I can not only say I know first hand what it’s like to be laid off, I’m living it right now. After years of wishing of being independently wealthy so I didn’t have to get up and go to work, I realize now that not having a reason to get up can be tougher than you think. Sure, at first it’s nice to be able to sleep in a little, brush up your resume, follow up on leads, take a nap! However, after a few weeks it can be challenging to stay motivated, and well, avoid boredom.

The foremost problem is that without a reason to get up, there ’s no reason to go to bed. Late night movies, TV, and informercials soon become a staple. As a result, of course, you start getting up later and later. Before you know it, you’re rolling out of bed at noon and watching court TV all day. This is not only unhealthy for your body, but it’s brutal on your spirit. Depression soon sets in and the will to be true to a job search soon waivers. To avoid these pitfalls, I offer the following advice:

1) Keep on schedule – I now make it a point to get up early. Of course, I’m not crazy, it’s no longer 5:30am, but it will be much easier to return to form when I do land a job. Pick a time that works for you and keep it consistant.

2) To do list – Just as you had a daily itenerary at work, put together a list of things you want to do for the day. This will not only keep you motivated to get things done, it will keep your mind and body busy. As much as we hate to admit it, our brains and bodies are made for work.

3) Pick up a new hobby – If you’re the type that thirsts to learn, trying something new will give you the mental focus and challenge you’re craving. It will stimulate your brain and revitalize your spirit. If nothing comes to mind, hit the local bookstore and do a little research.

4) Keep relaxation limited to the evening – Just as you did when you were working, save the evenings for time with your family or your favorite TV shows. What you want to avoid is sitting in front of the TV or Computer all day long so that you no longer appreciate it. Avoiding this tip is a quick way to find yourself completely bored and frustrated.

5) Exercise – How many times have you said that the main reason you don’t exercise is because you don’t have the time? Well, there goes your big excuse. I recommend doing it early. Not only does it get it out of the way, but it will get you revved up for the rest of the day. It’s difficult to get the hear pumping and then just sit down and veg.

I must admit, I’ve been dealing with a case of writer’s block lately, and have slacked off on my blogging.  I think it’s because I’ve been a bit overwhelmed at work lately. We recently went through a round of layoffs (as everyone has) and while I’m thankful for still having a job, my workload has pretty much doubled.

But I couldn’t let this day go by without saying something about its significance.  It truly is a historic day.  Not only have we seen the election of the first African American President in our nation’s history, we also saw the brilliance of our political system and how it actually supports true, peaceful revolution.

Sure, it’s great that record numbers of Generation X and Y voters turned out and voted for change, but it was also an example of a revolution by voters using the parameters of the constitutional system, as designed by our Forefathers.  We did it without violence, murder and riots.  We did it with our election process, which is quite effective when people participate, honesty prevails and the law of the land is upheld.  It was a democratic, civilized revolution by people who chose to exercise their right to vote for change.

Now I realize that only time will tell whether or not this day was the beginning of a revolution, or just the same old same old.  But I’m going to be hopeful and optimistic, something I will have to re-learn to do after the past 8 years.  But maybe this really is the beginning of a new chapter, where the good of the people truly rises above greed and Obama will hopefully lead by example.

Sounds like something worth believing in.  I think I’ll give it a try.

My dog has OCD.

Let me explain…

So you know those elevated dog bowl trays you can get at any Petco or PetSmart that elevate dog bowls off the ground, so they do not have to bend over to eat off the floor?  Well, we have one for our dog, Rocky.

Apparently these elevated trays are specifically designed to “promote better digestion” and “reduce air swallowing”.  I assume reduced air swallowing is supposed to reduce dog farts, but no one has explained that to Rocky.

Anyway, when I feed Rocky, I usually put his water bowl in the left tray hole, and his food bowl in the right tray hole, as pictured here:

Rocky Eating Food

Last week, without realizing, I placed his water bowl on the right side of his tray and his food bowl on the left.  I then proceeded to sit down at the kitchen table and chat with my wife.  As we were talking, we were interrupted by a dog whine.  We looked over to see him refusing to eat his food.  He just stared at me.  So I said, “Go ahead and eat, Rocky,” and resumed my conversation.  As soon as I started talking, he whined again.

