Reflections of a Freaking Genius

It's not just a hymn anymore.  It's the mantra of the "Passing Lane Squatter".  You've read me long enough to know that I maaaaay have a couple of driving peeves.  "Night Crawlers" are another one of them...you know...those people who insist on driving in the dark and rain without their headlights on. I suppose they don't mind the risk of getting hit head on or sideswiped by innocents merely trying to get to work on time. I have yet to understand the "Passing Lane Squatter".  I mean, the land rush happened in Oklahoma around 100 years ago, and I'm pretty sure I read that it was over at least a couple of months ago.  They plant themselves in the lane like they're staking a claim.  "This is mine and you can't have it" seems to be their attitude. I'm pretty sure my boys got over that at, oh, I don't know...three or four years old.  It's as if that lane is hallowed ground, privileged pavement, or the "na

It's been 22 years since he left us.  Today would have been his 85th birthday.  It's really hard to imagine Dad at that age.  He was pretty funny at 62.  The sad thing is, without pictures, it's hard for me to picture Dad in my mind at all.  I can't remember what his voice sounded like without digging out an old VHS tape and searching for those rare moments where Dad could be heard speaking in the midst of a family Christmas event, one of the boys' early birthday parties, or some other random event caught, unfortunately not forever, on tape. Memorializing people tends to make them sound better and/or larger than life.  I'm sure that such is my case with Dad from time to time.  We tend to focus on all of the positive things they did...all of the feel good moments for which we hope we're remembered.  Rightfully so.  The positives by far outweighed any negatives in my mind...I know he wasn't perfect...he was terribly human like the rest of us.  He lost hi

I survived three days of "vacation", and finally decided that I needed to go to a nice tropical beach somewhere.  I booked a flight and a plush hotel on a nice little secluded, "off the beaten path" Caribbean island.  The sand is white and the water is crystal clear and the most beautiful color of blue.  Zac Brown's "Toes" is playing in my head as another Corona is delivered, with an umbrella, of course (those are so cool).  The tropical sun is bearing down, but not so intense as to torch my pasty pale skin.  The sound of the waves is mesmerizing.  I can feel the mortgage business knots in my back melt away with each gust of tropical breeze....until....I woke up...still....in....Oklahoma. I sit here on day four, laptop in it's designated spot...on...um...my lap.  I've been engrossed in deep thought and pondering such things as: why dogs have tails, the cost/benefit of eliminating toe jam, ways to avoid being doused with a bucket of ice-water,

There has been quite a bit of banter about the recent landslide of videos on Facebook regarding the Ice Bucket Challenge.  Celebrities from all sectors, their kids, friends, and even a President has become involved in partaking in the ice cold deluge.  Hopefully they understand that to which they are to be drawing attention. Some people are critical of it, saying donations should be made rather than hopping on the ice water dumping video bandwagon.  I'm certainly not being critical of the criticism, but I thought I'd give my take on it. I know that many, like President GW are not only taking the plunge, but also writing the checks.  I realize there are also those that are not...but are merely joining in with thousands of others on the latest "thing".  My opinion:  I DON'T CARE!!! What I'm grateful for is this: A much needed, if not much greatly delayed, spotlight is being cast upon ALS.  At least people are being made aware of this wicked specter. You see,

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  The only thing we're going to take with us out of this life is relationships.  We're not taking our house, shoes, clothes, jewelry, cars, credit cards (or debt thankfully), or cash (whatever that is) with us into forever.  The only 'thing' we'll take with us is relationships.  So far as I can tell, Two Men and a Truck isn't going to follow me in my Mustang into eternity.  I've studied the Bible a good portion of my life, and I don't recall our stuff getting beamed up with us from the transporter room.  OK, don't be a hater....just because I used a Star Trek reference doesn't necessarily make me a nerd! Stuff is easier to acquire, keep, and maintain than relationships.  Stuff is passive...static.  We want it, we work, save, and/or spend to obtain the stuff we want.  We can either maintain the stuff, or not, and it really doesn't have any personal impact on said stuff.  We can break it, sav

