Greetings Folks,
I know it's been a very, very long time since I've posted here and for that I apologize. I'm writing now to let you all know that I'm putting this blog "to rest" indefinitely and I intend for this to be my last post here.
If you ever found any value in my previous writings and wish to follow along on my new adventure you can find my new site here.
It's a temporary address set up until I get my new domain hooked up to the new site, but until that happens I do still plan to be more up to date than this page has become.
I thank you all for your support - especially you Mojave Rat - and comments, etc. and I hope that you will come spend a little time with me at my new place. My new site will be focused on home and life safety, emergency planning, DIY projects and a bit of philosophy thrown in for good measure. It will take some time to get it ramped up but I will eventually be including podcasts and some video content as well.
Looking forward to seeing you all again!
Best wishes and as always, thanks for reading!
~J
Monday, May 23, 2016
Saturday, May 17, 2014
As you head off to the voting booth...
... remember these words of wisdom:
The men the American public admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.
H. L. Mencken
US editor (1880 - 1956)
Seems as true today, if not more so, than when these words were first written.
Thanks for reading, ~JL
US editor (1880 - 1956)
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Wow, that was fast!
Greetings Friends,
It's hard to believe it's been nearly a year since my last post! This time last year I was heading into the great unknown; starting a new job, becoming a "commuter" for the first time in a decade, and taking time to re-assess my life and the direction in which I wish to take it. It seems to me that the last year has passed in the blink of an eye.
I decided at the start of the new gig, that I would put all my outside interests on hold so I could fully concentrate on the task at hand. I stopped writing (and reading) blogs, stopped playing music, didn't plant a garden... Essentially anything that wasn't directly related to work or family went on the back burner. What I discovered in the course of this exercise is the old adage "All work and no play makes (A Different Drummer) a dull boy" rings true. While I've been busier than any time in recent memory, good grief, have I been bored! While I'm thankful for my growth as a "professional" over the last year, being a professional was never goal of mine and quite frankly, it's over-rated. Sure, it's something I CAN do and I've been climbing the ladder because I'm GOOD at what I do, but I have no love for it. My job isn't WHO I am, in fact it's generally at odds with how I want to live my life.
I often "preach" to my staff and colleagues about the importance of work/life balance and more often than not it falls on deaf ears. I guess a lot of people derive their self-worth from their job, which is a concept that I can't grasp. How does one feel great about themselves for spending 12-14 hours a day at work when they haven't seen their spouse or spent time with their kids or done ANYTHING to re-charge themselves - whether physically, mentally or spiritually? Do they not see themselves on the giant rat-wheel, just running and running with no end point, no goal, no destination? Running for the sake of running? I don't get it. Never have. That isn't living by any stretch of the imagination.
So here I am, back again, with renewed focus and dedication to return to the Land of the Living. My spring garden is half planted, I've been tuning back in to music for some inspiration, and I am determined to live my life for me and mine. Not a paycheck, not some over-developed sense of self-importance because of my "position", and sure-as-hell NOT to keep up with the Jones'. I figure if I'm lucky I've got another 30 years on this rotating ball of gas and it's finally time to spend it as I see fit, not to do what is simply expected of me.
We only live once, right? Make it count, people!
As always, thanks for reading! Until next time,
~JL
It's hard to believe it's been nearly a year since my last post! This time last year I was heading into the great unknown; starting a new job, becoming a "commuter" for the first time in a decade, and taking time to re-assess my life and the direction in which I wish to take it. It seems to me that the last year has passed in the blink of an eye.
I decided at the start of the new gig, that I would put all my outside interests on hold so I could fully concentrate on the task at hand. I stopped writing (and reading) blogs, stopped playing music, didn't plant a garden... Essentially anything that wasn't directly related to work or family went on the back burner. What I discovered in the course of this exercise is the old adage "All work and no play makes (A Different Drummer) a dull boy" rings true. While I've been busier than any time in recent memory, good grief, have I been bored! While I'm thankful for my growth as a "professional" over the last year, being a professional was never goal of mine and quite frankly, it's over-rated. Sure, it's something I CAN do and I've been climbing the ladder because I'm GOOD at what I do, but I have no love for it. My job isn't WHO I am, in fact it's generally at odds with how I want to live my life.