I got up and checked out his food bowl.  Everything looked normal, so I once again encouraged him to eat with a pat on the head.

He just continued to stared at me and wagged his tail.

I was now perplexed.   I asked my wife what she thought was wrong.  She looked at the arrangement of his bowls and said,  “Oh, maybe he’s upset because his bowls are out of place.”

My wife swaps his bowls, pats him on the head, and without hesitation, the dog proceeds to eat every bit of kibble.

What goes through a dog’s head that makes him NOT want to eat because his bowls are not in the “right” order?  Do wolves only eat their kill on the right side of their favorite watering hole?  Apparently, it doesn’t matter what they eat, as long as it is on the right hand side of a water source.

Anyway, I am now wondering what the marketplace demand is for Doggy Feng Shui?  Hey don’t laugh.  I now have doggy therapy to pay for!

I possess the power to stop time. Crazy, right? I would have thought so too – had I not experienced it. This is some “Unbreakable” shit I’m talking about.

For your consideration:

I was standing near the bottom of the steps that lead upstairs in my home. My wife was getting our 2yr old son ready for bed. As I sipped my coffee and watched the weather report, I could hear them in his bedroom laughing and chatting. The scene was nothing more then ordinary.

On the TV, they were predicting some nasty weather. “Great…” I thought to myself. I had to leave for work in an hour and was running through the evening in my head.

From over my shoulder I heard the familiar patter of my son’s feet as he ran around playfully – I knew he was goading my wife into chasing him.

“WATCH OUT!” my wife called. There was panic in her voice.

I turned my head and out of the corner of my eye I saw our son’s feet slide off the top landing of the steps.

Time stopped. He appeared suspended in the air.

He was wearing his pajamas and socks. Obviously he had run away from her towards the steps but couldn’t stop as his socks slid on the hard wood floor. His expression was changing from laughter to confusion.

His body lowered in the air a tiny bit as the clock ticked forward. He reached for something, anything, to grab – but there was nothing but air.

I spun on my heels and extended my arm, hooking him under his arms and stopping his decent. His face just barely made contact with the top of the second step as I lifted him.

The clock ticked forward.

I held him to my chest and examined him. Nothing seemed broken. Nothing was bleeding. He was startled but already calming down. Injuries amounted to a fat lip that lasted less then 24hrs.

And I never spilled a drop of coffee.

Ever wonder how they pick Generation names?

* The Cartoon’s original source is unkown, this was a viral email attachment.  The authors of genxls in no way take credit for its publication

From the title of this post, I guess you can tell I’m in a silly mood, and feel like writing something.  So I’m gonna write something.

Something.

OK who didn’t see that coming.

Anyway, I know we’re only 7 days into the new year (8 if you live in Australia), but I thought I’d share some observations and goofiness from the past 7 days… or whatever.

Namaste, Bitches!

I just finished doing yoga 30 minutes before I started writing this post.  This is my 3rd session in the past 7 days.  This is not necessarily a new year resolution – I started doing Yoga in 2008.

I Love Yoga. I really do.  Now, if you know me, grew up with me, ever hung out with me or just saw me, you’d say, “There’s no way this bearded Ogre does Yoga.”  Well, F  you.  I do.  And I like it.  However, my biggest challenge getting in Yoga workouts these days is this “lifestyle imbalance” I have.

Due to my huge daily work commute, I have to get up at 5:10 AM every morning.  But by nature, I’m a night owl.  I love the night!  I like the dark, I like late night TV (Adult Swim!), I like to watch stars, planets and the moon, and I like the serenity of the world at night.  It’s nice.  But the downside is staying up late means waking up late, which I can’t do.  But, I can’t get to bed early.   Therefore, every day of my life, I never get enough sleep.  I know, you’re thinking, “well what about the weekends?”  Well, unfortunately, getting up at 5:10  and getting the dog fed and taken out by 6:30 4 or 5 work days a week means that my buddy has to wake my ass up no later than 7AM on the weekends.  Ugh!

