I was reading CNN tonight when I came across this lame article about sex.  Before you click on the link, read my points...

Eight Bad Reasons to Have Sex

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/08/28/tf.bad.reason.for.sex/index.html

Now what is your reaction to that title? ...  Eight bad reasons to have sex...

First of all you assume it is ambiguous (cross gender), that it is directed towards both male and female.  As you read it however you begin to realize, it's more of a guide for women and not men.  Whoa... how about a disclaimer before I begin reading this eh editors?  The only thing they didn't insult us with was that a possible outcome of sex was making a baby. 

So go ahead.  Read the article above.  You can't help but get a sense of man bashing.  Now I'm going to list my own reasons to have sex and for both sexes. :)  After all, I'm about positive energy, not negative. :)

Eight GOOD Reasons to have Sex

8. The human body actually operates at a more healthy level with sex.  It's a scientific fact.  Look it up. You'll find all sorts of health points such as stronger Teeth. If you do nothing but kiss, that act alone produces saliva which fights tooth decay. One point is that sex fights cancer!  For the men (since we are always left out anyway), ejaculating regularly fights cancer in the prostate. Sex cure's headaches (a lame excuse put to rest). Sex also stops mild depression, the list goes on.

7.  Intimacy promotes a positive well being.  Physical pleasure is not bad, it builds confidence, thus the positive spiral in your life is underway.

6. Slows aging, promotes a longer life.  Yep, look it up. You'll live longer if you have sex routinely. 

5. Fitness.  If you don't get any other ...   more »

I'll be writing an article on this event.  I'll be taking my son, maybe we'll see you there!

http://redbullsoapboxusa.com/

I've been telling friends for weeks now that Russia's next move is Ukraine.   The puppet President of Russia and it's true ruler Vladimir Putin have been all be telling the world of their intentions.  This must not be allowed to happen. Apathy is not just an American flaw, the entire world needs to wake up to what is happening.  It seems only Poland has realized or learned from the first go around how to protect it's sovereign territory.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/54acc1fc-743d-11dd-bc91-0000779fd18c.html

It appears only the countries affected by Russia's interest in restoring it's Iron Curtin are speaking up and repeating the same message:

UKRAINE - President Victor Yushchenko made it clear Russia's actions are "a threat to everyone, not just for one country."

GEORGIA - President Mikheil Saakashvili mirrored that sentiment "This story is no longer about my small country, but the west's ability to stand it's ground and defend a principled approach to international security."

You better catch me when I fall!

Cus any old way that I fall, I'll land in your arms even thought it's wrong because I love my new mistake!

Ah the beauty of these words. Why?  Oh the story behind this video of the day I'm about to tell.  Let me take you back to the early 1990's...  Jellyfish is a new band that is isn't doing grunge.  They are not only playing a retro 70's sound, they actually pay tribute to the bubble gum pop style of the 70's; From the Partridge Family and Archie's to Queen and Badfinger.  You can hear traces of tributes to Willy Wonka and theme to The Courtship of Eddie's Father.  But what I really enjoyed about Jellyfish was that they embraced a string section throughout all their songs, not merely one or two.  The violins in New Mistake are arranged to perfection.

What does such a cute song mean to me?  Just some of my best memories in my youth.  Or should I say the last days of my youth.  I was the front man for a band and I was writing lyrics and poems at a ferocious pace.  I even began writing my short story Aeroplane City. I was not some hot commodity to women, but I was a hell of a fun date because I was busy living life, not trying to find one.   So I'd be out on a date and New Mistake would begin to play.  I'd sing along to my date, but always with a wry smile that could break into a laugh at any time...

I'll Land in your arms even thought it's wrong... cus I love my new mistake!

Any old time at all!  Any old way that I fall...

Because I sang in a ...   more »

I've begun work for an online magazine as an editor and writer.  I'm still going through orientation while sharing my own background.  It's been fun and great working in an office environment with people again.  They get loads of free movies from NBC, MTV, and other media outlets.   It's weird sitting at your desk while watching the entire season of 30 Rock on a TV on the front office wall, but the environment is all about entertainment.  Today while working I listened in on a phone interview with a recording artist.   From what I've learned press agents, publicists and media sources of all types shower the place I'm at with free things.  We do about 20 interviews a month and a local radio station does a daily promo spot with us. 

What I'm getting at is this.  Hopefully over the next few weeks or months I'll be posting many of my articles here that I've written elsewhere. I'm about to really test my writing skills.

I will also be taking on guest articles here at my blog.   I'm inviting you readers to submit your own articles and stories to me if you'd like to be published here. 

Meanwhile I do run my own home based business and with the extra work I'm hoping to take on as an editor for the publication I'm working with, I've been too busy to write any of my own articles here this week.  Stay tuned ...more to come. 

