Another Year Bites The Dust

A lot of ways to look at the end of the year so let's talk about some. 1) It was a lousy year & you can't wait for a new start 2) It was a great year & you want to celebrate 3) You did not reach your goals or New Years Resolution so you want to start over 4) You just can't wait to party with friends & look forward to the next day off from work.
I am sure there are many more opinions about New Years but regardless of what you think, there are some very simple facts about New Years. 1) You are starting a new year 2) You are getting older just like at Birthdays 3) You have the chance to change what you do & use this day as the starting point 4) You have to start putting a new year on correspondence you just got comfortable with.
The last but most important thing to remember is that regardless of the fact that you are not getting younger or that you can't meet your New Years resolutions, You are part of the world & mankind & you have the chance to be who you want. You can jump or you can sit, You can change jobs or you can stay. Life is yours so make the best of it because we don't know if we will see another New Year. Realize that you make the New Year, it doesn't make you.

Creatures Of The Night

Sounds like a sci fi movie or a thriller doesn't it? Well have you ever ventured into a 24 hour Wal Mart after 10PM in a city? I happened to be in Stockton a couple weeks ago & we were leaving at about 10PM. My wife wanted to stop at a Wal Mart we passed but when I walked from the car to the front door, I realized that I wasn't surrounded by people which I would consider "normal". I know what you are thinking so quit. I am not talking about poor people or under privledeged people, I am talking about people that are walking but aren't thinking or talking. There were obviously people of all types in the store so I have somewhat exaggerated the scene but not by much. I actually tried to talk to a couple people in friendly conversation but they looked at me with complete blank stares. I literally thought I was looking at a zombie.
Have you ever felt like you had somebody watching you when alone & got creeped out? Well that was me until I got the heck out of the store & town. Whew, I am glad I survived to tell the story but I know there are doubters among you so I am giving you a strong warning. If you want to check this out for yourself, make out your will & tell somebody where you are because I can't guarantee your safe return. VBS

Family

You have to Love them but when they all get together it can be chaotic, fun, emotional & stressful. What was your Christmas like? We spent three nights at Bear Valley where it snowed about 5 feet in 3 days. We rented a snow mobile for 2 of those days but still did a lot of shoveling & walking since the roads arent plowed & we were about half a mile from the road & store.
There were some "Shining" moments, to be taken from the movie & from the word. HAHA
Overall it was great & it was incredible to have everyone together, which doesnt happen very often. Although we almost didn't have Kenny, since his friend was bringing him up to snow board & then on Christmas eve, decided to bail on him & Kenny ended up hitch hiking through a horrible storm which took over 3.5 hrs to travel 50 miles. I was going to store at about dark on the snow mobile & saw Kenny walking through the snow, trying to find us. I was so grateful to see him & had been really worried he wouldn't make it for Christmas. This was a blessing come true & we all got along the rest of the time together.
Family gatherings aren't always easy but from what I have learned & seen, they are very much worth it because it is when we can share our lives, both the good & bad & become reaquainted with each other if only for a moment but that moment is priceless because it will last forever & you never know when it will be the last.

Christmas

I don't care whether you like Christmas or not, I don't care whether you are atheist or have some other beliefs, The very reason America was established was to have freedom of belief & religion, without persecution. America was founded on the principal of a higher power & that power was in "God". America was also founded on a principal of let the people decide & that is done by a majority vote. If you happen to be the minority vote you should not get your way but you also should not be subjected to forced indoctrination.
Many people don't get their way & they go on with life, they don't complain & whine about it, they simply live their life & participate when they agree & do something else or leave when they don't.
Christmas is & "ONLY" represents the birth of Jesus, so if you don't like it, don't participate but "DON'T" think you have the right to stop the majority from celebrating the most important birth in the history of the world.
You don't have to believe in Jesus but if we are going to celebrate Martin Luther King, George Washington & Abraham Lincolns birthday, we should at least celebrate the most influential person in world history, a fact that is undisputed.

