Dreams and Memories

This is more of a search for knowledge than my usual posts. I am breaking this into two distinct questions that I would like to see an answer to.


Dreams.

How do you dream?

I am one of those people that has a quite high retention rate for my dreams. I can usually recall about 90% of any previous night's dream.

In a majority of my dreams I see color, and I have always had full sensory acuity. I smell, taste and feel the stimulus of the dream. This has, in fact, woke me up on more occasions than I like.

Most of the time, in my dreams, I have no control over the dream... in some cases, even though I know what the outcome or result of something is going to be, I still cannot do anything to stop it. This has happened many times, and give one the feeling like you have when you are watching a movie you have seen several times, and you know that the person should not open the door to let the killer in, yet they do anyway.

Of my dreams, and this is the first time I have shared this with anyone but my wife, there is one that stands out.

In the dream, I am about the same age I am now. I learn that I have cancer. The rest of the dream covers about a full year as I fight the cancer and follow the treatments. At several points in the dream I look in a mirror, and I actually do see myself, as I would probably look while going through Chemo and Radio therapy, complete with weight and hair loss. In the end of my dream, I am lying in me bed at home, with machines attached to me, and I look around to see all my friends gathered around me, some touching me, others just looking. My wife is standing next to me crying and holding my hand. My thought at this point was "This is the best way to go, with all my friends to help me through." I closed my eyes and I heard the heart monitor go flat.

I remember very vividly waking up and gasping for air, sweating to the point that the sheets were completely soaked. I then went in and proceeded to sit on the couch and cry. From that point on, my opinion of death and dying have been completely altered. I really am no longer afraid of either any more. Not that I WANT to die, but I almost feel like I have been there, or at least very close to it.

Here are my questions:

1. How do you dream?
2. Can something as simple as a dream change our lives so dramatically that it can alter who we are and how we think?
3. Can we learn from our dreams?


Here is the second section.

Memories

When you think about yourself or something that has happened to you in the past, how do you see yourself or the incident?

When I recall something that happened in the past, whether it was ten minutes ago or ten years ago, I always see it in the third person. It is as though I am seeing it from the point of view of a camera boom that was following me that day. I see myself and the event in question, but I never see things through my own eyes.

The questions:

1. When you recall something from your past, how do you see it... from 1st or 3rd person? If you see it from the 2nd person, then you are more talented than I.
2. Do you occasionally dwell on a memory to the point that it becomes an issue?


Thanks for humoring me in this little quest. Unfortunately I cannot say that I am doing this for school or and particular paper. I am doing this mostly from curiosity.

Thanks.

What is the problem?

WARNING... This article is fueled by anger... Please read with this in mind.


I am an American.

Our system is not perfect, and some of our politicians could be replaced by trained monkeys (or are already) but I love this country none-the-less.

As you may have notice through reading some of my other entries, my opinion of immigration is not a problem. I am, as I have said many times before, Pro-Legal Immigration, but all the recent hype and the "Walk-out" planned for today has me angry in ways that I just cannot put into words without severe editing.

How is it that people think that they have the right to sneak into a country, work "off the books" and in some cases not contribute to the country's wellbeing? What makes this worse is that some of the supporters of these illegal immigrants are people that made it to the country legally... ones that worked to get into the country through the proper channels. I am truely mystified as to where their logic comes from.

Why is it that people in Mexico are complaining about us wanting to close our borders, and threatening to boycot American owned business' in Mexico because we want to? And it seems that they are not even getting that right. Some of the business' that they are boycotting are actually Mexican owned.

Personally, if I owned a business, and I had an employee Walk out for this joke of a protest, then I would be hppy to let that person go... as long as they took all their personal belonging with them... because they would have no job to come back to. I hope that employers take that step, because this should not be tolerated at all.

Now, to explain, I feel the same way about it if the situation was different. If this was a day of protest for any group, and people walked off their job, then they should still get the axe. Fire them, on the spot. Not because they are protesting, but because of what they are doing... it's called Job Abandonment, and it is not only wrong, but it is unfair to the other employees that are not protesting and to the people to which your company provides a service.

Why do I feel this way? Because I am an American. I believe that as an American, you are willing to put the needs of the country above the needs of yourself. I believe that we are all part of a whole, not senveral million individual parts working for our own goal. I am willing to lay down my life to protect this country, and have volunteered to do so once already. I feel that any act that promotes illegal entry into this country is an act that will potentially support Terrorism.

So my question to you who enter this country illegally is this: What have you done for America lately?

In reality, all of us, as citizens, should keep in mind that we are not only acting for ourselves. We are truely part of a global community, and our actions are being watched. Not only by those outside the USA, but by those closer to home... our neighbors and our children. If we continue to live our lives for ourselves alone, then we truely are seeing the end of a great nation, and SHOULD just let the Mexicans, and anyone else, cross the border.

The illegal immigration is not just about the people that come into the country, either. It is also about what they do to get here. These people are a walking environmental disaster. In the process of crossing the border, they are leaving tons of garbage at various points along the border. Please visit the Desert Invasion web site to see pictures and video of this problem... my question after seeing this was Where are all the crybaby environmentalists? and why are they not also getting their backs up about this. These illegals are trashing National Parks and public lands, not to mention the private land on the borders that they are trashing.

So, in closing, not only is illegal immigration becoming a political and economic issue, it is also an ecologic issue.

