Life Experiences & Observations

May 19, 2014

When the Only View is YOU!

I am not sure which is worse, no views on my blog or the only view being me. When writing becomes your only therapist it doesn’t really matter now does it? I read all these stories about bloggers or twitterers (yes I made that up) who just started writing and before they knew it they were literary Gods. Do I expect to ever get there… Hell No! But 100 followers would feel pretty good. Hey, I might even be almost half way there. I try not to check the stats incessantly like halitosis man brushes his teeth. That being said, we could all use a literary hug once in awhile.

So if you don’t want to like this blog or follow it, at least click on the link below instead for a free hug of your own. I have no affiliation whatsoever, except that I have watched it once before myself. If nothing else, it should make you smile.

Free Hugs click HERE

See you next post!!

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May 16, 2014

Goose Bump Songs

Music has always meant a lot to me. Growing up in Minneapolis, our summer baby sitter always had music in the back ground playing on the radio. This was just before the turn of the decade towards 1980. Then in Junior High I decided to take up the guitar and was even part of a pretty successful rock band. While the band ultimately dissolved when I moved from Minnesota to Arizona, the music stayed with me like the blood in my veins. This afternoon I was thinking about all the really emotional songs that give me goose bumps. While the list could be very long, I will only share a few (in no particular order).

1. Dust in the Wind – Kansas. This has always seemed to be on the top of my list. Mostly because I am an existentialist by nature and really relate to the song’s meaning. It doesn’t hurt that Kansas always seems to sing it drooling with emotion.

2. Me and a Gun – Tori Amos. I remember seeing her in a concert in Eugene in a very small venue with about 300 people. This was before she got really big in the states. When she sang this song with nothing but her voice all three hundred people were blown away and there was not a dry eye in the crowd.

3. Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen. This is one of those songs that was amazingly written but almost seems a little better when sung by other musicians. It has obviously spoke to more artists that I can even think to remember. It speaks volumes to the song’s brilliance. Very few professional musicians can sing this song without tear dripping emotion. John Kale’s seems like the most classic cover so that is the one I have included in the link.

4. Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. This is one of those songs that is great on its own merit but when it is sung by IZ it’s unbearably touching. He brings it to an emotional pinnacle that’s so magical I can’t even begin to understand how he does it.

5. Angie – The Rolling Stones. Funny enough I actually rediscovered this song after hearing Tori Amos’ cover years ago. I still love the original and have included it here.

I could go on and on, and after I post this I am sure I will think of others that are just as good if not better. If you feel so inclined, leave a comment about your Goose Bump Songs.

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May 15, 2014

Whack-A-Backpain

My back pain these days is like a painful game of Whac-A-Mole. You know that classic physical hammer game where a plastic mole jumps up as you try and bonk it on the head before it goes down and the next one pops back up. Well that is the way my back pain has been the last few months. The middle of my back hurts and then I whack that pain away, and then my upper back hurts and I whack that pain away, and then my lower back hurts and I try and whack that mole away.

Today the lower pain mole has reared his ugly head and I have yet to whack him into submission. Thanks to The Google, I have learned some quick exercises to specifically to help rectify lower back pain. That and some merry go round ice and hot pack therapy will hopefully whip me back into shape in no time. Or just in time for the next mole to arise.

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May 6, 2014

Back on the Blog Train – The Amazing World of Kickstarter

After a well deserved hiatus its back down to business. As hard as it was to blog everyday I did miss it during my short blogging break and I am happy to be back at it.

Just yesterday evening I was browsing Kickstarter because of my previous Facebook like of a completely recyclable shoe called ReKixx. I started perusing other Kickstarter offering campaigns and was completely blown away by the creativity. From Cella, to Soylent, to the Little Free Library, to Lix I was drawn in and wanting to buy one of everything. It used to be that inventors worked to create something in their dark basements, produce a bunch of them, and hope they would sell. Now inventions are thought up and put out there to see if somebody would buy them and hope they can be created if the demand is there. The world of innovation has exploded far beyond the box.

