Fun Ride.  Vanessa rollerbladed with me all the way back.  10.83 miles

She kept a great pace and on the flats was averaging 16.5 mph.

After sitting for about a minute, the flight attendant came on giving her usual routine about wearing the seatbelt low and tight across your hip, or exit rows, etc, however, her presentation was different and you could tell she truly loved her job. Her name was Candy, Candy Jones and she seemed to have some of that Texas swagger that you are probably all aware of. She was a fiesty little red head with a deadly smile and a wonderful laugh. She made the comment about, “…those of you traveling with children or infants,” and there was a pause, filled with a laugh and then, “Really, you brought your kids…seriously, you are going to vegas. What were you thinking?” I busted out laughing and Candy made eye contact with me and from that point on, I knew our flight relationship was solidified for the 1 hour and 10 minute flight to vegas, meaning that I understood her and she understood me.

The flight was uneventful and Candy did what she did best. She entertained her people and loved her job. There was a minor situation, from across the aisle from me and it was this little girl, who was adorable, but must have been high. She could not stop laughing. Well she could, but her mother was egging her on. It wasn’t a heartfelt laugh, but a forced one. I have to admit, I am not a big fan, if you are an adult or a child. Eventually we landed and all was well. We arrived at the gate a few minutes early and were off the plane very quickly. I caught up with Ms. Candy on the way up the jetway and we talked for a brief moment. She made some comments that made me laugh and I told her I would love to write about her in my blog, and she said “write away, My name is Candy Jones”. I gave her my blog address and we were on our way. So Candy, If you are out there and reading this, I hope you are having a fantastic day. You are an inspiration for all. We all need to follow your example. If you don’t love what you do, Do something else.

So I got the VIP treatment at MGM (first time) and I really liked it. I was picked up by limo and given royal treatment at MGM. Props to John, the door man/greeter, who was exceptionally friendly and had a bit of Peter Faulk talk about him. So I am back in Vegas and always love my time here. You are allowed to be crazy, silly, funny and pretty much whatever you want here. Some observations I will leave you with.

1. Don’t think when in Vegas, just drink. I think this should be the new motto here

2. Some children shouldn’t fly. Maybe their parents need a lesson in parenting

3. Vegas has lots of “paid talent”. The girls across from our table couldn’t have been more than 21. I guess if you are okay with it, its a good way to pay your rent

4. Vegas is doing all these 1/2 off specials. I think that is true with the paid talent. Its like a buy one, get one free. Or maybe it’s if you buy one, “can my friend come too” Who knows?

5. I still think 6 am is the best time to meander through a casino. You see all the party animals coming back from a successful night of spending money and losing sleep. The gamblers are on fire or on their last dime. The cocktail waitresses are tired and can’t wait to get home to crawl into their beds and sleep. In 24 hours the cycle will repeat without fail. It is a systematic process that has gone on for years.

Hope you have a great day and find some great observations of your own.

Until next time…

I know some of you are saying, “Really, you live in california and you can’t ride a skateboard?”. The answer is up til yesterday, no. I am 39 years old and there are things I haven’t done. Skydiving, surfing well, ridden a unicycle, and many others. I decided to write about it because the truth is you are only too set in your ways in your mind. If you think you can do something, then you can do it. Don’t let age be a deciding factor for you, just get out there and try it. You might like it.

I am happy to say that I have no bruises, cuts scrapes or unnecessary visits to the hospital. Thanks to my friend and training, I am alive and well. I got to see an amazing sunset and had a great afternoon playing smashball in the process.

Until next time…

–

If your up for the challenge, then so am I. I anxiously await your call.

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, ‘How heavy is this glass of water?’ Answers called out ranged from 8oz. To 20oz.

The lecturer replied, ‘The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.’

‘If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance.’

‘In each case it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.’

He continued, ‘And that’s the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.’

‘As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. ‘

‘So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work/life down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.’

‘Whatever burdens you’re carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you’ve rested.

Life is short.. Enjoy!’

And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

1 * Accept that some days you’re the pigeon,
and some days you’re the statue.

2 * Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

3 * Always read stuff that will make you look
good if you die in the middle of it.

