DISPATCHES FROM THE GHOST MOOSE

Had a lovely dinner with my brother, sis in law and nephew...watching the Hawks...but in keeping with the Everest/handicapped climber theme, I couldn't get this out of my head: do you know why I refuse to climb Mt Everest if they allow double amputees and blind climbers? because the double amputees and blind climbers would complain that I am blocking the path to the summit and slowing them down.  there...now I am done for 2017

I would be remiss if I did not have a 2017 recap show like all the news programs.  here goes: - my golf game sucked.  I play way too much to be this bad. - after 34 years of being married, I am getting divorced.  I was married way too long to be so bad at being married. - I did lose 15 lbs. only 30 lbs to go. - I have the best friends and family in the world - my son called me today - I did not win the lottery.  I do have 2 tickets in my wallet.  Maybe one of them is a winner. - since Nepal is banning double amputees and blind people from climbing Mt. Everest, I will protest by cancelling my planned trip to Mt. Everest. Just can't do it. If anyone needs climbing gear, let me know. so...that is pretty much what happened to me in 2017.  who knows what 2018 will hold.  I hope all of us are around a year from today so we can compare notes.

The last day of 2017 is upon us.  and good riddance to this year.  It has not been a good year for me, and I guess 2018 will not be great until the divorce is final.  But it is something to get through, and be better for it.  No other way to look at it. At 59 yrs old, I look at how much sand is left in the top half of the hourglass.  If I make it to 80, that is 21 more years - a decent amount of time, but a lot less than what I have lived so far.  Makes me wonder how did 59 years pass so quickly...you wake up one day and realize you are getting old.  but it beats the alternative.  all the more reason to live life to its fullest...each day.  because we only get a certain amount of days, and most of us don't know what that number is. The last bears game of the season is on now.  a few good college games on tomorrow, then back to work Tuesday. happy New Year, all.  here's hoping 2018 is a good year. update - I read a story that...

Yesterday got away from me and I forgot to post.  Of course, I had nothing to say, like most every day.  3 days off left, then back to work.  and still cold.  once we hit January, it's supposed to be cold anyway.  of course it was 72 last February, and hoping for that again.  Maybe one out of 10 years we get to golf in March.  maybe this will be the one. more college bowl games today.  The college and nfl seasons went fast as they always do.  the nfl playoffs will go into February, then Nascar starts.  kind of sad to mark the seasons by what is on tv. I already went to the health club,  and going to hit some balls at the golf dome.  that should be enough activity for this old carcass.  this is certainly an uninspired posting. 

Not as cold today.  10 degrees is tolerable.  when the temp is below zero it gets a bit dicey. Got to the health club today.  I think that is 6 days in a row.  Now if I can just work out harder when I go there.  That will be next steps. I went to buy a vehicle sticker today.  The woman at the counter asked me if I was over 65.  Just like when I looked up the old actress and saw she was a year younger than I....kind of a buzzkill.  and for the record, I don't think I look like I am near 65 let alone over 65.  Then again, If I could have saved a few bucks I should have said yes. the other thing for today is that I saw a story in the business section that Mattress World is closing 200 stores.  That will only leave about 100,000 (give or take 200) mattress stores.  At what point did someone decide we needed so many matress stores?  There is a mattress store in every strip mall. still trying to get my first draft finished....

Still bitter cold.  and no change in sight.  Worked out at the health club...trying to do a little more each time I go.  so far so good. I struggled with whether to write the following or not, but since I am now writing of it, I guess I made the call.... I did not hear from either of my kids on Christmas.  no call, no email.  I am not surprised, just disappointed.  Divorce is between parents, and kids should not be involved.  just shows you the attitudes involved.  I guess this is how it will be.  I extended the olive branch to both of them, to no avail.  I have called...one sometimes picks up, the other does not.  Not much different from before - I would reach out more than they would...but now that is done.  I was made to feel more welcome by my friends sons at his Christmas party on Friday. A Christmas where I neither gave, nor received any gifts. I hope they didn't learn that behavior from me. as I said to both, if...

