Define made up?

     So I am going through my daily news feeds (And believe me when I say I have a lot of them) and I come across one woman's rant about how Valentine's Day isn't really a true holiday like Christmas or Thanksgiving.  (She also added Hanukkah and misspelled it to the "Made up" Holiday list but I am not going to even begin to ponder that one.)  Her long winded and grammatically incorrect tirade got me thinking.  Exactly how do you define "Made up?"
     First, let us cover some basic facts.  Yes it is true that Hallmark and such have co-opted this holiday as a means of making obscene amounts of cash.  Of course, the same can be said of businesses in general and holidays like Christmas, Easter etc.  However, the actual practices associated with St. Valentine's Day date back centuries.  The oldest known Written Valentine was made in AD 1400, but Valentine's greetings date back much further then that.  The concept of Valentine's Day as a day of celebration for love and romance even longer than that.  One legend even states that Valentine himself made the first valentine when he cut paper hearts out for the daughter of his jailer and signed them, "Your Valentine."  Course that last part is purely legend bordering on myth.  So if Valentine's Day qualifies as a "Made Up" Holiday, then it is a very very old made up holiday.
     Okay now that we got that bit of history out of the way, lets look at the concept of the "Made Up Holiday."  Whether people want to admit it or not, pretty much all "Holidays" are made up.  Not a single of the holidays we celebrate today jumped fully formed from the pages of history and said "Hey look at me, celebrate me."  None of them. Zip, Zero, Nada!  Let us look at some of the biggies.
     Christmas.  Okay if you believe the Bible (Which I do) then at least one of the ways we celebrate Christmas has some grounding.  The Three Wise Men gave gifts to Jesus and Family on the night of his birth.  In return, Jesus gave everyone the planet a chance at everlasting life.  (Course, to this day that is why most people feel inadequate when giving presents cause how do you top everlasting life? Somehow socks and a tie don't measure up.)  Pretty much everything from then on is "made up."  Added piecemeal over the centuries.  Christmas Trees?  Check!  Sparkly tinsel and ornaments?  Check?  (Huh I was going to add Christmas Caroling to the list but was struck with the idea that since angels sand to Shepherds that night, that might qualify.)  So you see, a Holiday based on an event and slowly added to as time went on.  Kind of like Good Old St. Valentine and his day.
     Easter!  Now that's a huge example.  Take another event (Same guy too) and then completely glam it out.  I am no Bible Scholar, but I am pretty sure there is nothing about Bunnies delivering Eggs (And for that matter why the fudge are Bunnies delivering eggs?  Shouldn't some species of oviparous (look it up) creature be delivering the eggs.  Hey we could even combine two made up holidays and have the Easter Turkey of Thanksgiving deliver the eggs.  After he is done, we can cook him and eat him, but don't worry his spirit will rise three days later and return the next year for more eggs.)  Easter eggs?  Chocolate Bunnies?  Definitely "Made Up."
     So you see, made up is all a matter of perspective.  I personally think that St. Valentine's Day as it is celebrated today is stupid.  If you need a special day every year to let the people you love know how much you care about them, then you need serious help.  Your loved ones should know every single day that you love and cherish them.  Sending flowers on one day a year only proves you can read a calendar.  

Travels and Titters

So I wake up this morning and  check my e-mails like I normally do while waiting for the coffee to perk.  (Course these new fangled coffee makers don't really perk anymore.  I really wish I had an old fashioned stove top coffee percolator.)  One of the things waiting in my inbox was this very funny letter from my Mother-in-law who I proudly call "Mom" or even "Ma."  I have heard and seen all of the funnies below before, but never in one spot so I decided to post it here so that everyone could have a giggle.  I make no claims to the content or to its originality.  It is just supposed to be funny.  (FYI I added the pics for embellishment.)  Read on, MacDuff!

 Oh the places I've been and the things I have seen!

First thing we do is steal all the bacon!

 I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.

It is time for your surgery!

