be humbled.

Last night I had the opportunity to sit in on the College Ministry services for my church. As is the case with all of the younger crowd ministries in our church, it is very different than our regular services.  I personally prefer the High School ministry with all of their high energy, and spirit of life. It's just a different world. High School looks at the future as a long bridge they are about to set foot on with excitement of the unknown and you have to prepare them for their long journey. (make sure they packed underwear and socks for the trip) The College students on the other hand have been on that bridge for a while and because they can't see either end of the bridge they question whether they are currently travelling in the right direction. You have to occaisionally reenforce their will to continue the journey. (sort of like making sure they keep the underwear and socks clean)  Both require very different leadership skills and from what I can see they are both doing awesome things for themselves and for the world around them, I am proud to be a part of it.

 Now, the reason I went to the College service was to listen to the guest speaker DJ Svoboda. DJ is 25 years old and was diagnosed with Autisim at the age of 3.  He is a well known artist in the area and in my eyes a great example of how we should all be in our own lives and in our lives with others. He speaks very clearly to the heart of the issue. Whether you have a disability or not, you are loved by God, and you always will be. You matter to the world, to the people around you and everything you do is important. You are capable of becoming anything you set out to be, with faith in God ANYTHING is possible. Did I mention, DJ created a world where anything imagined is possible? (imagifriends link below) Through his art and his expieriences he has created a world without pain, fear, doubt, worry and hate. All of which you and I struggle with every day. The world DJ created shines through our world like a beacon of hope. With his webpage selling his art work, his public speaking and his newly founded non profit organization he is leading the way to stomp out all of the ugliness he and millions of others in the world have expierienced because they were different.  "Take all of that negativity and SPLAT! throw it against the wall..." Not too Shabby for a 25 year old with a disability. Makes me question my lifes plan quite a bit nowadays.

 I knew the first time I met DJ there was something amazing about him... Well.... maybe not immediately, but once we started talking.

 I met DJ about 5 years ago. I was the maintenance supervisor for an apartment complex here in NC. One day I recieved an urgent call from the apartment manager to go take care of a leaking dishwasher in one of our upstairs apartments. I had not been with the property very long but I was aware that this was a resident that rarely ever had any issues and if they were calling it must be serious. Upon knocking on the door and announcing who I was, I heard a cheerful voice shout, "One moment, I will be right there!"  The door opened and I was greeted with a very large smile attached to a young man holding a mop. I introduced myself and was greeted very politely, "I am very pleased to meet you Tom, how are you today, I am DJ, won't you come in?" Now don't get me wrong, I did see the mop, but I have made it a point to never jump to conclusions and to fully assess the problem before panicking. He may have been taking the mop to the closet to put it away and answered the door on the way, right? Wrong..... but hey it was worth a shot. When I stepped in and looked toward the kitchen I saw nothing but bubbles about a foot deep, slowly creeping out of the kitchen toward the living room. With eyebrows raised (I'm sure) I said, "If you could turn off the dish washer, I will be right back." I returned with a shop vac and we both got to work on the suds. I soon figured out the problem was a result of product labeling, the dish soap for "hand washing" was almost identical to that of the "dishwasher" soap. No water damage, just a neverending supply of suds. It was awesome!
  The more I spoke with DJ the more he showed the caliber of person he was. He showed me his art work and told me about his newly formed webpage and the work he is doing to make people aware of autism and love and life. I was drawn in by the cadence of his voice and his eternal smile. He will always be an inspiration to me and I am glad to have met him.

If you live in my area and would like to meet him all you have to do is come to Church on sunday morning, he will meet you at the front door with the biggest smile you have ever seen and the best handshake you will ever get. If you can't make it here to meet him please check out his web site.  http://www.myimagiville.com/   Keep Smiling!

keep the Christ.

    I have stumbled across something the last few days that really bothered me. Now before I tell you what it was, I feel I need to give you a little background about myself.

   I am a Christian, I was raised a Catholic until something happened (not exactly sure what) with my parents and the church. Some kind of misunderstanding. My mother stopped going to church when I was seven years old. I was no longer required to go as well.  Yay!!! For a seven year old kid that was cool right? I had a choice!
    I stayed away from any churches until I was thirteen and was living in Sicily, (Navy Brat). While there I used to go to the church services in the community center in the housing area where we lived. I even became an altar boy.  When we moved from the housing area and lived "In Town" I stopped going to services but would often find myself sitting in the small cathedral (more of an ornate church) embracing the silence. Sitting in the comfort of God's house, no words necessary to reflect, to heal, to cry and release. Now, don't get me wrong, I loved where I lived and all the amazing people surrounding me, I just felt a little lost. It was one of the happiest times of my life but it also ended up being the most sheltered time of my life. The point I think I am trying to make is although I wasn't attending a church I never lost my faith in Jesus, just in the church.
  It took more than twenty years for me to cross the threshold of a church for the purpose of worship again and I'm happy to have found a place where my family and I can share our faith. We can grow together.
   That being said, I still tend to think of myself as a new christian. I have a lot to learn and a long way to go. I still have a few of those old catholic chains to break, One day I will be comfortable praying out loud, (Shhhh...you're in a church..) and one day I will be able to belt out a prayer that has not been preprinted and memorized without stammering and stuttering or thinking I sound silly. Where I was once Catholic I have learned to let go of the guilt and become a Christian. I will happily give up doing the "God Calisthenics" ( sit..stand...kneel...pray...sit...stand...kneel), but I must admit it will take me some time to get used to the "PDA for Jesus" (Public Display of Affection). I may tear up, and bow my head but bear with me if I don't raise up my hands or sing out loudly, still breaking those chains.
    Which brings me to my my little peeve. I feel like the best way to learn something is through observation of others who have been doing something longer than I myself have been doing it. I have always had a problem with the use of  "X"  in the place where "Christ" should be in the word Christmas (X-Mas). Throughout my childhood  "X-mas" would pop up during the holiday season and I would just brush it off  knowing it was just a person with a different belief system and lets face it the world was a little less politically correct back then. Now they just say Happy Holidays. I thought the politically correct world we currently live in was finally going to be the death of the "X" but then came the cyber realm. Texting , Twitter, and other social networks with their limited number of characters have brought the "X" back out to replace Christ once again. Leaving a whole new generation behind to remove "Christ"  (from Christian) and casually replace it with "X" ( Xian). I'm sorry, as far as I know Xian is the area in China where they found all of the terra cotta Warriors, and although I'm sure Jesus can be found in a remote province in China I don't think it is an adequate replacement for the word Christian. The saddest part to me is that it is Christians who are taking this shortcut in the hopes of saving their character spaces so they get their full message out in 140 characters or less. The question I have is are they REALLY getting the message out or are they sending another message by so casually omitting "Christ"?
     I look up to all of my friends, and as a newer christian I will learn from you by following your example.  I love you all, but this is one example I can not follow. I totally understand why it is being done, and I am not judging you but rather expressing concern. It seems to me there are plenty of other words that can be shortened  to get your message out with out undermining the message itself.

