Whoa!

Bathroom at the Tin Fish.

Waiting

The post Christmas shopping activity of being a chauffeur!

Christine

A scene from...

Contemplation

Hrm...

Trifecta

A trio of banana bread just out of the oven!

WTH?

So this is what it looks like so far at ten thirty. I am about ready to head out for round two of Gil versus the Drifting White Death.

Hello Kitty

Ornamental kitty.

Night Time

Italian Herb Bread

Gil make another loaf!

Executive Perch

Success!

Gil make bread!

Excitement!

Oh yea!

Initiation

The snow blower has awakened!

Not to Far

Just far enough though.

It Was...

a pretty good movie but the vacation I had planned would have been better.

The White Death!

Australia

Yah. So instead of being there celebrating my five year wedding anniversary with my wife, I am going to watch the movie with some friends. Even funnier is that the wife is not even here to come watch with me.

Breakfast

Stopping for some breakfast at the George Webb. Yum!

Sunrise

Thanksgiving Day sunrise.

Fun!

115' of pure fun!

Shovel Time

Wow. I almost forgot how long the driveway is.

Waiting on the Train

Yah not to happy about the cold weather.

Zoikes!

Rock on with the White Death!

Leaves and Gutter

Cleaning out the fallen.

A good way to spend the 5 year wedding anniversary don't you think?

wikiHow

How to Get Closure

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

There may be times in our lives when relationships - whether they are romances, friendships, or family ties - hit a bump in the road and seem to fade away, leaving us wondering what happened and why? If it's been a long time and it's clear to you that the relationship is over, but there was no final talk or last goodbye, you might be in need of some closure so that you can move on, and put that relationship behind you.

Steps

1. Define your loose ends. What is it that lingers in you that prevents you from moving on? What residual emotions are still tying you to this person? Usually it's some form of anger or guilt - anger over what a person did to you, and you don't feel they were held accountable to it, or guilt over what you did (or didn't do) to (or for) someone else, and your resulting sense of regret.
   
2. Forgive. The fastest way to free yourself from an enemy and all associated negativity is to forgive. Untie the bindings and loose yourself from that person's ugliness. Your hatred has tied you to the person responsible for your pain. Your forgiveness enables you to start walking away from him or her and the pain. When your enemy and his or her evil actions come to mind, send him or her a blessing. Hope the best for him or her. The first 15 - or 150 - times you try this, the "blessing" may feel contrived, empty, and even hypocritical but keep trying. Eventually, it will become a new habit and soon thereafter, the anger and pain that has burned in your heart will evaporate, like dew before the morning sun.
   
3. Apologize. If you feel guilt or shame, if you are the one who needs forgiveness, then apologize. But it's not as simple as saying or thinking "I'm sorry." Grab a pen and paper and write a full-blown apology, keeping the following in mind:
   
   • There is no excuse. Do not try to think of or offer one. An apology with an excuse is not an apology. Take full responsibility for what you did.
     
   • Make it a point to avoid using the word "but". ("I am sorry, but..." means "I am not sorry.")
     
   • Do not say "I'm sorry you feel that way" or "I'm sorry if you were offended" --it makes it seem like you are blaming the other person for feeling a certain way, and is not a real apology.
     
   • Think about what caused you to make the offense. Find the underlying problem, describe it to the person (as an explanation, not an excuse), and tell them what you intend to do to rectify that problem so that you can avoid this mistake in the future.
     
   
   
4. Have a symbolic ceremony. People still hold funerals for the deceased whose bodies were never found, and you can still have a formal way to say goodbye to relationships that were never resolved. Gather all of the things that remind you of this person and burn them, or donate them to charity. Give a eulogy to the relationship, and say it out loud.
   
5. Write a story. Think back to when your relationship with this person began, and document it from beginning to end. This may be very painful, but it will give you a broader perspective. When you get to the final chapter, finish off on a positive note and write "The End". If you're writing in a notebook, close it forcefully, take a deep breath, and put it on a bookshelf. If you wrote on looseleaf papers, fold them, put them in an envelope, and seal it. You may choose to keep the story, or you may choose to shred it or burn it. The very act of documenting your relationship and closing the book, however, will help you find closure emotionally.
   
6. Begin a new chapter. You'll never be able to erase your memory of this person, but you can use the experience to better yourself and to help others. If you wronged someone, resolve never to make the same mistake again, and take it a step further: help others avoid making the same mistake you did. If you were a victim, reach out to other victims, and teach others how to avoid the wrongdoing that you faced. Make the end of your relationship with that person a turning point in your life. Start moving in a new direction.
   

Video

Tips

• Give yourself time to heal. It won't happen overnight.
  
