Fishing

My one goal this Memorial Day weekend was to catch up on sleep and to get up early and go fishing. I suppose I accomplished both of these things. I definitely caught up on my sleep. I went fishing on two separate occasions. The first time was in the evening on Saturday night. I had the opportunity to hang out with my dad. I don't think I have ever been fishing with my dad and not caught a fish. It's the weirdest thing. He taught me everything I know about fishing: how to re-string a reel, how to tie the perfect unbreakable knot, how to hold them after you catch them so they won't make you bleed your own blood, etc.

Along with these necessities I also learned that fishing isn't just about catching fish. There are days when I have been able to cast within an inch of a fallen tree (The perfect cast) and not caught anything. Then there have been times when I accidentally cast behind my head and I caught one of the biggest fish in my life. That's what great about it. It isn't supposed to be a mentally tormenting and stressful activity. It's a peaceful time when you can let all of your troubles slide away, feel the sun on your neck, the slight breeze blow through your hair, and just relax. I'm not saying that it isn't frustrating from time to time, but one of the greatest things I learned from watching my dad fish was that I can fish for hours on end without getting a hit and still enjoy it.

I get a little upset from time to time when I fish with people who are only happy when they are "biting". I guess they just don't get it. I got up at 6:00 this morning and headed out to the lake with a couple of friends of mine. I never had a bite. I was just glad that each of them caught a couple of fish. The only thing that frustrated me was when they wanted to leave. I know it isn't their fault, but I had really been looking forward to this weekend of fishing.

I can't wait until the day when I am a father (or an uncle... Kristen) *wink wink* and I can pass on the subtle yet complex mysteries of life that are embedded in the pastime that is fishing.

p.s. My mom has caught a bigger bass than me and my dad, but don't tell anyone I told you. :)

I work at a bank, so for the past few weeks we've had a 300% increase in incoming call volume due to the Economic Stimulus payments being direct deposited into our customers' accounts. We were all so tired of hearing about it, so I decided to write a poem to help lighten the mood in my workplace. Enjoy!

Stimulus Check
by Brian B

We'll all hang nooses 'round our necks
If we hear one more word about Stimulus Checks.
The people in charge came up with great plans
To save the people of our lands.
They raise our hopes and make real our dreams...
At least to me that's how it seems.
The nation calls day after day
And what we get to hear them say
Is "When the 'blank' should I expect
To get my 'blankety blank blank' check?".
We feel their pain, we hear their cries;
We comfort them with simple lies.
We pray to all the stars above
That they will go to IRS.GOV
And see it is not we who measure
Whether or not they receive their treasure.
These past three weeks, Brian admits,
Have absolutely been the pits.
I won't be sorry, not one speck,
Once everyone gets their Stimulus Check.

Night Owl

I've always been a night owl. At least as long as I can remember. I never really thought about it much until a year or so ago. I guess when you get older you start thinking about things differently. I remember when I was little, I had friends who knew that I was scared of monsters and ghosts and stuff because I wasn't really exposed to them. They would shove me in the bathroom at school, turn the light out and chant "Bloody Mary". They would tell me that it wasn't the current in a local lake that caused people to drown, but that it was built on an Indian burial ground and the souls of the angry dead were pulling people under the water to their deaths. My favorite was when my best friend told me not to have any part of my body hanging off the bed at midnight or Freddy Krueger would grab me and pull me to Hell. Ha! Kids can be cruel, but at least I can laugh about it now. I actually think it made me a stronger person in the long run.

Anywho, the fact that I was stiff as a board in the dead center of my bed and couldn't sleep soundly until I knew that it was after midnight may have affected my biological clock to be more alert at night. I am an absolute zombie when I wake up in the morning. I basically have the exact same routine every morning and have learned to do it subconsciously. I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but when I do drink it in the early morning it doesn't phase me one bit. Night time is the best time to write in my opinion anyway. The world is still and peaceful, unless it's tornado season. :) I am pretty sure I will be a night owl for the rest of my life.