Reading List–A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity (Bill O’Reilly)

‘Bold Fresh’ is a departure from my previously-posted reading list, but it was well-worth the detour.  I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I started reading even though I have watched O’Reilly plenty of times on The O’Reilly Factor.  I appreciate his fair treatment of people from all places on the political spectrum and his critical approach to everyone on both sides of the aisle is a welcome departure from the obvious left-wing bias that dominates the American news media.  But the book isn’t really about that.

‘Bold Fresh’ is the story of where Bill O’Reilly came from, his philosophy on life and his work, and the origins and reasons behind his philosophy.  I could literally go an and on about specifics of what is contained in the pages of ‘Bold Fresh’, but I won’t, as you can (and should) read it for yourself.  I can say that after reading it, I have a much greater understanding of O’Reilly’s work and a tremendous amount of respect for him as a human being and as a man.

His fiercely-held belief in self-reliance (as opposed to the entitlement mentality) and standing up for what you believe really resonates for me, and I hope to live up to that ideal even half as well as he’s been able to.  O’Reilly’s viewpoint on holding people accountable for their actions is also something I agree with wholeheartedly.

O’Reilly writes extensively about his belief in the power and necessity of deep, meaningful friendships as an fundamental piece of keeping a man centered and on track.  I have done a fair amount of reading on this topic as well as self-examination and observation of my life the lives of the men around me, and I agree with O’Reilly 100%.  This is an area that many men (myself included) struggle with today; many of us have isolated ourselves from deep friendships with other men, and I believe we are all suffering for it.

All in all, I found ‘Bold Fresh’ to be a really enjoyable read.  O’Reilly’s philosophy lines up closely with my own, and the book has strengthened my resolve to live up to my own ideals.  People who already dislike him will probably not enjoy the book, as his approach tends to be somewhat polarizing.  But, for anyone who either already appreciates his style (or are neutral), go get this book and read it.  Today.

Kia Racing–I Didn’t See That One Coming

As anyone who knows me well can attest, I am a BMW fan.  I always thought they were cool as a kid, and when I was about 12, I had it set in my mind that my first car was to be a 1987 BMW 325is, red of course.  Well, my first car did NOT turn out to be the aforementioned 325is, but many years later, I did in fact buy a red, 1987 325is from a coworker.  It was an enormously fun car to drive and compared to the techno-wizardry in modern cars, was incredibly easy to work on.  Since then, we’ve had a 2000 528i, which was later replaced by a 2004 X3 3.0i, which is a terrific blend of sporty driving dynamics and cargo-hauling utility.  Anyway, given this affinity for all things BMW, you can imagine my surprise when I read that not only has Kia developed a racing unit, but that they recently took a first-place finish, beating out a BMW 1-series!

Don’t get me wrong, I really think Kia is coming into their own as a respectable carmaker.  We own a 2009 Kia Rio that we bought new primarily for our teenager to drive.  It’s easy to drive, has great safety features, a good warranty, etc.  I have to say that I have been quite impressed with both the build quality and the drivability of it.  It’s no BMW, for sure, but a solid car at a good price.

All I’m saying here is that seeing Kia jump into the racing world, and to come out with some quick victories, is not something I saw coming.

You can check out some of the details over at CarGuyDad.com.

My Long Absence

I realized somewhat suddenly that I haven't done any writing on this blog in the 5 weeks or so since returning from a trip to the Smoky Mountains with my family. For that matter, I haven't written in my journal in that time either. I believe firmly that there is a lot of value in a man being able to pour out his most private thoughts onto paper, where they can be captured, either for later review, or simply to give those thoughts and ideas an alternate location of residence.

I had managed to build something of a routine around my journaling and blogging in the month or so leading up to our last trip, and I need to rebuild that routine because it's just plain good for me. Not in the same way that exercise or eating vegetables is good for me, though. It's more like good for me in the way that being able to vent to a good friend is good for me. Besides, I find that for me, writing down what I'm thinking without thinking so much about what I'm thinking about is the best way to actually make sense of things. Make sense?

For the two of you who actually read what I have to say, I'm sorry that you have been left with nothing from me for a while. As I rebuild my writing routine, I'll be documenting some of my thoughts and experiences here.