A Better Life

So this weekend was planned with some trepidation. It seemed simple enough. I was going to visit my parents at their home in my home town. I would be taking my mother grocery shopping and then I was to plow up a good bit of their yard (their house sits on about an acre of land). So no problem right? Not so much. First of all I took off work Friday so I would plenty of time to do what I needed to do and make it back home Saturday night to see my girlfriend who is amazingly understanding about me having to visit my parents. So, just to get things going I leave early on Thursday because it is always hectic getting everything around for a longer stay with my parents. Should I take just the laptop, laptop and 24" monitor or ditch the laptop and take my Mac Pro which is heavy, bulky but so much more fun than my PC laptop (Windows 7 is not my favorite by any means). So, being tired from the craziness of work and after work activities I just grabbed the laptop, some clothes, a couple of b...

Waking up every morning brings a whole new opportunity for experience both good and not so good. Sometimes a simple email can make or break a day but it usually takes more than any one single event. It is the culmination of a whole bunch of events coming together to make the perfect day or perfect storm as the case may be. So, what does a perfect day look like, well usually it starts with a dream I wake up from which was life affirming or otherwise positive. My drive to work would have been surprisingly smooth, there would be no messages left on voice mail and everything at work will be business as usual. Now, a perfect storm is quite different. I will have probably received an email reminding me of some money I must pay. When I get to work I will have a voice mail from my ex-wife telling some particular story to get more money or one of the debtors for which she is responsible demanding payment, the drive in to work would have been peppered with one delay or another (usually several) ...

Once again Apple, Inc. has blessed us with an upgrade to the software that drives our bright shiny Macintoshes. The computer that sets us apart from the drones and their Microsoft ladened devices. Oh what a special group we are. Limited viruses, great software and a legacy of “Think Different”. Everything is wonderful until we upgrade our software and some key piece of hardware or software refuses to work as before. In my case it was my MBox Pro from Avid . This amazing audio interface has worked flawlessly since I bought it that is until I upgraded to Lion when it became available. Nothing ruins a day more than for something to quit working. Working with my Mac Pro in the past has been a joy. I looked forward to each new revision of the OS X software (I have been using it since the first public beta). So, was this release a fluke or can we all look forward to other incompatibilities in our future? Hopefully Apple will work closely with 3rd party vendors so these nightmares ...

There are times when it is good to be anonymous, a blank face among the masses. Sometimes you just don’t want people to know who you are, where you are or even how you are. You just want to be left alone. Case in point, you go through a horrendous divorce. The ex will not stop bothering you so what do you do? First, I recommend as it was recommended to me, get a post office box to retrieve your mail. These can be had relatively cheaply. It buys you two main things, one it gives you the opportunity to let them and everyone else know how to reach you and two, it gives you the opportunity to live a million miles away from the location you share with everyone else. In my particular situation, it was imperative that my home location be regarded as a well kept secret. When someone says I need to send you something you give them the post office box which can be located many, many miles away from home base. Your home stays tranquil without the bother of the drop in and you have provided them a...

Just started using WinJournal from Mariner Software. I have used MacJournal off and on from this same company with mixed feelings but when they offered both for a very reasonable price I couldn't pass up the opportunity. As with any new software it takes time to adjust to the new tool set and bring in your own ideas. Linking to established blogs is relatively painless and does bring in existing posts fairly easily. The Macintosh variant seems to be more refined but overall I believe it is a solid tool for keeping a journal, whether published on a blog or secured on a laptop.

Is there anything more comforting, satisfying or life affirming than a home cooked meal?  My answer would be no.  When I think back to the most cherished memories of my childhood it usually, not always but usually involves food.  I believe all major holidays involve a copious amounts of food of varying varieties for a reason.  We come together as a family around a dinner table to share and celebrate but also to remember. For me nothing personifies this spirit more than Thanksgiving.  Think about it, what other holiday epitomizes the sheer celebration of food, family, friends without a gift giving opportunity in sight.  I know that Thanksgiving is to give thanks for our country's heritage and a peaceful coexistence between the Native Americans and the visitors from across the Atlantic Ocean but in my family it was a time of reunion around some of the best dishes I could ever imagine.  My mind goes back to my childhood with my mother, grandmother and any aunts that happened by all w...

While watching Hard Rock Calling 2011 I was struck how timeless songs feel a little less timeless when the artists themselves are not so timeless.  A little breathiness here, a little pause there and a note or two off pitch can send one into a deep sense of regret and just a little remorse. Back in the day it didn’t seem they would never get old but now 30 odd years later it is oh so apparent that the time has come to realize nothing is forever and these artists might be better served taking a break and stepping down into a well deserved retirement.  Personally I blame music videos and the internet.  Video’s do add to the illusion of timelessness because any time you want to relive these artists in their hay day all you have to do is a simple search on the internet and voila! there you are back in 1982 and they just seem to never age.  It doesn’t seem fair since every time we look in a mirror we are brutally reminded of how the years have ravaged our bodies with not...

Recently I progressed from having a wife to a girlfriend who has now come close to being a significant other.  What is the difference? First, I must say that on the surface the difference would seem to be a level of commitment but to be honest my commitment to my girlfriend is much stronger than I was ever committed to my wife.  No, I believe it has to do with expectations and realizations.  When one is married, there is a moral imperative and a legal obligation to provide for and devote ones self and resources to the spouse.  In the girlfriend scenario, I believe the commitment is more personal and voluntary since there are no laws governing the separation of property if things go awry. If you split up with a girlfriend it is just between you to divvy up any common assets.  No lawyers, judges or courts.  Just two people going their own separate ways.  Why can't our divorces be so civil?  Is the level of commitment really enhanced by the intervention of a legal system?  In my exper...