When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up...with walking Twenty-five miles to school every morning ...UPHILL..in the snow...BOTH ways...yadda,yadda,yadda!

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in hell I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that... I'm over the ripe old age of Thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.

You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my Childhood, you live in a complete Utopia!

And I have to say it but you kids today...you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have "The Internet" . If we wanted to know something, We had to go to the library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalogue that never made any sense!!

There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter, with a pen!...Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

There were no MP3's or Napsters! You wanted to Steal music, you had to hitchhike or take the bus to the record store, and shoplift it yourself! Or you had to wait around all day for your favorite songs and tape them off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and mess it all up!

We didn't have fancy features like Call Waiting! If you Were on the phone and somebody else called they got an annoying busy signal, that's it...plain & simple! Sometimes for hours!

And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, Your mom, your boss, your Bookie, your ex, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video Games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'asteroids'. Your guy was a little square! You actually had to use your Imagination!! Imagine that! And there were no multiple levels or Screens, it was just one screen....the same screen...FOREVER! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and harder and Faster and faster...until you died! Just like LIFE!

Sure, we had cable television, but back then it was only m-net. And there was no on screen menu and NO remote control!

You had to use a Little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it Came to channel surfing! You had to get off your couch and walk over to the TV to change the Channel and yes...we actually had to WATCH the commercials! There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning.

Do you Hear what I'm saying!?!??!!! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons and we didn't have microwaves, if we wanted to heat something up we actually had to use the stove ... Imagine that!
If we wanted Popcorn, we had to use that stupid Jiffy Pop thing and shake it over the stove forever.

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy.
You're SPOILED!

Here is a post from the Simple Marriage Project that I really liked.

How many of them do you and your spouse already do?

December 30, 2008
12 Ways To Have An Unhappy Marriage In 2009
Originally posted on May 1, 2008.

If you go to your local Barnes and Noble, or whatever bookstore you frequent, usually somewhere in the middle of the store you can find a relationships and marriage section. This area is often filled with everything from Saving Your Marriage Before it Starts to How to Improve Your Marriage Without Talking About It.

With all the information out there regarding how to have a successful marriage, what makes the principles so hard to incorporate and apply? Granted, marriage is not so easy that there is a definitive formula that everyone can follow to discover a marriage out of this world. It still requires work and there will still be struggles.

A lasting marriage can be attained and it’s simpler than you think.
Beyond the idea of simply creating a marriage that lasts there is the joy and pleasure a marriage fully alive can provide for both participants. There are no actual steps that everyone can follow to an extremely happy marriage, but there are some sure fire ways to create an unhappy marriage.

1. Complain. Complaining is like a rocking chair. It feels comfortable and you feel like your getting something done by rocking, but you don’t go anywhere. To break this, try the 21 day complaint free marriage experiment.

2. Have a cluttered home. Nothing will add to the stress level of a marriage like a cluttered home. It’s disorganized and often chaotic. Simplify the things in your house. Put things away or get rid of it if you don’t use it. Your marriage will improve as will your own well being.

3. Complicate things. Many people fall victim to the dreaded over-thinking things. Most things in life are not all that complicated. Break everything down into two choices. Then make a decision and go with it.

4. Have a busy schedule. Work, kids, school, friends, family, housework, social activities, travel, and on it goes. We seem to cram as many things into life as we possibly can. Then we don’t enjoy the things we are committed to because we worry about the next thing on our list. Slow down. Prioritize your commitments. Do less.

5. Be too close to each other. Every relationship begins with the desire to be as close as possible. You think about them all the time. You scheme ways to be together. As the relationship progresses, most couples remain too close, although you don’t realize it. You border on being smothered by your spouse. Unable to chart your own way in life. While this seems like it is based on love and care, it often is a reaction to the importance level your spouse assumes in life. You become fearful of being too independent based on how your spouse may react. Many married couples are emotional siamese twins, joined at the emotional hip. One of them will often be offended when the other simply wants to go to the other room to get a glass of water.

6. Spend no time alone. Just because you are married does not mean you have ceased to exist as an individual. Life is still going on and your dreams still play an important role in your life. There is nothing wrong with being apart at times in order to go out with friends. This is more than being apart to take care of career tasks. This is being apart to do things you love and enjoy.

7. Be each others only friends. Similar to spending no time alone, don’t be each others only outlet for friendship. You already play too many roles with each other in marriage. Save some things for other people to fulfill.

8. Be overly-controlling. Humans have a major weakness in that we think we can control the things around us. Including other humans. Often this comes across as manipulative. Give your spouse the respect another human deserves and let them handle their own choices. Not only is this a respectful way to do marriage, it’s the foundation for getting more out of marriage.

9. Triangulate your children. Pardon me while I use psychobabble for a moment. In families, whenever a need or desire is not met by one of the members, we often will recruit another member to fulfill it. For example, you don’t get all the attention you wish from your spouse so you dive into your kid’s world. This puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the child. It requires them to become adults too fast. Let your children be children. Keep the marriage between you and your spouse.

10. Don’t exercise. Regardless what science and the medical world tell you, your body is the only one you are going to have. Take care of it. A healthy body creates a healthier marriage. Take care of your physical health and you will get more out of life.

