AMAZING!

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The New Normal

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South African Youth Choir

This is special!

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Two dogs

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJaXPVsoGp_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I bet you wish you had thought of this.

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Interesting ….

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Priceless!

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This is cool!

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BvS Redo

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The Longest Time

By The Phoenix Chamber Choir

Just AWESOME!

I ALWAYS believed

• 

How ironic ….

• 

This from a country that banned burkas.

For All Pandemic Graduates

SUPER TUESDAY 2020

Editorial Cartoon for Tuesday, March 3, 2020 by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator.

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I’m reposting my favorite image and quote about one of my favorite comic book couples. I would love to find out who created the artwork and when/where Frank Miller made the quote. If you know, drop me a comment so that I can attribute properly.

Watch “Chadwick Boseman: “There is no BLACK PANTHER without Denzel Washington”

Separation Anxiety

Ever since my fiance started his new traveling job, our relationship has been on the rocks. It’s like we just don’t know how to talk to each other anymore. We both love each other unconditionally and are willing to do what it takes to fix the problem, we just don’t know how to go about it. What should we do?  A Frazzled Fiance

Dear Frazzled Fiance
In all honesty, I’m not sure I can help you. And when I say that, I mean that I don’t think you’ve given me enough information to offer sound advice. What do you mean by “on the rocks” and “we just don’t know how to talk to each other anymore?” What kinds of conversations are you imagining that the two of you are not having? Apparently yall’s new dynamic doesn’t match your memories of past encounters. My guess is that your fiance is more preoccupied with being successful at his new job than his relationship with his old fiance. If that is the case, give your fiance the space he needs. Just because you guys are talking less does not mean there is less commitment between you. Get out of your head. If the sex is still good and both of you see a life together post marriage, let this awkward phase go. Preoccupy yourself with something other than worrying about your fiance.  Dr. K

Who Are You?

Hey Dr. K.
I just realized the other day that I have known my roommate for more than six years. However, I do not know many personal details about him. For example, he is friends with my brothers and has spent lots of time at my home and with my family over those years. Although, he knows a lot about me, I don’t feel that he has been sharing an equal amount of information about himself or his life. I have never met his family, and he rarely opens up about himself. What is going wrong here? Am I giving up too much information? Or is he not giving enough information in this relationship?  Do I Know You?

Dear Do I Know You                                                                                                      Why does this matter to you NOW? For six years, life has been fine between you and your roomie. Now all of a sudden you think you are living with a stranger. What happened? What more do you feel you need to know, and more to the point, what do you plan to do with this new information? Just because you have given up information about yourself does not mean you have a right to more information about him. Look, if your roommate has been down lately and you want to help, tell him that you want to help but don’t know much about him. Then, if he’s willing, probe that topic on the level he is comfortable. But stay on topic! This is not your opportunity to even the score and plunder through his life. You overshared for the last six years. Deal with it.  Dr. K

Excuses, Excuses ….

Hi Dr. K
I just had an odd encounter with a close friend and I’d like your take on it. My friend and I had arranged to meet for lunch and he arrived extremely late. Then he gave this elaborate excuse that traffic was horrible, he had to work later, and he couldn’t find his keys. I was kind of taken aback by the effort, you know? He’s my buddy, it wasn’t necessary. Is he making this excuse because he’s trying to preserve his self-image? Or, is he offering the excuse because he failed to show up on time and wanted to be polite and save face?  Somewhat Confused

Dear Somewhat Confused,
I’m not sure what to say about your friend’s behavior. You know him better than I do. Obviously your friend didn’t want his transgression to reflect badly on him in your eyes. The question is why would he think that? Has he recently fallen into a rhythm of excuse making for everything? If so, it’s probably just reflective politeness. Has something happened between the two of you that has changed the nature of your relationship? Like, has it been a while since you’ve spent time together? If so, his excuse may have been an attempt to confirm your close relationship (i.e., you don’t slight a close friend unless the reason is extreme). Hence, the elaborate justification. Look, just consider it a compliment. Had he shown up without saying anything, it would be reasonable to call him a dick.   Dr. K

Super Amazing Volunteers!!

