“My surname is Li and my personal name is Kao, and there is a slight flaw in my character,”

This is a quote from one of my favorite books, “Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart” and while I in no way can compare myself to the incomparable Master Li, it still fits.

“My name is Edward, and I have a slight flaw in my character.”

In the 44 years I have been on this earth I have done many things, been many places and met many people, good and bad……In life, so far, I have learned a few things, like nobody knows anything for sure, that there is no sense in sweat’in the small shit, I know that I will not wither away or panic in a life or death situation, that I will fight to live, I know this from experience. That if you have no problems, you are probably dead. If you let the herd manage your life you will never really be happy. Usually the most out-wardly good and pious person is really the bad guy. That Family is one of the most important things. That I am oppositional, the more difficult things get, the more I bite into them. I live by a set of very simple rules, four to be exact. Protect the weak, Keep your word, Stand your ground, and the most important I think, Keep your f*cking hands off. While I have not always been successful in following them, I have for the most part…….

“My name is Edward, I have a slight flaw in my character, I fail once in awhile.”

I was born in Minnesota, grew up in the sticks, and will someday die here. Its a nice place, the people are for most part, really, “Minnesota nice”. Its true, up here in cold country, the people have a different out-look on life. And as far as the weather goes it is never boring, “Don’t like the weather, wait a minute!” is a common joke up here.

I taught myself computers/networking and administer a few small office LAN’s and such to augment my income. I also write for publication and fun and I am a legally ordained reverend and can marry and bury you. I have had exactly, so far, forty-six jobs in my life, I have worked as a blacksmith in a living history museum (I still do my own smithing and welding), I have worked as a printer, (old time, set type by hand, etc.) And other jobs from factories to white collar. A real jack of all trades and a gentleman, I can fit in at a red neck party or a rich man’s dinner party (not much difference if you ask Me.) and can hold my own most anywhere. I have taught my kids to be polite, and to learn and to stand their ground, to be an “I” instead of a “we”. I am an activist in many areas and causes, I have a high school diploma, while I have never finished up the schooling, I have had some tech school training (electronics and computers), and some college (five credits away from a business degree, as it stands now. Why a degree in business? I will never know, maybe it has something to do with taking any class that strikes my fancy, like astronomy, theology, and history. After 15 years of off and on taking classes, it’s what fit. “Shrug”.) And I read every day. I collect books (there are well over 3000 books in my collection, everything from a 1^st edition Ayn Rand to books on Zen. Yes, I have read every one of them). As in everything else I have no formal education, I am self taught… I like to say I am a road’s scholar (I did not miss-spell it)

While I may not have the house and a car in the garage, or the American dream, (or the debt that goes with it) like my dad keeps harping on, I have something that most people don’t have, the love and the respect of my family, and friends………

I know who I am, and am always learning more every day. I have added to the knowledge of the world, and when I am dead and buried, I will be remembered and missed.

Anyhow, a Wise Old Man once said, “That having problems just means you’re alive; the man that has no problems is dead.” And I agree, but I add, that how you deal with them makes the life. Now we have more good times than bad, and there is no problem so big that all of us can’t solve … we generally don’t get what we want, but we always have what we need, I’m O.k., they’re O.k. and we dance and laugh till the sun goes down. Then we pull out the telescope and laugh at the moon…Later, Zenlogic.

“My name is Edward, I have a slight flaw in my character, I fail once in awhile. But I get Up!”