This weekend has been rather interesting, to say the least. A multitude of highs and lows have assailed me. I’d wager that it’s not unlike being blindfolded and strapped upside-down to the front car of the Texas Giant rollercoaster.

Let’s start with Friday, shall we? I finally achieved the “one year” anniversary date with my employer, so I decided to celebrate my newly acquired status with the company. Since I’m now eligible for 5 days of paid vacation and paid holidays, I chose to take Friday off to enjoy a long weekend. My father had mentioned that I could get a full 50PSI of water flow from the main line stub-up if I’d tee off from it just below the pressure reducing valve and create a “high pressure” faucet.

I figured it was a good idea, because 30PSI just doesn’t cut it when you wanna water a lawn or wash a car. He and I enjoyed the cool of the morning and fixed up the tee. It works great and I’ve got plenty of water pressure when I need it. I’d consider that a (high). I watched the movie Aeon Flux. It was pretty good, actually! It was somewhat reminescent of the old cartoon in many ways. I I considered that yet another (high).

Saturday was a rather full day. The wife had an early shift at the tanning salon, but would be free in the evening. The new X-men movie had just come out, so we were all anxious to go see our favorite mutants doing battle. I got the tickets online and took the boys to breakfast at the donut shop. We had a light lunch and went to the movie at about 5:00pm. So, donuts (high)…tickets and movie (high)…not a bad day.

Sunday was to be eventful as well. I decided that, despite the call for rain over the weekend, I was going to wash our vehicles. Having been fried to a crisp earlier in the year for not paying heed to Mr. Sun whilst meandering about without a shirt… I decided to apply some protection while I scrubbed and sprayed. Well, while that was a good plan, apparently it didn’t get applied to the waistband area of my lower back and…well… it’s currently a tad uncomfortable to wear jeans with a belt.

I started watching the Nascar race on TV and rest up from detailing vehicles… but plans had been set in motion to watch the finale’ of fireworks at Riverfest ’06 up in Little Rock. They always put on a great show, and I’d agreed to go. So… with my boy, Kasey Kahne, leading the pack (high) and less than 100 laps to go…we headed out.. I wasn’t too thrilled about leaving the race. It’s like being at the bottom of the 8th inning, with your team at bat, and you gotta go to town. I resolved myself to the fact that I’d have to get the race results on my phone and miss out on the chance of watching him win (if it was destined).

We got up to Little Rock and luck shined on us. I’d hoped that the old parking deck that I used when I was working up on the 16th floor of the Regions building would be open. It was. We drove to the top of the six story deck to where we could look out over downtown. Aside from one building obscuring some of the smaller, low-altitude explosions...(low)…it was a great show. About 10 minutes before the first morter was thumped into the night air, I got the news on my phone that Kasey had clinched the victory!!! So, there was the (high) that I was hoping for. The fireworks show was another (high) of the night. There was a slight dispute betwixt the ladies in our little caravan...(low)…but it was short-lived.

After arriving home, I was horrified to discover that my computer’s C:\ drive had suddenly developed a fatal error…either in my OS (operating system) which is Windows XP Home… or possibly a physical error on the hard drive itself. It was in a perpetual loop of rebooting that kept taking it to an error screen. I grabbed my “Restore” cd’s and resolved myself to the fact that I was going to have to reformat and reinstall my OS. It wasn’t a matter of losing a lot of stuff on the drive…it’d already been lost. I couldn’t access it or back it up. There was no way to get into the system. So… I figured I’d give the drive one more shot.
I loaded the cd’s and I’m still in the process of fixing up my Windows XP to be as close as it can be to what it was before the big FUBAR. So far, so good. At least I’ll know it’s the drive itself if it repeats the error.

Monday brought the threat of rain, but my dear wife would not be denied a trip SOMEWHERE in order to get out of the house on Memorial Day. Therefore, after much mulling about over destinations, we settled on the Zoo. It was close by… inexpensive…provided entertainment for all of us…and was away from the house. I needed to stop by the ATM on the way, in order to get some admission cash. That is…after I drove back to the house and got the wallet I’d forgotten (which contained not only my drivers license but the atm/debit card as well).

We then played hopscotch with patches of rain on the way up there, and I was sure that we were going to end up disappointed with the visit. When we arrived, wind was gusting at about 10-15mph and things were beginning to look rather dark. Not good signs for a day at the zoo…but we marched onward. We met up with our friends (who hadn’t forgotten THEIR wallet) and began to stroll around the exhibits. That’s about the time when the rain set in. We strolled back to the amphitheater for a dry seat, and hoped that the shower would be short-lived. It turned out to last and last. However, all was not lost. A bird handler was in the same area as us and came down to the stage area with an absolutely gorgeous bald eagle.

I instantly thought, “What better way to be reminded of the valor and bravery of our fallen soldiers on this day…than by staring into the fierce eyes of our nation’s noble bird?” It turns out that the eagle was a female, and I was even privileged enough to wear the glove and hold her teather. She sat next to me on the amphitheater bench while the handler went backstage to see if there was anything she might care to eat. Let me assure you… when you look into the eyes of a bald eagle, with a beak like a sharpened coat hook…and talons over an inch-1/2 long EACH…. you realize that this creature commands respect. I wasn’t about to do anything to hack her off. It was truly an honor I’ll never forget.

When the rain let up to a soft drizzle…we strolled on through some of the zoo. We saw a few animals and got sopping wet, but we had fun. The zoo has always been a sort of peaceful refuge for me when life has overwhelmed me. So I’ve never had a bad day there. I hope that one day I am able to give back a small portion of myself to a place that has given me so much. Appreciation for the simplicity and beauty of nature’s creatures is something more people should take time to discover. I would definitely consider this a (high) of the weekend…

As you can see, there were more highs than lows. So, by mathematical ratio, it wasn’t too bad of a weekend.

I’ll upload pics of the eagle on the next blog post. I still have to load the camera software into Windows XP. Thanks Bill.

