Failing Up

We have all heard numerous stories regarding road rage, but let me tell you I believe coffee rage is far more serious.  I had the opportunity stand inside at a drive-thru coffee shop this week, and see the machine at work. There were 20 cars waiting to order, and inside the tension was suffocating. At these coffee shops people order coffee like they are at some five star restaurant, or it's a science experiment.  They are rushed stressed, and on edge until they get their cup with ten varied ingredients with the name of a Italian formula one race car.  The...

Well, the most powerful man in the world and the riches man in the world have broken up, and not in a pretty way.  This has been a public break-up for the ages, and all in real time for real viewers.  This is reality TV and it's best and worst.  The consequences could be immense, and the ramifications negative for, yes us the citizens.  DOGE may be closed but the balls are flying!

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It seems to me everyone is pissed off, whether it is on the road, in the airport, at the store, or the fast food drive thru, the world is pissed.  It seems like anger has become our go to emotion.  Sometimes there are real good reasons to be angry, however in some cases it seems anger has become the norm.  I'm thinking that's not a good thing.  It can be manipulated, if anger is directed in one direction, individuals, and countries are not looking in the direction of real atrocities.  If anger becomes a norm then we become desensitized to th...

I have had the pleasure to work at two fine Universities.  Our academic institutions are the epicenters of divers thoughts, research,  creativity and artistic expression. They benefit all in our society beyond their ivory covered walls.  They open minds and the world to us.  When a government steps in and attempts to regulate who is allowed to attend, and what they can learn, it is the ultimate form of suppression.  Creating a dependent society, that is afraid or unable to question, and where the truth is just assumed.  I find it ironic that our oldest University in the United States...

Before I get any farther let me make it clear I do not support the policies of the current administration on any level.  I am a life long Democrat. Now, having said that I cannot deny that Donald Trump is the greatest political communicator in the history of this country.  One does not overcome all he has and get re-elected to the Presidency without that skill set.  He is a master of persuasion, marketing and consistent messaging.  He has manipulated the media like no other, and for some outlets it has become profitable.  He ha...

In this episode I would like to share some of the poems I have written. Well, I call them poems, not sure what others may call them.  These are a reflections of the impact that events and people have had on me through the years.  In some way this is my way of sharing my gratitude and hope in the brightest and darkest hours, realizing it is the love of those that cross our paths than makes us who we are.  

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In a day and age when the truth is becoming  a novelty and our leaders can say what ever they want without consequences, we are indeed walking on thin ice.  Those that question the message and check it for accuracy are the called fake and presented as the liar.  The speed of the internet, social media propels a lie at the speed of sound.  This manipulation, false messaging will eventually yield severe consequences, as we sift through the results of this rhetorical wreckage.    

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After a long cold snowy winter in the Northeastern part of the United States, there is nothing better than the aroma of fresh cut grass to let you know spring has arrived.  This magical fragrance transforms me into a different time, memories of my youth in the yard, summer approaching, about to break free from the shackles of the classroom.  Just a whiff of this grass brings loved ones long gone back to life as their memories embrace me.  A bouquet of warmth, peace, love and energy. All this from a lawnmower.  

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As a week of celebration for an extraordinary  leader and pastor, Pope Francis, the peoples Pope comes to an end, I am once again overwhelmed with the power and peace for faith.  Not faith defined by a certain denomination or particular religion but just faith.  When faith it truly lived and taught by those that live it, then there is not fear, well except if you are being chased by a grizzly bear.  All the power of faith and love, over shadows ego and its by product fear.  Faith in each other, not faith in power.  As they said in the...

Unlike Santa Clause the Easter Bunny is an animal.  While growing up and still to this day when I see Santa in the mall, at brunch, or ringing a bell on the street I can make the connection, he is a nice plump man with a beard.  The Easter Bunny however is a completely different animal.  First of all, he is an animal!  So when I'm  at the mall or Easter Brunch and some dude in a bunny costume with eyes and a mouth that do not move starts waving, I get freaked out.  It looks more like a charac...

