Goliath kicks the little guy

What does it take to get people to understand that some of us actually do work long, tiring hours for the salaries that we earn? Let me explain, and please bear with me on this.

Today, my day started at 4:30 a.m. mountain time. That’s what time my alarm went off. I got up, got dressed and went to work, just like many of you do daily. I got to the airport, checked my employee mailbox, signed into the company computer, checked my schedule, my e-mail and printed out my briefing reports. It’s now 7:15 a.m. I’ve been at the office for an hour.

I am required to be at briefing 75 minutes prior to departure time. We are scheduled to depart at 8:45 so my briefing starts at 7:30. My crew boards the airplane, we do our required safety checks and prepare for passenger boarding. Boarding starts at 8:05. The passengers board, get settled in, while the crew assists in helping to find seats, find open overhead bin space for carry-on bags, and for the first class passengers, are offered pre-departure beverages while their coats are hung up in the closets. During all this time, the crew is also busy preparing the galleys for the assigned services for that particular flight, whether it be a simple beverage service, or an all-out meal service.

It’s now 8:45 and the door is closed by the customer service representative. Since I consider the airplane part of being at the office, I can safely say that I have now been at work for two hours and thirty minutes. The pilots release the brakes on the airplane. The moment that happens, my “time card” is punched and I am now officially “on the clock.” Hard to believe? Wait, it gets better!

I am scheduled to work three flights today. We fly from Denver to Los Angeles My passengers are still on board, and my crew mates and I wait for them to get up from their seats, gather their belongings and exit the airplane. We arrived 11 minutes early, so the wheelchair that was ordered was not waiting for our passenger who requested it, so we must stay aboard with them until the wheelchair arrives. 17 minutes later, they show up, and the passenger is rolled away, as the crew leaves the aircraft and begins a layover that should only have been 2 hours and 30 minutes in length.

We arrive at the next flight’s gate, our flight to San Francisco, only to be told that the inbound aircraft is late, AND the captain of our next flight is refusing to take this plane until maintenance fixes a couple of deferred items that have not been addressed. This causes a further delay, so much so that those passengers on our scheduled flight are now reaccomodated on the next flight to SFO and they depart well before our flight does.

After a four and a half hour sit, we are finally given clearance to depart, with no passengers onboard, which is known as a “ferry flight” so that the equipment can be moved to the next city where it is expected. The brakes are released, and again we are “on the clock.” The flight lasts an hour and twenty-one minutes, the brakes are set at the gate at SFO and we are again “off the clock.”

We are then told that our aircraft that we will take to Portland is delayed in its arrival from Chicago due to a mechanical issue it was dealing with at ORD.

After another 94 minute sit in San Francisco, we board the next flight, doing everything that I explained earlier, since this is what we do on every flight, and with the brakes released again, we return to the time clock. We arrive in Portland one hour and forty minutes later and the brakes are set at 6:40 p.m. pacific time. With briefing times included, our DUTY day was just under 13 hours. How many hours did we get paid for? A grand total of: 5 hours and 22 minutes!

I divulge this bit of information to respond to a passenger on my SFO-PDX flight today who had the audacity to tell me and my crew mates that flight attendants make WAY too much money and are highly overpaid for the work that they do! This man was an EXECUTIVE at Hewlett-Packard. While he wouldn’t reveal what his salary was, he felt that crew members were not worth the salaries that they were earning.

Now, I am certainly no brain surgeon, nor do I aspire to become one. I am not a high-powered executive, or a power-broker in business. And I know some of you may consider what I have said regarding what I actually got paid today to be completely insane. But the fact of the matter is, at today’s market values, flying on an airline has never been cheaper!!! In the past 25 years, gasoline, bread, cars, houses, clothing, groceries, dairy…have ALL increased in price. I can remember how shocked everyone was when gasoline jumped over the ONE DOLLAR mark. That was in 1984. What was the average airline ticket price for a flight between Los Angeles and New York City in 1984? $560 for a coach ticket.

Today, gasoline has leveled off at a national average of $2.20/gallon, although it had gone as high as $3.10/gallon in the summer of 2006. Today, the average coach ticket between Los Angeles and New York City? $387.00! These numbers are found in various consumer watchdog groups’ websites.

