It was kind of a slap in my face that, "Hey, if you wanted to watch this kid play high school sports, you missed it," and it made me very sad. My mom attended everything; now moms always do that, because they had to drive you there, probably, but nonetheless it was one of those where I think I saw him play sports three times. I thought, "You suck as an Uncle," but it was great to have them all together. It was really weird that the baby of the family is now a teenager. The middle great-niece will soon be driving, and the oldest Nephew is off to Myrtle Beach with his buddies. That phrase, "All the kids will be here," is something that, even before I got there, I realized is something that's going to be more and more special. Eventually we will blink, and someone will be married with a kid. The newphew has a girlfriend now who seems very sweet, and then the girls will go off. Who knows what will happen, right? Nonetheless, having everyone under the same roof will be harder and harder to do, because who knows, they might end up in other states, et cetera, et cetera. I actually got a little emotional because I was watching him leave. Here he is, this 18-year-old kid, and about six feet in front of him was my niece (his Mom). I remember vividly watching her on a blanket at my brother's house in North Hill. She occasionally would say "buh," and we all thought that was hilarious. Here was my little "buh" baby, and her first kid is now a high school graduate, and it just happened so incredibly fast.

And faster it will go. If I'm going to see the great nieces, cheerleading or whatever they're doing, I'm going to have to step up my game as an Uncle.

Check Your Calendar

My niece had even sent a date and address to one of his last games. I remember thinking I need to check that and add it to my calendar, except he had already graduated and I had missed it. So check your calendar. I believe your calendar reflects your heart. Don't wait, as time is moving faster and faster. Get your prorities in place.

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• Dave Jackson introduces debt as the main topic and his lifelong struggle with it 00:00.

• Show info and contact details are provided 00:08.

• Memories of his dad doing taxes and the tension around finances 00:36.

• The influence of the Lannister motto, "A Lannister always pays his debts," on his upbringing 01:22.

• Story of borrowing $300 from his grandfather to buy a car and the process of paying him back 01:28.

• Learning there are no "free lunches" and needing to earn money for things he wanted, such as music albums 01:47.

• Family's economic background (not rich, not poor, but frugal) 02:24.

• Use of coupons, hand-me-downs, and lessons in financial responsibility from his mother 02:33.

• First marriage: fertility challenges lead to substantial credit card debt for treatments 02:41.

• Living paycheck to paycheck and discussing bankruptcy, which conflicted with his "pay your debts" values 03:30.

• After 9/11, wife's hours were cut, leading them to file for bankruptcy reluctantly 03:40.

• Marriage to a partner with poor credit and inheriting someone else's credit card debt after divorce 04:17.

• Failed attempts at debt consolidation and the difficulty of accessing better loan rates 05:09.

• Gradual process of securing slightly better loans and working towards being debt-free 05:25.

• Conversation with his boss about potential for the School of Podcasting 05:42.

• Decision to sell the business for enough money to pay off debt, while maintaining a professional relationship 06:23.

• Finishing 2025 debt-free and entering the new year with a clean slate 07:07.

• Enjoying financial freedom and considering future opportunities and contributions to family 07:38.

• Feeling of finally catching up to peers in life after years of feeling behind 08:03.

• Discovery of water damage and mold in the basement after heavy rain 09:18.

• Realization of the high cost involved in repairs and choosing to finance the repairs rather than deplete savings 10:30.

• Resuming strategies from earlier years to manage debt and expenses 11:05.

• Acceptance of debt as a temporary setback and readiness to cut corners and reduce expenses (e.g., fewer streaming services, no fast food) 11:48.

• Reflecting on the possibility of being in debt into old age and the impact on personal plans 12:22.

• Clearing out the workshop and preparing for basement renovations 12:51.

• Parallel between demolishing basement parts and the demolition of his childhood schools 13:31.

• Considering new configurations for the basement, such as moving down his podcasting studio, and seeking hidden benefits 14:05.

• Drawing inspiration from his grandmother's longevity supported by daily movement 14:18.

• Paying for repairs and looking forward with optimism, knowing things will improve 14:46.

• Mention of listener support through "buy me a coffee" on the website to help with expenses 14:58.

• Closing wishes for the audience and a tease for the next episode 15:19.

I share stories about being a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan, what it's like watching my great nephew get concussion after concussion playing football, and how that's changed the way families look at the sport. I also talk about the NFL trying their best to save their audience by appealing to kids and women, like dumping slime on players or having female sideline reporters—but still mostly asking the same old questions.

Bottom line: If you want to save some time (and a few brain cells), you can skip the sports interviews and just watch the game. I'm all about talented athletes and the thrill of victory (even if we Cleveland fans rarely get to celebrate), but you won't catch me sticking around for another round of "how does it feel?"

Hope you're enjoying your holiday season as you listen. Until next time—it's gonna get better!

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Please note I'm not saying the women reporters are stupd. I'm saying the quesitons they ask (probably created by a guy) are stupid. They are just doing their job.

Halloween itself has always struck me as strange, especially when you factor in how expensive candy has gotten (seriously, $15 a bag now?!) and how we've all just accepted feeding our kids mountains of sugar as tradition. Confession: If I buy a bunch of candy, I'm probably just going to eat it myself, which is why I might skip handing it out altogether and let myself get "tricked" this year.

This episode, I also reminisce about the good old days of Halloween pranks—TPing houses, knocking and running, and my brother's infamous police escort home after getting caught. My dad was definitely not amused. It feels like those harmless pranks just don't happen anymore—probably because today's doorbell cameras have killed the fun.

Of course, I have to mention bobbing for apples, which, looking back, is basically waterboarding with fruit. Pump enough apple cider into a kid and you end up with what I like to call the "Runs" (and I list every synonym I can think of—because why not?).

And what's up with every costume needing to be "slutty" these days? Slutty nurse, slutty librarian, even slutty Daffy Duck! Not sure when that trend started, but it seems to get more out there every year.

I wrap up by admitting I bought a new Christmas tree—when all I intended was a little four-foot tree, I walked out with a seven-and-a-half foot beauty. Honestly, I think I'm trying to recapture one of my favorite childhood memories: coming in from the snow, curling up in front of the tree with a thick blanket and some hot chocolate from my mom. That feeling of safety just sticks with me, especially as the holidays get closer.

Hope you enjoy my holiday ramblings, stories of waterboarding for fruit, and my skepticism about modern Halloween. Until next time, hang in there—it's going to get better.

Highlights:

• Giant skeletons and the one-upmanship of Halloween decorations

• The economics—and temptations—of Halloween candy

• How doorbell cameras ruined classic Halloween pranks

• Bobbing for apples: my take on this bizarre tradition

• The rise of "slutty" costumes and my bewilderment

• Reflecting on the holidays and chasing those cozy, safe memories

Did this episode make you laugh,cry, think, or groan? Consider buying Dave a coffee.

I talk about the importance of setting boundaries not just with online trolls, but also when inviting podcast guests onto your show. Remember: if someone really wants to be on your show, they'll usually find time that works for you.

On the personal side, I give an update about being busier than ever at my church due to a colleague's health issues. I discuss how this has affected my routine, my stress levels (thanks for the heads up, Oura Ring!), and the push I'm giving myself to prioritize health and movement—even if it means just getting out to walk at my local park. Plus, I share a little inspiration from watching the Ozzy Osbourne documentary "Coming Home," which has me thinking about aging, health, and making time for what really matters.

---

Key Takeaways:

- Don't let internet trolls drain your energy—learn to recognize when to disengage (even if you think that last message might "fix" things). - When it comes to podcasting, don't be afraid to set your own boundaries around scheduling guests. - Some people just aren't open to feedback, and that's okay—sometimes it's best to step back. - Make sure your social profiles link to your website to help connect with people you actually can help. - Growth comes from noticing your own patterns—and learning from your mistakes. - Keep prioritizing your health and well-being, even when life gets busy. - Inspiration can come from unexpected places—even a documentary about Ozzy Osbourne.

---

Links Mentioned:

Coming Home -Ozzy Osbourne documentary

Connect with Me:

betterdave.com

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the episode, do consider buying me a coffee :)

Wait, I thought Charlie was a racist homophobe? Then I was told to quit cherry picking videos. Taylor Swift casting spells? Um, no.

So welcome to my rant as I scream into the void.

How am I going find the balance of not doing things that I may not be able to do without stopping myself from enjoying life?

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With a dash of humor, he recounts the quirks of testing his blood sugar and the surprise diagnosis of diabetes. Yet, amidst the medical hurdles, Dave finds a silver lining—a triumphant return to the ping pong table despite the obstacles.

Join us as Dave explores the balance between health management and enjoying life's simple pleasures. Whether it's doctor visits or winning ping pong matches, it's all about building a better Dave. Tune in for a story of resilience, self-discovery, and the occasional game-changing rally.

Today I talk about losing my friend Niel Guilarte who I worked with during the making of The Messengers: A Podcast Documentary

We got to room with each other at events, and we just clicked. We always made each other laugh. My favorite was when Niel would start laughing and he couldn't finish the story he had started.

When you start to see your heroes get old and some cracks around the edges, it's sad, but it's a warning sign. Niel was here, and the next day he wasn't. He leaves a wife and 11-year old daughter he adored, and a new house.

He was the best friend of one of my favorite people Chris Krimitsos. Which is one of the things that is adding to the pain. I have people in Florida who could use a hug. I love to help people, and in this case there is nothing I can do.

Mentioned In This Episode

Bookends - Simon and Garfunkel

Bette Midler - Stay With Me

Niel's Gofund Me

There are times you feel bad. The lights are off and it seems like there is no way home. Keep moving. It's funny when I have to do a sermon in my church, something ALWAYS comes up on Facebook that fits. This is what came up:

41 is Coming

In the Bible, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights.

Day 41 came and the rain stopped.

Moses committed murder & hid in the desert for 40 years.

Year 41 came, and God called him to help rescue Israel.

Moses went up on the mountain for 40 days.

On day 41, he received the Ten Commandments.

The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.

Year 41, they walked into the Promised Land.

Goliath taunted Israel for 40 days.

Day 41 came, and David slew him.

Jonah preached a message of repentance to Ninevah for 40 days.

On day 41, God stopped His plan to destroy them.

Jesus fasted and was tempted for 40 days.

Day 41, and the devil fled.

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples for 40 days.

On day 41, He ascended into Heaven.

All this to say...don't quit. The rain will stop, the giant will fall, and you will enter your "promised land." Don't give up at 40.

41 is coming.

See you later Niel.

Don't you get it? I'm 23 honest. I've been 23 my whole life?

Have I made my last trip to Dairy Queen? It turns out everything I eat is poison. That's something you know but don't care, and it turns out you should've cared a little more than you did.

John Mayer has a great song called "Stop this Train" that has a line John

Had a talk with my old man Said, "Help me understand" He said, "Turn 68" "You renegotiate"

I was able to renew my drivers license for 8 years which means aside from a sticker (which I can get through the mail) I will be 68 the next time I renew my liscene.

WHen you go to the MBV you go in and get a number, and wait for your name to be called. I kind of feel like a 'This is not a drill" situation, and I'm waiting for my number to be called. UNlike the BMV, I'm hoping for a very long line.

You can buy me a coffee for my birthday using this link.

John Mayer - Stop This Train

If you like this show, you can buy me a coffee.

1. Winter Woes & Car Troubles:

   • Dave shares his frustrations about his car refusing to start in Ohio's brutal winter weather.
   • Memories of growing up with unreliable cars and the "DIY" fixes of the past (like using Bondo or ether) highlight how technology has changed car maintenance.

2. Lessons in Adaptability:

   • From cars to technology, Dave emphasizes the importance of staying adaptable and keeping up with advancements.
   • He parallels learning to fix cars and his ongoing efforts to master artificial intelligence and SEO.

3. Keeping Emergency Funds & Friends Handy:

   • Dave reminds listeners of the value of having an emergency fund and reliable friends who can lend their expertise when needed.
   • His Ford mechanic friend saves the day with a simple car-starting trick.

4. Balancing Technology & Life:

   • Dave acknowledges how fast-paced technology evolves and highlights the importance of continuous learning to avoid falling behind.
   • He reflects on losing weight, staying updated with AI, and preparing for a milestone birthday.

5. Humor & Nostalgia:

   • Dave's stories about his past cars (like the "Slova" and Fred Flintstone-style Datsun) bring laughter and nostalgia.
   • The absurd quirks of old vehicles, like passenger doors flying open mid-drive, make for entertaining storytelling.

• "If you don't keep learning, you don't just stop—you go backwards."
• "I could pop the hood, look at it, and say, 'Yep, there it is. That's the engine.'"
• "Every car I bought, the very first day, I swapped out the stereo for ear-bleeding madness."

• Dave Ramsey's Emergency Fund Advice: A reminder to always be prepared for unexpected expenses. Check out his book.
• Artificial Intelligence & SEO: Dave's exploration of how these tools are shaping the future of technology and online presence.

• Stay tuned for the next episode, where Dave dives into how his upcoming milestone birthday is messing with his head.

Visit Us: BetterDave.com Subscribe: www.betterdave.com/follow

Today I share a strategy I've been doing for most of this year and it's saving me close to $50 a month and I don't have to do a thing.

A bundle of Disney+, Hulu, and Max is $30/month Peacock $14/month Paramount and Showtime $13/month. Total: $57

(and yes, I know there are more).

Rotate Your Streaming Services:

• Cancel all but one streaming service at a time.

• Saves up to $50 a month by only paying for one service at a time.

• Focus on quality content, avoiding time wasted on subpar shows.

⭐ Smart Meal Planning:

• Instead of eating out, consider quick and affordable home cooking.

• A simple George Foreman Grill can make delicious burgers at a fraction of the cost.

• This not only saves money but is healthier and faster than fast food.

⭐ Avoid Impulse Purchases:

• Think twice before buying things you don't need, especially during sales.

• Consider if the purchase truly adds value to your life.

• Practice this discipline to accelerate your journey towards being debt-free.

Want more money tips? Check out "Get Your Money Working For You."

Want to give back? Buy Me a Coffee (or two).

Despite successfully establishing myself over two decades and earning recognition, I still struggle with imposter syndrome. Reflecting on accolades like being called an influencer and my moves within the industry, I discuss the complicated feelings of self-worth and acceptance.

Wrapping up, I share some cozy moments from my day-to-day life, which help ground me amid these introspective thoughts.

Clips from Podnews Weekly

Podnews Daily

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I've spent over three decades with the same bank, but recently, I've rediscovered the benefits of modern financial tools like SoFi and Acorns.

As I monitor my income and outcome in Monarch, I have noticed the more attention you spend on your money, the more money there is to manage.

Whether you're drowning in debt or just looking for smarter ways to manage your finances, there's something here for everyone. So, let's get started on building a better financial future together!

Mentioned In This Episode

Sofi online bank account

Acorns Banking (round up and invest)

Monarch Budgeting Program

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Lessons Learned:

Do not put ALL of your cards in your wallet.

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Here are three key takeaways from this poignant episode:

- **Integrating Humor in Education**: Dave underscores how Jim Blackstock's unique teaching style, blending humor with education, made learning enjoyable and memorable, influencing Dave's own teaching approach.

- **The Power of Mentorship**: The episode highlights the significant role mentorship plays in shaping personal and professional growth, as demonstrated by Jim's encouragement of Dave's writing, which started in his college days.

- **Celebrating Life with a Smile**: The touching account of Jim Blackstock's funeral, infused with whimsy and laughter, serves as a reminder of the importance of celebrating life and the legacies we leave behind.

🎙️ Tune in to reflect on the laughter and lessons shared in this special episode of Better Dave. It's a true testament to the lasting impact of teachers like Jim, who inspire and transform lives beyond the classroom.

Here is the episode I did before. The best teacher I ever had.

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Key Points: You can't change people.

I don't want to live a life filled with Ozzy Lyrics.

With some lessons, you need two chances to learn.

Getting old is weird, and I don't want to live in fear.

While the baby of the family gets away with murder, there is still a price to pay.

While she may be a queen, I need another divorce.

Mentioned In This Episode

River by Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell on the Grammys 2024

Ozzy See You On The Other Side

Prince Lonely Christmas ( the snare is weirdly in the right headphone)

Future.co (virtual weight loss coaches)

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Things we learned today. Which way to set your ceiling fan in the winter.

Rhino Sex

Elephant Sperm Collection

It was called either ideological subversion, or active measures.

What it basically means is to change the perception of reality of every American to such an extent that despite the abundance of information, no one is able to come to sensible conclusions in the interests of defending themselves, their families, their community, and their country. It's a great brainwashing process that goes very slow and is divided in four basic stages.

The first one being demoralization; it takes from 15 to 20 years to demoralize a nation. Why that many years? Because this is the minimum number of years required to educate one generation of students The ideology is being pumped into the soft heads of at least three generations of American students without being challenged or counterbalanced by the basic values of Americanism

What Is The Result?