4 * Drive carefully. It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.

5 * If you can’t be kind, at least have the
decency to be vague.

6 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

7 * It may be that your sole purpose in life is
simply to serve as a warning to others.

8 * Never buy a car you can’t push.

9 * Never put both feet in your mouth at the
same time, because then you won’t have a
leg to stand on..

10 *Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.

11 *Since it’s the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

12 *The second mouse gets the cheese.

13 *When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.

14 *Birthdays are good for you. The more you
have, the longer you live.

15 *You may be only one person in the world,
but you may also be the world to one
person.

16 *Some mistakes are too much fun to only
make once.

17 *We could learn a lot from crayons. Some
are sharp, some are pretty and some are
dull.. Some have weirdnames and all
are different colors, but they all have to
live in the same box.

18 *A truly happy person is one who can
enjoy the scenery on a detour.

* * Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today ! ! ! * *

Kim is the second person that passed this year and so it hit close to home since it affected many of my “cycling” friends. The one thing that was apparent throughout the service was the love of her friends. After the service was over, there was a gathering on the property at the Mission San Luis Rey (http://www.sanluisrey.org/), where people shared stories of Kim and of her love and compassion and what an amazing person she was. In hearing all the stories, it was hard to hold back the tears. Young and old alike rekindled stories of Kim’s generosity and loving spirit.

At the conclusion of the day, I decided to introduce myself to her fiance, Chris Gierman, who is just a fantastic guy with a great heart. I explained to him that I never met Kim, but I could tell by her photos that she was a warm, generous and loving individual. I shared that even though I didn’t know her that well, in some way she touched me, like I was meant to be at this service to see all these people and to meet Chris and experience the love of all her family and friends. I wanted to get up and give a kind word at the mic, but decided to let those who really knew her praise and remember this amazing woman.

I realized at this event, that we are joined by our connections in this life. The people we are rude to, or smile to, the ones we laugh with and the ones we cry with. We have to learn to cherish the connections and remove the false sense of pride that may exist. We are all here to help one another and there is no winner at the end. Just because you had a big house, fancy car and lots of money, doesn’t mean you lived a good life, for it is a measure of a man or woman by what they do with the inheritance.

Kim was a wonderful person, with a big smile and a sort of , Natalie Wood beauty and presence about her. Everyone there was celebrating her life and agreed that she would be sorely missed. She lived the life that we all talk about living, like being altruistic, and giving of ones self. She supported those that needed her and she tried to make the world a better place. There was a quote that was spoken and it is serenely beautiful. It is from Maya Angelou and it reads:

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”

From what I learned, Kim made everyone feel amazing, beautiful, loved and wanted. I hope that I can live in that shadow and help other feel the same way. Although we never met, Kim has left a lasting impression on my heart.

So for the woman that I never met and the smile that I will never forget, you will be in my thoughts as well as my heart. You did not leave us, for you left a piece of yourself with all of us. If you want to get to know more about Kim, please visit her memorial page.

Until next time…

Yesterday was an amazing day and even though i am financially undesirable or considered a “liability” in societies eyes, I still try to make the best of it. I have never been in this place and just trying to admire it all. My battles with money and having stable income has been a challenge to say the least for many years. Never before have i looked into a void and said “I have no friggin clue how all this happened, nor do I fathom an outcome”, but I keep showing up. I keep doing what I think the universe wants me to do and that is to help and guide others and it seems to be working. You see I am just like many people out there, I have a car note that is two months late, school loans that aren’t being paid, rent that is overdue, back taxes that I cannot pay, and no savings to back me up. I am, however, learning to just be, in the absence of what I thought was real, in what I thought I was supposed to really care about and be in the moment. I cannot stress about what isn’t, I can only breath and enjoy what is.

Yesterdays sunset was a reminder of that. I decided late to go see a sunset up at Beacons and I got there in perfect time. I had some great music on by Greg Laswell and the notes seemed to correspond with the colors of the sky. I could have been there a minute, or an eternity and to me, it was totally mesmerizing.

