Fallen but never ever forgotten

Happy Memorial Day

WWI

53,402

WWII

 291,557

Korean War

33,686

Vietnam War

47,424 

Beirut deployment 

 256

Gulf War

 149

Afghanistan

1,435 and counting

Iraq

 3,542 and counting

      To all of our Brothers, Sisters, Sons and Daughters who have ever made the ultimate sacrifice for not only their families but for the millions of people they had never met, I salute you.  For every Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine who laid down their lives in service to their country, I applaud you.  We must never forget their devotion to duty and we must always honor their courage.  Never, never forget.

Brew Long and Prosper.

 

Random Acts Of Kindness 2013!

http://www.upworthy.com/a-kid-wipes-out-on-his-skateboard-and-the-world-is-way-better-off-for-it-6?c=ufb1

     A few years ago, I was hooked on an online website/game called Neopets.  If you've never played there, I won't even try to go into what it is and what it is like.  Suffice it to say it is kind of a cross between Pokemon and...way to much to explain.  I haven't played in years and probably can't even remember my password to get back on the site, but at the time I loved it.

     On the site we have "Guilds" where people could get together online and post comments and ideas.  One of the members had multiple accounts because she loved the game so much.  One of them was known as RAOK or Random Acts Of Kindness.  Once a week, this account would randomly do really nice things for people in the guild and on the site.  She never advertised it or asked for anything in return.  It was just her way of making the world a little bit better and nicer.  I loved that about her.

     The above video got me thinking about that again.  Yes it is a theatrically produced piece with actors, but it shows how a simple act can lead to a chain of kindness that can make everyone's day a little bit better.

     Everyday we see news reports on some new horror.  Women kidnapped and tortured, infants being murdered and violent act after violent act.  It is enough to shake anyone down to their core.  We see the absolute worse that humanity can produce smeared across big banner headlines and we grieve for the human race.

http://now.msn.com/barber-gives-haircuts-to-homeless-charges-only-a-hug

     We hardly ever see news reports about things like the above link.  We rarely hear praise being sung because someone just took the time to be nice to someone.  In this stilted culture we live in, evil is big news and kindness is ignored.  

     Well, just for this week (well the next 7 days) and in honor of a wonderful woman who's real name I never knew, I am declaring 7 DAYS OF RAOK!  Don't worry, participation in this event isn't hard.  Hell some of you do it every day without even thinking about it.  It is simple.  Sometime in the next 7 days, do something nice for someone without any expectation of thanks or rewards.  Do one simple thing to make someone, anyone's day a little bit better.  It doesn't have to be anything big or complicated.  Open a door for someone, help someone with their groceries or just smile broadly and say, "Good Morning!"

     I have no expectation that this will change the world.  I don't expect everyone who participates to continue.  I just want everyone to try for a little bit to make peoples' lives a little better.  It won't change the world, but it might just change theirs and yours a little bit.  What do you have to lose besides a couple of seconds of your time.

Brew Long and Prosper

Epic Awesome and incredible!

     Not much of a commentary today.  I saw this amazing video on FB from a website called Upworthy.  I thought it was easily one of most inspiring music videos ever.

http://www.upworthy.com/the-final-epic-act-of-the-departing-commander-of-the-international-space-station-truly-rocked-2?c=ufb1

     It doesn't matter if the guy can sing or not (He can) or even if the music is that great (It is) or even if it isn't one of the greatest songs of all times (It is).  All that matters is that you have an amazing man singing an amazing song amidst the most inspiring views ever seen.  I hope you guys like it.

Writing keeps my head from exploding.

     One of my readers asked me the other day exactly what the process is that I go through when I write any of the insanity that spews forth from my headparts.  Since many others have asked that same question in the past, I decided that it was time to bequeath to everyone exactly what

THE SECRET

is.  I hope every one is ready because once you learn all of this there is no turning back.  

Get off your lazy Arse and work!

     So the creative process always starts the same way.  I am minding my own business and innocently (Okay maybe not innocently) going about my day when suddenly one of the tiny blue Gnomes living inside my brain suddenly hits me with something very heavy and painful.  After repeated bashings have gotten my attention, he or she (I am an equal opportunity type person) screams in my ear, "Hey wouldn't this be a great idea for a story/article/rant?"
     I have often tried to ignore this, but experience has taught me it is generally much less painful simply to give in, stop whatever nonsense I am doing and write what my tormentors are forcing me to write.

