Living Proof

Grab yer' guns folks - martial law is here!  Do you ever wonder if conspiracy theories are true? Do they ever come into fruition---ever? I read an article here that explains sixteen conspiracy theories that had come to reality. It's scary to think that Texas is running out of water, Obama is tapping into our privacy: phone, internet, financial transactions, etc., for the means of protecting us from "terrorism". Our food is tainted, and allowed to be under the FDA as well as cancer viruses being put into our vaccines. You'd have to dig real deep in order to find that out. All of these things that have happened, and all of those conspiracy theories that are 'thought-to-be real' can sometimes drive us crazy. I met my first "doomsday prepper". Well, he wasn't too prepped since he hasn't set up his underground bunker for him and his family, but he constantly walks around his house in terror...and a gun placed at every door and hallway. He...

What a big stink women all over the world are making about the song, "Blurred Lines". I personally don't care for Robin Thicke, the image above is pretty spot on as far as what I think about him...or did you interpret that in  another way? All I think about when I see or hear him is his father, Alan on Growing Pains. C*O*R*N*Y! I don't care how "progressive" we've become with our entertainment and our leniency with lyrics --- throughout time, I have heard songs that would cleverly insinuate some disturbing intent. Let me just point out a few lyrics from reputable and insanely talented artists. "Every Breath You Take"  Every breath you take  Every move you make  Every bond you break  Every step you take  I'll be watching you  Every single day  Every word you say  Every game you play  Every night you stay  I'll be watching you  O can't you see  You belong to me  How my poor heart ac...

The little things in life are sometimes the biggest things we should be grateful for.  And I am, (however), I seem to lack my gratitude when my pain kicks into high gear -- any type of pain whether it be physical or emotional. I'm only human. In my deepest agony, I fail to see the joys in life, like watching my puppy swim and play in her little pool to cool off, appreciating a phone call from an old friend, a gorgeous sunrise God gives to me every morning, watching thunderstorms rumble through the valley and long conversations over coffee with my wife. I've been focusing on the negatives, noticing what's not there instead, like a new updated oven (it's like the Shoemaker without any shoes if you ask me), a bathroom that needs to be redone entirely, unfinished projects that have stopped due to 'busyness' and of course, my inability to be proactive because of my chronic pain. There are mornings where I can't even wash dishes, cook breakfast for Mad or ...

It never ever ends...so it seems. At this point, it's no longer an embarrassment so much as it is a joke now -- a very painful joke. Let me just start out by explaining my evening last Saturday night. My entire family got together for a BBQ. Everyone was having fun, I was limping around, but enjoying myself for once. I thought to myself, even with all the pain I'm in, life is still worth living if I can still spend time with my family, laugh, talk, share some wine with the people I love the most. Well, it was like God giving me a test. Later that night, I was getting ready to go to bed. As I was getting changed, I noticed something odd on my chest -- like an opened wound. I honestly did not feel anything. As I walked up closer to the mirror, I realized that the wound wasn't only huge, but it was severely infected with a red line traveling upward. I'm used to seeing a red line when my mother gets cellulitis. It's nothing to mess around with. So, off to the ER I go....

There are things in life that we can control and things that we cannot control. We can only do what feels right to us. I take in a lot. I listen to what people say and then decide if I want to believe it, use it for my own personal reasons or just chuck it out the window. I've been reading a lot about hackers who have the ability to tap into your webcams as well as baby monitors. They can even call out to your child. A friend posted an article and it was really disturbing. I also heard that the government, as well as hackers can tap into your TV cam. Oh wait, you didn't know your smart TV had a cam installed in it? Neither did I. And if you think about what most people do in front of a TV or just live their lives in front of one, then yes, it's disturbing to say the least. We can let it give us a case of paranoia -- and with much good reason, because it's quite a concern...or we can tape up the cameras. What about the microphones? So much, so much. I just got off th...

There is nothing you can do to control any situation. I'm learning this more and more as I move closer and 'season' into my fourth decade. Did you know that in Judaism, it's believed that we're at our highest level of understanding at the age of forty? Also, they prefer to teach their students about the Torah at that age as well. I've always wondered why, but now that I am moving closer, I'm beginning to open up my eyes to a whole lotta' things around me. For instance, I remember about eight or nine years ago, a friend told me to pray for understanding of people's motives and to not react once I encountered an "offense". Pray for understanding. Of course, I reacted, blew things out of proportion and found myself all 'emotional' over every. single. thing. that had transpired in my life. Then one day, I sat down and prayed for the understanding of people's motives. More than 80% of the time, I figured it out before I reacted. Bu...

