Contemplating My Navel

A post I saw a while ago was something like "100 Things About Me" and at first I thought that was very self absorbed. But now I think its probably good for self reflection. I think I'll use this thread to do it 20 at a time, and just see how it turns out.

1) I travel the US extensively, probably 100 flights and 200 nights a year on the road, mainly NM, Texas and all the areas east of the Mississippi.

2) I'm 48 years old (and its a hard 48!)

3) Mom died at 50 (See number 2)

4) My life was turned upside down by a misdiagnosed/undiagnosed severe allergy to wheat that went a decade before I learned why I felt like hammered cat shit all the time

5) I love horses, and have a connection with them that is really something.

6) I am going to pick a winner at every racetrack in  North America in person, just by looking at the horses, no Racing Form, over the next few years. I'm up to 66 now.

7) I cant/wont cook.

8) Even though I dont cook (or even own a fork) I am a food network junkie, love it!

9) I'm about to get invisiline braces for my lower teeth, which shifted when I was ill and had two teeth pulled

10) I am generally upbeat, but have the occasional "pull the covers over the head" day, generally at the end of long road trips, especially with 3 time zone changes

11) I LOVE acoustic music, and great songwriters

12) Sashimi, sashimi, sashimi!

13) I'm the guy Springsteen had in mind when he wrote the line "When they said "sit down" I stood up. Never met a rule I didnt want to break

14) I dont like owning "things" even though I can now afford pretty much whatever. I dont think you own things, I think things own you

15) I'm still great friends with people I've hung with 30 years ago, and love keeping ties strong with great people

16) My life motto is "If it doesnt matter a year from now, dont worry about it" I should get a kickback from the "Dont Sweat The Small Stuff" author, I've been preaching that since high school

17) My youngest brother is doing 15 years for methamphetimine offenses.

18) I love my work, helping grow small businesses and helping people restore their hearing

19) My travel allows me tons to airmiles/trips which usually expire without me using them, cuz I'm a workaholic

20) I'm a Chicago native, and if they'd just get San Diego's weather, I'd move back tomorrow

21) My grandmothers homemade peach syrup on homemade vanilla ice cream is the thing I most want to taste, and never can again

22) The bumper sticker on my car reads "VOTE REPUBLICAN, IT'S EASIER THAN THINKING"

23) I'd never written anything except my Lucky Seven story, the Break Of Dawn poem, and the "Rounding The Bend" poem before joining Gather, now I'm having ideas pop into my head while I'm brushing my teeth! lol! Its all your fault!

24) I've never been married, and never had kids

25) I like to think you could drop me by parachute with no money into any city in America before breakfast, and I'd have a job, a place to stay and a few new friends by dinner

26) I travel all over the US, and avoid using a map/mapquest ect. to get to my location. I find the best stuff, meet the best people, have the best times by making a "wrong" turn. God leads us where we need to be.

27) I've met many many folks off my racing sites that I'm on while travelling the country, and look forward to meeting any of you who are interested. Just message me, I get most everyplace every year or two, or at least close

28) I can't swim. Nearly drowned 3 times as a kid. Made a deal with God, I wont try this anymore, and you get me back to shore without dying.

29) Love the Padres in baseball, Chicago Bears in football, Clippers and Chicago Bulls in basketball, and couldnt care less about golf, tennis ect.

30) I'm going to drive a hundred miles an hour in every state in the US. Still need 14, mainly Northwest and Northeast.

31) Nothing in my wildest dreams prepared me for how fun life is now, and what the future can bring. Never been more optimistic.

32) Dad and Mom were a disaster as a married couple

33) Greatest concert I ever saw? .38 Special, REO Speedwagon, Journey, Lynryd Skynyrd and Ted Nugent at Chicago's Soldiers Field

34) I want to horseback ride in every mountain range in the world, and hope to take a 2 week ride in Ireland next  year.

35) Don't get upset if I don't get upset, cuz I don't get upset. That seems to upset some people.

36) If it comes to a test of wills, bet on me.