This saddens me and makes me angry. No one should stand by and LET this happen and still consider themselves proud to be an American. The people who stand by and let this happen without trying to do something are no better than the people helping the illegals into the country. Yes... INACTION is wrong, this is not "Someone else's problem." In addition, the people on the borders that are assisting the illegals cross the border should also be rounded up and sent down to Mexico.

The US Border Patrol cannot do it alone, so I encourage you to help. You can start by contacting the Minuteman Project... they can show you what you can do to help.

Thanks for reading this, and I apologize for and grammar or spelling errors.

An Addiction Divine

What is your addiction??

There once was a time when coffee was old hat. It is what your mother and father drank at the morning breakfast table, or after dinner.

These days, with the help of such storefronts as Starbucks, Supreme Bean and the like, coffee is as popular as soda and tea. It is not just the drink of choice for adults anymore either, you see all sorta of people ordering drinks there from all ages.

One occasion that stands out for me is when I was in Monterey on business, I went to a Starbucks... the one in the Del Monte Center, for those of you that know the area, and I saw a kid... maybe about 10 or 12 years old, and order a Cafe Mocha with an extra shot. This floored me... I was not aware that coffee drinks like this were that popular with kids. So... being the kind of guy I am... I went and asked the "Barista" about this. She told me that there are several kids that come in.

What do you think? Should kids be allowed to order coffee drinks? I mean, when I was a kid, I would never have considered ordering a coffee. I had tasted it once, but at the time I thought it was disgusting. Yet my father and mother could always be found with a cup of coffee and a cigarette after dinner and pretty much the same for breakfast... but I did not care for coffee at all... that is until I joined the Marine Corps. In addition to various other things, they trained me to like Coffee. I especially enjoyed the coffee at the end of the day, when the big urn had been sitting all day and that last little bit of coffee was in the bottom of the urn... you had to tilt the urn a little to get that last little bit out. Oooh Yeah!

Me? When I order my coffee at Starbucks, I ordered something called the Triple Red-eye... This is basically a very strong coffee and three shots of espresso. Let me put an amendment to that... I DID order this until just recently when my doctor politely told me to lay off the coffee... especially after a blood pressure of 140/110. So these days I am ordering decaf... and I am almost through the withdrawals.

So, again, what is your take on children being allowed to order these coffee drinks, and what do YOU order when you order coffee?

The fall of Heros

Face it... there is no Superman, Batman, Aquaman or the like. We live in a world where we look for Heros in life. People that we can look up to and admire or even aspire to be. For some people that is a scientist or doctor, for others it can be a Rap star or athlete. Which brings me to my topic.

When I was young, I followed such sports stars as Bruce Jenner, Steve Garvey, Reggie Jackson and Pete Rose. I will be the first to admit that they were no saints, and they had their issues, but compared to the things we are seeing from today's players... they were pearls.

I consider myself to be a pretty good judge of character, and fairly knowledgeable in the way people think; which is why I am truly perplexed when I see people like Darrell Strawberry, Barry Bonds... etc, who think nothing of pumping crap into their system, then get mad when they are caught.

Let's go back and do some comparison... and we will start with my Childhood hero... Steve Garvey.

Steve is one of the many of the "boys of summer" that NEEDS to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Just look at his record by clicking here, he is truly one of the greats. He was not perfect, though. He later had some issues pop up regarding messing around with women other than his wife. There was also a suit regarding a diet program that he hyped, but this is probably as bad as it got.

Now to Pete Rose.

Every time I think of this guy I just feel sick. Here is a guy who has been up to bat more than 14,000 times, and raked up 4,256 hits... and because he gambled, he was kicked out. Talk about your raw deals. Because of his involvement with gambling, he is not eligible for the Hall of Fame. When I think about this, it makes me wonder how gambling is so much worse than using drugs... Because unless I missed something in my research, were he even have as good a player, Darryl Strawberry would still be eligible for the Hall of Fame. Now THAT is sad.

I love baseball... and I am dedicated to two teams. Saint Louis Cardinals and the Toronto Blue Jays. I watch them as often as I can. But Baseball as a whole is disappointing me these days. I look at the book that Jose Conseco wrote, and cannot help but wonder if it was a blessing or curse for those of us who are baseball "truists". We learned about something that most of us really did not want to know about, and that many players did not WANT us to know about. Suddenly the baseball great of the modern time, are not so great. They are teaching us that a little hard work to get that extra edge is no longer required, just a friend that can provide you with some steroids. How is this NOT cheating? How is this NOT giving yourself an unfair advantage? Can anyone out there tell me that what they are doing is creating a positive image of themselves?

If we look back, knowing what we know now, to the "Challenge" between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire, back in 1998, we cannot think about it without a little bit of skepticism. Was the incredible feat they created that year them or was it the needle? In fact, this question was answered. Sammy may have actually answered the question by not answering it in this interview with Rick O'Reilly. To make matters worse, Conseco's book reports that McGwire used steroids in 1998 as well. So this Home Run race was a farce.

Baseball has long been the "Great American Pastime". Players were respected, lauded over and considered American icons. They made people, youths especially, feel that with hard work and keeping you eye on the prize, you too could be one of them. Today? What once were Heros and inspirations for the kids are now walking advertisements for cheating. They carry with them the advertisement that if you are obnoxious enough, do drugs or use steroids, you too can be the next Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire or, god forbid, Darrell Strawberry.

While it probably does not make headlines as much, I am sure that this goes on in other sports, but they just do not seem to be as visible.

