Self defense.....

I don't understand a lot of the "self defense moves and stuff that gets taught. Joint locks and fancy footwork and whatnot.... It takes years of learning and practicing and perfecting, when the actual reality is, a real life street fight isn't ever that "sportsman like" and without years of practice, hell even WITH years of practice, the chances of a scenario where you are able to get that "Hollywood choreographed fight scene" that lasts for eight minutes and comes with REALLY cool music like it does in the movies, is slim to none. In fact, an actual street brawl rarely ever lasts that long... The reality is, it is brutal, it is animal, it is primal, it is dirty and it is short.
There are so many different martial arts that touts itself to be the best form of self defense, when in reality, most of it is NOT reality based. Fancy moves and graceful footwork isn't going to win a fight. Sure, it might look pretty in a dojo environment, but in practical applications? Not so much. Sure there are certain concepts or techniques in the martial arts that can be used and applied in "real life scenarios" and they work very well. There's no doubt in my mind. But the pretty flourishes and "dancing" has no practicality or use in self defense. I think that self defense should be something that is reality based, has practical applications and should be as basic, primal and caveman as possible. The concepts and techniques should incorporate lots of instinctual gross motor skills that use basic survival skills innate in every person.Something ANYONE can get to work in a situation where they may be fighting for their life.
Just a thought.... 
Oh wait.... That's what Senshido is. Never mind!

"I'm doing the best that I can!" and other such lies I've been told...

At what point should I start getting offended that I am thought to be such a flaming moron that I would buy these out and out lies? Some of my favorites are great, like, "I'm doing the best that I can!" or "I did NOT do that!" or " I did NOT say that!" when there is evidence to the contrary to these statements. How about those classic greats like, "That's NOT what I meant!" or "That's not what I said!" How about, "It's not MY fault!" or "I have NO IDEA what you're talking about!"
These days I just listen and nod my head. It's no use trying to argue with an idiot who thinks they are getting away with whatever it is they're saying while finger pointing and changing the subject all together. Then I laugh about it all later with friends, who find it as amusing as I do. I laugh about all manner of things these days and it feels good. I laugh over frustrations and sorrows and on some level, it makes me feel a little better. I'm still working on stuff. Laughter just helps make things easier.

O..........M.........G!!!!!!!!

It's STEW season...... Just sayin'.... I PRAY that Lucky's dad tags MANY a deer this hunting season..... Pray with me Forrest.... PRAY WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!The season of yumminess is HERE!!!!!

You must be joking......

The witnessing of other peoples' stupidity has always brought me much amusement as well as much exasperation. I'm not sure what it is about these moments, but I usually find myself witnessing a lot of it. Is it because the number of stupid people has gone up? Or is it simply because subconsciously, I know that it provides me with much entertainment that I have become attuned to finding the stupidity to witness. The first notion brings much concern and quite honestly, it scares me a little, but in thinking about it, it kind of makes sense too.... I'd like to lean more towards the second explanation as it is a little more comforting (a little) as I know I will always be able to find myself some sort of entertainment. But then I go back to wondering why it is that finding such stupidity so easily accomplished, bringing me back to point one. The number of stupid people is on the rise..... SHIT! I feel another bout of insomnia coming on because of that thought..... Crap! The number of stupid people are on the rise... We are all doomed.

Taking a "proud moment"...

Lucky, being a cop has seen the uglier side of people than he really cares to admit. Some of the things he's seen is downright comical, while others of it absolutely tragic. Whether he goes to houses for simple alarm calls (or sometimes not so simple) or where things are getting froggy, I always worry.
He was recently sent to a call in his town after a 16 year old girl crashed a car into a tree. It was lethal. Looking upon the a lifeless and broken girl, who was crushed and bloody is something that would affect anybody. My Puppy Guts was one of the few cops on scene who got the "privilege" to witness the devastation... He was ruined for a while. And to see something like that, I would think that any human being would be. But the next night, My Lucky went back to work, all business, ready to take on whatever was going to come his way on that shift as well despite the horrible image of a broken and lifeless girl that was etched in his mind.
It's just what he does. I know that there are time when "the job" brings frustrations and nuttiness. I know every job does. But the frustrations that LEOs face is something a little bit different. It's not about sitting in a well lit, temperature controlled environment, simply sitting on ones rear end and putzing through the work hours. Mistakes in his field could lead to catastrophic errors. And despite the weather outside, rain, snow, heat, humidity, extreme cold... They are forced out into it in order to get their jobs done. Regardless of the action happening while "citizens" run the other way, these are the guys running in and that's their job too.
I have heard of all manner of calls that Lucky has been on and quite frankly, despite his promise that he would always come home to me, I worry. It's not necessarily his abilities to take care of himself because I am quite confident that he can. It's the fact that he and his "crew" never know what they should expect during their shift. Let's put it this way, did NYPD expect that what happened on 9/11 was going to happen? How about the Stamford cop who had to deal with Travis the chimp.... Many of such incidents all over the country happen, but of course, they really aren't ever expected to occur, but when they do happen, police officers/ first responders are there.
I am proud to call myself Lucky's girl and be able to say, "Yeah, this is MY Puppy Guts! He's a cop." Then, I get asked if it's tough being a cop's woman. Yeah, sometimes. The hours are strange and the worries are huge, but it doesn't change the fact that he is always my Puppy Guts. ...I'm so glad he gets it.

Pirates....

I'm not sure what it is about the whole "pirate hunting" joke that I find to be so amusing, but there you have it. I mean, how fun would it be to go to the coast of say, Somalia, on a yacht, being armed to the teeth with automatic and semi automatic weapons and playing real life "pirates".... I'm really not too sure why, but I think it'd be amusing as all get out. Maybe it's that time of month, but, right now, I'm really thinking that something like this could catch on as far as tourism. Out at sea battles with pirates, capturing prisoners to keel haul, forcing the bad guys to walk the plank.....
Just a thought.....

Sarcasm.....

I experience life at a rate of several WTFs a minute. And during those WTFs, there are probably things that are best unsaid. It is unfortunate that my brain to mouth filter never really worked right or (more than likely scenario) I lack one all together. And in most situations, I always come up with the right things to say AFTER the right time to say it has passed.  Regardless of the fact, I speak in fluent sarcasm. It's a gift. What can I say. It's not that I'm a sarcastic bitch all the time and it's never personal. It's just that it amuses me sometimes. When the "sarcasm overdrive" gets engaged though and I mean it, I'm usually sneering or smirking, the tone of my voice changes dramatically, my posture and stance become a bit more challenging and my demeanor changes. VERY few people can get under my skin that way and it's all family. (Sometimes it really feels like I LIVE an insane sitcom of a deranged "dysfunctional family"... It would be so much funnier if it wasn't MY life! I swear my life needs to have subtitles! I only smile because I have no idea what is going on most of the time...)
Honestly? I really think that tact is for people who aren't clever or witty enough to use or understand sarcasm. Granted, most of the time it is wasted on those who are less than intelligent to "get it". Seriously. And when directed at someone, nothing can be more discouraging or depressing than under-appreciated or even completely unappreciated sarcasm. 
Now, I get that there are those who will use (or feebly attempt to) sarcasm as a weapon. What these people do is end up bringing the proverbial rusty butter knife to a gunfight, because they suck at it. They lack vision, wit, imagination and the cleverness it takes to come up with the good ones. Come on.... You've met these people. They use sarcasm because they are bitter and angry...It's not the kind of sarcasm that takes thought so much as it is just simply the "I know you are but what am I?" retorts. Not good enough, not worth my time, move along. I don't want to play with you. It's be like shooting fish in a barrel. 
Think about it for a second... Have you ever heard a REALLY good sarcastic remark and thought, "DAMN! That was GOOD!" The kind that not only attacked the offender, but cut a swath through every one of their defenses, laid waste to their self esteem and attacked their psyche to the point where you KNOW that they were going to obsess about it for a long time to come.... Obviously, it's only funny when that person REALLY deserved it too... 
The point is, there is sarcasm... meh! and there is SARCASM. Use it well padawan. Go forth into the world and spread true sarcasm around!