The result you can see, most of the people who were "half-baked intellectuals" are now occupying positions of power in the government, civil service, business, mass media, and educational system; you are stuck with them, and you cannot get rid of them. They are contaminated.

They're programmed to think and react to certain stimuli in a certain pattern. You cannot change their mind even if you expose them to authentic information.

Even if you prove that white is white and black is black, you still cannot change the basic perception and the logic of behavior. In other words, the process of demoralization is complete and irreversible.

To reverse this you have you need another 15 or 20 years to educate a new generation of common sense.

The demoralization process in the United States is completed already. For the last 25 years, actually, it's over fulfilled because demoralisation now reaches such areas where experts, would even dream of such tremendous success.

Most of it is done by Americans to Americans, thanks to a lack of moral standards.

Mentioned In This Episode

Yuri Bezmenov

Time Blindness Video

Time Blindness from the Cleveland Clinic

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All I had to do was go to Walmart, buy some fruit and two cables, and get to the church by five for a special event. It just seemed like I couldn't catch a break all day.

No matter how bad your day is, someone might be having one that is even worse. It's hard, but try to find some gratitude in those situations.

It's Twitter.

No. Seriously, it is Twitter (with a different name)

Why?

Because of a difference of opinion, once again, America separates.

Pinapple Pizza

Sompe people love pineapple on your pizza, while people like me are more traditional (pepperoni and maybe some onion).

Instead of trying a different type of pizza, we get HIGHLY offended and scream HOW DARE YOU! or ask, "HOW CAN YOU EVEN THINK THAT??? and instead of having a dialogue, we separate and go to our respective corners.

Instead of asking, "Hey can I try that?" or "Hmmm, that's an interesting concept," we scream for pistols at dawn. We want to wipe the different opinions of the planet, and here it is again, and it somewhat bums me out.

Sidenote: Easy opening tents.

It's pretty amazing and the thing I love about it is if I put in my food into the app before I eat it, it will warn me, "Hey, you better exercise for 20 minutes when you finish eating THAT."

So I do, and I watch my blood glucose stabilize.

Grapes are out. Like, never again. Which is a bummer, as I love grapes.

FRONT OF MIND

The one thing this does is it helps you keep your health in front of you. I am constantly looking at it to see where I am. As I started to record this, I hit a spike, so I'll be going for a walk.

IF ONLY

Wouldn't it be great if there was some sort of warning for real life, "Hey, I'm going on a date with HER, and the app would go, "OK, but you're going to lose a house to her in a divorce in 11 years..."

. Here are three key takeaways:

Dave has never seen anyone who looks better after getting work done on their face

He advises women (and Men) to focus on healthy habits such as eating right and exercising if they're thinking of updating their appearance.

Dave questions the effectiveness of cosmetic surgery and suggests that it doesn't make people look better,

Have you had experience with cosmetic surgery? Are you happy with it?

www.betterdave.com/contact or call in your comments 888-563-3228

As I was considering closing these, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to chime in on the conversation around the water cooler at work. Then I remembered it's not 1995. I haven't had anyone since Christmas talk about a TV show that I felt I was missing out (Yellowstone, and I wasn't but I binged it on Peacock).

A friend of mine told me how he would subscribe to one at a time and watch all there is to watch, and when he starts to struggle to find something good to watch, he will unsubscribe and fire up a different service. Life is too short to watch mediocre entertainment (I grew up watching the Waltons... ugh...).

Financial guy Dave Ramsey talks about attacking your debt with the same intensity of a Gazelle who is trying to outrun a cheeta (the fastest animal on the planet). So while the 40ish dollars this will save me a month won't make me rich, it will help me pay off debts quicker, so why not.

Speaking of value, if this made you think, why not say thank you and buy me a coffee?

After watching a report from ABC News called Trashed: The Secret Life of Plastic Recycling that there was an option that had never crossed my mind.

Isn't that the way so many things are? We convince ourselves of an outcome, or our potential and we never challenge that thought. We never check to see if it is still true.

When I was a teenager, I worked in a grocery store. If someone walked in with a big bag (or a winter coat when it was warm outside) someone was going to watch you through the store to make sure you didn't shoplift. Now it is encouraged so the store doesn't have to pay for the bag you are using.

So what is the cure for plastic bags? Quit using them. Yep, that is an option and I spent $20 on Amazon and bought three usable grocery bags. My problem of always having a bag of bags that I always forget to bring with me when I go to the store (and then stuff more bags into the bag of bags) is solved. For me, who just HATED these bags, this is a big deal that was solved for $20. You can find cheaper versions as well.

If your water is drinkable from the tap, then, call me crazy... use it. If it's not then looking into a Brita Water Filter will save you money in the long run. Americans buy 29 billion water bottles a year. When I go to trade shows, I can always pick up some kind of metal 20 oz water bottle that keeps things cool, or you can buy an insulated metal water bottle with a chug lid (who doesn't love a good chug lid). for $13.

So why are we even using plastic bags (I know the idea was to save the trees, but in saving the trees we have a serious plastic issue now), the answer is simple. Who is involved in making these super thin plastic bags? The Big Oil, and Big Chemical industries.

Well, that answers a lot.

P.S. The book I was reading about the guy in the closet is Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life by Craig Groeschel.

Enjoy the show? Buy Dave a Coffee.

When something doesn't go your way, it's not a failure. It's an experience that you can use to move forward in a smarter way.

00:11 Intro

00:37 Lots of Irons in the Fire

01:11 Triggered By My Uncle

02:15 Act 4

02:59 Dave The Slob

03:47 Health Benefits of Less Clutter

04:40 More Sleep = More Focus

05:14 monthlychallenge.fit

05:42 Duolingo

06:10 Dave Ramsey Every Dollar Financial Peace University

07:32 Grocery Detective

09:55 Pennies Make Dollars

Enjoy the show? Buy Me a Coffee https://www.buymeacoffee.com/davejackson

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Todoist App

Evernote App

Google Calendar

Todoist Tutorials

ENJOY THE SHOW?

Buy Dave a Coffee

If you're new, I was married to an alcoholic, and hearing about drunk drivers is somewhat triggering. Throw on top a parent leaving the earth way too soon, and now you really are hitting me on all levels.

But wait, there is more.

It turns out there are people who are using AI (artificial intelligence) to scrape the internet for obituaries so they can "write" an article about the person and cram the website full of ads. One person even did it in a video (with the monetization turned on and the comments - naturally - turned off).

In the same way, you can get the air knocked out of you; I have lost some of my faith in humanity. I can't even explain my thoughts.

It's not often that Dave Jackson is speechless.

If you'd like to help out his wife and kids, it will make you feel better

Here is the GO FUND ME page.

SPORTS

We listen to sportscasters who are making millions talk about athletes who are making millions for team owners who make billions. There are dedicated radio stations that talk about nothing else than how the team is doing, and what they need to do to win.

None of that talk has any effect on the team. Zero

FOOTBALL COMMERCIALS

Then when you watch a football game, you always have:

1. The spokesmodel who didn't play football but is STUNNINGLY beautiful who will "pass it over" to people who actually played the game. She can also do that special piece during breast cancer awareness month.

2. There will be boner pill commercials, cause you know...priorities

3. Remedies for baldness. We will ship it to you in a private box - because nobody knows you're bald.

4. Trucks. Big trucks with deep voiceovers. These trucks have power unlike your small penis, which needs a blue pull to function.

5. Beer. If you can't afford a large truck you head to the mountains. This commercial lists no facts and only has a sweaty beer can that eventually you get to hear open.

5. Gambling. Kevin Hart (another millionaire) talks about the best way to gamble all of the money you worked hard to earn. They are giving away money to people who light their money on fire the fastest. Oh, and here is a phone number if this commercial triggered you.

BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE

6. My Self Esteem is tied to my team. If we lose, my week is wrecked (Really?)

7. Tick Shots - I just started paying attention to TikTok, and I am AMAZED at how GUYS (no women are doing this) are spending what must be hours if not days filming themselves trying to put a cup into a cup, or a ping pong ball, or flying a card into a clothespin. Whatever it is, it took a LOT of time to film. Which makes me think, "How much free time do YOU HAVE?"

So we are giving anyone who wants to say how stupid, pigheaded, and idiotic men are - lots of evidence.

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How can you say you are for inclusion, and at the same time say you want to exclude someone? I don't understand.

I'm also sad to see people water down very powerful words. I save the "F word" for the end of the argument (thanks to George Carlin). I also hear people using the word Fascist, and I'm not sure they understand the definition.

We won't learn anything if we are yelling at each other, and I'm asking for help.

It will be interesting to see if asking for help is seen as violence.

Check out the commercial for the Fisher Price Podcast Set

Podcast Set - Saturday Night Live

Currently, there is the worry that Roe Vs Wade will be overturned and abortion will be illegal.

Daniel left a comment on a tweet that was pro-choice. ""Stopping the mass murder of blacks and women, along with all the other babies, will be wonderful for the USA. How anyone could be so barbaric to endorse the murder of nearly 1 million babies every year is unbelievable." (He later deleted this tweet)

Daniel at the time was a Governor for the Podcast Academy. The TPA has a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion declaration on their site that reads,

We celebrate and support the industry of audio storytelling and fight to uplift and center the diverse communities of people doing this work.

We acknowledge the historical inequities that have existed in the space. We understand that to dismantle these inequities; it will take intentional efforts and commitments aimed at the communities that have long been subject to these inequities, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+ communities, people with disabilities, immigrants, and people across the spectrum of socio-economic class. We encourage our members to hold us accountable, but we also realize that it is not the responsibility of marginalized communities to do this work for us. For these reasons, we invest funds into external, BIPOC+ led resources to help us continue in this work.

This policy is a living document that grows as we do, and we look forward to continuing to evolve through our ongoing education, outreach, and efforts for mutual understanding.

After his comments went viral people started a petition to get him removed. They called him a racist, homophobic, and a misogynist.

Another fact, the Podcast Academy is 69% female.

Daniel was asked to resign, and when he declined he was fired.

Abortion

Mike Tyson said everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face. I think everyone has their views on abortion until they find out they are pregnant. I don't have a vagina, so I keep out of that conversation.

Racist

In the book, "Uncomfortable conversation with a black man" the author says to white people, I imagine some of you are thinking if black people can't decide which term to use, then how and why should white people be expected to know which term to use? Point taken? To the extent I can speak for anyone else, black is the most inclusive choice. There's no one label that will satisfy all.

I sued Google and found many websites stating THIS is the term that white people should use. They were all different.

Some wrong words are obvious (the N word) and others have white people asking, "Can I say this?" When I hear that people are saying he should stop breathing because he didn't put a capital on the "B" in blacks, it feels a bit extreme.

I asked this question in a group, and the group could not give me an agreed-upon answer. SO know that white people are trying, but it's confusing.

Learning

You don't learn when you talk, you learn when you listen. It's hard when we get upset. When we don't feel heard our voices get loud. That is being human, but you have to realize that we were all raised in our own bubbles of culture and are probably missing pieces when it comes to understanding others.

The internet can bring us all together to learn from each other if we are willing students with open minds.

There will be times when we agree to disagree. I am driving to PA next week to see a friend of mine who is an atheist. I am not. We talk about everything and anything - except religion. He's not changing my mind, and I'm not changing his. If we have questions we know where to go.

Dialogues

At a podcast event, there were two left-leaning, two right-leaning, and one LGBQT+ person and we all listened and talk about our experiences. This was the first time I realized what I learned in school is not accurate. Daniel was nothing but respectful. This was such a cool conversation that I remember it, and so does David Hooper (one of the guys at the table). It was like, "Hey remember when people could have a dialogue?"

A Better Use of Your Time?

Instead of digging through years of old tweets, right not reach out and ask to have a conversation. Steven Covey in the book the 7 Habits of Effective people says we should "understand before being understood."

John Mayer

In 2001 I pre-judged John Mayer as "another pretty-boy singer-songwriter who is going to make the girls scream."

I would overlook him year after year. 14 years later a friend told me I should give him a listen. I did, and it turns out he is an AMAZING guitar player. I had missed out on some great guitar playing, lyrics, and music.

My point is if we can take a second to get to know each other we might benefit from understanding each other. It may not always be easy, but anything of value rarely is.

Mentioned in this Episode

No Safe Places Documentary

John Mayer Belief (Lyrics video)

The Social Dilemma Trailer

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man

Linconia

Pocahontas Exception

This came to me after attending a storytelling event from Matthew Disk who is the author of one of my favorite books Storyworthy.

He has an exercise where you list three random things you can touch. You then have one minute to come up with a story about one of those items, and then you two minutes to tell a story about it.

The word that inspired this episode was pillow.

Frosty was on the pipe.

He was headed to the village with a broomstick in his hand.

Frosty attempted death by cop. If Frosty was black in lived in Chicago, he would've been dead.

Did Frosty have a death wish? Was frosty really just unselfish? Was Frosty just a moron.

Was the "Magic" in his hat just packets of cocaine?

Why is Frosty (a middle-aged white guy) really just a pedophile?

Maybe frosty was depressed. He should have called the suicide hotline. 800-273-8255

Look at Frosty go? Did he make the children watch him pee?

She (in two years) has 75 million downloads of her Bible Recap podcast. Would I get up the nerve to ask her on my show?

If you enjoyed this episode, feel free to buy me a coffee.

Mentioned in this episode The Chosen (it's pretty cool!)

On Friday I had one of my "Sweating buckets, getting dizzy, can't decide if I'm going to have explosive diarrhea, vomit or passout" sessions. This now has fairly nasty stomach pains. I injured my stomach on Tuesday with a nasty scrape. This is Friday.

I wake up a few times during the night. It hurts to move in bed. Each time I wake up, the pain is moving higher up my body. We've gone from belly button, up higher and higher, and now my chest is tight, and I'm having issues taking a deep breath.

The question and conversations that go through your head when you can't decide if you're having a heart attack or not were not what I had expected. One would think if you thought you were having a heart attack you would call 911. Not me. I know how much an ambulance is, and my Dad was thrifty, and apparently so am I.

I am also the son of my Mom who never wanted to be a bother to anyone. She always put others first.

The good news is I was not having a heart attack. So what was it? When I asked the mirror it lied.

I now think it was a delayed reaction to just beating the crap out of my stomach - twice. That caused the tightness in my chest. The hospital show triggered the sweats (and later the intense pain in my stomach would cause sweats). In the end, I'm not sure.

It does make you think when you have to take a breathe and realize that your number might is being called and your time is up. I am not ready or prepared for any of that, and death doesn't care. It's coming if you're ready or not.

Kiss everyone you love to kiss and hug. Let those you appreciate know it. You never know when your time is up.

COVID 19 where 19 stands for how many pounds did you gain?

It turns out 444 lbs is heavy.

I may have more deliveries in the future.

My gut is ruining my aim

I have carried on a Jackson tradition

Sometimes life has to hold a mirror up until you acknowledge it.

When I feel this way, I have a mental picture of one of those Submarine doors that has almost opened and water starts gushing out, and I get there just in time to spin that wheel and lock it up and go back to whatever I was doing...

I decided to try Better Help, and it's not cheap, but if my arm started bleeding for no reason, I'd go get it checked out.

Just writing down why I thought I should talk to someone made me feel better. If you need a journal check out Penzu.com and in this case, I just had to write why I was signing up for this service. Just going through that process made me feel better.

I met with the counselor and after talking she suggested I read The Grief Recovery Handbook, 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition: the Action Program for Moving Beyond Death, Divorce, and Other Losses Including Health, Career, and Faith

I made it through chapter one, but now I feel like a kid who doesn't want to do his homework. I know that doing the work provides much better grades, but still, I made it through the first chapter and stalled. I need to put on my big boy pants and keep going.

We live in a Facebook world where everyone's lives seem so happy and perfect. I'm OK, and I'm working on being better. I thought if I pulled back the curtain to let you see it's OK to reach out when you could use someone to talk to, and that you're not "weird."

I just need to do my homework and reconnect on Better Help

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou

My second marriage wasn't always bad. My wife and I had a running gag of dragging a stuffed bear with us to events. It was funny. He was behind the speaker at our marriage.

My ex-wife named him Roy.

I use to give Roy a voice and make him say terribly dark things that make it hilarious coming out of a cuddly bear.

When we divorced, she kept Roy, and I kept another bear that I had purchased to give to her (but later decided not to - mature I know...)

I decided to buy my own Roy. It turns out that was harder to do than originally planned.

How do you make people feel?

If a stuffed toy can bring happiness, can you imagine how you can make a person feel?

One last thing, I know this makes me sound like COVID has cracked my sanity. I'm fine. I know this is weird.

I was alone - with just my thoughts.

I wasn't sure what would happen, but sometimes when I'm left alone with just the voice in my head things can go negative.

