Happy New Year

We're back from up north skiing. Cuervo rocked and had a ball in the fresh northern air running wild.
We got blasted with a snowstorm as we were arriving on Sunday with 7" of fresh snow. Then the temps warmed up above freezing all week until the day before we departed making the skiing rather non-existant.

The day before we left the temps dropped below freezing and another snowstorm rolled in dumping another fresh 6" of snow making the skiing fabulous.

We skiied and Cuervo ran. It was a beautiful thing.

Just wish we could've had the opportunity to ski all week instead of the bookends, the first and last days. But it was great to get away and spend Christmas up north away from all the distractions and nonsense.

Hope you had an enjoyable Christmas and your New Year is a very splendid one.

Talk to you next year!

P-E-A-C-E

PS. Happy Birthday Susan Margaret Katherine Springer, wherever you may be.

How Fast Does Time Fly?

It's hard to believe Christmas 2007 is already here. I mean, where'd 2007 even go? Fffffft and there it went.

Cuervo is amped up. He senses we're getting ready to go somewhere. Which, we are. But it's really fascinating how a pet just knows something is up. Animal intuition?

We're getting out of dodge and going up north for some r & r and taking Cuervo with us. Actually our Christmas getaway is just as much for him as it is us. If not more.

We rent a secluded cabin on 10 acres next to State land about 5 hours up north near Chrystal Mountain and a short hop from Traverse City. On a clear night nothing but stars and the sound of snow falling.

We go x-country skiing far away from the noise and hustle-bustle. And Cuervo gets a chance to really stretch his legs and run like crazy. Way out in the woods and the only sounds you hear are the swoosh of the skis on the crunchy snow and the jingle bells of Cuervo's collar up around the bend.

A little imagination and you can swear you hear Santa's sleigh jingling in the near distance if you didn't know it was actually Cuervo.

Going up north, especially this time of year with the snow, really is an ideal opportunity to reflect on things. Clear out the 'ole head a little, breathe in some fresh, northern country air, get some great exercise and reflect on this year and look ahead to a new year.

And do some serious romping in the snow with Cuervo. He is no-bout-a-doubt-it a snowdog.

It's 2008 already. Dayum.

Mom was right. When I was younger I remember her saying "if you think time flies now, just wait until you get alot older it really flies by." Now I know exactly what she meant. It's crazy fast.

I think just about every adult over 40 will tell you time flies. Those over 50 and then 60 tell you it goes by even faster. How can that be?

How fast does time fly? That's a great question for another time.

Anyhoo, Merry Christmas to you and a happy, happy new year. I hope 2008 ROCKS.

I'll be talking with you again next year. Cuervo and I thank you for stopping by.

Cheers \_/

P E A C E O N E A R T H

If I Had Only One More Day...

If you stumbled upon this blog, you more than likely arrived here from www.CuervoRocks.com .
Cuervo is the main reason the whole site / blog thing even came about in the first place a couple years ago. The last few posts here haven't been much about him and I'll give you an update on him next time around. He's doing fine though!


There is a new book / movie coming out this weekend by Mitch Albom. It's premise is if you had only one more day to live, who would you want to see and what would you do.

The question requires some heavy thought. Most people answer that if they only had one more day to live, they'd spend it with a loved one that's passed away.

My answer would be the same thing.

If I had only one more day to live, I wish I could spend it with my Mom, who I lost this past February. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her and all the "shoulda-woulda-coulda's" I regretfully didn't act upon when she was alive.

She is in a better place now. But dealing with her sudden death and all the emotional weight with losing her has been hell on earth for me. I wasn't prepared for the amount of grief that goes with losing her, the only Mom I'll ever have.

As I've gotten older I've developed a much better appreciation for her and what she's had to endure in her life. It wasn't an easy one for her by any stretch of the imagination.

Looking back, there is SO much that should've been different for her in her life. She was disabled for the last 19 years of her life from a back surgery that went wrong when she was 48. She was 67 when she passed. She had a wonderful sense of humor and a great smile even though she lived in alot of pain, physically and emotionally.