Hurricane Florence hit Wilmington hard. Thousands of volunteers inside and outside of the city came to our aid restoring utilities, bringing food, water and gas, and assisting with debris clean up and home repairs.  While my home was spared, my yard was trashed. Thank God for 10+ angels from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! They worked long and hard in the heat to clean my yard FOR FREE.  I begged them to take a donation, but they declined.  Please thank ALL volunteers that give their time, talent and bodies to restore convenience to those of us who are/will/have been forced to do without. PLEASE donate to these inspired efforts. 

There but for the grace of God go I.

Before relief

During relief

After relief

Done in TWO AND A HALF HOURS!!

Boom.

Comic Con 2018!

Well it’s over and a lot has happened. I did some academic stuff

I made a few fangirl friends #ShannonWheeler.

And a bathrobe Leonidas.

For a recap check out Syfy.com and IGN.com

Countdown to Comic-Con 2018!

A lot of cool stuff happens at Comic Con.  This year, more than a few panels are female oriented, queer and black.  Below are panels that are … well … just cool.

Comics and Geek Items for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Voices of Mexico

Comics are for Everyone … Aren’t They?  (knock, knock Dr. Scott)

Countdown to Comic-Con 2018!

Only 3 days til Comic Con.  Sorry about my absence the last two days–small family emergency.  The full schedule of events and guests is online now.  And, in the spirit of promoting the educational side of this conference, I have highlighted a few opportunities of interest to our majors.

DC My Secret Origin (it’s like a COM Studies Day panel with a twist *wink*)

Comic Con Film School 101 (3 part workshop–one each day of convention)

How to be a Superstar Host  (from youtube podcasts to the Emmys–tips from pros)

Nickelodeon Animation Studio (portfolio review–one each day of convention)

Lucasfilm (portfolio review–Friday and Saturday only)

Comics Pitch Review (practice and coaching)

 

Countdown to Comic Con 2018!

The last panel of the of the Comic Arts Conference is devoted to an applied learning experience for students.  Something to consider as an alternative to studying abroad.

 ATTENTION students interested in popular culture, marketing and/or fandom.  Earn academic credit while studying the dynamics of marketing and fan culture at the largest comic arts event on the continent, July 17-23, 2018.  Applications for next year are due October 31, 2018.  Click logo for more information.

Countdown to Comic Con 2018!

Here’s a tease of my presentation for the Comic Arts Conference, an academic conference within the con.

Countdown to Comic Con 2018!

This one’s for you Dr. Persuit ….

The Black Panel is one of the most well attended panels at the con.  Generally, standing room only.  I always go when it is not at the same time that my panel is scheduled.  As you can see, the panelists are not just comics oriented.  It’s a great opportunity to network if you are a minority.  These people are happy to mentor, correspond via social media or join you for a cup of coffee.

Countdown to Comic Con 2018!

Some people, like my fellow conventioneer Nikki Kroushl, dig cosplay. I ship. So I won’t dress up on my fangirl day in San Diego, but I will support my ship.

Stay tuned for a tease about my presentation and the people with whom I plan to network.

Countdown to Comic Con 2018!

As you should know, I am a comics geek. I collect them; I go to the movies; I attend conventions; and I study them (in part) for a living. As a fan, I have been following this Snyder Cut story since Justice League hit movie theatres. Rumor has it something might pop in San Diego. Join me in the SPECULATION ZONE.

Going to Comic Con!

The countdown begins …..

July 19-22, 2018

Have a SUPERWONDERFUL New Year!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

To all my friends on WordPress, Facebook and Twitter.  And all of my fellow Super Wonder shippers!!

Mustaches For Kids 2017 – Wilmington NC by Chadwick’s Sweet Stache for Carousel Cash

https://fundrazr.com/ChadwicksSweetStache?ref=ab_16xzV3_ab_a6yEQ7

Priceless

Can’t Wait for ‘Wonder Woman’

Metropolitan Diary

By RACHEL WEINGARTEN MARCH 20, 2017

It had been a hectic day of meetings, appointments and events, with one huge gap in the middle, so I sneaked out to see “La La Land” near Union Square.

