Take a break

detail of giant sundialThis is just a quick reminder that you need to give yourself a break. And even a small break is better than no break.

A few weekends ago, Heather and I took a one night break from normal life. It was so refreshing. Just being in a different place than our suburban home was enough to refresh our souls. We took the opportunity to talk about things that wouldn’t fit into normal days’ discussions.

So if you haven’t taken a break for a while, do whatever it takes and get away. You won’t regret it.

I snapped this photo in the “back yard” of the place we stayed. It was part of a huge sundial that someone built more than fifty years ago.

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Aurora and gun control

The shootings at a theater in Aurora were tragic. A man with untold problems decided to take the lives of many innocent people. My first reaction was that if gun control laws were more restrictive, the killer may not have been able to get the gun he needed to kill so many people.

A very good friend believes the opposite. He would argue that if a sane person in the theater with good marksmanship skills were carrying a concealed weapon, that person could have killed the shooter before all his killings were completed. We argued extensively about gun control a few years back and finally realized we could not convince the other to change his mind. We put the argument behind us and our friendship has grown deeper.

I am not going to argue here about gun control. I will say that with great freedom comes great responsibility. As the parent of two teenagers, I know the feeling of handing over the keys to a car for that first solo run. Anything could happen. As a society that has handed the controls of lethal weapons to nearly anybody, anything can happen.

My son went to a midnight showing – the same movie on the same night, at a different theater 15 miles from the tragic location. My family is not very different from some of the families whose sons and daughters were killed. My son could have been killed. Your daughter could have been killed.

I am thankful for our freedom – but I am sad for the frequent abuses of that freedom. I would be willing to give up a little freedom in exchange for a little more sanity.

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A new form of taxes

Writing on an envelope - showing how I am unhappy - pointing to a postage stamp of an unhappy personI got hit with a red-light camera ticket.

A good thing is that the traffic violation does not go against my insurance record. A bad thing is that I can think of a million other things I could have spent that money on.

I realize that these cameras may prevent a few serious accidents. But truly drunk or impaired people who might run a red light probably aren’t thinking about red light cameras. (They will be when they get their notice in the mail.)

I also understand that local governments are hurting. Like almost everyone else, they are having a hard time making their income match their expenses. And collecting taxes this way is very cost-effective.

Currently, only 21 states and Washington DC have these cameras. I happen to be in one of the states that taxes their residents this way. Have you been taxed this way lately?

The photo, by the way, is of the envelope I mailed the check in to the civil authorities.

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Found note

found noteI found this card on the parking lot of a Target store.

Observation: The author was older than 50, from the handwriting style.

Questions:

1. Did the author go back to their home and create the card or did they have some in their car, just waiting for such situations?

2. Did the bad parking person pick up the card and bring it with them to Target?

3. Did it fall out of their purse or pocket?

4. Did the bad parking person change their evil ways?

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No small cars

Ford Ka toy carLife just gets to be too much at times.

I was going to do a presentation at Ignite Denver 11 called, “Why You Should Drive a Small Car.” I was really looking forward to presenting. However, I am deep into the first term of a graduate degree program (two courses at once) and am continuing in my responsibilities as a dad to three kids, a husband to one woman and doing a good job for the clients of my business.

So I am hoping that I can do the presentation after the degree is finished. I’ll graduate in December 2013, if all goes as planned.

Thanks to all my friends who kindly gave me “yes” votes to allow me to be one of the Ignite presenters. I hope to call on you again after the grad degree is in the bag.

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Sad passing

Closed storefrontA store in our neighborhood closed. I was really sad. Though I was not a big patron of Jo-Ann Fabrics, it will be missed. I don’t know of any new tenant taking over the space, which was a Safeway supermarket many years ago.

Our kids would ride their bikes or walk over to get some candy. Though there’s a convenience store a block farther, it’s just not the same. I feel bad for the surrounding businesses. They will miss some of the “halo” effect of customers Jo-Ann brought in. I am sad for employees who lost their jobs. A few may be hired at the three other locations in the Denver area. And local fabric enthusiasts will now have to travel further to get their thrills.

What recently closed business do you miss – and why?

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Enjoy today by looking back

Nairobi trafficTraffic is part of life in many large cities around the world. The traffic in the busiest of USA cities is nothing compared to the grid-lock that affects many urban centers, particularly in the “developing world.”

I loved our years in Nairobi, Kenya, but I do not miss the traffic. And it’s probably twice as bad as when we left in 2007. The roads were built to accommodate about 1/10 of the traffic they carry. So today it may take two hours to get somewhere that used to take 10 minutes, when we lived there in the mid-1990s.

I am very thankful to live in boring suburban Denver, when it comes to not having to regularly sit in mind-numbing Nairobi traffic.

Looking back at the past made me thankful for today. What experience are you glad that’s in your past and not part of your present?

I took the photo while sitting in traffic. At least sales people would peddle their wares while you were sitting there. Sometimes that was a pleasant diversion. I also wrote about Nairobi traffic when we lived there.

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Tradeoffs

KombuchaI like the weird taste of kombucha. It’s a fermented tea beverage (with little or no alcohol). There are many touted health benefits, such as reawakening your mind and repurposing your life (at least according to the brand I tried most recently). I don’t believe that any more than I believe the tooth fairy will visit me again next week.

But I like the taste. It’s a refreshing break from the coffees I love so dearly and so many sweet drinks.

The problem is that I normally get a headache after I drink some. But the unusual taste experience is worth the pain.


Update: When I looked at this post about seven years later, I can now report that I no longer have any headaches after drinking Kombucha. Yay!

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Do it today

Blossoms by the side of the roadAbout a week ago, Denver experienced some of the most amazing flowering spring-ness that I’ve ever seen. But it quickly started disappearing. A major wind storm blew many of the blossoms to the ground. Then a quick hailstorm finished off more of the blooms.

I was able to get out and enjoy the spring beauty by taking a bicycle ride one day. I would have regretted missing that short window of opportunity.

If you have kids, they won’t be with you for more than maybe 18 years. If you’re married, your beloved may not be with you forever. If you have a dog, she may not be at your side ten years from now. I don’t say these things to be mournful – but rather to remind you – and me – to make time to spend time with the ones we love today.

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Time flies

Last Friday evening was a significant occasion for our family. Our oldest son Jay, a senior, was voted “Mr. Eagle” at a big high school event. He beat 11 other contestants. (His class has roughly 500 kids.)

It was thrilling to hear them announce the new Mr. Eagle, in a room of more than 700 screaming kids. Well, a few were adults, though I’m not sure how many of those were screaming. Heather and I screamed along with the rest.

Looking back, I remembered one of the events that shaped who Jay is today. We moved to Kenya, Africa in 2005, for a two year work assignment. Shortly after we arrived, Heather enrolled both Jay and Ben in Ligi Ndogo (“small league”) – a soccer club for boys. They were the only white kids in the whole league. They learned to relate to kids of another culture and to speak a little Swahili. They didn’t want to go every Saturday, but we basically forced them to take part. “Eat your spinach, it’s good for you!”

The Mr. Eagle evening included answering questions that the contestants were not prepared for. Jay’s question: “What one thing would you do differently, if you could live your life over?” He paused and said he wished he had been able to spend more time in Africa.

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