brykmantra.com

Remember what you were doing exactly four years ago tonight? I was lying in a hospital bed recovering from having a tumor (and HALF OF A LUNG) removjed.

And my wife was in the emergency room, because she collapsed of exhaustion while coming to visit me in ICU and somehow managed to BREAK HER ANKLE.

Because we don’t do anything the easy way.

The recovery was pure misery, mainly because the surgery wreaked havoc on my ribs and back, but never before in my life have I gone four years without severe bronchitis, so it definitely paid off in the long run.

I have also been able to spend the last four years with an enlarged perspective on life: No matter what happens, I can shrug it off, because I had cancer, and I LOST HALF A LUNG.

Makes everything else seem petty.

Just found this person/band on Facebook, and I’m using my Press This bookmark bar app so I won’t forget to go back to it: Thistle Radical Music Home Page, an original-folk-music band out of Madison, Wisconsin.

Plus, this counts as a blog post, right?

OK, I haven’t posted in a while, but today I uploaded a video (my first YouTube in 2 years!), and I had been telling a Second Life friend about my puppy friends along my walking route, so I dug this up and posted it. Enjoy!

Yes, it was seven years ago tonight, back in that medieval year of 2002, that I first started a blog, back when 80% of the country had no idea what a blog was.

Oh, those were heady times for us brave pioneers! Networking with other foolhardy cyberdiarists, catching a glimpse of our blog names in a screen shot of a blogroll on local TV news, trying to explain to clueless coworkers and family just exactly what a blog is, posting every stupid little thought that popped into our heads (but without the competition of half the country like on Twitter these days).

Yes, it was almost exactly a year after I started my blog that ABC News named Bloggers their Person of the Year; coincidence? Oh, sure, keep telling yourself that.

My blog was originally on Blogspot, which apparently got hungry and ate the thing, but you can still download my archives in their entirety from a link in my sidebar on the right.

But of course, blogging is passe now, replaced by “tweeting” and “status updates” and “life”. Even I have my Twitter & Facebook & Blip.fm posts funneled into my sidebar here, but I still keep this blog as a central hub for my domain name and blogroll, and of course my “content network”: Original music, photography, video, t-shirts, etc etc etc, plus my own Twitter posts (”tweets” will someday be looked upon as one of the most idiotic words of the early 21st century) and Facebook updates.

Still, it was extremely worthwhile for me to have a blog. It finally gave me daily practice in writing and web page creation skills (HTML and graphics, for instance), opened up several new friendships and networking opporunities, and provides me with a written history of my life for most of that time.

Bonus points: It also gave me a nagging sense of superiority for the first time in my life, as well as bragging rights and a notch on my resume.

One of the most interesting things about blogging was that most of the people reading my personal little blips and rants were all over the country, and even the world. My own family and coworkers were never that interested in my blog, and most of them only read it after they deliberately did something stupid that they knew would tick me off.

THEN they would read it, to see if I was griping about them, but only temporarily.

But seven years is a long time, and the MantraSphere (i.e., my life) is a vastly different place that it was back then.

Probably the biggest event in those intervening years was the discovery, in early 2006, that the bronchitis and pneumonia that I’ve suffered from all my life was caused by a neuroendocrine tumor in my right lung — a tumor which began before I was even born and had grown to 5 centimeters in diameter.

So, long story short, after teetering on the brink of death from pneumonia and losing half a lung to surgery to remove the tumor, and after a long recovery process (mostly because of the havoc that the surgery wreaked on my back and ribcage), I’m now in better health than ever, and haven’t even had bronchitis or a serious sinus infection (much less pneumonia) ever since.

The second biggest change from back then is that I have finally made good on my long-time threat to compose and record music, even being one of the winners of a local music contest this past October! (Did I fail to mention that? Hey, I announced it on Facebook and it showed up in my sidebar. Keep up.)

But you can listen to my music on AloneTone (for free! And get free downloads and ringtones! For free!)

So do that, won’t you?

And there are more changes, but for now, I have to cut this short so I can go DJ in Second Life (another change! Huzzah!).

More later.

This is hilarious. These gift-disguising hints are by GameStop, but they can apply to a wide variety of presents.

10. Disguise Box
Put game box in bigger box. This make little barbarians confused like bear staring at own reflection in lake. Hah, crazy bears.

9. Heavy Lifting
Toss heavy rock in box with game to add weight and confusion. “Too heavy for game. Must be rock.” Good guess, little barbarian. I fooled you.

