Icewind's Ramblings

Boston Marathon Tragedy – 04-15-13 Once again I find myself looking at the news in real time of another needless tragedy on so many levels of American society. Our hearts and prayers go out to those families affected by this tragedy and the effects it will have on this country in our efforts to secure our safety and well being. "More than any time in recent history, America 's destiny is not of our own choosing. We did not seek, nor did we provoke, an assault on our freedom and our way of life.  We did not expect, nor did we invite, a confrontation with evil.  Yet the true measure of a people's strength is how they rise to master that moment when it does arrive. 2 people were killed and over a hundred maimed and injured a couple of hours ago at the Boston Marathon finish line in Massachusetts .  This is another needless act of violence in this country.  Police were on scene as this tragedy unfolded and you could easily see that they ran towards the tw...

There is many times that something triggers our imagination back to something and recently it was one of those times for me.  I saw something that triggered a memory of story telling and great music with friends.  It was a time where I spent many nights listening to music and stories with my friends that played in Atlanta at the time in a band called Cullowhee. One of the stories told was the difference between Heaven and Hell, told by my friend, Terry Edwards.  With his customary southern drawl and laid back style he painted the picture to all of us in the audience listening. Terry would tell the story about the man who died, and when he arrived at the "Pearly Gates" Saint Peter told him he was going to take him on a tour of heaven and of hell.   First, they took a tour of heaven. St. Peter and the man arrived just in time for dinner . . . it was in a huge banquet hall and the tables were sagging with the weight of the sumptuous entrees.  Eve...

I think sometimes as we live our lives we get wrapped up in all that is going on and forget what is truly meaningful within our existence.  I have stated over and over that we need to live in the “Now” moment as that is the only thing that really exists in our lives.  The past is just that, gone forever and the future is not yet arrived and is still in the fantasy state of our minds. There’s no way to get around the fact that life is here and now with our entire being a whole entity and indivisible from ourselves.  How you choose to think, feel, and be is going to be what you get back out of life in the experiences you have and create.  Create positive thoughts and for the most part you will experience positive things and people back in return.  If you wake up and choose to be negative then there is a great chance that you will have a negative day or experience the not so good things coming back your way.  It all stands to reason just as common sense ...

Life Observation # 165 . . . Challenges  Several of my friends are going through challenges right now in their lives and it once again reminds us that life is precious so get on with living so not to become stagnant in our daily existences. Dale Carnegie once said: “About 90% of the things in our life are right.  Make sure you don’t overlook the 90% that is right because you are focusing on the 10% that isn’t.” For most people that is a true statement but sometimes we want to focus on that 10% because that is what bothers us the most at the time.  Those challenges we face want to beat us down in our lives and we need to make that effort to choose a different path.  It doesn’t take much to make the day better . . . but it does take intent.  Even if there are challenges, obstacles and other craziness going on in our life, we always get to choose how we are going to tackle the day and the type of energy that runs through our body.  Is it e...

Anyone can achieve their fullest potential, who we are might be pre-determined, but the path we follow is always of our own choosing. We should never allow our fears, or the expectations of others to set the frontiers of our destiny. Your destiny can't be changed but, it can be challenged.   Every man is born as many men and dies as a single one. How is your own endgame of Life? Live fully and be prepared for the unexpected! Ice

You have the power to change someone’s life tonight . . . a call . . . an encouraging email . . . an idea . . . a contact . . . a positive post . . . or even a smile. And the funny thing is . . . when you do . . . your own life changes too! Ice

It seems like this happens more and more these days as I received the call yesterday afternoon from an Old Friend that news of a family member having inoperable lung cancer was texted me so I would know what was happening.  Several phone calls later and with much anxiety details and some form of plan was put together on how best to prepare for things. It is never easy for anyone finding out news that affect your circle of family and friends but one which everyone needs to prepare so you can be the shoulder if needed or the foundation to give them your support and a pool from which to pull from your strength as needed while dealing with things. It is a bittersweet feeling that you are honored to be one of those who is trusted to give your thoughts on things but also the futility of not being able to “fix it” or make things immediately better.  All anyone of us can do is place things in “Others” hands to help everyone see things through as that is all anyone ...

