Where am I going? New Mexico, that's where.

On July 23rd I will be going, along with my sister Jody to visit my aunt Dolly in Albuquerque, NM. Jody and I have a tradition of going to visit relatives in New Mexico because we have many all over the state. I am very close to my sisters Rosalie and Jody. My mother Emma was born in Albuquerque in 1924. She left this dimension in 1994 at the age of 70. Jody and I have warm and exciting memories of traveling to Albuquerque in our childhoods. Many cousins would meet us some from Concord and Hayward in in northern California. The adults would leave us in Albuquerque and go to Juarez in Mexico to carry on where as my mother would say "you could stay drunk all weekend for twenty dollars". We will be going to the Spanish Market in Santa Fe which is a very popular cultural event held annually. You can check it out here http://www.spanishmarket.org/. Just thinking about hanging out with my peeps in NM is very exciting and jogs memories from my whole lifetime. I hope to bring back many pictures to post here. Be well my little gloworms. Rick

Where Am I going? To the chapel, that's where.

Well history is made again. Us gay people can get married and divorced just like those crazy heterosexual folk. Why would we want to do that? Well it is that whacky thing called equal protection under the law. It was not that long ago that one was forbidden to marry outside of ones race. It was not that long ago that blacks could not drink from whites only drinking fountains. It was not that long ago that two men were arrested in their own bedroom in Texas after police broke in. They were arrested for sodomy. Go figure. The Supreme Court of the United States struck down the archaic law. I guess the Supremes get it right every now and again. After all, I guess that so-called straights were not getting arrested for their back door activities. Only gay men were in peril. It was not very long ago that Matthew Shepard was nailed to that fence in Wyoming and beaten to death for being gay. He was a slight five foot tall and weight about a hundred pounds. So I guess it is time in California for gays to get married. We must remember however, that like everything else in this life, marriage is a two edged sword.

Where Am I going? The Desert Thats Where

I am a desert rat. My partner and I have had another dwelling in the desert since 1983. One weekend trip and we were hooked. There is a peace in the desert you cannot find anywhere else. I have tried to define it many times before but the best I can do is to tell you that it is the light there. The desert in July! Yikes!! It can be harsh and you must take precautions however the desert nights are divine. I will be gone for a few days so I will see you when I get back my little earthworms. Rick

Where Am I Going What Will I See?

On Psychology - Now it can be told. Yes I graduated school last week. I am a counselor specializing in addiction. WOW can it be real? So what is the Psychology thing? Why do folks react to it as though it were mythology? Why does Tom Cruise hate psychology and psychotherapy? Why are many people so afraid of improving their mental health? BIG QUESTIONS!!!!!
On mythology I think most people naturally want to find the easiest way out of life's challenges. In basic Psych it is called the pleasure principal. Gotta love that Freud guy. Tom Cruise hates Psychology because he is a CONTROL addict. It is easier to go for the mythology thing (Scientology) than to take a long cold look in a non distorted mirror. My theory is that he has/had deeply rooted shame over something he was hiding (gay maybe?) (drugs perhaps) (the short guy thing)? Only Mr. Cruise knows for sure. Whatever helped him out I am glad he found out and took his place. He is a master at what he does and we tend to get what we deserve in this life. The caveat is that all or nothing thinking it is a two edged sword. I love the Mission Impossibles and certain other TC movies. Anyone that has worked on TV/film can tell you it is a hard hard taxing job. My question is always would Mr. Cruise and others like him have made it if they were not born beautiful? What if TC and/or Mr. Kucher were born average looking or had lost their hair early on? What if they had gotten facialy scarred? It is something to think about. Check out Vanilla Sky for clues.
Why improve mental health? Because it means that you will be trying to replace toxic thinking, feeling, behaviors with healthier outlooks. The only issue is are you ready to give up your negative powers? It is hard. Brhavior is perhaps the most difficult thing to change in this world. My beloved friend Art Lederman who has transitioned out of this dimension used to say "when we get into a rut we want to furnish it".
The bottom line is that Psyc is risky. However, in exchange for giving up many toxic ideas which have you trapped in circular thinking you will have the opportunity to expand your horizons without bringing yourself and those around you down. It is a really good thing. If you do not like the results you can have your misery refunded. After all Psychology is a clinical science. It is not as cut and dry as hard sciences such as physics. However it all can be explained away with a little open minded reading and looking into the various perspectives of the masters, Freud, Maslow, Skinner, Jung and so on and so on. Sciences that are cut and dry appeal to the pleasure principal in all of us. Psychology has many faces, shading and walls to address. Lives have been improved, lives have been saved but on the same hand many have been lost. It is a multi faceted discipline. It takes a lot of courage so whatever path you go down to enlightenment turn over those stones. If you find a scorpion under it, do not run. Sit down and have a chat with the guy. Good luck and my best intentions are with you.
Yours, Rick

Where?