The 9/11 Memorial 5k........

Lucky does a sprint workout on the treadmill a couple times a week. And My Mitchie? Well, not so much. In fact he claims that running is his arch nemesis... But on the evening of September 11th, my man and my bestie ran in a 5k. They each paid $30 (donated to the Travis Manion Foundation), got a number and lined up with 150 or so other people.
Lucky managed to finish in 29 minutes flat and My Mitchie, bless his big giant heart, managed to finish and dragged his carcass across the finish line in 37 minutes 45 seconds.

I'm so proud of the both of you! Well done boys!

Why?

Have you ever looked a person and the only thing you can think to yourself is, "Why?" Spandex is a privilege not a right......

He's an OLD dog...

Otis turned 18 years old this year. With that being said, the fact becomes blatantly clear. Otis is OLD. He's somewhat blind, he's arthritic, he's as deaf as a stump, as smart as a bag of rocks, he smells funny, he's missing a bunch of teeth and his breath could knock a buzzard off a rotting carcass. But he's ours. He's been a constant companion since I brought him home and his affections were unerring, his loyalties pretty firm. He knows where "home" is.
I know that there will come a day when I'll have to let my old friend go. I mean, for the time being, he's still spry, he's eating, drinking, peeing, pooping and as long as I keep him on meds, he's quite pain free. Other than the fact that stairs pose quite a challenge for him, as long as he has a blankie on the floor for him to vege out on, he's quite happy and for his advanced age, quite healthy. But I know that the day will come sooner rather than later. Even for an old dog, he's OLD by every standard.
Although my mind tells me what the realities are, my heart wants him to live forever. Then I look upon my children interacting with "their dog". They don't know life without him and for the younger ones especially, it's difficult to explain why he won't be around forever... And my heart breaks.
Otis has probably heard more of my kids' secrets, dreams, desires, sorrows and happy moments than any other living person or beast. It may have been that he wasn't really listening while the kids rambled on while they pet him and whispered things in his ear or maybe he was. I don't know. But the fact of the matter is, he will never betray those trusts that were given to him and the children know that. I pray that it will be a memory of Otis that my children will grow up with when they think upon Otis even many years from now.
I know he can't hear me now when I tell him I love him or when I thank him for being "Otis". I know he doesn't see me well enough to make out the words coming out of my mouth either. I can only hope that he feels loved and appreciated for being everything that he is to me and to my kids. For the time being, I watch my dog sleep, snoring away, snuggled in his "blanket nest" on the floor by my bed, perfectly content.
So, sleep well old man. I love you!  I hope you know that... Thank you for being the best Otis you can be. You have proven many times over that you are a very important part of our family. We love you.

Grumpy....

I'm having one of THOSE days... I hate these kind of days. Everything that you want to have happen doesn't. Everything that you need to get done is half done. There is a constant chaos everywhere you go. Nothing is where you need it to be, and everything that could possibly go wrong does. <SIGH!> I go make my attempts again, because sure as shit, if I don't do it, it won't get done and DAMNED if I'll let THAT happen!

"Duck face"....

You look like an idiot. Stop.

9/11... Ten years later...

There isn't a person around who was alive that didn't know where they were and what they were doing when certain events in history occurred. What happened on September 11 of 2001 is one of those moments. When the first plane hit, everyone knew what they were doing, where they were... After that, it was universal. Everyone watched in shock and horror when it happened again. It gave way to fear, rage, disbelief, grief, a need to flee, a need to run towards the fray, courage, love, strength, sorrow, maybe a whole range of other emotions that ran the gamut... Thoughts racing at a million per second. The emotional outpourings for those still trapped inside, for those who had lost their lives, for those rushing in to help. Well wishes and prayers for our friends, family members who were in the city or worse, in one of the buildings...Regardless, there was a moment that most everybody experienced together that united people for a brief time. Four planes filled with people taken over by terrorists to destroy four intended targets. The shock and fear and so many people frantically making phone calls to see who was in the city, who was flying and where or who was in the buildings, compounded by the fact that cell services were sucking and phone lines were busy as all get out. Getting someone on the line and rattling off a name or the names of five or ten people at a time to find their whereabouts... The thoughts of, "It's going to be awesome to talk to this person when he/ she finally gets on the line, just to know that he/she is okay......" But a sick realization hits... "What if he asks me what's going on? Is help coming? Am I going to get out of here alive? PLEASE tell me what's going on.... I can't see because of the dust and smoke...." The calls really never lasted that long even if the calls got through at all...

I'm sure that on the 10 year anniversary, there will be write ups and articles all over the papers, there will be footage of the day all over the news. Politicians of every sort will be making speeches and "expressing their heartfelt condolences" to all those who lost someone, "expressing their utter grief" for all those lost, and of course, they may or may not "give a shout out" to the first responders who went into the fray during and after when everyone else was trying to flee. And to think that these first responders weren't invited to be there, but politicians were...

What does that say? "There wasn't enough room to invite them..." They took the time, most even risked everything, and some gave all, but it wasn't worth the effort to make sure that first responders would be there for the 10th anniversary. God help me for thinking it, but I wonder what would have happened if these first responders didn't want to put in the efforts that they did on that day... Never mind. Today is not about that. We know where they were and what they DID do and where their loyalties were... They weren't invited to be there when it happened either, but they came in droves from all over. I hope it happens again and the politicians have to answer why it was that they weren't "invited". I won't be watching any of it anyway. I never do.

The somber note this day plays, even ten years later, and there are those who will not or cannot forget, while life goes on for others. That day in 2001 united American citizens for some time, but somewhere along the line, that unity dissipated. It saddens me to think that people have become so desensitized and uncaring that this day has become "just another day" to most. It made me sick then and it makes me sick even now. Another tragedy that stained world history and it showed further proof of how man can perpetrate such atrocities on their fellow man just like that. It also shows where the country is going: Hell in a hand basket.

"We bounced back and we showed the world it wasn't going to stop us from moving forward!" Some like to call it "resilience". I don't quite see it that way. Sure, we're moving forward, but towards what? Resilience, to me, not only means the recovery from hardship but infers towards something better or at the very least, not worse than what we had before.

