About this journalThis Journal is the place I tend to write my general thoughts and feelings about all things in life....as they cross my path.
March 2012
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3/6/12 01:30 pm
The Primary here in Massachusetts is here, and voting for the Republican candidate in the general election is finally here.
Ron Paul is my candidate....I love most of his positions and even more than that, there is little debate as to where he stands! His positions have been very consistent for the last 30 years!
Besides that, the man himself is a a real gentleman and I believe him to be a great leader. He is my kind of leader....smart and yet very humble....and I believe honest to a fault. But more than that, he is a SMALL government guy. He is running as a Republican, but he has always been much more of a Libertarian.....and the thing that MOST surprises me right now is the reluctance that people have over his position on the use for our military and our countries role in the world.
Ron Paul simply wants to pull back on our nation building, to ONLY engage when our self-interests are directly attacked, and to NOT play the policeman of the world! This makes him anti-war.....and I can't believe any president could not be Anti-war after the past 10 to 12 years or so.....I think people ARE sick of the wars and deaths...... I know I am.
2/22/12 12:51 am
I received this email "reminder" for Cheryl's birthday a few minutes ago, and it brought back a lot of memories. Cheryl passed away in December of 2006 and this past December was 5 years since she has been gone.
Next Monday would have been here 53rd birthday....which means we were "the same age" for about 10 months of every year. We used to joke about that.
I am not exactly sure how I will celebrate her birthday....I have not really given that much thought, but I will.
12/19/11 08:29 am
I know this is perhaps an odd post for my birthday, but I was reflecting on life in the shower and even though I don't have much time before I am off to work, I felt I had to jot some of my thoughts.
I thought about the life I have had, the skills I have honed and how I came by these. I thought about the impact of my parents, and all those who have been leader and role models as I grew and continue to grow today. I have been lucky enough to have a lot of people who have been able to implant some bit (or bunch) of knowledge and experience that has helped shape my existence and shaped me.
Oh...life has not been perfect, nor have I been a total screw-up.....it has been a pretty middle of the road experience of success and error. But all in all, I almost feel as though I was "built" for the environment we are in right now.....and perhaps that in itself is a bad thing to think because I think we are in a situation where need to be hard working, flexible and caring.....I hope I don't get to "happy" with myself so that I can't change or be there for others,
But I am sure I am not alone......my parents always told me that God gives all of us the tools we need to overcome the problems put in our path. Sometimes the skill is in learning or patience so that we can take it slow and "LEARN" what we need get through the rough patch....sometimes it is the energy and strength to just survive it.
I feel blessed to have been given the people in my life who have helped me....I suppose they are regular and normal like the rest of us, but they helped me (and most they touched) in a positive way.....so I am indeed blessed.
My biggest hope is that I can have some sort of positive impact on the world as I go through it....nothing profound, but as it has been written in many a song, "take a little less than I give".
10/15/11 01:20 pm
Back in the days of the movements against NAFTA and GATT, there were people on both sides (far right and far left) of the isle that totally agreed that NAFTA and GATT w ere NOT in our countries best interests. Both sides put significant effort into trying to kill those trade agreements...BUT, they would NEVER get on the same stage and talk about it. (and it didn't happen with Campaign Finance Reform, Budget Reform nor Deficit Reform either!)
There was a lot of agreement over issues, but the parties try to separate people and "herd" them into their own camps in order to stay in power.
Ok....I am not kidding myself......these two don't agree on much, but the two party system is keeping them apart on ideas they do agree......NOT the way it should be. Ideas should be king and not parties.
But when we agree, we need to work together to make things better!
10/15/11 11:07 am
I struggled for a few seconds as to whether I should post this to this journal or my personal finance BLOG, and while I ended up doing it here, it still is not clear. I feel the same way about Occupy Wall Street.....they are surely talking about a message that resonates, but it is not clear what this will turn into, so it is hard to climb on board and understand what kind of "animal" you are riding.
I think the following clip from the Yahoo Finance Daily Ticker show (below) adds an interesting perspective to this that I am not even sure the Occupy Wall Street people see themselves. (they don't seem to have any particular focus on demands, yet the outrage is quite easy to understand and appreciate)
Howard Davidowitz brings up a point that has always made sense to me......that people should be frustrated with their elected officials (ALL of them) because they seem to be a big part of the problem, and yet in theory, WE put them in power and they are SUPPOSED to work FOR US and NO ONE ELSE.
