Reflections of a Freaking Genius

I'm sitting down, taking a little break from work.  No, I'm not at the office, I'm at home getting ready for round one of celebrating Christmas with family and friends.  Taking a break from the Duck Dude Drama....taking a break from Obamacare deadline debates...taking a break from the Walmart Wonderland (wondering why I ever go there)....taking a break from Festivus Festivities (I left my Festivus Pole in my office, and I haven't seen my eldest son for the feats of strength yet.  I already aired my grievances...several times yesterday).  Company Christmas parties, eating, the mad rush of my typical last minute Christmas stuff purchasing, cooking, eating, driving on ice, eating, getting mad because my jeans are too tight, eating comfort food, yelling at stupid drivers while eating Christmas candy...need I continue?  It gets kind of crazy this time of year. I'm taking a little time to reflect on Christmas.  The ghost of Christmas past takes me w...

For two days in a row, I've come home feeling like I was beat to near death with a 4 X 4.  Not the Jeep type...the board type.  Well, maybe the Jeep type.  The end of the month at a mortgage company in my department is usually a veritable zoo.  The end of the month coupled with the end of the year...buckle up muchacho (or muchacha...I'm really not feeling like getting sent to HR for gender discrimination to top this week off). OK, so my grand idea was that before the weather got bad this weekend (calling for ice again, yay), I'd get started on my Christmas shopping.  WHAT???  Christmas isn't until next Wednesday, right?  Today's the 18th...add 6, carry the 4, divide by 3...yeah, next Wednesday.  Plenty o time!  Got home tonight feeling like I had bruises on both sides of my head and said, 'screw it!'.  I'll go tomorrow.  I'd like to be able to say that I had my list all ready to go.  I'd like to say that I have a clue what I'...

Tomorrow will be my 53rd Thanksgiving...wow!  I've been watching the posts on Facebook as friends have posted their laundry list of things that for which they're thankful.  I admire the spirit of the exercise, although some are better at it than others.  You know that someone is tapping out of ideas when you see, "Today I'm thankful for...um....uh...keys on the computer keyboard that still have visible letters."  Then there are the ones that miss for a few days and have to play catch up, "I've missed 5 days, so today I'm thankful for 5 random friends in my 'friend list'...you know who you are." This year, I have three thanksgiving meals.  Yep, three.  This could be a serious problem.  I'm at the age now where I should be eating less and I have a record number of meals.  I already freaked out this morning when putting on a pair of jeans for one of our fantastic 'jeans days' at work and even sucking it in as far as I could...i...

Hi, I'm FG.  I'm a Nascar fan.  There...I said it.  It feels good to come clean and make it public.  The key is admitting it...right?  I've been a fan for years, but hid the fact due to ridicule and harassment.  Now I choose to make known the fact that I love the smell of tire smoke, alcohol infused fuel, the sound of 900 horsepower screaming at unbelievable RPM's, and the sight of men and women being hurtled down a track at over 200 MPH.  My adrenaline flows, my pulse quickens, and I'm like a little kid at Christmas when I see a live race at a track.  I was hooked the very first time I saw a race....the very first televised race when Cale Yarbrough and Donnie Allison spun each other out and into the infield grass, got out of their cars and starting wailing on each other with their fists.  You had me at, "You dirty son of a....."!! You can only imagine the harassment I receive about racing.  My friend Jose stated the most co...

For some reason, I seem to wander through the toy department in stores more these days....as if the little man is needing more stuff already.  It seems like we're trying to create a whole new nation of freaking geniuses, because most of the toys anymore seem to be in the category of child development.  Toys used to be fairly open ended.  Trucks, airplanes, toy guns (we were heathens), tractors, boats...you created your own play for the most part.  Now it's pre-programmed...there are learning objectives in mind for so many 'toys' these days.  I kind of thought toys assumed fun, entertainment, smiles, creativity...not 2 year old calculus majors. Sam is just over 2 months old now, so he's getting to be more than a sleeping, eating, poop machine.  He's starting to be able to control his movements better, attempts at dexterity are starting to appear, head movements, abdominal and neck strength is improving...now to get it to all work together....

For a while now, my oldest son, his wife and now my grandson, my Mom, and I all live in the same town.  It's been nice having everyone close since it's been a long time since we've all been within a handful of miles of one another.  My other two sons aren't too far away, but we can't seem to get together as often.  I'm really glad that my little man, my grandson Sammy, lives so close...makes a Papa happy! One of the traditions that we have started is getting together for a family dinner night.  Up until recently, it's been on Wednesday nights...a standing date with the fam.  I've always believed that family traditions are important and valuable...they don't seem to be as treasured by families as they used to be, generally speaking.  We rotate going to each others' homes, and after a full rotation, we go out to eat somewhere.  Because of crazy work schedules, we've decided that Sunday brunch may be a better time.  So this morning, we were in...