   All I ask is that we keep the Christ in Christian.

...pick you up.

I have never been comfortable with the "Pick up Line."

It always amazes me that some guys use some of the silliest lines and they actually work. "Darlin, did you hurt yourself when you fell from Heaven cuz you sure are an Angel!"  Yeah I think she bumped her head pretty hard if she fell for that line, you might want to stop by the hospital before bringing her to your place, that girl has a concussion!

I wonder what is it that makes women Choose the guy with the lame pick up line. Is it that they are impressed that he possesses the self confidence to use such a silly line?  Or do they lack the self confidence to say, "Dude that was horrible, please go away." 

"Hey babe, wanna get LUCKY!?"........Ladies...... the response should be, "My luck will improve as soon as you leave." ,  unless you really want to get "Lucky" then go ahead go home with the guy but I guarantee you if he lacks the imagination to come up with a clever and original line he will lack imagination and originality in other places as well. Not sure "Lucky" is how you're going to feel afterwards.

I do tend to think there are some women who fall for the bad pick up line because they are funny, but guys, you have to understand what is funny to a guy is not always funny to the ladies. On several of the websites for bad pick up lines, (to be honest the "Good" ones aren't much different.) This little charmer can be found... "Eww..Someone farted, lets get out of here." ( I really can't make this up.) Now Ladies if that's the line that gets you to go along then there's no hope for you. But I must also add that if a girl were to use that line on a guy the first thing he would think is, "Yep, She's a KEEPER!"

Some of the lines I have read are just downright nasty, and as I have chosen to keep this blog as a PG-13 posting I can not give you any examples. I will say, "I would look good on you." is pretty tame but still very high on the lame factor

Austin Powers, was only funny for about 3 months, you should never use the term "Shag". It's dumb and begs her to associate you with a silly hairy brit spy with bad teeth, and a big fat guy that eats babies. Although, if that's the impact you're looking for then go for it, but I bet you won't be bringing home any Elizabeth Hurleys.

I wonder sometimes if girls go for so many bad lines because they just feel sorry for us guys, I know I always thought the approach was the worst part of the game. Guys really struggle coming up with such lines, they (sadly) put a lot of thought into them, they pour their hearts into them. The poor guy can sit for weeks, months, or even years crafting the perfect line for the cute girl that works in the coffee shop or the waitress in the restaurant that he can't afford to go to twice a week but has to keep going because this time, this one last time she will come to his table to take his order and he will FINALLY have worked up enought nerve to look her in the eyes , smile to her and say, "I'd give you a piece of my mind, but I have more of something else." Then instantly his face would go blank and he will go into panic mode thinking to himself, "Holy Crap Dude!, That was not what I wanted to say! What the heck is wrong with me! That didn't even make any sense! Stupid, stupid,stupid!"

 Yeah, I'm guessing the pick up lines work because the ladies have it so easy with guys, they look at us from across the bar (optional), walk up (optional), smile (optional), hand us a beer (optional) and say, "hi"...............BAZINGA!!!!!!!! WE are hooked, we will follow you anywhere!

I'm so glad I'm happily married, and if you have any doubts about how bad it is for me to come up with a line, it took 15+ years of knowing each other, working together for her dad, both of us moving away, getting married to other people and seperated before we even started dating.  Yeah....I got Mad Skillz! yo.

...call myself a local.

    The other day I was talking with a group of people and the phrase "Known only to us locals" was thrown into the mix. When it was said it was quickly stabbed across the table and twisted into my being with such force that I became offended that I was NOT one of the "Locals" being referred to in the conversation. The funny thing is, I already KNEW the subject they were speaking of and was STILL not considered a local.
   "Known only to us locals." Hyuk, hyuk, nudge nudge... My reply was, "Well the secret must be out because I already knew that."

Local :1- pertaining to, characteristic of, or restricted to a particular place or particular places: 2- pertaining to a city, town, or small district rather than an entire state or country.

Usage:  A local custom, local publication, local transportation, local disease, the British have my favorite usage, A local to them is a bar or pub.

With just the quick glance I took on the definition of the word LOCAL, I never once saw any connection with birthright.

NO... I wasn't born here, I get it. But I think I stopped being an outsider the day I accepted that KERR Lake is pronounced CARR. 

I have lived here longer than I have lived anywhere in my life. I own a home here. I pay taxes on that home and many other things. I work, eat, sleep, breathe, vote and live here. I have seen one lane dirt roads expand into highways and hog farms turn into shopping malls. I know where buildings used to be and why they are gone now and most importantly my son was born here and this is where we will raise him.

You can hold on to your birthright all you want but don't you dare brush me off because I was born in Florida and my family is from the north. The simple fact is, I am rooted and this is my home, it is truly the only home I have ever really known.

