Dissed

I try folks. Seriously. I'm always trying to be the most help that I can be. It's not about recognition or any crap like that... I just like helping out. But when I'm asked for help, lend a hand, and have my efforts totally blown off? That hurts. Alot.

Not too long ago, there was a person who begged the blogosphere for help coming up with boy's names, as she had only considered girlie names for her baby. I proposed a tough, manly name, thinking that would do the trick. This was one of the folks I have met, and I was sure that my suggestion would be appreciated. So imagine my suprise, when I recently see another plea for help... naming the same baby. My feeling was crushed. At first, I was pretty gottdamned pissed, but after a few days, I only felt betrayed. My help was offered, and totally ignored.

What the fuck is wrong with naming your son Ruprecht? Huh? Hell, if I were to go out and buy a kid, I'd name them Ruprecht. Okay, maybe not if it were a girl... then I'd have to settle for Ruprechtina, or maybe Rupretia. Possibly even Rupretchen. Well... not so much Rupretchen. Too easy for other kids to poke fun.

Ruprecht. Say it aloud. Ru-Prekt Doesn't that name kick ass? You know, my youngest brother's name is a variation of Ruprecht. He'd have changed his name to Ruprecht long ago, but then he'd have to get the name changed on all of his work shirts. A big hassle, just to name yourself another variation of your name.

Ruprecht. A name fit for a king.

Ruprecht. Crusher of skulls.

Who wouldn't name their kid Ruprecht?

Wagoneer

Is your team out of the playoffs? You don't know who to pull for in the Super Bowl? Well, NFL.com has made it easy for you... check out their Superbowl Bandwagon quiz.

Gasparilla

This past weekend, I was supposed to go with the cousin in law to a local event thrown by the natives. But alas, it was "too cold" for us to take the boat up to Tampa for the festivities. I had thought to put myself in harm's way, just for you folks, but it was not to be.

The event? The Gasparilla invasion. Since 1904, locals have celebrated their defeat of a giant pirate who rose from the depths of the bay and threatened to stomp their little village into dust. Woken from his slumber by the natives spilling gallons of mojitos into the waters, Gasparilla (once simply Jose Gaspar) stood 55 meters tall, and weighed in at 25,000 metric tons. He wiped out nearly half of the village before villagers finally defeated him, sending him back to the depths.

How did they defeat this giant? Drunk from the mojitos, Gasparilla was already a bit tipsy. But, as with many of us, tipsy equals horny. So the native women flashed their breasts at him, luring him back towards the bay, and once there, the menfolk tossed thousands upon thousands of beads on the ground. Gasparilla lost his footing upon the beads, and toppled face first into the bay, where, unable to lift himself up, he drowned.

Boobs, beads, beer, and mojitos are part of the celebrations to this day.

Okay... so that's not the real story, but it does sound better than celebrating a buccaneer, Jose Gaspar, that probably never existed.

Crazy

Heard yesterday, on the radio: "Be sure to bundle up, folks. It's going to be very cold for the next couple of days."

No... I haven't made a trip home. I'm still in Florida. With a high of 54 and a low of 31, you should hear these natives carrying on.

Floridians really is crazy peoples.

Channeling Struthers

Richard, of Shadowscope, would like some help from us in a contest that he's entered. Results of the contest are going to be based upon viewers for the fortyfive second videos that are entered. His video can be viewed here. View often, and spread the word.

Hook a brother up...

Giving Thanks

Church Music

Brothers and Sisters, I know that this is a late service, but we'll count it as the equivalent of a midnight mass. And we'll get this done and over with in a very timely manner.

My fellow patrons, I ask that you fill your holy glasses with your finest libation on hand, and raise a toast in thanks to the rabid goldfish of the blogosphere, Phin, he of The Phish Bowl, Agent Bedhead fame, and the ugly half of Apothegm Designs. Brother Phin, nay... SAINT Phin is responsible for making one of the coolest looking blogs on the net into the blog that others wish they could be. You know you wish your blog looked like this, but be careful, my sheep... that is coveting. And a potential sin.