Rubbing It In Your Face

All of you have seen the person that probably doesn't have much confidence, is arrogant, is mentally challenged or is simply obnoxious & rude. You know the person, they are the one's that when they get something, they rub it in your face or brag about it. Now don't get me wrong, I understand the need to show everyone your new toy or telling everyone about an exciting adventure you had or something incredible you saw or experienced but come on, do you have to leave your "Obama for president" signs in your yard or on your car for weeks & months after he won. O.k., your messiah has reached the White House, I understand the need to be happy but give the rest of us a break. After your guy or girl gets in, throw your party & "shut up about it".
Nobody likes someone who brags (NOBODY), so shut up & quit bragging. I won't do it to you & don't like it when it gets done to me.

Teenagers

I think that if we want to negotiate with foreign countries, we should use teenagers to do the job because have you ever seen the tactics a teenager will use to get what they want? It is almost an art at how efficient they are in the negotiation process. They start by asking for what they want & when they ask, it is in a way that masks the real intent or the details. They will ask you with a smile & make it look like what they are asking for will benefit you. They will then have one reason after another to argue the case & if by chance you disagree with them, they will pull out the sympathy & I Love You card.
Don't bother negotiating with them or debating them because that is their plan, They know they will out live you & are prepared to argue until you give up. They are relentless & will stop at nothing to get what they want. In fact they are so good at negotiating that they have already done all the research for every argument you could possibly come up with. You see, that is the plan, they come prepared & catch you off guard.
If by some chance you can work out a compromised deal with them, they will use it against you forever by saying that "remember when I did what you asked instead of what I wanted, you owe me". Regardless of the outcome & if you can't work out a deal, they will have nothing to do with you until the next time they need something & you go through it all again.
Teenagers, good luck in negotiations, I am losing my hair & mind over them but go ahead & try to get your way, you have been warned. VBS

Fight For America

If you want it bad enough or you Love it, you will fight for it. How bad do you want America & how much do you Love it?

Cell Phones

Now that we have cell phones, I don't know how we ever survived or how anything got done before we had them? I was in a meeting today & my cell phone went off about 5 times in 30 minutes. I thought to myself, what did I do before I had a phone?
I think cell phones are great to have if used when needed but they are so overused that we forget how to talk in person, face to face. Before cell phones we were more efficient & you might think the contrary but think about it? If you didn't have a cell phone, you would prepare better for your day, you wouldn't be talking so more work would get done & you would insure that possible problems were planned for, allowing many problems to be avoided. People on cell phones are like people that smoke. They can't help it, they are addicted to talking & spend more time talking than working. People that talk on cell phones all day are not thinking about work or tasks they need to accomplish, they think they can catch up later which means longer days & less productivity.
I know they can save time on some things & when used in case of emergency, they are a miracle but come on, plan ahead & do your job. Call when you get home or go by & see the person face to face. What a novel idea that would be. real personal interaction. You might even see the person you have been talking to & realize it was the wrong person because you never actually saw them face to face, it was only a voice on a cell phone.

Kids

Isn't funny how kids can say anything & get away with it? I had my 3 year old granddaughter Lily, over last week & she was playing at the table, when one of a few adults said that my grandson was awake in the bedroom. Being innocent but probably hearing this before Lily, while still playing said, "somebody better get him" & she just kept playing without even realizing what she said.
If one of the adults had said that, they would have been told in unanimous unison, get him yourself. I think the saying, we should be like little children is important because children are innocent & when they speak it is not in anger or laziness, they just speak from their heart.

Shirt slogans

I have my newest list of slogans to choose from & along with having "Proud American" on the front left corner, you can also choose from these slogans for the back.
1) LEARN ENGLISH OR ENJOY YOUR VACATION & GO HOME
2) WHY SHOULD I PAY FOR LAZY PEOPLE
3) TOUGH TIMES DON'T LAST BUT TOUGH MEN DO
4) IF YOU DON'T LOVE AMERICA LEAVE
5) YOUR AN AMERICAN OR YOUR NOT
6) FIGHT FOR AMERICA OR LOSE IT
7) IF YOU AREN'T GIVING YOU ARE TAKING
8) GIVE AMERICA BACK TO THE PEOPLE
9) TAKE BACK AMERICA
10) REMEMBER WHEN YOUR VOTE COUNTED
11) MAJORITY USED TO MATTER
12) POLITICALLY CORRECT DESTROYED AMERICA
13) IS AMERICA STILL WORTH FIGHTING FOR
14) IF AMERICA ISN'T WORTH FIGHTING FOR LEAVE
15) PEOPLE SOLVE PROBLEMS NOT GOVERNMENT
16) POLITICIANS WORK FOR US WE DON'T WORK FOR THEM
17) GOVERNMENT IS FOR THE PEOPLE NOT PEOPLE FOR THE GOVERNMENT
18) NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING
19) BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
20) GET OVER IT
21) QUIT WHINING
22) WE ALL HAVE PROBLEMS DEAL WITH IT
23) NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT
24) I HAVE MY OWN PROBLEMS I DON'T NEED YOURS
25) LOVE ONE ANOTHER DOESN'T MEAN AGREE WITH ONE ANOTHER

I am having more shirts made because they don't seem to last so if you want one let me know.