There were several small groups of women at the theater, none under the age of 80. I waited patiently on line behind them as they asked for their senior discounts for “Fences” and then counted their change, gathered their belongings and walked very slowly to the escalators.

I waited behind them again, trying to be helpful as needed, as we took the escalators up several stories to the theaters.

At one point, one woman, tiny and frail with a voice to match, said to the woman next to her, “I hope I live until summer.” She clearly enunciated each word and then sighed deeply.

The second woman paused before gently replying.

“Why?” she asked. “Because your granddaughter is getting married?”

“No!” the first woman said. “Because I want to see the ‘Wonder Woman’ movie.”

A version of this article appears in print on March 27, 2017, on Page A16 of the New York edition.  Online post HERE

Thank you Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello and Andy Kubert for getting it right!

DKIII #8

Inks by Klaus Janson, Colors by Brad Anderson

I just don’t have enough funny stuff on my website

I found this amusing and had to post it.

 

Featured topic: STUCK IN THE MIDDLE

Let’s get to your questions ….

Dear Dr. K,

Last year, my parents finalized their divorce after 25 years of marriage. I was expecting this to happen. Being 21 years old, I could see the signs of their relationship falling apart. It has been rocky for a long time. My dad is a truck driver, which caused him to be away for weeks at a time. Ever since I was young, my mom told my siblings and I a lot of cynical things about my dad–how she wouldn’t be surprised if he was cheating on her and negative stories from his childhood that made him money hungry. Yet, she reminded us regularly that he was our dad and we should try to talk to him more. As much as my mom regularly berated my dad, he often criticized her too. He started staying away from the house around the same time I hit puberty. As a teenager, I didn’t feel like I could do anything, so I tried not to think about it. I thought that’s just the way my parents were going to act. Now, as an adult in college and away from home, I still try to put their problems out of my head. My dad moved back to his hometown in California, while we stayed in North Carolina, so I still don’t talk to him that much. Through their separation and to this day, my mom often told me things she finds out about my dad. Recently, she started telling me again to reach out to my dad because he’s still “my dad”. With other stresses like midterms and work, I had a breakdown the other day when my mom asked me another time to talk to him. I feel like a teenager again because I’m not sure how to tell my mom that she is sending me mixed signals. What do you suggest I do to tell her? As an adult with my own handful of problems, should I try to repair my relationship with my dad?   I’m Just the Kid

Dear I’m-just-the-kid,
I am of the opinion that adult children should have healthy relationships with their parents. Sometimes that means repairing a childhood relationship and sometimes that means formalizing decisions to keep parents at arms length. I don’t sense that your father is reaching out to you, so the choice (and much of the work) is yours. If you have any fond memories and/or feelings for your dad, I think that you should reach out to him. Give yourself a chance to get to know/love him as your dad NOW as opposed to the dad he was when you were younger. That means, conversations about your mom and the divorce are off limits. A long time ago, you decided that their drama was not your drama. Maintain that distance. Make sure your dad agrees with your position on this matter. I think that he will appreciate it and will be more motivated to repair his relationship with you.
Now, a word about your mom…. I am suspect of her efforts to get you to reconcile with your dad. I don’t think that she is being sincere; I think that she wants you to be her spy. When she finds out that you are reaching out to your dad, tell her to respect your boundaries and not ask about your dad. If she can’t handle that, then you might need to love your mom from afar.   Dr. K

Featured topic: HERE WE GO AGAIN ….

Let’s get to your questions ….