If I had one more day I'd spend it with Mom, playing her favorite card game Uno and racing to see who could finish a word search puzzle the fastest. She loved to do those word search puzzles and I'd always bring some to her when I visited. We'd have lunch together and instead of me reading the local paper like I did, I'd listen more to what she was saying to me. I mean REALLY listen.

Sometimes we hear people talking but we really aren't listening, are we? If I had only one more day with my Mom, I would REALLY listen to what she had to say. I would give her 100% of my undivided attention instead of maybe 50-60% of it.

I would express my feelings to her that I now regret I never did enough of when she was alive. I'd tell her how I really felt and what she meant to me and how wonderful I thought she was even though she couldn't get around and do the little things she used to because of her disability and felt frustrated at times.

I would hug my Mom ALOT more. She never got near enough hugs, from any of us, and it's really a shame.

I spent the entire last week of her life at her bedside in the hospital. It was very humbling and emotional. I felt very close to her and she knew I was there for her 24/7. I'll never forget her squeezing my fingers when I asked her questions. She'd try to open her eyes and look at me and I could see the gratitude in her eyes knowing she knew I was right there for her.

I feel so fortunate to have been able to spend all that time with my Mom at her bedside in the last week of her life. I think about it frequently. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

I miss you Mom, and if I had only one more day to live, I'd want to spend it with you, with all my heart.

An Incredible Evening of Live Music

Incredible! That one word sums up the dazzling performance of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra last night. Over 2 1/2 hours of Christmas rock-n-roll with a laser light show that was absolutely one of the BEST light shows I've ever seen in concert. And I've seen a bunch of concerts in my 40+ years.

This is a huge production and if you've never seen this band perform live I highly suggest you do whatever you have to do to see them next time around. They play to complete sellouts wherever they play and once you've seen them you'll understand why. They simply put on one of the best rock performances you'll probably ever see. Their light show by itself is worth the price of admission.

Composer, founder and producer Paul O'Neill is the creative force behind the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. "I envisioned a full-on hard rock band, a heavy-metal band, but also a symphony with opera singers and those from the theatrical world," he said in a recent interview. "My goal was to take away all the artificial barriers of music." And they do it VERY well.

The band attracts everyone from parents with their children to old school metal fans and it's no wonder the band was one of Billboard's Top 25 grossing concerts last year.

How big of a production is this? It takes a 219 person crew, $1 million every month just on explosives, a 60-person orchestra and ensemble, 30 semi trucks and 16 tour buses.

Ladies and gentlemen....THIS is a rock-n-roll show you must see.

Check out www.Trans-Siberian.com for the 2007-08 tour and get your tix now.

Afterwards we hooked up with some friends at a local pub that happened to have a live band that was excellent. The band, Frog and the Beeftones, really played a great selection of jams including some Robin Trower, The Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Walsh and a bunch of others that slip my mind. The lead guitarist was downright bad-to-the-bone. The band is a 4 piece group of older geezers but we couldn't have heard better music anywhere else if we tried. This was the ideal ending to a great night.

Trans Siberian Orchestra Concert Tonight

As I write this, the crew for the rock band Trans Siberian Orchestra are unloading 19 semi trucks of concert equipment for tonights concert at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

These guys put on a spectacular Christmas rock concert and we'll be seeing them for the first time live tonight. I've seen them on dvd and that blew me away so I'm looking forward to finally seeing them in person.

Maybe, just maybe the show might get me into the Chistmas spirit. I doubt it though.

Now that Mom is gone there is a void for me, especially this time of year. Everytime I hear some Christmas music on the radio I can't help but think of her.

It makes me think of other people who have lost loved ones and are going through a rough time this time of year. I think of all the troops who are away from their families this holiday season, people who are going through hard times.... so far there doesn't seem to be much Christmas spirit this year by the lack of Christmas lights displayed on houses.

I miss the old days.

I'll drop by here and give my review of tonights show in the next few days.

Watching the Dog Whisperer in the Windy City.

We spent the holiday weekend in Chicago. Boy, does that get expensive! Glad to be back home. We took the Amtrak train there and back and really didn't have any problems at all. The train ran on schedule both ways considering it was completely sold out on the way home, mostly with MSU students returning back to campus after the holiday break.