(The pictures don’t really do it justice. The second one was amazing because of the reflection of the pinks and reds on the ocean, made even the water reflect the color. )

My point in all this is that we aren’t in control of our lives. No matter how much we try to think we are, its not possible. You can think all the wonderful thoughts you want, try and manifest the best life you want, but the stark reality is, your life, as cliche as it is, “is what it is”. Try to find the good in it and stop being a critic and start being. Live life and enjoy the connections you make along the way. Give thanks for the meals you get and the roof over your head and be thankful for the blessings you get along the journey.

Until next time…

So I just found out that You tube is accepting video from all its subscribers today in an effort to collect footage for the 2011 Sundance film festival. I decided to take part in this as I love to photograph and video things (as you all know from my blog and facebook). Mine is going to be about things I love (life in general). As I started filming this, I realized the power of silence and nature. By not saying anything sometimes, I am speaking volumes in just letting nature be heard. The chirp of a bird on a fencepost, the low rumble of of tires on cars on the highway, the voices of people talking but not distinguishable over morning coffee, the crash of the waves on the shore.

My life has been a big question mark over these past few months. Im not sure what all the purpose of existence is (please do not freak out, I am not remotely suicidal or want to end my life). I am just curious the meaning of it all. Why were we put here? If we were designed to live amongst nature, why are we not? We seem to long for things that an over zealous box, with noise and voices, tells us we need. We build bigger houses and drive fancier cars. We do not stop to draw breath from the cool crisp morning air. We congregate in masses at “Starbucks” for a sense of longing, to feel needed and hopefully chart the days events over a cup of coffee that 10 years ago we used to brew at home, yet now we seem incapable of making and desire to pay $1.85 as to feel accepted and important.

I see the struggles of mankind over what job he or she has or the lack thereof and the valuation that we have placed on our lives based on our work and love status. Are we less of a human without work? Do we matter so much less in absence of a real, physical relationship with offspring and large diamond rings to validate the so called existence of love in the world? We seem to hunger for the all mighty dollar because without it we cannot be considered good and decent in the world, rather society sees us as a drain on society. Companies are holding on to billions of dollars and not reinvesting because they don’t know what the future holds, but I ask them, I ask any of you, “Who does know what tomorrow brings?” Does your God really know? Does Allah really know? Does the universe really know? I think not, you see the truth of the matter is none of us knows. We live behind the veil of fear, the fear that all that we have worked for, all that we have ever done or earned, will be taken away from us. We try to convince ourselves that God has a special plan for us, or that we were placed here for a special purpose when in reality, if you look at logic, there is no reason for us to do anything other than be.

You see mankind has a way of screwing up what nature has given us. Mankind was never meant to walk the earth in the form and knowledge that we walk in today. We were warned about eating from the tree of knowledge, yet we did so anyway. We are curious and in nature we need to know things that we did not really need to know. We created electricity and the wheel and made improvements to them along the way. We learned about power and manipulation and we built empires that could rule the masses. Whether or not you want to admit it in your lifetime, this world we live in is dominated by power and control. You will never be truly free until you let go of that, no matter what form it comes in. Religion, government, schools… It has no bearing on who you should truly be. You see Religion tries to tell you that there is a supreme God that reigns above and he loves you and that he wants you to love everyone, unless they don’t follow you or your religious leaders interpretation of the supreme holy book (Quoran, Bible, Tanakh). The government tells you that you should work, and pay taxes and support the law by doing what is right. If you do not work and fit in with the rest of the world, then you are bad and a drain on society and a “waste of taxpayers money”, and the funny thing is that we built the system of constraints and follow it to a tee without regard to ever changing that system. We in a sense, built a system that would tell us that we are worthless unless we are giving back to the good of the government and doing right by the law. Schools tell us to think as rational people, so long as your ideas don’t conflict with the teachers and so long as you build that sculpture in accordance with how the teacher wants you to form it, rather than your own free interpretation of what you think that form should be. You cannot write a book describing a mans life, unless it fits in with how the large publication houses see that man in the light that “They” want to see that man, and if your english is off or grammar incorrect per se, we must make it fit our mold. The story of a man that you once knew, becomes, “the story that “we” want you to know”.