The True Sound I saw this post on one of my buddies from high school, Dewitt Law and wanted to share it for this holiday season. I am not a shopper by any means having only visited the Anchorage Malls less than 8 times in my over 10 years in Alaska.  I have no idea where this happened but it is pretty neat and reminds me of the days of old in Atlanta where everyone gathered on the streets below the skywalk at Rich’s department store on Thanksgiving evening to sing carols and await the lighting of the great tree.  It we were good kids we were able to ride the Pink Pig and get a treat from our parents. A much simpler time that mostly has been long forgotten with our own children as technology has overtaken us in our daily lives. Please watch and enjoy! Happy Holidays everyone. Ice

Life Observation # 160 . . .    Trust is the invisible bond that holds all of human interaction together. Without it, we are all alone and dysfunctional.   Ice

(This was written for my blog Icewind’s Ramblings on 9/11/2006 on the fifth anniversary of that terrible day in our country)   I re-read it again this morning and thought I would re-post it again with a couple of minor changes. In my generation, which was a generation ago, the question was repeatedly asked, "Where were you when President Kennedy was shot?" For my generation, there are too many questions with fewer answers. The United States changed directions and suddenly we were in a war called Viet Nam and the loss of this country’s young men’s innocence.   Tragedies and calamities abounded in our collective memories.   But as with the saying “time heals all wounds” and we proceeded for many years along a course with unclear direction.   Within this generation the final innocence was taken on September 11, 2001, but seems to have been somewhat faded now as the one question that will be asked again and again is, "Where were you on 9/11?" At this time ...

Many people hold on to their past and for some it is like an anchor that holds them back from being happy or living an abundant life.   To truly live abundantly in the present, we must dismiss the past and in many ways the future. Life concepts intrigue me as we must learn to accept this universal truth, now is all there ever is. We are here right now . . . in the present . . . no past, no future . . . Only now. Nothing else exists, besides this present moment. Think about that for a minute.   Now that is a reality check for sure. Fantasy Land is where you are when you spend your time thinking about the past or the future.   The power of our mind, we can make the past feel very real, however it is not real.   Your fantasies of the past may seem very real, our mind is quite powerful, but they are gone in an instant. Have you ever heard of placing a picture of a new car you wanted on the mirror and everyday looking at the picture and telling yourself that ...

Those words made famous by Rodney King, the man that was beaten by the LA police department in 1991 was found dead in his swimming pool in California. The police beating was captured on videotape by an onlooker and brought about showcasing the brutality and bad police tactics in LA.   When the trial ended with acquittals for three of the officers and the fourth ended in mistrial, the verdict caused one of the deadliest and costly race riots in the country’s history.   His words spoken on television at the height of the riots, “Can We All Get Along?” would later set the tone for the end of the siege on LA. Over they years since the incident King continued to have a troubled life in and out of jail for various charges and even tried a couple reality shows trying to kick his addictions.   Last year’s VH1 show Celebrity Rehab featured King as one of those trying to kick his alcoholism. There are probably two sides to this story but hopefully this troubled man finds peac...

Many of us these days use facebook for various reasons. Most would probably say they post to keep in contact with other people, many of us have ‘found’ each other after many years out of touch.   For this it has been a great way to rekindle those old friendships from high school, the military, or old business people from work place over the years. According to facebook statistics, there are currently 500 million active users; 50% of them log on to facebook in any given day. If you are into the bigger numbers, there are over 700 billion minutes spent wasted each month on facebook. The numbers are incredible and grossly impressive. Yet, with the millions of facebook users, how many people out there can actually say their facebook friends are ‘real’ friends. When looking at some different profiles, some people have a few friends, some have a few hundred, and others . . . well . . . I don’t think I have ever met that many people in my whole life. But, because we are looking at num...