If I had some say... Testing would be mandatory... all players in all sports would be tested. If you are found to have Steroids or other drugs in your system, you would be given a one year suspension... at the end of that year, if you still test positive then you are banned for life. No "third chances."

Mind your mouth...

When I was a child, I was forbidden to use fowl language.

Our house, though that means just my mother and I, was very strict in that sense. In fact, I was so well trained that I never even cussed outside of the house, for fear that somehow my mother would know that I had done it.

By today's standards, so I have been told by some, I was abused. I think not. See, when I was growing up, my mother led the house with a set of rules that were rigidly enforced, and they were enforced with a belt or spatula that was always in easy reach of my mother. But she never hit me for anything other than a well deserved reason... like the time I stabbed a fellow classmate in first or second grade with a pencil.

That being said, and now you, the reader, understanding my upbringing, I can continue.

Up until the time I joined the Marine Corps, I never cussed. However, if there is anything that the Corps taught me, it was how, when and where to cuss. You will find very few Marines, or many other soldiers for that matter, that do not use their fair share of foul language.

Now a days, though, I am noticing a sad trend. More and more children are cussing, and in public, not caring who hears.

I have two major questions about this...

1. Why are these kids so free with their language?
2. Why are their parents not doing anything about it?

I feel that part of the reason there is so little control over what kids do and do not do these days is that parents either will not or cannot discipline their kids. I have met both of these types of people, and they simply amaze me. Here is what I see, in a nutshell.

Will not discipline -
A good example of this is a person I used to work with. You go to their house and the kids are running crazy. No control, yelling, throwing thing, etc... I am trying to talk to this person about a problem we are having at work, and can barely get a sentence out before one of the kids runs up and interrupts us. At one point a toy, and not even a small one, flew over and hit him in the head then broke a glass. At this point I could not contain myself, and asked why he did not do anything. His response sticks with me today... "They are just kids, what am I supposed to do?" Now for the bomb. These "Kids" were about 11 and 12 respectively. Old enough to know better, but with parents that are either too lazy or too irresponsible to discipline them. At that age though, even if the parents decided to start, the kids are too far along to do anything about.

Too affraid to discipline -
One of the things that prevents a lot of parents, these days, from turning junior over their knee and giving them a good paddling are two things... 1. Well meaning but nosey teachers that think that any time a child says that they were paddled means that they are abused, and 2. Kids that play the system and report that they were beaten when in reality they were not and are just trying to retaliate for the fact that they were punished.

In California especially, it is too easy to be arrested for child abuse, and there have been several cases where parents are questioned for and even detained for child abuse, when all they did was punish their child. The system is TOO quick to go after a parent for potential abuse, and not investigate the claim carefully first.

This is not to say that there are very valid claims out there, but spanking your child in not abuse, not even close. There is nothing wrong with a good spanking, as long as the person giving the spanking is not doing it out of anger... then it CAN go to far.

Maybe a child might think twice about uttering some colorful language if the next time they drop that f-bomb or s-bomb, they get popped really good in the mouth, or maybe have to take a teaspoon of Dawn (Dishwashing liquid).

I said earlier that I did not cuss when I was a kid... well, that was not entirely true. See, when I was about 14 years old, and was begining to think I was smarter that my mom... like most 14 year olds do, I told my mother to "Go F*** yourself." Next thing I know I was on the floor, holding the side of my face. Yes... I learned my lesson, and NO... I never said it, or anything remotely like it to her again.

I have nothing against the use of OCCASIONAL use of some foul language... it is a good was to vent, but there are places and times for it. It should not be a regular part of your vocabulary.

So to the people who do use foul language as a regular part of their daily dialogue, try to act like you have some education, even if you do not. Find a better way to express your opinions.

Wash your hands!!!

This is a litle different than my usual posts, but enjoy.


I pay attention to things, little things and big things. I also tend to dwell on things that bother me. That being said, I will vent a little here about something I noticed some time ago, and then started taking a mental score of.

How often do you wash your hands?

I am not so much talking about washing up before meals or after spending the afternoon working on the Ford. Moreso I am talking about washing your hands after you have used the toilet.

Being a regular user of toilets myself, and having been so for most of my life, I have noticed that this number is surprising low. Myself? I am rather anal about this topic, I turn the water to hot (if hot water is available) then wash my hands in near scalding water with lots of soap, then on my way out of the facility I use a paper towel to open the door.

What my rant covers is how many times I have used public restrooms and listened to people come in, do their business, then leave... WITHOUT washing their hands.

Now... What a person does regarding their own health is none of my business, in fact there are some people that I could really care less what they do to themselves, however washing your hands after using the restroom is not about personal hygene as much as it is about courtesy and PUBLIC health.

Who knows what problems a person might have that they could be sharing with others through their own lack of forethought? Imagine someone using the toilet, not washing up, then grabbing a doorknob with their hand... now another person, say maybe YOU walk through that SAME door on your way out... you may have washed your hands, but now that you grabbed that same knob, you now may be sharing some of the same funk that was on the other person's hand.

Now you go out and enjoy a hot dog or Hamburger, or and other food that requires use of your hands to eat... but you are not just eating that food, you are also enjoying any of the funk that came off the other person's genitals.

Yes, I know that this is disgusting, and probably many of you have already stopped reading at this point. Yes, I also know that there are not many diseases or illnesses that can be transmitted this way... but that is not the point.