But who can get mad at this face:

But seriously, guys, it is a great way to lose weight, feel youthful,  increase flexibility, reduce chronic body aches, and reduce stress.  And it’s very low impact on joints.  Take it from a guy who has had 3 knee surgeries on 1 knee, and is going to probably need a fourth this year.  Yoga actually helps reduce my arthritis pain. 

Ben Stiller.  Please go Away….

I saw Tropic Thunder 2 nights ago, and I can’t describe, from a comedic perspective, how weird this movie was.  Parts of it were hilarious.  Parts of it were awful.  Tom Cruise was funny, only because this was the last friggin character anyone would ever envision him playing.  Robert Downey, Jr was friggin hilarious in this movie, which goes to show how versatile he is.  Jack Black was funny, but there really wasn’t much to him in this movie, other than some funny fart scenes and a humorous portrayal of a coke head.  Thumbs in the middle for him.

Which now brings me to Ben Stiller.  Why doesn’t he just go away?  I can’t stand this guy playing the same whiny, bitch of a character in every fucking movie he does, while he uses the same 3 facial expressions in all his scenes.  I just don’t think he’s funny.

To Blu-ray, or not Blu-ray?

So, I’m thinking about updating my entertainment system later on this year, and I’m wondering if should I just get a new DVD player or should I finally jump on that realllllllly slow moving Blu-ray train?  Any thoughts?…..Any one?……..Bueller?  I know that if I decide a BR player is essential, then I will get a Sony PS3.  I don’t really need it for gaming, since I already xBox 360, but considering the price of a good BR player vs the Sony PS3, the PS3 is a greater value.  At least it was a year ago.

Obama worse President-Elect EVER!

I keep seeing people on the internets making these anti-Obama comments, like his administration (which isn’t even in power yet) will be one that creates American Socialism and that Obama is going to redistribute wealth.

Well, what about  the “Wealth” of our nation being stolen from US tax payers in the form of trillions of dollars in bail outs to banks and car companies under GW’s administration?  Instead of “Obama’s Redistribution of Wealth” plan, I think it would be more appropriate to call it a “Return on a Forced Investment in Corporate America” plan.

But I can see why you’d be pissed if you make more than $150K a year.  Your tax rate will return to the same levels under Clinton’s Administration, which also happened to yield 8 years of prosperity and a government surplus.  Man that sounds rough after 8 years of all those dividend tax brakes from Bush.  Sucks to be that guy, huh?

Well, I’m done here.

Thank you.  Please drive through.

I’m the responsible one.  I’m not the classic underachiever or quintessential slacker.  I don’t skirt my duties, nor do I underestimate the importance of the little things in life.  So, when it came to the question of  ‘do I enroll in cobra insurance’ after getting laid off in November, the answer was unequivocally yes!

This resounding answer was coming from someone that can count on one hand how many times he’s visited a Doctor in the past decade.  Still, I’m smart enough to know that sometimes things just happen and one stroke of bad luck can drown you in hospital bills.

After being laid off in Mid November and realizing that there wouldn’t be much available by way of work until after the New Year, I decided to take some much deserved time to myself and visit family in Florida.  My plan was to fly home on January 1st, a day after my insurance lapsed and immediately enroll.  Now, as I said, I never doubted that I’d enroll, I didn’t want to ever spend a day without coverage, but since I was away I figured I’d be okay with a day or two in between.  What could possibly happen.

Enter Murphy’s law.  On January 2nd, just 2 days after my coverage lapsed and still not in receipt of the Cobra package, I threw my back out.  This wasn’t new to me, I’ve had recurring problems for awhile.  While it can be quite debilitating, it didn’t normally require much more than bed rest.  However, as only my bad luck could have it, I started experiencing the most excruciatingly painful back spasms.  I’ve never had them before, I was completely unprepared for the intensity.  In fact, I wasn’t even sure what was going on, it was unlike anything in the past.  After a few moments of screaming like a school girl, I had to break down and call 911.