I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my children, friends, family and work.

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.

I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older.

Swear that spider growled at me!

One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!

I may have been in Continent, but I don't remember what country I was visiting. They tell me it’s an age thing and it is very wet and damp there.

PLEASE DO YOUR PART!

Today is one of the many National Mental Health Days throughout the year. You can do your bit by remembering to send this e-mail to at least one unstable person.

Life is too short for negative drama and petty things.

So laugh insanely, love truly and forgive quickly! Well that forgiveness part is up to you!!!

From one unstable person to another... I hope everyone is happy in your head - we're all doing pretty well in mine!JJ

Now available in Nook Form!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ordinary-joe-rs-macleod/1114479414?ean=2940016279701

For those who might be interested

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009SSGFJK

Why Life is the Worst MMORPG of all times.

A man's castle is his home...wait, is that right?

     (For those of you who have been living in caves for the past 10 years, MMORPG stands for Massive or Multi-Member Online Role Playing Game.  In it player generate characters and explore and adventure in computer generated worlds alongside other players.  You quest, adventure and play act for fun and excitement.  Dozens are available now including World of Warcraft, Rifts, Star Wars and Star Trek.  Got it, okay moving on.)
     As I was doing my morning rituals today, I thought of the old phrase, "Life is a game, but no one ever bothered to write down the rules."  Which got me thinking while I was making coffee.  I pondered the idea that life was really some sort of fantastical game and all the men and women merely players.  (Can't take credit for that one.  THANKS WILL!)  I was immediately struck with the thought ( I struck back and a merry tussle followed.) that if Life really is some MMORPG, it is easily the worst one ever.
    Why you may ask?  (At least I hope you ask or else I am talking to myself again.)  Well lets compare LIVING THE LIFE (LTL for short) with World of Warcraft (WOW). 

Hmm, Human Fighter or Elf Hunter?

Character Generation:

     In WOW, you can chose from many races starting out.  You can choose your Sex.  You can choose what profession you want to be for the rest of your life.  You can even customize your appearance.  When your character is created, you simply click a button and poof, you are all set to start your life.

     In LTL, you are stuck with whatever race your genetics hand you.  You cannot choose your sex and sometimes the sex that is chosen for you gets a little confuzzled.  Forget about choosing your life long profession completely AND you have absolutely no say over how you will look.  When your character enters the game it is an extremely loud, painful and messy experience that your mother reminds you about for the rest of your life.

Don't think I am ready for Dragons yet.

 Starting Out:

     In WOW, once you have gotten past the character generation part and actual enter the game, things are pretty awesome.  You start out with Armor and Weapons appropriate to your career. (admittedly they aren't the best, but still functional.)  You have an instinctive knowledge on how to use those items plus inherent skills that make you pretty darned badass.  You can immediate start practicing your career to earn better gear and money.
     In LTL, you start out naked without any weapons, armor or skills.  The only real skills you have are crying, pooping and peeing which really aren't much use except to occasionally disgust people and annoy the nurses.  You are pretty much stuck like this for the first few years at least.  Some people never really make it past this level.

Careers:

     In WOW, once you reach level five, you can choose some pretty exciting careers that can earn you lots of money and let you craft amazing items.  Some people chose a gathering profession and a production profession so that they can craft items to help them adventure and some just go for the money and choose two gathering professions.  You can also choose three secondary professions to help you out.  Properly played, the professions you choose can earn you a crap load of gold coins.

   In LTL, at level five you are still trying not to poop in your pants and learning how to use silverware properly.  Any chance at a profession and real money is still at least 13 levels in your future and the odds are better than not that when you do get a career, it will not earn you lots and lots of gold coins.  "Would you like fries with that," may well be your magical phrase.  

 

Transportation:

     In WOW, once you reach levels 20, 40 and 60, you can learn to ride and purchase amazing beasts and devices.  At 60, you can even purchase a mount that will allow you to fly!  You can tool around the world on a Griffin, Knight's Charger or even a Dragon!  