I can feel the "Alright,  what the hell are you talking about, Mia?" vibes even as I type this, but let's take a look at the world around us compared to ten years ago, shall we? You know what? No... Let's simplify that even more. Take a close look at the people around us... Reading the papers and watching the news, just walking around a mall or a super market... People are selfish, petty and cruel. There are more incidents of bullying than ever before. Crime rates (although fluctuating) have risen. People treat each other like crap. People are lazy and can't be bothered with anything else around themselves. They are nasty and rude. And they are teaching their children to be the same way.

Ten years ago, Americans all bled red, white and blue. There was a unity and camaraderie that was equaled by none. We were all angry and sad, but ready to fight back and BE American. We honored and respected our military, our police, our firefighters, EMTs and paramedics... All of our first responders. We acknowledged each other as Americans and greeted each other with a smile. We were proud Americans and proud to be Americans. It took a HUGE tragedy to bring us together that way, but there it was... For a little while. But now? Nearly three thousand people lost their lives on that day. Blinked out in a matter of a couple of hours. And only ten years later, what of the positive things that came from it all? Forgotten, it seems, as people have returned to the hustle and bustle of their own little lives unable to see past their own "four walls"... 

IN MEMORY OF ALL WE LOST, THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11- Here are some statistics that should remind all of what happened that day.

STATISTICS: 

Times of impact: 8:46 a.m. and 9:02 a.m. 

Time the burning towers stood: 56 minutes and 102 minutes. 

Time they took to fall: 12 seconds.

Number killed in attack on New York, in the Twin Towers and in aircraft that crashed into them: 2,948 including 343 Fireman/paramedics, 23 NYPD, 37 Port Authority officers.

Distance, in miles, from which the burning towers were visible: 20

Maximum heat of fires, in degrees fahrenheit, at World Trade Center site: 2,300

Number of days underground fires at World Trade Center continued to burn: 69

Number of days that workers dug up debris at Ground Zero, searching for body parts: 230

Number of body parts collected: 19,500

Number of bodies discovered intact: 291

Number of victims identified by New York medical examiner: 1,102

Number of death certificates issued without a body at request of victims' families: 1,616

Number of people still classified as missing from the World Trade Center that day: 105

 Number of people who died when American Airlines flight 11 from Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles, California, crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center: 92

Number of people who died when United Airlines flight 175 from Boston, Massachusetts, to Los Angeles, California, crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center: 65

Number of people who died when United Airlines flight 93, from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco, California, crashed in rural southwest Pennsylvania: 45

Number of people who died when American Airlines flight 77, from Washington to Los Angeles, crashed into the Pentagon: 64

Number of people killed in the Pentagon: 125

Number of survivors rescued from Ground Zero: 0

Nearly 3000 lives blinked out in a matter of a few hours. Most would  never know their fear or rather couldn't even begin to imagine or comprehend that fear as they sat and waited for an inevitable death. Did they pray, did they cry out to loved ones in those last moments...  To honor those we lost, today, Lucky and I will fly the colors as we always do and will do every day henceforth to show that we have not forgotten. We will also continue to speak out and speak our minds about everything  to show that we  have not allowed for the BS political correctness and niceties to be spoon fed to us to placate us or allow it to fill the void that  day created in our hearts as it should be the case for all AMERICANS... But alas, there are so many in the soft headed masses who follow like sheep... 
This probably sounds like another one of my anger filled temper tantrums, but damn it, I believe in something, so I will always make a big fuss and rant and rave and hoot and holler and make waves. The ugliest of truths seems to have been forgotten: All these people DIED, and it wasn't an act of GOD that made it happen, but evil, malicious, sentient individuals who made up their minds and go forward with this most heinous of plans. WE know where our loyalties are and will always be.Thank you ALWAYS to our first responders: police officers, firefighters, paramedics and EMTs. Praise be to the random citizens who fought back but lost their lives anyway. Our thoughts and prayers always go out to those who've lost someone/ someones too. God bless all who, regardless of who they were, who ran towards to fray when all others were running away. They all deserve our thanks.
And for whatever conspiracy theories were out there, that are out there still, there is no doubt that nearly three thousand people lost their lives. I only ask that you say a little prayer or have a moment of silence for those who were lost.

On the eve...

Ten years ago on this day, we thought everything was right in the world... We never would have thought that the next morning, one of the biggest tragedies in American history would take place... On U.S. soil... In a manner that shocked the world like it did. Ten years ago today, people went about their business like they would have on any other day before, and like they thought they would have every day afterward... I wish it would have been the case.

Relaxing....

I suppose there are different ways different people "relax". I tried something new recently. It was a weekend that I didn't have the kids since they were with their dad, so I spent time at Lucky's condo. A nice long weekend. Quiet, no noise, no nothing. I had a nice cup of coffee and was able to finish it while it was still hot (not cold after I had forgotten my cup somewhere because I needed to get up and do something) I read a newspaper from cover to cover, skipping all the bits I didn't want to know about. I did all the puzzles all by myself without ANYONE telling me what went where or how to do them. I read a book. I cooked up food that I wanted to eat. No schedules as to when what needed to get done and when. NOTHING needed doing. It was cool. And when it was time to get the kids and get them home, I was totally in my groove. How cool was THAT?

Irene...

Wow.... THAT was some trip, huh? So we experienced rain... Did I mention that we got lots of rain too? Oh, and rain. We got RAIN! And some wind. But we also got rain. Yes, we may have experienced a bit of moisture from the rain.
Of course we experienced Irene on the last "official week" of summer vacation and it sucked. I posted on FB that my post about it was brought to everyone by the middle finger. Yes, I typed that whole post with my middle finger because of that.
Irene tried to take my garbage can, but only managed to knock it over. We didn't lose power, we had cable and internet throughout most of the storm and the only storm damage I saw on our street was a couple of leaves and maybe a branch or two. That was it. The media hype about the whole thing left me wondering what the hell the big deal was about. I thought New England was supposed to get hammered...
It turns out that we were just lucky. Like "Praise be to Jesus!" lucky. With flooding damages, some people were knee deep in water. The gusts of wind in certain areas knocked down trees. We had a tree on an intersecting street that was laying across wires and knocked a few of them down. The way the street "S" curves, in the dark, it would have been easy to NOT see it until it was too late. I stood out on the street at night to flag down people with a flashlight so that they didn't hit the hanging branches or the power lines... It freaked me out. I called the power company and the police and I stayed there until SOMEONE came by to tape it off and do something because it was an accident waiting to happen.
There were people without power for days... There are STILL people without power even now.... It's unbelievable! Homes were damaged, some homes were lost. People evacuating their HOMES to seek shelter somewhere that ISN'T their HOME and weather out the storm only able to pray that they would have a home to go to when it was all said and done....
I felt like an ass. I was huffing and puffing and bitching about how NOT impressed I was with the storm and yet there were those who lost so much in that very same storm. Then I realized that I needed to be thankful about the graces we had been given in our area when up a street, they weren't as lucky.
When put into perspective, there are some things that aren't so bad or aren't as bad as I thought they would be and I guess in stead of being resentful that they aren't or complaining about it, I need to be thankful... A lesson learned.

Obesity....