The point is that not washing your hands after you have visited the toilet is a disgusting habit that you should break yourself of, quickly.

When you think about it, you might not even want to know how many times a day you shake hands with, are touched by, patted or even served food by someone who may have just finished wiping their ass and decided that washing their hand was a little too time consuming.

Think about that for a while, then be polite to yourself and to others and wash your hands the next time you visit the toilet.

This has been another Public Service Announcement by....

Where does it End?

OK... To start this off, I am Pro-Immigration... LEGAL Immigration.

I am listening to the debates over the various proposals regarding the immigration laws, and I am just in awe. In awe of two things... The stupidity of the people arguing against it and in awe of the lack of backbone that the government is showing to defend the borders.

One of the arguments I heard today on NRP radio was that of a young lady that ditched school to go out and protest. Her enlightening statement was that she did not want her parents and her to be deported. She is a perfect example of why you should STAY in school, because had she spent some time with a teacher or picked up a book to study the legal information regarding immigrants, she would know that IF she was born in the US, then SHE has nothing to worry about. She goes on to state that her parents wanted her to have a better life... well then why did her parents break the law to do so. My parents wanted me to have a better life than they had, so if they rob a bank or another person to do so, does that make what they did right?

The answer is NO! Entering the United States (and many other countries) to live or stay for an extended period, without proper documentation (think Visas) is illegal. Why is that so hard to accept? If what they are doing was legal, then why are they crossing the borders through the rivers, deserts, and in the back of trucks? If they feel they have the RIGHT to just come across and start living here, then why not just cross the boarders at the checkpoints and highways?

Now... the other think that sticks in my craw. Prop 187 was passed with flying colors, pretty much a landslide victory. Then the legal idiots got a hold of it and beat it down. This tells me that illegal aliens have more rights in California than do I. How is this right? These are people that do not even have the right to VOTE in this country, why can a person who comes to this country illegally, does not (in MOST cases) pay taxes and has no LEGAL right to be here, have the right to override my vote? There is no doubt that they do work hard, I will not even TRY and argue that fact. Illegals do work that I honestly would not do willingly... though I have done a lot of manual labor, it is not my first choice.

This whole thing leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth regarding several things, but the main one is our Government's stance on this whole thing. There should be no question about what needs to be done. The borders need to be shut... period. This is especially true since we are presently in a conflict with a foreign power. We cannot stand around with this "We want to be fair to everyone" attitude and allow people to just wander in. We need a lot of people on the border... if someone tries to cross, fire a warning shot, if they keep coming, fire a shot into their head. If their family sues us, there should be NO grounds and it should not even make it to court. They had no legal right to cross the border without going through the proper channels.

Those of you who happen upon this are probably going to argue with me, and condemn me for my opinion, but you know... that is the beautiful part about being an American... I can have my opinion and you can have yours... and as long as you do not break the law to express yours.

Now... If you want to know my opinions on foreign Labor, I encouraged you to read my article titled "An alternative to Illegal Immigration", because I have no intention of rewriting it here.

If there is any sign of common sense left in this country, then the bill put forth by the Senate Judiciary Committee will be the best bet. Let's just hope that this does happen.

In closing, let me say this. There is nothing wrong with folks coming into the states and working. Most of these jobs are jobs that a majority of us would not want to do. I have worked a couple of seasons digging trenches in the California sun... and it is not fun, so I do have respect for the work they do. But it needs to be done legally, both to protect us as Americans and them as potential "Guest Workers."

Thanks.

Loss of a Legend

Say what you want about country and western music, and the "Bakersfield Sound" in general, but there is no denying that Buck Owens was an icon of both.

As most of you now know, unless you have been living in a cave (hello there Osama!) Buck Owens, the patriarchal figurehead of the Bakersfield Sound, permanently left the stage of life this last Saturday morning (25 March 2006).

To say he will be missed is almost not enough. His inspiration and support has helped many an aspiring singer get their start, and his legacy encompasses several decades of musical history.

I never actually got to see the man perform live, but I listened to the live broadcast from the Crystal Palace every Friday night, and I had the honor of meeting him once. Though it was a brief handshake and a "How're you doin'", then he was gone. Even in that short meeting, you could feel that he carried a presence about him. There was something in his walk, his talk and his overall personality that just made you like him. I am not sure how else to describe it, but he was the kind of person that you had to like.

His loss will be felt by many.

A life not wasted

The name Tina Carroll may not mean much to you, but to many it does.

A lot can be said about a person who puts others above themselves, even when they are ill.

I did not know Tina, but understanding what I have read about her, I wish I had. she was truiely a person of unique spirit and courage, and I feel that her loss is a loss to all of us.

After asking for permission to post the article here, I was turned down. I was, however, told that I can post this link so that the author, Shellie Branco, would still get her due credit.

I ask that you take a moment to read this article. I envy this girl's ability to put others above herself. Her dedication to herself through her continued education and her dedication to others through her work as a volunteer.

While her life was short, and she was in pain, she did not dwell on this, and lived a productive, active and worthy life.

I cannot say much more than Shellie was able to in her article, and I think that she said it well. I can only say that I hope that I can live a life as full as she had in her short stay on this plane.

Thank you Tina for being one of the bright points in the lives of others. You will be missed by those that loved you, those that you touched and those that only knew of you through stories of others. Your parents have much to be proud of.

How are your sales skills?

So... how good of a sales person are you?

If your response is that you are not in sales, think again.