Open Your Mouth

What is it about the human brain that allows people to take advantage of us, fight us, humiliate us & take things from us, while turning the other cheek & allowing these things to happen? I was also taught as many of you were, that we need to be nice to our neighbors, love one another & turn the other cheek but "COME ON--ENOUGH IS ENOUGH". All of the good neighbor & love your neighbor beliefs you have & teachings you were taught, get thrown out the window when the people attacking you are taking rights away from you. The trend in America is to be "politically Correct" but what that means is that you give your rights away so one person or a minority group can get what they want at the cost of the majority. Have you seen those bumper stickers that have several religious views as well as atheist & darwinism? This is typical of todays people, we don't know what is right so we don't care! These are the same people who say let people do whatever they want & as long as I'm not affected, who cares. These are the same people that believe they don't know where they are going, so any road will get you there. These are the same people that have no opinion so any opinion will do. These are the same people that are voting for politicians based on popular view & could care less about ethics, morals, experience or beliefs. As long as they are popular, look good & sound good, Im in. (yuck)
If you are tired of these people who wouldn't raise a finger to protect you in a crisis but would rather video the event so they could make money off it or sit back & watch everything but deny they saw it for fear of getting involved, "STAND UP & OPEN YOUR MOUTH".

Strong WIll Survive

It is a strange time with saddness, depression, frustration & chaos in the world but amidst all the turmoil, there are still amazing & wonderful people in the world & incredible heros which emerge from the depths of insanity. I was at a funeral today & the son of the man who passed away, talked about his dad in a way that I knew nothing about. I knew the man as a hard core negotiator that penny pinched the life out of everything he worked on. I never saw the sensitive & wise man which had engrained wisdom to his son & inspired his son to greatness.
The pearl of wisdom which struck me like a ton of bricks falling on my head was " TOUGH TIMES DON'T LAST BUT TOUGH MEN DO"
This isn't a new saying because I have seen it before but when I heard it today, it had more meaning & made me realize that it is time to take back our Country. I am sick of my rights being taken away, my voice being ignored & my Country being destroyed. We need tough men & women who aren't afraid to fight for what is ours & what is right. Open your mouth & say you are done being ignored because our votes are obviously being ignored.

Is It To Much To Ask

I know I am offending some by this but what is new? Those that know me & have read what I say will know I'm not politically correct & if you didn't know, look at the name of my blog--vbs
I am sick of people coming here from other countries & we have to learn their language but they never have to learn our language. Who was the bright person that decided it was ok to allow a drivers test to be given in a language other than English? (really bright) If it wasn't happening it would be a joke. I have talked about illegal aliens before & have no problem coming here if you learn the language & contribute but when you are to lazy to learn the language, why should I ever help you or care about your problems? I had some shirts made & on the front left breast it says "Proud American",
On the back I have various sayings, some of which I will post later, with pictures of the shirts but one I really like says "IF YOU DON'T LEARN ENGLISH, ENJOY YOUR VACATION, THEN GO HOME".
If we don't stand up for our rights we will eventually have none. If you haven't noticed, the presidential election was fixed, the gay marriage vote will be overturned even though the majority voted to ban gay marriage. It appears that if a vote is not liked by "politically correct" fruit cakes, they will try to intimidate us & terrorize us to change our minds.
I say to this, try to intimidate me, you will wipe out any sympathy or compassion I will ever have for you & as the old saying goes, "leave sleeping dogs lie". The majority of Americans work hard & continually turn the other cheek even though we get slapped on almost every issue of life but we are the majority & at some time we will unite to take back America & the right to have our votes heard.
If it takes me to start the crusade, then consider it done. I am here to organize & take back the Country I Love & the rights which are mine as a citizen of the United States of America. Majority wins & minorities lose, get over it or leave.