The house (without the noise to distract me) sent my brain into the archives of thoughts that I had not remembered in decades.

The brain is amazing, and I enjoyed a trip down memory lane.

Enjoy the show?

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I currently get annoyed with how cashiers bag things at the store. I end up with twice as many bags as needed. It just seems everywhere I turn, I'm opening a drawer, a pocket, a box, and its all bags.

Love is knowing someone's characteristics that drive you nuts, and accepting them. It's part of what makes them who they are. You can try to change them, but you and I both know that the chances of that succeeding are slim and none.

So you hang in there, and focus on the good things, and accept those things you can't change.

My brother and I (and, well everyone else) knew it made more sense for me to take over the house I grew up in (where my sister occasionally lives), but just cause it makes sense doesn't mean my sister would go for it. She's not a fan of change at all. Logical things don't always resonate with her (she won't eat Devil's Food Cake...). So how do I get her on board to let me take over the house so she can go live permanently in a better house with a better neighborhood?

Today I talk about how some things you think are hard, may not be as hard as you think. I took on the challenge of my sister, and I put off doing my taxes as long as I could.

If you are putting something off cause it looks "Hard" it may not be as hard as you think.

I do always find it weird how I can take positives and turn them into a negative.

I took a second tonight and really let myself go back to the front yard. To the time of being a kid and shouting when you achieved your goal. When the only thing you needed to worry about was if you had any empty peanut butter jars (of course you did cause you would store food in them).

It was a time when you did not have to worry about anything. You were safe. It was all about fun, friends, and fireflies.

The other night I watched 8:46 by Dave Chappelle. It's an amazing presentation. I also loved his last special on Netflix called Sticks and Stones. Then at 4 in the morning, it came to me:

DAVE CHAPPELLE IS MY HERO.

He makes me do all the things I said a good podcast should do. He makes me laugh, cry, think, or groan. If it doesn't do any of those it should be educating or entertaining me and DAVE DOES ALL OF THOSE.

Check him out

Dave Chappelle 8:46

Dave Chappelle Sticks and Stones Sample

Like the show? Buy me a coffee

I often hope someone will come along and teach me so I'm not so ill-informed on how to act, what to say, etc when it comes to people of color. It's time for white people to take a step and do our homework.

The better we understand, the better we communicate. The better we understand, the better we live.

Conan O'Brien interviews Van Jones

White People Training

The 13th Documentary (free on YouTube)

Any time I tried yoga the instructor would go through different posts like:

Funky Firefly Young Puma Sad Palm Tree Be the Embryo Hords of Locust Legs behind your head Silly Kitty Grump Turtle Baby Rhino

and I would be still trying to figure out the Sad Palm Tree as they are finishing up. I also love how your are supposed to keep your head facing down. How do I see what you're doing with my eyes facing the floor?

I got sucked in by some videos of people with serious hurdles who have lost hundreds of pounds doing Yoga (and I'm assuming eating less junk). I decided to give it a shot and was surprised how (without using any weights) I was working up a sweat.

Here are some links (not affiliate links)

www.ddpyoga.com

Guy loses tons of weight video

Guy couldn't walk can now run

Buy Dave a coffee at www.buymeacoffee.com/davejackson

Killer bees

Swine Flu

Bird Flu

and many other things. Everything seems fear-based.

There is a song by the Monkees called "Shades of Gray" and while it was talking about equal rights for people of color, but it made me notice that now you are either a scary cat who is afraid to go outside or a nutjob who won't "Let you tell me what to do" and is doing pushups on a sidewalk to prove it.

There is no "gray area" and as I think about it I would think the rules for New York city might be different than the rules needed for Farm Town Iowa with almost no people, that maybe the rules could be different. However, on TV dialogue is no encouraged. You're either one side or the other...

It makes me worried. Dialogue and having open minds are what can lead to the best decisions.

How did Adam and Eve figure out how to have sex that first time?

Did Eve look down and go, that's weird. You have a thing? And I don't?

Or was it a case where she was bending over to pick up something and Adam tripped him?

Did God come down with a PowerPoint presentation and show this slot A into tab B

I had a dog named Dudley. And when we brought him home, the first thing we did was buy a bunch of squeak toys. And the first thing he did was hump them all.

Like, wow, that dog needs a release of some sort. Apparently. I don't know what's going on with that dog, but he really likes that monkey.

So, it was a very weird thought. And maybe it's because it's May 2020. I'm in the middle of a pandemic.

Throw on top of it being locked in due to a pandemic it makes from some interesting dreams. I never had a Dad dream. I had a GREAT mom dream, but no Dad dream and then...

Nothing good happens at four in the morning. Not even hanging out with LeBron James. Nothing better than waking up at 4 am PISSED OFF.

The pandemic is real. A friend of mine lost his best friend for life and was 40 or 50 and nowhere near a nursing home or age 80. It's real. My latest trip to Walmart leads me to believe people are dropping their guard.

Stay Safe

I can only imagine movie

Buy Dave a coffee

And for some reason, he had a fruit basket, and he gave it to me along with some other things in his freezer that he didn't eat, but his mom would, and he has since moved out.

The neighbor immediately to my right has moved out. So I'm hoping a Claudia Schiffer type person will move in and want a podcast. That would be awesome.

Meanwhile, back at the couch, Oh, thank you so much for the fruit basket. I do eat fruit, apples, oranges. And I stuck it on the couch cause we were talking in my living room and it sat there for a long time, and it's wrapped in plastic, so nothing to worry about.

Well, it's at there for weeks cause I kept buying more fruit and forgetting about it.

I've done a lot of traveling recently, and I was amazed that when you live in a hotel and everything is neat and vacuumed, and then you return to a home that is not.

You're like, "Wow, your house is a pigsty." When your house is a pigsty, you kind of feel like a pig. And so the one day I just said, I have got to clean the living room. The messiness is ridiculous. And I picked up the fruit basket that had gone bad basically at this point.

Even though it was wrapped in plastic, the plastic is stretched over the top, and then the bottom is just where the plastic touches. Yeah, it had soaked right through the basket and onto the couch. There was a big round stain. And I was like, Oh man.

And it's not like the world's best couch, but for me to buy new furniture would be stupid because I'm never in my living room. I mean, I eat lunch there every day, and I eat dinner there. My living room is my dining room.

The spot is about the size of an Apple, and it's this big black circle. I know you can flip it over and put that on the bottom.

I thought well, maybe, maybe if I'm lucky enough. This couch has the kind of cushions with a zipper, and you can remove and wash the cover. It turns out it was.

And I'm like, okay, cool. And I'm doing laundry. I've been programmed, of course, that when you see a stain, you don't just put it in the wash. You "shout it out." I got the bottle of "shout" out from underneath the bathroom sink, sprayed a bunch on it, rubbed it in. I maybe even said a quick prayer, basically sacrifice some lambs to the spot. I'm really thinking, yeah, that's not going to come out. There's no way that's coming out. And part of it is my inner thoughts saying, "Well, you can't have nice things. You just, you, you can't. Now, there's no way that's coming out."

And if you're a regular listener to the show, you knew when I was growing up, anytime bad things would happen, my brother and I and my friends would just call it "Davey luck" cause my brother can call me Davey, you can't. I was thinking aw man, it's just Davey luck again. I just turned 55. 40 years ago I was 15.

That was a long time ago.

And I just thought it was interesting that I went over to the laundry and I'm thinking, I know, I'm going to pull out the cover and the stain will be there laughing at me.

I look, and the spot is gone. The spot is gone. I shouted it out just like the commercial said. And what was really interesting (to me at least), was I was 98% sure that it just wasn't going to work. I was convinced Davey luck had struck again.

I was surprised at my reaction., It seemed like it was instinct to just think, "Oh, this is not going to work."

Which had me thinking, "Why is it my default answer to think, yeah, that's not going to work?"

I don't know really. I mean, it might be just the years of Davy luck talk that I'd just expect things to go bad. I was really surprised on how certain I was that this was not going to work.

What does this say about me? And so I need to realize that the world is not out to get me.

see https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/elizabeth-hurleys-flawless-figure-baffles-010458031.html

REAL HEADLINES

Elizabeth Hurley Skips the Gym to Relax In Revealing Dress

Elizabeth Hurley Gets Cozy In Sexy LBD

Elizabeth Hurley Is Sneaky & Sultry In Cleavage-Baring Ninja Suit

Elizabeth Hurley Eyes Up Christmas In Open-Chested Jacket, Bikini Bottoms & NO Bra

Elizabeth Hurley Admits Bizarre Similarity She Shares With England's Queen Elizabeth

I don't get why this is acceptable to comment on a female's appearance if its the media. Isn't that still objectifying?

I'm so confused.

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If something so big and strong can die, then it's just a reminder that we all need to maximize our time on the planet.

I'm walking around the mall, taking mental pictures of its 860,000 square feet because soon I won't be able to.

MENTIONED

Bookends by Simon and Garfunkle. on YouTube

I have found that weight loss is a lot like walking the wrong way on one of those moving sidewalks at the airport. If you're walking the wrong way you would need to really walk fast and then if you stopped for a second you would be catapulted backwards very very quickly.

I had to wear a suit for the first time since 2018 and my "Lucky Green Suit" no longer fits. This brought on a bunch of emotions and I took a second to take a second to embrace the hatred of myself, the disappointment, the frustration, and really took a second to remember how this feels.

I have fooled myself with lies like "one won't hurt" and many others.

It's working. I'm back down to 222 and headed the right way. It's not easy. It's not fair, but life's not fair.

Today I talk about how it appears people have given up on going to Christmas on Christmas Eve. I miss soft, warm, candlelight services of my childhood with my whole family.

What did I do? I went to the movies....

I got to bust out my prayer licks and freestyle a prayer. I got to meet what would've been my step-grandkids.

It's one thing to go to a wedding because you have to, but in looking back it's cool to go because you're invited.

The gift is highly confusing for me. It's a what? Like, really?

Yeah... I don't get it.

The Irishman - Great cast. Three and a half hours. Surprise (spoiler) a bunch of mom guys whack people. Shocking.

The Movies That Made Us - So far this is great. I love all the behind the scenes info.

Back in the Game - It's easy to see why these people are broke.

Hamilton Beach " Smokeless Indoor Grill"

Here is Mathew Dicks on YouTube

• Watch millionaires comment on
• Athletic millionaires
• In front of people who can't afford the tickets
• Who can't afford the parking or the $7 hot dog

Their comments have zero outcome on the game, but it gets us wound up. We all want to be winners and those colors for my team represent ME, and I want to be a winner. If we lose our day is shot.

For me, I was happy I started the day with

• 20 minutes on the bike
• skipping breakfast
• having one giant meal and not going over my calorie budget
• Seeing my family including the little peeps.
• I was also happy that on the way home, I skipped all the fast food (even though I was thinking about it).
• I went to best buy and now I'm trying to figure out if I need the indoor smokeless grill.... (by the way Best Buy has this as a deal at $69, but its $59 on Amazon). In the end, I'm leaning toward this Hamilton Beach (I already have a George Forman...)

Al Roker battles butter man

E.T. Holiday Reunion Commercial 2019

I also apologize to anyone I may have offended by saying this podcast was not great.

Set a goal you have to grow into. I like that phrase.

I thought it was inappropriate when she openly flirts with Jimmy Fallon and seems to be a little weird.

She talked about how her husband wants a threesome (jokingly with Jennifer Anniston).

The first episode of heartstrings has Julianne Hough playing Jolene who also has her boobs hanging out in every scene. I guess I'm just confused. How can we have t-shirts that say "Hey my eyes are up here" and then when you have a woman in charge and influences her own series and it features boobs o' plenty.

Some might say, "its just Dolly being Dolly, and she's done this her entire life," I just find it confusing.

I was also glad to hear nobody got molested.

I'm also using the Noom App, which has some pretty cool stuff (think weight watchers accountability in an app).

I love that the ghost is not freaked out by anything when he reappears every year.

IMDB Page The Spirit of Christmas

Trailer on YouTube

But I'm not dating anyone. So I guess that means I do it solo.

I'm not sure why, but I know someone who loves old traditions and is easy to entertain. I had plan C sitting in front of me the whole time but my tunnel vision left me decorating a tree alone.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Harry Belafonte Christmas Album on Spotify

Harry Belefonte Christmas on Apple

I was just interviewed to talk about #metoo and how guys can understand how to talk to women without being creepy. I'm not creepy, but I'm worried I might say something that I feel is nice, but it could be taken as harassment. In the end, never comment on someone's appearance.

I've always been the night in shining armor. She pointed out that maybe somewhere I learned that "love is when Dave helps someone" and I thought that might've been my Mom who was home alone a large amount of time during her marriage as my Dad was a long-distance truck driver.

I love to dissect me to see why I do what I do, so I can be a better person. Have you ever taken any time to better understand why you do what you do and see if there is a way to do it better.

Mentioned in this Episode

Weight loss app Noom 9save 15% off with this link

You know what they say about payback...

Clueless. Like put a gun to my head and I couldn't tell you how Eddie Van Halen was playing eruption. Now every seven year old at Guitar Center can play it with their eyes closed.

Eruption, Ain't Talking About Love, Jamie's Cryin, Ice Cream Man, my favorite was Atomic Punk in which David Lee Roth makes noises that much like Eddie's guitar it had me going, "Wait, how did he do that?"

Another great memory from this album is my mom walked in and heard Ice Cream Man (an electrified Boogie) and said "I could jitterbug to this" so we moved the coffee table and she taught me how to jitterbug. The best part is I could see my remembering what it was like to be in her 20's in the 1950's and just have fun. It's one of my top 10 memories.

This album is so good, I don't play it. I save it for days when I need a pick me up. It never fails to put a smile on my face

Van Halen I on Spotify

Van Halen I on YouTube

Van Halen I on iTunes

The album was Jimi Hendrix Electric Ladyland and the "song" was ...And the God Made Love.

This contains one the guitar tone that was so rude, so angry, I didn't understand what I was hearing.

Electric Ladyland on Spotify

Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) on YouTube

Electric Ladyland on Apple

About the time I recovered from that he said, "This is a love song. I'd like to dedicate it to all that Nashville P*ssy."

Besides the potty mouth, there is some AMAZING guitar work on this album. The song Wang Dang Sweet Poontang has a great solo where Ted has the rhythm guitar come in and out of the solo and it builds up.

I also learned that Ted didn't do ANY drugs (and hence neither would I) and yet he was CRAZY. Over the years I've learned every Ted Nugent Lick.

Ted Nugent Double Live Gonzo on Spotify

Ted Nugent Wang Dang Sweet poontang

Double Live Gonzo on YouTube

Double Live Gonzo on Apple

The Band was Bachman Turner Overdrive and the album was Not Fragile.

I think the album made a special impact on me as it wasn't second had music. It wasn't my brother or sister's music. It was mine.

Not Fragile on Spotify

Not Fragile Album on YouTube

Not Fragile on Apple

Here is a YouTube video of the prophet song.

A Night at the Opera on Spotify

A Night at the Opera on Apple

Here is a video about the making of the Prophet Song

The fun part is I have no idea what the song is about besides a prophet who has a vision.

I dreamed I saw on a moonlit stair Spreading his hands on the multitude there A man who cried for a love gone stale And ice cold hearts of charity bare I watched as fear took the old men's gaze Hopes of the young in troubled graves I see no day, I heard him say So grey is the face of every mortal

Um Sure...

You HAVE to listen to this song with Headphones

Today I share a story about picking up a package the day after I delivered it at the Amazon pick-up center.

I saw the peloton bike and then read about the NordicTrack S22i which is "cheaper" but still an arm and a leg. However, if I cut out so many of the monthly payments I make to different sites and figured I can now "afford" it.

The good news is I'm down 2.3 lbs. My legs are on fire cause I went a too far and now I'm using Soak Fitness Spray (which it turns out went out of business). This makes me legs feel liek they are on fire so I forget that they are sore.

When Randy died in 1982 it wrecked me.

My hero was dead.

I wore a black armband to school to show I was in mourning.

I found a clip on YouTube with Randy explaining how to play Revelation mother Earth, and that was the song that I was like WHAT? as well as Mr. Crowley.

Randy Rhoads clinic on YouTube

Randy Rhoads isolated guitar Mr. Crowley

Blizzard of oz on Apple

We just kept playing the song "She" over, and over, and over.

Kiss Alive I on YouTube

Kiss Alive I on Spotify

July 28, 1979[24]

• Aerosmith
• Ted Nugent
• Journey
• Thin Lizzy
• AC/DC
• Scorpions

But I saw Angus Young and was like WHAT? and that lead me to buying a Gibson SG. I bought everything they did, and LET THERE BE ROCK where every song is great, and I just played the grooves off this album.

Let there be rock on YouTube

Let there be Rock on Spotify

There was only one problem. My ears could not comprehend what I was hearing. At times it sounded like someone making fun of heavy metal.

