Mega Million Winner!

     OK so do we all know who won the Mega Millions jackpot?  Answer none of us!  OK, I won 3 bucks but all the hype of this big lottery and what everyone was going to do with their winnings made me think!  What would I do with all that money?  Can’t cure Cancer and can’t buy my favorite NFL team from Dan Snider but I can guarantee you I would be having a blast!  Holy cow what a party I would have, not Electric Palm with all my GF peeps party  but none the less it would be a great time had by all.

    This also made me think of something else, I would become an instant millionaire!  I already feel I am one in a lot of way.   I have great friends, a fun job with some crazy people and I am finally starting to enjoy life.  I do my own thing and still am conservative with some things, but I live in a nice house, drive a nice Jeep and I pretty much do what I want.  So in a nutshell I am rich!  Or you can say I am blessed, not with great looks or a smoking hot body, but I am blessed. Not Mendy or JC blessed but pretty close!  If we look hard enough we are all pretty blessed.  Some of us have grandkids we can spoil, some of us have wonderful families that are there in a nutshell, and some of us just plain have it good.  Granted we all struggle but we need to count our blessing!    Even with some of us having medical issues, we are still living and rich. 

     Have you heard the term Money brings you happiness?  You can’t buy happiness! I think having friends over, drinking, good food and playing music and games is the epitome of happiness, seeing your youngest son turning into a man before your eyes brings happiness.  Watching a rapper pulls up his pants, brings happiness!  LOL. So we did not win the mega millions, but we are richer than we think, at least I am!  Until next time!

The Super Bowl

So this weekend is Super Bowl Weekend.  This sports event will be viewed by more people in the world than any other program! Last year had over 111 million people, don’t know where they come up with this figure but that’s a lot.  Just say in, What has the super bowl become?  Some people focus on the food, which is the second largest day for food consumption in the US right behind Thanksgiving.  Some on the commercials and some actually watch the game.  There will be parties, get together and such and everyone will be having a good time.  Take a minute this weekend and remember the folks who will not be watching every second of it!  The United States Military folks.  I have a friend of mine that is an avid Giants fan and even though he is overseas he will be trying to get the game on AFRTS, Armed forces Radio and Television service.  Go Dennis! 

The super bowl is the big dance that most only dream of getting to. It is the annual Championship game of the National Football League. I think the playoff games are better than the super bowl.  If you root for my team, you don’t root for the super bowl, you root for a good draft pick!  Anyway, we are at Super bowl forty six, both teams have been there before, but should be a good game.  In Super bowl thirty two both teams met in the same fashions, with the New York Giants being the victors, I hope history repeats itself but I am going to be checking out the commercials.  The TV starts talking about the super bowl, its history, best plays etc at 12 PM, all day the TV is on talking about this and past Super bowls.  All day we are suppose to eat and when the big game hits, eyes are glued to the TV. 

I would like to see teams that have not been in the Super Bowl before play.  I am tired of seeing the Patriots, Packers, Steelers etc .  I think it would be cool to have the two last place teams in there every once in a while.  Hell maybe my Redskins would have a chance!  LOL, any way enjoy the game, enjoy the food and I hope who you are cheering on wins.  For me it will be good food, wine, good company, and relaxing, oh yeah and the game!  Enjoy, until next time.

Groundhogs day

Its Feb 2nd and this is whats making the news today, I figure they did not have anything else to report! So this is my take on it!

What is up with all these groundhogs predicting the weather?  You have the famous Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania; you have Hatteras Howard in the outer banks of North Carolina, a stuff animal in DC.  Guess he could run for Congress but that is another blog. Lol Anyway, Holy cow when does it stop? I know I missed a few but enough is enough.  Do you really think a ground hog can predict the weather?  They are rodents who live under the ground. Our meteorologist can’t even predict the weather.  They could get yesterday’s wrong.  I realize it has been a very mild winter, I mean 65 degrees in Jan is a bit much but If everyone just looked at the calendar they would realize we have six more weeks of winter.  We Delawareans know we get whacked with a bunch of snow in Feb around Presidents day. 

Ever seen the movie Groundhogs day, sure you have but let’s face it.  Some of us deal with that every day!  We do the same thing every day in and day out, see the same people, do the same job, it’s crazy.  So let’s face it, some things never change, winter is here, get used to it.  Get your snow blowers ready firewood in place, and wine by the case.  Sounds like it’s going to be a good winter, and in six weeks it will be spring. So put your big panties on and settle in for the winter we have six more weeks of it!  See ya in spring Until next time!

My Melancholy day

My day started off early yesterday and quite frankly it started out sad.  I was going home to a friend’s father’s funeral.  Had not seen Bill in about 30 years but one thing for sure that if you were a friend of a States street kid we were friends for life.  I got back home early and took a little tour of the area.  How it has gone down, some houses are not even there any longer.  I traveled down my old street and had to go up Kentucky Ave where as a kid I was always amazed how far away the state of Maryland was.  It’s really close, just over the river but funny thing was I have been to 49 countries and all 50 states but as a kid I thought it was so far away.

I traveled down Indiana Ave and headed to my middle school.  Could not get there as they planted a grass strip where the road uses to be.  I even noticed they had a name for the old dirt road that went back to the woods.  I remember leaning against the fence watching fights back in the day how it had all changed.