I often "preach" to my staff and colleagues about the importance of work/life balance and more often than not it falls on deaf ears. I guess a lot of people derive their self-worth from their job, which is a concept that I can't grasp. How does one feel great about themselves for spending 12-14 hours a day at work when they haven't seen their spouse or spent time with their kids or done ANYTHING to re-charge themselves - whether physically, mentally or spiritually? Do they not see themselves on the giant rat-wheel, just running and running with no end point, no goal, no destination? Running for the sake of running? I don't get it. Never have. That isn't living by any stretch of the imagination.
So here I am, back again, with renewed focus and dedication to return to the Land of the Living. My spring garden is half planted, I've been tuning back in to music for some inspiration, and I am determined to live my life for me and mine. Not a paycheck, not some over-developed sense of self-importance because of my "position", and sure-as-hell NOT to keep up with the Jones'. I figure if I'm lucky I've got another 30 years on this rotating ball of gas and it's finally time to spend it as I see fit, not to do what is simply expected of me.
We only live once, right? Make it count, people!
As always, thanks for reading! Until next time,
~JL
Monday, April 22, 2013
A fresh start
Today I start a new job. I was with my last employer for 6 years and one day, of which the last four years were miserable. Being miserable at work takes a serious toll on one's life as I found out. I have a good feeling about this new place and hope to put the days of misery behind me! I know there will always be "bad days" at any job, but when bad days are the norm and good days are shocking because they are so rare, it's time to move on.
Wish me luck!
Thanks for reading and I hope I'll soon be in a better head space to start writing again!
~J
Wish me luck!
Thanks for reading and I hope I'll soon be in a better head space to start writing again!
~J
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Listening down Memory Lane
Ever since I was a little kid, literally as far back as I can remember, music has had a profound effect on me. So today, just for kicks, I thought I'd post up some of my favorite tunes going all the way back to the stuff I was hearing on the ol' AM radio in my parent's VW squareback, up through what I'm digging today. Hope you enjoy!
1960's
1970's
1980's
1990's
2000's
2010's
1960's
1970's
1980's
1990's
2000's
2010's
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Who is in charge here?
It's a common idea that the President, and for that matter, Congress are all "puppets" and they are simply going through the motions, and doing the bidding of their "masters". I'm not just talking about Obama here, this goes back as far as I have been aware of politics, which for me is the early 1980's.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately as there has been so much blathering on lately about the "Liberal Agenda" and all the rallying cries around gun control. The implication being that somewhere, some group of unspeakably evil men are sitting around hatching plans to "Destroy America".
Now, don't get me wrong, I truly believe that things are REALLY messed up here. This is not the America I grew up in. This is not the America I was always proud of. It is a god-awful mess and nobody seems to have clue as to what to do about it.
But again, the very idea of some small group of men (And surely they are men, right? And probably white men too? For what is more evil than a white man?) controlling this great nation and influencing the entire world by extension, seems ludicrous to me.
So, who are these mystery men? Don't give me "bankers" or "look up Agenda 21" or "oil companies" - I want names. Who is really controlling the U.S. government and how do we know? What proof is there? If all you have are conspiricy theories, then you don't have shit. Where is the proof?
Personally, I think our problems come around because of two different reasons. Number one, politicians by and large have HUGE egos and they think all their ideas are brilliant and should be implemented, post haste. And number two, people are selfish. Especially nowadays. Citizens throw screaming hissie-fits in an attempt to get what they want. Politicians are more than happy to give them what they want, so they can keep their jobs. Which is what the politicians want. Selfishness and greed are what brought us here in my opinion. Not some shady evil doers hiding behind the curtain, pulling all the puppets' strings.
Then again, what do I know?
I've been thinking about this a lot lately as there has been so much blathering on lately about the "Liberal Agenda" and all the rallying cries around gun control. The implication being that somewhere, some group of unspeakably evil men are sitting around hatching plans to "Destroy America".