Dear Dr. K,

My first love and I dated when we were 16. We dated consecutively for 3 1/2 years and then off and on for a few more. He was the love of my relatively young life. We went through many problems. He lied alot and kept breaking up with me to go out with other girls. He’d always come back to me though. Eventually I got sick of it. We had a pretty nasty break up. We haven’t seen each other for nearly 5 years but recently he began messaging me again. I’ve let go of most the resentment I felt because we were so young and immature when we dated. However, I’ve been thinking about him alot since he contacted me. He wants to meet to “catch up” sometime. I know he currently has a girlfriend, so i’m not sure what I’m expecting of this little meeting. After messaging back and forth it made me miss him or at least the friendship we once had. Do you think it’s a good idea to meet up or continue to talk to him? The obvious answer is probably “it’s a bad idea” but I can’t help but think maybe there’s a reason we still feel this way after all this time. My friends know the both of us and they all would love for us to work things out and be friends again or even get back together. This means they don’t offer any unbiased advice. Please help!   Lost Lover

Dear Lost Lover
PLEASE do not see this guy. Remember–he’s your ex for a reason. He does not want to “catch up” with you. He wants to have sex with you behind his girlfriend’s back. Maybe you were young and immature when you were together, but you are not now. He still is because he’s still playing the same games. If you miss the friendship, then BE his friend. Invite him AND HIS GIRLFRIEND to a party and get to know her while you two “catch up.” Be a friend to him AND his relationship with the girlfriend. No meeting up to talk alone and/or reliving old times. They weren’t that good–again, he’s your ex for a reason.
PS. Your friends are poor judges of character if they think a guy who use to lie to you ALOT is good boyfriend material.    Dr. K

Featured topic: FEELING DISGUSTED

Let’s get to your questions ….

Dear Dr. K,
I’ve had a good friend for a few years now. We’ve always been really close and had a lot in common. In the earlier years of our friendship I wasn’t interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with him. However, after many requests to go out to dinner, I finally decided to give it a shot. We went out to dinner and everything went well. He asked me to go back to his apartment to hang out and I obliged. This was not an abnormal thing, as we’ve been friends for so long. We went into his apartment and hung out in his bedroom to listen to music. My friend made the move toward kissing me and I didn’t stop him. Things escalated to a much further point than just friends…and I didn’t stop him. I wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable at the time with what was happening. I was mostly just confused and unsure of whether or not I wanted to participate. It’s been a few days and now, every time I think about what happened, I can’t help but feel gross. I’m confused. I can’t decide if I feel disgusted with myself or if I feel disgusted with him. We were always such close friends and now I can hardly even talk to him. Please help.   Feeling Unsure

Dear Feeling Unsure
Disgust is a complex emotion. In a nutshell, it is annoyance or anger with something because it’s inappropriate. Let’s approach this situation from the perspective of being disgusted with yourself because you were in control of all of your behavior that night. How about we start with acknowledging that you were on a first date with someone that you like? You were NOT just hanging out with your best friend; you were in the beginning stages of a romantic relationship. Now, with that said, what did you EXPECT would happen on this date? What did you WANT to happen on this date? This is important–these are very different questions. Given that your “friend” harassed you into going on a date and then invited you to his apartment/bedroom, you should have EXPECTED that the evening would end in something sexual. It is possible that you feel disgusted with yourself because you broke the third date rule. That is, you didn’t wait until the third date to engage in some form of sexual activity. You didn’t want to embarrass your friend or make him feel uncomfortable, so you just went along with his advances. And, now you feel kinda trampy and annoyed with yourself. My guess, however, is that you WANTED something different from this date. In spite of your efforts, you realized too late that you are just not into your friend “that way” and you are mad with yourself because you can’t figure out how to get back to being “just friends.” Saying that you feel “gross” or “confused,” is a way of blaming something else for your mistake. You need to own this. Put your big girl panties on and talk to your friend about being ” just friends” again.    Dr. K

Featured Topic: JACKED UP FRIENDS

Let’s get to your questions ….

