Random Thoughts for the Week of February 13, 2012

Mindi and I spent the weekend at a small cabin down in Hocking Hills, Ohio.  While there we were in the middle of a nice little snowstorm that dumped only a few inches of snow on us, but it transformed the forest into a beautiful, winter wonderland with snow on the branches and flurries constantly blowing in the breeze.  Even though the cabin was like something out of a horror flick (picture the small shack waaaaay back in the woods with no one around to hear you scream), it was very relaxing to sit, turn the phone off (believe it or not!) and just be for a while.  It’s funny how a relaxing weekend like that should inspire numerous random thoughts … instead my mind went dark for a good time, simply enjoying the fruits of my labors and the warm embrace of my family.  Yeah, life is good.

• Snowflakes falling on your head while you’re in a hot tub is really, really cool.  I highly recommend it.
• I’m still not sure how I feel about a 30% tax on the rich.  I’m all for more equality in the % of taxes we pay across the classes.  For some reason, my gut tells me that 30% is too high.  I still think the better solution is for the government to spend less, not get more money from the citizens.
• It’s really annoying that I feel lighter, I look lighter around my neck and my clothes feel looser … and yet there is little change on the scale.  Grr.  Trying to be patient.
• I can’t think of very many things that are more soothing and more relaxing than a clear, starry sky.  It was brief this weekend, and rarely seems to happen in Columbus.  But on a clear night with Orion and the others looking down, with planets hovering in the void, I find a comfort and a thrill of imagination that very little else can provide.
• I left behind a few “special” lotions in the cabin.  I hope the owners find good uses for them.  LOL
• I really didn’t like my job last week.  This week isn’t shaping up to be much better.  Working on ways to improve that.  But the life/energy-sucking days need to stop soon.
• Marshall/Kerry, how’s that plan coming?
• Dennis Rodman is a genius.  He’s setting up tryouts for a topless basketball league.  Who cares if it even happens?  He wins just having the tryouts!  Time for the topless trampoline wrestling league I’ve always dreamed of running to start tryouts too.
• If you could do any job for about $40K a year, what would it be?  Yeah, tough question to answer.
• Sorry for the short entry this week.  Work is sucking the life out of me this week, and lots of other things going on too.  I promise more Brad/Mindi stuff next week.

A FEW RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT THE GRAMMIES

• I hate to admit it, particularly since I know Mindi reads this blog, but I have become a huge fan of the Foo Fighters.  If you look at all the performances last night, there were only a few folks there who sang something that was really 100% original, authentic and really got the juices pumping.  Adele, definitely.  Taylor Swift, please.  Chris Brown was talentless.  The rest was folks singing stuff that’d been done years ago.  But Foo Fighters rocked it out!  Walk is an awesome song you want to listen to again and again.  Yeah, I’m on board the bandwagon.  Glad they won so many awards last night.
• If you didn’t watch the “60 Minutes” interview, you can’t appreciate how humble, simple and honest Adele is.  She’s the kind of musician you like to hear about.  She’s not trying to fit into any mold or even sell the most records or become a huge star.  She just writes love songs and does her thing, and it’s brilliant.  I think the next year will bring many changes to her life, all earned.  I hope she can maintain that while riding the waves of her fame.  Too many brilliant musicians have been caught up and destroyed by it.
• By the way, I think any musician who started out the way Adele and so many others did and finally making it big to get such a huge, warm response to her return to singing … I don’t know if it could get any better than that.
• I can’t recall any network TV show, much less international broadcast, that opened with a prayer.  Kudos to the producers for going there.  Kudos especially to all the performers in the front rows who respectfully bowed their heads.  It’s a perfect example of the simple nature and value of prayer.  It’s not advocating a belief system, it’s simply people taking a moment, paying tribute (personally or communally) and giving thanks.  What’s so terrible about that it can’t be in our schools, courtrooms or society?
• I think Nicki Minaj is a perfect example of everything that is wrong with pop music, sex and the modern teenage lifestyle, and a lack of personal respect in young people for themselves.  Wow, what a waste of a life.  Nicki, if you really want to be a musician, get out of that mess you’re in, go back to school and get good at something.  Right now you’re a slave to marketing and what recording companies think is “cool.”  You’re not.
• Wow, the Beach Boys should stay broken up.  They sounded horrible.
• Thanks, Glen Campbell.  Good luck to you.
• I have a new found respect for Alicia Keys.  She and Bonnie Raitt were perfect to honor Etta James.  I still have chills.
• Paul McCartney is definitely one of the greatest songwriters of the past 100 years, no question.  But that snoozer Valentine song he sang was just wrong for him.  That’s a song for a crooner like Harry Connick, Jr., John Mayer or even Michael Buble. 

BABY WENDEL UPDATE

• Not much new here this week, except we finally welcomed Braxton-Hicks to our little family.  Nothing major yet, but definitely a new experience for Mindi.
• I know you’re wondering, and yes, Mindi did get into the hot tub this weekend.  But the temperature of the water was a cool 85 degrees and we were both careful to make sure she never got too warm (i.e. close to 102 degrees).  Everyone is fine.