From the Bucket List: Catfishing Stories and Other Potential Adventures

Well, I got some really great responses to my bucket list effort. So let me give a quick update.

1. Catfishing on the Mississippi. I got two volunteers to go and get stinky with me chasing 100 lb. catfish on the mighty Mississippi. This is surprising, I thought I might have to go it alone. Patrick Downing and Big Ike Griggs have agreed to join in this adventure - plus I have some interest from Chris McAfee. Big Ike wrote me with his request to participate and the following tale of catfishing heroism....
   
   Big Mike I would like to be considered for the BIG catfish trip, since my 1st name is BIG. Need to know time line. Do you fish with pole or trot line, and do we have to clean the fish? When I went broke in late 80's and moved to Oakalla, Tx. Chad and I caught a 28 lb. Yellow cat, on trot line in the Lampasas river. It almost drowned my brother BIG Mike. I told him" forget about saving your cigarette, or the son-of-a-bitch is going to drown you!" Now is that a catfish story or what? I have truly amazing friends. You can find out more here; http://www.bigcatfishing.com/
   
   Guys I am working to try and get us lined up with James "Big Cat" Patterson before the weather gets too cold. He's booked solid for this week. Try and keep ur Fridays flexible. I have always felt this was a good practice anyhow.
   
2. My niece Tiffany, reminded me of my long term goal of owning a Schnauzer ranch. I once wanted to have a Schnauzer Ranch with maybe 100 head of thoroughbred schnauzers. Nancy and I currently have four schnauzers, which is at least 2 too many. You see the correct ratio of Schnauzers to humans cannot exceed one to one. Otherwise they get all jealous and go nutso on you. I can't imagine what 100 head of schnauzer's would do; so this will require further deliberation.
   
3. My buddy, Ross suggested I consider some Scuba Diving with him. Ross, was my high school motorcycle riding buddy and good friend. He has since become a PADI licensed scuba instructor. Ross is also a great underwater photographer...he sent me a great link to some photos underwater photo's he's taken. I'd post it here - but I lost it. Anyhow, now my buddy Stu has a Captain's License for "unlimited tonnage". I think I see some possibilities here. Maybe I can help set it up and work as "deckhand".
   
4. Bill Wells, another friend from International Paper, suggested that I start a web page and go back to consulting. Honestly, I am trying not to do this, it pays great, but it's not as much fun as it looks.
   
5. My good friend Kevin Hinz, added one to the bucket list which I know is a "gotta do". He invited Nancy and I up to St. Louis to watch Chuck Berry play. Now how do you beat that?

Man this "letting go", can keep ur ass busy. Opportunities globally ranging from Costa Rica to Memphis, TN. From St. Thomas to St. Louis. What's next? Grand Rapids Michigan - catching the plane tonight.

I hope the pressure doesn't get to me. I'll update you soon on any arrangements relative to the bucket list. Keep your eyes open for the catfishing op. It could be next week. Let's Go!

All the best,

mike

Let Go of Junk....part 2

As I mentioned before, the prophet said "rid yourself of the possessions of your mind". The idea here is that if you get attached to a bunch of possessions, pretty soon your possessions will be owning you. Well, as you may know we tackled the garage, over the last two weeks, and you can now move safely about the garage.

So now it is time "to rid ourselves of the possessions of our closets."

I got rid of about a half dozen beautiful suits that no longer fit.

I guess my next effort needs to be "rid thyself of the fat upon your (_l_)".

Seems like a good project. Let's go!!!

Letting Go of Junk

Some where I remember reading the words of a prophet or spiritualist who said "rid yourself of the possessions of your mind". I think these are very wise words, words to live by, perhaps even a path to follow. But in my case, I think it would be best to start with baby steps, and to that end here is my first attempt down this enlightened pathway. I mean if Alcoholics Anonymous has 12 steps, how can anything possibly work with only one step. So here's my first step at letting go of Junk.....

"Rid yourself of the possessions of your garage!"

To that end, Nancy and I spent last weekend trying to get rid of a bunch of junk.....we rented a 20 x 10 storage building....and just about filled it up. What did this accomplish? My bet is that I have to move this shit again in less than 6 months; moreover, I will probably rent a huge semi-truck and trailor to haul this shit across the country. On top of that, I now have a $120 per month charge to store this crapola.