Dr. K,
My best friend since elementary school has always had a thing for my older brother. Once we hit high school and he was a junior and she was a very pretty freshman, he decided he would give the relationship a try. After going on a few dates, my brother was already head-over-heels. He even told me that they were “meant to be.” My brother isn’t usually a sentimental person, so from him, this was an extreme statement. I just knew my best friend would be thrilled to know just how much my brother liked her. Yesterday at lunch we started talking and she brought up a new classmate she thought was cute. When I asked her about my brother, she shrugged and told me she “just wasn’t really feeling it.” She doesn’t want me to say anything to my brother, but she plans to keep stringing him along because she doesn’t want to look lame showing up places without a date. I want to tell my brother so that he doesn’t get more hurt, but I also don’t want to betray my best friend. What should I do, Dr. K?   Confused Friend

Wow, Confused Friend! Your best friend is some piece of work! First she is content to lead your brother on romantically and second, she asks you to help her make a fool out of him by saying nothing. Obviously you love your brother and want to spare him some pain, but telling him about her may not yield the desired response. If he is “head over heels,” he won’t believe you if you badmouth her. She will deny it, both of them will hate you, and you will become the bad guy by default. A better option might be to get him to reevaluate the relationship by perception checking. If he says he loves her, ask him when was the last time she said I love you? When he makes excuses for her not spending time with him, ask him when was the last time she made him a priority? Encourage him to talk with her about the state of the relationship … a lot! She’s young; she’ll mess up and he’ll figure it out. And when he does, NEVER admit that you knew anything. Just support him when it’s over.   Dr. K

Superman/Wonder Woman

I love this couple SO MUCH.  DC is making a mistake going back to old, boring, married Lois and Clark–raising a young son, notwithstanding.  So I made my own coffee mug with a rare find logo.  I might get a tattoo of that logo.

Check out their story

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Now, before you “Merry Christmas” fanatics start….

How many of you have vowed to lose weight, or eat better, or work smarter, or spend more time with family on New Year’s Eve?  And how many of you have lost most of that resolve by MLK Day?  Here’s a suggestion that turns a vice into a virtue.  If you’re like me, you give and get alot of gift cards because you are too lazy to shop.  And most of the time you end up with $1-4 on that card that you cannot spend.  Whenever you find yourself in that situation, go to Gift Card Giver and donate your leftovers to someone in need.  It’s the easiest way to give while you are getting the whole year through.

Happy New Year everybody!!

Featured topic: FAMILY AND DIVORCE 2

Let’s get to your questions ….

Dr. K,
I am a 40 year-old woman and have now been divorced for one year at the end of this month. I have two children whose ages are 12 and 8 that I share custody with my ex-husband. During my twelve-year marriage with my ex-husband, he became verbally abusive towards my children and me, especially when he had been drinking. Even though I wanted to divorce him earlier in our marriage, I could not bring myself to do it because I feared for my safety and how he might react as well as I was trying to be conscious of my children’s emotional state and how it would affect their lives moving forward. Recently, I have been seeing a neighbor down the street and he is a really great guy and loves my kids. However, I am scared to tell my ex-husband that I am seeing someone out of fear of how he could potentially react. Most importantly, I am scared that he will take his anger out on our children when they are over at his house for the week. Moving forward in our post marital relationship, I want to be able to disclose information to him but I am uncertain of how much I should disclose to him. I want our relationship to be healthy for our kids so they grow up in a happy environment, but I am scared if I tell him the wrong things it could result in him trying to divide our family and make the children pick a side of who they want to live with. Should my children and I continue to keep my dating relationship a secret, or should I tell him now and not risk him finding out on his own and making the situation worse? Dr K, what is appropriate for us to disclose to each other and what should we keep to ourselves? Please help!!  Mother in Distress

Dear Mother in Distress,
You sound like a woman who is still living the trauma of a former relational life. Therefore, I am going to suggest that you seek counseling or the support of a strong network of friends and/or family as you continue your transition out of your marriage. Generally speaking, I am not one who believes much in therapy, but in your case, I don’t think you will be able to follow thru with my advice without professional guidance and/or support. Now, about your question … HELL NO, DO NOT TELL YOUR EX ANYTHING. You are no longer married to that man; he does not need to know about anything that goes on in your household or personal life. Talk about child support and the kids–that’s it. Instruct the kids not to say anything about your personal life or you in general to their father. And don’t ask them anything about their father’s life when they return from visits with him. I’m not saying this just because he was abusive to you and your kids (although that should be reason enough), or because I don’t want you to have a healthy relationship with your ex-husband. I’m saying this because you and your kids need time to heal from his prior abuse. You need more time to become a strong, independent woman/lover/friend/mother before you can think about forging a healthy, post marriage relationship with him. How long will it take? Until you no longer care or fear his reactions to what you say and do.  Dr. K

Featured topic: SWEARING AT WORK

Let’s get to your questions ….

