May Newsletter Article...

A Line in the Sand…
By Lanny Keithley

We will now explore another tool used to help resolve questions and issues that come up in making decisions and in understanding why we feel the way we do about them.

There are a whole group of questions that can be summarized into “Why do I feel that way about this event/situation/issue?” These questions can range from casual musings to raging hostility and fear, depending upon the person’s state of mind and their usual way of dealing with life’s issues.

Your consciousness goes to work, using your computer to provide all the necessary answers to its questions, in dealing with the issue at hand. This is a basic part of the human being – typically called ‘instinct’.

Each one of these questions, asked of the computer, works like a Balance Scale. As your memory is scanned about this topic, all the good/positive stuff goes on one side of the scale, and all the bad/negative stuff goes on the other. And, when it’s all done, the scale is judged and the answer is returned to your consciousness. It then uses that new data in the process of figuring out this situation, and may ask more questions of the computer as needed, until it has figured it all out.

When these computer searches are processed and there are some seriously negative or concerning issues that come up, they produce ‘Red Flag’ results that are meant to generate immediate and/or heightened awareness of that situation. Whenever you have a strong ‘gut’ feeling that that something is not right here, or just doesn’t make sense – those are Red Flags. Trust your instincts and be very careful about dealing with this issue before resolving those Red Flag feelings.

Watch for ‘opportunities’ out there that are designed to make you ‘not’ address your red flag issues before committing to the deal. Usually, these are offering some opportunity that sounds too good to pass up, something that must be done right then, forcing you to act, now. If you have Red Flag feelings on any situation, I would highly recommend that you not commit to it, regardless of what it is, until you can resolve your doubts about those issues first. Your Human Computer is a very sophisticated, powerful, machine and it has found some serious problems that need to be resolved for your own good and protection. This has been said thousands of times before but “Trust your instincts”. They are there to protect you and will not let you down.

This whole analysis happens in a moment and we are not aware of any of the detail processes going on inside us. The end result is a feeling or “position” that is based on the sum total of everything we have ever experienced that will affect that situation. We probably won’t understand it, or why our conclusion is what it is but it is 100% accurate for us.

I refer to that position as “A Line in the Sand”. Everybody knows that concept. It is a defined position that one person makes on any given situation. Often, it is an actual physical line, visually defining your space. Each side knows exactly where it is and when they have crossed it. It is a very useful tool for all.

This is exactly what happens within each of us but we have no place to physically draw that line, and the other side doesn’t know where it is because they cannot see it. But, it is there, inside, and we can feel it - just like it was a foot wide and painted solid black.

If that was all there was too it, we would be done here, but why do people still ask all the “Why do I feel that way about this?” questions? We have just learned that we know the correct answer and know exactly where “our” line is - So, why all the questions and doubts?

The short answer is that we don’t like or trust ourselves and/or reality. So, we try to disregard our instincts, and wish for another result to be reality. As we have all learned, throughout life, our conscious thoughts and desires sometimes would like things to be different, better, shinier, or changed. We sometimes wish we were someone, or something, other than we currently are. All of these types of thoughts cast doubt into the decision making process, if you allow them. Remember to use your mirror to resolve any questions you might have about what is the correct path or answer to any question you are not sure of.

You know the right answer, but you don’t always want to listen to it, or you may want to put a little different spin on it – which is what created the need for therapy and endless confusion and worry.

For example, say your friend wants you to loan him some money to buy a car. Your instinct comes back with a “NO” answer with bright red flags all over it. But your conscious thoughts are saying stuff like, “He is such a nice guy.” and “He is my neighbor.” and “He probably would actually pay back the money this time, and not use it to buy drugs like last time.” Inside, you know that loaning him the money is going way over your internal “Line in the Sand”. If you don’t do it, he may be mad for a while, but that will pass. There is a good chance that your long term relationship with him will be the better for you doing the right thing for you. And, what if you did loan him the money and he ended up buying drugs and harming himself? Be aware of the Red Flags. They are there for a reason – to protect you from harming yourself.

If you keep on your side of your line and listen to your “instincts”, you will have made the right decision, have no negative thoughts or concerns, can sleep at night, and will build positive events in your life’s memory – offsetting some of the past negative stuff.

