Tonight Southern Illinois is in the grips of a ice-storm, complete with thunder and lightning - how weird. We've got several inches of sleet - kind of like living in a world covered with Slushy. Since I was a little boy I've always heard the saying "Don't like the weather in Southern Illinois...just wait...it'll change." In the past month we've had two snow/ice storms and several severe thunderstorm systems complete with hail, winds and even tornadoes. On two consecutive Tuesdays we had Tornado warnings. Both times I rode them out with 5th/6th grade boys in locker rooms - once in the middle of practice, once 3 minutes into a game.
This weather is similar to the Depressed Men meeting locations for the last few months. One time here, another time there, 3 weeks somewhere else. If you don't pay attention to the emails you may not know where we're at on any given Thursday.
We have begun a dialogue regarding the possibility of finding a more permanent location where we can meet. While we have been able to keep meeting each week at a location (where smoking was allowed) all of the locations since the first of the year have been at members homes. While the hospitality is great, it naturally limits participation to those that know the host and/or at least feel comfortable going there. We desire to have a central place that we can meet regularly, where more folks will feel comfortable just stopping in to visit.
Through the kindness of a Christian bookstore owner in Tyler, TX (the Scroll) we are setting up a private online forum where we can discuss this issue. Watch for the link on the website as soon as it is available.
Peace
Monday, February 11, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Depressed Men
Submitted by Terry Clark on 12/16/08 2:31am
In Carbondale town
A group of strange men,
From all callings and all walks of life,
Met every week
To pray and to speak
And after to drink and to smoke.
Now wives and girlfriends
Disapproved of their plans,
And worked conspiratorially to thwart ‘em.
The sisters laughed gaily
and conspired daily
To frustrate their boys’ intentions.
Yes, girls will be girls,
but boys will be boys
And boys are much smarter by far:
They can pee in a cup,
or pee standing up,
And will do what they want in the end.
So, this crazed group of brothers
Agreed wives are not mothers
and voted to meet when they pleased
So on Thursdays they prayed,
told jokes drank and smoked,
And staggered home next Friday morning.
In Carbondale town
A group of strange men,
From all callings and all walks of life,
Met every week
To pray and to speak
And after to drink and to smoke.
Now wives and girlfriends
Disapproved of their plans,
And worked conspiratorially to thwart ‘em.
The sisters laughed gaily
and conspired daily
To frustrate their boys’ intentions.
Yes, girls will be girls,
but boys will be boys
And boys are much smarter by far:
They can pee in a cup,
or pee standing up,
And will do what they want in the end.
So, this crazed group of brothers
Agreed wives are not mothers
and voted to meet when they pleased
So on Thursdays they prayed,
told jokes drank and smoked,
And staggered home next Friday morning.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Middle-age musings ... cigars and life
I was asked today if I liked cigars when one of my coworkers saw a catalog in my office. This question prompted me to reflect a little.
I grew up in a household where Mom and Dad both smoked, as did most of their friends. My grandfather smoked cigars (the King Edward variety) and later pipes. For most of my life, I was not tempted to even try it, but nor was I really bothered by it. In college I tried the occasional Swisher Sweet in my car, trying to stay awake on 100 mile trips home for weekends and back, but that was the extent of my smoking behavior.
Then a few years ago, after eating lunch with a friend of mine, it was suggested that we visit the local tobacconist and have a cigar. This was my first introduction to a quality hand-made cigar. If I remember correctly it was an H. Upmann. I remember it didn't burn my tongue like the cheap ones did, and it took alot longer to finish...but mostly I remember how enjoyable it was just sitting there with Tony, enjoying that cigar with my friend.
Skip ahead 3 years...in the spring of 2005, after enjoying a handful of good cigars since that lunch experience, I decided to take the plunge, invest in a small humidor and a bundle of mild Nicaraguan cigars - Don Kiki - Green label to be exact. I began sitting in my front yard under a shade tree most evenings enjoying a cigar. I noticed I began sleeping a little better. Being a bit more relaxed after a long day. As the summer came I didn't mind the humid So. Illinois evenings as much...I enjoyed sitting watching traffic go by as savored these mild cigars with their hints of cocoa and even - orange peel of all things.
