Hello. If there is anyone out there who still checks this blog once in awhile, I'm back. At least for today. I have been doing other writing which is draining the reservoir of my mind...which is not that deep to begin with. None of the other writing heightens my awareness like this blog. The writing here is less inhibited since there are very few, if any, readers. It is writing for my sake.

Lately I've thought about doing things simply to "write" another chapter in my life. Wouldn't it be cool to do something way outside of the norm? Something that makes people gasp! To steal a line from a Chuck Prophet song, "...let's do something wrong, let's do something stupid, something we'll regret tonight, anything but the same ol' nonsense..." Doesn't that sound fun! We all become conditioned to behave a certain way. Our parents started erasing the magic from our souls when were very young. Then our teachers, our bosses, our clients, our spouses, our friends, even ourselves continued to cover our free spirit. It's sad when you think about it. It may be hidden, but never eliminated. The spirit remains in us.

I've lived a rather precarious life by many standards. I look at some of my friends and I think, "How do they stand living in that narrow-minded maze they call life?" Maybe I've spent so much time close enough to the edge that I see the possibilities of letting go. What am I capable of? How high could I soar if the shackles are unlocked? Do I have the keys? I think of Edgar Allen Poe, Michelangelo, Hemingway, Twain and Disney. Those guys were out there. People of their times thought they were crazy! Is making every attempt to reach your true self crazy?

I want to be crazy.

Hello. Pressure is one of the best motivators. As one of my buddies says, "If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would ever get done." Some people thrive in these situations and others fail miserably. I think it's hard to be successful without a certain amount of planning. However, I do find being pushed into the fire a good way to glow! Sometimes without a little urgency, good ideas are lost in the fear of the unknown.

I have jumped into the fire many times. I've also been burned. But generally things work out. I think people should follow their dreams. Over the years I've listened to many people talk about great ideas and plans, only to watch them drift away on a raft of fear. Human nature keeps us from taking risks. Taking a risk makes you feel alive! It is boring to live in the security of mediocrity. I think we should all make at least one leap of faith in our lives. Fill your life with some fear, some promise, some hope. Nothing big will ever happen if we don't put ourselves in a position to be rewarded.

I'm ready to leap...I'm bored.

Hello. Friday, warm weather...did I mention Friday. It's a good day. Spring is a time for change. The grass changes, the trees change, the birds change...a great time for us to change as well. The idea of change is exciting! Change by nature is good for the soul. Our participation in life becomes more interesting...more meaningful. The more things stay the same, the more uncomfortable I am. I feel good about the changes ahead, and I don't even know exactly what those changes are. I have a calm, feeling of anticipation lately. Things will be good.

A friend of mine and his wife are planning the most life change that I have ever heard of. They are moving to the wilds of Alaska. Fifty miles north of Fairbanks. No running water, sewer, roads, natural gas, phones...people. This is far more than I would ever commit to. We have come too far for me to step that far back in time. They are happy...which is cool!

Have you been reading some of the negative statements lately by the anti-health care reform people? These lunatics are scary. They are making some of the most unbelievable statements. I can't disprove the comments, but common sense tells me they must be wrong.

Peace

Hello. The other night I was confronted by one of my brothers from the pond of RATSO. He made this comment during a club "gathering" with most of the pond scum present. He pointed out that I had been accepted into the club without meeting all of the financial requirements. This apparently has been bothering him for a while. It was extremely refreshing to hear a friend say this to my face and in front of my brothers instead of behind my back. He feared I would feel angry or dejected. NOT AT ALL! I thanked him for his honesty and we hugged. He earned a great deal of my respect.

We are human. We make mistakes. Things happen in our lives that we may not be proud of, but we go on. I have been subject to several people expressing their feelings about me behind my back. They whisper lies or ugly truths to people without ever confronting me. This makes me angry! None of us have earned the right to throw stones. I respect a person who makes a mistake and tries to atone for it a lot more than a person who judges others while hiding his own transgressions.