Watching NIU (my alma mater) play in a bowl game with my brother...the game is a stinker.  So I am posting to the blog instead of working on my book.  ok - so I took today off.  Will try again tomorrow...health club, then sit down at the keyboard.  Speaking of the health club, I really haven't done much working out in my last few visits to the health club.  Steam and whirlpool, but not much physical activity.  I did a bit more today, and will do the same tomorrow.  maybe actually get the the point of working up a sweat.  I have until Monday to ramp up to that level.  Another goal I have for this week is to get closer on signing a lease on an apartment.  Maybe I will do that tomorrow after the health club.  I really have to get that done.  There's a few milestones I have to pass on this divorce odyssey, and that is the first.  Well, the first is to decide to split, but you know what I mean.  Oak Island is not on ...

Went outside earlier - 5 below zero.  I hate cold weather.  Of course, only a fool would stay in Chicago if they hated cold weather.  Time to consider moving to a warmer climate.  Every other season flies by, but the 3 months of sever winter weather drag on forever.  Next week it will be January, and the winter clock is in full swing.  Maybe we will get 70 degree weather in February again, like last year.  Since that was the first time ever, probably not. Time to take advantage of my week off.   Off to the health club, then probably work on the draft of my book, or at least do some research on how to get it published without spending too much out of pocket.  My goal for 2018 is to find out if there is any value in the project.  At a minimum, get it finished and post it online for free.  Then maybe write a book that does sell. at any rate, time to get moving.  and start freezing.

I had a nice day with my brother's family.  Great food, great conversation, great family.  Tonight we watched Home Alone.  There was a part where Kevin is walking home after talking to Santa and he sees from the sidewalk a family party going on in a house...Everyone happy and festive.  Kevin has a look of someone that is left out.  I know what he must've felt like in that scene.  But, I had family that invited me in for the holidays, and friends that offered an invite.  While I could criticize the circumstances that led me here, and the vindictive attitude, I will not.  Instead, I will focus on those who offered me a nice holiday...a nice place to stay...a great party...a nice bottle of spirits...a chat about the book I am writing.  Maybe this was my way to rediscover the Christmas spirit.  Not sure if i did.  I do know my opinions of some folks are now pretty set.  As I suppose their opinions of me are as well. so be it. G...

Merry Christmas....I guess that is like saying "good day" to someone.  Except that the greeting is unique to one day a year.  as I have written ad nauseum, I am not a big fan of Christmas..of Christmas carols, traditions, etc.  I try to stay on an even keel during the year, and never really get too excited about any holiday.  maybe that is part of my problem...and this year with the issues I am sorting through it is no different...actually worse.  but, even if I was not going through this divorce, I would look forward to the end of all this forced merriment.  so, tomorrow it will be Dec 26, and I will have a week off to get things moving in the right direction...whatever that means.  Like most, I will make some plans for 2018.  Come up with some goals that will get me to the next stop on my journey.  Finish my book and learn about self publishing...try to present the info in a standup instruction setting.  so many loose ends on the pers...

Went to a friends party Friday and had a good time.  Much fun (too much) fun was had by all.  I was pretry wiped out yesterday - I am not used to playing cards until 3 am. My friend has sons that work in his company - very nice men.  There was a friend there that I have known awhile..nice to get together with business aquaintences outside of business, then we can party (or play bags or cards) as friends.  tis the season.... got to the health club for a steam and shower.  My brother and I put a pork shoulder in the smoker last night at 5, and took it off at 8 am this morning...should be good for the party today.  but first its the bears game against an 0-14 browns team. and yet we will watch.  because that is what we do. Christmas Eve tends to be a bit more significant from a party/family gathering standpoint that Christmas itself.  My situation is a bit different this year...someday I will write more of it...but suffice to say was made unnec...

another Friday that I am off work..and now off for the rest of 2017.  doing some work stuff, and leaving for a friends party in a few mins.  so - I will get there at noon and probably be out all night.  I imagine there will be tons of cops out, rightfully so, so I will take no chances and stay down there for the night.  Watching a movie called Christmas in the Air as I type this.  A widowed toy designer hires the lovely Catherine Bell to help him organize his house.  She has an organizing business.  But is seems like she spends all her time at his house, so she must not have too many other clients.  If I had Catherine Bell coming over to organize my house, I would spend a lot of time messing things up.  and now it looks like they are falling in love....such a plot twist.  anyway, time to unplug and start my way south to the party. 

