Rico and Jo

That is all.

You will be missed, but now you can be free.

Check this out! I stole it from Holtywood! Thanks Mandy!

Yes I am voting for Obama! I even named my new beer in honor of him!

Funny stuff! Especially when you are bored…

And from this day forward, he shall be known as Rico Suave…. Nooooooo!

Last night I started on the third book in the series I’m reading, and it made me think again on something I haven’t thought about for a long time.  One of the side characters is an old man, on his deathbed, just pretty much waiting to die.  He is given milk of the poppy constantly to induce sleep and ease pain.  And when he is awake he is delirious and has signs of dimentia and alzheimers.  He lays all day long in bed on the balcony overlooking his land of rivers and mountains.  The Character that was with him was talking about how much he loved the land and the rivers and about the life he had lived, and that got me thinking about the life I’m living, the job I’m working, etc.

I think its great that this man is dying after living a long full life in a place he loved doing something he loved.  And I can’t say that for myself right now.  I’m not saying I’m depressed or I hate my life, cause that isn’t true at all.

It just made me think again that we really only have one chance to make this life the best it can be.  Once its over, its over – so we should do our best to be a good person, work in a job we love, live in a place we love, and surround ourselves with people we love.

I have surrounded myself with people I love, so I’ve got that part down!  I live in a great house that I really like.  But when I really think about it, I could be happier somewhere else… And the thing is we could make that happen if we really wanted to bad enough.  It would be hard, but it could be worth it.

Same goes for my job situation.  I love my job, and its been really good to me.  But I cannot say it is something I see or saw myself doing for the rest of my life.  And honestly, things lately have been pretty crazy at work, and not in a good way.

Its hard when you have a good job that pays great and gives excellent benefits…  It almost feels like a trap.  It keeps you from trying something new, something that might make you happier, and then you get used to the income which makes it harder to go somewhere else.  And who is to say that another job would make you happier?

Anyway, It just got me to thinking again about this stuff.  The first time I thought about it, really thought hard about it, was after reading this book.  I suggest you read it if you haven’t.  It can change your life.

So, I’ll probably keep doing what I’m doing, living where I’m living.  And I’ll be just fine doing that… but if you have the chance to do something you love and live where you love, especially surrounded by those you love, make sure you do it.

You wouldn’t know that this is such a critical election by watching the convention last night. I know we had our week. And the Republicans deserve theirs. But it’s been amazing for me to watch over the last two nights. If you sit there, and you watch it. You’re hearing a lot about John McCain, and he’s got a compelling biography as a P.O.W.

You’re hearing an awful lot about me. Most of which is not true.

What you’re not hearing is a lot about you.

You haven’t heard one word about how they’re going to make the health system work – so that when a union is negotiating with a company it’s not all just a discussion about higher premiums and you guys can actually start talking about higher wages and benefits.

You haven’t heard one word about how we’re gonna create more apprenticeship programs like the ones we have here. Or give other people a chance to train in new trades.

You haven’t heard one word about getting serious about green and alternative energy. The kind of work that is resulting in all the expansion and hiring here.

You haven’t heard one word about how we’re going to strengthen unions so that working people get a decent stake.

You haven’t heard one word about how we’re going to improve math and science education so that we can hire more engineers to create more products in green technology.

You haven’t heard one word about how we’re going to deal with any aspect of the economy that is affecting you and your pocket day to day.

Haven’t heard one word about it. Literally. Two nights. They have not said a word about it. They have not said a word about it. They’ve had a lot to say about me. But they haven’t had anything to say about you.

And the thing that I’m insisting on in this election is that we can’t keep playing the same political games we always play.

— Barack Obama
York, Pennsylvania
September 4, 2008

Jo and I got back from Park City today cause we have to work tomorrow and the next day.  We have the place for a week, but honestly, I was ready to come home.  Its a bit strange.  I could used to spend a whole week up there and stay perfectly entertained.  But it was actually kind of boring this time.  Maybe its because we’ve seen it all and done it all up there so there’s nothing new… or maybe I’m just getting old.  Either way, I think I want to sell my timeshare.  Anyone want to buy it?  I’ll make you a sweet deal…

Don’t get me wrong, Park City is still really cool.  One of the coolest places in Utah IMHO.  Its a very liberal town, and it almost feels like you aren’t in Utah at all.  Everyone drinks a beer or has wine with their meals, everyone recycles, everyone is voting for Obama…  Seriously, I saw hundreds of signs for Obama, and not one for McCain.  It was awesome!

I’d probably have more fun up there if I was in better shape.  I didnt even take my Mtn Bike this year.  It probably didn’t help that we had crappy weather this past weekend.  It was really cold and almost snowing Monday morning…

Anyway, the RNC is on, and I feel like getting pissed… so I’m going to go watch the rest of it.  I suggest you check this out, if you haven’t already seen it…

VOTE OBAMA / BIDEN 2008.  Vote for my Step-Daughter’s Future!!!  Vote for the future of our world!

Seriously, make an informed decision, don’t just vote because I said to.   And, if after you get informed, you decide to vote for McCain / Palin…  well, we can’t be friends any more.  If you are family, I just won’t talk to you for a while.  I’m joking.  Mostly.

Not sure how I went from Park City to sharing my political views… but anway, good night.

Rico

PS, I may have offended some people, so just to be clear, I will still be your friend and I will still love you and talk to you and blah blah blah… but really, I’ll be pretty annoyed at you, which is fair I think.  We can talk about it though, and if you can prove to me that your candidate was the better choice, cool… I’m willing to listen to your arguments.  Just don’t come in attacking and divisive like some people I know (current GOP VP candidate included…)