Mom's Birthday

Today is my Mom's 72 birthday!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

WII

So it begins... I guess that would be the best way to describe it. If I remember it right, yesterday we received our WII console in the mail. Today when I got up I found Kenny busy playing WII. We spent the better day of the afternoon playing WII Resort games. Okay we did take a break for lunch and dinner and we did watch 1 episode of Eureka.

Once the News were over I was back to playing a little more WII. The term 'little more' can be a little deceptive... as I played a couple of hours.

This is way I normally don't play video games... as they're way to addictive. I guess I will have to teach myself to limit my time playing video games, otherwise get anything done.

How on earth did we ever manage to live without a video game addiction ??

Core Identity

Recently I found myself confronted with the question "What's left once you've sacrificed your core identity?".

I'm not quite sure what exactly triggered it, but that would be beside the point. I found myself thinking about the "Venediger Gruppe". The result of that was nothing short of a shock treatment.

I used to go hiking there a lot. You might even call me someone who used to be someone of an expert regarding that mountain group! I used to be able to name every single mountain top. I used to be able to name every single glacier and sub-glacier. I used to be able to name every single trail by name. Of more than 90% of the trails I even knew the average hiking time. I used to be able to name all the mountain huts in that particular mountain group.

Now I barely can get the major mountain tops together. I didn't even try my luck with the glaciers, trail names and average hiking times. That by itself would have been absolutely terrible. But the worst thing was still to come. That happened when I only could name about 2/3's of the mountain huts. That was a pure shock treatment for me.

Most people most likely won't get the issue that's at hand here. For me that's way more than forgetting certain things. This is a symptom that I've started to compromise and sacrifice my core identity.

Fact is that I'm an mountaineer at the core. That's what I am. Fact is that thinking about that particular mountain group used to make me happy. For me it is a place where I feel truly at home and can experience true peace. Forgetting about major parts of that mountain group, tells me that my core identity has definitely been compromised... and I really don't like that idea at all!! In the past few years I have been making so many compromises and so many sacrifices that I don't even really know who I am anymore. A different kind of persona has emerged you might say. When I look at that I not only absolutely dislike it but it almost makes me wanna throw up!!!

That got me thinking about "what's left once you've sacrificed your core identity?".

The answer to that question is quite sobering. Well you do still exist after having sacrificed your core identity. But I would hardly call that a life. You do exist... but that's pretty much it. Without your core identity you are nothing more than a empty, superficial shell with no soul. If such a life is worth living, well that's something that everyone has to figure out for themselves. If I had to sacrifice my core identity in order to keep the status Q alive, well then I would rather take a gun and shoot myself!! That's a life absolutely not worth living, as far as I'm concerned!!

Fluid State

Once you turn 40 it's a good time for an in-depth examination of your life. It is a time where you have to look at things and examine if they're still appropriate. This is actually a very interesting time. On the one hand you might this time as exciting, while it can be frightening at the same time. I guess the term that would describe it best would be "fluid state". It's a time where everything is 'liquid', everything is in transition. The outcome of that evaluation can not yet be determined. It's a time were every possible outcome is conceivable. It is quite similar to your 20's. At the time you get your first job everything is possible every direction is conceivable. If you screw up or go in the wrong direction it's not really a big deal. You have more than enough time to change things or to go in a different direction. As long as you're between 20 and 40 it really isn't that big of a deal, as you have almost all the time in the world to change things. Once you get 40 things are a little different.

Once you turn 40 you have to decide what you want to do with the second third of your adult life. In order to do that several questions need to be answered:

• What do I want to do with the next 20 years?
• In which direction do I want to go?
• What do I hope to accomplish in the next 20 years?
• Do certain things have the same importance than they used to have?
• Are there things in my life that add little or no value to its quality?
• Are there things that should be removed to increase life quality?
• Are all things in my life open to re-evaluation?
• What is more important Quantity or Quality?

After all the above question have undergone an in-depth re-evaluation and have been answered, only then a final decision can be made.

I admit it's definitely an interesting time. It can be exciting and frightening at the same time. Everything is possible, but nothing is certain. Everything is fluid, moving and in transition.

Happy Birthday

Today is Kenny's Dad's Birthday!!

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Family Visit

Today Kenny, Daisy and I went to visit Kenny's mom. it had been quite a while and she was having a small BBQ. Kenny's brother, sister-in-law and Kenny's nephew were visiting as well. Since we brought Daisy along we wound up staying a little longer as we usually do. Daisy is usually fine staying by herself for up to 10 hours. But since it takes us about 2 hours to drive there and 2 hours to drive back... that leaves only a fairly short time to actually visit.

It's always nice visiting them and Kenny and I don't get to see them that often. It was really fun to see Kenobi experiencing the sand and the ocean for the very first time.

All in all it was quite a fun day!

Prop. 8 Repeal

Today the CA Prop 8 (the ban on gay marriage) has been repealed. It is a step in the right direction... nothing more and nothing less!! I do understand that people are excited about that, but I still don't think that it was that big of a victory. Fact is that only the previously existing law will be restored. Sorry people, but that's not what I call a big victory!! And of course the backers of Prop 8 got once more a gift, the repeal will not take effect till Friday.

All that is quite nice, but it diverts attention from the real issue. Fact is that Prop 8 should have never ever become law in the first place. Fact is that all Christian Churches are guilty of a blatant violation of the separation between state and church. That suddenly doesn't seem to matter anymore, nor is it being addressed in any way. It is my considered opinion that the right to vote should only be granted, if a person has a certain IQ and passes a test of general political knowledge! If that would have been done, California would have never ever ended up in that mess. The legislature is equally to blame for signing something as stupid as Prop. 8 into law. They did know but, but still had to crawl in the ass of a certain, completely idiotic voter group, just to ensure their re-election. So the situation hasn't really changed, this country still hasn't made it into the 19th century!!

