Meet My Dog, Cat!

I don't know why but this amused me today. I will probably do shorter thoughts so I think more often....

Today's Amusement!

Life, Part Deux

Yes, yes, I know.... It has been about a year and a half since I bothered posting. I see the dust and spiderwebs have made quite a home here. I of course wonder if the TV still works in here.

Anyhow, this thing called life has definitely changed in that year and a half. Though I suppose it was never really in question, I have started down the slippery slope into the world of wine careerwise. It is slow going at the moment though that is to be expected I suppose given I simply have no real idea where I am going with it, only that I am going to have fun doing whatever it is that I have not decided what I am going to do other than drink wine.... See, fun! :)

I have done a lot to empty out my life of clutter over the past year and a half as well, and although some clutter exists, for the most part the clean up has been done. I will admit the emptying out process has left me feeling empty at times, but I think I prefer that to being full of crap. Besides, it really has not taken me long to fill it with my passions and curiosity about life.

Many of my posts in the previous life of my blog followed the misadventures of my online dating experiences and for the most part I think I learned at that time that I am simply looking for something very different than I can find in that world and thus, with the exception of another brief attempt with eharmony, have decided romance works best when you can see what they are over time rather than in 200 words or less.

The pathway to finally choosing to follow my passions came about through a very active online social group. As much as the online dating thing has failed me, the online friending thing has been very successful and I have met quite a few amazing friends through it. Though, I am very active in it (big suprise, I handle most of the wine events), for the most part (as many in the group do) I have tried keep much of my life not directly tied to the group, out of the group given the large numbers of miscreants and characters in the group. This includes the dating side of the world. Though many in the group seem to try and some seem to succeed (I know of two marriages and two additional engagements in the past year, year and a half), many others seem destined for disaster and for some reason I have ended up as psychotherapist over a glass of wine in many of the trainwrecks. I will admit that part of the dating hesitation is that I do not want to be referred to as cheap, boring or bad in bed. Nevertheless, I enjoy the camradire.

I have downsized on the house thing and now live in more city center instead of the middle of nowhere. The house is still under my ownership five months after moving in mostly because I am still getting rid of stuff. Arrrrrghhh!!! Nevertheless, the new place is nicely situated among many winebars in the area and this keeps me happy.

I am still traveling as much as I can though much of my traveling in the next few years will be wine education or just wine related. I am taking about 21 people up to Northern California in a few weeks (up from seven last year) for a wine tasting festival. Mid-march, early May, and the first half of June will find me in Denver and Dallas for wine coursework/certification exams. Lets see.... previous Scuba Certification, Wine Certification.... I wonder if I will try to start the world's first underwater wine bar?

This should suffice for now.... More later.

Cheers Y'all!
Whoever is still around anyhow.

Blake needs...

I know I have not posted in a long while and it is likely this will never be seen by anyone but spammers but I am in a blah mood at work so.... OK, I have googlized myself a bit by copying friends looking up “Blake Needs”. It is wonderful to have a first name as a last name as it makes for interesting googlism considering that my first name is the last name of a well-known actor/murderer, professional football player, professional hockey player, a poet, and evidently a zany British politician (I think that is where some of these came from anyhow). My thoughts on the matter are in ( )

Blake needs a new lawyer (Yes well… the first one kept insisting I plead innocent… Where is the fun in that?)
Blake needs help (Well, Duh!)
Blake needs to raise thousands of dollars (So I can get that new lawyer…)
Blake needs a lung transplant (Wahoo! )
Blake needs to breathe (This is why I need the lung transplant I suppose. )
Blake needs to “man up” (Ummm… This one kinda scares me…)
Blake needs a buddy (Won’t you be, could you be my buddy, I mean neighbor. )
Blake needs to work on his ball handling (Ummmm…)
Blake needs Gus to find the killer (So there will be no need for a new lawyer? )
Blake needs to shoot more (I suppose I need to take action when I find the killer)
Blake needs a vacation (Double Duh! )
Blake needs to relax (Plan on that during vacation)
Blake needs a drink or two (Just two? )
Blake needs alchohol (Yes… It helps me spelle welle)
Blake needs a kegger for next week (Party! Party! )
Blake needs to isolate himself from drugs (Nooooo!! )
Blake needs some tweaking (I thought I needed to stay away from drugs? )
Blake needs a home (Will you adopt me? )
Blake needs directions (Tell me where I live again? )
Blake needs you now! (Yes, help me find my home. )
Blake needs to feel wanted (Don’t leave me! )
Blake needs a man in her life (Funny, I don’t remember having a sex change)
Blake needs to put on some clothes (This is how I get that man in my life? )
Blake needs a hat (My definition of clothes? )
Blake needs Matthew back (Is Matt my man? )
Blake needs a date (Good thing I am wearing that hat)
Blake needs to be slapped (I guess I am not very proper at my date getting techniques)
Blake needs a Stepford Wife (Ummmm…. Did I reverse the sex change now? )
Blake needs more action (Yep, a Stepford Wife is not enough for this man who was a woman and now is a man again. )
Blake needs to keep speaking his mind (I dunno, I may end up getting even less action. )
Blake needs to keep his mouth shut (Huh? Which is it? )
Blake needs to use his brain (To speak my mind and keep my mouth shut at the same time evidently)
Blake needs a job (Nah, limits the time I have for action)
Blake needs money (Probably would help me get more action)
Blake needs to make bail (This is why I need money? )
Blake needs one too (Ummmm…. One what? )
Blake needs to be replaced (Yup, this model is too needy)
Blake needs to receive a full psychological evaluation (I can tell you how this would turn out and it is not good! )
Blake needs a character witness (For more proof of insanity? )
Blake needs their help to combat the Federation (Yup, I need to save the world from department stores… oops that is Federated. )
Blake needs to be an offensive threat (So I can be more combative? )
Blake needs to pay for his crimes (The crime of being offensive, I assume)

