Friends and Neighbors

Angers (Maine-et-Loire) France

The photo above is a post card I received today from one of my new blog buddies from France. The post card is from his hometown, Angers, which is is the Loire Valley. My French is a little rusty but I am assuming natal town equates to "town of my birth" aka "hometown". The Chateau in the foreground was built in the 13th Century and the Cathedral in the background was completed in the 12th and 13th centuries. I think it is cool to get post cards from friends from around the world showing me their towns and adventures. I have been to many places but not all the places in the world, so I enjoy discovering new places, even vicariously through photography. Through this wonderful world of the Internet, folks from all over can get to know each other in ways never before thought possible giving rise to the hope of a truly global community where we are all neighbors. I know we are far from living in this ideal state, but slowly, surely, inexorably the world is moving towards acceptance and tolerance with the knuckle draggers kicking and screaming the whole way. That is how we change the world, one little bit at a time as we step out of our shells and reach out to touch another life. It is much harder to hate someone you know on an individual basis than some faceless group of "those people". I have been one of "those people" all my life and I am forever grateful to those of you out there who have reached back when I have reached out to the world in my quest to find all that is good and beautiful in this world for us to share together. In the many pages of this blog we have shared many things over the last two years (yes my blogiversary is coming up in just over a month already!) the best of which has been the friendships I have formed with the many of you out there who have discovered me or vice versa in our travels around the web. Keep the cards, letters, emails and comments coming. Your Uncle is appreciative of all communications and I do my best to respond in as timely manner as I can. In this I am more or less successful, most of the time.

Here of late I seem to have become busier and busier what with the seven day work weeks and all, I have cut back now to six days a week at the hotel which helps some. There still needs to be some lee way in my life, so I have decided to restructure my time a little bit. In order to reduce the amount of stress I induce by pressuring myself to put too much activity in any one 24 hour period, I have decided to limit my postings to the weekdays. In this manner I hope to be able to maintain a sufficient energy level to give my best to both my vocation and my avocation, the hotel and Nichevo. I still am recovering my strength from pushing myself to the limit, however, it its my intention to continue publish the finest content I can put together, just a couple fewer times a week.

I am also still trying to clear the back log from my G-reader and I have yet to broach the backlog in my video feeds. I will get around to it, have patience with your dear old Uncle, I will eventually get there. In the mean time, cast your eyes upon Monday's Model Men for a little inspiration for your day. Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Monday's Model Men