Brooklyn – Green-wood Cemetery: Minerva and the Altar to Liberty (Photo credit: wallyg)
It is not the authority of Government to protect the Individual from pain of self-infliction. Society is responsible for understanding such and nurture them to a different path.
The clamor for forced Benevolence is a ruse. Those who feel cheated, slighted and jealous use the plight of others to gain from theft. It promotes the Collective while destroying the Individual so that a few might appease their self-loathing and lack of worth. There is nothing in Creation worth more than the Individual and the Liberty for the greatest pursuit of Happiness. The most tormented Souls reside in the minds who see no worth in Themselves. The utmost evil is produced from those who disallow or destroy the worth of others. One may choose to believe they have no worth, but they have no Right to take it from another.
When an Individual realizes fully their self-worth, it will manifest as Love for Others. It pours forth from all that they are. It pains for those in pain. It cries for those in sorrow. It laughs with those in Joy. Love comes from the worth of the Individual. Love pursues Freedom for Others. Love produces Liberty. Love produces worth in Others. Love multiples in a Society of Individuals. Love dies in a Society of Collectives.
Washington may be vying on the manner of Tyranny to build to enslave the American population, but that does not mean one has to accept the cage. They may build shackles, no matter how well gilded, and the mind is free to choose how the soul will live.
One of the first steps to true daily change and freedom is showing Gratitude. Many have labeled this an “Attitude of Gratitude”. This is not some mere change or just giving an extra dollar as a tip. This is about changing your very being, your very core. There is true power in this attitude.
Start today. Take a few moments and list everything for which you are thankful. Pause. Clear your mind. And write some more. Don’t judge whether something is large or small; doesn’t matter. Write it down. Now think about all your pains being remove. Give gratitude for that. Give gratitude for your future situation. Do not dwell on what you don’t have. Assume the mindset that you have it. Now be thankful.
Everyday, review this list. Give thanks allowed for what you have. Put the thought to the Universe that you deeply desire to have more of this feeling. Desire more Gratitude. It will be provided to you.
English: David Icke, English writer and public speaker (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
David Icke. To many, he is a blabbering fool who talks nonsense about Satanic cults, a Saturn-Moon Matrix, alien reptilians from other dimensions and how pedophiles run the world. To others, he is a modern day prophet, showing the way to a new reality and starting a revolution against the world’s oppressors. Are both correct?
David Icke is most definitely anti-establishment. That should not be confused as a Communist or even Socialist. He does not believe Government is the answer for anything and large Governments are the worst. His political leanings seem more Libertarian than any other label. He doesn’t seem to have much faith in the American Constitution either. He sees the found of America as a scam pulled by the Free Masons of the Colonies. Never mind there was a very large and powerful anti-Masonic movement at the time of the founding. The National Bank was defeated twice in the early years and it did not successfully return until 1913.
David Icke is most definitely anti-religion, especially what he calls Christianity. Other than a supposed amalgamation of Isis, Ra and El to make the English word Israel, he seems to give the Hebrews a pass. He also finds no love for Islam, though he does seem to like Hinduism. His definition of Christianity is synonymous with the Catholic Church and the Church of England, both of which he labels as Satanic Saturn worship. A reading of the New Testament easily shows that neither the Catholic Church nor the Church of England bears any resemblance to Christianity, so perhaps he has these cults labeled correctly, but lumping in Christianity is far from fair.
His amalgamation of ancient languages translated into English to prove his beliefs is beyond the pale. Israel more modern. In Hebrew, name is מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל which is rendered as Medīnat Yisrā’el, not such an amalgamation anymore, is it David Icke?
His ultimate goal is Love for All. This heavily echoes the very nature of Christ’s ministry. It also echoes Mahatma Gandhi principles. Some may argue that this is a Universal message, but given David Icke’s “all religions are bullocks” stance, it is more than ironic. I do agree with Icke’s message of Love. After all, it is the message of my Lord.
It can scarce be believed that July is nearly over. It seems it was starting a mere few days ago, but alas 20 of them are already gone. August will arrive within two blinks on an eye. Four blinks and it will be Christmas. Time doesn’t fly, we do.