Perhaps I'll be posting my own backstage interview with an up an coming artist or an advanced review of this season of Heroes or who knows.  The terms of my work provide me full ownership rights to my writings.

Wish me luck.  See you here soon.

Today after work me and the boys did something we don't often do.  Play a video game in the summer. 

We played bowling and golf on the Wii.  It started with me watching the boys play while I'm cooking dinner.  My five year old is beating my 11 year old again and again.  It's getting funny because he really is winning on his own.  So they taunt me into playing.  After dinner we play bowling and I win.  Beginners luck.  My eldest is upset as he lost is shiny bowling ball from pro ranking as he came in last behind our youngest.  It was funny.  Then we play golf.  I won again. True beginners luck.  But what I found really funny was once again our five year old came in second.  And I gotta tell you, he loves to beat his brother.  It is his lot in life.  LOL  We didn't play long.  It was movie night.  Labyrinth with Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie.  A story about an older sister that resents her little brother and wishes the Goblins would just take him away.  So they do.  She then has to trek through a labyrinth to the goblin king's castle to retrieve her baby brother after realizing her mistake. 

Sometimes I watch these movies from not so long ago and I remember flashes of my own life before being married, before having children. It was another life.  I sit with my arms around both boys and I am still in awe how my son's say "Dad" and it puts a smile on my face.    For them the fun was in the fact we have movie night, for me it is simply being able to spend time with them.  I suppose we all are enjoying the same thing in our own way....   more »

Ask yourself.  Which is worse.  The kids or parent.  

File this under bad parenting 101.  Smart parents know the games their children play.  Play with them to a degree (as to understand what it is their children are involved in) and simply take away the device if they abuse it. Nailing a toy to a tree and destroying it is immature.

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-60244

I'm digging this!  If you are ready to take your fitness to the next level, this is it.  It's a varied fitness program focusing on true fitness, not stacks of equipment and body building.  This will prep you properly for biathlons, triathlons etc...  Tactical police operations to elderly participate.  You don't just train, you learn skills.

http://www.crossfit.com/

Just don't get caught up in the hype.  Use it, don't live it.

Where you going to be September 27th?  Come check me out at: http://menshealthurbanathlon.com/

Otherwise you can catch me at Bear Park or the Y getting ready for it. LOL

Raise funds for a good cause folks... oh and enjoy the festival.

I am really skeptical about this.  Who doesn't want to believe that we actually have real proof of these creatures but no one ever comes through with real proof.

The photo in this article sure gets the discussion off to a good start.  Word is Friday they will reveal to the world the evidence.  Should be interesting to see.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/14/bigfoot.body/index.html

Now... after doing a bit of research. Here is the truth on the matter: http://www.bfro.net/hoax.asp

"Memories of evil get erased, for life must go on, and new generations cannot be locked in the past. But they would do well to remember the past."

-Frederic Keffer

All I want you to know. I love you.

I realize that the standard answer to the question, "What is the most important thing in life?" ...is your soul.  However I don't want to talk about the afterlife or the road to getting there. 

It's easy to rule out the material things as most important unless of course you are a materialistic person or someone without a moral compass. 

Now that we've eliminated these two things, what is left?

Well the best way to learn lessons in life is to walk the path to enlightenment.  What I mean is nothing teaches you like experience.  I wrestle with this question, What is the most important thing in life?

The answer comes down to two considerations; friendship or family?  I say both but for the sake of this article, I must put family just ahead of friendship. 

Seeing or knowing a real friend comes when your back is against the wall and they step forth to help.  Family ...They will always be there due to that blood bond. 

Is it even fair to pick between the two as to which is most important?  Can you place value of one over the other?  I think it's fair to say that family will stand by your side many years longer than a friend may.  For instance let's say you are wrongfully jailed in a foreign country where you can be forgotten.  At first friends and family come to your aid.  Over time, the only ones to stay with you would be family. 

You could argue that a wife or husband is family, they are not.   Look at divorce rates.  Near 60 percent of all marriages end in divorce.  No one would start a business with a partner with such poor chances of success.  This point should speak for itself.  A wife or husband is a friend ...   more »

I'll be posting articles this week.  My spirits are well. 

I would like to thank everyone for their prayers and thoughts.  The many phone calls I received tonight from so many of you mean a lot to me.   I'm thankful for you all as friends.

Let's not pretend you are an oil rich country in the Middle East.  In fact you are a cartel of Middle Eastern countries.   You raise the price of oil and make a bundle of money.  You raise it so high that you break the economy of a country buying your oil.  

Then you take all the money you've loaded up on and buy the businesses and homes of the people being foreclosed on. Not a theory.  It's a fact.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08102008/business/lost_sovereignity_123879.htm

We can't get off our dependency for oil fast enough. NOT FAST ENOUGH.

