for all of my friends and followers at this blog, i have not been posting here of late...but you would already know that, given that this is only my second post this year...yikes, egad, my oh my...
that all said...
i have not abandoned posts and blogs and reaching out to my followers, etc...
i have over 250 posts at my daily blog...
something less formal and in lower case (as you can see)...
yet embracing all of those tenets and attitudes that i have always shared and loved here...
I confess I am not a good social networker. Actually, for a guy with multiple websites and networks of the social kind, I rather suck at it. And the stupid thing is that if I were any good at all, I would generate tons more traffic to my sites, et al.
The good thing for me is that I am still able to reach millions of people every year, and this is in spite of my poor social networking skills.
In short, I am a crappy:
Facebooker
Youtuber
Blogger
Website administrator
Tweeter
Stumbleuponer
Entrecarder
Emailer
Friender
Sharer
But does this make me a bad person?
I sure hope not.
I have been doing this thing called the Internet for years. I have had lots of ups and many downs. When I first began the social network scene I subscribed to all networks as a means to spread the good word of livelife365.com. I got into it so much that I produced this song and music video, way back in the day, for your listening and viewing pleasure. Many of the networks are no longer relevant, giving you an idea of the challenge it takes to remain so in a nanosecond world where news and updates are just a finger snap away.
Another year is about to bite the dust. How does that make
you feel? For me, I like to take this time of year and look back at those
three hundred plus days just passed, and see if I accomplished as much of what
I set out to do. So, I guess, it makes me feel…
1)Nostalgic
2)Wistful
3)Yearning
4)Reflective
5)Sentimental
6)All of the above
So, Mike, how was 2012?
Like all years, it seems this one that is about to end has
had its share of ups and downs. While I attained many successful goals that I
set for myself, both personal and with my work, there were other areas of my
life, and my family and friend’s, which was nothing to write home about.
Health scares
Financial challenges
Issues with the day job
And the everyday battle
for consistent balance
The good news is that for most of the above I have been able
to work on and correct—which, again, is what all years, and life, is
about. Good year or bad, good life or bad, one will have challenges,
adversity, heartbreak, and loss. The key, as with all of life (and, remember,
years are the chapters [and days the pages] of the novel called “your
life.”) is the ability to cope and deal, learn from and not repeat
mistakes and missteps…and try to make the best of all situations.
So, again (ahem), Mike, how was your year?
Glad you asked.
My brand, livelife365, had its best year ever. I had more
visits and video views than any other time since its creation—almost 2 million!! That only encourages me
to keep doing what I’ve been doing, but even more so. It also indicates
to me that people dig my message and want to change their lives for the better.
I was able to finish and publish another book, song, and
music video—a project that I am very proud of.
My websites and videos generated more income this year than
all of the previous years combined—a good thing! Why? Because I am now
able to expand my reach and tackle even more projects.
I enjoyed a successful book signing for this book:
And produced and uploaded more videos than ever! With two
going semi-viral:
I survived another decent year with my day job, keeping my
streak of being gainfully employed well into my fourth decade. This is nothing
to take for granted in these challenging financial times and I am thankful.
On a personal note, I enjoyed my 19th year of the
best relationship in my life with my lovely wife—thanks for putting up
with me, baby!
I traveled, spent important and fun time with family and
friends, continued collecting and reading modern first editions, played my
guitar, collected (and consumed) more excellent wine from around the world,
exercised just about everyday, and lost a dozen pounds (few more to go).
Leaving me to look ahead to 2013.
Goals are always important to me and this coming year will be
no exception. Here are a few:
Okay, maybe not forever, but longer than if you don’t
consume this delicious and nutritious fruit.
What exactly is cactus fruit?
POP QUIZ!
Cactus fruit is:
a)a member of the opuntia family
b)tuna
c)prickly pear
d)nopales
e)all of the above
If you guessed “e,” then you are correct.
Cactus fruit goes by lots of different names and can look daunting when first
encountered. But it is really quite simple to eat and the benefits far
outweigh those prickly pear-like features.
Here are some excellent reasons to eat Cactus fruit:
Low in calories
Low sodium
Excellent source of
vitamin C
High in fiber
Good source of calcium
An antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory
High in potassium
Helps control blood sugar
Assists in weight loss
Great vegan and vegetarian
food
Tastes great
I discovered cactus fruit while vacationing on
Maui—the same island oasis where I found these other delightful tropical
foods:
Papaya
Dragon fruit
Guava
Passion fruit
Star fruit
Pineapple guava
Check out your local grocery and you may be surprised to
find this healthy fruits, along with many of the others I mentioned.
Why?
Okay, you may not live forever by adding all these delicious
and nutritious fruits to your daily diet, but you may just live a longer,
happier, healthier, and fulfilling life.
I have been enjoying my island stay at the timeshare condo my wife and I are fortunate enough to have on the scenic island of Maui. While it has been another wonderful vacation away from it all, it always is a transition, for me at least, in the ways of the condo and connected-wall-community. I live on a few acres in a house with neighbors scattered to and fro, sometimes inflicting their will (and ridiculously barking dogs and screaming children) on my tranquility, but nothing like existing side-by-side with neighbors, literally, breathing down your neck.
