Just an average guy, screaming into the void, hoping for an echo in return.

When I introduce myself in a friendly social setting I tend to say I'm a recovering people-pleaser. It's my icebreaker. Bear with a little Saturday morning oversharing. I promise there's a point at the end. Other than a mild teenage rebellion stage, for most of my life I did what was expected of me. From my childhood to the day I left the service, I generally toed the line; and to be honest, was greatly rewarded for it. I lived to help others, even if it came at my expense. I saw it as honorable. As noble. Sacrifice for others = selfless and good. Sacrifice for myself = selfish and bad. And since I had done it since childhood, I didn't know or want to know any other way. But since retiring from the military four years ago, I began doing deep self-reflection. With the guidance of great friends and mentors, I went from "we" to "me." This post was inspired by Bruce Thompson, . He wrote an amazing post yesterday about how he lives his life and i

 Happy Fall 2024. What's your favorite part of the Fall Jose? Well, I'm glad you asked. Sweaters, of course. Oh, and when SeriusXM starts their Christmas music mid-Fall.

  You're welcome. 

  Can you imagine us having this conversation ten years ago? A former president, now candidate for president, being targeted by two assassination attempts? One which drew blood? We'd likely be in utter shock. It would feel like a historical low for our nation. And while the news cycle ate this last attempt on former president Donald Trump up for a few days, it's already starting to fade into short updates or the second story on national news. It'll be third story or after the first break in a few days from now. This is absolutely unprecedented, and so is the response. We're not only numb to it, we welcome it. Tens of thousands of people are not only celebrating the attempt, but amusingly asking how it's possible the gunmen keep missing. "How can you miss a big, round target like that?" said one X user. Another said "just give me the gun. I'll do it." TikTok influencers are openly joyous about the attempts and some call for more until it's

  I'm going to say it, I'm not a fan of "group" month observances. I know many people believe our nation is far worse off than it was during the Jim Crow era when it comes to diversity relations, but honestly I think that's absolutely laughable. I believe it's incredibly important to celebrate diverse groups, but to the extend that they've added to our national fabric. You don't need a month for that. When you force people to "celebrate" something, you're tying its value to the time you're celebrating. I want to be celebrated as an American who happens to be of Hispanic heritage, who's family brought their unique culture and added it to the spices of our melting pot, as part of my day-to-day life. I want to celebrate others who's families brought their unique flavors to our nation, on a day-to-day basis as well. Having said that, if you're going to have a Hispanic Heritage Month, then at least do it right. Make it meaningf

    ***Gets on soapbox: Artificial Intelligence is just a marketing term. Sort of like sugar-free soda. Not always, but often. Artificial Intelligence is everywhere. It's being used in all sorts of software, apps, web searches, etc. What most people seem not to know is most AI isn't actually AI. It's just regular old programming, done AI'ish. AI requires taking information and creating something novel based off more than just calculations, but actual understanding. If it doesn't understand, process, and respond intentionally, then it isn't AI. Programs that process information and spit out pre-programmed responses, regardless of how life-like or genuine, have existed for decades. They're indispensable to every aspect of our modern world. Just because an app creates a photo mash-up doesn't make it AI.   ***Gets off soapbox.