Escape the Okie Zone
this a personal creative non-fiction journal about a traveler and his evolving life. He saw the waning warmth of humans through his puppy's eyes and now he see the world through his child's eyes. He thought much of our country's warmth went dormant when Bush held our country hostage! Some of my hostile readers suffering from overinflated egos might actually think that I might be writing about them on this blog! Get a life please ;)Friday, April 30, 2010
This blog has moved
This blog is now located at http://www.escapetheokiezone.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.
For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://www.escapetheokiezone.com/feeds/posts/default.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
it's frustrating when I do so much writing and then suddenly the screen is lost or the blog stares at you before the screen freezes up!
I was writing some eloquent poem and now the moment and everything that I was feeling is all gone... so much to say and yet when it's time to write it all...
it's all gone...
my issue right now is whether I can make it to Byron Bay for the ocean swim party
and rendevous with thousands of other ocean swimmers..
well now Colin beckons me to our Godess...
I was writing some eloquent poem and now the moment and everything that I was feeling is all gone... so much to say and yet when it's time to write it all...
it's all gone...
my issue right now is whether I can make it to Byron Bay for the ocean swim party
and rendevous with thousands of other ocean swimmers..
well now Colin beckons me to our Godess...
well, it doesnt look helpful for getting a lift to Byron... but maybe??
a lot has happened in the states and I hope Obama is doing the best he can...and we get some fruitful reforms instead of the status quo of letting the rich and corrupt get more so...
I hope theres a chance for americans but just in case Colin will have the option of growing up Aussie and eventually having the choice of where he wants to live!
while my honey and Colin are asleep
- I have a little extra time to herbaflect (a new word for the urban dictionary?)
- and think about the future...
- I watch low tide exapnd the distance of the beach to sea...
so Ive had a little time to REM and feel rejuvenated enough to confidently write to you and future readers...LA helped me migrate this blog to a new computer system..Im still so intimidated by computers or anything that requires more than a couple of steps of thinking and doing in the middle(?)
we look at the sea before she finally beckons us to dance with her with a board, flotation or totally free before you are finally in her welcoming arms.... I went for a swim
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
I saw Avatar last night and wasnt impressed
with the very mediocre acting and the plagiarizing of a theme!
It was almost like watching Pocahontas with a futuristic view...
but the underlying idea of fleeing to a Utopian paradise
I wanted to write more as I was inspired by the theme of the movie that I hadnt
seen for a long time
with the very mediocre acting and the plagiarizing of a theme!
It was almost like watching Pocahontas with a futuristic view...
but the underlying idea of fleeing to a Utopian paradise
I wanted to write more as I was inspired by the theme of the movie that I hadnt
seen for a long time
Sunday, April 25, 2010
wow... came in 5th again in the surf swim
I realize that I could have had the surf with me if I played it right
and possibly could have come in 3rd...
Im thinking during the 15 minute endurance event
that I had a chance...
to place well
but I didnt have the eye of the tiger...
I realize that I could have had the surf with me if I played it right
and possibly could have come in 3rd...
Im thinking during the 15 minute endurance event
that I had a chance...
to place well
but I didnt have the eye of the tiger...
Thursday, April 22, 2010
I'd like to swim in the Byron Bay Classic in the beginning of May...gosh...I forgot!
I need to ask LA how to get this blog to migrate to the new program since Im a puter illiterate!
so..when this swim is on..you might not be able to find out how I did in the race if it is not on the websphere! LA, it's taking so long to upload photos and especially videos. How might I speed it up?
How is Buffy? :)
"This is what we were thinking of as the helicopter hovered above our heels. Sharks occurred to us, but they didn’t occupy us. Around Shark Point and into Clovelly, the swell came from behind, picking us up as we pulled in towards the bar at Cloey, and throwing us forward. You’re pushing along, and you feel a following swell pick up your feet. Your toes rise higher than your body, you’re heading downhill, so your body accelerates. A supple body, too, melds to the shape of the swell. The swell travels the length of your body, for it’s travelling more quickly than you can possibly hope to travel, lifting your body as it goes, so that the highest point moves forwards, from your toes, up your legs, along your torso, past your shoulders, your neck, your head, and out your fingertips at the end of your outstretched leading arms. This, too, is where streamline and suppleness become all important, where it’s critical that the impedance to your progress through the water is minimised by a good torpedo body position. And the better your body can meld into the shape of the water, the more supple it is, then the more push you will get from that transient swell. That’s when you’re surfing at sea."
http://www.oceanswims.com/nsw89/090503.html
I need to ask LA how to get this blog to migrate to the new program since Im a puter illiterate!
so..when this swim is on..you might not be able to find out how I did in the race if it is not on the websphere! LA, it's taking so long to upload photos and especially videos. How might I speed it up?
How is Buffy? :)
"This is what we were thinking of as the helicopter hovered above our heels. Sharks occurred to us, but they didn’t occupy us. Around Shark Point and into Clovelly, the swell came from behind, picking us up as we pulled in towards the bar at Cloey, and throwing us forward. You’re pushing along, and you feel a following swell pick up your feet. Your toes rise higher than your body, you’re heading downhill, so your body accelerates. A supple body, too, melds to the shape of the swell. The swell travels the length of your body, for it’s travelling more quickly than you can possibly hope to travel, lifting your body as it goes, so that the highest point moves forwards, from your toes, up your legs, along your torso, past your shoulders, your neck, your head, and out your fingertips at the end of your outstretched leading arms. This, too, is where streamline and suppleness become all important, where it’s critical that the impedance to your progress through the water is minimised by a good torpedo body position. And the better your body can meld into the shape of the water, the more supple it is, then the more push you will get from that transient swell. That’s when you’re surfing at sea."
http://www.oceanswims.com/nsw89/090503.html
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
I am so frustrated…
I wrote some stuff so eloquently…and I thought it was saved..
I have my best thoughts in regards to the best race of this decade
The moment of happiness
And it all disappeared into cyberspace..
I will never be able to write it again the same way..
I want to tell you or even show you the picture of what I saw before
I won that race!
And this frickin computer wont cooperate because it’s so
I wish that my hard drive could work as efficiently
When she creates several blogs at once
And take care and school for a family of 6!
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
I am so frustrated…
I wrote some stuff so eloquently…and I thought it was saved..
I have my best thoughts in regards to the best race of this decade
The moment of happiness
And it all disappeared into cyberspace..
I will never be able to write it again the same way..
I want to tell you or even show you the picture of what I saw before
I won that race!
And this frickin computer wont cooperate because it’s so
I wish that my hard drive could work as efficiently
When she creates several blogs at once
And take care and school for a family of 6!
One asset I wish that I had…
but of course
A little herb does effect that…
But I wouldn’t be as creative with out it..
I almost feel guilty of letting for this very reason…
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
I am so frustrated…
I wrote some stuff so eloquently…and I thought it was saved..
I have my best thoughts in regards to the best race of this decade
The moment of happiness
And it all disappeared into cyberspace..
I will never be able to write it again the same way..
I want to tell you or even show you the picture of what I saw before
I won that race!
And this frickin computer wont cooperate because it’s so
I wish that my hard drive could work as efficiently
When she creates several blogs at once
And take care and school for a family of 6!
One asset I wish that I had…
but of course
A little herb does effect that…
But I wouldn’t be as creative with out it..
I almost feel guilty of letting for this very reason…
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
I believe the other day was one of the happiest days in a long time...
or at least the happiest moments when I won two swim events in the club championships on Sunday! I'll write more about those races when I have the urge...but it was one of the best feelings that Ive had in a long while...it was almost vindication for everything...
Ive just been taking it easy today resting on my laurels while I play with Colin during his waking hours! More and more he is becoming more intelligent every day and picks up new words and things that he discovers that he can do!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
cool....there are so many things to do and all I can say...
its almost 420 in oz!!!
so much to do!!...help build the lounge area for our newly remodeled surf club...
I always want to write more but Im afraid that Ill miss out on practicing the surf swim...
but a pic is worth a thousand words...and everyday colin is becoming more intelligent...
I think maybe he could become like Forrest Gump's son???
Im waiting for it to get published...
this computer is really slow...kinda like his owner is and keeps getting distracted so it cant focus on what it's supposed to do...while uploading video
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
ountry and in less than a week we are back in Oz!! I miss this mistress of the sea more...being gone from her only makes me apreciate how beautiful she is and so happy when Im back inside of my goddess...the goddess accepted my parents and the warmth of her helps me accept our inevitability of going back to this goddess...
she is where we came from and life formed...
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
well it's a few hours later and we have serious jet lag...
it will take hours for our family to recover!
but it's nice to be back in Oz with the mermaids!
now to go into a coma!
I was writing a bunch and of course it was erased while my wife ate a sandwich while waiting for our plane! it's nice to get to the airport early for a change spending our last newzealand dollars!
its 420 am and finally at the airport mcdonalds eating a bacon burger with the last kiwi money at the computer free to the public with my honey bugging me about the usual stuff... but it's nice to be at an airport early for a change!
Ill add some more pics when I get the chance...
I haven't been following the news in the states except for the usual
(this is colin checking out our bodet at the coolest bed and breakfast at warei (maori for warm waters)
Monday, April 12, 2010
it's hard to upload these little movies from my camera..
we have to wake up at 2am to catch the flight that leaves at 6!
we have to wake up at 2am to catch the flight that leaves at 6!
so we are already heading back to Oz after a nice little time in Kiwi land...
there was so much to see in the beautiful
land of two islands
but money is running outbefore I have to work for somebody...
hopefully no other places have burned down while I was gone...
or dealing with errant squirrels..
Saturday, April 10, 2010
while my wife and Colin are getting readyI have a few minutes to write to you in the Wayfarer motel computer
we are off today to Cape Reinga and drive parallel to the 90 mile beach
to the northernmost point of New Zealand...
yesterday we stayed at the most beautiful little bed and breakfast home
at Waurei meaning warm waters (Maori language)
with Jenny and Bob...
so far so good on this short little trip
because I can't afford to spend over a $100/night too long..
I have lots of pics to enter now that I have 3 cameras!
by the way, thanks for giving me a wake up call the other morning, Eliazar,
my Venezuelan cohort when we were teaching in Utopachi
in the beautiful Land of Enchantment!
it's nice to know that Rosemary (our teacher assistant) was thinking of me
(I heard she's afraid I'll come back!)
