Thursday, November 20, 2014

For What It’s Worth                    - 41 Days and Counting Down

Camping

The whole idea of free camping is to avoid paying rent and to have those unspent funds available for gasoline, food and unforeseen adventures.  Free camping is also a good way of avoiding annoying tourists types when all you really want is to be alone and enjoy the solitude mother nature has to offer.  Unfortunately I have been camping in campgrounds with inconsiderate campers before who played loud music and were up partying until 4 AM or so with absolutely no consideration for other campers.  When this happens all you can really do is complain to the camp management as you depart to go find a decent spot for camping without asshats like the aforementioned campers.  I myself would rather be totally isolated from these types of inconsiderate people, however that can be obtained.

Steve McQueen once said, “I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than to wake up in the middle of any city any day.”  I totally agree with his point of view and I plan to emulate that type of thinking as much as possible on our road trip.  If we did not see another human being in 2 weeks, I would be perfectly fine with that.  It’s not like we want to be all alone, but we prefer to be isolated from society and from any noise not made by Mother Nature.  Isn’t that what being outdoors and camping is really all about?  I wish I was out there at this exact moment instead of being here right now, that is for sure.  I can hardly wait to get out there once again and be doing my own thing.  I need to get out of this place, if it’s the last thing I ever do.  There has to be a better life out there.

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

“It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready.  I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything.  There is almost no such thing as ready.  There is only now.  And you may as well do it now.  Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any.”

                   - Hugh Laurie  (aka Dr Gregory House)

—————————————————————————

Snoopy says, Bark Less and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb

Monday, November 17, 2014

                                                         

   Me and my buddy Will up at Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains this past weekend!

For What It’s Worth                                                                          - 44 Days and Counting Down

Auto Body Repairs

I received a phone call Friday from the auto body shop doing the repairs on my Porsche.  They said I would have to pick the car up on Monday (Today) due to them having to paint the entire driver’s door so they could blend the paint of the repair with the rest of the car.  So today after work I get to go pick it up.  I would wait for months if it took them that long to get it just perfect.  I am pretty picky when it comes to that kind of thing.  So, I guess we will see how it goes tonight when I go pick it up and inspect it.

Retirement Luncheon

My Retirement Luncheon is scheduled for Thursday, Dec 18, at around 11AM at Rock & Brews located at 143 Main St (Southwest corner of Main and Franklin) here in El Segundo.  I hope you can attend to help us all celebrate my 37 year career working in Aviation and Aerospace.  It has been a long road and I am glad to step away and move on to the next chapter of my life.  Please come out and join us if at all possible. Thanks!

Mountain Adventure

This past Saturday, my buddy Will and I went out to the Inland Empire to visit the area we both lived at for several years and also went up into the mountains to Lake Arrowhead and also Big Bear Lake.  We basically wanted to get out of the city to clear our mins and lungs with some beautiful scenery as well as enjoy some fresh, crisp air.  It was a beautiful day up there, but after we grabbed some lunch (and slightly over ate), we both were ready for a nap. I guess we are getting old.  Anyways, we never really got to go to any of the places I wanted to visit, so we will be making another journey out that way soon and we will drive Linus out there.  That will give us an opportunity to grab a nap when the mood hit us.  Linus needs to get some more mountain climbing experience since I have only driven him up Mt Baldy once.  Maybe just before Christmas we will venture out there once again.

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

Snoopy’s 8 Steps to Happiness

Think Less, Feel More

Frown Less, Smile More

Talk Less, Listen More

Judge Less, Accept More

Watch Less, Do More

Complain Less, Appreciate More

Fear Less, Love More

Bark Less, Wag More

——————————————————————-

Snoopy always says, Bark Less, Wag more!

Until Next Time… Be Good!

- cb

Friday, November 14, 2014

For What It’s Worth                                                                   - 47 Days and Counting Down

Auto Body Repairs

Recently I came out of a shopping mall and discovered a dent in my right rear wheelwell on my Porsche 911 Carrera.  My baby that I keep in tip top shape had taken a direct hit which was estimated to be about $2000 worth of damage repairs.  Unfortunately it is a unibody type of vehicle and it was not an option to get a new fender, so needless to say I was not a very happy camper about the entire situation.  It is scheduled to be completed today, so I can go inspect it and pick it up and take it back home to be bedded down in it’s garage. I hope they did some good work because I am pretty picky when it comes to these kind of things and I will be doing a thorough Quality Assurance inspection prior to me taking it home.  Let’s keep our fingers crossed that it all comes out okay and I am happy with the work completed.

