| This page will be whatever I am thinking at the time whether it be political, religious, personal, nonsensical, or ridiculous. One thing is for sure. The person who reads this over time will come to know me and maybe, I'll even know myself a bit better...ha ha ha. Most updates occur at the bottom of the page... |
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| 6/27/2005 Let's start with politics. I do this mainly to get it out of the way so I can talk about better stuff. Politics is, however, a major part of our lives and at least part of the reason we are living as we are so it is worthy of some discussion.
I personally am a conservative with no party affiliation. I am also a bit dumbfounded with our course of events. Please don't misunderstand. I said, "dumbfounded" not "dumb". I am indeed smart enough to see that many changes have occurred in the last few years and many more are on the way. I do see that our basic freedoms as well as our personal privacies are in danger. I point no fingers at any party for this nonsense but I will be pointing fingers at both if it continues. I am a native born citizen of The United States of America and very proud of that fact. I believe we have the most caring and compassionate government on the face of this earth and I am grateful for that. Ah! But therein lies the problem. Our government is becoming somewhat of an overbearing parent imposing too many rules and regulations for us to have to keep up with. I appreciate the fact that there is a need for rules to keep a society from falling into anarchy. What I don't appreciate is a government churning out rules on a constant basis and coining the phrase "Ignorance of the law is no excuse". The very fact they use such a statement shows they know we can't possibly keep up but those day-to-day rules are really not the major cause of my concern. 9-11 is the reason for many of the changes we have seen. In an effort to control terrorism, the FBI can now sneak into your home and search it without even letting you know. THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS!! The proponents say if I'm not a terrorist then I have nothing to worry about. I say I'm not a terrorist but if someone makes the FBI think I could be then they will be looking through my drawers and cabinets when I'm not home. Me thinks this is pushing a bit too far. Now the government is looking to expand the Patriot Act and make it permanent. I have sent letters to my congressman asking him to be careful in safeguarding the rights we have for which so many good people have died. I would suggest you do the same. Here's another head-banger for you. The Constitution allows for the seizure of private property for public use such as roads, schools, etc... However regretfully, I would submit to that for the general good of the community. The Supreme Court recently issued a statement saying The Constitution does not prohibit the seizure of private property for private use such as development. This would be the difference in the conservative and the liberal viewpoints. Conservatively, the Constitution says seizure is allowable for public use. There is no mention of private use or development so therefore it can not be done. The argument from the liberal side is simply The Constitution doesn't say you can't so it must be OK. Poppycock!!!! Make sure your state outlaws this as mine does or you may find yourself being moved for a mall or condos. Okie Dokie! Those are pretty much my pet political peeves at the moment. There may be more later but I'll try not to harp on them. 7/3/2005 Tomorrow is Independence Day in our great country of The United States of America. Millions across the country will shoot or watch fireworks and celebrate our independence from England 229 years ago. We will celebrate our freedom. We will celebrate our families. We will celebrate our right to make choices. Then, when all is said and done, and approximately 3000 people are arrested for shooting fireworks illegally, we will return to our regular lives. The next day we will get in our vehicles and dutifully (according to law) fasten our seatbelts and head to work at a government dictated speed to earn 75% of our paychecks (25% going to the cause of freedom). If we are in business for ourselves, we will spend most of the day filling out forms, tax and otherwise, justifying our existence to Sam. At the end of the work day, dutifully fastened and speed dictated, we run by the pharmacy to refill a prescription at a price few can afford, buy a few groceries to last the week, then use the balance of our "left-over" money to fill our gas tanks and hope it is enough to see us through the week. Most of us are always "in the market" for extra money-making ideas because that "extra money" is what we have come to know as disposable income and if we are honest, Sam will know of the extra money as well. Which brings me to a point. How many people who get the chance to earn a little extra cash under the table run to their paperwork afterwards and make sure they keep a record of it to report on their taxes? While many people will disagree with my outlook here, 99% of those same people will pocket that extra cash and play ignorant with Sam. Somehow, disagreeing with me and not reporting that extra income just don't go together. But look on the bright side. We do have freedoms not recognized in other countries. We do have the choice to make and we often make it hoping we just don't get caught. Happy Independence Day. Pop a cracker for me.....lol. 7/4/2005 I was cleaning my bedroom today and took out a bowl of Gardenia blossoms I brought in 2 weeks ago. My bushes were in full bloom and were the first thing I smelled when I pulled in my driveway. I brought the smell to my bedroom and when I threw away the brown and dried blossoms, the smell was still there. I will miss that smell until they bloom again in another year. Last night, for the first time in a week, the sky was clear. I sat for about 2 hours on my deck while drinking sweet southern iced tea and watching the sky. I must have seen a dozen falling stars and every one filled me with the same wonder as when I was a child. Yesterday morning at the crack of dawn, I watched the sun rise over the ocean. I felt the waves gently lap against my feet as I slowly walked ankle deep in