Monday, June 19, 2006

SEE 'YA.....

This site started out back in May of '05 as an attempt to make a few extra bucks. So I thought. Well, that never panned out. But it was fun to put stuff up and to see just who might read it. There are some very nice folks, very talented and caring individuals who have weighed in on my comments over cyberspace. I hope some of the stuff I put out there was meaningful, even brought a tear or a smile.
But it is time to put a hold on things....for every thing there is a season.
Anyone interested can still find the meanderings of my mind on the web site of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, at www.stltoday.com. Search "Suburban Journals" and the column is called "A Boomer's Journal".
To all who have read this, thanks for taking the time.
God Bless.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

"OH THE PAIN...."

Despite all the security afforded the US team in Germany, someone clearly kidnapped the real squad and replaced them with robots....I think an international investigation should be launched, maybe focusing on a coalition of soccer-ignorant American radio geeks, possibly a disgruntled cadre of hockey fans...It is clear from the performance of the boys who wore the Red White and Blue yesterday that the US team that qualified was not the group who took the field against Czech Republic...
Granted. the Czech were a strong team, ranked #2 worldwide....but our men showed nothing but the ability to pass backwards to flatfooted backs.....
I place the blame on coach Bruce Arena.....clearly, he does not play, but he sets the team up, makes the selections, determines the starters and subs......sets the tone. These guys were not ready to play the St. Norbert 8th grade girls team, much less the second-best side in the whole dang universe.

What will happen now...?
The Yanks have to win over Italy, and win big. They can't expect Ghana to beat the Czechs and the US-Ghana game will be meaningless without a big victory over the Eye-talians. The Italy-Czech game will be for first place in the group, and without a lot of goals by the US, the second spot will also be determined by that game.

Hope springs eternal, but that spring is drying up fast.

GO USA....STILL HANGING IN THERE!!!

Sunday, June 11, 2006

PLAN FOR YOUR HEALTH

I think that after 57 years I finally have hit on something that will, at the very least, have me feeling better over the years.

After exhaustive research and investigation (yeah, right...), it looks like a common sense approach to life that requires....
* daily exercise * sensible eating * relaxation techniques *positive visualization

Nothing really radical in these elements...I mean, experts have been touting these for years. But it is in the specifics of each feature that offer all the benefits.

The exercise is something I can handle....walking. About 30-40 minutes daily, and maybe 10-15 minutes a second time. Easy enough to do, listen to the headphones....it's over before you know it.
The eating deal is really easy too....except it takes a little planning and effort. Eat breakfast, include dairy, carbs and fruit, eat a snack with protein and carbs at mid morning, a simple lunch with salad and sandwich, mid afternoon snack like the mornings, not a big dinner and a before bed snack with carbs and protein, like a peanut butter sandwich and small glass of milk. Seems like a lot of eating, but it meet the DASH diet for lowering blood pressure, the idea of not eating continuously, but every 2-3 hours, focusing on fresh fruits and vegetables with a minimum of fats. You get to eat all the food groups and almost everything okay in moderation.
I can still throw in the occasional "Big and Tasty with small fries" from that Scottish restaurant....(you know, McDonalds). And when we shop we try to buy more stuff from the outside aisles of the store....like dairy and vegetables, staying away from processed, canned and boxed as much as possible.
The whole idea is to boost the metabolism at the right times of the day, reducing inflammation of the joints and internal organs, fuel up this wonderful invention of God called the human body in the right way....... Long term goal is to reduce cholesterol and blood pressure and increase endorphins, melatonin and dopamine in a natural way. You know, fighting Boomeritis, which has been defined as the disease of growing older, with its associated aches and pains, but refusing to give in to them. And to do it without having to go to prescription meds until it is absolutely necessary, because once you start them, you usually need them forever.

The relaxation and positive visualization comes from doing the Tai Chi and a daily relaxation technique that I stole from a web site on a thing called Resperate, a machine that helps you lower your breathing rate for 15 minutes to less than 10 breaths per minute, which is supposed to help regulate BP. So far all this stuff seems to be working....the BP is in line, weight is fine, had my best Cardio blood work in 2 years recently....and feeling of depression or What the Hell are very much gone. And being a Catholic, I am trying to get to Mass and confession more often. The grace you get from sacraments is like muscle power for the soul.