I'll start with a little haiku, I call, "When Making a Right Turn From the Left Lane"   Don't Ever Ever Seriously... Ever      Some of you already know, if you follow the guy behind the genius on Facebook, that about a month ago, I was unfortunate enough to have been involved in a car accident.  If you're sharp, and some of you are questionable....it involved a right turn.  At least it involved SOMEONE'S right turn.   I had left work one crystal clear blue sky (birds were even singing) morning to attend the funeral of my dear friend Dona, who lost her life in a tragic freak accident at her home.  I was headed south on Harvard Avenue, thinking about Dona and the history that I had with she and her wonderful husband Bill.  Now Harvard Ave. is a 4 lane street...one of the main thoroughfares that traverses our city.  I was beginning to cross the intersection of 31st Street, traveling in the right lane.  I was headed straight south with a

I'm quite certain that today, I'll make some people upset.  I'm typically one who likes to keep the peace...a synthesizer of sorts.  I may make some of you mad this time.  I hope, like me, you take the high road, and assume the best in others instead of the very worst.  Although I enjoy my times typing thoughts into this blog, I admittedly struggle sometimes with the best ways to articulate my deepest thoughts and opinions.  Today, I make no absolute statements...I claim no corner on the market of truth.  I'm on a journey just like you are.  But this is my blog, my soap box to ascend, my opportunity to flush the crap that sometimes clogs my brain.  A good friend of mine typically preempts his stated opinions or comments about issues that could potentially be somewhat volatile with the phrase, "Just eat the fish and spit out the bones."  I begin my own post today with the same wise proverb. I think I've read one too many articles, tweets, and Facebook

Last weekend was a special one.  It was the start of something new...something special.  It marked the beginning of a wonderful and exciting adventure.  The venue was beautiful...the crowd was entertained and amazed.  The participants experienced the adrenaline rush that you'd expect given the event.  That's right...it was the weekend of the Daytona 500 and the start of a new NASCAR season with all of the new rule changes!!!!  Woofreakinhoo!!!!!  Oh, yeah...and my middle son got married... Trevor called me a few months ago and said that he finally did it.  He asked Melinda to marry him.  Of course I was excited.  Melinda has been a great addition to the clan.  She's equally as crazy, insane, and uninhibited as the rest of us.  What a perfect match for the T-man!! A month or so later he called and said, "Dad, we've talked about it, and we'd like to ask our favorite Daddio, Freakin' Genius, and incredibly handsome father to perform our marriage ceremony

It's finally here!  Yep, NASCAR makes its return this weekend, and this Freakin Genius is a happy camper!  Did I tell you that cold weather and winter sucks??  I thought so, but just in case you forgot...it sucks!!  This weekend reminds me that spring is nearly here, the dumb, depressing, dreary dead of winter is disappearing soon...I may not have to get those meds after all.  A little bit of snow around here turns typically stupid drivers into complete morons.  Yep, the weather's changed, a snowflake hit the highway...let's totally forget everything we ever learned about driving!  Sheesh! Unlike most other sports (yes, it is TOO a sport!), NASCAR starts with the Superbowl event, the Daytona 500.  (don't ask me why we START with the Superbowl, makes no sense to me either!) By the way, that track was built about 50 years ago, and they JUST NOW repaved the track for the first time.  Let's see...43 cars going 200 miles per hour, creating tremendous stress and heat on

I'm not sure what Charles Dickens had in mind when he titled the great work about young Pip, the kid with his whole life ahead of him, but "Great Expectations" doesn't seem to fit.  Maybe should have been entitled "Huge Disappointments".  I mean, have you read that book??  What the heck was Chuck thinkin?? That kid had more bad luck than Juan Pablo Montoya trying to make it in Nascar. It was actually pretty ugly! Perhaps Dickens was making assumptions about the way a 6 year old boy looks at the world.  Everything in life is out in front of you, there isn't much behind you.  Experience is extremely limited, so the way we look at and tackle life is largely theoretical.  We tended to look at things very idealistically, and sometimes downright unrealistically.  Just remember the way we built things up in our mind before they actually happened.  This is going to be the best (or worst) _________ ever!  Youthful idealism can be your best friend or worst ene