The BIG 5-o!

Sometimes you walk into a much needed special surprise, serendipity they call it. I walked into an open mic night and was greeted by an angelic voice. MAN can this girl sing. I'm going to have to find out who she is.

Today I bring you the 50th installment of our little project here. It doesn't seem like that many, or that I've been doing it for as long as I have now. I want to thank you for hanging with me and hope I've given you enough reason to continue to do so.

Strange things come up when

you google seach 50

I'm gearing up for the New York City Comicon and as things tend to go, the wheels are falling off of that for me already. Must be the theme for the week. I'm going to have to take my own advice and learn a lesson from my own lesson and chill out, take it as it goes.

And I've got to apologize, I'm distracted right now. Whoever this girl is her singing is resonating with my heartstrings and pulling me away from the page. If big things don't happen for her there's a hole in the universe.

.50 cal

It takes some real brass balls to get out there and play in front of people before you have a steady following. I mean, I bear my soul for whoever wants to read it, but its different. I'm still protected behind a glass screen shield and however many countless miles stretch between where I now sit and wherever you find yourself at this moment. Standing in front of everyone with nothing between you is really putting your nuts on the slab. The wrong reaction from the crowd has got to be like a knife to the heart. I give the people that do it all the credit in the world.

I must look like I'm completely insane most of the time when I write. While I'm lost in thought I often stare off into the distance, unconscious of the fact that I'm even doing it. Its occurred to me that there are times when my gaze falls on another person sitting close by. I wonder what goes through their head when it happens.
"Who is this stalker and why is he licking his lips at me?" That's the cleaned up version of course.

I haven't invested in any 5 gallon drums, I promise. You would think people would stop using them by now, they're just so unoriginal. And they always seem to get you caught.

What the hell are they doing with so many of them lying around anyway? Are they saving the pieces for later? Maybe there's good money in it. That's the tasty meat in your sandwich. I'll have the special please, rare, thanks!

Open mic night, a guy singing about needing an angel.... I hear ya buddy.

Raquel Welch, So hot!

She's not 50 here, but was

still how when she was

Hey, check out this little piece of animation, its really cool. Make sure to watch the whole thing.

And if that doesn't do it for you, maybe try out this awesome game. Just be careful playing it at work, you can lose an hour to it without even noticing it.

Not for nothing, but the people playing this open mic are really freakin (clean) good. I'm at Sip This, as I often am. If you've got nothing better to do stop by and say hello sometime. The freak staring at you is probably me, though I can't guarantee it.

Ingrid Michaelson

The girls name is Kira Metcalf by the way, and apparently she's only 16 years old. That just amazes the hell out of me, she reminds me of Ingrid Michaelson. You should check her out on facebook at Kirasingsforkicks. A lot of what I do here is all about everyone else if I really enjoy what they do, because if I like it I think you will too. Though I have to admit.... looking up 16 year old girls on facebook feels all kinds of wrong, no matter what the reason is.

This is my favorite Ingrid Michaelson pic

Reminds of a girl I used to know

and look at those eyes

Change of venue, change of thought. Its needed about now. Let's pick this up in a different locale and see how it goes.

I just got a high five from a mentally handicapped guy. I know some people that would have punched him dead in the face for approaching them that way. Tells you about some of the people I know.

He's a Ra Tard

Not you Fat Jesus. 

And how awesome is this next shot, Peyton Manning knuckle deep in his nostrils. He's digging for another Superbowl ring from the looks of it, cause it won't be happening on the field this year.

I'm taking the Colts in a Pick Em'!

You know, before you can start stuffing people in 55 gallon drums you have to know how to prepare the body. This next guy seems to be banging his way through the process, making a mess of things. But practice makes perfect, right?



Speaking of the Big 5-o.... damn... Barbie got OLD! She's looking like something out of a George Romero flik these days.

Alright, I can't stick with that as a way to go out here, so I'm going to go with something that's a little more me....

There we go. But enough of this screwing around. I've got to get some work done, and this just turned into a mess.

Tomorrow starts Comicon so I won't be around, but tune in next week for my report on that debacle. And in the meantime, and while I'm on the subject, check out the cast of the upcoming Man of Steel, it could be EPIC! And if you haven't seen the new Avengers trailor yet, watch it right here. Looks Sick!

But that's all for now.

Later People!



Join my fanpage John LaSota - Writer

Or our creative team's page The Mad Doser Presents

And if you need a healthy helping hand from a Personal Performance Consultant

Coach LaSota

God... you're a funny bastard God....