To be fair, I know that this man doesn’t understand how our workgroup gets compensated for our livelihood. It’s a complicated formula that has been worked out based on years of contract negotiations between the airlines and the unions. And sometimes, even I don’t understand all the dynamics.

All that being said, subtract from it the 33% pay cuts that were forced upon us when the airline went bankrupt – how many of YOU could survive with only 2/3’s of your current salary? Many of us had to sell our homes, move to different cities, or just find new jobs or second jobs to make ends meet.

But to be someone in the upper echelons of the business community and have the audacity to make such inflammatory comments to working class, service industry employees is sheer discourtesy and disrespect. There is no doubt that this man makes a very comfortable living. He is a very well-traveled man, but his sense of fairness is off kilter.

And he’s not alone. The media is certainly no friend to airline personnel. Every chance they get, they portray us as rude, impatient, and most of the time, OVERPAID. They encourage folks to threaten to complain if they don’t get their way, and give advise on how to get away with “freebies” simply by duping the CSR’s or the flight attendants.

I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it here now. YES, there are people who are CSR’s and flight attendants that really should not be in this position. They are jaded, angry, rude and irreverent. We would love for them to find new careers, believe me – we have to work with them for days at a time – you may only have to deal with them for a 2-3 hour flight and never see them again!

But the majority of us are great people. We love what we do and we do it selflessly and with nary a word of discontent or malice. It would be great to actually have an advocate who could spread the word and correct the misconceptions that we are subjected to. I am probably whining and I am sorry if it appears that way.

But hey, that’s my story…and I’m sticking to it!

Spring has "sprunk" !!!

Out of 52 weeks in the year, I really only enjoy 42. Those 10 weeks of the year that are affectionately known as WINTER is just not my cup of tea. I don’t harbor any ill will towards the season; I’ve just never been cut out for it.

I recall as a child, when we lived in Southern California, my parents used to take us up to Mount Palomar – not to see the observatory, mind you – simply to experience the “wonders” of snow. And every time we went up there, I remember getting a raging case of diarrhea! And of course, there were no public restrooms along the way nor porta-potties or rest stops…so I was forced into humiliation by finding a nearby tree off the side of the road and wishing that God would simply put me out of my misery!

It’s funny how things that happen to us as children affect us so as adults. To this day, I can’t eat brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes and yams or sauerkraut – the smell of them gives me dry heaves. And although I can barely stand the smell of cigarette and cigar smoke, I absolutely LOVE pipe smoke! Something about my grandfather’s pipe and the wonderful aroma that wafted through their home when we visited them brings back fond memories. Sad that no one seems to use a pipe any longer.

Regarding winter, though – I’m starting to feel the itch, and not in a good way. The snow is great for about 2 weeks and then it gets old, it gets stale and dirty. It messes up the finish on my car, compacts my grass on the lawn and causes the temperature inversion in the valleys so that the air becomes so hazy and polluted that my asthma starts getting aggravated.

Chatting with one of my MySpace friends last night got me totally in the mood for planting my garden again. It’s great to meet fellow gardening enthusiasts and sharing stories and pictures really helps me get through the long, winter doldrums. I feel like I’m in the starting blocks waiting for the gun to go off, and then it never does. I have some wonderful ideas on what I want to do this year in the yard, but usually can’t do a thing until May.

A few weeks ago, I purchased an unusual hydrangea. It’s beautiful, no doubt, but the nursery I bought it from couldn’t identify its variety. I believe it is Hydrangea macrophylla normalis [Lacecap] but I may be totally off track there. I post it here for your enjoyment, and if anyone out there knows the actual species, please share!

Unreal reality T.V.

Television sucks today.

I'm sure this isn't much of a revelation. And it’s not that I’ve just come to this conclusion overnight. It just pains me to watch it anymore. Even the more so-called “sophisticated” networks are jumping onto the lowest common denominator bandwagon. And sadly, as I scan through my 386 channel choices, I’m finding myself relying more and more heavily on Turner Classic Movies or Fox Movie Channel just to escape from reality AND reality T.V.