Kickstarter has shown the power of crowdsourcing to drive new ideas and concretize them into a creatable commodity. I just wish I had more money and space in my house to buy everything that sounded interesting. I don’t and it would be counter intuitive anyway to my efforts to simplify my life. But it’s neat to read through the dreams and inventions of others. Maybe one day I will be kickstarting something of my own.

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April 30, 2014

The Grand Finale – Prizes Involved

I made it!! The last post of my April Blog-A-Thon! Through blood, sweat, and tears, I persevered. And there truly were tears considering I have spent 5 of the last 6 days visiting my Dad in the hospital. I am happy to report that he went home today. To all my supporters who are currently following me I can’t thank you enough. Whether you joined months ago or joined yesterday, I appreciate you listening to my stream of consciousness rambling. And as a result, I want to give back.

So here is the deal. I want to reward both my current followers and my soon to be new followers. To do so, I am going to give away 3 copies of one of my 4 favorite motivational books that I have read over the past year. Three books in total not three of each. I don’t love you that much… at least not yet. The three books are as follows:

1. The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau
2. The Power of Less by Leo Babauta
3. Career Renegade by Jonathan Fields
4. Choose Yourself by James Altucher

I will randomly choose 1 of my current 46 followers. If you are already following my blog you already qualify to be in the random drawing. If you are not following my blog, then following it today through the last day in May will allow you to qualify. I will randomly choose 2 winners from today through May. I will do my best to contact you through the details based on your current follower profile. If I am unable to contact you I will ask you to contact me on one of my future blogs. I will pull the current follower winner later this week. I will pull the other two winners the first week in June.

Once I contact you I will need you to only provide two details.

1. Your Address
2. Which book you want

I promise not to use or publish your address for any other purpose except to mail your book. Thanks again everyone and good luck with the prize contest. While I may not continue blogging everyday, you will definitely see at least two blogs a week from me.

It has been a blast and will continue to be. Don’t get off the ride just yet. Sit Down, Buckle Up, Hang On, and Enjoy My Blog Ride!!

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April 29, 2014

The TRUE 2nd to Last Post – Valuing Time

This time yesterday I was so delirious I couldn’t even count. I thought it was Tuesday and was my second to last post of my April blog-a-thon. Well this post is my TRUE second to last post. Now that I am easing back into my normal routine, with my Dad scheduled to be released from the hospital tomorrow, I am seeing things with a new light. This has happened to me before and when I think about it I get sad since this feeling ultimately fades away. The feeling that life is short and you need to enjoy every minute. The feeling that life’s inconveniences and frustrations in the long run don’t really matter. The understanding that the only minute that matters is the minute you are living currently. So how do I keep this understanding of life’s most precious commodity which everybody knows is time? I will come back to that. You have probably heard others state this about time and it is actually somewhat false. The most precious commodity, at least for a human being, is air. You can’t experience the passing of time without air. Essentially, air is the most precious commodity but time is the second most precious commodity.

Well I have found the answer to consistently value both time and air. That answer is meditation. I am still working on meditating more regularly but I am not there yet. Once I do get there though, I feel like I will truly value life’s two most precious commodities. If you have yet to try meditation, I encourage you to do so. There are hundreds of different resources to learn how but too many to mention here. I will default to one of the best bloggers in the world who I highly admire… Leo Babauta. Click HERE to access his meditation for beginners which details 20 tips for quieting the mind. You will be happy you did. Meditation uses the breath, also known as air, to appreciate the present moment. Two precious gifts rolled into one. Am I getting too hippie fru fru for you? If so, just skip it and go about your stressful, time draining life. As harsh as that sounds I will not judge you if choose that path. I have chosen it before myself and been stuck there. But when you feel like you have hit rock bottom and can barely breath due to the stress and anxiety; come back to this post. Better yet, go to Leo Babauta’s Zen Habits blog. I have been at rock bottom before and know this helps.

