THIS JUST IN: Sarah Palin's doctor ordered her completely off of salt today. The would be vice- presidential resigner is not suffering from hypertension, however. The order came after Todd spilled salt on her hand at the dinner table and her thumb melted off. She has been advised to swim and bathe in fresh water only and to clean that little slimy trail she leaves behind everywhere she slithers.
AND IN OTHER NEWS: John Boehner revised his stand on the new health care reform bill after discovering he would be eligible for treatment to alleviate his craniorectal disorder. He commented today "This is really a miracle. Even the nifty Congress insurance plan couldn't help me with this because my head has been up there so long and it's wedged really tight, too. I'd like to apologize for all those lies I told about this great new plan. I'm sure almost all my Republican colleagues will line up behind me on this one as this is a common problem in our party. Maybe there is hope for us if we can get our shoulders above our waists, at least, and get a better look at what's going on in this country"
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Friday, March 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Best Day
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I was watching a documentary on the life of the great jazz musician Chet Baker. The interviewer asked if he could single out a day as the best in his life. A reflective, almost pained expression crossed his face as he reflected and struggled to pick only one. This struck me as a great question to pose to myself. If I have to reflect on all that God has blessed me with and concentrate on all the great days and struggle to pick only one…how great is my life? Try it yourself, an attitude of gratitude can transform your life.
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First Day
Posted by Mark A. LeBlanc on Aug 13, 2009
This blog doesn’t know why it is here yet. My professional information regarding real estate can be found at http://markleblanc.mfr.mlxchange.com. See, I’d really hoped that would appear as a clickable link but I am learning as I go. Maybe when I hit the publish key…. well that didn’t work. Onward through the fog.
I posted to Facebook yesterday that time is slipping away to find a home to buy and close on it before the tax rebate deadline of Nov 30. Our government is rarely so generous as to offer $8,000 with no strings attached except to occupy the house for three years. Call or email me soon if you are interested, I have a whole team of professionals ready to work for you to achieve your housing goals.
Keep in mind that the new lower values that make buying so attractive also make owning a home less expensive in almost every instance. The lower price means lower taxes, lower insurance, and lower overall payments. Also, the interest and taxes are deductible items on your federal income tax , a fact that means you get to keep more of your hard earned cash every year. Take those deductions away from your landlord and keep them for yourself. You can reach me at markleblanc100@gmail.com.
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Lazy Saturday
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Lazy Saturday
Posted by Mark A. LeBlanc on Aug 16, 2009
Phone never rang today, went to the library this morning. It’s been awhile and I was surprised to see the parking lot so full. There were about twenty people using the computers in the main space, A-HA, that’s the new attraction at the local library. Even though I went there to get a new card and check out a book, the subject of the book was computer related. How many books with the word “Idiots ” or “Dummies ” in the title do I have to read before I get a complex? After the library, a trip to Winn-Dixie mainly because I have a $10 off coupon. Stocking up on frozen fish, etc., I presented my coupon only to be told that it wasn’t expired but wouldn’t be good until next week. Can I borrow a copy of Coupons for Dummies? Home, put the food away and Jackie made a wonderful guacamole with fresh avocados which we spooned over crab cakes for lunch. A long nap while the rain fell outdoors and here we are. A lazy Saturday, a day to be thankful for and I hope yours was as good or better.
Sunday Ramblin'
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Sunday Musings
I watched Joel Osteen this Sunday morning as is my custom, his wide-eyed faith and admiration of God inspire me. I sometimes miss the experience of sitting in church and praising God with others but I have a network of friends who meet every day and discuss the practical application of a spiritual life. We hold hands and pray and are renewed by our common faith. Someone once told me that the word “religion” doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible. I am not a Bible scholar, but I keep an eye out for this word as I read. Should the lack of complete acceptance of a particular religious dogma keep one from church? Will Mark ever resolve these fundamental questions and find true clarity? Probably not, but the journey IS life, the destination only the beginning of another journey.
Where's there's smoke......