The absolutely irony of being covered by insurance literally my entire life and having to be rushed to the hospital in one of only two days without coverage just seems like a cosmic conspiracy.

I can’t even say this post should be a lessoned learned.  Anyone who turns down Cobra coverage is playing with fire. No, this little story is more about how life loves to slip in a nice kick in the proverbial nuts once in a while.

A lot of us tend to view diet and exercise as a temporary routine, a way to achieve a short term goal.  Whether it’s for an upcoming wedding or a summer beach house, we seem to program ourselves that this is a momentary sacrifice.  With this approach, a lot of the pre-packaged diet plans that focus on quick weight loss seem to be the most effective.  It will get your to the short term goal and allow you feel good about your success for awhile.  However, these programs will never transfer to a long term weight management solution, which is why most of us tend to yo-yo.

The question is, why live your life finding one reason after another to chase down the same 20 pounds when you can more easily find a way to change your habits and lose them forever.  Not only is it easier on your mind, it’s better for your body.  Weight gain isn’t just something that our bodies produce just to annoy us.  It’s a barometer for how well we’re treating ourselves.  Those extra 15 pounds are telling you that you’re not fueling your body properly.  While this might be most concerning for your self esteem, the real problem here is your long term health.

It’s not easy to blame ourselves for our malnutrition either.  Unless you have an advanced degree in nutrition, you won’t be able to see through the haze of advertising to see what’s actually good for you body.  In fact, those that do know the basic principles of eating right avoid 95% of what’s on the shelves at the supermarkets.

The food industry is a business.  The business, obviously, is making money.  What better way to make profits than to produce food cheaply and have customer’s buy it repeatedly?  How do you do that? Well, you cut corners in mass production, you make your foods as delicious as possible (which almost always means adding fat or sugar) and you make sure it can survive on the shelves long enough.  These myriad of ways to make food more profitable are linked heavily to the most common western civilization diseases.

Ever wonder why Cancer, Heart Disease, and Diabetes are so prevalent in our culture by not necessarily by others in the world or even our own ancestors?  Whether we are willing to admit it or not, our eating habits in this country are literally killing us.  You can reduce so many of these risks simply by returning to basic dietary principles.  Raw and wet foods that are delivered to your fridge the way they came from the earth are your best bet.  Severely limiting processed foods will not only shorten your waistline, but will lengthen your life line.

There is a ton of information available on the links of eating to the three major illnesses I mentioned.  Do your research and take care of your body so that, in the long run, it will take care of you!

I am Pro-choice. Very much so. I believe that there are far too many variables involved for anyone other then the potential mother to make the decision to carry a child full term or not. Current medical rationale is that a fetus becomes “a person” when there is detectable high level brain activity. Pro-life advocates would argue that it is a life from the moment of conception. Neither definition takes into account any emotional attachment, emotional trauma, financial burden, family situation, religious obligations, etc…

My wife has had 2 miscarriages now, and given birth to a beautiful son with a third pregnancy.
The first miscarriage was shortly after we were married. There was come concern that we may not be able to have kids and the miscarriage was very early into the pregnancy – a few weeks. Nevertheless, the emotional impact was devastating to both of us as we pondered whether we would ever have kids naturally. We spent a lot of time talking about adoption and fertility clinics. It would turn out that there was no need for either.

About 10 months later, my wife was pregnant again and this time carried full term and gave birth to a 9.5lb baby boy. It was a completely normal pregnancy with no real drama or notable concerns. Our hopes were renewed and we then began talking about how many kids we wanted and how far apart. We agreed that two was plenty and we would wait until our son was at least a year old.

Well, right around his 18 month checkup my wife told me she was pregnant again. We were elated. Everything was on schedule – if there is such a thing with kids and babies. Talks this time were more focused on finances, furniture, diapers, rearranging rooms and that sort of thing. We had no assumptions that there would be any issues with the pregnancy and remained cautiously optimistic. We talked about names and agreed that the middle name, should it be a boy, would honor her father. The first appointment with her doctor would be right around 8 weeks and we felt that it best to keep the pregnancy to ourselves until then.