The shortest day of the year...actually the day with the least sunlight.  A friend of mine turned 60 yrs old today.  Hard to believe.  We met freshman yr in college...1976...41 yrs ago....eek.  I feel like my mind is young, but my body is old.  The body is just a vessel for our mind.  I suppose some folks minds wear out before their bodies...not sure what side of the equasion I am on.  I guess my mind and body are going to shit concurrently.  anyway...I watched a minute of tonights Hallmark Christmas movie.  not my thing.  and tomorrow I will be at a party, so no xmas movie tomorrow. and Sunday is the Warden family party.  Monday is Christmas.  I am looking forward to the day after Christmas.  Because then it won't be Christmas anymore.  I am looking forward to next Christmas to see if I still don't like Christmas (assuming my life has achieved some element of stability by then). Regular readers to this blog will be...

I have watched every season of Survivor the last 17 yrs.  Pity me...or be happy for me, but I will spend the next 3 hrs watching a reality show that has gotten very scripted, edited and fake.  But I'll watch it.  Years ago, I actually sent in an audition tape to try and get on.  But, I don't think I am the type they look for....hot women, nerds, guys with six packs.  I am none of them.  After 4 hrs of not eating, I'd probably volunteer to be voted off.  When we were young and took canoe trips, the hard work paddling and portaging coupled with not eating much would make me lose 15 lbs in a week.  No beer, junk food.  Our fishing trips these days include too much of everything.  and very little physical exertion.  My how things change.  I think the guy below is on a hallmark movie...Romance in the Woods.  That picture is 25 yrs old.  About 40 lbs ago. I'll use that pic on my match.com profile.  Imagine the horror ...

I'd love to watch more Hallmark movies tonight, but Oak Island is on.  I have been watching for 4 seasons and nothing has happened.  Everyone that watches knows they won't find a treasure because there is no treasure to be found.  and yet we watch....proving that people are saps.   one fact they know is there was a former slave in the 1800s that moved to Oak Island to grow cabbage.  He became inexplicably rich....they kind of gloss over that.   maybe instead of digging holes in the ground they should look for this guy's descendants.  that is where the treasure probably is. I checked the Hallmark lineup....some new plots....people that have lost their Christmas spirit have something happen to them that causes them to find their Christmas spirit.  The one tomorrow is about a guy living in his brother's basement that could care less about finding Christmas spirit, and actually campaigns to have Christmas cancelled.  The character's ...

I have a confession to make...I watched the whole xmas movie "Romance at Reindeer Lodge" last night.  and I rewatched the end of it again tonight.  Heartwarming, and of course the end of the movie was totally unexpected.  not really - only a fool would not have guessed the ending. . But, I was looking at the cast on IMDB....the woman that played the kindhearted, matronly, grandmother type that owned the lodge with her husband (Robert Pine of Chips fame) WAS BORN A YEAR AFTER I WAS.  I guess if I plan to break into movies, I will be cast as the Wilfred Brimley type...crusty yet benign.  and wise...very wise.  If not movies, maybe I can get some work in catheter commercials. I feel old. 