Cape Reinga is generally considered the separation marker between the Tasman Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. From the lighthouse it is possible to watch the tidal race, as the two seas clash to create unsettled waters just off the coast. The Māori refer to this as the meeting of Te Moana-a-Rehua, 'the sea of Rehua' with Te Tai-o-Whitirea, 'the sea of Whitirea', Rehua and Whitirea being a male and a female respectively
Thursday, April 08, 2010
its funny about my life...
when I buy a new waterproof camera, the old one decides to work!
but it's a good camera and I miss it because I can immediately put the pics on this blog!
so Im waiting for this video to show up while I tell you that we are finally here in NZ with little Colin going crazy in the airport hotel...He is hilarious and really appears to be as smart as Forrest Gump's son!
when I buy a new waterproof camera, the old one decides to work!
but it's a good camera and I miss it because I can immediately put the pics on this blog!
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
"Con’s of Bodysurfing
-The other afternoon I was out on a fairly crowded day, and it’s pretty clear that bodysurfers get treated like 2nd-rate citizens in the line-up. I got dropped in on, a lot. It was my wave, I was making the drop, and just ahead of me a surfer who thought I wasn’t going to make it looks me right in the face as he drops in to snake it. So it goes. I still got a ton of waves–mostly medium-sized waves that guys paddle for and just barely miss. And towards the end of the session, as people would notice that my rides were legitimate and weren’t just quick close-outs, I ended up getting a bit more respect. But I know I’ll get snaked again.
-The poundings can be downright dirty. As a thrill-junky, I don’t mind getting rattled, I think that’s half the fun, but holy crap can you get hammered. It’s all about the take-off, and the problem is two-fold. If you make the drop and take it too vertically, and don’t angle it enough to stay with the wave, you end up getting ahead of the lip. One of two things will happen. The first is that the lip will land directly on you, usually somewhere in your lower back, and the wave will violently try to rip you in half. The second thing that can happen is that you actually get fully in front of the lip, and it breaks immediately behind you. When this happens, you often times get fully launched out of the air….like, end up flopping your arms and legs around while you are airborne, as the wave throws you at its mercy. On one particularly memorable wipe-out I literally got water pushed under my eyelids while getting dragged under water. How’s that for the power of the ocean.
-I think a testament to the last statement is the fact that you get a ton more sand in your ass when you bodysurf. You just do.
As it says on Danny Hess’ website in his hand plane section, “I’ve occasionally had a bad time surfing, but I’ve never had a bad time body surfing.”
If you are considering giving it a go, I say do it. It’s incredibly fun. Fins aren’t too expensive, all the brands are pretty good. I’ve always used Churchills, for the almost two decades I’ve been bodysurfing, mostly because when I was a kid I saw Pointbreak and I thought the scene where the guy goes skydiving with Churchills was awesome. There are little mini-leashes that you can attach to your fins so that if they slip off your feet, they are still dangling around your ankle, which I think are a good idea. I’ve definitely had my fins ripped off my feet during some poundings.
Hope to see many of you out in the water, especially if you give bodysurfing a shot. "
Posted in Action Tags: bodysurf, bodysurfing, danny hess, hand plane, ocean beach, surfing
« Everything I Need To Know I Learned From My DogGoing Big at Ocean Beach »
-The other afternoon I was out on a fairly crowded day, and it’s pretty clear that bodysurfers get treated like 2nd-rate citizens in the line-up. I got dropped in on, a lot. It was my wave, I was making the drop, and just ahead of me a surfer who thought I wasn’t going to make it looks me right in the face as he drops in to snake it. So it goes. I still got a ton of waves–mostly medium-sized waves that guys paddle for and just barely miss. And towards the end of the session, as people would notice that my rides were legitimate and weren’t just quick close-outs, I ended up getting a bit more respect. But I know I’ll get snaked again.
-The poundings can be downright dirty. As a thrill-junky, I don’t mind getting rattled, I think that’s half the fun, but holy crap can you get hammered. It’s all about the take-off, and the problem is two-fold. If you make the drop and take it too vertically, and don’t angle it enough to stay with the wave, you end up getting ahead of the lip. One of two things will happen. The first is that the lip will land directly on you, usually somewhere in your lower back, and the wave will violently try to rip you in half. The second thing that can happen is that you actually get fully in front of the lip, and it breaks immediately behind you. When this happens, you often times get fully launched out of the air….like, end up flopping your arms and legs around while you are airborne, as the wave throws you at its mercy. On one particularly memorable wipe-out I literally got water pushed under my eyelids while getting dragged under water. How’s that for the power of the ocean.
-I think a testament to the last statement is the fact that you get a ton more sand in your ass when you bodysurf. You just do.
As it says on Danny Hess’ website in his hand plane section, “I’ve occasionally had a bad time surfing, but I’ve never had a bad time body surfing.”
If you are considering giving it a go, I say do it. It’s incredibly fun. Fins aren’t too expensive, all the brands are pretty good. I’ve always used Churchills, for the almost two decades I’ve been bodysurfing, mostly because when I was a kid I saw Pointbreak and I thought the scene where the guy goes skydiving with Churchills was awesome. There are little mini-leashes that you can attach to your fins so that if they slip off your feet, they are still dangling around your ankle, which I think are a good idea. I’ve definitely had my fins ripped off my feet during some poundings.
Hope to see many of you out in the water, especially if you give bodysurfing a shot. "
Posted in Action Tags: bodysurf, bodysurfing, danny hess, hand plane, ocean beach, surfing
« Everything I Need To Know I Learned From My DogGoing Big at Ocean Beach »
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
I need to change the date on our new camera!Monday, April 05, 2010
wow, I did my second patrol for one of my favorite surf clubs cept for the instructor that gave such a hard time getting my bronze...
knowing that I could have past the bronze a month sooner
just for the privilege of competing with surf lifesavers from all over Oz
about the same age as me...
as I fight hard against the aging process...
(
knowing that I could have past the bronze a month sooner
just for the privilege of competing with surf lifesavers from all over Oz
about the same age as me...
as I fight hard against the aging process...
(
some of our young members eagerly swam out int their rescue tubes to a bloke and a neighbor of mine were in distress waving for a little help as the rip took and they lost their footing...they found their way back on their own with a little coaxing from our lifeguards
I watched our first rescue (almost) from the perch of the trailer... waiting for my chance to be a hero for a day...
while the news stations filmed our club just by chance....
so Ive been hangin out with my new tribes...
and then I wake up a little early for the sunday morning swim race
after taking my son down first to the beach to wash off his dirty butt..
I was pleasantly surprised there was no poop on his bottom for the salt water to wash off today!!
I meet my beach tribe and see that Im start last today!!
Im strongly encouraged to take the power play...
but feel like I don't have the eye of the tiger to take the race!
so resigning to the fact that I have the largest handicap today!
with no chance of catching younger stronger swimmers that are starting more than a minute before me...
even this young amazonian ironwomen with incredibly long legs
running half a minute before me on the race...
I have no possible dream in this life of beating her in a swim race
let alone catching her...
I pass one other lady while she wants to finish last
and maybe get 15 seconds of her handicap for finishing 16th and last..
I hustle to see if I can sprint past this other old man for 14th
but Im marked down as 2nd last
with no chance of 15 secs knocked off my handicap
unless I chose the power play in 2 weeks
or in the last race...
aah to give it all to the race
while a wave catches and me and tumbles me along the sand...
not yet knowing how to master her...
the mistress of the sea talks to me
And invites me in
that evening while walking with the strong wind
With my little family
so I go for a swim....
and her gigantic waves look very intimidating
worried that she will smash me against the sand bank
I try to duck under her
But she sucks me backward
As I plunge down hard onto the sea
And then the sand….
My wife watches
And waits to see me come up…
My back aches a little now
As I pay my respects to my powerful mistress…
and then I wake up a little early for the sunday morning swim race
after taking my son down first to the beach to wash off his dirty butt..
I was pleasantly surprised there was no poop on his bottom for the salt water to wash off today!!
I meet my beach tribe and see that Im start last today!!
Im strongly encouraged to take the power play...
but feel like I don't have the eye of the tiger to take the race!
so resigning to the fact that I have the largest handicap today!
with no chance of catching younger stronger swimmers that are starting more than a minute before me...
even this young amazonian ironwomen with incredibly long legs
running half a minute before me on the race...
I have no possible dream in this life of beating her in a swim race
let alone catching her...
I pass one other lady while she wants to finish last
and maybe get 15 seconds of her handicap for finishing 16th and last..
I hustle to see if I can sprint past this other old man for 14th
but Im marked down as 2nd last
with no chance of 15 secs knocked off my handicap
unless I chose the power play in 2 weeks
or in the last race...
aah to give it all to the race
while a wave catches and me and tumbles me along the sand...
not yet knowing how to master her...
the mistress of the sea talks to me
And invites me in
that evening while walking with the strong wind
With my little family
so I go for a swim....
and her gigantic waves look very intimidating
worried that she will smash me against the sand bank
I try to duck under her
But she sucks me backward
As I plunge down hard onto the sea
And then the sand….
My wife watches
And waits to see me come up…
My back aches a little now
As I pay my respects to my powerful mistress…
Friday, April 02, 2010
I was reading this other site that was coincidentally talking about what I was writing and thinking about the other day, and I realized that Im this kind of prograstinator...i
"The tense-afraid type
The tense-afraid type of procrastinators usually feel overwhelmed with pressure, unrealistic about time, uncertain about goals, and many other negative feelings. They may feel a sense of malaise. Feeling that they lack the ability or focus to successfully complete their work, they tell themselves that they need to unwind and relax, that it's better to take it easy for the afternoon, for example, and start afresh in the morning. They usually have grandiose plans that aren't realistic. Their 'relaxing' is often temporary and ineffective, and leads to even more stress as time runs out, deadlines approach and the person feels increasingly guilty and apprehensive.
This behavior becomes a cycle of failure and delay, as plans and goals are put off, pencilled into the following day or week in the diary again and again. It can also have a debilitating effect on their personal lives and relationships. Since they are uncertain about their goals, they often feel awkward with people who appear confident and goal-oriented, which can lead to depression. Tense-afraid procrastinators often withdraw from social life, avoiding contact even with close friends."
I guess subconciously, I am escaping my contacts and social life and my failures and delays..... and my honey does the same...so we say "Lord help us"...or universal energies help us....
but I think that my so cockeyed optimism helps me realize that slowly it can get better...
together mixed in with the guilt of not getting the paperwork even started to become an Aussie by descent...
knowing that I could be one of the happiest beach Rip Van beach bum over 50 on the beach!
there is my home that was almost destroyed but slowly and surely that is being taken care of...as will all the other things while I escape on my favorite beach in Oz...playing ping pong and drinking 4x beer on a Good Friday Avo with an Ocean St. mate...
but then the guilt that I should be with my family overtakes my concience and desire to be with them some...
my love for my son has helped me get up early with him and seize the day on the beach with him..
