New Duds

I hate clothes shopping.  

Always have.

So when I find something I like (in terms of clothes) I will wear it threadbare then use duct tape (or whatever means possible) to extend the life of said item.

I was a devotee of Dickie's brand jeans.  They were cheap and I could find my size at Kaplan Brothers in Minneapolis.  The quality was somewhat questionable but I could wear them out and get another pair quickly and easily.

Enter Duluth Trading Company.  Well before their advertising blitz of "Ballroom Jeans" and "Longtail T-shirts" to cover plumbers butt I was ordering from them.

The first item I purchased from them was a pair of overalls.  They were durable and solved the plumbers butt issue without adding additional length to anything.  There are more than enough pockets to carry everything a guy needs.

My favorite pair of pants that they sell are the Logging Pants.  The extra layer of denim over the front legs makes for a pair of pants that will never wear through.  I have two pair of these and they are what I wear exclusively.  They are worn threadbare but with no holes in knees, pockets or crotches.

However, the denim variety that they had no longer exists.  They do have a "Firehose" version of the pants and I will be getting two pair of these pants to see how I like them and a single pair of the "Ballroom Jeans" to try but nothing beats the Logging Denim Jeans.

As a fact, I have short legs.  For being six feet tall, my legs are 28 inches long.  My 5'6" wife has longer legs.  Therefore the following endorsement is key to making my life easier.

Their Long Tail T-shirts are easily the best shirts I have ever worn.  They are made of a heavier cotton blend and are long enough to cover my butt crack much to the enjoyment of all those dear to me.

I still hate clothes shopping.

Quality clothes makes the task of doing so few and far between.

Holding on...

Cuz this ride is gonna be fun!!

A spark of an idea followed by a little fun in a made up sterile space has turned a bit of fun into something pretty special.

Not gonna share all the deets here yet but needless to say that when the ride comes around and the whip at the back of the tram moves faster than I can imagine, I need to remember that I asked to do this!!

And Snak Shak, Let me know what you want for cookies... 

When you are presented with an opportunity what do you do?

A dream of mine is quietly and quickly coming true.   It is coming true based on my ability, interest, character and passion.  I know enough about myself to understand that I could easily wrap myself in this and become lost in it.  I have informed my loved ones about this and they have agreed to become spoilers when I get moving to fast or too far along (we all need spoilers.)

Hence the dilemma...  do I watch and see what becomes of this or do I grab on with both hands and become wrapped up in it  so tight that others may have to cut me loose if shit goes South.

I have weighed the pros and cons of this.  I know what is at stake.  I know what I have lost by not grabbing a hold of past opportunities. 

I also understand that my character would not have allowed success to happen in the past.  It would have been sabotaged by resentment and anger.  These are character flaws that I work through on a daily basis and thus far I feel as though I have been successful.

Life is too short not to take chances.  Especially when your character is on the line. 

I have the backing of my family on this one.  I know what I am doing and when I come across an issue I cannot resolve I also know that asking for help is not only an okay thing to do but it is expected.

I'll let you know how it goes...

On Being Happy...

That elusive joy called happiness is not a big secret...  you can have it if you want it.  You just want to have it.

Yes I know... it sounds too simple.  However inundated with commercial after commercial and ad after ad telling us that if we buy <insertproducthere> that you will attain a happiness that will be greater than your neighbors until he buys the next biggest thing will shred your thoughts of happiness down to the core.  We are trained to believe that we cannot have it unless we pay big bucks for it and even then there is no guarantee that you will be happy.

So what is it?  What is the big secret? 

I will be willing to share it but first you need to be willing to do a few things.  Thing 1... Turn off your damn TV.  It will do you no good to have the dream killer on while you concentrate on being happy.

Thing 2...  Live up to your own expectations.  Unless you are getting paid to present yourself a certain way it makes no sense to have someone set their expectations of who and what you are day in and day out.

Thing 3... Figure out what is yours (emotionally, financially, physically, etc...) and own it.  That means figuring out what does not belong to you and giving it back to whoever it belongs to or just letting it go. It also means taking back what belongs to you.  It is time to understand  what your willpower is and how it might affect others.  I would suggest giving your willpower to a higher power and let them give it to you as you need it, not as you want it.

Understand that happiness is like a puddle in the sidewalk.  People spend hours and days staring into it seeing if there is some understanding they might be missing.  They also take careful steps around it.  In some cases avoiding it as they don't want to disturb it.  Others will avoid it as they are not deserving of happiness.

Step into it.  Learn what it feels like and what you can accomplish if you let it.

Like the grace of God, happiness is there if you want it.  It is free of charge you just have to take it.

Dreams

Also known as "using dreams," have been with me since I found sobriety.

The latest had to do with drinking at work.  In the dream, there was a rule that there was no drinking allowed ever.  However, people got around this by hiding their rather large cans of Budwiser in very large can cozys.   In my dream I only had a cozy from Tom and Jess's wedding that covered only about 2/3rds of the can.  Everyone knew that I was drinking and the worse part was that I am in recovery. 

I woke up a bit pissed off and irritated with the situation.

Lessons learned:

1.  If I am gonna drink at work I need a bigger can cozy that will cover the entire can.

2.  My disease is patiently waiting for me to let my sobriety lose it's priority in my life.

Shifting Winds

Ruts...

I don't like them.  I don't like getting stuck in them.  I don't like it when others get stuck in them and ask me to help them uncork from them.

I am stuck in a rut.

My employer for the last 17 years has been good to me.  I have had the opportunity to grow and test some limits while they have my back on some of the decisions that have been made.  I have been allowed to express thoughts and ideas that have become part of a process in various areas in the workplace.

I am not complaining about my experiences here.  But it is time to see what else there is out there.  I am not getting any younger and if I ever wanted to begin to live a dream it is today.

I have not given notice nor have I a plan that will move the world.  But there is an opportunity out there that is merely an idea at the moment.  I need to move slowly and deliberately to  make it a spark and then nurture the concept until it is something that I can move on.

Until then, if I seem a bit anxious or distracted there is a reason.

Swearing

I generally don't like to swear.  I especially don't like to do it in the presence of my child.  For those that do choose to swear in front of G I have instituted a "fee for cursing"  policy.  $0.25/curse word.  The first one is free and after that each infraction costs a quarter.

G and I have had discussions on what is a curse and what is not a curse.  For example, Damn vs. dam.  One is a curse the other is a barrier designed to hold back water (generally.) 

Bitch in terms of canine references typically is not used but can be defined as such.  We were watching Harry Potter and one of the characters referred to a female dog as a bitch but it was in deference to Harry's mother.  Gray area but still allowable I would think.

Hell has become a bit tricky.  We decided that defined as a place and declaring it as such in the conversation will negate the fee for cursing rule.

Ass is another one.  Defined as a donkey is okay.  Defined as the rear end of an individual is generally considered vulgar and therefore a fee can be applied.

Application of the location rule can be varied but has led to some interesting situations.

During one conversation, Grandpa Jeff blurted out "He can kiss my ass!" then turned to G and said, "It's a place, Honey." 

I may need a ruling about this but after I stop laughing...