R.I.P. - Howard Zinn

I had the pleasure of spending some time with Mr. Zinn and his family. Through this interaction, I was also able to take part in the filming of "The People Speak". When people ask me why I don't vote, I usually answer "It's my right NOT to vote", but that's only part of it. The Howard Zinn in me believes that I have no faith in the candidates being voted on. These candidates don't believe in me and my family, so why should I believe in them?

Mr. Zinn rubbed folks the wrong way, because their ignorance would not allow them to hear simple truths. Mr. Zinn believed that there is more to being an American than the color of your skin or how high your paycheck is. Mr. Zinn taught me that "freedom" is a word that many do not understand. Mr. Zinn lived free, believe in freedom and taught that life should not be governed by those with power...power corrupts.

My sincere hope is that Mr. Zinn is in a better place than he left. An icon, a visionary has passed, but hopefully his memory and message will never fade.

Shoo, Shoo Retarded Flu

The first time I got the flu, I was a Junior in college. I was dating this chick who got the flu, and like any invincible 20-year-old, I went to her place daily to help get her through it. Wouldn't you know that the flu can be contagious? For the next week I was quarantined to the couch in my apartment, living on NyQuil...I thought I was dying!

It's obvious that I survived and over the next few years I got the flu pretty consistently. Finally, one day I was introduced to the flu shot which was being administered free by my employer at the time. Not being a fan of needles, but being even a lesser of a fan of the flu, I signed up and didn't get the flu that year. Every year since I've gotten a flu shot and every year since I've been flu-free...until this year.

Today is Monday and I'm back to work. I'm certainly not operating at 100%, but I'm far better than the bedridden shell of a man that existed less than 48 hours ago. Despite receiving a flu-shot a few months ago and despite my best efforts to stay healthy, I STILL got the flu. I got the flu, I was quarantined to my bedroom, living on NyQuil and thinking that this was the end for Yours Truly. Coincidentally, the kiddos were dealing with matching ear infections and wicked coughs, so The Mrs had her hands full. As you can imagine, when it comes to the family priority list in the face of a household pandemic, Yours Truly comes in 4th (after Fat Cat). I was on my own armed only with flu medication, Gatorade, chicken noodle soup and a T.V. clicker. All bathroom visits had to be previously scheduled to avoid cross contamination. Throughout the day, I uncomfortably watched movies, utilizing our promotional free HBO/Cinemax offer. At night I went in and out of NyQuil consciousness, where even when I was asleep, I still thought I was awake.

Thankfully, the worst is over...for this year anyways. As I laid in bed throughout the weekend, I got very discouraged over the whole flu shot thing. I mean, I got the damn shot, so I should have gone flu-free. Now that I've had time to reflect, here's what I've come up with.

1) This is the first time in the last 9 years that I've gotten the flu - Pretty good ratio!
2) The Mrs claims it's a man-thing, but I certainly fear the Reaper - Need more cowbell!
3) Eventually, my ass is being shipped to an old-folks home - Start taking Waltz lessons!
4) Campbell's chicken noodle soup is the BOMB - But I couldn't stomach another bowl!
5) "In Bruges" and "Slumdog Millionaire" are awesome - Go rent them immediately!

What doesn't kill me only makes me stronger to blog another day!

Magic Beans!!!

So back in the East Junior High days, elementary school 6th graders were brought together and were introduced into a quasi-almost-ready-for-high-school-education. Unlike our Elementary Sch00ls, we were introduced to "Home rooms" and "Electives". After K-6 type politics, we're introduced to new political factions. Thankfully, this type of integration was a pretty easy adjustment. Sure, we were suddenly introduced to new "townie" kids, but for the most part, they weren't unlike those we already knew. Thus began the story of Bates and Bean...

Immediately, it was easy to see the artistic talent Ms. Bean possessed. Yours Truly was fortunately enough to observe from desk-side doodles to artistic genius. Yours Truly also yearned for "talent" back in those junior high years. I tried music (saxophone) and did alright. I tried art and did alright (compulsive doodler). I found my niche in athletics and gravitated to whatever physical exercise was in the highlight.

Through this period of Junior High life, without getting caught up in the Z-Cavvericci era, I found myself looking into familiar artists. Initially, I was a complete and envious Texiera fan, but I always secretly appreciated work done by Ms. Bean.

Years have gone by...15 years since I've graduated Weymouth High, Class of 1994. You know what it funny??? I am still envious of artistic talent, I married artistic talent, I've been paid for my own artistic talent...and I haven't forgot those who I've been privileged to witness of the years.

So, if you're like Yours Truly and appreciate witty, some-what nostalgic art, you would be well-suited to waste time on this site: http://beandoodling.blogspot.com/.

It's funny because the moment I knew Cara, I knew someone who I would always appreciate crossing paths with. There are those who were put on this Earth to enrich the lives around us...Ms Bean is one of those people!

Happy New Year!!!