We all sit around this time of year, trying to make promises to ourselves in the form of resolutions.
“I’ll lose weight.”
“I’ll work out more.”
“I’ll spend more time doing this or that.”
I realized this year as my brain turned from turkey, stuffing, and things I wanted to do in 2008 but didn’t, to egg whites, salad and things I want to do in 2009 that I was going about it all wrong. Now wasn’t the time to try to make drastic changes and promises. Now was the time to be thankful.
To be thankful for what we have, and not the material crap. For having our Health - a good friend of our family is in hospice right now fighting a losing battle with cancer that has spread to his lymph system, bones, and just about everything else in his body. And what did he say when I went to see him in the hospital? He started cracking jokes and telling me about the nurses and just generally trying to be positive. BTW - if you can spare a prayer, I’d appreciate it.
For having somewhere to live - When I got the job I’m in now, I realized my commute was going to be 1.5 hours each way. So we put the house on the market and tried to sell it. Then the market went into the toilet and we were stuck. I’m still stuck and we probably won’t sell until the kids are out of school. But the fact still remains - I HAVE A HOUSE. I have somewhere warm to go home to at the end of the day and spend some precious time with my family.
For being employed - I can say something a lot of people can’t say. I have a Job. Not only do I have a job, but I have a job that I not only like, but love. I enjoy coming to work for the challenges and experiences I get on a daily basis. I am fortunate enough to have a job where I can suddenly look up and realize it’s already 4:30 and I have no idea where the day went because I was so busy.
For being loved - by so many people that sometimes it makes me catch my breath to know how many people are looking out for me and care about my well being and that of my family. Family is not always blood related either. I am lucky enough to have friends that are family and that think of me the same way.
For having an outlet - finally I am lucky enough to be able to write this all out. This blog is for me and I enjoy reading some of the ravings and some of the poignant entries to see what my life has been like for the past little while. It also gives me a thrill to know that people do read my stuff, and some even become brave enough to comment or to venture an opinion. I get a thrill when someone does that because it gives me an excuse to talk even more about what is important to me. I’ve come across some blogs of people who are now doing it for profit and I can’t help but notice how contrived they tend to sound or formulaic in their postings.
For finding people - I have been lucky enough through good fortune and good luck to start finding internet friends that I enjoy interacting with. Blogs of people I’ve made comments on and have in turn commented on mine and have had emailed me and had offline discussions. This is what life is all about - finding and making connections with people of various different levels.
I think that is what I am most thankful for in some ways. I’ve felt a little lonely at times, mostly because I’m trying to do to much with too little time. I’ve been carving out time to blog and time to spend with the kids and as I write this, I realize that the thing that I’m skimping on is time with my wife - sorry Honey.
So here’s my only resolution for 2009 - to enhance, improve, and cherish the relationships I have and that I will make. Starting with Fae.
(see, this is why I write, to come to conclusions I normally wouldn’t have. :))
January 6th,2009
Daily Entry | tags:
thankful |
2 Comments
Looking for suggestions for keeping track of all of my new friends 
Seriously, there are a bunch of people I like reading on a daily basis, plus keep up with their tweets, and don’t even get me started on Facebook, I think I might have to let that addiction go…
I guess I’m wondering how everyone reads all of their stuff? Right now I’m using RSS feeds in Outlook, which is okay, but truthfully, I’d like something that would allow me to read in a viewer and even possibly respond from it too.
any ideas? PC based unfortunately.
“Dad, what are you doing?” my son asked me last night. I was taking clothes and putting them in the hallway on the floor near the head of the stairs so I could get dressed without waking the wifey.
“I’m getting my stuff together for tomorrow.” I replied, dropping my gi and pants on top of a pair of longjohns.
“Where? Fabian Sensei’s in Princeton?” he said, his eyes bugging out a little. He’s been to practice with me and knows it’s outside.
“Yeah buddy. Gotta sand down my bo staff, make sure there aren’t any splinters.” I dropped an extra pair of socks on the pile after checking the weather on my computer.
“Dad, how cold is it going to be?”
“It’ll be around 28 degrees when we start at 9am.”
