Coffee and Warm Drinks

This is going to get me in trouble with some, oh well! I'll keep it short.

I love coffee, I really can't stand Starbucks. Every once in a while I'll go back just to make sure it hasn't improved. Today I when and got a Carmel Macchiato, venti, hot. It's horrible! I always feel that the beans are over cooked or something! I over pay every time! Bucks is just convenient garbage, much like McDonalds. Except their fries, who doesn't love their fries right?

But then there's this wonderful place down the road. My Circle K. Cheap, hot, and delicious! If I really want to splurge, I'll go to Dunkin Donuts. Yup, that place! My fiancée is all about her Starbucks, but these days it's a much more open door. She even said that Dunkin is better! Can you believe it! I was on cloud 9 because I knew she meant it! We'll go to the store and buy better coffee for home.

But now there's a little more of a bit in the air. So I've been warming up a different drink a little more often. First there's the Apple Cider, sometime with a little Irish Whiskey, sometime not. But then there's the grand daddy of winter awesomeness! Hot Cocoa! And I especially love my with broken up candy cane!

Now, sometimes I go into teenager mode. And even I was a bit skeptical when I did this. I made some with Eggnog. It's the one time I'll say skip the candy cane. When done with just the plain cocoa though.... mmm! I'm going to have to get more eggnog at the store today. It really is awesome though. An holiday treat dancing into my mouth, and down my throat. Not for the light of heart. Give it a try. I dare you!

Life and Career Changes Part One

What's this? My last blog entries were New Years and 1/2 of 2015!?!?!?!?! Are you kidding me? No it's true. Holy cow does time fly when you're getting life back on track. And boy has it been a ride!

So this will be the update entry? Boooorrriiinng!It's an easy re-cap. Went back to school, and made a career change. Blah, Blah, Blah.

Yes! I left the world of the criminal justice system in the review mirror, and started working in health care. What an oxymoron of a name. Are their great people that care? Absolutely! But then they're leashed by greedy corporations, spineless administrators, and ignorant doctors (No real world smarts for many. Just what they've been spoon fed in their agenda pushing schools.) I'll say it here! Many, not all, doctor's are some of the dumbest smart people you'll ever meet! Get a nurse practitioner, you'll be better off. Nurses save lives, not doctors!

However, I have found the world of Hospice to be a true calling. Funny how even in a new career field I found myself dealing with death on the daily again. Now for some it's a scary place where people are dying. Not always the case! Many people do come improve and come off of hospice care. For some, it's just a way to get better funding from the insurance powers that be, to provide better care for people. That is the bottom line right? Get the best possible care? Sadly though, most don't come off of it. But the relationships you develop with both the patients and their families are amazing.

In just providing care in this area, I found something I'd been missing for years. The work that I was doing MADE A DIFFERENCE! The people I've formed relationships with and have cared for have given me a gift beyond anything you'd get elsewhere. A fresh breath of life. They've shared advise, past experiences, regrets, triumph's, failures, and even first love! While some have feared the end of life as we know it, and what's beyond that veil. Other's have embraced it, and let everyone around them know that they love them and will see them again when they go home.

I've seen things in my life that have given me chills. Nothing has gotten to me more than those who have said, "I'm going to die in 3 days." And then it happens! It's crazy! And for me it's re-affirmation of life after death. It's also drawn me closer to my ministry work.

Captain, My Captain

Time to bring out a little geek. It's been a while and. There's no "and". This is my blog and I'll blog what I want! Today kids, is a sequel of sorts. You may recall I wrote an entry a while back about the Star Wars vs Star Trek feud, when I declared Babylon 5 the winner.

Today however, B5 doesn't win. So let's get to it. Who's the best Captain? So my Browncoats will hate this, but Mal is the first I'll knock down. He's a bad dude, but only a Captain in the technical sense as he's the employer and owns Serenity. That's it. Done deal. He's gone.

Next up. Star Wars. Sure there's some captain's. But none we truly know as a captain or really care about. We know them as jedi, princess, scoundrel, droids, sith, and wookies. So my Death Star just blew that universe away. Moving on.

Sadly B5 is next on the chopping block. This might be enough to drive Garibaldi back to the booze. We see some great captain's here. And we see a lot of them die. But the ones that live are career and fate driven to move up and out. They become ambassadors, presidents, etc. They just keep moving to other pastures. While it's great, we just couldn't hold on to our captain's out there. Even commanders were subject to the same fate.

Next up Trek. We have a ton of captain's here, and that's just on the Federation's side alone. Picard, Janeway, Sisko, eventually even Sulu made the seat. Admit it, you still giggle at the memory of Christian Slater getting yelled at. But the first captain, not the pilot Kirk, but Shatner is my Captain. He gave life to the breed of Captain we expect today. I say Shatner, not just Kirk, because no other Captain has given so much of himself to the seat.  Picard could give a run for his money, but Patrick Stewart himself has noted that one TNG was surprising in that it didn't fail, when he expected it to. And two, it was merely a great part in his career. Which makes sense after his various successes.

But Shatner, Kirk, has a life in the chair. So many great series, and worlds but he comes back. TJ Hooker, TekWar, Boston Legal, and so many memorable moments. But he was always in the chair. His addition in the world of books shows his love and devotion to the chair. Even when Kirk was promoted, he found his way back to the Captain's chair. His advise to Picard, "don't let them take that chair away". And to this day there is still interest in being part of one last journey on the big screen as Kirk.

Just as Kirk man handled the Kobayahi Maru, Shatner has defied the only being the Captain for a while. Instead he's turned the odds around and given us more than could be expected of a character, a writer, an actor, and himself. Shatner is the Captain.

So hopefully Ivanova doesn't whoop me too bad when she and the Captain are in town for the Albuquerque Comic Con next week.

Resolution for Life

Happy New Year! So it's day 1 and many of you have a resolution of some sort. Some are saying, "not me."

For most it's some vain, petty thing that won't last long. Examples include: lose weight, stop smoking, work less. Let's admit it. Most won't stick to a resolution past saying it.

Here's the "but". I have a recommendation for everyone's resolution. It's incredibly simple. And it's something everyone should be doing anyway.

"Be a better me"

Yup, that's it. We all have things we have trouble with, and struggle to overcome. In the USMC we say, "know yourself and seek self-improvement." It's a must.

Now, I'm not saying to become a fitness freak, or to put out that cigarette. I'm not saying to stop cursing, or to go to church. What this resolution calls for is baby steps. It's a day at a time. And you will have moments that will cause you to stumble and fall. That's ok. Just get back up. Smile. And start again. Do your best. And then tomorrow, you'll do even better. The best part of this is the fact that it's not just a new years resolution. It's that this can and should be a resolution for life.

Can you imagine how much better the world would be if everyone committed to this? Are you up to the challenge?