Dr. K,

I am a college student at UNCW. I have been working at a new job for a few weeks now and things have started to get awkward. My boss, who is a woman and has been working at this business for many years, constantly swears in the workplace and usually in inappropriate situations. Many of my coworkers have come to me saying to “shrug it off.” I am not sure if this is normal to them or not, but they do not seem to have a problem with it. In a normal situation this would not bother me so much, but this is not what I expected in my workplace atmosphere. I was hoping that my boss swearing would not affect me as much as it has, but it is starting to reach a tipping point and I am not sure what I should do. For me, it is startling that my female boss is swearing so much on the job and I think it is already affecting the quality of my work. Maybe I would expect it more if it were a man. Am I wrong to think that? Do you think it would be a good idea to report her to the superiors in the company like my conscious wants me to do, confront my boss directly, go with the flow, or just quit? Dr. K, what do I do?  Worried Worker

Dear Worried Worker,
This hits a little close to home, but I think I can help. Which one offends you most–swearing on the job? Female supervisor swearing on the job? Or, female supervisor swearing on the job and no one else cares? I don’t think it’s the first option, though it should be. If you feel that swearing at work is inappropriate, then it’s inappropriate no matter who does it. Shame on you for your double standard. Given that it’s the second one, you should talk to your boss about it IN PRIVATE. Ask for a meeting, tell her that her profanity is affecting your work (NOT that women shouldn’t do it!) and ask her to curb it in your presence. Then give her time to comply. If she obviously looks like she doesn’t care what you think, chat with the company supervisors. NEVER go over your supervisor’s head BEFORE you’ve aired a grievance with her/him. Now, let’s assume it’s the third case–your female supervisor swears on the job and no one else seems to care. You may want to start looking for another job. Generally, coworkers and supervisors have little empathy for people made uncomfortable by behavior that is not against company policy or illegal. And, because you have made your disdain for her behavior public, those that like her may/will choose to make your work life more uncomfortable. Whatever you choose to do, do not “go with the flow.” Maintain your professionalism and do whatever you chose to do QUIETLY.  Dr. K

Featured topic: “CATFISH”

Let’s get to your questions ….

Dear Dr. K,
My best friend is not used to getting much attention from boys. She is the shy type, so she doesn’t really put herself out there enough to get noticed. Earlier this month, she got a message on Facebook from a cute boy that is not one of her “friends.” He said a friend recommend he get to know her better. At first she was a little weary of this stranger and they only talked about surface-level things like home and school, but when he started to tell her more things about himself, she did the same. She stopped letting me read their conversations and would actually turn her phone away when they were Facebook messaging because it was “private”. I try to tell her it’s a little sketchy that he can never meet up with her. She wants to, but he makes excuses every time! We are all familiar with the show Catfish….and I think it’s extremely weird that she started sharing so much personal information with this boy so fast without ever meeting him!!! I don’t want her to get hurt because like I said, she doesn’t get this kind of attention often. But, I also know she would not be sharing this kind of information with a boy if she was getting to know him in person. How can I very nicely tell her this “relationship” needs to stop?  Help Dr. K!  Concerned best friend

Dear Concerned best friend,
Why do you want to take your friend’s online relationship away from her? She met a guy she’s into and he seems to dig her too. She’s finally found a relationship context where her shyness doesn’t hold her back from getting to know a guy she likes. And you think that’s bad? OK, so he’s not ready to take the relationship offline yet. Can you really blame him? The two been talking less than a month and have shared some pretty deep information. It’s easy to talk about yourself to someone when you don’t have to risk witnessing his/her disapproval of something that you’ve said. Lot’s of people meet online and communicate that way for years for that reason. Some of them get married and live happily ever after. Stop trying to run this for your friend. This is HER relationship, NOT YOURS–butt out! Besides, it’s not your job to protect her from herself. You cannot keep her from getting hurt. ALL relationships hurt when they end and ALL of them eventually end by choice or circumstance. If avoiding hurt was the goal of any romantic relationship, we would never get in them. I’m sure your friend is a smart girl; let her experiment on her own.  Dr. K