I recall that, as a kid, the smart shows always seemed to be the ones that got cancelled first. I would always hear about these mystical “Neilson Ratings” and wondered who the trailer park couch potatoes were that got lucky enough to be determining what I would watch on T.V. Only rarely did they get it right. Most times, the popular shows of then would hardly drum up a viewer in reruns today, and I constantly see them in the discount bin of DVD’s at the local stores.

And then, just when you thought it couldn’t sink lower, Reality T.V. stepped up to the tube. Most people think that Survivor started the trend…I think it was The Real World on MTV, but I could be forgetting any that may have been earlier…that’s just the one I can remember the furthest back. But even after a couple of seasons of that, it began to be revealed that much of the “drama” of this and similar programs were staged for increased viewer enjoyment.

Now these shows have mutated like a horrible virus that can no longer be controlled with simple antibiotics! I will admit that the producers of these shows are truly catering to our basic human fascination with disaster – we’ve become “rubber-necking” consumers, waiting to see the car crash, the fist fight, the airplane drop out of the sky, the bomb going off.

The line has become horribly blurred. Because of technology and the magic of high-speed computers, we haven’t a clue whether what we are seeing on the screen is real or Memorex (in the form of CGI, Paintbox and several other high-end editing and morphing programs). It sort of reminds me of the conspiracy theories that plagued the seventies about how the trips to the moon were actually being staged in Hollywood by the government to fool the Russians into believing that the U.S. had conquered the Space Program!

How is it that the participants on these shows are all “experts?” That REALLY drives me nuts, and there’s no escaping it, no matter what the venue!!! Obviously, EVERYBODY who auditions at American Idol is an expert performer and none of the three judges have a clue what they are talking about (although, after seeing some of the kids that end up in the final 12, I usually wonder that myself). ALL the men and women singing and dancing for You’re the One that I Want can sing and dance circles around professional choreographers and expert producers, who couldn’t run a production of Grease if their lives depended on it – can’t wait to hear what the rejects say about Olivia Newton-John when she guest judges next week!

Tonight, Cole and I were catching up on some of our back-logged TiVo’s of Design To Sell and Sell This House and were amazed at the number of homeowners who, of their own free will and accord, sought after these people’s assistance to sell their homes, yet when suggested, were staunchly against the changes! Hello?! You want to put your house up for sale?! Then you technically no longer live in it, dummies! Clear out your crap, spruce up the rooms and sell the damn thing!

Of course, in the minds of the producers of these shows, if you aren’t yelling at the T.V. screen, then they aren’t doing their jobs right. That’s why the first several weeks of Idol are so hard to watch for me. I don’t care for those “train wrecks” (as a matter of record, that’s what Cole and I call them each time they grace our 60” big screen). Once we can get through the garbage and get to the real talent, then my frustration changes to why my favorite performer gets voted off each week (see! I’m no expert!). Except, tell that to Jennifer Hudson, GOLDEN GLOBE WINNER! You go girl!

All of this is really symptomatic of our society today. We have more information available to us than ever before. I can conjure up a term paper in a matter of hours, just because of the mass of knowledge I can collect in minutes using the internet. In high school, if you didn’t own your own set of encyclopedias, it was several trips to the library, checking out 4-5 books just to come up with a passable paper.

And yet, why do I feel like the more information available to us, the less intelligent the public is becoming. The masses are fed their knowledge through 30-second sound bites and all-of-a-sudden we’ve become experts. We get our “facts” through poll numbers and statistical information. Funny how those polls are different and vary greatly, depending on the expert you are listening to, the network you are watching or the news source you are reading. The “lemming factor” just gets more and more prevalent.

Don’t know what a lemming is? GOOGLE it! LOL

Look out kids…there’s a cliff up ahead.

Toot, toot!

I suppose I will be accused of "tooting my own horn" so might as well anyhow.

I joined MySpace on August 3, 2006. I never imagined that it would be as addicting, satisfying and downright fun as it is for me. I am making new friends everyday, losing one or two along the way -- they just stopped signing into their accounts one day -- I KNEW I shouldn't have changed my deodorant, but whatcha gonna do?