Today’s rant is about the “Corporate Marketing Shell Game”. You might wonder what I’m talking about. Well, as luck would have it, you’re about to find out.

The “shell game” has been around for many, many years. The game involves rapid hand movements in order to confuse and divert attention from the object (typically a small ball) which has been hidden under one of three empty turtle shells. The shells are swapped around several times in random patterns and the player is then asked to pick a shell. Some unsavory game runners are able to use slight-of-hand to remove the ball from the shell so that the player can’t win.

This tactic of changing the odds has also been called “stacking the deck" because it was used in underhanded card games so that players rarely won. The corporate world has adopted an “open interpretation” view of marketing that amounts to a virtual shell game for consumers. It’s apparent in just about every gimmick thrown at us, as consumers. Perhaps you’ve seen the word “FREE” on something? Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary gives one definition of “free” as… having a scope not restricted by qualification. However, people have now been conditioned to accept a new spelling of the word Free. Perhaps you’ve seen it. It’s now spelled F-R-E-E-*

The asterisk was added, recently, in order to help sucker would-be consumers into a situation whereby they believe they’re about to receive a gratis or obligation-free promotional offer. However, their hopes are suddenly dashed by the fact that the asterisk points to a phrase denoting something to the effect of “some restrictions apply”, or “subject to qualifications” or perhaps “see details”. This asterisk has led to a mood of disrespect for corporate marketing because it totally dismisses the whole root of the word, itself.

How are they able to bastardize this word? They use the excuse of “open interpretation”. They argue that they are, indeed, offering something for free. However, in order to actually receive the free item, you must “qualify” yourself for it. Technically, they’re avoiding false advertisement litigation by merely sidestepping it. By advertising only a portion of the marketing strategy, they’re drawing customers’ attentions to the part where they receive merchandise or a promotional item without having to pay for it. This is the bait for their participation in the marketing strategy.

That is when the shell game begins. They are told that in order to “qualify” for a particular item, they must meet a certain criteria. This can be anything from being approved for a credit account, to paying full price for the object…only to get mail-in rebates that they have to send in after a waiting period, to merely having to pay the shipping and handling costs for the object. One way or another, the corporate world will no longer give hand-outs in order to win customer loyalty. This is a sad realization. Because in doing so, they make themselves part of a sea of greed and selfish tactics that have embittered the buying public.

Years ago, marketers wanted to win the loyalty of paying customers by focusing on the needs of the customer (rather than lining their own pockets with every opportunity that they could invent). By keeping the “little guy” in mind, they made the buying-&-selling relationship into one of a personal friendship. Customers felt loyal to a manufacturer who had their best interests in mind. It was called “honest marketing” and it worked! Now days, business owners try to find gimmicks and loopholes in order to take advantage of overly-trusting individuals. It was rightly said that a sucker is born every minute. Don’t let yourself become one of them. Watch out for the ever-present asterisk. It is NOT your friend, friend.

More later…

I’ve decided to throw some more thoughts into the ol’ blog today. Yes, they’re weird…yes, they’re probably littered with unfounded poor judgement…and yes, I’m probably one of the most stubborn and hardheaded people on earth. Your point is?

Today I'm gonna rant about radio. Ah yes, we all love radio. There’s nothing quite like our nationally available series of AM and FM stations, pumping out a limited series of songs that record companies want to impregnate your mind with in order to sell more CD’s of any given genre. But that is made even more delightful by the daily flood of annoying, loud, and sometimes offensive advertisements that come streaming out of the speaker.

If it’s not some idiot trying to sell cars by screaming at you like you’ve suddenly gone deaf and he’s on his 14th cup of Java. Then, it’s some national health foundation or something, telling you to go get your tits squished at the breast exam center, or perhaps illuminating you to the fact that your prostate or colon is out to kill you. Perhaps it’s that lovely time when Candidate A is trying to verbally crap all over the reputation of Candidate B. And the latest trend is a string of so-called “live” telephone calls by morons who ask restaurants to provide ridiculous services to them in order to advertise another one that actually has that gimmick going.

Just this morning, I’ve heard at least 5 commercials advertising the need of individuals, 50 and over, to visit their doctor for a colo-rectal cancer screening…because your ass could be killing you. Keep in mind that the marketing coordinator for this health service obviously enjoys having things shoved up his ass, because he’s targeting a market of listeners with an average age of 26. The station I was listening to is an alternative rock station. Not many retirees I know of are smoking pot, drinking Jägermeister and planning a pilgrimage to Ozzfest ’06. Perhaps he should pay a visit to his doctor and have his head surgically removed from his colon.

Let’s not neglect an analysis of the “screaming car salesman”. Oh, what a delight they are. I know I’m personally thrilled by this bellowing baffoon, blatantly demonstrating his opinion of the buying public by treating them as impressionable, deaf, persuadable gimmick junkies. Now, we all know that in a sea of cookie-cutter car lots, restricted by the manufacturer by how much they must initially charge for a particular car, the lot owners much find an edge. They’re all vying for your attention and business. What a lot of them seem to be confused about, is this. Treating your potential customers like impressionable stooges isn’t the way to go about it.

Next on the list is the babbling “disclaimers” that are typically filled full of enigmatic acronyms and are, more often than not, read off at a speed so fast that it is almost indecipherable. Many times, this is tagged onto a sales pitch by a car lot. Other times, they’ll give you only a portion of the information and tell you to “visit our website for FULL details.”

Necessary as it may be in this day and age, in order to prevent (or at least reduce) the amount of frivolous lawsuits brought on by claims against manufacturers over uncovered loopholes. It’s become more of a state of advertising paranoia than anything. It’s to the point, now, that it seems to me almost laughably absurd. Hot coffee being labeled as hot. Do not place plastic bags over your head. Packets of moisture absorbant material in electronics having to be labeled “do not eat”. What in the hell is wrong with people nowadays?? I've watched Looney Tunes all of my life (and this is quite apparent)... and I've never once hit someone with a rolling pin, frying pan, or huge mallet. I've never jumped off a cliff or been blown up by a keg of TNT.