If you stop and carefully consider you life and the motions you go through, at some point you are a salesperson. You may not realize it at the time, however.

Let's take the obvious... something that we are all familiar with, unless you are one of the many career welfare recipients in this great land.

The Resume'

Yes... that is what I said. In fact, consider the entire job search process. You are going into a place to look for a job or a career. You are going to try and convince that HR person that you are the best person for the job. This is the best example of a salesperson, only what you are selling is your services in return for your future.

You may think that this does not apply to all jobs, but I disagree. Whether you are trying to get a job as a courtesy clerk at a grocery store or working the fryer at the local McDonalds, you are providing your services in an attempt to move up in the company, thusly you are selling your skills, or selling your ability to learn a new trade and be a promotable asset.

This being said, everyone should take their jobs seriously. If you do not like your job, and we have all had a job we did not like (mine was working Fine Men's Clothing at Harris' Dept Store.) you should still do the very best you can, and be proud of the work you do. Any time you get sick and think you might just slack off a little, think if the fact that you are not irreplaceable... there are plenty of people that will be happy to take you place should you become a liability over an asset.

Lets look at the next item...

Your Mate (Relationships)

A wise person once said that Marriage is just a legalized and institutionalized form of prostitution.

OK... that was crass, I know, but lets look at the way a relationship works, and you will see that there IS a certain amount of salesmanship in a relationship.

Courting.
The courting process goes back to the beginning of the human race. If you want to imagine the old cartoons of a caveman dragging his mate by the hair from location to location, then you have a cute imagination.

Primitive man, more than likely, courted in much the same way that animals court. The males fight for the right to mate by demonstrating who was superior and stronger. As a testament to natural selection, this then made sure that the strongest survived and the weaker, sickly, died off.

These days it is not really acceptable for people to fight for the right to mate with a particular female, although it does still happen, and mostly in bars and at the urging of young or deranged women (see my article about Cheaters.)

I will use myself and my relationship as an example of a long term successful relationship sales event. My wife and I have been married for fifteen years. I met her through her boyfriend almost eighteen years ago. I moved in with him for need of getting out of my mother's house, and he brought in his girlfriend.

Long story short, she and I developed a relationship due in part to the fact that he was abusive to her, and I treated her like she was a friend. Over time she left him, and her and I became good friends, then over time we nurtured the friendship into something more.

The moral to that story would be that the first person failed the task, and I came in and took over. While this makes things sound a little impersonal, I do not want to give the wrong impression. If I could say anything to her ex-boyfriend, then it you be thank you for being a lousy sales person, because I came out with the better end of the deal. We have had a wonderful relationship and will continue to.

Ok... Now I know that there are many of you who might read this and think that my opinion is silly or unfounded. That may be the case, but these are observations made from from an attempt to be neutral. These are also just my opinions, nothing more. If you do not like them, then that is your opinion, and that is human nature. Yes... opinions are like assholes, and yes... to some they are all full of shit.

Our actions

Do you feel that your action, or inaction, can truely make those around you into better or worse people?

Have you ever noticed that when, in the course of your day, you encounter a person who is in a genuinely good mood, that mood will rub off? The power that a smile or a pleasant nod to a person is vastly under appreciated. Sometimes a smile and a nod at the right time can make a person's day a little brighter.

Just a mild thought that I wanted to share.

In-N-Out Burgers

Hamburgers and Cheeseburgers, fries and drinks.

That's all...

Anyone that is familiar with the In-N-Out burger chain, will sympathize with me on this. This is a company that is one of those companies that has not bent itself over to add new things to the menu and try to cater to all tastes and all people.

I go there on a regular basis, and I am always impressed with the amount of business they get versus the competition. Add to this the fact that I have never been treated rudely in one, and I have never heard people speak badly of them as a while, either.

One of the In-N-Out locations in my town is located right across the street from a Burger King, and what strikes me as the most impressive aspect to this store, and a true statement to the quality of the food there, is that almost all the time, the In-N-Out (to save time I will refer to them as INO) has a line in the drive through going all the way around the building, with wait times ranging from a few minute to upward of ten minutes... Yet people are willing to wait. Meanwhile, across the street at the Burger King, there is rarely more than two cars in their driveway, and the dining area is rarely even half full. I wonder, too, if the only reason that people are in there is only because they could not wait for the line at INO. Either way, this is still a big complement to the INO.

While in any INO, if you look carefully, you may see a sign in the back that tells you an important piece of information. You will see the number of burgers that they make in a day, and in a month. If I had any suggestion to the family that still runs INO, it would be to put that sign out where everyone can see it. The numbers, while I do not recall them now, are astounding. I simply could not believe that they were right. I asked an employee about them once, and he smiled and said something like; 'you're not really supposed to see that, but yes.' Amazing. If anyone from INO happens to read this BLOG, please consider putting that sign in an easier to see place. It will not hurt your business.

In recent news, however, it looks as though there is some trouble in the INO family that may have long term affects on the company. There seems to be a rift forming in the relationship between the remaining heir and the board of directors. I do hope that throughout this ordeal, these people remember who the real jury is in this case, and make sure not to alienate us, the loyal and dedicated dining public. If something were to happen to the chain, then we would certainly lose a great place to eat. What is almost worse than the idea of them closing, is the possibility that they may go public, or sell out. These would both be a tragedy.

Cheaters!

OK... I admit it. I watch a Saturday Evening program called Cheaters.