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April 28, 2014

The Courtesy Blog

This is the 2nd to last post for my April blog-a-thon. While I have technically failed (look back at my “Missed it By That Much” post), I am going to finish this sucker out. I really don’t have much energy left and this time is not due to the blog-a-thon difficulty. I have basically been living my life, the last few days, between home and the hospital with my Dad. He is improving but there have been some complications that will likely extended his stay. I have not been to work since Thursday of last week and tomorrow will be my first day back. Hopefully by tomorrow I will have some grand finale to share as my last blog ends the month of April. Stay tuned as I crawl my way to the finish line.

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April 27, 2014

Gut Wrenching Emotions

Feel and accept fear through soft belly meditation
The pain of an arterial episode is transformed into body shivers and boxing glove swollen hands
Will tomorrow bring the right reading for the right levels
Or will the fear slam the meditation like a gut wrenching sucker punch

Sleep is slowly crawling away and escaping me like a snail dressed in camouflage
Food shards slice my stomach, no blandness seems to dull the blade

Media box distractions, tank of sharks and minutes of 60
Writings become the impossible as words fail to capture the Hiroshima emotions
6 Million gone and remembered while I am a screaming dust speck that hopes to matter
Grasp deep for a positive outlet, its my skin of innateness

Can’t write no more
Can’t think no more
Can’t sleep no more
Can’t eat no more

Can continue to sit here doing absolutely nothing.

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April 26, 2014

Life Appreciation Elixir – 15 Movies to Motivate

In times of struggle and hardship I tend to gravitate to watching movies about death which inspire me to cherish life. For most people that are going through tough times, they try to avoid any items or things that remind them of negativity. That’s just not me. One time in an interview for a position at the Multiple Sclerosis Society, I was asked “What is the one thing that motivates you the most?” My answer, which I was hesitant to reveal, was death. They admitted to me right then and there that it was the most profound answer they had ever heard. I am not trying to brag, its just what happened and shows the true motivating factor that death can provide. Just ask the departed Steve Jobs.

Last night after waking up from my early evening nap, I decided to finish watching the movie “The Bucket List.” I had started it earlier in the day and really wanted to finish it despite it being 27 minutes past midnight. Of course I first had to finish my blog which had me admitting failure of accomplishing my April blog-a-thon goal. I have seen the move multiple times and to this day it is one of my favorites and always seems to make me cry. I cling to this movie in the face of troubled times like a security blanket. Below is a list of 15 of my favorite movies I like to watch when I need a little does of life appreciation elixir.

Beaches
American Beauty
The Bucket List
Schindler’s List
The Doctor
Mr. Holland’s Opus
The Pursuit of Happyness
Dead Poet’s Society
The Shawshank Redemption
Good Will Hunting
My Life
Grand Canyon
Pay it Forward
Rudy
Life is Beautiful

I could include links or descriptions for the movies above but if you have not already heard of them you are just going to have to discover them for yourself. After all, isn’t that why they invented Google? So next time you having difficulty appreciating the preciousness of life, trying watching one of the movies above. It may just light a flame of motivation underneath your ass. What are you still reading for? Life is short, stop reading and start doing!

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April 26, 2014

Missed it By That Much

So here I am at the computer after falling asleep on the couch while watching the baseball game. It’s 27 minutes passed midnight and I have technically failed my April blog-a-thon. And I was doing so well and was getting so close to the end. Some would say it’s close enough but for me I feel that would be cheating. Will I finish out the month anyway?? Absolutely! A combination of my Dad having surgery today (which went fine), and me having one too many Gin & Tonic’s this evening caused my body to be just too tired to make it. To my faithful readers, all 38 followers I believe at this point, I apologize for letting you down. I still feel I have gained a lot from this experience and maybe even became a better writer along the way. Sad but sleepy, that’s all I have for this evening or this morning I should say.

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