We put Cuervo in a kennel for the weekend. He wasn't to happy about it either when I left him.
I went to pick him up at 6:30 this morning and his "babysitter" told me he was a gem the entire time. He was soooo happy to see me and tell me all about his ordeal. He ate good but doesn't look like he slept very well. As of right now he's crashed on his couch catching up with his zzzzz's.
There is nothing quite like the excitement your dog displays when he hasn't seen you in a few days. It is truly a great feeling that you know at least someone loves you unconditionally like Cuervo loves me. Another reason to shout out "DOGS ARE KEWL!"

Good to be back home and good to have him back in his familiar surroundings, and me in mine.

We had a beautiful hotel suite while in Chicago and were lucky enough to catch a couple of episodes of The Dog Whisperer on the Discovery Channel. If you've never watched this guy work with dogs, it is must-see tv. He is zen-like in his training and the results are pretty astonishing.

It's been snowing the past couple of hours, the first real snowfall we've had this season that is covering up all the ugliness with white-ness. We noticed coming back home last night in the 45 minute drive from the Amtrak station that only 2 houses had Christmas lights on them. Apparently we're not the only ones not in the holiday spirit. Maybe some snow will help. Or not.

Let it snow!

REO Speedwagon Rocked!

I forgot to mention in my last post, the first one I made in 6+ months, was Cuervo is doing well. He's put on his winter coat now and is looking pretty buff. Up until last week he was really chowing down but has since backed off. He seeems to be hacking, like he's trying to dislodge something in his throat. He doesn't seem ill or out of character but we'll watch him closely and if it continues we'll bank on spending another $60+ to bring him into the vet.

I mentioned in my last post I would comment on the REO Speedwagon show we seen back on Oct 11th at the Kalamazoo State Theater.



Anyhow, what is normally a 90 minute drive there took us almost 4 hours because of some haz-mat chemical spill along the hughway. They completely shut down the freeway in both directions for 6 hours until they could figure out what it was. Meanwhile we had places to go and the concert started at 7:00.

By the time we zig-zagged around the detours, sat in traffic and stewed, the show had already started. We finally arrived about 30 minutes into REO's performance. The theater was completely sold out as we squeezed into our seats.

Lead singer Kevin Cronin sounded good as ever and the band played hit after hit. The band came out for a 20 minute encore and hung around on stage to sign autographs afterwards for a few minutes. Cronin continued to sign autographs long after the other band members headed back to the dressing room until his road manager finally coaxed him off. You don't see bands hanging around anymore signing autographs after their shows. REO Speedwagon being the exception.

Would I see them again? Absolutely! They put on a great performance. Next time though we'll expect the unexpected and be better prepared for any detours or delays and make sure we catch the whole show.

If you like 70's - 80's classic rock, go see them if you get a chance. You won't be disappointed.

Time Flies

Yep, I'll admit it's been awhile since I've stopped by here. Feb 11th or something, 9 freakin months ago already. Holy moly does time fly or what? Where has 2007 gone?

In all honestly, one reason why I haven't posted to this adendum (an extension of Cuervo's maxed out website) is because I misplaced my password and the username for this blog and for the life of me I couldn't remember it. Thats just a small reason. The bigger reason is because I just haven't made the time to do it. And now here we are in November already.

Now that I have limited options with adding content to CuervoRocks.com since I've maxed out the free bandwidth, I'll be posting more here on the blog with the comings and goings and whats happenins.

Next post I'll remark about the REO Speedwagon concert we recently seen at the Kalamazoo State Theater. They truly rocked and put on a fantastic sold-out show. Our trip there though was a complete nightmare and almost 4 hours to make the 90 minutes drive.

Must Be the Sled Dog in Him

Well it's been a couple of weeks since my last post. So whats new? Not alot. We did take Cuervo up north for four days of x-country skiing. Rented a nice place surrounded by state land, a jacuzzi and lots of solitude. Cuervo ran himself ragged of course but by the 3rd day the weather got so blooming cold it wasn't ideal skiing conditions so we pretty much hung around the house for the last day or two.