I was shutting down the computer getting ready for work tomorrow....and on tv is a Hallmark movie about 2 people that ended up at a lodge in Jamaica, Vermont....the ditzy blonde thought she was going to Jamaica..in the Carribean...anyway, the 2 people, who vowed they did not want to celebrate Christmas, are apparently going to fall in love and celebrate Christmas (such an unexpected turn of events) - if that happens it will be after I fall asleep.  the ditzy blonde who is angry at the world and wants out of the lodge is now wearing red flannel pjs.  I bet she gets in the Christmas sprit before too long. They always do.  The guy that was the boss on Chips is in it - looks like he is about 80 yrs old now.    and I saw a preview for another Hallmark movie, starring Treat Williams, about some other folks that didn't like Christmas for some reason,  something happens that makes them like Christmas.  I'm pretty sure I won't see the movie, so that is all I g...

two weeks left in 2017.  Hard to believe a year can pass so quickly.  Makes you realize how precious every day is.  I think it has been about 12 weeks since the divorce started.  I am not sure how long these cases take, but I am ready to move on.  I am planning to get an apartment next month.  There is a complex not far from where the house is now.  So, my plan is to live in an apartment for 12 months while I look for an exit from Illinois.  Right now, I am open to location....Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona.  Throw a dart at a map.  Or just stay in Illinois....good to have options.  I never imagined going through all of this at this point in my life.  but there never is a good time for it, I suppose.  The bottom line is that a person should be happy.  hopefully there will soon be 2 people that are happier than they used to be. the weather today is nowhere near as nice as it was yesterday.  I guess golf season is ...

Very nice day outside.  high 40s.   we have played golf in worse weather. maybe if we had a few days notice of this nice weather, we would have played. when I got a haircut today, the stylist asked of my plans for Christmas....that is a common question this time of year.  Even in the best of times, the answer would generally be that I plan to eat and drink too much, and get ready for the new year.  no different this year.  plenty of changes to come, but change is good.  a new start.  a new place to live.  a new outlook.  you see so many witty sayings on linked and other sites.  if you take time to read and comprehend them, some are pretty appropriate.  at any rate, we have to meet things head on.  make our own luck.  and so with that, it is 2 1/2 hrs til kickoff of the bears game.

10 days til Christmas.  Can't wait til its here and gone.  maybe this will be the year the three ghosts visit me. Some folks can't wait to put up the Christmas decorations.  I can't wait to take them down.  and this year, I didn't put any up, so nothing to worry about there. Maybe Festivus was not such a bad idea. If you watch much tv, you have no doubt seen the Heineken commercial with Benecio Del Toro (not Antonio Banderas).  He says his favorite part is opening presents, then he picks up a wrapped 12er of heineken and says "the best thing is I bought this myself".  and breaks out in a roaring laugh (and in doing so, making himself relatable to us schmucks).  now, wouldn't it make more sense for him to say "I bought this FOR myself"?  that would then tell us why he thought it was so funny. because, see, he bought a 12er and he drank them. If you have to explain a joke, it is not a good joke. what they need is a crossover commercial with Be...

I packed up my clothes for my exit from the house for the next 4 weeks.  Back to my brother's house.  comical, yet sad.  at some point maybe it will all make sense.  right now it sure doesn't.  but, that's life.  there are many folks that wish their problems were as simple as mine.  living in a state of limbo sucks.  but I guess each day on this earth we are all in a state of limbo.  whether it's job status, marital status, or any other thing that plays a role in our lives, we are but one day away from things changing.  I am so set in my ways that change is unsettling.  but the only constant is change.  sometime in 2018, I will be living in a different place - probably an apartment while I plan my next phase.  I have long planned to leave Illinois, and the divorce will push that up.  Maybe sign a lease for a year, then target 12 months for moving to a better climate.  but for today - it's back to my brothe...

Working from home today.  With my time off this month, if I work remotely 2 days I can make the train commute with 2-10 ride tickets.  Money is money.  A monthly pass was $58 when I started downtown in 1985, and it is now $188 and going up again in 2018.  Where does it end? But, too quiet working at home.  I have a radio and the tv on.  and am reasonably busy and I will save 3 hours by not commuting today.  Back downtown tomorrow, then another day off on Friday.  Four days next week, then off for the rest of 2017.  I have to pack up tonight.  Back to my brother's tomorrow night, and this time for a month.  I am looking forward to this all being settled so I can move on with my life. But, it is nice to have a place like my brother's to stay at.  I owe him, and his family, big time.  To start, I am going to smoke a pork shoulder for Christmas eve.  That should be good - about the best thing you can make in the smok...

