Focused at Fifty

"2017 Trinidad, California: Marc, Sheryl, Adam & Dad" As my Dad approaches 90 in September, I have come to lovingly refer to him as seasoned. He gets a kick out of it and laughs every time I tell him that. His hearty laugh is the same as the first time versus the 8th time. I do try and make him laugh. It brings me great joy.  I enjoy our talks and as I've gotten older, I am aware of the nuances in the conversation:  when it's going good we talk for awhile, or when Dad wants to get off and mow the yard, or when he is watching the Golden State Warriors and wants to get off quick to get back to the game!  When I called him this year on Father's Day, we spoke about my recent morning at Cigars International. I had enjoyed a spicy Bloody Mary made with bacon vodka and a Blue Cohiba Robusto  cigar. I like my Bloody Mary's spicy and my cigars mild to medium. It was a good combo which I would have again.  I recounted how I used to smoke Backwoods ci...

Driving to meet the Big Ragu for a late evening beer on a beautiful Schuylkill County night. I roll down the windows, open the sunroof, favorite song playing 🥰. I can smell the impending thunderstorm. Ahhhhhh. I pass something quiçkly on the side of the road and dead deer smell engulfs the car. I start gagging and dry heaving all the way to the bar. Gotta love Skook County! 🙄😂😂😂

"Cheers to Focused at Fifty!" SO. Here was are and here we go again!  I'm on to a NEW DECADE. I am still living by the glass half full mantra. I am still the positive GOOFY happy-go-lucky guy you know. What has changed? Why the name change on the blog? Didn't I say I was GOOFY? I'm really a Pluto fan 💖. LOL But I'll still be Goofy. But now I am also "Focused at Fifty"! It was a tough decision. When I began this as "Frazzled at Forty", I truly was, but now that moniker, identity, and brand just doesn't fit me anymore. After countless hours of therapy (thank God for co-pays!) and just figuring myself the fuck out, I may still have my frazzled moments but I am not longer the epitome of "Frazzled at Forty". As we all do, I have evolved.  I cannot believe that I have had this blog for 10 plus years. It has been a wonderful journey. Yes, I do look back at what I've wrote before, and sometimes cringe. LOL. All good...

"MORTADELLA!" For my last post for my 49th year and my last post for this blog under the Frazzled at 40 blog title, I will be writing about a new food which I tried during this now SEMI-quarantine isolation phase of my life! I again decided to try something that I went ICK over just because of the name and the look: Mortadella. SMELL! I always knew mortadella was some sort of Italian cured meat. It has white, black, and green spots in it. That's all I knew. As well as the name, which in my grammatically challenged college "D" grade receiving Italian translates to "died of" (Morta Della?).  I pledged my fraternity that semester. LOL.  Well  now I know why I received an A in college beer chugging and a D in Italian. Although ... sidebar, I got an A in Italian cinema watching Fellini movies at 7pm on a Friday night class. I think that's because we snuck in cases of beer with my fraternity bros!  My apologies for I digress; back to t...

One of my favorite amusements during these crazy times has been trying out new foods which I normally would not try. These are various vegetables, fruits and meats which I spy in a supermarket and think to myself, ya know what? I’ve never tried that. Let’s give it a go! I won’t spend hundreds of bucks but if something is within my budget, I’ll give it a go! So bring on the breadfruit, bring on the ugly tomatoes, bring on the sea urchin, bring on the kangaroo! I’ll try ‘em all! Umm… maybe not the kangaroo! Kangaroo is expensive! Haha, I bet you though I’d say the sea urchin! I actually like sea urchin. Uni , as it is known, is one of my favorite sushi. It has a light sweet flavor. It is not for the faint of heart but if you ever try it, you may be pleasantly surprised! I was at a local food store called Bill’s Produce in Schuylkill Haven, PA. It’s known for its cheap affordable produce as well as friendly staff. I spied a small long green pepper which I’ve seen before but nev...

"Chippy" As I approach my 50th birthday during the Co-vid pandemic, my thoughts turn to how I have changed during this time. There are obvious changes such as my gut. LOL And then subtler changes such as an appreciation for the annual greening of the landscape during the Spring.  Some things are rather blunt such as:  I have enjoyed not seeing certain people. I absolutely miss seeing a lot of people I am close friends with.  I have enjoyed not having to hunt for my work ID. I have enjoyed not having to commute an hour each way. My 50th birthday is not what I thought it would be. LOL  I am extremely lucky and there are so many people who have it waaay more difficult than I.  I found out that Nala is a favorite dog name and it comes from the movie the Lion King. At least three friends have dogs named Nala and I still have yet to see the movie. LOL  Did I mention the beer belly?  I have realized that the idea of "celebrity, rich and fa...

"Spring Flowers" Now is the time of year when my daffodils fade in the yard. It is a sad time, garden-wise. Nothing one can't get through but it shows the cycle of the yard, the garden, where one plant blooms and they eventually wither and another blooms in its place. Continuing all the way through the Spring and Summer until we see the eventual late summer blooms of the August goldenrod or the hydrangea. I do admit that just writing about the goldenrod makes me want to sneeze. It is beautiful though, the transition from the late March crocuses to the late blooming flower of the Summer. We do not know exactly when how long they will last but know the approximates. Crocuses, hyacinths, forsythias and daffodils first. And then the other flowers bloom continuing until August and some until Fall, such as the favorite mums. The difference between us and the flowers is that we know we can expect these flowers next year. Sad is the time when our friends, neighbors, and...