It was so fast and the guitar solos sounded like a fax machine in heat. Metallica's Ride the Lightning was like nothing I had ever heard before.

The singer was amazing, and I loved the song Steeler that had about 90 seconds of the band playing one note at the end of the song. I loved that (in listening to it tonight, it's VERY hard not to play air guitar).

Tomorrow, a band I heard open for Ozzy who had music that was different I couldn't comprehend what I was listening.

• a fluke of getting up early is my catalyst.
• Planting your flag can make it easier to move

I'm playing with Healhtywage

Start your own wager

Join my team challenge for $20

You gotta me kidding me.... Oh Geez...

Hmmm....

Here we go.....

Over the years different insecure girlfriends steered me away, and we lost touch. With divorce number two under my belt, I had nothing stopping me from reconnecting. I had thought about it.

I'll do it next time I'm in the neighborhood. I should call first. Why do we feel so awkward when we lose touch with people. Then we reconnect and you pick right up where you left off. I know if I had done this, and reached out we would've picked right up.

I can't do that now. It's not an option. A blown opportunity that put a mirror in my face and I can see how I was a really sh*tty friend in the name of love, I left people who truly did love me.

I feel ashamed, and not to happy with myself.

It was a huge (for Akron) stadium

One band was the Osmonds and they left a memory that has me thinking of my Mother, and how Mom always knows what to do in any circumstance.

I've shared some stories in the past that sound like pity parties, but today (realizing this) I wanted to share a really good time.

Judgemental

Disliking Homosexuality

Asking for Money

So when I see a church that pushes the stereotype it drives me nuts as none of the above is biblical.

Sure homosexuality is mentioned seven times in the bible, but poverty is mentioned 300 times, and lying is mentioned 155 times

source

https://www.answers.com/Q/How_many_times_is_the_word_lie_used_in_the_Bible

https://matteroffactsblog.wordpress.com/2013/09/11/the-bible-mentions-homosexuality-7-times-but-poverty-300-times/

when I see a need in the community that the church offers to help if you PAY THEM I ask, I didn't remember Jesus asking to get paid to do the right thing.

God Hates Fags video

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us.

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep."a]">[a]) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,b]">[b] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I get to the airport hours before my plane leaves. I need to pee. The woman sitting next to me seems nice. Will she watch my stuff while I go to the bathroom? Yes she will, and this turned into a bond that has sharing opinions on her latest project....

So my friend Master Kuldryn invited me to go to a Dungeon in Orlando Florida. While I didn't originally want to go, a few of my friends decided it would be a hoot, and as an investigative reporter, I decided to support my friend and check out his world. I never had any intentions of participating in anything, and I didn't.

The place we went to had no sex, no more nudity that you would see in a season of Game of Thrones, and an educational tour. I had a feeling when I agreed to go, I would get an episode of Building a Better Dave. Thanks to my Buddies David Hooper and Marc Johanssen for making this a fun, entertaining, trip to Satan's cross-fit.

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I was in a meeting with some people preparing for a podcast roast. Last year they were roasting me, this year we're roasting John Lee Dumas.

This made me reflect on where I was last year, and where I am this year.

So I thought about:

Weight Loss Dating Financial

Why would you have a children's program when you only have one? The only reason I can come to is that we've always done it that way.

The church I go to came from a split church. It was awesome. We had probably 30 people in the choir. The music was awesome. The culture was awesome. That was probably close to 20 years ago. There is only one problem.

The church has not changed at all. Not one single bit. If you had a bulletin from 1998 and compared it to today's the only thing that changes is the pastor.

When the choir got smaller due to this thing called Natural Causes that keeps making the congregation smaller, the director decided we would sing Handel's Messiah. This is a very hard piece of music to sing. Looking back, we shouldn't have done it. We didn't have the people. We didn't have the talent. Typically people in a choir can sing. They can actually sing different parts. Over the years, this has become less and less the case. Last week I sang next to a lovely older man who didn't want the music. He just wanted the words.

As I was the sound person at the time, I told them how I could feed a little bit of the demo singers into the monitor to keep us on track. I never thought we would perform this way. Flash forward 15 years and now the voices are so loud, for me its embarrassing. I didn't even really practice my parts this year because there was no point? I could actually sit there and mouth the words.

Also when you can't stand for the 45 minutes performance because of your age. Maybe it's time to retire. We have probably 10 people made up of 9 women and me. I hate to knock the other two gentlemen in the bass section, but they just sing the melody This is a choir.

So why would you have a choir when you don't have people who can sing or perform? We've always had a Christmas and Easter cantata.

I go to this church because my Aunt goes there. Many of the people who go there watch me grow up. The average age is probably 70. The pastor is a very nice man who types out his sermons and reads them to us. How do I know this? Because the one Sunday he left one of his pages back at the soundboard and had to walk back and get it.

Nurses make bad patients. Teachers make bad students. Presenters make horrible audience members apparently because I can't take the fact that he has a wireless microphone but stands in one spot. Well except when he does the children's story and the one child comes up. Why? Because we've always had a children's story.

There is a song by King's X off the Gretch Goes to Nebraska album called Mission and it has been in my head lately. The chorus is

Who are these people behind the stained glass windows have they forgotten just what they came here for? Was it salvation or "scared of hell" or an assembly of a social get-together what's the mission of the preacher man?

I used to go to a local Mega-church that really fed me spiritually. Although I notice they do "series" of sermons. They've done one on dedication to the church. They will do one on marriage. They'll do another one on money. They seem to repeat. To this I say to myself the bible doesn't change, it's always going to be the same thing.

The bad news is I don't know anybody there. I've signed up for their small groups but never been contacted. It feeds me spiritually, but as someone who works from home and at times goes days without actually speaking words to another person, the little church is filled with people who know me.

The other problem I have with the little church is they are constantly doing events that mean you have to pay for something. Ninety-nine percent of the time this involves food or something that leads you to think, "Can I just give you the money?" Then I saw the budget and how this money is spent. I'll just say I don't agree with the leadership of the church. I think that is the one that sticks in my side. After all, isn't it always about money in the end?

When I was a pastor in training I suggested that the pastor be paid a percentage of the profit. That way if the church didn't grow (meaning I failed) I wouldn't get paid. That idea went over like a lead balloon, and apparently, instead everyone got raises.

The biggest problem is the true head of the church is a woman who is almost like a second Mom for me. She was the head of the BYF when I was in it. We've had a lot of fun times. She is the "choir" director. She is the music leader. This really causes issues with my brain.

This church also attracts people who if they don't take their meds will drop F bombs in church. I wish I was making this up. As you can't control them, this is an issue. Speaking of control, the ONE child we have OFTEN will crawl on her hands and knees all over the sanctuary IN THE SERVICE. Their parental figure says nothing. This drives me nuts.

So If I were to summarize: The pastor is a nice guy, but a boring presenter The leadership of the church is not forward thinking and can't make hard choices The choir is lip syncing and feels their audience is dumb enough not to notice The future of the church seems questionable as there are no children The budget of the church has not shrunk with attendance The music we sing is not true praise music

So why do I attend? Because I always have, except today. Screw the children's program

I was asked to speak in Australia. This is one event that I had to pick up the ticket, and it was worth every penny.

I had to give up control

I got to do new things I have never done

I got to stand up for myself

So many things in Australia can kill you, just like America...

I thought the guy was having a seizure.

I started attending a different church, and they made it sound like I didn't have the holy spirit and I needed to have someone "lay hands" on me.

I was told growing up you do not have someone speak in tounges unless there was someone to interpret, so I wasn't sure to believe.

On the other hand, if I didn't have the holy spirit, I wanted it. So I decided to have someone lay their hands on me...

Check out www.todoist.com

One person on the "How to Cuddle" page stated, "If you feel sexual desires coming on, communicate them as soon as possible and probably stop cuddling."

What does the training manual for a cuddle buddy look like?

I love that one site states, " No intentional genital stimulation of any kind." (but unintentional is allowed...")

I'm picturing the High School Guidance Counselor looking at a student with straight Ds.

Counselor: "Well Billy, I've looked at your grade."

Billy: "My family says I should apply to clown college."

Counselor: "I've got something different and it pays $40/hr.

Full show notes and videos at http://betterdave.com/182

Marriage at First Sight - Horrible television that I could not stop watching

This one woman feels the word "husband" has magical powers and even though she just met her husband they are "soulmates." This could be a good show to watch with your significant other.

See https://youtu.be/soZf8jhcmus

It's really an honor and its humbling. Person and person have been leaving a message saying how it was, "Overdue," and "Well Deserved." They thank me for all the hard work. Hard work?

Somewhere I got a gene where I just love to help people. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy, so it really wasn't hard work

I got to be creative.

I got to play with technology

I got to help people.

This wasn't hard work at all.

Thanks for listening

I was sitting in my bed and I wanted to think about how many women I had ever said the phrase, "I love you" to. I think this is spurred on this idea. Recently I've gone to two conferences in the past month and I'm starting to notice, where I thought my heart was just dead - for lack of a better phrase) I have met a few females that I would like to get to know you better. The bad news is they all live hundreds if not thousands of miles away and in some cases, are young enough to be my daughter, which makes me feel creepy.

Let's start off with the very first person I said I love you to. I was 16 years old, does that really count? Well, yeah, it did at the time. And I thought of the very first time I found myself attracted to this person. My very first memory is she was a flag girl. What else do you have to say? She was a flag girl in the marching band and I gave her a ride home after a football game because she was wasted. I remember her passing out. We'll kind of in her head hitting the passenger side window. And I thought, oh my God, she's going to break the window. But what is that? You guessed it.

Damsel in distress.

The second girl was a very, very brief dating period, but very intense. And you'll notice a pattern here. She was dating somebody who lived far away. It was a long-distance relationship. Which is hilarious when you're all of 16, 17 and I was the friend that she talked to deal with the fact that her boyfriend was far, far away. Yeah, you guessed it. Damsel in distress.

The third one I was a late teen now and we worked together. Again, I am the friend that she talks about her boyfriend who lives far, far away.

Damsel in distress

Number four turned into ex-wife number one who I would like to interview. I think it would be interesting 20 years out now too, to talk about our area of life. Let's just kick back and, and what do you think of if you were to describe Dave Jackson? That's the key. I think these people at one point did know me at one point. Anyway, when I first met her, she had a horrible living situation. Her mom was dating gigantic losers. And she lived in the hood:

Damsel in distress.

Damsel number five was the nurse (if you're a regular listener to the show you've met her as she became wife #2). When I met the nurse, she explained to me how she had been dating a guy who had cheated on her seven times.

Damsel in distress.

But when I look back at these women that I said, "I love you" to, I was like, oh my God, they were all damsels in distress. And that's amazing to me, and that's why I'm podcasting in fie in the morning as I can't sleep.

I had an interesting conversation today and we were talking about these places that appear to prey on the Gullible. You know the drill.

You get dragged to a meeting where you hear a pitch.

Everyone can benefit from the product. It's super easy to join. It's even free.

You are encouraged to bring your friends.

If you want to become a member there are fees based on your level of dedication.

There are weekly meetings to attend and in some cases twice a week.

There are brainstorming session on how you can get the word out there and raise more money for the company.

If you are active enough and demonstrate dedication, you may get an advisory board.

Some people show up and swear the product works, while others don't attend weekly meetings and don't seem to be getting any results

Some people think the whole thing is a scam. The people pushing the product are just a bunch of snake oil salesmen trying to brainwash people

What company do you think I'm talking about?

There was jazz music in the background. Now watching a toothless waitress in some strange dinner is cool. Look! it's coffee in slow motion put to jazz! I've never seen coffee poured like this. It's like seeing coffee for the first time. Holy Cow.

Now when Jerry pulls up in a 1972 VW Van with rust to pick up Kramer, it's cool.

Then I thought about the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. Here is this boy face male pattern baldness at a very early age, being bullied by his friends, and disrespected by his dog. There isn't much of a story, then get him involved with a bizarre play that also has no story. Then Linus just takes control and start blurting out random scripture like a long lost Osteen and the Christmas Special comes to an end. Why do we watch every year? Becuase it's got one of the coolest soundtracks ever. Filled with some really cool jazz. I don't even like jazz.

It makes anything cool. I recently started using Advocare products (which have boosted my weight loss efforts) and while they have great products let's not kid ourselves they are a multilevel marketing business. It's Amway for fat people. So I signed up so I can discount on the products and I'm reading some really boring stuff.

Now lately I'm stuck. I keep throwing out my back, and that makes it hard to exercise. I'm losing weight (down 3 lbs in the last 30 days) but I keep throwing out my back from sneezing. Then when my back is out, it's hard to exercise. The lack of exercises makes me less healthy, which leaves me open to getting sick, which leads to me sneezing more. You see where this is headed. You know what makes exercising in your living room better? You guessed it.

Mentioned in This Episode

Advocare

This lead to me asking about what is the difference between 1080 and 4K, then what was the difference between 4k and HDR?

Then the guy at Best Buy gave me a demo of both, and I could feel myself getting sucked in. I had found a cheaper TV but now I could feel myself talking myself into grabbing the credit card.

I ended up with a 55" 4K HDR tv.

Then I brought it home. Uh Oh.

Then I went to plug it into my soundbar. Uh Oh.

Through the process of carrying these items from store to trunk to apartment, I pulled muscles in my back.

When I watch the Tonight Show, it feels like Jimmy Fallon is in my living room. My TV is just about the size of my couch.

There will be lots of crying as Christmas is almost ruined, then, in the end, you find in the nick of time that Yes, Yes, (cheesy storyline) is true!

It will start people like Shelly Long (remember her from Cheers), Angie Dickinson (isn't she dead) and lots of people from sitcoms that you watched in the 80's and 90's that kind find work anyplace else and have no integrity.

I focus on the weirdest things lately. My brother got pretty sick a little while ago and he had a weird situation where he was sweating under a bunch of blankets because he was freezing. He had lost a lot of color, and looked bad. It was spooky even though I knew he would pull through. The bottom line is we are out of Grandparents, we have a few Aunts to play, one Uncle who is 94, and then we become the next generation in line. You know and I know that it's going to get here sooner or later. There is nothing we can do about that.

Maybe it's because my brother and I were estranged for years, and now we're not, that the thought of us being apart can cause my eyes to leak.

And when I start to grieve, I feel like I have a buy one get one free. That I have leftovers that have been sitting in the pantry waiting to be consumed.

My Mom died in 1989. That's a while ago. My finals at college were the next week and yet I still had to take them. I cried. I wept. Then it was back to school. I was now running a house as my Dad was still a long distance truck driver, and my sister..... while she has never been diagnosed I think she has assburgers. She doesn't like any change in her routine. I remember trying to get her to write things on a shopping list. She would say, "but that's not how Mom did it." I would have to answer, "I know, but Mom's not here." It was a strange relationship because I was the little brother taking care of my older sister. When my Dad got home on the weekends, I would fill him in on the bills, house, and get to my homework.

I remember my last semester. I took more credit hours than I have ever taken because if I didn't graduate I was going to lose my mind. It was graduate or die trying. My GPA took a hit, but I got the piece of paper and moved on.

Being That Guy

My Mom died when I was 24. Looking back, I was a baby. I thought I was an adult, but I was pretty young. It deeply affected me. I became a workaholic. I still am. I've never wanted that to be my calling card. Hello, I'm Dave Jackson and my Mom died when I was 24. Yet, it is part of my history. It left a scar. It shaped me. I just don't want it to be my definition.

I Asked God For a Kid and He Said No

I spent myself into bankruptcy trying to have a kid. It didn't happen and instead, my wife became an alcoholic and cheated on me. Pity party for one, again...

The last episode of Good Grief, Sam has her Dad (the man who raised her ) explain what it means to be a Dad. He explained how it changes you. It transforms you. It makes you complete. It was like a bad horror flick where the person rips out your hear and holds it in front of you.

Again, I don't want to be that guy. When I got to meet my friend's nine-month-old son it was awesome. He is the sweetest kid. This doesn't bother me. I don't ache to have my own, but I do have a major fear of missing out. If having children makes you complete, then I'm not. Am I broken? I dunno. I like me. I think I'm ok... confused..

Playing Ball With My Dad

My Dad was not a bad Dad. He just wasn't around. He was on the road four to five days a week and would come home and sleep and then repeat. My brother bought me my first baseball glove. My brother was pushing the bike that I learned to ride. My Dad did take me fishing once. But it was that ball thing. Aren't you supposed to go in the backyard and toss the ball, any ball around? It never happened. Now here is the stupid part. We played ping pong on a regular basis. It was fun. We laughed, and battle hard. I'm not sure why this doesn't count for me. I guess cause you don't see it on TV or in the movies...

