Random Thoughts #96 - the "inner voice" edition

Greetings and welcome to the 96th edition of Random Thoughts.  This will be a shorter edition than usual because there isn't that much I want to get into right now, but I do have a little bit to talk about here.  With that in mind, enjoy.

 -  Since today is a holiday, I want to wish those of you who celebrate it a Happy Memorial Day.  As most of you know, the time around Memorial Day has historically been volatile for me...sometimes it's been decent, sometimes it's been bad, and on one occasion my life completely turned upside down (I won't talk about that one until I'm comfortable doing so but it was absolutely life-changing).  It's gotten to the point where the less volatility the better.

 -  The subtitle for this edition, "inner voice," was inspired by an article I came across on the Huffington Post, "Your Critical Inner Voice: Are You Letting It Sabotage Your Relationships?"  Everybody has an inner voice, which is sometimes known as "gut instinct."  There was an awful lot I could relate to in this article...more than I honestly wanted to relate to.  Given the lack of social interaction at various times in my life including now, my inner voice can get rather loud, figuratively speaking.  As with other people, my inner voice has been both a blessing and a curse.  Mine tends toward the critical, which is why this particular article caught my eye.  I've made the observation, sometimes in jest, that I don't need the criticism of others because I already criticize myself so much.  I tend to give the criticism brought about by my inner voice more weight than I should and it has held me back.  I can't say that inner critic has been all bad because it has counterbalanced even the most unrealistic and loftiest of expectations when I needed it to do so.  However, as I've gotten older and my expectations became more grounded, that inner critic doesn't have the same positive effect it used to.  It is a struggle for me, sometimes a losing one, to counter the negative aspects of my inner voice.  I continue to hope and pray for the day where my inner voice doesn't work against me so forcefully and so much.  Until that time I'll continue to deal with it the best I can.

 -  Last week, retired professional wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage passed away.  He was one of the most consistent and popular personalities and performers in pro wrestling.  He is one of the few who had almost universal respect for what he did, even from some of pro wrestling's most ardent detractors which is a hard thing to achieve (Hulk Hogan doesn't even have that).  As evidenced by the number of condolences his passing received, he influenced so many people.  He had personal significance to me due to his feud with Ricky Steamboat for the WWE Intercontinental Title way back in the day.  I wouldn't have stayed a fan of pro wrestling if it weren't for that, so for that alone I thank him and honor him.  Rest in peace, Macho Man.

 -  As of this morning, Jim Tressel has resigned as head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team.  With all the negative coverage and the writing apparently being on the wall regarding his tenure in the eyes of the general public, this was a potential outcome that has now become reality.  He had so much success on the field that it's a damn shame that he got caught up in all the crap certain players brought to the OSU football program.  The haters are already gloating and proclaming triumph in his resignation, a sign of their jealousy and lack of respect for the man or the college as well as their inability to be better people themselves.  He did a lot of good for the program, righting the ship after John Cooper's troublesome tenure and bringing in a national championship to a state starving for one.  He'll be looked at more fondly down the line once the sting of the scandal he got caught up in passes.  I wouldn't be surprised if OSU fans started blaming and subsequently turning on the players from said scandal...more specifically Terrelle Pryor...for ultimately causing the end of the tenure of the most successful football coach in Ohio State history.  I think that will be seen soon enough.  Sorry to all the haters out there but unlike them Tressel will be missed.

 -  Song on repeat:  "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum.  Just a nice calming song.

 -  SLP to the following:  Griff, Tre, Katie, Pastor Cory, Holly, Aunt Sue, Isaiah, Renee, Ernest, Debbie, Dave, Aunt Claudia, Sean, Mindy, Jay, Anna, Cheryl, Jennifer S. (happy birthday), Ryan (happy birthday), Bill (happy birthday), Julie K. (happy birthday), Heidi (happy birthday), Karen S. (happy birthday), and Steve (happy birthday).

That's it for this short edition.  After all the rainy and stormy weather here, we're finally getting some sun and warmth outside.  I hope you enjoy it when you get the chance.  Until next time, take care and God Bless.

DJ
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Random Thoughts #95 - the "geronimo" edition

Greetings once again and welcome to the 95th edition of Random Thoughts.  I didn't expect to even be writing so soon after the last blog (three days ago) nor have this much to talk about within that timeframe, but this time I do.  This has happened only once before. Since an awful lot has happened over the past few days, including some new items and a couple of things I forgot to put in the last blog, I thought I should get it down quick while the iron is still hot, so to speak.  With that in mind, let's get to it.  Enjoy.