Weather and the Autumn Season

It rained again here last night, but not as heavy as the other night.  I believe we have only had two days of rain for as long as I can remember this year.  That has been really good for me since I have been riding my bicycle most everyday to and from work for my daily exercise.  The outside temperature has also dropped from the high 80’s down to the comfortable lower 70s and below, which is nice.  We don’t get much of an autumn season here in Southern California, so the cooler weather is a welcomed change for us.  We usually go up to the base of the mountains to the Oak Glen area, which is full of apple orchards and deciduous trees, so we can enjoy the beauty of all of the autumn colors.  We hope to be in the New England area next year to enjoy the color palette there since I have heard so much about it all my life.  I have also heard that the automobile traffic there is quite heavy at that time, so maybe we need to find a way of avoiding all of the traffic.  Anyone who has any good suggestions, we definitely welcome your input.

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

Always hold the door open for a lady.  

Not because she is a lady, but because you are a gentleman.

—————————————————————————

As Snoopy always says, Bark Less and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb

Thursday, November 13, 2014

For What It's Worth                                                                            - 48 Days and counting

Love and Friendship

Recently a sweet local girl we know just broke up with her fiancé.  Snoopy and I both believe she deserves better than him anyway, so we are not that sad.  We are sad that she is hurting but we know someone better will come along.  At least we won’t have to see him around much more anymore, hopefully.  Our hearts go out to her and we are there for her if she needs to vent or just be with a friend.  Snoopy can be a really great friend when you need her!  :)

Romantic relationships and me just don’t get along I guess.  I maybe expect too much as I give too much of myself when I am in a committed relationship and I foolishly expect that back.  My last serious relationship totally blew up in my face, which I never expected ever.  I am loyal to a fault I guess and now I have learned that it is not worth the pain to be in a relationship anymore.  

Sure, I would like to be with someone, but I do not need to be with someone.  I believe there is a big difference in the two.  I would like to share my life with someone but I don’t need to have that in my life.  I don’t have that neediness since I have been pretty much self-sufficient all of my life.  I have had some great relationships in the past, but many of them I messed up myself and I only have myself to blame.  Unfortunately, as you get older and learn what life is really about, you realize you did some stupid things when you were young and hopefully you have learned valuable lessons from those mistakes.  My last one I really tried to be the best I could be, but it takes two people in any relationship to agree to stay in it.  I guess I didn’t fit into it this last time.

So now I tend to shy away from relationships because of the damage done with my last marriage.      I actually met this one girl a couple years ago and she was pretty, fit, funny and available.  Unfortunately I was not emotionally available. After our 4th date or so I made myself unavailable because I knew it was going to become more physical, and I was not ready for that I guess.  I am damaged goods, unfortunately, and I don’t know what to do about it except keep at arm’s length and be friends with every girl I meet.  It may not be a fair deal, but it is what I am working with presently. 

Love itself is great!  All the things that surround love is what I am afraid of.  The loneliness, the rejection, losing someone, the envy, the heartache, the pain, all of it, I want to avoid like the plague. This is the cross I bear.  The pitfalls in life which do the most damage to your soul is what I fear and have avoided for the past 3 plus years and continue to avoid.  I guess it is my survival instinct that has kicked in to keep me afloat and my head above water.  It is sorry, but that is just the way it is now in my life.  I am in a sad state to say the least, but it is what it is I guess.

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

Understand that you own nothing, everything that surrounds you is temporary, 

only the love in your heart will last forever.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Snoopy says, Bark Less, and Wag More!

Until next time… Be Good!

- cb

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

For What It's Worth                                                                            - 49 Days and counting


The Escape Artist

I should of given my dog the name of Houdini rather than Snoopy since she always finds a way of escaping somehow.  While hooked up outside in our back yard area, every once in a while she somehow seems to get off her tether and it is frustrating and time consuming to have to go track her down in the neighborhood.  Even when she is locked in her carrier/crate which we call her box, she can escape from there also.  She has even unhooked the top and bottom of her box apparently by jumping up continually until she accomplished her escape.  The only way to ensure she does not escape from her box is to use a strap to fully wrap around the exterior of the box and also place a heavy object on top such as a toolbox.  I am sure with time she will find a way out of that predicament and once again escape.  Good thing I have a GPS tracking device on her to track her down.  