This one is my playlist for kids, thought I'd share something that we all sing together.  May you laugh and smile as much as we do with this. If you have kids that love Star Wars, Star Wars Legos and the like... This is the icing on the cake.

Even long shots make it.

Hi Readers.

I have an important personal matter coming up this week.  It's is a resolution a long time coming.  Because of this my mind is really starting to drift from writing about articles and issues.    Whatever the outcome the coming week; good or bad I will not be here discussing it. 

Please respect my privacy on this matter as I dedicate this time to it.  Your thoughts and prayers will be ever so appreciated. 

Thank you,

Lars

My oldest son is becoming a young man before my eyes.  Still my son, but becoming his own person.  It happens before your eyes.  Your life passes you by.  Then you look at a photo.  It's years old but you didn't notice where the years had gone.  The photo takes you back in time and you suddenly realize how short life is.

The same happened to me tonight with a song.  My boys are in bed and I while I enjoy the sense of fatherhood and familyhood that few parents appreciate so dearly, I'm ever so aware that every day draws me closer to the day they are grown and will go their own way.

I check on them in their bunk beds and sit at my desk peacefully working.  My music is keeping me company.

Then a song plays that triggers a fond emotion.  It's one that triggers a profound feeling of closeness between my son and I.  It's called Walking Out Of Stride.  He was just a little boy of six years old when the song came out.  Like now, I would talk to him about meaningful things.  I recall talking to him saying,  "This is our song son."  And yes at six years old he held the conversation.  I remember him interacting on it from both a musical appreciation and human curiosity of the words. I remember the exact words he first said to me, "What do you mean Dad?" I can't remember my exact words but I remember the point I made.  It was about us going through so much together and that he was a part of me like I was a part of him.  "I'm your dad. We share the same blood."  We've had that conversation more than once and not just because of this song.  Yet I know this song was absolutely one of those things that made me talk to my son about how close we were.   The words to Walking Out of Stride are pure and short:

Just a little FYI to my steady readers.  Unlike my personal friends you may not know that from time-to-time I will post articles that are meant to be provocative.  A provocative article topic gets looked up on the Internet and my article has legs over time for new readers to find. 

Why?  As my content builds here I can rope in advertisers.  It's been something I've been working towards for some time.  A friend has a large site with many advertisers and I have yet to reach critical mass so that I can benefit from advertising.

So until then, please know that I don't personally back every article I post.  For instance the MAN GUIDE article was not something I personally penned.  The content is searched plenty so I wanted to leverage it for site hits and up my advertising strength.

I'm certainly not a chauvinist.  I don't share the same opinions of that article.  Some things in it are funny of course, we all need a sense of humor in life.  So now you know...

Here is today's rant.  Discussion Boards.

Don't you just love Internet discussion boards?  I'm a member of a few for different interests I'm involved in.  Discussion boards have a personality, the culture of the boards and people are like a whole different world.  Sometimes you wonder if people are grounded in reality.  I mean, people say things on a board the would not think of saying in person.  I used to run a large community site with a discussion board that had to be policed constantly.  It was like tall grade-school.   You had grown men and kids trying to communicate and it was hilarious.  And sometimes it was tenuous. But always interesting.

Today I was following up on some advice I gave someone on a buying decision and this other guy on the board was lording over everyone as if because he had more posts than everyone, he owned the board.

I simply reminded him, "know your audience".  

People at times get so wound up on what THEY have to say instead of what they need to say.  It goes back to my quote of the day I posted on August 3rd.  Some people are honest.  Some people just want to be seen as being honest. 

If more of us were concerned with getting from point A to point B instead of how you get there, we'd all be better off.   I don't have time for macho bullshit, and I certainly don't have time for people that suck up either.  Man or woman, the best thing you can do in my company is shoot straight.  Because one thing I learned from divorce... Follow your instinct.  It will never let you down.  God gave it to you for a reason. 

Anyhow...  I just wanted to rant today.  I think discussion boards ...   more »

This is one of those beyond words situation. This isn't stupid, it's brutal and cruel. Oh... and consider the ticket was issued while his van was parked in his own driveway.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=779234

Read this for yourself.

The Modern Rules of Men for Women

These are a set of rules, answers and instructions all women must abide by with their man.  You should have no problem memorizing them all as women have the capacity to never forget. 

Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

We are not shallow because we are honest.  You only call us shallow because we are honest. 

We know if we answer a question you'll just ask another.  That is why we leave the room.

We say we are sorry because we know you won't.

Jewelry is the stupidest thing a man can spend his money on. 

We don't like shopping because we don't want to carry your bags.

We can't be what you want us to be because we still need to be deprogrammed from what our last girlfriend made us to be.

