Picture taken by Kat, and much appreciated by me...

The reason I remember my answer is due to Calli, my four-year-old-tomorrow. Her eyes shot up, looked deep in to mine and said, “Not ‘yes-and-no’. Just yes. It’s always just yes.”

Since her birth, there has been no shortage of wonderful lessons she has given me, but this one gave me some serious thoughts.

Why do we so often settle for yes-and-no?

• Do you love your job?
• Are you where you want to be in life?
• Does every day end with a sense of fulfillment?

I’m certain I could go on and on. Why shouldn’t we be able to give a definitive yes or no? Why shouldn’t we seek out the yeses?

I related in an earlier post how I feel that I am going through a regeneration. I am changing things about my life and myself that I hope will bring a more fulfilling existence to my family as well as to me. Her statement “Not yes and no!” Echoed in my mind as that’s exactly what I am now trying to accomplish: finding the yeses and avoiding the noes.

And above all else, deciding definitively yes or no and not settling.

This post brought to you by Dad-Blogs' FatherHood Friday. Be sure to swing by for all the other great Dads and Moms who love to share their lives online!

Seth recently wrote a post called The non-optimized life.

If you haven’t seen his blog, you wouldn’t call it optimized by any stretch of the imagination. He rarely posts a picture, and when he does it is only to illustrate his point.

He doesn’t allow comments and he doesn’t use excessive links.

He’s a busy man, and it’s a wonder that he blogs at all, let alone daily.

He uses social networking in ways that maximizes his exposure without wasting his time.

This highly successful marketer/business man/author has taught this Daddy Blogger something very important:

I like to think that I’ve optimized my life by using Twitter to update my Facebook, or using Social Oomph to broadcast that I’ve written a new post every two hours on the day it’s posted.

But I still write all of those posts. Each message, even at 140 characters or less, represent time. Time I could have spent with my wife and kids. Time I could have been using improving myself.

My wife and I have discussed these ideas since I began this blog a year and a half ago. I’ve justified that time countless ways. It increases traffic, I’m making friends, it benefits my writing by helping me write quickly and directly.

As life moves forward, I see these justifications less as explanations and more as excuses. Actually, not just as excuses, but procrastination from doing the real work. The real work of finding myself and my family living lives that we can all be proud of.

Blogging and tweeting will slow, but the quality bar will be raised. If you enjoy what you see here, please subscribe to my RSS feed, because I won’t be telling you every two hours that I’ve blogged. Hopefully, I’ll find a voice worth listening to, and like Seth Godin, optimization (i.e. begging you to read me) will no longer be necessary.

You’ll just want to be here.

I’m about to hit ‘publish’ on this post at 11:00 pm on the Saturday night before the final game of the World Cup. I’d say when it comes to non-optimization, I’m off to a great start!

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Ah, Independence Day. There's nothing more patriotic than watching a giant mothership blowing up our nation's capital...

In Avon, CO., they can’t wait to blow stuff up. That’s why, on July 3, thousands of people gather at Nottingham Park for the Salute to the USA celebration, which boasts the Rocky Mountains’ biggest firework display.

Unfortunately, I had to work last night and missed the whole thing. But Kat got to go and took some awesome pics using her Casio Exilim G* that served her well in Australia. (Those pics are coming soon, I’ll be posting them over several days after the holiday.)

So, without further ado, join me in vicariously enjoying the biggest fireworks display of the Rockies.

Oooooooo...

Aaaaaaahhhhh....

OK, I'll stop...

Happy 4th, everybody! Be safe out there…**

*This blog was not endorsed by the city of Avon, Twentieth Century Fox, or Casio.

**Speaking of safety, for family friendly and safe online patriotic fun, give these Patriot’s Games a try! (Click the pic!)

In messages of 160 characters or less, I’ve learned that she repelled off of cliffs at the Blue Mountains, toured the Sidney Opera House and Parliament, visited aquariums and zoos, held a Koala, swam under a waterfall, and ate kangaroo, crocodile, and (live!!) green ants.

But I can’t wait to hear the stories. She hung out with aborigines and stayed with a family that’s as in to Asian culture as she is.

