah, I suppose that's exactly the point!

Life is beautiful baby!!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

My newest hero . . .

2011-06-08T07:11:00.007-05:00

Jill Bolte Taylor is a neuroscientist who suffered a stroke in late 1996 at thirty-seven . . . Due to her deep knowledge of brain function and anatomy, she was able to track the stroke as it occurred, giving her a unique perspective to a very serious event . . .

Because the stroke was in the left brain, her right brain became dominant and she felt a deep sense of peace, a kind of spiritual euphoria she'd never felt before the stroke . . . She's written a terrific book called My Stroke of Insight . . . In this book she chronicles the events of the stroke as they occurred . . . She also does an excellent job of explaining brain anatomy and function in a way that the lay person can follow, especially focusing on left brain vs. right brain . . . This is a book that anyone with a scientific or spiritual bent should seriously consider reading . . . It's great! She also offers some important spiritual insights, that any reader can gain from . . . There are some videos on Youtube of her speaking about her experiences . . . Also a terrific video on TED . . .

She has an inspirational story, and is without question a hero! Check out her website . . .

http://www.drjilltaylor.com/

Life is beautiful!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Lessons learned . . .

2011-06-07T10:52:00.020-05:00

In no particular order of importance . . .

Stay active, and don't give in to society's perception of how a person of a specific age should act . . .

Keep learning, no matter what it is . . .

Seeing the humor in things will take us a long way . . .

Find the silver lining . . .

The Universe is speaking to us all the time . . . It's a good idea to listen!

Minimize worrying, because so much of the worrying we do is completely unnecessary and unproductive . . .

Be consciously grateful . . .

Stay away from extension ladders as much as possible . . .

People always show us by their actions, more so than their words . . .

Be in sync with the Universe . . .

Never wish harm to any other person . . . VERY bad for the karma!

Take me for granted at your peril . . . LOL

When looking after an inebriated friend, it's wise not to stand in FRONT of him . . .

Recognize the Divine nature of all human beings . . .

What goes around comes around . . . ALWAYS . . .

We can be the teacher, and the student, at the same time . . .

Timing is everything, and we can't force something to happen before its time . . .

Listen to the Voice . . . When it tells us something isn't right, it usually isn't . . . When it tells us someone is bullshitting us, they usually are . . . The VOICE!

We are not always as important to another person as they are to us . . . It's just a fact . . .

Wearing something red is a good pick-me-up . . .

We often don't realize what the lesson is until much later . . .

When we screw up, recognize it, take responsibility, and if necessary, take the steps to make it right . . .

Too much thinking can be dangerous . . .

When I was twenty-one, I had a knee injury that necessitated a full leg cast for a few weeks . . . When the cast came off, I told my girlfriend, I don't need these crutches anymore! She said, That's a VERY bad idea . . . For the next three days I was in the worst pain of my life . . . Lesson? Listening to the advice of a wise girlfriend is ALWAYS a good idea!

Foreplay baby . . .

Never close the door to a person who has wronged us . . . They can change, we can forgive, and they may yet have a huge role to play in our lives . . .

A good lasagna recipe is crucial . . .

Don't be late for anything . . .

The opposite sex has a lot to teach us . . .

Alone time is to be treasured . . .

Time with friends and family is to be treasured . . .

We never know where inspiration will come from, or when . . .

Don't be a punching bag . . . Stand up for yourself, and don't put up with unnecessary crap from people . . .

Forgive . . . And that includes ourselves . . .

Happy feet . . .

Being on a spiritual Path does NOT mean putting up with crap from people . . . Being spiritual does not mean meek and mild . . . Meek and mild doesn't get us far . . .

Awareness and thinking are not the same . . .

Wisdom and understanding are not the same . . .

A person who is wise and aware functions at a higher level than one who is thinking and understanding . . .

Treat people with love and respect, and they'll usually respond in kind . . .

Everything is a teacher . . .

Smile and laugh baby!

Watching comedy videos on Youtube can be just the ticket to feeling better . . . Nothing like humor to get the endorphins pumping . . .

Besides our health, the most important thing we have is our attitude . . .

Spirituality and assertiveness are completely compatible . . .

And finally . . . People always remember how we make them feel . . . Make them feel special, and they'll love us . . . Make them feel taken for granted, and they'll eventually leave us . . .

Life is beautiful!!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

PS If YOU have any inspiring lessons to pass on (I'm ALWAYS open to inspiration), don't be shy!

You lucky BASTARD!

2011-06-06T20:12:00.000-05:00

I have a dear friend who is always calling me a lucky bastard . . . He'll pick up the phone and say, You lucky bastard! I always tell him, Yeah, that's what I am . . . But, I'm a lovable bastard . . . You can be angry with me, but not for long . . . Because, well, I'm so freakin' lovable! LOL

I was twenty feet in the air on an extension ladder today . . . My feeling? I HATE that . . . Who invented extension ladders? Probably someone I despised in a past life . . .

I once owned an orange t-shirt . . . My daughter hated that shirt! So, I'd put it on and immediately go to wherever she was . . . It was like showing a cross to a vampire! LOL

We always figure out when we're being taken for granted . . .

I was at a terrific social event Saturday evening . . . A friend became, shall we say, a LONG way beyond inebriated . . . So, I took him home to look after him . . . He slept on the couch . . . I slept on the floor . . . Maybe I slept two hours . . . Couldn't find his wife's cell number . . . Next day, we made the exchange . . . Looked like she was upset with ME . . . And I'm thinking, why aren't you thanking me?

Life is beautiful!!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

ALONE

2011-06-04T11:11:00.004-05:00

Yeah . . .

Sometimes ALONE is perfection . . .

Waking up ALONE . . .

My time is MY time . . .

No schedule . . .

No pressure . . .

NoBODY to please . . .

Except MYself . . .

Poetry of and for the soul . . .

Thinking and feeling perfection . . .

This state of being . . .

Letting go of frustrations . . .

Awareness . . .

ALONE . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Gratitude baby!

2011-06-03T18:49:00.003-05:00

What a week . . . Wild and whacky . . .

It reminds me of why I should be grateful . . .

I spent a good part of today with some of my favorite people . . . Very spiritual people . . .

What am I MOST grateful for a this moment? It's a Friday night, and I get to stay in . . . lol Not usual for me . . .

I'm going to consume some red wine, eat some Italian, and wish the best to every human being . . .

Oh, and one more thing . . . Sitting in traffic today at a red light and hearing this song . . . It just summed up everything I was feeling at the moment . . .

Life is beautiful!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Think ONE!!

2011-05-31T20:38:00.000-05:00

I don't care who you are . . . WE could be black, brown, white, yellow, green, or purple . . . When we look at other human beings, we tend to see the differences . . .

Skin color, clothing, hair style, beliefs, music, and on and on . . .

What we don't see, incredibly, are the similarities . . .

Gotta LOVE modern technology . . . What is tells us is, we are all 99.6% genetically identical . . .

That's right . . . Each human being, no matter race or ethnicity, is 99.6% identical to every other human being . . .

And yet . . . YET . . . We see what separates us . . . Not what can bring us together . . .

Here's the key . . . Every being is a Divine being . . . A piece of God, the Creator, the Source . . .

The sooner we begin to see ourselves that way, and others that way, the sooner we'll make progress toward a more peaceful world . . .

We can only do that ONE person at a time . . . And, that ONE person is ME, and YOU . . .

It's all about self-transformation . . . If it doesn't start there, it doesn't start at ALL . . .

Life is beautiful!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!

What do we take for granted?

2011-05-29T09:42:00.002-05:00

I belong to a group that meets one Saturday per month . . . It's a very esoteric group, and we get into some fascinating topics . . . At any rate, L'air (the miracle man I've written about a few times) is a part of it, as is a man named Don . . . We were discussing this and that, and we came around to a discussion about gratitude, and the human tendency to take things for granted . . . The question that arose was, why does it seem to be a part of the human condition to take things for granted, and not instead express conscious gratitude for those things we're taking for granted?

L'air has a completely different view of life since he's undergone his incredible Journey since November 2010 . . . He's far more grateful for everything in his life than he ever was . . . Don lost his wife to a heart attack in the winter, and he spoke of that event making him more grateful for things which he realizes he's taken for granted . . .

So, the obvious question is, why aren't we ALL more grateful? I'm probably no less guilty than anyone . . . Why isn't everyday Thanksgiving, in a sense? Perhaps it can be, if we develop some kind of simple daily ritual taking a few seconds to consciously express our gratitude . . . People who are grateful tend to be happier people in general . . . They tend to be more kind, more giving, more compassionate . . . My last post was about the inspirational Curtis Jackson, a homeless man who is giving his money to a woman and her son who are in need . . . My guess is that Curtis Jackson IS consciously grateful for what he has . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Inspirational? You bet it is!

2011-05-26T10:00:00.001-05:00

I came across this story this morning on Yahoo . . . It's about a homeless Chicago man who is giving away his money to help a woman (who lost her job at a bank) and her son . . . Here's the text of the Yahoo article . . .

Every day, Curtis Jackson panhandles on Chicago's streets, collecting spare change from passing strangers. Now, he's giving the money away.

Since December, the homeless hero has given almost $9,000 to an unemployed banker and her son. When the woman was successful, he says she treated him with dignity and respect. Now that she's in trouble financially, Jackson is repaying her for her kindness.

The down-on-her-luck 39-year-old mother lost almost everything when she lost her job, including her house.

Without a home for her son, she would lose custody of him to the state. A social worker paid for her to stay in a hotel for a couple of nights. But then Curtis Jackson showed up.

The homeless good Samaritan started paying her hotel bill. Every single day.

"All I can do is get out there and put a sign in my hand, or put a cup in my hand and ask people to help me out, and everything I get, except maybe bus fare and something to eat, I give it to her," Jackson told FOX Chicago News.

He says that when the banker and her son — both unnamed in the press — no longer need his assistance, he'll move on to helping someone else.

This takes me back to something I truly believe .  .  .  Every human  being is a Divine being .  .  .  We are ALL a piece of God .  .  .  Some  people understand that, and some don't .  .  .  When we understand this  and act accordingly, the positive vibration of that permeates every space we go  into .  .  .  This man's behavior in this instance simply reinforces  that belief .  .  .  Every human being has a story, and a karmic destiny  .  .  .  No one person's Journey through this lifetime is any more or  any less sacred than any other .  .  .  We are ALL a piece of God .  .  .  And the Universe has and will bless Curtis Jackson .  .  .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love .  .  .

Until next time .  .  .  Ciao!  

Armageddon . . . Really?

2011-05-25T13:06:00.003-05:00

This is NOT the type of blog I'd ever intended to write, because it is engendered by some bad feelings . . . I mean, I sent all my savings to Harold Camping, and then sold all my worldly goods and sent that money too . . . I wanted Harold Camping, the greatest prophet of modern time, and his family and underlings to live in luxurious comfort until the last day . . . Or, supposed last day of May 21st . . . Yeah, Harold, NOW what do I do? Should I hold my breath until October 21st, your revised date? I'm seriously pissed Harold! I'm writing this on a laptop I stole from a third grader . . . But I'm pretty sure God wanted me to have it . . . After all, you've been taking money for years (80 million between '05 and '09) if we can believe the news media . . . So, what's one little laptop compared to 80 mil?