So I blog today because I have reached a milestone of sorts. I have reached a total of 1000 hits on my blog. That may seem insignificant to some, whom I'm sure are 100's of times over that than I (and you know who you are). I suppose part of it is vanity - hell, I'm opening up both random and deeper inner thoughts right here for total strangers to peruse and even better, they get to express their own opinions on the subject(s) in return!!

And, although I am not usually one to pat myself on the back, or raise my voice from the rooftops, I will break tradition and sound the alarm!

Thank you for those who have subscribed to my web blather and random runinations. And to those of you new to "And now, a word from our sponsor..." I hope you enjoy my future banter and musings.

Cheers!

Harry Potter mania starts again...

Well kids...it's looks official...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

If you are interested, some fun tid-bits about the final chapter can be found here:

Answers.com

Coming to a theatre near you...?

Well, I'm certianly glad SOMEONE found a use for that huge body of water out here in Utah!

I think we’ve all been duped!

I was reading the label on a pizza pan that I just purchased today and something I read struck me as strange…well, maybe not so much strange as, well…overstated? The decal on the pizza pan read: 25-Year warranty against workmanship defects!

I laughed to myself as I read this because, after all, what IS the definition of “workmanship?” Simply stated it is “the art or skill of a craftsperson or artisan” or “the product or result of labor or skill; work executed.” Now, perhaps there’s a remote possibility that some person actually took a piece of metal, pounded it into a perfectly round pizza pan, drilled hundreds of tiny vent holes into the bottom and coated the surface perfectly with that beautiful non-stick finish! Domo arrigato, Mister Roboto!

As I thought about it further, it occurred to me that, in 25 years, I will be just ready to turn 70 years old (OMG!!!) and what would I do if, in the year 2032, just before the clock stopped ticking on my valuable warranty, I should need repair or replacement of said pizza pan? Several questions arose in my head regarding my rights as a consumer, should I require satisfaction from the poor workmanship they have warrantied against.

(1) Would this company still be in business in 2032? (2) If not, how would I seek restitution as a consumer to find a suitable fix for my dilemma? (3) What alternative would I be offered if this particular model of pizza pan had been discontinued DECADES ago? And (4) Would I have been resourceful enough to have kept the receipt all these years to prove rightful ownership of said pizza pan, thereby holding the company or government responsible to uphold their end of the bargain?

I am afraid that I have suffered from a condition throughout my life known as packratism (that’s PACK-RAT-ism). It has only been in the past year or so that I have finally (and Cole can attest to this!) been able to let go of all the “important” papers that I have accumulated of the course of what may seem decades! (“Important” usually means ANY paper that I brought home instead of tossing it – at least, not just yet!).

So for me to have actually had the foresight to hang onto that little piece of paper seems a bit far-fetched (although maybe not so for others).

This has also gotten me thinking about all the products and services that are guaranteed, warrantied or otherwise assured the consumer that “defects in workmanship” would be rectified. What really seems funny to me now is that, statistically, how many of us actually do the footwork to get something exchanged when it ceases to function before the stated warranty period expires. I would bet that the vast majority of consumers will replace the item with their own money, rather than spend the time, effort and resources to find reparation should the need arise…and I would venture to bet that most of these big corporations know this and bank on us doing exactly that!

What was that about a sucker being born…etc., etc., etc.?

The name is Bond...James...Bond?

They are already replacing Daniel Craig? Enjoy!

A Sincere Apology...

I have a confession to make.

As much as I have prided myself in keeping informed in the current events of politics, business and world affairs (no I am NOT talking about Brad, Angelina and Jennifer!), I have truly been humbled this morning by a 10 minute speech that, I sadly admit, have never heard in its entirety, nor have I really ever taken the time to do so.

This week, we "celebrated" Human Rights Day or Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I post that in quotes because I didn't notice any parades or rallies or important news surfacing from its existance that day. I suppose that most of the holidays that we "celebrate" that are named after men tend to end up that way. I mean, I don't see much hoopla over Washington or Lincoln's birthdays (in fact, in recent history, the government actually combined the two seperate events into one holiday - President's Day). There has recently been controversy over whether or not we should have a Colombus Day or not, but again no real fanfare over that holiday. And don't get me started on Christmas (my favorite holiday of all) -- there are power out there still trying to remove "Christ" from the holiday all together.