I am one of the first people to bash you if you make the mistake of telling me you watch shows like Jerry Springer, Montel, Maury and the like. These shows, in my opinion, being out exactly how low people will go to have their story shown, even though I am sure most of these stories are fabricated.

For those of you who are not familiar with Cheaters, it is a show that uses the following formula:
1. Person is suspicious of their partner's activities while they are not around
2. Cheaters is hired to follow the partner around and "investigate" them.
3. Cheaters, once finding the incriminating footage, show said footage to the person.
4. Cheaters and Suspicious person confront the partner, usually in a very public place, to discuss the problem.
5. Copious dialogue and the obligatory physical confrontation ensue.

Ok... let me start by saying this. Cheaters does have a redeeming attribute, and that is that I am sure that the number of people that do cheat has dropped, or at the very least are looking a little harder over their shoulders.

I am not sure why I watch this show... Especially with my attitudes about the other shows that I have mentioned earlier in this blog. But I am hooked... I cannot go a Saturday without watching this show. In fact, my wife and I have our cell phones set to remind us when it is on, so that we do not miss it. How sad is that?

Do not get me wrong. Cheaters is a great show, and if by some miracle of a chance, one of their employees or producers happens across this blog, I have not a problem one with what you guys do. If I could make only one suggestion, though, it would be to have Joey Greco get rid of the damn Thesaurus that he is using. Most of the scripts he reads have words in them that look uncomfortable to him. They do not appear to be natural to his normal vocabulary.

Now... on to the real interesting part... the people.

OK... Why does a person cheat? Well... if you were to use the show Cheaters as a barometer for this question, it would be this reason... as it seems to be the most common.

"You are never there for me." - This is a real winner. I see this being used mostly when the other person is in a job that requires them to travel. I travel all the time, but my relationship with my wife is strong enough that I have never questioned what she does while I am away. I know she goes out, but I trust her.

What tickles me the most about this show is that most of the people that are making the complaints about their partners are of the following catagories: Boyfriend/Girlfriend, Boyfriend/Boyfriend, Girlfriend/Girlfriend. Very few appear to be married couples.

Now, and correct me if I am wrong, but back in the days when I was still dating, the "Boyfriend/Girlfriend" relationship implied that there was still a certain "dynamic" nature to it... meaning that nothing was set in stone until you gave your Girlfriend that engagement ring. Granted, that does not excuse a person from seeing another person without first breaking up with the one you are with, but until a promise is made, do not expect that they will be there always. I have always seen the dating and Boyfriend/Girlfriend stage of a relationship as a "Try before you buy" stage in the relationship. I do not mean this as a rude or vulgar comment, but that is how you see if the relationship is going to fit. My Wife and I dated for about seven months, then moved in and lived together for about two years, then I popped the question. The only reason for the delay in our case was that we were constantly broke, and could not even afford a cheap wedding.

It just seems silly when I see these people on Cheaters talking about their relationship being shaky, and some of them have only been dating for a few months. Seems silly.

I will continue to watch this show, and continue to watch Joey do for Cheaters what William Shatner did to Star Trek. I am hooked to the show, and I will, God help me, probably buy the season 1 boxed set of Cheaters. Complete with Tommy Habeeb (Grand) and Joey Greco and all the misfits of the Relationship Arena.

What was I thinking? :

What WAS I thinking?

Disneyland during the holidays is an exercise in self abuse, that is all there is to it.

Living in Bakersfield, Ca. One must travel some distance to the Magic Kingdom... about 2 hours and change, to be approximate. And once you arrive, you are anything but enchanted.

When I was young, I lived off of Katella, a street not far from the Happiest place of Earth, and back then, Disney was a great place to go. People seemed genuinely happy to work there, and the place was always clean.

This latest trip was a disappointment, to say the least. I would complain about the crowds, but let's face it, there are very few popular places that we can go these days that are not crowded.

No... My complaint is mainly about the PEOPLE factor of Disneyland... not just the employees, but the other guests as well.

After entering the park, we decided to get breakfast... in order to not draw negative attention to the specific place, I will not mention the name of the place we ate at, but for a reasonable sum of $50, my wife and I were treated to a breakfast that we could have easily found at a local Denny's for a quarter the price, and it would probably have been better.

The park itself (i.e. the attractions) was pretty good... Not much to complain about there, with the exception that you better not be too close to retirement age, because you will be collecting your pension in line. We were lucky, I suppose... my mother-in-law was with us, and she is in a wheelchair... anyone who has been to Disneyland knows that that puts you right at the front of the line, thusly turning a 60+ minute wait into a couple minutes, and subsequently pissing off the rest of the line.

My biggest complaint about the part, as I have said, was the employees. Very few of them smiled, and their attitude was, on average, negative. I understand that your job is not always great, and you will not be a happy employee on a daily basis, but you should show the appearance of being happy. I worked retail for the better part of 15 years, and trust me... I do have some idea of not being happy about your work. Try working at Circuit City during Christmas season.

While I am sure that there are differences between regular retail and that of the "Cast Members" of the Enchanted Kingdom, that is all the more reason to "Fake it." People do not go to Disney to pay $20 for two hot dogs, two pretzels and a drink to share, to listen to the person behind the counter bitch about the fact that they were supposed to be off that day and are angry about it, to another employee.

This is usually were I lose my composure. But I was proud of myself, and simply told the person that they should be glad they have a job at all, and that there are a lot of people out there that would love to have her job because they have none.

