Hound Dog Blog

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word

So true this is… and what's more is the very people who 'proclaim' that it is better to be 'happy' than 'right' are the very ones that have trouble with this idea…

 

by the way... check out Seth Godin's book 'Tribes'... there is an unbelievable amount of pearls in it...

and listen to the song... 'Just Say You're Sorry' by the Black Crowes... it is an out take...

It ain't funny, It ain't cute
Can't be conceived as an attribute
Oh no, but things dont' work that way baby
Dont' click your heels
Don't give a hoot
Don't want a twenty - one gun salute
Never do
Tell me, tell me baby what you want
You suggested that we bury the bone
Remember this reminder when
you start to get cold
You think you'll only mind
Just wait until you're old
Just say you're sorry
And I'll say I'm wrong
Just say you're sorry
And I'll say I'm wrong
To ugly for beauty, to honest for cool
You take what you get rather
be a horse than a mule
[ Find more Lyrics at www.mp3lyrics.org/Na8s ]
Don't take me personal, baby

You suggested that we bury the bone
Remember this reminder when
you start to get cold
You think you'll only mind
Just wait until you're old
Just say you're sorry
And I'll say I'm wrong
Just say you're sorry
And I'll say I'm wrong
Baby shakes his rattle
'Cos he's emptied his bowl
Don't know what he's eating
But he does what he's told
Oh yes he does
They all say the boy be crazy
You suggested that we bury the bone
Remember this reminder when
you start to get cold
You think you'll only mind
Just wait until you're old
Just say you're sorry
And I'll say I'm wrong
Just say you're sorry
And I'll say I'm wrong

Why is a 'Brotherhood of Man' so Wrong?

I am trying so hard not to broach the politics of today, but since I am no longer in New York City, I am constantly bombarded by such a narrow scope of what this election is about. 

I completely understand why conservatives want a Republican, any republican - because of taxes. I am not rich, but I don't like taxes. I dislike them as much as anyone else. Perhaps more, because I don't have disposable income. I also respect the rich. It is one of the greatest virtues of this country that we are able to amass wealth and use it for our children and their welfare.

But - I must say - this is the reason these people need to 'exit stage left' - (pun intended). There are so many issues that have chained this country to the whipping post in the last eight years, that higher taxes are inevitable, whether a Democrat or a Republican is elected - the amount of money we spend on the war each day combined with this new banker bailout is a writ for our children's taxes as well.

If one votes this election simply because of taxes, you lose either way. If you vote on 'hot button, non-constitutional issues' that are infused in the political debate such as 'gay marriage' and 'abortion' than you will surely vote republican, but ... hear me out... you aren't voting on the issues. Those issues are not what tries our troubled nation. This is the greatest country on earth. It always will be, and the reason why is because there is still credence given to 'reason' and 'intellect.' 

I travelled Europe in 2004, just before Bush was reelected. Specifically, I was in Italy, France, Greece, Spain, England, and Switzerland. I have news for you, for those who have not done it. They (the Europeans - yes the very people who started the Enlightenment), think we suck. Sorry to be so blunt. They think (and that was 4 years ago), that we are absolutely ignorant, war mongering, holier-than-thou fools. What's more, is that they are smart.

My biggest fear is not that McCain will get elected. No big deal, whomever gets elected is in quite a difficult situation... what I fear is what I heard today from someone who already voted (and I admire that they voted by the way).

I asked who they voted for, they said McCain - and I asked why. The answer was: "I don't believe in welfare"

What?! It is this ignorance that perpetuates war machines, greed, and inhumanity. I don't believe in sitting around waiting for handouts either, but I have never gotten them anyway, so I might as well believe in the tooth fairy... but to not believe that the surviving Veterans (and there are more to come) - not just from the past wars, deserve to be treated, cared for and mended by our tax dollars through social welfare programs, than you ought to read a book. Just one is all I ask. I don't care if it's a Dr. Seuss book. Just read one... 

