Today's Blog has only a few words

I have only had a few relatives go to war, all of them made it home in my lifetime.

Some did not.

We remember those who did not in our prayers

but sometimes even the most unlikely prayers are answered.



that's life, today, according to mike

So there was this guy

Well it's time for another blog in which I will expound the value of human virtues and extrapolate on the human condition and find at least 3 more words that start with ex.

 I saw this MEME today while I was checking in on John Green and his recent success and it got me to thinking about how we measure our own achievements and failures. I spent a fair amount of time goofing off on facebook and then trying to think of ways that I could measure my own achievements. I won't say failures because I don't have to look to far to find them.

I have made many bad decisions in my life. 

I made many of them to quickly and out of emotional distress

Some of them I made for the right reasons.

Then one day you see a MEME or Quotation and everything changes and you realize that you have been going about life all wrong. 
That in some way everything most of the people who influenced you lied about or at very least you just didn't listen to the ones who were telling you to make decisions that would improve your life.

It's not about them or their advice, it's about you and what you really want. 
There's this song "Go your own way-" by Fleetwood Mac that many of us hear and then forget that they could be talking to you.
Why is that?
It's a legitimate question that we should ask

It's like connecting the dots by drawing lines and then one day you stop and take several steps back and realize that your lines and dots are making the Mona Lisa and not just some smiley face on the wall of that cave that Plato talked about.
Find what makes you feel complete.
You might find yourself and know that being what you want to be won't make you happy or married or owning a house or living the myth that so many, many of us erroneously call the American Dream.
Take Danna Richards. I love here music and I applaud her efforts pretty much from the first time that Phillip Defranco mentioned her in his youtube show. Of all the indie songwriters/singers out there, she still stands out as the most ambitious and persistent inspiration to what I am doing now.
She's not rich or famous but she is still awesome and I will continue to do what I can to see that she can continue doing what makes her feel complete in this life, because it makes me feel complete. If I ever do make it "rich," the first thing I am going to do is fly out to see her and say let's make a collective where all singers can record and produce music without the stigma of making it with a record company dictating the terms. 
It's true I could probably do that without money, but I am not a fool. Money always helps.

 I will close with another of John Green's quotes.
One day people will quote me.
note to self: work on some memorable quotes...
Right now I am changing my life, my equation to find myself and do something that I feel will make my life worthwhile. I want some of the things that other people want.
I want to find someone to share my life, loves, pain and ambitions with. The short answer would be a wife but we would have to share some of the same wants and dreams because I am not going out looking for someone just so I don't have to face my life alone.
It makes me different.
It makes some people look at me and dismiss me as just another overweight, white guy who "lives with his mother."
Someone I really thought I loved said that to me.
It was callous and cruel and true as far as she could see, but it was from her own ambitions that it was said.
Funny thing, it was at that moment, after 23 something years of thinking I really loved that woman, I realized that I did not.
I call it pain.
As the Dread Pirate said: "Life is pain, highness. Anyone who tells you different is trying to sell you something."
Funny thing, I am back at the beginning again, taking stock of my life from the quotes of another.
It works and I can live with that. 
So I will say it again and again until I know it to be true.
And that is life according to Mike.

Decisions, nomenclatures, and other slightly important actions

So it's 2014...
A time for Resolve, resolutions and promises we make to our loved ones filled with well meant intentions that are often beyond what we can keep.

So I shall make a few resolutions (as Few as possible) 

1. I shall make every effort to live on a routine. That means writing one blog entry a day (I have enough blogs to write something different everyday.
2. I shall spend less time in front of a computer and more time outside being a somebody.
3. I will exercise even if it kills me. (it's killing me)
4. 
5. I will try to remember to be kind to everyone I meet.
6. I will avoid spending to much time with bored, depressive, hateful people.
7. Every time I am sad, I will quite and be Awesome instead.

So there you have it 7 things- I am going to strive for.

Because Life is a journey, the open road, sometimes it may look bleak but the best day is not necessarily sunny and clear as much as it is being able to rise, take up your burdens and walk on down that road.

Remember to get you nomenclature correct.

Call things what they really are. Judge as little as possible, let people speak for themselves and give them a chance to be the way they define themselves.

The Dude abides.

Things are only as good as what you allow them to be.

When you give something a name, that gives that thing or person power. The power to influence what you and possibly others will do/act/respond to what power that you have bestowed.

 

Remember to dance. or let your mind and heart dance.

Dance is good for the soul.

 If you can't or won't dance then be Tina Fey.

 Smart and honest and beautiful

 

 You can make mistakes. you can mess it all up.

the only one that really needs forgiveness in the end is the forgiver.

Recognize your own limitations 

but never accept them

unless 

you are

going to lie down

for that 

Lion.

Me, I am going to be the Zebra 

 I am going to be Awesome.

no one's perfect

they say

but everyone can be awesome. 

This is a new year afterall. We can choose to make just about anything our reality.

Now who's awesome?

So what is According to Mike dot Net?

One day I was watching SXEPHIL on Youtube and he mentioned that he had a new sponsor called Host Gator. So me, being me, I went over and took a look and it was pretty cool setup. Host Gator used several sites I had previously used and I thought: I wonder how I can use this to my advantage?
I didn't come up with a reason at the time, since I was trying to make a go of my Cast Iron Wolf Youtube show. Later, I realized that the Youtube was doomed since what I need is something that would take a computer animation genius (which I am not).
So a few days ago I took the plunge and bought a site and have been building it since then. This has prompted me to start the arduous process of organizing all my blogs and other efforts into a unified platform in which to cast out my new effort.
So www.accordingtomike.net was born.