I am not sure when the magic left the Magic Kingdom, but if there is any left, then it is not as easy to find as it once was. The only exception to this was the veterans... When I did run into some of the minority of people there whose nametags said that they had been there in excess of 20 years, they seemed to truly be happy. Whether this was very good faking on their part, or a happiness as the result of skilled pharmacology, I am not sure, but the smiles and the attitude that I got from them was enough to offset most of the disappointment of the others.

In closing... Disneyland still holds a special place in my heart, because it was such a big part of my childhood. I will continue to go there for as long as they remain. I also feel that the best thing to happen to them was the loss of Michael Eisner from the family, though him putting a puppet in his place probably means that there will not be much of a change, but who knows... we will have to see.

Just remember... It's a small world after all!!!

An alternative to Illegal Immigration

Illegal Immigrants are a hot topic right now. Several states are affected by them, and they show no sign of stopping, but I think that we are going about the process all wrong, and here is why.

Right now the US policy regarding illegals is to round them up and ship them back to Mexico. Many times the people that send in the anonymous tip that illegals are in country and working the fields are the very people that brought them here or hired them to begin with, in many cases this happens right before they are paid for the work they do, so that all the farmer is out is the occasional fine they must pay for using illegals for the work, which is less that what they would have paid them to begin with.

There is another option.

Look at the jobs that they take when they are here, these are typically jobs that a majority of us, as US citizens, will not take, even in desperation. I have, personally, known several people that would take unemployment or nothing over working the fields. Understanding that, why is it such a bad idea to allow people to work the fields that do not have a problem doing it? Yes, they are not in the US legally, and they do not pay taxes, but this is not something that they have a lot of control over, and some of them would really like to be Americans, but are not able to do so through proper channels.

The US, and California especially, need to create a program where we will import a certain number of migrant workers from Mexico to do these jobs. The program I would suggest would be a Civilian Group, not a government organization, but it would be supervised by the government to insure that it was not abused. Any farms, packing companies or growers groups would pay a set amount into a fund that is administered by this civil group, the amount they pay into it would be based on the total number of hands they need for that season. The workers would be paided a fair rate from that fund, and all moneys they earn would be placed in bank accounts in their names, from that a small amount would be taken for taxes (significantly less than what a citizen pays), and insurance. The insurance would be for health and liability needs... should a worker get sick, he would not have to rely on the welfare system to pay for medical treatment.

At the end of the contract with the job, the migrant worker would be put back in the pool, if after two weeks, no new jobs come up, they will be sent back to Mexico, they can leave any money they saved in their bank account or take it back with them. After five years of being part of this program, and demonstrating that they are reliable and good workers, they will, if they "opted in", automatically be placed on the waiting list for citizenship, and if they pass the required tests, they will be granted citizenship. The tests will include a required understanding of English, US History and a quiz on US Laws (meaning what is and is not legal.)

If the worker does not want to become a citizen, then they may stay in the worker program for as long as they like, they will still get their pay and be able to maintain their bank account for as long as they wish.

I see this as a very good idea, and if a politician happens to read this and want to use the idea, then I will not complain, I will not even ask for any credit, you may freely claim it as your own. Not only will this save us money in welfare expenses, it will also ease, albeit only a little, the border problems and make it so that the farmers do not have to play games to get their fields planted or harvested.

These were just some ideas, and I welcome comments.

...When I'm Sixty-Four.

I watched something today that was pleasant to see.

While sitting and eating a quick lunch at a McDonald's in Monterey, Ca. I watched an older couple enter the restaurant.

They went to the counter and placed their order, with a little difficulty due to an impatient cashier. After they got their food, they wandered around until they found a seat they liked. He went around and pushed her chair in for her, and then sat down.

They ordered a Chicken sandwich and a salad... While I am sure that this is of little importance to you, the reader, it was cute because of the way they ate it. He cut the sandwich in half, and divided the salad. They then sat and ate their lunch.

While, again, this entire observation my be a bit mundane or boring to most of you, it leaves me with a feeling of happiness. I enjoy seeing what appears to be a good relationship, especially today, when there seems to be a lack of romance in life and a rise in what are commonly being referred to a disposable relationships. This is not to say that all modern relationships are doomed to failure, but you will notice that the statistics are in favor of the fact that people are just not staying together as long as they once did.

Which brings me back to our friends in the McDonald's. How is their relationship different than your relationship with YOUR significant other? Maybe nothing, maybe a lot. I think that the values we are brought up with have a lot to do with this, in addition to the environment that we are raised in. Personally, I was brought up in a broken marriage... For reasons I was too young to understand, my mother and father separated when I was six years old... My wife had a similar situation... So obviously we both went into our relationship with worries. But when this couple were younger, marriage was taken much more seriously than it is today, at least more importantly that some take it. When people married then, I think they took the whole idea of "till death to us part" seriously. Nowadays people are using creative ways getting around that commitment, by saying things like "As long as our love shall last" and "Until our love doth fade."

If you were to ask me, the two later "vows", are nothing of the sort, and are actually a cop out. You are essentially giving yourself an "out". You are saying, that if you suddenly decide that you no longer love your spouse, you simple use that as an excuse to bail out. You are putting a "chicken-shit" clause in the marriage. You are preparing your marriage for disaster, by not COMMITTING to the relationship.

My wife and I have a great marriage. It is not perfect, we have had our fights, and some of them were doozies. I have never struck her, and I never will. But the fact is that we make it work, and I hope that we will be sitting in a McDonald's sharing a sandwich and salad forty years from now.