In our current day, I can run errands, go to work, and visit the doctor without any real interpersonal interaction.  I get gas with my card at the pump, bank at the ATM, groceries at the self checkout line, telemedicine with the doctor, Zoom my ass off!  There was a time where a day like that I would find myself interacting with people, who I had come to know.  The guy at Hess gas pumping my gas, the bank teller, the check-out person, the doctor in person, and the sounds and smells of an in person meeting. Our community has...

Well, let me tell you back in my younger days if there was a rule to be broken, I broke it.  Tell me to go right and I go left.  Now that I am in the Autumn of my life, (ok early autumn like Labor Day) I find myself obsessed with certain rules.  Fifteen items or less the check-out sign reads a that grocery store.  Yet people cruise through with 20, 30, 35 items.  I find myself counting the items of the people in front of me.  Parking!  what is it with this parking in front of the building, and as long as your...

Our society seems to be obsessed with who or what is the GOAT, greatest of all time, in what ever category you want to pick.  Greatest, band, basketball player, quarterback, late night host, it goes on and on.  These discussions  transcend into arguments in the blink of an eye. My stance is, there are not GOATS.  There is greatness in any category you select and there can me multiple greats.  I just don't go down the GOAT path.  

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As I find myself rushing from point A to point B, there are times I think I'll just stop at a drive-thru and grab something to eat.   As I approach the drive-thru I see a long line of car just waiting and herding through.  It then dawned on me that the drive-thru for fast food, is slow!  People just do not want to get out of their cars. Our car, the communication, center, racing machine, information palace and restaurant.  We don't have time to get out, even when waiting in a line of 20 cars for a burger, and fries.  The ca...

Five years ago we went into lock down.  All except for the "essential workers".  Those selfless heroes at times taken for granted until a crisis occurs and they rise to the occasion.  In this case, nurses, doctors, truck drivers, grocery store employees and first responders, police, and on and on...  Individuals' who make our lives possible.  I just found the term "essential worker" so powerful.  They are essential, yet at times just a part of the fabric.  These workers are not a part of the fabric, they are the fabric!  Thank you always!

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One sure sign that spring is around the corner and winter is melting away is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.  This is season where the "Fish Fry"  rules!  I love going to the local fish fry's in church basements or cafeteria's. There is such  sense of community and warmth.  Even at the take-out fried fish stores that are packed every Friday up unit Good Friday there is a sense of community, no one in a rush everyone there getting fish, and fish sandwiches.  You can't buy this feeling, and you can't create it with AI, I hope the Le...

Pennsylvania has Punxsutawney Phil, to forecast when spring will arrive, New Orleans has Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, heck we even have lent, all to let us know that spring is on the way.  In the central part of New York State, USA, in city named Syracuse, in a wonderful Irish section named Tipperary Hill, full of history, legacy names, families, and the only traffic light with green on top, we know spring is around the corner when the green beer arrives.  Now mind you, I have not had a drink in a very long time and the world is a...

Unlike the "Dog Days" of summer we are now in the "Dead of Winter" here in the northeastern portion of the United State.  February in Upstate, NY, cold and snowy, dark and cozy.  Yes, cozy.  Nothing liked a grey snowy Sunday to put on an extra pot of coffee, grab a book, watch a movie or just be a peace.  You can hear the silence as the snow falls and blankets the ground.  Past memories come to life!  Memories of family, friends, comfort food.  

A nice pot pie, soup and sandwich, stew, and, hot chocolate were made for the...

I despise Valentine's Day!  It's a holiday of pressure, stress, forced love, and embarrassment.  Designed to kick start sales and post holiday spending in the dead of winter.  Ok, I have a few issues that have never been resolved! This goes back to elementary school when all the children in our classes had to make an envelope to stick on the wall in the front of the classroom, for all to put Valentine's cards in.  Those little cheap cards with a clown, balloons, and elephants that had, To: and From: on them. Then when we get older the pressure of n...

The United States Surgeon General reported earlier this year that loneness is at a all time high.  How can the be in a world that is so connected by technology. A world that is connected yet disconnected. Where communications on platforms such as Facebook are one way a post validated through "Likes'. Arguments with "friends" over sports, who's the GOAT, politics, you name it.  The other 90% of the communication process interaction is lost on the keyboard.  People are portfolio pictures and reality, fantasy blurred.  Now don't get me wrong social media can be a nice way to stay connected with...