For years now, these possessions have had control of the garage;
1. Three or Four 8 person camping tents.
2. 30-40 Coleman lanterns, (I'll explain later)
3. Portions of a 2006 R1 Yamaha
4. Portions of a 1947 Chrysler New Yorker
5. Portions of a 2004 Honda VTX 1800
6. Antique stereo equipment....dating back to college days
7. Four Sets of Golf Clubs.
8. At least 5 sets of mechanics tools including Jacks, Jack Stands, Motorcycle Jacks, Wrenches, Welders, two battery chargers, 5 tool boxes, a couple of powersaws, a couple of drill sets, plumbing supplies etc.
9. Junk Furniture - that Nancy bought.

Do you see a trend developing here? Yep, you got it.....it's the damn junk furniture Nancy keeps dragging into this house that is busting the budget and making the garage uninhabitable. We're going to have a talk about this right now. Seriously.

Well, I'm glad we got that straightened out. Nancy agreed that she had gone overboard when she spent $100 on a Chinese-made end table. Now what is going to happen next? I think I will make a few course corrections......

1. I am probabaly nearly too old and decrepit to do too much more camping. Further, I can't see me rallying 30 of my best friends to spend a night under the stars in one of 4 tents I purchased on ebay. At a minimum - 3 of these beauties have got to go.....4 would probably be a better number.

2. Yeah, and there for a while I got hung up on the idea that I, and I alone, should repair every Coleman Lantern I could find. I can't remember when that vision came to me - it may have been the fall-out of never making it all the way to Eagle Scout. In any case, I'll cut myself back to a single Coleman - the rest can go to EBay.

3. And about the Yamaha R-1 Motorycycle Parts, well, about a year and a half ago I fancied myself a Motorcycle Racer and decided I needed a 180 horsepower crotch rocket to demonstate my skills. I had the thing about a month, when I demonstrated my skills right into a ditch, after taking a curve way too fast. Here's another crazy idea "let's race motorcycles for fun and profit!". What's left of this can go in the trash. Thank God, this little beast didn't finish me off.

4. Along with a few of my other misconceptions, I fancied myself quite the mechanic and set about restoring a 1947 Chrysler New Yorker. Well, this project took me parts of the last 7 years, and I have just about got it - but the truth is; it has cost me a fortune. And I'd love to get rid of it, before I have to hire a real mechanic to fix it again. I'll get this sold by Christmas at the latest.

5. Portions of a Honda VTX 1800 Motorcycle - well this one started out innocently enough, I bought this bike for my Sister. All it needed was some cosmetic work, when I got it. But by the time I had got through with the cosmetics, it needed real help. We finally sent it away, and got it running - oh well....more money down the toilet...and more left over parts in the garage. The left over parts can go. The VTX will be sold by Christmas. I bought my sister a nice bike that fits her better anyhow.

6. The stereo equipment, now honestly, that could happen to anyone. Unfortunately, it just keeps happening to me.

7. Four Sets of Golf Clubs - This is completely out of control. First, the only two good balls I ever hit playing golf was the day I stepped on the rake. So how do I wind up with 4 sets of clubs.... easy....it's Nancy again. First, off she has her own set of clubs which her family bought her, which she considers "priceless". A little hard to fault her for that. However, we have a set of men's "lefties" which we have because of her brother is left handed. So there's two sets of clubs for Nancy. I only have one set of clubs, except for the set that John Miller gave me - and since he is a well known author and expert in ABM I have kept these for all of these years. Unfortunately, the lefties, and John Miller's hand me downs are going to the Good Will tomorrow. Unless I here from some avid collectors of golfing memorobilia.

8. I finally figured it out. I am not a mechanic, my Dad was a mechanic. If Dad had any talent at mechanics, it was not passed down to me. Neither, am I a carpenter, my dear Grandpa Roberts was a carpenter. He did not pass down one ounce of carpenter ability to my Dad, and Dad must have passed me down even less than that. I am not an electrician, I don't even understand electricity. I need to leave these things alone. I am going to try and sell all of these damn tools this weekend, before I hurt myself!

Let me know if you need anything - as for me - I'm Letting Go!

All the best,

Mike

Bucket Lists and That Sort of Thing.....