Anyhow, fast forward to back home. When Cuervo was a puppy I trained him to "do his daily deed" in his pen and not in the yard. So I never have to worry about accidently stepping in any "landmines" in the yard if you know what I mean.

Because Cuervo is such a hunter of sorts, especially at night, and has had numerous run-ins with skunks and possums and whatever else he sniffs out in the back yard. Well anyhow I tie him up to a 20lb brick in the evenings in the backyard when he doesn't want to hang out in the house and it's to early to put him to bed in his pen. So he just chills in the backyard and takes in the surroundings once it gets dark outside until he either wants to come in or time to go to bed.

Earlier this week he was tied up to his backyard brick about 8pm and we were watching a basketball game on the tube. When Cuervo wants to come in he'll bark. Well he barked a couple of times and we ignored him while we watched the game. About 20 minutes later I checked on him and was shocked to find out that he obviously had to go to the bathroom but rather than just go in the yard like he knows is wrong, he dragged that 20lb brick 39ft (I walked it off) to his pen so he could stretch far enough in there to go potty rather than go in the yard. I was so impressed and pleased to what extent a well trained dog like he is will go to to avoid upsetting his master. He had to go so he did what he had to and he figured out he could drag that brick across the snow to get where he could go. Most dogs would've just barked and barked. Cuervo's sled dog bloodline took over and he decided not to wait for me and drag that brick instead.

I think ANY dog can be trained the basic obedience commands. So many people get a dog with the intention of maybe working with it and having a great pet. For the first couple of weeks of getting a dog it's the center of attention in the family. Then routine sets in and the dog doesn't get the attention it craves anymore and it starts chewing on things, relieving itself in the house etc. The owner gets upset obviously and punishes the dog, who incidently doesn't know right from wrong because it was never taught the difference. After awhile the dog is shoved outside, neglected for the most part, and left to ponder his existence out in the backyard while tied to a chain in the corner. Thats not good.

Always remember this and you'll have half the battle won with a new dog: every day a dog needs ATTENTION, DISCIPLINE, AND EXCERCISE. You remember those 3 things and you'll eventually have a well rounded pet who'll be a great addition to your family. If you can't supply those 3 things, every day, then you might not be the best candidate to have a dog. Obedient dogs are relatively high maintenance at first, but once trained you'll have a fantastic pet that will be your best friend and one that respects you.

2 Weeks of Drama Concluded

Well after putting all my eggs in one basket, I got burned. I was applying for a position as an Car Show Coordinator that would've been a nice gig to have. Nice paycheck, travel, all expenses paid, nice work enviroment...coordinating car shows around the country for a national company, would've been a real nice deal. I was one of over 300 applicants who responded for the position here in Michigan. They contacted me and wanted me to drive to Detroit for a personal interview as they told me they had narrowed down their list to the Top 15 qualified applicants.

I drove to Detroit on the 15th, the morning after an ice storm we had. I interviewed with the V.P. of Operations at the Marriott Courtyard and it went well. He said I was certinately qualified and he would make a decision on the 26th. Holy moly I had to wait another 11 days? I felt like a ball-player waiting to see if I was good enough to get drafted by a team on draft day.

I was feeling pretty confident. The job market here in Michigan is beyond dismal right now and I was really looking forward to busting out of here and getting some greenbacks rolling in again.

Finally at 8:30pm on the 26th they called me and told me that I was one of the final 4 choices for the position but they decided to go with someone else instead and filled the position.

I was sooo disappointed. I had such high hopes and then........SLAM ...the door gets shut in my face and I'm back out in the cold again with thousands of other unemployed people here in Michigan. I guess if it's any consolation I did manage to get selected in the top 5% of those who applied and made the final four out of that. Oh well.

So back to the drawing board. I lost all of the wind in my sails now so I'm trying to jumpstart my engine again. I spent most of the weekend reading motivational websites like JimRohn.com trying to keep my wits about me and stay positive. It helped alot.

I've got alot of resume's and apps in the pipeline but so far zilch. It's discouraging especially since just 3 years ago I was doing low6 figures in my own business and happy as a clam. Then the economy went south and so did my business. And my morale. Been making nickels and dimes ever since trying to make something happen to no avail. So I've resorted to actually going to work for someone else and get a JOB, something I haven't had to do in about 8 years.

