Dan the man

Parachuting. The plane has to be crashing for me to jump.

Tell no one! Not even my children and siblings, pay off any debt and being as I am just a couple years away from retirement just retire and travel. It’s really not that hard if you don’t spend extravagantly and draw attention to yourself no one cares or would ask how, so get a money manager and live your best life.

Leisure time is something I was never familiar with, even on vacation I would hit the gym or go for a run which for me was relaxing, but my then wife was not into fitness like me so it would anger her when I would go to the hotel gym or for a run and I couldn’t relax knowing she was pissed off. My wife now is all about relaxing, being from Thailand they would go get massages after work 2-3 days a week. The first time we went there was 6 years ago, I did hit the gym at the hotel, but would not go out running due to the crazy traffic there. I also was my first massage ever and I immediately fell in love, now we go there 1-2 times a year and get a massage 2-3 days a week. I never felt better, my body is the happiest it has ever been as is my mind.

I don’t think I have done anything just for fun. I enjoy a lot of the activities I do, but they’re more of an exercise than fun. I’m an old school gym rat and have enjoyed many years in the gym and almost all of it is fun. I run/walk not for fun, but the health benefits and I enjoy it, like swimming either in a pool or the ocean, biking is fun for me. I do have fun with my wife, and when we get together with friends it’s always fun even the clean up afterwards. I do enjoy when we travel even when there’s delays or other issues, to me they’re just as much a part of the experience as the good ones, after all you can’t have one without the other.

The internet, World Wide Web, social media, cell phones. I could return to a time in the world where I had to put stamps on letters and wait for a return letter or make a call on a landline, a wall mounted telephone or go to a friends house to visit or see what’s up. I believe we were as people drawn to each other on a much deeper level a more spiritual connection. There wasn’t a lot of distractions, but we were able to be fully engaged in conversations or events like concerts, rallies or protests. Family gatherings were far more entertaining listening to stories of days gone by, as teenagers when we were between childhood and adulthood and rebellious against anything that pissed us off. We would go to the basement or outside depending on the weather, it was that way in almost all the households then. We knew more about ourselves because we were not afraid to spend time alone in our heads and express ourselves publicly without fearing rejection because we were comfortable with ourselves, those that wouldn’t were shyer, quieter not quite ready to fit in the world, but got there eventually or just faded away into the background. We had a heightened awareness of life and the world around us, I watch how people are today and just turn around and walk away. I think about the future and how bleak it looks compared to the future I saw as my younger self. There are some defined differences so acceptable most are not, but I’m way too old to engage in today’s world, to try and make sense of what’s happening is exhausting. The future no longer belongs to me, it’s in the hands of my children and their children…

Emails, instagram, Facebook and texting, but my favorite way to communicate with people is a good old fashioned phone call. And just like writing in cursive it’s become a lost art. I am not a huge fan of technology, I feel it takes away more than it gives, maybe it’s because I am older, but I watch how the youth of the world communicate and I find it heartbreaking that they are unable or unwilling to communicate face to face with another human being. I have never began a relationship on line, why bother there are thousands of people in my neighborhood and I am personable and friendly, but if I’m not drawn to you I keep on walking, if I’m approached I do engage in conversation and move on. Human interaction is simple, don’t complicate it, trust your instincts and gut feelings you’ll never go wrong.

I used to drive from Sarasota Florida to Buffalo New York every spring and visa versa in the fall, I had 2 weeks to make the trip, but my most memorable trip wasn’t a road trip at all. I was 18 years old in 1978 the year of the great blizzard, the state of CT. had to shut down there was so much snow, nearly 3 feet. After a day or two they opened a few of the major roads but a lot were nearly impassable, I called a friend to see if he wanted to go driving around he said yes I picked him up he gets in the car and hands me a hit of acid we both take it and hit the road. First thing I did was find a gas station and filled my car and an extra gas can, we grabbed some gas station food and drinks it wasn’t long after leaving the gas station that the acid began to kick in. First thing is the laughing at the slightest comments, we found an empty parking lot and started doing donuts, slipping and sliding, music blasting, everything spinning so fast we had to stop and get out of the car, we were seeing different things non of them were real, like the snow men that came walking out of the store, a store that had been closed because of the snow, they were talking smack so we got back in the car and ran them over, only it was a snow pile and not snow men. At that point we left and headed down town the road was a living being pushing the car from left to right, right to left, up and down traffic lights were flashing all different colors all the office buildings were melting into the streets. That was the beauty of LSD you saw things that never happened weren’t real only existed in your mind, but felt real, so real in fact you can remember the experience 43 years later.

ICE CREAM!!! Ice cream is my heroine, my booze, the monkey on my back. It’s always been my go to for dessert, and to keep it healthy I do not pair it with pie or cake. On its own it’s perfect why ruin it with cake, pie or brownie? Thru my lifetime I have had to build a healthy relationship with ice cream not just indulge in it. My mantra has always been “ there’s always room for ice cream “ nowadays it’s nothing like that. I will skip lunch to have ice cream after dinner or make a meal out of ice cream, but then I must fast for at least 14 hours the next day in order to maintain my manly physique.

I was into GI Joe action figures, the original one, through my childhood I would ask for them and all the accessories for every birthday and every Christmas. My parents were able to fulfill my expectations almost always, but I knew they also had three other boys to buy for. That allowed my imagination to soar and created a desire to join the military, sadly when I became of age to enlist my parents so no fucking way!! It was 1978 when I turned 18 and a lot changed over the past 12 or so years, I was able to keep all of my GI Joe dolls and accessories in 2 plastic storage containers and carried them with me throughout my life. I was 38 years old when I moved away, as I was sorting and packing my belongings sorting out what’s important and what’s expendable I came across the 2 containers and spent the next few hours reliving my childhood, these things were priceless to me and I wanted to keep them safe, but moving away there was a lot of uncertainty and I didn’t dare risk losing my childhood so I asked my younger brother to store them for me until I get settled in wherever I end up. The move was really spontaneous, there was a friend on the other end, but no job prospects no place to live I just figured once I got there I would get a job and a place to live, and that’s what happened more or less. After a few years, once I realized I wasn’t going back home for anything more than a visit I decided to drive back home and get the rest of my belongings. I had 3 weeks and stayed with my parents, one day I went to my brothers house to get by GI Joe stuff, but they were gone! His excuse was they got ruined when the garage roof started leaking. I knew it was bullshit because me and my other brother put a new roof on that garage 5 years prior. I was livid and almost lost it a few times, but kept my cool and got to work finding the truth. It did take quite a few months, but it turned out his wife put all my stuff on e-bay and sold all of it. I wanted to destroy them for selling my childhood, but I just walked out of their lives and have never spoken with them again. Up until my parents passed I went there every year for Christmas the whole family would be at my parents house everyone exchanging hugs and kisses, when my brother and his wife approached me and they got close enough I to them both how betrayed I felt by their actions what I thought of them and to never come near me again. That was 23 years ago.