Why Is Gas So Cheap Right Now?
Do the prices at the gas pumps have you asking, “Is this 1995 or what?”
If so, you’re not the only one. For years I thought that election years almost always kept gas prices low. Then as soon as the election was over, prices would shoot back up, which never sat well with me.
I was discussing the gas prices with a friend of mine and he informed me that I didn’t know what I was talking about. “The election has nothing to do with oil prices,” he said. “The Saudi’s are pumping at full capacity right now.”
This article explains the low cost of oil and after reading it, I realized that my friend was right. It has nothing to do with it being an election year. The biggest reason prices are so low is because Saudi Arabia is flooding the market, keeping more expensive oil that the U.S. and Canada in the ground.
Click here to read the article.
And in case you got this article through your email and not the website, you can click below. Please sign-up in the Feedburner box for article updates.
http://qz.com/604756/the-us-bet-big-on-american-oil-and-now-the-whole-global-economy-is-paying-the-price/
New Year’s Resolution Check-In
We are in the third week of the New Year, how are your New Year’s Resolutions holding up? If you’re like most Americans, they’ve either come and gone or you’re still waiting to get started.
I decided not to do New Year’s Resolutions this year. I did however make five goals that I wanted to try to accomplish this year. Below is the list and how I’ve attempted to integrate them in my life:
1. Cultivate relationships with people I want to keep in my life.
Sometimes we let people go in our lives. Usually it’s not done on purpose. Although sometimes it’s blatantly obvious you need to cut them out of your life—like when they stole your change jar and crock-pot while you were out of town and they were supposed to be dog sitting.
But usually it’s less dramatic than that. Your friend will call and invite you to a party, but you already had other plans. Then you call several weeks later and invite them to a dinner you’re having with a group of friends that they don’t really know that well, but you invite them anyway because you’d like to see them. But they decline because they’ve got to take grandma to bingo…then several months pass by before you try again, but again they’re busy, then the next time you run into them, it been a few years. Next thing you know, they are asking about, “the old gang,” and your response is, “I see them on Facebook,” which is exactly the same boat you two are in now as well.
I noticed this happened to me with a few of my friends and I didn’t like it. So a few days after New Year’s Day, I picked up the phone and called them. I let them know I was thinking about them and they agreed we should hang out sometime soon. Well, it’s roughly three weeks later and I’ve only seen one of the four people I called. But hey, one’s better than none.
2. Be closer to 200 lbs. than 250 lbs. by the end of 2016.
My second goal is health related. I wanted to lose weight, but this time I broke it down to smaller goals like, “drink more water and eat healthier.” So I joined a “Biggest Loser,” contest at work and weighed in. I was surprised to see that I was slightly closer to being 300 lbs. than I was to 200 lbs. (250-something)
I then worked out twice right off the bat and lost 9 pounds in one week. After that, I immediately stopped working out, gained back 6 of the 9 pounds and the weigh in is in 2 days. This post is a wake-up call to myself.
3. Write at least one story, poem or blog post at least once a week.
I have written at least one story a week so far this year. I was given a writing prompt book called, “365 Days of Joy,” or something like that. Every time I see it lying on the table, it reminds me I need to pick it up and writing something. (I wrote most of this post while waiting to be helped over the phone with my web-hosting company. I was on hold 38 minutes, which brings me to my next goal…)
4. Get a side business going this year, preferably doing something fun.
I have been working with a lady over the last few months who is a creative career coach. I have gone through her training and am now licensed to use her material. The two types of people I will be working with are: People who know they want to start a business, but don’t know what kind. Or they know what kind of business they want to start, they just don’t know how to get going. I will mainly do this online or over the phone, which is why I was on hold for 38 minutes trying to get my website going. More on that later in upcoming posts, which leads me to my last goal…
5. Be a better guitar/ukulele player by the end of 2016 than I was at the beginning of 2016.
My last goal of the year has been my most successful so far. I have played the guitar everyday this year so far. (It’s only January 18th.) I’ve also watched dozens of guitar tutorial videos on YouTube. It’s amazing what you can learn on YouTube.
