May have been my last visit to my hometown. — “There's something that happens to you when you come back to your hometown” — Joseph Dougherty My hometown is the town I grew up in and went to high school in. Kokomo, Indiana is about 1000 miles (ca. 1,609 km) from where I live now. I had to visit my…

Best ways to get in shape — per WebMD, com You get out of exercise what you put into it. The key is to just start. Every day, you should, do moderate aerobic exercise including activities such as brisk walking, biking, swimming, and mowing the lawn. Any exercise program should include cardiovascular exercise, which strengthens the heart…

I would play in front of my relatives — I became a high school football star late in the game. I think my high school wrestling experience improved my strength to the point that I was able to manhandle my teammates in our football practices, as well as most of the players on the opposing teams, I know some…

Jack of all trades, master of some. — Don’t be worried about the guns I’m holding in my picture, I only use them for pest control. I was born in Chicago, but, moved to Indiana when I was in grade school. I am first generation Slovakian. Likewise, I have a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering. As a college…

Join in the Adventure — With Special Thanks to Som Dutt — Thank you for the invitation, Som Dutt. 1. Resolutions or no resolutions Last year was a traumatic year for me! At this point in my life, most years are! Last year culminated with a thousand-mile plane flight for my son and me on New Year's Eve for my mother's funeral. The main consolation is that I’m still included in my parent’s will. …

Soldiers on drugs. — In the Art of War, Sun Tzu wrote that speed is “the essence of war.” The Nazis took this literally, providing methamphetamine to their soldiers. Methamphetamine, crystal meth, or speed is notorious for being addictive and ruining countless communities Methamphetamine was produced in Germany in 1937. It became a prevalent…

French author — “Either kill me or take me as I am, because I’ll be damned if I ever change.” — -Marquis de Sade Marquis de Sade, by name of Donatien-Alphonse-François, Comte de Sade, (born June 2, 1740, Paris, France — died December 2, 1814, Charenton, near Paris), French nobleman whose perverse sexual…

It’s hard for ice to form when the weather is warm. — As the Volkswagen Beetle slowly crept across the ice, The members of the group that were waiting on the beach heard the sound of ice cracking. First neighborhood kid on the beach: I think I hear the ice cracking. Second neighborhood kid on the beach: Yea… I hear the same…

There are many unknown variables! — “There are three ingredients in life: learning, yearning, and earning.” — Christopher Marley Recently, I had a friend critique one of my stories. I felt my attention to the critique made my revision two of the story much better. I told my friend, according to the views it has, people…