A month of so ago, Nancy got us a copy of Jack Nicholson and Morgan Friedman's Film called the "Bucket List". To be honest with all of you, around the first of the year, Nancy and I finished our "Last Wills and Testaments". Man, let me tell you, when I got that done what a relief I felt. I sent a copy to my Sister, DeAnna, and asked her if it looked alright to her, she said, "I don't know, I don't even want to think about it". This was my chance to get the last laugh and say "well you better think about it now....because when I'm dead, it'll be harder for me to get it changed". That is the great relief of having a will, once you've finished it - there's no more arguing. Of course, my recent change in employment status may cause a few adjustments - but those won't take long - then the whole deal is on someone else. The concept of the "Last Living Will and Testament" must have been created by someone who, realizing it was late in the season of life for him, saw the opportunity to dump a whole bunch of shit on other people. What do you bet the creator of this legal document was "William the Wise Ass", hence the name Will?

While on the subject of bucket lists and wills, here's another good one. My sister has been jabbing at me with the Tommy Smother's line "Mom Always Liked You Best" thing. So anyhow, she and I were down at Mom's for Thanksgiving a year or so ago, and Mom has this beautiful octagonal table made of a variety of beautiful handcrafted woods. DeAnna mentioned to me how much she liked it and someday hoped it might be in her home.

Here's how I earn my reputation as a jerk....

I waited until the entire family was around to ask Mom, "Hey Mom, I really love this table, could Nancy and I have it, it would occupy a special place in our home?" This would have launched WW3, except for I couldn't stop laughing. I swear, I believe Mom would have given it to me on the spot. On the other hand, if Mom had of given it to me, I'd have given it to DeAnna, because I knew she loved it more. Still I thought it was funny., So much for my warped sense of humor.

Now back to the bucket list - I did create a few things I wanted to get done before I die. As well as a preambe, and invitations for you to join me in "Getting Let Go" as well as the more fun sport of "Letting Go!"

Nov. 4, 2008

The “Last Bucket List” of
Michael Wayne Roberts
As of November 4, 2008….subject to many changes in the future

Preamble:

I, Michael Wayne Roberts, being of somewhat sound mind and body, do hereby declare that as of this date, May 27, 2008, this is the “Last Bucket List Will of myself, Michael Wayne Roberts. It is valid only until such time as I update it; which I hope will be monthly with new challenges and adventures that I wish to explore with family, old friends, new friends, strangers, or even in some cases, alone. This is not, at this point a legally binding “PTA document” (Pain in The Ass) document. It is living and growing challenge that I will share with close friends and family only. Of course to become a close friend or family member is generally possible at any time. To become a close friend just give me a wink or a nod at the right time. If you desire family membership, I can help in that area as well; since I am an ordained minister in the Church of Universal Ministry. Please keep in mind that my church does not practice polygamy (it’s too hard for mortals to do) nor do we “allow human or animal sacrifice” since it is so messy. By and large, my congregation simply gives thanks for all that has been given us every day by the Grand Architect of the Universe.

If you are reading this, it is probably because I hoping that you will join me on one, or more, of my bucket list adventures. If you don’t see anything of interest, on the current list; stay tuned for upcoming dates….or what the Hell?…..throw in some ideas for the list of your own. If you have this secret list, you probably know that I am a “Gamer” and might try anything you can name with a friend.

To try and ensure that I keep my priorities straight, I have time banded my list into “near term must do’s”, mid term must do’s, and longer term “wanna do’s”. I have also included a “trash bucket list” of things that I gotta get done soon…..just to get them off my mind; and while these are listed last; I consider them a priority; in that, failing to knock them off could delay the really great “must do’s and wanna do’s. As such, in the near term I am going after the “trash bucket list” with a mortal vengeance. If I am successful at these; it can create more room for the need to and want to do’s on the rest of the bucket list.

If my list seems simple to you; I think that is great. I wanted a foundation I could think about and build upon. I hope you will pay close attention to the near term events, because if I live long enough – they will be complete in the next 6 – 12 months. Others take a little more planning, and are potentially even more important / fun. My truest hope is that some of you may find something that interests you, and jump it the bucket with me! If You Think You Are Ready…..Let Me Know, And As I Have Said Before

Let’s Go!!!!!


Last Will and Bucket List for
Michael W. Roberts
May 27, 2008

Near Term (Gotta Do):

1. Go Fishing for “Big Cats” on the Mississippi. (How could we miss this chance?) you can find that one here...and sign up with me...
http://www.bigcatfishing.com/ for some reason...there is some reluctance on the part of some of my friends.