The drive home should be exciting.

Thanks to all that supported us in getting her to the Land Down Under, I’ll be sure to pass on some stories (and pics!)

Thanks again!

This post brought to you by Dad-Blogs' FatherHood Friday. Be sure to swing by for all the other great Dads and Moms who love to share their lives online!

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• Messages From The Land Down Under, and Miscellaneous Friday Ramblings… (howefitz.com)

All contents copyright 2008-2009 Justin Howe.

We’ve been communicating through text and the leader has been emailing us, so unfortunately, there are no pictures yet. They are in and out of phone service, and don’t have access to email very often, but here’s what I know so far:

They have repelled off of the Blue Mountains, swam at the Olympic Park, toured the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Aquarium, visited the Opal Museum, took a cruise of Sydney Harbor, visited the Parliament House, swam at Edith Falls, visited Aborigines, and Kat wrestled a sheep.

Let me tell you, I’m uber-jealous. I just texted Kat, and she said she won against the sheep, by the way. I can’t wait to see the pics!

———————————————————————————————-

• Stateside, I’m still working on that regeneration I talked about earlier, with some of the life changes possibly interrupting my launch of the webcomic. Trust me when I say everything will be better for it…
• Speaking of webcomics, I have been surfing around for others that have a family-friendly feel. If you haven’t seen these, check them out:
  • Red’s Planet
  • Dog Eat Doug
  • The Bean
  • My Cardboard Life
• Calli doesn’t seem to be that jazzed about T-Ball… when she’s there. At home, she can’t wait to go again.
• Tristin is really testing out his legs, and has even taken a couple of steps! He’ll be running marathons any day now…

This post brought to you by Dad-Blogs' FatherHood Friday. Be sure to swing by for all the other great Dads and Moms who love to share their lives online!

That’s all I have for today, be sure to stop by Dad-Blogs for more Fatherhood Friday fun, and have a great weekend!

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Phone booth, glasses, last of his kind... OMG! The Doctor is Superman!

It truly is amazing how a silly T.V. show can get you to thinking about life.

I am currently in mourning. I’m mourning the loss of a fictional character. What makes this behavior on my part even worse, is that said fictional character has the ability to ‘regenerate’, causing him to live, albeit in varying forms, possibly forever.

Yesterday, I lost the Doctor.

It wasn’t a surprise. I knew it was the end. The rest of the world has already mourned and moved on. They’re enjoying Matt Smith, I’ve seen the tweets.

But the mourning process is very real and very ‘now’ for me. And just as with any other loss, I find myself thinking about things differently.

The great thing about David Tennant‘s entire run was his incredible enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is something the Doctor should have in spades. His enthusiasm for human life and the whole of creation is inspiring. No matter what obstacles, aliens, or seemingly unsolvable problem the Doctor faces, he does so with a smile and a lot of determination (and a wisecrack or two).

Recently I feel that I am in one of those cliffhanger moments in my life where I’m not totally sure where to go next. I wish I could just snap on my glasses and whip out a sonic screwdriver. But since I can’t, it’s great that I do have fantastic companions to help me along…

As you can see from the pictures I’ve chosen so far, the Doctor has had more companions than regenerations of himself.

I have several companions as well. My wife has got to be the closest person to a companion the Doctor would choose that I’ve ever met. Not only is she brilliantly smart and great in a tight spot, she serves as an excellent moral compass as well. She’s not just my moral compass, but a practicality one. Sometimes I get it in my head to go off and do something half cocked, and she brings me back to Earth, with an even better and more effective idea.

The Doctor's daughter, Jenny.

My other companions, of course, are my kids.

My kids are my rocks. There is nothing better than coming home to see Tristin’s smiling face, or Calli asking ‘Daddy, can you play with me?’ They remind me why I do what I do each day. More importantly, they remind me why I want to do it.

I’m not sure what it was about the end of the tenth Doctor that got me to very nearly cry at a science fiction show. (Real men don’t cry at things like that, but I did get a rather large lump in my throat.)

It could have been the writing, which expressed, I’m sure, the sentiment of the audience and the cast and crew as the Doctor said sadly, ‘I don’t want to go.’ It could have simply been David’s amazing acting.