Over the last several weeks there were many topics going through my head. I had thought to write what the race baiters Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton had taught me, but decided against. Everyday there are tragedies. Why some are glamorized for political or personal gain is something I continue to fail to understand. It is also something I wish to never comprehend. Instead of bringing communities together to heal, they tear them apart for money and power. Trayvon Martin was a troubled soul who smoked pot and was dismissed from school twice. He cannot be replaced, but his passing could be used to provide love instead of hate.
This weekend finally saw a return to brewing, albeit with extract. As a learning to move into the pro brewing arena, this recipe will be converted to all grain for a scheduled brewing in two weeks. The idea is to compare the original extract recipe with the all grain. The recipe itself will be provided in another article. Over the next several weeks, a road map will be laid out that will lead to a brewery. It will be a long and frightful journey, but the rewards will be equally as great. My passion for brewing can no longer be contained and it must be pursued.
These electronic pages have also seen mention of workouts. June and July saw big movements in the weights and an increase in eating. Through it all, I’ve been able to get to 210 and maintain it. For a brief time, the scales tipped at 212, but the retreat from there was quite quick. August will see a change toward more core focus to increase the squat. The weight of 105 pounds is a sticking point due to poor lower back and stomach muscles. The legs are willing, but the support structure is not. Research is being conducted to find the best exercises. There is no shortage of opinion on what to do.
Shoulders, on the other hand, are responding well to the 9 week course laid out in Iron Man Magazine. The front is responding best of all, though the back section is lagging a bit. The good news hear is that the shoulder supports the arms on the bench press. August will see a few attempts at maxing the bench press during workout days. The use of declined flyes and dumbbell presses is increasing the pecs quite nicely. It is time to test the waters again.
Danica Patrick at the premiere of Baby Mama in New York City at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Recently, Kyle Petty has been telling anyone that would listen that Danica Patrick is not a race car driver. As she is a media darling and is used by NASCAR to bring in more fans, when one does not speak the orthodoxy, one must explain themselves. Kyle has explained it several times. She can go fast, she just can’t race. Give Patrick’s middle-of-the-pack average start and finishing positions, the fast portion may be in question.
Many fans wonder from where Kyle feels he can make such statements. After all, he has no championships and nowhere near the 200 wins of his father. Many state that he road the coattails of his father Richard into NASCAR. Who is he to be so critical? Who is he to question whether Danica Patrick is a racer or not?
Win one for the “takes one to know one” point of view.
Kyle Petty is qualified to speak of Danica Patrick in such ways precisely due to his lackluster record. Sure, he may never have had the best equipment like Danica does, but that is more a lame excuse. In nearly every racing serious, drivers who do well and show promise in inferior equipment will get the attention of better teams. Kyle rarely did.
Same for Danica.
She entered the IRL in 2005 racing for Rahal Letterman Racing. While not one of the top teams, they were no slouch. The team coached her into racing with the “big boys” when open wheel racing in America was still split due to Tony George’s ego. This left a wide talent gap in the IRL and Danica was promoted into it. During her first two seasons, she showed much promise. She lead the Indy 500. She was a buzz. This lady may finally break through the barrier that others like Lyn St. James and Sarah Fisher could not. The world may finally have a good female racer in open wheel. But she never won and the questions started.
Finally, on April 30, 2008, Danica finally did it. On a rain shortened and fuel starved race, Danica passed Helio Castroneves when his car sputtered for fuel with two laps to go. She went on to win over him by nearly 6 seconds. The monkey was finally off her back.
She would never win again.
Despite being with a good team and have good equipment, Danica never again stood on the top podium. Her popularity, however, increased and eventually GoDaddy came a knocking. The media machine has been in overdrive ever since.
It cannot be overlooked though, that no matter which series. No matter IRL. No matter NASCAR Nationwide. No matter NASCAR Spring Cup. Danica Patrick has never shown the killer instinct that makes for a good race car driver. She has lots of talent, but none for getting the feel of the car. She will gripe and complain that the car is too loose or pushes too much. The team will adjust it. Then she will complain it is too slow. On the radio, she is 100% in complaint mode. She does not seem to have the desire to learn. Nor does she have the time with the commercials and personal appearances her sponsor requires.