Still, I have been humbled this morning that my little sister posted the ENTIRE "I Have a Dream" speech on her blog and I had the honor to watch it from beginning to end. I want to thank my sis for doing so.

And I want to openly apologize to my Negro brothers and sisters out there who have tried to live up to the ideals and the power of MLK's speech, yet I have either been ignorant, or somehow unconciously indifferent. And I truly blame the media for turning this powerful oration into a 30 second sound bite for the vast majority of my lifetime.

MLK's speech was less than ten minutes -- yet the intensity and the absolute, laser accurate words he used have somehow struck a chord within me. Human Rights are NOT a black issue. In his immortal words, "a man should not be judged by the color of his skin, but by the content of their character!" I repeat -- the CONTENT of their CHARACTER!

His "dream" included the vision that one day "little black boys and girls and little white boys and girls would one day join hands, as brothers and sisters!" And the message, still ringing in my ears that "if America is to be a great nation, it must live up to the words of the great song 'My Country 'tis of Thee'."

To all of you, black, white, gay or straight, protestant, catholic, jew, muslim, hindu, etc.: I sincerely offer you my hand in fellowship, brother- (and sister-) hood and repeat "Let freedom ring!"

And, not to sound too sappy, to borrow from Dickens, "God bless us, every one."

Busting a mental gasket

Do you ever find yourself standing in a line and suddenly the hair on the nape of your neck stands on end -- you turn to discover that the person standing behind you in line has violated your personal space and is just a tiny bit TOO close?

How about at the grocery store?  You go to one of four available self-chekout lanes, scan your things...you are almost done.  There are other lanes open but for whatever reason, someone comes up behind you in line and then does that typical "folding of the arms" thing while glancing at their watch.  I'm not in any hurry (or, at least I wasn't when I stepped up to the machine and began to casually scan my selections).  But this person starts shifting back and forth on their feet, and the look on their face suggests that thirty more seconds and they will shed their skin and some body snatcher will proceed to blast me full force!

Wow!  What pressure!  Pressure I didn't ask for; pressure I don't invite or actively seek after.  I start to wonder if I'm the one who's strange.  I mean, seriously, what's the big hurry anyhow?  Our society is in a hurry.  Our life's experiences are getting blurred...no need to stop to smell the roses -- no one takes the time to plant, tend or care for them anymore anyways...and the ones you buy at the florist shop barely have a scent anyhow.

I must be pretty sensative to it lately.  Last night, I travelled home from a visit to see my kids.  At the airport, I'm in the screening line waiting to get through the scanner.  A man steps up behind me (there go the hairs on my neck again).  He's definately short-fused and his constant huffing behind me prompted me to invite him ahead of me in the line.  His response?  "Oh, don't worry, I'm ok, go ahead."  (Hmmm, are you SURE?  I have no doubt that the 30 seconds that I could save you would help you get just that much more talking on your cell phone accomplished!)

I get on board the airplane which only had 40 people booked on it (a rare occurance these days).  I get settled into my seat, at least 2 full rows away from the nearest passenger.  Departure time approaches and at the last minute, two older guys come aboard, pass by row after row of empty seats, and decide to settle into two seats directly behind me.  What?!  Not wanting to appear irritated, I try to ignore this fact and enjoy my flight.

As I sit there, the old man sitting immediately behind me is breathing heavily through his nose...you know what I mean...just that little bit louder than it needed, like his nostrils were partially blocked.  Unfortunately, he's been drinking at the airport pub and the odor of stale alcohol is leeching into my airspace.  I turn the air flow knob above me to full blast in an attempt to blow it back at him.  Then the proverbial "straw" drops!  He belches and microseconds later lets out this huge "rumble" from his seat cushion while a loud "aaahhhh" escapes his mouth!  OMG!  *sniff* *sniff* EWWW Polish sausages too?!?!?!

I didn't even wait for the seat belt sign to turn off (yes I KNOW that I'm a flight attendant...I'm trying to set an example, but no human should be forced to suffer on such a grand scale!).  Why couldn't they sit in the other empty seats?  I pack up my belongings and move up two rows and across the aisle from the two of them.  I sneak a glance at the presumed violator in question (who am I kidding -- he's definately GUILTY!) and he shoots a look back at me like "What?  What did **I** do?"