• Whenever you think of the person, visualize him or her in front of you, then imagine yourself blowing him or her away. Whether they fly away like a dry leaf or scatter like dust in the wind, let them go. Do this every time you find yourself dwelling on the past.
  

Warnings

• Avoid distractions or any kind of escapism. Don't submerge yourself in substance abuse, television, or a new relationship. It will only delay your feeling of closure.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Overcome Serious Regrets
  
• How to Apologize
  
• How to Forgive
  
• How to Bury Your Burdens
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Get Closure. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Heading Back

Heading back home.

Lunch

Having lunch with my lil sister at the Berghoff. Yum!

Hail!

The Name Card

Go Fish!

South Milwaukee City Hall

Waiting for Danielle to finish running her errands before we hit the road.

Autumn

I drive by this tree a lot and it never fails to impress and make me happy.

Driving

Buster wants to go and cruising!

Couch TV

I heart this movie...KAAAAHN! KAAAAHN!

Couch TV

Checking out a little Airplane before going to sleep.

Sleeping on the Couch Movie Night

Collar up Richare Gere in Internal Affairs.

5 Upcoming Remakes of 80s Movies (That Must be Stopped) | Cracked.com

5 Upcoming Remakes of 80s Movies (That Must be Stopped) | Cracked.com: "5 Upcoming Remakes of 80s Movies (That Must be Stopped)
By Cole Gamble, CRACKED Staff
article image

Nothing from the 80s belongs in today's world. The themes we cared about then are sad reminders of how naive we once were, and the fashion trends that interested us are even sadder reminders of how idiotic we were.

Which makes it all the more ridiculous to see which 80s movies Hollywood wants to awkwardly jam into today's world. Movies like..."

Couch Movie Night

Tango and Cash

To Be a Cat

Lucky is relaxing in the bright sunshine.

Flushed Down the Toilet

My five year wedding anniversary is coming up soon and I spent the last five months planning something special for it. I was planning this because the wedding ceremony that we had was not the one that my wife had envisioned. What she wanted was to be married on the beach at some tropical location, what she got was a marriage ceremony at a community center all because I wanted to invite my family and friends since it was my first marriage. Since I felt that five years was a milestone for my marriage, I wanted to plan something special for my wife and I came up with this idea and talked to some of the contacts that I had made while working overseas to start fleshing it all out. This was what the travel agent, who happened to be the daughter of one of the guys I worked with on a project came up with for me. As I had wanted the original package to be on the 8th of November, I had her change it because there was more vacation time around Thanksgiving so it would still work out.

Dear Gill,

Please find following some information for your interest regarding renewing your vows on Hamilton Island. In looking at availability and pricing for your package, I discovered that Hamilton Island is actually unavailable to perform the Renewal Ceremony on the 8^th of November. As this was your actual anniversary, I did not want to arrange something that might have a dampener created by the ceremony not being on the correct date.

Please find following an alternate option for Hayman Island, which is quite close to Hamilton Island and is also quite an exclusive luxury island escape.

Flights:

2^nd November, Milwaukee-Brisbane (23^rd)

Milwaukee-Chicago Dep. 2: 20 pm Arr. 3:15 pm

Chicago-Los Angeles Dep. 5:40 pm Arr. 8:15 pm

Los Angeles-Brisbane Dep. 11:55 pm Arr. 7:45 am (4^th November) (25^th)

5^th November, Brisbane-Hamilton Island (26^th)

Brisbane-Hamilton Island Dep. 9:30 am Arr. 11:10 am

7 nights Hayman Island

12^th November, Hamilton Island-Brisbane (3^rd of December)

Hamilton Island-Brisbane Dep. 11:45 am Arr. 1:10 pm

13^th November, Brisbane-Milwaukee (4^th of December)

Brisbane-Los Angeles Dep. 12:10 pm Arr. 7:00 am

Los Angeles-Chicago Dep. 9:00 am Arr. 3:00 pm

Chicago-Milwaukee Dep. 7:35 pm Arr. 6:25 pm

Hayman Island Package

Your romantic accommodation package includes:

• Return launch transfers from Hamilton Island
• 7 nights accommodation in a Pool Deluxe Room – Queen Bedding
• Daily buffet breakfast in Azure
• French Champagne and chocolate plate on arrival
• Romantic candlelit dinner served on guest balcony one evening, including bottle of Australian sparkling wine
• 45 minute body massage for 2 people

Wedding Vow Renewal Ceremony

The basic ceremony package includes:

• Co-ordination service
• Ceremony location and set-up
• Renewal of Vows Celebrant Service Fee
• Limousine transfers to and from the Ceremony
• Toasting sparkling wine

Optional extras such as a bouquet, buttonhole, rose petals, table decorations etc are available at an extra charge.