"The tense-afraid type
The tense-afraid type of procrastinators usually feel overwhelmed with pressure, unrealistic about time, uncertain about goals, and many other negative feelings. They may feel a sense of malaise. Feeling that they lack the ability or focus to successfully complete their work, they tell themselves that they need to unwind and relax, that it's better to take it easy for the afternoon, for example, and start afresh in the morning. They usually have grandiose plans that aren't realistic. Their 'relaxing' is often temporary and ineffective, and leads to even more stress as time runs out, deadlines approach and the person feels increasingly guilty and apprehensive.
This behavior becomes a cycle of failure and delay, as plans and goals are put off, pencilled into the following day or week in the diary again and again. It can also have a debilitating effect on their personal lives and relationships. Since they are uncertain about their goals, they often feel awkward with people who appear confident and goal-oriented, which can lead to depression. Tense-afraid procrastinators often withdraw from social life, avoiding contact even with close friends."
I guess subconciously, I am escaping my contacts and social life and my failures and delays..... and my honey does the same...so we say "Lord help us"...or universal energies help us....
but I think that my so cockeyed optimism helps me realize that slowly it can get better...
together mixed in with the guilt of not getting the paperwork even started to become an Aussie by descent...
knowing that I could be one of the happiest beach Rip Van beach bum over 50 on the beach!
there is my home that was almost destroyed but slowly and surely that is being taken care of...as will all the other things while I escape on my favorite beach in Oz...playing ping pong and drinking 4x beer on a Good Friday Avo with an Ocean St. mate...
but then the guilt that I should be with my family overtakes my concience and desire to be with them some...
my love for my son has helped me get up early with him and seize the day on the beach with him..
Thursday, April 01, 2010
I guess Rudd would have a similar reaction if he happened to live a long time with okies or razorbacks! ;)Comedian Robin Williams says he loves Australia and has laughed off criticism from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, poking fun at him in the process.
Williams, recently in Australia voicing a character in the animated film sequel Happy Feet 2, has been in the spotlight for saying that Australians are just "English rednecks" on David Letterman's US talk show.
Mr Rudd took offence, telling Eddie Maguire's Triple M radio show: "I think Robin Williams should go and spend a bit of time in Alabama
(I wonder if Rudd would say the same about Oklahoma?) before he frames comments about anyone being particularly redneck."
Now Mr Rudd is in hot water with the governor of Alabama for that response.
But speaking to Hamish and Andy on Australian radio on Thursday afternoon, Williams laughed off the comments.
"Nice comeback, way to go K-Rudd, how's the food on the plane, good day," Williams said.
"I was just there for two weeks, every time I've been in Australia it's been wonderful. I love it down there. Helloooo!"
Williams said he had used the same line on stage in Australia, and no one had been "angry" about it then.
Asked how he felt about a prime minister on the other side of the world taking offence to his comments, Williams said: "I don't know it's interesting, maybe it's because Mr Abbott did well in the ironman."
Hamish and Andy told Williams they thought Mr Rudd was the only Australian offended, and Williams offered this apology: "Mr Rudd I apologise it's linguistics I would like to modify my terminology and say English Good Old Boy.
"If the term redneck is offensive forgive me sir ...
"Please let me come back to Australia without a cavity search, and if not I'd love to go to a strip club with you in New York."
Meanwhile, Mr Rudd's reference to Alabama and rednecks generated a terse response from Alabama governor Bob Riley.
"I'm not sure if Prime Minister Rudd has ever been to Alabama," Mr Riley responded in a statement.
"If he has, he would know that Alabamians are decent, hard working, creative people."
He also pointed to Australian company Austral's decision to invest heavily in Alabama.
"That's why Alabama is home to Australian companies like Austral which employs more than 1000 Alabamians at the world's largest aluminium shipyard," Mr Riley said
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
the evils of procrastination~!
it wasnt one of those 8 evil sins where Oz takes number 1 ranking!(in one of my earlier posts)
but it ranks the highest in my own book as the most evil or my own arch nemesis...
I wonder if it will be one of those essays where I have alot of stuff to say and it all evaporates into cyberspace...
sorry I havent written to you in a while...
I have a litte time over a 4x and stuff to say about how much more I love this beach...
the mistress of the sea beckons me more each day, evening...
in fact so Im actually trying to connect my diurnal (?) clock so that I dont miss out on the hours of daylight...
we both can't make it much past 9pm on Tuesday two for one pizza at dominos and $2 m
ovies at Blockbusterbefore we have to decide about how long and hopefully how little we can spend in NZ!...
maybe less than 1000 (not likely) ,,,but u know that Im such a tight wad....
Now the escape has come back to reality
with an email scolding from my attorney back in the Okie zone
about how stupid I was to not have insurance on my home and going through all this $ fixing it up
when the same thing could happen...
I wonder about the curse and I just want to avoid even thinking about this financial disaster as I go for a long healthy ocean swim in my backyard...
then to relax a little enjoying the fact that I have the luxury to spend these gorgeous mornings in the deep blue ocean and beach with my Colin Murray Garvald!
so I will call those people that I have and even my lawyer to work with me ipso facto
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Today, an initiative that would legalize personal marijuana possession and allow regulated sales of marijuana to adults will qualify for California's November general election ballot. A win at the ballot would be a first of its kind in U.S. history. This is a remarkable moment in the struggle to change our decades-old marijuana policies.
Marijuana was prohibited in 1937 before most Americans had ever heard of it. Today the U.S. leads the world in marijuana consumption. Nearly 26 million Americans used marijuana last year and more than 100 million have tried it in their lifetimes. A huge commodity of the underground economy, marijuana is the nation's top cash crop, valued at $14 billion in California alone. Our state Board of Equalization has estimated we would generate $1.4 billion a year by taxing marijuana like alcohol.
Like it or not, marijuana has become a mainstream recreational drug. It is second only to alcohol and cigarettes in popularity and is objectively far less harmful than either. Marijuana is drastically less addictive and cannot cause an overdose. Every major independent study has debunked the gateway myth; for the profound majority of users, marijuana is the only drug people sample not the first. Children across the country consistently report that marijuana is easy for them to get from their peers and the black market while significant barriers exist to buying alcohol and cigarettes.
Unthinkable carnage in Mexico has claimed 15,000 lives since the Calderon government declared war on drug cartels three years ago. Our government estimates the cartels generate at least 60% of their profits from marijuana alone. Following the murders of several U.S. consular workers, Secretary of State Clinton returned to Mexico this week, acknowledging that demand in the U.S. dominates these markets. But she didn't acknowledge that rampant violence is not a byproduct of the cannabis plant itself but of the prohibition that creates a profit motive people are willing to kill for.
Americans are increasingly turning against the prohibition that fails to protect our kids and guarantees a monopoly of profits to violent criminal syndicates on both sides of the border. While polls have long confirmed that large majorities favor treating marijuana possession as an infraction without arrest let alone jail, support for ending marijuana prohibition outright is quickly gaining speed. A Gallup poll last year reported that a historic 44 percent of Americans favor legalization, a 10-point jump since 2001. Meanwhile, sizable majorities of Californians are ahead of that curve, giving rise to the historic initiative we'll vote on this fall.
With this cultural transition underway, you might think enforcement of our marijuana laws would reflect their unpopularity. Sadly, quite the opposite is the case. Arrests for marijuana offenses have actually tripled nationwide since 1991. In California, which decriminalized low-level possession in 1975, arrests have jumped 127 percent in the same two decades the arrest rate for crime in general fell by 40 percent. Police made nearly 850,000 marijuana arrests across the country last year, half of all drug arrests and more than all violent crime arrests combined. No law in the United States is enforced so widely yet deemed so unnecessary.
Worse still, marijuana laws are enforced selectively with racist results. In California, African Americans are three times more likely than whites to be arrested for a marijuana offense despite comparable or even lower rates of consumption. An expose by the Pasadena Weekly found that blacks, who represent 14 percent of that city's population, accounted for more than half all marijuana arrests in the last five years.
It's hard to overstate the significance of the vote this November. Banning marijuana outright has been a disaster, fueling a massive, increasingly brutal, underground economy, wasting billions in scarce law enforcement resources, and making criminals of countless law-abiding citizens. Elected officials haven't stopped these punitive, profligate policies. Now voters can bring the reality check of sensible marijuana regulation to California.
Stephen Gutwillig is the California State Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, the nation's leading organization working to promote alternatives to the failed war on drugs.
Marijuana was prohibited in 1937 before most Americans had ever heard of it. Today the U.S. leads the world in marijuana consumption. Nearly 26 million Americans used marijuana last year and more than 100 million have tried it in their lifetimes. A huge commodity of the underground economy, marijuana is the nation's top cash crop, valued at $14 billion in California alone. Our state Board of Equalization has estimated we would generate $1.4 billion a year by taxing marijuana like alcohol.
Like it or not, marijuana has become a mainstream recreational drug. It is second only to alcohol and cigarettes in popularity and is objectively far less harmful than either. Marijuana is drastically less addictive and cannot cause an overdose. Every major independent study has debunked the gateway myth; for the profound majority of users, marijuana is the only drug people sample not the first. Children across the country consistently report that marijuana is easy for them to get from their peers and the black market while significant barriers exist to buying alcohol and cigarettes.
Unthinkable carnage in Mexico has claimed 15,000 lives since the Calderon government declared war on drug cartels three years ago. Our government estimates the cartels generate at least 60% of their profits from marijuana alone. Following the murders of several U.S. consular workers, Secretary of State Clinton returned to Mexico this week, acknowledging that demand in the U.S. dominates these markets. But she didn't acknowledge that rampant violence is not a byproduct of the cannabis plant itself but of the prohibition that creates a profit motive people are willing to kill for.
Americans are increasingly turning against the prohibition that fails to protect our kids and guarantees a monopoly of profits to violent criminal syndicates on both sides of the border. While polls have long confirmed that large majorities favor treating marijuana possession as an infraction without arrest let alone jail, support for ending marijuana prohibition outright is quickly gaining speed. A Gallup poll last year reported that a historic 44 percent of Americans favor legalization, a 10-point jump since 2001. Meanwhile, sizable majorities of Californians are ahead of that curve, giving rise to the historic initiative we'll vote on this fall.
With this cultural transition underway, you might think enforcement of our marijuana laws would reflect their unpopularity. Sadly, quite the opposite is the case. Arrests for marijuana offenses have actually tripled nationwide since 1991. In California, which decriminalized low-level possession in 1975, arrests have jumped 127 percent in the same two decades the arrest rate for crime in general fell by 40 percent. Police made nearly 850,000 marijuana arrests across the country last year, half of all drug arrests and more than all violent crime arrests combined. No law in the United States is enforced so widely yet deemed so unnecessary.
Worse still, marijuana laws are enforced selectively with racist results. In California, African Americans are three times more likely than whites to be arrested for a marijuana offense despite comparable or even lower rates of consumption. An expose by the Pasadena Weekly found that blacks, who represent 14 percent of that city's population, accounted for more than half all marijuana arrests in the last five years.