I want to think that we all have a breaking point that is really tough to reach.  I try to breathe in and breathe out (although when you have a grungy old timer letting loose in the seat behind you, it's a pretty gargantuan task), and try to take a step back to get a new perspective on my situations at hand (again, a tough chore when those hairs are standing at attention -- maybe if he was cute, I might actually PURPOSELY take a step right into him -- hmmmm). 

But seriously, I don't really get the whole "drive like a maniac, running red lights, swerving in and out of traffic lanes, or using the carpool lane as your own personal private passing lane" when the vast majority of the cars around them are also guilty of breaking the speed limit laws.

I don't get the "talk on your cell phone loudly during what SHOULD be a private conversation between you and the party on the other end of the phone call" -- only to be able to simply imagine what THEY are saying just by how YOU are talking.  Most of these new phones have voice enhancement technology and you could whisper and your call recipient wouldn't know you were whispering, hearing you loud and clear.

I suppose it's a sign of our times...and to make matters worse, we have to all be careful what we say or what we do since "Big Brother" is monitoring all of this anyhow. 

Do you feel the hairs on the nape of your neck standing upright yet?

*sniffle* *cough* *wheeze*

I have a dear friend who sent me an e-mail today, warning me of a dangerous, uncontrollable, unstobbable and irreversable computer virus. The e-mail claims that this particular virus has been verified by McAfee, Snopes and CNN as legitmate and that I should take heed not to open any e-mails from friends of mine who might use a particular word in the subject line of their correspondance.

The problem, as is usually the case for many of these "grass-roots" alerts, is that they are hoaxes! And more and more people fall for them than I can count.

By no means am I suggesting that there are no threats out there...on the contrary: there are plenty of sick and twisted, lonely, bored, megalomanic jackasses out there that would love nothing more than to see you squirm and suffer to lose your computer or to steal your personal information! These are the same people that would pull the legs off of suffering animals or tie tin cans to cats' tails, just to get some warped sense of pleasure out of the suffering of others. These are the ones who simply don't have any friends, are anti-social or simply just can't get laid (even if they paid for it!).

My friends, I pass on this advise, as I do everytime I get one of these warning letters:

1) Make sure you have the latest, most up-to-date anti-virus software. Don't be a cheap-skate about this...go out, spend the money, make the investment to get a decent anti-virus program that scans your hard drives and your mail. Make sure if you DO have this kind of program, RUN IT -- at least once a week. And make sure it is UP-TO-DATE!

2) When you receive "alerts" from others through e-mail, take a few minutes to actually research whether it is a legitimate threat or a hoax. Snopes.com is an excellent resource, as well as McAfee.com and Symantec.com. Don't just pass the information on to your "address book" -- chances are, the warning you've gotten is not genuine, and in many of these cases, they have been in circulation for years.

3) If you receive an e-mail from someone you don't know and it contains photos or attachments, for heaven's sake, don't open them! Viruses and "trojan horses" are commonly embedded in files like this. If you have done so accidently or unwittingly, immediately run your anti-virus program for a complete scan so that you can have peace-of-mind that no damage has been sustained on your computer.

After working with computers for more than 30 years, I value the importance of being informed -- there is a lot of bogus information out there...don't fall for it...but don't get caught with your pants down either (unless that was your intention all along -- call me, we'll talk!). Cheers!

If it's cold in Sweden...

I have never seen this video before, but notice that the breeze is blowing, it seems to be dusk and there's snow all around...

When I find myself in similar circumstances, I'm freezing my nads off and I can SEE my breath!!! In other words, I'm miserable -- not in the mood to gayly sing! These guys are singing at the top of their lungs, the boys are smiling (even the snowman!) and there is absolutely no breath to be seen!

Enjoy the flashback!

Wallowing in a winter wonderland

Somewhere along my life's path, I lost my love of the snow. I don't know when it happened but I know that after about 3 weeks, I'm ready for spring to arrive, pronto!

