Upon Further Review

We’ve all heard of writer’s block, but until last week I had never really experienced it. Frustrated, I considered taking down my “It’s NOT Just You!” shingle. I heard from an audience member today who admonished me soundly for such thinking. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that I could not quit and I was not fired. So what choice do I have but to continue sharing my thoughts with at least one person each week.

The reader went on to suggest I take a “fake-ation”. I’ve never heard, nor used, the term, but being of reasonable intelligence and imagination I inferred that a hiatus was due me. And a hiatus I will take.

It will not be idly spent, though. I am still in the midst of establishing Cox-Ükr Wine  (Cox-UkrWine.com) as a rare combination of unique labeling and great wine. Funny how some choose to pronounce it, but who am I to judge?

Additionally, on May 1st I will embark on an around the country cross-country in my Cirrus SR22. My goal is to land at least once in each of the contiguous 48 states. Some stops figure prominently in my history while others will be at random. This journey will take a brief respite in Amarillo, TX on May 8th where I will begin 5 days of storm chasing. Then, should I survive that adventure, my flights will continue eastward. And the entire trek will be briefly chronicled daily on my Facebook Page for those that may want to keep an eye on me.

The idea is to put everything together in a book interspersed with various and sundry anecdotes from my careers in military and airline aviation. The project is attractive and I hope I can pull it off and then put it down in a format that others find enjoyable and informative.

So much for a fake-ation, huh? But, hey, I’ve been writing every week for over three years so I think a break is in order. Hell, Europeans take six weeks off every year. Of course, their economies are all fucked up, so maybe they should emulate the worker bees in the USA. (Of course, our economy is all fucked up, so who’s to say?)

My thanks to the one that saw fit to reach out and give me the kick in the pants that I apparently needed. And we all do from time to time, you know. Otherwise, the bastards get us down and we can have none of that!

Time for a Break

For over three years I have found a suitable talking point for our weekly chat. Today, though, I’m coming up dry. Well, dry is not the word since many things clutter my mind with varying degrees of wonderment and frustration. Corporate greed, political machinations that amount to the single creed of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”, societal mutations that result in “stand your ground” legislation, and countless other facets of our day-to-day life have ganged up on me and I am left with but one acronym: AFU.

The A represents “All” and the U is “Up”. I’ll leave it to your level of acceptability in deciphering the “F”. While I may sound hopeless, nothing could be farther from the truth. I am pleasantly surprised that the power of social networks has manifested itself in sites like Change.org or Credo.org. AmericansElect threatens to upset the two-party status quo regardless of its ultimate success or failure. And who can argue that, without the internet, the Arab Spring would never have come to pass?

No, there’s much to be hopeful for, but I am still feeling overwhelmed at how myopic we can be. While many are in favor of health insurance for pre-existing conditions and keeping kids on family policies until reaching the age of 26, many more are opposed to the mandate that pays for such improvements. Time and time again, we want, but we don’t want to pay.

Where does it stop? When do we realize that the free lunch never existed and come to grips about what kind of country we want. We listen to viewpoints that we agree with so those opinions are never challenged and grow stronger through reinforcement regardless of their legitimacy. Obama’s a muslim...Saddam Hussein attacked us on 9-11...global warming is a hoax. The list not only goes on, but gets longer as half-truths and worse are foisted upon us in the name of advancing a particular hidden agenda.

So I’m taking a break, folks. Time will tell if I pick up the proverbial pen again. I guess that’s up to you, the loyal reader. I don’t know if you exist, but if you do please let me know. Everyone needs an occasional word of encouragement or, perhaps, a cyber-pat on the back. Regardless, I promise to continue questioning the insanities and incongruities that thrive only through our indifference. I hope you do the same.