I was at the park walking through the woods. The woods opened into an opening with a baseball field. There it was. A boy about age seven or eight pitching the ball to his Dad playing catcher. My heart just jumped out of my chest. It was like looking into a store window of something you will never be able to buy. I wanted to run out on the field and go, "DUDE, do you know how LUCKY you are?!" Then I got mad. Like any child who doesn't get what they want. Why did everyone get to play catch but me? Pity party for one.

When I was young, some of my oldest memories are sitting on my Granpa's living room floor. My Dad would argue with him Mom about something stupid, and eventually, my Grandpa and my Dad would go outside. I'm assuming they talked. They had a father and son moment, some sort of discussion. I'm assuming this is why we came over. My Dad wanted to hang with his Dad. This again pisses me off. My father and I had chit chat. We talked about my weather. For most of my life, my father was confused about what I did for a living. I was a corporate trainer teaching people software and he still thought I was fixing copiers. Actually, he thought I was fixing printers. He's open a Best Buy advertisement and say, "David here's your stuff." I got tired of correcting him.

I remember after my first divorce, and I thought I need to try to play catch up with my Dad. We weren't close, and the only way to fix that was to spend some time together. I asked my Dad if he wanted to go to an Indians game. I was going to buy some tickets, and he could get to see the new stadium the team had built. He turned me down. He said you can see things better on TV. To this, I can't argue. It's true. But it wasn't about the game, it was about spending time with your son. I would go over to his house and watch a game with him, and we would exchange chit-chat. This an often open the door of anger. Like why did you not want that? I had more "Mentoring talks" with my oldest stepson about women, school, life in the eight years I was in his life than my Dad and I had in the 50 years I knew him.

When he died I mourned what I lost, but I mainly mourned that what never was and never would be. I mourned a blown opportunity. It was classic cats and the cradle. He was busy, then I was busy. Then his mind left before I could pick his brain.

Closing the Hallway Doors

As I go through life, I feel I'm OK. My life could be so much worse. I have a job I love, a cool apartment and the freedom to do pretty much whatever I want whenever I want. But there are times when I'm left alone with my thoughts, or I'm listening to a podcast about grief that I hear the drips of grief. I hear a door stressing against the pressure of what is behind it. I turn the knob and a river of tears covers me. I'm not surprised but still shocked. What is up with this? I struggle, I push hard, and finally, the door closes. I few more steps and sometimes the weirdest thing will set off another door. It glows orange from the anger behind it. When I crack the door, the heat blows back my hair like opening an oven. I fell it engulfing my body, but I don't want it. I push and push with all I have and eventually, it closes.

What Happened to Time Heals All Wounds

It's been decades. What is up with this? I read about Grief, and I hear how some people can't move on. I've moved on. I work, I eat, I laugh. I accept that this is the new normal. This is as good as it is probably going to get. My Dad burned two things into my brain:

1. The world doesn't revolve around David Jackson
2. The world is not fair (which is somewhat of a rerun).

So when I didn't want to do something, I did it anyway. When I wanted something, and couldn't have it. I had to suck it up. I remember on the few occasions when my Dad had to spank me it was always the most conflicting of actions. He would put me on his legs, smacked my butt and then I would cry. This would last for about 10 seconds, and my Dad would then tell me to go get a warm washcloth and bring it to him. Not wanting to get spanked, I would do that. He would then take the cloth, put on the back of my neck, shoosh me and tell me it was going to be OK. It worked, and I calmed down, and in many cases that's all my parents needed me to do.

But When Is This Grieving Thing Over?

I thought time heals all wounds. Well, I guess if you count that I can function a win, I guess it's true. When you read about the seven steps it always sounded like when you got done with the last step you would be back to normal.

As I don't want to be "That Guy" I looked into this and found an article that seemed to make sense. Here is a paragraph

The misguided notion that grief is a process that allows a final working through of a loss is likely the fault of my own profession--mental health professionals who have promoted this notion in their work with grieving individuals. Clinical data makes it clear that any significant loss, later and repeatedly, brings up longing and sadness. Is it because these people have not achieved closure by traversing prescribed stages of mourning or because they have not "worked through the loss" as some therapists boldly claim? No. It's because you never get over loss. As time passes, the intensity of feelings about the loss will lessen, you might also find ways to sooth or distract yourself, or you can partially bury grief-related feelings by creating new memories. But you're not going to get over it because that's impossible: you cannot erase emotional memory. Besides, it's not about achieving closure. Instead, you have to figure out what you are going to do when your emotional memories are later triggered. (Full Article)

This is good and bad. It's good that I no longer feel like I'm broken because I still miss my parents. It's bad, because grief is like a website design. It's never done. You always need to tweak it. It might be fine for years, but something will come along and you will need to tear it all down and rebuild it. A website is never really done, and apparently, you cannot erase the emotional memory.

My high school was Ellet High School so Ellet rhymed with Smell iT. As our mascot was a giant Orange Hulk, and we were known as the Orangemen, we often saw many signs about "Squeezing the Orangemen."

Our arch rival was Springfield High School. Springfield had a lake. So we called students from Springfield, "Swamp Rats."

I guess by today's standards we were bullying when we played the fight song after a touchdown.

I can't believe this made the news. Instead of the superintendent from the WV school writing an apology, they should've suspended the LIBRARIAN for being a narcissist and making everything about her, and for not being able to process any opinion besides her own.

While I can't "tell you how to feel" you should be willing, and wanting to hear the other side of a story and be willing to participate in a dialogue. Here is the story from CNN

See http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/10/21/trump-banner-at-hs-football-game-sparks-furor.cnn

If a person is like me, we aren't racist - we are untrained. We've had zero practice dealing with different cultures and races. If a white person says something that sounds racist, it may be that they are missing some key ingredients in their education of what it's like to be a person of color.

The problem is if we are all waiting with our "guns" locked and loaded, then everyone (especially white folks) don't start any conversations. The ability to grow, and understand other cultures is limited if we don't open up the door to understanding different perspectives.

As someone who constantly hears about "White privilege," it sounds like all I need is to be white and have a penis and I will never have anything to worry about. It didn't work for my Dad when we went on welfare and we got to enjoy the awesome taste of government cheese. This doesn't mean I had it worse than you, I'm just saying not all white males got a free ride.

Some of the best conversations you can have are when you quit trying to convince someone to think you like you do, and instead just provide your side of the story and let people make their own decisions. This requires you to listen, and I don't think we are open to hearing another side of the story because you might actually change your opinion.

Just be careful labeling all white people as racists.

I drive up to the window to hand them my ATM card and they turn around and HOLY CRAP!

It looks like the dove face fist into a tackle box. I don't care that you have enough hardware in your face to pick up a shortwave radio stat, but when you're not ready for it, it can be quite a surprise.

Tonight I went to a Books a Million (BAM) and was surprised to see they had installed a Library in the coffee shop. There were at leat 10 people who are not "Skimming" a book to see if they should buy it, but starting at page 1 and going straight through. I swear one guy was in there the last time I was in this location. At some point, shouldn't you just buy the book and take it home? Why would you when you can buy a water and an oatmeal raisin cookie and come back tomorrow and finish up the book. One person even fell asleep in his chair.

It is one of the few places on earth that doesn't have 50 TV's on the wall.

I don't want to be a person who lives in the past.

On the flip side, if I don't remember life changing events is that disrespectful?

There is a great quote in the Sheryl Crow song "Every Day is a Winding Road" and she asks, "Why am I a stranger in my own life?"

I talk about the day I watched my Mom breakdown upon hearing her father's voice for the first time in a long time. So now I'm worried about playing an old tape that has my Mom's voice.

I don't want to be "THAT GUY" who is always talking about his Mom. At this point, I've spent more time without her than I did with her.

So I get really worried that I spend too much time looking back.

There is a part of me that feels I need someone to go through life with, and someone to hold my hand, when I get old and feeble. This might've been brought on by the Death of my Dad followed by my Aunt, but I can see the bus coming, and it's a ways off, but its not that far away. So I am torn between two worlds.

And today I decided to turn on a microphone and talk about it.

As horrifying as that might sound, there were some perks.

Lately something has not felt normal. Something was weird. Something didn't feel right.

It turns out the thing that wasn't wrong, was there wasn't something wrong.

I'm not dreading going home

I'm not under lots of stress.

I like my job.

I'm not super stressed about money

I'm pretty sure, that it may be a while before I get in another argument.

I feel respected.

Holy cow, I'm happy. I forgot what this has felt like. Much like a dog who has been beat too much, I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop - and it's not.

You can feel bad about yourself when you compare yourself to others.

The American life is to have a spouse, a house and kids. Well I have no spouse, probably not going to have a house, and the kids boat has sailed. If I think about this too much, I can feel like I've missed something. Yet, I have a great life. I'm sitting in air conditioning, employed, I'm down 30 lbs.

Life is good, quit being an A-hole and enjoy it!

I almost bought a magazine filled with Shi-tzu dogs that in the end would leave me feeling sad missing my old dog. At first seeing their pictures of the dogs/puppies it made me smile. However, if I bought that magazine, I know I would eventually lead to me missing my dog. So I passed on the magazine. Instead I'm going to focus on the things in front of me that bring me joy (like air conditioning)

Want to help keep the show floating? Go to www.supportthisshow.com and use the shopping and donation buttons.

This week I was driving and I passed signs for Brian and Linda's wedding, and then the reception. I thought of how happy Brian and Linda must be on this day. It was an awesome day to sweat 20 lbs off in a tux. I thought of how I felt on my wedding days. Yes, there have been two. With this in mind, you can learn from people who succeed at something, or you can also learn from people who fail at something so I feel I have some good advice from a divorced guy.

Your spouse is not perfect. This you need to learn right up front. Your life will not be perfect. How you handle the reality of that is HUGE part of how your marriage will go. This doesn't mean you become a welcome mat for your spouse to walk over, but you do need to set realistic expectations. With this in mind, let some things roll off your back. Wait a day or two to see if it is still bugging you. If it is, then start thinking about how to bring it up, and more importantly when to bring it up.

There is that whole "Don't go to bed mad at each other" and it's next to impossible if you bring up stuff AS YOU ARE GOING TO BED. For me, when my head hit the pillow I had two things on my mind, and if we weren't doing the first thing, I wanted to sleep. This is NOT the best time to bring up serious subjects. Your spouse is exhausted and wants to sleep. I know, let's dump some serious discussion on them, and see how they make decisions when their brain checked out hours ago.

In the morning before work is a crappy way to start the day. As soon as you get home from work is awful because you want to relax. How about after dinner. Another tip I would add is give a warning shot. Maybe some time during the day send a "I need to talk to you tonight" text to let them know. While a "we need to talk" used to mean you are breaking up, now that you're married that option is off the table. Don't panic.

Let's face it, there will be times when things are said or done, and you are royally cheesed off. This happens. Remember, it's not going to be perfect. So if you are going to bed angry, try to remind your spouse that while you don't like them at the moment, you do love them. I know that's weird. Buy can you love a child who just spilled chocolate on the carpet? Sure. Well then, remember that you can be upset with someone and still love them.

State that, "You know that really hurt me, and I'm upset. I want you to know that I still love you, and I'm sure we can work through this." Why I feel this is important is when you get into a bad situation, it may feel like everything you do is not good enough, that all you do is wrong, and that your relationship is doomed. A reminder that you are a team, and you will work through your problems might be a key to having a dialogue vs an argument.

If you need to point out something that needs work, the "bad news" might go down better if you add something positive to it first. "I love that you are such a (hard worker, good mom, etc) and I can see that when you (whatever they did) and I deeply appreciate it. Here is a way that take that great action and maximize the impact would be to ____.

Be careful saying something nice up front if it is followed by "But..." as everything before the word But gets erased when you use it. This is really hard to do. I the love the way you do this, and that BUT when you.... that doesn't work.

There are two schools of marriage (for me).

1. Two complete people who choose to be together.
2. Two incomplete people who choose to be together to complete each other (the Jerry McQuire Marriage).

By the time you get married, you are who you are for the most part. People can change, that is true. It's a bit like steering a giant cruise boat. Sure it can turn, but it takes time, and it is slow. If you are marrying someone and thinking later that annoying thing they do will change, you might want to reconsider. For one, if they do change it may be something that comes naturally, and consequently, it takes effort to not do something that is just like a reflex. So if you marry someone who drinks, and think later you can talk them into giving it up, you may be not so presently surprised. If you want someone to give up something they truly enjoy, it may happen along with this thing we call resentment.

You are going to be spending a lot time with this person, it would be nice if you could do things together that you BOTH enjoy.

You never get any time together. You finally do, don't spend that time telling your spouse they you never spend any time together. Instead tell them how much you miss them, and how great it is to spend time together. Give them something to miss. Nobody likes a no it all. Nobody wants to be around a person who is always complaining. Be someone your spouse wants to hang out with.

Don't sleep with someone. I know that women are independent and strong, but thanks to movies, romance novels, etc when you have sex with a man you become blind to their faults (in most cases). Typically, it is harder for women to have sex with a man without having emotional ties.

We are busy, so come up with dedicated times to spend together. There are no exceptions. This shows your dedication. If you do need to use a Date Night for a non-date night activity, be sure to appreciate the other person for letting you go off the plan, and make it up to them. To the person who is "giving permission" do it with a smile, and you will be the coolest person on the planet. A person people (your spouse) will want to hang out with.

You're busy, I'm busy, you're tired, I'm tired. Sex is important to everyone in the marriage. I know it would be great if violins started to play and "it just happened" but it doesn't. Here again, it's not going to be perfect. But if you put it on the calendar, all expectations are on the calendar, everyone knows what is expected. Sure it's not as romantic, but are you going to tell me that when it's done you're going to say, "well that was awful." There is no bad pizza; there is no bad horrible sex."

I also talk about "The new Normal" and why old people are grumpy.

Then my phone went into roaming….

Why is channel 2 in Japanese?

You've got to watch the Netflix show Making a Murderer. It's super interesting and keep in mind:

If you are ever have a legal problem that relies on common sense, YOU'RE SCREWED

The interesting thing is some of the people in this documentary are not that intelligent, and yet

THEY STILL GET TO VOTE.

So I'm living alone. Me and a cat. Bernie. I've never been a cat person, but Bernie is OK. There are times when its nice to just have another heartbeat under the roof.

I'm not looking for as pitty party. It is what it is. I feel we did what we could. We spend thousands on counseling. We knew what to do, but thanks to our childhoods, our experiences, we are wired the way we are, and we couldn't change. As a teacher, I find this fact hard to believe. I believe in constant improvement. In the end, I guess a leopard can't change it's spots, and a Zebra can't change it's stripes. At that pint you either accept what you have (even if it's not exactly what you want) or you move on.

Geese are pretty, but the crap on everything. It's one thing thing to have a robin poop on your car. Its a whole other story when its a goose.

Toilet paper rolls last for MONTHS when there are no women in the house.

It's easier to change the littler box daily for a few minutes, then to do it once a week.

I am developing an unhealthy fear of the unknown. I'm worried I will blow my 50's worrying about my 70's.

The choices I've made my life have got me to where I am. I can't change the past. I can only do the best with what is left.

I was thinking of all the Christmas specials and how one sided the are. In the aftermath of children getting shot by cops we are becoming a little cynical. We want to look at the other side. When I thought about it, here is what I came up with.

Frosty Was a Pedophile

Frosty the snowman could slide around without moving his feet (OK, he didn't have any) and he loved to play with Children. He sounds like Michael Jackson and that's when it came it me. Frosty was a pedophile

Rudolph Had A Serious Coke Problem

Rudolph stayed up thinking about leading Santa's sleigh. We think this was his dream, but really he was on a three day coke binge. His nose was Red because he did lots of coke. This is why Santa didn't want him guiding his sleigh. He knew Rudolph was going to crash unexpectedly, quickly, and Santa didn't want to die.

It's funny how different smells and sound just zap you back to certain time and places. Every time I hear "Eruption" by Van Halen its 1978 and I'm sitting in Al School's bedroom with Scott Kenepp looking at the record player (it was 1978) just baffled as to how Eddie is making that noise. When I hear the song "Linus and Lucy" (what most people consider the Peanuts theme) I think we all can flash back to sitting in front of the television, of hurrying back because the commercials were almost over and the show was coming back on, and watching a Charlie Brown Christmas.

I had a weird experience the other day. I was driving to Michigan and stopped at a rest area (the older I get I have to pee every 15 minutes). Maybe it was the smell of diesel fuel and the sound of trucks, but for a second I really felt like my Dad was standing right behind me. It's so strange to miss someone so much you rarely saw. I didn't turn around, but it was just a very strange feeling. It was cold outside, but I was suddenly warm. I just felt his presence. It's strange how much someone who didn't see a whole lot at the end of his life. But in a way my Dad was like a Charlie Brown Christmas. You know every year he's going to be there. How weird would it be if all of the sudden they just didn't broadcast that? Well that's how I feel this year. It's not surprising after all. The holidays always make us think of family, but for the record I miss you Dad and I'm really going to miss you telling me the same thing you told me the last time I visited you. Alzheimers sucked, but it was better than nothing. Nothing. Nothing sucks.

