counting blessings – Page 6 – The Boring Old Man

Time…sure could use some!

My goodness, I can’t believe how much time has flown by since my last post.

I wish I could say it’s because I’ve been having so many adventures that I didn’t have time to write, but sadly that isn’t the case…

It seems like Thanksgiving was just a couple days ago and already Christmas is right around the corner, before you can blink an eye it’ll be 2024!

I have been busy on a new project, involving music stuff, which has taken most every spare minute over the last month. I don’t want to jinx it by talking about it just yet, but I’m pretty excited about the near future and what might come to be. Please forgive my reluctance to discuss, I’ve had way too many of these prospects fall flat over the preceeding decades. If things pan out, my readers will be the first to know. Right now I’m just getting the new “office” set up and getting myself back into the proper state of mind for this endeavor.

Otherwise, things remain more or less the same. I recently finished a new book series which I’ll be reviewing as time allows, and I have an exciting road trip coming up this week that I will write up upon my return.

In between, more work at the new office and getting out into “the Wilds” for Christmas shopping!

Good Times ahead, come on back for more if you have a chance!

Thanks for stopping by!

Thankful

It’s that time of year again, hard to believe, but true. The “holiday season” is upon us!

These past few years have been a non-stop dumpster fire and quite frankly I’ve found it difficult to maintain a positive attitude, not to mention being grateful. But when I stop to think about it, I DO, in fact, have a LOT to be grateful for.

Part of the reason for starting this blog was to help me remember the positive things, to give me something to look back on when things are not going so well. And honestly, it’s worked that way when I needed it. I have focused on maintaining a positive vibe, and have tried very hard to keep this blog from becoming a toxic rant-fest, as that’s where my head has primarily been over the last few years. It hasn’t been easy. I’ve had to stop myself numerous times from spewing angry stuff, calling out both the imbeciles and the grifters, and just straight up bitching about the (many) things that have been getting under my skin. Not that I always succeed, but I always make an effort!

But today, I want to “give thanks”, because when I stop to consider it I am pretty fortunate and have come a long way in the last decade.

First and foremost, I am grateful for The Mrs. We’ve been together for 34 years now and just celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary this year. We’ve been through some really rough times over the past few decades, but we always come through the other side intact, and we’re still best friends. After spending more than 3/5’s of my life with her, I can’t imagine it any other way.

I am thankful for our daughter who has grown into a fine young woman. She’s very responsible and pretty self sufficient, especially compared to her cohorts. She’s never been in any kind of real trouble, she’s helpful and just a pretty nice person. That we share a love of music and soccer doesn’t hurt either!

As much as it drives me bananas, I am thankful for my job. Being healthcare “adjacent” during the “pandemic” took me to the edge both mentally and physically, and it certainly left some scars. But the fact that I didn’t have to worry about a paycheck when it seemed like the whole world was going up in flames was something to be grateful for. And while I can say whole heartedly that I have no love for my job/career, I have learned a TON being here and I’m always grateful for new knowledge. And honestly I’m grateful for my team too. They test me and sometimes aggravate me beyond belief, but overall they are a solid group and when it comes down to it, they will come together and perform amazing things to keep this facility afloat.

I’m thankful that my parents are still around, even though I don’t see them very often. I was very concerned about them during the whole Covid nonsense, and I am very glad that they both came through unscathed. Now, if we could just convince my Pops to retire…

I’m thankful for the friends that are still in my life. They are few and far between, but those guys have been with me a long, long time. Some of us go back to the 1970s, a couple from the early 80’s…my “newest” friend came in to my life in 1990, so yeah I’ve got a lot of years clocked with these gentlemen and I’m grateful for all of them.

I’m thankful for my health. In spite of the fact that I’ve been sick more in 2022 than in the last 10 years combined, I’m grateful that I am still “healthy”, still able to hit the gym and have been able to steer clear of pharmaceuticals into middle-age. No small feat.

Last but not least, I’m grateful for still being able to get out and play music. It’s been feeding my soul when all else seemed misery.

All in all, I have a lot to be thankful for, I just need to remember to remind myself of the fact from time to time.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, good health and serenity!

Thanks for stopping by!

Just Like Old Times…

Last night I had a fantastic experience and I’m still riding the “high”!