It's hard to overstate the significance of the vote this November. Banning marijuana outright has been a disaster, fueling a massive, increasingly brutal, underground economy, wasting billions in scarce law enforcement resources, and making criminals of countless law-abiding citizens. Elected officials haven't stopped these punitive, profligate policies. Now voters can bring the reality check of sensible marijuana regulation to California.
Stephen Gutwillig is the California State Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, the nation's leading organization working to promote alternatives to the failed war on drugs.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Neonazicon tea partiers are repeating the violent history of the Nazi Party in Germany!
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Authorities are investigating the severing of a gas line at the home of U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello's brother following the posting of his address online by Tea Party activists.
The activists are upset with the Virginia congressman's vote in favor of the health care reform.
At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said that at least 10 members of Congress have requested extra security due to recent threats.
Perriello's office confirmed that a line to a propane tank on a gas grill was cut at Bo Periello's Charlottesville home on Monday.
Tea Party activists had posted the address online thinking it was the congressman's home, telling opponents to drop by and "express their thanks" for his vote.
Albemarle County spokeswoman Lee Catlin said the county fire marshal's office was assisting the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
She said investigators did not believe there was an immediate threat to those in the home
It has become a very scary country when there is so much anger in this country towards our half black/ half white president by mostly ignorant people who often claim to be Christian!
The activists are upset with the Virginia congressman's vote in favor of the health care reform.
At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said that at least 10 members of Congress have requested extra security due to recent threats.
Perriello's office confirmed that a line to a propane tank on a gas grill was cut at Bo Periello's Charlottesville home on Monday.
Tea Party activists had posted the address online thinking it was the congressman's home, telling opponents to drop by and "express their thanks" for his vote.
Albemarle County spokeswoman Lee Catlin said the county fire marshal's office was assisting the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
She said investigators did not believe there was an immediate threat to those in the home
It has become a very scary country when there is so much anger in this country towards our half black/ half white president by mostly ignorant people who often claim to be Christian!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The rights of individuals continues to be taken away in Texas!
A Texas company recently took out a political ad in several local newspapers, making it one of the first corporations to do so in the wake of a landmark Supreme Court ruling that lifted restrictions on corporate political spending.
The Texas Tribune reports that the company, KDR Development, paid for an ad against state Rep. Chuck Hopson, formerly a Democratic member of the state legislature who switched parties and ran in the Republican primary for re-election.
The ad headline reads: "Vote for a REAL Republican," and it challenges Hopson's Republican credentials. The sponsorship line at the bottom of the ad reads: "Political advertisement paid for by KDR Development, Inc." The ads ran in the Jacksonville Daily Progress, the Tyler Morning Telegram and the Panola Watchman, small newspaper in East Texas.
According to the Texas Tribune's Ross Ramsey:
The newspaper ads ran in Jacksonville and Tyler on the Sunday before the election and a week earlier in Panola, and they urged voters to choose anyone but Hopson. They were paid for by KDR Development Inc., a real estate company whose president, Republican Larry Durrett, lost to Hopson in 2006, when Hopson was still a Democrat. Durrett is also the president of Southern Multifoods, a Jacksonville-based company with dozens of franchised Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, A&W and Long John Silvers restaurants. The two companies are closely related, sharing addresses, officers and directors.
"I think we're on solid legal ground," Durrett said in an interview. "We checked it out every way from Sunday."
Durrett's effort to help defeat Hopson in the three-way GOP primary, however, was not successful -- Hopson won.
According to the interview in the Tribune, Durrett consulted lawyers before running the ads to be sure they were legal.
My businesses do better under conservative people and not under people who aren't," he said, referring to his reason for buying the newspaper spot, according to the Tribune.
The Citizens United Supreme Court ruling gave corporations and labor unions the right to buy political advertisements. This type of corporate involvement had been prohibited since a 1990 Supreme Court ruling.
"With its ruling today, the Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics," President Obama in a statement after the ruling. "It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans "
The Texas Tribune reports that the company, KDR Development, paid for an ad against state Rep. Chuck Hopson, formerly a Democratic member of the state legislature who switched parties and ran in the Republican primary for re-election.
The ad headline reads: "Vote for a REAL Republican," and it challenges Hopson's Republican credentials. The sponsorship line at the bottom of the ad reads: "Political advertisement paid for by KDR Development, Inc." The ads ran in the Jacksonville Daily Progress, the Tyler Morning Telegram and the Panola Watchman, small newspaper in East Texas.
According to the Texas Tribune's Ross Ramsey:
The newspaper ads ran in Jacksonville and Tyler on the Sunday before the election and a week earlier in Panola, and they urged voters to choose anyone but Hopson. They were paid for by KDR Development Inc., a real estate company whose president, Republican Larry Durrett, lost to Hopson in 2006, when Hopson was still a Democrat. Durrett is also the president of Southern Multifoods, a Jacksonville-based company with dozens of franchised Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, A&W and Long John Silvers restaurants. The two companies are closely related, sharing addresses, officers and directors.
"I think we're on solid legal ground," Durrett said in an interview. "We checked it out every way from Sunday."
Durrett's effort to help defeat Hopson in the three-way GOP primary, however, was not successful -- Hopson won.
According to the interview in the Tribune, Durrett consulted lawyers before running the ads to be sure they were legal.
My businesses do better under conservative people and not under people who aren't," he said, referring to his reason for buying the newspaper spot, according to the Tribune.
The Citizens United Supreme Court ruling gave corporations and labor unions the right to buy political advertisements. This type of corporate involvement had been prohibited since a 1990 Supreme Court ruling.
"With its ruling today, the Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics," President Obama in a statement after the ruling. "It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans "
wow... I can write again... this blog is asking me to migrate...but it's all about ftp and it has be done by May 1st... financially, spiritually and for our family's well being it would best for me to migrate to Oz...(but that's the really important part of migration in regards to my new life!)
Im gonna have to ask LA for help!
Thanks for telling me the great news about Buffy and how she is enjoying being with your family!
I have to buy a camera so that I can send you a pic of my honey and her tranformation into a mermaid loving the Pacific! Speaking of mermaid, the statue of one is finally now in front of our club!...i heard it cost as much as the cost of the house in the Okie Zone!
Monday, March 22, 2010
" (from Huffington Post)
Obama watched the vote in the White House's Roosevelt Room with Vice President Joe Biden and dozens of aides. When the long sought 216th vote came in — the magic number needed for passage — the room burst into applause and an exultant president exchanged a high-five with his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.
"We proved that we are still a people capable of doing big things," the president said a short while later in televised remarks. "We proved that this government — a government of the people and by the people — still works for the people."
“This isn’t radical reform, but it is major reform,” Obama continued. “This is what change looks like.”
CNN's Ed Henry, citing White House aides, reported that Obama will continue "barnstorming on health care" this week, delivering speeches outside of Washington heralding the immediate benefits of the health care bill.
Way to go Obama! Republicons don't like it...or any way that the our government is helping people avoid bankruptcy... it's amazing how one party hates for any americans to have any benefits!
Obama watched the vote in the White House's Roosevelt Room with Vice President Joe Biden and dozens of aides. When the long sought 216th vote came in — the magic number needed for passage — the room burst into applause and an exultant president exchanged a high-five with his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.
"We proved that we are still a people capable of doing big things," the president said a short while later in televised remarks. "We proved that this government — a government of the people and by the people — still works for the people."
“This isn’t radical reform, but it is major reform,” Obama continued. “This is what change looks like.”
CNN's Ed Henry, citing White House aides, reported that Obama will continue "barnstorming on health care" this week, delivering speeches outside of Washington heralding the immediate benefits of the health care bill.
Way to go Obama! Republicons don't like it...or any way that the our government is helping people avoid bankruptcy... it's amazing how one party hates for any americans to have any benefits!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Clubmate defends decision to run compAAP
March 20, 2010, 1:30 pm
Fears cyclone Ului may speed up
March 19, 2010, 9:14 am
Cyclone may oust lifesaving comp
March 18, 2010, 8:18 am
Surf comp considered safe despite injuries
March 19, 2010, 12:50 pm
Lifesaving competitor rushed to hospital
March 19, 2010, 2:36 pm
Surf competitor dies after accident
March 19, 2010, 4:56 pm
A clubmate of a young lifesaver who drowned at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships on the Gold Coast has defended the decision to run the competition despite churning surf at Kurrawa Beach.
Saxon Bird, 19, from the Queenscliff club in Sydney, died in hospital after being struck in the head by a surf ski during an iron man event on Friday.
Close friend and senior competitor for Queenscliff, Tom Atkinson, said while conditions on Friday were "testing they were contestable".
"It was suitable for racing," he told reporters on Saturday.
"The call was made to race out there and I believe that was the right call for yesterday.
"Saxon individually thrives in those conditions and he was not out of his league in any state of mind.
"I think that the right call was made, it was just an accident that could not have been avoided."
Atkinson and club president David Piper flatly rejected a newspaper report that Saxon's last words on the beach were that he didn't want to compete in the rough surf.
"That was not Saxon, that was not said," Piper told reporters.
Atkinson said there weren't any conditions his friend wouldn't have been able to handle.
"He's an amazing competitor.
"It's kind of hard for you guys to maybe understand what he's capable of, but he's the best in Australia at what he does and that's why he can do it."
Piper said Bird's father told supporters his son lived for his sport, and his club.
"And (he lived) for what we offered him and what he offered us," Piper said.
"We are deeply grieving, we have come together as a club, we are a family club and Saxon and his family, his sister and his mum and dad, are part of that family," he said.
Kurrawa Beach was quiet on Saturday morning, with just a couple of surfers braving a two-metre-plus swell, a result of Cyclone Ului, which is bearing down on the Queensland coast.
Organisers of the championships have cancelled all water-based events following the 19-year-old's death in the choppy conditions.
All water, craft and boat events in all age groups for the remainder of the championships this weekend were called off on Saturday morning, although organisers say sand-based events would continue.
Surf Life Saving Queensland has also closed all beaches on the Gold Coast due to the rough conditions.
Authorities will reassess conditions throughout the weekend and reopen beaches when they are safe.
Bird is the second person to die in the championship's history. "
this athlete that I never met has made an impact on me...
He gave his life to his sport and the sea...
I was watching these sharp thin boats go high up in the air when they crashed against the waves
and worried that they could easily land on the athletes
and it happened... I said ouch as it landed
with no clue that the boat knocked the unsuspecting young man
until later when many were screaming
that they saw a head bobbing up and down in the waves
they found his body more than a half hour later
when the other lifesavers went up and down the rough seas looking for him underwater...
everything else that has bothering me lately pales in comparison to the grief that his poor family is going through ..
and I think of my loss when I tried to save Alene and resuscitate her after her heart had stopped
many years ago...and I couldnt save her... (is this the reason I have wanted to be a lifesaver so badly to feel somehow vindicated?? is it part of my own subconcious to make up for my own guilt for not being able to save her??)
and the lifeguards were going through the surf looking for him knowing that he was long past
the period when he could be recovered...
