GROUNDHOG DAY-SNOWBOUND HODGEPODGE

     Last Sunday was Groundhog Day and today, Wednesday, we in New Hampshire are being inundated with snow. YUCK! It is also time for another series of questions. I urge any male bloggers to join me in participating in the weekly Hodgepodge. I think I may be the only man to participate weekly. Come on in, the waters fine!

1. Are we always responsible for our actions? Are there any exceptions?
   We are always responsible for our actions. Our responsibility may be mitigated somewhat if we act upon information that was deliberately misrepresented to us. Even then, we are ultimately responsible for our actions but somewhat less so. Due diligence requires that we make every effort to insure that the information upon which we act is true and accurate.

2.  Has anyone from your home town become famous?
     I was born in Lowell, MA. Three famous names come to mind: Bette Davis, the great American actress; Jack Kerouac, author of "On the Road"; and Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson's longtime Tonight Show sidekick.

3. January was National Slow Cooker month. Do you own a slow cooker/crock pot? Did you use it last month? What's a favorite dish you make using a slow cooker or crock pot?
     SWMBO and I have three crock pots in three different sizes. Baby Pot, Mama Pot and Papa Pot. SWMBO recently blogged about them at "Life Through Bifocals." I have two favorite meals. SWMBO makes an incredible Beef Stew. She also makes a Pork Chop Chili that will clean out your innards like Drano cleans out a clogged pipe. By that I mean it burns going down, clearing out your sinuses in the process. It also burns coming out, if you know what I mean. It tastes really, really good though!

4. How do you feel about private companies collecting data about you?
     I have become convinced that the days of having personal privacy is over. The most intimate details of our lives that are stored on any computer is vulnerable. That said, I don't mind if a company stores the kind of things I buy from them or how often I shop and stuff like that. I do object to them collecting data which invades my privacy, stuff I would prefer to keep confidential or that is not intended for public consumption.

5. The Games of the 2014 Winter Olympics kick off with their opening ceremony this coming Friday....will you be watching? Which Winter Olympic event would you most like to see in person? Have you ever been to Russia? Any desire to go, Olympics or otherwise?
     I love the Hockey competition. I prefer the earlier Olympic games when only amateurs were allowed to compete. Now the NHL takes a two week hiatus so that some of their players can compete for their respective nations. SWMBO loves the figure skating.

6. Share a good or bad sports related memory from your childhood or teen years.
     I played little league baseball as a young boy. I was a pretty good first baseman. My team was in the league playoffs. It was the bottom of the last inning and I caught a game ending foul ball that secured our victory. Unfortunately, my team lost the rubber game of the playoff, but that catch was an exciting moment in my young life.

7. What's a must have song for you on a work out play list? If you don't work out, run, swim, bike, walk, or anything else that could be construed as 'exercise', then what's a song that motivates you to at least get up off the couch?
     There's a lot of songs that get my blood moving. Foreigner's "Dirty White Boy" and "Hot Blooded"; Deep Purple's "Highway Star" and "Space Truckin"; Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely" and "Pretty Woman"; Styx "Too Much Time On My Hands" and "Blue Collar Man" and "Renegade"; The Eagles "Life in the Fast Lane" and "Already Gone" just to name a few!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
     I have been thinking about Divorce recently. No…SWMBO and I are doing fine. In fact we're closer now and more in love than we have ever been. I have been thinking about some of the self deluding things that people say when they choose to divorce.
     "We have just grown apart." In my humble opinion this just means that you have stopped trying to please each other like you did when you were dating. Also, when you are dating someone you tend to overlook a bunch of stuff that for some strange reason becomes intolerable after you are married.  Don't kid yourself, you have stopped trying because you chose to stop trying.
     "We have become different people!" You were different people when you started dating. You were different people when you got married. You are both different people now. The one constant in the universe is change. You are both going to change. Your interests, your abilities, your bodies, etc. will change over the years. Change can be properly managed if you choose to do so.
     "We don't love each other anymore."  You have chosen not to love each other anymore. Love is a verb! Love is a choice! Nuff said! 
     "It is better for the kids" This is the worst of all the self deluding statements! The one unalterable fact about divorce is that no matter how amicable the divorce may be, the kids are ALWAYS adversely affected. I have seen this first hand in my career as a police officer and have dealt with the very real consequences of the fallout from "amicable" divorce.

     I understand that there are times when Divorce is unavoidable for a variety of reasons. I am not trying to be judgmental or even self righteous. I just know what a blessing marriage is or can be. In my humble opinion Divorce is bad and nobody wins, especially the kids!