Why, then, are Saturday morning cartoons no longer Saturday morning cartoons...and when they're shown, they're censored to be "politically correct"?!? People need to wake the hell up, take off their sissy dresses, take responsibility for their kids and their behavior, and stop being offended by every damn thing someone says or does!!! Get a backbone, America!! Your grandparents had one... why can't you??

Well… I’ve rambled enough for today. More annoyances yet to come… stay tuned.

I guess it’s time to post another update to the old blog. Some people have been informing me that one is overdue. Alright…here goes….

Firstly, plans have been made for a camping trip in the near future, possibly in early June. The opportunity to actually have some paid vacation time has come at last. I haven’t had the chance to actually go anywhere with my kids in so long it’s pitiful. So, with the 1-year anniversary at my full-time job coming up… that’ll be a pleasant change. I’ll be eligible for a raise…paid vacation and paid holidays.

Well, thinking of the camping trip got me to thinking about my options for sleeping accomodations. Citing the fact that we don’t own an RV…5th wheel camper…or pop-up of our own, we’ll be renting one. Oh, we still have the option of a family tent. We’ve got one we’ve never had the opportunity to use. But I think we’ll be going the pop-up route.

That being said, my thoughts turned to how I’d get it there. I’ve got my Dodge truck… but it didn’t have anything to tow with. Oh sure, it has the Hemi…a tow-mode switch…and the trailer-tow package. But no ball… no hitch…nothing. So I talked to my buddies down at my place of employment about it. I happen to work at a place that specializes in heavy equipment and truck accessories. They took a look under the truck to see if they had a light truck hitch that would fit mine. What they discovered was shocking!

I bought my truck brand new with 7 actual miles on the odometer. It didn’t come with a trailer hitch. I’ve never had one on it. And to the best of my knowledge…there was nothing out of place. If you’ve never seen a bird before…and you see one with no feathers….you wouldn’t know there was anything wrong. Well, I found out soon enough that there WAS something wrong. The tow-bar (a tubular steel bar that hangs behind the spare tire and is welded to each frame rail) is where a tow-hitch is bolted to.

If a truck comes from the factory without a trailer hitch, the bolt holes are empty on the tow-bar. Mine had bolts installed. Next… there are typically two, round cutouts on the bumper. They are just beneath the license plate and are positioned to each side of the trailer ball hole. These cutouts, I was told, have to be removed in order to access the bolt holes for a trailer hitch to be installed. Mine had been removed before I even bought the truck. I never knew anything ever covered those bolt holes. Imagine my surprise to suddenly realize…that my truck was missing some equipment that I’ve been paying for over the past 2 years!!!

I promptly made a call to the dealership and explained the situation. They told me to bring the truck down. I woke up on Saturday morning and took the family with me down to the dealership. They took a look at the bumper…and at the tow-bar. Then, just to make sure, they checked the VIN number against the electronic vehicle manifest sheets for 2004 (the year my truck was made). Sure enough…it was supposed to have a factory Mopar receiver hitch on it. They apologized to me several times and promptly took the truck back to have one installed. I now have a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 with a shiny, new receiver hitch. It’s nice to get everything you pay for.

After getting this installed, I picked up a hitch tongue and a 2” ball, which fits most small trailers. I also got an adapter block which attaches to my bumper. It lets you connect your standard 4-pin trailer light “pigtail” to it for easy access…and it also has a hookup for a 7-pin barrel connector. The 7-pin will need to be wired to an electronic brake box which fits up under my dash… but that’ll come later. A pop-up camper doesn’t need trailer brakes. It’s just nice to have the option.

Mother’s Day went well. A lot of fun was had by all, and too much food was eaten (as usual). I baked a cake last night that I had originally intended to be for the actual Sunday festivities. I ran out of time, so I made up for it last night. Yea… I can bake a cake. After watching my mom do it many times during my childhood (which some might argue, continues to this day)… I picked up a knack for baking sweets. My kids don’t seem to mind. And whenever I get a hankering for a cake… It never costs more than a few dollars to have one ready in no time. I’m resourceful like that.

More later….

I reckon it’s high time I post some thoughts, gripes and commentary about the world situation, in general. (At least how I personally view it, anyway).

Many of you may be keeping up with current events. I’m not typically one of those who do. But, here recently, there have been a lot of newsworthy items that have come to my attention. Several of them honestly annoy the hell out of me. So… it’s time for a rant or two.

~ The Middle East Situation ~

Item 1: Car Bombs in Iraq…
Solution: Outlaw any civilian motorized vehicle within 2 miles of an established military outpost or site of mass civilian gathering. This way, if there IS a vehicle approaching, they’re either a terrorist…or extremely stupid. In either case, they can then be eliminated with extreme prejudice and there will be no more car bombing of military personnel or civilians en masse. If you spot a rather lumpy Iraqi with wires hanging out of his turban… walking toward an urban gathering or military compound…odds are, he’s a terrorist. Plug him in the head. Problem solved.

Item 2: Iran vs. Israel…
Solution: Iran is an extremely impoverished and desolate nation. Their only source of wealth may very well lie in harnessing nuclear power for civilian benefit. However, should these Islamic extremists start producing dirty-bombs or, at the very least, short-range nuclear armaments… then we have a very serious problem. These idiots literally think they have a shot at winning against Israel. That’s what’s so laughable. No nation on this planet will ever extinguish the chosen nation of God. It is not my place to question why people who descended from Abraham, yet do not recognize Jesus as God’s Son, are the chosen people. But, it is my sincerest belief…that if the United States ever turns a blind eye to Israel’s plight or hardship, and doesn’t stand beside her as an ally… we will fall. That’s just my view…take it or leave it. As for me… I’ll stand with Israel. (I’m just not wearing the derby, scraggly beard, and pigtails)

Item 3: Oil….
Solution: While it may not be the ONLY reason we’re there, trudging through the blazing sand, it is ONE of the reasons. The almighty gas pump beckons us. And while there are those few who live in almost god-like conditions with every amenity known to mankind at their mere whim… it is all just a matter of location…location…location. No oil = grass hut and flies. The richest sheik would be out back drinking goat milk with his genitals swinging in the breeze had it not been for the severely lucky fact that there are great pools of liquified dead dinosaurs beneath the sand. Now we find that there are petroleum fields in Russia that might help to bolster their shattered economic state and supply our need for energy. This will most assuredly draw heavy objection from the Middle East and hit them like a sledgehammer, financially. I feel that this might give the free world a much-needed and long-deserved vacation from the barrel that those greedy towel-heads at OPEC have had us bent over for several years now.