37) I've made a whole lot of folks millionaires, but cant bring myself to care about money. Its distorted so many people I know.

38) In a crisis, I thrive.

39) Love betting horses, but dont casino gamble, play cards, ect. Bores me to tears.

40) I love great food, and if I only had $ 50 to my name, and was walking by a good steakhouse, I would head right in.

41) I got stood up on a date in Lexington KY and wound up talking my way into a scene for the Kurt Russell/Dakota Fanning movie, "Dreamer" they were filming at Keeneland racetrack, and got some pretty nice face time as they head to their seats for the big final race. Sent the girl a copy of the DVD with a "Thanks!" note. Success IS the best revenge!

42) My sides been hurting for two weeks, and I'm worried its my liver. I've been awful hard on it. Its in that "not sore enough to go to the doctor, cuz I'm travelling, but it aint going away, either" mode

43) I'm pretty damn good at turning the other cheek

44) I believe in God, but no organized religion, and keep my own counsel with Him/Her/It.

45) Hate smoking

46) Given my druthers, I'd rather help someone else than help myself, a big change from when I was younger.

47) I'm wondering where the girl is who loves horse racing, great music and travelling....

48) I've never even attempted to balance a check book

49) Lake County IN just sent me a $ 400 love note for a ticket I didnt pay....oops!

50) I love Polish food, especially Bobak's Buffett near Midway Airport in Chicago

51) Because I could never breathe, I never exercised. Now that the wheat allergy has been discovered, I've been getting somewhat in shape, but finally broke down and hired a personal trainer, cuz I had to admit, I dont even know HOW to exercise. Really enjoying it, which surprises me.

52) Big feet, big hands....hey, two out of three ain't bad!

53) My "Break Of Dawn" poem is where I'd like to end up.

54) I'm clueless about so many basic elements of "normal" life, its flabberghasts many people. That's probably where # 24 comes from. I ain't changin', and I realized that early on. I've "matured" alot in the last few years, but so much of everyday life still seems like pointless drudgery to me.

55) I've skydived from 15,000 feet, and loved it, but havent ever done it again. My best buddy has shattered both ankles....twice.

56) You wont believe this, and I wont care, but if this is gonna be truthful, I kinda gotta put this out there. I have two friends who became instant best friends, Mike and Cindy. Cindy lives in upstate NY and Mike in CT. I have some sort of psychic link with them that is just amazing. Over the last 20 years, I've called them when they were looking up my phone number, talking about me, or having a very tough time in there lives. I get this impulse out of the blue to call, its almost a reflex action. This has probably happened over 50 times. It just happened again the other day with Mike, he said "You S.O.B.! How do you DO that?? I literally am scrolling for your number on my cell phone right now." I should explain, we only talk  every month or two, so its not like we call each other a bunch.

Anyway, at first we blew it off, but over the last 20 years, its just become undeniable. I never "read their mind" or anything concrete, just get a vibe that I need to call them, and when I do, they'll tell me "It just happened again!"

It's fun, and makes me always feel as close to them as when we were young back in the 80's.

57) I work with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation which helps place retired racehorses on farms where they are cared for, for the rest of their life. Racing has given me so many amazing thrills, from 7 years old, till just yesterday when a horse my friend trained won the Super Derby and I cashed a nice ticket. Its funny, I get as much of a jolt from a good win as I did as a kid. After 40 years, you'd think it would lessen, but it doesnt. Racing is magical, because the horses arent "things" they have their own mind, and in that race yesterday, the favorite didnt want to do what the jockey wanted, and it hurt his chances. I love that, the horses mind, as well as his ability, effect the outcome.

58) Nothing has changed my attitude about life more than working with seniors in person. I know 85 years olds who could pin me to the mat in two seconds, and 60 year olds who get tired walking to the test room. Made me much more aware of how fitness is soooo worth the effort because 80% of our chronic problems as we age are from atrophy more than anything else.

59) My hairlines still where it was in high school. Its all white in front now, but it  aint fallin' out.