the surf. Just offshore, a dolphin played in the morning sum. Sandlappers ran up and down the beach looking for their breakfast and the gulls cry of "good morning" filled the air. This was a perfect morning and a great way to start the day. All of these are indicative of the man I have become. I don't want a lavish lifestyle because all of God's glorious simple things would be lost. That meteor streaking toward Earth and the smell of Gardenia's filling the air like the smell of the salt and sun at an early morning beach and the feel of the waves on your toes are wonders to behold when you remember who makes it so. I like the simple life. I think I'll keep it. 7/19/05 I don't know why I can't write some here a little more often. I kept a journal a few times in my life and I never wrote after the first couple of times. Part of it is a memory thing. I think of great stuff to write about when I am away from my computer. Then I sit down to type and go completely brain dead. I guess life just gets too busy to take the time to write it down when you should. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I could justify that by explaining how I live in 2 different towns so I can be close to my daughter as well as my son. I spend Monday thru Thursday with my son in one place and I am with my daughter, 120 miles away for the balance of the week. I actually like the schedule but it is proving difficult to actually live in 2 places. Then again, it's not so tough forgetting your toothbrush because you have one in both places. They just get dusty for part of the week...lol. The hardest part goes back to the memory thing. Waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and being confused about what house you're in can really wreak havoc on your nervous system. Especially when the bathroom door is actually the door to the carport or it's really dark and you walk into a wall. I guess that's better than being beat up by your Bowflex (another story for another time). At any rate, it is very late and I am very tired and my old bones are screaming for bed so I am going to happily oblige. Good Night and may God Bless. 7/31/05 Tonight my daughter and I watched a movie that was set in the 70's. There was a dance scene with every one out on the floor dancing. My daughter said the 70's must have been an easy time to dance in because all you had to do was wiggle. My response was that there were just as many good dancers then as now but there were more people dancing. People danced then who truly did not know how but the times allowed for less inhibitions. It was a simpler time and protocol was not a mitigating factor in our daily lives. If you think I may be inferring it is such a factor today, you would be right. It seems as if there has been a steady increase in the "keep up with the Jones's" syndrome and brand names and doing what other folks will think is cool. My philosophy as I explained to her is to hold yourself up as an example only to yourself. Compare yourself not to others but to what you would like to be. This is how we truly grow. This is how we establish our true humanity. 8/1/05 It occurs to me now why so many people do not read. I read probably a good bit more than most by knocking out an average of 2 books a week not to mention newspapers, magazines, and menus in restaurants. I find when I talk to other readers most of the time they are, to some degree, emotionally involved in what they are reading. In regards to fiction, each of them will talk of the story they are reading as if it is really happening. They are imaginative enough to actually see what they are reading and in some cases become a part of the story itself. These are the folks who really enjoy "a good read" and I must admit I am one of them. I often have as many as 4 books going at a time in different places and each is like a friend who entertains me. It seems that in myself and others I talk to, the key is to be imaginative enough to see the story as it unfolds and at the same time be self-assured enough to experience the emotion bestowed upon us by the story. So I guess the only conclusion is that imagination and self-assurance are the basic requirements for enjoying reading. I will have to assume I was lucky with the teachers I had in my early years. Even as they taught us letters and words, they used stories to do so. They would get us so excited about the story we would thirst for the ability to be able to read it. Even when I was a bit older I found myself running to the dictionary often so I would not miss anything important in the story. It formed the basis for a fairly good edumacation....lol. At any rate, I don't think the majority of teachers today teach that same way. It seems to be enough to teach letters, words, and sentences, without worrying whether or not the students learn to enjoy reading. When I think back on all I have read, learned, and enjoyed, it makes me sad for those who were never showed the right way to love a book. 8-17-05 I don't get it. I will admit I am not much of a gamer. I play my share of simple mindless stuff on the internet but I'm not into X-Box, Play Station, Nintendo, and all that. I have friends and family who are and again I say, "I don't get it." It just seems to me the point would be to figure out for yourself over a period of time how to win or get the most out of the games. Most people, however, seem to concentrate more on going online and finding cheat codes so they can win it quicker. So when did the term "cheat" become acceptable behavior. While I have thought this many times in the past when I heard people talking about it, it really hit home this evening. I was in a local restaurant and two children (boy 8 and girl 5 - I know this because I asked) were discussing how they could talk mama into getting the internet so they could get the cheat codes for their games. I was absolutely flabbergasted. Mama, who in my opinion should have discouraged them a bit in their plans, simply told them they could use their grandpa's computer to go find the cheat codes. Again, I was flabbergasted. I just don't get it. Maybe I would if I played the games or maybe I would still be just old-fashioned enough to think I could beat the game without cheating. Then again, maybe it's just the challenge I like. Could it be people have forgotten how