Soon after that I began coming to the Depressed Men group once a week, and adding once again the comraderie I felt over that lunch time smoke - now with a new group of guys - which includes Tony. My tastes in cigars have changed (I'll write more on that later). I still only smoke a handful a week (show me how that makes me addicted). Cigars are something that captures my interest, and a few of my hard-earned dollars.
The odd thing for me is that for the majority of my life I really didn't have many things that most would consider vices - didn't drink (still don't enough to say I do), didn't smoke, never tried any drugs - pretty boring by most standards. Went to school, church, work, ballgames, got married, had a child, etc... don't get me wrong life was pretty good, but still not any vices to speak of. Then at 42 years old I decided to take up cigars. Now at 44 what did our state government decide to make all but illegal but the one vice that I chose to partake in at what many would call middle-age.
But I can't complain...I have a personal relationship with a God that loves me, a great wife and daughter, a job I love, coworkers that are a joy, good health, and great friends. It's gonna be alot harder for the govt to take those things away - though I'm sure they will try.
And I can even still enjoy a cigar, I just have to be a little more selective on where.
I grew up in a household where Mom and Dad both smoked, as did most of their friends. My grandfather smoked cigars (the King Edward variety) and later pipes. For most of my life, I was not tempted to even try it, but nor was I really bothered by it. In college I tried the occasional Swisher Sweet in my car, trying to stay awake on 100 mile trips home for weekends and back, but that was the extent of my smoking behavior.
Then a few years ago, after eating lunch with a friend of mine, it was suggested that we visit the local tobacconist and have a cigar. This was my first introduction to a quality hand-made cigar. If I remember correctly it was an H. Upmann. I remember it didn't burn my tongue like the cheap ones did, and it took alot longer to finish...but mostly I remember how enjoyable it was just sitting there with Tony, enjoying that cigar with my friend.
Skip ahead 3 years...in the spring of 2005, after enjoying a handful of good cigars since that lunch experience, I decided to take the plunge, invest in a small humidor and a bundle of mild Nicaraguan cigars - Don Kiki - Green label to be exact. I began sitting in my front yard under a shade tree most evenings enjoying a cigar. I noticed I began sleeping a little better. Being a bit more relaxed after a long day. As the summer came I didn't mind the humid So. Illinois evenings as much...I enjoyed sitting watching traffic go by as savored these mild cigars with their hints of cocoa and even - orange peel of all things.
Soon after that I began coming to the Depressed Men group once a week, and adding once again the comraderie I felt over that lunch time smoke - now with a new group of guys - which includes Tony. My tastes in cigars have changed (I'll write more on that later). I still only smoke a handful a week (show me how that makes me addicted). Cigars are something that captures my interest, and a few of my hard-earned dollars.
The odd thing for me is that for the majority of my life I really didn't have many things that most would consider vices - didn't drink (still don't enough to say I do), didn't smoke, never tried any drugs - pretty boring by most standards. Went to school, church, work, ballgames, got married, had a child, etc... don't get me wrong life was pretty good, but still not any vices to speak of. Then at 42 years old I decided to take up cigars. Now at 44 what did our state government decide to make all but illegal but the one vice that I chose to partake in at what many would call middle-age.
But I can't complain...I have a personal relationship with a God that loves me, a great wife and daughter, a job I love, coworkers that are a joy, good health, and great friends. It's gonna be alot harder for the govt to take those things away - though I'm sure they will try.
And I can even still enjoy a cigar, I just have to be a little more selective on where.
Welcome to the Depressed Men Blog
After a brief lapse the Depressed Men are back online. Now with a new website and URL. Checkout the new page at http://www.thedepressedmen.org.
The new page design was built using Microsoft Expression Web - which is the replacement for Frontpage. Though still pretty simple, all the links have been updated and now the photo gallery is hosted on the same site, rather than @ Flickr.com.
Hopefully you will have a regular selection of ramblings from various members of the Depressed Men available to you.
Come back soon!
The new page design was built using Microsoft Expression Web - which is the replacement for Frontpage. Though still pretty simple, all the links have been updated and now the photo gallery is hosted on the same site, rather than @ Flickr.com.
Hopefully you will have a regular selection of ramblings from various members of the Depressed Men available to you.
Come back soon!
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