  I am a local, I won't tell you how we did it in the north as long as you don't tell me how it is.

Bless your heart.....

...console

Always.
I know you are asking

why?

No matter what the answer is it will

not be good enough

for you

right now.



Know that I AM with you.



I feel your anger

Your confusion.

The pain I feel,

Is yours.

The tears I shed,

are ours.



Know that I AM with you,

Always.



Allow me to stay within

Your heart.

To stay within your prayers.

To lift you up, and forever show you

Hope.

I can not replace what was lost but I can

surround you with the love

of those around you.

Embrace them,

Allow them to help you heal.



Know that he is here with Me

And WE are with you.

Always.

...inspire you.

Would you consider yourself a poet or a story teller? You would be surprised to find out how many people actually have it in them to be decent writers. I know, you just rolled your eyes and said, "Oh man, he's talking poetry. " Well i've got news for you, YOU are the ones who will make the best writers. You are the ones holding it all inside, the emotion, the turmoil, the imagination and the inspiration. Let it all out, put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, I dare you.



If you can string letters together to make words and then string words together to make sentences and paragraphs then you can write poetry. You don't have to be Shakespeare, (Yawn.) Poe or any of the other great poets that bored you throughout highschool. You don't have to be Stephen King, Dan Brown or Bram Stoker to tell a good story. All you need is emotions, feelings, a mind and a thought or an idea.



Have you ever been so mad at a friend that you felt like you needed to write them a letter to tell them everything they did wrong to upset you? Plenty of times, right? How many of those letters did you actually send? If you are still friends I would imagine you didn't send any of them at all. What you probably did was read it after you finished writing it then threw it in the trash and went and talk to the person instead. What about the many love letters you have written? You know you have. Did you send those? Maybe. The emotion wells up inside and it needs an outlet, Write that letter, the reason it never gets sent is that it served it's purpose. After it is written and you read it, you feel a little better.



Every poem I have written has a background. Every one has a reason why it was written, once it is written and the emotion is out it has served it's purpose to me. The magic happens when I watch someone else read it, I see the emotion through their eyes. The writing becomes new again and gains a new purpose in someone elses life.


Stories and Poetry can have an impact on lives. People read to escape, people read to better themselves, to learn, to be inspired, to heal. People write for the same reasons, to inspire, to heal, to show hope, to teach and to document great events. You can do that too. it doesn't have to be a masterpiece and you don't have to be a "Writer", there is no special badge. (but if that is what it takes to get you to write I would be happy to make you a badge.) You just have to know a story or have an idea and go from there.

One of the best books known throughout the world today, The Bible, was written by Shepherds, Soldiers, Kings, Scribes, Fishermen, and even a Tax Collector. Now before getting offended hear me out. It is one of the most powerful collections of stories and poetry ever known. You can not say, (no matter what your belief system is, ) that this one collection of words does NOT affect any one who reads it one way or another.

Also, before you get offended that I called The Bible a collection of poems and stories, please know that I mean that as a good thing. What better way to describe a prayer than as a work of poetry. Just look at The Lords Prayer, Dude, that's a poem. Write it out, it even LOOKS like a poem. (Given to us by a Carpenter). What is a Parable? According to Wikipedia, (-Rolls Eyes-, I know, Right?) a parable is " a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse, that illustrates a moral or religious lesson ." A story, That has an impact on the story teller AND the listener.

I'm Not saying you have to be Jesus or Edgar Allen Poe to tell a good story, or write a good poem, and it doesn't even have to be good. I Promise you if you write it it will have an affect on someone, and you will have inspired that person. (Even if you just write for yourself).

Have fun with it.

...shoot myself in the foot.

I just stumbled across an interesting phenomenon, There are LOTS of bloggers out there trading "Follows." I never knew being followed was that important. I thought it was more important to have someone leave a comment on a blog post but I see that I only have one of you that likes to leave comments. (thank you Chad.)

I know I am new at this Blog thing and you may think it's strange that I find this absolutely fascinating. " Hey if you follow me, I'll follow you!" Well, hey, I don't think so buddy. Do I even know you? Are you funny? That might steer me toward reading, because I like funny. ( Disclaimer- Current blogger is not claiming to be funny, only that he likes funny) Wow, the name of the game is having followers huh?

What if my followers are creepy guys (or girls) who do creepy things? Does that make me creepy by association? Hey I can't follow you, you're creepy....And Stop following me! Take off that Clown make-up! It just seems like it would be too easy to find your own personal stalker by pimping out your blog.

It makes me think, there are good people who had/have followers. Jesus has followers. Mohammed, Buddha. Moses had followers back in the day, can you imagine what his blog comments were like? "Are we there yet?", "I'm tired of walking!" , " Dude, we passed that bush an hour ago!", "Get down here, they're building a golden calf!!"

Actually I'm starting to see why Non commenting followers might be a good thing. What I want to know is what is the incentive for me to have an army of blog followers? Do I get a prize? Money? Fame? How About a nifty bumpersticker saying WWTD? What would Tom do? I don't want that, then people would come up to me all the time asking what I would do, that would just make me nervous.
Want to know what I'd do? Read my blog, Follow me, I'll follow you.......no...not really. But if you must follow, please don't follow too closely, and if I hear you say "It puts the lotion in the basket" I'm dropping you.

...share another.

-Only Time Can Tell-



Full of anger, hatred and despair.

My heart pounds with a will to go on,

but as I sit alone in this dark dreary corner

I want to end it all.

Listen to my heart? Why should I !?

I’ve listened once before, I fell in love!

Now, I lie where I fell and wonder what comes next.

Will it finally end, or can this pain go on forever?

Will I live to love again?

Will I want to take that chance?

My answer is yes!

I want it all.

But who will stop this pain I feel?

Does she even know who she is?

only time can tell, so I will wait.

Full of hope, ambition, and the will to dream.

My heart pounds with a will to go on,

and I listen once more.