For the first time in literally decades, I got a chance to sit down with one of my oldest friends for a songwriting session, and it was like a spigot was turned on – the music just flowed like it hasn’t in years!

This was just what the doctor ordered, it’s been way too long since I was able to just create and I missed it even more than I realized.

In the matter of just a few short hours, we planted the seeds of 6 new songs right outta the gate. It was remarkable and thrilling to say the least.

Remember to feed your soul folks, it’s good for your health and your spirit!

Thanks for stopping by!

Caught unprepared…

Well, this was embarrassing!

As anyone that knows me knows, I’m a bit of a fanatic about preparedness. It started way back in my Boy Scout days, but had been kicked up to a “way of life” for the last 15 years or so.

Well yesterday I had a lapse and it came back to bite me!

Long story short, we’ve got an “extra” car that I’ve kept around for those times when a car is in the shop or for hauling duties (it’s a station wagon, roughly the size of a mini truck in the back with the seats folded down).

I’ve been “planning” to sell it, as I don’t use as much as I thought I would, but as with most things I’ve got more plans than time, so it sat for a while. Then it wouldn’t start due to a dead battery (purchased in February 2022, so it wasn’t old). I took the battery in for an exchange on Tuesday and Wednesday I decided to drive it to work (26 miles each way) to get the fluids working through the engine and transmission. The trip to work was without issue, but coming home the dash lit up with red warning lights about “low coolant” and advised me to stop the car.

I pulled off the highway, into the nearest gas station and steam started blowing out from under the hood- uh oh!

I went in to the store (this was NOT a “service station”) and bought a gallon of water to top off the coolant (yes, I know this isn’t correct, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and all that…) and when I went to pour it in, I discovered that my upper radiator hose had come completely detached and had spewed coolant all over the engine. D’oh!

Now, had I been in my regular ride, I would have had fluids and tools, flashlights, etc. But because this was a “spare” I planned to sell, there was NOTHING in the car. Nothing.

Luckily I had a Leatherman multi-tool on me and with it’s little screwdriver I was able to get the hose reattached and limp the car home – still low on coolant, but it never got hot on the remaining 10 miles home.

I kicked myself all the way home for leaving so unprepared. Thank goodness I was able to sort things out with a $10 bill and a multi-tool, at least to get home. It certainly could have been a lot worse.

So, let this be a lesson for you that you don’t have to learn the hard way! Problems rear their ugly heads when you least expect them, which is why you should ALWAYS be prepared. Even if all you’re doing is going to work, just like any other day…

Thanks for stopping by! Be safe out there!

Road Trip! Gold Beach, OR.

Today we ventured further north to Gold Beach, Oregon. The town is small and not unlike many other sea-side towns, but we’ve been enjoying it very much.

After checking in to our spot for the night, we actually took to the road again, driving up as far as Port Orford, OR, just for the heck of it, to see what’s what.

Today is out actual anniversary – 31 years ago today, we tied the knot – so today is the day we spoil ourselves. Very swanky accommodations, unbelievable high end dinner (so good, words fail me) and just cruisin’ around enjoying each other. There are much worse ways to spend the day, let me tell you!

Tomorrow we’ll goof off a bit, then we’ve got a long haul ahead of us to get home. Sadly, both of us have to work in the morning (and I, this weekend also).

Oregon has been delightful, it most certainly won’t be another 40 years before we return!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip! Brookings, OR.

This is a trip looooooong overdue! I haven’t been to Oregon in roughly 4 decades, but it’s a place that I’ve held a strong fondness for since the last time I was here. The Mrs. had NEVER been to Oregon, but finally we’ve made it, and it couldn’t be more breathtaking!

We’re staying at a wonderful Bed and Breakfast, right on he water, for a couple days, then heading slightly further North tomorrow.

So far, it’s pretty much been perfect. The weather, the beach, the inn…honestly couldn’t be more content right now.

The waves have not been conducive to surfing, but I don’t mind in the least. It’s been a minute since I’ve been this relaxed, and I’m just gonna soak it in!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip! Trinidad, CA.

This week the Mrs. and I are celebrating our wedding anniversary, and we decided to go somewhere we’ve never been just for the adventure of it. Our first stop, Trinidad, California is roughly 6 hrs north of home, so not too bad of a haul to get there.