~ Illegal Immigrants & The Dilution of American Identity ~

I don’t care where you’re from. I don’t care what language you speak. I don’t care what color your skin, hair or eyes are. I don’t care what religion you are (as long as the practice of it doesn’t involve bodily harm to your fellow man). I am not a racist, bigot, hate-monger, white-supremacist, neo-nazi, skin head, Klan member….or affiliated with any other unsavory group of anti-social miscreants or hooligans. I’m a pretty easy-going and laid back kind of guy….

HOWEVER…

I am a staunch supporter of American patriotism, American jobs, American values, American traditions, American freedoms, American customs, American holidays and American language. It is my unwavering and infallible opinion that any person who permanently lives within the borders of the United States of America should be a fully inducted and legal citizen. Also… any citizen of the United States, regardless of origin, sex, race, religion, creed or custom…is an American. Black citizens are not “African Americans” any more than I am a “Euro-Native American”.

Cultural individualism has no place in National Identity. This great nation embraces the right of individuals to celebrate their heritage and ancestry through recognized holidays and celebrations. Whether it’s St.Patrick’s Day… Mardi Gras… Chinese New Year…Hannukah… Kwanza….Christmas… or any other known holiday, we recognize diversity and the celebrations involved with it. That’s what made America so welcoming to immigrants longing to live in a place free from oppression. They embraced the pride of being an American, regardless of their origins. It didn’t matter what color they were or where their ancestors were from. That was well-known. They were Americans…. And people still are, Americans. I respect any person who wants to become an American citizen and contribute their dreams, skills, talents and beauty to our nation. I love the rich heritage of the Latino community just as much as any other culture! However, many Mexican people are coming to America illegally…and we’re continuously letting them get away with it.

Illegal immigration into this country, whether it’s from Canada, Mexico, Cuba, or Papua New Guinea… is still a criminal act. It utterly baffles me how the definition of “illegal” can be vague to so many in legislation these days. There is no room for protest by those who shouldn’t even be here. How can our government lend an ear to those who have invaded our country with no regard to our rules or regulations…taken jobs in our system…neglect to pay taxes…and funnel their gains back to Mexico? Tax evasion, alone, is a felony offense. These people can’t even vote… and the government is actually hesitating about whether to enact stricter measures to insure that our well-known and well-established rules about immigration are enforced. The leaders of our nation are letting a bunch of blatant criminals dictate national policy to those we’ve elected to represent us. What is this world coming to??

Not only have we, as citizens, been forced to watch this steady migration of illegal Mexicans march across our border. But the manufacturing and marketing big-wigs of this country have taken it upon themselves to make it the “adopted norm” to include Spanish wording on every damn pack of merchandise from bubble-gum to baby wipes!!! Since when did Spanish become our obligatory second language?!?! We speak English in this country! More precisely, we speak the American dialect of English. We have Jewish, Irish, Russian, Italian, German and African people here as well. Should we not be unilateral in our marketing strategies?? I fail to see the inclusion of Hebrew, Gaelic, Russian, Latin, German or Nigerian instructions on my DVD instruction manual. Are these people not important, as American citizens?

Just like the slow and methodical conditioning of the American people to embrace “popular culture”, regardless of whether it’s sexual practice, moral laxness or political issues… we’re being slowly conditioned by the media to embrace the slow deterioration of our American individualism as a nation. Diversity among members of a nation shouldn’t mean the destruction of that nation’s identity as a unified embodiment of certain ideals.

Additionally, this country was founded on Christian principles, by Christian people, and established with the intention of allowing religious and personal diversity to take hold. This, however, did not include provisions for those with opposing views or differing religious beliefs to undermine Christian values, Christian traditions or the Christian symbolism and beliefs this government that was founded upon. You are free to believe what you want, and practice the religion of your choosing, with freedom from oppression. You are NOT free to slander, demean, tear down, undermine, belittle or criticize the plainly visible and tangible evidence of Christianity so adamantly illustrated through deed and writ by those who set the cornerstone of our society in place in the 1700’s. Enjoy your freedom….and respect the fact that the religion that you disagree with was practiced by those who guaranteed you the right to disagree. Their blood was spilled so that you have the right to believe differently. Now shut the hell up, because I don’t care what you believe. I have that right, as well.

It is said, and rightly so, that… opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one, and most stink. However, if you don’t like the smell of my opinion…get your nose out of my business.

Peace.

It would be funnier if it weren't so true...

Ok, I guess I’ll come ramble for a bit. Nothing super-exciting has transpired since my last entry, so don’t expect much. But, I was told that I’ve been slacking off in my “blog duties”. So, in an effort to sate the masses of dedicated readers (rolling eyes)… here goes.

Topic 1: Gas Prices Suck.

That’s no big batch of news to anyone. I just wanted to say that because I’m sick and tired of OPEC buying platinum-plated Rolls Royce’s while I’m eating mac-n-cheese. It’s high time we all went to an alternative fuel and let the towel-headed sheiks pound sand up their asses.

What’s wrong with ethanol? We can sure as hell grow us some corn! I don’t know so much about the CNG (compressed natural gas) option, because I have a sneaky suspicion that a severe collision might produce a miniature A-bomb effect and level several blocks. I’m not sure I’d wanna pay that kinda price for a fender-bender.

Topic 2: Jeep Being Recalled for Safety Issue.