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No focus on this one
Posted by Mark A. LeBlanc on Aug 17, 2009
Six months since I gave up smoking the little cigars and it’s time to address the weight issue again. I’m afraid to get on the scale even though the tradeoff of weight gain for a smoke free life is a good trade. I gave up cigarettes in ‘85 and smoked a pipe for a year or so then was smoke free for 10 or 12 years. I never returned to cigarettes but, really, what’s the difference? When I quit smoking this time I was active on the South Beach Diet web site and was having success eating a low glycemic index diet. It seems that once I get started on a disclipine, the successes carry me along and foment more success. GETTING STARTED is the task. I drank for a good fifteen years after it ceased to be any fun. I’ve been sober a while and the actual urge to drink rarely surfaces, I love my sobriety. I believe that God delivered me from that misery and his power can solve any problem I have. As my friends say “God will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves” but I’ve gotta do whatever it is that I CAN do first. As usual, I am saying things that I need to hear. My compulsive, addictive personality extends to every corner of my life, self examination being one of those corners. I can’t imagine that anyone is still reading this at this point but if you are, feel free to comment. Don’t tell me what to do, tell me what you did that worked. The definition of insanity….
Gifts and Wreckage of the Past
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Friendship over time
Posted by Mark A. LeBlanc on Aug 18, 2009
I’ve been connecting with old friends on Facebook lately. I really enjoy it, it’s kind of like drunk dialing when it seems like a great idea to call people you haven’t talked to in years at 1AM and relive your glory days. I’ve been sober for a few years and now when I have the civil occassion to talk on the phone with people from my past, they have commented that my voice sounds different. When I tell them that it’s because I haven’t talked to them except when I was drunk for the past few years they are usually surprised. I can tell you, we alcoholics are masters of deception, so good we can even deceive ourselves.
My broader thoughts today are about friendship and how we define it. I don’t consider friendships at an end just because I have lost touch with that friend. I am interested in what happened since we last spoke or visited, whether it be tragedy or victory. Those connections, once made in my heart, are always there. I find that people’s habits and beliefs can change but one’s essential nature seldom does. As my lifelong friend Stephen Graybill once told me, you can’t make new old friends. He also recommended that if you are driving and hear screams, turn to the right and if you hear a loud scraping sound, turn to the left. Where else are you going to find that kind of wisdom, except from a true friend.
As a practical matter if I have contacted you and we haven’t spoken or visited for awhile, I don’t want to borrow money or stay with you or sell you Amway or MonaVie. I just want to glimpse into our shared experiences one more time and talk to someone that knows me in a way that no one will ever know me again, as I know them. I won’t drink with you and I won’t judge you if you do, I’ll sit right next to you and have a diet coke as we fill in the blanks of our memories. Did I REALLY do THAT? OH NO you have PHOTOS?
Lo-Tech in a Hi-Tech World
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User Error?
Posted by Mark A. LeBlanc on Aug 19, 2009
I just spent an hour and a half on a webinar teaching one how to make a business page on Facebook. The company offered instruction that was really pretty clear as far as audio but the presenter left the opening screen up for the first 40 minutes while referring to screens and individual icons that were hidden as I followed along. My question is: should I listen to technical advice from someone who would make such a glaring mistake or should I worry about my own aptitude since it took me 40 minutes to figure it out? In my defense, I was finishing up a crossword puzzle for the first 20 of those minutes as I listened while glancing occasionally at the computer screen.
Actually, I am losing my fear of the computer. I resisted using one at all until I entered the field of real estate and I had no choice. When my two boys were younger [they are 20 and 18 now], I warned them that the computer thing was a passing fad and that Macs and PCs would be laying on curbsides next to 8track tape players and ThighMasters. They proceeded to ignore me and now use their laptops with all the ease of operating a toaster. It is just another household appliance created to make life easier and capable of driving baby boomers like me stark, staring, raving mad and creating the current exploding market for the Xanax people.
I started that last paragraph saying I was losing my fear of the computer and that’s true, really. My new creed is never get mad at someone else unless they are committing some sin that you’ve never committed [that's a short list for me] and never fear anything that can’t ultimately cut you up and eat you. That’s working out for me, try it if you agree.
A Life in Progress
I just had a glimpse into my former life today. A forty-something man of my acquaintance was exhibiting the type of cynicism and doubtful nature that used to be my stock in trade. Is there a God, a heaven, a hell, a mortal consequence for a faithless life? I don’t argue these points anymore. I spent years searching for proof and only found it when I gave up and prayed for faith. I merely decided that there was nothing to lose by praying because I had already lost it all living a life of self will.
I don’t offer my life experience as proof of a higher power because a true cynic is unshakable in their doubt. What I can offer is incontrovertible proof that my life got better when I began to develop a spiritual approach to solving my problems. I can’t prove to someone else that the results aren’t a coincidence, that they are the result of God working in my life. And in the end if your life only gets better because of the way you approach it, that the results you get are only due to your internal attitude changes, are they any less important or valuable? If you endeavor to lead a Godly life and your only reward is a better life on Earth, what have you lost?