I hope that I can make the service at 8am tomorrow at Kurrawa if the cyclone Ului isnt hitting our coast ....
March 20, 2010, 1:30 pm
Fears cyclone Ului may speed up
March 19, 2010, 9:14 am
Cyclone may oust lifesaving comp
March 18, 2010, 8:18 am
Surf comp considered safe despite injuries
March 19, 2010, 12:50 pm
Lifesaving competitor rushed to hospital
March 19, 2010, 2:36 pm
Surf competitor dies after accident
March 19, 2010, 4:56 pm
A clubmate of a young lifesaver who drowned at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships on the Gold Coast has defended the decision to run the competition despite churning surf at Kurrawa Beach.
Saxon Bird, 19, from the Queenscliff club in Sydney, died in hospital after being struck in the head by a surf ski during an iron man event on Friday.
Close friend and senior competitor for Queenscliff, Tom Atkinson, said while conditions on Friday were "testing they were contestable".
"It was suitable for racing," he told reporters on Saturday.
"The call was made to race out there and I believe that was the right call for yesterday.
"Saxon individually thrives in those conditions and he was not out of his league in any state of mind.
"I think that the right call was made, it was just an accident that could not have been avoided."
Atkinson and club president David Piper flatly rejected a newspaper report that Saxon's last words on the beach were that he didn't want to compete in the rough surf.
"That was not Saxon, that was not said," Piper told reporters.
Atkinson said there weren't any conditions his friend wouldn't have been able to handle.
"He's an amazing competitor.
"It's kind of hard for you guys to maybe understand what he's capable of, but he's the best in Australia at what he does and that's why he can do it."
Piper said Bird's father told supporters his son lived for his sport, and his club.
"And (he lived) for what we offered him and what he offered us," Piper said.
"We are deeply grieving, we have come together as a club, we are a family club and Saxon and his family, his sister and his mum and dad, are part of that family," he said.
Kurrawa Beach was quiet on Saturday morning, with just a couple of surfers braving a two-metre-plus swell, a result of Cyclone Ului, which is bearing down on the Queensland coast.
Organisers of the championships have cancelled all water-based events following the 19-year-old's death in the choppy conditions.
All water, craft and boat events in all age groups for the remainder of the championships this weekend were called off on Saturday morning, although organisers say sand-based events would continue.
Surf Life Saving Queensland has also closed all beaches on the Gold Coast due to the rough conditions.
Authorities will reassess conditions throughout the weekend and reopen beaches when they are safe.
Bird is the second person to die in the championship's history. "
this athlete that I never met has made an impact on me...
He gave his life to his sport and the sea...
I was watching these sharp thin boats go high up in the air when they crashed against the waves
and worried that they could easily land on the athletes
and it happened... I said ouch as it landed
with no clue that the boat knocked the unsuspecting young man
until later when many were screaming
that they saw a head bobbing up and down in the waves
they found his body more than a half hour later
when the other lifesavers went up and down the rough seas looking for him underwater...
everything else that has bothering me lately pales in comparison to the grief that his poor family is going through ..
and I think of my loss when I tried to save Alene and resuscitate her after her heart had stopped
many years ago...and I couldnt save her... (is this the reason I have wanted to be a lifesaver so badly to feel somehow vindicated?? is it part of my own subconcious to make up for my own guilt for not being able to save her??)
and the lifeguards were going through the surf looking for him knowing that he was long past
the period when he could be recovered...
I hope that I can make the service at 8am tomorrow at Kurrawa if the cyclone Ului isnt hitting our coast ....
Friday, March 19, 2010
A 19-year-old national title holding surfer has died after being hit by his own ski while competing in rough conditions off the Gold Coast.
Paramedics attempted to resuscitate Australian Surf Life Saving Championships competitor Saxon Bird on Kurrawa Beach and continued CPR while he was transported to Gold Coast Hospital by ambulance.
But he died in hospital on Friday afternoon, officials said.
The teenager's surf ski washed onto the beach around 11.30am (AEST) on Friday during the under-19 ironman event.
After an air and sea search of a one kilometre section of the beach Bird was located by a fellow life saver less than an hour later.
The championships has been suspended and a decision will be made by Saturday morning on whether they continue.
A strong rip is running along the water's edge about 10 metres out from the sand, with waves between 1.5 and two metres.
Organisers deemed conditions at Kurrawa safe enough to go ahead with the event on Friday, despite two people being injured in rough conditions at the surf carnival this week.
Cyclone Ului is whipping up rough conditions along the Queensland coast.
Bird, from Denistone, in Sydney's northwest, was representing the Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club.
He was a member of the NSW surf life saving high performance team and has taken a number of national titles over the past four years.
Robert Gatenby, 15, a member of Kurrawa's under-18 boat crew, drowned at the 1996 nationals at the same beach, as Cyclone Beti ravaged the Queensland coast.
The boardwalk fronting the surf clubhouse is named in his honour.
Paramedics attempted to resuscitate Australian Surf Life Saving Championships competitor Saxon Bird on Kurrawa Beach and continued CPR while he was transported to Gold Coast Hospital by ambulance.
But he died in hospital on Friday afternoon, officials said.
The teenager's surf ski washed onto the beach around 11.30am (AEST) on Friday during the under-19 ironman event.
After an air and sea search of a one kilometre section of the beach Bird was located by a fellow life saver less than an hour later.
The championships has been suspended and a decision will be made by Saturday morning on whether they continue.
A strong rip is running along the water's edge about 10 metres out from the sand, with waves between 1.5 and two metres.
Organisers deemed conditions at Kurrawa safe enough to go ahead with the event on Friday, despite two people being injured in rough conditions at the surf carnival this week.
Cyclone Ului is whipping up rough conditions along the Queensland coast.
Bird, from Denistone, in Sydney's northwest, was representing the Queenscliff Surf Life Saving Club.
He was a member of the NSW surf life saving high performance team and has taken a number of national titles over the past four years.
Robert Gatenby, 15, a member of Kurrawa's under-18 boat crew, drowned at the 1996 nationals at the same beach, as Cyclone Beti ravaged the Queensland coast.
The boardwalk fronting the surf clubhouse is named in his honour.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Faux News is one of the many reasons for the decline of this country!
and I regret to say it's owned by an Aussie who owns FOXTEL here in Oz! So Aussies can see for themselves how biased towards Republicans this so called news channel is! Another one of the many reasons for my son to grow up in Oz and have a choice away what's happening to America in case these evil Neocons steal the election the way Fox helped influence the decision of the electoral college won out over the popular vote...Gore and others should have put up a stand in Florida and be the rightful president of the US
...instead this idiot Bush put us into a rapid decline
(don't get me started!)
Obama On Fox News: Accuses Bret Baier Of Interrupting, Two 'Going At Each Other'
In a rare interview with Fox News on Wednesday, President Obama predicted to host Bret Baier that Congress will soon pass the health care reform proposal that his administration has been working on for months.
OBAMA: I'm confident it will pass. And the reason I'm confident that it's going to pass is because it's the right thing to do. Look, on a whole host of these measures, whether it's health care, whether it was fixing the financial system, whether it's making sure that we passed the Recovery Act, I knew these things might not be popular, but I was absolutely positive that they were the right thing to do and that, over time, we would be vindicated in having made those tough decisions.
I think health care is exactly the same thing. We -- I've got a whole bunch of portraits of presidents around here, starting with Teddy Roosevelt, who tried to do this and didn't get it done. The reason that it needs to be done is not its affect on the presidency. It has to do with how it's going to affect ordinary people who right now are desperately in need of help.
The president played down the contentious debate over the legislative tactics currently under consideration for getting health care reform passed. "I don't spend a lot of time worrying about what the procedural rules are in the House or Senate," he said.
President Obama also added a warning for those still opposing the health care reform package, saying that "if they vote against it, then they're going to be voting against health care reform and they're going to be voting in favor of the status quo."
Baier repeatedly interrupted the president during the interview; at the end of their exchange, Baier apologized for the interjections, explaining that he wanted to "get more bang for buck."
...instead this idiot Bush put us into a rapid decline
(don't get me started!)
Obama On Fox News: Accuses Bret Baier Of Interrupting, Two 'Going At Each Other'
In a rare interview with Fox News on Wednesday, President Obama predicted to host Bret Baier that Congress will soon pass the health care reform proposal that his administration has been working on for months.
OBAMA: I'm confident it will pass. And the reason I'm confident that it's going to pass is because it's the right thing to do. Look, on a whole host of these measures, whether it's health care, whether it was fixing the financial system, whether it's making sure that we passed the Recovery Act, I knew these things might not be popular, but I was absolutely positive that they were the right thing to do and that, over time, we would be vindicated in having made those tough decisions.
I think health care is exactly the same thing. We -- I've got a whole bunch of portraits of presidents around here, starting with Teddy Roosevelt, who tried to do this and didn't get it done. The reason that it needs to be done is not its affect on the presidency. It has to do with how it's going to affect ordinary people who right now are desperately in need of help.
The president played down the contentious debate over the legislative tactics currently under consideration for getting health care reform passed. "I don't spend a lot of time worrying about what the procedural rules are in the House or Senate," he said.
President Obama also added a warning for those still opposing the health care reform package, saying that "if they vote against it, then they're going to be voting against health care reform and they're going to be voting in favor of the status quo."
Baier repeatedly interrupted the president during the interview; at the end of their exchange, Baier apologized for the interjections, explaining that he wanted to "get more bang for buck."
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Thank you, LA, for the congratulations on getting my Bronze! I've been wanting this for a long time. It's almost anticlimatic now after doing it all!
I bet Buffy could manage to surf on the board like another dog does down the beach! I miss her. How is she doing?
perhaps relating??
I like this excerpt from the daily OM about finding happiness!
"
Expressing your creativity can be a powerful means of entertaining yourself or the people
you care for. Often, we look for fun in situations created by others. Each of us has the potential to entertain ourselves by simply putting a novel, creative spin on life or thinking about our everyday duties in a new way. In doing so, you can take an everyday activity and make it more enjoyable by going about it in a fresh way. It also becomes easier to find the humor in the little foibles you experience as you move through your days. When you possess the ability to entertain yourself, your happiness is in your hands. By using your creativity to find fun today, you put yourself in control of your joy. "
I bet Buffy could manage to surf on the board like another dog does down the beach! I miss her. How is she doing?
perhaps relating??
I like this excerpt from the daily OM about finding happiness!