I'm sure I'll get a lot of hate mail for that title, cursed as a blasphemer and lose some fans over it, probably by the same people that swear I'll go to hell for eating meat on Fridays yet hide and protect kid touchers the world over... but whatever, it feels like a weird morning already, so we might as well pile it on.

Besides, anyone that knows me will also know that despite the fact that I don't believe in organized religion of any kind, I am in fact extrememly spiritual, so to get out of sorts over that statement is to completely misinterpret its meaning, which people do every second of every day. God IS a funny bastard, and the joke is on all of us, but today I mean that in every good way possible.

I've already mentioned in my post "A Deeply Personal Note..." (which many of you loved) that everyone of us must be able to express ourselves and feel like we matter to the world around us in order to feel well adjusted and good about who we are. And in my piece "A Real Man... A Great Man... and the Man Cave" I talked about how we all need to feel as if we are accepted for who we are right here, right now, exactly the way we are without having to do more or be more. (Though it was slanted for men, the same applies for women as well)

At the time that I wrote each of those pieces I was feeling really good, but in the days and weeks in between I found that I'd lost all of those feel good moments and fell into a deep down cycle, and this one was BAD, the worst I'd had since I was 19 years old and lost 35 pounds in a matter of three weeks. I know Ed Burns makes fun of the down cycle in his flik "She's the One", one of my favorite movies (I'm a big Ed Burns fan), but they really do exist for all of us.

According to Dr. John Gray, men and women alike go through a cycle where they go from feeling really good about themselves to feeling really bad and need new affirmations that they matter to the world around them and are accepted and great just the way they are right now every 28 days or so. (Amazingly like the menstrual cycle) So not only does the down cycle exist, but its normal for every one of us to go through it. Its just that some of us feel it more than others depending on where we are in life, how we've been taught or are equiped to deal with things, and our brain chemistry.

So what the hell does this have to do with God? Well, as I said, I was caught up in the worst downcycle I can remember in the past 15 years, which is saying a lot considering some of the things that have happened in that time. And just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, sure enough, one after another, I was put in position after position and given example after example to show me just how great I am right here, right now, just being who I am. And I was able to see, through the eyes of people around me, how much I do matter.

As always, I use experiences in my own life to try to get you thinking of similar experiences in yours. Isn't it amazing how something always seems to happen, as if it came out of nowhere, to bring us exactly what we need exactly when we need it? And it seems to happen every single time. We've all had this happen to us in our lives, the Rolling Stones wrote a song about it.

So last night as I drove home from dinner at a friends house, I couldn't help but reflect on all the of the things over the past couple of days that showed me just how much a part of other peoples lives that I am, and how much of a difference I really do make in those lives. Last night's dinner was one more way of showing it to me. And it all came just as I thought I had nothing left in the tank. It made me smile. And I couldn't help but blurt out as I got onto the highway....

God... you're a funny bastard God....

And here's another thing that proves the point of all I had to say today... my buddy who I had that dinner with last night... this guy is great and he doesn't even know it. He can't see it for himself. And I'd bet that I can say the exact same thing about YOU reading this right now. Its up to all of us to show each other how great we are, and how great we can be. Those of us that have people who do that in our lives don't need God, or the Tao, or the Force or the Universe, whatever you want to call it, to step in as much and do it for us. But it will if we need it to. It just waits till the last minute when we need it most. Its our job to make sure we get to people before they need it that much.

You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find... you get what you need.

 

And for those of you keeping score... we all need to feel like we're accepted for who we are right here, right now, and thats good enough without having to do or be more, and we need to express who that person in the right here right now is, and know that who we are and what we do matters to the people around us. But no matter who we are or where we are in life, every 28 days or so we're going to go from feeling great to feeling like crap, so it's important to surround yourself with people who accept you for who you are, allow you to express yourself, and show you how much you matter to them. Likewise, its just as important that you accept the people around you for who they are, allow them to express themselves, and show them that THEY matter to YOU..... its a running tally....

How much better would we all feel if we all did that? Life would be one giant lovefest... YEEAAAHHHH!!!!

Later People!



Join my fanpage John LaSota - Writer

Or our creative team's page The Mad Doser Presents

And if you need a healthy helping hand from a Personal Performance Consultant

Coach LaSota

The Good Things in Life and Keeping Your Head When the Wheels Fall Off....

The other day I was having one of those mornings where the wheels fall off before you even get going. I hadn't slept all night, everytime I was about to doze off one of the dogs went nuts, and this kept happening. So I was exhausted already at the start of what was going to be a long day.

