Cheers to a New Year with lots of Promise and Hope

It is that time again to do your New Years Resolution(s). Since I am still recovering from a cold/flu that leveled me for three full days and still has me in slow motion, paying more attention to my health/body has to be at the top of my list. Here is my list of hopes and wishes for 2009!

1. Live a healthier life. I have been void of excersise for two years now and it shows. I've gained weight, get sick more often, and generally just don't feel as good. That will change this year. I will fit some excersise into my busy schedule, eat better and sleep better.
2. I have a lot more hope and optimism for our country now that we will have better leadership running it. No, it won't be perfect but it will be better. We will have better relations with other world leaders and countries. Leadership that helps those who need help the most. So, I will try to complain less about people, situations, etc. Be more Hopeful and optimistic about our future.
3. Work smarter not harder. I have a lot I try to accomplish every year but I need to be smart about how I go about doing it otherwise my #1 resolution won't happen.
4. Find time to relax and enjoy all that my wife and I have accomplished as individuals, partners, and family. We have a great family and I need to find more time to express my love and appreciation to those in it.
5. Continue to build on the creative journey that I have always been on but has been improved since getting my own studio last year. Having your own creative work space does wonders for you psyche and ability to move forward with your creative idea's.
6. Be a better husband. I feel that I have been a pretty good father most of these years but I haven't put the effort into my relationship with my best friend in the whole world, my wife. We both take each other for granted and I need to do my part to show my love and appreciation for all she does and for the almost 24 years of marriage that has gotten us this far.

Happy Holiday's, I Think.

Well, for those who know me, I am not a big holiday person. Especially Christmas! I don't enjoy all of the commercial pressures of the holiday season and since I do not believe in or celebrate the religious meaning of the holiday it is just another day. I did get excited about the Winter Solstice on Sunday. That means that the day's will slowly begin to get longer again. If I was going to celebrate the season in a more spiritual way I would definitely choose the Pagan and more earthly philosophy. Don't get me wrong, I do believe in a higher energy and the spirit with-in but just can't push myself into the realm of organized religion.

It is a great time to spend with family and that is a gift. My boys are coming home so the family will be together again. Happy Holiday's! Really, I mean it.

R.I.P My Dear Smokey

A sad day in our household today. We had to put down our beloved cat, Smokey. Not much to say other than he will be missed. Luckily, we have many great photo's of him like this thanks to my daughter.

Art and Culture In the Bush Era

THE WAY WE WERE Art and Culture In the Bush Era

This article appears in the current issue of Newsweek Magazine. Newsweek asked its cultural critics to pick the one work in their field that they believe exemplifies what it was like to be alive in the age of George W. Bush. Check out Newsweeks website or pick-up a copy. I love the intro text:

If artists depend on angst and unrest to fuel their creative fire, then at least in one sense the 43rd presidency has been a blessing. Eight years is an eternity in the life of a culture, and when we look back on an era, we do it through pinholes: a movie here, a book there. What will stand out, decades from now, as the singular emblems of this moment in history?

I agree with Lorraine Ali's choice for music. Green Day's "American Idiot" is a superb musical journey that harnesses all of the feelings and emotions that many American's have been experiencing since the early stages of Bush's term. What tv show, movie, album, art work, book, or poem stands out for you, over the last eight years, that sums up what it has been like living in the age of George W. Bush. If only it was a dream. I'd like to hear what you would include if asked. Please leave a comment.

Sunrise Fire

My first thought as the violent fire's long chaotic fingers were reaching out of the Sunrise Apartments window was, "Oh no, it is going to spread to my house if they don't deal with this soon". Quickly my own fears were distracted by the many seniors that the firemen were evacuating from the building. Residents from the apartment shuffled out with walkers, wheelchairs, no coats and fear of the unknown. My wife and I quickly began to grab as many coats and blankets from our house to warm the displaced residents until more help could arrive. We met some wonderful neighbors today under a terrible situation. The fire is out and a bus came to warm all of the people evacuated from the apartment. I hope that all are well. We did drive one wonderful 87 year old woman to West Allis Memorial Hospital after complaining from the smoke she inhaled. I know that her brother and her daughter would be with her soon. Hopefully all of these people have family that will provide them with a warm place to stay until they can be back in their homes!

CRIME SCENE

The Thanksgiving Bridge

Since my son had to work the day after Thanksgiving we traveled to Winona MN so that we could still celebrate the holiday all together. During our visit I also took a little time out to photograph the kids which has been a yearly tradition for many years. Our hotel looked out upon the mighty Mississippi River and a very large bridge that connects Winona to Fountain City, WI.

I have looked at the bridge many times over the numerous visits to Winona since my two sons moved there. This time it took on a special meaning as it really became a metaphor for the journey thats been traveled this past year by each of my children and all of us for that matter. Each of the kids has followed their own path and crossed their own bridges, some good and some less desirable. Family's are always in motion. Changing, evolving, growing both apart and together. Thanksgiving brought our bridges together in a harmonious way like Thanksgiving often does.

Here is to Thanksgiving and family!