"
Expressing your creativity can be a powerful means of entertaining yourself or the people
you care for. Often, we look for fun in situations created by others. Each of us has the potential to entertain ourselves by simply putting a novel, creative spin on life or thinking about our everyday duties in a new way. In doing so, you can take an everyday activity and make it more enjoyable by going about it in a fresh way. It also becomes easier to find the humor in the little foibles you experience as you move through your days. When you possess the ability to entertain yourself, your happiness is in your hands. By using your creativity to find fun today, you put yourself in control of your joy. "Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Hundreds are evacuating Great Barrier Reef islands and ports, and ships are on notice amid warnings Cyclone Ului will hit the central Queensland coast this weekend.
More than 300 tourists and residents are being evacuated from Heron Island, off Rockhampton, and Lady Elliot Island, off Gladstone, over the next two days.
In Rockhampton, the local disaster management committee is meeting to ensure the region is prepared.
Commercial shipping has been put on notice.
The weather bureau expects Ului, which is currently a category four cyclone, to cross the coast somewhere between Bowen and Gladstone on Saturday or Sunday.
It says the cyclone could bring swells of between eight and 10 metres, but that will depend on exactly where it hits and its intensity.
Last March, cargo ship the Pacific Adventurer lost 31 containers and spilt 270,000 litres of fuel oil in rough seas whipped up by Cyclone Hamish.
Maritime Safety Queensland said that while cyclones increased the risk of oil spills, it had contingency plans in place.
But opposition transport spokeswoman Fiona Simpson says she has serious doubts the marine agency would be up to the task, having mishandled the Pacific Adventurer oil spill.
"It took them eight days to come up with an oil spill recovery plan and then 14 days to implement that," Ms Simpson said.
"It was a dog's breakfast in regards to preparation and response. They failed in their duty to be prepared."
Meanwhile, Rockhampton mayor Brad Carter is warning any deluge the cyclone brings could quickly cut road access.
He says a number of rural roads in the Rockhampton area were already affected by heavy rain in the past two months.
"If people are going to batten down, they're going to need all of their provisions and emergency services with them and make that decision to either batten down or evacuate as early as possible," Mr Carter said.
He said the Fitzroy River, which flows through Rockhampton, had started to fall but the water level remained high from recent rain.
"With a bit of local rain and a bit of local stream activity, it certainly will increase local flooding problems," Mr Carter said.
Premier Anna Bligh said councils were ready to activate their disaster management plans if Ului swept in.
At 6pm (AEST) on Wednesday, the category four storm was about 1200km northeast of Mackay and moving south at about six kilometres an hour.
"All local councils have a disaster management plan which they can activate in a very, very short time frame once they know this cyclone may be heading in their direction," Ms Bligh said.
"But at this stage this cyclone could head out to sea. We'll just have to wait and see."
More than 300 tourists and residents are being evacuated from Heron Island, off Rockhampton, and Lady Elliot Island, off Gladstone, over the next two days.
In Rockhampton, the local disaster management committee is meeting to ensure the region is prepared.
Commercial shipping has been put on notice.
The weather bureau expects Ului, which is currently a category four cyclone, to cross the coast somewhere between Bowen and Gladstone on Saturday or Sunday.
It says the cyclone could bring swells of between eight and 10 metres, but that will depend on exactly where it hits and its intensity.
Last March, cargo ship the Pacific Adventurer lost 31 containers and spilt 270,000 litres of fuel oil in rough seas whipped up by Cyclone Hamish.
Maritime Safety Queensland said that while cyclones increased the risk of oil spills, it had contingency plans in place.
But opposition transport spokeswoman Fiona Simpson says she has serious doubts the marine agency would be up to the task, having mishandled the Pacific Adventurer oil spill.
"It took them eight days to come up with an oil spill recovery plan and then 14 days to implement that," Ms Simpson said.
"It was a dog's breakfast in regards to preparation and response. They failed in their duty to be prepared."
Meanwhile, Rockhampton mayor Brad Carter is warning any deluge the cyclone brings could quickly cut road access.
He says a number of rural roads in the Rockhampton area were already affected by heavy rain in the past two months.
"If people are going to batten down, they're going to need all of their provisions and emergency services with them and make that decision to either batten down or evacuate as early as possible," Mr Carter said.
He said the Fitzroy River, which flows through Rockhampton, had started to fall but the water level remained high from recent rain.
"With a bit of local rain and a bit of local stream activity, it certainly will increase local flooding problems," Mr Carter said.
Premier Anna Bligh said councils were ready to activate their disaster management plans if Ului swept in.
At 6pm (AEST) on Wednesday, the category four storm was about 1200km northeast of Mackay and moving south at about six kilometres an hour.
"All local councils have a disaster management plan which they can activate in a very, very short time frame once they know this cyclone may be heading in their direction," Ms Bligh said.
"But at this stage this cyclone could head out to sea. We'll just have to wait and see."
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
a little happiness before the storm
of course all of my epiphanies were erased into cyberspace again
as I saw how lucky we were to have this little bit of paradise on the beach....
after playing a couple games of chess with ocean st. mate I went out to look at the surf and saw the most beautiful rainbows sprouting out of the sea
with the light shining between the clouds on the surfers.. as if there were pots of gold at each end!
it was almost heavenly...
I couldn't capture it on my broken camera
but fortunately I had my new found video camera to capture it... ( I found the charger back here in our flat)
I need to search for a pic that will be appropriate for this little bit of heaven...
a cyclone just did its damage to Fiji
and is on it's 100 km/hr course to our little paradise...
so it was almost as if God was giving us a beautiful show before the storm!
as I saw how lucky we were to have this little bit of paradise on the beach....
after playing a couple games of chess with ocean st. mate I went out to look at the surf and saw the most beautiful rainbows sprouting out of the sea
with the light shining between the clouds on the surfers.. as if there were pots of gold at each end!
it was almost heavenly...
I couldn't capture it on my broken camera
but fortunately I had my new found video camera to capture it... ( I found the charger back here in our flat)
I need to search for a pic that will be appropriate for this little bit of heaven...
a cyclone just did its damage to Fiji
and is on it's 100 km/hr course to our little paradise...
so it was almost as if God was giving us a beautiful show before the storm!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Right wing religious redneck radicals are forcing their views on innocent school children!
AUSTIN, Texas - A far-right faction of the Texas State Board of Education succeeded Friday in injecting conservative ideals into social studies, history and economics lessons that will be taught to millions of students for the next decade.
Teachers in Texas will be required to cover the Judeo-Christian influences of the nation's Founding Fathers, but not highlight the philosophical rationale for the...
for the separation of church and state. Curriculum standards also will describe the U.S. government as a "constitutional republic," rather than "democratic," and students will be required to study the decline in value of the U.S. dollar, including the abandonment of the gold standard.
"We have been about conservatism versus liberalism," said Democrat Mavis Knight of Dallas, explaining her vote against the standards. "We have manipulated strands to insert what we want it to be in the document, regardless as to whether or not it's appropriate."
Following three days of impassioned and acrimonious debate, the board gave preliminary approval to the new standards with a 10-5 party line vote. A final vote is expected in May, after a public comment period that could produce additional amendments and arguments.
Decisions by the board -- made up of lawyers, a dentist and a weekly newspaper publisher among others -- can affect textbook content nationwide because Texas is one of publishers' biggest clients.
Ultraconservatives wielded their power over hundreds of subjects this week, introducing and rejecting amendments on everything from the civil rights movement to global politics. Hostilities flared and prompted a walkout Thursday by one of the board's most prominent Democrats, Mary Helen Berlanga of Corpus Christi, who accused her colleagues of "whitewashing" curriculum standards.
Story continues below
By late Thursday night, three other Democrats seemed to sense their futility and left, leaving Republicans to easily push through amendments heralding "American exceptionalism" and the U.S. free enterprise system, suggesting it thrives best absent excessive government intervention.
"Some board members themselves acknowledged this morning that the process for revising curriculum standards in Texas is seriously broken, with politics and personal agendas dominating just about every decision," said Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, which advocates for religious freedom.
Republican Terri Leo, a member of the powerful Christian conservative voting bloc, called the standards "world class" and "exceptional."
Board members argued about the classification of historic periods (still B.C. and A.D., rather than B.C.E. and C.E.); whether students should be required to explain the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its impact on global politics (they will); and whether former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir should be required learning (she will).
In addition to learning the Bill of Rights, the board specified a reference to the Second Amendment right to bear arms in a section about citizenship in a U.S. government class.
Conservatives beat back multiple attempts to include hip-hop as an example of a significant cultural movement.
Numerous attempts to add the names or references to important Hispanics throughout history also were denied, inducing one amendment that would specify that Tejanos died at the Alamo alongside Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. Another amendment deleted a requirement that sociology students "explain how institutional racism is evident in American society."
Democrats did score a victory by deleting a portion of an amendment by Republican Don McLeroy suggesting that the civil rights movement led to "unrealistic expectations for equal outcomes."
Fort Worth Republican Pat Hardy, a longtime teacher, voted for the new standards, but said she wished the board could work with a more cooperative spirit.
"What we've done is we've taken a document that by nature is too long to begin with and then we've lengthened it some more," Hardy said, shortly after the vote. "Those long lists of names that we've put in there ... it's just too long.
"I just think we failed to keep that in mind, it's hard for teachers to get through it all."
Teachers in Texas will be required to cover the Judeo-Christian influences of the nation's Founding Fathers, but not highlight the philosophical rationale for the...
for the separation of church and state. Curriculum standards also will describe the U.S. government as a "constitutional republic," rather than "democratic," and students will be required to study the decline in value of the U.S. dollar, including the abandonment of the gold standard.
"We have been about conservatism versus liberalism," said Democrat Mavis Knight of Dallas, explaining her vote against the standards. "We have manipulated strands to insert what we want it to be in the document, regardless as to whether or not it's appropriate."
Following three days of impassioned and acrimonious debate, the board gave preliminary approval to the new standards with a 10-5 party line vote. A final vote is expected in May, after a public comment period that could produce additional amendments and arguments.
Decisions by the board -- made up of lawyers, a dentist and a weekly newspaper publisher among others -- can affect textbook content nationwide because Texas is one of publishers' biggest clients.
Ultraconservatives wielded their power over hundreds of subjects this week, introducing and rejecting amendments on everything from the civil rights movement to global politics. Hostilities flared and prompted a walkout Thursday by one of the board's most prominent Democrats, Mary Helen Berlanga of Corpus Christi, who accused her colleagues of "whitewashing" curriculum standards.
Story continues below
By late Thursday night, three other Democrats seemed to sense their futility and left, leaving Republicans to easily push through amendments heralding "American exceptionalism" and the U.S. free enterprise system, suggesting it thrives best absent excessive government intervention.