Being from the entrepreneur mindset a JOB means Just Over Broke. It's basically just a paycheck-to-paycheck thing where you're paid just enough to show up every day but not enough to bank anything. It's the 95% mentality that I always considered myself aware of and always trying to get into that other 5%.

I remember I have recently watched The Secret DVD about 4 times now and am trying to instill the belief in what I want in life instead of what I don't have and thats part of the mental change I'm working on upstairs.

Even though it's been 2 steps forward and 3 steps back, my head is still above water and I'm grateful I'm at least healthy among other things.

Status Quo ...for now

So I've got until the 26th. The waiting is creating knots in my stomach. What is this all about you ask? Well, I'll tell you more on or after the 26th if my wish comes true. But I will say that the movie The Secret is playing a major role in this for me and I have put all of my eggs in one basket right now with no back up plan so failure is not an option. Thats all I'm going to say about this right now.

The temps have certinately dipped to more like winter here now. 20's in the daytime, teens at night. Next week even colder. Cuervo has been sleeping inside at night, by choice.

The best part of football season is upon us - the playoffs. And no Terrell Owens. Woohoo!

Cuervo Just Flat Out Rocks!

Cuervo has just been a trooper lately. Normally he goes whereever I go, even if it means sitting in the van for hours waiting for me to come back. The past few days it has been ugly outside, rainy, drizzly, windy and I'm not one to have the stinky wet dog smell in my ride since he generally hangs out the window while I drive and catches all the spray. So I decided to just leave him home in his pen while I did what I had to do and was gone for most of the day. I really expected him to be all wet when I got back home but he was hunkered down in his coop out of the elements most of the days and was dry as a bone. So all I had to do was dry off his feet and let him in the house where he proceeded to tell us all about his day and jumped up on the couch in front of the wood stove and nodded out. B-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l.

On another note, if you haven't already seen this video I highly suggest you make it a point to do so at some point. It's very inspirational and will make you change the way you say and do things for the better. It touches on quantum physics (yeah I know, it sounds heavier than it really is) but you need to spend an hour and watch this video. You can watch it online if you have broadband for $4.95 or purchase the dvd for $29.95. I get nothing for passing this on other than knowing you'll be better off by watching it. Go to www.thesecret.tv and prepare to get goosebumps.

Tomorrow I drive to Detroit for a very important meeting. Cuervo will have to hang out at home - alone again, and wonder why he can't come along. I'll think of him often and look forward to getting back home and giving him some attention and excercise. Meanwhile, while in Detroit I just might take a tour through the Detroit Auto Show. www.naias.com

Please, Mr President

NO MORE TROOPS!!

Yeaah It's Snowing Outside!

Hey we finally got some snow on the ground here. Fiiiinally! Not awhole lot but enough to cover the ground with white. Maybe 1/2"+ is all. The ground isn't frozen so it'll probably melt this week anyhow although the current temps are more like winter with windshield in the teens today. Of course Cuervo is all excited. He loves the snow. This is his element and he's been waiting for snow ever since he packed on his winter coat back in Oct/Nov. So the snow is a nice change from the regular gloomy, gray skies we've consistantly been having since winter rolled around.

Once I get the hang of this blog I'll figure out how to post some other pictures of Cuervo and other related topics that aren't on his website (www.CuervoRocks.com) .

The job market and housing market here in Michigan really sucks right now. My real estate business has taken a back seat now that things have gotten so tight here so I'm looking at another option to keep the money flow incoming and I have a very good lead on that either this week or next for a personal interview but to give you a hint- it will pertain to this type of business, here's the website: www.naias.com

Cuervo won't be very happy with my travelling but I could use some good luck.

Chapter 1 - Intro

Sooo...this is 2007? I guess it's time to turn the page and get with the program. I think occasionally jotting some text down in Cuervo's blog will be easier than his website. We'll see. Plus it will allow me a forum to maybe expand whats swirling around in my noggin that I don't want to put on his site.

Anyways, this is my first post and not much to say after just updating his site so swing back whenever and I'll try to add some more glitze and glamor to Cuervo's blog to keep it interesting reading.