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25 November 2016

Best of Black Friday wishes


Happy Black Friday  to all that are out there braving the madness.  I must admit I have been brave in years past and rallied myself out of bed in the wee hours only to find that the things I thought I needed were long since gone or had a line a mile long with angry looking customers wrapping themselves around the various packaging and licking the box to make sure no one else will touch it.

I remember one store offering orange juice and donuts for the first ones there but by the time I got to the table it was all crumbs and bottom of bottle drippings.

In the past the truly committed would go in teams and tackle the various stores based on opening times and carry around all the ads they had been scouring the day before powered by the feast of Thanksgiving day.

Now people still work in teams but use strategy and cell phones to stake out the prizes of the day.  And if cell service is unreliable because of the load placed upon them then resort to walkie-talkies, the gift of Christmas past, to come to the rescue.  They will think nothing of leaving their 5 year old to guard one of their finds while they go racing off to capture another temporary treasure.  Sadly, some shoppers are not put off by the 5 year old guard ply and will acquire the item for themselves since their 4 year old is much more deserving.

Sometimes I have been lucky and some of the smaller, not so sought after items were still available even if it was three hours after the initial rush.  It might just have been a B movie DVD but I saved two dollars.

Now a days I find that I really don't need anything that badly so if I decide to go out it is usually to do a little people watching and taking in the energy of the moment while trying not to get trampled.  If I happen to find something worth picking up then that is a bonus. If I don't expect anything, I won't be disappointed and anything above nothing can be a happy dance moment.

I won't let myself be emotionally tied to an outcome that is beyond my control.  (I learned a long time ago that it is fun to dream about winning a lottery but don't act as if you have already won or get all caught up in the what if because the disappointments can be rough.  It is better to believe in yourself and becoming who you are and taking action on that.  You will go much further.)

For those that enjoy the chase, the hunt, the thrill, the excitement, may the bargains be all on your side of the store.  For the rest, sleep in if you can.  Extend the festivities of joy as long as you are able.  Either way, may you all have the best of Black Fridays.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

24 November 2016

#thanksgivingthursday 24 November 2016


It's #thanksgivingthursday again and today it is all about the family. I am so thankful to have the family that I have. And that goes for all of them. Parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, son, daughter, grand-kids, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, all of which doubled when I got married and expanded my family with in-laws.  I also can't forget all the ancestors that came before.  They are the foundation for which we have the families of today.

Families can have their moments and most of them are wonderful and memorable. Thanks to all mine that have helped build a world of awesome.  May my family continue to grow and prosper in the coming years and I wish the same for you.  This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

17 November 2016

#thanksgivingthursday 17 November 2016


I am thankful that music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.  Music has been with me to lift my spirits up, inspire me, pace my workouts, and console me when I'm blue.  Music has been very personal and sometimes private but at other times it has been something that is shared and celebrated with friends and a couple of thousand other fans.

I am glad that I have had a diverse taste in music that reaches across a pretty wide spectrum of genres and yet there are some types that I just don't care for in the least.  I admit that I can be a bit of a music snob but I am not nearly as much of a critic as I was in my youth.  I think we all have a little bit of music snobbery in us but that is just part of who we are.

There are many times when I wished I had done more with music directly...and I may still.  Never be too old for anything.

I have been fortunate to have seen many wonderful musicians play live and in person and that is amazing to me when I reflect back on all the many groups I have seen.  It is one thing to see an orchestra perform wonderfully the works of a renowned dead composer, but then to take it too the next level and get to see the composers perform their own works of mastery the way they wish them to be known is really special.

And tonight will be one of those nights and my excitement mounts.  A few of my family and I are going to enjoy an evening of music.  And even though the concert starts just before my bed time and even though my ears have been a little plugged for three days from fighting a cold, and the change in the weather is making my joints ache just a little more than normal, I AM EXCITED.

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.

10 November 2016

A new start...#thanksgivingthursday


I know Thanksgiving happens to fall on a Thursday this year but I think it is a coincidence as I had a great idea, especially what with all that is going on all around us. I am going to start my own #thanksgivingthursday and you can join in if you'd like. Every Thursday I will try to make an entry publicly, on my blog or facebook or on a sticky note, as a show of gratitude for something/anything I am thankful for. It can be big or small. It just needs to be something meaningful to me, meant for me, and without consideration of what others might think. (Insert your name in place of 'me' if you wish to try this yourself.)


So to kick things off, I must start with one of, if not the most important things in my life that I am grateful for and that is my wonderful wife. It took me a long time to find her and the powers of heaven to bring it all together but I am so glad it happened. She is the one that adds meaning to life, she is my love.

See you next Thursday.  This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farrwest.