... try something new.

I submit to you that the place I willingly drag myself out of bed so early every morning for, trudging through the sleepy eyed masses of other commuters to get to , is not as much my job as it is a Social Experiment gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Exactly who is responsible for these experiments? The strings attached to me go up at least four more levels before they fade into the darkness that is beyond Upper Management. Like dominoes falling in a row the strings are pulled from above causing the level below to pull, then the next, and so on till I feel myself pulled. I have no strings.

I am pulled away from the thing that I am doing to be given yet another thing to do. I'm told it is because I was doing the last thing so well. I look around the stark room notice there is another person in the room, very much like me but he holds strings. There is nothing attached to his strings. I ask, "He has strings, shouldn't he be doing these important things?" I'm told that his strings are only for show, he never learned how to pull them. I turn back and finish the important things given to me, The Uppers are pleased and they pull strings of appreciation, the pulls stop just above.

Once again I am pulled away from things to go and assist another to finish their things, Luckily his strings are just like mine except they are hanging slack, not held tight like mine. When the strings are slack your feet tend to drag and you move much more slowly. I was beginning to feel the tension of my strings ease a little. The thing is finished and I am now pulled into another room.

The last room is a whirlwind of activity, strong and powerful. As I look around the room I wonder where are the things I'm supposed to be doing? There are no things set aside for me to do. The whirlwind slows to a gale force wind and I finally see the other person standing in the middle, His strings are slack too. Clutched in one hand I see the strings of other workers, he has figured out if his strings are slack he can create tension by pulling down others around him and using their strings to get a step up. He sees me standing there and tries to grab at my strings and pull me down. I jump out of the room safely and fing myself back in my room.

I'm content in my room, it gives me time to think. Am I really here? Am I a lab rat just being moved from one place to the other just to see how I will react? Are the Scientists also the ones pulling the strings or merely observers? Why does it all have to be this way?

Oh well, Time to cut the strings and go home, I'll reattach them adain in the morning.

... get it all out!

There has been something bothering me about the American mentality for a long time now. Before you start throwing "How dare you's" and calling me names and getting mad, I want to let you know that I am as guilty as the next guy when it comes to the American Mentality.


We are Free, Patriotic, Proud, Honorable, Loving, Protective, Wealthy (comparitavely), Resourceful, Innovative, Friendly, Assertive, Caring, Strong willed, Insensitive, Arrogant, Imposing, Lazy, Carefree, Hateful, Egotistical, and Elitist.

Wow, see how fast that took a turn?

America Is a GREAT country to live in, anyone who has lived in any other country in the world knows first hand how great it is. As a country, we have so many choices of so many things (just count how many Barbeque sauce choices there are at the grocery store.) and we still complain when we can't get what we want.

I would have to say that truly polite people are hard to find. I have a hard time teaching my four year old how to be polite and say "please" and "thank you" when nobody says it out side of our home or his school. I work in the maintenance industry and I can not tell you how many people have stepped on or over me to get through the door way I was working on when there was another door right next to me. Please explain to me the logic that states it is easier to step on and over a person to get through a doorway than it is to just open a door to walk through. When was the last time you ventured out of your comfort zone and stopped to talk to someone you passed on the street? We grumble at each other when we pass, and if we are having a bad day we take it out on the cashier, waitress, houskeeper, or anyone else who works to serve you. Think about how bad a day they have when they have to deal with twenty more rude people after you. Next time take a lesson from these folks and smile back no matter how bad your day is.

How many times in this country have you heard someone say "I deserve" or " It's my Right as an American." Have you ever asked that person if they are an expert on the Constitution? Have they even read it or is it from the Oral History of the American Rights passed down through the family for generations to justify your grievances? How easily we speak up to defend our right to free speech and neglect the Declaration that "All men are created equal." I have to admit, I just looked up the First Amendment and I find it interesting that the Right to free speech is preceded by the Right to Religion.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances"


You want to complain to the Government then do so, it is your right as an American, but try not to trample someone elses rights in doing so.



I love this country and all that it has given me, but I find myself wondering why I yearn to return to Sicily so much. Maybe it was that as a foreigner I was welcomed there and never judged by where I was from. We could learn from this.



It blows my mind what we actually think is important in our lives, we have so much to be thankful for and yet we still complain. I look at all I have and I consider myself lucky. Do I want more? Of course, it's just the nature of the beast. Do I need more? Certainly not. Could and should I do more to help others? Yes, we all should. THIS should be our right as American Citizens.

... Judge the classic car show.

Now living in the south there are few things I expect to see done very well as far as "SHOWS" go. There are too many passionate people in this town to let their "Shows" fall to mediocrity.

The Renaissance Fair, (you can put the "E" at the end if you like but around here they would just call it the Renaissance Fairy.) - Yes, the south has its share of Fantasy geeks and barbarian want to be's and believe it or not they put on a pretty good show although the Pan character always gives me the creeps. Horses charge, Lances break and Knights dismount from their steeds the hard way. This year we even saw a mighty Knight shed some tears when play time hit a little too hard. All and all it was a pretty good time, and I had a little extra fun counting how many "Modern Knight" comments my Ironman shirt was getting. Yes I did.

The State Fair- The rides I will never ride, the games I will rarely play, the crowd that is always there and the foods I could never imagine could be fried! AWESOME!

The Dixie Knife and Gun show.- YEEEEEE HAAAAAA!!!! I'm actually afraid of this one. But I hear it's the best.

The Fishing and Boat show- This show turns men into kids again, "Mamma, I want this un!" The amount of drooling that goes on at this show keeps the boat industry afloat. Very cool boats among other things that will bankrupt a family but keep them entertained for at least six months.