If you can start the day without caffeine, If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains, If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles, If you can eat plain food every day and be grateful for it, If you can understand when you’re loved ones are too busy to give you any time . . . If you can take criticism and blame without resentment, If you can conquer tension without medical help, If you can relax without liquor, If you can sleep without the aid of drugs, . . . Then You Are Probably The Family Dog! I lost two good dogs a few years ago about this time of year for both of them.   Casey was the first to go in 2005 and Levi, this man’s best friend died in 2007. I would like another dog but do not want to ever again go the distance with having to lose another one so I’ll enjoy the memories of the fun we had over the years. Ice

Translation guide for the clueless Women's English    =         Men’s Understanding of Women’s English Yes                       =         No No                         =        Yes Maybe                   =        No We need                =        I want . . . I am sorry             =        You'll be sorry We need to talk     =   ...

This from the Wall Street Journal’s report from tonight’s NBC’s magazine “Rock Center”, Jerry Sandusky says: “I shouldn’t have showered with those kids”. I am one not to rant too much but this really pisses me off to no end.   He states he is innocent but he did do some of those things.   Now I am not sure where you come from or what your daddy taught you but anytime that urge hits you to shower or touch children comes over ones self it is time for you to put a gun in your mouth as God intends for you to be culled from the herd of those of us who never entertain those thoughts.   Anytime there is no major flag or siren going off in ones head as they are about to do something so terrible to an innocent child, you have lost your moral compass and to my way of thinking the compass was never there in the first place or there is no way to redeem oneself to get pointed back on track.   Rehabilitation should not be an option as it has repeatedly shown that more often t...

My best friend went through a divorce just over a year ago and at the time there is that feeling of trying to get it right with how you respond to the news. The traditional way upon hearing that word, “Divorce” is the response, “I’m so sorry” . . . But sometimes depending on the people’s circumstances divorce might just be a happy occasion . . . after all, no one hears of a happy marriage ending in divorce.  Leading up to it might have been bad for a time but it’s over now so is it a happy occasion?  Different people probably look at it from many vantage points. Here it is a year later and I am going through it after many years together and it comes with many strange and sometimes challenging expectations. I’m older now so the prospect of getting into the ‘dating’ mode comes with mixed feelings.  The mind plays strange things with one’s self . . . you see that pretty lady and the ‘ego mind’ quickly jumps on your shoulder and whispers (or shouts) in your ear . . . You...

We all hear it . . . we see it in the changes as we walk through our daily routines.   Sometimes it subtle when it lasts for several weeks but here in Alaska things seem to be in a much faster progression and sometimes it just jumps out at you. I have been thinking a lot about change lately and what brings on those variances that make up our lives.   Do we bring it on ourselves or by chance did we allow it to just happen unaware that in an instant (or over a longer period) things changed. In my life music has always taken me to many places and in my ipod I have a collection of things that I constantly listen to during my travels or just in my car going between places.   I have certain music that I listen to every morning that hopefully sets the mood of my day and others that I pull up from times gone by that bring back certain memories or events in my life and the music that was associated with those times. Music is dear to us and we tend to hold onto it while techn...

Remember back before the election during all of the campaigning and coverage of the presidential primaries how MSNBC was gushing all over Barack Obama? Well it is interesting now a year later to see how things have changed.  Its not the same now as reality sinks in.  Did you watch Obama's TelePrompTer reading last night?  What a mess we are in and a joke of a speech.  I couldn’t watch all of it because my bullshit meter kept going off and pegging the “get out your chest waders” because we are in deep shit.  He didn't read anything that was unexpected. Holding BP accountable.                        Yep we’ve heard that for 58 days now. We've been on the job from day 1.      Yep typical ‘no urgency’ gov’nment job. Clean up the Gulf Coast .                ...