Just got a notice about a safety issue that needs to be addressed on the wife’s Jeep. Apparently the oxygen sensor wiring stands a chance of coming in contact with the exhaust system at some location and poses a risk of an underbody fire. We can’t be having that. So the parts are on order and should be here by this coming weekend. It’s an unlikely scenario, but one that I’m not going to ignore…especially since it’s totally covered by the manufacturer.

Topic 3: Truck needs an alignment.

When I get time (and money) to get it done, the Ram is gonna need an alignment. It seems to be tugging a bit to the right. Not enough to notice unless you let go of the wheel on a long straight-stretch… but still…it does wanna wander to the shoulder. Also, I bought brand new “high-quality” brake pads for the front that are not supposed to make any noise whatsoever. I’m hearing a tiny, high-pitched intermittent noise from up there while driving. It doesn’t happen all the time, but I’m thinking it’s probably coming from those pads. I’ll probably have these double-checked when I get the alignment done… just to make sure.

Topic 4: Vacation is Due.

Citing the fact that the last “vacation” I enjoyed was a 4-day whirlwind journey to North Carolina nearly 5 years ago… two days of which included a non-stop, 13-hour, 840 mile drive each way. I think it’s high time for a decent paid vacation. That, hopefully, will be coming my way here in the next month. I will be celebrating my 1-year anniversary here at my current job, and will qualify for one week of paid vacation. I think a camping trip will be in order. I need some peace and quiet… some fishing time… and some sounds of birds and water. Down deep, I’m a nature person. But there are few times for me to actually drop everything and go out to enjoy the simple pleasures of nature. That’s part of the reason I want my 4-wheeler so bad. When I’m on one of those… it’s like I’m free. Cruising down some dirt trail out in the middle of the woods is like being an roaming adventurer on a horse in ancient times… just seeing where the road might lead you. I typically take along my digital camera to capture interesting scenery. Oh well… we’ll have to see if my “steed” can be purchased with the next Tax Return.

Topic 5: Sunburn is Gone.

Yup…the roasted slab of meat that was my back has now returned to somewhat of a normal state. It has blistered, peeled, and turned a nice brown hue. If I don’t suddenly develop a severe case of melanoma, then I think all should be well now. It still itches a bit, but it’s just in the areas where the peeling borders good skin.

I suppose I’ll write more later. Ya’ll take care now… ya hear?

The 2006 Jeep Liberty 4x2

In an effort to satisfy my readers who are chomping at the bits for a peek at the new Jeep my wife is driving… Here is a brand new pic of it, freshly washed. The pollen will most likely claim it again tomorrow, but it’s clean for the moment.

By the way... I know who you are "Anonymous". I've known since the first Comment. There are only two people who have ever referred to me as just... "J". It's not hard to figure out who you are.

Say what you want about Dodge… but the proof is in the pudding. Kahne pulls off not ONLY another victory for the season, but this makes the second time he’s done it from pole position!!! He fought off contenders Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart to clinch the Texas Motor Speedway victory on Sunday, and I couldn’t be more proud. WAY TO GO KAHNE!!!!

I did manage to get the brake job done. I wasn’t aware that 2004 Ram’s had double-piston calipers on the front. And I assumed (like many a truck before this one) that it had drum brakes in the rear. That’s not the case! I have 4-wheel disk brakes…and the rear are anti-lock. Pretty impressive! It took a bit of examination to determine just how to get things taken apart properly… but as with most automotive projects that come in pairs, the second set of pads were a breeze. I rotated the tires, too.

I also got a chance to go muddin’ with my kids on our friends’ ATV’s… so that was a blast, too. All in all…not a bad weekend.

Howdy folks. Yup, just me again... wandering in to toss a few lines down. Not much goin on, thusfar. I'm about to do a brake job on the front pad of my truck, then do a tire rotation. No big thing... but it takes a little time. I'll probably come back looking like a Nigerian from the elbows down, tho.

Oh, before I forget... here's the picture of our new front deck. We have plans for a much larger rear deck, but that's still in the works. My dad did the framework and railings, but a friend and myself did all of the knee-work on nailing the flooring in place.

I would have already had a good pic of the Jeep...freshly washed...but before I could take a shot, she decided to head down to our friends' house. (and they live on a VERY...dusty road) I'M TRYING! I SWEAR!!

More later, as usual...

Ok kiddos… I know I kinda left ya’ll hanging at the end of last week, so I’ll give you the low-down on what all happened.

Do I have the tattoo? No. I’ll explain why. As I mentioned in the last posting, I was going to head up to 7th Street Tattoos to get some inking from Adrian. The price & availability at the time I wrote the last post was still up in the air. I got an email from Adrian later that evening before I headed to my 2nd job…and he quoted me a price of $150-$180 dollars!!! I just about shit my pants. $180 for THAT??

Needless to say, I didn’t have that much to spend on something so simple and small. I decided to concede and check with the place that my wife got hers at. I was told over the phone that I’d need to come in and see the guy that ran the shop. I was told to bring the design and he’d give me an estimate.

I finished up at the 2nd job, and after having butterflies in my stomach all day long….headed into Little Rock to hopefully tackle this hurdle. I got to the shop, and walked in. Naturally, I was the only 6’-7” cowboy with no ink standing in the midst of the “Inked and Pierced” of our society. The feeling, I would imagine, is somewhat like being naked on the 50 yard line at the Super Bowl.

I signed in and wandered aimlessly about…checking out flash and artwork…and all manner of painful looking piercing pictures. Eventually, someone who looked like they actually worked there came out. After clinking her way behind the bar, she asked one couple some questions…then came over to me. I told her that I had a tattoo design that I brought…and wanted to get it put on my shoulder. Now, keep in mind that I’d just driven about 30 miles to get here.

She said, “Oh, we couldn’t do a custom design tonight. We’re already booked with work. But I can get you a price...I'll be right back.” Immediately, my adrenaline high was extinguished. I felt cheated…disappointed…angry….and a bit sad. She came back quickly, and handed me the paper. “Here you go!” she said with a smile. The paper read… $180. I just about shit my pants for the 2nd time that day.

