I'm baaaaaaaaack!!

So, OK, things didn't quite work out the way I planned with this blog. Let me just say this...and my buddy Danny can back me up...this year, 2009, has to be about the craziest year on record. He and I say that all the freakin time cause it seems like every time we turn around, something just happens. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I've seen it all. Some things I'm not ready to talk about just yet, but others I'll discuss in future posts. Some are minor, like why the hell am I letting my hair grow long? I haven't really found a good excuse for that other than "because I can" or "I'm growing it while I still have it". Some are major and have changed my life in a lot of ways. Most of those are not for public consumption quite yet. I will say that my daughter turned 16 (yes, that's her pic on the right), got her license, and a car last week. It's just hard for me to imagine my little girl driving something bigger than a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe. Like I need another reason for my hair to continue turning white. I will also finish the road trip posts. I was able to fulfill at least part of a dream; driving Route 66. I made it all the way across Texas and New Mexico. A special thanks goes to http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ for their research and motivation to do that. I plan on finishing the rest of the Illinois to California journey sometime before my hair is long enough to get caught in the garbage disposal. The road trip in February, along with some major events that have happened since then, have really made me dig deep for some soul searching. I think I lost sight of the basics in life and wound up doing and saying things that I'm not very proud of. Along the way I became unhappy with a lot of things, but mostly with myself. I lost the drive to do photography which had up till then been a passion, and escape, for me. I've had to "reset" and figure out what I want out of life. I realized that if I'm not happy with myself there is no one on this planet, or any other planet for that matter, that can make me happy. So I began a different journey of sorts; to find out how to make myself happy and accept and take responsibilities for the things that I have said and done. I'm at peace with myself now for passed mistakes. There is absolutely nothing I can do about anything that has already happened, I can only set myself up for a better future. I have found strength in a few things; quotes, music, friends, and now my photography again. One of the most motivational quotes for me right now is:

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending".

That pretty much sums up what I am working on now. I plan to do everything I can to be happy with myself. Also the music I listen to has become a huge part of who I am. I spend a few hours a day listening to music, of which probably 90% of is never played on the radio. When I get home from work I turn on the XM radio on DirecTV and let it play. Right now I'm listening to L'Acrobat by Ferry Tayle & Static blue. Trance and Progressive music just takes me to another place. I guess that's why they call it "trance" (wow, imagine that concept!).

I'll have more about my favorite quotes, music, trips, photography, the effect of coastal errosion, what "vegimite" is, and why I laugh when someone says "hot dog" later. I'll be posting every night (yes, I know you've hear that before and here we are now 9 months and 17 seconds later). But this is part of my healing and therapy; just talking about whateva! So like General Motors and their "reinventing" themselves, we'll see if I can do the same thing. Good night to all!