John Valadez on September 30th, 2009

People often ask me,
“How do you do it?”
“Do what?”
“You know the kids, writing; finding time for relationships, family and schooling.”
“Yes, the important things that makes up a life. I meditate every morning.”
Meditating assists in calming the mind. Have you ever felt like your head is going to erupt with your “to-do” list? They can be [...]

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John Valadez on September 28th, 2009

Fall is upon us. The summer came very gently and left without notice. As the weather begins to change, leaves start to fall and Halloween costume outlets litter vacant store fronts for the next month; the amount of free time with the children is quickly nil. I’m spending the majority of time working, schooling, working [...]

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John Valadez on September 25th, 2009

When immediate family members live long distances away life continues; sometimes without giving them much thought. In our personal lives we dread over maintaining a long-distance relationship. People will comment long-distance attempts at love are impossible to maintain. The excuses are endless. Regarding family though, how could we so easily dismiss them because they live [...]

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John Valadez on September 23rd, 2009

I was speaking with some friends the other day about our countries current hardships. The topic of passion came up, in regards to what we do for a living, and I was taken back regarding the groups point of view. A majority of them agreed that it was nearly impossible to show passion in a [...]

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John Valadez on September 21st, 2009

I recently wrote a critique on this film and even though I’ve loved it since the first day I seen it, seventeen years ago, I never really understood the premise until now. The film is about violence and its uselessness. What an odd premise to have for a western film; with all the gratuitous violence [...]

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John Valadez on September 19th, 2009

Here is another great dish from Aaron McCargo, Jr.  This recipe is a spin on meat pies, except spicier and more of an appetizer rather than a meal. I love spicy food, but nevertheless I’m a vegetarian. I make meat pies for my Uncle’s Sunday football gatherings and that’s a great place to serve them. [...]

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John Valadez on September 17th, 2009

Sufis believe in eliminating the Ego from your life. I can relate to their plight. I’ve been struggling with eliminating my Ego and it’s not as easy as you may think. To become self-less and always think of others first is a utopian concept I believe we must achieve to transcend and achieve enlightenment. There [...]

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John Valadez on September 15th, 2009

John Lennon said it best, “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.”
What a wise person. I didn’t know how my six-year old was going to fair in her third new school in three years; but she didn’t disappoint my ex-wife or me. She jumped out of the car and [...]

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John Valadez on September 13th, 2009

For many of us the glorious NFL season begins today. I know Pittsburgh and Tennessee kicked off the season on Thursday, but really, who cares about either of those teams? The teams we all want to see are playing today – J. What makes for better football than great comfort food? Well, I have an [...]

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John Valadez on September 11th, 2009

I believe strongly in the majority of happy people in this world know or either have a strong idea of what their life’s purpose is and how to fulfill it. This is by no means an easy task. To know without a shred of doubt why you are here on this earth is not something [...]

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