The service was at Riverview Baptist Church, where as a kid I went to services, Sunday school, and was actually baptized there.  It was a melancholy day but I felt a lifting that words could not describe.  I was sitting next to Leslie and Dave and it was a great experience for me as one side of me felt very uplifted but the other felt bad as I was there for a funeral.  Leslie was impressed that I knew the Consolation responses but I have good eye sight, I was reading the lady’s in front of me. We got a good chuckle out of that!

I came away from the service realizing how blessed I am. I have wonderful people in my life from my past and it amazes me how time separates us but we still are connected. I went to the services, had a beautiful lunch and said my goodbyes; I was back on the road heading to Delaware.  The pastor said some things that were mind boggling.  The one thing I took away from it was how cool it is to be blessed when you’re on this earth and how blessed you will be when you leave.   Until Next time!

Tough times!

I always wondered what made people tough and what is in their soul to make them do what they do.  First disclaimer is I do not consider myself tough.  I think of the single mothers who everyday raise their families.  I look at the military wife who has to face the everyday crap they have to put up with. I think of the vets who have lost limbs and going thru the recovery process, those folks are tough.  I look back at me and think of what I have done as far as my health.  Cancer, Strokes, Broken bones, I have had it all and survived.  Not tough just life! I look at people who everyday live with pain and go through the day as if nothing is wrong, those folks are tough. 

You never really know what kind of people you are dealing with.  I know a person who cuts themselves when they are dealing with stress.  Things look great on the outside but hurting on the inside.  Folks, who are dealing with weight issues, pressure from their peers, etc, not talking about high school peer pressure, but the everyday pressures of life.   We need to just be nice to people, I am sure you have heard the saying laughing on the outside but crying on the inside. 

I have not liked this 2012 year so far.  Way too many of my friends have lost their life, parents of my friends have deceased, people have lost their jobs, it is a tough year and we are only at the beginning.   For 2012 we have made resolutions to get in shape, lose weight, eat right, be a better person, etc.  I think the one thing we need to do is step in another person’s footsteps for a minute and try to understand where they are coming from.  Bet it is not easy!  Until Next time.

Happy Veterans Day

I have days that will never leave my mind. When I first fell in love in high school, when my kids were born, when my dad died, and when I retired from the military.  Thinking of all my friends and loved ones who have gone before me let’s remember what Veterans Day is all about.  It is not just a holiday but it is a time to not only thank a vet for what he did, but to think of those who made the ultimate sacrifice and will not be coming home to be with families.   It was originally established to honor Americans who had served in World War 1, but today it honors vets of all wars for their patriotism and williness to serve our country.

What use to be called Armistice day is now considered Veterans Day.  It started in 1919 by President Wilson to mark the end of the “war to meet all wars” It was considered a legal holiday in 1938.  There was some confusion weather it would be observed on a Monday or its original day of November 11, but in 1975 President Ford signed Public Law 94-97 stating it would be observed on Nov 11. All branches of the service, all men and women who served are honored! 

I am sure each one of us know a Vet, whether it be a family member ,coworker ,or friend, but they all should be thanked and given a thumbs up!  Vets are in all walks of life from CEOs  of large companies to homeless folks but each one of these folks can probably tell you of a sacrifice they had to endure.  Flags will be at half staffed there will be parades, ceremonies and such but one thing for sure.   These folks deserve a lot more than a day of thanks!  Some gave all some gave their lives!  My hats off to all vets weather you stayed in for only a few years to all those who retired, you made a difference.  Be proud of your accomplishments, you deserve this day!  Until next time

Happy Birthday USMC!

Ok so it is November 10^th 2011 just another beautiful fall day.  Leaves are turning, it is getting colder and we are getting ready for winter.  Just another day to some but to some very special folks this is the second most important day in the year besides Christmas.  That’s what I was led to believe anyway.

What is it?  It is the United States Marine Corp birthday.  To thousands of folks it represents the anniversary of the toughest fighting force in the world.  In my opinion if Chuck Norris wanted to be any tougher he would have joined the Marine Corp. He is an honorary Marine but not the real thing. He was though in the Air Force!  Just sayin.  Anyway,   I have been around the Marine Corp up bringing all my life.  My father was a Marine. He loved the Marine Corp so much he got married on the Marine Corp Birthday; OK he wanted a day off. I learned the Marine Corp hymn before I learned my alphabet.  I have several friends who were Marines and friends whose fathers were Marines. I grew up with a lot of folks associated with the Corp that is why they were so damn tough, Joanne even plays a good round if golf! Anyway, I remember liking this girl in High School. She was smart, very cute, and boy I was head over heels for her.  Her dad was a Marine Colonel and tough as nails and he scared me enough that I walked a fine line. He reminded me of Clint Eastwood in the Movie Hamburger Hill.  It did not help for my dad to say things like he knows more ways to kill you then you know how to die and things of that nature. 

There is no such thing as an ex-Marine.  Sure they have a retirement but you are always a Marine!  Think I’m wrong just ask one of them.  Some are not as lean or not as mean but their still a fighting machine!

They had humble beginnings that started in a little bar in Philadelphia PA called Tuns  tavern.  You can say the Marines started drinking cold beer and having an opportunity to serve their country Yep that pretty much sums it up.  The Marines are part of the Navy Department, if you ask a Marine they will tell you it’s the Men’s Department of the Navy LOL, anyway  They started as a protection force in the Revolutionary War and they have been protecting us ever sense.  Thanks to all the US Marines past and present. Semper FI, Happy Birthday and God Bless.  Have a great day! Until Next time!