Milestones

I hit a milestone this past weekend, I turned 50. Funny thing about this milestone is that I actually ended up exactly where I wanted to when I envisioned of how I would be back when I was 18 . . . Happy . . . that was it!

 When I was younger, I didn’t see myself married, with a job or a fancy car or with some form of a major title, I only thought that when I turned 50 all I wanted was to be happy. Something so small and rarely achieved as I have noticed among my friends, family and acquaintances. I guess that means I have wasted my life not being a big thinker or a dreamer or a doer of big things and I guess in some way you would all be right. All I can tell you is that I am happy; could I use a new job, money so I was not living paycheck to paycheck, and a car that was new? Hell yes, but then I would not be the person I am and I like the person I became, I like being me.

 I think back at all the cool stuff I have seen so far, the communist wall coming down, space shuttle missions, landing on Mars, and the progression of black and white televisions to the flat wall mounted screens we have now, the changing of transistor radios to satellite radio, Pluto being declassified as a planet and then re-classified as a planet, and cloning of sheep and dogs. I have even seen the invention of the Labradoodle dog and one of my most favorite things, the invention of microwave popcorn, when I was a kid we had jiffy pop you had to heat it on the stove and shake it over heat to get it to pop or get out the old air popper machine. Not to mention the computers, when I was a kid computers took up entire floors of buildings and now fit the smallest part of your hand, and of course the internet, without that this entry would be in a diary stuffed in a desk draw at home, with a lot less readers.

 I have lost family members and friends to mortality, and gained friends I count my blessings for being able to be part of their lives. I have also seen a few wars since I was a kid, it seems that every 5 to 8 years someone is at war with someone else and for me it’s a sad state of affairs that with all the tech we have that we just can’t be better friends and neighbors to one another… someone always wants to take over the world! I vote squirt guns at 10 paces!!!

 In 50 years I seen a great many things good and bad and through it all I have been fortunate to be Happy, that’s not to say that it has been easy to always be happy or that it is even possible to always be happy, but for the most part I try and that seems to have worked. I have learned that if you don’t sweat the small stuff the big stuff doesn’t hit you so hard and knock you down.

 I hope that the next 50 is as fun as this 50 has been in fact when I turn 100 I hope I am able to write another 50 year blog entry. I’m no Peter Pan, but I am dam close even if the suit is a bit snug on my fat ass.

Thanks to everyone that made my first 50 a great ride, let the fun continue

Catch you all on the flipside

Fitzy

Moose Trek

So I mentioned a couple entries back about being fortunate to be able to see and take photos of a Moose while I was on vacation and now that I have downloaded my camera and have seen the photos I thought I would share them here with you.

 Before I share them let me tell you how it all happened. A friend of mine yells over to me “Hey there is a Moose on the lower beach grab your camera”

 I always have some sort of camera with me at all times, I have been lucky to see some cool stuff and take photos of them because I always have one.

 So it is early October in Central Maine, South Waterford on Keoka Lake to be exact about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. We get down to the beach area and we see no Moose then all of a sudden to my right I see what looks to be a log or some kind of drift wood floating in the water as it gets closer to me I realize that is no drift wood it is a Moose swimming about a 100 yards or so from me. 

 I started taking photos and running parallel to him on the beach, I see where he is headed and I notice there is still a dock in the water, so I get my little fat legs in gear and head for the dock to take more photos.

 It was truly a magnificent sight; it was a young Moose, his antlers new and on the small size for a Moose. I have been lucky to be able to snap some nice photos with my amateurish style and ordinary cameras; sometimes it is just all about being in the right place at the right time. This was only the second Moose I have ever seen in the wild and this was the closest I have been. From what I was told the Lake I was at has never had a Moose sighting The Lake Association, and the Town were all very excited about the sighting and the fact it was caught on camera.

 This set of photos ranks up there in my top five photos sets that I have had the pleasure of being able to capture.

See you next time

~The Cosmic Mish Mash~

Arigato Sea40

 While I was on Vacation my friends brought me to a Restaurant called “Sea40” It is a Japanese Hibachi restaurant and it was a great time. I had never had Japanese food before so I was an open book for this one. Being allergic to shrimp did limit me a small amount sadly.

 We enter the place and the music and the atmosphere made you feel like you were in Japan. The seven of us sat around this big stainless steal hot top, our chef Phelix (I don’t think it was his real name, I don’t believe Phelix is a Japanese name), started twirling his spatula and fork like he was a piton twirler in a parade, flipping eggs in the air and flinging other items so fast it was almost a blur.

 He squirted sake’ in our mouths and made this really cool Volcano out of onion rings, he was a showman. I asked him at some point how long he had been a Hibachi chef and he told us that this was his second week, but he studied in his home country of Japan for 7 years to be able to become a Hibachi chef.

 As I said this being my first time I was open, and Chef knew my issue with shrimp so he knew not to fling one in my direction, but I did try everything else. The barbequed octopus was fantastic, although the head was chewy. We had spring rolls that were so good that it melted in your mouth. The warm Sake was excellent, I didn’t think I would like it, but it was pleasing to my pallet. The crunchy tuna rolls were interesting, but not my favorite thing, and the sushi was also interesting.

I think he has something in his teeth

 I did play it safe and ordered the filet mignon and chicken with Japanese fried rice and sautéed vegetable, I liked the daikon radish and the ginger sauce, but the “Yummy” sauce was way too sweet for me, it had the consistency of baby food and it tasted like strawberry yogurt.

 The sake’ warmed my cheeks, the food warmed my belly and my friends warmed my soul. I wished I had gotten more photos of the experience; it was all a blur of activities, maybe next time.

Until next time Domo Arigato