Anyhoo... Phin's good deeds and wonderous works have made him a saint. (I'd have made him a god, but there's only room for one of us.) As a matter of fact, I declare Saint Phin to be the Patron Saint of Parents everywhere, here in the Church of The Drunken.

So raise your holy mugs on high, and give thanks and honor to the new saint.

Cheers and Beers to Saint Phin!!!

Amen.

Woofbier

For a certain beer reviewer, here's a suggestion: Kwispelbier, a beer made from malt... and beef extract.

This brewer has gone to the dogs...

Go Bears

Okay, okay, okay. It's been asked of me, from more than one person, "Where's the 'Bears are going to the Super Bowl' post?" As my cousin said... it's a bit confusing to those who know that I'm a huge Bear fan.

Forget the fact that I'm swamped in work. (Just this week alone, I've been back down to the shop for a few hours each night after I eat supper, figuring out quotes for customers and trying to catch up... which never seems to work.) I like to use that as my excuse for not reading other folk's blogs, or for posting on my own. Hey... it works.

No, I haven't posted about it because, while I'm happy as hell about Chicago going to the big game, I never thought that they could do it. As a matter of fact, earlier this season, when Contagion said that it was possible that the Bears could go all the way, I laughed. I figured we would have a good season, but never this good.

Harvey accused me of being pessimistic, but I'm what's known as a "realist." I've written about that before, but basically, I hope for the best, know that it's not likely to happen, and can then be pleasantly suprised when it does happen. Example: I never figured that the Bears would make it past New Orleans. That is, without help from the elements. When I saw the forecast, I felt a little hope, but I didn't get too excited. I mean, the Saints have some serious weapons, and the Bears? Well, they do, too, but they have one unknown factor to deal with, and that factor can change the game in a big way.

The Saints have an excellent defense, but the Bears are a little better, IMHO. (They were not consistent, though, and could easily have finished the season at 11-5.) Look at the Saints receiving corps: Horn (who was out), Colston (the Super Rookie), Copper, and Henderson, along with Billy Miller. They've played extremely well this season, but so have the Bears' Berrian, Davis, Muhammed, and Clark. Especially Berrian... the guy has made some huge plays. The Bears' running backs, Benson and Jones, also match up well when compared to the Saints' McAllister and The Elusive Reggie Bush. A personal opinion, but I'd have to give the edge to the Saints on that one. And special teams... rookie Devin Hester has been phenomenal this season, giving the Bears the advantage, though not a huge one, as Michael "Beer Man" Lewis is more than capable of running back a kick for a TD. Overall, not much to worry about, eh? Yeah... well, we've not mentioned the quarterback...

Drew Brees, a Big Ten product out of Purdue, has had an awesome year for the Saints. He's always been fun to watch, and when they show closeups of him making his reads, his eyes are constantly moving, going through his progressions, and rarely allowing a defender to zero in on his target. Were it not for his old teamate, Tomlinson, having the record year he had, Drew would have won the MVP award, no doubt.

The Bears have Rex Grossman, the unknown factor, a man who frightens me at times. Almost as badly as snakes.

With Grossman, you have a QB who can win in a big way, or lose it in ways that are just as big, ie. the last Green Bay game of the season. In that game, he had a monstrous QB rating of 0.0, with three interceptions (two of which were returned for touchdowns)... and that was only one half of the game. He finished the season tied with Peyton Manning for the most games with a QB rating over 100.0, with seven. He also finished the season with the most games with a QB rating under 40.0, with five. As for the entire season's rankings, he finished 29th. I don't find the negative thinking in figuring the Saints were going to win. But, they didn't.

Rex started off slow, but played well when it counted, and now the Bears are on their way to the Super Bowl, and my condolences are on their way to Dash...

Now that the Bears are in the Big Game, do I think they can win? Hell... I think we've got a better chance squaring off against Manning and Co., than we would have in a rematch of Super Bowl XX. Brady's Boys would have figured out a way to pull it off, but with the Colts, they've proved that they are capable of losing, too. And Manning hasn't been playing that well, overall, lately.