The main reason that the 'I don't believe in welfare' quip bothered me so much is not so much because I 'believe' in welfare - (I do in certain situations), is that the comment is rooted in ignorance of what our system has produced... (i.e. education, fear mongering, hate, etc). It is sad to think that our children don't read books anymore. 

What's sadder is that people don't 'really' vote on the 'issues that matter,' ... people vote on things that are temporal, fleeting, and matter only in the most superficial realm... I don't want to live in a socialist country either, but what is wrong with a 'brotherhood of man?' 

I may be wrong but some of the greatest and most spiritually inclined voices 'spoke' of this very notion. 

Leave the Law alone unless your rights have been violated

People that toss around the word 'lawyer' - Make me sick. You think that the stock market, the housing market and every other market is bad... these people who talk and have a specific 'mindset' about 'suing' people all the time make me ill.

Here's why: people who think that everything is solved by a lawyer are usually as equally as stupid as the lawyer that takes their money. What's more is that anyone that says they have been to see 3 attorney's for advice and has no idea what their rights are, or tells you they don't know the attorney's name off-hand, or tells you that it was 'free' are liars. I have Z E R O respect for liars. I don't dislike liars, for I think that they are afflicted. They need help, much like any other illness. I lived with one once. 

The larger point here is that 'sue happy' people suck. I can't stand anyone who tosses the 'law' around like it is a game of 'hop-scotch.' There are (and this is the conservative in me) far too many people, whose time is far too valuable to be wasted with frivolous lawsuits just because someone has the 'right' to file suit. 

This instance has not happened to me specifically, but I had to deal with the legal system through my divorce. I also was going to be a lawyer. I almost was. I am glad I am not, but I am glad that I got the education that I did because I now know how really stupid people are when they toss around the 'legal' threat. 

Main point here is this... if you champion free health care (which I don't really - I don't oppose it, but I don't mind paying for mine), and you think it is funny to hold a 'lawsuit' over someone's head because of your breached civil rights, just remember that you are being a hypocrite - because you can't have both.  You can't live in a world where everyone else pays for each other's healthcare, but you get to sue the person who owned the sidewalk you slip on. 

And, if you are in a J-O-B (yes spelled out, not career) and you think that you can advance in your career by talking about suing people... you could not be more mistaken. You would lose long term - perhaps short term you would be happy, but no one ever wins in these vicious amoral battles. 

The law was put here to protect our 'fundamental rights' - most of which are evolving - but just because you were treated unfairly does not mean that you have to feed the till of the judicial system to get what you 'think you deserve' because you can... 

You know that Shakespeare quote... "thou doth protest too much..." think about it, that's where the real problem is... (oh and by the way, in case you were wondering - it costs roughly 6000 dollars to defend yourself against a frivolous dissolution of marriage) - just in case you were wondering - also, I had a lawyer and I know his first name, middle name, last name, wife's (partner in law) name and where they both went to school... respectively ... wish i didn't, but I had to... if you don't have to... than don't do it... people who think they are 'entitled' are the reason the system is broken and give Democrats a bad name.

Why I am Voting for Obama

I will make an attempt to be brief, but here's why... First - I am not voting for Obama because McCain is 'old' or because I 'don't like' him - I actually like and don't believe that people that ore 'old' are unsuited to be president. 

What I am for is this... everything that Obama represents. I cannot say I agree with every issue, but I do know that he represents more than the typical political maelstrom that we encounter every 4 years. Here are my reasons as a citizen of the United States as to why it is clear that there is no choice.

1) The entire world - from France to China to Canada DOES NOT respect us anymore. Don't you think our 'foes' are watching? I was living in NYC when 9/11 happened...  

2) Wire tapping, Enron, No-bid contracts to the Cheney, Tom DeLay, John Ashcroft, Brownie, Boumiediene et al vs, Bush, President of the United States, et al., (it's worth the read), Valerie Plame, the throes of a recession, and the above case which is about a fundamental right that we are granted in America which was decided by 1 - yes ONE Supreme Court judge... that balance is in jeopardy...