She knows what I'm talking about. Then for various reasons, several important players on my Sunday morning Softball team told me at the last minute possible that they weren't going to be there. One of them had some of the equipment I needed, so we were short handed without supplies for games we HAD to win against a 6-0 team no less. And I had to deal with it.... SCREWED.

Upon getting to the field, the wife of one of the guys that did show made a joke that we might lose him too if her water broke. At least I thought it was a joke. Her water broke in the 2nd inning or so. Then, whether it was the lack of sleep, my anxiety, allergies, or all of the above, my entire world started to spin and I was so nautious that I had to take myself out. The whole morning was a complete disaster, and the day was just starting....

Except we managed to win both games. Not only did we win, but there was only one point where we were in danger of losing.

Later that day I had a wedding to go to for another of the guys on the team, but by the time I got home from the games I was completely shot, and sitting down to watch some football made it really difficult to get things back in gear again. Beyond that, formal activities where you have to don the suit and tie aren't my bag; I think I'd do very well if I could spent the rest of my life in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. Weddings are awkward for me, and I only knew three or four people that would be there, so there was every chance that this could be a total trainwreck.....

But my buddy invited me, went to the expense of paying for my plate, and probably a whole lot more just to be allowed to have me there; I'm not exactly the one people readily admit to their family and loved ones they even know, much less want to have around for special events. I couldn't let him down, so I sucked it up, dealt with my crap, and got my ass to the church... er, Temple, on time.

I ended up having a great time!

Somewhere during the middle of the ceremonies I received a text from my buddy who's wife's water broke at the field. His new son was born and everything was looking good. It turned out to be a GREAT day, one of the best I've had in a while. So it just goes to show that, even when things look their worst, it can all turn out so much better than you expected, even special, if you just take a breath, relax and take it easy, and let it all play out in front of you.

"If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you; Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, and which is more; you'll be a Man, my son!" - Rudyard Kipling.

Of course, that's paraphrased from the classic poem IF, you should read the entire poem though, so click the link. If you're confused by the pic, Kipling wrote The Junglebook.

While I sat at my buddies wedding, I couldn't help but remember the first time I saw him, I can remember it clear as day and it'll probably be etched in my mind forever. He looked like Topper Harley from Hot Shots, and the name stuck, we've been calling him that ever since. I haven't known him for long, but he's one of the most genuine people I've ever come across, you can see how he feels plain as day written all over his face, and he always seems to surprise you with what he knows or how good he is at something. Its people like Topper that make life worthwhile, and here I was sharing the most important day of his life. He even took the time to yell at me for not taking care of myself better.

It got me to thinking, whether its a wedding or anything else, even just a random party for no reason, we should take the time to celebrate each other more than we do. What else really is there in life?

The wedding showed me one other important thing too, this about myself. I've spent so much time holding on for so long just so that the wheels don't fall off, like I started this piece with, holding on so that I don't make a total ass of myself, which I'm very good at, that I've lost the ability to let go and just be. I'm probably terrified that I don't know what's going to happen, what will come out if I do. People think I'm crazy already, and this is me restrained. What would you see, and what would people think, if that manimal got out of its cage?

Trouble is... that's where all the good stuff is. That's where you're really living life, and what good is life if you're not living it. For too long I haven't been, and now I've forgotten how. There's an entire different level that I can take my game to, but I'll never be able to get there until I'm able to unleash the beast. And I can't help but wonder how many of you are in a similar way.

At least I know now what I'm looking for. If I ever end up getting hitched like my buddy there, its going to be to the person that helps me open the cage. She has to be able to get me to dance. Not just get me to do it, but get me to want to do it. And it strikes me that a lot of people are unhappy because of this very thing... when we all should surround ourselves with nothing but the people and things that break us out of our cages, we instead chase after and get caught by the ones who would put us in it. And that's just no way to live. Who wants to live in a cage?

And as if the stars were in alignment, this morning I saw this....

I think the Dalai Lama said it best... so I'll leave it there for today...

Later People!



Join my fanpage John LaSota - Writer

Or our creative team's page The Mad Doser Presents

And if you need a healthy helping hand from a Personal Performance Consultant

Coach LaSota

Are you a Hypocrite? Probably. "Look at me? I'm jumping on the bandwagon" and Real Steel review...

I don't get it, I thought it was the perfect idea, but very few people bought into it.

I suggested that, in honor of Steve Jobs greatness, any guy that gets his girlfriend pregnant this week doesn't have to take care of the kid. And if anything is said to bring down that guy's image all he has to do is shrug his shoulders and say, "Hey, sorry, everybody makes mistakes" and all will be forgiven.