I’ve been teaching other players some techniques that I’ve learned and if I didn’t already have two blogs, I would start a third called, “The evolution of a guitar player.” If I had the time, I’d spend the year showing my progress.
I’m not doing that though because I don’t need another project. I have bitten off more than I can chew many times over my lifetime. I now realize that in order for me to be successful, I need to set small goals and do something to achieve them on a consistent basis. Writing a post helps me keep on track. I hope that reading this will help keep you on track as well.
On a different note, Today is Martin Luther King Jr. day. Lately I’ve felt like we are taking a giant step backwards in race relationships. Here is a post I wrote 4 years ago on Martin Luther King Day. It seems like things have gotten worse than they were when I originally wrote this: Click here
Here’s the link if you’re getting this through email.
https://douglasthomaswallace.com/happy-james-earl-ray-day-everybody
New Year’s Resolutions and End Of the Year Inventory – 2015
Every year around this time I start taking inventory of my life and looking back at what’s happened over the last year. This year was a bumpy ride for me and my family.
I haven’t written about it up until now, but after 10 years of marriage, my wife and I separated at the end of last year and we have lived apart for over a year now. We sold the house we lived in and moved to separate apartments. Our daughter splits her time with both of us 50/50 and I think that we can all agree that the current situation is better for all that’s involved.
Having said that…I’ve started dating again and overall it’s been a great experience. My daughter really likes her and I’m grateful I don’t have to go through the nightmare of them not caring for each other.
I also got a new position at work. I’m now in charge of a team of 8 trainers and am responsible for 800 people’s training. I now know first-hand that it’s not easy being in charge and there are some days I wish I could go back to not being the boss. But most of the times I’m happy to jump in with both feet and stay busy working and teaching classes.
Every year many of us make New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve stopped doing that a few years ago because I know that long-term change for me happens when something hits me randomly and that’s never been on New Year’s Day. Although this year I will still make a goal list. I will probably hang it up next to my desk and it will look something like this:
1. Cultivate relationships with people you want to keep in your life.
2. Be closer to 200 lbs. than 250 lbs. by the end of 2016.
3. Write at least one story, poem or blog post at least once a week.
4. Get a side business going this year, preferably something fun.
5. Be a better guitar/ukulele player by the end of 2016 than you were at the beginning of 2016.
Anything more than that is just wishful thinking for me.
If you’re going to go out this New Year’s Eve, be safe out there. And if you’re going to drink, don’t drive.
Nanowrimo Day 10
I’ve been keeping busy with my writing project. I’ve had two rounds with an editor that I found on Fiverr. $40 bucks for 80 pages. I hope the old adage, “You get what you pay for,” doesn’t apply here.
In the past I used an awesome editor. But this is just a little side-project that I’m trying to churn out fast. The girl I’m using is a Univ. of Florida graduate who majored in English, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
Here’s a little sample from the collection. It’s a flash-piece I wrote when I was volunteering for Lumina–a group of volunteers who write hospice patient’s life’s stories right before they pass away. (If you can make it on time.) This one has nothing to do with a patient.
That Great Gretsch Sound
Looking at the old orange hard-shell case, you can tell that what’s inside has been around a while. Scratches run deep like a road map of the places it’s been.
Opening the worn brass latches unleashes a waft of smoke that gently hits the nose. When the lid folds back, the crushed-orange velvet encases a dark orange sunburst 1939 Hawaiian-style Gretsch guitar. The floating tortoise pick-guard is held on by a small brass bracket that violently protests when you strum too hard. The neck tappers from the body to the black head stock, which suits my small fingers as I press down the silky smooth strings on the ebony fret board.
But the best part of all is the harp like sound when the Old-Girl is strummed ever so gently. The vibrations call out, “Please don’t put me back in that case Mister. I’m beggin’ ya.”