Recently I discovered that she has already made plans to go to Ireland with her girlfriend during this period so all of this planning has been for naught. Do you hear that? Do you? You know what that is? That's the sound of a toilet flushing. She said that she had told me twice that she was planning that trip but honestly, I don't remember any instance of that. What I do remember is that at Irish Fest, she and her friend were going around talking to the travel agents that were there.

So yah, so much for that, good thing I didn't go ahead and purchase the package.

Tired

The weight of the inevitable path that I am on.

Movie Time

Still sleeping on the couch so why not take in another movie so last night it was "Conan the Destroyer".

The end is near.

Snoopers Abound!

Study: One in three snoop on their partner's SMS messages

Fri Aug 29, 2008 1:48PM EDT

See Comments (101)
Buzz up!on Yahoo!

Unsurprisingly, most snoopers end up finding something they don't like, and a good 10 percent dumped their partners after reading a damning text message, the study says.
Other findings of the study, conducted for Virgin Mobile Australia (as reported by Reuters): 60 percent of SMS snoops wait until their victims are in the shower before prying into their text messages, and 41 percent are brazen enough to sneak a peek while their loved one is in the same room (asleep, perhaps?).

Now, as anyone who's rifled through a loved one's diary knows, snooping is risky in more ways than one—not just in terms of getting caught, but also because of what you might find.

Of course, I'm sure some of the snoopers found heart-warming and/or reassuring texts along the lines of, "UR boyfriend sent flowers? Awesome!" or "sorry 4 making a pass at U, won't happen again."

But according to the study, about 73 percent of SMS spies found something that they "wished they hadn't," while 45 percent discovered texts that ranged anywhere from mildly flirty to XXX-rated, Reuters reports.

Finally, about 10 percent of those who took the survey said they'd broken off a relationship after finding an incriminating text message. Ouch!

Personally, I've never indulged in any SMS snooping, or e-mail spying for that matter—mainly because I remember poking around a crush's diary when I was a kid and finding a not-so-nice entry about yours truly. That was eons ago, but man, I'll never forget it. No more snooping for me.

What about you—ever spied on your loved one's text messages or e-mail? Anyone ever confess that they'd snooped on your SMS messages?

Related:
Text message snoop? Study says beware [Reuters]

Tales of the Weird

Makes you think back to that line in 'Wall Street' doesn't it?

"Greed is good."

Ruts...

...I think I am in a lot of them. LOL

8 Marriage Ruts: Are You In One?
Whether you've been married for three months or three years, here's how to get out of routines that hurt your relationship.
By The Nest Editors

Rut #1: Watching TV During Dinner
Why it's bad: Having dinner together offers valuable face time with your partner. Turning on the tube competes for attention and cuts in on your time to catch up and connect after so many hours spent apart.
How to stop: Set aside 30 to 45 minutes of one-on-one talk time with the TV off every night. This shows your spouse that when you're not at work, you're devoted to your home and family. During this time, ignore your phone and leave the BlackBerry in another room. You'll feel closer within days.

Rut #2: Going Too Long Without Sex
Why it's bad: If the amount of sex you're used to having starts to slide, your body and brain can get used to the decreased intimacy, causing you to go even longer without wanting that closeness.
How to stop: Don't wait until you feel like doing it. Initiate sex when you're open to doing it, rather than when you have the desire. This will jump-start your feelings so you'll crave it more often.

Rut #3: Going a Whole Workday Without Talking to Your Sweetheart
Why it's bad: You'll start growing apart emotionally after subconsciously feeling like the other person doesn't think about you (and your needs) during the day.
How to stop: Initiate daily contact by sending a quick "How's your day?" email. And make the effort to do something nice every day (pick up his fave dessert, call from the store to see if she needs something). It shows forethought and consideration for your partner's needs.

Rut #4: Tuning Each Other Out
Why it's bad: You're disengaging from each other.
How to stop: Make an effort to do small things such as kissing before saying good-bye, making eye contact when talking, and complimenting each other frequently throughout the week. Does he not seem to hear you talking during certain times (ahem, when ESPN is on)? Don't try to make conversation while the TV is on. If it's important, press mute; otherwise, save conversations for dinner or your bedroom, where you're less likely to be interrupted.

Rut #5: Not Fighting
Why it's bad: Disagreements are good in a marriage because you're expressing your individuality. Talking about issues when they first happen makes them easier to fix than if you wait until after they've festered.
How to stop: Bring up what's on your mind in a way that shows your admiration and respect for each other's thoughts and feelings. Like, "It hurts my feelings when ______. I was hoping we could figure out a new way to handle the situation together." This will set the tone of the conversation as loving and calm, but you both have to compromise to keep it that way.