The Classic Car show- Usually, in a town like this a classic car show is a pretty good deal. I have been to some of the small town ones and there was a lot to look at. I figured The Classic Car Show at the Capital would certainly have to be the best......Right? I mean, all those small towns getting together with all of their cars to have a show at the capital? That HAS to be worth the Ten Bucks they want to see the "Hundreds of cars indoors..." , Wow, there were a bout a hundred cars lined up outside that I didn't have to pay to see, I can only imagine what inside must be like. My friends and I paid the ten dollars and looked down at the 60 of 70 cars strung between the 30 to 40 vendors took a few pictures and went back outside after about a half an hour feeling totally ripped off. Raleigh, you should be ashamed of yourself! I have seen Yankee towns put on a better classic car show, you should have your Redneck Card revoked! Shame on you..... Next year I will save my money so I can stay outside and argue with the angry Turkish vendor over the cost of an undercooked turkey leg.

... to share one of my favorites.

This has always been a favorite of mine .

The Sound of One Hand Clapping-




There was a man,
a lonely man, sitting on the edge of a fountain.
He looked so very sad, so I went to him.
I asked him what was wrong.
He looked up at me and smiled,
“Nothing,” he said, “I just understand now.”
Then he vanished.

Later that evening I had a dream,
and I saw that man.
Surrounded by darkness, he was shivering.
“Do you know the sound of one hand clapping?”

I never saw or dreamt of that man again,
but I’ve carried his question with me throughout my life.
What is the sound of one hand clapping?

My life was once so secure, so simple.
I had a job, friends and even someone who loved me,
but no longer.

Now I sit on the edge of the fountain, alone and cold.
I hear the mans voice again,
“What is the sound of one hand clapping?”
I chuckle as a young boy comes and asks me what is wrong.
“Nothing,” I say, “ I just understand now.”

...tease.

Have you ever just written for the sake of getting it all out? Well that's what happened today, It really was just a bunch of rubbish. Sorry but I deleted it.

Hang in there, I'll think of something!

... repeat myself.

This is an oldie but a goodie from a past blog of mine.

"How things work at a University" Enjoy,



Lets take a hypothetical situation: a carpenter needs to be hired to do a job over a weekend and needs keys.

The State must accept bids for the job and most of the time they choose the contractor that will cost the least. Once the University chooses the cheapie the ball starts rolling and committees are set up to discuss the work that needs to be done, this usually takes weeks. Once the planning is done they can start working.


Keep in mind that they are going to be working on saturday and that it is only 11:00 am thursday so there is a real need for keys to be cut and picked up. The contractor has known he will need keys for three weeks now but it must have slipped his mind.

Instead of submitting a key request to the lock shop and picking up the keys before the lock shop closes at 3:30pm --heres what he does:

Young Skippy the contractor, in a panic calls the construction manager assigned to the project and leaves a voicemail message stating that he needs keys or he cant get the job done and to call him back immediately.

After leaving the message he picks up his phone and calls his crew leader and tells him he doesn't think they are going to be able to get the job done because he doesn't have the keys yet.

Now heres where it gets tricky folks because while he is on the phone he is standing in the lab that needs the work done and the Prof. that wants the work done can hear him.

Meanwhile the Construction Manager (CM) has called the lock shop and we are cutting the keys now. the CM is told the keys will be ready by noon and Young Skippy must come before 3:30pm to pick them up or we will be closed.

The CM now calls the contractor to let him know whats up but is forced to leave a message because the contractor is on the phone.

Now! Remember the Prof? You know, the one who overheard that his work isn't going to get done? Well hold on folks it's gonna be a bumpy ride!

The Prof now storms out of the lab and proceeds across the brick yard towards his office to call the Dean of his department and complain. While on the brickyard he bumps into another Prof and starts venting (very loudly, I might add) to him about how the work is not going to get done. The venting is overheard by Little Timmy who is on his way to class but since he was running a bit early decided to stop and listen to the brickyard Preacher who was giving a sermon entitled "The Devil is in The Details". Timmy gets bored and leaves to continue to class. On the way Timmy bumps into his buddy Bob who just happens to share a class with Timmy which is also taught by Angry Prof. Timmy tells Bob that the lab Angry Prof was planning for next week may be cancelled because the work wont be done in time and then continues on to class. Bob walks over to the atrium where he meets his mom for lunch because well hey he IS a student and will take any opportunity for a free lunch that he can. Bob tells his mom who just happens to bump into her co-worker Stella on the way back to the office. Bob's Mom tells Stella what happened as they pass by the Hot Dog vendor that is always out there on Hills street with his cart and his always faithful little dog by his side.

Meanwhile the Angry Prof. (after not getting an answer on the phone because it is lunch time) storms into the Dean's office where he is met by the secretary (Paula) sitting behind her desk working on what is left of her lunch which consists of a half of ham sandwich and one of the largest dill pickles you have ever seen. Un- amused, the Secretary tells the Angry Prof. (who by the way has been the biggest pain in the butt she has ever had the honor of meeting) that she will forward his tragic story to the Dean when he returns from his seminar on how to deal with difficult people.

At the very same moment, the hotdog man's trusty companion leaves to rid himself of some excess bladder pressure. On the way back the dog meets the local stray cat, they both stop for a bit and smell each others butt then continue on their merry way.

The Dean makes it back to his office, gets his messages from the Pickle Packing Paula, swears a bit and states "I wish that old fart would just retire already", then storms into his office to contact the Lock Shop Supervisor who tells him that the keys have been ready for over an hour. The Dean walks over to his office door and kindly waits for Paula to finish off Picklezilla and askes her to contact Angry Prof and let him know everything is on track. Paula belts out a hearty "no problem" and smiles as she thinks "Forget that Idiot, he can wait!". Angry Prof never gets the message.

