I want my Internet!

Writer’s block.  For those of you who write books, articles, or essays know when  Writer’s Block hits, it is hard to put thoughts on paper.  Well, Internet Block has the same effect.

I lack a constant Internet connection which has kept me away from posting on my blog among other things.

It is amazing of just how important it is to be connected.  We shop, bank, socialize, and game online.  Our life is spent streaming videos, buying stuff, talking about the latest news, and fragging our online friends to Oblivion (an actual game by Bethesda Studios from their Elder Scrolls series…sorry, it’s a geek moment).

We are now in the Internet Era of our history – you can even call it a Social Nightmare because of the lack of personal interaction with other people.  You walk into Starbucks and you can see the people who are waiting for coffee in their phones texting.  Granted, some people are conversing, but those people are usually talking to their co-worker, not a complete stranger.

The Social Nightmare (Internet Era) couples poorly with the Seattle Freeze where our hospitality is lacking.  Try saying “Hello” to someone on the street – you might get a response but it won’t be conversational for certain.

So, I’ve decided to use different locations to get my “fix” and it seems my blog has suffered.  I’ll post some topics this week and I hope I can get some followers to help “critique” my posts.   After all, when you start a public blog, you don’t want to have bad press out there in the Social Nightmare.

Dean

Character

“Character is what you are in the dark” – Anonymous.   A true statement even though you could have some fun with it!  Character is our true, genuine self presented to others and sustained even when nobody is looking.  It is the “mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual”.

We live in a world with many options, many choices.  A principled person knows what options they will choose, and the choices will be based on their character.

Character can be defined by a person’s beliefs, a person’s attitude, and the environment they are in.  Character is further classified by being of “good” or “bad” character.Whatever the definition is today, a person’s character can change.

Integrity is introduced along with character when describing how principled a person could be. A person can have a bad character but develop a good character by returning to the principled lifestyle and maintaining the integrity of that lifestyle.  The real challenge is the people around the person accepting them as they change; the saying “going to the well too many times” or “Shame me once, shame on you. Shame me twice, shame on me.” resonates today with unfortunate frequency.

I want to mention two people who I’ve subscribed to for help in this area:  Marc and Angel.  What they have written is a total summary of my life and where I am at.  I believe in the value of the “Get Back To Happy” service offer, but their emails are worth the price of free – good, quality discussions on life experiences.

A recent email I received from them titled 7 Things To Remember.   They make valid points about how things have to go wrong to in order to go right.  A statement that really stands out and relates to my post is “You are the creator of your own experience.”

For myself, I lost my way a few years ago – too many squirrels.  I blamed my choices on my friends, on an ineffective parent, and on my environment.  However, I’m making the changes necessary to accept what I have done, be principled in my actions, and have the integrity to stay on the path I chose.  I made a commitment years ago to Christ Almighty and I need to fulfill that commitment.

As I make the necessary change to a principled lifestyle, I’ll look to all of you for support as I’ve been isolated long enough – isolation for my purpose is the inablity to reach out to others when there are no friends or family to help support your efforts.  It is time to grow out – not necessarily up – and build something with my life.

I look forward to sharing the journey.

The Art of Gambling

Texas Hold’em.  Two cards you get to invest money in with the idea that you will be holding the best five card hand to win the pot.  Simple enough?

Well, I’m here to tell you that it isn’t that simple.  While the common tourist or casual player will win a few pots, to win the much larger and more lucrative tournaments and cash games is to establish yourself as a professional poker player.

It takes years of practice along with a group of friends who share the same goal.  It’s possible to do it by yourself, it’s not as fun and you lack the necessary “hook” when you are running bad.

Speaking of running bad, I’ve been there.  During my night shift supporting an application out of Australia, I spent a lot of time at the casino – Casino Caribbean in Kirkland.  I did this for several reasons:

1. My job last year required me to work from home.  Our hours were 5pm to 2am for a few months then it went to 3pm to 12am for the rest of the contract.  There aren’t too many places that would allow me to work uninterrupted other than the casino – plus, it had a solid wireless system!
2. Compensated Meals – when I play I get 8.00 toward my meals.  For the life of the contract, I was getting fed three meals a day and plenty of water with the occasional Monster or Sprite.  It was an awesome workplace as I was able to work without being bothered.
3. Recruiter Haven – During my time there, I was able to meet some recruiters and talk about potential jobs.  It’s more than poker for me, it was a good way to meet a lot of people who I respect and admire
4. Safe Place to Hang Out – If your not playing or eating, most casinos would ask you to leave as they don’t like people to “hang out”.  However, I found this is not the case with Caribbean.  I know Grant and Jimmy who manage the place and they know my situation.