Look, I have nothing against Steve Jobs, he was a man, both great and fallible as any other. The issue that I have was with all of the hero worship, all the "inspirational" quotes, and the public praising of someone that 2 days before his death, most people doing the praising probably didn't even know who he was.

Two days later, Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders and NFL pioneer passed and you barely heard word one about it. Yet Davis had just as much impact on our society as Steve Jobs.

Since you don't know, Al Davis hired the first Black Head Coach in NFL history, the first Latino Head coach in NFL history, and the first woman CEO in sports. Oh, and he's the guy directly responsible for forcing a little shindig we call the Superbowl!

That's right people, without Al Davis the Superbowl, which has become such a huge event that major advertisers base their entire years ad campaigns around it (everything you buy or are brainwashed with centers around this day) and most people believe should be declared a national holiday at this point, wouldn't exist. No Al Davis, No Superbowl. That means no NFL as we know it. How's that for major impact on society? If you don't think that affects you as much as your computer you really don't know how it all works, and you're simply kidding yourself.

But there was no love for Al Davis. Why is that?

If you went crazy with all of the Steve Jobs nut riding, if you posted quotes left and right about how great and inspirational he was, but didn't throw out even one "Just Win Baby" in honor of Davis, you're a hypocrite.

If you rail against father's that don't take care of their kids, but then praise Steve Jobs, you're a hypocrite. In fact, if you ever complain about how anyone else has wronged you... ever.... but throw Steve Jobs quotes up there or an everyone make's mistakes... you're a hypocrite.

You can't have it both ways. But just as I said in the last article "The Jobs Edition", its not about how inspirational the person is, its not about the greatness of their character, it's about results. That's what people are praising, which only makes Davis' "Just Win, Baby" mantra all the more fitting.

And let's face it, the people doing all the public praising of our celebrities... for most of them it has nothing at all to do with the hero worship or the great things these people did either. It has EVERYTHING to do with screaming "HEY, LOOK AT ME!!!". "I just posted the same quote 85 other people posted, I'm just as inspirational". "Hey, Look At me! I'm part of the club too! I can slobber all over this guys nuts so that you'll slobber all over mine!" "Tell me how great I am for putting this up... PLLEEEAAASSSEEE!!!"

More "Look at Me". That's all this ever is. 

Well, I'm not part of the club, thanks. That's not a club I want any part of, though sadly, most of our society is. That's the herded sheep part of the world we live in, because most people are a bunch of followers not only willing, but wanting to stick their head in the sand and avoid things as they really are because to do so, to speak out against it puts you outside of the social set. So we sell our souls to jump on the bandwagon, that way everyone will accept us, or at least pretend to. But it's ok if they only pretend to, what they're accepting isn't really us, but who or what we're pretending to be anyway.

Let's all pretend, like we live in Mr. Rogers neighborhood. Perception is the important thing, right? Not truth.

I'll continue to say it as it's now become my mission to point this out and change how people look at things, that how we treat each other and why, who we respect and why, is directly responsible for all of the problems that we now face, including the economy.

Watch this clip, it's not haha funny George Carlin, it's old, cranky just about to kick and pissed at the world Carlin... but he's exactly right and if you don't think so, then you're part of the problem...

Speaking of father's that don't take care of their kids, I checked out the movie Real Steel the other night. The advertising has had me wanting to see it for months now, afterall, what's not to like about Rocky with robots? It's about a former boxing dead beat dad that redeems himself, so it perfectly fit the theme for my weekend.

I was a bit nervous when I saw all the kids pile into the theatre, the crowd can make or break a movie and with kids you never know which you're going to get. And while it may have been a family film, it certainly wasn't a kid's movie.

The story takes some time to get into and its definitely predictable. There also wasn't enough of the robot fighting, though those scenes were pretty cool. But when the big arena scenes hit, and all the kids in the crowd began clapping in unison with the crowd on the screen, you couldn't help to be sucked in. This time the theatre crowd actually made the movie, and by the end there was nothing not to like.

Olga Fonda is in Real Steel



If you have kids you should take them to see Real Steel. If you're a kid at heart you should go check it out. Otherwise wait for video, where if nothing else you'll be entertained for two hours by a solid formula flik.

I didn't want to get into this heavy business today, had a great weekend and preferred that be what I rambled about, but it was important that you know. If I made you angry it's because I touched a chord, hit you in the moral center. You're mad because I'm right. And if you agree... help me get people seeing things the right way again.

JUST WIN BABY!!!

Later People!



Join my fanpage John LaSota - Writer

Or our creative team's page The Mad Doser Presents

And if you need a healthy helping hand from a Personal Performance Consultant

Coach LaSota