Danica Patrick may get lucky one year and win another economy race, but in NASCAR those kind of races are extremely rare. She’s a middle-of-the-packer, just like Kyle Petty. He can speak to this, since he is one of them. He can speak about Danica not being a racer, as he is the same.
The other day a friend of mine asked me, “If you are so good at SEO, how come when I search for Nikki Dial, I don’t find your blog? I have to put the actual title into Google before I get anything. What kind of SEO expert are you? After, you made a big deal about searching for Edwina Marquand. Hell you even made a video. What’s up?”
I had to explain a few things to him. First off, Nikki Dial is far more popular and known that my former classmate Edwina Marquand. I could probably put Nikki Dial’s name in every sentence and still not score very well for search engine optimization for Google or Bing. Not only is there a great amount of content with Nikki Dial, many of those sites have much higher traffic than I do, so they will also score higher. Not to mention, the algorithms are in constant change. Therefore, a site that scores well one day, may not the next.
He continued, “So? You say you are some sort of damned marketing genius, sell shit and stuff. And what’s with the title ‘My Date With Nikki Dial‘? You hoping she reads it and wants frak or something? Like that’s gonna happen!”
I know the likelihood of Nikki Dial, or Edwina Marquand for that matter, ever reading my blog is small. After all, there are many fan sites with images and homages to Nikki. This site is about me and what goes on in my head. Sometimes I write about Simon Sinek. Other times I may write about Seth Godin or Andrew Cass. Yes, many posts are created to bring in readers, but it is mostly about me. Lately that has meant posting about fitness, my workouts and recipes. Other times it is about beer. Hell, I’ve even posted about anal sex. Whatevers.
Sure, I would be flattered if Nikki Dial did read my blog. I’d probably faint if she sent me an e-mail. Yes, I’d like to meet her some day. After all, she is a gorgeous little thing. Yes, one might even say I am a fan. But I’m not obsessive. I will not lose sleep if Nikki never sees it. This blog is about me and what I’m doing.
“Oh,” he said. “I get it. You want to do her. And maybe this Edwina chic.”
American pornographic actress Nikki Dial at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo and Consumer Electronics Show 2002 in Las Vegas, Nevada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It was a dream like no other. Well, ok, like others, but different. I was in Las Vegas with my wife for an anniversary. We were walking in town, seeing the sites, the tourist thing. A woman about 5’1″ walked by. She was a few years younger than myself and quite beautiful. In the back of my mind, she was familiar.
I walked a few steps more. I turned to my wife and said, “I think I know her.” The name came from the backs of my mind. Nikki Dial.
I turned around. “Nikki?” I asked. She stopped. She turned around. “Yes. Do I know you?” Oh that smile.
No, she didn’t know me, though I told her I was a fan. Back in the day. I introduced myself and my wife. She was on her way back to her hotel from a convention. Yes, one of those kind of convention. She had been signing autographs, but as her day was years ago, few remember her. We spoke for a bit.
Hey, it’s a dream, so weird things happen. Tomorrow we are going to see Hover Dam. We invite her. She accepts. Awesome.
The dream continues with the next day at breakfast. We met up. Eat. Chat. And catch the tour bus. There’s more chatting. Laughter. My wife and her chat and giggle. They even model some for me, though somewhat mockingly. My wife explains how Plexus helped her lose 20 pounds. Then she finally listened to me and joined the gym, doing the exercises I tell her. Now she’s back down to a size 6 like she was 11 years ago.
There’s more laughing. I’m by myself, taking pictures as I am want to do. The Nikon D7000 is clicking away. That afternoon we are hiking together in the high desert. Well, it might be the next day. Who knows? Who cares? It’s Nikki Dial and my wife. They’re talking, getting along. Nikki poses more for me. No, not those kinds of photos. Real modeling. Sometimes more candid, slightly touristic photos. Others are more serious. Some are artistic. Oh what a day.