11. Eat only from the drive-thru. Just like taking care of the outside of your body, you need to care for your insides as well. This doesn’t mean go on an immediate diet. Just watch what you eat. Pick healthy items. Or better yet, cook at home with your spouse. It gives you more time together. And you will live longer together.

12. Dive into the media. It is easy to get lost in TV, video games, the Internet, even books and talk shows. When you get right down to it, none of these are reality. Even reality shows aren’t reality. Get involved with those around you. Go on a media fast for a day, week, month. See if that doesn’t provide a spark for your relationships.

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Here is a post from Tickled by Life that really made me think about my life and how I spend my time. I wanted to share it with all of my friends and family.

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

“Not very long,” answered the Mexican.

“But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. . I have a full life.”

The American interrupted, “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”

“And after that?” asked the Mexican.

“With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise.”

“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican.

“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.

“And after that?”

“Well my Friend, That’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the American, laughing.

“When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”

“Millions? Really? And after that?” said the Mexican.

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”

And the moral is:

Know where you’re going in life….you may already be there.

I found this video on a blog that I read often. I thought I would share it with everyone...




I think we can all use to spend a little more time....

OK, its has been a long time since I have written. I think about writing all the time, but there never seems to be enough time in the day. I am going to try to be better.

I have a lot to write about tonight, but before I do I wanted to tie up a loose end. Vicky and I are still doing the South Beach Lifestyle. I say lifestyle, because it has changed the whole way we look at food and how we eat. Anyhow, the scale read 186 lbs this morning. I have been holding steady for about a month now, as I have not been all that good lately. But the good news is that I am not gaining anything back. I went in for an annual check-up last week, and I impressed my Dr. This time last year, he said I weighed 219. Which as of today would mean that I lost 34 lbs. (not to shabby!) Vicky is doing well too. She will not tell me how much she has lost, but she is wearing clothes that I haven't seen her in since before we got married. She is actually out tonight shopping for more work clothes because what she has now does not fit her anymore.

It has now been a week since we elected a new president. Last Tuesday the country spoke, and spoke clearly. It absolutely astonished me! I have never been as proud to be an American as I was that day. It was Democracy at its best! Now, I would like to quote something that my cousin TJ wrote on his myspace blog. I don't think I could say it any better:

"In our generation we have seen no great war, we have seen no great depression, and in my eyes we are the most over looked people in American history. As much as I hate to say this, our generation is nothing but the most credit card charging, over drinking, drug using, and not giving a shit people, in US history. Finally in a state of finding ourselves, our generation spoke out. We have the first black president. I say this aloud for everyone to hear. If it were up to our parents and grandparents this would never happen, yes we can say the minorities had something to do with this, but it was everyone as a whole. Now my friends who are not white can look their children in the eyes and tell them you can be what ever you want to be, even president. I thought McCain should be president, just for the fact that they both had pros and cons, but obama's views attacked me more on a personal level. I am very happy with what has happen, we have a president who is not corrupted by a fortune 500 company, whos not a military brat, or an oil tycoon. I believe our president should have military background, but his VP has it for him, and I am ok with that. THE REASON FOR WRITING THIS IS SIMPLE, FOR ONCE IN THE LAST 10 YEARS MY GENERATION STOOD TOGETHER AND DID WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS RIGHT. IT SHOWED OUR PARENTS THAT WE CAN STAND TOGETHER AND THIS COUNTRY WILL BE UNITED UNDER ONE FLAG. THE FUTURE IS NOW FOR US, WE ARE THE FUTURE AND WE MADE IT KNOWN ON THIS NIGHT. I THANK ALL OF YOU VERY MUCH."

Thanks TJ for those inspiring words, and for the record, I am not sure if he was sober when he wrote that. Oh and Happy Birthday by the way!

I can only hope that we are on our way to a "more perfect union".

Just a couple more things that have been on my mind.

So we decide to "bail out" the US banks by giving them 700 Billion Dollars. OK, now what? Supposedly they were to take the money and start lending to people again. WRONG! They are not doing so. They are hording it all. As a matter of fact, I got a letter in the mail yesterday from Wells Fargo Financial telling me that they were going to raise the interest rate on my credit card by 10 points. They said they lend on a "risk factor" basis and that I was a risk. Are you kidding me? I have never been late on a payment, and in fact my credit score has gone up since I opened that account. (Needless to say I am canceling that card and not paying the higher interest rate.) Last I heard the Govt was urging them to start lending the money again, but I have my doubts about that.

Now there is a talk about bailing out the Auto industry. Huh? While I feel sorry for the employees, I do not think we should do it! Where does it stop? Starbuck's reports a 97% decrease of net income for their 4th quarter. Does that mean we should bail them out too? Don't get me wrong, I love my Non-Fat Venti White Mocha (no whip) Lattes but come on! Oh and the Detroit Lions are 0-9 this year, should we bail them out so they can afford to buy better players? We will have to! Because if you bail one company or industry out, there will be another one asking for hand outs. I just see no end to this cycle.

OK, enough! I have said my peace.

That's all for now, I need to watch some football and enjoy my Latte!