Daily Ramblings – Happy Birthday, Dad

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Birthday Cake, Celebration, Dad, Family Time, Good Food, Happy Birthday

Picture: My Dad and me posing for a picture at my nephew’s HS graduation.

My Dad’s birthday is today. He is 80 years old. It’s hard to believe my Dad was born in 1939. He’s seen a lot. Now he’s enjoying his retirement reading, playing with his toys (tools), and reading. He’s also picked up watching YouTube. It’s funny how all of us adapt to new things. He likes the randomness of YouTube and the lack of commercials.

If any of you still watch public TV you know how many commercials interrupt the programming. I can’t stand watching normal TV anymore. I am spoiled by Netflix, Vudu, and Amazon Prime Video.

Well, we’re headed out for a nice steak to wrap up Dad’s birthday celebration.

Have a great Sunday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

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Daily Ramblings – Merry Christmas!

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Board Games, Christmas, Christmas Eve, family, Friends, Good Food, Laughter, Relaxation

I’ll forego my typical Motivation Monday posting to wish all of you a Merry Christmas! My sister and her boyfriend are on the way, Mom is in the kitchen preparing the meal, and Dad is reading the paper in his favorite rocking chair.

The family dog is where she always is, relaxing at the foot of my desk as I compose this posting.

As a retired veteran, I would be remiss if I forgot to wish all the men and women of our Armed Forces a Merry Christmas too! I was separated from family many times throughout my career and it was nice to hear from folks back home, wishing me well. One year, a judge from my hometown wrote me a letter, explaining that he had served in the Korean War and missed quite a few Christmas holidays with his family. His letter meant a lot to me, particularly since I was reading it from a guard post on Christmas Eve at the now-disassembled Spandau Prison in W. Berlin, guarding Rudolph Hess, one of the last minions of Hitler’s inner circle.

I also want to wish our first-responders a Merry Christmas. Many of them will be working tonight, while we are sleeping, to keep us safe. I hope all of you have a quiet night and get home safe and sound to celebrate the day with your families.

I hope all of you have the time to think about 2018 and all of the great things you’ve accomplished. I also hope you take some time to begin thinking about all of the great things that lay ahead for you in 2019.

Use this time to enjoy your families, your pets, and your friends. Recharge your batteries and get ready for a great year!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Phoenix – Final Day

Tags

family, Friends, Games, Good Food, Happiness, Joy, Movies, Phoenix Trip

I’m writing this early because I’ll be busy cleaning up my brother’s house and getting packed up for my flight on Thursday the 13th. This trip was a terrific time. It started with my niece’s wedding. It was a wonderful ceremony and went off without a hitch.

Then it was a full week of reconnecting with friends, good food, and lots of laughs. It was also a great time to hang out with my brother, play some games, and binge watch some shows on Amazon and Netflix. I also got in some writing, reading, and some much-needed quite time to think about things and reflect.

I like my reflection time. I think about all kinds of things, like what my life would be like if I did this or that in my past or what I could change today and what effect that would have on my future. I like thinking about my family, my friends, books I have read. I even like to think about thinking sometimes.

I hope all of you enjoyed my Phoenix trip! I did. Friday, I’ll be back to my posting schedule. I really appreciate all of the new followers and the time you took to investigate and learn about my blog.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Phoenix – Day 9

Tags

Beer, family, Friends, Good company, Good Food, Phoenix, Scotch, vacation

Yesterday, my brother and I played some more video games. We also finished up the series Patriot on Amazon. Last night we connected with some friends and met up at one of our favorite cigar bars. I had a beer called Pie Hole Port. I ordered this simply because I liked the name.

It was great reconnecting with my friend who is a computer programmer. I really enjoyed last night. My brother and I also went to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner. He had fried chicken, while I had the meatloaf. It was really yummy!

Today, I’ll be meeting with one of my old managers for lunch. Then it’s back home to work through Shadow of the Tomb Raider some more.

It’s raining in Phoenix. This is typical this time of year. Arizonans welcome the rains because they are a welcome respite from the heat of summer and fall.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Phoenix – Day 8

Tags

family, Friends, Gaming, Good Food, reconnecting, Relaxation, TV Series

Yesterday was a day of watching Amazon Prime, playing some video games with my brother, and meeting some friends for dinner. We met at Los Dos Malinos in Phoenix. Boy, talk about some great Mexican food. I had the carnitas plate with rice and beans and it was tremendous. It was really nice meeting with my friends yesterday, getting caught up in their lives and enjoying our time together.

Today, my brother and I are chilling out, watching some more of Patriot, playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and heading out to a favorite restaurant for fried chicken. Then, we are heading over to one of my brother’s favorite cigar bars, called Magnums. I’m meeting one of my previous programming consultants. We have been friends a long time.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. I realize my posts have been short, but want to enjoy as much time with my brother and friends as possible. Enjoy your Thursday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Rambling – Time with the Family

Tags

Christmas, family, Friends, Good Food, Good times, New Year's Day

Today, I wanted to digress from a daily quote and talk about time with the family. I love the holiday season. It’s a time when employers offer very loose PTO schedules. It is also a time when most companies are slowing down a bit to begin preparing for the first quarter of the new year.

Today we went Christmas shopping and had a great time. We went to a few places and had some pizza for a snack mid-way through our many stops. I really enjoy the time I get with the family and hope you get some time with your families as well.

My sister and her boyfriend are swinging by on Christmas Eve and will stay through until the day after Christmas. I can’t wait! It will be a time of great food, a lot of laughing, and even playing some ancient board games that we all love.

I hope each of you has an opportunity to really enjoy your loved ones, share some gifts with one another, and eat some great food together. I’ll be offering some more things on this topic later in the month as we approach Christmas.

Until next time…

Dave