Some Thoughts of Thanksgiving

                              Remember , back in the day Thanksgiving Day was was much simpler . It was all about the turkey , football , parades , and the family , all the Aunts, Uncles , Cousins coming over . As kids we all sat at the kids table . Now if you looked around today , everyone at the adult table are the same faces as in the day when you sat at the kids table plus a few new faces . You begin to realise the adult table is the kids table . Only the conversation is about our jobs , the economy ,and politics , not the teenage idle that's on the cover of a teen magazine , or the poster of babe on your bedroom wall . On my wall were the Charley's Angels and The Police Woman . Frankly I was surprised my mom even let me put them up on my wall . Thanksgiving is not really the same anymore because the conversation of the women are of the sales they are going to hit that night and the next day . I long for the days when it was about sharing a meal with family  , where that day was an event not a prelude to Christmas sales . Am I wrong for thinking this , I don't think so . Its not the same special day it was so many years ago .
                            I do still hope that all had a great Thanksgiving Dinner with family .

             

   Well, here I am finally back here again . I have no excuses to offer, other than time just got away from me . Its funny how that happens on many things in our lives . You just say to ourselves I will get to it tomorrow , only many tomorrows and a blue moon later you get back to it . When you do you do not remember the draft you had started was about . Heck I do not know where this draft is going to lead either . I , to be honest , have no topic in mind to write about . Part my problem is no Idea's come to mind . I thought to my self if just sit down in front of the keyboard it would some how flow out from the tips of my finger tips .

                    I have not made any real contribution's to my G+ page either for that matter except for birthday wishes . Recently I decided I had better get more involved in my accounts . I just need to find something of myself that worthy of add to the discussion . Here lately it seems I have been on automatic pilot , I just been following the flow of things . I woke up lately and wondered what happened to the time . I had a book idea I started on and have not done anything on it , in about two years or more . I do have a two paragraphs on paper and some notes on ideas I want it to be about . 

                   Its been years since i have anything close to school or any kind of studying ,note taking or research . At times I think I might be to old to do it now . Not that I was any good at it when was in school . I am smart enough to realize that I only did what I had to do to get by . As got older , I began to see that this attitude was not going to carry me through life . A little extra effort goes a long way in your work life and relationships . I just got complacent and spent more of myself on work and my relationship with my lady and not doing anything about me . Its been wake up and go to work and respond to any crisis that she and her family comes up with . I have not done anything with or about who I am . It seems that work and her was all I was about , I basically lost me . I am sorry this is where I have to leave this right here . I hope that when I next sit in front of the keyboard I will meet myself again .

GETTING STARTED

                      Your reading the writing's of a professional procrastinator , this because a lot times I have no idea where to start on an idea or anything else for that matter. I have this idea for a book that I came up with while writing blog over a year ago . It just will not fade away ,like many others I had . I find my self searching web sites for how to write a book and sites about the time period in which I want it to be .
                    The problem is just is putting pen to paper and getting that first word out of the way . I do all this reading and have no idea how to sort out . Then when I think I am finally think I am going to get my Great American Novel started , life just seems to get in my way . The same as it has in writing this blog , I do not write in blog as much as I should . Some of the advice that just keeps being repeated over and over is write something every day no matter what it is . This seems to be harder than it sounds . Work and relationships just at times do not allow me the the time to work diligently on my ideas . Some I sitting here at my key board ready to add something to this blog , it just is nothing willing to flow out of the ends of my fingers . I end up staring at blank screen for while before I give up .
                 I will never get started this way but sitting here putting this may the start in the right direction , I just have to make time to do this every day or at least once a week . I realize I am just going on and on , but it seems the best way to get this of my chest . Also by putting in writing it should hold me accountable to what I need to do .
                I do thank you for allowing me to express my thoughts . I just for once in my life , I would like to follow through on something . So many things in past I had started and never finished . Once I thought about becoming a carpenter and now after all those classes an training in the Air Force in it , I now work in a kitchen . I also thought about being a Disc Jockey once , I did for while when I was in the Air Force . I was stationed at Castle Air force Base , I did this at night at the clubs on base around 78 and 79 . When I left there for other parts of the world I had the intention to carry on with it . Needless to say it never happened .
As with many other things in my life some I regret and others never give much thought to . As you can see I have a history putting things off . Again thanks for letting me getting this in the open .