"...Will you still need me? Will you still feed me? When I'm Sixty-four."

I did not get their names, but here is their picture, in the upper right corner.

Music and the Moods it creates.

Have you ever noticed that music, aside from being pleasant to listen to, can also create a variety of moods and mental states?

I am not just talking about things like romantic music making you FEEL in the mood, when you and your loved one are together. I am talking more about the other affects that music can create. Let me provide you with some of my own personal examples.

Pink Floyd - No music inspires me or causes my creative streak to bloom more that Pink Floyd. I write stories, and find that I can hammer out two or three times the workload if I am listening to The Wall or Dark Side of the Moon. There is something in that music that trigger a response, and that response causes me to be creative. All Pink Floyd music has this affect on me, but mostly those two albums.

Ray Lynch - This music can do two things... If I am in a sad mood, it can depress me even more, but more often, when I am happy, his music has the ability to uplift me and make me see hope where I did not see it before. I listen to it, it is all acoustic, no words, yet I hear what he is trying to say to the listener. It is almost as if there is a story there, and if you listen to the chords and the notes, they will make the words. You have to really listen, though.

Moby - As odd as it may seem, Moby makes me work aggressively. I usually play his CDs while working in the back yard, or in the garden, but mostly while doing things that require real physical labor. There is something in the music that is almost like a form of potential energy that, through listening to it, becomes kinetic. Listen to We are all made of Stars or Porcelain, and you will hear what I mean... The same is true for most of the album '18'. I may not like his politics, but I ignore that in most performers.

All Classical - This is my driving music. I tend to be an aggressive driver, this is not to say I am dangerous, but when I drive, I take it very seriously and watch everything. Classical music seems to increase my focus. There is something in it that makes me acutely aware of everything that is going on around me... I drive like I play chess, looking several moves ahead of the present, thinking about where a car is going to be, what options they have and what responses I have to counter that. Classical music just seems to augment that perception.
Those are my examples, and I feel they are pretty good ones. I know that what I have described is more psychosystematic than anything else, and that if we over-analyze it, it might have less meaning, but it is interesting none the less.

It is almost as if, in my case, my mind needs a soundtrack.

Traveling and Restaurants... a Rant

When I travel, and my company does have me travel a bit, I make it a point to be adventurous.

When I get to my hotel, I look for a restaurant... preferrably one that I have never been to before, or one that I enjoy, but rarely get to enjoy. Am I the only one that thinks it is silly to go out of town and eat at the same restaurant that you have in your own home town? I mean granted, there are times that I have been in a hurry, and not wanted to look for a place to eat, so I would hit fast food or the like, but a majority of the time I would make the effort to find someplace different.

Right now I am limited, for as I write this article I am doing the "Low Carb" thing to get my weight down in preparation for a pending knee surgery... in other words my options are limited. But normally when I visit a town, and it does not matter how often I get to visit that town, I pretty much ignore places to eat that I frequent in my Home town. I even go so far as looking up a list of good places to eat around the hotel I will be staying at before I get there. Makes life interesting.

Do not get me wrong, there is a certain autistic comfort in going to the same places all the time. Sorta like letting yourself know that everything is "right" in the world as long as you see a Denny's, Roadhouse Grill, Carrows or Outback someplace. But people... you gotta live a little... be adventurous. By the simple nature of who we are, it is OK. Humans THRIVE on diversity, not monotony. How many Cob Salads from Marie Calendar's can a person eat? Are we on a quest? Somewhere is there a talley center? "Well... Paul has eaten a Cob Salad from every one of our locations in Southern California, better send him that award now." Yeah... Right.

In short... Next time you are out of town, look for some place to eat that you have never been to before, or maybe have never even HEARD of before. Personally I would even say look for the "Hole in the Wall" places... my experience tells me that, more often than not, they are the best and most rewarding meals to be had.

That is just my input for tonight... do with it what you will, nothing more nothing less.

The Politics of Politics (or How we waste our time Arguing about Arguing)

Coming Soon...

The Dumbing down of ME!

I live a relatively sedate life.

I work and I come home… as for entertainment, I spend time with my wife, write stories that will probably never get published (until I die… we are all famous when we are dead.) and write in my Blog… among other things.

I restrict myself to a few shows on TV a week. This does not count things like news programs, and the occasional show on the History Channel or the other various educational programs out there. That being said, here is the way my viewing habits used to be:

News. (MSN and Fox)

StarGate: SG-1

StarGate: Atlantis

Battlestar Galactica

Now the networks have gone and released a few new shows… and, to my utter amazement and spectacular dismay, I like them. I now have two more shows to add to my list…

My Name is Earl

Surface.

Keep in mind, and I am a person that does not typically enjoy TV… It is the single most destructive thing in your house since TV Dinners, Microwaves and Jazzercise. I have seen my wife… these shows have a brainwashing affect on people, and I see the glazed look in her eyes while Law and Order, Criminal Minds or CSI are on. I could yell “Fire!!!” and get little or no response until the next commercial.

I feel that if the networks continue to put more shows I like on the air, then I might, alas, finally succumb to the evil plans of the network leadership, and fall into the abyss that is… dare I say… the black hole of television dementia.

For now… I will continue to write my stories and curse you all with my Blogs and attempt to maintain my personal thoughts… but I may not last long… I feel the TV calling me.