3) If the brief, incomplete list above is not enough, or if one is inclined to say that 'McCain is not Bush.'That is correct, but he is of the same political philosophy and ideology.

4) This country needs change. I don't really know how this is debatable. I understand the 'issues' may be a worthy debate; some of them I was interested in, until now. 

5) Obama is a very wealthy man and not a socialist. He is also wealthy by his own devices - remember 'Fievel?' By condemning him and his desire to help citizens who are 'less than virtuous' does not make him a 'socialist.' - Furthermore, this country was founded on 'fundamental rights' (which have been systematically taken away from us), and 'capitalism' - and capitalism is not going anywhere. If anything we have become more like the socialist regimes of Stalin and Chairman Mao.

5) Lastly - but not mostly - I am tired of feeling like I am not in a free country. This is the greatest country in the World. The men and women, and the 4,187 heros (at the time of this post) who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms knew this. They died fighting for these freedoms... 

Our liberty and freedoms have been slowly taken away in the past eight years (such as posting a blog about who I am voting for... or going to the church of my choice...) you can't do these things in other countries... but we've been mortgaging our homes to China... ?!

Those reasons above are enough... but for the most part... The past 8 years have not been the best years in this country.  I cannot even have a political discussion with anyone anymore... This country needs a change. The world needs to know that we, as a nation are are willing to modify our policies for the greater good... I want to believe that, if I have children, they will be free, and not immediately sent to war when they are 17.

It is certain that no matter who is elected in November and takes the oath in January - they have an extremely difficult job - perhaps there is not one more difficult - I am unsure as to whether either one of them can succeed... what I am sure of is this: another 4 to 8 years of 'secret societies' and 'fear mongering' is not something I will vote for, or stay quiet about any longer.

Games people play...

All right... Because I have an amazing amount of respect for my Bostonian Spin freaks... (really... here you go... even though this has a strange resemblance to 'if you don't pass this on, you will die...' emails) :)

but my lovely, lovely husband and wife namely @thronkus and his wife Ms. Thronkus...

1) I have 3 tattoos: one on the inside of my left wrist of John Lennon, one on the inside of my right wrist of the inlays on my les paul ... (my Dad gave me the Les Paul)... the other is on my arm and it looks just like the header of my blog, tho vertical...and not in 3's

2) I was born on the same day as John Lennon and his son, Julian (sorry meant Sean). This in no way has anything to do with my affinity for his contribution to society

3) I know how to play and tune various stringed instruments. Piano, guitar, banjo, ukulele, mandolin, bass...

4) I was living and working in NYC on September 11th, 2001... so I don't ever, EVER like to hear people talk about it (if they weren't there), like it was an 'event' - it was not an 'event' - the WWF is an 'event'

5) Today would have been my 3rd anniversary, but I happened to make a horrible mistake... fortunately we had no kids... so my friends tell me I have a mulligan... and it is now the anniversary of a 'big mistake'

6) My family is extremely talented... my brother played pro baseball for 10 yrs and has over 1000 minor league hits and my sister is a jewelry designer...

@lizwebpage
@mediaChick
@WendyM

@virtuallyready
@brandyradey
@geechee_girl

The rules to play are easy …

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

How Important is your Email that I need a Red receipt?

On Sunday, I read another one of those 'Email Awareness' articles. You know, the ones that explain to you the 'netiquette,' or how to not offend people by email. It contained a lot of the same stuff... (i.e. save before you send an angry email, be careful who you forward an email to, when you CC someone... be aware that it may be completely and utterly RUDE, and BCC can be even more rude...) You've read these before... if not go here: Email Do's and Don'ts ... I just absolutely add 2 more to add to the list... and these have been bothering me for a while...