Leesee maybe I should write all this down...Nahh!

     Now, anyone who has ever taken any sort of writing course knows that the next logical step in the creative process is to make at least a crude outline of the concept, characters etc so that the writer has something to reference as he works.  Me personally, I hardly ever touch the stuff.  Since the hammer wielding blue Gnomes have already worked out the details and spilled it all into my headparts, I generally am stuck simply transcribing the stuff into physical (E?) form.  Sometimes, if it is a particularly long piece, I may create an outline later on because by then the Gnomes have lost interest and moved onto other torments.
     Generally when I writing something, the whole story appears in my head from beginning to middle to end.  Now this doesn't mean word for word, but I know how the book begins, what  happens in it and how it ends.  I know who all the driving characters in the story are and what their back stories are.  Really it is simply a matter of "fill in the blanks."  I have been told by many of my Author Friends that this makes me unusual.  Sorry, I am perfectly normal.  However the Blue Hammer Wielding Battle Gnomes inside my brain are a little odd, but they won't leave.
      People are always telling me that "Writing isn't hard."  They mutter "Well I could write a book if I really wanted to."  Truth be told, with the abundance of E-books being put out through free publishing companies such as Amazon and Smashwords, I can honestly agree with them now.  I have read some truly amazing Independently produced E-books and I have read some truly horrendous stinkers.  (Don't even get me started on the "Author" who published dozens of classic novels as her own works by simply changing the name and gender of the main character.  Joan Carter, Warlord of Mars anyone?)
     Anyone can write a book/short story and I encourage every single person to try.  You might not become a best selling author.  Hell you might not sell a single story, but you can at least try.  The modern E-publishing craze gives even the most inexperienced author a massive audience to appeal to.  The trick is to simply sit down and do it.  You can read a hundred "How to" pieces and most of the time they will be about as helpful as this silly little piece.  It is totally up to you, but keep in mind the wise words of a Muppet.  "Do or Do not.  There is no try."  I mean the worst that is going to happen is that someone like me might make fun of you.

Brew long and prosper

Mind officially blown!

     So I was catching up on my Doctor Who last night and I had a thought.  (Yes I do occasionally have those pesky things.)  Once I had it, I pondered it for a second or two and my headparts were officially blown (Metaphorically speaking of course.)  Ready for the thought?  Okay here it is.

"There are people alive today that, barring an actual Extinction Level Event, will be alive when the 22nd Century arrives."

     Now folks, I am old.  Not as old as some, but definitely reaching official Geezer status.  (Damned proud of it too.  Give me my 5% discount and free coffees, damn it!)  When I was a kid, the 21st Century seemed a ridiculous distance away.  I remember when it got here and thinking, "Wow this is something big."  Now I am faced with the knowledge that the 22nd century is coming at us and that people will live long enough to see it that I might be passing on the streets.  (Hells, as a side note here, giving the improvements in health care and meds and given the fact that my family line tends to live a very long time, there is a small, teensy weensy chance that I could live long enough to see it or at least get within spitting distance of it.)

     So I ponder the 22nd century and what these people might see.  I look back at all of the impossible things that have been discovered in just my short 50 years and try to look ahead at what might be discovered and done in the next 50 or so.  

     NASA is currently working on a Fusion Engine that could send people to Mars in a matter of weeks instead of many months.  Several Private Industries are currently building and testing their own manned space vehicles.  Very rich and very powerful people are working on mining precious resources from asteroids and NASA actually wants to lasso one and move it into an Earth Orbit.  

     Researchers are working on MAKING new organs using a 3D printer system.  Others are working on creating fully functioning Artificial Organs (Eyes, pancreas, limbs) that function just as well as the originals.  I could go on and on, but these miracles are happening right here and right now in 2013.  What might we see in 2023 or 2033?  

