Selfies - The Latest Obsession

     Have you noticed all the people with smart phones taking selfies?  I'm sure you have you may even taken a few of yourself as I have.  What's amazing is that many young people are becoming obsessed with selfies.  We just came back from vacation and we saw a surprising number of people taking selfies many with extendable poles that allow them to get a better photo, I suppose.

     What I found extremely interesting was that people would visit these ancient churches, palaces, monuments or gardens and the 400 year architectural marvel would just become the insignificant background for their selfie.  I know we all take pictures of ourselves to document our travels and celebrations but it seems in today's society it is done to the extreme, most likely because we all have phones with cameras, which makes it easy.

     I guess this is the "me" generation but is that something new?  At first I thought it was but maybe not, think about all these ancient monuments and palaces, what do you see hanging on the wall or pedestal?  Paintings and sculptures of kings, queens and higher echelon of society, well aren't these just selfies of ancient times.  They didn't have smart phones to take pictures  of themselves so they hired an artist or sculpture to do this and there are  many, many paintings and statues so it appears the ancient rulers of our time were also obsessed with selfies just in a different format. The rich were the only ones that could afford this at the time now all of us have that capability.

     Sometimes we learn from the past, and sometimes we just mimic the past.  I'm not so sure mimicking the past in this way is worthwhile.  "Just Saying..."

Last Stop Paris - Meeting James Bond

     We arrived in Paris after a 3 hour comfortable train ride from Bordeaux.  The cab ride from the train station was about 1/2 hour through the busy streets of Paris.  It was early afternoon when we arrived at Hotel Lennox.  Nice hotel in a good location but the rooms were very small, which was the rule rather than the exception.  I'm talking cruise ship small, at 5'6" my wingspan is short but I was only a couple of inches shy of reaching the walls on the longest part of the bathroom.  If you bent down in the shower to pick up the soap you are likely to bump the faucet and turning it to scaling. That'll get you dancing but it won't be a happy dance.

     After settling in we went out to grab some lunch at a creperia around the corner.  It was our first meal in Paris and it was very good.  We walked around town taking in a few local sites and checked out the metro which we anticipating buying a 2-day pass, thankfully it was just down the street and seemed like it would be simple enough to use.

     Tom had a few recommendations for restaurants provided by a colleague that lived in Paris so we decided that we would go to La Coupole.  As it turns out only 3 of us were able to go out that night, Ann could not attend because she had a back spasm and stayed in the hotel.  We were greeted at La couple by a Maharaja, which was odd because we didn't get the connection, but it was memorable.  It was a big place and we had an excellent meal there.  They even brought out a birthday dessert for someone and the entire wait staff joined in signing Happy Birthday in French.

     The next day everyone was feeling great so got a 2-day pass on the metro a spent the entire day visiting many places including The Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc de Triumph, Seine river, etc. While we were navigating around Paris we occasionally got lost but we found the local French people to be very helpful & friendly.  On Thursday we took the train to Versailles to see the palace, which was included in our 2-day metro pass.  We had been told it would take 40 minutes to get to Versailles but when we arrived in about 20 minutes this caused us a little concern.  I asked the French gentleman seated across from me if this was the right stop for the palace and he said we were on the wrong train but we should get off here since it is only a 10 minute walk from here.  Thankfully I asked, it could of been bad if we stayed on the train.  We got to Versailles around 9:30am because we needed to be back in Paris in the afternoon.  We had reservations for the Eiffel Tower at 5:00pm so it would be another busy day. Versailles was opulent, gold was on everything, seemed overdone to me, but the gardens were amazing. We stopped at a little Irish restaurant on the way back to the train station and had a really tasty quiche.  We arrived back in Paris after a short train ride, relaxed and ready to visit the Eiffel Tower.  The tower was awesome, amazing view, truly unbelievable how they completed this in 1889 without today's technology.

