Boomer Randomness

As I write this, the US Government is on the verge of a shut down because Congress is playing games with our money and our lives and would rather engage in pointless fighting than pass legislation that would continue to fund the US Government.   They’d rather shut it down than work out a compromise. And I am pissed!! Some random rants and observations: A shutdown means ‘Non-essential’ personnel don’t work till this is resolved, many/most Government offices and facilities will close, including National Parks and the Smithsonian Museums.   Military personnel will continue to work but they might not get a pay check for awhile.   Are you kidding me? Here is a slightly better explanation of what could happen at midnight, quoted from CNN … Without congressional approval of new spending legislation, parts of the federal government will begin shutting down when the current fiscal year ends at midnight, forcing agencies to furlough thousands of workers and curta...

I spent last weekend in Sin City, Las Vegas.   This is my third annual visit there for the iHeart Radio Music Festival and my overall impression is the same … it is a great place to escape reality.   Here are some random thoughts and observations: - Money, decadence, rich people, poor people, Gucci tourists, Walmart tourists. - Crowds in the afternoon and night, not so bad in the morning when they’re all sleeping off their day of decadence. - There is a hotel/attraction built to look like New York, another is Paris, another is Egypt.   Paris has a simulated Eiffel Tower.   Yes, I had to go to the top.   The picture shows a view from there. - Most men dressed in flowered Hawaiian style shirts appear to be my age or older.   I am rethinking that part of my wardrobe. - With that thought in mind, I walked into a couple of clothing places.   The Ross store clothes were way too cheap for my taste.   The $14 shirts just looked ch...

What’s that old saying … something like ‘a long journey begins with one step’ … something like that.   Well, I have rediscovered the first step toward improved health … walking.   The health and psychological benefits of walking begin with one step. On most mornings for the past two weeks I have jumped out of bed around 6 or 6:30 … OK, jump isn’t exactly accurate … I woke up, sat at the edge of my bed silently cursing my alarm, stepped slowly into my bathroom, brushed my teeth, put some clothes on and stepped out of my apartment into the morning air and walked. These walks are now fairly brisk walks and my stride is longer.   The round trip walk to Starbucks and back is a mile.   Hey, I’m not giving up my morning coffee.   Call these walks ‘multitasking’ … I quickly walk to my caffeine-infused destination, buy my coffee and return home to drink it. I love the morning, love watching the world wake up, love stepping through my neighborhood when few...

I see and hear 'religious' commentary claiming one path or the other is the only way a person should believe (or not believe).  I disagree with most of it.  Religion and spirituality are personal matters for each of us and not something to be dictated to us by other people.  This graphic sums it up nicely, in my opinion.

I recently found an incredible nugget of self-help.   Basically it’s a list of 21 things to let go to become happy.   Click Here for the whole article.   Although it is written for men, the advice is not really gender-specific.   I do not agree with all of it, but there are plenty of suggestions that I believe are helpful and I had already adopted some of this advice before finding this article. Here are a few of my takeaways, quoted directly from the article: Know that you can’t control much in life, but you can always control your reaction. Flow through the world smoothly. When there is resistance, flow around it. When there is opportunity, flow right through it. Remember, we have no control over the things that happen to us and the changes that occur around us, but we always have control over how we respond. Let go of thinking you are not enough.  You are enough and you deserve to have everything that you want. You’re also your worst ene...