To be clear, I believe in the God of the Bible, that He made me a thinking being to reflect on his word and gave me free will to try and live his word. I sin, I fail, but I continue to strive. A wise man once said that the Bible contains the Golden Rule and a whole lot of commentary. That’s simple enough for me to understand and some days that’s all I can manage. Peace.
Four Togethert, Dunno Why.........
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Weight, weight, no go ahead.
Tomorrow begins another attempt at weight loss. Having gained many pounds after giving up one of my last remaining vices, cigars, it’s time to pay attention to what I put in my mouth again. I am probably at my all time high weight, I’m uncomfortable, sluggish, and fatigued. I’m sure diabetes is around the corner as well if I don’t make major changes now. I’m really learning to enjoy life now and it would be much more enjoyable if I could put on my socks without huffing and puffing.
I have been short-term successful on every diet and/or weigh loss program I have used. My mom took me to the doctor at age 14 or so and he gave me the egg and grapefruit diet as well as some nifty little capsules that pepped me up and reduced my appetite in a wondrous manner. I was 178 1/2 lbs. and returned to school for my eighth grade year at 149. It was a heady time and began the lifelong post diet illusion that I was “cured” of obesity and could now relax and enjoy life as a person with a normal metabolism and immunity against weight gain. I resumed eating foods almost exclusively from the fried family with a daily complement of Cocoa Krispies, my favorite breakfast and between meal snack.
From that point Weight Watchers, Diet Center, cabbage soup, low fat, low carb, no carb, exercise/no exercise, South Beach, Atkins, etc. I did all of them and researched the rest. My present belief is that simple carbohydrates spike my insulin and make me hungry. A mostly protein diet with a limited amount of low glycemic index carbs works the best and appeals to me as far as satiety and psychological well being are concerned. I know this but I can still eat an entire sleeve of Ritz crackers and a big glass of milk at one sitting as a snack.
So, wish me well. My resolve is strong at this point fueled by my disgust for my present condition. As we say in a popular 12 step program that I belong to, I’m not a bad person trying to be good, I’m a sick person trying to get well. And stay well.
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Read and Comply
Here’s something to ponder: why are big and tall sizes more expensive? If you are buying a man’s suit there is a great difference between a 36 short and a 44 tall, a lot more material, thread, shipping charges, etc. but the price is the same. But just eat or grow your way into a 48 or above and you must pay a penalty for your size. I guess the other penalties, health complications, social disapproval, discomfort in Pee Wee Herman size public accomodations, I guess these weren’t enough. What, are they selling clothing by the pound now? That actually would be OK, fair for the most part, and die-hard polyester wearers would have a reason for their synthetic affinity.
And that brings to mind another question, these misguided young men who buy the portly pants so that they may wear the waist at their knees, they are paying more as well. From a prison tradition that signified your amoral availability, these men have made this fashion trend a statement that states unequivocally that…that.. hey what the blazes does that mean? That showing your butt has a literal as well as a symbolic meaning? That, yes, you would jump off a cliff if your friends did? That your heroes and role models are criminals that weren’t even good enough at THAT to stay out of jail?
And another thing, I have some new terms that I want to implement as a part of our daily discourse. Husband-at-the-time is no longer acceptable, this relationship will now be referred to as HATT, a shorter and less awkward name for this growing population segment and for every one of those there may be a WATT, the obvious counterpart to HATT. Baby daddy is BD, if you can find him, baby momma is BM, not to be confused with the biological function of the same letters. In some cases, you may have to clarify this.
I have more of these changes to update you on but I see on the approach a PAK’er which is pants around kneeser and he has a strange look in his eye.
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Illness takes another life
A mother I know lost her 20 something only child, a son, to an act of desperation, despair and unknowable unhappiness. A life of physical difficulties necessitated surgery after surgery to only maintain a status he wasn’t happy with in the first place. Prescriptions that were meant to alleviate his emotional suffering became an avenue of escape as they do for many of us.
Even though I did not know this young man, I am not a stranger to deep despair and depression. In fact, I have a prescription for the same drug this young man took right in my kitchen, on the baker’s rack with some other drugs prescribed to alleviate the damage that genetics and poor choices have done to my body and my psyche. I remember just a few years back when I first got sober that many weeks went by, I was busy with meetings, reading, and prayer, and I suddenly realized that I couldn’t remember my last conscious thought of killing myself. I had prayed for an end to the obsessions that were plaguing my mind and God had delivered me from them. Some will say that the choice I made to become sober caused me to improve emotionally. To them I pose this question: why did I lack the power to make that choice in the previous years, since adolescence really, when I knew I had a problem. If you have read my other posts or know me, you know my answer.
