Gratitude is the Attitude Days 20 and 21

About time I finished out this three week meme with the last two days of things I'm grateful for.

Day 20 - I'm grateful for checks in the mail paying me for me for work I did a while ago. I was expecting them, of course, but its one thing to expect a check and another to finally get it.

Day 21 - I'm grateful to be able to figure things out and also to be able to figure things out for other people. I work in tech support and too many people that do what I do forget about the support part. It isn't support if you belittle and talk down to people who need help, it makes them feel small and that you are a jerk. I do my best to gently fix their issue and try not to make them feel bad if it turns out to be a simple fix. I may not be super amazing strong on the tech side (which means I do a fair bit of research to figure things out) but I'm very strong on the support side and that's why I had my schools trying to hire me outside the district rules.

Gratitude is the Attitude Days 17, 18 and 19

We are approaching the finish line on this 21 day meme of gratitude. Overall I think its been an interesting exercise in looking at the bright side of life rather than dwelling on the bad.

Day 17 - Saturday was a good day to not be working, to spend some good time with my kids, sell something on Craigslist we've been trying to sell for a few weeks and decompress from the stress of the week. I also got a shit-ton of laundry done (by the way, I'm also grateful for the term shit-ton because it is super fun to say).

Day 18 - On Sunday I was thankful to not have access to a way to watch the Forty-Niners get drubbed by the Atlanta Falcons. We turned off our cable service last week and were still waiting for our DTV converter box so no tv. It was a painful ass-kicking, for sure. I have also been grateful to have easily avoided seeing the Dodgers or Yankees sweep through to their division championships. I hope the World Series doesn't come to a Dodgers and Yankees wank fest since I pretty much loathe both teams.

Day 19 - Yesterday I was grateful for bedtime, specifically I was grateful when it was time for Grady and Sully to go to bed. Don't get me wrong, I love those little boys like nothing else on the planet but last night they were being especially persistent, repetitive, difficult and whiny. It made for a long night of repeated questions, tantrums and other joys of parenting. Bedtime was peaceful time.

Gratitude is the Attitude Days 14, 15 and 16

I rather prefer this couple of days at a time method of posting the reasons I'm thankful and grateful. It is less cluttery and lord knows my life can use some less cluttery.

Anyway, on to the meme at hand.

Day 14 Reason I am Grateful - I am thankful for cool, smart and creative toys. Lately my two little boys have been making fantastic creations out of the Magnetix (now called Magnext) line of toys. I'm a big fan of creative toys rather than action figures or other branded toys because they encourage the expansion of one's mind rather than the implanting of brands and marketing schemes.

Day 15 Reason I am Grateful - I'm grateful for starting on the road to a more focused me through medication of ADD which I've had my whole life and only just recently gotten diagnosed and treated, thanks to my brother. The change has been marked and I've really liked how much more I've been able to get done without being so majorly distractable.

Day 16 Reason I am Grateful - I'm grateful for awesome office managers at my schools. One in particular is a really great lady who I've enjoyed getting to know, has two wonderful kids and a jerk for an ex-husband who's a fool because she's beautiful, smart, funny and awesome. That she gives me free leftover lunches regularly has little to do with how much I like her, well, yeah it helps!

Gratidude is the Attitude Days 11, 12 and 13

So yeah, I've missed a couple of days but I have a reasonably good excuse in that our internet has been pretty severely jacked up since last week. We took a cost saving step of eliminating our landline at the house. However, in doing so, we lost our internet. It took nearly a week to get it turned back on even though it was a stupid setting in the AT&T offices and had nothing to do with our house. And yes, it took a service call to our house to determine this.

Anyway...

Gratitude Day 11 - I was deeply thankful for the opportunity to get out and sweat some stress, work my body and enjoy some of the fantastic late fall weather we have here in Northern California. I took a bike ride in Nisene Marks State Park, spun my way to the top of Sand Point and down the backside. No crashes, not too much traffic on the trails and really just a great time.

Gratitude Day 12 - I'm grateful for the genuine gratitude people extend to me when I am able to resolve their technical issues. It sometimes doesn't happen in an especially timely manner but that's as much a combination of my schedule as it is the problems they are having.

