tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2817930400730002532024-09-11T12:38:42.263-04:00If 50 is the new 30, then 40 must be ... what? 20? 25? 27? <br> <br> I intend to find out as I embark on this beginning-of-the-end journey called life <br> and make the (approximately) half-way turn at the age 40 milepost.40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-62066896566595589332010-05-27T21:13:00.000-04:002010-05-27T21:13:10.389-04:00

As we age into our 40s, time seems to follow two themes. One is that it doesn't seem all that long ago that we did the crazy things we did at age _____ (20? 25? 39?).&nbsp; The other is a grim realization that we are becoming - as Pink Floyd put it - "shorter of breath, and one day closer to death." The 40s are that age when we look in the mirror and see our parents.&nbsp; As children, we

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-48680202486989394032010-05-20T15:56:00.002-04:002010-05-20T16:00:15.005-04:00

Has it really been more than a year since I've posted?Looking back, I see the connection. A year ago, my kids were in a great gifted and talented program in our local public school. In April 2009, the local school corporation made the short-sighted decision to close that program. I am been home-schooling our kids in a virtual charter school program that opened last year, thanks to our state

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-88290567810291941432009-03-16T00:02:00.002-04:002009-03-16T00:17:20.741-04:00

Maybe it's the 40 in me, but Daylight Saving Time was a rough go this year. After a week, my body is finally realizing that 9 a.m. is 9 a.m., not 10 a.m. (or is that 10 a.m. is 9 a.m., not 10 a.m.? I don't know...)This is a little off the topic, but this talk of time changes makes me think of time zones which makes me think of Marvin Barnes, a basketball player who was quite a character in the

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-2612114993517793292009-03-10T13:30:00.001-04:002009-03-10T13:32:55.683-04:00

The Lenten season is upon us. That means a couple of things: Easter is less than seven weeks away and chocolate consumption will plummet as it is the No. 1 item that is sacrificed during Lent (watch out, guys!).The Sunday before Lent, pastors everywhere likely prepped their congregations for the season’s 40 days, which started on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter.As a Catholic schoolboy, the

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-40414972031258907082009-03-08T23:56:00.002-04:002009-03-09T00:01:31.239-04:00

When you promise to write more on the blog (as I did what seems like an eternity ago), two things can happen:- You think that someone might actually tune in to see what you've written, so you wait until you've got something really great to say; or- You write anything down to keep the commitment.As I drink some Wollersheim River Gold wine wine from a child's plastic to-go cup from Rainforest Cafe,

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-82043802352997668412009-03-06T21:45:00.003-05:002009-03-06T21:48:49.998-05:00

I made a post about a month ago, saying I would be more faithful to the Blog. About that time, they seemed to be this mass rush to Facebook. I thought I'd take a look. I spend more time now on the computer player games (stupid Mafia Wars) than writing.It was good electronic crack for a while, but the sore shoulder and hunched posture of too much computer time is making me rethink the Facebook

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-4065847163948793842009-02-10T10:32:00.002-05:002009-02-10T10:50:38.594-05:00

Leave it to newspapers to clean up the details overlooked by the TV media.In the drip-drip-drip of Ann Curry's interview with the Octuplet mom, the TV journalist left unanswered (and unquestioned) the claim by the mom that she was not on welfare and was relying on "other income."But the Los Angeles Times clears that up with a story in it's Tuesday edition that the mom is not only receiving food

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-44186242403293273492009-02-02T12:10:00.002-05:002009-02-02T12:17:26.793-05:00

Just when job losses, company closures and other economic stresses get you down, here's a less-than-upbeat story about the link between economic woes and family murder/suicides.Two recent cases in Ohio and California brought the issue to the forefront. And while not as dramatic as financial managers jumping from ledges during the depression, it's disturbing because this can happen anywhere.While

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-46071565639637329002009-01-28T10:09:00.003-05:002009-01-28T10:19:02.488-05:00

With both a majority of votes and an electoral landslide, Barack Obama will certainly enjoy a honeymoon of sorts from the American public.That doesn't mean he's on Easy Street for his first 100 days in office.From the New York Times' issue-tracker to the National Journal's Promise Audit to the St. Petersburg Times' Obameter, there's a lot of eyes looking to see if the promise translates to

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-33778677066599015932009-01-20T09:46:00.003-05:002009-01-20T10:07:51.910-05:00

Barack Obama is about to become our 44th president. The day serves as a great example to the world about peaceful government transition. Obama's step into the presidency would be historic on any note, but has the added note of Obama being the first non-white president of the United States.It's a long road ahead for the new president, and one that people hope he navigates smoothly and

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-2441338899491946432009-01-15T12:48:00.005-05:002009-02-03T09:53:15.201-05:00

Help wanted: Person needed to take care of swank Australian Island for six months. Swim, dive, boat and blog about the experience. Salary $105,000 (American).Tourism Queensland is looking for someone to hang out on Hamilton Island as a promotion to attract tourists to the Great Barrier Reef area.So did I apply? Sure, why not. I had to submit a video (60 seconds max) which I hope will be chosen

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-9954504668994670432009-01-14T13:36:00.003-05:002009-01-14T13:45:49.779-05:00

Hey, so it's only been three months sinced I've blogged on. Can't a guy take a break?I just need a mental health day (or about 90 of them) as I made the transition from unemployment to looking for employment.So what's the outlook for a 40-year-old male who main skill is putting words together? And I thought it was grim before the economy tanked.No worries here though, (at least not yet). Life

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-60543097267692248502008-10-02T22:40:00.003-04:002008-10-02T22:49:07.152-04:00