OFF ON A LITTLE TANGENT ; AND MEMORIES OF MUSIC

                Yes , have written my blog rather infrequently as of the last few months. This generally due the fact that I have had a lack of inspiration .The urge to write has hit me . So here I sit in the early mourning hours of a Thursday with a chill still in the air and a pot of that ever important coffee brewing . Yes what a way to start a day the smell of coffee and the sound of music in the air waiting for the sun to arrive . You hear the occasional siren break the silence outside to let you know there is a world going on out there . This reminds us that the world does not stop at the front door .
               As was laying in my room when the urge to write came over me , feeling the mourning chill I turn on some music , I knew what it was that  what I wanted to write about . How music played a roll in my life , how it is some how attached to the memories in my life . Also how my taste in music changed in my life .
               One Christmas my parents got us kids a portable record player with the usual children's records . They nursery rhymes and the like . This for a time was our music except when dad would play his Big Band and country music . Remember this was in the lat 50's and early 60's .  Then came the the year I got my first transistor radio . My grandmother got it for me it looked like walkie talkie , it had a picture of Vic Morrow as Sarge from the show Combat on it . With this radio was my first intro to AM radio , I don't remember much about the music I listened to on it , but I do believe I remember the first song I heard on it . Petula Clark's Downtown . I think this song had a lot to do with what my vision of what being downtown should be like . To this day it is some what what think of downtown is all about . These days people do not call it that much any more its around here it is referred to as uptown .
               Isn't funny how music makes you see, feel about and remember things . Music somehow becomes an important part how you remember things , becomes a part of your emotional feelings of those memories . You could be riding down the road listening to the radio , then a song comes on that you may not have heard in some time . Then wham , a thought you haven't had in some time comes over you .
              We were living in Rhode Island when my old man was stationed there . Across the street form the housing we lived in The New Port Jazz Festival was happening . This was in the summer of 69 . My first exposure to hippies and the music . We could see all the long haired kids dressed in all manner dress . This was my first real exposure to the culture and the peace movement also the music that surrounded them . This was when I first heard of Bob Dylan . Heck my music teacher in school had said I sounded like him . Then my Dad got orders to Nam , we moved to Michigan . This where my musical growth sort of floundered for a while . We so far out in the corn fields that we were kind of sheltered form popular culture .
            That was until High School , I started working on the farm down the road . This where I learned about hard work and developed  my work ethic . But this is where I got the money for my eight track boom box . Yes , I was one of those that just had to invest in that dinosaur . It had a AM ,FM radio on . This was in the early seventies , I found the world of the underground radio , that came from the big colleges near bye . This where I heard ,progressive rock , some hard rock . All album oriented , they played whole albums at a time . My horizons where expanded . Zappa entered my sphere among others . All the while still listening to my fathers old 78's and the country he had on the car radio . We watched Don Kirchner's Rock Concert on Friday nights , And Wolfman Jack's Midnight Special . Oh yes I was waking up my musical tastes . My dad still tried to influence my musical taste , as I got older he had more influence than I realized . I find myself wanting to hear some Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin and the like .
             In 77 I went of to join the Air Force , my first duty station was in California I was introduced to disco , I even DJ"ed and worked the light show on base During the entire time I was there . We would find our selves on Saturday afternoons at the lake practicing our dance moves bare footed in the grass . Then that night we would try them out on the dance floor . It was a memorable two years . I found my self on my way to West Germany , That's when Rock and Roll came back into my life . I spent around five thousand dollars on what thought was the ultimate stereo . Every pay day I would spend around a hundred dollars on albums . Every chance I got I would buy concert tickets for shows around West Germany , my taste grew harder and blue influenced . While there I had seen many of the big named bands perform including some the big name German bands . I even got into polka at the beer tents at the beer fests around the area .
            I got out of the service and moved to Florida and listened to a lot glam rock , and the kind rock you would hear on Miami Vice . In the Nineties I moved to the Carolina's and found I was listening to Grunge all the long . Who new Neil Young was considered grunge . I would never have thought .
            Here I am now in the next century in my late fifties and my musical tastes are still growing , ever since I introduced a computer in my life and found Internet radio . I am even finding out about bands that I never heard of from the past that wish I knew of then and new music from present . It is amazing how far I came since that little record player in my child hood . The changes in music , technology , and memories I have gained through the years . Yes music is truly the sound track to our life's . So listen to what ever you like and build on your memories and enjoy .