I will forever associate the word "home" with being wrapped in the supper thick black comforter we had after playing in the freezing snow, and having mom bring me some hot chocolate. Christmas music on the stereo, and staring at our tree. Peace, warmth, and love. The world' best combination.

Last night I was sitting in my mother in law's awesome home. I had all my kids there, we were decorating the tree. We were making fun of ornaments made long ago (Why is Santa carrying a giant green bean?). At point we were running out of room for ornaments and all the cool ornaments were on the tree so I sat down, and I pulled out my phone and plugged it into a portable speaker and started playing Harry Belefonte's Christmas album. Every year I play Harry Belefonte's Christmas album while decorating the tree and I'm right back in my living room with Mom making hot chocolate. I just wanted to suck it in. Here are my step kids. One is married, one is in college with a serious boyfriend in South Carolina, and one getting ready to go to College. Who knows how many of these we will have. Soon they all will have in-laws and it's a crap shoot to get them all together. So I just sat there and watched my beautiful wife, my awesome kids finish decorating a tree. I told my brain to be a sponge and suck in and hold on to this memory. With my astigmatism and my glasses needing cleaned there were extra sparkles added to the lights. It was awesome. It felt like home.

Then it came time for me to do the Song "Texas Flood" by Stevie Ray Vaughn. This was a song that I just got to "Go Off" on and have fun. To this day, it was like being hit by lightning. I felt what I wanted to play from my toes and it just shot out my fingers. It was awesome. The crowd reacted. It was a feeling like no other. The band lasted a few more years, but we started flipping musicians, playing smaller clubs and we eventually fizzled out. For me, July 4th at the Northside was in the top 5 gigs. Opening for Blue Oyster Cult was another one.

So one of the old trumpet players contacts me and he's trying to get a band together that is close to what my old band played. I've been in so many bands that just didn't work for so many reasons. This sounds promising. I'm a bit nervous as I might get really disappointed. I want that feeling one more time, so I'm going to go chase that high. e.

Nothing.

I sat on the couch and petted my cat.

It is here where I learned why I love working on my next project. This might be reading or listening to a book, thinking of the next product I want to create, etc.

When I'm not thinking about things coming in the future, I think about the past.

I don't like to think about the past.

I sat there and reality let me know that my Dad was really gone. The cards I had been dealt, were gone. Game over.

I had a good old fashioned cry.

It felt good in the end.

My cat was very confused.

I prefer to look forward, and see a picture of an improved life. One where I help people. One where I leave the planet a better place.

I often fall asleep at my desk. I then get up, and go home. I bop till I drop in the immortal words of Rick Springsfield.

I'm OK with that.

Relaxation is over rated in my book. It doesn't compare to the adrenaline rush of new ideas, of creativity pulsing in my veins. No contest.

I'll sleep when I'm dead.

This would be the sermon that would "Launch" my role as a pastor in training (a course that later went away from this church and landed on the Internet). As this is Mother's day, I thought I would share it with you. The audio quality is very 1989 (originally recorded on a cassette deck)

What a lovely greedy con job that if they wanted to they could make $166 an hour, BUT THAT'S NOT ENOUGH. Before we can make $166 an hour ($9.73 profit on a 5 minute CD) you need to spend $20 on a "Package." That means Santa Will be making $357 an hour. Well here is what I say to you.

SCREW YOU SANTA!

SCREW YOU AND THE REINDEER YOU FLEW IN ON!

We found a lovely older Christian counselor. We paid her lots of money to listen to us argue. We also got to learn about the counselor's family. Learning about her children, and husband didn't really help my marriage. She had some good advice. But there was a problem. She said we had to work on ourselves. If we were there to fix the other person, it wasn't going to work. What did she know? She wasn't home with me. The nurse is the one who needs the most fixing. Sure, I'm open to learning new stuff. I'm a teacher and feel learning is something we should do every day. I felt a big problem was my wife had issues admitting when she was wrong. Meanwhile, she admitted that about 80% of our marriage problems were related to me. We were like gunslingers ready to draw quickly and start pointing fingers. Anybody see the problem with this?

I did an experiment and timed the amount of time I spent on the computer during the week. It was an insane amount. I decided to make plans to cut back. It would be a process. I just couldn't flip a switch, but I needed to cut back on my consulting and make some time for my family. I tried assigning one night of the week to be the "computer night. That didn't work. In general, I am a creative person and ask any songwriter, poet, artist, etc and they will talk about those times when the "Creative juices flow." Ask them about how long it took to do a project, and they won't know. Why? Because we lose track of time. We get wrapped up in the project and get sucked in. This is fine when you're 18 and you end up finishing a song at 3:57 AM. This is not good when you're married with stepchildren who need your time and attention. I needed to keep an eye on the clock. I would say things like, "This will only take 15 minutes," and an hour later still be "almost done." This is something I still struggle today. I started making progress, but we still hadn't really found a way to communicate. The bad news is we both had wrongful impressions of what the other person wanted.

Counselor number three was a nice woman who used the Gottman institute process (Check out the Gottman Book). Great stuff. They assigned homework, we were making progress. I had cut back my computer time and started spending more time with the family. We were slowly headed in the right direction, but moving at a snail's pace.

Like most couples, we argued about money. It doesn't matter how much you make. It matters how much you spend. Here again, you have someone who grew up poor (me) and someone who didn't. In the transition of trying to manage the finances, I made some mistakes and we ended up bouncing checks. The nurse lost confidence in me as I didn't do things the way she would do them, and things started to separate. Feeling disrespected (as I can be quite good with money), the resentment rose to a new level. Any discussion over this came to no conclusions, no compromises of any value, and the boat that was headed in the right direction began to sink. My marriage had turned into a power struggle. You had to two people who were accustomed to living single, use to doing what they wanted. We were "So in love" we didn't really set any expectations. In regards to being married, we just figured we would figure it out. We had both been married before. This is a bad plan. We no longer saw each other as people of good will.

One marriage seminar spoke about making sure your wife felt cherished. I was trying, we both we trying, but failing. Panic started to sink in I believe. That nagging question of, "Did I make a mistake?" started to quietly, softly, appear. The nurse would say something like, "Why don't you just divorce me if I'm so bad." When I told her how upsetting it was to hear the word "Divorce" come out of her mouth. It was NOT an option for me. It has never been, and never will be. I tried to get her to promise not to use it. Reluctantly agreed, but found loopholes by using phrases like, "I've had enough," or "I'm through," "We're done." Sure, she didn't use the word "Divorce," but she might as well. Eventually, it snuck back into her vocabulary. Each time, making me feel less confident in my marriage. She wanted more quality time with me? She wanted me to invest in the marriage. Why put money in a bank that is going out of business? I think we both kind of took on an "I'll change when you change" attitude. Whatever we were doing, it wasn't helping. Being a good husband doesn't mean you act lovingly when she's nice. It means acting lovingly when she's not. Jesus said, turn the other cheek. That will come up again later. I think we both tried at different times. However, I don't think we were ever in sync. I would try while she was being a butt head. Then she would try when I was being an idiot. In both cases, it's hard to keep giving to someone who is just taking. I know this is a shocking revelation, but marriage is hard.

I remember having one loud discussion in our bedroom (right next door to my stepdaughter) as my wife tried to explain to me that she is "just bad with money." That somehow there is a gene that causes her to handle money poorly. Being a teacher, I believe everyone can learn anything. Some learn faster than others, but anything can be learned. When I moved in, I was told that "We can't do algebra." Nonsense! I said and started helping my step-children with math (who now get A's and B's in math). They had mentally locked themselves in the math closet. Because they thought they were bad in math, they did poorly in math. Nonsense. My wife wasn't buying this, "Old dogs can learn new tricks" philosophy I was selling. She was, and is, convinced she is "just bad" with money. It was a long, loud, argument of me explaining how she isn't stupid, and my wife trying to convince me that with money she is. I wasn't having any of it. In turned into a shouting match, and I told my wife she was a negative piece of Sh*t. Wonderful Dave, you've entered the lovely world of name calling. Great move. Most things in life come down to decisions you make. Get educated. Make informed decisions. Sacrifice when necessary. Success is right around the corner. Not in the case. The mental door was locked.

Add this to the list of unresolved items.

I was the self-centered, computer-obsessed, sitting in his room all day husband. In my eyes, my wife was the not understanding, wants all of my time, nagasourus. OK, neither of those was or is true. In some cases, I was the person hiding in a safe place talking into a microphone to people who cared about what I had to say. People that seem to appreciate my efforts. I was also the husband stewing in his creative juices while his wife was the lonely spouse who only wanted to feel loved and cherished. A hug from me would've would've gone a long way, but I was "too busy, and I'm sure I thought I would "get to it eventually." If I would just spend a little quality time with her, and turn off the technology, and be in the moment with her, she would feel loved. Once she felt loved, she wouldn't care how much time I spent on the computer.

One seminar we attended asked the question, "But what happens when you have a stalemate?" Who should be the person to give in? The answer? The more mature one. With the attitude of "I will when you will" still prevalent, nobody moved, and things didn't get much better.

So my marriage still isn't fixed after thousands of dollars in therapy. Would I say therapy is a failure? No. In fact, I urge everyone who is having an issue with anything to go to therapy. It can really be an eye opener, but you have to be willing to see the world through another set of eyes. The hardest part to get over is that going to therapy does not mean your nuts. It's doesn't mean your broken. It means your looking to understand why it is you do, think, and feel the way you do. The more you know about yourself, the more you can understand what you need, understand why you react certain ways to certain things and in some cases, control those reactions. But this means you have to be willing to admit that the way you are needs to improve. You need to step back, take a look at all the facts, and make sure the facts you are building your thoughts and feelings on are accurate. This again means you may need to make adjustments. This means you have to be able to acknowledge that you were a little off the mark (or a lot of the mark).

It does not good to get advice if you don't follow it. They say knowledge is power. Knowledge is only powerful when you act on it. You need to focus on it. Review it. Keep it in front of your thoughts, and act on it, and hopefully make these actions into habits.

As of this recording, we are not doing that, and the results are as expected.

This week my father was disgnosed with Colon cancer. It's a scary place to be and a scary situation to live through. The first night in the hospital, my father had gone through a few tests and he thought they had removed his giant tumor. They hadn't. What happened was they did a biopsy, and we needed to wait till the next day to get the results.

I had been telling my wife how you can't tell me Dad what to do. At 80 years old he knows everything, and nothing will get in his way. He once walked 3 miles to the grocery store. Luckily a friend saw him at the store and gave him a ride home (he hadn't thought throw how he was going to carry the groceries home).

After visiting him at the hospital that first night, we only made it to the parking lot before Dad had removed his IV, and was preparing to "break out" of the hospital. I turned to my wife and said, "Welcome to the world of my Dad."

We went back to the hospital, and tried to explain to Dad that there was a tumor still inside him. Thankfully my wife still had her nurses uniform on, and she talked some sense into him. He just wanted to eat. He wanted food, and was not going to stop until he got some.

So there I was with the roles reversed, with a better grip on the "big picture" than my Dad did. I was explaining what to do, and why these actions were what was best for him. Much like a teenager, he thinks he knows everything.

He goes in for surgery on Tuesday, and the road after that will be long and hard. There is no manual for this (except the bible), and it's going to be tough. No human likes change, and nobody likes getting older, or hearing that they "Can't" do (insert task here) anymore.

Luckily my wife has lived through this (she onced worked at a nursing home, and obsviously deals with all sorts of situations being a nurse) so she has already been a huge help, but none the less this role reversal will be like a new pair of shoes. They may fit, but they're not comfortable and will take some breaking in

I have a new appreciation for authors. I do my little stories with sounds and tone of voice. They have words, and only words.

Jerry gave us an exercise to think about "the Wildest Ride I Ever Had."

My idea came quickly. I was about and we were at Geauga Lake Amusement park (now closed). There was a big wooden coaster that had been around since the days of Howdy Doody, and you were scared to ride it just by looking at it. Not because it was tall and fast, but because you were pretty sure it was going to collapse. Big Dipper was 65 feet high, 2,680 feet long, and had a top speed of 32 mph. When built in 1927 it was one of the largest roller coasters in America.

Click play to hear the rest of the story

Every phone had a chord on it. The phone RANG. There were no ring tones.

Movies were about $5 and if you didn't see it at the movies you waited till it came on TV. There was no way to rewind or pause. If you had to do something you had to wait until a commercial came on.

Cars ran on leaded gasoline.

Speaking of Gasoline, the air was dirty and the sex was clean. Well, it wasn't lethal anyway

I barely, I mean barely remember black and white TV.

Captain Kangaroo was cool. Mr. Rogers was not.

Ernie was my favorite muppet, but looking back I wonder if Burt was his "partner."

Saturday mornings were spent with Bugs and Friends, and School house rock (educational TV, what a thought). I would have a bowl of Captain Crunch, or Quisp, or Frankenberry.

I remember when we left the cool new "video game" PONG on without turning off the TV and it burned the final score into the screen. It was so much cooler than playing pinball.

I was the only kid in first grade who knew who Jimi Hendrix was when he died.

Nixon was president and Ali was champ, and you could catch "The Johnny Carson show" (as I called it) at 11:30 for a large part of my childhood. In my opinion, Ali is still the champ.

I remember listening to top 40 music on AM radio through the one speaker in dash board of my mom's Plymouth duster. None of the words were bleeped out.

I remember hooking up a CB radio in my bedroom with the antenna going out the window. On occasion I could talk to my friend at the end of the street. (ancient version of text messaging?).

I road my bike everywhere. No hill was too tall. I'm not sure how, but my Mom didn't seem to care that I was gone most of the day. There was no way to reach me. If I was going to be late, I would use a pay phone. I had to be home when the street lights came on.

To this day, I never understood how 8-track tape players got popular. They sounded awful, didn't play right, and often fell apart.

I still have two containers of 45 records, and over 400 LPs. I haven't listened to a single one in about 4 years. I still have a turn table, but nothing to plug it into (and yet I will not throw them away).

I am noticing that more and more of my sentences begin with "these kids of today…"

I remember life before Google when everyone had a set of encyclopedias.

While I vowed as a child to never grow up to be like my Dad, I hear more and more of his words coming out of my mouth directed at my children. He's kind of cranky and will turn 80 in June. That scares the crap out of me.

While I use to be able to get away without wearing my glasses, things are really getting blurry now. The bad news unless I get surgery, my eyesight is only to get worse. That's right: this is as good as its going to get.

When I was a kid, if I got pudgy a growth spurt would come along and take of it. I'm still in need of another growth spurt.

When I was a kid the word "sucks" was a curse word (it insinuated oral sex).

There was no attention deficit, and ADHD, and ADXKYMGT (etc) kids. If you were hyper, you got detentions. If you continued, you got paddled. My ninth grade Algebra teacher flung an eraser at a student who was sleeping in class. There were no guns, no metal detectors, and in general we all attempted to pay attention.

When I was in school there was honor roll (GPA 3.5 and above) and Merit Roll (GPA 3.0 – 3.5). Today there is no Merit Roll, and the honor Roll is 3.0 and above. And yet people want to argue about the "dumbing of America." We also kept score. There was a loser and a winner. Both experiences had lessons to be learned.

A dirty fight in high school was if someone brought a bat. It only happened once, and we were all so shocked it never happened again.

I remember at McDonald's when I graduated from the hamburger, and could actually eat a Big Mac. There were no super sizes. I think there were small and large fries. No one would even think about eating two big macs in one sitting. We would eat McDonald's every Thursday before Mom went bowling. I enjoyed dunking my fries in my milk shake. Today if I eat a big mac, I spend the next hour clearing my throat and feeling awful.

There might have been one person who got pregnant (we understood the concept of a condom, and feared disappointing our parents). Now there are day cares at the high schools. Girls are congratulated when they get pregnant at age 16, and told "you're are so lucky."

I have seen parenting traded in for friendship. I have also seen children with fewer manners, less respect for adults, and a general shrinking of the time when children are "innocent." My parents dragged me to church. I didn't always want to go, but I'm glad they did. I never would've survived my Mother's Death without my faith. There are no teenagers at my church because the parents want to be "friends" with their kids, and they let them call the shots.

I knew all my neighbors growing up. I can't name a single neighbor on my street. That's sad.

I have seen Americans grow larger (myself included). When I was 25, "That was the year" that I was going to get in shape. When I was 30, THAT "Was the year" I was going to get in shape. Well I'm turning 45 in 12 days (February 8th) and THIS IS THE YEAR that I get in shape. You see as you get older your muscles shrink, and losing weight will only get harder – unless I take steps to keep the muscles I have and build new ones.