OK, I jealously guard my karma, so I have to come clean on this . . . Not much of what appears in that first paragraph is true . . . I did not send ol' Harold my money, nor did I sell my possessions . . . I did, however, give some clothing to the Salvation Army . . . I certainly do NOT think ol' Harold is the greatest prophet of our time . . . But certainly, one of the greatest FALSE prophets, definitely . . . And that laptop thing? I haven't stolen anything since that twenty-five cent Oh Henry bar in '68 . . . And I'm certain I worked off that bad karma long ago . . .

The really sad thing is that ol' Harold will still be raking it in . . . The sad thing is that there will still be plenty of people who will follow and believe his every word . . . The sad thing is many people are now penniless because they followed ol' Harold's admonitions . . . The sad thing is that when it comes to religion, many people put their God-given intellect on hold and will believe the crap that comes out of the mouths of certain televangelists, who plead for money to support their VERY comfortable, if not outright luxurious lifestyles . . . The sad thing is that some people will misuse their spiritual power to pad their own egos and bank accounts . . . BTW, I do believe one or two televangelists are OK people, but which one or two? I have no idea!

So, I had an idea last night . . . At exactly one minute after midnight CDT, I bit the head off a chicken, boiled it's blood and drank it . . . Mmmmmm! Delicious!! Then, I drank as much as I could from a bottle of Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo Tequila without passing out . . . Followed that up with 20 wine gums . . . Turned on the television and watched the first thing that appeared, which was an infomercial about increasing penis size . . . And finally, once I felt my consciousness had been sufficiently raised, I contacted the Gods of the Universe, who by the way, are REALLY cool dudes . . . Know what they told me? The world IS going to end on a specific date . . . Which date, you ask? Tell you what . . . Send me an e-mail, and I'll respond with instructions as to how to send me all your money, turn all your assets over to me, and make me a very rich man! Oh, and I'll give you the REAL exact date of THE END . . . Because clearly, Harold Campis just can't seem to get this thing right! Hah!!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

PS . . . To all the PETA people . . . That chicken thing? Maybe it didn't go down exactly like that . . . lol But I gotta tell ya . . . Sammy DOES make some fine tequila! :)

L'air V

2011-05-15T17:45:00.002-05:00

If you've followed L'air, L'air II, L'air III, and L'air IV you'll know my dear friend L'air has had some SERIOUS health issues . . . To the point where, we were told in November that L'air wouldn't last the weekend due to multiple organ failure . . .

If anyone out there in the blogging Universe doubts the power of prayer, or the existence of a higher power, or the ability of higher beings/entities to intercede on our behalf (thank you St. Rita!), you can put those doubts aside permanently . . . Because my dear friend L'air is thriving . . .

L'air is one of the most spiritually connected human beings I know . . . He believes! And he backs it up . . . And his doctors have said multiple times, you're NOT here because of anything WE'VE done . . . We wrote you off . . . This one is a miracle! Do you want the definition of "miracle"? The definition is L'air . . .

Peace and love . . .

Life is beautiful baby!!

Until next time . . . Ciao

A tribute to an icon . . .

2011-04-11T13:24:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, the little boy inside the man comes to the surface . . .

From time to time, my thinking takes me back to my early childhood, and Saturday mornings watching cartoons with my maternal grandmother . . . My hands down favorite was the Bugs Bunny Show, with its cast of famous characters . . . Bugs himself, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Sylvester, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Roadrunner, Wyle E Coyote, and Pepe Le Pew . . . But, the biggest and best of them all was the rockin' rooster, Foghorn Leghorn . . .

Yeah, the Foggy One would terrorize the barnyard dog endlessly, charm the panties off Miss Prissy, teach her son to play baseball, and convince the neighborhood chicken hawk that the dog was really a chicken, so it would be Foghorn's partner in canine terrorism . . . All that aside, I believe Foghorn is (he still lives!), underneath all his pomp and bluster, a very spiritually advanced, self-actualized being . . . :) How could he be otherwise? He's also a sexy beast that likes to have fun, especially at a dog's expense . . . He's the real deal, rooster-wise, and knows how to amuse himself!

So Foghorn, this tribute is for you my friend! :) I'll be laughing at you until my last day . . .

Life is beautiful . . .

Peace and love . . .

Ciao!!

Inspiration

2011-04-08T09:22:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to say anything about this video . . . Just watch it, and be inspired . . .

Life is beautiful!

Peace and love . . .

Ciao!!

You see things others don't . . .

2011-03-29T04:19:00.002-05:00

Things I wonder about . . .

2011-03-16T09:59:00.003-05:00

I'm supposed to be golfing today, and it's a perfect day for that . . . But I'm not golfing! Why? Let's just say I spent a lot of time in the early am very close to the bathroom, and feel like a limp dish rag right now . . . Ah well, so it goes . . . But, don't you hate being less than 100%? It's such a waste of time . . . I AM annoyed! This could have been the day for my hole in one . . . :)

Anyhow, these are some things I wonder about . . .

Will I ever have twenty followers on this blog? lol

Did Atlantis ever exist, or is it all myth and magic? I'd like to believe it did exist . . .

Why does the moon look so much bigger the closer it gets to the horizon? I think I know the answer to this . . .

When people say something like, They say it's good to be such and such, who is this THEY they're referring to?

Is the internet more of a blessing, or a curse?

What makes a person sexy?

How much of my personality is genetically pre-disposed?

Why do the rich get richer?

Do friends with benefits really work?

Will I ever have that elusive hole in one?

What goes on inside the head of a religious fanatic of any faith?

Why do some people display such little common sense?

What are you REALLY thinking?

I'm a sucker for an athletic female . . . Is that programmed into my brain?

Everybody has a story . . . What's yours?

Am I exactly where I'm supposed to be, right here, right now?

Do you believe in coincidences?

What surprises await me today?

Ever feel like that's you in the corner, in the spotlight, losing your religion?

OK, enough questions . . . And for some of these, I know the answer . . . Then again, that's the answer right now, and "now" is constantly changing . . . So, the answers can change, right? :)

Hey . . . know what? I think I'm feeling a little better!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

2011-03-13T08:28:00.000-05:00

OK, you're at a Mardi Gras bash on a Saturday night . . . Eating, drinking, dancing . . . What to do? Only one thing . . . Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Friday ramblings . . .

2011-03-11T12:50:00.002-06:00

A few random thoughts on a sunny but cool Friday . . .

Just finished reading Alchemy of Light . . . Great book!

I have an REM CD in my car, and can't seem to NOT play it . . . That's me in the corner, that's me in the spotlight losing my religion . . . :)

Meditation right now is off the charts . . .

A gym buddy named John can be very philosophical . . . Yesterday he said life is like a jig saw puzzle, and as we get older the puzzle gets bigger and the pieces get smaller . . . I liked that . . . Unfortunately, I had no such wisdom to match his . . . I was thinking about how hungry I was . . . :) Maybe I'll have something good for him tomorrow . . .

I despise being deceived . . . Then again, maybe I allow it to happen, which would mean I'm the one at fault, right?

It seems there are so many people in a lot of emotional pain these days . . .

If everyone would meditate for only ten minutes each day, this world would be infinitely more peaceful . . . Or, we could just replace alcohol with reefer . . . When was the last time you heard about someone getting high and then doing anything violent?

I have huge respect for policemen, firemen, and nurses . . .

The disaster in Japan is beyond heartbreaking . . .

How much monkey business is too much?

You wouldn't know it from this blog, because I keep it under wraps when I write, but my inner freak is sometimes bursting to get out . . . And it often does . . . :)

I'm going to a Mardi Gras party tomorrow . . .

We should legalize and control marijuana and prostitution, within reason . . . That would not only raise money and free up law enforcement to concentrate on the really bad stuff, but also significantly reduce sex slavery and child prostitution . . .

I have a friend who used to be a spy . . . Come to think of it, he still may still have a hand in that business . . .

Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen . . . Are they drinking the same water, or what? Can you imagine those two in rehab together? And maybe throw in Janice Dickinson as an afterthought . . . Whoa!

It takes a LOT to make me angry, but when it happens, you don't want to be in the same room . . .

OK, time for slice of some red velvet cake, courtesy of my friend Nancy . . .

And on that note . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Bipolarity . . .

2011-03-10T17:36:00.002-06:00

I can speak from experience on this . . . Believe me, on this topic I have a Ph.D . . . :)

The topic is, the spiritual path and its challenges . . .

You must understand that I've been on this path for decades . . . Yeah, I'm THAT old . . . LOL But, no walker or cane yet . . . Hell, I go to the gym everyday and lift as heavy as I did three decades ago . . . And, I'm a lot smarter about it now, so I avoid injury . . . With age comes at least a little wisdom, right? lol

Anyone who goes down the spiritual rabbit hole with no fear will never be disappointed . . . The rewards are endless . . . But, and pardon my English, it ain't always easy . . .

The spiritual path is exhilarating . . . Truly, it is, and there's NOTHING like it . . . But, our old worldly habits continually pull us back, or try to . . . It's so easy to slip back into the old behaviors, many of which are self-defeating and spiritually destructive . . . That's the bipolarity . . . If you've read The Teachings of Don Juan, A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, you'll know the concept of the Spiritual Warrior . . . In the words of Don Juan, there is only the Path, and it takes a warrior's discipline to maintain it . . .

I consider myself a Spiritual Warrior . . . Everyday there are struggles . . . And you know, there's not a doubt in my mind that it's ALL worth it . . . I've been challenged in so many ways so often . . . Even today, and again tomorrow . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

You could get hurt doing this!

2011-03-10T14:28:00.000-06:00

Doing what? Drunk dancing, of course . . .

Honestly, most of us have done it, but hopefully it didn't end like this!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

There just MIGHT be an alternative . . .

2011-03-09T17:58:00.000-06:00

OK then . . . Let's do the math on this thing . . .

We're feeling down . . . A little depressed . . . Maybe thinking, I want to pull the covers over my head and stay in bed all day . . . Who HASN'T been there? If you haven't, you're not human!

I KNOW this post will piss people off, but I don't care . . . And perhaps the people who are most pissed are those who need to think about this shit . . .

I'm going to make the point that at least 50% of the people consuming anti-depressants on a daily basis don't need to be . . . Maybe, there's another solution . . .

Do you know that studies, especially in Europe, show that over a six week period, EXERCISE has been proven to be as effective as anti-depressants? Yes, people who reported depression were put on an exercise program, and guess what? They showed marked emotional improvement, equal to that of drugs . . . Which, by the way, have some VERY serious side effects, such as suicidal tendencies for some people . . .