2. Visit Liverpool England. Home of the Beatles.
3. Great big 4th of July Party down in East Texas featuring our band “Diddley Squat” and family. Ray Price? Kenny Falls? Others? Speak-easy? Bring the team! Dance Instruction / Dance contest….
4. Watermelon festival parade with my family. Consider “do-dah parade”. Sponsor statewide melon carving contest! Bring the Team! Randy Moore, Wade Cobb, Tony Cobb….bring em all.
5. Alaska tour with Nancy (I promised and am overdue on this one) in August.
6. Investigate / Instigate Northeast Texas Revival (with Carabeth Lucky etal.
7. Omaha Fall Festival – win the best of show and chili cook-off (CASI). Sponsor successful scarecrow contest!
8. Actively Participate and Make a Scene at Captain Daingerfield Days.

9. Consider Do-Dah Parade.
10. City / County Christmas - things for everyone – make it special

11. Daingerfield Park Celebration and Festival!!!!
12. Could include Sunday Fest and Lunch….
13. Munich at Christmas with Nancy

Slightly Longer Term (Need to Do)

48 State Bike Ride (alone or with bros. / sistas)
Yosemite
Death Valley
Big Bend
Old Faithful
Mount Rushmore
Florist Biker Ride
Memphis World Champ BBQ cook off
Terlingqua Chili World Championship – at least compete
Flower Design Training (CHR) or Texas or Other (Nancy and Mike)
Costa Rica with Big Ike
Mayan Vacation – Tuluum – Chetimzal etc.
Machu Pichu

Longer Term List…..
Well we’ll just have to wait and see how this one plays out after I finish the first list…..

Ideas Welcome....send em all. Please note that I am currently seeking immediate volunteers for my expedition down the Mississippi in serarch of 100 plus pound catfish. If you're game, and don't mind a bit of a gamey smell - get in touch with me soon. I need to book this trip in the next few weeks.

All the best,

mike

Letting Go Journal - Supports Big Ike

The Secrets of Chasing Women and Having Fun
Another Mystery in the Life of Mike Roberts


For those of you who have not yet met my dear friend Big Ike, He and I go back about a dozen years. Ike is in the concrete business, which like other housing sector businesses is going through some turbulent times. Ike is following this blog and sent me the following post…..

My Dear Friend Ike Writes:

“Good morning my friend, THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HATH MADE AND I WILL REJOICE IN IT! Happy is the man and he alone, he who can call today his own, he who without regret can say, TOMORROW DO THY DAMNDIST FOR I HAVE LIVED TODAY! 3 days ago I didn't even know what a blog was! Now I have on! I just don't know how to write anything on it! Would you do me the great honor of writing something for me based on the theme of chasing women, and having fun! Your style is so much more eloquent, and refined! Call me! Love Ya Man!!!!!! PURA VIDA, Ike
PS Did I spell damnedist correct? It would not come up on spell check?


Since this blog is about letting go I decided Ike’s request fits in ….at least kind of….my response is below…

My dear friend Big Ike asked me to help kick-start his blog by writing something about chasing women and having fun. Obviously this is a great topic, and one that many men and possibly women would be greatly interested in. The unfortunate part of this topic for me is it is a topic I know just about nothing about, especially these days.

Let me try and explain. Here are my list of reasons and excuses for pleading ignorance on this subject.

1. Of my 54 years on this planet, I have held a job for 42 of those years and have been married 35 of them. This did not leave me a whole lot of time for mastering the fine art of having fun or chasing women.

2. Physical Appearance – I’d like to tell you that I have the type of body that “men fear and women love”, however those of you that know me – know better. Another thing that doesn’t help is the fact that, I have the perfect face - for radio.

3. Finally, it seems like every time I was starting to succeed at chasing women or having fun – I’d fool around and get myself caught.


Don’t get me wrong, I was always deeply interested in both topics, just didn’t have the time or the money required to master them. In fact, I have been so unlucky at chasing women and having fun that complete strangers have walked up and said to me “I’ll bet you couldn’t get lucky in a women’s prison with hand full of paroles.”

My dear old Pappy told me that there was only two ways to attract women, and none of the men in our family had ever really figured out how either of them worked.

While I maynot much in the playboy department, I do consider myself an intrepid writer, not afraid of any subject, regardless of how little I may know about the subject. Lack of knowledge has never stopped me before, and I won’t let it stop me now. Especially, since I have a ½ dozen single friends who sometimes provide me updates on these exciting subjects – and I am a good listener.