By this time the old Stray Cat has strolled all the way down Hills street to the Cup 'O Joe,( a local hangout where all the trendy beatnics and coffee lovers like to go and order their triple fudge double light frothy grande mocha lattes and tell each other how cool they are to be hanging out in such a place) and is currently rubbing on the leg of a grad student and part time pet psychic Carl Montez. At that very moment Carl could sense that something was really bothering that old stray so he bent down , picked the stray up and looked him straight in the eyes, Thats where he got the whole story. You see, it may have looked like the dog was just smelling the cat's butt but they were actually communicating. With every little twich of the dog's whiskers on the cat's tiny hiney hole the dog told him what he had just heard in the conversation between Bob's mom and her co-worker Stella, very much like morse code. Carl made his way back to the Vet School and on his way in he told the receptionist about the work that was not getting done on main campus because they couldn't get keys and she in turn called her husband who was out golfing with the Nephew of the Vice President of The United States (who has nothing to do with this story by the way). The husband called the asst Director for the Dining services who then remembered that the Director for Facilities Operations was in the main dining area having a late lunch and went out and told him what he learned. the Director went back to his office and called the Assistant to the assistant, assistant director of Repairs and Reconstruction, who in turn calls the Lock shop Supervisor and is told that the keys were cut two and a half hours ago.

It is now 2:30pm and the keys have not been picked up.

Angry Prof, not being a patient man, Can't stand it anymore. He has waited to hear something back from the Dean, and Young Skippy, the contractor is nowhere to be found. He decides to call the lock shop himself and is told "yes the keys are ready, but it's 3:00pm and we close in half an hour so if they want these keys they better hurry, they've been ready all day!"

3:30pm comes and goes and everyone leaves except for the On-Call guy who has to stay till 5pm.

At 4pm the on-call guy arrives back at the shop to find a CM guy banging on the door, Upon seeing the locksmith he rushes over and says that the contractor is on his way and is there any way possible to pick up the keys now, he is just down the street. The locksmith says sure no problem.

The contractor doesn't show up for another hour...........

............ The next day............

..............................The keys are lost............................

And on monday the Lock Shop starts work on re-keying.......

.................................The whole Building!!!!!!!!

Hypothetically, that is.

...vent about cakes.

Last night I stumbled across a television show that featured three high end bakeries in New York and a few of the custom cakes they were making. I know, this is nothing new, there's at least five other shows out there that cover the same thing. Well, I have a problem with them all.

First of all, Food Service shows kind of give me the creeps. The one last night had about fifteen pairs of hands on one "cake" and there was not a single glove on any of them. They could at least show the people washing their hands on a regular basis. They don't seem to have any issues showing folks running their hands through their hair or putting their hands up to their mouths in horror when something breaks and then diving back into the "cake" for repairs. Maybe fondant is germ resistant.

How much actual cake has to be in these crazy creations before they are not considered cakes any more? I know if I paid four hundred dollars for a cake and I bite into it it better be cake! Rice crispy treat is NOT cake. Great big wads of fondant or modeling chocolate is NOT cake. Wires, wood, Styrofoam, flame throwers, lasers and smoke machine........NOT CAKE.

When did it become a requirement for bakers to have experience in Carpentry and a degree in Electrical Engineering? As cool as all of that stuff looks, I'm still not sure I WANT a robotic cake that has the ability to get up and run away. Next thing you know cakes will be self aware and we wont be allowed to eat them because they will be considered a new life form. When cakes rise up and take over mankind and create human looking cakes to infiltrate the human resistance then we have gone too far!

...wax poetic.

- The Prisoner -


There is a pause, and then movement,
another pause, then movement again.
All within a split second, over and over.
The pounding rings loudly in my ears,
and the prisoner cries out for freedom.
The prisoner has been trapped far too long,
but…
can the prisoner live without it’s stone walls and shackles?
It has found freedom in the past,
and has come running back begging
for the safety of the stone walls
and the security of the steel door
which it is desperately pounding on now.
Upon it’s last return to it’s cell I became angry
and cast the key into the vast desert outside the prison walls.
As time passed, a path appeared in that desert,
and the prisoner stood in it’s cell, day by day,
staring at that path through a tiny window.
Then…
one day, along that path, a woman appeared,
and with her she had her own prisoner.
They were both beautiful.
Suddenly, the woman stopped to pick something up,
as she did a gleam of light hit the object
and the prisoner in the cell became frantic.
From the tiny window the prisoner could see that the woman now
held the key to it’s freedom.
The prisoner’s cries had not gone unheard
and as the woman stood on her path staring at the window,
the prisoner wondered,
would she use that key?

...shed some light on ADHD.

A couple of friends have asked for more info on ADHD so Here we go.

This is a pretty good site to read about the symptoms.

www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-symptoms


I will also include a test or list of questions that helped diagnose ADHD with me. Mind you this was not why I initially sought counselling, I was having anger issues and depression. I couldn't explain why I was always angry, my self esteem was shot, I was constantly second guessing my decisions, depression overtook me and twisted in with my frustration to even make the simplest of decisions I became more and more angry and frustrated with myself and others around me. It took my wife and some friends sitting me down to say, "You are getting pretty scary, something is wrong." to get me to seek help.

After a couple of sessions, the counsellor mentioned that he noticed I was easily distracted by the window and would only focus if he had the blinds shut. He asked a few questions and I came to realize that I would "daydream" a lot. and he then asked me if I have any hobbies, "Sure, I'm interested in a lot of things." to which he asked, "But do you ever come up with an end product with any of your hobbies?". Of course I don't, that's just crazy talk, my garage is full of half projects and unfinished ideas.

He stood up, pulled a book from the shelf and began to ask questions, I was amazed at how many I answered yes to. try them out for yourself.

http://psychcentral.com/addquiz.htm


Knowing what is wrong and getting the proper treatment has turned my life around and made my relationship with my wife, my son and myself so much better.

...."Whip - It"

The wooden floor within the wide open room smelled of age. We pass by the silent sentinels of entertainment from an era when triangles hunted massive digital rocks and Italian plumbers were locked in mortal combat with a giant misnamed gorilla to save a princess and collect a bit of coin. The center of the room is lined with tape in an oval pattern and the crowd is beginning to form just outside the largest of the ovals, "Eighteen and younger must sit at least three feet behing the yellow tape." Announces the disembodied voice of the announcer.