Which takes me back to Saturday at Gold's . . . I was talking to Mikaela, a gym bud . . . She said, after running for a half hour, I'm in love with the human race . . .

Exercise, and some meditation . . . The one-two punch that knocks out that grey depression monster for many . . .

Are you pissed off? Know what? If you are, I don't care, 'cause exercise and meditation put me in a place where I love you anyway . . . :)

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

OK, I said I'd never get political on this blog . . .

2011-03-06T08:01:00.002-06:00

This post might skirt the edges of the political world . . . But, I feel very passionate about this topic . . . And the topic is, the over-medication of the population in Western society . . . Now I understand that many people legitimately need medication for this and that, some of it very serious . . . Some of us are only alive because of medication . . . That isn't my concern . . . My concern is the medication given under dubious circumstances, or less serious circumstances, to people who really don't need it . . . Case in point, the huge number of people who are being treated with anti-depressants . . . Do some require this medication? Definitely yes . . . Do ALL who take it require this medication? I'll leave that one open to each individual . . . But that's just one example . . . Drug companies have their place, and God love them . . . But they're not in business to help people . . . They're in business to make as much money as possible, and it just so happens they do it by making drugs . . . Is that too cynical? You decide . . .

Another side to this is how we make ourselves sick through lifestyle, then the pharmaceutical industry and its products kick in to treat the symptoms, not the cause . . . WE are often the cause of our own demise, and the big pharma companies are only too happy to make more money because of our own flawed habits . . . Is THAT too cynical? Again, you decide . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

A moment meant to be . . .

2011-03-05T11:30:00.001-06:00

Stepping out of the change room at Gold's and heading toward the free weights to do the usual pre-workout warmup . . . Seeing a friend named Rob and saying Hello . . . Rob, not saying hello, responds with, I want what you have . . . Oh? What's that? Rob tells you he wants some of your cheerfulness, positivity, sincere warmth . . . Those are his words . . . How do I get that, he asks? This initiates a fairly long conversation in which he tells you some very personal things about pain, illness, fears, and a genuine desire to get rid of all the negative shit, and replace it with something far more positive . . . This is a man who has done the heavy lifting . . . He's identified what he wants to lose, and what he wants to gain . . . He wants one door to close on the shit, and another to open to a better life, a higher consciousness . . . You say some things and he says, That's exactly what I needed to here . . . You realize that this moment is exactly the catalyst he needs to finally stop spinning his wheels . . . You see the relief on his face, the change in his body language . . . The door to something more positive has opened for Rob . . . What he makes of this moment is ultimately up to him . . . You know this was not the last conversation . . . Then, it hits you . . . You almost didn't go to the gym, because of a tight shoulder . . . But, something made you go . . . The inner voice and its Higher Source . . . You gotta love how this works, huh?!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao

When I started this blog . . .

2011-03-02T18:03:00.002-06:00

. . . early 2009, I knew there would be few followers and comments, and very little interest in what I have to say . . . The subject matter isn't quite mainstream . . . lol

That's perfectly OK . . .

I'm a FISH, and on a different wavelength than most . . .

But to those who read these posts, I know this or that resonates . . .

And that's what matters . . .

It isn't about the size . . . :)

At least, this blog isn't!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Too much beach time?

2011-03-01T17:49:00.001-06:00

Well really, is there EVER too much beach time? Blue sky, soft white sand, palm trees swaying in the warm breeze, and sun pouring down upon all the beach goers of multiple shapes and sizes . . .

I try not to overthink, and not to think anything negative about myself, my life, and others . . . For the most part, I'm very successful . . . But every once in a while, I'll catch myself and my thinking going exactly where I DON'T want it to go . . . Like yesterday at Caddy's Beach, where I found myself mulling over relationships past and wondering, just wondering, what might have been . . . Now please understand I'm not talking about relationships of the romantic kind necessarily . . . We have all kinds of relationships, and the vast majority are completely and utterly non-romantic . . . I'm just talking about relationships generally . . .

Put up your hand if you've ever had a relationship with anyone on any level that disappointed you . . . OK, I see EVERYONE'S hand up . . . Including mine . . . It just seems to be a part of the human condition . . . We have expectations we shouldn't have, or expectations the other party can't live up to . . . We thought they were more than they are, or more genuine, or stronger, and so on . . . And then, in truth, we have to admit WE'VE let people down for the same reasons . . .

However, have they REALLY let us down, or vice versa? This is where the beach comes into play . . . Yesterday at Caddy's, I was mulling that whole thing over . . . Relationships, and who has let me down, who have I let down, and was it all meant to be? Because, everything is a teacher . . . And you know, at least in my case (because I never project my reality onto others), I can say it all seems to work out perfectly . . . I'm EXACTLY where I'm supposed to be right here, right now . . . The people in my life are supposed to be EXACTLY where they are . . . So should I ever be disappointed with how it goes with person X or person Y? I'll allow myself some short term disappointment, but then it's over . . . But, I'll carry them in my heart, as I do everyone close to me . . .

And I'd say to them, please don't forget me either . . . :)

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Ever feel . . .

2011-02-28T19:01:00.003-06:00

. . . like you're a runaway train on a one way track?

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Speaking of relationships . . .

2011-02-28T08:23:00.000-06:00

We've all heard it said that relationships are mirrors to ourselves . . . And in fact, they ARE!

We each have relationships on many levels, from the less than deep to the very profound . . .

We might think of relationships as teachers . . . If we look at each of our relationships, what do we see? Do we see something superficial and benign? Do we see ourselves as needing something from the other, or they from us? Do we find the energy being sucked from our soul? Are we better off for knowing this person, because perhaps they make us better?

There are many barometers of ourselves . . . There are relationships, there are behaviors, there are emotions . . . And then there are . . . THOUGHTS and beliefs . . .

Perhaps we should from time to time take inventory of our personal interactions, and ask, Why is person X or person Y in my life? What are they showing me? Does this person add value to my life? Do I add value to theirs? Am I better off for knowing him or her? Should I make a change?

Life IS beautiful, if we simply allow it to be . . .

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Do you ever ask yourself . . .

2011-02-25T11:14:00.000-06:00

HOW DID I GET HERE?! :)

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Are you guilty?

2011-02-24T17:24:00.000-06:00

Well yeah, you probably are occasionally, as am I from time to time . . .

Guilty of what?

Unproductive, if not destructive thinking . . .

Human consciousness is about thoughts . . . We think, we analyze, we look for solutions to problems, and on and on . . . Yeah, we think and then think some more . . .

Aerosmith has a song with lyrics, If you could step outside your mind . . .

Imagine that concept being reality . . . In fact, it CAN be reality . . .

Spend a day analyzing your thoughts . . .

Are they angry? Are they of jealousy? Are they of worry? Are they about things we can't control? Are they of worst case scenarios? Are they of poor self-esteem? Are they positive? Are they life enhancing? Are they self-affirming thoughts?

We can go on and on, but the point is, we ARE what we think . . . Our behaviors and actions define us . . . Where do actions come from? They don't occur in isolation, they come from thoughts . . . So in reality, it's our THOUGHTS which drive behaviors and then define us . . .

An idea . . . Take a step outside your mind, and become an observer of thoughts . . . Maybe it'll be enlightening . . .

Do you like what you see?

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Letting go . . .

2011-02-23T18:06:00.000-06:00

In the last three days, I've read blogs about "letting go", and had some conversations about same . . . :)

Clearly, this is the theme of the day . . . :)

Not that long ago, the son of friends died from leukemia . . . A traumatic event . . . That is the nightmare of any parent . . . It simply puts everything into perspective . . .

I thought, how would I deal with that? And truly, I have no idea . . . Until we wear those shoes, we don't know . . .

But it could be a divorce, the loss of someone we thought of as a friend, a job opportunity, or anything at all . . .

We ALL experience shit . . . Life will never be smooth sailing all the time . . . We have moments of calmness, but the choppy waters return . . .

But this I know . . . How do we let go? We bring in our friends . . . We involve those who would empathize . . .

They take on our pain . . . They absorb the feelings of loss, of guilt, of "I'm in extreme emotional pain . . ."

We never want to inconvenience friends . . . But, we would easily and happily be inconvenienced to help a loved one, a dear friend, another human being about whom we care deeply . . .

So, ask them to do what you'd do for them . . . They'll be more than willing . . . They love you, and will give you whatever you need . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Too much separation . . .

2011-02-22T11:29:00.000-06:00

Human beings share the same space, the same energy, the same consciousness . . . But, we can't see it . . . The veils are too many, too thick, too heavy . . .

Let's lift some veils, one by one . . . Let's see that we're really all just a small drop of the same Source this IS the ocean . . . I am you and you are me and we are all together . . . The Beatles said it in I Am the Walrus . . . :)

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

The Cruelest Game II

2011-02-17T19:58:00.001-06:00

Let me set the scene . . .

Florida sun shining . . . 80 degrees . . . VERY green grass . . . OH YEAH . . . It was a terrific day . . .

Susan . . . What an athletic woman! Don . . . He can HIT that little white ball . . . Nancy . . . For an eighty year old who hasn't golfed since twenty, she's a freakin' natural! And me? Well, I hit some shots and putts and had some BIG fun . . .

Downside? Didn't get to Gold's . . . That's OK, because I'm dealing with a rotator cuff thing that's annoying . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

The Cruelest Game . . .

2011-02-17T08:14:00.000-06:00

Of course, I can only be referring to golf! So today, I'm taking part in a golf tournament and as always, when I step onto a golf course, I have ZERO idea what to expect . . . Will the golfing gods (oh YES, there ARE golfing gods!) smile upon me? Or will they turn their backs and let me sink into the quagmire of three putts, or worse?

My three teammates are Barbara (a cute little Southern belle from Kentucky, who is very athletic and a great golfer), Nancy (an eighty year old sweetheart who hasn't golfed since she was twenty . . . this should be VERY interesting!), and Don (he can really smack it . . . ) . . .

OK, I'm hoping my karma is in good shape for this one! Let 'er rip!!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao baby!

L'air IV

2011-02-16T17:18:00.000-06:00

If you've followed L'air, L'air II, and L'air III, you'll know my dear friend L'air has had some SERIOUS health issues . . . To the point where, we were told in November that L'air wouldn't last the weekend . . .

L'air has continued to improve, and . . . He's been sent home! Hard to believe, but . . . SO true!

NEVER give up hope! There is ALWAYS hope!

Miracles DO happen . . .

Peace and love . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

The Shadow

2011-02-05T19:38:00.000-06:00

My Journey has been a beautiful one, but no more so than anyone elses . . . I acknowledge the sacredness of every journey, even if I don't agree with the behaviors a person may exhibit . . . They're working out their karma in whatever way they must at this point in this life and the time-space continuum . . . I give thanks everyday for everthing I experience . . . I embrace it all! Really, there's no other way . . . I realized many years ago that there's no other option . . .