     This is the only area that LTL has a slight advantage over WOW.  In LTL, you can usually get a permit to drive at level 15 and an actual license at level 16.  That's where the advantage ends.  Unless you are very lucky, in LTL your fist mount is a badly dented, 20+ year old car owned by a friend of the family and very rarely do you ever get to own a mount that flies.

Ohh Don't fear the Reaper

 

 Lives:

     Finally, the big one.  In WOW, if your character meets an unfortunate end, its okay.  Your ghost materializes at the closest graveyard and you run back to where your corpse is and poof you are alive.  If you are in a party, someone can actually bring you back from the dead without the long run.  Hells, one class can even bring themselves back from the dead.  You have an unlimited number of rebirths for the entirety  of your game life.  Even better, if you get bored with your current life, you can simply exit the game and create a whole new life to start all over again.

     In LTL, you get one life.  That's it.  No resurrections, no "corpse runs" back to your body.  You die in LTL and (as far as we know) poof that is it.  You are gone.  Worse yet, you are stuck with that one character for your entire game career.  You can't say, "Man I have being a level 22 Accountant.  Think I will re-roll as a Level One Cowboy."  (Well technically I suppose you can, but it is a helluva lot more complicated than WOW Character Generation.)

Closing:  

     So you see, LTL really has some major drawbacks that other MMORPGs don't have.  Still, it does have killer graphics and a decent sound track.  Even better, it is Free To Play without the usual FTP restrictions.

Have a Cuppa on me and smile.

Good food, old friends and good memories.

     Back in my insane days at Troy State University in Troy, Alabama I had several very good friends who shared some pretty amazing adventures with me.  You have heard me talk about one of them before (Wave at everyone Benjy) but another one was a madman I call TC.  We attended SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) events together and just generally hung out together.  (He is one of the few people who has seen me running around in full Tartan in freezing weather and not been driven catatonic from the sight of my extremely hairy legs.)  Like most of that circle of friends, after we graduated we drifted apart. 
     Fast forward 20+ years and the magic of Facebook and the Interwebz.  I reconnect with a dozen or so friends from that time and friendships are renewed.  (Wave folks I am talking about you.)  Now except for the aforementioned Benjy (See above), I hadn't managed to physically reconnect with any of them.  We decide to go on Vacation to our condo in Orlando (Yes I own a condo and a nice one too) and I mention it on FB.  Turn out TC lives just minutes away from the restaurant that my wife wants to visit.   So we make arrangements to meet there, eat and get to know each other.  What followed was an amazing two hours. 
     First of all, if you have not tried BD's Mongolian Grill then you really need too.  The food is fantastic, the prizes are reasonable and the service is excellent!  We ate there with me going back for a second bowl plus drinks soups and salads for about $25.00.  The people bend over backwards to be entertaining too.  It is worth the visit.
     Second, I got to spend two hours introducing my wife to an old friend.  We regaled her with stories from our college days that ranged from computer pranks to a man running up someone's door shield.  During that time, I realized that despite 20+ years, I still knew this man as well as I did back when.
     By the time we were done, I was about as happy as a guy could get.  I felt 25 all over again for at least a short time and I knew that a friendship I forged decades ago was still strong.  If that is not an excellent vacation event, then I don't know what is.  I sit here later in the evening drinking coffee from my awesome new Disney mug with a big grin on my face.  Thanks TC.

A Holiday gift a little early...