I ain't sayin' that meds are not needed, especially if a person has genetic predispositions to heart disease, diabetes, depression, etc...... but there seems to be a heck of a lot we can do naturally, without supplements or herbal remedies that I trust even less than meds, before heading to the Phamaceutical remedy.

My wife works with a group of cardio thoracic surgeons. She said that 95% of the people they see are in poor health due to lifestyle rather than genetics.

Food for thought.

Friday, June 09, 2006

"DON'T TREAD ON US"

TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE WORLD CUP!!!
GERMANY HAVE JUST DEFEATED COSTA RICA, 4-2, TO BE THE FIRST WINNER. CAN YOU TELL I'M EXCITED?!!!??? (THE ABOVE SENTENCE CONTAINS A GRAMATICAL ERROR..."GERMANY HAVE...." BUT THIS IS HOW THE EUROPEANS TALK, ESPECIALLY WHEN REFERRING TO TEAMS OF NATIONS... THEY REFER TO THEM AS PLURAL..."THE U.S. HAVE..... POLAND HAVE....")
SO IN KEEPING WITH THAT.....
THE U.S. HAVE A CHANCE TO GO DEEP INTO THE TOURNAMENT.....THE STRONGEST TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF ALL U.S. TEAMS GOING TO THE CUP...
"U.S.A.!! U.S.A.!! U.S.A!!........."
I CAN'T WAIT TO WEAR MY TIE-DYE RED, WHITE AND BLUE SHIRT ON MONDAY!!!!!!!!

Thursday, June 08, 2006

DON'T LOOK NOW, BUT ISN'T THAT.......?????

I was listening to the radio yesterday, and heard a guy talking about how we really do not have the whole story on the September 11 events. He was the head of a group that feels that there is evidence supporting other sources of mayhem, an alternative reason for the third World Trade Center building that was not hit by a plane to come a-tumbling down, and more-than-subtle hinting that our government was keeping things from us.
Welllll, Batman...... what have we here, thunk I.

I probably agree that there is much more to the whole 9/11 thing than we will ever know in the next 20 years or so. I say this for a variety of reasons. Whenever I read historical non-fiction, or biographies, there is always the element of hindsight and scholarship that go into the works. And invariably, that study of papers and letters and documents yeilds truths and insights that those living in the times of the subjects have no way of knowing about. The Truman bio had all kinds of stuff about WWII, and the Manhattan Project, and the Korean War. The life story of John Adams is ripe with juicy stuff about Jefferson and Washington and their not-so-well-known motivations. Peggy Noonan's "John Paul the Great" is a wonderful piece on the life and times of one of the 20th Centuries most fascinating figures, and there is a lot we didn't know about him and why he did what he did that only could be listed in retrospect.

We have found out a lot after the fact about Agent Orange, Gulf War Syndrome, Pearl Harbor........

Then we have all the work done on the Kennedy and King assasinations. I feel like we do not have that whole story, either. Maybe never will.

So why would anyone be surprised that we may not have the truth and nothing but the truth about 9/11?

After all, haven't we all been in a situation where we have experienced an event or happenstance first hand, only to see the news account or read the paper report, and wonder if we were at the same event?

Sure folks can get carried away with this sort of seeking......But it makes one take pause....

Anyway, that's what the guy behind me at Shop 'n' Save and I were talking about. He was buying some bread and peanut butter and bananas, and was a little short on cash. So I gave him $5......

"Thenk yew, ....thenk yew vurra much," he drawled deeply.

Hey....you don't suppose.......????????

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

SIX ....SIX...OH SIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The day has come we have all been waiting for.....at least those who are into hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia, which is the official name for the fear of the number 666 being linked to the Anti-Christ.
All I can say is...EWWWWEEEEeeeeeeeeWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!
A lot of hooey.
I can't believe in this, primarilly because today is my oldest son's birthday, and while he was growing up we sometimes checked his forehead for numbers, he has been a joy and a blessing to us. So bad luck didn't visit us on this day 28 years ago. In fact, if you want to talk about luck, he just called from Vegas where he and his little family are visiting for a few, and told us that right after midnight last night, he rolled a 6 on the craps table, followed by 4 more sixes, and he won $200 bucks!!