It was at this point that all hope went up like an oily rag in a burn barrel. I left the place, still being watched curiously by some anorexic chick with a spike through her bottom lip and purple hair. I decided that, as usual, I would be the one cheated out of equal treatment. All the way home, I felt like a heavy wet blanket of disappointment and frustration was laying on me. I did my best to just move on, that evening…but I’m sure my mood didn’t set well with the wife.

Since then, I’ve talked with several people about my experience with the two shops. All of them have looked at my design, the color, the location and size. They all echo the same sentiment. I was being robbed. They’re all glad I didn’t pay the price. At least I apparently made a good decision by not throwing cash at the first artist who quoted me a price.

I’m still getting it… but I’ve got a few more places to check out, first. As for the pictures of my new deck…THAT’S D-E-C-K….I should be able to snap those tonight. Also, since we’ve “sprung forward” on Daylight Savings Time, it won’t be dark by the time the wife shows up. I should be able to get some photos of her ride as well.

I’ll post more later. Ya’ll take care until then.

Ok folks… I’ll scribble an entry in for today. It won’t be much, because the week has basically sucked a big hairy. But this weekend is shaping up nicely, if we don’t get rained out. The temp has finally come up to moderately tolerable levels. But with that, comes the chance for thunderstorms.

At any rate, weather permitting, I plan on FINALLY washing my truck on Sunday. I’m scheduled to work Saturday night (as usual) and Saturday morning is gonna be filled up with oil-changes for both vehicles, a haircut for me and a nail appointment for the wife. So, my best shot for a scrub-down on the big Hemi is gonna be Sunday. Knowing my luck… it’ll come a monsoon.

After a lengthy wait and some budgeting… I will finally be getting my tattoo. (design shown above) It’s my first, so I’ve heard every story that can be told about how little it hurts or how much it hurts. I’m not worried about it. I’ve been through bike wrecks…3-wheeler wrecks…knee surgery…root canals and having all 4 wisdom teeth pulled at once. I’ve had sunburns that blistered and peeled. I don’t think a little time in the chair is gonna kill me. ~lol~

The time is set for tomorrow night after work. I’m going to a place up in Little Rock called 7th Street Tattoos. I really like the work done by Adrian, there. He seems to really know his stuff. Naturally, pics will follow. (Yes, Really)

So, take a look at the shoulder in the pic, above. After tomorrow evening… it won’t be blank canvas anymore. ~lol~

More later….

In case I haven’t mentioned it already, and I don’t believe I have… Kasey Kahne won the Golden Corral 500 race at Las Vegas this past weekend after clinching the #1 pole position and enduring a rain delay.

He slipped as far back as 10th position, but they clearly had a winning game plan and Evernham Racing sent his Dodge Charger to the front of the pack to lead nearly 26 laps before edging out Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth and Jimmy Johnson for the win.

It sucks that due to the rain delay, the race wasn’t televised. But, I still managed to hear highlites of it through friends of mine who have links to live audio for the races. They kept me informed.

This win comes after a lengthy period of good shows, but no victories. I was getting a lot of ribbing about my unwaivering support of Kahne around the office, but I’m vindicated now. This makes Kahne’s first victory since his astounding finish in Richmond during the 2005 Nextel Cup season.

Kahne will be on the track this coming weekend… I’ll be in my chair, cheering him on.

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Onto other matters…

We don’t need anymore rain. I’m fed up with cold-n’-sloppy… I’d like to have some warm-n’-sunny now, thanks. What’s with all this damn wacky weather we’ve been having, anyway?? I mean, sheesh… Mother Natures gives us 70 degrees…20 degrees…65…32…80…40…. MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MIND!!!

I mean, we get warm weather just long enough to set up my wife’s flower bed and get all her plants in the ground and manage to transplant our rose bushes… then we get 3 nights of temps at around the mid to high 30’s. I imagine our flowered plants are in shock about now. We’ll probably lose some of them, even though we managed to cover them from any frost.

I’m no hordiculturist, so what do I know? I just hope it’s all ok. We worked on that for a good while.

More later, I suppose.

Ok ok ok… So I made you wait a week-1/2. I seem to have this propensity for blog-procrastination. Hrmm… I need to work on that, I reckon.

So I guess yall would like an update. Ok. The flu is gone (thank God) and things were better…briefly. Now I’m battling Mother Nature and her orgasm-of-pollen. Yes, it’s that time of year again when those affected by seasonal allergies admire the colors, but wish they could put tiny zip-loc baggies on all the blooms. Zyrtec & Afrin & Kleenex…they be me mates.

There’s a few “rants” that I’m gonna toss out because, well, that’s kinda why I made this Blog to begin with. I’m sure that from time to time, my views might seem a bit narrow-minded or uninformed. That very well may be the case. I don’t claim to be right…merely opinionated. It was once said, and rightly so, that opinions are like assholes…we all have our own and all of them tend to stink. Be aware that this entry will contain ADULT MATERIAL.

That being said, if you’re easily offended or wear your feelings on your sleeve… you might want to steer clear of my blog. I tend to be rather blunt and to-the-point in here. Why, you may ask? Because nobody is forced to read this, and we all have a right to speak our minds. I just choose to do so in a non-offensive and somewhat private forum.
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Let’s see… the first item of business is… Piercings.

Oh my… where shall I start. The things I’ve seen people do to themselves on the internet for either shock value, or for acceptance into the “extreme” crowd, is just disturbing. It can range from one piercing by some barely 17 year old girl to look trendy… all the way up to some poor fool who has basically turned him or herself into a clinking monstrosity that once was part of mainstream humanity but sadly is no more.

They jab shit through their eyebrows…the bridge of their nose…the center of their nose…the side of their nose…bottom lip…top lip…cheek…ears…nipples…scrotums…penises…vulvas…clitoral hoods…and tongues. Some even stretch their earlobes out with these odd looking things that resemble the snap on the front of a pair of Levi’s. They, then, progress to these strange hoop inserts to further ruin their lobes. Some could quite literally use their ears to “jump rope”. It’s hideously sad.