I have a lot of issues with a lot of different things. Here comes another one. Obesity... Not only is it REALLY not an attractive thing to see... Seriously, there NEEDS to be a law about the kind of things fat people are allowed to wear. For example: A tent is something, I am quite sure, that could be made out of whatever kind of fabric one would like! NOBODY wants to see mounds and rolls of fat and cellulite oozing out of stretched way passed maximum capacity fabrics thundering around.
How exactly does one get to that point? I mean it is a matter of allowing oneself to become that way. Can you imagine a household full of them? After a while it must become normal... Honestly? If you weigh in at 300lbs at an average 5'5" or something and you lose 75lbs, you're still fat. I get that there are TRUE "medical conditions" that obesity MIGHT occur, but in all honesty, using THAT as an excuse when it ISN'T  the case is just pathetic.This is not an "overnight" happening. This is a VERY long period of time.... At what point do these people wake up and still think and believe, "I look GOOD!" or even, "I'll start losing weight tomorrow...."
Society is incorporating this illness (and let's face it, it really is mentally AND physically) and making it an "okay" behavior. I remember a time when I could go to the store and find a pair of jeans that fit. A certain size was a certain size and that was it. Now? Not so much. There are more of them than there are of me. (Literally AND figuratively....) I go to the mall and find more "big and husky" people stores than for normal sized people. Oh and I don't count Abercrombie and Fitch as anything other than over priced crap for anorexics, so don't even bother throwing that into the pot....
There are whole groups and philosophies dedicated to fatness... "Big is beautiful" and crap. The placation of the lazy fat asses who won't do anything to lose the weight. They are given excuses by "society" to be this way... So they continue to grow out of clothes and buy bigger ones instead of trying to stop or reverse the problem. And yes, it is a problem. The health risks alone should be more than enough for a person to want to become healthy, but alas, no.
:sigh: Maybe it's rude of me to look on in disgust. Maybe it's wrong of me to point out how wrong I think it is. Maybe I shouldn't have posted about it.... Yeah right... Because I'M the most politically correct, polite person in the world? I don't think so.

Depressing thought....

So, Lucky and I went to a mall to try and pick up the latest Dresden book. It was a fairly decent sized mall... Not huge, but big enough. We walked around two floors and scanned all the stores. There were fat people clothes stores, shoe stores, stuff stores, accessories shops, cheap jewelry stores, handbag stores, candy stores, watch stores, sunglasses stores, bodegas of all sorts, snack stands, you name it.... But not one book store... There are those right now who are reading this and saying, "Yeah... So?" and those of you who are reading this and are speechless. We left. We ended up driving a few blocks away to find an actual book store...
I get how rents in a mall may be outrageous, but considering the stores that we saw, it was really makes a person wonder... I mean think about it. There really must be a call for enormous people clothes and gangster subculture shoe stores and stores for meaningless things that people flock to so that these store owners can generate enough capital to cover their expenses to keep going. But a book store was nowhere to be seen. Do people NOT read any more? It was kind of scary when I gave it too much thought... 

Violence....

On a recent post on a friends FB page (a self defense instructor), we traversed the topic of violence, whether one hated it and what one can do about it. Well, let's break it down:
I find it funny because there are those who believe that "self defense" is really nothing more than teaching violence to deal with violence and that violence doesn't solve anything... Blah, blah, blah, MEOW! ... Me personally? Do I hate violence? It's going to depend. Done unto me and mine? Absolutely... It's intolerable. Done to others because it was done to me or mine? They deserved it. There are different parameters of "violence" and what would be considered acceptable or not acceptable.... It really is going to depend on the situation. Not all "violence" is bad.

The other side was brought to my attention by a mutual friend who says "I  beg to differ on the matter in general. All violence is indeed bad, even justifiable violence. It's still 'violence' and violence on any level, regardless how defined, perceived, or personally justified and warranted, it is still a product of ego and negative energy and the results are always 1 or more people getting hurt, maimed, crippled or killed. This more often than not results in a chain of events that never serve either parties involved." It still falls in the very realm of what the core definition of what violence is.

"It's not a matter of liking or hating violence, sometimes it is most definitely a necessity, it's a matter of fundamentally understanding the nature of violence and hence, how to avoid it at all costs and tending to it accordingly only when it becomes a choice-less choice. I never equated "violence" as "self defense", not ever, not once.... they are 2 different animals, that's why they have 2 different meanings and 2 different words for em. You're confusing and or mixing the 2. I was strictly referring to violence."

So be it. In his opinion, violence is bad... There are times when violence can't be "avoided". Then what? Am I going to allow the violence to happen or am I going to bring hell on Earth to the best of my abilities to ensure that MORE violence isn't done by the one or ones perpetrating the violence. I know that violence exists. The caveman instincts are innate in every human. It's more "on the surface" with some more than others. You can study violence, the chemistry of the brain, the nature of different people, and KNOW the violence textbook from cover to cover. Are you still going to be able to avoid it? Not unless you have ESP and know NOT to be somewhere at any given time when something might occur. Is it really "ego" when a woman being attacked violently actually defends herself? Which would be considered the "violent act". The man attacking, raping and beating the woman almost to death or the woman fighting back and tearing pieces of her attacker off his face or shot him or managed to beat him enough to get away... To say that that "violent act" committed by that woman didn't serve a purpose is rather callous. The violence brought by the woman was also a survival mechanism, not a nature of violence, but of human nature. And doubtful that the woman went out her door and thought, "I'm NOT going to avoid violence and see what happens!"

Then another gentleman added that  "It has been my observation/experience that the outcome of violence is never entirely positive, regardless of the circumstances that led to the violent act - ie. repelling a violent attack with violence. Yes, you are still alive - a decidedly positive outcome, I think we can all agree - but this violent incident still becomes the epicenter of a wave of fear/disgust/anger/outrage​ that spreads outward in concentric circles, throughout our society, and - in many cases - across the globe. As a sworn peace officer, I accept that I may, in the line of duty, have to take a life to save another (maybe my own). I know I will do what needs to be done - but I do not look forward to that moment, because I know it will create bad vibes in our society, and establish a "new normal" - one flavored with a little more fear, uncertainty, etc. - for everyone who is touched by the incident.

See, having BEEN there, I didn't exactly "look forward to" the moment I was attacked either. I'm not being argumentative here. :) <See? Smiley face! I would much rather be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. The incident happened and passed and went. Done. I learned a valuable lesson and I am a bit more aware of things around me. It is an unfortunate thing that we live in a world where we have to be a little leery. It's sad to me that "violence" has to be argued as being "good or bad". But the fact remains, we are not that far removed from the cavemen that we once were. We kill things and eat them. We fight and argue and hurt and wage wars because "we're right, you're wrong". We hurt others because "That's yours, but I want it!" or "I want that so I will make it mine by any means necessary!" Instant gratification, selfish, whiny-baby, over medicated society... We make excuses for everything and everyone... Yes, I try to "avoid violent situations". I'm not looking for them, whereas police officers have to... Part and parcel to the cop gig. Puppy Guts has me worried all the time when he's on the road. Although we hope that nothing happens, one can never say it won't.
 Well, let's define "violence"...

Okay, violence by definition is the use of physical force to cause injury, damage or death. Therefor, incurring injury, damage or death makes a person be a recipient of violence by its very definition of the word. Whether it was done in self defense or not. Strictly referring to violence? Same animal, different classification. The definition of "violence" and what started that day's  game of semantical nightmare. One guy defined it as "any unwarranted or unjustified harm against another human being whether it be physical or verbal". Another upped the ante by adding "Don't forget psychological, emotional, behavioral, and societal".  

