Life Experiences & Observations

Sit Down, Buckle Up, Hang On, and Enjoy My Blog Ride

Abundance in the Corner

Abundance in the corner hiding like a haystack needle.
The human race staring down a hair pin turning gun,
which they just don’t realize has an irremovable safety cap.

The heavens rain chocolate marble drops,
that have outer cushions to brace your mouth from the heavy pain of solidity.

The Good News Network blasts truth through an air horn,
which as always, is muffled
by the evening’s headlines.

We need to look very deep
into our inner core
for the funny bones
and the smiling serotonins.

They mime the truth into an ear that can’t hear
and into an eyeball looking through a pin hole.
This pinhole has the power to reflect amazement
that we can’t see with the naked eye.

Just one example, an eclipse.

So jump your senses into action, like a cryogenic therapy chamber.
Search for the glory of existence
in the haystack of despair.

Practice Makes Improvement and the Power of Consistency

Weekly Calendar Chalk DrawingLast night, after my blog post, I was reading through a bunch of my previous posts. I know this sounds corny, but I was actually impressed with some of my earlier work. The most impressive pieces were written in April of 2014 when I was trying to challenge myself to write a blog post everyday for a month. Coincidentally, this was also the month in which I receive the most blog views. In other words, consistency brought more viewers to my blog. Sensical?? Of course!! I also like to think that my improved writing was a factor. Looking back, there was only one month that was even close to April 2014 in terms of views. That was September of 2013, the first month I started by blog. That part seems kind of strange, especially since the first month should be the hardest to get people to view and read your posts.

Many people think that one of the keys to viewership is promoting a blog. I have not done this as of yet and my blog is like a mask that is glued to my face. I am not ready for the big reveal. Therefore, the popularity of viewed posts can’t have anything to do with promoting. All this leads me to believe that there is one additional factor outside of consistency and improvement. That factor is basically, the early hype. Not sure how this early hype can happen with an unknown blog but I kind of think of it as the “Grand Opening” affect. The grand opening brings in streams of new people to test out the new concept and then the hype just trickles away.

What does all this mean. It means I am going to try to be more consistent in my blog posts. I don’t expect you to share this with others, but if you do that would certainly make things interesting. Especially if it disproves everything I have said up to this point.

How Can I Provide Value?

00000000000 valueEverything I have been reading these days about successful companies and blogs boils down to providing value to their customers or readers. I struggle with this concept since my initial reason for this blog was to blow off steam and get things off my chest. Especially this particular blog which has always been more stream of consciousness bullshit. I guess based on this, my value is to provide entertainment to my readers while simultaneously blowing off verbal steam. But maybe my viewership and/or follower base is still small because my posts are dull. Maybe its because my posts are now sporadic and not once a week like they used to be.

Well I will let you in on a little secret… I hope to one day use blogs for my future business, but that can’t be done while I am currently employed in the corporate abyss. Once that black hole fails and ultimately spits me out rather than swallows me whole, you will get to see what I am talking about. The real value then, will flow like the Yangtze. Until that time, you will just need to settle for the entertainment train or get off at the next stop. All Aboard!!

The Super Bowl is Not So Super!

00000000000000000000 az super bowlThis year the Super Bowl is coming to my home state of Arizona. As you can imagine, there is tons of talk and media coverage about this great event, especially since it will be almost in my back yard. Well my backyard is actually in Scottsdale but you get the idea. After reading an article about how difficult it can be to get tickets, I have come to the conclusion that the Super Bowl is not so super. To start with, the face value for tickets is absurd. $800 is the cheapest ticket there is. And we are not talking lower level or even upper level near the middle. We are talking last row, upper deck, end zone.