     This is one of the reasons we travel to see these amazing sites, the other which is just as important is the interesting people we've met, not that you don't meet interesting people at home but when you're visiting new places it seems to happens more often.  We met a guy from Palestine at the Eiffel Tower that was in Paris just for a couple of days on business an decided he would see the tower but he found out he was afraid of heights and in his words "I bought a ticket to the top but I could not do it, I did not know this about myself."  He nervously laughed as he rode the elevator down with us. We stopped on the first level to stand on the new plexiglass floor looking at the people below.  This was officially opened about a week after we arrived home.  We went to a little bistro afterwards to relax with a glass of wine before dinner, this is when Mimi stared feeling bad (we believe it was vertigo) and it lasted for almost 2 days.  We headed over to dinner but she got worse so Mimi & I headed back to the hotel.  She was in bed until we left for the airport on Friday.

     Thursday was a relaxed day for us with Mimi staying in bed at the hotel, we didn't stray too far away but we visited a park that the Parisians frequent, this is supposedly where you can see them relaxing and enjoying life.  Some were reading, listening to music, others playing board games or  tennis, many just engaged in casual conversation.  That night we chose to  go back to have dinner at La Coupole since Ann had not eaten there the 1st time.  Mimi stayed at the hotel still feeling ill.  As we were seated at the restraurant our waiter arrived, we knew this was going to be a good night because he was funny and engaging right from the get go which makes for a great evening immediately giving us a hard time about only having 3 people dining and offered to eat with us.  He had a great personality and at one point I asked him what his name was when he exclaimed as he tugged on his bow tie "James Bond" (see photo insert) we laughed and from then on we called him James Bond never asking again about his name.  It was a fun night right up to the end when he handed Ann the bill, she laughed and handed it to Tom.  It's great to meet funny people and it seems they are all around us if you just take notice.  If you ever get to Paris and dine at La Coupole ask to be seated at one of James Bonds tables, you won't regret it.

     We left for the airport Friday morning, Mimi still feeling sick but she struggled through and after we checked in Tom & Ann tried to get a wheelchair so we could push her to the gate but while they were waiting, security found an unattended bag and shut a portion of the airport down.  So Mimi ended up using a luggage cart to lean on as we walked to the gate and luckily she quickly started feeling better.  The flight home was uneventful, what a great trip but good to be home.

My 1970 MGB (Rode Rage on Hwy 94) Part 1

     I believe it was mid-summer of 1986 when my wife dropped me and my 4 year old son (Patrick) off at the foreign car repair shop to pick up my 1972 MGB.  It was not uncommon to have the MGB in the shop as anyone every owning a British sports car would know.  This was a Friday night and the traffic was congested as it was most nights but always on Friday.  Heavy traffic seems to aggitate many people and little things set them off easily sometimes into a rage.

     As I am driving home I encounter many red lights sometimes you get lucky and everything is green but not this night.  Each time we would stop at a light I would glance over at Pat when I noticed he had unbuckled his seat belt.  This happened numerous times and each time I would re-buckle his belt.   The seat belts in the MG were easily unbuckled even for a 4 year old.  Having to buckled Pat's seat belt at every light caused me to get a slow start from the light a number of times and this annoyed the driver behind me who would constantly blow his horn, not as a gentle reminder but more of an aggressive "get the hell out of my way" type blow.  This happened 3 or 4 times, I'm not really sure but now it was annoying me.  Sometimes you do stupid things when your frustrated and this is what happened to me.  I showed him my middle finger to display my dissatisfaction with his horn blowing.  That was really stupid, don't ever do that.  Well that's all it took to send him over the edge.  As we took off from the stoplight he repeatedly ran into the back of my MG (around 4 times) as we are driving down highway 94 actually pushing my MG with his station wagon.  He began waving at me with a closed fist then pointing to the side of the highway wanting me to pull over, I guess he wanted to have meaningful discussion about driving.  Thanks for asking but I'll pass up this debate opportunity.

     I decided the best approach was to speed ahead to get away from him, in doing this we passed a number of other cars, which I frantically waved at, hoping for some assistance but what could they have done, nothing really unless Clark Kent was in one of the cars.  Anyway, we rapidly sped down the highway (well above the speed limit) quickly approaching my street which I made a conscious decision not to turn in to it, this guy chasing did not need to know where I lived.  There was an Amoco station across the highway from my house which was the only public place on south 94 at that time.  I decided I would turn into the station because Hwy 40 was only a short distance after the station and turning on 40 would not make any sense at all.