Okay... We agreed that the very definition of the word "violence" is the use of physical force with the intent to cause injury, damage or death or any unwarranted or unjustified harm whether it be physical, verbal, psychological, emotional, behavioral, and / or societal.

Now we have to further define "violence" in it's Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species and determine what are acceptable forms of violence and what are not by stipulating sense and purpose, necessity, justification and logic. (Semantic Slip-n-Slide! WOOT! Keeps the mind sharp though!

 Follow here.... Yes, you hate violence or Yes, you hate violence, but... or You hate violence sometimes or You might hate violence in some applications, but I like it in others or You kinda like it or You like it or Violence ROCKS! Can't exactly say that there's a black or white. Use of the full range of the gray scale to paint the background... But to say one way or the other? 
My "argument" wasn't so much about right answer vs. wrong answer. There really isn't a "right or wrong". I just like to stir the pot and get into semantics wars because it amuses me. It boils down to this (in my OWN opinion): I don't like violence in its definition when it is perpetrated without sense and purpose, necessity, justification, warrant, merit and logic in any of its forms be it physical, verbal, psychological, emotional, behavioral, and / or societal. 
On the other side of that if "violence" by its very definition is what gets the bacon in my tummy, venison burgers on my plate, frustrations taken out on a training partner, a good fight (the sports kind) on tv, well then I'm going to have to say I like it. The meat being on the table.... Have you EVER gotten into an argument with a vegetarian/ vegan? Meat is murder? Well then, I take my murder rare, thank you darling...

 Now about the topic of no worldwide violence? Impossible. Where there are sheep, a wolf will... appear. And when the wolf appears, will the sheep be okay to fall prey to them through the violence that will undoubtedly be perpetrated on them or do they rise up and do something... An escalation in violence to prevent other violence from happening?  I don't live in a third world war torn countryside, so in "my world", there is no violence. I don't need to imagine "my world to be with out violence". It's not like violence is part of my every day life. Could there be a potential for it if I happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? Of course. Do I hate violence? Of course. When there is no need for it? No. Absolutely not. When I have to call upon it, it is my best friend and my lover and I will use it like a cheap hooker. Hard, well and repeatedly until I am done with it. Again, by the very definition of what violence is, well, I am a meat eating carnivore. (Ever been to a slaughterhouse?) There are SO MANY different classifications to what "violence" is. Can I say I hate it in every one of its forms? No. I can't. There are those who will say, "Fight fire with fire" and others who will argue, "Violence begets violence"... Is there a clear cut answer? Of course not. 
The counter argument came as: "I hear ya, but nothing of what you said makes violence 'good' or 'likable'. Imagine a world where violence didn't exist for a day or two... then come back and tell me if violence, regardless of when, or how justified is a good or likable thing. Necessary, yes, but the question Chris asked was do you 'hate' violence, not do you think it is sometimes justifiable and necessary. Again big difference and it is very interesting to me how people in general jump to these defensive conclusions.... Immediately people defend their right to defend themselves using the worst possible scenarios such as rape and pedophilia for instance... now re-examine the question.... "DO YOU HATE VIOLENCE?" Isn't rape and pedophilia very acts of violence? Do you not hate these things amongst many others classifies in the similar vein? How would a world be without that? How do we minimize that? How do we ensure that never happens to us or anyone we love? What are the origins of this, the true ancestry? Once again, the question was Do you hate violence, and if so, do some shit about it" My answer is yes. I hate violence. Wish it didn't exist. But it does, I'm sure as hell prepared for it, look at what I do for a living. Why would anyone think I would be against defending one's self when I fuckin came up with the SHREDDER of all things lolol :`)"
Well, to me, the lovely notion of a world without violence is moot. (Fine... For the bible scholars out there.... God's Kingdom, return of Christ, everything is honky dory, we'll all be Adam-y or Eve-y with no sickness and won't die and no violence and YAY, God! So noted.) Again, I AM ONLY STIRRING THE POT by straddling the borders here and asking the questions because it's what I do.... KICKING THE HORNET'S NEST, potatoes, potahtoes, tomatoes, tomahtoes... I have to hate all violence because there are some types of violent acts that I don't like? i.e. pedophilia and rape among others.... To say the origins of these acts stem from a "certain place"? The hypothalamus and then the limbic system and also the amygdala or hippocamus as they are somehow responsible for emotions... Would I like to see no more violence of any sort in the world? That would mean no more contact sports of any type, sparring of any kind, hunting, fishing, meat eating... And if we're going by the "Hate violence? Do something about it..." thing, well then, how should it be handled now that there are established "rules" that there are certain types of violence that "normal" society doesn't like? Are other types of violence that people have agreed were "acceptable" okay to use? In which case to say one "hates" violence.... Makes one kind of a hypocrite...

 Justifiable or not, violence is violence is violence. By the very definition of the word, there is no slicing it. It's violence whether the physical force to cause injury, damage or death is done to defend or offend. That part we agree on. But am I going to say I hate it all? No. Do I hate violence? Well, by the true definition of the word, any contact sport could be considered violence. Think about it. Would American football be the same? ... Hunting and ultimately eating meat? I for one, WILL NOT live without bacon. There are clearly defined "intents" to cause injury, damage or death there. 
So, therefore, to draw a line by saying all violence=bad therefore I hate all violence, but only by these definitions here do we qualify what "violence" is okay and what isn't because despite the fact that by the true definition of the word it is in fact "violence" which as stipulated is violence, but "not really" because it's okay because I deemed it to be such... It starts to sound like politics to me and that's when I tune out and eat some beef jerky and go watch me some UFC.

Now, the original question posed by, and reiterated by another to attempt to bring the point home was "Do you hate violence?" and depending on the answer, one needed to outline a means to an end to defend the conviction of their words, so to speak.

One came in with: "Wow! Lots of comments. Since I am a simple man, all I will say is that violence in and of itself is disgusting, but if it is the ONLY tool left to avoid someone getting killed, then it is being used in a justifiable manner! Violence is a tool that is used mostly as a disgusting tool, but may also be used as a disgusting tool to save the life of someone who is innocent."
So to use violence as a tool when necessary becomes okay, but it disgusting, so no, he doesn't like violence in that respect.
 

Yet another explanation yielded: "Perhaps the best way for me to explain my view on this is to say that I hate "senseless" violence. Defending yourself against an attack when there is no other option to prevent harm (either to yourself or another) is not senseless. Doing so... when non-violent options were available is. Violent sport is not senseless as long as everyone is doing it for the right reasons. Consenting adults testing their abilities, etc etc. Hunting is not senseless so long as the hunter intends the prey to be eaten (by himself, his family or others). However, hunting for sport and leaving the carcass to rot or strictly for the fur/ivory/etc is senseless... unless of course it is kill and skin this animal or freeze to death.

See what I mean? Nature doesn't work without some kind of violence, even if only in the form of killing prey. Personally I also enjoy combat sports because it speaks to a long-dormant part of my evolutionary self that, as a 21st century male, I don't get to express in other ways. I also would go crazy if someone told me the only available food source was plant based.HOWEVER, senseless violence (that being violence that is unnecessary, unjustified, or without a logical purpose)... that I hate. ;) Let the semantics continue!

