birthday celebration

for my birthday celebration this year, i wanted to do something different. i have always wanted to take my family out on my birthday. and so i did.

we met up at brazeiros churrascaria for the evening meal. i had taken my mom and dad there on separate occasions for special events, but my sister, brother-in-law, and nieces had never been. they seemed to really enjoy the place. i know my parents love it. my dad, who’s diabetic, can eat here without being concerned as he would be eating anywhere else.



for dessert, i had ordered some cupcakes from magpie’s. a rich assortment of chocolate-based mini cakes were perfect after braseiros except we had less room for these than if had skipped dinner. we still managed to throw enough down to avoid any accusations of being quitters.

i got plenty of nice gifts including but limited to xbox gift cards and gear, bar mops,  a sizable bacon press, coffee, and led lighting. but the one thing i never would have expected was my great-great grandfather’s pocket watch. this timepiece dates back to the 1800’s, per my dad’s account.



the watch is in working order. my parents also bought a glass case to display the watch. you can see on the cover an engraved McI forning the design. this is amazing.



it was a fun birthday.

honesty is…not the best policy?

according to blog site lifehacker, lying is just fine and dandy as long as no one gets hurts.

what?!

that’s what they are essentially saying in this post from last year: “six questions to ask yourself before telling a lie.”

before you think i promote this line of horrific crap, i will tell you right now that i was appalled when i read this article.

but you have to realize that if you were not brought up with any principles, lying is part of your regular lifestyle. they even make an assumption, which probably sums up at least the author’s life but puts her credibility into question.

the final question you ask yourself is “if you were in their shoes, what would you want to hear?” i don’t know about anyone else, but i want the truth. in fact, i am willing to bet that if you asked anyone what characteristic they would want in a friend, mate, colleague, family member, or even from the media, they would list honesty as either the top option or in the top three things.

would you seriously date someone who only told you stuff to make you happy if they believed it or not, if it was the truth or not?

would you hire someone who lied occasionally to make you feel better about your hiring of them or about the work they should be getting done?

if lifehacker supports this policy, it’s sad, and to be honest, shameful. promoting more lying isn’t making the world a better place. according to gregory house, m.d., “everybody lies.” and he’s right. we all do. some more than others. but the goal isn’t to keep on doing it or to encourage it.

in the so-called information age, what good is any of it if all the information is not reliable. (think brian williams here.) and if we make decisions based on faulty information, how much more damage can be done? again, you can justify how big or small it might be, but you don’t know how big or small it could possibly become.

fear causes us to lie, sometimes fueled by shame or cowardice, but always fear. the post from lifehacker proves that.

i cannot subscribe to their suggested life policy. lying never is positive thing, no matter how much you justify it. i want to know the truth. maybe the truth hurts, but that’s life. maybe the truth causes more work, but that’s life. maybe i can’t handle the truth…initially, but i will adapt, grow even. and that too is life. some things in life shouldn’t be hacked.

the Truth will set you free.