“MOOOOOOOM, Dad’s freakin CRAZY!” he said, turning to go into my room to tell on me, smiling.
yeah, it was pretty cold out there this morning, I’ll definitely admit it. Felt good tho. I had a pair of longjons on under my pants and an extra sweatshirt over my turtleneck all which was under my gi top. A hat and gloves and I was actually pretty toasty. We started with our warm up exercises - jumping jacks, stretching, pushups, etc. Thank GOD I’ve been working out in the gym the last several weeks. Did some sword exercises that my body remembered well before my brain did that went rather well. Switched from wooden bokken to metal iaito to practice the kata that, again, my body remembered quite a bit faster than my brain. This is by far my favorite part of the practice so I was happy that we did a bit more today than we normally used to.
Switched sword for staff and got to twirl a 6 foot staff around my body, my head, and around behind my back and I only dropped it ONCE! Amazed, but very glad too. Forgot quite a bit, but after being shown, I remembered and could execute most of it easily. I love sword, but I’m better at staff. Dunno why, just happens.
Moved onto the last part of the work out, my least favorite, jujitsu. It has nothing to do with the people I do it with or my Sensei. It has all to do with the fact that I feel like a big, uncoordinated dork when I do it. Tho I have to say, after we practiced the basics outside - hand releases - we went inside to his small inside dojo and did the more advanced stuff and it all felt pretty good. I had to stop at a certain point, mostly because I was afraid of the throws and the fact I hadn’t done them in a while and didn’t want to hurt anyone in my confusion. He had me practice some other basic throws with the beginner students, mentioning his intention was to get me back up to speed as quickly as possible.
It’s been almost three years, and I’m not sure why I stopped going. Granted, I got a new job in a different state, but I wish now that I had stuck with it longer. Felt good to get back in and throw some people around, and to be thrown around as well. Missed a few guys that I enjoyed seeing and who extracted a promise for me to come as much as possible in the future. I’m planning on going for the rest of the money except the sunday before my birthday (If the whole internet wants to get together, I want Guitar Hero - the one with the drums). I have a lot of sore muscles, but feeling good in that I didn’t forget as much as I thought, I got to see some good people again, and I’m feeling pretty f’ing good about my physical fitness lately. Today’s workout definitely proved that to me.
Mike over at UnravelingMysteries.com wrote a great post about the day of his wedding, and I realized I never posted about my own anniversary on New Years Eve.
Fae and I have been clean and sober for a long time - she just celebrated 19 years in early December. So when we were thinking of getting married in the winter, we both decided that New Years Eve would be a great time to do it. We had it at her house, with about 50 friends and family. Not a whole lot of room to move around, but it was done the way we wanted it. The Justice of the Peace that performed the ceremony was wonderful in that he had a workbook that he sent us about 6 months prior to the ceremony, and we spent a week or three picking passages and other things of note to literally plan our own ceremony.
I went to the hotel beforehand to get dressed and spend some time with my family. Got caught up in all of the visiting and got to the house late. “Guys, downstairs. Girls up here. Matt I love you, go away!” I heard shouted from the 2nd floor.
Beat a hasty retreat downstairs needless to say.
She looked beautiful. She made me her husband and she became my wife. We said our vows in front of a big bodhisatva statue in her parents living room and I was made the happiest man.
So now it’s 14 years later.
And she still thinks I’m pretty cool. We went to dinner in New Hope, PA at a place called Havana. She had the surf and turf and I had the seared tuna with soba noodles and tempura avocado. Weird sounding, but delicious! Had a really nice time just sitting and talking with a nice roaring fire right nearby and lots of privacy. Something we don’t have much of
Happy Fourteenth Anniversary Honey. I am so glad you said yes, way back when.
First and foremost, I did do some work on my book - I fleshed out the story paragraph into a paragraph per sentence. Interesting thing is how it’s changing the original idea in subtle ways, as well as how I’m introducing characters who I have to go back and flesh out as well. For anyone even thinking of writing something big but can’t get started, this article is working really well for me.
Secondly, I am going back to my jujitsu class. When I worked in Princeton for 4 years, I found an excellent mentor, friend, and sensei in Fabian Sensei. He teaches a style called Hontai Yoshin Ryu - sword, staff, and jujistu and I loved it. Problem is, I got a job in White Plains, and Princeton is in the total opposite direction. I’ve been kicking the idea around for a while of going back, and when 2 of the guys I trained with emailed me out of the blue, it made more sense, so I’m going back for my first class in almost three years, tomorrow. It’s going to be around 30 degrees, and the class is outside. Yeah, that’s going to be WAY fun. I’ll be sure to update you 
I have wanted to write a book for a long time and I am very good at starting things but crappy at finishing or even continuing them. So rather than promise myself anything, I am beginning a habit. One that I almost f’d up today, but I got in under the wire
It’s 11:28pm and I lived up to my bargain and wrote a bit today. Wasn’t pages and pages, but it was a start. And I’m going to do the same tomorrow.