I am not totally unrealistic. I understand this is one of the most popular sporting events in the world. The part that digs into my pores like dirt in a pimple, is how the ticket allocation goes. Both teams get a certain percentage, the NFL gets a certain percentage, each team in the NFL gets a certain percentage, and the Arizona Cardinals as the host team gets a percentage. But wait, it gets better. The hosting NFL team gets the smallest percentage. It’s our building!! I could rant much more, but what gets me the most is that the only group with access to face value tickets outside of the distribution I just described is… The Arizona Politicians!! Yes, you heard me correctly… the politicians. They are already rich and famous!! Why for the horror of a slaughtered pig skin do politicians get face value tickets. I can’t explain it except for the equation power equals privileges. As for the other ticket allocations, while you would think they would be put to good use, a large percentage ultimately get passed along to the ticket brokers so they can make millions in profits.

There you have it. The Super Bowl is not so Super. Okay, maybe for the politicians and the ticket brokers but nobody else.

A Potential Redskin’s Terminology Compromise

00000 redskinsBefore I write this blog, I must disclaim that I have no opinion to offer on the potential offensiveness of the term Redskin’s. I am not Native American so I cannot claim to know how offended each Native American is by the term. I am sure it runs the gambit from highly offensive to not at all offensive. Also, I am not a Redskin’s fan nor I am a part of the organization. As a result, I cannot claim to know how the impact of changing the name would have on each individual fan that sees the name as a timeless tradition. This too most likely runs the gambit from a change would be devastating to its not that big of deal. My only real intent of writing this blog is to offer up a solution that could potentially be a comprise that works for both parties who have a vested interest in this debate. So here goes my potential solution….

While changing the name of the team may make many Native American’s feel better and many Redskin’s fans feel worse, there has to be a scenario that is a better result for both parties. What if the Redskin’s organization were to work with some of the key leaders of the Native American population to agree to a solution that allows them to keep the name but would also benefit the Native American community. Well there potentially is… What if the Redskin’s organization agreed to give a small percentage of profits from all Redskin’s apparel sold to Native American charities? I would suggest 5%, but maybe they can come up with a figure together which works for both parties. This would allow them to keep the name and also provide some significant gains for those Native American’s that are less fortunate. It wouldn’t ultimately eliminate the offensive factor that comes with the name but maybe the Native American leaders can try to see that there could be more value in getting dollars to needy charities than just the name change. I realize that they may be able to get the name change without a compromise based on the current pressure from the media and others, including Native American’s who are offended by the name. But I also believe the long term benefit of this compromise could be much greater.

I would be curious to know if those who were offended are open to this idea. I would be curious to know if those who have a vested stake in the organization’s profits are open to this idea. Knowing how much many individuals struggle with compromise (just look at our government), my curiosity will most likely remain unresolved. It probably doesn’t help that most people don’t read my blog. Oh well, at least I know my compromise is out there for those who happen to stumble upon my blog in the internet universe.

Political Vomit

000000000000000000000 politicsIt’s that time again, and our TV airways are flooding with attack ads. How about telling us the good things about yourself rather than the bad things about your opponent. I guess they don’t teach that trick in politicking school. Also, are these bozo’s so power hungry after making millions in the private sector that they are willing to take a high profile job that is highly stressful but has a lot smaller paycheck. In case you haven’t realized, these are rhetorical questions and I am just a bit fired up. I don’t expect you to answer them.

What I wouldn’t give for Jesse Ventura about now to plant his ass in my state and run for governor. Until that happens, I will just need to find a viable ballot candidate this time from the current residents of my state. I trust Montgomery Brewster to run my state more than the candidates from the majority parties currently running. It’s a sad state of affairs when we think the only viable opinions are those from two different ends of the spectrum. Until the rest of the world realizes that the Republicans and Democrats are in cahoots together so they only have to battle one other opponent, Mickey Mouse will probably be getting plenty of votes from me. Or maybe I will just resort to “None of the Above.”

What I learned from 2 Days without a Cell Phone

00000 swimming iphoneWho knew that cell phones don’t like to swim? Well I found this out the hard way last Saturday. I actually knew that cell phones and water don’t mix but accidents do happen. On the drive over to our friends’ pool I made the stupid decision to put my cell phone in my swim trunks. I guess I just thought I would clear out my pockets before jumping in the pool. Uh… I guess not. So here are some of the things I learned from my two days without a cell phone.