As a kid, I recall the days of being out ALL DAY in the stuff...my friends and I actually whined when our mothers made us come in to "get out of those wet things" while "don't track that in my house" resonated in the halls as we reluctantly shed our soaked duds, and slush-cover boots. And I don't remember ever really complaining when dad asked me(actually it was more like "You WILL go out there and shovel!") to remove the snow from the sidewalks and driveway. My friends and I had a system going. We had 4-5 of us all scooping it off at the same time...believe me, we could clear 20 driveways in 30 minutes...and sometimes, we even got paid to do it!

Nowadays, I don't see kids knocking on my door, asking to shovel my driveway for a few bucks. And as I think of it, with all the unobstructed hills we have around here, I don't see them sliding down the hills either. Man, we were maniacs...if the roads were ice-covered, there we were, zipping down them at high speed, narrowly missing cars, pedestrians and worst of all, street side curbs! And does anybody even tobaggan any more? I'll bet if I asked the neighborhood kids, they'd look at me as if I asked the question in Japanese! (Anno ne! Tobagan wo dekiru ka?)

Come to think of it, I don't see kids out playing in the snow that much anymore. Maybe their new PSIII's or Wii's have virtual snow built into them. Why get cold and wet when you can play in it from the warmth and comfort of your living room couch! It is any wonder the kids are getting fat!?

Today, I take no pleasure in spending an hour clearing the stuff from my driveway. I loathe the stress factor of driving in it, especially with all the SUV's, 4WD's and Hummers out there, all thinking that snow doesn't affect them in the slightest. Add to that the wind chill and the snow drifts and the black ice! ACK!

I long for the days when I could just be more carefree and daring. To sled down a hill at high speed, the wind in my ears (or was that the terrified screams of my sister sitting behind me!) and end up in a heap of snow, ice and sled at the bottom.

Maybe I'll just step outside and let a snowflake land on my tongue -- for starters!

Music to soothe the soul...

My vacation is finally here!  Thank goodness...the holidays are a real bear when it comes to the traveling public.  Now it's time for some "me time."

Over the course of the past few weeks, I have wanted to turn my life in a new direction.  I really don't want to call it a "new year's resolution" because, seriously folks, haven't we all failed enough NYR's in our lifetime to realize that they are just not practical.  Oh, by all means, set goals, make plans and try to live your dreams.  But be realistic about it.  That's how I need to operate.

They say it takes 21 days to establish a habit.  Perhaps that's why so many people fail in their endevours to achieve these NYR's -- why, by the time February 1st rolls around, few of us can even remember the NYR's that we made.  I think that's why I shy away from them so.  But I do know this...if a goal isn't written down somewhere, then it's really only a wish!

Anyhow, in my quest for inner change, I decided that a powerful tool that can be used, that has been used for centuries, is the power of music.

Music is more than sound.  It captivates the imagination.  It colors our emotions with excitement, with passion, with anger, with sadness.  It can be haunting, at times.  Sometimes it is bombastic.  Even some music is trite and drivel.

The common thread that makes music so influential is its ability to move us, whether for good or ill -- to really make us think, or perhaps even do the thinking for us.

So, in my quest to find new music, I stumbled across a music station on the Sirius Satellite Radio Network -- "Spa 73."  It concentrates on mostly soothing, instrumental pieces, although there are a small number of vocal artists that are also played there.

In listening over the past few weeks, I have discovered a couple of albums that I wanted to share with you all -- perhaps to help soothe your souls and ease your minds.  Some of the music has definate eastern Indian influences.  Some have American Indian references, some Aboriginal tones and even some tribal African melodies.  All, however, are pleasurable to the ears and relaxing to the mind.  I highly recommend at least one listen.  I hope you will agree that they really do help to restore some peace in your soul.

                                                                                                                 

"The music is very relaxing, and is great to have on in the background when you're reading, writing, or doing something else where vocal music would be too disruptive. While there is some singing going on, it isn't in a language that I recognize, and the voice generally comes across just as another instrument, rather than a means of communication."

"Colors in Motion's Secrets album captures the essence of today's smooth jazz revolution. Secrets runs the gamut from funky, urban-laced jazz to haunting, romantic melodies. Listen and learn why this dynamic duo continually creates hits on both sides of the Atlantic."