Nanowrimo Day 4
It’s really not as interesting talking about making something as it is actually doing it. Yesterday, Day 3 of my project, I spend time looking up e-book cover designers on Fiverr. If you don’t know what Fiverr is, it’s a website where people all over the world will do things for $5 bucks. A word of caution, it can get a little addictive.
Want someone to write your girlfriend’s name in the sand at sunrise for her birthday and send you a pic of it? You can find that on Fiverr. Want someone to dress up in a hula skirt and sing a Happy Birthday song? You can find that too. But you can also find normal stuff like guys who will design book covers and proofread your stuff. So that was yesterday’s project.
Today’s work? Editing pieces. Fun stuff I know, but it’s got to be done. Do yourself a favor and do something a little more interesting than I am today.
Day 2 NaNoWriMo 2015
Today I registered my domain name. It’s
www.bobmarleyneversmokedpot.com
There’s nothing there yet. But I’m doing one task a day for 30 days. And I kind of feel like since the book is already written, I’m way ahead of the game.
I did spend a several hours pouring over old stories and essays. Just looking through old memory sticks was a chore itself. I kept getting tied up in old memories. It also made me remember that I want to write a memoir on my 12 years working in jails and not to include those essays in this project.
I have a long list of stuff to do. And I’m already thinking about what I need to do tomorrow. Either way, I did my work for the day.
November is National Novel Writing Month
November is National Novel Writing Month. Every year thousands of writers from almost every country in the world sign up at http://nanowrimo.org/ to get support to write their novel.
I am kind of participating this year, but I’ve decided to focus on a collection of short stories instead of a novel.
Today is daylight savings time. So when I woke up at 5:00 am this morning, I decided not to just lay there. I got up and picked 21 of my short stories that I will be putting in a collection. I will be using my blog to update you on what I’m doing and keeping myself accountable. I plan on releasing the collection online.
The name of the collection is Bob Marley Never Smoked Pot and 20 Other Mostly True Stories. I’ll keep you up-to-date on the progress.
For now, here’s a little song dedicated to The Legend himself.
Vladi-Yadi (and sometimes Buddy)
I got a new foster dog this week. He’s a 8.5 lb. Chihuahua-mix named Vladi, after Valdmir Tarasenko, a St. Louis Blues hockey player.
We also call him Yadi after the St. Louis Cardinals catcher, who if his thumb wouldn’t have been hurt we would have perhaps beat those bastardous-assed Cubs. Either way, both Yadi’s are loved.
This is my second foster dog, or at least I like to say that. The first one was supposed to be an adoption, but it was a pitbull and I couldn’t bring it with me to my apartment after I sold my house. So I found someone to take him.
The apartment that I live in now has two Pitbulls in the building. I have half-a-mind to turn them in since I gave up mine. But I won’t. I know pits are like any other dogs. Except the one downstairs, Lucy, she’s a brown 10 month old pit and will only shit inside the apartment.
I only know that because the guy downstairs used-to scream, “God Damn it Lucy! You fucking asshole! No! No! Why will you only shit inside the apartment? You fucking asshole dog!”
The mother-fucker woke me up at 7:00 am on Columbus Day screaming at Lucy. The one day I get to sleep in late during a week day and he’s screaming, “No Lucy! Don’t you dare fucking shit in the fucking apartment again!”
And before I knew I was yelling, I heard myself projecting, “He doesn’t fucking understand English asshole!”
Silence.
I haven’t heard his voice in two full days.
I have seen him however. As my daughter was walking Vladi, Lucy stepped out of the shadows with her owner attached about 10 feet away. Lucy locked eyes on Vladi and Vladi stopped, looked at her, stepped to the side, then started, “Yap, Yap, Yapping,” away.
I yelled, “Jaya, stop right there!”
“But Vladi wants to meet him,” she said.
“Jaya! Stop! Jaya!”
The neighbor scooped up Lucy and carried her inside.
I told Jaya, “The next time I tell you to stop, you better stop! You don’t know dogs like I do.”
Now I’m not saying all pitbulls are bad, but I do know better. And even though I had one of the sweetest pits ever, I’m not chancing my daughter and foster dog to Lucy “The Shitter.”