rewarding something can be if accomplishing it was challenging to some degree? For me, the greater the challenge, the greater the feeling of accomplishment when it's done. I think most folks are seeking immediate gratification, are impatient, or they fear failure. We're a lot less likely to fail at what we do if we always take the easy road. I was taught in the early stages of my life that the greatest effort produced the greatest rewards. While in reality there are abundant exceptions to this rule, it still stands true the majority of the time. 10-05-05 Well Hey! Guress who's updating !!! It has been a while and a lot of water has passed under the bridge...so to speak. Katrina and Rita stormed the Gulf. Michael Brown, former director of Fema, was deposed due to his inability to handle the worst physical disaster in the history of the US. Meanwhile, hundreds of school buses which could have been used for evacuations sat and drowned and the mayor and governor come out smelling like roses. Hmmm...I smell a scape goat. There are only another hundred or so examples of idiocy and incompetence but my space here is limited. Elsewhere, life rocks on. The Vietnam...er...I mean Iraq situation just goes on and on because we don't have enough military to just storm on in and put an end to a ridiculous situation. Oregon now allows assisted suicides and Connecticut allows gay civil unions. The Danish government had to pay Santa Clause for a reindeer they scared to death with a jet plane. The Asian Bird Flu could be headed to a neighborhood near you. Gorillas were spotted using tools ( which a lot of people I know can't do) and the country of Turkey -- brace yourself for this news -- is about to let GIRLS go to school. WOW OH WOW !!!! What is this world coming to???? I didn't mean to bore you with a bunch of headlines but it sure is a crazy world out there and I thank the Lord everyday for walking with me and protecting me from US politics, Danish planes, tool wielding primates, and educated girls. I sure feel lucky to have Him as my shield against these modern-day attrocities. Enough for now as it's late, I'm tired, and my bed is calling me....sooooooo......nighty night. 10-14-05 Wow! I had something happen to me yesterday that has never happened before and I am still reeling a bit. I was called a racist. Of course I took offense as I have never considered myself as such. Then I began thinking. It's a good thing this is my own personal website because here of all places I do not have to be politically correct. With that said, here are my deductions. I was raised in a small southern town where racism simply was non-existent. For many from other parts of the country, this will seem to be contrary to what you have heard about the south in general but I assure you it was so. I was reared to believe people are people and the difference in color was no more significant than the difference in the colors of my 2 cats. This is the premise I have always tried to live by. Now, reality sets in. In my business and personal dealings throughout my life, I have dealt with all types of people. Of course, because Caucasians have been the majority, the majority of the people I dealt with were white so I will try to express this in percentages rather than numbers. The truth of the matter is simple. Of all the times I have been wronged both in business and personally, the majority of the time it was done to me by white people. Considering that is mostly what I have associated with, this is not unusual. A completely different picture emerges when I break it into percentages. Considering the numbers, the wrongs directed at me were a minimal percentage when talking strictly about white folk. I would guess it would be nowhere near even double digits percentage-wise. By the same token, when dealing in business with black folks, that percentage would be well into double digits and I hate to say it but probably as high as 50%. Now! I don't consider myself to be highly intelligent but I don't consider myself to be stupid either. Simply because of conditioning, I find myself to be more trusting up-front with white folks than with black. I will not be so crude as to issue a generality such as "they" did it to me. It was not the race as a whole but only the ones I have dealt with that have caused me to feel this way but the point remains that I do feel this way and it is because of experience and conditioning. If this makes me a racist in some people's eyes then so be it. I personally feel if blame is to be placed anywhere, it would have to be placed with those I have dealt with. If the entire black race wants to make an issue of it, then they need to address and question the reasons for the disproportionate percentages. It was not me who caused this to be the case but it is the case in point that has made me who I am. I make no apologies for becoming the man my environment has dictated. I will go forth today being the same man I was yesterday. I will conduct my business and personal life very much like I always have. I will make no excuses for treating some people different from others. I do it because experience tells me at what level to place my guards. Until that same experience teaches me otherwise, it's business as usual. |
| I stepped outside just now and watched the most beautiful red-headed woodpecker flit around from tree to tree. The trees are bare so it was easy to see him and a pair of squirrels playing in the upper branches just beyond.
There are so many good things in life to enjoy. An outdoor fire on a cool spring night or one indoors on an icy winter evening. The feel of the sun and wind on your body on a toasty summer day at the beach. The brilliant colors of the forests in Fall or the smell of a steak cooking on a grill. The old guy who yells "Welcome to Wal-Mart!" when you walk through that door. Old movies, fried chicken, the funny things that happen around us all the time if we just watch for them. Football, the internet, smiles on the faces of strangers, the hilarious way the cat back-flipped in the attack on his toy mouse. The friends who call or stop by, the smell of coffee brewing. All wonderful with so much more these don't even scratch the surface. Even better is to have someone special to share all of these things with. It has indeed been a long time. |