Rut #6: Going out More with Friends Than with Your Spouse
Why it's bad: It sends the message that your friends are more worthy of your time.
How to stop: Schedule nights out with your crew a few times a month, but make sure to let your partner know in advance. It's important to have these friendships as long as they don't make your married time sparse. And it's always best that these friends are people your partner knows and trusts, so there's less reason to worry.

Rut #7: Being Too Close
Why it's bad: As much as you think burping, scratching, picking, or farting is funny or cute, it can backfire and cross the line. It may be a reflection of your closeness, but there should be a limit. Otherwise, you're leaving your partner with a very unsexy image of you.
How to stop: Start a new rule. If you wouldn't do it in front of your work friends, don't do it in front of your honey. To get your mate to refrain, say: "I know we're close, and we can share everything, but I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave the room, or leave me out, when you do that. It's not very sexy, and I don't want anything that makes you less sexy to me."

Rut #8: Sharing Too Much with Your Parents or In-laws
Why it's bad: This shows a lack of loyalty to your spouse. Your parents shouldn't have any information that your spouse doesn't have. And they shouldn't know anything he wouldn't want them to know.
How to stop: Be loyal to your spouse even when she's not present. If you wouldn't say something in front of her, don't say it at all. You would want the same in return.

[Nestpert] Dr. Susan Fletcher is a licensed psychologist in private practice and the author of Parenting in the Smart Zone

Clarity

"I mean it, honey, the world is being Fed-exed to hell in a hand cart. I really believe anyone thinking even thinking of bringing a child into the world is coldly considering an act of cruelty." - Stanley Goodspeed

After much thought when I was done watching "The Rock" this past weekend I found this statement struck a chord. I guess it is as good a reason as any for me not to have any children.

Whew!

Dang, it is a bit on the warm side out here. Oh well, I guess it is the middle of the summer and one should expect temperatures like this when one travels to the tropics. Still it is taking some time to get acclimated to as I was out walking to the grocery store last night and it was somewhat stifling.

Four weeks of this kind of weather. Yipes.

The Soundtrack of My So Called Life

Opening Credits: "Forrest Gump Suite" composed by Alan Silvestri

Waking Up: "Hazy Shade of Winter" by The Bangles

Falling in Love: "Make You Feel My Love" by Garth Brooks

Fight scene: "Clubbed to Death" (Kurayamino Mix) by Rob Dougan

Breaking up: "I'm Movin' On" by Rascal Flatts

Getting back together: "Extraordinary" by Mandy Moore

Secret Love: "Without You" by Dixie Chicks

Life's okay: "Sometimes" by Britney Spears

Mental breakdown: "Farewell/Descent Into Madness" by James Horner

Driving Flashback: "Bye Bye" by Jodee Messina

Partying: "Friends in Low Places" (Live) by Garth Brooks

Happy dance: "I Love This Bar" by Toby Keith

Regretting: "Not a Day Goes By" by Lonestar

Long night alone: "Chances Are" by Bob Seger & Martina McBride

Death Scene: "The Song Remembers When" by Trisha Yearwood

End Credits: "60B" (Etown Theme) by Nancy Wilson

Movies!

Viewership Growth

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LOL

My Blog Disclaimer

I use my blog to vent and to just release steam that needs to be released. I guess it just depends if the collective "they" and/or "them" understand that it is what it is. It can be the cold, harsh, bitter, somewhat biased views from my perspective. Or it can be the jovial, lighthearted commentary on what occurs in my day. Of course everyone who reads my blog is entitled to their own opinions and whilst I may read them and take some comfort in the advice, or take them with a grain of salt it is ultimately my blog and my thoughts that are there and it is up to me whether to take them seriously or not.

A high school buddy of mine once told me, "Opinions are like butts, everyone has them" and I learned this as well when I was in college getting critiqued on my studio projects. Sure, everyone has an opinion or advice and whether they are qualified to give that advice and/or opinion or even if it is solicited, in the end, it is up to me as how I will react to what was said. People will always read into things the way they want to read into it, even if one has a disclaimer or just flat out says, "This is my opinion, these are my views" someone out there will undoubtedly be offended or agree with whatever has been said.

It is only human nature.

Take or give with a grain of salt, whether people are just trying to be helpful or spiteful, it always remains in our own perceptions as how we take the advice or react to the opinions that we are given.

A Random Grammar Moment

Sometimes, we're just all confused as to when to use the apostrophe. Hopefully this little graphic will help clear up the confusion.

Japanese Slip N Slide

source: DoubleViking

They built a whole Slip N Slide obstacle course. Pretty sweet.