I have the kind of life that a lot of people are jealous of. It's not glamourous or anything, but it's the kind of life I think we all want to have.

I have a wife that loves me, a beautiful daughter, a career (or careers) that I enjoy but I don't let take over my live, two 2003-model vehicles, a cat, and two dogs. It's simple, but it's more than a lot of people ever seem to have.

Many people say I'm lucky. I am, but only if you define luck as the meeting of preparation and opportunity. I got to where I am because I made the choics to lead me here. All the times I made choices that others laughed at, I did it anyway. All the times family or friends doubted me, I kept faith in my beliefs. All the times the other people did the fun and easy thing, I thought ahead.

And guess what? It paid off. I've wanted to have so little in life and yet I'm one of the few people I know who have obtained them all. Sure, some of it's good fortune. But the biggest part is that I almost always made choices I could justify in my mind and heart.

I don't thank the people on this goofy Internet nearly enough for what they've done with and for me. I know I won't remember everyone, but I'll try to mention as many folks as I can.

Yeah, more about ADD. Of all the things people ask me about it, the most common is how to know whether you have it. The thing is that it's very hard (or impossible) to self-diagnose mental illnesses. Even now, knowing I have ADD, I can take a lot of online tests and they say I don't have it. I didn't even believe in ADD until I had been medicated for it for over a month.

Here are some signs that I'm aware of, having either seen or experienced them myself. I'm not going to say that if you have these that you likely have ADD. I'm just saying that if you have these and it bothers you, then it's certainly worth talking to someone about. If not ADD, it still could be something else.

• Do you like using stimulants such as coffee, nicotine, effedra, or amphetamines?
• Do you always feel like there are things you need to do even though you may not be able to qualify or quantify them?
• Do you have trouble finishing projects?
• Do you have unusual sleep patterns?
• Do you often find yourself doing things to get attention?
• Do you find yourself either saying a lot of things you don't mean to or not saying a lot of things for fear of saying the wrong thing?
• Do you replay minor conversations in your mind for hours after they occurred?

As I said in a comment before, it's only a problem if it's a problem. Lots of people will experience that symptoms of ADD. But like any disorder, if it isn't negatively impacting your life then it isn't anything to worry about. People tend to look at ADD as something that's a problem because of the way people react to and look at you. In reality, it's only a problem if that bothers you.

Good news. I'm Link.



Maybe Flash isn't so evil, after all.

I always loved this song as a kid simply because it was the "Bosom Buddies" theme. In the past few years, as I feel I have taken control of my life and quit trying to be what everything thinks I am/should be, it has taken much deeper signifigance.

---

Got a call from an old friend
We used to be real close
Said he couldn't go on the American way
Closed the shop, sold the house
Bought a ticket to the west coast
Now he gives them a stand-up routine in L.A.

Chorus

I don't need you to worry for me cause i'm alright
I don't want you to tell me it's time to come home
I don't care what you say anymore, this is my life
Go ahead with your own life, and leave me alone

I never said you had to offer me a second chance
I never said i was a victim of circumstance
I still belong, don't get me wrong
And you can speak your mind
But not on my time

They will tell you you can't sleep alone
In a strange place
Then they'll tell you you can't sleep
With somebody else
But sooner or later you sleep
In your own space
Either way it's okay
You wake up with yourself

Chorus

---

I never know quite how to think about Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). On some days, it feels like a disability while on others it seems like little more than a personality trait.

I have only known about having it for a couple years, and have believed it for even less than that. It's been a difficult balancing act lately because I have to accept the reality of my own responsibilities with the fact that I can't always, if ever, control how the behavior of others affects me. Most people have no idea how many things they do that "distract" me (I can't think of a better word than that even though I don't think it's accurate).

It's my responsibility, and only mine, to control how I react to what others say and do. I accept that. But it seems that at times I have to be rude or even mean to keep problems from happening. I don't know if that makes me practical or weak, but I know it's a constant balancing act.

I just stumbled across this image. Here's the one candidate that Muddymoose and I could agree on.

Those who've had kids, I'm sure, will know what I'm talking about.

There is something mystically beautiful about the songs that moms share with their babies. These songs come from nowhere and can never be reproduced exactly because they are pure, spiritual improvisation.

Yesterday I stopped by a small, rather hippie-ish grocery store to pick up one of my wife's favorite ham salad treatments. For myself, I opted for two round steaks that hadn't quit mooing for all that long. Once I had everything I needed from the meat folk, I went up to the register.

There was an older Greek-sounding couple in front of me. A copy of USA Today was on counter with a picture of President Bush, mentioning something about his recer re-election. The gentleman got an angry look on his face and jabbed at the paper with his right hand. I already had a pretty good feeling of what his sentiment was, but he then decided to specify by saying, "Stupid Americans!"

I turned to him and narrowed my gaze, but the man never made eye contact. Even though I'm sure this store wasn't exactly full of Bush supporters, I'm pretty sure that the rest of us were all Americans. But nobody else seemed offended.

I guess I shouldn't really be surprised by either the comment or the fact that nobody else was offended, but it certainly bothered me. I know I wouldn't allow a guest or a tenant to stay in my own house if he thought my family, or at least just over half of it, was stupid.

But if experience has taught me anything, it's that there is only one time a guest will come in and mouth you in your own house. That's when they've heard enough people in the house mouthing and they get the impression, true or not, that it's okay to be a rude guest.

I ran across this earlier. It's a poem I wrote when I was in high school that I think is actually one of my better poems. I haven't written any in quite a while.

Either way, enjoy.

Just what is death?
Just what is life?
Just why is there all this mortal strife?

Just how can God love and
Just continue to kill?
Just why is it that I believe in him still?

Just what is love and
Just why does it wait?
Just where is the line between it and hate?

Just what is the point?
Just why do I pray and
Just why should He answer anyway?