    Now my MGB was not necessarily a reliable car to start in the morning but when it's running it sits low and corners on a dime.  As luck would have it there was no traffic coming the other direction when I did my high speed turn into Amoco tires squealing all the way.  I failed to mention my son (Pat) is sitting quietly still buckled in his seat, he probably feels like we're on a Six Flags ride.  I pull to a quick stop in the station and immediately jump out of the car but as I'm getting out I grab a screw driver from the bag of tools I have under the front seat, remember this is an MG and all MG drivers have tools with them at all times.  I tell Pat to stay in the car, knowing the guy is after me not Pat.

     The angry guy chasing me in the station wagon pulls in next and he jumps out of his car and starts chasing me around the building.  I pull the screw driver out to hold him at bay, throw a couple of aggressive jabs (never intending to connect) so he knows I'm serious about protecting myself.  He immediately slowed down a little after that. Another car pulls in the station, one of the cars we passed and I waved at for help.  We have now done one lap around the building and I go inside to tell the attendant to call the police, he says" I already did".  My new found friend follows me in the store now we are circling the food displays inside.  Finally, the police arrive and I feel much better but still pretty wound up.  I go outside to check on Pat and he is now standing in the drivers seat with his hands on the steering wheel making engine noises and pretending to drive like his Dad.  I use the phone at the station to call home but I'm so flustered that I tell my wife (Mimi) that I'm at a Shell station even though I can see my house from the Amoco station.  Mimi calls her brother Bud to ask him to go find me at the Shell station well of course he can't because I'm at an Amoco station.

     The police take statements from me, the guy chasing me, the attendant and a witness that saw us racing down the highway.  The attendant only seen what went on at the station so his comments were short, pretty much just saying the big guy chased the little guy around the building.  The police asked me if I had a screw driver I said  "Yes"  and showed it to them, then they ask if I wanted to press charges and I also said "Yes".

     Holy Crap!  This feels like some out of body experience.  The police let both of us go he left first then Pat & I left and drove across the highway to my house.  The rear of my car was banged up pretty good but we weren't hurt.  Everyone at my house was in a panic not knowing what was going on and my brother-in-law Bud had frantically searched all the Shell stations looking for me.  My adrenaline was still flowing at a high rate but I was finally starting to calm down.  What a night, glad it's over, there is more to come but you'll have to wait for Part 2 of this story.
     

Peanut Butter Saved my Life

     Peanut butter sandwiches were my main food source while growing up as a youngster.  As a kid I was picky eater so peanut butter was my fallback nutrition food without peanut butter it's unlikely that I would have survived.  Peanuts have a lot of fat but they also have a lot of protein which everyone needs especially kids.  I thank the Lord that I was born many years ago when peanut butter was considered a healthy food as opposed to today where it's apparently equivalent to cocaine.


     Nowadays there appears to be a war on any foods containing peanuts.  I know that a peanut allergy can be deadly for anyone that has this allergy and because of that we seem to be treating peanuts like a deadly drug.  Many schools do not permit children to bring any peanut based products to schools, it's probably easier to buy drugs at some schools that finding a peanut butter sandwich on the school premises.  I can almost imagine a kid in the school yard quietly asking another "Hey, where can I get a dime bag of PBJ, keep it on the down low."


     I get protecting your children, I have children (now grown) but when you reach the age of reason you should know not to eat peanut butter if you have an allergy.  Instead we choose to restrict all children from eating peanut products at school because of a few kids that have an allergy.  It seems to me it would be better to teach your kids (if allergic) why they shouldn't eat peanuts rather than ban it from all school kids.  You don't want to be the parent that one day finds out that your kid was meeting a drug dealer in some dark alley of an unsavory neighborhood buying a jar of Jif peanut butter even worse Jif Crunchy, that could be devastating.