It was a tale of two debates if you caught the verbal battle between Gov. Sarah Palin and Sen. Joe Biden on Thursday.For starters, both side were relatively gaffe-free (she called him O'Biden; he made a reference to "Bozniacs" instead of Bosnians).In Palin's corner, she helped dispel the myth that she's a train wreck in giving off-the-cuff answers. As someone who has been in a debate, you prep

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-84877830850837017662008-09-19T10:06:00.003-04:002008-09-19T10:32:46.654-04:00

The hacking of Sarah Palin's e-mail is a "shocking invasion of privacy" says a John McCain staffer. Is there really shock at someone looking at personal correspondence between the Guv and her friends, or it is relief that the revelation redirected attention away from Palin's Troopergate investigation?Or maybe it's another example of the McCain camp distancing itself from the Bush administration,

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-43076680290344931632008-09-17T11:19:00.004-04:002008-09-17T11:30:41.383-04:00

There's always a little something for everyone in the Guinness Book of World Records. And the little something this year is China's He Pingping, who is the world's shortest person.The lucky little fellow at right is sitting atop the lap of Svetlana Pankratova, who has the longest legs of any woman in the world.As a kid, I used to love perusing the annual list of things odd and unusual. (I used

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-17326758207322086432008-09-15T23:50:00.002-04:002008-09-16T00:03:14.169-04:00

Blog time has been trimmed lately due to my participation in a local play, but with a strong weekend (sellouts on Friday and Saturday - small theater seating a little over 100) we're making a strong showing at the halfway point in the run.The timing of the show was great in that it didn't interrupt my guilty pleasure of the summer: "Swingtown." That's because CBS has canceled/put the show on

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-25857122274572970672008-09-08T10:23:00.002-04:002008-09-08T10:46:57.402-04:00

The Obama camp must be reeling. Polls are showing the Illinois senator trailing.A reference to the latest polls showing McCain ahead of Obama by 10 points (says USA Today)? No, that first sentence is a throwback to polling data between April 28 and May 4, which showed Hillary Clinton ahead of Barack Obama (depending on which poll you followed).Three polls had Clinton's lead nationally between 3

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-4506085397238808482008-09-06T10:17:00.001-04:002008-09-06T10:17:00.278-04:00

What are those in the forties (and some in the 30s) about the upcoming presidential race?A Florida Chamber of Commerce poll taken in August shows McCain with a 42 to 41 percent edge over Obama in the 40- to 49-age group in the state (42 to 39 percent overall). A national poll in August by the Pew Research Center shows Obama leading McCain 47 to 43 percent in the 30- to 49-age group. The most

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-91671770502794934632008-09-05T09:22:00.004-04:002008-09-08T10:23:16.159-04:00

Republicans (and for a while, Hillary Clinton) say Obama is nothing but a speech.But if you heard his address at the Democratic National Convention, it's easy to see how Obama uses his words to stir up crowds into a frenzy.McCain's speech to Republicans came across (on TV anyway) like a bedtime story. "Once there was a man who went to war ..."Granted, we need to look beyond rhetoric and negatives

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-83794384718803720042008-09-04T15:18:00.006-04:002008-09-04T15:33:11.709-04:00

Maybe John McCain knew what he was doing after all.Sarah Palin's speech to Republican delegates obviously delighted the partisan audience. And although she said John McCain's POW tenure is why we should elect him president - as a prisoner of war, he knows how to get the country through the torture of his presidency - Palin hit upon what may end up being the key issue in the election: Gas

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-15233906396793053182008-09-02T10:43:00.005-04:002008-09-02T11:19:34.766-04:00

The news that broke on Labor Day had nothing to do with working and everything to do with the impending labor of Bristol Palin, the 17-year-old pregnant daughter of GOP VP nominee Sarah Palin (seen at right with infant brother, Trig).As if the Republicans already had enough to worry about with Hurricane Gustav stealing some of their conventions' thunder.I feel sorry for the girl, who now becomes

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-6824824526114502312008-08-29T16:48:00.007-04:002008-08-29T16:57:36.138-04:00

John McCain will have two good looking women up there now that's he chosen Sarah Palin, 44, to be his vice presidential choice. She certainly is something to look at, but she brings some real non-Washington politics to the table.We’ll know in about a month if this was brilliant strategy to win the race or if he gambled big and lost. He’s certainly trying to appeal to a lot of people here.This

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-20260407946517992632008-08-28T10:12:00.002-04:002008-08-28T10:29:46.252-04:00

What do you get when you cross a 40-year-old guy with one real community theater role to his credit and a director who is desperate when a person drops a role less then three weeks to opening night?You get roped into helping a friend with a play. Actually, it's going to be a blast.A hilarious book, "Dearly Beloved" is set in Texas with the Futrelle sisters getting ready for the wedding of

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-80175509988206030202008-08-26T23:49:00.002-04:002008-08-26T23:53:45.229-04:00

The Democratic convention hit the halfway mark on Tuesday, and so far the women are doing the heavy lifting.Michelle Obama delivered a performance that took the edge off of earlier reports that took shots at her likability.Hillary Clinton, while infusing much of her campaign into her speech, came out enthusiastically for Barack Obama. Hard to tell is the references to herself and her husband

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-281793040073000253.post-10461743550300459492008-08-21T09:52:00.001-04:002008-08-21T09:52:00.852-04:00

Ever wonder how our local institutions got their start? Same way Ford and Microsoft and others began: an idea, a little money and a lot of hard work.Whether they are serving pulled pork or pulling teeth, the people who start uniquely local business all fall into the same category. They are all entrepreneurs.We wouldn't have Main Streets and shopping centers and corner grocers with this breed

40-Year-Old Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08624004623369891243noreply@blogger.com0