Snoopy’s Birthday

Snoopy’s 5th birthday was yesterday, so she got to go out to the Tavern to socialize with all of her peeps.  She got to see Uncle Rick (her favorite person in the world) who of course spooled her with his love and attention plus he took her for a short walk as he usually does. She loves all the attention he gives her and he is a kind soul to say the least. It was not that crowded last night which I thought was weird since it was a holiday and all.  I guess you never know…

Retirement Luncheon

I believe we are going to hold my retirement luncheon on Thursday, December 18 next month at Rock & Brews located at 143 Main St in El Segundo, CA.  This way it is before most people will be heading out of town for the holidays as well as a couple of weeks prior to my actual last day.  It has a nice listing of comfort food as well as plenty of good beers on tap to select from.  I am hoping for a good turnout of some former coworkers and close friends.  We will post more details as they become available.

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

Everyone says love hurts, 

but that is not true.  

Loneliness hurts.  

Rejection hurts.  

Losing someone hurts.  

Envy hurts.  

Everyone gets these things 

confused with love.  

But in reality love is 

the only thing in this world 

that covers up all the pain 

and makes someone 

feel wonderful again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Snoopy says, Bark less and Wag more!

Be Good!  Until next time…

- cb

Monday, November 10, 2014

For What It's Worth                                                                  - 51 Days and Counting

Veteran’s Day

Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day, and we salute all the other veterans who has all served our country in the military.  Veteran’s Day is not the same thing as Memorial Day, where we salute and give thanks for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and our country.  Veteran’s Day is for those who made it back, some gravely injured in the line of duty.  I am lucky to have survived my days in the military and had no major injuries or loss of limbs as many of our great heroes have had to survive.  I salute you, my comrades and fellow warriors, for your service, sacrifices and also their families who have endured and supported our military members.  

Snoopy’s Birthday

Tomorrow is also Snoopy’s 5th birthday!  I rescued Snoopy 2 years ago from the Russell Rescue Foster Care organization and our lives have never been the same since.  Over the past two years we have bonded quite well and we would both be lost without one another.  As Her Butler, I have assumed the role of her caretaker, chauffeur, provider of food and shelter, treat distributor, and of course her pack leader.  It is a daily communion of leader and follower that is re-established each and every day.  We have built into our lives a set, daily routine with constant variations sprinkled in for variety.  After two years I still have not gotten her to play with any toys.  I was hoping she would take some interest in casing balls or frisbees, but the only thing she is interested in is going for walks, going out to socialize or getting treats.  I guess I’ll take her out tonight so she can celebrate and socialize the ways she likes in style.

Famous Quotes and Words of Wisdom

"Let us not seek the Republican answer 

or the Democratic answer, 

but the right answer.  

Let us not seek to fix 

the blame for the past.  

Let us accept our own 

responsibility for the future."

                            - John F. Kennedy

-----------------------------------------------------------

Be good!

- cb

Friday, November 7, 2014

For What It’s Worth                                                                                                          - 54 days and counting

Writer’s Block

I think we are going to reduce the frequency of our blog posts to maybe once a week pretty soon.   With our traveling not happening yet, there is just not a lot to write about.  Well, at least nothing really worth posting, just aimless ramblings from some guy waiting to retire.  This blog was created for keeping in touch with our peeps while we are out on the road enjoying our adventures.  We have not had too many adventures lately and I thick that is going to pick up pretty soon.  My buddy mentioned that he wants to go up to the mountains, so that could be a topic we can write about.  Otherwise all I have going on now are preparations for retiring, paying off bills, and getting vehicles repaired and maintained for the long haul, etc.  

Snoopy’s Birthday

On Tuesday, Nov 11, it will be two years since I rescued Snoopy.  On that day we celebrate her birthday, which we are guessing that she will be 5 this year.  I am lucky to have such a lovable pup for these past 2 years.  Even though she tries my patience at times, I know she is a good pup and I am lucky to have her with me.  She is loyal, lovable, smart, and runs like the wind.  I need to take her in for a bath and some grooming.  I usually get her all cleaned up once a month or so, and she really could use it and it is long overdue.  Maybe I’ll try to take her in this weekend for a full service cleaning. 

Quotes and Words of Wisdom

If you're searching for 

that one person that will 

change your life, take 

a look in the mirror.

—————————————————————————-

Be Good!

- cb