Davidowitz describes it as "bought and paid for politics" which really rings a bell for me (remember "Can't Vote, Can't Contribute?") because this is one of the things that we  Perot-bots (and I say that with affection) had at the core of our existence.....and Davidowitz hits a home run again when he remembers that Ross Perot was able to organize that same animal spirit that we had back in the early 90's and use it to gather 20% of the vote and while he didn't get elected, many of the UWSA (our grassroots Perot organization) were co-opted and they shaped the way things were done. (I will STOP right there and also say that I feel the Republicans and Democrats also took most of the reform ideas, talked about them and then devised political "fancy dealings" to bury and kill most of them.....eg: having THREE (3) balanced budget amendment bills so that everyone elected could vote for one but none of them would get more than 35% positive votes....it was genius, and we "fell" for it.)
There is one thing that I am very confused about, and that is the effort by Democrats to cozy up to the movement. I understand why and how every political organization tries to infiltrate and co-opt the group....."taking" them under their tent and herding their votes...we see this with elections every time with far right or far left candidates being put out to draw the support of those groups and people to the party only to ultimately present the party candidate that no-one in the party is really excited about.....why, "because they are electable".
On the surface, that makes sense.....but it is still a game. It is the game invented by the parties to "herd" people. I said this very thing to Alan Keyes back in the 1992 Presidential race. I loved his message and his plans. (As I did people like Pat Buchanan) But I always felt the Republicans were "using" these guys to "pull" conservatives into the fold only to offer up candidates like Bob Dole and George Bush who you could see were the people the parties had "anointed" before the primary season had even started. (Can't you see this with Romney now?)
My point is that I think Davidowitz is right, the issues that the Occupy people care about have their  roots in money for sure, but right down that "hole" with the bankers and money interests are our elected officials...."feeding from the trough". How is it that they of all people can think they will go in and organize these people and this message?
I guess there are two possible strategies and the Republicans and Democrats are even split here.....Perhaps both see the anger and worry about the targets (rightfully so) on their backs....but the Republicans play "defense" by pretending it isn't happening, trying to paint the group as unorganized, uninteresting and even crazy and trying to minimize them at every turn.
Perhaps the Democrats have decided to play more of what I think of as "offensive", except their goals are the same as the Republicans back in UWSA / Perot days.....grab hold of the people in the organization, and then harness their enthusiasm and diverting it for their own purposes...and at the same time passifying them and "absorbing" them while "silently" killing their momentum. (I think of Republican with their "Contract With America" what did that very thing.)
We live in interesting times......we need someone like Ross Perot....we need a group like UWSA. (but a "real" grass roots one this time)
10/14/11 11:32 pm
Well, life is a funny thing.....I just looked at my website that sort of "documents" me and my life and I see a ton of broken links and bogus information.
Lesson I have learned......little in life moves along without the effects of entropy. Everything seems to need a bit of love and care else it wears away to a useless lump. (over time)
Ok...that sounds so negative, but lets face it, even relationships with people require a little work....a little care.
Cars need maintenance, even if they just sit.....ditto for paing on houses and just about all things in life.
So I need to pay attention and get back on the ball!
:-)
10/14/11 11:20 pm
Well, it has been a long time since I have posted, and I don't really have a good excuse.
I have been busy of course.....work is hectic, and in a weak economy, you need to put your best foot forward.
I have been married.....that brings with it a certain amount of responsibility and effort.....but not a big bad time sing, and I am enjoying it.
I have picked up a few volunteer activities. For example, every Saturday I go to the VA Hospital in Bedford, Mass and take a fellow named Stan to church. He is an 89 year old veteran who has recently been confined to a wheelchair, and he can't yet be trusted on his own. (he tries to walk and falls a lot...hurting himself)
He is a wonderful guy, and again.....not a huge commitment.
I shop for a woman Bea on Tuesday night. Again, an 89 year old w oman who is at home taking care of her bed-ridden husband who has not gotten out of bed for about 7 years. She is a wonderful person, and I help her shop through an organization called Minuteman Senior Services that was created to match volunteers with elders in meed.
Then Doreen and I volunteer with an organization that holds dances for the mentally handicapped. These happen every few months or so, and they are just so much fun! We sell tickets at the door, or help with food and drink during the night. Again...such a great time for them, AND for us!