My body senses time is running out. There’s a request for a kiss. Not from me. It’s from Nikki. The bathroom scene from The Matrix flashes across. I can hear Monica Bellucci as Persephone telling Neo not like that. Like you kiss her. I kiss Nikki again, putting all the passion I have for my wife into it. She’s short. Her knees give out and I have to hold her up. She steps back. Wow.
She turns to my wife and says “I see why you held on to this one.” She turns back to me and smiles. Oh my, that gorgeous smile.
In the summer of 1979, the Army moved us from Seymour, Tennessee to Fort Belvoir, Virginia. After all, my father had made the Majors list and was in a Captain’s position. He was also in the Army Corp of Engineers and Fort Belvoir was their headquarters location at the time. This was my father’s third tour at Belvoir.
Most of the summer was spent trying to sell our house on Eldorado Circle in Seymour. The school year was starting to approach quickly and my mom, my brother and I still lived in Tennessee, while dad was getting settled into his new assignment. After having listed the house with a real estate agent, my parent’s decided to sell my owner. My grandfather made a sign and we put it in the front yard. Yes, the summer was interesting. Eventually, the Simpsons bought the house (No, not Homer and Marge).
The move to Fort Belvoir was like moving into a place both familiar and foreign. I have lived there in the early 70’s, though my memory of such was no longer in my head. After two weeks in visiting officers housing, we finally had a house on 21st Street. Today a search for T-436 21st Street will not reveal a house. Seems the house built in 1913 has been replaced at taxpayer expense. Oh well.
I was going into the 6th grade in 1979. My brother and I would for one year attend the same school: Markham Elementary. This would be the first year I would play the viola and the first time I would meet Edwina Marquand.
Along with horses, Edwina Marquand had a bit of a thing for me. Though I liked girls, I became too enamored with Keleigh Linn to fully notice. Edwina and Aileen were one of two sets of twins in my 6th grade class. On a side note, I believe Keleigh Linn Sylvester on FaceBook is the “other woman”.
Anyway, in 7th grade, though both Edwina and I went to Hayfield Intermediate School in Alexandria, Virginia, we did have any classes together. From time to time, I’d see her in the hallway and say hi. Yes, I liked her too by then, but time was not on my side.
One day in the summer of 1981, my father came home to inform us we were moving to Fort Ritchie, Maryland. My parents had been looking at possibly buying a house outside the DC area, but now that was off. The Army had a pressing need for my dad’s expertise as the Facilities Engineer in the mountains of Maryland. One weekend we drove up for a visit and a few weeks later we had moved.
All contact with Edwina Marquand were now broken. When I get nestalgic for finding former classmates, I do Google searches for her. Via Intelius, I have found an Edwina Marquand with past addresses at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. She is the right age, could it be her? I’ve no idea.
So Edwina, I’m putting the search out to the Universe. After all, I finally connected back with Leo, I mean Alex Fleig on Facebook. I found Glenneth’s blog site and even came across Tracy Janner via MySpace and then Facebook. I know it is possible to reconnect, go through the “what have you been doing all these years stage” and the, most likely, go about our merry lives.
Keleigh in Black and White (Photo credit: BrainMuffin)
Several months ago my daughter started taking modeling classes. Not long ago she had her first photo shoot with their photographer. Afterward she told me I should make a portfolio and offer my services. Though I’ve been taking pictures since the late 1970’s, I’ve never pursued it as a professional. The true pros laugh at my Nikon cameras (D80 & D7000) as not “pro” cameras. I have seen what they produce and consider myself better than most.
My daughter agrees. After all, I’m not so creepy. I do like to take photos and am getting better at taking them of people. I do use manual mode quite often. And I do have a passion for photography. At least as a hobby, but as a profession?? Too scared.
Last month while in Phoenix, Arizona attending a Marketing and IT conference, I met the owners and founders of VForce. Sure, we talked shop, but we also talked about us. A item that became apparent to them is my passion for beer. I love developing recipes and having my friends try my home brew results. With the smallest of exceptions, my beers are as good as any craft beer that can be purchased in the store. Two of them told me I should really consider following my passion: beer.
