My Time So Far

 Normally this time of year, the end I mean, most people give a year in review sort of thing where they talk about the year and what it has meant to them and so forth. However, I have not been on the platform for an entire year yet so I will talk about my time so far. So far, I have enjoyed this process. The process of writing a little piece of something to share with an audience and doing it every week. It becomes a routine that is not hard to follow and keeps someone like me motivated to keep doing it. I have enjoyed the way this platform allows me to post damn near anything I wish without questioning it. Whether or not anyone reads these is irrelevant because I did not do this to prove a point, I did this to ramble and ramble I have. I have shared my opinion on a few things and have hopefully given a few people a few things to think about. My hope is that anyone who has read these will evaluate their day to day and see that sometimes the world is just another person’s opinion. So go have your own, ramble a little, and please make your point already! But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Holiday Traditions Your Way

 Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house

Every creature was stirring, and even the mouse

Hanging signs saying “Of Krampus Beware,

And hoping St. Nicholas soon would be there

The children stayed up all night

In their tradition of getting Santa in sight

While mama and I cleaned up dishes

From the barbeque earlier of our wishes

And out on the lawn there were chairs spread out

For the parade we watched, it was fun, no doubt

The kids had their shoe on the windowsill

In jest really, but who knows still

Where we are, there is much snow

So we build a snowman before the sun makes him go

And our neighbors to the east

Played a game of dreidel after their feast

Many friends have Nativity scenes on their yards

With the Wisemen standing post like guards

Some sing carols of reindeer of eight

While others sing of a ninth so great

Name them we shall for our holiday cheer

Because writing them is hard, their names are quite queer

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Vixen

Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen

And Rudolph the ninth of the team

Really the headlight of the crew, red nose on high beam

Many candles are lit and trees all a-glow

There is nothing amiss here, you know

Perhaps red, green, and black are your forte

And gathering to reflect on the principle of the day

Or even fireworks may explode

Man what a way to unload

Cookies are baked, latkes are served

Your holiday vacation from work is deserved

Is the turkey all set to bake

Or are you simply having a little cake

Many deserts to be had

Sweet, warm, decadent, and none of it bad

Spending time with relatives can be a strain

But for some it is the point and there is no pain

Do you have servants and maids and the sorts

Perhaps you have Boxing Day for your cohorts

We will exchange gifts with glee

And hopefully give many happily

Whatever traditions are yours and your family’s

Enjoy them with utmost gusto and some laughs please

Because at day’s end, your fun is important

And making yearly habits that will take plant

And being together with people you care for

Can make the holidays not seem like a such a chore

Make your own traditions and worry not about the rest

Because your holidays become great if filled with great jest

But that is just one man’s opinion to be had

Thanks for listening to me ramble, it makes me so glad

I appreciate your moment for my insight

So until next time, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night

Everyday I'm Side-Hustlin'

 We all work our 9 – 5 jobs or some version of it. Everyday we make a little money that goes somewhere, whether it be bills, a bank account, or some kind of leisure that inevitably wastes our money. 40 years ago, that was the standard and everyone was happy with it. Well, not everyone, but we all have that one uncle that complains about his bosses bending him over. However, in the modern era, there is a trend for everyone to not only work their 9 – 5 but also to have a side hustle. Now this may be anything from making a little money from a hobby like woodwork or crochet, or an entire second job and the question is always the same. Is it really worth it? Well, as someone who has a few side hustles, I can say… probably. I mean, will I get rich from any of them? No. But I do make a little extra spending money to do with as I wish and that is never a bad thing. This seems to be the consensus from most everyone I know. They know they are not going to be the next Warren Buffett from selling a little Avon, but they do always have a little extra at the end of the month when their regular wages never seem to meet up with the demand of their bills. I have even had some friends that have turned their side hustle into their main hustle. So, what is the point here. Well, to put simply, if you have extra time to sit around wondering about what extra money is out there, then why don’t you start using that time to get a little of that extra money. It might pay off one day. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.

Cursing Isn't For the Young at Heart

Have you ever said a curse word as an adult and had people stare at you like you just committed murder? I certainly have. I was this many days old when I realized that my parents still aren’t comfortable with me cursing. I mean if I was 4 or maybe even 14, I could understand the odd looks, but at the ripe old age of 28, I think I have lived enough life to have earned the right to say whatever I damn well please. Now that is not to say that every adult has to populate their vocabulary with “sentence enhancers”, but it does mean that if they want to, no one has the right to judge them for it. It also leads to the question, how old is old enough to curse without judgement? I mean if a parent was allowing their preteen child to run around saying f**k every third word, one may start to wonder if that child needed some intervening. However, I think there also needs to be a social contract with every parent and child that when that child reaches a certain age, they should be allowed to start peppering in a few curse words if the moment seems right. Because let’s be honest, if you are in your 30’s and you bang your knee on a just slightly too long coffee table and the first thing out of your mouth is “Oh fiddlesticks”, I am definitely going to wonder if you’re sane. In a situation like that, I should want to cover the younger people’s ears, not laugh at your mild expression of pain. And I think that is the main problem with my relationship with my parents. That social contract was never established. We never really talked about cursing. When I was child, my parents told me that those words were off limits and I shouldn’t say them at all. That was it. There was never a moment where my ma and pa said, “Son, you are 21 now and we are going to take you for your first drink and a good cursing.” I had been cursing to myself and my close friends for years before my parents heard my first curse. So, in my mind, because those people were okay with it, I thought my parents would be. That is not say they aren’t okay with it; I just think it took them by surprise. So, to all those parents out there, with children of any age, just like a sex talk, let’s establish an age where if your child wishes to become the sailor that many adults do, they know that you fully approve. Or establish a contract that you don’t curse, so they don’t curse, at least in front of you. But that is just one man’s opinion. Thanks for listening to me ramble. I appreciate it. See you next time.