Featured topic: PERCEPTIONS

Dear Dr. K,
I am entering my second (sophomore) year here at XXXX and feel as if my social circle of friends is falling apart drastically. I came to XXXX not knowing anyone. To help find people I thought that I would mesh well with, I went to many club meetings in my first few weeks. I hit it off with some people in the sailing club and proceeded to become very good friends with them. Things were going great until this summer when my parents informed me that the club was too expensive for them to help me pay for, leaving myself to pay for the $500 cost per semester.
This would grow to be a much bigger problem than just a financial one. As I said earlier, I feel at risk of losing all of the friends I worked hard to make here at school. By being unable to be in the sailing club, I am unable to hang out with my good friends. I was afraid to tell them that i would not be in the club so I just kept it quiet. Eventually they all asked why I no longer showed up to the docks to meet. I tried to tell them that it was a financial situation, but I received very little sympathy from them. They have never been in a situation where money was a problem, so when they heard me using this as an excuse, they just attributed it to me being stuck up and stingy/not wanting to hang with them. In return, I attributed their misunderstanding as looking down on me for not having money-this came to a climax last week when I got into an argument with one of my friends over the matter. Dr. K, what can i do to clear up the waters and mend this situation. I still want to be friends with them, I just don’t want them to think I am avoiding them for a different reason. Can you help?   Cool Winds Sailing

Dear Cool Winds Sailing
That’s a good question. I can understand this kind of conflict over a lie, but you are in trouble because you told the truth. Hmm …. Maybe you need to think about WHY your friends can’t accept the truth. You know, what sort of thought processes got them to “you are stuck up and stingy therefore you don’t want to hang out with them?” Maybe your friends can’t understand why you’d rather avoid them than find a way to make more money so you can continue hanging out with them. In the past, did you ever act like money was an issue for you? Did you ever beg off of picking up the tab for beer or food due to a lack of funds? Did you ever bad-mouth your obvious need for a job? Maybe your friends can’t admit that they are lame and NEED sailing club events to meet people. Don’t you all have anything else in common? Do they know ANYBODY outside of the sailing club? Look, my advice to you is get a job making the $500 a month needed for club expenses or come up with a less expensive way to spend together. Real friends find a way to work stuff like this out.  Dr. K

FUN FACTOIDS TO KNOW AND SHARE

Golf vs. Greed

Do you know who in 1923 was:
President of the largest steel company?
President of the largest gas company?
President of the New York Stock Exchange?
The greatest wheat speculator?
President of the Bank of International Settlement?
The “Great Bear” of Wall Street?

Considered some of the world’s “most successful” men , they really only found the secret of making huge amounts of money. Now, more than 75 years later, here’s what became of them:

The President of the largest steel company, Charles Schwab, died a pauper.
The President of the largest gas company, Edward Hopson, died insane.
The President of the N.Y.S.E., Richard Whitney, was released from prison to die at home.
The greatest wheat speculator, Arthur Cooger, died abroad, penniless.
The President of the Bank of International Settlement shot himself.
The Great Bear of Wall Street, Cosabee Rivermore, died of suicide.

The same year, 1923, the winner of the most important golf championships, Gene Sarazan, won the U.S. Open and PGA Tournaments. Until he recently passed away quietly in his sleep, he was still playing golf and was solvent.

Potential Conclusion: Don’t be greedy; play golf.

HAPPY DAY OF HAPPINESS!!!!!

The United Nations has proclaimed today International Day of Happiness.  In honor of that, we have been asked to participate in a social media campaign.  So, if you have a Twitter or Facebook account, let your friends and followers know what song makes you happy and/or smile.  Mine is a blast from the past!

PRICELESS!