And it all started here.
A little history for those of you who are new and probably everyone else. 
Years ago, I forget how many, but near the birth of gmail, I conceived an idea of a youtube show called Mike Mumbles in which I would have a daily/weekly video blog. This was before many others would actually do this. I did not since, one: I was very poorly organized and motivated and two: turns out I am quite camera shy. So Mike Mumbles failed right after I set up the youtube channel and gmail account.
The gmail account is all that I kept of it and it is now my main personal mail account on the web. The main reason for this is accessibility and stability whereas my other email accounts are slowly falling into disuse since they are not accessible or that stable.

A few years later, I took it upon myself to help write and publish a book about the world's oldest blogger (not my title but mostly true), he was 95 at the time and a family friend. One day he and I were talking and he said why don't you write a blog. I made the usual excuses of that no one would be interested in what I had to say and he said do it anyway and see.

So, Mike Mumbles was reborn as a blog, this blog in fact. I was proven right, no one read it for the first 5 months. When I told people about it, they stumbled over the "mumbled" part. I am still not sure to this day why the word "mumbled/mumbles is so hard for people but I still have to spell it when I give out my email. So, I spent a couple of weeks looking at what I was doing and what others were blogging and I had a thought.
According to Jim (reference http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285351/ ) jumped out at me, since this was what I saw as a writer that people might actually be interested in reading. The title says trust me because I am going to tell you things from my point of view.
So Life According to Mike was born. This blog became Life According to Mike. 
Soon I even got my own domain and believe me that was a surprise because I was sure I would not be able to get it.
Then as time went on I began to add additional blogs for my poetry, short fiction and book projects, other things followed and soon I had a collection of blogs.
which roughly brings us up to date. I have been turning this over for awhile. I needed a way to tie them all together. Long story (which you have just read most of) short, that is what According to Mike is. My Hub for all my varied blogs and pages. So when people say:
"hey Mike, how do I find your stuff on the net?"
I can now say: Goto accordingtomike.net instead of going through complex url addresses that they will soon forget. Best yet, they can do it on their phones.

and as I always say. That life and the web according to Mike.

Messages of Hope, Messages of Love. We can make a difference even if all we have is ourselves to give

Today, I am going to say little but share a lot. What you will see are video and messages from pages that speak to me that Humanity is not all about hate or war or greed or abuse. That there are people who are trying to change the world, each in his or her own way.
Love 146.
Love146 is an international human rights organizations working to end child trafficking and exploitation. 

I first came to Love146 through a activism/blogging group Upworthy earlier this year. Here is a group of people trying to combat child slavery and rape and then help the survivors regain their lives, families and humanity. The site has such hope in the face of an ugly, seemingly random destruction of families and children's lives. Take a look at their website, see what they are trying to do. Then look into your own children's eyes or one of your friend's/relative's if you don't have your own and ask yourself what can you do. Make a commitment, if you can. It doesn't have to be money. There are so many other ways to help these people and the children they represent.
Love146

Violence towards Women

UNiTE
I have long admired the work that Angelina Jolie has done for so many causes.
Anytime, she stops to  speak about the causes she supports. She is an inspiration to me.

Stop Rape Now
It's scary when you stop to consider that there appears to be a military agenda for this kind of abuse. You wonder is the world will ever reach a place where this is rare instead of the often unfortunate norm.

End violence against women

White Ribbon Day
This letter was written by NZ Childrens' Commissioner Russell Wills. Please have a read, it's directed to men but I think most if not all of it can apply to everybody that needs it.
To those it concerns,

Do your children see you get angry and shout? Have they watched you lash out at their mum? Do they cower in the corner when you enter a room? Are they frightened of you?

It doesn't have to be like this for your children. It shouldn't be like this.

When you are violent it always affects your kids. It changes their development and it changes how well they'll do in life. When they grow up they are more likely to be violent themselves, or be victims of violence. They are more likely to have major mental health problems, drug and alcohol problems and physical problems.

As a pediatrician - I've seen your kids in my clinic. Kids like the four-year-old girl with a developmental age of two. And like the little boy who wasn't learning at school; not because of ADHD (like everyone thought) but because he was terrified that when he got home mum would be hurt or dead.

Your kids still love you but they want you to change. I think you love your kids too. I think you want your kids' lives to be better than yours. I've seen dads turn their lives around because they love their kids and they love their kids' mum. You can too.

It's not too late. I'm asking you to step up and get help right now. I know this is not easy but take a positive step for the sake of your kids.

You could start by taking the White Ribbon pledge to promise to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence towards women. You could talk to someone you trust about your behaviour and ask for help. You could call the Family Violence Information Line on 0800 456 450.

Be the kind of dad your kids would love you to be. They want you to walk into a room and give them a cuddle, or play with them or talk about their day. They want to be happy to see you.

Most men in New Zealand are not violent. Become one of them.

Yours Sincerely

Dr Russell Wills

I have to say that my hat is off to New Zealand for taking such a strong stance against this travesty that has constantly perpetrated so much of our society. 

One Little Pill
This is one cuase I have actively backed this year. I hope that there can be an end to this addiction. That we can believe that Alcoholics can bring this under control instead of having to rely on force of will when so many other things fail to take our fragile humanity into account.

Neil Gaiman words of encouragement
Everybody needs to know that it can get better...even if it doesn't. It's the possibilities not the certainties I believe in...


well I hope I be back with more soon.

another quick note.

I am working on the next blog, should be up tomorrow