If you want to take a look at how I’m doing, hit the Japanese story link.
I am making a resolution to not make any resolutions. Wait, isn’t that circular logic or something f’d up? Am I going to cause a rip in the space time continuum?
Okay, maybe I won’t make any resolutions because they’re lame. How about I just start typing and see what comes out? IE - what I always do when I sit down to blog.
I just played 2 hours of Wii Mario Kart by myself. Wake and Wii? Is there a group for that?
Went and had a really nice dinner with Fae at Havana in New Hope, PA.
My son is sick, bummin, bigtime.
I don’t like the fact that I have to take synthroid for the rest of my life to be able to live normally.
I just noticed that my son is growing, I don’t want to measure him tho. Don’t want to jinx it.
Update: It’s Jan 2nd, I started this and have come back to it and have come to the realization that spending time reading books to the kids, playing Mario Kart (and kicking their behinds), and spending time with my wife is WAY more important than blogging.
Which is why I am taking a few minutes while I’m at work to finish up this post. I wanted to finish it up and get some other stuff started.
Thanks for dropping by for a read!
I like to keep these things going because they’re relatively cool. Here’s the rules:
For those bloggers that I’m going to inflict this on, here are the rules: You take your folder in which you keep your digital photos, choose the fourth folder, then the fourth picture. Explain. Tag four people.
This is Aidan and I in front of the tree, right after I surprised him with his Gi and Hakama. You have to understand this is a HUGE deal for him. We started Kendo in the spring and have been waiting until Sensei thinks we’re experienced enough to wear the uniform. He didn’t know he was getting it until about 15 min before this was taken. I’m so proud of him.
Okay, now I have to tag four people. Mammadawg, Hunter’s Wife, Raging Dad, and Movin Down the Road
and I’m not just choosing their blogs because I want to pick on them, they’re really well written too, so give them a read.
December 30th,2008
Daily Entry |
2 Comments
Well, this has been an interesting week to say the least. Nice and short for work, didn’t work Friday, and I’m off Monday as well so that’s pretty coolio. Let me take it back a few days.
Woke up Wednesday and worked a half day, mostly moving stuff around on a server to try to get some other things in place. Annoyingly, it resisted all attempts to make me look like DA MAN, and made me look more like DA IDIOT instead. Ever work on something and you know it’s gonna be something so small and simple you’re going to smack yourself? Yeah, that’s what Mon, Tue, and Wed were like. It’s tough right now because my job is so many different things. ANYWAY….
Worked until about 1, when I decided enough was enough and I needed to help Fae get things in order to get ready to come to my folx on Long Island. Fae was asked to make two pecan pies and a batch of her candied yams. The pies went off without much of a hitch, and turned out delicious - but I get ahead of myself. We’re in the kitchen, Aidan and his friend and Gillian are upstairs, and Fae’s mixing up the yams with all the good stuff, and goes to drop the butter into the mixture. She had heated it up in a bowl in the microwave, and proceeded to let it drip into the side of the running mixer. Now, keep in mind - this is a not a small little machine so it was on high, hauling it’s blender bits around in a frenzy.
Problem is, the dish had some melted butter on the side. Yeah, it dropped in. And you can probably guess what happened next. The bowl rattled the mixing bowl off the track, slung orange goop everywhere and if that wasn’t bad enough, it SHOT the bowl back right at my wife’s eye. She was trying to get the bowl out, I’m trying to reach over her to shut the machineFromHell down, and WHAM! Thankfully, it cut into her eyebrow and not her eyeball. Nothing broke, strangely enough, and so she ended up with a nice little slice just below her eyebrow. So I help her sit down and put pressure on it, because it’s bleeding a LOT for such a small cut, and turn around to look at the kitchen.
If she hadn’t been so hurt, I would have been howling. There was orange crap EVERYwhere except the ceiling. And my poor wife is sitting on the floor, putting pressure on her eye, never realizing that she is covered in candied yams.