Everyone who thinks, that with the repeal of Prop. 8 they've made a huge step towards marriage equality, let me tell you this... You're just kidding yourself!!!

Considering the time it will take for Prop. 8 to go through Appeals and Supreme Court... considering how long it will take for the federal marriage law and all directly connected laws to be changed... It would take at least another 15 to 20 years to accomplish marriage equality. And that is actually a positive spin and doesn't take into consideration that nobody would attempt to kill that bill.

Considering the direction this country is heading, there won't be any marriage equality... at least not in our lifetime!! That's a fairly realistic view, without being too pessimistic!!!

Midlife Crisis - an Interesting Read

Question: What is a Midlife Crisis?

Someone once said to me, "If it weren’t so cliché, I'd think I was having a midlife crisis." Nothing is cliche or trite about a midlife crisis. If you talk to middle-aged men and women who have experienced divorce, you will find that many of them will tell you their spouse changed overnight and became someone who discarded all that was once important to him for a new life that was all about what he wanted.

Answer: A midlife crisis is experienced between the ages of 40 and 60. It was first identified by the psychologist Carl Jung and is a normal part of the maturing process. Most people will experience some form of emotional transition during that time of life. A transition that might cause you to take stock in where you are in life and make some needed adjustments to the way you live your life. Most seem to come through the process smoothly without making major life changes.

For some, a midlife crisis is more complicated. It can be an uncomfortable time emotionally which can lead to depression and the need for psychotherapy. Those who have a hard time with this transitional stage might experience a range of feelings such as:

• Unhappiness with life and the lifestyle that may have provided them with happiness for many years.
• Boredom with people and things that may have been of interest to them before.
• Feeling a need for adventure and change.
• Questioning the choices, they have made in their lives and the validity of decisions they made years before.
• Confusion about who they are and where they are going.
• Anger at their spouse and blame for feeling tied down.
• Unable to make decisions about where they want to go with their life.
• Doubt that they ever loved their spouse and resentment over the marriage.
• A desire for a new and passionate, intimate relationship.

Most people who have a difficult time during midlife and go into crisis mode do so because of external factors. They may be experiencing stress in their life that makes the transition more difficult or they may have childhood issue that were never dealt with that come to the surface during this time. Some external factors that may cause this time in life to be problematic are:

• Debt:

It is easier to accumulate debt due to the availability of cards and loans. We are bombarded by credit card companies and it is easy to find yourself with large balances owed. We live in a society where it is commonplace to be living above our means. Finding yourself middle aged, in debt and facing retirement can add stress to an already stressful time in life. A normal reaction would be to seek help from a debt management company or consolidate your loans. A person who is finding it difficult emotionally during midlife might find it easier to walk away from their family in order to rid himself of what he feels is the cause of all the debt.

• Significant Loss:

The death of a parent or family member can cause grief, which is difficult enough to come to terms with, without having to also cope with the feelings of a midlife transition. Put the loss of a loved one with the feelings that accompany midlife and the whole process becomes bewildering and overwhelming.

• Avoidant Personality:

If a person has a tendency to avoid conflict in their personal relationships, suffers from feelings of inadequacy, are emotionally distant and has low self – esteem they will find midlife transition harder to navigate. This personality type has a deep fear of feeling shame and rejection. Such feelings will keep them from seeking help should their emotions become overwhelming. More than likely, they will run from their problems instead of trying to find solutions to them. It’s this personality type that normal ends up in divorce court during midlife.

Whether there are external factors that make the process more difficult or not, there is an internal process that is gone through. If a person lacks understanding of the process, he may find himself making irrational decisions he may later regret such as leaving a job, divorcing his spouse and throwing away the security that he built during the first part of his life.

Errands and a Movie

For this morning I had a service appointment for my truck scheduled, as my RAM was due for an oil change and the for the 18.000 mile service. We left around 9 am and I got to the Dodge Dealer at 10 am and it would be several hours before they would be done with the truck. So Kenny and I decided to have breakfast at a Denny's nearby.

After breakfast Kenny and I decide to see a movie at the Winnetka 21 theatre, while we were waiting for the truck. We decided to see the Sorcerer's Apprentice. I really don't know why it was doing not so well at the box office. I really liked the movie. It had a great story and for most part the story was being told a fairly quick pace. The SFX were absolutely great and I loved the action sequences as well. It even had a love story built in. So it pretty much had what every good summer movie needs. Although I'm not a big Nicholas Cage fan, I think he was really doing a great job in that movie.

If you guys don't have a clue what I'm talking about, here's a short synopsis:

Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage) is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina). Balthazar can't do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel), a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protégé. The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness. It'll take all the courage Dave can muster to survive his training, save the city and get the girl as he becomes The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

After the movie we checked with the Dodge Dealer, but my truck wasn't ready yet. So we headed to the Northridge Mall. While there we just had to go to the Apple Store and both, Kenny and I, got to play around with an iPad. I'm really sure that there will be an iPad in the near future for me! After strolling trough the mall we finally decided to have lunch in the Northridge Mall at a place called Adelina's Mediterranean Grill. Although it's fast food it was very delicious! While we had lunch Kenny read a facebook message from one of our friends congratulating us to our 2nd wedding anniversary. Otherwise my better half would have completely forgotten about it. Is it weird that I don't feel upset or sad about that ?? Not quite sure about that.

After lunch we headed over to the Dodge Dealer and waited for the car to get ready. Around 5 pm Kenny headed home since Daisy had been locked up inside for almost 9 hours. I opted to not have my car washed at the dealer, since I would have to wait for another 30 min. Since we live on a dirt road, having your car washed really defeats the purpose. So I got home by about 6.30 pm.

The Real Fascists