Call it the holiday blues...or the winter doldrums...or divorce depression...but I am not with it at all.  Long ago, I wrote about not having a job during the Christmas season...and it seemed like everyone had a job, and had work parties to go to and precious time off scheduled.  and I didn't have a job and felt left out of all of that.  This year, it's the separation and divorce that wears on me.  You watch television and see all the young couples with a young kid and they all have a new Lexus in the driveway with a big bow on it.  You see the commercials with 3 or 4 generations of family members gathered for a party, everyone smiling and happy.  And I sit in an empty house letting the false advertising get to me.  I probably wouldn't do anything different under different circumstances, but who knows.  People will find reasons to be unhappy at Christmas.  I guess I am one of those people.  

The older I get, the more I appreciate my health.  Having had a close friend go through an illness in the last year really reinforced that point to me.  I admired the way he faced the illness and toughed out the treatment.  I also appreciate his willingness to talk about the experience, since it puts things in perspective for me.  We watched the Bears game at my house yesterday, and I always enjoy talking to him about life. I posted awhile back that a business colleague and friend, who I had known since 1985, and had worked with at 3 companies, passed away in September in his sleep.  That was a shock - he was always so healthy and always is a good mood.  We emailed frequently, and it was usually about some silly story making the rounds on the internet.  Now when I see one of those stories I think of him and that he is probably in heaven laughing. I have been blessed with a healthy family.  My mom is 96 and still doing well, so I hope I take a...

the Bears won in convincing fashion.  quite a departure from the last 5 weeks.  Had a nice party with a few friends over.  Made brats on the grill, and had not grilled for some time.  have not done a lot of things for some time. the Bears season has been over for awhile.  and everyone calling for the coach to be fired.  as if that will solve everything.  but it won't - the Bears problems start at the top, and trickle down from there.  How must it be to coach for a living and have the whole town hoping for you to lose your job.  I guess at this point John Fox knows he will be out of a job at the end of the season.  that comes with the job, and since they make about 30x what the rest of us make, no fired coach would apply for a job that we would, if we lost our job.  I have been at companies where some exec was on death watch.  such an energy sucking exercise. Sunday night....I have had jobs where Sunday night would be ruine...

I can't get motivated today.  My goal is to get to the health club soon, then to the store to get supplies for the bears game.  The whole plan is predicated on me getting off the couch.  That is the problem. Maybe in 10 minutes or so.  Ten minutes always changes everything. While not actually executing a plan at this day and time, I at least am thinking of my plan for the new year.  Obviously, I have to settle my personal situation, but much more than that.  I still want to try my hand at publishing.  Of course, that requires I finish writing the book I am working on.  Since I have a week off after Christmas, I will have time to finish the first draft.  I've had a number of friends review the material to date, with mixed feedback.  Although the standup training industry is very competitive, my goal is to present the content from the book in a training room setting.  My golf bud recommended I ask my company if they want me to pres...

the other day I mentioned a commercial about a girl that was way too into her tablet.  Actually, at some point, I would imagine an intervention is going to be neceessary to bring this young lady back to the flock with the rest of us.  anyway, here is a link to the commercial (it would not copy and paste as a link, so you have to paste it on the search bar.  Watching it is required to continue reading this post). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCsnQ5bQNKs so, here is my suggested change to the commercial:   At the end of the commercial, the neighbor comes outside while the girl is laying in her postage stamp sized back yard, typing on the tablet (she has been typing on the tablet for the entire commercial). The neighbor says "hey, what are you doing on your computer?". and the girl, obviously bothered at the interruption, answers "hey, I am reading my favorite blog, Idlebusinessman.  This guy is the shit" largely on the strength of the curly ha...