I read Tiger Woods' apology this morning. He did the right thing. He admitted to his failures. Now people should leave him and his family alone. This is between them. We think because we watch him golf on the weekends and buy Nike products, we have a say in his personal life. NO! These types of things make a person take a closer look at themselves. It makes you realize who you really are. If you don't like the person in the mirror, you better change him. I became a little more of a fan this morning.

I'm still getting acquainted with the man in the mirror. Some days he is a complete stranger.

Hello. The weather seems to be getting to everyone I'm in contact with. This will surely go down in history as one of the worst, and longest, winters in Sioux Town. I'm hoping that spring will bring fresh attitudes and smiling faces. Apparently the hearty souls of this small Midwest town are not ready for long, cold, snowy winters. April, is that you in the distance waving in the warm breeze. Oh, how I long to be together again.

A good friend of ours was whisky-talking the other night about the dislike for each other her and her mate have shared lately. She commented on 29 years of being together...along with too many nights "trapped" in the house by old man winter. It made me think. Is it logical for two people to spend 30, 40, 50 or more years together? Can they stay happy? Many couples have. Well, they've stayed together. Humans are one of the only species to mate for life...and Canadian geese. Honk!

The human ego is an ugly monster. We all battle this demon, unfortunately some can't control him...or her. Being in the live entertainment promotion business I have dealt with some evil egos. I guess it takes a big ego to get on stage and perform. Some of these entertainers forget to hide their ego when they step off the stage. Hey buddy, no one is paying attention to you...get over your self. None of us should take ourselves too seriously. I remind myself of this daily.

Hello. A guy walked into the bar last night and said, "This place is really hard to find." I laughed and replied, "It's actually easy, once you know what you're looking for." The comment is clouded with smoke, but as I thought about it, life is kind of that way. Once we know what we're looking for, it's easy to find. The tough part is figuring out what we're looking for. Or maybe it's understanding what it is we're looking for. Even though we think we know what we want, many people are chasing a life portrayed by society. The people around us paint a picture of what we think we need. We're back to the saying..."Perception is 100% of reality."

I wish a person could erase memories from their mind. You would think that as the head fills with new memories they would push the old ones out. Obviously that is not the case. As I get older, distant memories are becoming more clear. I have been recalling events from my childhood that haven't popped into my head in decades. It's kind of weird. The old bean must have an unlimited storage capacity. Damn this perfect system called a human.

A friend of mine suggests that we have no control over the ultimate outcome of our lives. This may be true, but I hate to think that nothing we do matters. I think how we live our lives determines the paths we follow. However, some think that how we live is even pre-determined. Some of us are "programmed" for good and some for evil? And of course the people who are neither just float along in the middle. I want to rise...not float, and definitely not sink.

Hello. Saints and Vikings, what a game! What will Favre do now? We'll find out more about him with his next decision. He has time to think. Go Saints!

The music lovers have spoken...Thieving Magpies are great! A crowded Live Music Club made that very clear. They were the perfect appetizer for Brad Hoshaw & the Seven Deadlies. Friday night was a very cool night of original live music. Thank you Sioux City. If people will only trust the Sioux City Live Music Club and attend the shows, they'll be pleased. We don't do bad shows. Have faith...jump into the flame of the live music hotbed. Friday was an experience for the senses!

Some people can't see, or hear, through the fog of their closed mind. I have been guilty of this myself many times, but I am changing. Drop the veil and let the refreshing sights and sounds massage the senses. It is wonderful! There is a beautiful world out there. You have to look a little closer sometimes to see it, but it's there.

A lady I know was sharing her disgust with the people of Haiti the other day. She can't believe anyone would send help to "those people". "They don't want to do better for themselves," she said. I informed her that I'm sure they do want more than they have now. She tried to compare the homeless in Haiti to the people who lost their homes in California. NOT EVEN CLOSE! The people in California have plenty of options for short-term housing. The people of Haiti have the streets. If the people of Haiti were white, this woman would have a completely different outlook. Some of us are ugly Americans. Sad.