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.....

Flower Power

Just sitting here at the keyboard listening to my new Time Life 60's Gold three disc set I bought yesterday and can't help thinking how the times have indeed changed and how cynical, stressful, depressing, and anxious we have become as a nation. Don't mean to sound critical or judmental because I personally believe we have alot of good reasons to currently feel the way we do. Forgive me but listening to many of the songs of the sixties just makes me long for the past. Now mind you, I am not one to be tripping on nostalgia or believing there was a ever a golden past but I can't help feeling we have lost something significant over the years. Don't want to ever return to the past, not that it is possible, but wouldn't mind just a little taste of the optimism, simplicity, and passion that is expressed in the "flower power" music of the past......Seems from my vantage point that we may have become the victims of the pursuit of an American dream that isn't what it is cracked up to be. We seldom stop to smell the roses because we seldom have the time and when we do stop for a brief moment we are more apt to pace back and forth like a wild animal in a cage. .....We are somewhat conscious that are soul is need of something but most of us don't know where to turn most of the time. Were on board of a train that is going non stop to only God knows where but many of us now suspect it ain't a place of peace, prosperity, or heaven on earth. We need a "soul" market correction.....real bad...but......putting the bottom line first isn't the answer....we've been there and done that....money can't buy happiness and we all know that.....We also need real reform on numerous fronts. .....but religious or political ideology isn't the answer, IMHO. ....because.....that's part of the problem and not the solution......some folks seem to think if we just a stick to our religious or political guns long enough we will eventually enter the promise land....don't know about you but I think we are headed further and further into the wilderness.....and......think we have wondered so far into the desert that we have now lost sight of the promise land. Our leaders assure us that we haven't....just stay the course...and.....continue to persevere......yeh right......Perseverence is overated in my book, especially when the ship is obviously sinking.......Personally, I think it is time to jump ship and swim for land before we get any further out to sea......A few seem to be jumping ship but like rats the vast majority of us won't move until the water is drowning us.......Concede I may just be projecting alot of my personal angst onto the rest of the poor souls who inhabit the same space as I but also don't believe my personal angst is simply the figment of my imagination or circumstances. My life ain't all that bad. Have as much job security as can be obtained in the current situation, a refridgerator full of food, a couple of good friends, and more than I need.....So what do we need?.... The hour is late but our flower power ancestors of the 60's are rooting us on. ....Life is formost a journey and we all are on a journey both as individuals and as a nation. Some folks would like us to think we are in reach of the promise land if we just stay the course but I say they are looking at a mirage in the desert. The desert if full of them.....It is time......It is time to "turn, turn, turn", "This is the Magic Moment", "Do you believe in Magic?", It is time to "Get Together", because "What the World Needs now is Love"........not....more....... bottom lines, tax breaks, soldiers in Iraq, politicians who can't relate to the average Joe American, political and religious idealogues, education reforms that don't work, megachurches, oil companies, ........fill in the blank......What we do need is more White Wizards, hobbits who are willing to leave the Shire, Courageous dwarfs, wise Elves, and at least two brave souls who are willing to venture into Mordor

Basket Case

I think I'm Cracking up

Do you have the time
to listen to me whine
About nothing and everything
all at once
I am one of those
Melodramatic fools
Neurotic to the bone
No doubt about it

Sometimes I give myself the creeps
Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me
It all keeps adding up
I think I'm cracking up

It's been one of those weeks.....on numerous fronts......Work has been hectic.....Spent an entire day in court.....and.....am barely keeping my sanity trying to keep up with the lastest techno toys. Earlier last week I learned how to download an operate an MP3 player. This week I was fiddling around with a DVD burner and trying to coordinate all the hook ups to my new satellite dish and HD T.V. Can't believe how complicated and confusing it's all gotten. It's just too much for the average Hobbit/Joe who works eight to ten hours a day. Even the folks who sell the toys aren't often sure how everything works. Love the fruits of technology but in all honesty am growing a bit impatient and disallusioned regarding what it takes to keep up with it all. Consider myself generally literate regarding the world of technology but it seems to be getting more difficult to keep up with it all....hell....I can't even keep track with all the remote controls anymore. Must be at least eight or nine laying around here.
Never was mechanically inclined growing up which probably explains my frustration when it comes to putting things together and hooking things up....on the bright side.....am amazed at how much and how far I have come over the years regarding technology. Now know how to operate webpage design, blogs, digital camera's, DVD's, MP'3's, computers, DVR's, and HD T.V.'s. I guess in the long run it is always good to learn new skills but this week my patience, manhood, and self esteem were sorely tested to the max. Still haven't figured out how to burn DVD off television so I can get a copy that will work on my DVD machine at school. Am chomping at the bit to learn in order to begin a DVD library at work. Just hope I don't "crack up" at some point down the road. If I don't figure it out soon I may just pay someone to come out and hook everything up right. It's amazing to watch the serious techno geeks at work. They make it all look so simple......Last but not least.....Worse part of it all are the manuels that come with the various machines. Each one has to be at least a hundred pages. Last week the satellite installers left me with three different manuels for the three different machines they left behind. Spent all afternoon just trying to figure out the rudimentary basics.....In the end got no one to blame or curse at but myself. It was a conscious choice on my part to upgrade my toys. Just hope the industry begins to stream line it all in the years to come or we may all short circuit and crack up.....