Reality TV has crossed over into the real world.  Values are based on entertainment, voting is a ratings war, and fantasy valued over facts.  Of course it is not a reality program, and it is not my intend to demean the genre by comparison to what is currently playing out in our word.   We are in a period where being entertaining, creating a persona is valued over the truth, law, integrity and values.  In the real world the reality TV we see play out daily has consequences.  
Some not realized by the audience before it's too late. 

timo...

I was on my way into the grocery store, (which are now little communities that go way beyond just groceries) to pick-up my prep prescription for an upcoming  colonoscopy.  The procedure no one wants to admit they get.  "The procedure is not bad, but the prep will kill you!!!"  That's all you hear!  So as I entered the store I am greeted by two lovely ladies who asked me if I would like a free sample of grapes, cheese and salami, of course I replied! They then directed me to all the sample stations, I had a pastrami sandwich, sampl...

In a day and age when there is a constant bombardment of messaging through  vast channels of communication, the casualty has been the truth.   Those who grasped this new reality have been able to motivate and persuade by delivering messages their audience wants to hear regardless of accuracy.  A message that aligns with the values of the intended audience.   If the message is questioned for truthfulness, the values are attacked.  Hence, a time where the lines of fact and fiction are blurred. 

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In the home, whether it be a mansion, house, apartment, flat, log cabin or a small shack, the kitchen table was the place where the pulse was.  It was at the table where debates occurred, homework was done, sorrow and joy shared, the day debriefed with family and friends.  There was comfort in routine; Sunday dinner, roast beef, and gravy, Monday meatloaf, Tuesday casserole, Thursday spaghetti, Friday pizza, and Saturday a surprise. Of course, some meals were seasonal and they would change  little, but this is the place where conversations were magic  no matter the time of day or nigh...

2025 a new year with many changes ahead.  As in most cases uncertainty can fuel fear. Most fear is created to motivate, manipulate, and control.  Now, this will sound cliché, but the way to overcome fear is through love. Love of your community, family, friends, those less fortunate, the arts, individuals' who may have different views and values.  As President Franklin D Roosevelt stated in his first inaugural address: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."  Let's hope 2025 is a year without fear. 

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In this podcast we are celebrating Christmas Eve in the studio.  

Merry Christmas!

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As I entered the parking lot to the grocery store what did I see, a mass of zoned out shoppers in a frenzy.  All in a hurry to get in the store, in hopes their special items were not there no more.  Items required for the traditional dish, past down for generations and never missed.  So charge to the store in 14 degrees, people get out of my way if you please. Tall and short, coats and hats, some in shorts , what's up with that.  Merry Christmas to all, get the Hell out of my way, I have to save the...

Growing up when and where I did, the winters could be very cold and snowy.
To take advantage of this season I found myself participating in winter sports along with friends.  My three favorite's were: throwing snowballs at cars, Ski-Doo rodeo, and of course tobogganing.  Well, tobogganing fell off the list after a late night fateful jump on the local iconic reservoir that left four snowmen spread on a hill with a shattered toboggan.   We were no Snow Angels. 

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The minute the last trick-or-treater put's down their bag for the night, the clock begins ticking for Christmas.  We are reminded of the number of days left beginning November 1st.  Black Friday is everywhere you go, there is no escape!  Everyday you are being reminded only 35 shopping days, then only 20, then you better get packages in the mail by 12/15 or you are toast.  Run! only 20 days, get that tree, food, decorations, gifts. Only 10 days, 5 days, where is the eggnog!! ONE day until Christmas Eve, hurry!! Get...

The holiday season is upon, and Christmas is at the forefront with decorations, the tree, cookies, drinks, shopping Santa, Christmas programs, and specials, it goes on and on.  There is one thing that holds the season together like a bow on a gift, and that is Christmas music.  Christmas music is everywhere and for 6 weeks like a drug.  Rockstar's, popstars, country and classical singers all want the elusive classic timeless song,  There are many types of Christmas music:

Thanksgiving is a holiday that belongs to everyone.  There are no specific religious, themes, it is not just a "red" or "blue" holiday, it is inclusive.  It was a holiday founded on gratitude.  There is no crazy commercialization,  just a big parade and football. It is a holiday based on sharing a meal and time with family and friends and those less fortunate.  It is a holiday where the smell and tastes of certain foods bring to life the memories of loved ones no longer with us.  A dinner with unique dishes that become traditions, beyond turkey, whether it is mas...