• This thing: ! you really should know completely what it is and to whom your attention you wish to seek, and why it is so critical - there is a time and a place for this... every one knows about the kid and the wolf... - if you use the ! often, it is akin to TYPING LIKE THIS... WE ALL KNOW HOW ANNOYING THIS IS

• This other thing I use sometimes, but only internally (in the office) - And, usually it is to someone that I don't frequently exchange emails with, so it serves its intended purpose: The 'read receipt' - and yes... it is pronounced the same as what is on an oboe: (a frequently used 4 letter crossword puzzle answer)... "REED" ... not like the color RED of the, oh so annoying, 'important' mark (and yes, I know it is not always red):   ! Yes, it is a read receipt. I compare this to a 'certified letter.' Or perhaps getting 'served' by a sheriff to 'officially' mark the beginning of a 'summons' ... (not that I would know)  

•   One step further with this for clarification purposes... just because you got a 'read receipt' back, doesn't mean that the person who got the email, actually read (like the color) the email... you may have sent too many 'important' emails for them to actually acknowledge that you had a read (like reed) receipt... or, if you are anything like me... I have my email settings on default. This means that it either automatically ignores them or sends them. Next time you send an important, earth shattering email, you will find out.   

I do want to clarify these do serve a useful function. They are becoming less important with their 'spamability' factors. The problem is in their innuendo. These functions, when hackneyed, assume the recipient won't read your email, thus invalidating that person's time and making your time more valid.

The main point is... these tools were created to serve a purpose and it was not for you to email louder. It is no secret that the person yelling the loudest is the one that seems to be the less powerful.

Email is such a valuable form of communication that is growing by the day with social media, that is now encumbered by government regulatory statutes because of its inherent abuse in the commercial world and beyond. I love my 'personal' email and I deeply value my client's email addresses. If you didn't personally sit down and type a well thought out email and send it along... then quite honestly... it ain't worth hitting send... especially if you are going to demand my attention and then ask me to verify this fact... 

for what it's worth... and my humble opinion... a red exclamation point and an auto-generated reply is worthless if you can't pronounce the word 'read' in its blatantly obvious context.

Just for the Blog of it...

For some reason or another, I have immersed myself in blogging and social apps. This started about a year ago when I acquired the 'divorce speed bump.' All my spare time was spent utilizing the 'design' of a MySpace page, then Facebook and it just snowballed from there. Being a musician, and not having an immediate access to a creative outlet, these apps became what my music has been in my life. I was, and still am completely fascinated by the sheer 'wonder' of these personal branding tools, instant connectivity to old pals, and how accessible my personal insights came to bear their fruits. 

My occupation like most is undergoing an enormous paradigm shift. Of course most occupations that are closely tied to advertising and marketing (which is what I do) are feeling this. Like many people that I have come to know through social media, we believe that the shift will occur right along with the social networks - in fact (I don't mean to speak for everyone else here), we believe that these networks will be the touchstone of all marketing / advertising / and media in the future.

This, of course, requires, a forward-thinking mentality. Most of all, however, it requires a certain amount of 'laying it all on the line' for the world to see. A sort of this is 'who I am' and this is 'what I do.' Perhaps, a certain risk factor is involved. But really the only risk is being yourself. Disingenuous blogs are akin to spam. Why, you ask?

The answer is here and it is the same reason you read in the first place. You read information often to acquire information, to learn, to relax, to tune in, or even fall asleep. But fake blogs are the most transparent things on the web. They are like pop-ups or that oh so annoying auto commercial on the radio... 'everyone drives...' you know the one I am talking about...

The point is... I have been asked about 10 times (seriously) about writing a blog - and I am certainly no 'expert,' just maybe more willing to undertake the experience... Just be you - and if you don't know what to 'write' about, write anyway, the people you meet are amazing! As far as 'monetizing' it, if you use it for 'advertising' - that is fine with me and it is entirely ok with me... but there should be some 'content' to absorb, not just ads.

Most of all - be yourself, be creative (if you want) and read BLOGS! If you want to write, you have to have read some, if you want to play music, you have to have listened to some music, (get the idea)... and be nice! (You ought to be doing this anyway!) I think it was Cat Stevens... he sang a song... "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out"... Substitute the word 'blog' and you will have fun, and you and perhaps your organization will reap the rewards of connectivity through these powerful mediums.

