For the Record and For the Road...............

In 1971, I got my first car, A forest green 1968 Mercury Cougar *I loved it.
It got stolen about 8 months after I got it. And the insurance company replaced it with another 68 Cougar. Only this one had an aweful white "vynil" top . And it was a light metallic blue.

I joine the Navy in 73 and my dad sold the cougar. In the Navy, I bout a brand new 73 Ford Pinto. It was very cool for the time. Little did I know it would go down in history as one of ford's ghetto fabulous cars. 2 years later I traded it in for a 1971 Ford Mustang Mach II The long one. It was a lemon so it went back. I finally settled for a 1968 MBC/GT. I loved this car. I had it from about 1975 til 1980. I got married, had to lose the 2 seater and drove a Celica for a while. Finally in 1985, I bought a brand new Ford Bronco II. The Tonka toy. I hated it at first, then as I rebuilt almost everything in it, I grew to love it.

I lost it in the divorce in 1996 in which I was stuck with a 72 VW Bug. The bug blew up on me (literally caught on fire) so with the insurance money, I went out and bought a used 1978 BMW 320I. Another great vehicle. But 2 years late, the engine on that one blew on the way to church, so strangely enough, I found another one just like it for about 700 bucks. I drove that baby until I bought a fairly new Chevy Astro Cargo Van for the Band stuff. And that sits out in the driveway now next to the wife's 2004 Taurus. (she's from Detroit).

So there you have it. Every car I ever owned.

Sometimes................

I feel like I can Jog 200 miles, swim from San Francisco to Alcatraz, Climb to the top of mount Everest, Wrestle a crocadile all in one day.

Then I wake up and turn the alarm clock off and go back to sleep.

Ask Ace

For those of you with relationship issues, feel free to visit my new blog called "Ask Ace". I do my best to help my fellow brother/sister with interpersonal relationship issues and personal growth. The address is:www.AskAce.Blogspot.com

The Children of War

Putting in their 2 cents. This is something children should not have to grow up with.

The War and The Media............

Tokyo Rose is alive and well. For those of you not familiar with the person, Tokyo Rose was an unidentified English speaking radio personality that would come on Japanese Radio and try to discourage young American soldiers and Sailors in World War II.

There's a name for it: Psych-Ops.

The media has become such an uncontrolled element starting with the Vietnam War. It became truly obvious in the Persian Gulf war when we saw reporters reporting from buildings in Baghdad being bombed by U.S. Sortes.

In 2003 we became aware of the term "embedded". As the U.S. and allied forces invaded Iraq a 2nd time. Unfortunately, the embedded reporter has turned into a scumbag awaiting a possible Nobelle/Pulizer prize. Geraldo Rivera was the first to give away locations of his assignment. While other reporters went on to report acts of unconfirmed "overresponse". Currently 8 of our brave Marines stand incarcerated because of "acusations" reinforced by "embedded" reporters. Those who oppose President Bush and the war in Iraq will use these "acusations" to discredit the spread of Democracy in the middle east.

In today's battle on the Israel/Lebanon border, we are seeing Israeli locations being televised by the minute. I'm sure Hisbollah is sitting in front of CNN watching as much reconnisance as they can provide to the enemy.

In our own civil war, General (later to become President)Grant made a statement which seems to have changed by moral minded forces. He said "War is Hell". 50 years ago, this conflict would have been ended in 3 days, as Israel would have attacked Hizbollah with impunity killing thousands of civilians if neccesary. But with 24/7 news cameras present, nobody wants to be viewed by the world as a killer.

Except those that don't care. Now do you see how terrorism works?

Why is it...............

That Arab countries say Israel should not exist in Muslim territory; however a country like Cuba which is communist can thrive without threat in the free world? Is it possible that the biggest threat to the Arab states is not Zion, but Christianity thru-out the world?

Christianity was born in this small region of the middle east 2000 years ago. It's spread to the 4 corners of the earth. It represents the biggest threat to the middle east and Islam. And they know it.

Or Are THEY?

Lebannon has had 6 years to get rid of not only Syria but Hizbollah as well. Perhaps Israel has considered this and has every right to hold the Lebannon government responsible for the actions of Hizbollah.

Simple resolution.

The helpless Lebannon government should welcome the arrival of foriegn miltary forces from the UN/US and allies . If Neutral forces attack Hizbollah from the north, and Israeli forces attack from the south, we can eleminate the terrorist organization like an exterminator spraying for cock roaches.

More importantly tho, pressure needs to be plunged on Iran to stop it's nuclear programs.

ISRAEL must Stomp IRAN now.

