Happy Halloween

When I was growing up as a kid Halloween was one of my favorite holidays but for nearly 30 years I really didn’t pay too much attention to this “pagan” holiday. Halloween has once again become one of my favorite holidays. What is there not to like about Halloween? Oh, I could do with a bit less of the blood and gore that is associated with the holiday but there is so much else to love about this fall holiday. There are the pumpkins, the annual Charlie Brown Halloween special, the orange and black colors, the references to ghouls and goblins, the costume parties, the cute little kids that come to your door who can barely say twic or tweet, the haunted houses, the ghost stories, and lets not forget the candy galore.

I love Halloween. It’s a fun holiday. Much simpler and less stressful than Christmas. You don’t have to worry about what to buy or run around town fighting hoards of other folks in search of the perfect present. All you need to do is boogie on down to the store and buy some candy for the kiddies and if you don’t want to participate in the passing out of candy tradition you can opt out and go out for dinner or a movie. I love watching old monster classics during this time of the year, the Wolfman, the Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon….and….some recent cult favorites which include The Army of Darkness, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and American Werewolf in London. I also love dressing up. Been looking for the right costume for years now. The last couple of years I have been running around in a stupid looking Viking helmet and carrying a cheap plastic battle ax but this year I will be sporting my new Hobbit outfit which comes complete with cape and authentic reproduction sword named sting. There is just something about dressing up for the day and running around looking and acting stupid. It’s good for the soul.

We need Halloween as individuals and as a nation. We need to let our hair down from time to time and Halloween provides the perfect opportunity to do so without the threat of losing all our dignity. Our society has become so serious and stressful on numerous fronts these days and Halloween provides an outlet, at least for one day, to release a bit of personal and national angst. Personally I think they should make Halloween a national holiday and I think everyone should be forced to dress up for the day, including the president. I wonder what costume would look good on George Bush?.....Hmmm???.....If my little Halloween promo hasn’t convinced you of the merits of taking the time join the antics of the ghosts and goblins of your local neighborhood than for your sake and the sake of the country take some time to chill on Halloween night at least make an attempt to join the rest of us crazies in spirit if not in action…..

A New Beginning

"We're living a rhythm that goes snap-snap-snap all the time----and it's there all the time, even when we don't notice it. Unconciously, like a poison ingested by our bodies in a deceptively sweet syrup, we have entrained with with a faster rhythm. It controls the way we walk, the way we speak, the way we respond to intimates and strangers, the way we don't relax....For the past hundred years or so, Western society has set an overly fast rhythm, a rhythm that varies only in that it is continually getting faster, urging us to do more, produce more, learn more. All our machines are geared to the acceleration of an already too-frantic speed. Computers, faxes, voice mail, E-mail, the Internet, cell phones: These are handy for business and sometimes convenient, but they each add to the speed of the rhythm around us constantly increasingly the pressure-----allowing us little time for reflection, and none for feelings"......Stephan Rechtschaffen, M.D.

Rhythm.....the rhythms of the body......since I quit teaching summer school over the past couple of years I have become increasingly self aware of the rhythms of my own body and the effects of living at "frantic speed" because unlike most folks I now actually have enough time off to experience a significant change in my body's rhythm due to the radical change of the pace of my life which occurs during the summer......Some observations......For the past two years I have ended the school year with a significant amount of back pain which has required multiple visits to chiropractors, doctors, and even a series of visits to a local acupuncturist. While each visit brought some temporarily relief it wasn't until two or three weeks after I stopped seeing the various doctors that the pain eventually subsided or went away completely.....armchair amateur medical self analysis......I have concluded that the pain subsided, in large part, because of the dramatic change of pace of life and the increased amount of exercise I get as I romp around on vacation each summer.....more observations.....every school year I start off the year in high spirits because my body, mind, and spirit has had time to rest and adjust to what I believe is the a more natural rhythm of life but by this time each year I begin to feel my body, mind, spirit, and soul breaking down as the stress mounts and the pace races faster and faster due to grading papers, meetings, lesson planning, and the additional pressures of meeting both state and federal educational standards. Since the school year has started I have probably gained some ten pounds and am at the point where I feel like I am on a run away train and I can't get off. Know the feeling? Feel the pain?
This yearI am determined, more than ever, to do something about the situation I find myself in. I have already made some minor changes which include cutting back on running around on the week-ends and staying at home more during the fall. I have also decided to revisit Stephan Rechtschaffen, M.D.'s excellent book "Timeshifting" and integrate some spiritual/meditative/psychological exercises and insights which I will talk more about in the days and weeks to follow......Points of frustration.....While I am optimistic that a person can change significantly inside and out I am also reminded by reality that we all to one degree or another live in a society and individual subcultures that don't seem too concerned about the unatural rhythms of life and frantic pace of life that prevent us from taking a hard look at ourselves, our society and the increasing stress related to the crash course we are all on. In other words, our challenge is more than individual because much of what I have identified is instutionalized on numerous fronts, IMHO......At this point I don't have many answers or suggestions for myself or the society at large but I suspect as individuals we may need to begin by slowing down and learning to live in the moment. I'll have more to say later but for now I'll leave with these thoughts from Stephan Rechtschaffen......"To be aware of time, we must develop new attitudes and new skills. This involves focusing on one thing at a time., learning to slow down and notice---really experience----our physical and emotional states. It involves reacquainting ourselves with our senses, our friends, our spouses, our children, and just what it is to be in this moment....If you feel your life rushing by, as though you can't keep up ieth all your obligations nad the demands upon you.....just stop! Begin with jsut a moment. Allow yourself to be aware and to feel in this moment. "

The Greatest Game Ever?

