The Dax Files

More than eleven years ago I started my little opinion page on the interwebs. Ten years ago last Saturday (4/21/02) this blog started proper. Ten damn years. One decade of Blogging. At the very beginning, I wanted to do a page like Neal’s News…Front Page driven. I never could figure out how Boortz did it. Yet, I hand coded everything. Then Blogger came around and I used their interface on my own free host courtesy of BellSouth. Then migrated Daxmontana.net to a web host…finally landing here at JustDamn.com…a lot of old links still point to the dot net site. If you know your way around you can still find what you’re looking for.

In the last ten years, I have lived in 5 different places and held 4 different jobs. The lovely and talented Priscilla gave birth to our youngest son Baby Dax. My family has grown as well as many friendships. I finished my college degree and have a “real” job with benefits. I’m a better writer too…

I have seen countless Blogs disappear…and a few Bloggers too. I have made countless Blog relationships that have grown into “real” friendships too. I’ve probably pissed off even more….

Back in the early days, everyone was really hanging it out there…revealing themselves to the great anonymous crowd. Then the Blogmeets happened where folks weren’t so anonymous anymore. Finally Facebook happened and now no one is anonymous. Now the posts are all the same, maybe a pun on Monday, a “this day in history” post, some cartoons, and a video or two, and maybe a random ten song list and a “name game.” The political blogs are still political. The day in the life blogs are still day in the life. I don’t think anyone really puts themselves out there anymore…

…People are too afraid to really expose themselves anymore…for fear of retribution. I haven’t read a really good “crap my pants” post since Rob died. It’s kind of like Disco. Back in the late Sixties, the in crowd celebrated new found freedom, free love and a rebellious spirit. Then Disco and John Travolta happened…back to our cages…

At least that’s the way I feel about it. I’m just not comfortable exposing myself on this blog anymore. I’m certainly not anonymous and I fear the repercussions. Maybe it has to do with being ten years older too. I can’t begin to count how many posts I’ve written only to delete it when I’m done.

Just yesterday at work, the temp agency representative was looking up someone on Facebook. Evidently they had posted a comment about a boss. She didn’t find it…she wasn’t a friend. However, she was looking and it chilled my blood to witness it.

I’ve never thought about quitting…until recently…My domain name is up for renewal. However I don’t have an endgame either. I just upgraded to the next edition of WordPress…I don’t think it even matters no one visits blogs anymore…they just get the newsfeed…

Just Damn!

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(CBS/AP) Host and TV producer Dick Clark has died. He was 82.

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Dick Clark over the years. I’ve loved his many television shows…not “Bandstand” but “Pyramid’ and I grew up with “Rockin’ Eve.” However, as a radio DJ I admired Dick Clark until I found out that he threw many other great Dee Jays under the congressional investigation bus during the payola scandals while saving his own ass. He made millions while the great Allen Freed drank himself to death.

Anyway, the “Oldest Teenager” has died and left us with Ryan fucking Seacrest.

Just Damn!

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Charles Manson denied parole, with next parole hearing set for 2027

“Corcoran, California (CNN) — Notorious killer Charles Manson, 77, was denied parole Wednesday after a California parole panel “could find nothing good as far as suitability” for his being paroled, a commissioner said….Manson’s next parole hearing was scheduled for 15 years from now, meaning he could die in prison….”

I read the book “Helter Skelter” many years ago. It filled in many pieces of the Manson puzzle I was working on in my brain after watching the trial as a young child. The crazy murderous Manson is firmly imbedded in Pop culture. His influence spans Music (Dennis Wilson & The White Album), Sixties hippy generation & flower power, and books & movies (Sharon Tate & Roman Polanski).

The fucker should have been executed, but leave it to California to screw it up…now Manson remains a cultural oddity…a modern freak show…a living Hanibal Lecter…

Just Damn!

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Norman Rockwell Nails It…

Exactly how it happened at our house…(except the cigarette)

Just Damn!

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I figured that I have about sixty-seven hours during the week…to do whatever I like. Seven 24 hour days works out to 168 total hours in a week. I subtract out 56 hours to allow for 8 hours of sleep a night leaving 112 hours. Of course the j-o-b gets its 40 hours leaving a balance of 72 hours a week. To have an honest measure of my time, I took out an additional 5 hours to account for my time getting ready for work. That leaves 67 hours. I know I could have subtracted out for my commute time, but my commute is about 23 minutes a day and it only takes me about 30 minutes to actually get ready for work. I figured it was a wash…your mileage may vary.

Anyway, that’s about nine and a half hours a day to do whatever I please. That’s huge! 9.5 hours to learn a new language, or programming, or attend classes. Nine and a half hours a day to practice guitar, or hone my cooking skills. 9.5 hours to write more Blog posts, or to write the great American novel. Nine and a half hours a day to work out or exercise, or play golf.

According to Malcom Gladwell’s “10,000-Hour Rule”, claiming that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours in his book Outliers, then 9.5 hours a day into 10,000 hours translates into 1052 days or about 2.88 years.

Think about that for a minute…I could start a project and become successful at it in less than three years. Starting today, then on January 27, 2015 I would be considered an expert and successful.

However, during this research I stumbled upon a slight miscalculation. I’m a damned slacker and won’t stick to the best laid plans. Most of my 9.5 hours a day are filled with sleeping in because of the hours spent drinking in while watching television. Just think! I could have been successful, but now I’m an expert in not Blogging while intoxicated, and what’s showing on Netflix.

I hate it when shit cuts both ways.

Just Damn!

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I Know I said I’d be more active… This is what you get…

A few months ago, we “lost” television. Ok, we didn’t lose it…we just quit getting a satellite signal. We decided not to have broadcast television any longer. It wasn’t just about the dollars, it was about jumping on board with the future, Television an d radio and Hollywood are dead relix from a civilization long ago…this is the fuckin’ digital age now baby.

Anyway, instead of a big blank box…we use a Roku and stream programing onto our television. Now we can select what we want…when we want. If the show says, “to be continued’” we just hit play one more time.

I watch TED talks and listen to Pandora internet radio. As we speak I have programmed my very own “Larry Carlton” channel. It’s like the greatest Guitar Jazz station. I listen to it after work instead of just having a TV on for background noise. The kids play. Build and create instead of sit mindlessly in front of the tube.

I have to admit that local news and sports was a bit of a challenge at first…now I just know where to go on the internet…

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE.

Just Damn!

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