One of the things we have to understand is the ugly part of our nature . . . Each of us has that ugly side . . . It's a part of the human experience . . . It's the Shadow . . . We carry the Shadow constantly . . . As the light of consciousness shines upon us, there is that dark Shadow . . . So, how do we deal with the Shadow once we accept and recognize it's existence?

One . . . We have to understand that we can't ignore the Shadow, or hide it under a rock . . . Two . . . Understand that to let the Shadow control our behavior is detrimental to our life, our psyche, our spirit, our relationships . . . Think about the people we know who function from the Shadow aspect of their being . . . We all know those people . . . Three . . . Realize that we can develop ways to stare the Shadow down . . . It's there, we acknowledge that it's there, and we develop a way of not allowing it to impact our lives, because we don't allow it to assert itself . . .

Let's acquaint ourselves with our Shadow and embrace it . . . It's the enemy we know . . . We know how it works, how it can seize control of our thoughts-emotions-behaviors, and the consequences arising from that . . . Once we control the Shadow by acknowledging and knowing its machinations, we're well on our way, and the Journey becomes so much easier . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

WHAT do you want? And WHY do you want it?

2011-02-04T18:19:00.004-06:00

Two strong questions . . . There, in the heart and soul, two questions beg to be answered . . .

Tell me WHAT you want . . . And tell me WHY you want it . . .

Be honest . . . Don't fuck around . . .

Because, it's your soul we're talking about . . .

And I'll know your BS when I hear it . . .

Tell me WHAT you want . . . And tell me WHY you want it . . .

We should all ask those questions of ourselves . . .

Can I be honest with ME?

Can you be honest with YOU?

Stepping outside the body and psyche . . .

Observing in the third person . . .

I am you, and you are me . . .

Do I like what I see?

Do I like the thoughts I observe?

Do I like the emotions I observe?

Do I like the behaviours I observe?

It can get ugly . . .

Or, it can be beautiful . . .

We each decide . . .

Tell me WHAT you want . . . And tell me WHY you want it . . .

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Ciao baby!

2011-01-14T09:32:00.003-06:00

This is my last post until I don't know when . . . If you're interested in my writing, please feel free to check back every week or two . . . You never know when Snake might slide back in with some words of wisdom . . . Could be next week, or could be this is the end . . . We never know, do we? That's life . . . yeah, it is . . . Nothing is certain, except uncertainty . . . It's been a blast!

As the sign says, life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love to you all . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

What? I'm now an Aquarian?

2011-01-13T14:26:00.001-06:00

Apparently I am, because some astrologers are telling us our signs are changing . . . The dates are changing, and there's a 13th sign . . . Why, you ask? Because the Earth's alignment in space has changed over a few thousand years . . . Also, the signs overlap at each end of each cycle and the signs vary in length . . . Confusing, huh?

The new dates are:

Aries April 18-May 13
Taurus May 13-June 21
Gemini June 21-July 20
Cancer July 20-August 10
Leo August 10-September 16
Virgo September 16-October 30
Libra October 30-November 23
Scorpio November 23-November 29
Ophiuchus November 29-December 17
Sagittarius December 17-January 20
Capricorn January 20-February 16
Aquarius February 16-March 11
Pisces March 11-April 18

Here's the link . . . http://www.kidglue.com/2011/01/13/zodiac-signs-change-astrological-signs-old-vs-new-list/

Personally, I quite liked being a FISH! Well, as far as I'm concerned, I still am! Hah!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Learning to fly . . .

2011-01-13T11:24:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I talked about Embracing the Path, and it felt good to describe something of my Journey on the spiritual plane . . . However, no matter how far along I or anyone else travels down the spiritual path, we're always learning . . . We learn to fly, and then when we get airborne, we learn to do it a little better as time goes on . . . It's never perfected, and there's always room for improvement . . .

I'll let you in on secret . . . I can screw up with the best of them . . . Yeah, I mean really fuck things up . . . We're all human, and we can't ever escape that reality . . . If ever someone puts himself above the fray, be sceptical of that person . . . Perfection does NOT exist . . .

Every once in a while, I throw out a big apology to the Universe, asking that anyone who've I've offended or hurt forgive me . . . Of course, there's always the chance they won't, and if that's their choice, I just have to deal with that . . . The other side of the forgiveness coin is that I have to forgive others as well . . . I can't hold grudges while I'm asking for forgiveness . . . It just doesn't work that way . . . I also have to forgive myself . . . You know what? Forgiving oneself is hard sometimes . . . I really believe that it's more difficult than forgiving another human being . . . I do struggle with that at times . . . Like many people, I tend to be hard on myself . . . It's one of those things I constantly have to work on . . . I forgive others pretty well, but myself? That's the tough one . . . I know some of you can relate!

So, to anyone I've offended lately or ever, I sincerely apologize to you! I hope you'll find it within your spirit to forgive me . . . Because if you do, it'll be a little easier for me to forgive myself . . . Thanks for listening . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Embracing the Path . . .

2011-01-12T10:00:00.007-06:00

As stated in my profile, I'm full-out on a spiritual path . . . Without question, that quest will continue for the duration . . . Really, it's hard for me to fathom where I am and how it all came to this point . . . It's one of the things I'm grateful for, because life is beautiful baby!

Where did it begin? I'll say this . . . As far back as I can go, I've always felt different in some way from others . . . As a young child, one doesn't have the words or the experience to articulate that feeling . . . Growing into the teenage years, I KNEW I was different . . . Don't misunderstand though . . . On the surface, I was pretty typical . . . Wanted to be a fireman, cowboy, train engineer as a child . . . Good athlete, horny as hell, lusting after girls, having girlfriends, all the usual stuff of a teenage male . . . But inside, I was beginning to understand what was different . . . I had strong spiritual inclinations, although no such religious inclinations . . . No interest in religion whatsoever, because I saw it as empty and offering me nothing . . . So, I read some things here and there, but really didn't know which direction to go . . . I was all over the place and confused, didn't know who to ask, or even what to ask if I had known someone . . .

Then, in my third year of university, I met an individual through a mutual friend, and we began to carpool to and from the U . . . One day it was just he and I and he had a book he was reading . . . It was Autobiography of a Yogi . . . He was just finishing it, and talked about it . . . It was as if my brain exploded during that conversation, because I knew immediately that was what I was looking for, what I needed, something to propel me forward . . . Finally! I read the book, and intuitively felt that this is the launching pad for me . . . It provided some direction, the right thing at the right time . . . Beginning to explore other areas and books, I felt very much "at home" in that pursuit . . . I began to meditate, which was a huge factor and motivated me further . . .

However, it wasn't a smooth rise to the top . . . Not at all! Multiple times over the years, I'd step away, then be pulled back to the path . . . Now I look back and see that stepping away, distancing myself from the path at times, was necessary . . . It was all so intense, and the dust had to settle . . . When it did, I'd jump back into it, and it would be even better, more intense still . . . And that's been the pattern . . . Make progress, step away, make more progress, and so on . . . In a way, that still happens today, but it's in a different way than it was then . . .

Ten years ago, I took a close look at what was happening . . . I felt somewhat frustrated that something was still missing . . . I cranked up the meditation, thinking that would help, and in a way, it did . . . Still, I knew something was lacking . . . But what? One day, it occurred to me in a flash of insight . . . I realized what was missing . . . What was missing was my commitment! I thought I was fully committed, but I wasn't . . . There were still some doubts that I wasn't acknowledging . . . There was only one route to go to move forward, and that was to fully commit . . .   It was time to embrace everything about it, and resist nothing . . . To trust the Universe and go with it . . . Trust that I'll be given exactly what I need when I need it, or when I'm ready to handle it . . . Whatever IT is, it would come my way, right time, right place . . . In truth, I've been blindsided many times by the right thing at the right time in the right place . . . It's just freaking unbelievable how that constantly happens!

I'm really talking about blind trust . . . I TRUSTED . . . I was finally ready to . . . And Holy Mother, the Universe has delivered . . . What's different? Life has a flow and feeling of ease . . . Of course there are challenges, and let's face it, shit happens to everyone . . . But, when it does, there's no anxiety, no imagining worst case scenarios, no panic . . . I just deal with it, and it works out . . . It might not work out as I expect it to, because sometimes our expectations are not realistic . . . So, now I try to avoid expectations of outcomes . . . Just TRUST that all will be resolved in time, and it always is . . . Be in the moment as much as possible, and remember that life is beautiful baby . . . And listen to my intuition, the voice . . .

My feeling is that so many people are like me, craving something on a deeper level, but not knowing where to go, what to do, who to talk to . . . So, they repress it, or else, simply ignore it . . . And, I'm convinced there's also fear of the spiritual path . . . Will I lose my friends? Will romantic relationships suffer? Will sex decline? Will I be ostracized? Those are things that can inspire fear, because who wants their life turned upside down? What I can say is that we begin to recognize who is and who isn't valuable in our life . . . Yes, some of my relationships changed . . . Some ended . . . But it was all for the best, because those relationships either had to change or had to end, for my own benefit . . . I saw the real truth in things, MY truth, and I knew what I had to do . . . My perception of MANY things changed . . .  Thoughts, emotions and behaviors change along with perceptions . . . Stress is reduced and happiness increases . . . But, it's the happiness generated within, at our core . . . We don't need external input to make us happy . . . That may ADD to happiness, but it doesn't create it . . . One wakes up to one's true nature! In turn, our vibration changes and that has a subtle but profound effect on people around us . . . We take that vibration everywhere we go . . .

I began to listen more closely to the voice of intuition, because I know that often that voice is from a higher source . . . That voice will speak to all of us if we're open to it and listen to it . . . I'm not any more special in that sense than anyone . . . The voice is there for everyone . . .

I'm well aware that some will read this and the reaction will be, Hey, this guy is a nutcase and where's that white jacket with the wrap-around sleeves? And never come back to this blog again . . . And that's OK! I'm not trying to please anyone, or fool anyone, or hurt anyone . . . My life is my life, my path is my path, and whoever doesn't understand it or like it, no big deal to me . . . But, someone may read this and see themselves in some part of this post, and then realize, they're not crazy and not alone and there are others who've experienced what they're experiencing . . . That's a beautiful thing, because it would mean that something I've written can help another find his or her way toward something that will benefit them at the very deepest levels of consciousness . . . Isn't that what this blogging thing is really about? To reach out and find common ground in some way, and learn or gain inspiration from each other?

There's more . . . MUCH more! I could go on and on about meditation, altered states, transformational experiences . . . And maybe at some point I'll talk about those things . . . When the time is right, Snake will know . . . The voice will tell me . . . :)

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!

Why "Snake"?

2011-01-11T14:19:00.002-06:00

One of the questions I sometimes get is, Where did this Snake thing come from? I can imagine there could be all kinds of wild theories about that, so let's clear it up now . . .