Lucy is nice to me, but I have to force the owner to let me pet her. She has no manners at all and it’s obviously not her fault. People who don’t know the basics of dog ownership, ruin these dogs. It’s the same people who take a 10 month old pitbull for a 1 minute walk in the front yard, then wonders why it shits in their house. These are the kinds of people who end up dropping their dog off at the shelter.
If you don’t know what your doing, educate yourself, otherwise don’t get a dog, especially a puppy. The easiest kind of dog to break in is one that is over 2 and under 8 years old. They are still young enough to play and go on walks, but old enough not to eat up your shoe collection.
But if you do decide to get a dog, please get one from a shelter, not a breeder. There are so many dogs put to death every year. In fact, “Vladi-Yadi-we-likes-to-party,” was supposed to be put to sleep the day he was rescued. The girl who rescued him loves the Blues and that’s how he got his name.
And just so you know, he’s up for a foster-to-adopt situation, but he has to go through his first round of heart worm treatment first. He’ll be ready in 30 days. He’s crate-trained, loves kids and won’t shit in your house.
Let me know if you’re interested.
Happy – The Movie
I watched a documentary called Happy the other day. The filmmaker interviewed people from all over the world who consider themselves happy-people. Believe it or not, the US and Japan have some of the unhappiest people in the world and we are considered two of the richest countries per-capita.
So what makes a person happy? Well, there are many things, but a few of the biggest points that I took away were: People who have close family and friends are generally happier than people who don’t. I think most of us could agree on that.
The second take-away for me was: People who do things for intrinsic value vs. extrinsic value are way more happy.
Just in case you need it, “Intrinsic motivation is when you want to do something. Extrinsic motivation is when somebody else tries to make you do something.”
So I decided to write this little blurb today, even if no one reads it, because of its intrinsic value to me. Just knowing that I may have passed on something to someone that might make them happy makes me happy. (And because it was a really good documentary. Watch it.)
Vanity Cards
I was talking to a friend today about the TV show called The Big Bang Theory. I asked him if he ever read the Vanity Cards at the end of the show. He said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I couldn’t believe he had never seen the vanity cards at the end. They are only flashed up on the screen for one or two seconds, but still, it’s one of the best parts of the show. The cards are usually a slice of life story or they are about some humorous way he came up with the idea for the show.
I decided to look up the Vanity Cards on Chuck Lorre’s site after talking to my friend. It was the first time in 9 seasons of The Big Bang Theory that I checked these out. When I got to the site, I was surprised to see that Chuck Lorre was on vanity card #502. After reading #500, I decided to post it here and to apply it to myself.
I’m on blog post #237, and this one makes #238. I might not have a hit TV show, but I know one day I will be at post #500. And when I get there, I hope I can gain some of the wisdom and insight that this guy has over the years of writing these things. For now, I write these just because I can. (And like to.)
…Chuck Lorre Vanity Card #500
When I sat down to write this, my five hundredth vanity card, my first inclination was to use self-deprecating humor. Something along the lines of how proud I am to have a large body of work. Sure, it has no real value, but hey, it’s still large. If a person were to sit down and try to read all my cards, the verb “wade” might come to mind. But then I thought, “No. I am not going to waste this momentous event with false modesty. I am going to trumpet my accomplishment. I am going to take a well- deserved bow for eighteen years of hard work. Unpaid work. Work done just for the love of doing it. And let’s not forget, I’ve really spilled my guts in some of these things. A man’s life and innermost thoughts exposed for all to see. And oh, how I’ve labored over the jokes. Literally thousands of hours, grinding away, trying to find just the right combination of words to make you laugh. What was I thinking with the self- deprecation? Five hundred vanity cards. Who else has done that? I’ll tell you who. Nobody. Just me. Yeah, that’s right. You heard me. And I’ll tell you another thing. No one ever will do it. You know why? Because you have to produce five hundred friggin’ TV shows first!”
Okay, I’m done trumpeting.