Wish you were here...

John Lennon and I have something in common. Our birthday. We were both born on October 9th, though I was born 33 yrs after he, and I may only have the talent that he had in his pinky nail (clipped and on the floor). 

I remember when he was killed, oddly enough. I was 7. I remember my Dad being so sad. My Dad was 30. Lennon was 40. My Father often had a fiery disposition, to say the least, and possessed a great deal of comfort with the same. He took care. He cared for his family. 

He was not perfect. Nor should any of us be. We can only strive to be the best we can in the eyes of our Maker. He knew this. He knew that and tried real hard to make me be better than he was. He was tough on me. 

I gravitate to people that are tough on me. My personality is much like his, but I could not equate myself to him because of the many things he took on. 

When I look at men that are alive and older than he, and are 'less than virtuous,' I fall back into a question. The question is 'Why?' Why do you not hold yourself to a higher standard, but at the same time proclaim? 

I have mentors in my life. I hope they know who they are. I am uncertain as to whether they do, but they do keep me grounded. The reason is because they 'tell it like it is' - that is what my Dad did. He never coated anything with sugar. Maybe because I needed it, maybe not. But I admire people who care enough to be tough on me. But only for the right reason: Because they have a sincere interest in my success, or they see something of themselves in me that they wish they hadn't of done. 

These are the best teachers... and you will miss them when they aren't there... embrace them... and Dad, I miss you... and I wish you were here...

Pleeeeaaasssseeee don’t ‘meet’ me to death . . . I enjoy working too much!!!

Not long ago I heard the word 'meeting' used as a verb. It struck me as odd, because how could something get 'meetinged' – but now – I know.

Since this is a personal blog… Please don't 'meeting' me any further. Unless you have carefully prepared what you are going to 'meeting' us with, or present some valuable 'new' information (rather than personal experiences), unless you are a 'proven' success, simply having a 'meeting' will ultimately kill all the energy that may be in the room.

10 Tips about Discovery and Happiness and The Golden Rule

I am grateful to be alive. Life is not always easy. Sometimes it is hard. What I love most about life are the things that I discover about myself. I love to 'discover' new things and new ways to do things.

Here is the list... ready... ?

The top 10 ways to DISCOVER your way to HAPPINESS while remembering all the things you were:

1) Indulge in your PAST. Yup that is what I said. Think about your accomplishments, and know that that was you... no one can take that away from you

2) Pick up your hobby that you once indulged in and immerse yourself in it as if it were then... yes... the past again... (see where I'm going with this)

3) Do not - I repeat - do not join a group of 'like minded' people just because 'someone' told you it would help - do what 'feels' right - if it 'feels' wrong - DO NOT do it

4) Spend time with your dog. (or cat or other non-human loving organisms) They are the best friends - I will spare you the clichés

5) Only make demands on yourself - do not 'demand' anything of anyone - this follows the 'negativity' 'pattern' - if someone is 'negative' - you will get 'negative' back - If someone 'commands' positive, guess what you get back...?

6) Listen to music that reminds you of when you were younger - (yup! that old past thing again)

7) Do use the Golden Rule. FYI - it is like 'working out' - you will not immediately see the effects - you will, however, down the road. (If you come across an android, be aware they practice something called the 'reverse golden rule'... still use the Golden Rule... it trumps all robots).

8) Read spiritual books - you decide what they are - who am I to judge? - but something that lifts you in a 'spiritual' way. If you don't know of one email me, and I can suggest one.

9) Believe in something - you have to - it doesn't matter what - just something - (something benevolent and kind preferably)

10) Keep DISCOVERING - there is absolutely nothing wrong with believing that you can be better, more or greater.

I have no clue where this psycho babble came from ... but there is a lot out there... and I know we can and will achieve more... If I can't, I will look to discover why not...