I am a leaf upon the wind.

Meet Ted. He's a bug.

Ted is one of my favorite characters from the comic book series Bone. If you were to mashup The Lord of the Rings with Ducktales, you'd come up with something reasonably close to Bone.

It follows the adventures of three cousins, Fone, Phoney, and Smiley Bone as they come upon a map, drawn by a child, which leads them on an unbelievable journey into a valley filled with a variety of creatures, ranging from stupid rat creatures to bees the size of a Volkswagen, to giant mountain cats, to dragons.

I followed Bone throughout it's run, first coming across it around 1991 (I think) as I read about it in a Previews magazine. My best friend was the one who really discovered it, and I caught on soon thereafter.

Humor was a definite trademark of the early issues, with the highlight being the Great Cow Race. Later issues delved into much darker territory. The end, though, was satisfying. One of the great things, though, was that I actually came to know the characters, and was devastated when they died or suffered tragedies.

Ted could have been a throwaway character, based upon his introduction, as he seemed to be just a visual gag, which paid off a couple of issues after his debut. Ted, though, continued to appear, with some randomness, but every appearance was fun and lively. He didn't seem to let whatever situation the main characters were facing get the best of him, and he found the good in every circumstance. I'd like to be a bit more like Ted. Except the part about being a leaf bug.

That dog is never going to move . . .

Had a hankering to watch "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" today. I don't know what sparked that idea. It may have had something to do with the fact that Adrian and I sat down the other day and watched a ride through of the attraction on iTunes, or if I heard a ride through on a podcast, or if I am just getting antsy for the next installment in the movie series.

But I got home real late and watched American Idol instead.

Never mess with someone named after a barbarian.

HANDBOOK 2010

One of my co-workers forwarded the following message to me earlier today. I took one look and realized that it's all about the things which we can control and those things that we can't control. I don't know who wrote it, but thought I would pass it along to everyone.

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree....

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything..
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change...
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:
40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about.

Podcasting

I was given an ipod in mid-October. I uploaded all of my CDs to my computer and enjoyed an eclectic mix of music for the first month and a half. In late November, I realized I now had an excuse to listen to podcasts - and learned how to upload a show a friend of mine has been making for the past few years. As I dipped my toe into the world of podcasting, I did a search in iTunes for "Disney," and for some reason I'm still not sure of, added Window to the Magic as my second podcast.

Window to the Magic has been a game changer for me. For anyone who remotely enjoys visiting the Disney theme parks, this show is for you. While there is some discussion at times of news, the show, for the most part, is dedicated to bringing the in park experience to your ipod. From ride throughs of attractions, to listening to the bands which perform, to in depth shows about the history of rides such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Tours - this podcast has it all. I can't recommend it enough, and I can honestly say you're gonna love it.

I've since been adding podcasts like crazy. I came across The Mortis Matinee, a podcast which gathers a family together to watch a Disney film, then each member of the family has an opportunity to share their own review. I recently responded to a request for reviews of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and my email was read during the show.

I'm actually starting to wonder if I could put together a podcast, but I have no idea what it should be about. I really don't want to be derivative of anyone else, but it seems like a great outlet.

Picking up the pieces

Well, take one step forward, take two steps back. Got some bad news today, but it's all about how we deal with life's interruptions - we've just got to keep on working towards the goal.

A new year

I, for one, will not be too upset 2009 is behind me. It was perhaps the most difficult year I and my family have faced. It was much like the opening lines to A Tale of Two Cities - It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. We had moments of highs and lows, but the lows seemed to dominate the year.

Looking forward to 2010, there's some brightness on the near horizon. I hope you'll come along for the ride . . .