Best of all, the Bears are underdogs... something you've got to love. Manning is expected to win, and Grossman isn't. A bit of pressure off of Rex, I just hope he doesn't relax like he did in the Green Bay game...

I know, I know... I haven't said "it," yet... whether or not I think the Bears can win. And the answer is, "Yes, Virginia, I do." I won't make bets on this game, as that's a jinx, but I really do think that they've got a good chance of winning.

And it'll be even better if the "Good Rex" shows up...

Oops...

Cover songs are some of my favorites. No, they don't showcase the band's songwriting abilities, or originality, but it is cool to hear someone else's take on the song. And sometimes, like Johnny Cash covering "Hurt" (originally by NIN), they succeed in making the song one of their own.

This sure isn't one of those songs, but I do like it better than the original.

I've been grinning since I heard it...

Fashion

Christ our Lord... I am so out of touch with style. Looks like leggings for men will be the new thing. Seriously... read it.

Long johns are now acceptable in public. The "in" thing.

I think about all of the guys I know, and I can't think of any who'd wear these damn things... at least not out in public. Well, other than maybe Harvey... or Grau. Hell... maybe even Blackfive might be willing to wear a fly mint green set for an interview. You never know...

But you hate to imagine. Speaking of that... (and I may have just gotten a contract put out on me) for those of you who have met Og...? Heheheh... no, I can't imagine, either.

The Dude (one of his commentors), no doubt.

The Path

cue church music

Congregation, please take your beers and lighten them. Today's passage comes to us from the Book of Libations 2:13-16.

And I came to a sea, which did overflow with camo and beer, and it was called Rayjay, which means in their language, Home of Many Rednecks.

From the sea did a loud roar come, smoke and dust following, as thousands of ponies led their chariots through battle.

Many fought, and many fell, and in the end, one digger of graves emerged victorious, and even he fell as dead.

And behold, it was good.

Yes, folks... I did indeed follow the Great Shining Path of the Monster Trucks, and it was good. And much beer did flow.

(Never thought I'd say that... about the show, that is.)

Beer Breasts

We all know that beer is good for us... it's got B vitamins, potassium, and little to no fat. Some beers even enhance breast size.

Beer... what a great invention.

Grrrrrr...

I'm thinking that I've got to start some kind of martial discipline while I'm down here. Something to focus my mind, and pull it away from the daily idiocies. The only problem would be time. I've been heading back to the shop each evening just trying to keep up...

This week, I spent nearly an hour with one customer, over three different phone calls... we went from pricing a full fledged order to providing him with sample pieces so that he could compare us with another company. After polishing parts for him my own personal self (our polisher was busy with another order), he calls and tells us that he's decided not to go with what he asked for. Thankfully, we'd already gotten his order in the mail.

Then my aunt gets a call from a guy looking for his order. He says he ordered it almost two weeks ago, and he hasn't gotten it, yet. Sure enough, he ordered it, we shipped it, and it was received and signed for. My aunt reads back the address, and he says, "That's our old address... we've moved." So how's that our fault? I don't know how she kept from belittling him.

Only a few instances, these are just little things... they start to snowball, and the next thing you know, you're marching around with a clamped jaw, trying not to go off.

Martial art or no, I'm definitely in need of a good heavy metal show...

Shock G

Damn song's been running through my head for the past two days...

The Story of Bou

Well, the little "cold snap" that we had is officially over. Temps are back in the 80's. And believe it or not, I'm actually glad for it.

No... I've not lost my mind. I'm still sweating towards death, and miserable hot. But when it warms up, the whining stops. Jeebus, these people down here... give them cool temps in the low 70's and 60's, with lows at night in the 50's, and they shiver and shake. Their kids are dressed in parkas and heavy sweatshirts, as are the adults. It's ridiculous. They say it's a matter of acclimation, but I really think it's just a matter of them being jealous of the Northerners, and their wearing of winter gear. Hell... 60 degrees? Bust out that new down jacket and those heavy mittens. And don't forget that Mad Bomber hat with the rabbit fur lining. You don't want to stop sweating... that would be bad.