     There is a program called D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), which is designed to warn kids about drugs and their addiction but if you look at the list of drugs you will not find peanuts on the list.  Some states are legalizing marijuana and many people seem to be OK with that but don't you D.A.R.E. breathe on me if you ate peanut butter.  What is this world coming too, all I can say if society ever tries to ban bacon you're in for a fight my friend.  "Just Saying…"

No Fault Attitude

     None of us can go through life without having accidents, it's impossible.  I've heard people say it's not my fault, it was an accident, well my answer is maybe.  Just because it was an accident doesn't mean it wasn't your fault.  If a tree falls on your car while parked in the driveway, that's what I would call a no fault accident.  If you drive your car into another car, pole or ditch because you were distracted by something, it's an accident but it's also your fault.

     An accident means it was unintentional, not on purpose but if you did something or didn't do something which caused the accident it's still your fault even though it was unintended.  Little kids learn this early and use this excuse as much as they can.  "I didn't mean to hit her in the head with the ball, it was an accident."  Oh! You meant to aim for her shoulder, which is so much better.  Sorry, it maybe an accident for poor aim but it's still your fault for poor judgment. "

     It seems our judicial system even tries to soften crimes committed despite the indisputable evidence that the person on trial is guilty.  The verdict sometimes given is not guilty by reason of insanity, shouldn't it really be, guilty but not punishable because of insanity.  Should we at least acknowledge the guilt of the person, saying they are not guilty when they actually committed the crime is not accurate.  True a committing crime is much different than an accident but in either case we always seem to be looking for a reason to not to blame ourself for our actions that may have caused others harm or discomfort.

     I guess what I'm saying is every accident cannot be written off as "No Fault".  Until we learn to take responsibility for our actions we will not mature into responsible adults.  "Just Saying…"

My First and Last Triathlon

      A few years back my son Pat ask if I wanted to do a triathlon (Octomax), a mini version, not the Iron Man.  This triathlon included a 500-yard open water swim, 18-mile bike ride and 5k run (3.2 miles).  At the time I was 60 years old about to turn 61, Pat was 28.  Throughout my life I had always tried to stay in relatively good shape but I would need to put some extra effort into to my workout routine to participate in the triathlon.  I have always enjoyed playing sports (tennis, soccer, cycling, skiing) with both my kids (Maureen & Pat) but a triathlon was a virgin ground for me.

     I ride bikes frequently and many times farther than 18 miles so that did not worry me at all.  I'm 5'6" tall with short twitch muscles so I'm not built for long distance running.  By short twitch muscles I mean I can run fast for a short distance, which is good when playing tennis but my flexibility is not good because my muscles and tendons are as taut as banjo strings.  It's like I have one long set of tendons/muscles that start at my toes and wind to every extremity of my body until they reach the toes on my other leg, so not much flexibility.  So the 5K run was not something I excelled in but I knew it was doable.  My biggest concern was the open water swim because as I learned when we did a practice swim prior to the triathlon my swimming stroke was terrible, very inefficient.  I spent an enormous amount of energy flailing my arms about with very little forward movement.  Pat was a better swimmer than me but he also needed work on his technique, his friend Ron, who had also signed up for the triathlon used to be on the swim team and swam like a dolphin.  I used to think I was a pretty good swimmer because we water skied a lot but I only needed to swim a short distance to the boat.

     The triathlon was at the end of the summer so I had plenty of time to get ready.  My workout consisted of running on the treadmill 3 to 4 times a week plus doing laps in the subdivision pool 3 or 4 times a week as well.  I would bike ride occasionally but I was confident the 18-mile ride would be no issue.  Well the day of the triathlon arrived; I was both excited and nervous.  The triathlon was taking place at Innsbrook near Wright City.  We arrived early and took our bikes to the roped off area, signed in to get our number and had my age (61) written on the calf of my leg with grease paint.  This is when I met an old friend from work (Chris Matsuno) who was an expert kayaker.  As a safety measure the lake had many kayaks floating around the swim area to insure no one got in trouble.  We went down to see lake and get prepared for our turn.  The swim was first which makes sense since it is the most difficult.  As I remember there were 5 waves (groups) of swimmers an I think we were in the 3rd wave.  We watched the two other waves take to the water which amped up my nervousness anticipating our turn.  It was getting real now.  Even though it was unreasonable with all the kayaks following the swimmers, I couldn't keep the thoughts of drowning away, which thankfully disappeared when I entered the water.