But it was more than likely the thoughts of my own life that struck the deepest chord. It never ceases to amaze me how sci-fi and fantasy can have that effect on me. On the outside, these stories are about amazing aliens, strange new worlds, and epic galactic battles, but the good stories draw from your thoughts, memories, and sometimes nightmares.

The REAL dedication of this post goes to...

As I watched the Doctor regenerate, taking the TARDIS itself out with him, I thought about how life is a lot like that. As we evolve ourselves, it effects those around us. As we evolve and change ourselves, the people that are most dear to us seem to change as well. Sometimes people grow apart, some relationships become tighter than ever. The people in our lives shape who we are as well. Choose your friends wisely.

I have no idea how this next chapter in my life will wind up. It could be not all that different, or I could feel like I’ve been flung to the far reaches of space and time.

But unlike the Doctor, I have family all around me to guide me.

Who needs a TARDIS with a gift like that?

…(OK, I would still love my own TARDIS. )

What Would The Doctor Do?

This post brought to you by Dad-Blogs' FatherHood Friday. Be sure to swing by for all the other great Dads and Moms who love to share their lives online!

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Fired up and ready to go!

So. I had the pleasure of taking Kat to the Denver airport yesterday, where she began her trek to Australia! She was pretty nervous, though if she knew I told you my life would be over, so keep it on the DL, OK?

In honor of this great opportunity for her, and a flimsy attempt at saying I’m doing ‘research’ for my upcoming webcomic, Howefitz Sequential, here is a list of the top five Australian cartoon characters:

5. Felix the Cat

Felix, Inky, and Winky in 'April Maze'. image via Wikipedia Commons

According to Wikipedia (What? How do YOU do research these days?), there’s some controversy surrounding the creator of Felix the Cat. Many historians believe it was American animator Otto Messmer who created the first cartoon character able to draw movie audiences. But the owner of the character, Australian cartoonist Pat Sullivan claimed he was the creator. Since Felix started in silent films, no one has heard his accent to know for sure…

4. Wolverine

'G'Day, Bub!'

Wait a minute, Justin! You’re supposed to be some kind of expert at these things. Everybody knows that Wolverine is a canuck! Epic fail, bro.

Not so fast. In the animated television pilot, Pryde of the X-Men, Wolverine is heard speaking with an Australian accent and calling random characters ‘dingo’. He was also played by Australian actor Hugh Jackman in the films, giving him more ties to the Land Down Under. PLUS since Weapon X messed up his head with all those memory implants, can we ever know for sure where Logan came from? ‘James Howlett’, indeed…

3. Dingo of ‘The Pack’

Who didn’t feel a thrill of excitement when the Gargoyles would tussle with the Pack? And any time Dingo was involved, you knew that the Gargoyles were going to have a tough time getting out of that one!

When he turned against the Pack and decided to fight for law and order in Australia, you couldn’t help but sympathize with the guy for all he went through with his crazy Pack teammates. Good on ya, Dingo!

2. Tasmanian Devil

Getting humiliated by rascally rabbits isn’t the only danger the Tasmanian Devil faces. The real Tasmanian Devil, found in Australia, suffers a rare cancer that causes contagious facial tumors and threatens to eliminate the species. In May of 2009, they were declared endangered.

Taz IRL

According to an article in the Independent entitled ‘Taz: How A Cartoon Character Has Come To The Rescue Of A Threatened Species’, Warner Bros. Studios are working with Australian scientists to help save the inspiration for their beloved Looney Tunes character. With any luck, the Tasmanian Devil can escape the fate of it’s cousin, the Tasmanian Tiger.

…And the number one Australian cartoon character in this blogger’s humble opinion?

1. Rocko

Who wouldn’t love to hang out with a comic book reading wallaby? Plus, his dog Spunky eats fingernail trimmings. Rocko goes to amusement parks featuring elevators to Hell and shows no fear. (Well, maybe a little fear…) Rocko is the embodiment of everything an animated nerd hero can be.

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Today’s the day that Kat leaves for Australia.

I’m so jealous I could burst…