Saturday, we were able to head out on the boat for a couple of hours. We stopped on the island, and as usual, I went swimming. When I got back on the beach, an old timer called me over.

"Hey, Cap'n! How's the water?"

"Not too bad, sir. The first couple of seconds are a bit rough, but then it's fine."

"You know, I brought my nephew and his kids out here last week. Little ones headed straight for the water, swimming and splashing... not a care in the world. Ah, but that's kids... they don't know any better. It's normal. Look at you, though. Someone like you? Something ain't right. When the water temps are 66 degrees, no one goes swimming. NO ONE." Then he grinned at me.

I laughed and told him that colder temps appeal to me.

Perhaps its just a matter of hardiness. They just don't make'em as rugged as they do in the states further north. This ain't a North vs. South thing... it's a Florida thing. I'm not saying that they can't be tough, but they sure are a whiney bunch when the temps drop to civilized levels.

Of course, I think about them not being able to take the cold, and Bou immediately comes to mind. That woman can't take the cold weather. At. All. But it wasn't always so...

I asked Hubba (Bou's ma) if Bou had always been such a baby about the cold, and she told me, "No way... she used to love it. As a matter of fact, I'll scan and send you a couple of pics. You won't believe them."

Turns out, Bou used to love shovelling snow, and she'd do it in her shorts!!! She had her favorite shovel, and used to shovel whenever and where ever she could. She used to go out to Pike's Peak, long ago, and help shovel out the cog railway. She was a shovelling fool.

What happened to her, that she starts shaking to death when the temps hit the 60's? Well, it happens that her aversion to cold happened after her last trip to Antarctica. The other members of the expedition got tired of her leaning on her shovel, mocking them, and they locked her outside for the evening. She's been cold ever since.

Photographic proof lies below the fold.

This pic is of Bou and an unidentified friend shovelling on the cog railway. (Bou is the one with the great big shovel.)

And here's Bou on the fateful expedition. This was just before she got locked outside.

Heheheh... it's true. That's why I don't really give her too much crap. I think I might be a little cold if I were locked outside all night. In Antarctica, that is.

And if you think the Pike's Peak crap was mean; Hey... she's the one who'd have you believe that she's old.

Yeah... Bou's old. And I'm Steve Urkel's identical twin.

Da Game

Division Playoffs... Bears vs. Seahawks.

I don't know folks... I don't want to be negative, but if Rex Grossman plays like he did for the majority of the season, this game will mark the end of the Bears' season. Shaun Alexander, who was injured in week 4 when they last met, is healthy... and a serious threat against a Bears' D that has been crumbling in the last few weeks. Hasselback is always a legitimate threat in the passing game.

The Bears better pull it all together if they want to go to the championship game.

I'd live blog the game, but I won't get to watch the whole thing. Not to mention that I don't really want to put that many swear words on my blog if they play like shit.

Either way,

GO BEARS!!!

1:12 Rasheed Davis takes away the ball from a Seahawk defender, ruining Grossman's first interception attempt. Good yardage gained, too.

1:13 Thomas Jones makes an easy run for the TD. Bears 7, Seachickens 0.

1:21 Bears' D looking pretty good... Tillman nearly picks off the pass, but bats it to Darrell Jackson. Jackson short of first down, Seattle punts. Punt is inside the Bears' ten.

1:26 Bears are stopped. Punt has no return... Burleson hit immediately.

1:38 Hey... whattya know? Seattle scores after Hasselback marches the Chickens downfield with minimal opposition. 7's to both.

1:42 Grossman to Berrian!!!! One play, long touchdown! Over sixty five yards on the play!!! Da Bears 14, Chickens 7.

1:46 Urlacher bats down a pass, forcing a Seattle punt. Bears' D is fired up after the Berrian TD.

1:52 Bears can only manage one first down, and then have to punt. Grossman looked like he may have smacked his hand on a helmet during their third down attempt.

1:55 Joe Buck again proves he's an idiot... "What's longer? A half inch, or 5/8?"

1:57 Devin Hester decides to join the business of giving out heart attacks, touching the rolling ball on the punt... redeems himself by falling on the ball.