Cold, windy and some snow today...really reinforces the reality that golf is done til April.  I will have to visit the health club more since I now have 6 hours extra on my hands each weekend.  And when  I go to the health club I will have to do more than sit in the steamroom.  Speaking of golf, the day after Thanksgiving me and my 2 golf buds played.  They put a 4th golfer with us.  Nice guy...good golfer...around our age.   On the 7th tee I was asked him his age, and we started talking.  Turns out he graduated from Maine South with us.  and he had played football with my 2 golf buds...they were close friends in high school.  after that, the round was full of conversation about the old days.  It's a small world, huh?  We played golf with  him again last week. Went to Menards this morning.  Everywhere you go is in holiday mode.  But I am not.  I have written before that I am not a big fan of Christ...

I am off work every Friday until the end of the year.  And off the week after Christmas.  That will be nice.  I have had other jobs where the busy season started at Christmas and I didn't get to take off until after tax season. Too cold outside to do much.  Glad we played golf last Saturday - thanks to my golf buds.  50 degrees in December is rare and has to be taken advantage of.  Now it's time to take the clubs out of the trunk. It's my turn to be in the house (we are rotating weeks in and out) but then I will be out for 4 weeks.  Hopefully we get things settled soon so I can move on with my life.  Living out of a suitcase in your own house sucks. getting bills from an attorney sucks.  not seeing my dog since September sucks. Divorce/breakup...It's a complex equasion - as much love that keeps a couple together results in the same degree of acrimony when a breakup happens.  The needle swings so far the other way...you go from feel...

I almost forgot to post today...and it's almost time to watch the news and call it a night.  If you have watched any tv over the last month you have no doubt seen the commercial with the curly haired girl with an unnatural attachment to her tablet.  She leaves the house on her bike, with her tablet, and goes to various places where she types on her tablet.  She loads her bike on a bus and types on her tablet.  then we see her sitting on a tree branch typing on her tablet.   then she is sitting in some kind of outdoor furniture place typing on her tablet.  She communcates with her friend on her tablet and commiserates over his broken arm.  and she signs it via her tablet.  the commercial ends with her laying in her back yard typing on her tablet, sullenly answering her neighbor who apparently has disturbed her from typing on her tablet. I think if we all had a tablet we could all be as blissfully ignorant about the world around us, becaus...

8:30 pm I just got home from meeting a golf buddy for a beer.  My golf buddy walked 3 miles to the bar in 20 degree weather because he didn't have a car available.  but he made it out.  and we had a nice time talking about golf, jobs, and life.  Since the shit hit the fan, I have had friends reach out to offer their help...offer to have a bite to eat before golf (and give me more than my share of mulligans)...to share their own divorce experience and how unpleasant it was for them...to tell me the best is yet to come.   to get an impossible to get bottle of bourbon and talk over a nice cocktail...to go to the beach at sunrise to talk.  to offer to buy a plane ticket to Florida for Christmas...to chat on their way to work even though they were going through their own breakup.  to come by the house to chat and watch football so I wasn't in an empty house for awhile.....to come downtown to give me a golf lesson and have lunch...Friends.  What...

We take for granted when our lives are relatively calm, and we don't have any big issues weighing on our minds.  then when a big issues is on the radar, it becomes an all consuming thing that occupies most of our daily thought.  I have been lucky and not had too many issues of a catastrophic nature befall me or my family.  Now with the divorce, there are so many things that I never thought about that I now have to think about.  and deal with.  oh well, that's life - many folks before me have come through divorce just fine, as I will as well. as I wind my way through the unpleasantness of the situation, I realize when married, you have things that hold a couple together...kids, the house, common interests....but then when the divorce process starts all you have holding you together are the differences between the two people; differences that took years to develop and became bigger issues than they needed to be.  as the saying goes, familiarity breeds cont...