        Dad Called Unfit Parent for Refusing Son McDonalds (Link to article)       When I read the article above, I was so incensed that I knew the topic would make it's way here, to the "batcave" of the FG archives.  I read the article when I was at work...my face turned red, I began sputtering and stammering, my veins bulged from my neck, and Keith, with a "deer in the headlights" look in his eye picked up the phone to dial 911, thinking I was having a heart attack.  This was wrong on so many levels that I didn't even know where to begin in my disgust.   A New York non-custodial parent in the midst of a custody battle over his 4 year old son (please don't blow by the fact that this kid is FOUR years old...4....quatro, vier, fyra - for those of you fluent in Spanish, Dutch and Swedish).  The father has a typical Tuesday night place he takes hi...

Not many people realize that November is National Adoption Awareness Month.  I know it's easy for it to be lost when there seems to be nationally recognized month and days for everything these days...National Peanut Butter and Jelly day, National Hug a Midget Day, National Blonde Russians with  Two Big Toes on Their Left Foot Awareness Month...sheesh. I have a great deal of interest in promoting this one, however.  I was adopted at birth.  For reasons still not exactly clear, arrangements were made with her doctor who cared for her during pregnancy (who also happened to be my parents' doctor) to allow who would become my parents to raise me.  Of course my twin bother...I mean brother....was a part of the package.  We would instantly have an older brother who was also adopted, but from a different family. I'm grateful for the experience, especially after my curiosity led me to research my origins.  I ended up being raised by two of the bes...

  It's been a while since our last visit...my apologies.  I'd like to be able to say my absence is due to being so darned busy, or that my computer broke, or I was kidnapped by armed thugs, or that I had an abscessed tooth that made my head swell like a basketball...oh yeah, that last one DID happen.  But that's the topic of another post. The topic of this post is the arrival of the little man, Sammy.  Ok, ok....it was two months ago...don't judge me! September 3 was the culmination of his determination to arrive a month early.  He's about as patient as his Papa.  Yep, this freakin' genius will be known to at least one human being as Papa.  I like it...I'm not nearly old enough to be a grandpa.  That sounds so....so.....geriatric.  Just because I got new glasses doesn't mean that I'm ready for the home, in spite of what my three sons say. They tried to stop contractions when little Samuel Allen was knocking on the door of ...

There's never been a shortage of testosterone in our side of the family, for better or worse.  I'm not sure why, but we can't seem to procreate and produce a female as a result.  I've heard theories about why it hasn't happened, but it's not appropriate for my little blog.  I have a twin brother.  We don't look alike...it's obvious when you look at us that I tapped into the stores of testosterone and left him wanting (I still love you anyway bro).  I had an older brother...no sisters.  Mom had her hands full raising three boys.  Growing up on a farm, Dad loved the free slave labor though.  He always had someone to take care of 1,000 head of hogs when he was on duty at the fire station...sheesh.  Though I'm grateful for the experience now, I wasn't a huge fan at the time! Mom tried her best to try, at least, to raise some gentlemen.  She would stand in front of a closed door for hours until the thing opened up for her.  She was (...

The sabbatical...it has biblical roots, so it's gotta be good, right??  The sabbath was the day set aside on Saturday for the Hebrew people that they were to cease from work.  To rest.  To get refreshed.  You keep going 24/7 and it'll catch up with you sooner or later.  Ask the cardiologists, although they some pretty big house payments from all of our bad habits, they really don't take any joy (I hope) in the habit some of us have of burning the candle at both ends.  God always seems to somehow have a handle on what is best for us.  How does He DO that?? Professors do it when they wear out from having to give out, and the sabbatical gives them some time to refresh themselves by taking back in.  Busy pastors do it...I know what a tortuous schedule that can be, and receiving is necessary from time to time.  I'm sure there are other professions where the sabbatical comes into play.  But the point seems to be to take a break from som...

I've always tried to stay fairly healthy.  Growing up I played baseball (my favorite), I ran cross country, ran track, and played football and basketball.   The problem with the latter two was, my growth kind of stalled out in Jr High.  Continuing to play football would have put me into the hospital for sure.  I decided I was probably allergic to 200 pound linemen.  I swear I think the coach was trying to get me out of football without coming right out and telling me (Coach Morrison??).  Who puts a 90 pound kid in as a running back??   Seriously!  I'm thinking I would have rather he just come out and said, "Dougherty, go do something else.  They're going to kill you out there."  When I graduated from high school, I was somewhere around 120 pounds, fresh out of the shower. Basketball was much the same.  I'm 5'11" now.  But I didn't reach that towering height until I was in college.  I realize that being short do...

I don't claim to be an expert at all.  I've failed time and time again.  But I keep getting back up, dusting myself off, and keep trying.  It's probably been some of the most difficult work I've ever done.  And those of you who know me well know that I've done ALL KINDS of work.  If I put everything on a resume that I've ever done, I'd probably be one of the most unemployable people out there...prospective employers would think that I have no earthly clue what I want to be when I grow up.  And they may be right! My leadership guru, John Maxwell said one time, "Your only appreciable asset is people."  That's so true.  He was talking about it in the context of a business or organization.  Think about it...every other asset depreciates in value...furniture, houses, cars, clothes, shoes, machines....everything.  The only one that potentially doesn't is people.  I say potentially, because not everyone (including management) realiz...