Category: Uncategorized

Information that was, is, and will be is the topic of this post. I think I know a thing or two about it considering all the years I spent in college extracting it from books and computers. Now, as a teacher and blogger, I’m always on the lookout for information, but only good information. There’s the line!

This post is part of Stream of Consciousness Saturday. If you’d like to learn ore about the prompt or write one yourself, please visit the link.

I spent the last two days at the Los Angeles Museum of Tolerance. It was loaded with a ton of information I hadn’t thought about much prior to my visit. Most people are familiar with the Holocaust. Hitler and his Nazis attempted to exterminate the Jewish race. Thankfully, they were not successful. At the museum you learn how they duped a nation into thinking the Jews were the problem causing the depression and all of Germany’s social issues at the time. We learned that Jews made up only 1% of the population in Germany. Hitler gave propaganda to the people which was bad information. It made people vote for him as leader and enabled him to start his plan to destroy the Jews. This photo of an exhibit inside the museum shows a recreation of the two corridors the concentration camp victims were forced to choose from. If they were “Able Bodied” they could work probably 5 more months without starving to death in work camps. If they were women and children, their corridor led directly into the gas chamber. They looked to the sign for bad information. What signs do we look at today leading us to death and hate? More importantly, who is making those signs?

This kind of thing is still happening today. There are white supremacist websites and hate groups. There is even music that has hate-filled lyrics about restoring a perfect race. Along with the good information of the internet, there are tons of sites disseminating bad stuff tat can potentially cause killing and torture through brainwashing. That’s why it’s important to sort through bad information and cast it aside. There are things people can do to hinder hate in our times. If you’ve ever seen candlelight vigils after a hate crime, this is one way. It is like a public shaming against the killer. When Matthew Sheppard was killed for being gay, people came out in droves to a candlelight vigil and it was on all the news stations. It was one way of telling the killers “we don’t agree with you, your information is wrong.” In many ways, all of us are prejudiced but if we stop to recognize that, we may be able to get rid of some of it.

There are many ways to tell if information is bad or good. Sometimes just looking up the source can reveal a lot about it. That’s a positive aspect of the internet. If you publish a blog, be sure and speak out against the information you know to be false. Some people may ask why this applies to me. I will tell you it doesn’t apply to me directly but indirectly I see it does affect me. When someone in the world is killed in a hate crime, they lose their liberty. If one person’s liberty is snuffed out then my can be as well. So, for that reason, I am speaking about liberty for myself just as much as for them. We should do it because it’s the right thing to do of course but also for this reason. We all need to be holding the equivalent of a “candelight vigil” more often when we hear of these atrocities of hate. Always be wary of bad information. It can kill. Good information on the other hand can heal.

To find and know ones bliss is the secret of life. Well, it’s one secret anyway. I have several: guitar, blogging and technology, writing which goes along with blogging, movies, education and my pool. I spend unknown hours getting my pool up to par each year. It’s kind of like a sport for me. I measure the chemicals, take trips to the pool place, brush the sides, and countless other little activities to keep it looking good. It’s all worth it when I get to float on my back and enjoy it about half the year. Going in my pool and jacuzzi is what takes my edge off. Some people might think I am lucky though to have a pool. Sure that’s true but it’s often overlooked how much time and expense a pool requires.

After the Winter months, there is a process one goes through of restoring and opening a pool. It takes multiple backwashes and many trips to the pool place for sundries. It is aggravating but I find it well worth the struggle when the pool is sparkling and my family and I are lounging in it. I’ve already had a few days like that this season. I have to tell you, despite the expense, it is worth it! My parents had a pool when we were growing up and I have always been an avid swimmer. I love swimming at places like Lake Silverwood and Laguna Beach but I think no place can really compare with the pool at my house.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “On the Edge.”

For me, it’s more like “When did you last blog in a normal place?” because I am equipped to blog just about anywhere. I do blog in uncommon places every day. In fact the other day I made a list of things I can do on my Summer vacation, I have only 2 days left of work and then I am a Summer break guy. I listed some places on that list I am looking forward to blogging from. It is very true that sometimes as a writer you need a change of scenery. My bluetooth keyboards and iphone WordPress App make it easy to seek out creative spots to type my words. I would hope that keeps them fresh. I know it helps me write stuff I find refreshing as well as to solve problems through blogging. To answer the question about the strangest place I have blogged from, you have to go with me back in time a bit. At this time, I had a Nokia “Brick” I liked to call it. It was not a smart phone but you could text on it. I want to say this was between 2005 and 2007. There was a service then called “ping.fm” that allowed you to post from their site to multiple interfaces. It was like an early version of the now incredible IFTTT.