2:05 Bears punt.

2:07 Bears hold, with a bit of help from Darren Jackson. Seattle punts, Hester bobbles... and then falls on the ball again. A flair for drama is not appreciated.

2:09 @#$%!!! Grossman feels sorry for the Chickens, and decides to fumble the ball to them.

Alexander is scaring me... twenty yards on his last two carries.

2:14 Alexander runs for a four yard TD... on fourth down. 14 all...

2:15 I've gotta run... there's two and a half minutes in half. Hopefully I can catch some more of the game, later.

9:14 Well crap... I missed it. Turns out the Bears won, and it was a damn good game!

Next up are the Saints... 'ere's hoping.

GO BEARS!!!

Beer and Politics

A history lesson, sent to me by AW's hubby. Scary thing is, this looks like something that I would write... therefore, it's a must share.

Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters & gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.

The two most important events in all of history were the invention of Beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups: Liberals and Conservatives.

Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early human were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.

Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to B-B-Q at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement.

Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly B-B-Q's and doing the sewing, fetching and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement. Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. The rest became known as "Girliemen".

Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy and group hugs, and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided.

Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.

Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare. Another interesting revolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't fair to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink domestic beer. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, athletes, Marines, and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.

Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America. They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get "More For Nothing".

This ends today's lesson in world history. It should be noted that a Liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to the above before forwarding it. A Conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other true believers, and to more liberals just to tick them off.

Beautiful...

Fish and Chips

Those of us who know someone in the medical fields, especially ER or doctors' offices, have heard stories. You know... those stories. Seems that some folks like shoving things into places that they ought not really be, and have a bit of a time getting them out. Light bulbs, remotes, hot dogs, flashlights, small livestock... you name it, somebody has seen some strange potential in said object. Heard one the other day that's got me asking a million questions.

A nineteen year old woman goes into the doc's office complaining that she thinks something is growing inside her. Having already had five chillens, she knows it ain't a kid, and she's worried. After examination, it is determined that, yes, she do have something growing inside her, and it ain't a tumor, either. It is a tuber, however... and the damn thing has intertwined itself into places no potato plant should go. She had to undergo a hysterectomy...

What the hell is a spud doing there? Months before, she had inserted it as a birth control device. Never removing it, it sprouted eyes and they started growing throughout her. I had to ask if she was trying to come up with a "Fish and Chips" flavored tater... toss in a malt vinegar douche, and you're set.

But seriously, what is the thought behind a tater as birth control? Do sperm cells racing for eggs get distracted by the potato? "Mmmm... taters." If so, why not wrap a slice of turkey breast around it, so the little guys can have a Thanksgiving feast? Guaranteed that they fall asleep before they can ever do any harm...

Is it just supposed to act like a plug... blocking off the tubes? Why not use a drain plug, with the chain dangling? It'd do the same job, and provide a different sensation... and you could get the damn thing out.

This is assuming that it really happened... but still, what they hell is the thinking behind this? Is there some strange science to it?

Whattya think?

Burgers

Who else, when hearing Van Halen's "Everybody Wants Some," always thinks of this?

'Sup?

Sooooooooooo....

Other than beer prices going up, how do things be going with you?

The word here is "busy."

Ah Crap...

We now interrupt this unintended hiatus to bring you this bit of bad news: Beer prices are about to climb. They could be evident within a couple of weeks.

Costs of aluminum, and a shortage of hops are to blame. Supposedly.

Stockpile and hoard, people... push the edge of skunkiness.

And kill those hop hoarding rabbits.

Snow Dudes

I ran across a story about a giant snowman wreaking havoc upon a neighborhood. Reminded me of some pics my ma sent a few weeks ago... one is of a snowman built in '71. We thought it was close to Gott's height at the time, but compared to the behemoth in Alaska, it was a midget. But impressive it was, and remains... we still talk about it.

Here, we have the Perfect One and I next to our very first snowman. This was in '70. Obviously, we had a bit of assistance, but we did get to do quite a bit by ourselves. We were so damn proud.