If you allow yourself to cross over your line, you are leaving yourself open to ongoing internal ridicule and turmoil – resulting in “I shouldn’t have done that!”, “Why did I do that?”, “What is wrong with me?”, types of issues that will continue to build the piles of negative/bad events and feelings in your memory and will be used for every future event in your life.

There are times that you do cross over your line, for reasons such as family or emotional commitments, but just be aware that you are doing so and take responsibility so you won’t beat yourself up for it later. And always watch out for those Red Flags - they are there to protect you and should be given due consideration in all cases.

If you try and visualize the “Line in the Sand” that your instincts drew, when pondering any given situation, it helps you to properly analyze what is going on and to make better decisions, keeping out all the “conscious thoughts and desires” that cause so much confusion.

HO'ly Crap...

This has been quite a week here in DaHo...

We had Pam's studded snow tires taken off the Lincoln and the next day it snowed like crazy. Now, I know how to get it to snow. Very weird weather - even here.

Our main Orfice computer, the Dell XPS600, went down hard. It wouldn't shut down, or boot, when it would get Windows up, you couldn't restore it, it wouldn't run anything - it was a real mess. After messing with it for a few days, I had come to the conclusion that it was a goner and would need to be reformatted and rebuilt from scratch. Then, Pam, the Dell'spert, came in and did some of her secret chants and hand waves and it was all fixed. I really still don't know how, or what she did to it, but it is now running better than it has in months.

Speaking of Pam and the DellHole, she just got another award for customer service and is back in the top ten techs world wide after all the time off doing the training stint and the operation/recovery and family issues of late.

Her back is much better. She has been off all the meds for a while, and now even the TENS unit that she was using to reduce the pain. Now, her pain is from her mouth, which has been a problem for her in the past (a little family humor there...), but this time it is from the teeth being deep cleaned and hard brushing she is required to do. Next, its braces, or whatever they do these days, time which should be great fun and 'real cheap'. But, they are seriously needed. She had not ever had her teeth properly arranged, always taking care of the family needs first...

I again played in the weekly 9-ball tournament and came in 5th - grumble, grumble. I got beat by a girl - a very lucky girl, but still... It was painful. But, prior to that, I did beat her boyfriend like a rented mule, so I guess she was really mad about that. She made one 9-ball on the break and the other three games, she made 9-ball combos every time on some amazingly lucky shots. Grumble, grumble - O, I already said that.

We got the Borat DVD. That is really a funny show. I had heard so much about how un-PC it was and all of Hollyweird still loved it, so I had to have it. There will probably never be another like it and I am very surprised it got out. It's got some real funny stuff in it. Mel Gibson would love it...

Don, my fishing buddy came down again on Saturday from Idaho Falls, in the middle of the night, and we again went down to DaHole to go after the big one. We only caught one Sturgeon, which I caught, and was the smallest one I have ever caught there - around 4 feet long. I guess the water temps are just not warm enough yet for the big ones to bite. Don took a picture of me with the cute little guy.



After that, I haven't been fishing all week because of the weather and working on getting the 'estate' ready for spring. The sprinklers are on and the grass is growing. Very soon, it will be time to start mowing it again - one of the joys of nice weather here in DaHo...

Good Ho'penings...

First, Pam has started going to these big time dentists that advertise all the time on TV and have all the latest equipment - CAT scans, digital xrays, etc. They need them as they both look to be about 25 or so, and probably don't know the 'older' dental techniques/skills - and are also pretty cute... Amazingly enough, their prices are quite high, but Pam likes them and they seem to be doing a good job so far. She started her deep root cleanings and came back almost without any trauma and was given a $100 tooth brushing system free - another way you can tell when you are being charge too much...

Anyway, she need a lot of work done that should have been done 40 years ago and needs to be done while her body can still adapt to the changes and it will boost her self image which she has always had a problem with...Not! (A little joke there). But, it is good news. I have been trying to get her to go for 3 years now, as her Dell dental insurance provides $ 1,500/yr, and for the first two years she didn't use it and there are few thing I hate more than leaving good insurance money on the table...

