What I Want for Christmas (and What I'm Getting My Brother)

Hello everyone! I’ve been thinking a lot about what to get my brother, Tom, for Christmas. It’s just the two of us on holidays, so we get each other one or two nice gifts. His birthday is in January. When I asked him what he wanted for each celebration his exact text back was, “...a pony. No, a unicorn… no, a pony.” He’ll be 52 years old. He’s a funny guy.

Last year he told me he just wanted brown socks. Nothing else, just brown socks, please! So I got a great deal online from a local upscale department store and I bought him $100 worth of brown dress socks. You’d think that would have taught him. He loved it!

Now, I’m not one to ask for a specific gift (and neither is he), but this year I really want an Amazon Fire TV Stick for Christmas. I have a Roku device, but it doesn’t always work. I’ve had to return it twice.

I'm Taking a WordPress Course

I signed up for a WordPress for Beginners course in our local continuing ed. courses. It meets for three Mondays in a row. It only cost $40 so I went for it. My therapist and psychiatrist are thrilled with the fact that I’m stepping out into the public for something… anything.

I must say that I’m very glad I’ve worked a little with WordPress in the past. If not, I’d be completely lost. She is covering the information very quickly for beginners. We have one lady that is having real problems. I feel bad for her.

Next week is the last week, and the teacher says we have a lot more to cover. I’ve not even had time to take any notes. We go so fast just working on our practice site.

My Weight Loss Saga: The First Weigh-in

It’s been about three weeks since I started my weight loss saga, and it’s time for the first official weigh-in. My friend, Joy, gave me an extra scale she found at her house. It’s digital, and all it needed was a new battery. I’m stalling like I was last night when I did the weigh-in.

To get down to business, I started my journey to lose 40-50 lbs at a whopping 194.9 lbs (I’m 5’8). I stepped on the scale Tuesday night, mostly naked, and weighed 180.8 lbs. Tah-dah!

Okay, so losing 14.1 lbs in three weeks doesn’t sound like much. Remember though, I’m disabled and really limited on the amount and type of exercises I can do in a day. So I’m also trying to eat better.

Weight Loss and My Addictive Personality

As you know by now, I suffer from Major Depression. I’m on medication and I also see a therapist twice a month. I’m pretty sure I have the best therapist available here. She’s that good. And she works at the county hospital. We’ll call her Katy.

Anyway, today I had therapy. We talked mostly about my attempt to lose weight and also my attempt to give up Pepsi. My friend, Joy, and I worked on a meal plan and daily schedule before we went. Katy was impressed.

I have an addictive personality, I think. I don’t know if there’s a test for that, but if I like something I easily become addicted to it (especially if there is an addictive drug in it). I tried cigarettes over 30 years ago, and sadly, I’m still a heavy smoker. I am also addicted to caffeine and the taste of Pepsi.

My Weight Loss Saga - Chapter One

I’m trying to lose weight. I would like to lose about 40-50lbs. It’s going to be very difficult due to my bad back. I can’t do any real exercise. I can walk, on smooth surfaces. Oh God, I’m gonna be a mall walker.

I’ve just started walking laps in my house. I have a long straightaway that I can do laps through. I do at least 100 laps a day right now. Sometimes 150, when I’m really motivated.

My biggest enemy is Pepsi. I love it. It no longer loves me back. It treats me like an abusive husband. I want it so bad, and it does nothing but hurt me. And I go back for more every time.

I Suffer From Major Depression

I suffer from Major Depression. There, I said it. I’ve left this blog for a while due to terrible writer’s block, which happens every time I get depressed. I also suffer from anxiety and BPD (which is not Bipolar, it’s Borderline Personality Disorder), since we’re being honest.

I have to apologize. I set up this blog to talk about things going on in my life every day. Then I proceeded to post a bunch of old articles I’d written a few years ago on Associated Content. They are decent articles, but they have nothing to do with what’s going on in my life. I have a little trouble talking about myself.

What Do Wild Baby Rabbits Eat?

Rescuing Wild Baby Rabbits

A question many veterinary clinics get in spring and summer is, "what do wild baby rabbits eat?" This often happens after a lawn mower finds a rabbit nest. Find out what to feed a wild baby rabbit to prepare it for release back into the wild.

As a general rule it's best to let wild baby rabbits remain safely in their nest. Sometimes circumstances force us to become surrogate mothers to wild baby animals, as was the case for me when a lawnmower went over a rabbit nest. I was faced with trying to save eight wild baby rabbits with injuries ranging from shock to one fatality. After tending to the injuries I called my veterinarian to find out what wild baby rabbits eat.

My veterinarian explained that it's difficult to replicate food for baby bunnies. It's best to contact a wildlife rescue organization near you, especially if there are severe injuries. Because I've had veterinary experience, and all of these baby rabbits had their fur and would only need a week or so of assistance before release back into the wild, he gave me the instructions. Wild rabbits do not make good pets and should always be released back to the wild or to a wildlife rescue..