Thanks! .... :sigh:

There will always be the arguments for and against dark/ light, violence/ peace, black/ white, potatoes/ "potahtoes... Unless one is faced with a situation and is confronted with reality, there really is no way to determine how one is going to react and act and do regardless of principals and beliefs and blah. One won't know how they will deal with its aftermaths either. I will prepare to deal with things violently should it escalate to that. It's not to say that I like violence, but on the other side of that, I'm not going to say I hate it either. How I'm going to deal, whether peacefully or violently, with whatever is going to be strictly situationally dependent. But one thing is for certain: Si vis pacem, para bellum.. 

BACK TO SCHOOL!!!!!

Aaaah.... The first day of school... Early mornings and fighting with the kids to get up, rushing through morning routines and fighting with the kids to cooperate, running to the bus stop so as NOT to miss the bus and fighting with the kids to get their shoes on, getting into the car and driving the kids to school after we miss the bus and fighting with the kids to get their seat belts on properly, getting the kids into the school before the bell rings signifying their tardiness and fighting with the kids to get out of the car, going to the office to sign the kids into school because the bell rang and fighting with the kids and drag them to their classrooms... Repeat this process for every school day until the next summer vacation regardless of outside conditions, illness, lack of sleep and/ or how much the kids fight you. Let the "FUN-NESS" begin! YEEHAW!!!!!

Shhh.... No talking!

There are just certain times when it's not a matter of talking it out and the only thing that can solve it is a solid "self introspective moment" to work out "issues" by oneself. It's not a matter of NOT wanting to share in intimate moments with a loved one so much as it is needing to figure out for oneself how he or she feels about something, what they want to do, how they may want to handle it and wrap their own mind around the "situation" at hand.
The "What are you thinking? Why won't you talk to me?" thing gets to be annoying during times like this. Who hasn't had that moment? Bullshit, yes you have.
It's the reason I am IMMENSELY grateful that my Lucky understands. I am able to work through my shit and do what I need to do so that I can discuss it with him rationally once I have a handle on whatever it was. I know that I can always discuss anything with him. We have no secrets, we have no "taboo" subjects and we talk about everything. It's nice being able to comfortably discuss anything and not feel "iffy" or uncomfortable about saying something. And if I need the space to figure something out before I can even "put my finger on something" before bringing it to the round table, I know that's cool too.  I suppose that's really the way it ought to be. Go figure.

"Trust me!"

It's really the ones who say to you, "trust me!" that gives me pause.... The "I know what I'm doing..." Y'all know what I'm talking about... There's something not too trustworthy about a person who says: "Trust me! I know what I'm doing!" ESPECIALLY when you know said person AND you know that this person is an idiot... Just saying.

Pictures.....

Lucky and I try to get pictures of of us doing things together when we can. We keep a camera on hand wherever we go... Sometimes it works out, other times it doesn't. We do the "hold the camera at an arms length and smile" thing. We've gotten some great shots. We've also gotten some great shots of our nostrils or whatever too, but still...
We carry around a camera wherever we go. There's always a camera, but there are just times when we just forget to grab it or it just doesn't occur to us.
We're getting a little better at making sure that we take at least one picture wherever we go these days as it becomes a diary, of sorts, of our life in stills. Moments are fleeting, they come and they go and sometimes, it's just nice to have a picture. :)

Woohoo!

I've come to the "Anniversary" of the day  I started this blog.... What have I done? What have I accomplished... Honestly? I've managed to have a book published, which was one of my goals, the patent thing hasn't yielded anything and it seems as though we are reaching the "give up" portion of that endeavor despite the YEARS we've spent on it... (Grrrr......) I've dropped a lot of baggage and am moving forward and it feels amazing, I've made great friends, met interesting people, I've made a life for myself and I'm actually starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel for myself and my children as I've reached the conclusion that what I have happening now will NOT be the rest of my life. I've also had a few cathartic moments that have helped me to change a few things about myself that I didn't like and although I'm still a work in progress, I'm happier than I have been in a long time. I've set goals for myself that I've actually accomplished, and have set new ones again for the next coming year. My outlook has become a lot more positive and the "self discovery" thing has been quite therapeutic.
I'm able to say that I'm thankful for so many things now and mean it. I can appreciate them and it feels good. I'm not as angry about a lot of things any more simply because I don't have the time to stew in the negativity any more. It's been quite a year and has been quite the journey!
Thank you to those of who have been following along. And thank you to those who will be continuing to follow along too. And for those just tuning in or have recently tuned in, thank you too! I've reached 9700+ unique visitors and tens of thousands of hits here from all over the world and that's a pretty cool thing. THAT was kind of unexpected... So, I gonna keep doing my thing here and why don't we make tentative plans to meet back here, same time next year and see what I've accomplished then. I have to say, this has been a hoot! :)

Otis accidents....

Otis is getting older.... Fine he's ancient. He's an 18 year old Dachshund. He's partially blind, stone deaf and he leaks... He's become quite incontinent and I think a lot of the time, he doesn't even know that he's "going". It just kinda happens as he leaves trails instead of a pile or puddle... And it's never in an inconspicuous place. It's right in the middle of the hallway or something, right  where people walk. Sometimes, the people of the household don't notice the Otis leavings on the floor. (How many times do I have to explain, "Watch where you step!" to people....) The carpet cleaner has seen more use in the last couple of years than ever in its entire existence because the older Otis gets, the more he leaks out all sorts of stuff...
I can always tell when someone steps in something Otis left because I can hear it. It starts with the "Otis!" and ends with "Yuck! Gross! Awwww! My socks!!!!!" :sigh: Time to get the carpet cleaner again... I love my dog!

Crash and Burn!

I have certain cycles where I go through bouts of insomnia. It can last anywhere from a couple of days to a week. Sometimes more... I go through the day, feel tired and when it's time for bed? I can't sleep. The mind goes into super mega overdrive and it doesn't shut off. I do the tossing and turning thing, I do the relaxing thing, the hot bath thing, the walking thing, whatever... And I don't sleep.
I function and I go through my day to day and I get things done, but I "seem tired". Duh!
But just like I feel the bouts of insomnia come, I also start to feel the crash too. It's rather spectacular. The energy levels start to skyrocket and I zip through stuff like everything else is in slow motion. It will manifest as a whole house cleaning day where EVERYTHING gets cleaned and wiped and sanitized and vacuumed and washed and dried and put away and dusted and polished and done up nice-y nice and things that got left undone all get done and the "List of stuff that needs to be done this month" get done all at once...
And that last night rolls around and all is said and done, I drag my carcass into bed and the sleepy time gnome comes and hits me upside the head with his magical night-night brick. And I go back to my regularly scheduled program... Until the next time the cycle repeats. :s

Can you NOT do the thing with the face.....