1. Rice baths actually do help absorb water from within your cell phone.
2. Cell phones are amazingly resilient but not entirely indestructible.
3. iPhone’s have a tremendous number of neat accessibility options. Also known as, “How did they think of that?” options.
4. More data creates a more stress. Minds become much clearer with less information and less data clutter.
5. It’s hard to do things with something that doesn’t exactly work right but almost never impossible.

My cell phone is somewhat working with the wonders of Assistive Touch. It has served as a work around for my home button being broken. Of course now the SIM Card is messed up but that is a whole separate issue. At least it took 2 additional days before the water further whipped my phone into submission. Hopefully there is a creative Apple work around for the SIM Card not working or maybe I will just chose to eliminate my data stress.

Forget Calm, The Legend of Flappy Bird, and Wag Till Your Tail Falls Off

000 no free imageI realize that there are times that a great saying or bumper sticker comes out and folks can’t wait to stick it to their vehicles. Or maybe they end up posting it in their cube at work or wearing it on a t-shirt. Has our society become so unoriginal that people think its cool to display something that 50 million other people display. I don’t want to stay calm, I want to get tickle toed crazy! I don’t want to bark less, I want to wag so much my tail falls off. Maybe I am also following the pack by being overly cynical but that is not my intention. Does intention even matter?

Has the opinion of others become the massive anvil that can crush any individual small or large. It pains me to see one creative video game developer get so inundated with the opinion of the public to toss away $50,000 a day. When my 9 year old daughter loves the game and can regurgitate the story, you know that public pressure is out of control. Stay strong, find your voice, and don’t let the screaming public give you laryngitis. Your own little flappy bird deserves to fly free and soar for as long as it can fight the winds of death.

Nap, the Great Energizer

00000 n-for-napI am currently reading the book Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott. It is a book about not only about writing but about life. I can’t exactly read a book about writing and not actually write something. It would be like Ronaldo getting paid millions of dollars to read about how to improve his soccer game and never take to the field. Yes, I have been wrapped up in the World Cup hype and for those people who say it is boring, they can just go watch some golf and leave me alone.

If you can believe it, I have actually chosen to write about naps. At face value, they seem like a short rejuvenation at best and a complete waste of time at worst. But if you scratch and dig your way into the depths of the ground you are likely to find a pearl inside the dirty nap shell. There is a reason that most of Europe takes time after lunch to nap before heading back to the office. It’s the productivity stupid. There is a reason that after a short 20 minute snooze you feel like a completely new person ready to tackle the world. It’s the Vitamin C Power in the phrase Power Nap!

A nap truly is the Energizer bunny on crack. Ok, don’t get so technical as I am not talking about the nap itself. I am talking about the sweet juicy center that oozes upon waking. Next time you get awakened abruptly when you are having a nice little snooze, tell the distraction to go away and leave you alone. If they want energy from you, they will allow you to nap and refuel.

With that, I am off to take another nap.

Back from a Blogging Coma

00000000 awakenDamn I have been slacking. I must have been in a blog coma. When I am trying to get back on track. It has kind of been a sucky morning since I have this awful cough for about a week now and this morning it is 5:40am and I can’t sleep because of it. To make things even more fun (sarcasm), my lower back is beginning to ache because of all the coughing I am doing. Aren’t you glad I am back blogging again
(more sarcasm).

Ironically, outside of the coughing and sore back I am actually having a pretty good weekend. My daughter was in an ice skating show and she did great and it was fun to watch. The rest of the weekend has been comprised of relaxing and watching sports such as the Stanley Cup Finals, the Belmont Stakes, and baseball. Not sure what I will do today but hopefully my back pain will subside so I can go to the gym and I will most likely get a haircut.

You have to be sick by now of this stream of consciousness crap so I will end it here.