10 Step to a Life Fulfilled...

                It is easy to get caught up in this thing called life and end up missing out on all the little things.  We can get so lost in the ‘bigger picture’ that we’ll lose site of the little things that make this life fun and exciting.  Keeping our families going requires us to keep the bigger picture in mind but does it at the same time keep us from seeing the tiny moments each moment of the day?  We strive so hard to get to that next level at work that we forget to sit back and enjoy what we have right at that moment. 

                It can be said that who we were yesterday is no longer the person we are today.  The person we were an hour ago is not who we are right now.  We haven’t changed physically but as each moment passes we learn things, make decisions, take a right instead of a left and we change.  The person we were is dead.  Gone.  Dust.  We are left with the person we are right this moment…and then he/she is gone in the blink of an eye.  We cannot go back and change what that dead Us did, we can only deal with the consequences of the actions that person took.  This means that we must live in the here and the now and make correct decisions regarding our actions and our thoughts every single moment of the day.  Goals and tomorrow are not unimportant but they will take care of themselves as we get to them.  Long range goals are not bad as a guide but as I’ve said before we get too caught up in them and lose what we should be experiencing and enjoying right now.  Anything else is a waste of time.

                How do we get there?  There probably isn’t any one right answer.  Each of us are different and each of us see the world differently but I think there are a few ideas that will aid all of us in seizing the moment and living life to its fullest on a more regular basis.  The below ten steps are ten steps that I try to follow as often as I can.  They’ve worked more often than not for me, try a few out and see if they’ll work for you.

1.)    Find something you love or think you would love to do, learn about it and then do it, NOW.

2.)    Be better today than you were yesterday.

3.)    Decide how your life should be, the type of person you want to be and then BE IT.  Make no compromises when it comes to who you think you should be.

4.)    Recognize the difference between a smart-hustle and a stupid-hustle.

5.)    At least one time a week, leave the multi-tasking to corporate types, and be single minded in your pursuit for an hour.  Embrace the tunnel vision.

6.)    Do what you love and then tell the world about it.

7.)    Love you some you.

8.)    Turn off all of your electronics for an hour once a week. 

9.)    Spend at least five minutes a day meditating.

10.) Remember that expectations are your worst enemy.  Just roll with it.  If something doesn’t work out, it’s okay, enjoy what did work out.

Stop to see the flowers

Today’s world flies by at nearly the speed of light.  One year turns into two and then three and before you know it a decade has passed you by and that thing or that person you wanted to do/be is gone and the time for it is over.  Speed is an awesome thing.  The sensation of the wind in your face, the rush of adrenaline is amazing but sometimes slowing down and enjoying the world as it goes by you is just as awesome.  I’ve ridden some absolutely awesome trails on my mountain bike but it always amazes me that when I hike these trails or run them the things I’ve missed; a flower, a log, an animal watching me.  The list above can be you taking a timeout and hiking a trail you usually speed down on two wheels.  Take that time out.  Enjoy those little quick moments in life and in turn we will experience a better quality of life for the rest of our lives.

Gettin' my geek on at Wondercon...

                I love comic books!



Emperor's Royal Guard



                That probably comes as no surprise to those who know me but to those who don’t I’ll give a brief background.  I’ve been collecting comics in some form or another since I was about 8 or 9 (that’s around 1982 or so for those of you keeping track) and trading GI-Joe issue #25 (along with a gazillion other comic books) back and forth with my best friend on the front porch of his house.  Back then we were quite upset when the books went from sixty-five cents to seventy-five cents.  Comic books were my gateway drug to the science fiction and fantasy books I took up in my late teens and continue to worship at the age of 39.  There was maybe a year or two around 18 that I stopped but it wasn’t all that long of a period of time.  I read them, I read about them and I listen to podcasts about what’s going on in the industry.  I’m hooked. 

                Over the years I’ve gone to about seven comic-cons in San Diego.  (Once I went to a Star Trek convention but that’s another story for another blog post) Back in the 90’s the San Diego comic-con was a fairly humble affair but really fun with great deals to be had and new products to ogle.  Slowly it has gotten to the version we have now; a large four day orgy of pop culture.  I took the family two years ago and while it was fun and filled with eye-candy galore it was PACKED!!!!  The San Diego International Comic Convention has reached epic proportions, which is cool for the industry and awesome if you have the time and patience for it.  I have neither. 

                So along came a new year and a growing desire to check out a comic-con.  I didn’t really care if it was San Diego or not.  I just wanted to attend one.  I did a little research and came up with Wondercon 2012.  The Wondercon is a yearly affair but usually held up in San Francisco.  Due to some construction on the hotel it’s usually held at they decided to move it down here.  (According to rumors running rampant there is a more sinister reason for the move but I won’t go into that here) For twenty dollars a single adult could go. (kids under 12 are free which as a father of three I think is just awesome…great way to take a relatively inexpensive family day)  So we got two tickets and the time off and prepped to venture out into the unknown.



Our Badges and Lanyards!



                The con ended up being on the one weekend this winter that Southern California has had a ‘real’ storm.  It rained, and it rained hard and, though the walk from the car to the convention hall was relatively short, we got soaked!  All was not lost as the kid’s flagging enthusiasm regained momentum at the sight of about a dozen stormtroopers in full regalia just inside the convention doors.  I believe I read they are from the 501^st but don’t quote me.  Whoever they were the costumes were simply awesome.  There was also a volleyball tournament and a cheerleading competition going.  It was quite the site to see all of these people mixing in the foyer.  Cheerleaders sharing a hallway with geeks made for some pretty hilarious looks.  The Geeks seemed shy and unsure how to look at cheerleaders and cheerleaders looking at the cos-players (people who wear costumes of their favorite heroes/heroines) as if they had some sort of skin disease.    



Bumblebee & Optimus Prime anyone?





Blair Butler from G4



                We got our badges and headed into the Con and let me tell you, I was excited.  The best part of the day?  The convention didn’t let me down.  To be honest it was pretty much perfect.  I’d have liked to see a few more of the comic companies there with slightly bigger displays but everything I wanted was there.  We had stars (I saw Blair Butler, Kevin Pereira, Jim Lee & a host of lesser known comic book artists), we had cool cosplayers (I already mentioned the 501^st but there were also some other really awesome costumes like the Baroness, Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, and Han Solo), and there were the deals.  It was nigh on perfect.  It really took me back to some of my first San Diego cons where the aisles weren’t totally packed and the dealers were friendly.  Artists were smiling and generally everyone seemed to be having fun. 



                I have to admit I’m a little bummed that this is a one-time deal because if it wasn’t I’d already be planning my trip for next year with an extra day to attend so I could go by myself one day and really get into the artist alley.  With the kids it was a little difficult to do much more than skim the surface which was fun, but getting deeper and chatting with some of them would’ve been the icing on the cake.  There were also a bunch of panels that I just couldn’t get to because the kids would not have wanted to sit still that long. 


                In the end though the Twins had a blast and I think even the Five year old enjoyed himself.  My wife is always supportive of my comic book love and I think she too had a great time.  She doesn’t read the comic books but we’ve been married for nearly 19 years and she’s picked up a nugget of information from me over the years.  All in all Wondercon 2012 was a roaring success from this comic book loving fathers point of view.



A very cool nearly life size Hulk sculpture from Gentgiant Studios



Some replica props from the upcoming Avenger movie.



A very cool Shadow Trooper from 501st



Zantana (Zartan's Sister), The Baronness, & a Cobra Soldier (I think they might've been looking for the Joes)