Why did this mother have to lose her child to this illness? Why do some of us resist the urge to give up, and live to recover? I don’t know and don’t pretend to know. I can only be there to console and help another mother’s child to recover as I was helped. That’s all any of us can do, and that’s a lot. To the one who suffers, that’s everything.
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Meat Loaf Reflections
I just had a slap your momma quality meat loaf sandwich for dinner courtesy of my good and loyal American friend “Downtown” Teddy Brown. Teddy is a veteran of the Vietnam conflict although he says when the guns are real and the enemy is trying to kill you, that’s a ways beyond a conflict. That’s a war by anyone’s definition. Cream gravy or brown on your chicken fried steak, I’m thinking that’s a conflict, that’s one I’ve faced many times although cream is a foregone conclusion in my case even though I always waver as the choice is offered.
Anyway, I was talking about this wonderful meat loaf made by my friend, delivered warm from the oven to my home at dinnertime with homemade cream corn made from fresh ears of corn, and homemade pickled beets which I am going to sample although I have not eaten them in many years. I like a lot of things I didn’t used to like and I can’t really remember ever trying pickled beets, having decided I didn’t like them at a very early time in my life when I ate foods only from a very limited color pallette. Brown and white, mostly as I recall.
And this meat loaf, as I was saying had a tomatoe-y topping, almost a crust so good that ketchup would have been an insult to this fine mound of ground round. Sliced thick, a little mayo and a thin onion slice on a bread bed of multi grain goodness, bread so good that when you are making toast the house smells like a cake is baking in the oven, so good that when you say ” our daily bread” in your prayers you should be extra grateful is this is the bread you’re praying about. And if that bread is holding Teddy’s meat loaf say that prayer twice.
Anyway, I was inspired to tell this little story about Teddy because he delivered this wonderful meal to me as a token of his gratitude for a kindness I did for him which was a token of my gratitude for his friendship and the service he gave for his country and in so doing, for me. Gratitude is an action word and any time we have a chance to bless others as God and our friends have blessed us, well, as Teddy would say in that Georgia by golly way he has, “Man, that’s just cool.” And your friend might make you a meat loaf.
I (don’t) Write the Songs
I posted one of my favorite song lines on my alumni site today only to hear it as bumper music seconds later on a morning news program. “I used to be disgusted but now I try to be amused…”, a strange coincidence. So many song lyrics are stored in my head and when they pop up, if I am paying attention, there is usually a connection to the current events of my life. One of my all time favorite bands, Doug and the Slugs, recorded a song with the lyric”..men like me we need a roomful of clues…”. I love this line because it describes me in certain situations and is a handy explanation when I am a bit slow on the uptake. ” I got ramblin’, ramblin’ on my mind…” that one pops up often in meetings when the speaker just can’t seem to focus. Oftentimes I have played the whole song on my cranial MP3 as the speaker, well, rambled on.
Some of my favorite musical artists are strong writers. Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, (…he stuck out like a ruby in a black man’s ear…”), people who can describe a lifetime in a phrase or write a phrase that you remember for a lifetime. Too many to mention and we all have our favorites, so listen closely and often, we all need a soundtrack to our lives.
Addressing my problem…
I had the privilege of going to court today. Thirty days ago I foolishly trusted another driver to make a left turn because he had his left blinky light signal blinking and appeared from my vantage point to be slowing to turn left. This maneuver would have put his vehicle out of my path as I was going to cross the street and make my own left turn and be clear of the space he would occupy as he was making his left turn. The little feller fooled me, however, and was planning a left turn for later in the day and was making sure his signal light was warmed up and working properly. I was completely stopped when he crashed into the driver’s door of my car in his 2009 Nissan Z-whatever-number-they’re-up to-now (audible turn signals not included) sporty car. This part is NOT funny as he was stunned and possibly injured by the deploying air bag. The paramedic on the scene assured me that he was OK but they did transport him to the hospital just to be sure. Anyway, that’s not why I called.
The police officer issued me a citation for “failure to yield” after I explained the events leading up to the collision including the left turn that wasn’t. He stated that the other driver lived on down the street and probably wouldn’t be turning left there cause, you know, he lived on down a ways and all. I accepted my citation and his reasoning because I had just been t-boned and was a little disoriented having almost spilled my Diet Mountain Dew and been killed. I did the online driving school to prevent “points” from being assessed against my license and went down to the DMV to pay my fine only to discover that I had been assigned a court date and Didn’t I know that? No was my reply and she (the DMV lady) said, yes, the officer made a mistake on your citation and that automatically means you have to go to court and you didn’t get the notice BECAUSE he wrote down your street number and the name of the other driver’s street. I was stunned to realize that the officer didn’t even know where the other driver lived but had also charged me with a statute violation that didn’t match the accident description. I know what you’re thinking, curioser and curioser.