Here's the goliath... Pa had to use an endloader to get the head on him. The new kid in the pic is my sister, whom I call "Poop." I call her that just to be a pain, but doesn't it look like she be living up to the nickname?

Ah... good times. Good times. Now, thanks to Al Gore inventing global warming, I may never see another living snow folk. Ever.

*Sob*

A Tip

Sooo... you're sitting there in the restaurant, and a cute little girl at the table next to you takes off, ignoring the adults with her. "Sit down and eat," "get back here, and leave them alone!" She comes over to your table, gives you a smile and a shake of her pony tail, and leans on your table.

"Get back here, and leave them alone!!!"

You look at the adults, and say, "Oh, she's alright. She's a cutie... how old is she?"

Do you realize how close to death you are? Do. Not. Ever. Do. That.

My cousin's kid about got someone wiped out tonight...

A Reward

When my father got killed, things got rough for us. My ma did the best she could, but we hit some low spots. Without Social Security benefits, we would have been toast. It wasn't much, but it was a huge help.

Help that it was, I've not expected it to be around for me to use... and I wouldn't count on it. There have been ideas on how to handle it, possible allocations, ideas that make it function like a retirement account. Duh... that's essentially what it is. Well, that and a reward for being willing to work illegally.

An agreement the Bush administration reached with Mexico on Social Security benefits would allow illegal aliens granted amnesty in the future to claim credit for the time they worked illegally.

I don't do politics on this blog. However, I will do pissed off. While I have respect for the President, the man and his administration have pissed me the fuck off at times. This do be one. My jaws have been clamped tight since I read this crap...

Thanks for the cracked teeth, Raven (via Flightpundit).

The Winner

Cartoon wrestling announcer voice: "We have a winnah! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winnah! Visitor 123,456 appeared on the radar early this mornning from Scotland (don't know how long this link will be good)...

Your new champeeon is Nuggets!"

Congrats to Nugget, thanks to all of you who have visited me and my nonsense over the past couple of years... it is appreciated beyond belief!

You guys rule.

Close

Damn... 50 visitors to go. And I've got to hit the hay pretty damn quick.

Gott, don't let some frickin' google search be the chosen one...

Which It Be?

Give this a listen.

Then tell me: Blasphemy? Or a degree of cool?

And let me say... should you not know the original, that, my friends, is blasphemy.

Glass Act Finale?

Could this be the day? Is this the day that someone claims the pub glasses as my 123,456th visitor?

Looks like it could be sometime this evening, or early tomorrow morn.

Best of luck to yas...

A Question

Ribs.

Great eating, or a total waste of time?

Me... I don't usually care for them, but I have had some good ones.

I was given some the other night, and while folks were raving about them, I couldn't see it. Too much fat, too little meat, too much time invested in a small meal.

I think I've officially moved my position back to "No, Thank You."

A New Start

I awoke to a nice, steady rain. The sky gray, the rains tapping on the window... perfect weather to sleep in. I lay there thinking about things in general, and one word popped into my head: baptism.

Now, I ain't exactly sure where that came from, but it did seem to fit. It is New Year's Day, after all... a new beginning for many of us. The failures and successes of the past year put behind us, replaced with new goals, new intentions... many of which will be forgotten in a couple of months. But if it's the thought that counts, as "they" say, we're all good.

In the past year, I've grown quite a bit. Not everything that I've hoped for has come to pass, but I've come to many personal realizations... I'd share them with you, but some of them don't apply to everyone. One thing I will mention, is that things do not matter. Yeah... they're nice to have, but in the end, how do they benefit you as a person? I'm not saying that possessions are bad, unless they happen to be demonic, but you shouldn't ever feel that you NEED to have things.

In this next year, there will be some paring down. Some literally, some figuratively. Some things are the usual goals folks set for themselves... lose weight, get new job, change habit, etc. Then, there are some personal challenges that I've set for myself. Not anything difficult, or unreal, but things that will give me a great sense of satisfaction to complete. I hope to stay the course...

And to you, may you and yours have a great New Year, achieving your goals and realizing your dreams.

And buy me a beer.