So there, Beezlebub.

I guess I shouldn't mess with the Dark One, since he is real. Just think child abuse, war, cheating, hate, prejudice. All his cup of tea.

But I believe in the Higher Power, the Guys of the Three in One, who said they will be with us always, even until the end.

And I plan to take them up on this promise. God knows, I can use the protection.

Have a great June 6th, '06, and don't forget to drop a note Upstairs for all the soldiers who fought for our rights to live in peace and pursue happiness as they gave their lives back in 1942.

Monday, June 05, 2006

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING...SILLY!

I find that I am happiest when I can be silly. That is such a silly word...."SILLY." The more you say it, the sillier it sounds.....silly, silly, silly. See what I mean? Still, silly takes the sting out of things, make tense moments lighter, brightens a mood, cheers a sad heart, and brings a smile just when you think there are none left.

Some of the greatest comics are in the Silly Class....Martin Short, Steve Allen, Adam Sandler (ok maybe not great, but silly for sure), Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, and the King of Silly....Jerry Lewis.
LAAAADYYYYYYY!!!!!

For some reason, guys can get away with silly better than girls. Maybe it goes back to the class clown thing....do you remember any class clown's who were girls? I can't. Societal standards may have kept the truly funny chicks from showing their stuff until later in life. But now that I think on this subject, a few women come up to the standard. Heck, Lucy set the standard, back in the '50's. She was copied by many, most notably Laverne Di Fazio and Shirley Feeney (yeah, I know this isn't their real names. But they live in my heart as those characters....as do their foils, Lenny and Squiggy.)

So today's assignment is to smile at somebody who doesn't expect it.....make a goofy face in the mirror....sing a song in a chipmunk voice.....walk stupid......have a little fun at your own expense.

Make someone laugh.....Be SILLY!!!!!!!

Sunday, June 04, 2006

SUMMER'S SENSES

The eldest daughter said the other day that the sound of an outside air conditioner kicking on always brings back memories of the great summers in the backyard of our first house.
What memories are activated by the sounds and smells of this warm season?

One that always reminds me of a lazy summer Sunday is the smell of someone firing up the ole barbecue pit, with the odor of lighter fluid strong in it's burning. Before gas grills, everyone had to drop the charcoal and spill on liberal quantities of chemical. God only knows how healthy all this was, but is sure smelled great.
Then there was the smell of leather when you rubbed your glove with oil. That was an early-season ritual, one that meant action. Mix a little dirt in the pocket, smooth it into the fingers and you were guaranteed an error-free game. Or at least a few innings.
To continue this baseball theme, how about the crack of the bat, white ash making solid contact with horsehide? Or the taste of dirt on a safe slide into home. Never fails to get the juices flowing.
Of course, a lot better taste is the first bite into an ice cold watermellon, or a hot dog slicked up with mustard.
Or the first deep swig of that beer that has been in the bottom of the cooler all afternoon. Ahhhhhhhh.

What senses are stimmed to produce your summer memories?

Saturday, June 03, 2006

THE VASTE WASTELAND?

Remember when Television was called the Vaste Wasteland. Well, I guess it is never more true than today. Reality shows and "how to dress" shows and "Dog the Bounty Hunter" for pity sakes........For me the best time for T.V. memories was the first two decades or so of the boob tube's existence.
We had adventure shows like "Davy Crockett" and "Superman." Have you ever really gotten over the sight of George Reeves in blue tights? There he was standing stradle-legged in front of a giant waving American Flag....."who, disguised as Clark Kent, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American Way." Politically, this show was an overt warning to those dirty Red Commies that were taking up so much of our countries bad dreams in the 50's. Don't tread on us, or we will send George Reeves after you. And don't forget old coonskin-cap wearin' Davy. He may have really died at the Alamo, but Fess Parker was the next best thing. Why, "he kilt him a bar', when he was only 3!" Plus, we had the underwater regions safe, with Mike Nelson of Sea Hunt....I never could figure our how he could hold his breath through the commercial break and still have anything left to knife-fight three brutes with spear guns. I always was him when we messed around at the pool.
There is just so much to talk about when it comes to the t.v. of my youth......
I promise I will visit this subject soon again.