Leave Her Alone

You may not like Sarah Palin, You may not think she is a role model, You may not think she is a good leader but leave the poor woman alone. There is nobbody in my lifetime that has come under more scrutiny in a shorter period of time. She had a democratic Senators son, hack into her personal e-mail & found nothing, she has been made fun of by almost every comedian & media source & there was even a porno made about her. Every major magazine & news source in the world spent millions of dollars to find dirt on her & she prevailed above all. This all happened in about 75 days. Are you nuts? leave the poor woman alone, she has rose to the occasion, she turned the other cheek, she made fun of herself & she is still standing. The fact that McCain lost had nothing to do with Sarah Palin. She was the one bright spot in McCains entire campaign. The problem with this country is that we love to see people rise from nothing & be successful but then as fast as they get their, we can't wait to see them crash & burn. Once again, you may not like her but imagine how you would respond if the same scrutiny was placed on you? Leave her alone.

Got What You Asked For

To all of you that think Obama walks on water, you have what you wanted but you need to remember what your mom told you when you were young. "Be careful what you wish for".
I know that Obama is a politician & that he will say anything to get elected. I know that he has no experience in running a company, I know that he is the flavor of the month & that he has become almost iconic in his rock star status based on the fervor surrounding the "take from the rich & give to the lazy, (oops), I mean poor (wink) but what were you thinking? The world is in the worst shape in history & we let a rookie with no proven history of leadership in a crisis, lead us out of the problems in the world? I wouldn't put the rookie in a game that was crucial, I wouldn't let a rookie raise my kids if I die, I wouldn't let a rookie run a business with no experience., I wouldn't let a rookkie build a house, run a job, drive a car or anything else important but you voted arookie in as president during the worst crisis in american history. HMMMMMMMMMM, what does that say about you? You want change at any cost but will risk total collapse to get it? Nice theory?
I have a new slogan for you Obama fans (OBAMANATION) I tried to make it like abomination but it kept sounding like it was Obamas nation, so I threw it out & gave it to his supporters.
I thought of one for those who don't like or trust Obama (OBAMATABLE)
PICK WHAT YOU LIKE, WE ARE IN FOR BIG TROUPBLE REGARDLESS OF WHO IS IN THE WHITE HOUSE, I JUST LIKE MY CHANCES BETTER WITH A PROVEN FIGHTER NOT A PROVEN LIAR. Pray for us, God is our only hope.

Little vs Big

All my life I have heard about the little guy syndrome & after observing many people over the years, I think there is some validity to this but can't quite get a grasp on why? I don't believe all the short people fall into this category but the majority definitely have some issues with size.
I was talking to a friend recently & the topic came up that small guys, quite often have big mouths or seem to relish in the spot light. Actors came up & we realized that most actors are actually very short & perhaps that is their way of covering up for size. They can act like they are somebody else? I don't know much about this but as a person that is not small, I don't understand what small people & especially small guys are trying to accomplish by acting puffed up & always trying to act tough. Maybe it has to do with growing up & being picked on by bigger kids? Bullies usually pick on kids that are smaller than them self because they don't want kids to fight back.
Pay attention all you short guys out their. Big guys are insecure also & the only difference other than size between a big guy & a small guy is perception. Big guys aren't picked on by little guys & everyone knows it but big guys are usually bigger babies than anyone else. people think they are tough because they are big but they are usually pantie waists.

Is It Just Me?

I have been doing what I have been told to do with regard to voting for a politician but as I research, watch the news, listen to others & ponder what I have learned, I can't understand why anybody would vote for Obama? I understand the concept of change but if you vote for somebody that has been groomed by some of the most powerful people on earth & every decision he makes is approved by those that put him where he is, you get the same thing we now have. I don't understand how you can put somebody in the most powerful position in the world & not expect experience in decision making & fiscally sound principles, proven through leadership & governance. I am not McCains biggest fan but he has a long record of decision making & standing up to anyone that he disagrees with. Does anybody care that this is the most corrupt election in the history of the United States? If it isn't Acorn, homeless people being solicited & voting for food, non citizen voters, fake names on absentee ballots & multi absentee ballots for individuals. Hmmmmm who benefits from this corruption? It isn't McCain so whether Obama is at fault or not, the fix is in & he has the chance to steal the White House, not because he is the best candidate but because he has the most dishonest constituents. I don't know what will happen next week but the United States as I once knew, no longer exists & that, along with breaking my heart, disgusts me. It disgusts me that people are so greedy in this country that they will do anything to win, including cheating & could care less about anybody but them self.
Only God can save us because we certainly can't & the future is in his hands & they are among the only honest hands