I'm turning 45, and my wife jokingly says I'm half way to dead. We've come along way. I've witnessed black and white TV to the space shuttle. While technology is supposed to enhance our lives, I feel nothing is more enhancing than having my family around a table at dinner. Nothing competes with someone saying "I love you." I feel nothing recharges my batteries than my faith in God. I truly believe that freedom can come through the discipline of teaching our children right from wrong. That takes courage. They will hate you for about 10 years, but when they turn 25 and have children of their own they will thank you.

The first 45 years were good. The second 45 are going to be great (if I can just remember where I put my glasses).

This Thanksgiving maybe we were talking about a new flat screen tv, or a laptop, or other issues that we wanted to fix. Fred's call lets us see that many of the "problems" we face are really just annoyances. We need to remember to count our blessings that we have food, shelter, and most importantly, nobody shooting at us.

I was very shaken when I got a call on Tuesday letting me know that a friend of mine (a music promoter) had taken his life. Walt was a Vietnam vet as well. I'm not sure what problems he had that made him lose all hope, but I'm pretty sure they were just very strong annoyances. I just can't stop thinking about how his little girls are dealing with this, and what does a wife say to her children?

Sometimes we get confused as to what a problem is, and what is an annoyance. Thanks Fred for sharing, and for reminding us to count our blessings

We noticed the homeless guy near my car, and like my GPS he was also gone.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that all homeless people are thieves, and con artists. You should donate to those organizations that help the homeless.This way we know the money is being (hopefully) used for good.

The road to happily ever after has taken a new strange twist. I've had an urge to become a pastor for about 4 years (I occasionally fill in for the pastor), and to make a long story short, when the pastor asked to me to think about becoming an interim pastor I said "yes."

This means I get to go back to school to learn how to be a pastor, etc and I will be licensed to preach in my church, eventually Ohio, and from there it's up to me.

I also relive July 1972 when the Stones came to town. I wasn't allowed out because of the hippies.

Most people talk about the oldest child having very strict parents, the youngest having it too easy (and getting spoiled) and of course the middle child getting lost in the shuffle. To me none of these apply. The child that has it worst is the child whose bedroom is next to Mom and Dad's.

Maybe I'm weird, but when I walk into a room with naked people I typically look down, say "I'm sorry" and leave immediately. I thought this was the standard response for most people. But then again, if you had something very important you might stay to make sure you made your point.

Today's show features music from Apa State Mental and the song is "Eaten By Hippes" from the Podsafe Music Network.

We talk about scooter and his death defying dives, taking people out of the river, bees, deathly undertows, all for only $8 for the whole day.

Diane (my wife) and I headed off for our honeymoon. Destination Pigeon Forge Tennessee. It was about a 9 hour drive and on the way we listened to the radio, and finally popped in an audio book about making your second marriage work. It helped pass the time, and kept us alert. We got to Tennessee and when we got to Pigeon Forge it looked like a hillbilly version of the Vegas strip. Instead of spectacular hotels, you had a pancake house, and a pancake house, and a pancake house, and a pancake house, followed by, a pancake house. I'm not making this up. In a one mile stretch there were 5 pancake houses. I would also guess that on the other side of the pancake house was a "Barb B Cue" joint and on the other side of the pancake house was a fireworks place. With this in mind, if I ever meet someone with barbecue sauce on his shirt, maple syrup on his chin, and 9 fingers I'm going to guess he is from Pigeon Forge TN. On the other hand the Smokey mountains were breath taking. Seriously. Wow.

Luckily Diane said, "We better find the cabin before it gets dark" as I wanted to get something to eat. The map from the cabin people's website said, "do not use mapquest or they will send you on dirt roads." We followed the map and I felt like I was on a roller coaster. I mean I know it's a mountain, but the road went almost straight up, and had serious hair pin turns with no guard rail. If you were to slide off the road, you were going straight down. Needless to say this made Diane just a smidge nervous. It had me clutching the wheel with both hands as I would white knuckle it around a corner hoping there was more road under my tires. Our drive was an even steeper climb which was off the previous steep climb road. It also had another turn "blind" turn where you have no idea what you are turning on to. It had rained a bit before we showed up, and in some cases water would come out of the mountain and make the road wet. Kind of an "instant river" right in the road. Consequently, when I went to climb our driveway I spun my tires. Luckily, I made it up on the second attempt.

Our log cabin was gorgeous. It had a pool table, Jacuzzi, full kitchen, etc. It just oozed cozy. It also had water pressure that dripped out of the shower. Consequently, we spent a large amount of our first day relaxing in the hot tub waiting for Gomer to show up and fix the water pressure issue. Later that day we decided to go hiking and get up close and personal with Mother Nature.

After talking with someone at the visitor center, we decided to go to Laurel Lake Water Fall trail. It was fairly short, paved, and sounded lovely. Now when we thin of bears we think of Yogi, Smokey, the Snuggle bear. All of these are our friends. They are funny, cute, cuddly. However, when we got to the trail, there was a sign that read "Dangers Bears Are Active In This Area Do Not Approach Them. Attacks on Humans Have Occurred inflicting serious injuries and death. Then under that sign was another sign. "DANGER Falling deaths have occurred closely control your children high vertical drop offs ahead and at falls area." Well this adds a new slant to this lovely relaxing hike.

Then another thing dawns on us. This is the Smokey Mountains and any travel involves going up. A lot. Like turn the corner and there is another hill. And the sign was right. We had a small path about 5 feet wide (big enough for two people) and on the left we had the cliff of death and to the right we had a mountain that went straight up. Also the only straight road in Pigeon Forge is pancake alley. All other roads and paths curve and curve a lot . So we are hiking up the mountain and many times we are walking around rocks that are 8 to 10 feet tall. So you're thinking if there is a bear on the other side of this rock, um, I'm SCREWED.

The level of awareness goes up tremendously when you are thinking "ACTIVE BEAR AREA." Diane and both giggled as we admitted to looking at the path for paw prints. We made it to the falls. They were beautiful. We were amazed at the number of children who were not under control, and figured we would surely meet them at a restaurant later where they could scream bloody murder.

Later in the week we went to a little country church where they did church OLD School. I mean singing hymns with no organ out of a hymnal that I'm pretty sure Moses carried down with the 10 commandments. It was one of those fancy hymnals written on paper. But while we were there another couple who were visiting talked about how they too had gone hiking and indeed seen a bear. To this one of the town folk also told us to "Watch out for snakes - Copperheads to be specific."

To this Diane announced, "I'm done hiking."

I'll have more stories about the honeymoon. It was the best of times it was the not so best of times. I've been telling people it was memorable, and it was.

Music: (at the beginning) Bluesgrass Album band the song is "Home Sweet Home.

Now the interesting thing is, the clapper is a great GIFT. I mean IT ROCKS. The sad thing is I ended up using it just like the old woman on the commercial. I have it hooked up to the light right next to my bed.

Dave turns 45 in a few weeks. Check out what he wants for his birthday

BONUS TOPIC:

I also took my fiance's 15-year-old daughter driving for the first time in an abandoned Target parking lot. It was just as exciting as an amusement park ride. She did great, and it will be fun helping her get her license.

2009 is going to be the year.

I'm going to graduate, get a job, and finally marry the nurse. This has the potential to be the best year of my life. I'm also going to get into shape. Why not join me at www.logicalloss.com

She loves choices. I mean she LOOOOOVVVES choices, and I love that she loves choices. I am a very lucky man. We will be tying the knot on June 20, 2008.

Yes I got on one knee. It was nothing too fancy (I had fancier ideas, but if I didn't give her this ring soon, I was going to be in deep trouble).

see http://betterdave.com/she-said-yes/ for full notes

Words are fun. I want to know who gets to decide when a word is officially a word. I was at a Cleveland Indians game and the other team had a guy named Chone Figgins. (his full name is Desmond DeChone Figgins ). Why do we name the first poo of a baby meconium If it's that special why don't we put it in a jar and sell it? Look at meconium fix this broken coffee cup! Look it's strong enough to pull this 18 wheel truck! Likewise why do we need to name certain body parts. Do we really need the word Taint? apparently the Taint used be called the perineum. Was that not good enough? Shouldn't words be taken into committee to see if we really need the word? Be sure to tell your daughters to threaten a "kick to the taint" to pressing males. When they go "a what?" they can then run away.

I still hate Elvis. We all know Little Richard was the king of Rock and Roll and the Beatles and Elvis stole it all from him. I still hate Star Trek

John Lennon liked words…..and acid, but that's another podcast.

Having a bad day? Too hot for you? Go grab a box fan and a towel. I've got the cure.

Do you have a cell phone? Don't have time to exercise? Walk and Talk people! Walk and talk took me from a size 8 to a size two! Thank you walk and talk!

When I was growing up I used to take a sheet and a box fan and sleep in a blimp. Looking back this is a bad idea. Sounds like a great way to lose a finger.

First thing first this family takes the time once a year to get together and catch up. How cool is that? In a day when many people don't get along with their families, this one takes time to come from all over the place to get together.

The nurses Mom has an awesome laugh, and she never stopped. It was great.

I met an Uncle who is 92, and his legs didn't work very well, and he used a Walker. Was he grumpy? Not at all. He had a smile on his face the entire day. When he got up to leave (getting up was a bit of a struggle) did he complain? Not one word. He loves life. He loves his family.

I also met an Uncle who had come in from California. Here was the interesting thing about this guy. He takes family ties very seriously. It sound like he would hunt down a 2nd cousin through marriage twice removed just to say hi. He also was a musician so obviously we started geeking out on music. But the thing that really got me, is how friendly this guy was. And I'm not talking about the plastic kind you get at business parties. When I left, he shook my hand, and I got the felling that if I said "Hey I'm going to be in California for 2 days, can I crash at your crib"; after knowing me for 4 hours he'd would not only say yes, but roll out the red carpet.

I remember when I used to teach customer service classes I would explain to people to greet your customers like an old high school buddy that you hadn't seen in years, and this guy had it down, and the key point here is it was genuine.

I guess in a world of spoiled rich athletes, crooked politicians, greed, etc It's kind of hard to find someone to say "When I grow I wanna be like him," but after going to this picnic I want to be like these guys.

Hug your kids. Call your parents. Love the one your with.

Speaking of Love...

On the way to Podcamp Ohio the Nurse (my girlfriend) and I drove to Columbus and listened to a book (something like saving your marriage before it even starts). Once again I hear how a man needs to make the woman feel cherished. To do this he has to give up anything she asks for. Then because she loves him, she will give it back. This seems inefficient. Why not just believe me, and we can bypass the giving and giving back. I guess it doesn't work that way.

UPDATE Please note: At the end of this podcast I mention how you "have to give up everything." This is NOT what the book states. This is the "warped" version in my head. The bottom line is a relationship is give and take. My whole comment was its funny how you may need to give up something to show a woman that she is special, and important - and then she will give it back (and that this seems like alot of work to end up where you started).

Here is the Book Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts

I talk about how "The Countess" has made the "Show Choir." This scared me as if she had not made it, I would've been there for the meltdown, and I want the best for all of "The Nurses" kids (and I'm not sure I could take watching the meltdown from the front row). Luckily I got to be part of the celebration.

One thing as I "Hang out" with children of all shapes and sizes, I can see where the role of the parent really comes into play. Kids have their own personality. It sure seems like they are preprogrammed to go in a certain direction. It reminds me of "Electric Football." A game my brother and I got for Christmas (pre-Atari). This game had some vibrating device on the bottom and a flat (or supposed to be flat) surface that the players would stand on. You could adjust some stuff on the player, and point them in the direction you wanted to go. You had the perfect plan. Then you would turn on the electricity and half the team would fall over, another 20 percent would go in circles, and many of the players would end up in the corner driving straight into the wall because the surface wasn't flat. As a parent (coach) you picked them back up and pointed them back in the direction you wanted to go, turn on the electricity and hope things turn out for the better.

Music "He's My Baby!" from www.donaoxford.com (phenomenal pianist/singer/songwriter). From the Podsafe Music Network at www.podsafemusicnetwork.com

This is one of the "weird" episodes where I just wonder why things go into my mind at certain times. I happened to notice that Apple Jacks has no mascot while most children's cereals have a mascot (Tony the Tiger, Lucky for Lucky Charms, The rabbit for Trix, Count Chocula, Frankenberry, Boo Berry, The Bee for Cheerios).

It turns out there IS a mascot that was launched in 2005, but apparently, it never caught on.

Does anyone remember Euell Gibbons and his crazy "Eat a pine cone" commercials for Grape Nuts? What marketing person thought this made me want to eat this cereal.

Also, did you know there was a fourth Crispy Brother? Roy. (OK, I stole that from David Letterman).

NEVER USE THE WORD CLUSTER when talking about food.

Brownies are the bastard son of the cake family. If we didn't have the word "muffin" we would all be eating cupcakes for breakfast.

Music today by the band Gecko 3 www.gecko3.comfrom the Podsafe Music Network at www.podsafemusicnetwork.com????????

All signs point to me not passing a class this semester. While I've always had good grades, this semester I'm not going to be able to come in at the last minute and save the day. While most politicians don't understand the concept of accepting your responsibility, I'm here to say "no excuses" and say this was ALL MY FAULT.

I'm very upset that I somehow lost my mojo, I took on things I shouldn't have, and I should've said NO when I said yes. I kept thinking I would get back to school and get caught up. I wonder if subliminally that when I go so far behind, if I just didn't give up. I think I always could get caught up eventually, and I just flat out ran out of time.

I have done nothing but examine this semester over the last few days trying to figure out what went wrong and why. The biggest thing was I needed to print out the syllabus and put it into my calendar so I could keep track of assignments and know when quizzes were scheduled. Who's fault is that? MINE. You might say, "But Dave you're too busy." I need to learn the word "NO" and USE IT. School and graduation is now priority number 1. That will never change.

So bad things do happen to Dave Jackson. I'm not a super hero who can save the day. Its one thing to get wounded in battle, and it's another thing shoot yourself in the foot. I don't like to suck. I hate being average, so to FAIL a class makes me want to die. It's like Dave Jackson died. I – David Jackson – don't fail. Well I used to be able to say that. This sucks.

If you don't learn the word NO, you will learn it when people say it to you as in "No you can't graduate," and "No, the class is not offered again this year."

So now it's about learning from your mistakes (the only thing positive you can do at this point), and take action. I've got a few weeks till Summer session starts. I'm going to come out of the gate like a steamroller from HELL. I know years from now this won't matter, but right now I'm pretty disappointed in myself. The good news is this has awakened the "real" Dave Jackson.

He has risen – Halleluiah

MUSIC

"NO EXCUSES" from the Band Braquet ( www.braquetband.com ) courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network (www.podsafemusicnetwork.com ) buy their CD from CDBaby.com

LYRICS - " No excuses for us. Time has come to do what we must."

Other Sites Mentioned: www.gaincontrolofyourday.com

It is very strange as my new great nephew was born on the same day my Mother died 19 years ago (in the same hospital). It made for a day full of many emotions.

I also speak about how I regret not asking my Mother to quit smoking more frequently. Quitting smoking is very hard to do. My ex-wife tried every method and the only that worked was the quick key system (when she used it it was called something different).

This system slowly weens you off cigarettes using a computer that fits in your hand, You can but it at Amazon.com

I think this whole thing was started by a mexican food chain called Chi Chi's (which went out of business after giving many people food poisoning). THANKS CHI CHI'S!

It may be a bit before my next episode. I'm behind in school (been a bad boy) and I need to get caught up. Keep those emails and comments coming! 888-563-3228

I learned some new stuff as did my girlfriend.

Men are like rubber bands. They have an intimacy cycle, where they get close, and then snap away. When they stretch as far as they can they will then snap back. If a woman tries to stop them from "stretching" it causes problems.

Women are like waves. They go up and down. If you try to stop the natural cycle of women. If you try to stop this cycle, it causes issues as well.

So you can see where if a woman is "crashing" and a man is "Stretched out" it could cause a a problem if both parties don't understand that they are just being male/female.

I found it interested and it has given "The nurse" and myself some valuable insights.

P.S. The song "Rubberband Man" is from The Spinners. Buy it in iTunes using this link

or

Buy it at Amazon.com

P.S. Yes I know there is a typo in the album art. .... sigh....

Also, this week's Cosmopolitan magazine has a headline that says, "Be a genius in bed." (or something like that). I mean sex has been around for a while. Don't you think we've got a pretty good grip on it (no pun intended). Is there really anything 100% new?

So I talk about some of the things I expect to see if and when I read a Cosmopolitan magazine.

In the end, my "suspicious" attitude showed "The Nurse" how much I TRULY cared, and that made her happy (not a recommended practice). In the end we put all the cards on the table, and came back with "Relationship 2.0" Its stronger, faster, and built to last.

Guys if you find yourself suspicious, its best to get the information directly from the source, instead of finding bits and pieces and trying t connect the dots.