World War III has begun. It's all coming out in the wash. Support for the terrorist organization Hizbollah, which sponsors Hamas, is coming directly from IRAN. Tehren and their nuclear program must be hit hard now. Americans will need to be patient on oil prices as the Islamic facists will use soaring oil prices to hurt us economically, (on more reason to take IRAN).

These are end of times prophecies coming true. Take an hour and study the book of revalation.

Beauty is in the eye of the viewer "revisited"

When I was last single (1996 - 2001) I was smart enough to take a class called "Finding the Love of Your Life" . It was a video course that was produced by Dr.Neil Clark Warren. Many of you may have seen Dr.Warren in his commercials for E/Harmony.com . But one chapter in the course focused on a question that has puzzled me all of my life.

Why do we find certain people more attractive than others? And why are some women perceived as very attractive to a majority of men?

Dr. Warren says it's our childhood scripting that is the programming of our fantasy partner. In other words Hollywood.

Somewhere in the DNA of the seeds of Puberty lay the visions of Beauty as described by Disney. If you study the characters of "Sleeping Beauty" "Snow White" or even "Cinderella" you'll find that Disney preferred a light skinned, Caucasian girl with Big Eyes, a small nose, and big lips. Prominent cheek bones were also common. These images are what keep cosmetic sugeons busy every day. Rhinoplasty makes your nose smaller. Blepharoplasty makes your eye bigger (by reducing the eyelids). And of course what would Angelina Jolie be without collagen in those lips?

As you can see, This was the image little boys were told to look for; and the goal little girls were told to aim for. I guess it would have helped to be German or Scandinavian.

So we go thru life using these mental images as what we need to attain to be successful in life. If you're a minority; forget it. This isn't the country for you. You blondes wonder why Hispanic girls have a chip on their shoulders? EVEN in the movie KING KONG the Gorilla was offered up a female human sacrifice with a BLONDE WIG. So can we blame Walt Disney for the 50% divorce rate in America Today? Perhaps there's enough blame to go around all of Hollywood. But ultimately we only have ourselves to blame. Self esteem is not something that comes from society's norms. As children, we are taught with positive and negative re-enforcement. If we do something good, your parents tell you so. If you do something bad, you are admonished. So as chidren, we are always looking outside (fr0m someone other than ourselves) for "affirmations" of our behavior. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop at behavior. We do the same thing for our profession, our lifestyle and of course our appearance.

In Science, we use what is called a "control" or a "Calibrant" to determine what is normal to give us "desirable" results. And as humans, we want to use that same type of paradigm (pronounced "pair- uh- dime) or method of thinking. So as a young "virile" male; if I can mate with someone that looks like "Barbie". Then that reflects on my ability to attract women. It says nothing about my ability to have a lasting relationship (see Hollywood marriages) .

Dr. Warren went on to classify people that were seeking a mate in 3 categories.

1. Breezers - (I'm paraphrasing) or people that look like Hollywood's perception of Beautiful. These people never have to look for a date. Their always having people hit on them and their biggest problem is weeding out the one's they dislike. I guess this would be the Jennifers, Brads, Bens and Angelinas of the world.

2. The Short Shrifted - You know who you are. I guess the best phrase that describes this bunch is from the Woody Allen movie "Annie Hall" Woody quotes Graucho Marx when describing his relationships. He says "I would never want to be in a club that would have Me as a member". I think this describes the sort of "Programmed" social suicide that keeps many humans from being happy. I've seen it many times with financially successful people. We don't want what we don't have, we want what we can't have. Short shrifted people think they're too good for what has come their way. The problem is, all of their decision making criteria is based on physical attribute.

3. The desperate - Yes, these are people with just the opposite problem of the short shrifted. They lack self-esteem and are drawn to anyone that will look at them twice. They mistake attention for attraction. It's very sad because true beauty lays within the person. And these people sell themselves short.

Hollywood has sold us a bill of goods. They want us to think that a mindless bimbo has more going for her than mother Theresa. The more women gained from the civil rights movement of the 60's; the more Hollywood has stripped of them by focusing on their physical attributes. True beauty doesn't come from Revlon. It doesn't come from having the right genetic make up. It's not about what you have, where you live, what you wear or what you do. It's about what you are. To millions of shallow girls, they find their role models in Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson. In their Hollywood programmed mind; "if only I could look like her all of my problems would be over". It's very sad. As long as we keep using the television as a form of parenting, we will continue to support this self-destructive myth. When little girls long to be more like mother Theresa, or Sally Ride and Men start appreciating women as beings and not physical possessions; then will there be hope for future generations. Only then will the divorce rate start to decline. Only then will humanity start to scratch the surface of it's potential.

Ace out...............