Anyway I went to court today and when I was called the judge said “Mr. LeBlanc you are charged with…I have no idea what you are charged with, case dismissed” and did I mention that I believe in God?
It’s not just the speed limit….
I was surfing Facebook today and discovered a teabagger website. Interesting people however misdirected these particular folks were. We all have access to the same media yet we all claim to have the “correct” version of the facts. Does anyone believe that Pox news is even accurate? Forget unbiased, that is a standard that none of the news providers I am familiar with can boast. I can accept that they all have their point of view, could they just not knowingly LIE? Never mind, that was an obviously rhetorical question.
On a related note, what is this fear of “the intelligentsia” that I hear over and over from self declared conservative commentators? Is intelligence frightening to these people or just counterproductive to their goals? Do they seek out dull normal lawyers, accountants and doctors when they have need of these services? Do I ask a lot of questions? Questions are part of my plot to become intelligent and therefore a threat to the paranoid, twisted vision some have for our country.
Today is my birthday and I have enjoyed many kind wishes and greetings from a variety of folks that I have met over the years, many of whom I have been reconnecting with on Facebook and my high school alumni site. My life has been a series of very dramatic changes over the past few years and I have been feeling nostalgic about the old hometown and the friends I made there. I want very much to enjoy the balance of my time in this life and look forward to whatever happens next. Thanks to all for the birthday wishes and may you enjoy the kindness of others that you have wished for me.
What have I done?
I just signed up to blog on this venue and and was once again reminded that my self knowledge may not be comprehensive. Is my upbringing really the central fact of my life as I stated in my profile? My father died when I was four and the passing through male influences of my life were not nearly as strong as my sisters who raised me. My sensibilities are often out of sync with my male friends and I am usually happy when that is the case. My sexual orientation is exclusively hetero but my female friends talk to me, sometimes, as if I were their gal pal. I say give women a chance to run the world, men have proved to be less than stellar leaders despite their having an anatomical rudder to guide them. Or maybe that’s a tiller with no rudder attached. Maybe this is the most awkward analogy ever attempted, I don’t know, but my guess is it’s a contender.
Thanks to Laurie for leading me to this site and saving me money as I was paying to have markaleblanc.com to post my musings and expose my skewed view. I will convert that to its intended use as a marketing tool for my real estate business and thus the fees will be tax deductible.
I highly enjoy and therefore recommend In Laurie’s Brain and A Southern Bell trying not to rust as well. Both feature a geographical point of view that sometimes transcends the anatomical.
I was surfing around on my high school’s alumni site recently and came across a former classmate who is a prolific blogger and poster on the website. She obviously has a passion and talent for writing. I enjoyed her work and it made me feel guilty that I don’t post that much here lately. I may post shorter entries from now on instead of the essays that I usually write.
Speaking of the newly discovered alumni website, I’ve been reflecting on the nature of friendship. I am peeking into the lives of people I haven’t seen or talked to since ‘73 or so. I have always believed that friendships don’t end, they just go on hiatus. We’ve all gotten the emails that tell us some friends are in our lives for a season, or a reason, or whatever rhymes but I have always enjoyed visiting and chatting with old friends partly because you are visiting an earlier version of yourself.
Are you still….? fill in the blank, interested in photography or writing or whatever happened to…? and the memories of the different people you have been or planned to be come back to mind like a thought you never completed because you were distracted. The memory of a friendship forgotten resurfaces and brings other thoughts to mind that are like temporarily misplaced souvenirs of a trip you enjoyed. I like that feeling and it’s fun to revisit your life with the wisdom of years.
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Bipolar Food Issue Blues
Well, it has been a week of paying attention to my food intake. I have other things going on in my life now but this weight thing dominates or I don’t lose weight. I have more energy, a brighter outlook, and a more grateful attitude. Cooking and preparing food are therapeutic activities for me as I view them as essential, nurturing expressions of love. Love for others, certainly, and self love because I am treating myself better. I am constantly on guard against negative self-talk, more in others than myself. I guess the way I talk about myself is no more important than the way I treat myself and nourish my body.