Where is it? What is that elusive something I am always looking for? It would help if it were something I could define. Do you have this issue? What keeps propelling us forward into the unknown? It scares the caca out of me. If I were to find it what would be the result? Would I be ecstatic or would I lay down and die due to lack of being stimulated anymore. Why does my little brain go here? Are you more at ease than am I? What does that feel like? If you find it would you email it to me? Thanks:)

Where Again

am I going today? It's the dawn of a new day and in an optimist's world (I am not one of those) perhaps the dawn of a new brighter era. Do I dare hope that sometime soon people in the middle east will stop getting blown to smithereens? If ever there were something I have been praying for it is that. Can someone tell me who exactly we are fighting over there in Iraq? Is it Ben Ladin? Is he under a rock in Bagdad? What do you think? Just imagining all the little kids who have been blown up and/or maimed for life. It pains me. Does somebody up there hear me? The dead mothers, fathers, the sisters and brothers, the clerics, the grandparents who once had the right to live are forever gone. Tens of thousands snuffed out. It is a tragedy which I am in pain over. Is this the price for oil, for Israel, or so that we can have the freedom to buy five dollar a gallon gas and burn it in the drive through at a fast food burger place to buy a three dollar meal? Something is wrong!
Truly it is our duty to pursue happiness whatever that is to us. We cannot run around fretting and frowning all of the time. But in those quiet moments it will hit us. That monster known as denial is pervasive. Let's watch Brady Bunch reruns instead of thinking and remembering the four thousand plus dead mostly young American military lives gone like a puff of smoke. Their loss has created a chain reaction of sorrow and shame. It ripples through the national psyche like a dark secret that will forever haunt this country of global promise. We have lost our way. We have lost our light. We are tainted by power and arrogance.
I believe if anyone can change it is we the people. We are always trying to broker peace in the middle east (or are we?). Maybe we need a mediator, a third party therapy to see clearly.
Thank you for indulging me here and I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
your own, rickyrixster

More More More

Isn't it all about more? What is more? How much is enough more? It is early on Wed. morning and I just started this blog thing. I have not slept well this night because I want more! Where do I begin? I am at yet another juncture in my life. Has that ever happened to you? The older I get it seems the more time speeds up. What is that all about? I have just had too much coffee and in my case one cup may be too much because I am sure I have hyperactivity disorder or something so why would I make it worse? It's all about more. I want more. Will this Peter Pan ever grow up and except limitations? I want more gas. I put forty dollars worth in my pathetic SUV and only got half a tank. Yikes!!!! Where are we going? It is scary the energy thing. I think it is a crisis but do the big boys and girls in Washington DC have a clue? You bet they do. We want more for less $$$$!!!!! They want more of us for less effort on their parts.
What about the hurricane and earthquake victims? I feel guilty for wanting more when they have nothing but grief and misery. Shame on me. How about you? All we really need is a roof, a bite to eat, some company, a dog, a cat and a few chickens and safe drinking water in this life. Good health is vital. It helps to be young. Too bad for me there. Do you guys want more! Do you deserve more? Our narcissistic culture tells us it is all about grabbing more before someone else gets to it first. No wonder why we are always conflicted. I am the vortex of the universe. It is all about me. How boring.
Would you guys like to see more pictures here? Let me have a little feedback. Be safe my little wombats. Send Rick an e all right already.

Blog Virginity

This is my first entry. Please be patient as I do not know where I am going with this. In a perfect universe we would know everything but even at this stage of my life I am still figuring it all out.
If I get any flashes of insight I will share them here. For any other flashes I will try hormone therapy :) Be well my little weasels. Don't fret your friend Rick will be here online.