"Some board members themselves acknowledged this morning that the process for revising curriculum standards in Texas is seriously broken, with politics and personal agendas dominating just about every decision," said Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, which advocates for religious freedom.
Republican Terri Leo, a member of the powerful Christian conservative voting bloc, called the standards "world class" and "exceptional."
Board members argued about the classification of historic periods (still B.C. and A.D., rather than B.C.E. and C.E.); whether students should be required to explain the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its impact on global politics (they will); and whether former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir should be required learning (she will).
In addition to learning the Bill of Rights, the board specified a reference to the Second Amendment right to bear arms in a section about citizenship in a U.S. government class.
Conservatives beat back multiple attempts to include hip-hop as an example of a significant cultural movement.
Numerous attempts to add the names or references to important Hispanics throughout history also were denied, inducing one amendment that would specify that Tejanos died at the Alamo alongside Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. Another amendment deleted a requirement that sociology students "explain how institutional racism is evident in American society."
Democrats did score a victory by deleting a portion of an amendment by Republican Don McLeroy suggesting that the civil rights movement led to "unrealistic expectations for equal outcomes."
Fort Worth Republican Pat Hardy, a longtime teacher, voted for the new standards, but said she wished the board could work with a more cooperative spirit.
"What we've done is we've taken a document that by nature is too long to begin with and then we've lengthened it some more," Hardy said, shortly after the vote. "Those long lists of names that we've put in there ... it's just too long.
"I just think we failed to keep that in mind, it's hard for teachers to get through it all."
It is a very scary thing in America when innocent young children are indoctrinated both in bible school and then in regular school by right wing fanatics! That is why I want my son to have a choice of countries ... at this point I don't want my son to be forced to read something that has no basis in fact...
There is freedom of religion and freedom from the religious right who are shoving their programs down the throats of children that at young ages often can't distinguish Santa Clause from reality.
another thing happening in the continuing decline of these states of ours:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-rodda/congressman-wants-citizen_b_506623.html
Well, spring is in the air, and that can mean only one thing: it's time for a member of Congress to introduce a resolution proclaiming the first weekend of May "Ten Commandments Weekend." This time, the resolution comes from Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA).
These kinds of resolutions almost always contain a dose of Christian nationalist American history revisionism, and Broun's resolution, H. Res. 1175, is no different. In fact, just like Sen. Sam Brownback in his 2008 Ten Commandments Weekend resolution, Broun includes a quote from John Quincy Adams in one of his "Whereas" clauses: "Whereas the sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams, declared the Ten Commandments to be 'laws essential to the existence of men in society, and most of which have been enacted by every nation, which ever professed any code of laws.'"
And, just like Brownback did in his resolution, Broun omits the part of the quote in which Adams made it clear that many of the laws of the Old Testament were "adapted to that time only" and binding only on the ancient Jews. Here's what Adams actually wrote, in a letter to his son:
"The law given from Sinai was a civil and municipal as well as a moral and religious code; it contained many statutes adapted to that time only, and to the particular circumstances of the nation to whom it was given; they could of course be binding upon them, and only upon them, until abrogated by the same authority which enacted them, as they afterward were by the Christian dispensation; but many others were of universal application -- laws essential to the existence of men in society, and most of which have been enacted by every nation, which ever professed any code of laws."
(I think it might be relevant to note here that John Quincy Adams, although personally quite religious, took his presidential oath of office on a law book containing the Constitution rather than a Bible, because he was swearing that as president he would uphold the Constitution, not the Bible.)
Broun borrowed a few of the other historically questionable "Whereas" clauses from Brownback's 2008 resolution, but historical distortion is not the most outrageous thing about H. Res. 1175. While Broun copied his first two "resolves" almost word for word from Brownback, he beefed up the third, calling for citizens of ALL religions to reflect on the Ten Commandments. Even Brownback didn't go this far.
Resolved, That the House of Representatives --
(1) supports the designation of Ten Commandments Weekend;
(2) celebrates the significant role the Ten Commandments have played in the development of significant public and private institutions of the United States; and
(3) encourages citizens of all faiths and religious persuasions to reflect on the important impact that the Ten Commandments have had on the people and national character of the United States.
Apparently, Broun doesn't see any problem whatsoever with Congress encouraging people of "all faiths and religious persuasions" to follow his religion. After all, as he expressed in another of his resolution's "Whereas" clauses, the laws of his religion "transcend the diversity of cultural expression and faith in the United States."
Here's the full text of H. Res. 1175:
111th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1175
Expressing support for designation of the first weekend of May as Ten Commandments Weekend to recognize the significant contributions the Ten Commandments have made to shaping Western civilization and the vital role they played in the development of the institutions and national character of the United States.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 12, 2010
Mr. BROUN of Georgia (for himself, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Ms. FOXX, Mr. BARTLETT, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. KLINE of Minnesota, Mr. HARPER, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mrs. BACHMANN, and Mr. CONAWAY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
RESOLUTION
Expressing support for designation of the first weekend of May as Ten Commandments Weekend to recognize the significant contributions the Ten Commandments have made to shaping Western civilization and the vital role they played in the development of the institutions and national character of the United States.
Whereas from the earliest days of the United States, the Ten Commandments have been part of the Nation's basic cultural fabric;
Whereas the sixth President of the United States, John Quincy Adams, declared the Ten Commandments to be 'laws essential to the existence of men in society, and most of which have been enacted by every nation, which ever professed any code of laws';
Whereas the Ten Commandments are a widely respected code of personal conduct and a declaration of fundamental principles for a fair and just society that transcend the diversity of cultural expression and faith in the United States;
Whereas a marble relief of Moses, the bearer of the Ten Commandments, is prominently displayed over the gallery doors of the chamber of the House of Representatives, in the United States Capitol;
Whereas images of the Ten Commandments are prominently displayed in many Federal buildings, such as the United States Supreme Court, National Archives, and Library of Congress; and
Whereas in addition to being understood as an elemental source for United States law, the Ten Commandments have become a recognized symbol of law in the Nation's culture: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives --
(1) supports the designation of Ten Commandments Weekend;
(2) celebrates the significant role the Ten Commandments have played in the development of significant public and private institutions of the United States; and
(3) encourages citizens of all faiths and religious persuasions to reflect on the important impact that the Ten Commandments have had on the people and national character of the United States.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Today was the best day in a long while..
it was so long since I felt so very welcome in a place..
I earned my bronze medallion finally today at the Miami Surf Club!
They invited me for to stay over at the club for lunch
after we waited for us to be given the chance to swim the surf with the hard break...
I was the first to reach the shore among the 20 swimmers...
Never have I felt stronger and more vindicated to know my abilities as a surf lifeguard!
Now I can walk tall as I patrol the beach as volunteer to help save folks in trouble!
it was so long since I felt so very welcome in a place..
I earned my bronze medallion finally today at the Miami Surf Club!
They invited me for to stay over at the club for lunch
after we waited for us to be given the chance to swim the surf with the hard break...
I was the first to reach the shore among the 20 swimmers...
Never have I felt stronger and more vindicated to know my abilities as a surf lifeguard!
Now I can walk tall as I patrol the beach as volunteer to help save folks in trouble!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
The big day to get tested for my bronze medallion is tomorrow!
Please, Lord, help me pass!
Please, Lord, help me pass!
Friday, March 12, 2010
there are so many things that I have to do...
I can also feel so overwhelmed yet
I dont want to depend on a medication such as adderall to focus better
it could cause unknown side effects...
but the bronze exam for becoming a volunteer lifeguard on sunday is coming up
I am nervous about that and feel with the adderall
I could focus better
I can also feel so overwhelmed yet
I dont want to depend on a medication such as adderall to focus better
it could cause unknown side effects...
but the bronze exam for becoming a volunteer lifeguard on sunday is coming up
I am nervous about that and feel with the adderall
I could focus better
so I think that it will be good to be able to do it without meds
but I will feel more confident
with a little...
especially knowing the instructor will be there who stated that I was not ready for the assesment a month ago...
I want to not let things like that bother me...but I will actually pray
and feel my confidence in myself will still keep improving with age...
as I become wiser..(hopefully)
all of this and then not even wanting to think about the house in the Okie Zone can be overwhelming
along with helping my wife to cope with her daily depression...
life can be tough
but then I look at our wonderful beautiful son and believe it is all worth while to bring him into this world and share our lives with him!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
ok.... it's probably the problem with these laptop computers..
like the other one I have....
I guess I need to break down and get some lessons on the way I type and I'm pushing the buttons...so that I push the area where I can move the cursor(?)
and all of the writing disappears into cyberspace...
I was talking about my scrooge mcduck genes
where I save money for the rainy day...
or better yet the end of the world (as we know it)
financially collapses the way the neorepublicons
desire America to become a banana republic
the way many countries in south america have become...
most americans will be so in debt to creditors that they
work long hours to just survive and not become a homeless person...trying desperately to pay off the credit cards at outrageous rates and taxes that only profit corporate welfare and the military industrial complex!!
whew!! ...ppp, passs
again it was erased... I guess I need to write on word perfect before it's all erased..
today was a beautiful day and after visiting the doctor
I think my wife realizes that adderall or some psycho stimulant would actually help her!
I need to get in the habit of writing on my document section first..
But maybe its good that I don’t give out too much info on my family..
I suppose that I say way too much already
So that I prefer to be somewhat anonymous…
Today was a gorgeous morning and I just wanted to capture it with Colin
Enjoying the morning with me…
I took out the chair and Colin and sat out there to write and take some movies of the moment..
He is so beautiful.!(I wish that my camera would work! and bought that waterproof one in the Fiji duty free section at the airport!}
And then I come back to the computer to find someone anonymously (perhaps from Sacramento?)
Left a comment with this beautiful song about John Lennon’s son, Sean…
Maybe he/she was moved enough to send me a comment…
Could it be Steve? A good friend and occasional reader of my blog?
I forget whether he told me that he was a grandfather??
I wanted to say that whoever wrote the article on emotional vampirism
isn’t at all empathetic the people that become these “vampires”
There is a reason for them to become this way
And I understand more about myself and my wife…
And where we have to go to evolve
Into the people that we want to be
To be good parents!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
wow... somebody from sacramento has been visiting my site for december 2004...
what was so intriguing about that time period or what I wrote
for them to visit my site several times per day...
maybe some readers could give me insight on what they might or dislike about my writing??
its 4 am and Ive been watching some good movies before I wanted to have the chance to write to you...
Surrogates and a chinese movie called Red Cliff...
the latter movie showed how to win a war against overwhelming odds with the step by step strategies of chess!
My realization/epiphany again is reiterated about treating life as a chess game..
I had that thought almost 20 years ago after Mom passed away and before Alene passed..
my life is short and I know that I can still have victory...(things can always turn around in a tough game with the knight!)...
