Monday, August 03, 2020
Saturday, August 01, 2020
Friday, July 31, 2020
Wednesday, July 29, 2020
Sunday, July 26, 2020
Saturday, July 18, 2020
Friday, July 17, 2020
Watching what you say.
Sometimes you say. things you can not take back, a good friend of mine once told me. It's something that I've tried to remember when dealing with people. I have not always been successful, but I am not as bad as other people I know.
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Dinner at BootLeggers in Las Vegas with Anne
We went to BootLeggers in Las Vegas. It's a great Italian restaurant and we had a nice meal with Izzy's grandmother.
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Monday, July 13, 2020
Up at dawn in Las Vegas!
While alot of people are just now getting to sleep after a long night partying, I already getting up. 
Sunday, July 12, 2020
In Las Vegas.
Amber, Nico/Izzy and I are in Las Vegas to see Izzy's/Nico's Biological Grandmother on her father's side. Her grandmother is a great person and her son's mistakes in the past don't define who she is. 
Tuesday, July 07, 2020
Sunday, June 28, 2020
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Sunday, June 21, 2020
Monday, June 15, 2020
Sunday, June 07, 2020
Stuff
“Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realize how unnecessary many things are. We've been using them not because we needed them but because we had them.”
― Letters from a Stoic
― Letters from a Stoic
Wednesday, June 03, 2020
Green Bones, what I am reading now.
In Jade War, the sequel to the World Fantasy Award-winning novel Jade City, the Kaul siblings battle rival clans for honor and control over an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis.
On the island of Kekon, the Kaul family is locked in a violent feud for control of the capital city and the supply of magical jade that endows trained Green Bone warriors with supernatural powers they alone have possessed for hundreds of years.
Beyond Kekon's borders, war is brewing. Powerful foreign governments and mercenary criminal kingpins alike turn their eyes on the island nation. Jade, Kekon's most prized resource, could make them rich - or give them the edge they'd need to topple their rivals.
Faced with threats on all sides, the Kaul family is forced to form new and dangerous alliances, confront enemies in the darkest streets and the tallest office towers, and put honor aside in order to do whatever it takes to ensure their own survival - and that of all the Green Bones of Kekon.
Jade War is the second book of the Green Bone Saga, an epic trilogy about family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade.
On the island of Kekon, the Kaul family is locked in a violent feud for control of the capital city and the supply of magical jade that endows trained Green Bone warriors with supernatural powers they alone have possessed for hundreds of years.
Beyond Kekon's borders, war is brewing. Powerful foreign governments and mercenary criminal kingpins alike turn their eyes on the island nation. Jade, Kekon's most prized resource, could make them rich - or give them the edge they'd need to topple their rivals.
Faced with threats on all sides, the Kaul family is forced to form new and dangerous alliances, confront enemies in the darkest streets and the tallest office towers, and put honor aside in order to do whatever it takes to ensure their own survival - and that of all the Green Bones of Kekon.
Jade War is the second book of the Green Bone Saga, an epic trilogy about family, honor, and those who live and die by the ancient laws of blood and jade.
Long week of Boredom
It's been about a week since I last posted here. Time passes here without too much change. I do feel pretty good, however and am very positive. It's going to be a tough next couple weeks. I have to move out of my house and live in a hotel. Atleast when all the damage done by the flood is repaired it will be better than before, new carpet, wood laminate, baseboards and paint inside. My children wanted to go to see my Mom up in Humboldt county, but until this Covid 19 thing is over we won't be going. That means no surf camp. Just keeping them busy is tough.
Monday, May 25, 2020
Yesterday and Today
It was a heck of a mess the last couple of days. I took Marty, my father-in-law, to the emergency room and Loma Linda Univ. Medical Center. We spent 16 hours in the E.R. before he was admitted. He did get some great care and the staff was really fantastic. I think, Marty, just went in to get some pain relief and didn't get what he wanted, which was to be heavily sedated. They haven't located the reason for the pain in his left leg, but I am pretty sure it was related to the cancer he has. I also think he has a very low tolerance for pain. I got home at 4 AM this morning and woke-up at 9 AM so I could sleep tonight. I am beat today, although I did accomplish a few things that I wanted to get done.
