Saturday, November 29, 2008

Thankful

As I've enjoyed this Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I have had time to reflect on many things for which I am grateful.

The first and most important thing I am thankful for is my beautiful wife. She is amazing. There is never a day that goes by where she doesn't do something for me. Some days it is wonderfully new. Other times it is just the multitude of little things. But every day she lets me know that she loves me. And I love her too.

I am grateful for my family. On my side of our family, I have people whom I have loved all my life. I have an adorable little nephew. On my wife's side, I have people who have taken me into their homes and lives.

I'm grateful for our home, our cars, and our jobs. Although sometimes expenses or frustration can cloud my view, when I stop and survey what I have, I am content.

There are so many things I am grateful for. Some are small things like playing Rock Band or watching a movie. Tasting delicious food. Or just sleeping in under a warm blanket.

Sometimes the holiday season can feel cliché, but I am genuinely thankful for the reminders the season provides for me.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Opportunity

They say that one should be ready for when Opportunity knocks. I thought I was. But he is elusive, and is known to be a consummate doorbell-ditcher (albeit he knocks rather than rings). I flung the door wide open and saw him there.

He seemed a bit startled to see me. I think the door opening so quickly had caught him by surprise. I motioned for him to come in. He hesitated. I reached out to grab him. He bolted.

It was sad to see him go. But I'll be ready for him when he comes around next.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

"Mr. Spock, scan that book!"

I am not exactly sure what started it, but recently I have been in the mood to be reading again. I have not done much reading for my own enjoyment since before I graduated from college. I suppose you could say that I've been busy doing other things. I have certainly gorged myself on a virtual buffet of video games and DVDs. But I feel like I should be reading more. So I eventually got around to it.

Typically the biggest challenge I face regarding reading comes (ironically) before I even set my eyes on a page. I have trouble choosing a book. For some reason or another, the selection process hampers my progression until I strongly resemble The Thinker -- complete with a stony expression.

However, this time around I had a helpful jump start. I've been listing to the Security Now Netcast and they recommended an author by the name of Michael McCollum. I've always been a big sci-fi fan, so I wandered over to his site and checked it out. As I read some of his short stories, I felt the electricity start to flow. Pretty soon my engine turned over and started running on its own. I was ready to really start reading again.

Now I just need to get my hands on some books. I looked on my shelf, but only found a lonely handful of novels. Only one of them was science fiction. My wife has a few... but no science fiction. So I devoured the single Star Trek book over this weekend. My goal this week is to get my hands on a few more books to read.

Another influence for reading that I've had has come from my work. Occasionally my co-workers will talk about the books they are reading. Then one of them invited me to try out a site called Goodreads which is sort of a social networking site about books. So if any of my friends out there are on it, or choose to try it out, let me know what you think. Currently I'm using it to cull a list of books to read.

I'm excited about reading again. It seems like a good thing.