I got one verification of a live reader of this blog....thanks C-Will. Still trying to decide what theme to blog about for the near future....does anyone really care to read the rantings of a guy going through a divorce?  I tend to think not.  I could give some pointers on the do's and don'ts so you don't get divorced....but you would already know what those are.   I  could make jokes like Johnny Carson about his divorces....nah...no one cares about that.  I could write about not seeing my dog for months...the one who is tattooed on my arm, and of the childishness reasons for it...nah..that is my cross to bear.  maybe blog of trying to get through a trying time, and reinventing myself.  of a new start.  of not making the same mistakes twice.  Of course, I will revisit the piss puddle that is Illinois.  and once the dust settles, I will rent an apartment with a plan to be out of this shithole state in 12 months.  yea......

As I look at the blog stats, there are views each day, including the 3 years I was not blogging.  Not sure if those are real views, or just a robo-app randomly hitting the blog for some reason.  I am asking a favor....if you are actually reading this blog, leave a comment, such as "yes, I am reading".   Regardless of readership, I will keep blogging, but just curious if anyone is actually look at this. Thanks

Got cold and windy today.  Winter is on the way.  I raked leaves this weekend, and of course now you couldn't tell that was done.  still trying to find all the financial records I am being asked for.  After 34 years of not looking at bank or 401k statements, now I have to find all that info.  lesson learned.  never again.

A few months ago, a close friend of mine died - Victor Kaminskas.  He came up with the name of this blog (Dispatches from the Ghost Moose).  He was my age, and died suddenly.  Underscores the need to live each day to the fullest.  To find satisfaction in all we do....to not dwell on the negative, nor look backwards.  it had been over 3 years that I had not blogged...and those 3 years passed way too quickly.  at 59 yrs old, not a lot of sand left in the top half of the hour glass.  

Way back in 2008 when I started this blog, I wrote of feeling lousy in the Christmas season because I was unemployed and it seemed like everyone else had a job.  This season I feel lousy because I am getting divorced.  I will spend the holiday at my brother's house.  My brother has been very supportive and has allowed me to stay at his house when I need to (we alternate weeks in the house).  I haven't seen Murph (my dog and best friend) in a few months.  Just as I did in 2008, I will get through this rough patch and be better for it.   It's something that many folks have been through.  But when it's your turn, it's different.  like when a doctor tells you the surgery is minor...easy for him to say since he is not the one undergoing surgery. enough drudgery.  It's Monday.  Start of a new week.   Gotta make the best of it, and I will. 

Now it's all coming back to me...the blog stats, the layout, etc. after a lapse of over 3 years, there are changes to the blog site, just like in my life.  When I quit blogging in March, 2014, my wife decided it was not wise to write a blog while job searching since the potential employer could do a search and find that 1) I have good writing skills or 2) I have opinions.  but, my fault for not blogging if I like to blog. so - I hope I have a few readers....maybe some folks will stumble upon the blog.  but even with no readers or followers, I will continue to write.   speaking of writing, I have a draft of a short book I am writing.  one of my short term goals is to get it into first draft stage so I can see if there is any market for it.   I have some time off this month, and should be able to do that.

Re-starting the blog after a break of over 3 years.  Since that time, I have had 2 jobs, and now getting a divorce after 34 years of being married.  I won't bore you with the details, but no one should be unhappy, and it is up to each of us to do what one has to do in order to find happiness.  and so we both will do that.  Such an unsettling time though....I was so used to the idea of being married that not being married is such a foreign idea.  I saw a commercial yesterday where a guy is asked what is his first fantasy pic, and his response is "no job, no family and I just take off".  and his friend says "no - your first pick in the fantasy draft".  Each of us who has work and family pressures would agree, if only for a minute.  Even though it is the holiday season, I won't be celebrating.  Thanksgiving came and went, and Christmas will pass as well.  After the first of the year, I will start reinventing myself....new place to live, ...

3 years since last post.  many changes...I guess I will start blogging again to talk about them.