"The coolest contemporary Native music to come out in years."
"The top stars of Native American music create ALL NEW RECORDINGS of soul stirring songs that honor our Mother Earth. With traditional spirit and contemporary style these powerful voices call out for us to acknowledge and care for the Sacred Ground on which we live."

"This is one of the best albums to play late at night when you are relaxing, or to have on in the background while you read a book or try to de-stress from a hectic day."
"The music is both weightless and three-dimensionally real. It makes you want to stop whatever you're doing and close your eyes, drift inside, because you know if you do, your body will float, your worries will cease and you might even find a home in the clouds."

I hope you find this music to be as relaxing, and fulfilling as I have. 

Cheers!

So this is the part when I say...

What a beautiful morning...it's about 8:30, it's overcast and raining outside, perhaps only about 55 or 60 degrees. I'm on a layover in San Francisco today and I'm in one of the rare hotels that allow you to actually open the window. It's been open all night long and after a decent night's rest, I feel more refreshed than I have in months. The cool. bay air is exactly what I've needed and I have a real sense of rejeuvination running through me today -- MAN! I love when I feel this way...

So, as I was pondering what I am doing for the day, I was thinking about 2007. What kind of year will this new year be...for me...for my family...for the world?

I had to laugh the other day. I had just gotten into my car after a very intense (and long overdue) workout at the gym. I was feeling that great warming feeling you get when you have really worked it hard and your lungs feel like they are taking in double the regular intake of oxygen -- kind of euphoric. I got into the car and as the radio came on, the first thing the announcer said was (insert Walter Cronkite-ish radio voice here), "Tel-evangelist warns of catistrophic events in 2007!"

It turns out that Pat Robertson has stated for the record that God has told him that terrorists will target major U.S. cities with "mass killings" late in 2007, probably after September. He also suggested that, while God didn't come right out and say it'd be "nuclear" in nature, that it would be something very similar and that millions of people would be affected. Well, isn't that just enough ruin a perfectly wonderful day!

I was so disgusted that I immediately turned off the radio and began wondering if I should hide my head in the sand now and calmly chant "make it go away...make it go away!" or put my hands up to my ears and shout "LA LA LA LA...I'm not listening...LA LA LA LA...I can't hear you!"

Well, I'm sorry, but Mr. Robertson is not allowed to pee in my corn flakes and why should I let him? But this little anecdote got me to thinking about my current state of affairs.

As I have stated before on this blog, this whole experiment, if you will, of putting my life and thoughts out there for the world to see and read, to establish new relationships, forge new friendships and delve into the lifes and times of others here on the internet doing the same thing -- can it be for real? I mean, surely, there are folks I have "met" here and some that I will "meet" here in the future, whom I will never have the opportunity to meet IRL (for those of you unsaavy information superhighway novices out there, IRL is blog-speak for "In Real Life" -- there will be a quiz.) Should that discourage me and others for even making the attempt at reaching out to my fellow human beings and trying to get to know others of this great human family, to which we all belong?

And then there is the question of people's true intentions. I have also stated before that the true reason I am here is to connect with others. I have stated that I'm not necessarily interested in all my friends being like-minded -- where's the fun in knowing "clones" of myself. It is our differences -- in all aspects of our lives -- that diversity which makes life much more interesting and much more fun. Yet, there are those participants here on the web whose real purpose is to sell you something. I suppose that's what I am doing -- selling myself to the world at large, just to make a connection (sorry, Mom...I didn't MEAN to be a prostitute!) But others are more like snake oil hustlers, or get-rich quick scammers who would sell you your own shirt off your back to make a buck. And then there are the real crafty ones who charm us into a false sense of security until you become ensnared in their trap.

Yes, there certainly are many potholes in the road, foibles to avoid. And there are those out there (Mr. Robertson, are you listening) who'd like nothing more than to frighten us into submission or have us shutter our windows and board up our doors and cry "The sky is falling!"

Well, 2007 may have ALL those things in store for us. I say, Devil be damned! and full speed ahead. I will NOT enter this new year with my tail between my legs. No matter that the rain is falling and the temperature be on the slightly chilly side. I know that above the clouds, the sun is shining.

And that's how I hope to live my life in the new year. Pee in the corn flakes, not included!