Goodbye.

I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life. My past is behind me, and man, the future looks amazing.

Strange BB and Magic Numbers

Yesterday a client told me I look like Dr. Strange. What do you think?

***



***

Big things going on here. Good things. You'll see.

***

Happy Sunday

Scattered shots

Maestro Jeff Beck

A gorgeous song from a true electric guitar master.

BB b 42

I turned 42 on Sunday.






Renee' and the kids and I had a really nice lunch at Red Robin to celebrate. A BIG thank you to Amanda for the gift certificate!

***

Did you know that Patsy Cline wore genuine chupacabra fur? Yep. She sang to them to lull them into cooperation as she shaved them. It's true. You could look it up.

***

Renee' treated me like an absolute king on my birthday. She hosted a small birthday dinner and invited a few friends. We had surf and turf, apple pie... wow. And she gave me nice cookware, as well as a subscription to Guitar Player. I'm excited! It was one terrific day. I really appreciate all that everyone has done for me, both for my birthday and otherwise.

Austin, 2010

First Day of School 2010

This is the "yeah Dad, uh, it's really time for you to leave now" look.

Sunday Night Jibber Jabber

Church every Sunday, introspection, prayer, meditation, study, counseling (as therapist and client), grad school, and a lifetime of conversations with the gaggle of brilliant folks whom I am privileged to know... and the more answers I get, the more questions I have.

***

We've been decorating in the kids' room. We put up some cork boards, and we painted this evening. Like the color?


***

Tonight I was singing "After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young, and THEGIRL kept interrupting me to improvise her own lyrics. It was quite cute.

***

I believe in love.

I had lunch with a friend who is 80+ years a couple months back. He was giddy over the fact that he was about to have a lunch date. At his age, the prospect of love still lights him up.

***

Sometimes I do have to swat the memories away like flies.

***

Tomorrow is the first day of school for my children. Their lunches are packed, their clothes are picked out... I hope it's a terrific year for them.

***

Black cherry... nice.

***

Good night.

Racing Thoughts

I'm really not sure what to make of this, but something has become abundantly clear to me lately: If you're lowest socio-economic status (aka desperately poor), socialism is your way of life. I know that the term socialism refers to more than just allocation of resources, but I can't help but think of that life as a socialist existence. Charities, non-profits and the like exist to ensure that resources are available for those who cannot otherwise provide for themselves. And of course, the community in that SES tends to band together and help one another.

***

Watching Spider-Man with the kids. It's about time we had a superhero movie marathon here. Though we're only going to have time for a couple.

***

Been on a Joe Ely kick today. First time in years. I learned "Me and Billy the Kid" and "If You Were a Bluebird."

***

I know lots of folks who could really stand a break right now. Well, more than a break. A ... victory. A win. Something in the "win" column. I'm one of them.

***

John Legend... Tuesday... Austin... can't wait!

If you haven't heard him, click that link and check him out. Really.

***

Making brownies with THEGIRL at the moment. That is, I mixed up all the stuff, and she's licking the bowl.

***

Good night. Be excellent to each other.

Ramblings of a Dude in a Recliner

Avocados taste great with soy sauce. This is proof that God:

A. Has a sense of humor
B. Intends for us to eat fusion cuisine
C. Forgot to put avocado trees in Asia
D. Expected the Mayans to invent soy sauce

***

Print hanging in the men's room in a local office building.



"The Bordello."

I mean... really? Really?

***

Yeah, so I took a big box of stuff to Goodwill to donate yesterday. And that was fine until this morning when I realized that the bag with the kids' new school clothes was actually in that box too.

Four trips to Goodwill and lots of schmoozing this morning resulted in most of the clothes being found and returned. Yahoo!

***

Giant grasshoppers invade Hurst!


Run for your lives!

***

Heading to Austin with Renee' next week to catch John Legend on Austin City Limits. I'm really looking forward to it!

***

I love sushi, and decided to make my own recently.



It turned out pretty well. Rolling it is a bit tricky. And I learned one quick lesson: Get the nori at a genuine Asian Market (20 sheets/$2.99) instead of someplace like Market Street (7 sheets/$5.99).

***

So we realized today that the baseball the kids and I were playing with has something written on it: "Luis Tiant, July 19, 1974."

With a little research, we learned that on that date, Tiant pitched a game for the visiting Red Sox against the Texas Rangers. He pitched a complete game, giving up 8 hits and one earned run. The Rangers lost 3-1. If I recall, Wolfboy's grandfather caught that ball as a foul that day in old Arlington Stadium.

Cool!

***

The kids are watching Furry Vengeance and howling and squealing with laughter.

***

Juke refuses to die.