How many times have I told others that they call it SELF esteem because it comes from self and not others. I am discovering that the way I treat my body (the temple of the Spirit) is at least as important as my thought life. To strive for a spiritually healthy life I must live a physically healthy one as well. One follows the other and enables me to fulfill my purpose as well as I can.
Well, it’s all well and good to focus on these truths but keeping focused when the carbs come calling will be the daily challenge. It is so easy to relax and let the poor choice reflex run things.
I just looked over what I’ve written and it is obvious that part of my problem is equating food with love, preparing food with nurturing and as a result, giving food an inappropriate role in my life. The truth is when I eat poorly it’s because I’m not preparing food, I’m eating what is convenient and fried. Did I say fried?, I meant tasty.
Well, this has been a rambling, stream of thought monologue and I thank you for reading this far. Life truly is the journey and that never bores me but writing about it is not easy for me although it does help. If it benefits you as well, so much the better. Oh, by the way 13lbs. lost this week. No diet advice needed, I know that’s a lot but I have a lot to lose.
Posted by Mark A. LeBlanc on Nov 3, 2009
I was surfing around on my high school’s alumni site recently and came across a former classmate who is a prolific blogger and poster on the website. She obviously has a passion and talent for writing. I enjoyed her work and it made me feel guilty that I don’t post that much here lately. I may post shorter entries from now on instead of the essays that I usually write.
Speaking of the newly discovered alumni website, I’ve been reflecting on the nature of friendship. I am peeking into the lives of people I haven’t seen or talked to since ‘73 or so. I have always believed that friendships don’t end, they just go on hiatus. We’ve all gotten the emails that tell us some friends are in our lives for a season, or a reason, or whatever rhymes but I have always enjoyed visiting and chatting with old friends partly because you are visiting an earlier version of yourself.
Are you still….? fill in the blank, interested in photography or writing or whatever happened to…? and the memories of the different people you have been or planned to be come back to mind like a thought you never completed because you were distracted. The memory of a friendship forgotten resurfaces and brings other thoughts to mind that are like temporarily misplaced souvenirs of a trip you enjoyed. I like that feeling and it’s fun to revisit your life with the wisdom of years.
enjoy the kindness of others that you have wished for me. Posted by Mark A. LeBlanc on Nov 3, 2009 with 1 Comment
What have I done?
I just signed up to blog on this venue and and was once again reminded that my self knowledge may not be comprehensive. Is my upbringing really the central fact of my life as I stated in my profile? My father died when I was four and the passing through male influences of my life were not nearly as strong as my sisters who raised me. My sensibilities are often out of sync with my male friends and I am usually happy when that is the case. My sexual orientation is exclusively hetero but my female friends talk to me, sometimes, as if I were their gal pal. I say give women a chance to run the world, men have proved to be less than stellar leaders despite their having an anatomical rudder to guide them. Or maybe that’s a tiller with no rudder attached. Maybe this is the most awkward analogy ever attempted, I don’t know, but my guess is it’s a contender.
Thanks to Laurie for leading me to this site and saving me money as I was paying to have markaleblanc.com to post my musings and expose my skewed view. I will convert that to its intended use as a marketing tool for my real estate business and thus the fees will be tax deductible.
I highly enjoy and therefore recommend In Laurie’s Brain and A Southern Bell trying not to rust as well. Both feature a geographical point of view that sometimes transcends the anatomical.
I (don’t) Write the Songs
I posted one of my favorite song lines on my alumni site today only to hear it as bumper music seconds later on a morning news program. “I used to be disgusted but now I try to be amused…”, a strange coincidence. So many song lyrics are stored in my head and when they pop up, if I am paying attention, there is usually a connection to the current events of my life. One of my all time favorite bands, Doug and the Slugs, recorded a song with the lyric”..men like me we need a roomful of clues…”. I love this line because it describes me in certain situations and is a handy explanation when I am a bit slow on the uptake. ” I got ramblin’, ramblin’ on my mind…” that one pops up often in meetings when the speaker just can’t seem to focus. Oftentimes I have played the whole song on my cranial MP3 as the speaker, well, rambled on.
Some of my favorite musical artists are strong writers. Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, (…he stuck out like a ruby in a black man’s ear…”), people who can describe a lifetime in a phrase or write a phrase that you remember for a lifetime. Too many to mention and we all have our favorites, so listen closely and often, we all need a soundtrack to our lives.