Today I witnessed one of the greatest games in college football history and like the players on both sides I am emotionally drained and at a loss for words. The game ended hours ago but I can still hear the sound of the frenzied Notre Dame faithful ringing in my ears and when I close my eyes I can see Reggie Bush racing past the Notre Dame defenders lunging helplessly as the Heisman front runner streaks past them on his way to end zone. Apparenlty not even Touchdown Jesus was a match for Reggie Bush the human lightening bolt who struck not once, or twice, but three different times... Notre Dame played a hell of game and they have nothing to be ashamed of but I am equally proud of the Men of Troy who exhibited a level of poise, determination, and courage seldom seen in the annals of sports history. This was a tough loss for the Irish and their fans and when Matt Leinart rolled off the would be tacklers and backed his way into the end zone with three seconds left I think I heard the collected groans of Rockne, Montana, Ara, and Rudy. In the end there were really no winners or losers although I confess that is easy to say since my team won but this is really how I feel. When the game ended I sprung out of my seat but I didn't really feel any deep sense of satisfaction or joy but rather I felt like someone who just walked away from a serious car accident unscathed.....USC was fortunate but not lucky. In the end they chose to put it all on the line rather than play it safe which is one of the reasons they have now won 39 of their last forty games. Norte Dame played a great game and was an inspiration to watch but at the end of the day they fell a bit short, not because the luck of the Irish deserted them, or Touchdown Jesus fell asleep at the wheel, but, because USC has a stallion named Reggie and a quarterback named Matt Lionheart......

Trojan Pride

Touchdown Jesus

Touchdown Jesus verses Zeus

In approximately four and a half hours from now the Men of Troy will take the field in South Bend Indiana and do battle with their long time rivals the rejuvinated Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Notre Dame has much to gain and little to lose from this game from my perspective. If they win this will no doubt go down as one of the greatest victories in the history of Notre Dame football...but....if they lose, even if they lose bad, the pundits will simply attribute it to USC living up to all the hype and expectations given them at the beginning of the season......I make no predictions about this game because college sports, imo, is much more fickle and unpredictable than pro sports. I won't be too suprised if USC loses and I won't be surprised if they blow Notre Dame off the field. Norte Dame has the kind of offense that could give the Trojans trouble.....but beware.....because the USC offense is so good the defense is underated..... and..... Pete Carrol is one of the best defensive coodinators in the country. Just ask any Oklahoma Sooner fan or anyone who saw the second half of the games at Oregon and Arizona State this past month. It's hard for me to imagine Notre Dame winning this game because I can't fathom anyone stopping what is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, offenses in the history of college football. I have been following college football for a long time and no one has ever had three potential heisman candidates in the same backfield. Niether has there been such a balanced attack. Two backs averaging over 100 yards a game and a quarterback throwing for over 300 yards a game....unheard of....and.....did I mention a great stable of wide recievers and maybe the best offensive line in the country?.....and.....Reggie Bush......Reggie Bush, imo, is the best player in the country, hands down. He's a future hall of famer, if he doesn't get hurt, who I think is on the level with the likes of Marshall Falk and Tomlinson. He has electifying speed and is a tough runner who isn't afraid to attempt to run over and through anyone who stands in his path. Do I sound like a homer?..... I have been a USC fan since the days of O.J. Simpson and the annual New Year's Rose Bowl clashes of USC and Michigan/Ohio State. Later today I'll put on my rally back to back National Champion hat and hang out with a couple of friends and we will yell and scream for the Men of Troy....and....hopefully with the help of the Gods they will prevail.....I hate these David and Goliath games, because, over the years David has slew his fair share of Giants and today there is no bigger Giant to slay than the Men of Troy. May the God's be with my Men of Troy and hopefully on this day Zeus will cancel out the power and prayers of "Touchdown Jesus" and the hoards of Irish Catholics who will no doubt be rubbing their Rosemary beads with a degree of passion that hasn't been seen in the Midwest since the days of O.J. May the best team win and may the losers both players and fan alike remember that that at the end of the day it is only a game......

Hotter than........

It was hotter than the ........dickens......yesterday.....97 to be exact....fall is one of my favorite times of the year because it marks the end of the relentless heat that begans in May and usually doesn't end until late September or sometime in October. It wouldn't be so bad around here if it were hot a day here or there. Anybody can handle a hundred degree day once in awhile but it's the month after month after month of 90-100 degree days and 70 degree nights that gets to me. The heat drains me....makes me lethargic.....and prevents me from going outside and getting the exercise I need and enjoy. I've been relegated to the gym for the most part since May and can't wait to get outside again and tear it up on the bike path or the local hiking trails......Relief in sight....As I sit here and type this morning the windchimes outside my front door are making sweet music. It is windy outside and that means a change is in the air. This is not simply wishful or delusional thinking on my part. According to all the weather models a "cold front" is headed my way and should arrive by early afternoon. All the local forecasters predict it will only get to about 72-74 degrees today which translates into a 20 drop in temperature from yesterday which is extremely rare for this part of the country. Good bye summer...Hellooooooooo.......fall......We've been eagerly waiting your arrival. Pumpkins, the changing of the color of the leaves, Halloween decorations, cool mornings, the sound of local high school football games on Friday nights, the disappearance of the bug population, and a rain shower from time to time.....These are the sights and sounds we have been anticipating for some time now. Put away the sprinklers, lawnmowers, short pants, lemonade, sun tan lotion, beach towels, and sun glasses. It's time to go into hibernation.....Today marks the beginning of fall and the end of summer. I feel much better just thinking about it. Later today I'll hop on my bike and allow the cool breeze to massage my face and lift my spirit. Today is the beginning of a new day and a new season. I love fall. I love the holiday season which is just around the corner....and....I love saying goodbye to summer.....