When I traveled for the FAA, I visited – and played at some other casinos – and while I had fun and made some pocket change, I’ll keep my gaming here in Washington.

As of this post, I’ve been six months free of gaming.  It’s never about the money rather than the time.  It takes a while to build a bankroll and since I lost a lot last year, it’s time to concentrate on other things.

At some point, I’ll make a poker and chess guide on my blog.  For now, understand that Texas Hold’em isn’t about making millions – it’s about quick decision making and being able to know when to fold, and when to walk away.

I’ll be walking away.

 

Through The Looking Glass

So my current journey has me staying at a friend’s shop – glass shop – while I figure out how to operate this vehicle called Life.

It’s a very busy business and the phone doesn’t stop ringing.  I can only answer and give the sheepish “all sales associates are busy at the moment, do you mind holding.”   I’m a geek and glass quotes are far from my current skill set!

On Sunday, September 26th, I got the call to accompany Khalil – an Iraqi worker.   It was the most interesting experience as we talked about everything from cigarettes to religion.  He is Muslim and holds true to his faith for the most part.  I told him I’m Christian – a bit of a stretch in the last few years, but I’ll give it a go once more.   We talked and then we worked!

This was a two pane window job with a wide long window structure and a smaller, normal window structure with opened panes on both.  It is in Sea-Tac area near the third runway which brings noise.  Residents are required to have double windows and on this job, the customer had Old Iron Bronze as a color for the interior window structure.

On the outside was a fifty year old window pain metal structure.  We were to replace that monstrosity!

During the mission, I made some general notes about how one approaches this project.

1. H2O – A must on any job and we didn’t have a drop having to ask the customer for water! 😦
2. Must Have Socks – Okay. Terrible pun, but we had a very disorganized tool chest and NO socket set!   Tim Allen would be greatly disappointed for certain.  Again, had to ask for a socket wrench
3. Language Barrier – Learning Iraqi in a matter of minutes isn’t part of my skill set.  For a while now, I found out that I’m not James Bond.  Working with Khalil proved to be challenged, but he is a very good worker and very smart.
4. Patience – Whether the glass is half full or half empy, glass will cut you.  We worked without incident but patience is a must.  Have pride in your work and everything will pour out as planned.  Pour out.  Glass half full.  Okay, it’s lame.

We finished the job under eight hours and I made a little cash on the side.  A unique experience for this couch monkey and there will be more later :).

 

Too Many Squirrels

Sodo District. Seattle.  I’m sleeping on my friend’s couch at his shop – SmartGlass.  He runs a glass repair business which is a very busy business.

I helped him setup his new computer which was easy except for the fact that his software for glass quotes won’t run on Windows 10.  It is a DOS based application.   Needless to say that I tried many ways to get it to work but Windows 10 will not allow DOS code of any kind.  I have to get a 32-bit Windows 7 ISO so I can run VirtualBox and have them use the software in that fashion.   So I still have work to do…

Wait.  You asked why I’m sleeping on his couch?  Well I have an answer for you: Too Many Squirrels.

I suffer from a condition – irrelevant if there is a name for it – that paralyzes a human being from making the necessary decision or decisions that lead to a fruitful and promising life.   It has been this way for 46 years and I’m hoping 47th would be the end of this cycle.

As of today, I’m without resources except for time.  Self-management in both time and money is crucial to living an abundant life.  When there are too many squirrels, it really does paralyze the ability to decide what has priority.   Discipline is the practice of doing what is necessary to avoid being paralyzed in the first place.

It’s a matter of principle – when you don’t follow what you believe in, the result is lower than expected.

So, this blog is dedicated to my experiences as I climb out of this hole I’m in and look forward to building a life that is abundant and full of accomplishments!

Dino