I went to play in the weekly 9-ball tournament again this Tuesday. I had only had about an hours worth of decent sleep on Monday night and was going to blow it off as I was real tired, but ended up going. All of the league playoffs are done and all the really good players are back from the Utah State Tournament and they were all there to play. I am not sure how many people were playing, but I would guess in the 20 range. And, about 15 of them were players that I consider equal, better, or much better, than me in my mind.

While I am on that subject, It was pointed out to me that I had mentioned in an earlier post of this tome, that the best player in the area was Steve - and it was further pointed out that there was at least one other player that is equal to or better than Steve on any given day... So, I wanted to point out that Carey Ziebarth is also a great player and one of the best banker shooters I have ever seen in non-pro players... I hope the "Crowd" is pleased now...

Anyway, as I was saying, all the good players were there, including both Steve and Carey and literally all the really good players in the area. So, it started and I got a bye on the first round. Steve had to play Curtis and Curtis beat him. So, then I had to play Curtis and after a very rough start, ended up beating him to both of our amazement. I always start off cold and most times loose my first match in these tournaments. Then, I had to play this cowboy, who wasn't very good, but real macho and had his girl and boots and all. He can make some good shots, but didn't have a clue about shape. Anyway, I ended up scratching on the 9-ball in the first two games and the score was 2 to zero, in a race to 4. This table was amazingly fast and the cue ball just kept rolling. It was hard to control for all. Anyway, I finally ended up beating him, 4 to 3.

Then, the next match was against my old 'friend' Dr. Dave... We have talked and have many common interests and both lived in the same two places in Kalifornia and knew a lot of common stuff, but anyway, we started the match. On the first shot, I missed my shot, but because the table was so fast, a ball kept rolling and ultimately knocked in the 9-ball for the win. Well, Dr. Dave went off saying that this was the same nightmare that happened last time we played and was on the path to the cliff to jump... Any time I made any type of extra good shot, he would go off and I was starting to feel bad for him. I even missed one 9-ball on purpose, trying a almost impossible shot, to sorta make up for the first shot that bothered him so much. He was just too frustrated to play well and I beat him. He was realll happy.

I then had to play a number of other good players and beat them all until I and one other player were the only 'unbeaten' players left. His name is Rob and he is a very good player, so we started and I got in an early 9-ball combo for the first win. Then, I had the break and broke and ran the table for 2-0. Then, he broke and missed and I ran the table again up to the 9-ball and hung it in the pocket. I should have taken appropriate time to make it as the best and usually only way to win with these good players is to not let them get to the table. So, instead of it being 3-0, it was 2-1. He won the next two games making it 2-3. Then, he ran the next table down to the 9 and missed it, which I put in, making it 3-3 with only the final game left. I was starting to fade fast by that point about 11pm or after. In the last game, he ran most of it, but again left me the 7-9, I think, which I ran and won the match. So, I was the only unbeaten player in the tournament.

Then I had to wait for the rest of the looser bracket matches to finish and was getting more an more tired. I then played the last player in the looser bracket and he would have to beat me two matches - the first one to both be losers and then see who won the final match. His name was Budda, for obvious reasons, and is a very good player. With his skill and my being overly tired, he won the first match with little 'objection' from me. I just couldn't see very well at that point. So, we were equal score wise. He mentioned that he wanted to play golf early and asked me if I would be interested in him quiting and us splitting the money equally. In my current status I jumped on that offer and ended up 'winning' first place again. I was very happy with the results, considering... He would have probably beat me if we had played, but you never know...

So, Wednesday morning real early, I got up and went fishing. I figured that it was the first good weather for a while and with all my 'luck', how could I miss a good day fishing. When I got down there and was caring all my stuff to fish, I noticed that the river was up about 3-4 feet higher than usual. This happens every so often. They open up the dams and blast a bunch of water through to clean out all the trash and test the systems or something. Anyway, there is all this stuff floating in the water, like weeds and logs and all sorts of stuff. I guess the underwater scene is messed up to because I ended up not even getting one bite all day. It was a nice day, but not a very 'lucky' fishing day.

On Tuesday, another bridge jumper was killed. He was jumping in 40-50 mph winds and his little opening shoot, which they hold in their hands here because its only 650 feet and need it to open fast, got wrapped around his arm in the wind and never opened his main shoot. That is the 6 jumper to die there and yet again they are calling for banning the 'sport'. I view it as sort of a thinning of the species...