What a waste of $$$.  On and off, it seems to come in waves and then leaves as quickly as it came. I've never experienced this sort of chronic pain in all my life. Thankfully, this morning I woke up with "tolerable" pain, but was able to walk and do my daily routine. When speaking to my doctor, the only answer was Percocet. He even advised that I double up on the stuff, leaving me zoned out like some zombie - a lifeless lump of wasted space on the sofa. Madelene asked if I wanted to go to the hospital and stay there for pain management. What's the point? I can do that here now with all the oxycodone, oxycontin, oxy-whatevers that the hospital threw at me, hoping to get me out of their room for the next patient. I tried the "holistic" path, medicinal marijuana. At first, it seemed to have taken the pain away momentarily, and it helped me sleep, but that paranoid-I'm-gonna-freak-the-hell-out side effect started to kick in. Not only did it start to give...

A few months back, I remember Mom and I walked into a restaurant to have dinner. They sat us in a cozy booth while there were other people waiting to be seated as well. Our area was empty and I was pretty happy with that because we would be enjoying a nice quiet dinner...until a family of five were seated right behind me. They had three kids with them, maybe from 1-4 years of age, wasn't sure. While sipping my wine, I noticed that it was very quiet behind me. I said to Mom, "Wow, not what I expected. They're quiet!" Mom shot me a look and giggled. "What?" I asked. She said, "That's the one thing you have to learn about kids. They only cry when they're done with their food and want to go home." I didn't care - it was just a guesstimation so I blew it off. Not even seconds after the waiter grabbed their half finished plates, I heard blood curdling screams inches away from my head. One kid slouched over my bench, looking right at us, scr...

Can you just imagine being a pregnant woman and deciding to take a beautiful stroll into the park because it was absolutely gorgeous outside? You decide to sit on a bench to rest and daydream about your future - to daydream about what your son or daughter will grow up to be or how you will raise him or her. Your thoughts are endless as the sun glistens down, shining through the trees making little golden circles around your feet. It's the perfect day. Perfect, until the 200 year old oak tree falls on top of you, crushing every bit of life you have left. This is what happened to a Queens woman the other day. The first 'fall-like' day and she decided to sit on a bench in the park. What makes someone come at the right place at the right time like that? Is it "right"? Is it God's plan? Stuff like that makes me wonder if it was all meant to be --- as if it was planned by God Himself. "Well, why would God do such a terrible thing like that?" Was it ...

The other day I received an interesting email from Anita Pollack. Let me explain why I'm "outing" her email first. #1. It was highly offensive and #2. I'm still so surprised readers will email opinionated bloggers. She just wanted to have a one-way conversation with herself. But here's how she started off. "After reading your opinions on pit bulls, I was so surprised to see you are a supporter of the LGBT community. I don't understand how a person who is compassionate and open-minded with humans could be so biased against a particular breed of dog. It seems to me your neighbors, who may appear, to be lovely people are NOT responsible dog owners. They should make sure that their dogs, whether they're tiny or massive, are walked and controlled on leashes. NO DOG of any breed should be left unattended in a yard , fenced or not. Dogs like your neighbors can be very sweet , but they are animals, and need HUMAN guidance. DO NOT BLAME THE DOG -BLAME TH...

There’s not a whole lot you can say about someone else’s circumstances and how you think  they should handle them. Everyone has a cross to bear and there is no way we can spew off cliches like, “This too shall pass” and other type of comforting words to try and soothe someone who has finally given up on life. A friend of mine wrote a piece about how people use the term, “I feel your pain” more time than necessary. No one can feel your pain, even if they’ve been through similar situations. This morning, I found out an old friend/acquaintance of mine had taken her life yesterday afternoon. I’ve lost a few friends this way and you always think, “What could have made them do such a thing?” There’s no way to get inside somebody’s head, but there are signs. It’s tricky, because sometimes “signs” are just attention getters, and while that may be true, you may actually give attention to someone who ‘may have’ gone downhill if the attention wasn’t given. You always have to think of it th...