As a child and teenager, I was involved heavily in sports . . . We played everything, depending upon the season . . . Baseball, football, hockey, basketball, soccer . . . One day during a pickup football game (I was 16, and it was a hot Sunday afternoon in September), I was playing quarterback . . . On this particular play, none of my receivers were open, so I just took off, running the length of the field and "snaking" between and around defenders . . . Maybe my finest athletic moment! :) Well, probably not, but the guys were impressed . . . My pal Rod said, You ran like a snake . . . And then another said, Yeah, a blue-eyed snake . . . From that point on I was the blue-eyed snake, or just Snake . . . No, I didn't do anything nefarious to be labelled a snake . . . I know, the truth can be boring . . . I could have made up a MUCH better story!

I have an affinity for snakes . . . I love those creatures . . . They're so resourceful and expert at survival . . . While working at a department store while in college, there was a pet shop and we had a boa constrictor for sale . . . It was six feet long and was housed in a large glass aquarium . . . We felt sorry for the snake and would take it out occasionally, which was strictly against orders . . . We were told under no circumstances does the snake leave the aquarium . . . Well, that order was ignored repeatedly . . . We'd spread our arms and let the snake wrap itself around us, with it's tail at one hand and its head at the other . . . Then, we'd try to terrify the cashiers . . . We were successful on a regular basis . . . One day though, the suits were informed of our fun and the snake was gone the next morning . . . But, I loved that snake!

The snake seems a recurring theme in my life . . . I was born in the Year of the Snake . . . I've done a lot of work with kundalini energy, which is described as a coiled serpent living at the base of the spine . . . There have been some other experiences revolving around snakes . . . So yeah, I guess I was destined to be called Snake at some point in my life . . .

And there you have it, or 80% of it . . . Once a snake, always a Snake!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!

Is this the Happy Dance?

2011-01-10T13:31:00.000-06:00

I DEFY anyone to try this at home . . . Hah!

She's got some hops!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Peckerhead

2011-01-09T10:47:00.009-06:00

My good friend Bobby passed a few days ago (A toast to you Bobby), and the memorial service/celebration of life was held yesterday . . .

Bobby . . .

No words can adequately describe exactly who and what you were . . . The speakers tried, and everything they said was so accurate, but there was more . . . Every one of the hundreds there could have spoken, but still there could be more . . . You were the epitome of "bigger than life" . . . Listening to your younger brother was like listening to a toned down version of you . . . The same sense of humor, but not quite with the edge your had, and delivered in a softer voice . . . But still, it could have been you speaking . . . I laughed my ass off, because I and everyone else could easily see and hear you in all the situations he described . . .

You always thought you were smarter than everyone else . . . In truth, you probably were . . . You thought you were a better athlete . . . Again, probably . . . You thought you were better looking . . . Well, I'll give you this . . . You were a handsome dude! But I'd never give you the satisfaction of admitting that to your face . . . Are you satisfied now Bobby? You WERE all of those . . .

You were a terrific husband and father, and then grandfather . . . You always had your priorities in line . . . You knew where to expend your energy . . . I think you actually liked your grand kids more than your own! Well, maybe not, but it's always easier with grand kids, isn't it? You don't have to discipline them, you can spoil them, and then send them home for the parents to deal with the "damage" you've inflicted . . . And you inflicted a LOT of damage, spoiling them like crazy . . .

What a friend you were Bobby! The more you liked someone, the more you insulted, trashed, and savaged them . . . But, you could pull it off in an affectionate way, and get away with the trash talking . . . People expected it, enjoyed it, and some actually wanted to be the butt of your shots . . . How many times did you call friends "peckerhead'? How many times did you call ME peckerhead? I should have kept a running total, because I know the number is up there . . .

I remember so many crazy things you said and did like they were yesterday . . . You calling me fat and ugly? You probably don't remember that, do you? Let me refresh your memory . . . We were sitting with some colleagues discussing something or other, and I made what I thought was a brilliant point . . . You looked right at me and announced, Snake, I don't know how anyone as fat and ugly as you can have any friends . . . Everyone laughed, because that was classic Bobby . . . Insult someone so outrageously that no one can possibly take your comment seriously . . . 'Cause I'm definitely not fat Bobby, and you know that . . . The ugly part, well, that's subjective . . . Hah!!

You loved to greet people with a good-natured insult . . . Anyone foolish enough to try to match it would be hit with another insult, making it clear you'd play that game as long as they wanted, and you'd win . . . Always, you'd win . . . So, one day I simply responded with, Bobby, is that the best you can do? You didn't have a comeback . . . You just shook your head . . . Remember? Probably the only time I ever got you, and you'll probably try to tell me I'm making shit up, because NOBODY ever got you . . . But Bobby, I'm not making shit up . . .

Man, you really got all over me about The Tie . . . You knew I loved that tie, and you hated it! It was a love it or hate it tie, with no middle ground of opinion . . . It seemed like 80% loved it, and 20% hated the thing . . . First time you saw it, it was in a group of people . . . You just looked at it for a few seconds and said, That is the UGLIEST tie I've ever seen! And walked away . . . Just like that . . . From that point on, I did my best to torment you with The Tie . . . And it seemed to work . . . It was liked showing a cross to Dracula . . . You'd recoil and say something like, Get away from me with that fucking tie! Or, maybe the best line of all, It would be easy to strangle you with that tie, since it's already around your neck . . . You'll be happy to know Bobby that I'm no longer in possession of The Tie . . . I left it in a hotel room two years ago and no doubt someone else wears it and loves it now . . . And maybe they have a Bobby they can torment with it! I hope so! Ah yes, The Tie . . .

One of the things I appreciated most about you was your iconoclastic nature . . . You didn't put anyone on a pedestal that I ever knew of . . . As a matter of fact, you always enjoyed kicking the pedestal out from under people who took themselves too seriously . . . A classic Bobby T moment . . . I KNOW you remember this one Bobby . . . The new boss came in, he gathered the staff and began to talk in serious tones about what he expected . . . A few minutes into his well-crafted speech you said, McMillan, you've been here five minutes and you're already pissing me off! Great, classic Bobby line . . . You took all the shine off his metal . . . And only you could pull that off! How did you get away with so much Bobby?

But the best part, by FAR, was your loyalty . . . Once a friend, always a friend, no matter how many insults you hurled in a person's direction . . . Fifteen years ago when those whackos came after me, trying to destroy my reputation . . . You and so many others jumped into my corner because you knew it was all bullshit, but you were there first . . . You made damn sure that my reputation wasn't damaged . . . And then, you and others exacted your revenge on them on my behalf . . . It was a beautiful thing to see at the time . . .

Yeah, Bobby, you WERE one of a kind, and everyone who knew you can think of you and laugh, because you constantly made us all laugh, often at our own expense . . . But we loved it, and we loved you Bobby . . . No, that's wrong . . . We LOVE you Bobby . . . Present tense . . . And it ALWAYS will be present tense . . .

Snake

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

The Good, the Bad, and the Normal

2011-01-08T09:18:00.005-06:00

Normal . . .

- according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, or principle

- conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern

- occurring naturally

That's from the Merriam-Webster dictionary . . . So, let's work with that . . .

To give some background re:this post . . . I've long since come to the conclusion that "normal" is in many ways, meaningless as a term and concept . . . I realize that statisticians love the concept of normal, and so do people who seek to control others . . . But, I'm in neither camp . . . I despised stats in college, and have absolutely no desire to control anyone other than myself . . .

The lexicon of the language changes constantly, and we hear over and over things like "moving forward" and "prioritizing" and "the new normal" . . . What? Did we get tired of the old normal? Did it become obsolete? Did we become bored with it, and just say, to hell with it, let's do something new and exciting normal? Or, was the "old normal" just an illusion, as the "new normal" will be until it also is replaced by something else?

When we think about it, "normal" constantly changes . . . Society can undergo change slowly over time, or it can experience tremendous upheaval . . . Either way, nothing ever stays the same . . . It evolves, just as individuals evolve . . .

What is normal? If someone asked me that, I'd have a very difficult time coming up with something that is accurate . . . In a broad general sense, maybe we can agree on a few things, such as it's normal not to kill, normal not to steal, normal not to want to hurt people, and so on . . . I DO hope the vast majority of people feel that killing and stealing and hurting should be avoided for the good of all . . . But we all know that for some, killing and stealing and hurting are very much their usual behaviors . . . Does that make killing and stealing and hurting normal then in some way? And that thing about killing gets really difficult when we consider the "eye for an eye" approach of capital punishment . . . Or, the human need and drive to go to war to protect what's ours, or to take what isn't ours, but which we want . . .

One can go round and round in discussing what's "normal" societally . . . But, let's switch gears and bring it down to the individual level . . . Let's talk about me, since I'm the expert on me . . . I don't feel qualified to discuss any other human being, because I can't get inside their head and lick their brain and know what they truly think and feel . . .

The question becomes, am I normal? Well, what is the context? Are we talking about behavior? I don't kill and I don't steal and I try very hard not to hurt anyone in any way . . . I've never been arrested, don't have a record, and have never sat in the back of a squad car while the people in uniform tried to break down my story . . . Let's say I'm normal in that sense . . . So that's good, don't you think? But what about what goes on in my head? What about the thoughts I'm experiencing, and then the resulting emotions, and maybe the behaviors I act out as a result of the thoughts and emotions? Are they normal? Are they abnormal? I could have some sick thoughts, but never speak of them and never act on them . . . Would I then appear "normal" in a behavioral sense, but be abnormal and twisted in a thinking sense? It can get murky . . .

When people speak of normal, I become a bit nervous, because so much of what is considered normal can be used to control . . . Monogamy is normal, so anything outside of that is abnormal . . . That's used to control behavior, it scares me, and it's just one example . . . Belief in one concept of God is normal in some cultures, so anything outside of that is abnormal . . . That gave us the Inquisition, and other atrocities in the name of God, or the "normal" concept of God at the time the atrocities were committed . . . It exists today as well . . . If I go to, say Pakistan as an example, and I run through the streets of Islamabad or Karachi or any other city, town or village clutching a Bible or Torah or copy of the Upanishads and espouse what's in any of those, I'll end up among the deceased pretty quickly . . . So, normal is so much about control of thought and as an extension, behavior . . . THAT scares the shit out of me, because I don't want to be controlled!

There's another post to be written on the topic of "normal" from a more personal viewpoint, and this one has gone on long enough . . . But, think about it . . . And ask, what is normal? Maybe, it's normal to be bored to tears after reading this! Hah!

As always . . . Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Knocking it down . . .

2011-01-07T09:11:00.001-06:00

As a former basketball coach, I can appreciate somebody who can put the rock in the hole consistently . . . These guys can get it done, and with amazing creativity . . . I've watched this multiple times . . . Take a look . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

A toast to you Bobby . . .

2011-01-06T21:25:00.004-06:00

What do we say when a good friend passes? What CAN we say? It's just a rhetorical question, where no answer suffices or is necessary, or even possible . . .

Bobby . . . I love you my friend, and so do many . . . Wife, children, friends . . .

You showed your loyalty in the best sense . . . Once a friend, always a friend . . . You epitomized that . . .

