Normal

Before I go off on my usual tangent or rant I want to take a second to wish a lot of my friends well.

I really want to wish a happy fathers day to Sully,Annah,Keith and Tim. I hope you all get some quality time with those who have made this day yours..


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And away we go!


I've had a lot of time to think over the last week about things and this one theme keeps popping up in my mind over and over again. What exactly is "normal" and how do we not only perceive that but achieve our own sense of it within ourselves.

When young boys are asked what they want to be when they grow up they often respond with being a fireman or a policeman and little girls with doctor or nurse, typical positive role models hopefully. When asked that question looking back on it maybe a good answer would have to just been "Normal"

So what is a sense of normalcy in our own lives vs those that society places on us within our given roles? I remember dealing with a range of emotional issues as a kid and not only feeling out of place in my world but also very abnormal. As a teenager being in an awkward place in life I had got myself to the point where I actually believed there was something deeply wrong with me mentality. This wasn't because I was learning disabled or weird, but more so because I didn't always feel like I belonged where I stood in relation to others in life.. I never felt intelligent even though later in life this would prove to be way off base..

I often sit and think about the human race, peoples perceptions and social advancements over the course of history. It is very apparent that human beings have evolved and grown more intelligent. We as a species have continually evolved to become not only what we are presently but much more advanced for generations to come. In this thinking I have always fallen back on 1 idea that I seem to get stuck on...


"The smarter and more advanced the human race becomes the more fucked up we become!!!"

We look at each other with specific labels, expectations and worst of all judgments. This isn't to say that society doesn't have its share of pariahs, but anything that is deemed different is always boxed and shipped out as a negative thing. The only way we as human beings can continue to evolve is to accept that there are no true boxes when it comes to the human brain.

Everything seems to be negated to black and white, right or wrong yet there is rarely ever a shade of grey when it comes to how we view other people. We are constrained by religion,politics and hatred by people who view difference as not only deviant but wrong.

One of the things in being involved with internet bulletin boards over the last 10 years or so is the richness in not only meeting and interacting with new people, but learning about the values in what makes everyone different.

Difference is not an abnormal thing and it is that individuality that helps each person shape their views and help the human race move forward by thinking outside of the proverbial box.

So why do we judge and allow people to be dictated to for simply being who they are?

Take the case of gay marriage for instance. While I can understand the control of marriage within religion defining a man and a woman specifically for the act of procreation it baffles me to think that it needs to over flow into civil life.

So why can't we extend the box to state that 2 human beings can not only love each other but share in each others lives such that all their possessions and rights are protected by law. I've always believed the constitution was setup in a manner to not infringe on the right of any minority yet we allow the religious right to not only dictate to our spiritual laws but our civil laws as well.. All because they what view as different they are allowed to label as wrong behaviour...

Do we look down on other cultures because they are different or do we fascinate ourselves by learning the richness of others who in fact contribute intellectually,spiritually and artistically to the foundations of the human race ...

I think it is about time we all learn to lose the hatred and just move forward together and worry about our own differences not those of others ...

Family time

Well I haven't posted in a few days but I felt this was a fitting thing to share. Last night I got to spend some quality time with my daughter. This was time that was not only long overdue for the two of us, but time that we couldn't have shared 2 years ago.

It's tough growing apart from the people you love so I really got to enjoy being around her and embracing her time. I'm hoping we are able to steal more of those moments in there future because that short time last night meant the world to me ...

Well isn't this fitting ...

You Are Samuel Adams

You're fairly easy to please when it comes to beer - as long as it's not too cheap. You tend to change favorite beers frequently, and you're the type most likely to take a "beers of the world" tour. When you get drunk, you're fearless. You lose all your inhibitions. You're just as likely to party with a group of strangers as you are to wake up in a very foreign place.

What's Your Beer Personality?

New days

With my daughter being home and needing transportation to her job she has been borrowing my wife’s car. Normally I start work at 7am so I’d leave my house around 6:30 am but that’s changed a bit as Diane has been driving in with me and taking my car. Her hours are earlier than mine are so I’ve offset my work schedule to 6 am to 2:15pm so they coincide with hers.

I hate getting up at 5am for work, it is definitely a drain on me but I have to say the positive side of it has been that my work days fly by and I enjoy getting out earlier, especially now that the weather is getting nicer.

Diane had an appointment this am which meant I got to take my car but instead of going in late I find it much easier to maintain the 5am routine so that I’m not messing myself up by doing the old yo yo routine.

This morning was an awesome morning to say the least. As I got to see one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve seen in quite some time. I was actually bummed out that I didn’t have my camera with me to get a memory of it.

The sun was cresting on the horizon and there were some hazy clouds riding the line between the horizon and the sunrise cutting through ½ of the lower edge of the sun. The sun itself was a magnificent red color and it was so surreal it was almost postcard like.

It is mornings like this that have now started to become enjoyable times for me. In the past I would have gone about in my grumpy unhappy manner not paying ½ a mind to things but now the beauty of the morning is something I’m able to savor and enjoy, boy how times change.

Funny how I’d never noticed it in the manner I could today …