     The world of man is a dynamic, ever changing place.  Sure we have our setbacks and there are always groups and individuals who would love to hold us back, but in the end, we keep moving forward.  So, just ponder what might happen in the next 50 years, 60 years or 70 years.  I think that if you do, your mind will be officially blown too.

Brew long and prosper.

The Final Measure of a Person

 

     Some of my oddest thoughts occur to me when I am in the shower.  Maybe it is the relaxing power of the water.  Maybe it is the heat and steam.  Something happens that makes me think about things that usually wouldn't occur to me.  As I was showering tonight after a long day of yard work, the thought came to me, "How would I measure up in the end?"

     Most religions teach that if you follow the tenets of your faith and obey the rules of your God then one day you will be summoned forth to His or Her presence.  Usually there, you are judged based on just how good a (Insert Religious Group Name here) and if you measure up, then you are permitted to play harps, dance with virgins etc.  Of course, if you don't measure up you generally get sent some place very unpleasant.

     As a general rule, the judgement really has nothing to do with how good a person you actually were, but how many of Big Happy Sky Guy's laws you kept or broke and if you correctly painted the right portion of your anatomy blue on the holy days.  It has very little to do with how well you treated those not of your faith or how big a Dick you were.  

     Now some faiths/philosophies ask the broader question of "How much good did you do for the world and people around you?"  They ask if you were kind.  They ask if you left the world a better place than when you came into it.  So I pondered when the final measure is taken, how would I measure up?

     When I was younger, I was not a very nice person.  I was a Con Man, a Grifter and occasionally a thief.  Even more important is the fact that I was VERY good at it.  Now even to this day, I comfort myself with the knowledge that I never conned an Honest Person and I never stole from places that couldn't afford the loss.  I did what I had to do to survive.  It is not something I am particularly proud of, but it is what it is.

     Since those times, I have done my very best to live a better life.  I help when I can and do what I can to make the world a better place.  In some cases, it is a pointedly biting Blog or Article.  In others, it is as simple as composting and recycling.  I try to help people when I see they need help and I try my very best to do no harm.  

     I don't know if Karma exists and I am not sure how far I have come in balancing those scales.  I suppose I won't know for sure till it is far to late.  All I can do is to keep trying and working to making the world a better place than when I first got here.

     I suppose it doesn't matter what your faith is or even if you have one.  No matter what you believe or Who you believe in, the scales are still there.  What is wrong with everyone trying to make the world just a little bit better? 

Brew long and prosper

A Big empty house

     Over the past weekend, I drove my amazing wife a ridiculous distance so that she could start her new job in our Nation's Capital.  If all goes well, we will be apart for about 6 weeks or so before I can join her.  If things don't go so well, it maybe a year or so longer before we can be permanently together again.  With the worst case scenario, we have made plans to spend some weekends together, but anything permanent is a long way off.  Needless to say, I am praying for the best case scenario.
     With her so far away, I left rambling around in a big empty house.  It seemed like a big house when both of us was here, but now I feel like I am lost in some massive maze.  All of the sounds and sensations that have been a part of my life for almost a decade in the house are gone.  To say it is a bizarre feeling would be an understatement.
     Many times I have heard other people talking about looking forward to time away from their spouse.  They talk about how they love their Other, but really need some personal time on their own.  To me it always seemed like they were speaking a foreign language.  The very idea of wanting to spend time away from the one you love was an alien concept to me.
     Let me say this for those who don't know me or my wife.  I married my best friend.  (No Benjy, PP not you.  Hells you never even brought me flowers.)  I met her almost 20 years ago when she was invited to one of my AD&D games.  I can honestly say that it wasn't love at first sight (More like lust), but I think I fell in love with her very soon afterward.  To my amazement, she fell in love with me too and we have been together ever since.
     Paula is my Best Friend.  She has helped me grow as a person and has taught me so much.  We enjoy spending time together.  We enjoy doing things together and going places together.  She makes me a better individual and makes my world a much better place for just being in it.
     So now, here I am.  All alone (well with 6 cats) in a big old empty house with my best friend suddenly 800 miles away.  I think a lot of people might be thrilled by the "freedom" but I just feel lost.  I am confident that we will get through this and be stronger for it, but I am not looking forward to the journey. 
Brew long and prosper.