Truly, we have to realize this . . . We'll all pass . . . In the end, Life is for the living . . Live, love, laugh, enjoy, stop worrying about superficial shit . . .

A toast to you Bobby . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

PX90 Workout System . . .

2011-01-06T18:45:00.001-06:00

I'm a workout fiend, and always looking for something new . . . My great friend Steve in Oakville was talking about PX90 recently . . . I've looked at the website, and they're obviously selling something . . .

Does anyone have experience with PX90? If so, I'd really welcome your getting in touch with me via email . . .

Life is beautiful!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Hypnotic . . .

2011-01-05T13:36:00.000-06:00

I had breakfast this morning with a friend at a restaurant attached to a bookstore in town . . . While there, I heard song, which I haven't heard in a while . . .

I know you can relate to this . . . We see things multiple times, or hear something multiple times, and then there's that one occasion when we see it or hear it and it's on a whole different level than anytime before . . . Is that because of a different level of consciousness at that moment? Is it the surroundings? What? Whtever it is, it happens and we're always aware of it when it does . . .

The song is Take a Chance by the beautiful Chantal Chamandy . . . As I heard it, I was standing at the magazine display checking out some new issues . . . One of those moments when time stops and we just become immersed in the sensation . . . So here it is . . .

Life is beautiful beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Work makes my ass fat!

2011-01-04T11:16:00.004-06:00

No . . . Not MY ass . . . HER ass!

Some background . . . A perfect July day in 2010, with lots of sun and heat . . . A few friends got together for "Happy Hour" in late afternoon . . . Everyone was a little naturally high to begin with, and then proceeded to get a little happier as drinks flowed and food was consumed . . . At one point, the topic of conversation got around to body types, and there was discussion about this body type and that body type . . . Then, out of the blue, Maria blurted out, Work makes my ass fat! Good thing I'd swallowed my red wine two seconds before her bold pronouncement! Maria is on the shorter side, with a tendency to gain weight easily . . . She also seems to lose it easily . . . She attributes her occasional weight issues to her southern Italian heritage, and references it often . . .

What made me think of this? Yesterday I came across an article on Yahoo News about the sad state of health of the majority of Canadian adults . . . In a nutshell, two thirds of Canadian adults are overweight or obese . . . It's even worse in the USA . . . Resulting from this is a spike in Type II diabetes, and of course, more cardiovascular disease, more cancer, more this and that . . . the list is endless . . . One of the things mentioned in the article is that so many people are working such long hours, then go home tired and often to kids who need attention, housework and so on . . . So, no desire or motivation to be terribly active after a long, hard day on the job . . . And, as my friend Maria so eloquently stated, some jobs in and of themselves (a lot of sitting) contribute to fat asses . . .

What to do? Clearly, the general adult population is under-exercised and underactive . . . I wrote an entry in December titled Gym Rat, in which I made a plea for people to get active in 2011 (if they aren't already) for the sake of overall well-being, and also improved quality of life . . . Yesterday at the gym, I saw exactly what I knew I'd see, which was, a packed place and lots of new faces . . . Happens every January for the first two weeks, then it's back to normal as most of the new bodies fall away . . . But of course, I DO hope that most of them won't . . . The truth is though, most of them WILL . . . It's a sad state of affairs where the overall health of our adult population is concerned . . .

All we can control is ourselves . . . We make the decisions to exercise or not, smoke or not, eat healthy or not, and so on . . . We can't do that for others . . . But, if we start with ourselves, our behavior may have a positive influence upon just one other person, and motivate him or her to make some positive changes in activity level, diet, or what have you . . . We should never underestimate our power to influence others by setting a good example! We never know where or when something we say or do will plant a seed in another's consciousness, and then a profound change begins to take place over time in that person's life . . . The power of ONE!! Never doubt it!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

When pigs fly . . .

2011-01-03T20:13:00.002-06:00

We've all heard that . . . How about, When snakes fly . . . ?!

Given my name, you gotta know I have a soft spot for snakes . . .

It seems, snakes CAN fly, or at least, glide pretty damn well . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

The Spiritual Path II

2011-01-03T10:49:00.006-06:00

In the previous post, I described a bit of what a spiritual path means to me . . . However, there's more to say on that subject . . .

As I said, this is absolutely the path I was meant to pursue . . . Did I necessarily realize that from day one? Definitely not! But, as I look back on the events in my life, I can clearly see that everything seems to have pointed me this way . . . Maybe pulled is a better word . . . One thing needs to be said though, and it's that some of my behavior in this life could be described as, shall we say, decidedly non-spiritual . . . Oh yeah, there just might be a skeleton or two in Snake's closet . . . But, amazingly, the gods have for the most part kept me out of trouble . . . I've been spared from most painful repercussions . . . I can think of a time or two though where, if things had played out differently, my life would NOT be what it is today . . . So, of all the things I'm consciously grateful for, that's up there on the list . . . Do I have a guardian angel? Maybe I have (and have needed!) more than one!   At times, it seems as if I was being protected . . . Just no other way to explain it . . .   :)

Over the years, I've been on and off the spiritual path . . . Early on, quite frequently I'd fall off the bandwagon . . . But always, something would happen that would draw me back . . . I can only look back and shake my head in wonder, that everything seems to have played out perfectly, and continues to . . .

People have many misconceptions about what a person's life might be like if a spiritual route is taken . . . It does not mean giving up life's pleasures . . . It does not mean losing interest in sex . . . It does not mean going to India to find a cave in the Himalayas to meditate one's life away . . .   For some, it might mean those things, but certainly not for me . . .

The vast majority of people who pursue the path appear quite normal, in fact . . . There is no mark on the forehead to identify them, no clothing to give them away, no code words they use to communicate among one another . . . They appear quite normal, and in fact, ARE quite normal . . . They do the same things everyone does to get through life, but . . . And this is the kicker . . . They have a different attitude, and a different view of reality than most . . . However, there isn't any one specific view that defines the path, as everyone is unique and so is their Journey unique . . .

All I can describe is my experience . . . There's a calmness about things from moment to moment . . . I've done so much meditating in my life using many techniques, that I'm certain I'm one of those people whose brain has been altered by it . . . That's been proven scientifically to happen to some people . . . And then, their brain waves undergo a change as well . . . It's all for the better however . . . These are positive changes . . . My view of people is a bit different . . . We all have the Divine spark within us, and when we feel it ourselves and see it in others, it can't help but change how we deal with other human beings . . . We become more accepting, less judgemental, more loving and understanding . . . In my case, it also means that there are certain types of people I'll try to avoid . . .  That could seem contradictory, but it really isn't . . .

Although there are always going to be challenges in life no matter what path we pursue, my life has a flow and a sense of ease that is very peaceful and calm . . . I'm not talking about being sedated, but just a feeling of ease . . . Perhaps a better word is balance . . . Balance and ease sounds just about right . . . That comes from meditation, which I always joke is the best drug I've ever taken . . . In fact, most of the time, I feel like I'm in an almost permanent meditative state . . . Which is good!  My intuition is highly developed, and I always listen to the voice . . .

It amazes me how everything seems to fall into place . . . Along with that, I've had some profound experiences that I'd never discuss with anyone else . . . Some things are meant not to be shared . . . But they happen, and the further I go, the more powerful they become . . . The last few years have been mind-blowing!

Yes indeed, life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

The Spiritual Path . . .

2011-01-02T19:53:00.008-06:00

"I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together . . . "

Recognize that? Can you hear the song playing? I'll come back to it . . .

A conversation occurred three weeks ago about the spiritual path . . . This is a post I've wanted to write for a long time, but it didn't happen . . . I always wait for the inspiration, the voice of intuition . . . It happens when the time is right . . .

Shall we begin?

If you met me on the street, or at a party, a conference, or wherever . . . What would you see?

Male . . . Blue eyes . . . Six feet . . . One eighty two . . . Laid back . . . Calm . . . Grounded and centered . . . Easy to be with . . . No agendas or drama . . . I want nothing from you, except what you choose to give me . . .

From the moment of my conception, there's no doubt I was meant to pursue a spiritual path . . .

But, what IS a spiritual path? Truly, every path is unique . . . All I can do is talk about the one I'm experiencing . . .

Wishing the best for every human being . . .

Asking for what I need to fulfill my higher purpose . . .

Being consciously grateful for everything in my life . . .

Thinking thoughts that add to the LIGHT . . .

Understanding that, everything won't happen on my timetable . . . Right time, right place, right reason . . . We can't speed up destiny . . .

There's more, but much of it is very difficult, if not impossible, to articulate . . . So, you're thinking, this guy is crazy . . . Hmmm?

Going back to the original line . . .

We are ALL connected . . . More than we can possibly understand intellectually . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Off to a rockin' start . . .

2011-01-01T11:01:00.001-06:00

How long does it take to get a bead on the New Year? A week, two weeks, a month? What? Well, I've been up for three hours and so far, so good . . . My resolutions are solidly in place . . . More HtwoO in 2011? Two big glasses already . . . More stretching? Done . . . Of course, what human being isn't able to maintain two resolutions for three hours? But, I'm committed to this, and really, if I can't make these two simple, boring resolutions work, then it's pretty sad . . .

I've read a few blogs people have written about resolutions . . . Some are inspiring . . . Some are humorous . . . And some make me think, Good luck to you! But you don't have a chance of doing all that in 2011 . . . Not by a long shot! Why? Too many things on the list . . . A person can only multi-task so many resolutions at a time . . . My thinking is, two is about it at any one time . . . Then, once those are in place, move on to something else . . . But if we try to make ten changes from day one, the average person is doomed to fail . . . It's OK to have ten, but spread 'em out over the year . . . That's 365 days to get it done . . . Or most of it done . . . It's a marathon, not the 100 m dash . . .

Not a doubt in my mind, 2011 is going to be a terrific year! Why? Because I choose to make it so . . . We ALL have that power, and it starts with thoughts . . . THOUGHTS . . . Negativity starts with thoughts . . . Everything starts with thoughts . . . Getting back to resolutions, people tend to focus on behaviors . . . The problem is, behaviors don't occur in isolation . . . Behaviors come from emotions and thoughts, but it all starts with thoughts . . . Want to change a behavior, or a habit? Look at the thoughts driving it, and that's where the work has to be done . . . Take control of thoughts, and the rest comes easy . . .

OK, it's 11 am on January 1st, 2011 . . . And this song is going through my head from out of nowhere . . . Is that significant? Is this an omen of what 2011 is going to bring my way? Hah! Somewhere in this song is a metaphor . . . So here it is . . . Nothing like a little redneck rock to start the year . . . And ya gotta love the use of chainsaw-as-musical instrument creativity!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Things I'm looking forward to in 2011 . . .

2011-01-01T01:05:00.001-06:00

We should look forward, right? So, let's do that . . . What am I looking forward to? Here we go . . .

1. More tantra . . .

2. Getting to Fla . . . Beaches and palm trees in three weeks . . . For ten weeks . . .

3. Gold's Gym in Tampa . . . Love that place, and the gym buds who help to pass the time between sets . . .

4. Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup . . . I know, I know . . . That's low probability . . .