I saw, I really hate to say this...Speaker of the house, Nancy Peliosi on Jay Leno last night. I have 'enjoyed' her for many years while living in the SF Bay area before moving here to DaHo. She was an inarticulate, crazy liberal then and she still is now. I didn't see her for a few years lately, but she is really a weird looking person these days. She has these two sets of eyebrows that I just don't understand. when she was sitting there being all smug and 'thoughtful' there was only one thick set, but when she starts talking and getting animated, these other thin, sorta high-centered ones pop up about an inch above her real ones. Its the weirdest thing I have ever seen. I thought they were always there, as I guess all the pictures show her with her 'face' on or something, when you see her on TV, but when not animated, they fall into her real ones. Check it out, it is really weird. I wonder what the Arab leaders thought of them and all of us...

Easter Weakend...

I have been 'talking' to this guy, Don, on some of the fishing Internet forums for months. He is the moderator for one of them and we have become friends working on all sorts of fishing dilemmas and issues. He lives up north in Idaho Falls and spends about 1/2 of his time fishing. Besides fishing, he has a kitchen cabinet business and designs kitchens and is a gourmet chef. Anyway, he is one of few folks I know that knows more about fishing than I think I do...

So, after many aborted attempts for various reasons, he came down this Saturday to do some Big Sturgeon fishing with me at my favorite place, DaHole, in Bliss. He got down there about 6:30am and I met him and we went down to fish. And we fished all day until about 4pm. It was a great day and we had a lot of time to chat and tell fishing stories and work on details about fishing. And, after spending a full day and tons of fishing gear and bait, we ended up with him catching the only fish - a 9 foot Sturgeon. See it in the picture below:



Well, did I say 'feet', I meant inches... And, did I say Sturgeon, I meant Squaw fish... But, I was right in that being the only fish caught all day.

Actually, I didn't write that fish story. It was given to me by the resident DaHole fishing story writer/editor, which I have pictured below as he is working on another story:






I had to walk past him to get to the cars and I was caring a coat and a couple of fleeces and some other stuff and he got up and was checking me out reeel close. I was starting to feel like those guys in Italy before the big race... Luckily, he didn't come after me - I guess he was working on a story deadline or something...

Then, after all that fun, I came home and Pam had cooked all day making this great prime rib roast and all the trimmings. Her sister Roberta and husband Vic were here and we all had a great dinner. After that, I felt like I had been ridden hard and put away wet from all the fishing. It takes a lot of energy to cast those big sturgeon rigs and I must have done it at least 50 times during the day. I was pretty worn out.

Then on Easter Sunday, I got up early and did my yoga so I could move after all the fishing. We decided to go to the early services and get to this "Easter Special Las Vegas Style Buffet Brunch" at a local events center. I think what makes it a "Las Vegas" style rather than a "Normal Ho" style was this really cute ice sculpture on the bread table. Anyway, it was a great meal and was only $ 14.45 each. It was open from 9am until 2pm, and we got there about 10:30am and had to wait for a place at the trough. We got this really cute 2 person booth and it was all good. We were home, prone and groaning before noon. It was a short but good Easter Day here in DaHo...

Fun at Skateland

Wow, I have experienced something that I thought was gone forever! The ability to roller skate. By the way -- this is Pam. I was on our team builder's committee and I first thought "no way, I can't skate". But to my own amazement, I did really well. I was able to skate almost as good as I did when I was a teen-ager after about 15 mins of getting my skate legs. It was exhilerating!

Lanny tell's me that he was quite the roller blade'r in his day, so I've got to see this for myself. Tomorrow - he and I are going roller skating. More news and pics to follow.

BTW, or in addition to our team builder -- we had a best dish Pot-Luck and My Mac and Cheese won!!!! I used a receipe from Rachel Ray. It was really good. If you are interested -- email me and I'll send you the receipe.

That is all for now... Look for more tomorrow... This should be really something. Both Lanny and I roller skating at our ages.

Editors Note: This didn't happen yet. Pam wasn't feeling well and I really didn't want to go skating for the first time in Decades during spring break with thousands of screaming kids. But, we are going to do it sometime soon...