A huge fad right now is the tongue-piercing. This is mainly done by young girls for the purposes of looking “daring” or “trendy” or “wild”…and has a sexual stigma attached to it that advertises their willingness to pleasure a man, orally. Some MEN actually get this done and look like total homo’s , in my opinion.

If large breasts being a visual distraction weren’t enough of a complaint by women… imagine the difficulty a man has with looking a woman in the eye when she’s got one of these things in her tongue!! How easy is it to pay attention to the subject matter at hand when you have the miniature equivalent of a ball bearing, door knocker or tiny, fluorescent sea anenome jumping in and out of view between their moving teeth?

As if men didn’t have enough problems with thoughts of sex… this just drags us back to the mental gutter with thoughts of … “Hmm… I wonder if she’s any good at that?” And not only that, at least 50% of women with this done (mainly the larger piercings) sound like a kid with Downs Syndrome. How intelligent does this make you appear? You want to be respected, but you sound like you’re trying to carry on an articulate conversation with the oratory skills of a deaf person.

Other piercings share a similar issue with the tongue piercing, in the fact that they tend to just get in the way of other actions. The tongue piercing is supposedly designed to be function as a sensation enhancer to orally stimulating the male. Regardless of whether or not this actually is the case… wouldn’t a clit-hood piercing pretty much interfere with the oral stimulation of the clit itself? Why would a man want to battle this metal stud out of the way in order to stimulate the woman? Not having been with a woman that’s had this performed to herself, I lack practical experience in this area. So, I can only surmise that it would be an issue. Perhaps it’s not….who knows?

At any rate… piercings just tend to be unattractive, cumbersome, distracting, and somewhat inhibiting of the body’s normal function. In addition to my “opinions” on this matter… a study has been released by the Academy of General Dentistry urging people NOT to pierce their tongues in an attempt to avoid costly dental work to repair chipped teeth. Damage is reported to typically occur to teeth directly adjacent to the piercing on either side of the tongue. Thick scar tissue can also be a factor around the piercing and, in some cases, a severe infection can occur.
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Item #2: Men with earrings…

Ok, I know this is even more controversial because over the past 20 years, it’s become more mainstream than alternative. However, there are still those among us who have chosen not to look like either a pirate or a pimp. If one wasn’t bad enough, now we have guys walking around with 2-karat studs in BOTH ears. I’ve never been a fan of men wearing earrings. But, like so many other people, I’ve come to accept it as something that’s not leaving popular culture anytime soon. Many rock stars wear them, and I can’t rightly shun their good music for a trendy piece of jewelry. So… as much as I don’t really like them, I’m forced to turn a blind eye to them. But the double earrings just look gay. I’m sorry. What are you… Yul Brynner, King of Siam? Damn.
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Item #3: What is the deal with the pot-heads??

Ok. We all know that Pot / Hash / Marijuana / Weed / Kronic or whatever the hell ELSE you wanna call that nasty, stinkin’ shit… is a) illegal and b) harmful to you. If you deny either of these, you’re only showing your own stupidity. I could post the proven medical side effects of suckin down this crap. And yea, I used to smoke cigarettes…. I got smart and quit before it was too late. So yea, I have room to talk now. I have a few questions….

1) What the hell is 420…and why does this number somehow coincide with these Kronic huffers?
2) Why do people think that blowing their money on this crap is cool? They end up in a useless, dull stupor, with an appearance like that of somebody suffering from intense allergies. SO dumb…
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Item #4: 56 hours a week with no overtime pay?!?!

Yup, you heard it right. I average that or more every week. No overtime pay. Why? Because I’m working 40 hours at one job… and an average of 16 or more hours part-time at my 2nd job. I get Thursday evening off to stay with my boys while the wife works late at her medical clinic, I get part of the day off on Saturday and Sunday is the only day I get time away from both jobs. I’ve been doing this for 6 months now, and it’s helped our budget. But, I’m getting tired of hardly ever being at home.

I either need to get a raise at my day-job… get paid overtime at my day-job… or find a job that offers more. That’s the only way I can drop a 2nd job and be able to go home when I should. I just don’t know what I’m gonna do yet.
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Now I’ll address the whole PICTURE issue. As you might have read, I’ve mentioned that I plan to post pictures of not only my wife’s new Jeep Liberty… but also of our new front deck. However, weather and time haven’t permitted me much opportunity to fulfill either plan since the time I mentioned doing so.
It’s either been dark, raining, or both ever since that time. I’m hoping that conditions will improve very soon and I can post some new pics. Until then, I ask for your patience and understanding.

Now that I’ve amused some of you, offended others, and probably have shown my age… I’ll let it rest here for now.

Oh… P.S. – I received a comment about me having turned my “comments” off on my Yahoo 360 page. I honestly don’t ever remember seeing a Comments section available on my Yahoo 360 page. I know there’s a Comments section available on MySpace.com profiles. But unless I’ve overlooked it or possibly turned it off by accident… I don’t think it’s on Yahoo 360. Someone help me out here if I’m wrong.

Howdy folks!! No, I haven’t died nor dropped off the face of the earth due to some anti-gravity experiment gone horribly askew. I’ve just been the unfortunate victim of a very busy schedule, of late. I do apologize.

While this entry may be brief, due to time constraints, I will update you on some key points of interest with regards to my life.

A) I have endured the flu. It sucked… and the dry cough from it remains.
B) The combined efforts of my father, my friend and myself…have wrought the beautiful result of a new front deck / porch for our humble home. Pictures of this are forthcoming.
C) After a brief, but impressive, downburst of rain and intense straight-line winds today… conditions are favorable for some pictures of the new Jeep Liberty. I plan on taking those tonight… so those are also forthcoming.
D) One of my brother-in-law’s is an infantile, moronic, panty waist. The other one is a pretty cool guy. Unfortunately, I had to endure the former this past weekend. Quite possibly one of the suckiest days of the year, thusfar.
E) It is now quitting time, and I have matters to attend to at the homestead. Therefore, this entry is at an end.