So, here are my rules of condo etiquette…more to the point:
Rules of Oceanside Condo Etiquette
1. Shut up! If for some unknown reason you think that your voice is more important and compelling and needs to be heard over the soothing and meditative roar of the ocean, you need to visit a doctor specializing in mental health. Again, for those hard of hearing or just challenged because your nasal twang of ignorance is imbedded in their ear, SHUT UP!
2. Shut up! If for some reason you didn’t understand the above rule, I must reiterate that you need to stop talking. And really, really stop talking so loud as to permeate my lanai. If you really need to express yourself with loud adjectives and inane adverbs, do so in the rear bowels of your condo, with the hope that your piercing and annoying voice still does not penetrate and violate those of us sitting and reading in hopeful quietude.
3. Again, Shut the Frig up! Do you really think that you need to discuss your so important business on your smart phone on your lanai? Utilizing the speaker phone? So all of us losers can understand how important you are with a nod toward how truly tiny your miniscule penis must be? Come on, Mister CEO, do us all a favor and shove that cell up your butt and relax and enjoy the scenery.
4. This may sound redundant, but: SHUT UP!! Do you really need to stand on the grass and yell up three floors to your significant other discussing what he/she needs to do next on this gradually turning to hell vacation? Really? Or you, Mister douchbag on the top floor lanai, screaming down to your spouse what coral reefs appear best for snorkeling? If I have not been clear before, may I just now suggest shutting the hell up?
5. And for those that are hearing impaired (not that there’s anything wrong with that), ahem, please shut up? Your loud and obnoxious soirée beside the barbeque, with the booze and screaming and oh, so, frigging funny jokes, is meant for few others to enjoy…meaning - ONLY YOU! No one else gives a rat’s ass about any of your banal word play or endless meandering stories…so, please, for all of us…shut the hell up!
There are other rules, most as obvious as a zit on the tip of your nose, like:
Your kid is not as cute as you think it is, so try to refrain from allowing it to act like a monkey
don’t smoke…anywhere!!!
don’t slam your door
Just because you can’t sleep, giving that your ten hour time difference is running havoc with your inner clock, do not think we all want to hear your b.s. at five a.m.
Your perfume is not as alluring as you may think it is, so stop sharing it with us
Put more clothes on
Turn your TV off - is anything on that idiot box more interesting than what’s outside your window? If you answer yes to the above, jump off your lanai, please.
So, while this was a tough love Foster livelife365 post, it was done with humor and satire in mind. But also with a message to all you clueless and selfish folks out there that think your little slice of the world is more important than the rest of ours is…to you people I suggest:
SHUTTING UP!
And enjoying the moment, your life, and the fact that you can afford an Oceanside condo to misbehave in.
My most ambitious project ever is an undertaking that has
been years in the making. It started as an idea, like many of mine, it seems,
that came to me while basking in the Maui sun. A few months before my Hawaiian
trip, a catchy tune found its way inside my head…this was followed by
some lyrics that seemed to fit just right. That sequence of events was the
early genesis of this song.
Back to Maui…
I thought the song was good, but the lyrics were
better—they meant something more than just what a song has to offer.
While on that tropical paradise, I put pen to paper and scratched out the basis
for the book that was inspired by the song:
In the book (and song and video), I discuss how the ability
to change as a person can effect change on a larger scale—like maybe even
changing the world for the better. That’s a major and ambitious task,
for sure, but one, if approached at a grassroots, singular perspective, could
have global impact.
Being a videographer, a songwriter, and enjoying sharing
both endeavors with as many people as possible through my myriad websites, I
wanted to create the most effective way to share this concept. A music video
was my natural choice. On all of my songs and music videos, I have
collaborated with my pal Dale Price, from Electric Canyon Studios. He is a master at making
my voice sound better than it is and turning my acoustic guitar into a rocking
band. He was also instrumental in taking hundreds of hours of video footage
and turning it into the amazing result below. Thanks, Dale!
I recently enjoyed eating a melon I purchased at my local farmer's market, called sharlyn melon. I loved its sweet and butterscotch taste so much I made this video:
Melons, like this one, are loaded vitamins and taste. While they are not superfoods, they do pack a lot of nutritious punch. My only negative I can say about them is their sugar and carb count. I constantly watch my carb intake, so I have to enjoy this delicious food in moderation.
But that's just me. What about you?
Some reasons we all, but especially you, should embrace this tasty fruit:
low in calories
no fat
high in vitamin C and A
great for smoothies, fruit salads, and breakfast
taste awesome!
How does one tell when a melon is ripe? Glad you asked...
And don't forget one of the most popular melons of all time...
I love the sweet taste of melons, but consume them in moderation with a nod to my low-carb diet. They are worth it, though, for all of the above reasons.
I try to visit my local farmer's market every week. It is there where I have discovered many of the fruits and veggies that I have shared with millions of people across the world. One of my favorite things to do, something that makes me what I am and gives me wonderful fulfillment.
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