 So I will keep this post short for now.....and I will try to write every day for a while! (to get back into the swing)
2/2/11 01:34 am
I found this photo of our loving sweetheart dog Mikey......and I was moved to post it as while he clearly isn't perfect, he is a loving soul.
12/21/10 06:09 pm
I forgot my camera, but my cell phone is chock full of pictures from our company pot-luck party today. It started at about 11:30am, and still has a contingent of about 30 strong wolfing down good and guzzling various forms of beverage. It was a fun day....much like the old Friday beer blasts of days gone by....though most of us with a fair bit more gray then in the "good old days". (here are photos from the 2008 party and the 2007 pot-luck party too)
So today I had a fun time.......but when I awoke this morning I awoke to the realization that this was the anniversary of another very important day in our family history....the day back in 2006 when I received a call at about 9:30am while in a product Engineering team meeting that my wife Cheryl had been found unconscious in our bathroom and she was being transported to the hospital. It was the morning that I raced out of the building as soon as I heard and raced up RT-3 towards Nashua at about 100MPH....and I actually beat the ambulance to the Southern NH Medical center. (me from Burlington, them from Litchfield)
Cheryl did not survive that heart attack.....but I did....but I did not survive unchanged. In fact, my daughters and I were changed forever. Our lives were changed forever.
Today, that conference room where I received the call was used for deserts. It was transformed from a meeting room to a room full of sweets and goodies. It is a room I have many meetings in, and one that never strikes me the same as on the day of Cheryl's passing for it is on those days that that story of her death passes through my memory once again.
I am thankful that my mother and father had introduced me to the idea of God, and let me ponder the possibilities for myself. They let me consider it, but they themselves had been convinced as to God's existence.....I was not unconvinced, but just not sure why I should care. After all, it God exists, and if God is the creator and so powerful....why would God need us to worship?
I answered my own question by considering the logic of it all.....I don't believe God needs our worship....I believe God gives us all our beliefs for our own benefit. Our knowledge of something larger then ourselves, of a purpose larger than ourselves, makes us better people, and better at taking care of each other. As it is written somewhere, "You were not made for the church, but the church was made for you."
My belief in God has helped me feel better about the various losses me and my family have had. My Mother Mary, Father Jim, Uncle Joe, Aunt Idalina, Uncle Orin, Uncle Charlie, Aunt Gert, Uncle Tony, Grandmother and Grandfather Profirio, Grandmother and Grandfather Lewis, and Cousin Roger. (as well as the other second and third cousins that I have not listed)
12/18/10 02:34 am
I know that the beauty of a sanctuary really has no connection or relation to the beauty and love of God, but when I see such a beautiful worship space, I feel those that created it were trying to create a piece of heaven on earth.
The PMA chapel is such a place. It is such a beautiful, quiet and peaceful place....a place with such beauty.
This chapel is in the school run by the Sisters of PMA. It is the school where my wife Cheryl volunteered and worked for many years. It is the grammar school that our kids attended. It is the place that I came to know so many great and caring Sisters, parents and kids that it most surely changed my outlook on life.
Finally.....this is the place my wife was buried from. Her funeral service was at the very chapel. She loved this school, the Sisters of PMA and the kids. I felt the same way...it was and still is a very special place indeed, and I miss it greatly. (Cheryl loved all her schools and students.....even her last on in Nashua)
The PMA Chapel is quite a place indeed.
Well, it does seem that there might be a connection between beautiful, well cared for sacred spaces and good people because I have yet another beautiful sanctuary in my life.....and sure enough there are very same sort of good, giving, caring people associated with it. I suppose it's the people who create the space, so it makes some sense that they would create such a nice place.
I am referring to the Leicester First Congregational Church where the beauty of the worship area is only surpassed by the warmth of the people caring for it. The sanctuary is  full of very warm wood architecture that creates an atmosphere of very peaceful reverence. It is simply beautiful, and I have still not gotten used to how beautiful it is there.
Also coincidentally, this beautiful worship sanctuary is the work-place of my wife Doreen, who is the Pastor at the Leicester First Congregational Church. It was though Doreen's calling that I was introduced to this church, and to all those great people in the congregation. Now, we a member of the congregation, I can enjoy worship in this beautiful space, the friendship of some wonderful people, and hopefully when we move down there, I can become much more involved in all their works too.
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