Lies-Deception-Omission

Is there a difference in lies, deception or omission? Hmm? I was talking to somebody recently & this topic came up & when I was asked about which action was worse, it gave me chance to ponder the question & when I thought about it I realized that they probably are all the same if used in a deceitful context or manner but when used to protect, they probably are ok.
Example: When you know of an infraction or wrong doing of somebody & it has nothing to do with you or those you care about. If you don't say anything & the action wasn't life threatening, you probably are smart if you don't tell somebody (omission).
Example: If you are asked what your opinion is when somebody really likes what they have done but you don't like it at all. You can be honest & hurt this persons feelings or you can skirt around the issue by saying something like, "it wouldn't be my first choice but if you like it then that is all that is important" (deception).
Example: If somebody wants you to go to a party or social function & you don't care for the attitude or lifestyle of those in attendance & you tell the host that you can't come because you are busy. You avoid the problem & you don't offend the host. (lies)

You have to choose your own path through life but as you travel the complicated maze of life, remember that if you hurt people on the way, you are probably doing something wrong but if you are supporting people or making people happy then you are probably doing something right.
I don't approve of telling lies to people for the benefit of gain or recognition & an example would be, if you see somebody & they look nice, tell the truth & say so but if they don't look nice, don't lie. Dont say I sound good when I sing unless I do, don't say I smell good, look good or did something good, unless you really mean it. That also is a lie but for a completely different outcome.
The key to life in my opinion is to be honest, communicate well & to help others & treat them the way you want to be treated. Honest!

Words

What is it about words that can fuel anger or hatred in somebody while lending comfort or happiness to another? I have heard people use the exact same word in a group of people & have heard all types of thoughts or feelings about what was said? It is Bizarre to me how powerful a word can be. My mom used to say, "sticks & stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me". I believe that most people would rather have bones broken rather than have somebody say that they "hate you" or think your a "pig" or many other catchy derogatory words. Why is this? I think it is because a word can make an impact which will last forever & even though the word could have been intended to mean something different, we put our own meaning on words & our meaning can be very powerful with regard to certain words.
The strange thing is that words have a way of changing over time & the meaning or intent can also change which can be confusing. For example: Gay used to mean, happy or frivolous but now it means the 2 dude connection. Hot used to mean, hot to the touch & now it means hot to the touch but it also means very good looking. Radical used to mean something extreme but now it means extreme & for the shorter version of "Rad", it means great, awesome or wonderful.
Cool, fox, freak, crazy, off the hook, over the top & grill are examples of words or phrases which have duplicate meanings along with many other words & phrases, so when you hear a word or phrase that means something to you & causes you to react a certain way but makes other people act another way, you might want to find all the meanings before you respond or make life long judgments on the words being used. The sticks & stones phrase that my mom used to cite still has the same meaning & words can't hurt us physically but they can certainly still hurt us mentally so make sure when you use words, you use words that won't be hurtful or cause long lasting pain or anguish to others because mental pain will long outlast a broken bone or a physical pain.

Cherished Moments

Wonderful events in our life become cherished moments when shared with those we love.
What is it about experiencing anything in our life that causes the experience to become better when shared with somebody? I have witnessed incredible sunsets, scenery, animals, personal accomplishment & satisfaction but the joy experienced is so small compared to any experience shared with another. I think it is "sharing" that makes a memorable experience, it is verifying to yourself that what you witnessed is as memorable as you thought, it is validating what you experienced so as to have proof when sharing the experience with others. I also feel that the main reason for enjoying a shared moment more than experiencing it alone is that you have comfort in knowing you aren't alone because nobody really wants to be alone.