60) When I was a young ZZ Top/Lynyrd Skynyrd fan, my mom would say "Someday, you're gonna love Stan Getz" when she died, I stopped on the way back from here memorial service and bought a Getz tape. Now I have 30 or more. He might be the most amazing musician, ever. No one can do what he did with a tenor sax.

61) Once I bought 50 cans of dented unlabeled "Assorted Vegetables" at a Smitty's in Phoenix when I was making $ 1.65/hr. Had a girl who slept over steal the rent money and had to eat the vegtables for two weeks till the next payday. Every one of those suckers was creamed corn. Still get the willies when I am around it, 30 years later. YUCK!

62) Never purchased a tool of any kind that I can think of. My motto is "When in doubt, job it out" I figure I can make more with the time than whatever someone else will be charging me for that stuff, and I didnt get the "I'll fix this thing if it kills me" gene.

63) I once came face to face with the head of our whole multinational corporation at the bottom of the stair case when I was like 22. Instead of freezing, like most people did around him, I said "Race ya to the top of the stairs!" and took off. Best career move I ever made...lol!

64) I can't stand "bookwork" but its becoming more and more neccesary in my job, and the "old" Mike would tell them to pound sand and quit sometime in the near future. Think this time I'll find a way to discreetly "job it out" instead of cutting off my nose to spite my face. Will wonders never cease.

65) I am sooooo sick of sports talk radio, yet I still listen to it. WHY? Mike, you're smarter than that.

66) I went to a bar with booming rap music last nite. Tons of young hardbodied girls grinding on guys, and each other. Had zero interest and couldnt wait to leave. My loathing of rap exceeds my desire, I guess.

67) Women without a brain, no matter how beautiful, dont have much interest to me.

68) I think hard workin' women are the most attractive of all. That's why I love women who work with horses, I guess. But they all want cowboys, and that I'm not.

69) Susie Orman, Greta Van Sustern and Ann Coulter all are the exceptions to the # 67 rule. I dont care how smart they are, they couldnt possibly be less attractive, in my opinion. Greta, a word of advice.....radio.

70) I'm always headed one way or the other in life, hot or cold, up or down. I was called "Black Cloud" at the track for a couple of years cuz everything that could possibly go wrong did. Then I was "King of the World" cuz it went 180 degrees, everything worked.

71) I am realitively void of vanity, and that is very off putting to some folks. I've never had a car that wasnt 5 years old or older, and frankly, my thought is, if anyone thinks less of me because I dont drive something impressive, that isnt a person I particularly want in my life anyway.

72) Relating to the above, I never got the "Car Gene" that virtually all guys have. I like to drive fast, but a rental is fine for that. When you're driving a car you mainly look out the windshield, so why am I going to obligate myself to payments for something that everyone else looks at (the outside of the car) more than me? Selfish, in a way, I guess! lol!

73) If I won a house in some contest, it would be up for sale the next day. The thought of being tied down like that is something I'd never like. And I'm never home enough to take care of it, or to see it as anything other than a "have to" I like a life as free of "have too's" as possible

74) A woman with a bright smile, a bright mind and bright eyes is "my type"

75) This is the "self-realization" part of this I guess....I just realized that on one hand, I've always seen this period in my life 45+ as when I would really thrive in life. I've been ultra-patient, knew I was way too immature in my 20's for a lot of the normal responibilities people take on then, and then was sick for so long, that this was always kind of "When life will be good" but on the other hand, my Mom died at 50, when I was 21, and I've always thought "I'll be dead by 50, too" and lived my life that way. Its the old "If I'd have know I was going to live so long, I would have taken better care of myself" thing. Its really weird though, "My life's gonna be great from 45+" and "I'll be dead by 50" How dumb was that?? lol!

76) Coming from a real broken home, I got very comfortable never needing anyone. I was cutting school and taking the bus downtown exploring Chicago when I was 9. Always been super wary of "needing" anything or anyone -  true companion, job, wealth, ect. I had absolute lack of desire for. I saw that as my great strength for so long, but I've realized over the last few years, its also my greatest weakness.