That appointment was a little while back. We laughed in the waiting room as we recalled various moments from her prior pregnancy. Once in the exam room, the mood was still very light hearted. Her doctor examined her and I stood by cracking jokes about the birthing experience of our son. We thought nothing of it when her Doctor asked us to “head upstairs for a sonogram tonight.”

I stood behind the technician as she performed the exam and watched as she took measurements and zoomed into various areas. Finally, she focused in on the fetus itself to measure it’s heart rate. I marveled at the image. The head was clearly visible and small arms were forming – I am always impressed by these glimpses into the development. Even though it was still very “tadpole” like, I couldn’t help but view the image as a swaddled infant – recalling those early days with our son.

It was with that image in my head that I nearly gasped as she typed “NO FHM” over the image. She turned the probe and went from another angle – zooming in to the swaddled baby developing in my wife’s womb and once again typed “NO FHM.”

My heart sank. I wasn’t sure if my wife saw my expression change, but she said nothing to me.
The technician asked my wife to get dressed and turned to us and said “The fetus looks to be about 7 1/2 weeks, but I can’t detect a heartbeat. I’m going to bring the results down to your doctor, but you should head back down there from here.”

I knew what it meant; I’m sure my wife knew what it meant. Neither of us acknowledged what it meant. We simply went downstairs where her doctor confirmed it and scheduled the D&C to remove the lifeless fetus from my wife.

The emotions that I felt were hard for me to justify. This was not technically “a life.” This was just some cells in the process of developing. Yet I felt like I had lost a child. I felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment and loss over that swaddled infant I had seen on the screen.

Her doctor explained things rationally. 50% of all pregnancies result in miscarriages. There was nothing we could do to prevent it. I remained composed through it all for my wife’s benefit but felt very conflicted internally. I couldn’t understand my own feelings well enough to adequately understand hers at this moment. It was not the devastating feeling of hopelessness that accompanied the first miscarriage. This was anguish.

So when does a fetus become a “life” or a “person?” I would argue that a fetus becomes a “person” when a parent feels an emotional attachment even if that occurs prior to detectable brain activity.(*) An emotional attachment can be due to religious beliefs, personal beliefs or anything else. In my case it was nothing more then an image. It is then up to the mother to determine if she can adequately provide for this child, give it up for adoption or terminate the pregnancy. Government, state or federal, should not be making that decision.

(*)The caveat has to be made that once medically determined to be a “life” a mother’s emotional attachment is no longer a factor in that decision.

Happy New Year, everyone!

As we start our romp through 2009, I thought it might be a good time to think about home ownership.  Some of you GenXers might be looking to buy your first home and with all the foreclosures out there, 2009 might be an excellent year to find that dream house.  Good for you!

Then there are folks out there who might have to deal with a job loss, or some unforeseen issue that impacts your ability to pay your mortgage.  This is a tough situation, and considering the current trend of layoffs, one that many of us will have to deal with in 2009.

I have a couple of links here to help with either of these scenarios.  This first link provides info and advice if you suddenly end up in a situation where you cannot pay your mortgage:

Help for Home Owners Facing the Loss of Their Homes

This link will help you if you are lucky enough to be able to buy a home in these trying times:

Tips For Buying a New Home in 2009

I hesitate in giving advice on these matters, as I am not a professional financial planner, but one thing you might want to check out is services offered by Credit Unions.  Credit Unions offer some of the best financial products like no fee ATM usage, totally free checking with no minimum balance requirements, car leasing programs, etc.  They also offer hard-to-beat interest rates for all kinds of loans.  Credit Unions are usually pretty flexible with membership.  If you your job doesn’t offer a credit union membership, but a family member’s job does, that might be good enough for you to join.  And if you change jobs or move, your membership is unaffected.

Good luck and enjoy/save that Dream House!