Author: philw

  • The Spirit of Christmas

    It’s All About the Gifts

    Right now, I’m sure we have some Christians cracking their knuckles, getting ready to write spirited responses to that headline. Slow your roll there, children of God! Let me explain…

    Of course, I realize the significance of Christ in Christmas. It’s a celebration of the savior’s birth, although the historical accuracy of his exact date is something I’ve heard debated often. I wage no wars on Christmas, nor do I ever go around saying “happy holidays.” I’m totally down to give Jesus credit on his birthday.

    I also recognize the Pagan significance to the holiday. Christmas simply wouldn’t be the same if we stripped out the Yule tradition of trees, mistletoe, etc. So let’s not kick the vikings out! We need them to do this right.

    Circling back to the Christian faith, let’s also not forget the fourth century bishop known for his generosity and secret gift giving. The feel-good stories of St. Nicholas have lasted 1,600 years beyond his death. Over time, with the help of Coke advertising, St. Nicholas morphed into the legend of Santa Claus, who requires no introduction. We all know that story.

    The Real Deal for Me

    The tradition of decorating the house, Christmas movies, thawing out Mariah Kerry, and thrashing my living room with torn wrapping paper on Christmas day, is about as ‘MERICA as it gets. I love it when the Christmas tree is decorated and lit up, then I see the glow of other trees in neighbors’ windows.

    Every year, as I pull out homemade ornaments, I’m reminded of all the previous years of celebration. My kids would take turns every year, putting the star at the top of the tree, while I held them up. Nowadays, they don’t need that boost from Dad, but they still make a big deal over who gets to do it.

    Every year, my wife and I stress over how we can afford presents. On Christmas day, all that stress is worth it to see faces light up as kids unwrap them. Even the dog knows what’s up, as he goes looking for his stocking full of treats.

    This annual tradition of giving and getting takes me back to when I was a child, making memories with people who are no longer among the living. I can’t tell you much about my daily life when I was five. On the other hand I can tell you all about that Castle Greyskull I got at Christmas. I can still smell that He-Man specific plastic smell. Times like this are little bookmarks of happiness in my life story.

    My kids are all full-sized humans now. Only 2 of the 5 are even minors anymore. Even so, we still do presents under the tree every year. When I see a 6-foot tall adult digging into his Christmas stocking, I see that little kid again. At least now, they don’t wake me up at daylight to open presents, although I miss that too.

    I can’t wait for grandkids!

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  • Art of the Unemployed

    A few weeks ago, I up & left this site to rot as I perused an exciting opportunity to run production of a local newspaper in a town an hour away.

    I was so frikkin’ stoked! I had reoccurring dreams about working in a newsroom again. This seemed like the perfect fit for my skills, and for the first time in many years, I actually enjoyed my job again. The excitement of deadlines, paired with he challenge of wrangling a small newspaper into eye catching, easy-to-read design – it felt like I was home again!

    So anyway, I got fired yesterday. I did a good job, but it wasn’t enough. Ad sales were a joke, and we had a massive lag with our writers that ran the last run hours late for press deadline in Las Vegas, where all Nevada newspapers go to print nowadays. The price tag on overtime for them hit the pocket book of my boss so hard, she had to make some tough [on me] decisions. Since I was the only paid employee, I got kicked to the curb.

    I loved my new job for 3 weeks it existed. It made me feel useful and skilled, which is something I haven’t felt since Dennis Hof was above ground in 2018.

    Now I have been fired from being a drafter for the military industrial complex, a community health worker for the ‘MOST’ insane people of Lyon County, and now from doing the one job I felt I was good at.

    I sat in my room for about 2 hours last night, afraid to walk into the living room to give my hard working wife the bad news. When I finally did, there was no shock from her, but there was definitely plenty of stress in her eyes. It’s only 11 days until Christmas, and we borrowed from the money she was saving for gift shopping.

    I’m not really mad at the newspaper’s owner. She took a leap of faith that I could work magic on their ad revenue, and it ended up costing money instead. While it’s not my fault it went that way, It’s the giant pile of bullshit dumped at my front door. As my favorite Buddhist teacher would say, “Start shoveling that shit to the back yard to fertilize the mango tree.”

    Back to obsessing on this website! Perhaps I will use this to compete with the newspaper and other local media, and go for that ad revenue myself! If I can’t join them, I might as well beat them, right?

    Giving up is never an option when I’m a husband to the sweetest woman in the world, plus the father of the 5 most awesome humans ever made.

    Sorry, haters… I ain’t dead yet.

    GAME ON!!!

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  • Phil Wooley for County Commissioner

    I never seriously considered actually serving on the Board of County Commissioners, but I understand this is a serious role.

    Ever since Ken Gray posted links on Facebook to write the governor in support of his pick to take his old job, my Facebook Messenger has been chiming like crazy. Several citizens reached out to me, encouraging me to apply for the position. I decided if this many people believe in me, it’s worth a shot.

    Why me?

    …I’m actually asking myself right now

    Again, I wasn’t considering this move before yesterday [January 5th]. As I write this blog post today on January 6th, I understand I’m possibly not the most qualified applicant. The only times I’ve been at the Government Center in Yerington, were to fight to keep my job, then to receive an award from the commissioners. It’s very safe to say that I have zero interest in making a career out of politics. I do, however feel I could be useful to my community while occupying this seat.

    I am currently in training to become a certified Community Health Worker. I am employed with Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties as a volunteer coordinator, paid by the new Diabetes Prevention and Control grant offered by the State. In my “spare time” I host blood drives and lead cleanup operations in the desert trails all over Nevada. I have much concern for the health, safety and general welfare of people around me – so much so, that I gave a kidney to save a man in my neighborhood in 2019.

    Me in the news about my kidney donation:

    Nevada Appeal

    RGJ

    While I have never been very vocal about my political opinions to the general public, I am a Republican, and I agree with most conservative views. I also know it’s important to listen to some liberal points, and keep an open mind. Political parties are not sports teams, and should never be treated as such. Holding contempt for any political party as a whole, is ignorant and unacceptable for anyone in this position. I promise that I will NOT be pushing to spend taxpayer money to rename buildings after my favorite Republican leaders.

    The most I can offer to Lyon County, is honesty and genuine concern for its people. I want to see my community healthy and treated fairly, knowing their voices are heard. I’m not reaching for a higher office, nor do I have any ties to any special interest groups. I just care enough to put in extra work for my fellow citizens.

    Talk about it