Addressing my problem…
I had the privilege of going to court today. Thirty days ago I foolishly trusted another driver to make a left turn because he had his left blinky light signal blinking and appeared from my vantage point to be slowing to turn left. This maneuver would have put his vehicle out of my path as I was going to cross the street and make my own left turn and be clear of the space he would occupy as he was making his left turn. The little feller fooled me, however, and was planning a left turn for later in the day and was making sure his signal light was warmed up and working properly. I was completely stopped when he crashed into the driver’s door of my car in his 2009 Nissan Z-whatever-number-they’re-up to-now (audible turn signals not included) sporty car. This part is NOT funny as he was stunned and possibly injured by the deploying air bag. The paramedic on the scene assured me that he was OK but they did transport him to the hospital just to be sure. Anyway, that’s not why I called.
The police officer issued me a citation for “failure to yield” after I explained the events leading up to the collision including the left turn that wasn’t. He stated that the other driver lived on down the street and probably wouldn’t be turning left there cause, you know, he lived on down a ways and all. I accepted my citation and his reasoning because I had just been t-boned and was a little disoriented having almost spilled my Diet Mountain Dew and been killed. I did the online driving school to prevent “points” from being assessed against my license and went down to the DMV to pay my fine only to discover that I had been assigned a court date and Didn’t I know that? No was my reply and she (the DMV lady) said, yes, the officer made a mistake on your citation and that automatically means you have to go to court and you didn’t get the notice BECAUSE he wrote down your street number and the name of the other driver’s street. I was stunned to realize that the officer didn’t even know where the other driver lived but had also charged me with a statute violation that didn’t match the accident description. I know what you’re thinking, curioser and curioser.
Anyway I went to court today and when I was called the judge said “Mr. LeBlanc you are charged with…I have no idea what you are charged with, case dismissed” and did I mention that I believe in God?
It’s not just the speed limit….
I was surfing Facebook today and discovered a teabagger website. Interesting people however misdirected these particular folks were. We all have access to the same media yet we all claim to have the “correct” version of the facts. Does anyone believe that Pox news is even accurate? Forget unbiased, that is a standard that none of the news providers I am familiar with can boast. I can accept that they all have their point of view, could they just not knowingly LIE? Never mind, that was an obviously rhetorical question.
On a related note, what is this fear of “the intelligentsia” that I hear over and over from self declared conservative commentators? Is intelligence frightening to these people or just counterproductive to their goals? Do they seek out dull normal lawyers, accountants and doctors when they have need of these services? Do I ask a lot of questions? Questions are part of my plot to become intelligent and therefore a threat to the paranoid, twisted vision some have for our country.
Today is my birthday and I have enjoyed many kind wishes and greetings from a variety of folks that I have met over the years, many of whom I have been reconnecting with on Facebook and my high school alumni site. My life has been a series of very dramatic changes over the past few years and I have been feeling nostalgic about the old hometown and the friends I made there. I want very much to enjoy the balance of my time in this life and look forward to whatever happens next. Thanks to all for the birthday wishes and may you enjoy the kindness of others that you have wished for me.
all need a soundtrack to our lives.
Addressing my problem…
Posted by Mark A. LeBlanc on Nov 9, 2009
in
in
I had the privilege of going to court today. Thirty days ago I foolishly trusted another driver to make a left turn because he had his left blinky light signal blinking and appeared from my vantage point to be slowing to turn left. This maneuver would have put his vehicle out of my path as I was going to cross the street and make my own left turn and be clear of the space he would occupy as he was making his left turn. The little feller fooled me, however, and was planning a left turn for later in the day and was making sure his signal light was warmed up and working properly. I was completely stopped when he crashed into the driver’s door of my car in his 2009 Nissan Z-whatever-number-they’re-up to-now (audible turn signals not included) sporty car. This part is NOT funny as he was stunned and possibly injured by the deploying air bag. The paramedic on the scene assured me that he was OK but they did transport him to the hospital just to be sure. Anyway, that’s not why I called.
The police officer issued me a citation for “failure to yield” after I explained the events leading up to the collision including the left turn that wasn’t. He stated that the other driver lived on down the street and probably wouldn’t be turning left there cause, you know, he lived on down a ways and all. I accepted my citation and his reasoning because I had just been t-boned and was a little disoriented having almost spilled my Diet Mountain Dew and been killed. I did the online driving school to prevent “points” from being assessed against my license and went down to the DMV to pay my fine only to discover that I had been assigned a court date and Didn’t I know that? No was my reply and she (the DMV lady) said, yes, the officer made a mistake on your citation and that automatically means you have to go to court and you didn’t get the notice BECAUSE he wrote down your street number and the name of the other driver’s street. I was stunned to realize that the officer didn’t even know where the other driver lived but had also charged me with a statute violation that didn’t match the accident description. I know what you’re thinking, curioser and curioser.