Top 10 Movie Quotes of All Time and What They Mean to Me

My mother was the most avid movie fan that I have ever met. She took us to the movies every single Sunday afternoon, and sometimes Saturdays as well. When we had cable installed in the late 1970's, we would get up every Saturday morning and watch WTBS, where they ran old movies. This is where I was first introduced to Marlon Brando, Paul Newman, Humphrey Bogart, and my favorite Gregory Peck. It is true that they don't write them like they used to, as I had trouble narrowing down my list to just a top ten.

Here goes!

10.) "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!"

What movie quote list would be complete without this classic, used originally of course by Clarke Gable as Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind. Though most kids today have no idea where this line is from (and the explicative is often more colorful), this is a true classic movie quote.

Top 10 Michael Jackson Songs

From shear childhood joy in the early days, to pure funk and raw angst in the end, Michael Jackson single-handedly transformed the pop music and the dance world. After such a huge beginning most would have burned out early. Michael seemed to grow with us and reinvented himself at the perfect moment in time.

As difficult as it was to narrow down, here are my picks for the Top 10 Michael Jackson songs. These are in no particular order.

"Childhood" (HIStory - Past, Present and Future - Book 1)

Lyrics
Video

Michael Jackson did his best to explain himself to us in this raw song. This is the MJ song that makes me think he seemed to have actually lived the life of 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'. As the 5 year old front man for the Jackson 5, Michael had the star power of a seasoned veteran. He gave straight forward answers in interviews like a business professional. By the end Michael had shrunken to a stick figure. His interviews were short, with childlike answers. He only spoke of love, in a sing-song whisper of a voice.

The Top 10 One Hit Wonders of the 1970's

The 70's were full of musical acts that rose to meteoric fame only to never again be able to match those heights. Artists like these are referred to as 'one hit wonders'. Some of these bands stayed together for years riding the strength of their only hit. Others seemed to fall off the face of the planet. The following bands were my favorite one hit wonders of the 70's.

Will the Real Bruce Jenner Please Stand Up! Who Is He and How Did Bruce Jenner Become Famous

You may think Bruce Jenner is just some rich old guy that got his girls a reality TV show. Heck, you may even think he's a Kardashian. Though Jenner appears to be now forever entrenched in the muck and mire of reality TV, there was a time when he made the entire country stand up and cheer. Simply put, Bruce Jenner is a national sports hero.

Bruce Jenner: Olympic Champion

In 1972 the US men's track team lost all the major medals to the then powerful Soviets. Jenner finished 10th in the decathlon event and decided to start training full time for the 1976 games.

When Jenner stepped into the Olympic track and field event arena in Montreal there was a rush of anticipation that grew with each passing event of the decathlon. People started expecting to see something great, and they were not disappointed.

Top 5 TV Shows of 2014 (My faves anyway)

Every night I force myself to unplug my Roku device and watch a little prime time television. With as much TV as I watch you'd think it'd be easy for me to come up with my 50 favorite TV shows. Sadly, most of my faves are from the 70's-90's. I have a TV blog for that stuff.

I actually had to do some pretty deep soul searching to find my five favorite shows of 2014. Here they are, after at least 15 minutes of thought (my soul isn't very deep), my top five TV shows of 2014.

Our State Fair Is a Great State Fair! Iowa State Fair 8/07-8/17

Our state fair is the best state fair! That's right, I said it! I know it's true because my mom used to wake us up on "fair day" (which always fell on my birthday) singing the anthem from the movie "State Fair".  We would park at my grandma's house about five blocks away, and she would again start singing the song when we were within minutes of the long walk ending at the gates. I have yet to meet anyone who loves the fair the way my mother did.

My Picks for Best Elton John Songs

I've been an Elton John fan since the summer of 1984. We saw his summer concert promoting "Breaking Hearts" and I have been hooked ever since. I love everything from his gospel tunes to his pop hits. These are my picks for the best Elton John songs ever recorded.

"Madman Across the Water" album Madman Across the Water
This is my number one pick for best Elton John songs. I love the haunting melody and sheer madness in his voice and the music. Think you don't like Elton's music? Try listening to this song cranked up with full strings and orchestra. It may sound lame. It's anything but!

Yahoo!Voices Is Closing Up Shop

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I started writing online articles in 2008 when my back finally gave out for good. I'm starting to feel very old, even virtually. I started on Helium.com, now defunct. I moved immediately to AssociatedContent.com, which was later purchased by Yahoo! and changed to Y!CN (Yahoo! Contributor Network) and presented as Yahoo.voices.com. They will be closing and removing all content on July 31, 2014. I feel old.

I'm taking this closing harder than I though I would. I've only written one or two articles this year for that site. When I got the email I thought, "Wow, that's gonna be weird with them not there anymore." I still visited the site daily to check my stats and the forum.