More to follow soon. Don’t worry… I won’t make you wait very long.

Hrmmm… well, this past Sunday marks the 33rd year of my residency on this planet. I don’t feel any older, but I’m sure that with the progression of several more of these birthdays… I will. All in all, it was a fairly good day.

It’s not often that a person gets to share their birthday with the running of the Daytona 500… especially with being a NASCAR fan, like I am. So, that in itself was good. The end of the race could have turned out better, but ya can’t win em’ all.

I thought it to be somewhat ironic that Kasey attempted to help Earnhardt Jr. move toward the front and give Jimmie Johnson a challenger for the trophy at the end. Then, Junior’s “old man” engine apparently went into sleep-mode and push Kahne back several places as the 5 to 6 car locomotive steamed past both of them in the faster bottom-groove. ~sigh~ I guess we’ll see how things pan out in California next week.

In other news… ice sucks. It sucks not because it inhibits the proper and safe flow of traffic… but because it inhibits the proper and safe flow of traffic from Friday evening until Monday morning. What good is that?? If you’re gonna mess up the roadways… at least do it on a work day.

Nothing has been accomplished by Jack Frost unplugging his nostril on central Arkansas over the weekend, only to have the roads become at least 75%-80% passable by Monday morning’s commute time. Yay.

At any rate, here I am once again, sitting in my windowless office on the second floor of a manufacturing plant. Each day I listen to the constant scream of power drills, the crackle of welders, the loud whir of metal grinders, the banging of hammers on ¼” plate steel and the shouts of workers trying to communicate over the noise level. At least it’s work and it’s paying the bills.

Well… I know this is short, but I’ve got stuff to do. More later.

Howdy boys n’ girls…and anonymous commenter. It would seem that the “day of love” is once again upon us. Time to shower the object of your affection with gifts of chocolate, flowers, candy hearts, red hots, valentine cards and stuffed animals.

Love is a very powerful, yet sometimes blind, leader of our lives. Love binds special people together through trials and joys. Love can be precious, passionate, sympathetic and loyal. Love can also make someone give all they have, freely….only to find that the sentiment isn’t mutual. As I said…love can sometimes be blind.

But through happiness or hardships, love tends to remain even through hearts sometimes get knocked around and trampled on. It’s all a matter of looking past the shell to the innermost part of someone. When you can truly see their heart…when they let you in… it’s a special and precious gift they give. Always cherish that when it happens. By doing this, they are showing their devotion to you.

Now that the mush has been tossed out there…on to other matters. As for the question about the new Jeep (from the prior post) it is 2WD. Ideally, I would have gotten the 4x4 version… but the incentives and rebates aren’t coming into effect until the end of the year. We may return and upgrade to a nice 4x4 at that time, with plenty of equity still left in the vehicle.

The extended warranty we chose will add value to the trade if we come back in, because the next buyer won’t have to pay for it to be carried on the vehicle. The money we saved in getting the 2WD enabled us to insure its value with the warranty. Pretty smart tactics.

The picture is still forthcoming… and will be posted soon. More later.

I thought I’d take a moment and update the blog to include a new addition to the driveway. We’ve recently brought home a brand new 2006 Jeep Liberty Sport for the wife. Her 1994 Jeep Cherokee had over 250,000 miles on it and had served us well for about as long as it could, with our budget.

It is a deep green color (I’m told it’s “Beryl Green”) and suits her very well. She’s giddy with it and I’m happy that we were finally able to get her something safer and more reliable. It needs the glass tinted, for sure… so I’m gonna be looking into the cost of that. It’ll keep the temperature down in the vehicle this summer and keep the interior from fading.

I haven’t had a chance to snap a pic of it in the driveway, yet. But, here’s what it looks like (thanks to Jeep.com)

Well… that about does it for now. I’ll have more soon (and an actual photo of it). Y’all take care.

Howdy, boys & girls. I’m back with an update for the ol’ blog. We have secured the tax return. While it’s not the amount I had initially estimated, it was a notable sum. The most important thing is that it was enough to cover the bills we had concerns over. Not only that, but it was enough to give us that security plus a bit of spending cash.

Now, with my existing second job, I can probably set back that second paycheck and use it to fund the ATV I’m wanting. Shouldn’t take but about 8-10 weeks and I’ll have enough for a good down payment.
That’d put me getting it somewhere around the end of March to mid-April. That’s not too bad.

Apparently we lost out on the larger return amount because of some stupid Federal guidelines or some mish-mosh. We were told that even though we filled out our W4’s as “single and 0 dependants” on the part-time jobs my wife and I worked… that the employers’ payroll departments had to gauge the withholdings based on the annual income from that particular job.

The Federal Government doesn’t have a “part-time-job” bracket to judge withholdings from. So, when the employers looked at their annual charts of how to withhold the “single and 0 dependants” claim… they saw that the part-time job status would put our annual salary below the poverty level and they withheld far less than they should have.

To make the long story short… we basically screwed ourselves out of some extra Return money, because our part-time job taxes were based off one scale… and the annual income bracket was another scale. We didn’t lose the money… it was just paid to us in our paychecks rather than as part of the Return. It sucks, I know. The Feds really need to look at this and make a provision as to what status an employee needs, tax-wise.

If it’s going to be a full-time position, fine. But if it’s only part-time, then there should be a different tax bracket to calculate on. Eh, what do I know? I’m just one of the blue-collar workers. Actually, I guess you could consider me a light-blue collar worker. I’m sort of in the middle…somewhere between ditch-digger and corporate executive.

At any rate… I have a new cellphone. I got a Motorola RAZR v3 flip-phone. Yup, it’s ultra-cool. Love this thing!! So, at least something good came out of all of this headache. This, and the ability to catch up on the bills. All in all… not a bad situation, I reckon.

More later…

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!!