8. Decoy Gift
Wrap game in awful holiday sweater. Barbarian get coal one year. Best gift ever, but disguised with moss. Was angry first. Now think very clever idea.

7. The Misdirect
Insert yoga DVD cover art inside plastic game cover. If little stinkers open gift early, they see woman doing “downward dog.” Joke on little stinkers.

6. Clinking Coins
Place nickels in box with game. They go crazy trying to figure out what make jingle sound. Plus when they open box, they get a game and contribution to college fund. Education and fun in one package.

5. Gift Too Thin
Wrap piece of paper with name of game on it. Gamer think it probably IOU at first, but then you hand them game and they go crazy for hugging you. Big reward for big barbarian. Hooray.

4. Ticking Package
Put inexpensive ticking wristwatch in box with games. Everybody wonder what gift is. Could be watch. Probably not bomb, right? Surprise! It games. Way more fun than other possibilities.

3. Music Box
Tape one side of musical greeting card to game. Then tape other side of card to gift box you put game in. If little barbarian shake package, the card falls opens and plays. Everyone wonder why gift sings “Silent Night.”

2. Disguise Scent
Spray box with perfume. This make gift stinky like skunk. Smell keep little barbarians off the scent for sure.

1. Inflatable Games
Put games in large plastic freezer baggie. Then blow up baggie and wrap it. Little barbarians call this UFWO, or “Unidentified Fat Wrapped Object.”

I used to give my Dad subscriptions to Sports Illustrated every year, so I’ve wrapped a few cinder blocks and pieces of paper with the name of the gift on it in my time.

By the way, the Game Stop site also has “The Ninja Guide to Gift Hiding”, which also has some clever and useful holiday pointers.

Check out this cool technology blog, Underdog of Perfection, by Room34, one of my RPM challenge friends. The latest is No Design is Good Design, a list of sites that make the best of minimalist design — and includes a shout to my Twitter persona regarding an obscure Simpsons onomatopoeia joke.

… in which we Americans kick off the holiday season with the traditional Stuffing of the Face.

I hope you’ll pause a moment and feel lucky to have what you have, and realize that there were times in your life when you didn’t have it so good.

For instance: Earlier this week, I bought a pecan pie, as required by Texas law, and today, my wife’s customers at the beauty shop gave her THREE more pies — which makes us a four-pie family this holiday.

For which I am thankful.

And this year I have a job which just keeps getting better, and I’m also getting better at my music projects, and my wife and I just celebrated 13 years of marriage, and we have two beautiful and hilarious doggies, and we have an appreciation of life and the arts and entertainment.

And a lot of people don’t.

So look around you and like it.

Feels good, right?

The only thing worthy of posting this week is that I got a promotion at work after being there only ten months. It’s not a huge promotion, but it’s a transfer with more responsibility, and a good strategic move for advancement later on.

Plus: It’s more money, it’s still just 2.5 miles from home, and my boss isn’t Chucky.

So I’m happy.

Bonus points: The picture above is the poster that Lisa, one of my department-mates, made when she heard about my promotion!

Isn’t it great working with fun, considerate people?

Yes. Yes, it is.

(BTW Remember that when ever I’m not posting here, I’m posting on Twitter & Facebook, and “DJing” (playing some of my favorite songs for your listening pleasure) on Blip.fm, all of which filters through to my sidebar here at the right. So keep coming back here. Seriously.)

It’s Karlyn’s birthday! If you know her, personally or from reading about her here — or if you don’t know her at all — leave her a comment wishing her a happy one!

Yes, I haven’t posted in a while - I’ve been working on lyrics for my music, taking piano lessons, giving computer lessons in return for piano lessions, working part-time, trimming tree branches away from the house, helping my wife cope with her evil step-siblings who are bullying her mom, DJing on Second Life, DJing on Blip.fm, posting things on Twitter and Facebook, and last Friday I cooked a huge pot of my signature beef vegetable soup, as is traditional on the first cold weekend that I have time.

Eh, who am I kidding — I could have posted but I was just dragging butt.

And besides: Look over to the left of the page: my Twitter & Blip.fm posts show up in the sidebar, as well as on Facebook, so it’s just as good as blogging, except you don’t get to listen to me blather on at length about things of no importance.

Like for instance.

Come to think of it, that makes it BETTER than blogging.

ANYWAY:

I have emerged from semi-exile to wish Happy Birthday to two of my readers (which means, to about half of the reading audience that I have left): Former co-worker Todn8r, and longtime blogging friend in Norway, RennyBA

Hope you two make the best of your respective days!