New Year’s Resolution Part Two

Self

two-new-years-resolutions

Two years ago I made a New Year’s Resolution. – To care more about those people that truly matter, and to care less about what others think.

It was the first resolution I made in many years. For the most part I lived up to that creed. I had some stumbles along the way but truth be told, it’s guided me well.

Today I was thinking about making another New Year’s Resolution. Two, in fact.

Before I ever consider dating another woman, two things must be evident:

1. She has a warm and loving relationship with her Father/Step-Father. No “daddy issues”.

2. She has long hair.

So it goes.

The Most Horrifying Movie I’ve Seen

Janet

gone-girl

Last night I watched this movie.

To see the projecting that Amy did on Nick was horrifying. I stopped the movie several times to regain my composure. It cut that close to my own memory.

Amy’s gaslighting is what did that marriage in. Her mental abuse destroyed Nick. Their job loss and relocation was no excuse to kill the relationship.

Borderline Personality Disorder is a terrible mental disease. To watch this movie frames my own experience of it in a way I hadn’t seen before.

Never again.

Thin Blue Line

Politics

slo-sheriff

For the past two weeks, on two different fronts, we have been confronted with the unpleasant fact that there are people working in the institutions of our self-government who believe themselves not only beyond the control and sanctions of the civil power, but also beyond the control and sanctions of their direct superiors. We also have been confronted with the fact that there are too many people in our political elite who are encouraging this behavior for their own purposes, most of which are cheap and dangerous. In Washington, John Brennan, the head of the CIA, came right up to the edge of insubordination against the president who hired him in the wake of the Senate report on American torture. Meanwhile, in New York, in the aftermath of weeks of protests against the strangulation of Eric Garner by members of the New York Police Department, two patrolmen, Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos, were murdered in their squad car by a career criminal and apparent maniac named Ismaaiyl Brinsley. In response, and at the encouragement of television hucksters like Joe Scarborough, police union blowhards like Patrick Lynch, political zombies like George Pataki, and comical fascists like Rudolph Giuliani, the NYPD is acting in open rebellion against Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York, and the civil power he represents over them. This is an incredibly perilous time for democracy at the most basic levels.

Ed Kilgore – Washington Monthly

Burn this Bitch Down

Society

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I have completely lost confidence in the criminal justice system after this latest travesty.

Cop violates protocol and strangles Eric Garner. It’s caught on video. Coroner rules it a homicide. Grand Jury fails to indict.

I have much to write about my personal experiences with “law enforcement”. It’s damming.

I’m sick and tired of running across pussy cops hiding behind their badges, their tactical gear, their attitude and their gun. Time to start doing something about it.

Cops need oversight. The police unions are shielding bad cops. We need to root them out so the good cops can do their job. So we can trust them once again.

I’m buying a gun, for if someone threatens my family I rather take action myself to protect us than to call the cops.

End of a Season

Douglas

cleats

Baseball season ended last month for Douglas. I am humbled by the amount of work he put in.

He was the Shortstop and Team Captain on four different teams: the Atascadero Reds, the Atascadero Little League Travel Team, the Atascadero Little League All-Stars and the Atascadero Rivercats.

He attended 72 practices and scrimmages.

He played in 59 games.

Along the way he made a lot of new friends. All great players and kids.

Doug’s sports success is not indicative of what kind of parent I am. Having an athlete who is coachable, a great teammate, mentally tough, puts the work in, tries their best and brings joy to the game is what matters.

We’re both looking forward to Opening Day next Spring.

Stop Writing About Me

Cal Coast News, PTSD

unforgiven

November 11th was like most days for me. Late afternoon and I needed a break from the home office before I started dinner for the kids. I walked to the Santa Margarita Tavern and sat down in front of a beer.

A couple walks in. I recognize the guy as a fellow Little League parent from Douglas’s baseball team. We say hi to each other as they sat down at a table in the back corner.

A  few minutes later I turned around and looked over. I recognize the women sitting with him.

It was Karen Velie.

They were engrossed in discussion over a document, reviewing it page-by-page. I wanted to talk to Karen, but I didn’t want to interrupt their business. After 10 minutes, when it appeared they were done, I approached their table.

(In the interest of privacy, the guy’s identity is changed to John.)

Me: John, can you excuse us for a few minutes as I would like to talk with Karen.

Karen: I don’t want to talk to you.

Me: All I ask is a few minutes of your time Karen.

Karen: I don’t want to talk to you. Stop writing about me.

John: Kenny, I don’t want to get in the middle of this.

Me: John, that’s why I asked you to excuse yourself. So that you’re not involved in this.

Karen: Stop writing about me.

John: Do you want me to call the Sheriff?

Me: John, have I committed a crime?

John (pulling his cell phone out): Do you want me to call the Sheriff? Do you want to talk to them?

Me: Karen, why haven’t you called me back? You promised you would?

Karen: Stop writing about me.

With that said, I excused myself, left the establishment and walked home.

The Rush to Compassion

PTSD

the-rush-to-compassion

You ever have something happen sideways in your life and you can’t forget it?

I have something. There was a tragic hit-and-run in Santa Ana this past Halloween. A guy with a suspended license, on account of an earlier hit-and-run & DUI, ran over three beautiful 13-year old girls.

Eyewitnesses say the girls were thrown 100 feet. The driver fled. He’s now in custody.

They have started a memorial fund for the funeral of those three precious girls. News reports state that there is already tens of thousands of dollars donated for the girl’s funeral.

When Janet died, I set up a memorial fund for the funeral. I received two donations.

One for $200

One for $50

I am grateful for the two that donated.

The funeral bill was north of $9,000.

What an insult to my children.