You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

Yes, and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

Seems after writing my article the other day about the thin line between love and hate... It seems only right I post this video as a feature. It is Half in Love Half in Hate by Morten Harket.  You may know him as the voice of A-ha.  Now before you write this song off as tripe.  Don't.  A-ha may have been a one hit wonder here in the U.S. but this is an astounding band very much appreciated back in their home in the north of Europe.

Years ago one of the dreams I shared with my wife was to see this band live in the cold of Norway.  It is so far removed from the typical U.S. stadium style concerts.  You can imagine embracing the one you love for warmth while enjoying the music in the snow and ice.   Watching this video you'll see Morten's breath hitting the cold air.  One day I may realize my strange and peculiar dream of standing in front of this band holding onto someone worthwhile.  Until then, it's a fond thought. 

From MANTRAP

So last night I'm out.  She says, "Somebody has to be important you."  I answer.  "I'm working on that." 

About twenty minutes later the curiousty overcomes her reticent nature.  "Do you have anyone in mind?"

"No." I pause and add, "I'm not fighting for anyone anymore.  I'm the only cause I'm interested in."

"Good" She answers.  "You passed the only test I'll ever have."  I reply, "Never tip your hand."

Some people are honest.  Some people just want to be seen as being honest. 

Does anybody see this for what it really is?

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/06/13/stay.at.home.dad/index.html

At a bachelor party I offered this advice...

Enjoy the complacency of marriage.  People make the mistake of thinking the grass is always greener.

I didn't take near the amount of photos this year as last.  But we still have some great memories on film.  Here is a look back on season one of Little League.  One activity my children and I enjoy is making our own videos and editing them. The boys and I make home move DVD's together believe it or not.  This is one both my children made.  I've since posting my first YouTube video learned the format to post up video at so pictures are more clear. This is a YouTube version that you won't have to squint your eyes at.

Some phrases cross time.  A classic line my friends and I used to rant at each other for laughs was, "Two dollars!"

My five year old says this now and it cracks his older brother and myself up.   Somebody spliced all the related scenes of "Two Dollars" from Better Off Dead.  Check it out.   Watch the movie.  It's silly fun.

Looks gain a mans attention.  Personality keeps it.

-Lars Hindsley

So you think you know your cultured Jazz singers?  The Waters of March is in fact a bossa nova favorite in the Southern hemisphere.  In Brazil this song is iconic.  This collage of words will put a smile on your face for certain.

Waters of March (English translated version)

A stick a stone
It's the end of the road,

It's the rest of the stump
It's a little alone

It's  a sliver of glass,
It is life, it's the sun,

It is night ,it is death,
It's a trap, it's a gun.

The oak when it blooms,
A fox in the brush,

The knot in the wood,
The song of the thrush.

The wood of the wind,
A cliff, a fall,

A scratch, a lump,
It is nothing at all.

It's the wind blowing free.
It's the end of a slope.

It's a beam, it's a void,
It's a hunch, it's a hope.

And the riverbank talks.
Of the water of march

It's the end of the strain,
It's the joy in your heart.

The foot, the ground,
The flesh, the bone,

The beat of the road,
A slingshot stone.

A fish, a flash,
A silvery glow,

A fight, a bet,
The range of the bow.

The bed of the well,
The end of the line,

The dismay in the face,
It's a loss, it's a find.

A spear, a spike,
A point, a nail,

A drip, a drop,
The end of the tale.

A truckload of bricks,
In the soft morning light,

The shot of a gun,
In the dead of the night.

A mile, a must,
A thrust, a bump.

It's a girl, it's a rhyme.
It's the cold, it's the mumps.

The plan of the house,
The body in bed,

The car that got stuck,
It's the ...   more »

To my casual readers you should know I'm divorced.  I'm single, at least in the term that I'm not married again.  How single I am is my business but suffice it to say I'm single.

Today I'd like to visit the topic of single women in the dating realm.  Here is the situation.  For whomever I'm seeing, I don't overdose on seeing them.  The reason is simple.  In my life my children come first and my own needs come second.  It isn't that difficult to explain.   This means any time I set aside for going out comes after my children's needs are met.  But to the people that meet me for the first time, they don't know that.  They just see a guy that appears to be single... if I'm not in the company of a woman.

For instance... The other night my children are away visiting with their respective mothers.  What do I do?  Ahh the quiet! LOL.   I put my K2'S, skate over to blockbuster to return a movie, skate down to the park and skate around it.  Then I skate a few miles down the road and pick up a chocolate milk.  Skate to the gym and get in a workout.  Take some time out by the pool to cool off and back on the road.  It's approaching 7pm and I figure I'll hit McGlynn's for a bite to eat and watch some of the Phillies game. 

Now this seems like an innocuous evening right?  Well, first off let me tell you that women do in fact objectify men as much as any man sees a woman dressed scantily as an object.  Stopping on a bench in the park to rest and read, a woman sits down next to me and chats me up. Yes she asked me what ...   more »