I know that if I can do the steps one a time , we can have a succesful happy family...
but the biggest things to look out for are emotional vampires!
An introduction to emotional vampires
Emotional vampires come in various shapes and sizes. Despite the several sub-types, one factor that they all have in common is that you feel emotionally drained after spending time with them. Besides feeling drained, they often take up your time and in some cases money as well. Emotional vampires tend to run in families. If you encounter one, you will want to avoid it and their family members as well.
Some emotional vampires have money. Those with money often use their money as a lure to entice you into their power. Once you are caught in their power they will take the life out of you. In the case of those with money, they will use your desire for money and greed as a way of keeping you in their clutches. They will use not only money, but also drugs, sex, secrets and anything else to have something on you in order to keep you in their control. “You owe me” is a frequently heard phrase coming from these types.
Some people use the term emotinal vampires. Other terms used are 'users' and 'takers'. We often have a sense about these types although there are different names for them depending on our experiences with them.
Emotional vampires are dangerous to your emotional and physical health What are the types of emotional vampires?
The first type is the needy, helpless type. The needy persons often play the helpless role in an effort at getting you to take action. They often interact with a passive way of taking action. They ‘suggest’ or ‘ask’ for what they want from you. Sometimes it is direct, sometimes it is indirect. Whether direct or indirect, they know what they want. For example, if they want a glass of tea. They may make a comment that they are thirsty, or ask you for a glass of tea directly. When I think of this type I often see those large eyed cats that often look so pitiful and helpless.
Another type is the depressed vampire. These are the ones that move slowly. Sometimes they make sounds of struggle as part of their routine. They make every day look like it is a struggle for them. These are easily recognized. They often say very negative things and seem to energize themselves by cutting down and talking about others. They often have a long term frown on their face. When there is laughter it is often forced and almost a cackle rather than genuine belly-jostling laughter. Due to their extreme depressed mood, they often suck the life energy out of you and everything in the room. I have seen these types suck the life out of electric fans and other inanimate objects as well. You can feel these types when they enter a room.
this is probably my biggest drain daily...and I believe that is where we both need counseling but it is so difficult to find the right person to trust in this challenging project..everyday can be a struggle trying to please my wife and deal with the daily worries, when I try to convince that life in this idyllic place can be so easily...why do we have to make life hard??
The worst is the necrophilia type. This type is the depressed vampire on steroids. They take depression to a new low. This type does not enjoy life at all, They often talk about their losses, and surround themselves with somber music or even the lack of music.
amen to that and my condolesces to others that have to deal with this on a daily basis!
Their rooms are often morgue like, with photos and mementos of life that no longer exists. They items they have reminded them of their losses rather than the happy times they had. When they review their lives, they recall the mistakes, deaths and losses. They talk about death and how life itself is a struggle. If you listen to them, there are often themes of ‘revenge’ or talking about how people do not deserve things. It is this morbid aspect that separates them from the depressed type. Goths may look scary, but these types of persons actually do take the life and enjoyment of life out of you.
I guess others might think that I have exhibited this type of behavior myself especially in regards to the house in Oklahoma which appeared to be a museum to my losses...
but this could be a sign in life to move on but its a damn expensive lesson!!
How to deal with them
1, Set boundaries. Know ahead of time how far you will go with people. Do not let them violate your boundaries. When they hook you into a crisis, they often violate your boundaries or force you to compromise so that the guilt from compromising your values can be used as leverage against you.
2. Pay attention to your gut feelings. If you gut tells you to stay away, listen to it. When you sense the draining of energy, do not ignore the sensation. The good Lord gave you those sensations in order to protect you from such types of people.
3. Learn how to turn away from guilt. When you can not be hooked, they do not have any power over you. Remember they only have the power that you give them. The more you give into them, the stronger the hold they have on you. Don’t feel guilty if they have hurt feelings.
4. Surround yourself with life and lively things. Listen to lively music dress lively and so forth. Make it a point to enjoy life. Since emotional vampires avoid life and liveliness like the plague, use it to re-energize yourself and keep them away. Rather than garlic, the thing that keeps away these types of vampires is liveliness.
5, Move a lot. Activities like dancing are invigorating. The despondency that often accompanies emotional vampires tends toward extreme passivity the antidote to that passivity is activity and lots of it.
What are their methods?
It is not unusual for emotional vampires to be in crisis and have ways of ‘hooking’ you into their crisis. Once hooked a kind of bonding takes place. Since you went through a crisis with them, they expect you to stay with them. You may hear themes of how only you could understand them, or how only you can help them. There will be other comments of how you are the exception to miserable world in which they live.
Besides crises, they often use crying episodes as another hook. The crying or threat of crying often creates guilt feelings in their victims. True guilt occurs when you violate a moral principle or law. In dealing with them you have broken no law or principle, they want you to feel like you owe them something. Some family structures used guilt as a motivator in raising their children. Children raised in such homes are often more vulnerable to these emotional vampire types.
•Who Stole My Mother?
My personal account of how I survived an abusive relationship with my mother. Filled with anecdotes and lessons learned from caring for an abusive elderly parent with a history of extreme aggression and hostility.
http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-deal-with-emotional-vampires_2
what was so intriguing about that time period or what I wrote
for them to visit my site several times per day...
maybe some readers could give me insight on what they might or dislike about my writing??
its 4 am and Ive been watching some good movies before I wanted to have the chance to write to you...
Surrogates and a chinese movie called Red Cliff...
the latter movie showed how to win a war against overwhelming odds with the step by step strategies of chess!
My realization/epiphany again is reiterated about treating life as a chess game..
I had that thought almost 20 years ago after Mom passed away and before Alene passed..
my life is short and I know that I can still have victory...(things can always turn around in a tough game with the knight!)...
I know that if I can do the steps one a time , we can have a succesful happy family...
but the biggest things to look out for are emotional vampires!
An introduction to emotional vampires
Emotional vampires come in various shapes and sizes. Despite the several sub-types, one factor that they all have in common is that you feel emotionally drained after spending time with them. Besides feeling drained, they often take up your time and in some cases money as well. Emotional vampires tend to run in families. If you encounter one, you will want to avoid it and their family members as well.
Some emotional vampires have money. Those with money often use their money as a lure to entice you into their power. Once you are caught in their power they will take the life out of you. In the case of those with money, they will use your desire for money and greed as a way of keeping you in their clutches. They will use not only money, but also drugs, sex, secrets and anything else to have something on you in order to keep you in their control. “You owe me” is a frequently heard phrase coming from these types.
Some people use the term emotinal vampires. Other terms used are 'users' and 'takers'. We often have a sense about these types although there are different names for them depending on our experiences with them.
Emotional vampires are dangerous to your emotional and physical health What are the types of emotional vampires?
The first type is the needy, helpless type. The needy persons often play the helpless role in an effort at getting you to take action. They often interact with a passive way of taking action. They ‘suggest’ or ‘ask’ for what they want from you. Sometimes it is direct, sometimes it is indirect. Whether direct or indirect, they know what they want. For example, if they want a glass of tea. They may make a comment that they are thirsty, or ask you for a glass of tea directly. When I think of this type I often see those large eyed cats that often look so pitiful and helpless.
Another type is the depressed vampire. These are the ones that move slowly. Sometimes they make sounds of struggle as part of their routine. They make every day look like it is a struggle for them. These are easily recognized. They often say very negative things and seem to energize themselves by cutting down and talking about others. They often have a long term frown on their face. When there is laughter it is often forced and almost a cackle rather than genuine belly-jostling laughter. Due to their extreme depressed mood, they often suck the life energy out of you and everything in the room. I have seen these types suck the life out of electric fans and other inanimate objects as well. You can feel these types when they enter a room.
this is probably my biggest drain daily...and I believe that is where we both need counseling but it is so difficult to find the right person to trust in this challenging project..everyday can be a struggle trying to please my wife and deal with the daily worries, when I try to convince that life in this idyllic place can be so easily...why do we have to make life hard??
The worst is the necrophilia type. This type is the depressed vampire on steroids. They take depression to a new low. This type does not enjoy life at all, They often talk about their losses, and surround themselves with somber music or even the lack of music.
amen to that and my condolesces to others that have to deal with this on a daily basis!
Their rooms are often morgue like, with photos and mementos of life that no longer exists. They items they have reminded them of their losses rather than the happy times they had. When they review their lives, they recall the mistakes, deaths and losses. They talk about death and how life itself is a struggle. If you listen to them, there are often themes of ‘revenge’ or talking about how people do not deserve things. It is this morbid aspect that separates them from the depressed type. Goths may look scary, but these types of persons actually do take the life and enjoyment of life out of you.
I guess others might think that I have exhibited this type of behavior myself especially in regards to the house in Oklahoma which appeared to be a museum to my losses...
but this could be a sign in life to move on but its a damn expensive lesson!!
How to deal with them
1, Set boundaries. Know ahead of time how far you will go with people. Do not let them violate your boundaries. When they hook you into a crisis, they often violate your boundaries or force you to compromise so that the guilt from compromising your values can be used as leverage against you.
2. Pay attention to your gut feelings. If you gut tells you to stay away, listen to it. When you sense the draining of energy, do not ignore the sensation. The good Lord gave you those sensations in order to protect you from such types of people.
3. Learn how to turn away from guilt. When you can not be hooked, they do not have any power over you. Remember they only have the power that you give them. The more you give into them, the stronger the hold they have on you. Don’t feel guilty if they have hurt feelings.
4. Surround yourself with life and lively things. Listen to lively music dress lively and so forth. Make it a point to enjoy life. Since emotional vampires avoid life and liveliness like the plague, use it to re-energize yourself and keep them away. Rather than garlic, the thing that keeps away these types of vampires is liveliness.
5, Move a lot. Activities like dancing are invigorating. The despondency that often accompanies emotional vampires tends toward extreme passivity the antidote to that passivity is activity and lots of it.
What are their methods?
It is not unusual for emotional vampires to be in crisis and have ways of ‘hooking’ you into their crisis. Once hooked a kind of bonding takes place. Since you went through a crisis with them, they expect you to stay with them. You may hear themes of how only you could understand them, or how only you can help them. There will be other comments of how you are the exception to miserable world in which they live.
Besides crises, they often use crying episodes as another hook. The crying or threat of crying often creates guilt feelings in their victims. True guilt occurs when you violate a moral principle or law. In dealing with them you have broken no law or principle, they want you to feel like you owe them something. Some family structures used guilt as a motivator in raising their children. Children raised in such homes are often more vulnerable to these emotional vampire types.
•Who Stole My Mother?
My personal account of how I survived an abusive relationship with my mother. Filled with anecdotes and lessons learned from caring for an abusive elderly parent with a history of extreme aggression and hostility.
http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-deal-with-emotional-vampires_2
Archives
July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010 February 2010 March 2010 April 2010
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]