I'm also grateful to be starting on a regimen of medication to try and help alleviate some of my ADD symptoms so that I will be more able to lock in on tasks and see them through to completion. But boo on having to wait until Wednesday to get the 'scrip filled because the drugstore was out of my medication. Oh well, a couple more days of wandering mind won't hurt me too much.

Gratitude Day 13 - I'm grateful for the freedom my job offers me to find another place to be when the computer lab fills up with unruly kids and complaining teachers. Seriously, if the only thing out of your mouth is complaint after complaint then can you really wonder why people turn around and walk the other way rapidly when you approach?

Gratitude is the Attitude Day 10

Today I am happy and thankful for the end of the week. I had a busy week with lots of changes, new faces, new spaces on top of the same old craziness. I'm feeling pretty well wiped out and beat but looking forward to spending my weekend with my family.

Though I wouldn't complain if AT&T got around to turning our DSL back on like they said they'd have done yesterday.

Gratitude is the Attitude Day 9

What glimmering bit of optimism and gratitude brings me whatever measure of contentment I have today on the ninth day of the 21 day Gratitude meme?

Coffee. It tastes delicious (when properly cut with some creamer because the straight black stuff is n.a.s.t.y.), it warms me up, it delivers a little charge of energy and just helps to get the day rolling as smoothly as possible.

Happy First Day of October. I hope and expect this month will be another improvement over last month. But maybe that's just the coffee talking?

Gratitude is the Attitude Day 8

What am I thankful today as I continue this three week odyssey of gratitude and being thankful?

I'm thankful for still having options even though, for all intents and purposes, I don't really deserve any more options.

And let's just leave it at that for now.

Gratitude is the Attitude Day 7

Woops, missed a day yesterday again. For some reason I'm having a hard time staying on task.

A third of the way in and I'm still finding plenty to be grateful for.

Today's gratitude goes to my brother. I'm grateful that he took the time to talk with me at length the other day to try and help us get our financials sorted out. In the course of the conversation it came to my attention that I am very likely suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder. He strongly and repeatedly urged me to seek a professional diagnosis and get started on some medication to help me out.

I have an appointment scheduled for this coming Monday, the soonest I could, and will look forward to seeing what it is like not having my mind pulled in fifteen directions at once.

So, thank you, Peter. I really do appreciate your efforts, your caring about me/us and your advice.

Gratitude is the Attitude Day 6

What am I thankful for on day six of the 21 day meme?

I'm thankful for my naturally positive nature and buoyant attitude. I may experience periods of being down in the dumps and bothered by life circumstances or some jackass driving like a jackass but I rarely stay in a bad mood for very long. I have a tendency to shed my crappy attitude and return to being a mostly happy guy without too much trouble.

Attitude counts for alot because it is the lens through which we view our reality. If you are angry all the time then the world is angry right back at you. I choose to be happy and the world is a much better place because of it.

Gratitude is the Attitude Day 5

What am I thankful on this beautiful Sunday morning?

I'm thankful that football season has started and the Forty-Niners are off to a good start on the season (though an awful start on today's game) and that has taken some of the attention off the whimper that the end of the Giants baseball season has become.
Football is fun to watch and even more fun to watch with a bunch of pals, some beers and a bbq going outside.

What are you thankful for today?

Gratitude is the Attitude Day 4

Today's Moment of Gratitude:

I'm thankful that my neighbor's are the ones having the big party for their three year old grandson and not me. With some 20 families invited, the pandemonium is going to reach epic levels shortly.
I'm also thankful that we got a chance to play in the Scooby Doo bounce house and get my boys all tired out. They are currently napping.

Gratitude is the Attitude Day 3

Here we go with Day 3 of the Gratitude is the Attitude meme.

What am I grateful for today?
I am grateful for the happiness of my children. Grady is a wonderful child with a great smile who loves to have fun and laughs loudly. Sully loves to tell knock knock jokes that sometimes make no sense and turn into long rambling stories but he always laughs out loud when he gets to the end.

Gratitude is the Attitude Day 2

Woops, looks like I forgot that I'd gotten on another meme boat in the madness of the last couple of days. Oh well, I'll catch up right now.

