Focused at Fifty

( LINK Suncoast Pic ) My second shortest job lasted just shy of one week. It was at that extinct dinosaur of a video store, Suncoast Video at the old Echelon Mall in Voorhees, NJ. http://www.deadmalls.com/malls/echelon_mall.html The year was 1990, I was 20, and the Star Wars Trilogy 3 VHS tape collection was just released. I was and still AM a total Star Wars fan! I was in a word, ecstatic! Being a poor college student, I could only wander between Sam Goody and Suncoast video and dream of what movies I wanted to buy! The Star Wars Trilogy was at the top of the list. But how to get it? I had finished my sophomore year at Rutgers with just barely enough gas money to get me from New Brunswick, NJ back to my hometown of Wenonah, NJ. Back from college for the summer, I immediately plotted on how I would be able to purchase the Trilogy. Dad asked me if I was going to get a summer job and I was said, maybe, I'm not sure, perhaps, something easy with lots of money. It was...

"Benetton ad from the  80's UGH" Those who are adults have each had them. I'm talking about those JOBS where we have lasted a week or less! Maybe it was planned, maybe not. We look back and laugh at those times as adults. Maybe we were assholes and deserved to get fired. Or maybe it just wasn't the right fit of a job for us. That being said, I wasn't fired. That actually happened once at a telemarketing agency. Another blog, another time. LOL Leaving the job at Benetton was MY decision! :) The second time at Sun Coast Video was actually a calculated event which I writing about in the next blog! I took the job at Benetton while I was at Rutgers University during my freshman year at college. It was 1988 and I went to work for them at their New Brunswick NJ location right next to the official Rutgers Bookstore. I had no retail experience whatsoever and told them that upon my hiring. They said no problem, we'll train you. My first day I was put...

Family Vacation Pics! As a child, there are memories which stick with you. Then there are singular memories which stand out, for better or for worse. There also may be the occasional odd memory from a trip in which you remember nothing else. Some are wonderful, like shell collecting during my early teenage years on Sanibel Island and others aren't so wonderful, like getting attacked by green heads (biting flies) at Strathmere Beach, NJ. Each of them cemented into your psyche bring you momentary joy or scarring you for life. This is a collection of the truly odd singular memories which stand out from various trips I took as child with my family, in random order, with a little explanation of each. I either chuckle or cringe each time I think of them! It's amazing what makes us up as individuals. #1.  I was 10 or so years old, snorkeling at the now defunct Holiday Isle Resort in Islamorada, Florida. Behind the hotel, there was a quite deep swimming lagoon and...

I think we need to always reevaluate and remind ourselves what is important in life. Most of what happens is not. Those that affect you positively, touch you, make you smile, are the important ones you need to constantly connect with. Forget those that bring you stress. God I wish I had this wisdom in my twenties. But those stutter steps and emotional injuries in my twenties have made me the strong person I am today. I miss the innocence though. Confidence and strength comes at a price. I wish everyone could gain the strength I have.  It's tough though. 

"Little Spider is there but ya can't see him. :)" As an unofficial rule, I normally don't comment on what is happening in our world, politically or religious. I will keep this to a minimum and keep it vague enough to satisfy my own viewpoint. I am so troubled by recent events. From the major, what is happening in the US and the world, to the smaller events (not minor, but smaller) like the election at my local Property Owners Association. It gets ugly, we all know this. And it gets me worried as well. I worry for myself and my rights and I worry for our seniors. I worry for my neighbors and I worry for our environment. I worry for the world my niece and nephew will inherit. We have changed so far from where our parents were, as Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. It doesn't matter who you are, things have changed. And by the way, I don't want to hear anyone's opinion on the matter. It's not necessary. I am just commenting on how I'v...

"After 10 plus years, FINALLY immune to Max"   Allergies this week have been the bane to my existence! What a tough week. I had hoped the storms earlier in the week would've washed all the pollen away but I was mistaken. I woke up each morning with swollen eyes and suffered through the nights with sneezing attacks. Each morning, I hit the bottle of allergy medicine even before I hit the shower. I have lived with allergies throughout my 40 something years but these last couple weeks have been particularly tough. Allergies are a part of my life though. Most of the time, they're just an annoyance. I have eye allergies, asthma, skin allergies, and of course the sinus/nasal allergies. The prescriptions taken for each one arranged neatly in my medicine cabinet. I take what I need depending on what I'm suffering from that day and then go on about my morning. When I was younger, I went to an allergist in Cherry Hill, NJ. They gave me a skin prick test on ...

When I was out in San Diego, I discovered a couple awesome things about my Mom. After over 8 years since she passed, I think it's such a blessing when I learn something new. The first thing I learned (I mentioned it in my previous blog) was that my Grandpop Newman called my Mom "Goldilocks" as a child. My Mom's hair was golden blonde. My sister Sheryl recounted this memory for me as well as My Grandpop bestowing her, next, with the nickname "Goldilocks". I love that memory.   The other thing I found out was from  my niece Angelica. During my recent trip out there, one evening we had a great convo about the tattoos which we want done. I was about to get my Sailor Jerry style tattoo honoring my Mom and I excitedly asked her what she wanted for her first tattoo. She confidently showed me the quote below, which I immediately loved. I asked her where it came from and she said that Nana, my Mom, used to quote it to her often in a postcard or two and sometim...