First, Ike let me give you a possible title for your new blog site.....I know how hard it is to come up with a good title so here you go....

Ike Griggs
My Journey: From 55 year-old Plowboy to Middle Aged Playboy

Now here are a few potential topics.....

Top 10....er....6......ok 4 Tips for Chasing Women;


1. Frequent Target Rich Environments. According to some of my more successful friends these are environments where the ratio of women to men is at last three – two. Further, it can be helpful, if the women at these places were / are formerly married to oil millionaires, bankers, doctors, lawyers, or other wealthy professional vermin. In some cases these ladies may just be looking for a deckhand for a night of fun; in other cases it can be more serious. My recommendation is as always, be careful.

2. Be sure and use the Internet Dating Service that is right for you. Subscribe to all Internet dating services, but be a little bit careful about how you use them. Some, like E-Harmony are actually trying to fix you up with someone who is compatible with you, this could put a quick end to chasing women and having fun….so watch it. Others, like match.com, are more helpful, just trying to match up horny couples who need to get laid. Be sure when using these services not to fall in love, as your likelihood of true compatibility is somewhat diminished. Finally, there is Craigslist.com; where you are most likely to find hookers and catch a serious STD.
(Case Study; I have a buddy who has got to be over 70 who told me he was getting more every month, than he had in the last 10 years. He was seeing White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic women) His top secrets were Money, Match.Com, and Viagra. I asked him about STD’s and he claimed that at his age his doctor said he was "immune".


3. Always wear a wedding ring. If you have thrown all your old one’s out, go and buy a new one. These are must attire for gentlemen on the prowl. You see with a wedding ring, there is an automatic assumption of “no-commitments”, apparently and according to the experts, many women feel extremely comfortable with this sort of arrangement. This issue has become so prevalent, that a musician friend of mine has quit wearing his wedding ring, to prevent these type of women from stalking him.

4. Style Yourself. Keep in mind that the style you present, will determine the type of women you may attract. Here are a couple of classifications:

a. High Style - Drives a 2008 Atomic Orange Convertible Corvette. Wears swanky looking clothes, with matching shoes. Body build etc. thin, tan, muscular. Carries a minimum of twenty one hundred dollar bills in a gold money clip. Wears Rolex President watch. Also has, a wallet full over the limit plastic. This guy gets them just about every time. Trouble is, sometimes they just want his money.

b. Medium Style – Wears casual business clothes, glasses, looks somewhat inconspicuous. Carries two credit cards, one personal, one business. Medium build; average appearance. This is a very dangerous style to display. It will tend to attract only women who want to marry you, and usually if they are attractive they have 2 kids under 5 years old.

c. Deckhand – Wears only sleeveless shirts, with somewhat faded bluejeans or cut-off’s in the summer. Occasionally, wears a mullet (especially in the south). Has glorious tan, strong abs, big chest and biceps. Might have beer money in his pocket, no watch, no socks, no underwear. This is the ideal style if you can pull it off, it’s the "what you see is what you get – party boy look". Guaranteed for a night of fun.



Top Ways to Run Off Women:
1. Please review the profile of Mike Roberts. This has been almost fool proof for over 50 years.
2. Use some of those outdate lines from the 70’s like “what is your sign?” or “have you been sitting in a puddle or are you glad to see me?
3. Get some of those mud flaps for your pick-up with the naked gal silhouette.
4. Get a Tee Shirt that says “if they didn’t have vaginas, there would be a bounty on them."

If any of the rest of you have ideas for Big Ike's Chasing Women and Having Fun Blog, you can post them here, or email them to Big Ike in person @ ikegriggs@live.com

One more word of wisdom for the ladies who might read this to keep in mind, I have had 4 friends get married in the last two years, none of them are still married. Although, I suspect this has little to do with me, my official record over the last two years is 4 marriages; 3 divorces; 1 annulment; and no one left on base.

None the less, I have given this assignment my best & I wish all of you…..

All the best,

Mike

Selling Out!!!!

Some "letting go" type decisions are easier to make than others. Here's an example of what I consider a "no brainer".. Nancy and I are going to sell the house here in Memphis. The reasoning on this is pretty simple - if we can get it sold, along with the one in Texas (which is supposed to close on November 20), we have maximum flexibility to go anywhere we choose. We also, would be completely debt free - and free to coast for quite a while if choose to. Man, coasting sounds good to me.