Ace's Guitar Academy

Enroll now for Lessons. Space is very limited. You will be produce a CD after 6 months. If you continue, you'll learn the fundamentals of the music industry.

Play Guitar...............

If you live in the SF Bay Area, you're in luck. For a mear 35 bucks, you can learn to play guitar like your's truly. Not only will I teach you my dazzling solos and power chords, but in 6 months, if we haven't killed each other, I'll take you into my recording studio and record a demo. Then you'll have a CD to play for your girlfriend or boyfriend, or your mom will have something to show for her money. Who knows, you can rip it to an MP3, upload it to Myspace.com and get lots of new groupie friends. It could change your life.

If you want to take lessons, email me : Ace@AceAndres.com I'm holding my lessons at the Haight and Ashbury music Center in downtown Sunnyvale. Get in touch soon because space is limited.


See you soon future Rock Stars.


Ace

Life with Long Hair.....................

In the early 60's, the beatles were cool. Elvis was cool. What did they have in common? Long hair. My parents had me at the end of a long list of children. My mom had 5 children from her first marriage, then 2 with my father. I of course was born when my father was 50 and my mother was about 35. So they came from conservative America even by my standards. Those Beatles and their long hair was so "filthy" .


I remember going to the same barber that was 3 doors down from the dance studio we use to go to. (Tap dancing) I don't recall haircuts being something I didn't like until I saw the Beatles. All I remember is being told I had to get either a "butch" or a "Flat top". I also remember staring at those pictures of haircuts. You know, the "Ivy League", or the "Crew cut". etc...... I just remember that once my mon told me I could have my hair cut like Elvis's , but when my older brother took me, he made them give me a butch. I cried all afternoon. Especially after I got back and my mom said "I thought you were going to get your hair cut like Elvis'".

As the years went by, I continued have my hair cut more like the beav's. (leave it to beaver). And although the Beatles really began to grow their hair, and even Lawrence Welk sported side burns, my father felt that by keeping my hair short, he'd keep me straight and law abiding. Well, I grew up straight and law abiding, but very much spiteful of the barber and short hair. There was even a movie called hair.

In 1970, I think my father who was suffering health issues, had more important things to worry about than my hair, so I was able to let it sneak out over my ears in 72 and in 1973, I talked him into letting me grow it out just until the summer. And for one year in my childhood, I had shoulder length hair. 6 months later I would join the U.S. Navy and it would all be laying on a bootcamp barber's floor. It would remain short again for another 4 years.

In July of 1977, I achieved autonomy. My father (God rest his soul) died in 1976. So the only person that could tell me to cut my hair was me. So I don't think I got it cut for about a year. I met a real good hairstylest that enjoyed cutting really cool layers into my hair making it look like Farrah Fawcet Majors/Alice Cooper. Then we did the Paul McCartney "MULLET" for a short while, but then I sold out.

In 1981, I graduated from college and got a job as a Medical supply sales rep. So off came my long hair. Looking back, I was really miserable during those money grabbing days. (and I never really made the money my predecessors made) So after beating my shorthaired head against a sale career, I finally went back into the surgical field were I could get a steady paycheck and wear a "haircover" over my growing long hair.

My hair has been long, (past my shoulders) for about 8 years now. I always figured, I would cut it short once I went bald. But I guess Alopecia misses a generation. My brother, who was cruel to me as a child, ended up with it and is as bald as a cue-ball. Serves him right for not letting me get that haircut back in 63.

Small children are very intrigued by my presence. They don't know what to think. It never dawned on me that we've gone full circle back to where Men have short hair and women have long hair. It must be confusing for their little minds. Women look at me so perplexed. Sometimes I think it's envy. (my hair is really healthy and nice) Sometimes I think they're wondering if I make so much money that I can afford to be decadent or, am I so poor that I can't afford haircuts. My therapist says I do it to attract attention. (I disagree) I'm told that in my leather jacket, I look scary. I've been told by hairstylests that my hair is the only hair that's "fun" to cut nowadays.

The truth is, some people look good in short hair. I'm not one of them. It's like Michael Jordan and baldness. Michael Jordan makes Bald look very cool. Moreso than Yule Brenner or Kojak ever did. But some guys (most guys) that try bald, look like they're withstanding Chemo-therapy. Well that's me and short hair. I just don't have the versatility of Mel Gibson or Jon Bon Jovi.

LUST and why we succomb to it.............

