Greetings, salutations and howdy to all my readers. It’s the last day of January, so I thought I’d surprise everyone by tossing another entry into the ol’ blog. Hrmm… I guess I should get everyone up to date with the results of the things I mentioned during the last entry.

Well, Underworld: Evolution was fantastic, in my opinion. Granted, it wasn’t for everyone. But, if you’re a monster fan…specifically a werewolf and vampire fan, you could appreciate the show. As usual, the “high paid critics” did their job of picking it apart into mere scraps of its full scope. It’s comforting to know that I think critics are anally retentive hermits of society with nothing better to do than critique others efforts. I don’t listen to em’ and I don’t recommend others let their movie-going experience get ruined by a bunch of nay-sayers. Watch what you like.

With that being said, on to the W2’s. Today is the last day that employers can sit on their W2 forms and drag their respective feet. The last two items we’ve been waiting on should be showing up soon. Upon receipt of those items, we’re going to implement Project: Back In Black. It’s time to get out of the red and get our bills into a zone of comfort so that we’re not struggling to make the almighty dollar stretch from one paycheck to the next.

After the finances are situated and under control, we’re going to look at the budget and see about adding something fun to our belongings. We’ve dreamed of having an ATV for a long, long time. My father-in-law is extremely happy with the one he has, so I did some research into the different brands and I’m going to go with Arctic Cat. Yamaha makes a mean machine, but I think I’m getting more for my money with AC. They just seem to have more features for the same money. Yamaha wants to bleed you dry.

Here’s a picture of the one we’re considering. It’s a 2006 Arctic Cat 400cc 4x4 Automatic with winch. The camo paint package was just silly on price (an additional $400 for paint), so I’m opting for red to match my truck.


As for the birthdays… the wife’s b-day is coming up on the 6th, and mine is coming up on the 19th. My dear wife will be dragged, kicking and screaming, into her 30’s this month. I’m finding it quite funny. She made certain to razz me over turning 30, and now it’s her turn. Haaaa Haaaa Haaaa!!! Our good friends have already taken us for an extremely good steak supper at a very quaint shopping village down close to where they live. It’s a rather strange, but quite nostalgic, place. They have everything they need to be self-sufficient. A bakery, mechanic shop, furniture store, jeweler, leather shop, restaurant, doctor, taxidermist, church, and the list goes on.

They almost seem to be like a strictly devout Pentecostal group, but not quite. Everywhere you look, men run the place. There were very few women in public view. Those that were providing services talked very little and seemed almost distant from the customers. I kept wondering when they were all going to put on matching jumpsuits with sparkly clean tennis shoes and offer us Kool-Aid. As I said…quaint, but somewhat creepy.

Anyway, I have work to do and I’d better get about it. Hopefully, my next entry will be about the ATV and what has come about in the first part of February. Ya’ll take care.

I guess it’s time for another journal entry. I don’t have a whole lot of news, but at least I can ramble aimlessly. I know how much my dedicated readers love to watch me show my less intelligent side. ~lol~

Well, let’s see… what shall I comment on first? Hrmmm… I guess the first thing that comes to mind is the movie release I’ve been waiting on. This Friday night (Jan 20th) is the opening night for Underworld: Evolution. The sequel to the blockbuster vampire vs. werewolf movie that had everyone talking. I can’t wait to see how it all works out. The wife and I are planning a late evening viewing at the local theater.

Coming up after that would be “tax season” with the delivery of our W2 forms, and subsequent trip to the local H&R BLOCK office for a rapid-refund. Some might argue the practical thinking behind paying for a fast return… but when you look at percentages, as we did last year, and realize that out of a ($5,500+) tax return… $100-$200 ain’t that much to pay to get your money in hand faster. After all, it is our money. Then comes the task of prioritizing the spending of said cash. (Mainly in an attempt to insure that the wife gets her fair share… or there will be hell to pay ~lol~) We have agreed on some very wise spending in order to position ourselves in a much more comfortable financial situation after it’s all said and done. I think we’re being very smart about this and we should be able to reduce (if not eliminate) a good amount of stress if we follow our plans and don’t lose our head.

After the tax-return events, we are looking down the barrel of yet another pair of birthdays. Both of ours fall in February. Hers is on the 6th and mine is on the 19th. I’m going to immensely enjoy watching my wife squirm as she turns 30 years old. She’s fighting the idea of being knocked out of her youthful 20’s… and I’m going to laugh as she joins the rest of us in “middle age”. Actually, I hope my “middle age” isn’t until about 45. It’d be kinda nice to be around for my grandkids and possibly great-grandkids. Somehow, I don’t think this world will be around long enough to see me be an old man.

