Fireworks At Mile High

Unfortunately, they were real fireworks, not the Denver offense lighting up the Patriots defense. 

Quite the opposite happened in the game, actually.

Thank You For Your Respect

Veterans Day is fairly important to me, my family, and just about all of my friends and acquaintances.

So it is with a fair amount of joy that I see people paying a little respect to those who have served in the military. Life in the military can be the worst and best experience a human being can endure and in my humble opinion, those who have undertaken that challenge deserve all the respect in the world.

Veterans Day in the U.S. honors all that have served in the armed forces, and while my time in the USAF was neither grand nor glorious, I proudly salute the contributions of those men and women who serve presently, who served with me, and who served before me.

Respect.

A Happy Birthday Wish

The 10th of November 2017 would have been my Mother's 86th birthday. It marked the first birthday of hers that I would not be saying Happy Birthday to her, or sending her a card, or a bouquet, or. well, anything.

It has been months since my Mother passed away, peacefully, in her sleep, as peacefully as one can pass away, I suppose.

Since then I have reflected quite a bit on how many good characteristics my Mother instilled in me, either through deliberate effort or just by example, and it has made me again realize how lucky I was to have someone with such incredible perseverance, such amazing faith and determination, raise me, and it has cemented in me the idea that I am one lucky man.

Thanks Mom, and Happy Birthday.

One More Dose Of Wonder

Chainsaw Alarm Clock

Woke up to the sounds of a chainsaw and falling tree limbs on Saturday morning. Looked out the back window and saw tree trimmers working to clear branches away from the power lines that run along the flood control canal behind the house.

Wasn't even 7:00am. Damn, those guys like to get to work early.

The Last Of The Delusions

A few days earlier, he had allowed himself the mercy of finally accepting the lumpiness of his body...but then came the judgement of his peers... men who had spent years, possibly decades, pondering their place in the union of men who let their physical conditioning slide...and it hit him like a bag of flying mallets.

He had crossed over. He had left the realm of the chubby and was now...fat.

"So, now what?" was all he could think as he stared into the mirror. "So what do I have to do now to lose all this extra weight?"

It wasn't so much a question he was asking himself as it was a backhanded confession of sorts. It was a see-what-your-recent-behavior-has-led-to accusation, actually.

Because he knew the answer was simply, "Stop doing what you're doing".

An answer that he didn't want to hear, and certainly did not want to have to recognize as...true.

Careful With That Broom, Kimberly