Crisis Clinics

Once every other month, I will do a feature called “Crisis Clinic”.  The Crisis Clinic will be a full-featured article that takes a look at various ways to combat the onset of the mid-life crisis; the daze that has settled around you like a blanketing fog.  I might opt to cover Harley Davidson motorcycles, maybe a feature on a survival camp, or maybe sky-diving.  Each Crisis Clinic will cover something different, yet all have one thing in common; we look at these activities as a way to fight back the funk of the mid-life.  Of course, I will rate the different activities covered in the Crisis Clinics as to how effective they are at combating the mid-life crisis.  Can there even be something out there that is so good that it can actually reverse the effects of the mid-life?  We’ll find out together.

The rating system is the tried & true letter grading that we all remember from our days spent in academia; A through F, with the associated pluses and minuses for good measure.  The following criteria will be graded in order to come up with the overall rating:

1)      Drool Pool. 

This is the “gotta-have it” factor.  Does this just drip with cool and make you feel like a king because you are doing or experiencing or owning whatever this thing is?  Is it a ’63 split window ‘Vette or is it a Chevette? 

2)      Break the Bank.

Is this going require a 2^nd mortgage or cashing out of your 401k?  That Beneteau First might be the ticket to your travels around the world… but you might not be able to eat along the way, either…

3)      Staying Power.

Sure, you can get it… but once you have it, how long will the high last?  Is this a mere band aid on the gaping wound that is mid-life or is this a real cure?  In a year from now, will it still be relevant or is this a one-night stand, quick fix?

Look for the first Crisis Clinic to be published in June, 2011 and a new one once every 8 weeks after that.  The schedule for 2011 is shaping up to look like this:

• June – Shut up and ride – Mike’s Famous Harley Davidson
• August – Surfs Up! 
• October – Come Sail Away with Me
• December – Scotch Tour in Scotland

Give me a shout and let me know if there is anything that you want to see. 

Welcome to 40daze

40daze is a web site geared towards male, Gen-Xer’s who are hitting the milestone of their 40^th birthday.  The site will consist of a collection of thoughts and ideas for the everyday man.  The site is intended to be a place where men from all different socio-economic backgrounds can exchange thoughts and ideas about maturing, with all the trials, tribulations, and baggage that comes with the aging process.  It also speaks to the secret yearnings that may be just slightly below the surface; the middle manager with the starched, white shirt and flat-top haircut that wants to pack it all in to blow sax in the blues club down at the beach; the computer programmer that dreams of trading the keyboard to take the helm of a cruiser and set sail around the world to see what is out there; the blue-collar laborer that is finally going to tell the big-boss-man to take this job and shove it so he can open the speed shop he’s been dreaming about since he was 16. 

As cliché as it sounds, 40daze is about listening to your inner voice, dusting off dreams that have been put on hold and finally pursuing self interests.  How do you realize a dream that has sat in the corner for decades while still being a responsible husband, father, and employee; is this even a reasonable thought, let alone a realistic question?  As this generation stands at the brink of mid-life, can we have it all – and what does it mean to have it all?  Everyone’s definition and idea of success is different… for some it might mean owning your own company, being a loving father, making a million dollars, or running a marathon... The notions of having it all and being successful will be questioned and challenged as 40daze develops. 

40daze will be a look at where we are as a generation, where we’re going, and of course, a look back at where we’ve been…

Now, if you read that and get it, stick around…