In the mean time, I think the TLC channel is doing toilet bowl decorating this afternoon.

MUST SEE TEE VEE!!!!!

Friday, June 02, 2006

IT'S A GAME OF TAG

I got a tag by rdl. Rather than play it straight, ahmma gonna answer with what I would like to answer, interspersed with some real truths......you be the judge as to what is fact and what is fiction.
So here ya go...........

Accent....Australian, mate.
Booze.....Maker's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Chore.....hate 'em all...really.
Dogs/Cats.....hate 'em all....really....'specially cats.
Essential Electronic device......radio...so many station, topics, such freedom and you can do other stuff while listening....just love it.
Favorite cologne/perfume.....whatever my wife is wearing.
Gold/silver...teeth? fillings? as investments? hard to say. Green cash is nice.
Hometown...good ole midwest fly-over Saint Louis...
Insomnia....had a spurt of it this winter...is schtinks bad....my condolences to anyone who has it full time.
Job title.....unemployed for the summer. (it's a hint!)
Kids.....yes, thank you very much.....6 of the buggers, with 4 grandkids and 2 on the way soon.
Living arrangements....in a very fulfilling monogamous 34 year relationship with my girlfriend, who I also conveniently happen to be married to.
Most Admired Trait.....no idea...it ain't my hair, that's for sure.
Number of sexual partners....see "Living Arrangements" above...that's all that anyone really needs to know.
Overnight hospital stays......none to date..Thanks Be to the Big Doctor in the Sky.
Phobia....fear of listing things....just joking....probably roller coasters...never been, never will, unless I live to be 90, then what the hell!!!!!
Quote.....oh, so many.....how about "ADVERSITY IS THE MOTHER OF CHANGE". (I made that up just now.)
Religion.....card-carrying cradle-Catholic and proud of it.
Siblings.....only child....so are my two brothers.
Time I wake up....right after I have slept all night with only a couple visits to the boys room.
Unusual talent.....bite my toenails.
Veggie refuse to eat.......squash....it just sounds gooey.
Worst habit.....see "Unusual talent" above.....hey, could be a lot worse.
X-rays.....this is probably only in this list because no other word starts with "X"; had one recently of my head....came up negative.
Yummy foods I make.....I made a cookie called "Spitzbuben" an Austrian cookie that my grandma and mom used to make at Christmas...turned out pretty good.
Zodiac sign......Peace, baby!

Caio, bella!

Thursday, June 01, 2006

We received from the friendly UPS driver our new digital camera. Or should I say, first digital camera. Yeah I know they have been around "a little minute now" as a smarty pants clerk at Sears said to me the other day. But keeping with my tradition of being the last guy on my block to have anything new, I decided to wait until I was fed up with getting back a pack of 24 pics with only about a half dozen of them any good. This way, I can delete the bad shots and pay only for those that do not have someones hand in front of their face or their eyes closed or looking like they just got goosed.....
I even plan to learn how to use the printing machine at Walgreens....now that is a summer adventure if ever there was one.
Speaking of adventure, me and "She Who Must Be Obeyed" are going to take in the ponies tomorrow....I've been picking the races at Fairmount out of the paper, and last time had 4 winners.....I can't tell you my system, 'cause I don't have one.......yet.
Some say bet the gray horse, some say bet the jockey, some the horse.....we shall see how I do.
I'm sure my kids are thinking..."Oh great...one more goofy thing for dad to do."
The tai chi is coming along....very relaxing and good for stretching.....the names of the movements are hilarious...."partition of wild horses mane"....."repulse monkey"...."stork cooling wings"......"gorilla picking nose"....(I made that last one up.)
Go CARDS!!!!