***

Y'all take care.

Recent photos...

Test

Pedazos

Last weekend after Renee' and I picked the kids up from their grandparents' in Corsicana, we stopped at a Waffle House. Wolfboy leaned over the jukebox and asked if we could hear "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye.

No idea where that came from.

***

Apparently God is angry at me, as a biblical plague of crickets has descended upon my apartment. I've probably killed a couple hundred in the last couple weeks. It's maddening. The apartment complex says they'll spray.

***

There's another plague around here: Shirtless, hotrod truck driving young men who peel out in the parking lot. They're @#$%ing me off. The 6:25 squeal this morning was probably the worst yet.

***

Going to Texarkana with Renee' to see her mom for a few days this week. Never been, but I'm looking forward to it.

***

So Anderson Silva had to put up a real fight last night. A little back story for those who might not be familiar with him:

He's often hailed as "pound for pound the best fighter in the world." Given his amazing record (27-4 I think), perhaps that's the case. And he's certainly gone through some really tough guys like a hot knife through butter.

Yet for several fights now he's stopped acting like a fighter, instead choosing to... well, dance. Yeah. And clown. He evades the other fighters, engaging only here and there. He's frustrated a lot of people besides myself, including UFC president Dana White.

So trash-talking Chael Sonnen swore he'd take the fight to Silva. And lo and behold, he DID. Silva got seriously whupped for just about five rounds. Unfortunately, Sonnen got caught in a triangle choke just seconds before the final bell, when he would have won a clear decision.

I'm just glad that Silva was forced to behave like an actual fighter.

***


Made some chicken tortilla soup tonight. It was quite tasty.

***

Y'all take care.

Sonnet I

The sun runs through my veins, and your arms cradle me;
Your fingertips caress my skin, gently tracing works of art;
Our eyes are mirror images, reflecting the world endlessly;
I breathe in the scent of you, and it lights a fire in my heart.
Just as nature intended, and like millions gone before,
We've fallen in the deep end; body, mind and soul.
Unlike those millions however, it's you alone I adore;
We're two halves that make a complete whole.
You ruffle my hair, and I scrunch my face tight;
A grin breaches my front, and we collapse in laughter,
A giggling pair, two of a kind, and a sweet sight;
We toast with a kiss, hopeful for happy ever after.
Ups and downs will always come our way,
But how could I do anything but stay?

(by Megan Dwinell, Renee's daughter)

Say... does this guy look familiar?

(A picture found in my church)

Before.

Long ago I used to hear people say that they wouldn't change a thing about the past, because it made them who they are.

I used to take a rather contrary stance on that. I believed that there are many routes to get to where one is, and that through the minefield isn't a route to appreciate.

I think I get it now though.

I think that we are the sum of our experiences. I am what I am today--and I say this believing that I'm in my best emotional state ever--specifically because of some of what I experienced. I could not have this perspective, this openness, this capacity to understand, this willingness to forgive myself and to let love in, without all that came before.

Wow

The kids are asleep in their beds upstairs, and I'm enjoying the quiet. Well, I've got some live Earth, Wind, & Fire going.

***

Things are really looking up at the moment. The job situation just took a turn for the better, let me tell you. I'm technically working at four places. The rundown:

The Brain Institute has hired me to work Mon/Tues/Wed. It's a beautiful office with a terrific staff.

Mindful Directions is my other primary gig. I've been slowly building a client base there, and look forward growing with them.

Hurst Christian Church, where I have been staff counselor since 2008. They've been terrific to me. I just started accepting Medicaid there.

The Depression Connection Team, for whom I run two weekly depression/bipolar support groups. They've been just terrific to me.

It keeps a boy busy!

***

Tonight the kids and I sat out on the balcony and ate our treats in the cool evening air. THEGIRL and I had mint chocolate chip ice cream, and Wolfboy had marshmallows.

***

This weekend I'm going to take a crack at making tortilla soup.

***

I have the world's greatest girlfriend. Wow. Seriously. Wow.

***

Been digging John Legend lately. The guy could really become this era's Marvin Gaye.

***

Turning in soon. Good night.

At 2:09 a.m.

Yeah, it's late.

It's been one terrific day. So many good things happened today.

What's a boy supposed to do when his dreams come true?

Hi

I'm here, I'm alive. Lots going on.

I don't feel like getting into it right now.

Expect good things. Will update soon. Maybe.

Peace.

The little black box has opened

This is to be touched by the divine.

This is the place of silence, the place where words fail.

This is where doubts go to die.

This is how the dream becomes the inevitable.

This is the Bodhi tree.

This is victorious surrender.

This is ...

This is yes.