What am I happy for today?
Living in California where more days than not are awesome and beautiful and the beach is a ten minute drive away. Where I can ride fantastic mountain bike trails through the redwoods in the morning and then spend the afternoon on the beach with my family.

And there's the distinct lack of freeze your ass off winter.

Gratitude is the Attitude

A neat idea from Nutsy Fagan to post a reason to be grateful everyday for the next 21 days.

So, to kick off my 21 days of Gratitude, here's what I am thankful for today.

I am thankful for the health of my family. For having two healthy and happy little boys. A healthy and getting healthier wife. For my dog who, knock on wood, has been unhurt for a long time. And for our cat that was originally free and then ended up costing something $1200 in vet's bills in the first year and a half we had her.
And, of course, for my own health that I try to never take for granted. I exercise, I try to eat healthy food more often than not (though, as any regular reader knows, I have a weakness for In-n-Out Burger) and maintain a positive outlook on life.

So there you go. What are you grateful for?

Ten Songs on a Desert Island

This has been done to death in various iterations but I felt like doing a top ten rundown this morning so here goes.

Ten Songs on a Desert Island
1. Hotel California by The Eagles
2. Everyday by Dave Matthews Band
3. Magical Colors (31 Flavors) by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
4. Time of Your Life by Green Day
5. Your Latest Trick by Dire Straits
6. Where'd You Go by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
7. Pawn Shop by Sublime
8. Tea in the Sahara by The Police
9. Tangled Up in Blue by Bob Dylan
10. Meanwhile, Rick James by Cake

This list is entirely subjective and it really only represents my state of mind at this instant in time. I'm sure if I came back to this tomorrow, I'd replace at least one and probably several songs.

The other thing is, if I listened to just these ten songs again and again and again then I'd end up so sick of them that I'd probably hate them. Also, how are the songs played anyway? What powers the player?

Oh well, that's the thing with hypotheticals, they break down if you look at them too closely.

What are your top ten desert island songs?

THE AEIOU Meme

Today's meme is based on the vowels in our alphabet. Take a current event, like Stephen Fowler or Nadya the Octomom (awesome job, 14) or even the current GOP "leadership" and describe them with a word that starts with each letter.

Stephen Fowler:
Arrogant
Elitist
Ignoramus
Obnoxious
Unconscionable

Nadya the Octomom:
Angelinesque
Exhausted
Idiotic
Ovatatory
Unrelenting

The Current GOP:
Asshats
Execrable
In-the-way
Obstructionist
Unwanted

Fun, huh? Now you try it. Leave a note in the comments with a link if you do give it a try.

Choose A Side

I just came up with a new game called Choose A Side.

It works like this. Go to your local favorite news source (in my case it will be the San Francisco Chronicle) and copy the top five news items on the home page. Then go through the list and choose a side and explain why.

Sound like fun? Alrighty then, here we go.

Positive Bonds Steroids Tests Alleged - Okay, okay, Bonds is a big fat-headed cheater. I said it. But what is ultimately going to send him to jail isn't the steroid use, its the lying about it. Look at Jason Giambi, he admitted it and his career has moved on (albeit with smaller numbers). It is arguable that Bonds cheated, or started cheating, during an era when steroid use was rampant and tacitly condoned by ownership and the commissioner. Once public sentiment turned against it then everyone tried to pretend like they'd been against steroid and HGH use all along. Does that exonerate him? No, because he let his ego get the better of him and lied about drug use while under oath in front of a congressional hearing. And one thing you absolutely do not do is lie to a bunch of Congressmen and women. Do I think they should be, you know, doing something more important with their time? Hell yeah, our economy is in the toilet, we have two wars going on and we have asshat bank execs pulling down $15 million a year in bailout cash. Bonds' crimes are pretty unimportant in the larger scheme of things.
Conclusion: Not on Bonds side.

Digital TV Conversion Delayed Until June - This won't make one bit of difference in our life either with or without the conversion. We get cable, it is taken care of for us (though I did hear that our cable company was slowly slipping beneath the bankruptcy waves). I guess, since I have to choose sides, I'll go with the people here, the ones who either cannot afford or cannot find a digital converter unit to buy.
Conclusion: With the non-digitized masses.