I Question, Therefore I Am!

An odd twist on Decartes perhaps, but I am beginning to appreciate the twist again! Growing up I would sometimes manage to find the right answer to the questions posed by the teacher. Given that I thought math was hard but fascinating, I would be very excited to get a right answer in this realm and be beaming with pride only to hear the teacher exclaim "You did it wrong!" I would slink back to my seat ashamed and sometimes, not yet being the manly stud I am now, start crying. I could not really understand how I got a right answer wrong. I still can't.

I am not sure if my somewhat shy demeanor with respect to many of my ideas was a result but I cannot help but wonder if it has led me to hide away my inquisitive nature. I seemed to have long since really taken the time to be curious about much of anything anymore save the questions 'Why don't I have that?' or 'Why am I the one single?' As such, I feel as if I am leaping into something mindless in an effort to keep up and have everything. For whatever reason, it is seeming obvious to me that no matter what I gain, it will never be enough and I am seemingly getting more unhappy with life despite more and more accumulation.

It seems time to gain something else I seem to have lost so long ago because I 'did it wrong!' It is time to be curious again and as such discover what the longings of my heart and soul truly are.
With this I start 'In Vino Veritas', A Socrate's Cafe of sorts in a blog. I ran across a few books by Christopher Phillips on the idea of 'philosophy for the masses' gathering and thought it would be intriguing to apply it to a blog. A question will be posed in the blog topic. Please comment on the question posed with the following things in mind: Really read what others have to say and respect where the thoughts may be coming from (i.e. disagreement is expected but put-downs and browbeating are trash canned.), try and support your answers with specific examples from your experience, and understand that consensus on ideas is not the point here.... rather an understanding of the possibilities becomes important. It should be noted that from Phillips' experience many of these real world discussions he has facilitated have led to yet more questions.

I will admit that I feel a bit odd about this new blog but look forward to it with cautious and curious excitement with respect to what it may bring.

Question on!

Remember: In Vino Veritas! :)

Note: This will be repeated as the first topic on the new blog.

He Who Dies With the Most Toys Wins!

Hmmmm... I wonder what it is they win. A cupie doll perhaps?
Win or not, they are still dead and though this is always considered a joke, it always seems as if this is how life is anyhow. I have been quiet for quite some time simply thinking, mostly about this concept of winning and how it applies to me. Realistically, I should be happy, if not ecstatic about my life. I am paid very very well, have the opportunity to enjoy most anything I could ever imagine, and enjoy it with wonderful people, but still I feel less than satisfied with pretty much everything. After watching the crowds in Las Vegas over July 4th, some pretending to be far more than they were, some on the brink of disaster but hiding it as best they can, and others just lost in false hope, I came back with the question on my mind 'What is winning and what am I trying to win anyhow?'. I have been to Vegas many many times and always see this (as I am sure most do) but for some reason it affected me much more this time.

So where am I now? Everywhere and nowhere it seems. There does not really seem to be a clear answer to what this winning thing is, only that I really do not want to do it anymore at least in the way I see it considered in the world outside little ole' me. I consider myself quite successful in most respects so winning is not the issue anymore. For the longest time I have been talking myself in and out of a nice convertible toy sports car that I have a hard time admitting would only be for appearance anyhow. I have been up for promotion for years only to have a company buyout, company reorganization, or basic corporate politics delay it. In the mean time, I have enjoyed nice vacations, wonderful wines, good friends to share it with and moments like this to reflect on life, the universe and everything. I still do not know what winning is, but I think I have gotten more than just a cupie doll out of life anyhow.