Strange Days

Is this all there is?

I've been sitting with these thoughts and feelings for awhile now and truth be known this is something that never really goes away but reappears from time to time and most of the time I suspect I just push it into my subconcious where it remains until it gains the motivation and strength to claw its way back to my consciousness .... Recently I catch myself asking, is this all there is? Getting up and going to work, eating, sleeping, spending time with family, friends, and loved ones, going on vacation each summer, and occasionally reading a good book from time to time? Feel like something is missing or is wrong. Sometimes I even wonder if I am just playing games with myself. It's hard to put a finger on anything concrete. Part of me, my realistic, intellectual side suggests that my feelings are due in large part to the season of life and the circumstances I find myself in. I have two sons in high school, I drive almost two hours back and forth to work each day, and living on my own I have to cook, clean, do laundry, run my own errands, etc. etc., without very little help and most folks in my situation would probably feel the same way.....but.......my Jungian, pop psychology, self aware ego suggests my soul is crying out for me to listen to my heart, take some risks, and don't be afraid to make some significant changes. Maybe even explore doing some things that would be considered rediculous or beyond the scope of common sense by the majority. These kind of thoughts pass through my stream of conscious from time and while I generally don't act upon them, most of time, they always find a way to pop in and out of my head on a semi-regular basis.......

Over the past year and particularly the past couple of months I have made some significant changes and have taken some risks. I have moved to a new school and did recently purchase a significant amount of new furniture in an effort to improve my depressing living situation. I have also made some recent changes that include joining a book club, getting to bed earlier, and learning to say no to requests for my time from others. As important as these changes have been I still feel something is missing. Either not sure what it is at the moment or perhaps lack the courage/motivation to confront the reality before me???......As I look into my future in the years to come I also struggle with the choices before me and oftentimes many of the choices don't seem too appealing. ....and....wonder if I just need a different perspective on the realities of my life or am I unable, at this time, to grasp or see alternatives that are yet to be revealed.....Part of me says that what I feel are simply a reflection of the times we live in. Rising cost of living, war, natural disasters, and an ever increasing micro managment at work are enough to depress even the most well adjusted individual......Whatever is going on it will probably become clearer in the weeks and months to come, because that's the way life seems to operate. It's seems to be the way universe operates. Sometimes I kinda wish I wasn't so sensitive to what is going on inside. Most folks appear to just suck it up and go on with life. But lack of self awareness isn't particularly appealing to me either. Side effects are potentially dangerous to self and others. I guess all we can do is chug on, batten down the hatches when we need to, and pay attention to our souls and our hearts. Life is a marathon, life is hard, and these are in many ways difficult and strange times we live in......

Some things I don't understand

Just sitting here at the computer after watching yet another series of news stories on the hurricane Katrina tradegy and I confess I am numbed emotionally by what I have seen and heard over the past eight days. I have been following the story closely because I have attempted to integrate the story into all my classes at school as often as I can. As I watch and listen I can understand the wide range of emotions being expressed with great passion on all sides. I can understand the anger by victims and certain segments of the general population. I can understand the criticism's by those who feel more should have been done. I can understand the outrage of the Mayor of New Orleans. I can understand the frustration of those outside of New Orleans in places like Mississippi who feel they have been ignored and shortchanged. I can understand the actions of those who did not get out of New Orleans for one reason or another. I can understand the utter helplessness of some local governments officials and support staff who are working around the clock to do everything they can in what has been described as a living hell on earth. I can understand the loss of hope and utter fear of those left with nothing and I can understand why some people just refuse to leave their homes.....but......there are some things I cannot understand.....I cannot understand why some national cable news stations continue to talk and talk about the looters and the damage that was done to the business community. Didn't these people represent the extreme minority of the folks left behind? Most folks were held up in the Super Dome. As I tried to explain to my psychology class people often do extreme things when they are faced with extreme circumstances. I am not surprised at all. Don't condone it but shit happens when people are living on the edge and I think we all can agree that this disaster pushed alot of folks over the edge......I cannot understand why some talk show hosts continue to critisize the folks who stayed behind. Maybe if some of these folks had a place to go and a way to get there more would have left.....I cannot understand how anyone with any kind of conscious would want to profit from this disaster. Apparently a significant number of hotels located just out of the direct path of Katrina were jacking up the price to stay in their hotels. No wonder so many folks may have felt the need to stay behind. They couldn't afford to stay in the hotels....and we all know about the gas companies....shame on you......They couldn't wait to jack up the gas prices in my neck of the woods 50 cents before you could shake a stick. They raised prices quicker than adequate help arrived in New Orleans. Just proves, I guess, that the corporations are more organized than the government. No wonder they have become so rich.....I cannot understand why some talk show hosts want to blame to welfare system for the disaster. One host yesterday asserted that the reason many folks did not get out is because they were expecting the government to bail them out which is a lesson they learned from being on welfare....What is the world coming to????....but.....worst of all.....I cannot understand why the people housed in the Superdome and the Convention Center did not get food, water, and other necessities quicker. I can understand the difficulty and extreme challenge involved in the ongoing rescue effort to get people out of their homes and certain parts of the city but tens of thousands of people were crammed together for the whole world to see for days with little or no help and this I just don't understand????????