Weather Forecast

Open hearts, open doors: From Georgia to Colville

December 11, 2012

By

Sophia Aldous

sophia@statesmanexaminer.com

Ben and Jesse Baker

Hunters during deer hunting season, or any other hunting season for that matter, hardly garner more than a glance from passersby on the street or in a store or restaurant in Stevens County. It’s business as usual in one of the most verdant and popular hunting regions in the Northwest.
So not very many people may have paid much attention to a middle-aged man making his way around Colville and Loon Lake with a 16-year-old boy in tow, both dressed in warm clothing and hunting apparel.
The pair was Ben Baker and his son, Jesse, who had journeyed all the way from Ashburn, Georgia so Jesse could hunt the elusive White Tail deer.
So why come so far?
Diagnosed with Down Syndrome as an infant, Jesse had never been outside of his home state before. He has hunted his whole life with his father and wanted to try his hand at harvesting a White Tail buck.
But with costs for transportation, lodging, meals and the proper Washington State hunting licenses, it was easier to dream the hunt.
Ben and Jesse’s community held fund-raisers to help with the travel expenses when it just so happened that Colville resident Chris Van Kempen came across an article online from The Wiregrass Farmer Newspaper, where Ben is editor.
‘I would like to shoot a big deer…’
Van Kempen contacted Ben and said he would like to help raise money for Ben and Jesse’s trip. With the help of folks in Colville and neighboring communities, Van Kempen was able to raise around $1,500 for the outing. He also donated a guided hunt to the prospective guests.
“They are awesome people,” Van Kempen says of Jesse and Ben. “I think our community needs to do more of that; getting the youth and the disabled in the great outdoors so they can enjoy it.”
Ben says there are deer in Georgia, but they are miniature, don’t yield much meat and their antlers are smaller than either a White Tail or Mule deer.
“It’s fun,” Jesse says of his trip to Colville and the surrounding areas. “I would like to shoot a big deer.”
The father and son team spotted over 50 deer during their weeklong stay recently, but unfortunately, they were not able to shoot one (Washington State law requires that harvested White Tail bucks have a minimum of four-point antlers in order to harvest). The lack of a kill did nothing to diminish Jesse’s spirits though. As long as the pair was outside and not hunting, Jesse would pelt his father with snow (something they don’t see in southern Georgia, acknowledges Ben).
Besides the opportunity for some father and son bonding, complete with snowball fights, Ben says one of the best aspects of their stay in Stevens County has been the people that live here.
“Southern hospitality hasn’t got anything on you folks,” says Ben. “People have been wonderful to us (see Letter to the Editor from Ben in this week’s S-E).”
Ben adds that he and Jesse hope to come back some day and bring Jesse’s younger sister, Susan, who wants to hunt a bear.
“Jesse has really loved this,” Ben states. “Being outside, being able to take time off from school to have this once in a lifetime experience has just been great. We’re very thankful and we won’t forget it.”

     For those who do not know, let me give some background information on the subjects of the above article.  I have known Ben Baker for decades.  He is one of the few people I consider a true friend.  The kind of guy that if you call him at 2am in the morning and say, "I just shot and killed someone" that his only question would be "Do you need help hiding the body?"  I proudly call him my Brother and would literally lay down my life for him without thinking.  His wife is one of the most amazing women I have ever known and if you need a snapshot of normal, well adjusted kids look no further than his son and daughter.  Susan is incredibly intelligent and multi-talented and Jesse is an energetic, fun loving boy who wins your heart with just a smile.

     So many people (I'm proud to add myself and my wife to that list) worked so very hard to make this dream trip a reality.  People donated their time, their money and their hearts to get it all done.  People that didn't know Ben, people that had no reason to care about Jesse did so much that it makes even a Cynic like me hopeful for the human race.  

     I had the distinct honor of picking Ben and Jesse up at the airport on their return and words cannot describe the look of boundless joy and love on Jesse's face.  (Keep in mind that words are how I make my living so that is saying something.)  Nor do I have the words to describe the look on Ben's face where exhaustion, pride and joy beamed out from his usual dour countenance. The truly exultant and mellow feelings filling my little car on the trip back was much more payment that my tiny little contribution deserved.

     So I offer this article and the story behind it as a sort of early Christmas present to all of you who sit and wonder if there are good people left in the world and kind deeds still done.  The answer is Yes.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Festive Yule and Happy Holidays to all of you!

Just in case I don't see you before.