5. Finding unexpected sources of inspiration . . . The best inspiration is unexpected and out of the blue . . .

6. L'air making a full recovery . . .

7. Sacred sites . . .

8. Sacred sexuality . . .

9. New friends, new people, new lessons . . .

10. Challenges . . . What better way to learn more about ourselves?

11. Zen reality . . .

12. Another great Halloween party . . . The return of Snake Vegas!

13. Moving further along the path . . .

OK, I'm stopping there because thirteen is a lucky number . . .

One more thing . . . The local newspaper printed predictions based upon astrological sign . . . Mine was very so-so . . . Are you f***ing kidding me? 2011 is going to be a GREAT year! I'm in control, and that's all that matters!!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next year . . . Ciao!!

Thanks Jeff!

2010-12-31T12:10:00.001-06:00

I had my doubts whether I'd post anything today . . . Then this morning, Jeff called me and wanted to chat . . . Jeff was in an introspective frame of mind, party because his butt has been parked on the sofa lately because he's dealing with the chest infection from Hell . . . Hey Jeffy, sending good vibes! Ten minutes into the conversation, I knew what I wanted to write about . . .

The topic is "Stuff" . . . Have you ever seen the classic George Carlin routine dealing with "stuff"? If you haven't, I'm including the video here . . . it's brilliant! However, the thing we were talking about made me think about all the needless, useless crap we all accumulate as we follow the routines of our lives . . . We all do it, and then at some point we have a realization . . . And then we try to simplify and unclutter, only to start the whole accumulation of stuff all over again at some point . . . Is that just something that human beings are programmed to do? Hmmm . . . I hope you enjoy the video! If Jeff hadn't called, you wouldn't be reading this, and you wouldn't have the chance to experience some of the comedic genius of George Carlin . . . Ya gotta love how life works at times!

On another note, I wrote a few days ago about my ONE New Years Resolution, which is actually the first one I've EVER made . . . My resolution is to drink more HtwoO in 2011 . . . But, I'm going way out on a limb and will make a second resolution . . . Which is, to do more stretching . . . At the gym yesterday, I finished a little ahead of time, so stretching seemed like a good idea . . . The truth is, it was sad and pathetic . . . My hammies are as tight as a drum, my traps are rock hard, and I developed an ab cramp that was beyond belief . . . So, getting back to some stretching and yoga is resolution #2 . . . Can I handle two? Hah! Send good vibes my way so I can make this happen!

Happy New Year everyone! And enjoy the late GC!! And BTW, I was reminded yesterday of a great quote from Victor Hugo, while reading a blog about love . . . Life is the flower, love is the nectar . . . Think about it . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time in 2011 . . . Ciao!!

Ten (questionable) New Year's Resolutions

2010-12-30T16:39:00.001-06:00

I'm not advocating any of these resolutions, but I AM recommending that you watch this video and laugh!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Grateful . . .

2010-12-29T22:40:00.002-06:00

This is the week for reflection . . . So, let's reflect on gratitude, and what I'm grateful for from the year about to end . . .

1. I'm sincerely, consciously grateful for my life . . .

2. The challenges . . . We all have them . . . Some complain, and some deal with them and learn . . .

3. My family . . . Not big, but high quality . . . I'll take quality over quantity anytime . . .

4. My friends . . . I can't imagine having a group of more loyal people around me . . .

5. 2010 . . . A GREAT year . . . 2011? Even better baby!

6. Steve in Oakville . . . Hey Stevie, in 2011 I'm going to show up on your doorstep . . . Just have that pool WARM, 'cause this Snake despises cold water!

7. Blogs I enjoy reading . . .

8. The angels . . .

9. My gym buds, especially the guys at Gold's in Tampa . . .

10. Veronicafish . . . Hoping you'll be writing regularly . . .

11. The inner circle . . .

12. The Journey, and all the life experiences that have brought me to this incredible place . . .

13. My intuition . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

To resolve or not to resolve . . .

2010-12-29T09:24:00.001-06:00

Tis the season for those annual resolutions . . . I'll be completely honest . . . I've never in my life made a New Year's resolution . . . Not one, not ever . . . Maybe that should change, so this time around I'm going to make just ONE . . . Yeah, start small, and make it something where I'm guaranteed to keep it past January 3rd . . .

I was at the gym yesterday, and two people I chatted with brought up the whole resolution thing . . . They were both quite set on giving up some "vices" . . . Interesting that both used that word . . . Vices . . . Which made me think about MY vices . . . Honestly, I have no desire to give them up . . . I quite like them, and am quite attached to them . . . So, I'll be more than happy to keep them for another year . . . Life is beautiful baby! And honestly, if a person's life is completely devoid of vices, doesn't that sound like a boring existence?

So, my one NYR going into 2011 is simple and boring, but highly achievable . . . Virtually guaranteed to meet with 100% success . . . Here it is . . . I'm going to drink more water . . . That's it and that's all . . . Consume more HtwoO . . . Eight twelve ounce glasses per day . . . I know I have your moral support in making this work! I can feel the good vibes coming my way . . .

And now, what are YOUR resolutions? Good luck with 'em, and remember, the fewer we have, the greater the chance of success . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Keep on Rockin' . . .

2010-12-28T22:12:00.001-06:00

Neil Young . . .

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Things that amazed me in 2010 . . .

2010-12-28T09:52:00.003-06:00

Every year is full of surprises . . . My list of amazing things, Snake-style . . .

1. The stock market rally . . . Who would have thought?

2. How effective workout supplements can be . . . Last December, I felt like I'd hit a wall in working out . . . Couldn't get through it, over it, around it, under it . . . So, Superpump 250 to the rescue . . . and Cell Mass, and NO-XPLODE, and Pre-Surge Unleashed, and Plasma Jet . . . Of course, not all at the same time! But yes, they DO work, and they're all perfectly legal . . . Nothing in that list is injectable . . .

3. The exhorbitant price of supplements in Canada . . . So, I buy everything online from an American outfit . . . Ridiculously low cost compared to Canada . . .

4. How cold is can be in Fla in February . . . I nearly froze at times . . . The natives were driven to the edge of despair by the "Canadian" air . . . Honestly, during the Olympics in Vancouver, it was warmer there than in St. Petersburg on occasion . . . That isn't supposed to happen! It can't have been that bad though, because I'm going back soon . . .

5. How much I've grown to love Southern Butternut Pecan coffee creme . . . Hazelnut is a close second . . .

6. How addicting blogging can be at times . . .

7. How unbelievably powerful the Spirits are at Bannock Point Petroforms . . .

8. Did the Montreal Canadiens REALLY knock off the Caps and Penguins back to back in the spring? Was I dreaming that? Yes they did, and no I wasn't . . . Les Canadiens sont la!!

9. The Canada-USA final in Vancouver . . . I watched the OT surrounded by Yanks chanting U-S-A who were really into it . . . So, I kept it a bit subdued when the good guys scored . . . What a game it was! The perfect way to cap off two great weeks in Vancouver . . .

10. How incredibly frustrating it was to watch Olympic coverage only on NBC . . .  There's no TSN in Fla . . . At one point, I threw a shoe at the television . . . Quite unlike me for the most part . . .

11. The power of the Tibetan singing bowl . . .

12. How old-school I can be . . . Don't have a cell phone . . . Not on Facebook . . . However, I might need to get a cell phone in '11, and all my friends who are on FB are constantly at me to take the plunge . . . My reply? Too many people from my past are trying to track me down . . . I can't chance it! Hah!!

13. That I've come to enjoy reading other peoples' blogs religiously . . . There is some incredibly good stuff in Blogland, and I'm always on the prowl for new blogs that will entertain, enlighten, inspire . . . My favorite blog may be the one I haven't yet found . . .

I'm going to stop there, because for me, thirteen is a lucky number . . .

Life is beautiful (and amazing) baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

NOTHING like a good party!!

2010-12-27T18:50:00.003-06:00

New Years Eve coming, and it's party time . . . I've been at and hosted some great NYE parties, but . . . The most memorable (not necessarily the best) was a Lonesome George party . . . As in, "Lonesome" George Thorogood . . . To get in, a person had to imbibe bourbon, Scotch and beer . . . Only then could a person enter the inner sanctum of debauchery . . .

OK, well . . . My dominant thought about that party? Thank God there were no cell phone cameras at that time in the evolution of technology . . . It was wild . . . Too many dark corners . . .

So, in honor of that great occasion, here's a video that brings it all back (well, SOME of it) . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!!

The Story of Matt

2010-12-27T10:37:00.007-06:00

New Year's Eve is only a few days away . . . What are you planning out there in Blogland?

I mentioned Matt my masseur in my previous blog . . . The story of how Matt and I were brought together is a good one . . . One of those where it's clear to me that the Universe set in motion a series of synchronistic events to get us together, so he could fix my shoulder and then various other body parts that will kick up occasionally (I go the the gym regularly, and work hard, so you gotta know stuff is going to happen every so often) . . . And at the same time, I could help him in a completely different way . . .

This goes back to April '07 . . . During a workout, I felt a slight twinge in my right shoulder . . . Nothing big, just a small something . . . During the next couple of weeks, it was still there and getting slighty worse . . . Still, no big thing . . . YET!! I kept on with my workouts, but was beginning to notice that I was having to work around it more and more . . . By August, it was so bad I knew I had to shut it down for a while . . . It was August 10th, a Friday, and I was standing looking at the pull up machine and thinking, This is completely insane! Snake had better take a little time off . . . I was leaving for Los Angeles the next day anyway for ten days, so by the time I return, it'll be better, right? Wrong . . . It actually got worse . . . I was in more pain when I returned than when I left . . .

What to do? I called a physio establishment nearby and set up an appointment . . . Multiple appointments later, many dollars spent, and absolutely NO progress . . . My range of motion is still restricted, the pain level hasn't decreased, and my frustration level is going through the roof . . . Not only that, I didn't like the physio at all . . . She was cold, and I felt, more than a little uncaring about my anatomical dilemma . . . I bailed out of that, and was left wondering, What now??

One day not long after that, I'm sitting in my office at the end of the day . . . Time to go home . . . I picked up my briefcase to leave, and then a thought came literally out of nowhere . . . Why not call my good friend Steve in Oakville? So, that's what happened . . . Steve answered and we were chatting, and the conversation eventually got around to my shoulder, and my frustration and not really knowing what route to go with it . . . Just at that moment, a colleague named Kristin walked into my office to use a computer, as her's was doing some funky things and was unusable . . . Kristin is a dancer, and is always getting therapy for her back . . . After Steve and I said goodbye, she said, I know a great therapist who does wonders for my back, and I'm sure he can help you . . . I called right then and was able to get in to see Matt two days hence . . .