Hair vs Bald

I have to comment on this because as I get older my hair is disappearing. I can appreciate a guy who has a full head of hair but can also find it annoying because I don't have a choice in whether my hair falls out & where once a full head of hair existed, callic & all, there is thinning hair with a bald head showing itself through the few thin strands of remaining hair.
Yeah, I have heard all the comments, which used to irritate me. Try rogaine, hey baldy, bald looks good on you or I like this one, You can't hardly notice. Are you nuts, of course you can notice & if you can't, you are blind as well as nuts.
O.K. maybe I have no choice in what my parents did to my hair when their genes were flawed but I can accept it & quit whining about it or stressing out about it. I have tried rogaine & realized that it wasn't my hair that made me who I am, it is me who makes me who I am & regardless of how much hair I have or have not, other than personal vanity, who really cares?
My advice to all you hair deprived people out there, forget about it, the rest of us have & it won't make you a better person anyway.

Wheel of Life

Do you ever feel like you are on one of those mouse wheels, the wheel in a cage that mice run around & around on but never go anywhere? That is how I feel sometimes. I feel like the more I do & the more I am involved with, the farther behind I get & the less I get done. I enjoy my life right now & that hasn't always been the case but as life continues flying by at incredible speeds & the maze of life gets more complicated, I seem to accept my place in the maze or on the mouse wheel much better than I once did. I just don't stress out as much & I can't really figure out why except for the fact that maybe it is just the fact that I have resolved myself to my place in the universe & don't excpect more than what I have or who I am.
Regardless of how I feel right now, I know I can change my mind at any moment based on the obstacles placed before me but if you are anything like me or if you ever feel the same way, just remember that we are all in this together & it is only in helping others that will truly make us happy.

Kids are Fragile

Children are are fragile like a lightbulb, if we handle them carelessly, they will break & we will live in a world of darkness but if we are careful with them we will be surrounded by light.

Guys Mullets, Ponytails and earrings

I'm sorry, if your a guy & your wearing an earring, your a pansey. Do you think this makes you look more manly? No it doesn't. What it does though, is makes it look like you are following popular trend & have no decision making powers of your own. Earrings look nice on women & can compliment a necklace or femine outfit but when a "burly" guy is wearing an earring he looks like a "burly" guy wearing an earring & trying to prove he is cool because he is insecure with himself.
It's like a guy with a mullet or an old guy with long hair. Have you seen those guys that are mostly bald, wearing a pony tail? Disgusting!!!!!!!! Who on this earth has told them that they look good? If you tell somebody they look good in a mullet or a dude they look good with a pony tail, you are humiliating them & are making the rest of us, have to look at them & try not to laugh.
I'm not perfect by any means & for sure I am not the fashion police because I have seen pictures of myself at times in my life & I can't believe I walked out in public looking like I did. I was a complete moron but there are some things which just don't look good on guys, a mullet, a pony tail & an earring. You may not be a fairy if you wear any of these but you sure look like one. Now to those of you that judge me by my views, you are entitled & I might look like the biggest fairy of all & if i do, let me know because maybe I do & hopefully somebody will tell me so I can change. I don't want to be like the person that everyone laughs at behind their back but in person says how good they look. Be honest, get a backbone, save us from humiliating ourselves.

Kids, what to do with them?

Have you ever watched a young child test the people around them to see if they get in trouble? I was watching my grandson one day & he was sneaking over to the cd case, which he knows he can't play with. He would look around & make sure everyone saw him & then he would go into action. he would reach ever so slightly toward the cds & wait until somebody stopped him but when nobody did stop him he would gently grab a cd & look around to make sure the coast was clear & he was out of trouble. When I would say "no", he would stop & look bewildered even though he knew exactly what he was doing & then he would back away. He appeared to be testing the adults in the room not unlike a dog on an electric shock collar. The dog approaches the boundries of the invisible electric fence & when it gets zapped it stays away but as soon as the dog can sneak by, he is gone. I think kids are the same way. they don't really care about what they are playing with because for heavens sake, they can play with a card board box for hours. They want to test the boundries & see what they can get away with & it's not just little kids, it is teenagers and adults also. The only difference is that when kids get older the range of safety get's more complicated & the importance of what they test is much more critical, so be consistent & make sure your boundries are very clear. You may not fix all the worlds problems with this but you will have a more defined relationship & you will be respected for having boundries which are very clear.