Saturday, May 23, 2020
What I am reading.
“While the history books are filled with tales of obsessive, visionary geniuses who remade the world in their image with sheer, almost irrational force, I’ve found that history is also made by individuals who fought their egos at every turn, who eschewed the spotlight, and who put their higher goals above their desire for recognition.” – from the Prologue
Many of us insist the main impediment to a full, successful life is the outside world. In fact, the most common enemy lies within: our ego. Early in our careers, it impedes learning and the cultivation of talent. With success, it can blind us to our faults and sow future problems. In failure, it magnifies each blow and makes recovery more difficult. At every stage, ego holds us back.
The Ego is the Enemy draws on a vast array of stories and examples, from literature to philosophy to history. We meet fascinating figures like Howard Hughes, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt, all of whom reached the highest levels of power and success by conquering their own egos. Their strategies and tactics can be ours as well.
But why should we bother fighting ego in an era that glorifies social media, reality TV, and other forms of shameless self-promotion? Armed with the lessons in this book, as Holiday writes, “you will be less invested in the story you tell about your own specialness, and as a result, you will be liberated to accomplish the world-changing work you’ve set out to achieve.”
Many of us insist the main impediment to a full, successful life is the outside world. In fact, the most common enemy lies within: our ego. Early in our careers, it impedes learning and the cultivation of talent. With success, it can blind us to our faults and sow future problems. In failure, it magnifies each blow and makes recovery more difficult. At every stage, ego holds us back.
The Ego is the Enemy draws on a vast array of stories and examples, from literature to philosophy to history. We meet fascinating figures like Howard Hughes, Katharine Graham, Bill Belichick, and Eleanor Roosevelt, all of whom reached the highest levels of power and success by conquering their own egos. Their strategies and tactics can be ours as well.
But why should we bother fighting ego in an era that glorifies social media, reality TV, and other forms of shameless self-promotion? Armed with the lessons in this book, as Holiday writes, “you will be less invested in the story you tell about your own specialness, and as a result, you will be liberated to accomplish the world-changing work you’ve set out to achieve.”
Friday, May 22, 2020
Depression
Monday, May 18, 2020
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.[3]
Max Ehrmann, 1948
Sunday, May 17, 2020
Man's Search For Meaning
"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."
Viktor Frankl
Saturday, May 16, 2020
When it rains it pours.
It seems like I have had a run of bad luck this last couple of months. First it was the garage roof with a bad leak that damaged the underlying plywood and some drywall. Then a painter for the inside of the house that was forever coming up with excuses why he wasn't doing an acceptable job. After that it was Marty. my father-in-law coming over to live with us, while he is sick with cancer, and my step-daughter Brittany, whom I do not get along with coming home for an extended stay, say months. Lastly it was a flood in the house caused by the washing machine failing to stop filling with water and overflowing all over the floor in the laundry room, both kids rooms, the hallway, living room and dining room. Major repairs and replacement of wood laminate flooring, baseboards, carpeting, repainting. It will entail us moving everything out and back in, into storage containers. Everyone will have to go to a hotel or AirBnB for about two weeks. It's like I am just like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop.
On turning adversity into advantage:
On the occasion of every accident (event) that befalls you, remember to turn to yourself and inquire what power you have for turning it to use… If it be abusive words, you will find it to be patience. And if you have been thus formed to the (proper) habit, the appearances will not carry you along with them.
- Epictetus, Enchiridion
- Epictetus, Enchiridion
Monday, May 11, 2020
A quote to remember
Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.
ALDOUS HUXLEYContentment
“It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”
― How to Win Friends and Influence People
― How to Win Friends and Influence People
If this is true, I really need to change my thought process. I am fine with the material things I have, but not with myself as a person. I always feel that I don't measure up. Maybe it's just unrealistic standards, or just a general lack of the stuff that brings happiness. I don't know. I just someday want to content with who I am.
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