Just like with the environment, when unregulated garbage, toxins and exhausts are dumped into our oceans, omitted into the air, and just tossed anywhere, the effects to the environment, and those that occupy this planet have unhealthy and life threating ramifications.  The same holds true for the mass amounts of information we are exposed to daily/hourly from a plethora ( I really wanted to use that word) of sources.  Fact and fiction blurred and sometimes just one.  A constant barrage of information designed to motivate, stimulate, and persuade, in many cases for the gain of profit.  This pollution like any...

Our great addiction to the phone, (which is not really a phone) is stronger than crack and I would argue would be just as difficult to kick.  Our phone, (which is really not a phone), this device is our photo gallery, weather system, medical tracker, financial advisor, trip guide, entertainment guide, match maker, calorie and step counter and much more.  People bury their faces in it while walking, shopping and even talking, what can they be looking at, who are they texting? I know ask Siri, who I believe is a best friend to many . Someday, someone will marry Si...

I grew up in a "blue collar family.  One grandfather was a firefighter, the other work at a plant.  My father worked at large plant then the power company, my mother was a nurse.  I have always looked at those people, nurses, plumbers electricians, police officers, fire and EMT as the true backbone of our nation.  You know it when you need them!
Also, I have been able to travel all over and can drop more names a places then then geese droppings in migration.  Although, it's at the local diner, or pancake breakfast, or spaghetti dinner where I fee...

In 1981 due to cutbacks in the school lunch program, then President Ronald Reagan attempted to have ketchup declared a vegetable.  Well, congress went crazy and said no way.  Now, for the purpose of replacing vegetables on school lunches I agree with the decision of congress at the time, however I do think ketchup is truly America's vegetable.  We put ketchup on everything, eggs, hamburgers, hotdogs, fries, meatloaf, burned food to make it taste good, food we don't like.  Hell, if you were starving you could put it on a sneaker!  It comes in bottles, plastic containers, little plastic pouches, and y...

This is the 200th episode of Failing Up.  As we celebrate this milestone I want to thank all of you who continue to download this podcast, which is really a form of self therapy.  I appreciate being able to share my fragmented ramblings on a regular basis, my mind is not a neighborhood to spend a lot of time in alone.  This program is my version of neighborhood watch.  Jungle Jim, and I look forward to our next 200 episodes.  There's a lot in my head to get out!

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There are the classic Halloween candies that continue to rise to the top of all goblin lists.  These are Halloween Hall of Fame (HOF) candies.  The Milky Way Bar, Three Musketeers, Snickers, Milk Duds, Butterfingers to name a few.  Then there are the retired treats, "the rocks", homemade popcorn ball, apples, Pez etc. 

I assume and thank God that "Bobbing for Apples"  has been retired to the Halloween HOF.  Gross!! 

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Show me some ID!  If you are old enough to drive a car or get a Learner's Permit or Driver's License, you are too old to Trick or Treat!  No candy for you 16yrs with just a hat on and a pillowcase telling me your in a boy band!! 

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As this important election is about to reach its climax. I find myself overwhelmed with all the polls.  For the last 90 days is seems a different poll comes out daily with different percentages. The Emerson College Poll, the Siena College Poll, the New York Time, Wall Street Journal, Fox News, CNN, NBC, Taco Bell, McDonalds, on and on.  Stop the madness!  They are up they are down they are all around.  Then in the end, they say the race is tied??  It's like Whac-A- Mole!
 

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Growing up in the Northeastern  United States presented unique cultural occurrences back, "in the day".   One of them being the purchase of some type of car that was on life support that would be driven throughout the winter months instead of a motorcycle or nice hot rod.  This car was disposable and it did not matter if the salt on the roads ate what was left of it alive. Now, in my case, being a guy who knew very little and did not care about cars, I drove these cars year round.  Vehicles, I purchased for...