   Now it's our turn, the whistle blew we jumped in.  It wasn't long before the accomplished swimmers we far ahead of me.  Pat was with me for a while but soon he was well ahead and on his way to the finish.  Even though his technique was week he powered through the swim much better than me.  This made it less congested, which made me feel a little better.  Within a few minutes there were only a few of us left in the back and eventually it was just me all by myself except for 2 or 3 kayaks following me.  The kayakers would ask me how I was doing and asking if I needed to hold on and rest for a moment, but I refused.  I was making progress but slowly and I told myself I wanted to finish without holding on because that might cause me to quit.  The kayaks stayed with me the rest of the way, which was a very comforting feeling.  I was very impressed with their attentiveness, they were there to be sure I was safe; anything else would be bad press.  As I got closer to the end, less than 100 yards, I heard the whistle blow for the next wave and it seemed like no time before a few of the faster swimmers from the 4th wave past me.  The 3 kayakers past me over to my friend Chris who was floating near the finish and he followed me to the end.

     I got out of the water feeling a great sense of accomplishment even though I was last, Mimi (my wife) and Maureen (my daughter) were there cheering me on as I walked out of the water as well as many strangers there applauding and cheering all the swimmers.  I smiled and waved even though it felt like the muscles in my legs felt like they were now made of jello.  I walked up to the bike area as other triathletes ran past me to hop on their bikes for the 2nd leg of the race.  I got on my bike feeling confident but exhausted.  All my fear was now gone since I had exited the water.  I pedaled 18 miles struggling on some hills but enjoying every minute.  Upon finishing the biking portion I changed my shoes started my 3rd and final portion of the triathlon the 5K run.

     My wife says I run like I have a board stuck in some uncomfortable place, that maybe true but I persevered and even felt a little surge of energy as I approached the finish line.  My 5K was more like a run/walk but I made it the whole way coming in 222 out of 224 only because 2 of the people got lost on the bike ride.  Pat finished about 1/2 hour but I don't remember his ranking.

     One thing I noticed is how all the participants were supported of each other giving encouraging words.  Many would call out your age that was written on your calf as they rode or ran past, yelling "Good job! 61 keep it up".  It was a great experience and the encouragement by all; friends, relatives, strangers and kayakers made me feel good.

Personality or Nationality

     We have been fortunate to have the means and opportunity to travel, which has opened us up to new and exciting things.  One thing I have noticed is people are not as you expect.  We all have preconceived ideas of others, which is many times based on nothing factual.  Our society tends to place nationalities in to general categories, such as Irish are drunks, Jewish are cheap, Polish are dim-witted, French are snobs, Americans are obnoxious, Muslims are terrorists, etc. but these are unfair analogies.  There may be people in those nationalities that fit those descriptions but that's their personality it's not because of their nationality.

     Let me describe a recent example, we just returned from a trip in Spain & France and we had always been told that the French are a snobbish people that don't like Americans.  That was not at all the case; we found the French were funny, friendly and helpful even though we only spoke a few words of their language.  I only remember one Frenchman that seemed to be a little arrogant but you will find arrogant people in any country, so it's not fair to write off a whole nationality because you may have run into one unpleasant individual.

     The fact is we find friendly people all over this planet.  We have not been to every country but we have met people from many nations (Palestine, England, Asia, Germany, etc.) traveling just as we have and rarely meet someone that is unpleasant.  But if that happens I will judge it to be their personality not their nationality. Are we just lucky to find all these friendly people?  I don't know, maybe that's what we expect so that's what we subconsciously look for in people.

     Maybe if we expect the best in others we will get a more positive response from others but even if you don't, it's best to chalk it up to personality not nationality.  "Just Saying..."