Who Is Tougher

I had a tooth ache recently that was pretty bad but I couldn't figure out where it was? I had a crown put on a couple months before & the pain seemed to be in that region of my mouth but I wasn't sure because it was deep in the roof of my mouth. I thought I needed a root canal to remove the nerves, of which I have had these before & understood that sometimes a crown can lead to a root canal. I took 2 aspirin and after several minutes the pain was gone. This was on a thursday afternoon & I was leaving friday morning to visit my daughter in Utah, so I was hoping the pain would get better & the aspirin would continue to fight the pain if needed. At the airport I had more pain, so I popped a couple aspirin (which of course can't be that great for you if not taken with lots of water, food or in abundance). I have received a stomach ulcer from taking aspirin so I was aware of aspirin abuse & it worried me. We got to utah & all was well, we visited with Summer, Phil & Vienn but after going to sleep at sometime around 2:00AM, I thought my head was hit with a baseball bat. My mouth & head hurt so bad, I could not hardly get up to get the aspirin. I have broken over 20 bones riding motorcycles or playing sports, I have cut my leg to the bone with a chain saw, I have crashed my motorcycle over 100 times with various injuries, I have had all the normal illnesses, headaches & pains but never in my life did I realize that there was a pain out there that topped all of the pain I had endured in the past. I was sweating profusely, I couldn't think of anything but the pain & was to the point of looking for pliers to pull the tooth out. I had two aspirin left & swallowed them, hoping for quick relief but not sure I would get any. After a few minutes of panic & pain, I called my dentist in California but he didn't answer. I left a message almost begging for a prescription for pain. Eventually the aspirin began working & the pain left, so I was able to sleep although I was worried because I wasn't going home for four more days & if I needed a root canal or some other procedure, I didn't want to do it in Utah.
I called a friend in Utah that is a doctor because my dentist cant give prescriptions out of state & he called in a prescription for pain medication & anti biotics but when the pain returned the next day & I used the new pain pills, they made me tired but never got rid of all the pain & after about 15 minutes the pain was horrible again. I told the doctor & he gave me a high dose of pain medication but it didn't help either so I was taking aspirin with Vicodine which probably isn't the smartest thing to do. I realized the pain meds weren't doing it for me so I stuck to the aspirin & after 3 days, the pain subsided to a normal toothache pain & then was gone. I made it home & went to dentist only to find out I already had a root canal in that tooth & that the pain must have been from an infection somewhere in the area but there was no evidence.
Now I am thinking I am the worlds biggest pantie waist & made this whole thing up but if this was a nightmare or if it was real, I don't ever want to experience that kind of pain again. With broken bones & other types of injuries you can usually find something which helps with the pain. You can elevate, add cold or heat, you can apply pressure or remove pressure but with my tooth or whatever the pain came from, I couldn't do anything except whine like a little baby & although it didn't ruin our trip, it was a huge part of it & I am grateful for aspirin.
For all the women out there, I have always heard that giving birth is the worst pain & if it is worse than the pain I had, there is no way I could handle it, so I came to the brutal truth that no matter how tough I may think I am, I am a wimp compared to you & that women are tougher than men. I suppose you already knew that & the only reason you let us guys think we are tough is so that our fragile egos don't get hurt.

Hold It

I was just on a plane & it was bizarre to me what I had seen before but had forgotten until this flight. How is it possible that everybody that gets on a plane runs to the restroom five minutes before a flight leaves & then as soon as the seat belt sign goes off & the plane is in the air, they have to make the mad dash to the restroom again? This is crazy enough but even on this flight, which was one & a half hours, as soon as the plane landed, everyone ran to the restrooms again. How is this possible, I can't comprehend it? If airlines were smart, they could offset costs & lower airfares by charging for restroom visits. We then get what we pay for & pay for what we use. Everybody wins except the person that goes to the restroom three times in two hours & if they need to hit the restroom that many times, they need some other type of help. LOL