Children are adorable to their parents for a very specific reason. If they weren't, the human species would NOT have survived. Thinking back over the years to when I was an even smaller spazoid of destruction, I think I would have killed me too if it weren't for the fact that I wasn't such a cute little kid. (No, I don't know what happened... Could be all those years of falling on my face...)
I look at my kids and think about all of the things that they have destroyed, ruined, broken, demolished, cracked, splintered, dusted, dirtied, soiled, devastated, and unmade until they were irreparable and I think about how angry I got. I thought about how I had to walk away when they did the thing with the face. You know, the pout and the "I'm REALLY sorry!" eyes and the tear and the quivering lip... And I kinda look back on the whole thing and realize that ultimately, whatever they had destroyed wasn't really important. It's to the point where I'll joke about how angry I was and laugh.
I have parents that STILL bring up the whatever that so-and-so broke in 198- and go into a rant about how they're STILL angry about it.... Seriously?I guess the little plasic thingy that mom bought at Wisconsin Dells was super wicked important since she STILL holds a grudge over it. Me? I try to forget the incidents. Nothing is more important then just conveying the message to the kid/ kids about what they did being wrong, the child/ children being apologetic about it and then moving on in the hopes that they will have learned something from it and not do it again.
It makes it easier for me to accomplish because of the face. It's always so damn hard to stay angry when they make that face! CRAP! Foiled again! And I think they know it too.

Playing with a guilty conscience....

Just like children, anyone with a guilty conscience can easily be goaded into a.) realize that you know they're guilty, b.) con them into admitting their wrongdoing, c.) pick a fight, d.) make the wrong-doer look idiotic or e.) one or more or even ALL of the above.
It's easy and fun to pluck at the strings of a heart (if they even have one) heavy with guilt and even more fun to lay on more weight before making squish with the guilty conscience. For those lacking a heart or a conscience all together, makes for an interesting battle, but in the end, human nature makes even the mightiest fall... It's called "ego". And squishing ego is most satisfying .
The effect may not be tangible to the one stirring the pot, but the effect is not for the chef. It's the one who is served that has to deal with all of that. That's the goal. Another hobby of mine... Fine! It's a quirk... Whatever.

Angry things....

Anger comes in so many different forms and a variety of flavors just like stupidity does. It seems (at least to me) that the sometimes, it's the stupidity of others leads me at times to darker places like anger. Most of the time stupidity just brings me much amusement and joy, but there are times....
I've let go of a lot of things, dropped a lot of "baggage" and I find that anger has been a waste of time for the most part. Do I have my moments? Of course. I'm not a "YAY HAPPY!" person all the time. But it just doesn't seem like time well spent to me, being angry all the time. Although trying to stay positive all the time can be quite time consuming and it doesn't work all the time either. So, there has to be a balance.
Anger isn't all bad. I've used anger to fuel me to get a lot of positive things accomplished. I am talking about the negative energy that comes from anger here that I find to be a waste of time. It can manifest itself in so many different ways. A good example is taking one's anger out by reveling in the misery of others or wishing harm and misery onto other people. Seriously? If you're so angry about your own life, why not take the time to change what makes you angry about your own life? How about when anger manifests itself in a way that you become a miserable wretch of a person. Just yelling and screaming at everything and everyone. There are just some serious "anger things" there. And obviously, there are the violent angry outbursts. NEVER a positive thing....
You can see where I'm going with this. I've seen the "negative sides" of anger far too often. Its hard to explain its effects to the people who are having the difficulties with accepting that they are "flawed" by their anger and that they need to change. At times, these things need to be dealt with... Sometimes, rather harshly. As long as they don't have its effects on me and mine, I tend to stay away. The reason being? Have you ever noticed how easy it is to become angry about something? Downward spiral. I'd much rather dwell in the brighter side. I'd much rather pick and choose where I spend my anger and use that anger in a positive way to bring about a better outcome. Think about the different causes out there... People became passionate about an idea because they started off angry about something.... Just sayin....

My run-in with an angry cow.....

In the grocery store parking lot, I had a run in with a VERY large woman. She had a stop sign, I didn't. So, I kept on going. Why is it that I have said thunderous cow, that probably weighed in at about 400lbs or more (I am NOT joking), yell at me even though I had the right of way?
Honestly, I was already THROUGH the intersection when she rolled up to the stop sign. Well, I had said 400lbs heifer, MOO herself out of her car so that she could charge at my car in a one woman stampede (as I was stopped at the red light to leave the parking lot).... 
The cow started screaming obscenities at me and called me a "stupid c*nt". Oh, and did I mention my three year old daughter was in the car with me at the time of this incident? 
 Kids hear the most gosh darnedest of things, don't they? And they will repeat things at THE most inopportune or inappropriate times too... :sigh: Well, my daughter asked me, "Mama... What's a cump? Is it a cup?" My response? "Yes, baby. She called me a 'cup'... She just said it wrong..." Her response? "That's just silly!" (Phew! THAT landmine was avoided!) 
So, is it wrong that I laughed maniacally when this very obese woman tripped, fell face down and started rolling around and rocking back and forth to "right" herself? Wait... You know what? Never mind. Karma can have this one. I make no apologies. I'm glad I laughed.... Out loud.... While pointing.... Damn! I should have gotten a picture while I was at it....

Now, the serious side of this reared its ugly head later on in the evening: A 400+ lbs woman with severe road rage charged my car simply because she targeted me for whatever her reasons. She tripped and I was able to drive away. The story ended there. It could have been bad had she not tripped and she actually had reached the car. And with my three year old daughter sitting in her car seat in the back seat of my car... Well, it kind of ups the ante quite a bit. I was well prepared to "deal" with the situation, but honestly? It could have been bad.

I mean, let's go through the details here: I was blocked in traffic, cars in front, cars behind, my daughter was in her car seat in the back passenger side, the woman charged the drivers side. Now had she NOT tripped and fallen or fallen and HAD been able to orient herself and get up and reached the car, likely she would have tried to yank me out through the window or she would have tried to tip the car over. (Did I mention my THREE YEAR OLD DAUGHTER was sitting on the PASSENGER'S side in the back?) 
Granted, I would have had to take measures to ensure that she couldn't get at me or more importantly, my daughter or allow her enough leverage to tip the car... Keep in mind, I was well armed and was VERY well prepared to use my weapon(s). It would not have been "lethal force", but "incapacitation" I would have used... (in theory). I wouldn't have gotten out of the car, but I did have a firm grasp of something that would have merited her (at best) coloring books for Christmas for the rest of her life..... I joke about it, but in all honesty, it was a very real and very scary situation that freaked me out when I actually took the time to think about it..... I know that my daughter more that likely WON'T remember the whole incident as it happened. Totally cool. But on the other side of that...... Can you imagine the lasting damage if she was afraid of fat people for the rest of her life?

Now, I can't even BEGIN to tell you how funny and kinda sad it was. This woman was SO fat <insert a "yo' mama so fat..." joke here>, she couldn't get both of her hands underneath herself because of her girth and her ham hock arms. She literally had to rock side to side in order to get ONE hand or the other to touch the ground and she couldn't orient herself well enough by rolling around to get a knee under herself in order to get up.... (I left her there. Besides, she was a total "cup".) I doubt she's able to get her arms to meet in the middle so that she could clap... FAT. Not the kind of fat that happens over night... Really makes me wonder how people allow themselves to become that way. But I digress...

I obsessed about this for the next day or two but I decided that it wasn't worth my time to go over the "what if"s. Training for "real life situations" doesn't exactly cover EVERYTHING that you might come across. Hopefully I can cross "trampled to death by large angry beast" off the list of things that might pop up and surprise me as sort of a "real life pop quiz". It could have played out in a variety of different ways. That day, things worked out well for me. That was MY day and I managed to walk away with a funny and amusing anecdote to share with you all here and now. This post could have been a lot different, but everything went my way.