THE FIRST POST

                       Yes this is the first post for the year , for that matter in a while . I have been rather neglectful for the past few months . Although a lot of thing have happened in my life during that time . Some have been major changes and going to effect some changes this year .
                       Last year I said I was going to work on some projects . The thing like many things I started with good intentions , I mean I did put in some effort on them . I just did not follow through on them . Its kind of hard when you have a major distraction to pull you away from the path . I don't want to make excuses , because there are no real excuses to keep you away from the goal . If it was a true goal , nothing should keep you away .
                    I am not making any new year resolutions , 99.9 % of them never happen . Yea , we start on them but eventually we forget about them .
                 I started this blog over a year ago , but I at times just don't think about it . In the beginning I was full of ideas , the the ideas just seem to slow down . I was not being realistic about it . This year I am going to try to post at least once a week . Maybe on Sunday .
              Last year I had it in my head that I was going to write a book . I had the idea for what it would be about , but no idea how to get it started . I did a lot of online searching on the basis of the story , but lack of inspiration and some imagination to get going . I still thick its good idea . I guess I will kind of nibble away at it ,till it just happens .
            This year I also have other issues , that needs to be handled and gotten out the way . I am not going into them here , because they are personal . But maybe once they are out of the way every thing else will fall into place  .
           There I go , I now have my resolution for the year . Something simple to work on and not so concrete or black and white . My goal for the year is just get it together .
   YEP THAT'S IT JUST GET IT TOGETHER !!!

PERSPECTIVE GAINED

                             You , know its amazing that on some things life you can have some perspective on what is expected , needed to be done ,etc. On others you can have no clue what so ever . You just go through motions or just do not make any attempt at all . You know , just ignore it and think it will solve it self . You can have all these ideas , hopes and dreams . But nothing good can come out of them with some perspective of how or when they can be , or even relevant . You know how there is something big in your mind that you want to do and you have know idea or clue of how to get it started . Yes you can have all these things going on in your head , but they will never mean a thing till you get a grip .
                            Yea , when talk about them , people look at you and go Right ! All these ideas and thoughts and you never get a start on them . Just run your mouth . Well recently I have got an handle on an idea in my head . I finally took some steps on an Idea in my head . I mentioned a few times . Well I printed up a format for this project , even developed a task time line with self imposed dead lines . Okay , I know what saying , he will never follow through . Well I figure that by writing about this in my blog not only am i answering to myself , I have the net to answer to . See once its out there on the net , every one knows I have this project . So I feel that the net will be harder on me and hold me to task at hand .
                            Also , I have last week informed my family of my idea , so know I will hear " How that thing coming along "  I had also asked to borrow some books from dads collection to aid in the research also  ' I guess what I am saying ere is , there nothing like a trip home with family to bring back some sense of perspective on life . I guess for many years I have been just out there , you just going through the motions of living with really living . Now I have some sense of urgency to complete some things . I had started one and now to go on to the rest . Well actually I have started more than one . This blog is part of that bigger picture .                         Part of what helped is the long train ride there and back . While on the trip I met and talk to a few people . The biggest thing was the people watching . You begin to notice them going about like ants in a ant farm . They go about their business in their life . Not that they are oblivious  or don't care about whats going on in our country or the world around them . We all know this affects them but life does not stand still because our world leaders can't agree on any thing . Our government can't agree on how to manage a checkbook , but reality we have to go on making our money . So as we can manage our money and pay the taxes so that they can waste in any manner they chose . And force on us things we do not want or need . Whoa , I did it again I took a left turn instead of going straight ahead .
                        I was writing about how my perspective came back around . Just seeing all those people going about their travel , to do what ever . Just shows you that no matter what it is , life still goes on . The wheel of time just keeps rolling . You need to get on the wagon before it passes you by . Basically  , have an idea , take action on it no matter how small a step . The next step you take may be bigger and hopefully it will snowball from there . And before you know it you have accomplished something . At least that's how I hope it works , I will just nibble away at it ,till take a life of its own , baby steps till I am running with it .
                      Yes , this post is more of a pep talk to myself . If someone reads it and takes it to heart ,that's
an added bonus .

GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL : REVISTED

                Back when I first started writing this blog , I wrote that someone needs to come up with a great American novel that could dare to sit on the same shelf with them . A person that read that blog suggested  that may be the one that has it him . Will over the past year that idea has been kicking around in my head .

                       

                       Well I have some idea just floating around in my head . Over the year I did some research on the net . Found a few sites with some information on the time period , what I found will be helpful . Last week I borrowed a set of books from my dads collection . I started reading them I found that this set had the things I was looking for . I have been only reading them for a day , but my idea clicked . Then came to mind how and where do I start . While on the net , I found a few sites that may be able to point in the right direction .Such is tech these days . But really it old and new tech that has got my head to working . What read yesterday and the site I found to give me a place to start from . 

       

                          As I walk the building where I work , as I was doing my job , my mind just wondered with ideas and thoughts of the possibilities of where the story could lead me . I have not been this excited over a project since I started this blog . Which when I started this century , when bought my first computer . Now I also have a tablet and have them both with links to each other so that no matter where I am at . I can still do some work on my idea .The trick is to keep the vibe going , so that I may see this to the end .

                           Do I have that story in me , let alone the imagination to pull this off . Its said that every one has that one good story in them . Right I am not seeing it , but I have only just begun , Right now I have only an idea . I just have to add one piece at time until it develops into that story . I will have to let the idea lead me to where it wants to go . 

                          I just had to get this out there . I figure by putting this in my blog I no longer will be just responsible to my self .This makes me accountable to my blog and all whom reads this post , and all the other posts I have made . Once I push the publish bar , Its no longer an idea , it will take a life of its own . 

                            To all those who take take the time to read my ramblings , I thank you . Every time some one whom gives me a hit on my blog , that will give me encouragement to continue . Its telling me I have something relevant to say and the idea may become a book . Once it becomes the book , its up to the book ,where it goes . It will take a life of its own , no matter how long it lives .Well see you at the keyboard or with a nose in a book . Oh yes ; check the post THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL .

I DID IT THIS TIME , WENT OFF ON A TANGENT AGAIN

                      Its been almost a week since my last post which I have no good excuse , and have over the past few months I have not given this the attention I should . This has been an eventful and a week full of thought about family . I had decided to take the train home which was a 36 hour adventure . The the usual train delays , 4 and 5 hour lay overs there and back . Don't forget the people that you meet along the way ,and this the perfect way to people watch . Not to mention the time you spend thinking about everything ,and man there was plenty of thinking being done this trip .
                     The purpose of this trip was to honor my Dad and lay him to rest with his wife , my mother . The apprehension on my part is I had not been home since mom passed and over time I let it get ahead of me and just lost touch with every one . Again this was all my doing . I was not sure of the reception I would receive when got there . This was what I was thinking of on the way up , but the worry was for nothing . My brothers and sister welcomed me . All fears were out at ease in the first moments after seeing my Uncle John . Because this I realize I really should make an extra effort in keeping lines open . Which is now made easier with e-mail addresses exchanged and all that .
                  Yes , I do regret not being in touch all this time . That is neither here nor there now . The lines have been opened , now must remain that way . I also should double the effort to improve thing with my only child . Also in the past few weeks my 57th birthday came up and among other things . It kind of makes you think of your own mortality . It makes think about your relationships with the people in your life . With that long ride on the train , this was the subject that was on my mind ,most of the time .
            You think of the dreams of what you thought your life should been like according them and the reality of what is now . You soon realize the large difference between them . Another thing you think of the projects that you never finished or even started . The thing to to do now is come up with plan of action to move forward , to see them come to life .
             Another thing I have noticed in the first day back home is that the relationship with my other half seems to have improved some . All in all life is looking up right now .
               During the ride there I meet with people whose life was no different than mine . Their concerns were about the same . Their thoughts were all on what they need to do to make this life work and the mess that our government is and how its affecting there lives . I found its pretty much the same around the country . Although the reasons they were traveling were as varied as the people who were on the train . All had their own concerns and thoughts of how to get there , but the results they were looking for are the same . Making the best of their lives ,and how to make work .
                The road people travel on in their lives is as different as the people . The route the take depends on the individuals , their background and where their mind is at . Oh yes , we do make a lot of wrong turns along the way . There is no one road map for all of us to follow , if there was life would be real easy . The fact of the matter is its not and there is so many road block placed in front us . its the choices that we make the make it so hard . And once that choice is made , we can not back to intersection and change it . We have  to get back on the right from where we at . It is never easy to get back on track and to get where you need to be . You just have to looking ahead and keep an eye out for road signs and hope you make the right turn you need .
                All these thoughts came to me while traveling the rails this week . Some of the came from my own thoughts ,others came while observing people as I went across our great country . As I talked to people , listened and watched them . I found that most people have much the same concerns as I have . Although there were those that believe in the legend and propaganda . They those that say it is so because they said so . The never state facts just ideas and opinions . Any thing they say they will not question it , just believe it is so . This goes just as well for politics as it does for religion .
                When you take a long road trip you plenty of time to ponder what you have heard and thought about . As usual when you travel for the reason I did you think about all these things . You think about ,If you are living a life worth living . I know my Dad has , with all the places he has been and all the things he had done in his life . Married to the same woman his whole life . He helped raise us four kids ,if I may say so we turned out alright . We were not perfect , we did screw up , but we came out alright . My parents did a good job with us , without the help of all parenting experts . When we were growing up there was no Dr. Phil , Oprah or any of these so called experts on TV. The did not need a book to tell them what to do when we were wrong .Plain and simple going to bed without dinner did fine with me ,except there was the occasional butt whopping . At times I still feel the whoppings but this all made me a better person I hope .
                   You hear all these thoughts and ideas or lack there of , I soon realize for the privilege to think and believe this way , my old man give the best part of his life so we can do so . BUT for our do nothing government to do absolutely nothing be it local, state or federal he do not do his duty to God and Country to make no progress . For this He did give up most of adult life .The people in office need to remember there group of people whom gave of their life so you can sit up there and play chicken with our tax money and our country's legitimacy , your sadly mistaken . So get of your duffs and lets make this thing call democracy working . Show rest of the world that we can make our system work , continue the experiment our founding fathers started . Well I went of on a tangent this time .

A LONG TRAIN RIDE

                        Today I find my self taking a long train home to honor my fathers life . I left Charlotte in the early hours of the mourning . I m finding that since I came to realize that I was heading home for the first time in a long time I have not slept much since yesterday mourning . Could not sleep at all on the way to Washington DC where I connect to Chicago to make the final leg home . I not seen or spoke to members of my family in ten years . I do not know the reason why , I think it my I will call tomorrows but tomorrow never came . Time just moves to fast .
                      I am uncertain of how I will be received . None the less I am going home to honor the man whom helped make the man I am today . This I know , I am not any where near I expected to be this time of my life . Yes ,I have made some poor choices , that I have to live with . One choice I made is to stick to the side of my lady no matter what kind of drama I went through . Man , there have been times that I did not think I would make it to the other side . Some times I wonder how I hung on to my sanity .
                     As I have been riding the rails home , my mind would often drift to thinking about my life with my dad and the rest of the family . All in all , I would have to admit that times were good .It was much simpler then . At that time the remote control for the TV was one of us kids . We would have to turn the dial and adjust the rabbit ears . Of course the young today would not know anything about that . I would think of the times I would walk through the neighbor's corn field and woods with my dog and eight track just jamming to who ever was on at the time . Mom or Dad would step out on the back step and yell . When that occurred you best come a running . Usually that meant dinner time , I am not one to miss dinner , you can bet your life I was running . I loved to eat ,and eat I did . Mom said I had a hollow leg , she could never understand where put all the food . It was a good thing that we had a garden , all of us had to spend some time in hard labor in it . In that garden we grew every thing ,potatoes ,tomatoes ,corn , strawberries and anything else that we could eat .
                      Every fall was busy with mom canning everything she could , yes we had to help with that to . But with all that hard work we ate good . Oh yes do not forget dads homemade horseradish . That stuff would send flames out your nose . It cleared the sinus's for sure . These have been some of my thoughts on my way home to Union City Mi. while sitting here in Washington DC . I am sure there will be more to add when I get to Chicago for my next lay over . I should be in Battle Creek Mi by 8 pm tomorrow .

ALL HANDS ON DECK

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