I believe:

1. that life is incomplete without music, visual art and dance.
2. that many parents are products of fractured childhoods, the entrails of which they then pass on to their children.
3. it’s possible to break the cycle.
4. that most nasty, unkind and uncaring people are positively crippled by low self-esteem.
5. that children openly arguing and verbally sparring with adults is no longer the exception, but the rule.
6. it’s possible to break that cycle, too.
7. that good conversation is becoming a lost art.
8. it’s possible that the Cleveland Browns could go down in history as the solitary NFL team never to play in a Super Bowl. (Yes, I believe the Lions, Jags and Texans will all get there first.)
9. you can fight with a friend or loved one and still be OK afterwards.
10. for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows. ( — just checking to see if you’re paying attention)
11. that most kids are so petrified of peer rejection, their true passions, aspirations, and even identity can lie buried for years — or forever.
12. that one can live with the consequences of one’s decisions and still be happy.
13. that the weather is going to positively smoke my rehearsal schedule this week. But I’m OK with it. Really.
14. that the lousy St*****s will win the Super Bowl just to spite me. But I will rest in the knowledge that at least they’ve lost one; the 49ers went 5-0. Eat that, Armpittsburgh.

Fink, channeling #4, football edition

You are going to love me this morning. I aim to keep you busy while you drink your a.m. beverage, though I know I might be a bit late for that this day.

First, I have no idea how this guy does it, but sometimes it doesn’t matter.

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I found these interesting, mostly for their artistry, but also because of their blatant honesty (e.g., shut up!).

Hey Old Ones, remember this little novelty from years ago? Well, as in all things, there’s a computer app for that. You can play with it here.

Some awesome photos. And here too, depicting life in the US before Pearl Harbor — but in color. Amazing.

Maps of War – very cool and informative collection of Flash presentations. Be sure to view them full screen.

Talk about a talented man…

Are we done? I think so, for another day. Much work to do, and the more this body rests, the more it wants to stay at rest. Know what I mean?

Update — Headin’ for that line o’ trees. Good (but busy) two days. Lots of work waiting for me when I get home. Nuts to that.

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Or I should say, the elevator. I’m on the flippin 21st floor.

Today, I present at a meeting, work the JECO booth, go to another meeting (yay for lunch with Bando), do some more booth-babe work, then quit for the night to get some dinner with the Thriller and do something fun. (He is locking himself in the hotel room all day, doing homework.)

So, time to fly. I hope the start to your weekend is going well!

FO

Last night, #1 Son posted a comment on Facebook about how he apparently let somebody “get to” him, and that he should probably keep that person “at arm’s length.” In my response to him, I linked to this list, and I reread it myself (Suzanne — did you turn me on to this guy? I think you did.). Then, as usual, my thoughts meandered.

I recently told someone that my new philosophy for 2011 was “Let it Go.” I tested it bigtime last night for the first time this year. Someone posted something on FB and after I read it, I thought, “He means me.” But you know, we cannot control what other people do. We can only control how we respond to it. This person is transient in my life, and you can bet your last dime he’s not thinking about my reaction at all, so why should I worry about his? Let. It. Go.

A search on “letting go” revealed some interesting information on one site. (I’m certain “Dan & Jennifer” want to sell stuff, but I didn’t check into that, nor was I bombarded with ads.) Three sensible articles:

Banishing Negative People From Your Life
Hostility Blinds Us From the Truth
Letting Go

I found truth in all of them. They’re worth a read, and were actually helpful in my morning decision to press the Delete key and extricate this particular “letting go” problem from my consciousness.

Et voilà. Next!

Happy Almost Finkday to you, fiends. I’m off to Cincinnati soon………..

You are getting too brittle to pound the tap floor for an hour straight.

*creeeeeeeak*