The oval comes alive with the sound of wheels to wood as Joan Jett hates herself for loving you over the loud speaker. Warriors clad in fishnet stockings, spandex miniskirts, gold lamay leopard print panties and hot pink leg warmers thunder around the oval tweaking the individuality of their uniforms as they warm up for the days battle.

The creativity and individuality continues further than the apparel, with Pseudonyms like Hellen Wheels, Alice in Thunderland, Molly Hatchet and Killer Karla, they rival any denizen of the dance pole but that creativity is about as far as the comparison goes. With their anonymity secure they play out their roles so well the line is drawn and only an insane person who has no love of his own teeth would wave a dollar at one of these girls and yell "Take it off, baby!".

Scanning the crowd, I noticed that this is not just a sporting event but more of a subculture. The fans consisted of only what I could describe as Other Teams, Wannabes, Used to bes, and families. It was a whole subculture unto itself. I did get a glimpse of what regular folks feel when they are dragged to a Sci-fi convention. Oh The Cheetah face painted guy who was the mascot for one of the teams bears mentioning just for the entertainment factor. Every time his team scored he runs full speed around the track waving a huge flag. Yes it was amusing to see how slowly he would run as the match went on.

If you haven't guessed by now I am talking about Roller Derby. I have to confess, It was not as exciting as I thought it would be. It held my sons attention for a whole seven minutes before he was distracted by popcorn and I have to say if it wasn't for some of the skimpy outfits on the track and in the crowd I would have had my own bag of popcorn to distract me.

In my honest opinion, the roller derby was as flat as the track they were racing on. If I find a banked track roller derby I might give it another try, but for now I'll stick to car shows.

...notice human nature.

Working on a University campus, I have noticed that for the most part people Don't like to read signs. Hey I'll even take it a step further and just say as humans, we don't really pay attention to anything. But if you try really really hard to sit in a busy area you will see a lot of amusing things happening.


I was going toward the elevators in one of our buildings and I saw this (engraved) sign on the door, "The elevator is out of order, please use an alternate route." If you have been keeping up with past posts then you already know that my brain just fired off in several different directions at once. Why did they word it like that? Did someone get paid by the letter to make this sign? Why didn't they just say "...use stairs"? Now it makes me wonder if the building even HAS stairs. That's strange, I didn't recall seeing ropes or scaffolding hanging from the side of the building. Did I miss a Jet-Pack rental station?

Now to make my point about people not paying attention I will add that while I was walking away from the Sign (which was Bright red and posted directly over the call buttons) two people walked up and pressed the call buttons and waited.

It doesn't matter how big the sign is it will always be overlooked. People are in so much of a hurry these days or so wrapped up in themselves that they don't take in their surroundings anymore. Want proof? Why is a wet floor sign so bright in color and usually stuck out in the middle of the floor?

Just for fun, if you find a door that is locked and has a "please use other door" sign on it, take a seat, watch how many people try the door. Not only will they try the door, they will then try again before they resort to shaking the door and then FINALLY they will actually look at the door and see the sign.

If you continue to pay attention you will notice that we are lazy as well. People would rather step over the guy working on the door rather than open the next available door. (I usually wait till they have one leg in the air over me then I stand. "Oh I am so sorry, I did not see you there.")

Then there are the "Work Harders". These are the people who would rather walk through grass dirt and sometimes mud to go to the other side of the building because that door is always open and they don't have to use their key like they would in the door they parked 10 feet away from.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and afterward someone asks what it was about and you have no idea?

I had a service call when I was working in the dorms the students desk light wouldn't work. When I got there he had the fixture beautifully laid out across the desk like an exploded view straight out of a service manual right down to the last tiny little screw. He explained that he changed the bulb, the starter, checked the ballast and the wiring, He just didn't understand. I told him How impressed I was that he was able to break it down like that and asked if he thought he could put it all back together to which he said, "Of course, I'm an engineering student." I smile and told him I would return in 10 minutes. When I returned I was able to school the Engineering student on the value of electricity and the need to plug the fixture in. It happened at least once a year, Different student of course.

...continue with ADHD.

It is a "Hard to focus" day for me today, I have those every now and again. Trying to tune into a single thing is very difficult when it's like this. Every single little noise is amplified and draws my attention away.

Even now there is someone on the other side of the shop, I can tell he is pacing and even though I can't see him I know exactly who it is by the sound of his keys and I know exactly what he is doing. He is trying to make sense of the work order he just received and after a while he will come in here and ask me about it to see if he truly understands it.

Days like this also bring the ticking of the clock to the foreground, the hard drive clicking in the computer and the creaking of my bosses chair in his office. I hear it all, and I have to tune it out by turning on two fans in my office area.

It's kind of like my own little super power except it also comes with it's own version of Kryptonite. From the living room, with the TV on I can hear my son get up upstairs and go to the bathroom. It's almost like I tune into the sounds that are out of place to me. This is why I hear them.

The problem is sometimes that is all I hear. Just ask my wife, it drives her nuts. If I tune in on a sound and it is steady enough or just barely audible I can stand there for a long time trying to pinpoint what it is and where it's coming from.

Sounds are not the only things that can distract me, my own thoughts can do it as well. The other day I was in a hardware store and shovel caught my eye. Instantly my mind opened up and went off in several different directions. I thought about digging up the tree in the front yard, I wonder if my chainsaw will start, I hope the neighbor doesn't try to talk to me about the apple tree, I really hate bamboo, I wish the dog would dig up the moles, I wish the dog wasn't such a picky eater, stupid cats, I think I should clean the gutters, do we need batteries? and on and on. I don't know how long I was standing there but I'm glad a sales person asked me if I was finding everything I needed.