As a post script, I was thinking about keeping a box of Twinkies (as they would last indefinitely in the car) should something like this happen again.... Open one up, toss it in another direction and PRAY that there is still enough distance between the charging animal and the car so that the beast doesn't collide with the car from the momentum of trying to change directions to chase the Twinkie. Just a random thought..... 

   

Sleep cycles....

When insomnia rules over me, I have the hardest time staying motivated. It's weird. My body knows that its tired and wants to rest, but the mind keeps going and doesn't allow it to. I go through these random bursts of energy allowing me to do super human things, only to come around and have it bite me in the ass later as it drains the reserves of energy all together and I suffer more... When the bout of insomnia reaches its peak and I crash, I never get enough sleep and by the time I do manage to get somewhat caught up, I get insomnia again. Good times!
As much as I try to stay on a regular sleep schedule, it never really works out quite that way and despite the fact that I KNOW I should be sleeping, there's always just one more thing I want to get done...
One of these days, I'll work it through and figure out the sleeping thing. Until then... Well, whatever.....

Technicolor Lawn!

Otis isn't exactly the brightest dog on the face of the planet. As a matter of fact, I will claim the opposite. As yet another shining example of his non-brilliance, his favorite things to eat are poop and crayons. He has more access to crayons as the kids like to leave them lying around all over the house. It leads to a very interesting result...
There really isn't a particular "place" he goes outside. Things just kinda.... fall out or leak. And because of the fact that he's Otis, he poops about 45 times a day. It's become a joke around here. "OMG! CALL CNN! OTIS IS POOPING!!!!!!!"
We have the most colorful lawn in the neighborhood, with its bright and happy chewed up crayon pieces mixed in poop...
Yeah.... Otis. That's my dog.

You woke me for THIS??!??

Why is it that some of the potentially GREATEST nights of sleep are interrupted by stupid things? The neighbor's dog choosing 3 in the morning to howl and bark at something, 4am for the other neighbor to rev his motorcycle engine and lay into the throttle, 5 in the morning for a bird to take a header into the window and go all kamikaze on it, 2:30 in the morning for a couple of cats to get randy on the porch right below my bedroom window.... Grrrrrr.....

Blaaaaaaaaahh......

I have those days from time to time. The days when I don't want to do anything, I don't want to go anywhere, and I just don't give a crap about nothing. The things that seem rather appealing to me are spending the day in bed, eating junk food and sleeping it off until I wake up again for another dose of Twinkies and chips and dip. They happen when I don't have the kids around, Lucky's at work and the parents are away. It's been quite therapeutic. I concentrate on me and deal with the inner mechanations of my own inner thought and processes. It always ends with a bout of indigestion, but a breakthrough of sorts that leaves me feeling that I can move forward and fight through another day. Other times, I just sit and vege.

Parental undermining.....

The underminer... Every family has one. The parental underminer... The family member who knows best how to raise, deal with and handle children in the best way. They have all the answers and know everything there is to knew about raising children, what books to read, how to talk to them and everything. How their schedules should be set up, what they should be doing at any given time.
Sound annoying? It is my reality. I am still trying to define the lines where they don't get crossed or shouldn't get crossed. I go on about what I am doing and ignore the whining and complaining from the peanut gallery that consists of my mom and dad.
The walls have been built so that the children know, and the old people know what the rules of engagement are and that those rules will be followed. They are rules brought down from on high that were deemed to be "The ONES" that will rear my children until they become people of their own.
The first few months were rough a best. Screaming fits and threats, but once my parents calmed down, they gave up on deciding that they would be able to change my mind. The ideals that I have set forth for what I would like to see my children be are different from child to child as they are very different creatures from one another, but the rules for them are all the same and stay consistent.
Raising my children in this environment hasn't been ideal, but at least we have all settled into "roles" and with a few tweaks here and there, and things have been working out. I have a long way to go to make sure that my children become the very best of what they have the potential to become and for them to see that potential. Sure, I serve as the dork and all, but I believe one day they will see the method to my madness. Meanwhile, underminers beware. I'm fixing them to identify what they are and go with what they're supposed to be doing instead of what they shouldn't. They're good little monkeys and I have faith in the fact that they will grow up proud and strong. It's all good.

Firm Grasp of the Obvious....

Captain Obvious here with another  public service announcement..... It seems that sometimes, the most obvious needs to be pointed out in the most stupid of situations. No, it does NOT make you clever trying to figure out a different solution, when the obvious is right there. Just go with the obvious... Please. Then we can move on to something else that would be time better spent. Just sayin'....

Whadjyu do now??!???

Yes... "Whadjyu do now??" It is a question that a parent has to ask from time to time whether it be out of morbid curiosity or some other reason... This is especially true when you, as the parent, walk in on something that the child/ children had no intentions of you knowing about it or finding out about. The look/ looks on their faces is priceless. I know I shouldn't laugh or snicker or crack a smile or belie the fact that they did wrong and they are in trouble and that I am upset with them, but when they do the "cute thing" ranging from the collective pout or Cheshire Cat smiles, to the camaraderie that occurs when they know they have been collectively busted, it's kind of endearing and cute and can be a little difficult not to show that...
Parenting is such a "winging it" process and the rules seem to change from day to day. I mean, the basics are always the same and obviously, you have to be consistent when raising children. I am talking about "you never know what to expect from day to day" type of winging it. One day they've flushed a cellphone, a half a dozen mini action figures, the head of a barbie doll, a soup spoon, a plastic knife, a half a box of tissue paper and a dead squirrel down the toilet "accidentally" and then the next day, they want to know where babies come from and the day after that, they are debating the pros and cons of different strategies for super Mario with you. :sigh:
It's always a good bet that when things are a bit too quiet, that you should call up to the kids. "Whadjyu do now?" If greeted with "Um.... Nothin'?" rush to where they are. Nothing ALWAYS means something and the longer you wait, the more it's going to cost you. Just some friendly advice...

Eat, sleep... Repeat....

There are those weekends that I don't have the children and Lucky has to work and I don't get to see him. It leaves me with some time to myself. There are times when I will be motivated enough to take on something and work through until it gets done. There are other times when I'm not motivated to do anything and I think I am entitled to those times once in a great while too. I eat until I'm tired and I sleep until I'm hungry... No, it's nothing to be proud of, but I do it sometimes and I'll admit it.

Hitting...

Although there is a satisfaction in slugging someone who REALLY deserved it, there's also a feeling of "Meh..." when all is said and done. It's not to say I won't hit someone if they truly deserve it, but meh... It'd REALLY have to be worth my time and effort.
With kids, the rules are different. I don't know what the deal is. They'll smack, kick, punch, scratch, bite, slap, poke, gouge, rake, elbow, knee, pull, shove.... It's like releasing two angry, rabid honey badgers on each other... And the funny thing is, (And I've witnessed this happen on more than one occasion...) a few seconds AFTER the fight is done, a good portion of the time, the two kids are sitting there sharing a juicebox and a snack and they're like best friends for life.... WTF??!?? I guess there are some lessons that we can learn from children.... Go figure.