In this great way, we use the power of the internet to stimulate the masses. We write things that are free to read by anyone, we break free from the set of rules that have been laid down in order to teach others to break free and think for themselves. We publish videos to stimulate your senses and see things from different angles and different perspectives, to help you see that life is not about rules and restrictions. To be in the moment, not just near it. Question everything you have learned, read all books with a discerning eye, careful not to accept it as truth and put together your own truth, but allowing yourself to bend and breathe. Do not allow yourself to stick to one philosophy, but rather go through life and take as if you were going through a buffet line. Stop pushing the ideals or crap propaganda that you have in your head saying this is a bad thing or this is a good thing. You need to accept yourself as you are at this moment with no value attached to that.

Go outside on this day and see the world for what it really is, without attaching a value to it. Tell others about what you saw on this day, make a video and share it with the world. Realize that we are connected in this way to everyone around us and stop living by hidden agendas and other peoples ideals. Throw away your television or if you are strong enough to watch it with an observed mind, then know that what is being broadcast has no bearing on your life nor who you are. Break free of the rules and restrictions that govern your life and seek the enlightened life, the ability to look at a thing and not place a value on it.

Until next time…

So I expected todays job interview to be a formal sit down and talk about the job and what I hoped to gain from the wonderful company hiring and what they could expect to gain from having such a wonderful person such as myself on the team. I totally missed the mark on this one.

To my dismay, I showed up at 10 am to a waiting room, crammed in with two other guys, one of whom was a young go getter with black pants and white socks, and the other was an gentlemen about 10 years my senior probably looking to supplement his retirement income. Our greeter was aa young kid probably just out of high school and very limited knowledge of a computer and limited people skills along. He couldn’t find my resume and said to come in anyway. It always cracks me up how living in such a technological age, we can’t send someone a resume via the interweb ( a series of tubes and wires—thanks for that Judy Wheeler) and have them print up that resume on the other end. That would be my hope for the future.

So our young host herded us into a room with several 6 foot tables a white board and some at&t paraphernalia strewn around the room. I looked at the clock and by 10:15, I hear a voice behind us saying, “Good morning! How you guys doing this morning” We replied great in our most enthusiastic voices. “Do you know why your here?” I started thinking, was I coming in for my lobotomy today, or is that next week. When the young 20 something guy rounded the corner, I thought his mother had sex with a porcupine. His hair was spiked in so many directions I thought he was going to poke holes into the ceiling. I couldn’t take him seriously. I started tuning him out and thinking, “How long does he take to do that every morning?” I digress..

So he begins telling us about he door to door opportunity and how much money we can make just by setting one appointment per day. I had pretty much (mentally) left the room the minute he started speaking. I have heard 1000 of these spiels, if I have heard 1. He tried to spark interest and conversation with me, however, I had already begun writing my blog and then driving home. I thanked him for his time and headed out with a smile on my face and the thought that I am doing everything that I am supposed to be doing at this moment and time in my life.

Until next time…

Chad’s Ideal job

Must be:
✔ energetic
✔ funny
✔ good looking
✔ loves photography
✔ is extremely passionate about music
✔ enjoys watching and critiquing movies
✔ Enjoys riding his bike
✔ Tolerates running and swimming
✔ Loves working with people and helping them find their passion
✔ Loves technology
✔ Enjoys working with Mac, but has a strong grasp on PC
✔ Able to coach individuals on technology purchases
✔ Maintains a fantastic blog www.chadbordes.com
✔ Is a master on Facebook and has a huge following.
✔ Loves Road trips and can travel for days with great music
✔ Can Travel extensively anywhere in the world on a moments notice
✔ Doesn’t care for intolerance
✔ Is an extrovert and gets energy from being around people
✔ Could be an actor or singer given the right circumstances
✔ Loves eye candy
✔ Able to critique all forms of food, alcoholic beverages, and deserts
✔ Adapts to any situation easily and quickly
✔ Isn’t motivated by money, yet has plenty and funds various projects all the time

✔ Gifted writer (thanks Cathleen M)

These are just a few, I feel that I will be adding to this list based on thoughts as well as feedback from others

Until next time.