Now when I said Nancy and I are going to sell this house, I meant exactly what I said. Nancy and I are going to sell this house ourselves without the aid of a real estate agent. Why....well that's another no brainer....it is a bad market here like everywhere else. I don't really need to give away 6% of the value of the place to a real estate firm. I'd rather reduce the price by 6% and give the benefit to the new owner...and hopefully sell the place faster. I'd like to be out from under this joint by Christmas if possible.

As with all decisions, there are consequences. Perhaps the biggest one here is that we have to get rid of a bunch of junk, especially in the garage which has become an dangerous place to walk, an eyesore, and a fire hazard. So here's the deal, Nancy, and I got a big jump on this bad boy Friday- we rented a 10' x 20" storage building. Since I guess our home here is a little over 2000 square feet - and I'll bet we fill that storage building to the gills, a logical calculation would indicate that we have about 10% too much junk. That would be a logical calculation - my bet is we bot 40% too much junk and we going to try and cram pack it into this storage building. The picture at the top of this post should give you an idea of what we are confronting....

Well to make this long story a little shorter....actually a two-parter.....we made a dent on the junk......then went ahead and watched the Longhorns lose to the Texas Tech, and then Dallas lose to the Giants.....WTF.....More work to do....on letting go...

All the best







I am not sure if I can get all of this done today before the Texas Longhorns play Texas Tech, but however far I get....I'm stopping for the game. I'll try and get a few pics in case you see any "choice junk" you think you need from our collection.




Well we got us one heck of a big weekend planned here by Golly!!! That's right, we're going to be packing up all the senseless junk that we have accumulated and moving it to the storage building. The idea here is that we are getting the house ready to sell, and all this junk would probably turn off a prospective buyer. Not only could it turn off an prospective buyer - it is definitely a safety and fire hazard.

Recent Feedback.......

You know, I have always said that a "swift kick in the ass" is an effective form of feedback. But let's talk for a second about feedback, good, bad, & otherwise.

During my trip back to Northeast Texas, I felt compelled to tell a limited number of folks, that my job at the large "fortune 100 company" had ended. The standard reactions went something like this....

1. Oh My God, what will you and Nancy do?
2. How will you cut down your expenses to make this work?
3. I'm so sorry, I wish you'd have lung cancer instead of this......

Those of you that really know me said something completely different and I appreciate that. It also plays into the title of this essay...."Recent Feedback." So let's go ahead and analyze "Feedback" and try and understand what it means and how it can be most effective.

As far as I can tell, the afore mentioned three feedback's, could only introduce fear, uncertainty, and dread to the individual who has just been "let go". In my particular case, I asked myself, "am I overly confident, that just because I have made a living wage since the age of 12, that this will continue? Will I be living on the streets, pushing a grocery cart with all my belongings? Will I find myself muttering some incomprehensible words about Activity Based Management, Harvard University, and Non-Value Added Activity?"

To all of these thoughts, my answer came back loud and strong....."What a bunch of Bullshit!!!!! Nancy and I will be fine....and as for me....I will strut like a cock until I am 99. I will walk like a man.

Believe me, "let go" means I am free, free to do whatever it takes to make myself and Nancy happy. And that I will do, and no human can stop me. Now for a second, in terms of feedback, I would ask the reader what the 3 preceding sympathetic feedbacks mean. To make it simple, I'd rather not hear any of them. While they may show concern, they also offer up a "whipped pup attitude". Ain't no whipped pup here.

In college I tried boxing, and was even inspired by the movie "Rocky". I used to think that my true friends that saw me take a mean punch; saw me hit the canvas; and saw me taking the standing 8 count; would race to the betting window, to try and throw some more money down on me, at better odds. My true friends, would knew that I would get back up, and do whatever it took to win the fight.

By the way, as far as I am concerned this ain't even a fight....it's a joy ride. The cards are stacked in my favor and I am enjoying one chance in my life to decide what I want to do next....biggest cakewalk I have ever had.

Now let's talk some more about feedback. What kind of feedback to you want to give to your friends and loved ones? Will it be:

"The OMG I'm sorry you got a tough break", or the

"Get up and show'em what you can do"

I prefer my friends in the second group. And by the way.....watch for sparks!!!!! My recommendation....try to give your friends winning feedback...not loser feedback.

Be sure to vote!!!!

All the best, Mike