Anyway I went to court today and when I was called the judge said “Mr. LeBlanc you are charged with…I have no idea what you are charged with, case dismissed” and did I mention that I believe in God?
I (don’t) Write the Songs
Posted by Mark A. LeBlanc on Nov 11, 2009
I posted one of my favorite song lines on my alumni site today only to hear it as bumper music seconds later on a morning news program. “I used to be disgusted but now I try to be amused…”, a strange coincidence. So many song lyrics are stored in my head and when they pop up, if I am paying attention, there is usually a connection to the current events of my life. One of my all time favorite bands, Doug and the Slugs, recorded a song with the lyric”..men like me we need a roomful of clues…”. I love this line because it describes me in certain situations and is a handy explanation when I am a bit slow on the uptake. ” I got ramblin’, ramblin’ on my mind…” that one pops up often in meetings when the speaker just can’t seem to focus. Oftentimes I have played the whole song on my cranial MP3 as the speaker, well, rambled on.
Some of my favorite musical artists are strong writers. Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, (…he stuck out like a ruby in a black man’s ear…”), people who can describe a lifetime in a phrase or write a phrase that you remember for a lifetime. Too many to mention and we all have our favorites, so listen closely and often, we all need a soundtrack to our lives.
This Just In...Tea drinking causes brain loss
A new side effect of drinking tea in large groups of stupid, hateful people seems to be a contagious shared ignorance, hatred of logic and a tendency to treasonous behavior known as the "Tea Party Syndrome". It is akin to a long accepted syndrome known as "mob mentality" which occurs when groups of gutless people join together to commit acts that they don't have the nerve to do on their own. The act of tea consumption by large groups of people (known as "tea party rallies") seems to cause behaviors that these otherwise mild mannered, dull normal range citizens would never commit. Shouting racial epithets, cursing, spitting, and making poopie in their pants are some of the behaviors observed. When queried about the intent of their actions or the meaning of the seemingly pointless, misspelled placards they carry they reply "What don't I like? Well, all of it, the death panels, the sociableism, the free artificial insinuation for illegal immigrants, Obama puttin' his feet up on the desk, all of it. Who does Obama think he is?"
Responsible, patriotic Americans are advised to avoid these gatherings and to avoid engaging the participants in conversation as they may erupt in spittle which they apparently cannot control. The medical community is not sure yet exactly how this syndrome is transferred so no contact with the bodily fluids of these individuals is considered the best course. Also avoid media outlets featuring these same type individuals dressed up in suits and ties spouting the same nonsensical lies as there does seem to be a connection between this programming and the subsequent behavior. It is hoped that these obviously afflicted individuals will be eligible for treatment under the new health care bill as stupid, although a pre-existing condition, will be included in most companies coverage. Please, until then, give generously to your Democratic candidates for public office. Help us put an end to "Tea Party Syndrome" once and for all!
Responsible, patriotic Americans are advised to avoid these gatherings and to avoid engaging the participants in conversation as they may erupt in spittle which they apparently cannot control. The medical community is not sure yet exactly how this syndrome is transferred so no contact with the bodily fluids of these individuals is considered the best course. Also avoid media outlets featuring these same type individuals dressed up in suits and ties spouting the same nonsensical lies as there does seem to be a connection between this programming and the subsequent behavior. It is hoped that these obviously afflicted individuals will be eligible for treatment under the new health care bill as stupid, although a pre-existing condition, will be included in most companies coverage. Please, until then, give generously to your Democratic candidates for public office. Help us put an end to "Tea Party Syndrome" once and for all!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
A letter to my 40-something, neocon nephew: James, I don't know if you know this, but your step-grandmother, my mother, was run out of Kountze, TX back in the 30's by the KKK who burned a cross in their yard the night of the day they moved there. They had a sign at the city limits that said "Don't let the sun set on you in this town, n----r", but this particular group also hated and would not tolerate Catholics. Is anyone you know Catholic? Anyway, these fellows wore white robes and pointy hats so there would be no doubt what their business was. They're still around and they may wear ties and they may rally in public places and they may have their own cable propaganda network (named after a sly, deceitful animal) but their currency is still hatred, still intolerance, still racism. When they say they want to take their country back, you better ask how far back. My family's story is only one generation ago and the cancer on freedom has not been cured, only renamed and dressed in a tie or holding a sign that says...God hates...whomever they oppose. Look long and hard at your fellow travelers, whether ignorant or malicious, they are not what they claim to be.
2 minutes ago ·
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