Sitting in the waiting room, Matt walked out to greet me and take me into the room . . . We've all experienced what happened right then . . . As soon as I set eyes on Matt, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this person will be able to help me . . . You know when the vibe is just that strong? We've all been in situations like that . . . Matt did his diagnostic thing for about ten minutes, and then said, I know what's wrong with your shoulder? I asked, What? His response . . . Everything! Then he laughed and said, this thing is really f'ed up . . . And then he listed five things that needed fixing in descending order of significance . . . And he started to work right then on making things right . . . Matt promised me three things . . . One, he can fix me . . . Two, it will take at least three weeks with three appointments per week . . . And three, it's really going to hurt! My God, did it hurt! He got into places in my shoulder and armpit that had me tearing up occasionally from the pain, but it had to be done . . . This was as deep as deep tissue massage gets . . . The good thing was that as soon as he stopped, the pain stopped . . . Not only did he fix me, but we had some terrific conversations about life and relationships and reality and so on . . . I was able to give him some insight into things going on in his life while he was fixing me . . . So, it was win-win . . .

Once that issue was dealt with, I continued to see Matt for this and that, and he always made it better . . . So what is the point of all this? As I said earlier, the Universe conspired to get Matt and I together . . . Why? I needed something from him, and he needed something from me, and neither of us knew it . . . That's how synchronicity works . . . I don't believe in "coincidences" . . . I do however believe in synchronistic events . . . And this a perfect example of that . . . What if the thought to call Steve in Oakville hadn't come out of nowhere? What if he hadn't answered and we didn't have the conversation? What if Kristin's computer hadn't been misbehaving, and she hadn't come into my office to use mine? What if she hadn't come in at exactly the moment she did, while I was telling Steve about my shoulder issue? What if, what if, what if . . . That's synchronicty (not coincidence!) at work . . . And then, after all those "what ifs", Matt gave me what I needed and I gave him what he needed . . . Sometimes, people parachute into our lives out of nowhere in a sense, and they end up having a profound effect on us . . . Blindsided by synchronistic events . . . When I meet someone, I always assume that this person could end up being crucial to some aspect of my life, and of course, vice versa . . .

So that is the story of how Matt and I came to be . . . And, since the fall of '07, I've told several people about Matt, and those who took me up on it sing his praises . . . Don't you love how life works at times?

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Here we are . . .

2010-12-26T11:35:00.004-06:00

Another Boxing Day, the stores are packed with bargain hunters, and I can't imagine anywhere I'd less enjoy being . . . Best Buy will just have to get through another BD without this Snake . . . So, I'm right here listening to an internet bluegrass station as I write this post . . . I'll get the urge to listen to some bluegrass maybe twice a year, and today is one of those . . .

I always tend to become somewhat reflective as we move into the last week of the year . . . No doubt that's very common for people to do . . . The one thing that I feel is a deep sense of gratitude to have the life I have . . . Not that 2010 has been without challenges, but everything has played out as it should, and life is beautiful baby! It's a mindset that we can all develop, but sadly, many don't . . .

Gratitude is the mother of all emotions . . . When we're sincerely, consciously grateful, everything else is enriched and things just flow a lot more easily . . . There is so much to be grateful for . . . Unfortunately, so many people simply take those things for granted and tend to fixate on what isn't working out in their lives . . . It all comes down to perspective . . . What is our world view? What is our personal reality?

One of the things I'm grateful for is having the opportunity to maintain this blog . . . In many countries, I couldn't do this . . . Our freedom should never be taken for granted, because it can slip away right under our noses, something like the death of the thousand cuts . . . It amazes me sometimes that this technology exists, which allows me and others to speak literally to the world . . . And I'm so grateful to be able to read the blogs created by some very talented people . . .

When I started this thing in April '09, I had no idea how it would unfold or how many hits it would get . . . All I knew was that it would have a focus on a particular, crucial aspect of my life and being . . . I wouldn't talk about politics, I'd leave out the X-rated parts of my life, and so on . . . I put that stuff in my other blogs . . . I know, you think I'm kidding . . . Or do you?

It's been a terrific year, and I wouldn't change a thing . . . I'm looking forward to a great 2011 and traveling further down this path . . . Yes, there will be some ups and downs here and there, but I'll embrace it all and try to learn more lessons from whatever the Universe throws in my path . . . Everything and everyone is a teacher . . . The Universe speaks to us all in a myriad of ways, but not everyone is listening . . .

Oh, and by the way, I REALLY need a massage! Time to call Matt and set that up . . . If anyone wants the name of a terrific masseur, I have one for you!!

Life is beautiful baby!!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Couldn't resist . . .

2010-12-24T14:40:00.002-06:00

Perhaps I should apologize for posting this pic of Naked Santa . . . But, I'm not going to! Hah!

I saw this yesterday, and really, how could I not use it? I know, some of you are probably thinking this just might be a shot of ol' Snake . . . Nah, it isn't . . . That's me on the left, looking slightly reptilian . . . Much better looking, don't you think? Come to think of it though, Santa does bear a slight facial resemblance to one of my older Gold's Gym buds in Fla . . . Hey Scottie, I'll see you soon!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

L'air III

2010-12-23T18:41:00.000-06:00

Well then, this entry was not in the cards earlier today . . . As a matter of fact, I had no intention of writing anything until next week . . .

For those keeping track, I've dedicated two entries to my great friend L'air, who was given as little as two days to live in early November . . . I go to see L'air regularly, and he's making great progress . . . He isn't ready to go home anytime soon, and there are still some serious issues, but . . . He's alive to see another Christmas, which was the longest of long shots seven weeks ago . . .

This is real life . . . Real life and death . . .

I saw L'air this morning, and was blown away by the progress he's made since Sunday . . . Definitely a terrific Christmas present for friends and family . . . Christmas, to me, is as much about rebirth as anything else . . . Rebirth can have many connotations . . . In this case, it's a rebirth for L'air, even if he passes next week . . . I'm not a Buddhist per se, but I do wholeheartedly subscribe to this . . . We die daily, and are reborn daily . . . L'air has been reborn, and so have others who are close to him and have witnessed what might, in all honesty, be described as a miracle . . .

Fast forward to a couple of hours ago . . . I was at the gym (a cardio day), and I couldn't stop thinking about L'air . . . When I think of him and what he's overcome, I can't help but feel a sense of awe, and people need to hear the story . . .

I'm going to throw this out there as well . . . I believe in distance healing, and so does L'air . . . And, I have some friends who are pretty well connected to the Universe, and we've been doing our best to help things along . . . If someone thinks that's crap, well, I'll just say, your view of the true reality doesn't mesh with mine . . . And that's OK, because there are levels of reality and consciousness, and we all understand them differently . . .

So my friends, L'air has survived, and based upon that, we should all understand that there is always hope!!

Life is beautiful baby!!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-22T10:37:00.003-06:00

Time for Snake to take his Christmas break . . . Things are getting very busy!

To all those who take time to stop by this blog, I wish you the best of the Season! Thanks for reading what I have to say . . . And, thank you to all the people whose blogs I enjoy reading! There are some very talented writers out there . . .

If you're like me, you get a little tired of all the traditional Christmas music we hear endlessly . . . So, here's one to make you laugh a little . . .

Life is beautiful baby!!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Can we wrap up empathy and put it under the tree?

2010-12-21T20:01:00.002-06:00

There are plenty of attributes we'd hope to find in an emotionally healthy human being . . . Gratitude, ability to love, work ethic, balance, communication skills, and on and on . . . But, high up on this list should be empathy, the ability to walk a mile in anothers shoes . . .   This seems to be second nature to many, but completely anathema to more than a few . . .

I've always been fascinated by human nature . . .

Empathy . . . To take the time to listen, feel, and understand another person's view and emotional state . . .

It all goes back to a very basic psychological precept . . . Thoughts drive emotions, which in turn drive behaviors . . . What is the other person thinking? What are they feeling? And, why do they do what they do?

My opinion? There's a profound lack of empathy in society . . .

Let's face it . . . Life can be very hard for many, and if that's us, we become so wrapped up in our own survival (and our family's), and we have very little time and energy to feel what others are feeling . . .

But, if we simply stop and listen to what others are saying, and imagine what they might be feeling, and why they behave the way they do, we are doing our little bit in our tiny corner of the Universe to make this a better place, a better life, a better existence for all . . .

Tis the season!!

Never doubt the power of ONE . . . Which is you and me . . .

And now, I'm off to a surprise birthday party where I'm the official photographer and videographer . . . Baby, THAT'S pressure . . .

Life is beautiful . . .

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

White Christmas . . . Jim Carrey

2010-12-21T13:29:00.001-06:00

What Christmas is complete without a rendition of White Christmas? And by a fellow Canadian, no less! But really, Bing doesn't have much to worry about . . . It's hilarious though, so have a good time!

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Does Rudolph get too much pub?

2010-12-20T18:35:00.000-06:00

Obviously, Vixen thinks so!

Life is beautiful . . .

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Christmas All Over Again!!!

2010-12-20T12:35:00.000-06:00

My favorite rock Christmas song . . . Tom Petty . . .

Life is beautiful baby!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

L'air II

2010-12-19T20:46:00.008-06:00

Websters definitions of "miracle" . . .

"An extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs"

"An extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment"

I'm still not sure what a miracle would be . . . DNA apparently regulates all of our life functions, but we don't know how . . . Is that a miracle? Light is a constant in our lives, but the more we study it with the newest and best technology, the more mysterious it becomes . . . Is that a miracle? When I plug in a lamp, and then turn the switch, the light illuminates . . . Is THAT a miracle?

When I first saw L'air in the hospital on Sunday, November 7th, it was with the knowledge that he had days, if not hours . . . L'air was semi-coherent, and drifting from lucidity to out there and back to lucidity . . .

L'air was lying on his right side . . . I pulled up a chair and sat nose to nose, probably 18 inches away . . . I was conscious of three things . . . One, this could be the last time . . . Two, this interaction is going to be directed from a higher source . . . Three, we kept eye contact throughout our entire conversation . . .

When I walked out of that rooom an hour later, I knew beyond a doubt, THERE IS HOPE . . . It was a message from the Universe . . . So, I and the inner circle have done all we can to make it happen . . . And it IS happening . . .

L'air is surviving and more!

OK then, is this a miracle unfolding? Do I have a front row seat? Just yesterday, one of the doctors told L'air that he and the medical people have no idea how he's survived . . . It's beyond anything they could have imagined . . .

Miracle?

Life is beautiful baby!

L'air would love this video . . .

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!

Let's reinforce a stereotype . . .

2010-12-18T20:28:00.003-06:00

Within every stereotype is a layer of truth . . .

This video is hilarious . . .

I'm going to send this to every woman I know! They'll nod and laugh . . .

And in case you're wondering, YES, I do know my way around a Dirt Devil . . . And an iron, and washing machine and dryer and dishwasher and dust cloth and anything else that a domicile requires . . .

But, I DO prefer a chainsaw . . . Hah!

Life is beautiful!

Peace and love . . .

Until next time . . . Ciao!!