It isn't as bad or as frequent as it sounds, and I have figured out I function better with distractions from my distractions. Loud heavy music, fans on, a tv in the background and a lot of repetition of tasks. Making order out of chaos.

In the car I really don't have any problems with the safety aspect of the driving but I do have to prepare myself if I am going somewhere new, I do tend to miss turns or get lost more if I'm by myself. I have been KNOWN to leave my beautiful, kind and understanding wife waiting at the airport or out side of work because I missed a turn and ended up two towns away. The GPS is a great tool, except for the fact that it never seems to be in MY car.

The final super power attributed to my ADHD it Hyper-focusing. It sounds great right? HYPER - FOCUS!!!! You would think I could get a lot done with this one. The problem it it never rears it's ugly little head when I could use it to my advantage. Most of the time it shows up when I'm already in the middle of something and I notice something else that can truly be done later but I HAVE to get it done now. My son lost a nut to his High Hat for his drum kit and I went to every music store and hardware store I could think of and refused to give up. Could I have contacted the company and asked then to send me another one? Sure I could, but that wouldn't get it fixed right now would it?

The bonus to Hyperfocusing is if I can't find the part can't be found It drives me to create something that will work instead. Of course, that doesn't get my garage straightened out.

It took me till my thirties to figure out why my mind worked the way it does, but now that I understand what it is I can live a little easier with it.

It's like Rumpelstiltskin, I know it's name now, I can embrace it now.

...question my self worth.

I am really new to this whole Blog world and I find that I have a lot of questions.....

Who sees my blog? This Blog, the one you are currently reading. Are you reading this? Hey leave a comment........

I feel like the guy that stands up on the stage tapping the microphone saying, "Hello? Is this thing on?" How does this thing called a blog REALLY work? Is the rhetoric I'm spewing really go anywhere where there is a small chance that someone may stumble across it and actually enjoy what I'm saying enough to return another day? Is that it? Am I just a big hill of snow just waiting anxiously for that one little ball of snow to begin rolling downward? Or must I self promote with giant "READ MY BLOG!!!" posts plastered throughout all of the social networks in this vast Web that is apparently World Wide. FaceBook is ok, but should I really subject my friends to the real me? What if they don't "Like" what I say and they un - "Friend" me? Could I really handle the unfriendliness of it all? MySpace? Please, MY opinion was never really well received. Maybe I could go to Twitter, Hmmm. I feel like a TWIT just saying the word "Tweet."

If I continue on with this blog and no one reads it do I still exist? Or am I just another tree fallen in the forest? Will it even make a difference to me if people DO read what I write, Will it change how I feel about myself if I know someone is out there listening to me? Man, this is a real problem. Are there truly people out in the world whose lives have changed because they blog and KNOW people read them? Would it drive a person mad just knowing that throughout the years of blogging their anonymity has slowly dwindled away, that there are strangers out in the world that know them better than their own families know them? Think about it.

Do I really want to do this? If I do, will it make me a better person, or not?

...Babble for a while.

Ya Know,

I really like where I am in life right now. There are still things I could change about it that may make my quality of life better. Like, maybe I could get rid of the beer belly, which is funny because it's more like an I like cookies too much and sit on my butt in an office all day and it's too hot to exercise outside but I feel silly running on a treadmill while my son watches and by the time he goes to bed its time to watch my show on tv and eat more cookies....Belly. But that is my fault.
I also wonder if my life would be better without the two cats and one dog. I mean sure, it would save lots of money, never having to board a dog when we go out of town. He whines so loudly and frequently on trips that he drives you to speed to get where you are going faster just so you can get him out of the car so he will finally stop that high pitched squeal he does that just drives you mad. Sometimes Boarding the dog costs more than some of the hotels we stay in. Going back a bit in my train of thought I feel I should mention the Police will not accept "I was speeding because my dog was whining." as a valid excuse for speeding. Ah yes the joys of having an anti-social dog with a tendency not to trust anyone he meets, whines when we have to get in the car to go visit family and can barely make it around the block without panting so badly his tongue drags across the ground.....uh....Whew!, I had to re-read that, thought I was talking about myself for a minute. The cats, absolutely hate me, at least one of them does. The Old Lady as we call her used to like to sit on my pillow all day long and lick her butt. There is nothing worse after a long hard day that to come home and lay your tired head right into a sopping puddle of cat butt. To answer your next question YES it was always and only my pillow. The other cat, part Maine Coon, seems to think he is too big for the litter box. After we realized he was standing in the litterbox but pooping over the edge we went to the hardware store and bought a cement mixing tub and started to use that. It seems to work well so far.
I warned you I would babble.... Needless to say, these things all add character to the journey that is my life and as easy as it may be without them I wouldn't change a thing........well.....Maybe the cats could scoop their own sand.

...introduce myself.

Hi, I am Tom.

I could end it there but that's not fair to you, you already knew I was Tom. It says so in my profile. I will try to let you in on a few things you may not know. Just keep in mind, some of the names may be changed to protect the innocent.

Before I get into anything I feel like I need to say I find the world around me very amusing, I see things differently than others. My loving wife likes to say I lost the filter between my brain and my mouth. I'm not sure if the filter also works my fingers so I'm warning you now. You may take offense to some of the things I may say. If you do, I am sorry in advance but know that there was no malice intended.

I have ADHD, I can't sit still and my brain doesnt allow me to focus very long on one thing at a time, I usually have four or five things bouncing around at once and my writing may reflect it. I am also inconsistent in my writing, usually writing when I NEED to get it out.

I have a beautiful wife and a very entertaining son, two cats (ugh) and a dog. We live in a smaller town but work on a college campus. I can tell you there is nothing much that can surprise me these days. I am a grump and an introvert. I am not a writer but I do write, there is a reason I say that. (Later) I always have a soda in my hand, I can never pass a hot dog stand, and I think it is really fun to look at other peoples "junk" at the flea market.

I guess that is enough for now, you will know me more as time goes by.

Cheers!