 -  On May 1st, 1945, the world was informed that a monster of a human being had died if you could call him one...that person being Adolf Hitler.  On May 1st, 2011, history repeated itself.  President Barack Obama announced late Sunday evening that Obama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda and the mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, was killed in battle with U.S. Special Forces during a raid on bin Laden's compound.  The end of a long nightmare had come...the boogeyman who haunted so many after what he helped bring about one September morning in 2001 had finally been found.  A lot of people are happy that he died.  I wanted him captured alive so that he could face those people he had wronged so horribly.  If he had simply surrendered unarmed, I'm fairly certain that would have happened, especially since higher-ups were apparently here in the states watching the mission as it was going down.  However, bin Laden shot at the soldiers with an automatic machine gun and used a woman in the room as a human shield.  The soldiers had no other option but to defend themselves and thus bin Laden was shot and killed.  There are many who just wanted the man dead and got their wish.  I believe many more including myself weren't gung-ho on his demise...it's just that we ultimately wanted to see this monster face justice through due process for what he had done.  Unfortunately, what's done is done and there's no changing what's happened.  Does that mean things will change that much in terms of terrorism and what's going on generally in the world?  Probably not that much, but the mindset of our nation as a whole was relieved of a lot of the burden this man brought on us for at least a decade and longer.  I cried when it hit me that this monster was finally gone...then I went out and got a banana milkshake.  At this point all I can say for sure is that there seems to be a definitive uplift in the mood of this nation now that this boogeyman has finally been dealt with.

 -  The reason for the subtitle of this edition, "geronimo," is that this was the code word used during the mission by the soldiers to confirm the presence of Osama bin Laden to officials monitoring the mission (which included President Obama) and to confirm bin Laden's fate.  On a side note, at one point during his campaign for president, Obama controversially stated he would go into Pakistan if necessary to get bin Laden after former President Bush declared bin Laden was no longer a priority (not trying to be political here...just stating fact).  That was one campaign promise Obama followed through on.  How often does that happen?

 -  What a week.  The future king of Great Britain William got married his love Kate Middleton and became the Duke of Cambridge.  There was a very interesting NFL Draft with a lot of teams doing well.  President Obama single-handedly screwed the birthers and the quacks simply by releasing his long-form birth certificate.  Donald Trump got pwned (that is spelled correctly, folks...it's internet slang) and called on his crap at the White House Correspondents' Dinner...which he attended.  Now we have the end of Osama bin Laden.  Who could have imagined all this happening so quickly?

 -  I got so caught up in writing about my Westerville Browns Backers goodbye last blog that I totally forgot to talk about the NFL Draft.  It seemed like most teams did alright in the draft, though a few teams seemed like they were reaching.  The only teams that left me scratching my head were the Minnesota Vikings (are they TRYING to move to L.A. or something?), the Seattle Seahawks and the Atlanta Falcons.  I thought the Browns did awesome this year.  Who knew the Falcons could be taken for chumps.  Sure Julio Jones might be a top of the line receiver, but they gave up so much including a first rounder next year to Cleveland the Browns could have been arrested for grand theft.  They got some big boys in terms of size in this year's draft, picking up some defensive linemen, an offensive lineman, and other positions and filling holes they needed to plug.  Now if the NFL and the players would just get that Collective Bargaining Agreement sorted out so they can get to playing in September.

 -  I got the opportunity to watch the WWE Extreme Rules PPV on Sunday evening (before the bin Laden news broke).  It was the same scenario as last year...this PPV should have been the Wrestlemania card with the addition of the Undertaker's match (this year against Triple H).  Extreme Rules was a really good show with several title changes and the end of Michelle McCool in WWE.  This is the effort WWE should put into all of their big shows.

 -  Quick question:  how come Saturday Night Live has some of the poorest comedy on the air, yet when their talent go off and do other things (with the exception of movies), they are funnier then heck?  Watching Seth Meyers at the White House Corresponent's Dinner actually be funny was a shock.  He seems so...I don't know, boring on SNL...and he's their head writer!  However, he really brought the house down in Washington on Saturday evening at that dinner (SNL was a repeat).  I think the poor comedy is SNL's real curse...the only time it seems funny is when either The Rock or Justin Timberlake are on the show.  Maybe being part of Comcast will change the tone, but who knows at this point?

 -  This weekend I'm going to go see the movie "Thor" at the Cinemark Stoneridge Plaza movie theater in Gahanna.  I won a free ticket a while back and decided to use it on this movie.  I already have my ticket so this is confirmed for me.  If anybody wants to go see the movie with me, give me a buzz (you'll have to get your own ticket).  I can always use the company.

 -  Song on repeat:  "Hole In The World" by The Eagles.  With the demise of Osama bin Laden, this song easily came to mind since it was written soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and is probably the most recognized song associated with the tragedy.  It's also a reminder that in all the bin Laden death hype to not forget those lost and affected directly by the 9/11 tragedy and to keep them in your prayers.

 -  SLP to the following:  Ron M., Dave, Holly, Jennifer K., Griff, Cara, Al, and Debbie.

This last week or so has been the most eventful in the United States and the world in quite a while and thus I was compelled to write today.  I don't think I'm going to be writing again for a while because I got so much out over the past few days.  However, when enough stuff for me to write about comes up, I'll get it out there.   Until next time, folks.  Take care and God Bless.

DJ
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