The good Lord might even take me before that time comes about. Ya never know. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past 2 years… it’s this. Appreciate and savor the sweet moments of innocence and simple pleasures in life. When it’s over…it’s over. And the more I live, the more I realize just how short a year really is. When I stop to consider that I’ve already burnt up 32 of them, and that an average man’s lifespan is about 70 years, I suddenly realize that I better make the next 30-40 years as good as they can be. We’re only on this Merry-Go-Round for so long… then it’s the next generation’s turn at making sense of this thing called “life”.

We’re barely here long enough to stare in wonder… realize that most are trapped by the “system”… come to the conclusion that the odds are rarely in our favor… accept what we cannot change and appreciate that which we can… and make the odds a tiny bit better for those who come after us. Then, we become like so many of those who’ve come and gone before us. We are a fond memory. A name in a book. A grave marker erected by our posterity. We lay in wait, like those who we’ve visited and wondered about. It’s sobering. Life really is short. And what we leave behind is the blood of generations before us…a Surname…and the stark reminder that they, too, must make the best of the life they’ve been given.

The best that I can hope for is that my kids become better men than I’ve become. I’ve become worldly and backslidden and bitter. I try my best not to show a poor example to them. But I fear that I’m not the father I should be. I get the impression that most fathers feel that way, regardless of what they do right or wrong. I’ve been told on several occasions that “kids don’t come with instructions”. Mmm… that may be so, but regardless of the fact, ya gotta make them work. It’s not like a bicycle that you can take apart and reassemble until it comes out right. We get one shot. No pressure…right? I’m just thankful that I have my wife to help me. Actually, I should give her a lot more credit, here. She actually has “child rearing” down a bit better than I do. I muddle through and, for the most part, get them to do what I need them to do. But Mommy has the plan, man. Mommy knows best…and Daddy just tries his best to stay out of the way until he’s bellowed at.

I sincerely hope that after we restructure our finances with the “Almighty Tax Return”… that I can quit my 2nd job. Having to eat supper late at night and then trying to go to bed without my stomach getting nauseous just isn’t what I consider “fun”. Then, after staying up even later and trying to get enough rest before I have to get up at 5:30am just ain’t working out. I get sleepy by mid-morning and have to feed myself a non-stop stream of caffeinated drinks just to stay functioning. Not really a healthy thing… but what can I do? I have to have the income until we get caught up. The key, afterwards, is to maintain the budget without spurious spending.

Well… guess it’s about time to get some work done. I just felt like rambling. More later!!

Seeing as how it’s been a while since my last post, I thought I’d toss a few thoughts around the ol’ blog. Hrmm…let’s see now. I suppose you’re wondering about New Years (mainly, since the Christmas report has already been posted). Suffice it to say that it came off without a hitch. We (the wife and I) had our friends over to ring in the new year, and we all played board games, drank, and watched the ball drop over Times Square in New York.

Bless his heart, Dick Clark made a valiant and brave appearance on his “New Years Rockin’ Eve” as he does every year. Of course, in light of the stroke he suffered earlier in the year, his speech and appearance were obviously affected. But the mere fact that he did what he loved to do, showed the world his resolve and determination not to let fate beat him into submission. I was impressed and touched.

My grandfather celebrated his 81st birthday yesterday with family and friends. His sense of humor never fails to amaze us all, and I deeply respect him. He has always been the stubbornly grounded and “old-fashioned” anchor of the family, and it would only seem right that the sweetest and most forgiving woman in the world would be his wife. My grandmother is one of the very few true southern ladies, in my opinion.

I’m truly blessed by having the opportunity to know, love, and learn from these two people. I don’t know how life will be the same when the time comes for them to pass on. They’ve been the center of our family all of my life. I suppose all things must take their turn, and likewise all people must assume the roles left for them by those who have been called on to the other side.

On other matters, my computer is giving me fits over my CD-Writer. I think I have an aged and defective ATAPI master-slave cable that I’m going to have to replace. As luck would have it, I have a spare on my desk at home. It’s just a matter of time to be able to unhook everything and swap the cables out. If that doesn’t fix the issue, then apparently my 52x Sony Writer must be defective… at least in the writing functions. It will read just fine. Very puzzling.Our new PS2 (playstation 2) game system now has a PS2 Remote which can control the DVD functions that it’s capable of. I was rather impressed by the video output on the DVD’s. It many ways it has out-performed our simple DVD player that we used in the living room for a long time. That unit is now my youngest boy’s property.

Well… I guess that’ll do it for today. I’ll write more as time permits. Oh! And I almost forgot. I believe there was a Doug Chastain who posted a comment on my previous entry. I’m not sure if this is the same “Mr. C” that I’ve known ever since 7th Grade, or someone else with the same name. Regardless, feel free to drop in anytime. I’m always glad to have readers and comments. I tend to question my own sanity with some of these deep-thought entries… but that’s the whole reason for creating this blog in the first place. I’m sure my readers tend to question my sanity as well. ~lol~

Exit… stage left.