Now, don't get me wrong, I truly believe that things are REALLY messed up here. This is not the America I grew up in. This is not the America I was always proud of. It is a god-awful mess and nobody seems to have clue as to what to do about it.
But again, the very idea of some small group of men (And surely they are men, right? And probably white men too? For what is more evil than a white man?) controlling this great nation and influencing the entire world by extension, seems ludicrous to me.
So, who are these mystery men? Don't give me "bankers" or "look up Agenda 21" or "oil companies" - I want names. Who is really controlling the U.S. government and how do we know? What proof is there? If all you have are conspiricy theories, then you don't have shit. Where is the proof?
Personally, I think our problems come around because of two different reasons. Number one, politicians by and large have HUGE egos and they think all their ideas are brilliant and should be implemented, post haste. And number two, people are selfish. Especially nowadays. Citizens throw screaming hissie-fits in an attempt to get what they want. Politicians are more than happy to give them what they want, so they can keep their jobs. Which is what the politicians want. Selfishness and greed are what brought us here in my opinion. Not some shady evil doers hiding behind the curtain, pulling all the puppets' strings.
Then again, what do I know?
Monday, January 14, 2013
Lag time...
Good grief! I can't believe we're already halfway through January! I'm so far behind in everything... Where DOES the time go?!?
The new year got off to a rocky start for me and mine, but things seem to be evening out and getting back on track.
With all the screaming about fiscal cliffs and gun control and all the other non-sense going on all over the globe I found myself not wanting to write, not knowing what to write about, not wanting to join in the fray... And so I didn't.
But I also didn't want this blog to languish again. It's like calling the old friend/sibling/parent you haven't spoken to in a while - the longer you put off picking up the phone, the harder it gets to pick it up and just make the call. So, even though I don't have much to say, I'm picking up just so it doesn't get any harder than it already is.
Despite the rough start, I feel optimistic about 2013. Last year was pretty much the worst year of my life, so short of some terrible disease or something, I feel this year has GOT to be at least a little better. I'm not asking for miracles, just a little peace and quiet. Some time to breathe, some time to collect my thoughts.
I lost 23 pounds last year and I'm feeling better physically than I have in a long time. My smoking has dropped off significantly which I feel good about. I met a new musician in town and might get out to do a little jamming which is exciting cuz' it's been a long time - too long in fact. Got a call out of the blue from a long-lost relative that I was actually EXCITED to hear from. My job still sucks, but my prospects for finding a new one seem to be improving and I may have a new one sooner than expected (knock on wood!). I have a beautiful wife and daughter and both my folks are still alive and well.
I have a lot to be thankful for.
Best wishes to you all for a fantastic 2013! Thanks for reading.
~JL
The new year got off to a rocky start for me and mine, but things seem to be evening out and getting back on track.
With all the screaming about fiscal cliffs and gun control and all the other non-sense going on all over the globe I found myself not wanting to write, not knowing what to write about, not wanting to join in the fray... And so I didn't.
But I also didn't want this blog to languish again. It's like calling the old friend/sibling/parent you haven't spoken to in a while - the longer you put off picking up the phone, the harder it gets to pick it up and just make the call. So, even though I don't have much to say, I'm picking up just so it doesn't get any harder than it already is.
Despite the rough start, I feel optimistic about 2013. Last year was pretty much the worst year of my life, so short of some terrible disease or something, I feel this year has GOT to be at least a little better. I'm not asking for miracles, just a little peace and quiet. Some time to breathe, some time to collect my thoughts.
I lost 23 pounds last year and I'm feeling better physically than I have in a long time. My smoking has dropped off significantly which I feel good about. I met a new musician in town and might get out to do a little jamming which is exciting cuz' it's been a long time - too long in fact. Got a call out of the blue from a long-lost relative that I was actually EXCITED to hear from. My job still sucks, but my prospects for finding a new one seem to be improving and I may have a new one sooner than expected (knock on wood!). I have a beautiful wife and daughter and both my folks are still alive and well.
I have a lot to be thankful for.
Best wishes to you all for a fantastic 2013! Thanks for reading.
~JL
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