We got a late start, and it was well past sundown when we arrived, so we didn’t get to see much of anything upon arrival. However, we were greeted by an astounding chorus of sea lions hooting and hollering from the shores below.

As it turns out, that was kinda the highlight of our stay.

The area is stunning and if we had time to dilly-dally, there were several places worth exploring but this was just a layover…

On to our next stop. To be continued…

The Jury has been sworn in…

And thanks to the Gods I’m not on it!

This week I was called upon to report to the Superior Court in San Jose to “perform my civic duty”. What a clown show!

I got lucky in that my week happened to be the Labor Day holiday – and you KNOW city/county/state employees DON’T work on holidays, so the week on-call was shortened to 4 days. Usually, in my county at least, they make you call in twice a day for the entire week to see IF you have to report, and this time I did.

Wednesday, I reported in and it was hours of standing in line, waiting, moving to different locations, waiting some more, then an “overview” by the judge, then he addressed the ‘hardship’ cases trying to get excused. End of day one.

Day two, actual jury selection. Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting. Lunch break. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Another break. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Finally about 4:15pm they had the jury installed and sworn in, and the rest of us were let go.

The entire thing left a bad taste in my mouth. But, it also encouraged me to keep staying “out of the system”… no way I want that place as part of my life!

I could go on and on about the dummies, the blowhards, the idiotic public defender, the scum and villains over running the place…

Not my pic, but a pretty good representation of the “people” coming to appear in court…

…the lack of manners, the lack of maturity, the lack of concern for how the citizen’s time and resources are being utilized. But, I’m trying to reduce negativity in my heart and soul, so I’ll just say again, what a clown show. A gross, monotonous clown show. Hope it’s a good long time before I have to do that again!

Have a great weekend everyone. Thanks for stopping by!

Back in the water!

Today was a monumental day- my first time back on a surfboard since December of last year! (That’s right, us crazies out here on the west coast still surf at Christmas!)

2022 has been a rough year for me health-wise. Not only did my 5-day a week gym routine go out the window, but my surfing came to a screeching halt. Over the past couple months I’ve been making strides at the gym, but still haven’t felt I had the strength for surfing.

The conditions weren’t great, but then again I’m not a great surfer, despite my passion for it. But it felt incredible just to be back in the Pacific, paddling out under squadrons of pelicans. And in the end, I did catch a nice wave and managed to get upright for a short but sweet little ride.

It was glorious. I hope to do it again tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by!

Gone Fishin’

Sunday I got to hang out with my brother-in-law and his work/fishing buddy Bill, and do some fishing out of Half Moon Bay.

B-I-L has a great boat – the Miss Jessica – and he’s an awesome waterman, so getting out on the ocean with him is a real treat, despite the 3:30am “boarding call”.

We launched at the HMB marina at 5am and headed south toward Pescadero. We didn’t have much luck for the first couple hours, then I was finally able to land a salmon, only to have it 3″ too short, so back into the sea it went…

About half an hour later, I pulled in this beauty:

I am not by any means a “fisherman”. As a kid I used to fish lakes and rivers with a couple of cousins, but by my teen years I had too many other interests and fishing fell off my to do list for decades. But I gotta say, this open water ocean fishing is a whole different level!

We first ran down to south towards Pescadero, but when things were not happening we headed north up through Pacifica, nearly to the Golden Gate Bridge. But evidently the fish had other plans for their Sunday…

Anyhow, as luck would have it, my keeper was the ONLY fish brought in that day. The irony that 3 fisherman (two with decades of experience!) could stay out on the water for 11 hours and the only fish brought in was by the noob with literally. 001% the experience of the other guys, was hilarious to me. Nonetheless, despite their arguments that I should take the whole Salmon, as it was my first ever caught, I insisted the we split it 3 ways – keeping with a long standing tradition of my BIL – so we all walked away with a nice couple Salmon steaks after a great day on the water.

These trips are a great learning experience for me, it’s almost information overload to be honest, but its awesome to have guys that know a LOT about a subject try to pass on as much information as they can, to make your experience all the better. And being on the water is always a joy for me, no matter the time of year or the conditions. To be honest, the fish is just a nice parting gift, the least important part of the day.

I think the old adage is true: the worst day of fishing beats the best day of working!

Thanks for a great day Captains Karel and Bill – it’s one I won’t soon forget!

Thanks for reading!