UC Regents Change Rules For Admission - guarantees are hard to come by in the real world. They always have loopholes or clauses or somesuch that makes them less than rock-solid. I have no problem with reducing the guaranteed admissions of the top students in California from 12.5% to 10% if it means more kids will get an honest look by the school system. But then, I'm not a top 11% student, I bet I'd have a different take on this if I was.
Conclusion: Siding with the Regents.

Shackled Tracy Boy's Escape Described - the people are abused this kid should never walk free again. They are despicable, hateful, hideous excuses for human beings. What they did is unforgivable and they should be made to suffer until their last breath.
Conclusion: Completely on the kid's side here. Absolutely no question.

Obama Caps Executive Pay Tied To Bailout - This is another pretty easy one. It is shocking how deeply greedy and ridiculous banking executives are. The stories of excess making the news are very likely the tip of the iceberg and we're only hearing about them now because the money is ours, not theirs (though it is still ours sort of when it was bank money). The junkets, the lavish office redecorating, the bonuses for doing nothing showing up and helping crater the company. The greed is rife throughout the banking industry and it is wrong. Capping executive salaries is a good first step to ensuring that the bailout money they get isn't going straight into some wanker in an expensive suit's pocket.
Conclusion: Go Obama! Smack them fatcats around some!

That was a good time. Want to give it a try? Leave a comment and I'll come check yours out.

This Week in Weak and Strong

Riffed off of Rude Cactus, here's my weekly take on the weakest news of the week. And a little uplift to round it out.

Weak words - Dick Cheney shredding his old "boss" for failing to pardon Scooter Libby for outing Valerie Plame, you know, the CIA agent who's cover was blown for the weakest of weak reasons, political payback. And oh by the way, nice wheelchair, Darth, I mean, Dick.

Weak case - a man with a prior conviction for DUI was unable to start his car because he'd just eaten some ice cream which made him blow a false positive on the device connected to his ignition. He even proved it in court to get the device removed.

Weak asshattery - John Thain, the now-resigned boss of Bank of America, who saw fit to drop $1.2 million of bailout money to redecorate his office in ridiculous style (a $1400 trash can? come on!). Way to spend money that isn't yours on crap you didn't need.

Weak quote - Rush Limbaugh for his "I hope he fails" quote in regards to new President Barack Obama. Rush Limbaugh is a boil on the ass of the nation, he adds nothing but ugly and empty rhetoric.

Weak number - 9.3%, the latest unemployment rate in California.

The Strong - This is an easy one, Tuesday's inauguration of Barack Obama as the country's first African-American president and the much, much anticipated end of the Bush era.

Alliteration Alphabet

I am sure this has already been done and I even have a song that is basically this concept (Alphabet Aerobics by Blackalicious) but I like the idea and am going to run with it anyway. Every couple of days I will create a new alliteration (the repetition of the first consonant sound in a phrase).

Today is for the letter A:
All aggravated athletes added an active achievement after allaying adipose assets.

Fun, huh?

19 Songs You Need to Have

Taking a cue from Courtney and her post about 19 songs from a couple of months ago, here is my list. Guaranteed to get your foot tapping and your head bobbing, unless you suck. Or something. If I were burning this to a disc for playback in the car I'd be reordering things some but I'll leave it as it is.

1. Life's Been Good - Joe Walsh
2. Breakdown - Handsome Boy Modeling School
3. Magical Colors (31 Flavors) - The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
4. Get Over It - Ok Go!
5. 25 Miles - Edwin Starr
6. I Don't Want to Work (I Just Want to Bang on My Drums) - Todd Rundgren
7. Mirror in the Bathroom - English Beat
8. Our House - Madness
9. Side to Side - Blackalicious
10. Hotel California - The Eagles
11. Where'd You Go - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
12. The Natives are Restless - Don Tiki
13. Baba O'Reilly - The Who
14. Your Latest Trick - Dire Straits
15. Everyday - Dave Matthews Band
16. War - Bob Marley and the Wailers
17. Tea in the Sahara - The Police
18. Blackbird - The Beatles
19. Imagine - John Lennon

I'm sure I could trade out every one of these songs for other great songs that I love but this is where I am right now.