For some time now I’ve been wondering which passion to follow and how to do so. Ever since my first encounter with computers I’ve had a passion for creating programs. My mother instilled in me talents for cooking, though it took me years to develop an outlet for my passion to cook resulting in eatable food. Discovering beer making spoke to my cooking passion, wanting to create and enjoyment of good beer. Photography allows me to be creative in capturing what my mind sees. In all avenues I’ve experimented from the start. Sometimes the food had to be dumped. Sometimes the roll of film was wasted. But most was success.
About 14 years ago I developed another passion. I truly love to help people discover their true talents and learn to express themselves through it. I yearn to watch people grow and blossom before my eyes. When I lived in Marion, Ohio I walked people through the results of their gifts test and helped them plug into the right groups to grow them. People found their place in the church and found a purpose to their service. My purpose was to help others find theirs. It was great. I ran.
Five years ago I switched from full time development to management. I still yearn to help people grow. I still want them to find their passion and pursue it. I still want to help. I still need to help. Now my passions are crossing paths.
Tonight at our yearly company meeting I learned something about a coworker I didn’t know. Her husband is a brewer and is looking to start his own brewery. He is meeting with perspective backers. Again beer has crossed my path. Again a passion is calling. I have no idea how I should respond. I know I cannot back him financially. I know I cannot leave my current position. I also know I cannot neglect my other passions to pursue only one.
So, I write. Why? Because it is another passion of mine. Somewhere in all this is a way to mix all my passions and still make a living. Somewhere in the stillness of these many streams is the answer. Somewhere. I need to be quiet and listen. Then be ready to move.
The Apple II Computer on display at the Museum Of The Moving Image in New York City. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
As an introvert, I grew up loving books. In the summer of 1979, I moved to Fort Belvoir, Virginia from Seymour, Tennessee. My father was in the Army in the Corp of Engineers and Uncle Sam decided he should takeover managing the construction project at Blue Plains. He was attached to the Capitol Area Office of the Baltimore Engineers, so we lived at Fort Belvoir on 21st Street (yeah, the Army can really pick great street names, can’t they??).
There my brother met David Panzer. He showed us both the great library on the Fort and my passion for reading was fed in overdrive. I would check out 12 books at a time and read them in a week. I loved the Hardy Boys books and soon moved on other mystery books such as Encyclopedia Brown. It would not be long before J. R. R. Tolkein would enter my life in the form of The Hobbit.
During the second half of my sixth grade year, I took an elective on book writing. It was taught by a wife of an Army officer who had written a children’s book about living in the African bush. She taught up about form and how to submit transcripts to publishers. My vivid imagination had an outlet. Over the next few years, I wrote about space battles and far off planets. I invented military ranks and battle plans. I wrote a short story about an invasion of Washington, DC. I used real maps to determine paths and defenses. We had no television, so reading and writing was what I did. (I also played against myself in Risk, but that’s another tale.)
Before I started 8th grade, Uncle Sam decided it was time to move us again. This time we packed up and moved to Fort Ritchie, Maryland where my father became the Facilities Engineer. Our first question was naturally, “Where is Fort Ritchie?” Nestled in the Mountains of Maryland in Cascade, it was a picturesque and quiet post. The perfect place for my imagination to grow. And grow it did. The plans became more elaborate. I started to create my own alphabets. One day, it all changed.
It was near the end of my 8th grade year. I was walking through the school library when I saw some of my fellow students using a computer hooked to a television. They were making a shape move across the screen. A Realistic cassette tap recorder from Radio Shack was connected for long term storage of programs (yes, recorded to cassette tapes as noise. so old school). The computer was an Apple ][. It was magical.
I watched and tried to learn. I pestered my fellow students for the syntax to AppleSoft BASIC. I had to know more. The library had little. There were programs and skills tests in our Algebra textbook, so I tried them. Soon I could write a program for any of the skills tests, even if we had not yet covered the math behind it yet. It was a whole new world.
Where the Apple ][ would take me I would learn over the coming years.