At any rate, it allowed posting to WordPress as long as you gave it the right credentials. It also allowed for posting updates by phone. I think you see where I am going with this. I remember a family trip to Disneyland where I was using sms messaging to post to my blog. They were snippet posts of the day. Today I’d call them “Asides” or “Statuses.” I was elated at my power to do this. When I got home, the formatting was messed up and it proved far too difficult to always strip signatures etc. to use it much. Still, it made posting ideas “from the field” possible in a whole new way. Of course, I have many many ways to do it far better now. I think it pays to be ready to blog in any situation.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Blogger in a Strange Land.”

If this were my last day, I’d hit the grocery store first. All the foods that raise my triglycerides would nearly fill my basket. Just like a death row convict, my last meal would certainly be in order. Eating is such a pleasurable experience is it not? There wouldn’t be a whole lot of time to go places and in all truth, up here in the high desert town of Victorville, there isn’t much I care to do that I haven’t already done. Of course, I’d fire up the jacuzzi and do some serious backfloating in the pool but that would only be interesting for an hour or two. One thing that would be cool would be not having to worry about shutting off the heater or the pump. I’m always a teensie bit nervous I’ll leave the heater on an the next day when I’m at work it will pop on with the timer and waste gas. If this is it, who gives a sh** ;) Right? I’d pick up my guitar and jam out on all the songs I’ve played through the years. No need to record it though right? I might check in to Facebook and Twitter real quick, of course email, but not long. If for no other reason other than to check for videos, photos, and statuses about what I can do. After all, I might run out of ideas. I’d do some relaxation and meditation. I’d make my peace with God and Jesus through the peaceful lessons of Buddha. I won’t be asking for anything except inner peace and the ability to good in the next world.

I might think about what I could leave behind. It wouldn’t be a website or anything online. Those hard drives will burn right up. I think writing on stone might be the only way to actually leave a mark. Isn’t it odd that with all our invention as a human race, it will all burn away. I suppose some people are novelty fan and have made a time capsule but as for me, no such novelty will remain. The caves at Lascaux will outlive the writings on this blog. Riley Central will become less than a flicker of electricity in a puff of dust. Obviously, I won’t be blogging. I wish they had a machine that could allow me to blog on a stone tablet. If I knew my words were going to long outlive me, I would be interested in saying a few things. I’d do all these things I have mentioned with the wonderful people in my family. I’d hug my girls and high five my son. I’d kiss my wife and tell them how much they mean to me. I’d probably give my wife a massage. If my kids needed to see anyone, I’d make sure that happened. I’m not sure what they would want but I don’t want to be selfish about the last day. Dad’s should serve their children, husbands should serve their wives. This is bordering on a depressing note but I hope I’ve given you some interesting ideas about what YOU can do on your last day

Part of Stream of Consciousness Saturday

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Eat, Drink, and Be Merry….”

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how my kids have a lot of growing to do before we can have real sit down “talks” about life’s and it’s treasures. Don’t get me wrong, I love talking with my kids now but there is sort of a barrier called immaturity that gets in the way sometimes. Either they think they know it all or at least they know better than be. This usually comes with the subject of finances. My youngest, 8, will demand it’s unfair for her to not get dollars for the “claw” machine. Have you encountered these? They were made to destroy dad’s peace. My others have similar gripes they can’t have what they want and my wife and I have to be the bad guys. It really sucks! I think it will be around 5-10 years at least before they get some of the “no” answers we give them. I’m in fairly good health, but my happily ever after would be to enjoy life with my grown up children. Hopefully something doesn’t happen to me before then.

Mark Twain said:

When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.

I guess you get my point now. My son is exploring girls, driving, work, and even asking questions about credit cards. He’ll be 17 next month. I know I don’t have the best bedside manner but I have to let him know when I think he’s making bad choices at least every day. I’m tired of it. I want to be the nice happy dad who brings peace and encouragement to the room. Instead, I get frustrated trying to get my kids to mature. I’ve got a retirement pending so I’m not worries too much about money, though certainly I am not wealthy. My dream “ever after” is one of health. I want to be physically and mentally healthy to enjoy my wife and kids at retirement or before. And, it would be nice to be coherent and healthy when I say “I told you so.”

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Happily Ever After.”