MUSIC "I Believe in Us" by Marc Doiron off of the Podsafe Music network (music.podshow.com)

Buy his music at cdbaby.com you can also buy the download of the single in itunes

This podcast is kind of "my diary." But not really the truth. You only get MY side of the story so you know there is another two-thirds of the story. So my last podcast where I got to be a "Dad" for a day. It was a joke. It was a strange moment, and a great memory as the "Countess" won her talent show.

Well, double agent 0017 somehow accidentally played that episode for THE BIOLOGICAL FATHER. NICE. I understand her loyalty, but if she had not shown him, he never would've known. Now we have a lovely bowl of DRAMA STEW. Am I mad? No. I pretty much expected it. Besides, she loves cheese (an inside joke). It's not like we didn't know it was going to "accidentally" get back to him.

So why was it such a big deal to be Dad for a day? Because I don't have kids, and won't have any. That door has closed. I spent 10-15 thousand dollars trying to bypass the natural obstacles my ex-wife had. So I understand how children are a gift. They are not things you can buy at Wal Mart. So any time I get a glimpse of what it's like to be "Dad" it's an honor. The other night I was a hero getting printer paper at 10 PM.

So while it's fun to play Dad, I will never be. There is no competition. I don't have the right genes, and I lose every time. All the Father's Day cards will go to you. All I can do is love the kids like they are my own, try to guide them to success and to be the best people they can be. So they can avoid any mistakes I've made.

It could be worse. I know someone who had a good relationship with their ex until they remarried. Then the new spouse didn't like the kids and made them feel unwelcome in their new home. It put a large strain on the relationship between father and children. I still don't understand it, or my friend. The good news is your ex-wife is dating someone who adores your children, so while others worry at night (my Brother's ex-wife's boyfriends were a treat ) you do not. I am not trying, or can I ever, take your place.

On a less dramatic topic, the nurse and I had a great weekend of communication. I had been busting my butt, and it turns out that everything I was doing was appreciated, but not really wanted. It sounds stupid, and it took a while to figure out, and it has left the nurse and me even stronger.

Guys don't try to understand the female brain. Women realize guys are knuckleheads. Guys try to do something for your significant other that leaves evidence. Stick a post-it note in their car. Leave a note in their purse (but no snooping). Maybe you can leave them a voicemail if they are at work. free nokia tracfone ringtonescellular customer free ringtones usnextel music ringtoneshow to get free alltel ringtones,ringtones for alltel mobile phone,alltel ringtonesdownloadable cell phone ringtoneschristian free info remember ringtones,free christian music ringtones,free christian ringtonesfree real ringtones sprintinfo personal polyphonic remember ringtones wwe,info personal polyphonic remember ringtones sprint,info personal polyphonic remember ringtonescheap music ringtonesphone ringtones,ringtones for prepaid phone,send ringtones to your phonefree yahoo ringtonesfree ringtones verizon wirelessinfo phone remember ringtones,free info phone remember ringtones,info phone remember ringtones sent24 fox ringtonessamsung polyphonic ringtonesdownload free verizon ringtones,ringtones,free nokia ringtonesphone ringtones tmobile,t mobile ringtones,free ringtones for t mobile phonenextel i730 ringtones,i730 info nextel remember ringtonescingular download free ringtonescellular download free phone ringtoneschristian music ringtonesdownload midi ringtonescingular free music real ringtonesdownload wwe ringtones for freeverizon wireless compatible ringtones,ringtones from verizon wireless,ringtones verizon wirelessmobile ringtones converterfree ringtones for alltel phonedownload free cricket ringtonesfree composer ringtones,nokia 3310 composer free ringtones,free sony ericsson ringtones composerdownload free mobile ringtones tfree info personal remember ringtones,free info personal remember ringtones telus,free info personal remember ringtones treodownload boost mobile ringtones,mobile ringtones download,download info mobile remember ringtones24 tv show ringtonesmusic ringtones unlimited,unlimited music ringtonesinfo panasonic polyphonic remember ringtones,info polyphonic remember ringtones,info mp3 polyphonic remember ringtonescheap mobile ringtones virgindownload free ringtones yahoofree nokia 1100 ringtonescingular ringtones shope315 motorola ringtones24 theme ringtones,24 ringtones themeringtones for lg wireless phone,lg phone ringtonesfree ringtones software,free ware ringtones software,free ringtones creator softwarekeypress motorola ringtonescricket free phone ringtones100 mobile ringtones virginmusic real ringtonesinfo nextel personal remember ringtonesfree tv theme ringtones,tv ringtones,ringtones emergency tv showverizon lg vx6000 free ringtones

It was amazing, and I am so proud of her. It was great to make a memory with such a great kid.

Then I thought about it. As much as we know parents can influence their kids. Does that mean as adults we influence our parents? I mean who can drive you more nuts than your kids (or your parents). So as much as parent should take advantage of every minute they can spend with their children, are we doing the same thing when our parents are growing older?

The one thing I know is I got to make a great memory with a great kid I enjoy watching as she grows into a lovely young lady.

I've always thought about sponsoring a kid. In the end, I never did. Well, its time. Sure its not in the budget, but just like having an actual kid, are you ever financially ready for a kid?

We get some feedback from some folks about quitting vs making wise decisions.

I also talk about some recent shows that I went to, and how they rocked.

For more information about Alan Alex go to www.alanalex.com

I was watching the movie "Rocky Balboa" (not horrible). There was a great scene in the movie. In the movie, Rocky is talking to his son and says,

"It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It's about how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth, but you need to be willing to take the hits."

So as I watching the movie, and the exercise equipment I was using broke. I went upstairs to take a shower. They are working on the water system in the neighborhood, and you guessed it - NO WATER. To this I say,

Is that all you got life? You think you can get me down?

I'm answering the bell. Quitting is not my strong suit, and I'm not going to start now. My biggest problem is I have a woman who loves me too much. Things could be alot worse.

The music is from Nelson Bragg www.myspace.com/nelsonbragg from the Podsafe Music Network at music.podshow.com

Buy the Rocky Balboa movie at amazon.com by clicking the image to the left.

Nails: I don't know a guy who picks a woman based on their nails, but women love to do their nails and comment on other women's nails.

Listening: Guys are used to fixing things that are wrong. We are used to taking action. For a guy to listen to 2 minutes of complaints and then do NOTHING and by doing NOTHING something is FIXED. I don't get it, but its true.

Cat Fights: Put women in a room and they will scratch each other eyes out. Put guys together and they will work together to find a television set.

My School has purchased a new WEBCT program with 30% fewer features. My tuition money at work.

We weren't there 10-15 minutes and she starts a song about "Sleeping with one eye open because her man won't leave her alone." Your honor, I rest my case.

I also made up a couple of songs I might expect to hear including, "I think I done broke it off in me..."

Now it's just my opinion. These seem like lovely people, but I'm not really into watching a 270+ lb woman grind on stage. It's just not my thing.

Speaking of great soul singers, I end the show with a cut from the Podsafe Music Network (music.podshow.com) featuring Shameka Copeland (www.alligatorrecords.com ) "Breakin"

Today we have a very special guest who chimes in with some tips for NEXT year around the holidays (or really ANY day).

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families.

8.. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary - especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest.

Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember: I LOVE YOU, JESUS

(author unknown).

Music from www.mikeandmike.com used with permission?????

So when my Grandparents left of to go live with relatives in Texas I had my Grandfather read the Christmas story into a cassette tape. I had lost this tape for years. I really thought I had lost it. So I have received a great present this year by having the voice of my Grandfather back in my life after many years of absence. Welcome to the Podcast POPO.

Merry Christmas everyone. Thanks so much for listening.

Today I'm going to do something I've NEVER done in any of my 100s of podcast episodes. I'm going to SING.

It's a Christimas song about the true meaning of Chrstmas. It's me, a guitar, and a microphone (and a touch of reverb).

MUSICWhat Child is This from Jimmie Bratcher (www.jimmirbratcher.com ) from the Podsafe Music Network (music.podshow.com )

This podcast originates at www.betterdave.com

When Santa's line got too long the genius staff of Chapel Hill Mall in Akron, Ohio decided to invent "Archie" this 3 stories tall snowman to talk to kids (who would then relay all information to Santa).

Hmmm... back to the drawing board.

Music from Jimmie Bratcher from the Podsafe Music Network at music.podshow.com

This show originates from www.betterdave.com

Welcome to another installment of "The 12 Dave's of Christmas"

I talk about the spooky basement with the hand grenade, the shell, and the doorway to hell. A great place to play on Chrismas day.

Music: "what child is this" by Jimmie Bratcher from the Podsafe Music Network (www.jimmiebratcher.com and music.podshow.com )

One weekend every year my cousins and I would get together to "Decorate the Christmas Bush." It had old lights, old ornaments, and an old toy soldier that we found to be quite fun.

Music "What Child is This" by Jimmie Bratcher from the Podsafe Music Network

Music "What Child is this" from www.jimmirbratcher.com and the Podsafe Music Network.

My favorite Christmas album of all time is Harry Belafonte "To Wish you a Merry Christmas." It's so good it was remastered and released as "Harry Belafonte Christmas" with some additional songs.

My Merry Christmas from Geoff Smith (also from PMN) Buy the CD at CDBaby . The opening "What Child is this" by Jimmie Bratcher.

Please note this picture is not my Grandpa's Hill (his was steeper).

Get ready for "12 Daves of Christmas" coming tomorrow!

Dave tells about a fun trip to eat at Friendly's. Now we can't complain about children in this restaurant, but if you can't hear yourself think, it's time to take some action and THE NURSE STIKES BACK.

MUSIC from the Podsafe Music Network (music.podshow.com )

Hello Operator www.hellooperatormusic.com "So Free" BUY THE EP AT CDBABY.COM

I've been saying "It's going to Get Better" for quite a while. "The Nurse" and I were coming to a crossroads if something didn't change, and we got some great news in regards to my college career (and how long it will last).

I'm amazed at the generation gap when it comes to college kids. I guess I was weird as I grew up listening to everything. I listen to Benny Goodman, Glen Miller, Harry Belafonte, The Beatles, etc. Today's kids don't know who Fleetwood Mac is. Oh, I'm sorry I mean "The Fleetwood Mac."

I HATE THE DOORS (I believe this is part II on this subject). I couldn't do enough drugs for this to be good.

New Podcast "The Logical Weight Loss" podcast at www.logicalloss.com

Holiday shopping? www.supporthisshow.com

This show originates at www.betterdave.com

Parents still bitter from a divorce want to prove they are the "cooler" parent and in the process throw their child under the bus.

Children know that their parents feel bad about the divorce and play on this guilt to get everything they want. I am entitled to this because you screwed up my life by divorcing my other parent. We end up with a society that thinks they get to do whatever they want.

There are consequences. There ARE consequences. Yes, it is your fault. No deal with it.

Quit using your kids as a weapon, and quit playing your parents against each other.

MUSIC Music from the Podsafe Music Network http://music.podshow.com http://www.patmcdermott.com

Pay the Price by the Scotty Meyer Band www.scottymeyerband.com

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Our website www.betterdave.com

For some people, it was the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. While I grew up watching Glen Campbell, and Tom Jones on TV. I had my Bachman Turner Overdrive albums, but I walked into my brother's room one day and he had put on Wang Dang Sweet Poontang from the Album

I really hesitated putting out this (and a few other) episodes as they've all been kind of "downers" so I put this out for anyone else who might not be feeling as "Up" as they would like to say "Hey you're not the only one." Hang in there. If it weren't for Mountains we'd never have to learn how to climb.

Music - Jim Suhler "Trying to Get Back Home." From the Podsafe Music Network at music.podshow.com Buy the CD and Listen to Samples at cdbaby.com

We also have some listener feedback from Wayne, Rich Palmer (who really liked the episode "Only in America") and Brian Mundy (who really liked "The Truth about Teenage Boys"). Thanks for the comments guys. Keep em coming at 888-563-3228

Check out Muhammad Ali's Auto Biography The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey

P.S. I also know its October and Not August (I need a nap)...

Then when I read about it at www.dietfacts.com I was blown away.

I mean if you feed this to your kids is it breakfast, a snack, or child abuse?

Only in America.

I lost my organizer. Read that again.

The role of the lost and found.

Music from the Podsafe music network at http://music.podshow.com

www.astepbehind.com "Back in Action"

Doing some shopping? Check out www.supportthisshow.com

Kids get good grades so you can get a scholarship. Parents start saving for college now. I'm unemployed and yet somehow still make too much money. I love our country.

Music from the IODA Promo Net http://promonet.iodalliance.com

from "Jonesen For Money" by Deacon Jones (Kent Blues) Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody More On This Album

That's what Babysitters and grandparents are for!

I'm tired of dodging forks during my dinner. Besides your actions are increasing the divorce rate. Would it be too much to ask that you do NOT set your children on fire until you get home?

Is life over at 50? If you didn't have sex when you were dating the first 10 years of marriage are bearable, so you have something to do. If you're already discovered each other, then this crying child makes you cranky.

You chose to have the kid - accept the responsibility and STAY HOME. There is a place for unruly children. It's called the laundromat.

Music From the Podsafe Music Network http://music.podshow.com

The Leaving Trains "Dumb as a Crayon"

While I realize that saving yourself for marriage may be a pipe dream, I thought I should let girls know what is going on. I should probably let parents know as well that kids are contemplating sex a lot sooner than YOU probably did (as in like 13 and 14 years old).

You have your whole life to have sex. SLOW DOWN.

These poor girls think they are in love, and this is my way to set the record straight on their Knights in Shining Armor. I don't want you to hate men, but they are raging hormones combined with an insane amount of curiosity.

Oh yeah, then there is the whole AIDS, STDs, Abortion thing...

Music from the Podsafe music network at music.podshow.com From Slide Show Baby "Moving Too Fast"

Music From the Podsafe Music Network

http://music.podshow.com

Superhero from Anthony Stauffer and Holy Smoke

Music from the podsafe music network http://music.podshow.com Star Spangled Banner by Trinity Lane

The Amercian Holiday Song from BELT

My Sweet 16 or

Engaged or Underaged

Music from "Life Has Teeth" from the Podsafe Music Network http://music.podshow.com

I was amazed at the craftsmanship, and creativity

Also, the people in these clubs are WASTED.

Welcome to sleep deprivation theater as I've had four hours of sleep.

Music "Drunk Tonight" from the Bloody Irish boys from the Podsafe Music Network (http://music.podshow.com www.bloddyirishboys.com )

Music from the podsafe music network at music.podshow.com from Halfway Home "On the Passing of Fairytale Heroes" for more information go to www.foamcd.com

I think you'll find that when you think about life's embarrassing moments, you usually end up learning something in addition to turning bright red.

Music from the Podsafe Music Network Jamie Leonhart "Grow"

Musicby Leerone - "All is Well" from the Podsafe Music NetworkÂ

Buy her CD at CDBaby for $6. or for more info go to www.leerone.com

Now you may wonder why I would share such a personal tale. Because there are plenty of you who have Mothers and ignore them on Mother's Day. You're too busy to put any real time into a gift, a special thought, or card. Maybe you throw her a gift card. I'm telling you that while you have the chance to do more than buy her flowers - DO IT. You'll be glad you did.

For there to be a shadow there must first be a light... - The Mom

Mother's day is May 13th in the US.

Music from the Podsafe Music Network "Mother" from Kevin Reeves

Buy the CD at CDBaby.com"Elegy by Gabriel Faure" by Cello Journey

John Gray has penned these classics:

What Your Mother Couldn't Tell You and Your Father Didn't Know (Hardcover)

How to Get What You Want and Want What You Have

Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex

Mars and Venus Together Forever: A Practical Guide to Creating Lasting Intimacy

Children Are from Heaven: Positive Parenting Skills for Raising Cooperative, Confident, and Compassionate Children

Mars and Venus Starting Over: A Practical Guide for Finding Love Again After a Painful Breakup, Divorce, or the Loss of a Loved One

Men, Women and Relationships: Making Peace with the Opposite Sex

Mars and Venus on a Date

TONY ROBBINS Awaken the Giant Within

Giant Steps

Steven Covey The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

Music from Superbeing off the Podsafe Music Network "Bright Idea"Buy the single Buy the Album

WATCH ED GRIMLEY ON YOUTUBE

Music "The Weight of Words" by Slau of www.slau.net courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network at http://music.podshow.com

Buy the CD at amazon.com

I also comment on a wedding went to where it was wedding #4 for the Bride. God bless her for having the nerve to get back on the horse. Again

and again....

and again.

Music from the Podsafe Music Network (http://music.podshow.com )

"Splitsville" brings us the song "Forever" buy the CD at CDBaby.com

I also talk about some of the lessons of backyard football apply in real life.

I found a great tune, and I have to play it for you. The artist's name is Albert Cummings. I love this song. It's called Follow Your Soul from the Album True to Yourself.

Buy The Song Buy The Album