Speaking strictly for heterosexual men, I would imagine that most Christian men struggle with monogamy. We live in a cultural setting that promotes sexual promiscuity. Telivision, Rap, and Movies all suggest that the more sex you have,(meaning with more partners) the more impressive your status in society. Men should all strive to be the "big mack daddy" by today's standards. (The BMD is the guy in the ghetto that has the most concubines)

Procreative sexual reproduction is as close to "playing god" that man will ever achieve. It is my personal belief that God attached a physical incentive to "orgasim" so man would not need much incentive to populate the earth. To assure woman would not be abused and the offspring would not be abandoned; God set forth the commandments disallowing Fornication and Adultery. He intended man to be serious about sexual procreation. Or at the very least, responsible.

In the 1960s, the sexual revolution put an end to sexual responsibilty. Liberal sinners defined sex as a physical action between two consenting adults. It was no longer revered as a manifestation of a spiritual union between a male and female that loved each other.

Back to the attraction of sex. Some have presumed that men are attracted to the breast because of infantile feeding. Many equate the longing of a man for a woman's vagina, an effort to reaquire the pre-natal warmth and security that they once experienced in the womb. And ultimately, we have the God experience. Whether or not there is a concious effort to play God, the aquisition of God's brass ring, the orgasim is still a viable attraction for modern man.

Man also has the hunting chromasome to overcome. We have an inherent desire to hunt and conquer. A woman's womb is a very sociable target.


So why do seemingly content married men persist in seeking extermarrital relationships even under the most satifying monogamistic circumstances? At first you can throw out the obvious, when a hunter/fisher reaches his limit, it's hard to throw back or release those which he can't keep.

Men as a rule, hate living a constricted life.

Once a partner becomes a mother, the husband no longer sees them as a sex partner.

All of the above are common excuses, but the reality of most extermarital issues are a result of simple "male insecurity". The same principal applies to women as well. There's another term in the ghetto that goes along with the "BMD" (big mack daddy) and it's called the "BBD" or (Bigger Better Deal). When one spouse wants out of a seemingly normal relationship, it often reflects on that person's insecure image of themself. If the content spouse is in love with the discont spouse, the discontent spouse is thinking, "why does this person love me"? I'm a loser, so if they love me, they must be a really hard up loser. It's like the Woody Allen joke: "I'd never want to be a member of a club that would have me as a member". So they think they've sold themselves short and want out. They want to look for bigger better deal.

Insecure materialistic humans tend to see their spouses as objects. So materialism would imply that an "upgrade" would be in order. As is the principal with materialism, there is "always" something out there, more attractive, wealthier, healthier, more exciting etc........


Materialistic people are governed by the logo "He who dies with the most toys wins". The truth is; He who dies with the most toys, is DEAD.

Certain people that have lost their parents at a young age, go thru life thinking that as soon as they meet the "right" person, all of their troubles and unfairness in life will be answered and their real life will begin. They soon realize that the search is only a way of keeping the memory of their parents alive.


The only way man (or woman) can overcome the lure of lust, is to focus on the bigger picture. Eventually, you will get old and die. This I can guarantee you. Once you become old and realize that you are indeed invisable to not only teenagers but 40 year olds as well; you'll begin to focus on things eternal. Things that don't die or fade. Such things include relationships, your legacy, your children, and your hopes of Heaven. People who denied Christ all of their lives often call on Jesus on their death bed. Want a good example? How about Darwin? On his death bed, he didn't ask for Chimp or a prime-ape; he asked for a priest.

If man can mature at a younger age and see that lustful urges are merely a biological attempt at dealing with the insecurities of life, the sooner they can come to terms with the afterlife and leave a respectable legacy.


Ace out.....................

Today in Russia, it's the 4th of July..........

I've finally reached the end of my rope with Americans that don't respect their country. And I know they mean well, but damn it, Today is "Independece Day". The 4th of July is just a day on the calender. Independence Day should make you reflect on the sacrifices of the "MinuteMen" and "The Sons of The American Revolution" . It should make you think about the courage of the George Washingtons, Thomas Jeffersons and Nathan Hale. Nathan Hale was barely 21 when he chose death over selling out his country. He was hung as a spy for the "Colonists".

Today is a day many will appreciate as a 3rd day of a 3 day week end. Barbeque sales will be at their peak today. Many pre-schoolers will associate the term "Independent Day" with ID4. The Will Smith movie where we defend our planet from Aleins. In a sad way, it seems that Hollywood wants to overlook the essence of the real "Independence Day" and replace it with a "New World Order" Independence day.


Today please remember; "Freedom is not free". A price was paid for our autonomy. The willingness to FIGHT for our freedom was the cost of freedom. Those who risked their lifes and those who sacificed their lifes; paid the price of freedom.

If you can put down your bottle rockets, or your barbequed chicken wing long enough to reflect back on the Love and sacrifice that was shown for Liberty, you will indeed be glorifying the true meaning of Independence Day.





Ace out.......................