I saw "The Island" last night and though it was typical Hollywood in its limited creativity and overzealous product placement, I did find the correlations to my current state of thoughts. Winning the lottery, as evident by the trailers, is something that you do NOT want to do, even though it is seen by the participants as paradise. Questioning this allowed for a sense of escape for those trapped by this illusion. Though just general Hollywood mumbo jumbo, I wonder how much of this mirrors reality. I have gotten myself lost in questions and philosophy, not necessarily to find any particular answers, but to discover what really are the goals, desires, wants and needs of my spirit and very soul, rather than what it is in myself that may make the world happy. This is seemingly nearly impossible for me but needs to be done from my view is required for sanity and a life that truly has a sense of meaning.

The jury is still out on my fortitude regarding this but perhaps I will at least post more now that my thoughts are flowing in some direction again. At the very least, it will give you something to read so you can stop pestering me as far as how quiet I have been. Thanks for the pestering, BTW, as it is nice to know I am loved!

So now step right up and try your luck..... A winner every time, folks!

Cheers!

Dating is complicated, Match is just plain silly!

Match.com has gotten interesting again. I am getting more responses to my responses already, but they are generally of the type.

“Thanks for the email, your email and profile were very creative. You are a very eloquent writer and appear to be a very interesting person. However, we are just not a match.”

Ummm… thanks, I think. I appreciate that they have taken the time to respond back of course, but I am always tempted to respond back in the following manner (keeping in mind of course that it is in amused jest… not bitterness, cuz me is never bitter! Heh heh):

“Thank you for responding back. So you are more interested in morons instead of a creative, eloquent, and intelligent dude, eh? Personally I am more interested in those less-on types, but that is just the gentleman I am! Heh heh

Cheers!”

I have looked at far too many ads to take much seriously on Match anymore so I have decided to change my personal yet again to play on much of what I tend to be seeing. I will keep the disclaimer of course.

Matches are good, lighters are better!

There must be chemistry, but there must also be physics, biology, geology, math, and applied statistics. After all they are sciences too! Granted meteorology just doesn’t count as meteorologists are just too much of an odd lot anyhow. Be warned, I am a guy who likes to play games. My favorites include various board games, hop scotch, golf, and Doctor.

I might be Mr. Right or Mr. Right Now. The only thing I am sure of is I am here now. Besides, I know a lot of lefties who you would leave out if you were only searching for Mr. Right or Mr. Right Now (And no, I am not a lucky lefty). So tell me where are you, here, there or everywhere?

My idols include, but are not limited to, Taz, Beaker, and Wile E. Coyote. I have been known to be adventurous from time to time and just finished my scuba certification. As I need something next to tackle, I decided to try this dating thing I hear so much about. I like sweets, have charms to keep the boogie monster away, and might be sensitive if kicked hard enough. I have been told I am funny looking, I mean look like I might be funny, I mean funny. Connection is very important to me as I really don’t think I could handle being around people who just fall apart anyhow. I love the art of spoiling which is probably why I always seem to forget my lunch on the kitchen counter every morning.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Disclaimer: As I know us human being types always have at least a little baggage some is acceptable. However, please limit your baggage to your carry-on, making sure it will fit securely in the overhead bins or underneath the seat in front of you. I appreciate your cooperation in this matter. I know you have a choice in who you date and I appreciate you choosing to date me this evening. I look forward to dating you in the future.

Granted the above is just a first draft. I will change/add to it a bit for awhile.

You say it’s my birthday, well it’s my birthday too yeah!

Yes, I can get a bit scyzophrenic on my birthday, and I do as well. So I have gotten older and I will have to let you guess how old I have gotten now. I am noticing all the little balloon "punching bags" in my cube now. It seems there is a tradition of decorating cubicals for birthdays.

H reminded me that I can now officially run for president. I am working on getting my name on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for the next presidential election so I need your assistance when the petition passes by for my candidacy for the Wineaux Party nomination. Please sign it. I promise a bottle of wine on every table and a case in every garage. And remember, Ich bin ein Wein-o!

A Teal Green Weekend

Just a few random thoughts as I am stuck at work on a Sunday after being stuck at work on a Saturday. In some ways I would really prefer to work on Saturday and Sunday and say have Thursday and Friday off. Why, because I think I would really get more stuff done. It is so peaceful here that I almost don't hate the client who is the reason I am here this weekend. I said ALMOST!!! No phones, no speakerphone meetings in the cubical next door where I could swear that at least one participant has an office on the freeway, no one gossiping about the latest affair, no one describing to someone else the fun of pregnancy and dilation, and NOTHING!

So while I am waiting for a few things to process, I am back to responding to match ads. I suppose I just love punishment. This time however, I am making my responses short and sweet. They are still thoughtful, silly, and more than three words, but I don't feel the need to be wordy anymore. I am really wanting to get back into where I think I could meet quality women anymore anyhow. Not that there are not plenty of those somewhere on match, but I think I come across better in person after saying a few things that I am truly excited about. So back to the volunteer type groups, the wine bars, the wine tasting clubs, and the like for me. I will take a warm-hearted gal with a glass of red wine in her hand any day!

Speaking of wine.... I want one now! Me wishes me stuff would be done now!