700 Billion Dollars

Are you out of your mind? I love America but this is what I can't stand about this "politically correct" country. We are so concerned with helping those that are selfish, careless or lazy that we continually take advantage of & neglect those that work hard & do their best to stay out of debt while living a very basic life, with none of the frills afforded these selfish CEOs of major companies.
The government is going to bail out companies that give 60 million dollar retirement packages to their CEOs & then rip off the consumers. So the government plan is to keep the same CEOs & officials in power while giving them more tax dollars to waste. Are you nuts? The other disturbing thing about this plan is that the people writing the plan are the same one's who knew this was happening but never did anything about it or told anybody.
Let the chips ride, you can't manage your business, you don't deserve another chance unless it is with your own money. I would rather see the government take that 700 billion dollars & give every person that got hosed by these corrupt agencies, an equal share of the money because it wasn't their fault. I know you can say that many people took chances with debt & brought this on them self but it was the lending agencies that kept putting these adds out to entice people into debt, while promising things they couldn't deliver.
Let me explain how much money 700,000,000,000 (seven hundred billion dollars) is. It would take you over 22 thousand years to count to this number so it is impossible to count this high in a life time. This is insane & I am completely opposed to this stupid idea which ultimately has become a bail out to protect the guilty & politically motivated, while passing the burden on to the tax payers that keep doing what they are asked to do because they don't have much choice. You see, we won't get a bail out if we mis manage our money, we will get fined more money, have our property & business taken away & then be put in prison. Doesn't seem fair does it?

NPC Opinions

I don't support "politically correct" but many people do so when I have an opposing view, should I avoid conversation with the opposition or should I stand behind my views? I don't really care what your opinion is because I can't stand myself if I don't stand behind my beliefs & express them to anybody. I just had 5 shirts printed & they all have different thought provoking sayings. in small print on the left side / front, it says "Proud American"
On the back in larger print, there are various sayings.
(1) GET OVER IT
(2) GET A JOB, I'M TIRED OF PAYING FOR YOU
(3) QUIT WHINING, YOU BORE ME
(4) AMERICAN OR SOMETHING ELSE, PICK ONE
(5) NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT

I know these strong opinions are offensive to some but all these whining, lazy, politically correct fruit cakes, offend me, so now we are even. I believe we need to stand up for what we believe or politically correct "air heads" will decide what we believe.
I have friends who disagree with me & we have honest, healthy debates on many different subjects which is what I think is supposed to happen on opposing views. My problem is when people are so interested in the politically correct cause of the day that they won't use their own brain to make a decision.

Volunteers

I was just talking to a friend & the topic of donating time to a cause came up so this started my brain thinking about all the charities, fund raisers or community groups I have volunteered for in my life & how many people say no. I have been involved with events which when you talk to people in the preliminary stages, everyone wants to help but when it comes time for the first meeting or project, you can't find a soul except for the same face or faces sitting in the corner The same people which volunteer or accept invitations to help everyone & don't even know the word "no". These type of people are always helping somebody or giving time for a cause, these are local hero's but most of the time they go unnoticed because they don't expect anything for their time & they aren't trying to pat them self on the back, so nobody ever realizes who helped on the project, charity or event.
The other type of person which is by far the majority is the ones who say they will be there or will do a task for a project but at the last minute find an excuse not to be there or complete the project. Or if they do the work they want to be in charge, they want all the recognition & tell everyone how wonderful they are. yuck !!
Get involved, say no, do whatever you want but if you say yes to volunteering your time or abilities, just do it, because if you don't, somebody else will have to & after what I have witnessed over many years, I know exactly who will be doing your task. The same one's who always do it, the volunteers.

Coaching

Becoming a good coach can be very complicated at times but can also be very rewarding & although many people have a few of the pieces, it is difficult to find somebody that has all the pieces. What makes a good coach becomes the first question & once that has been determined all the rest of the questions can be answered. I feel that a good coach can adapt to situations & personalities, not just the team personalities but also of the parents, other teams & officials.
A good coach must be organized and able to teach skills which will encourage athletes to excel but also to be challenged. A good coach must be able to gain respect from the team while encouraging the team to be united in one effort. A good coach like a good human being must be a good example & a good listener. A good coach must be able to take direction & not be offended by opposing opinions. As you can see, there is more to coaching than telling somebody how to play a game or how to perform a skill. I have been very blessed over the years to have worked with some very good coaches & the coaches I work with now are among the best I have ever been associated with. You know who you are & thank you for teaching me & helping me.
At times the job is thankless but at other times, it can be the most rewarding job on earth next to being a parent or teacher. I love coaching & although kids are a little restless, they are a lot easier than adults because adults are just big kids with attitude.

Kids & Obnoxious Parents

I have been coaching kids for almost 20 years but the one thing that never changes is the overly supportive parent that begins the game by talking calmly to other parents & sharing stories about their wonderful children but as soon as the score gets close, their child is benched, the referee or umpire makes a bad call on the team or their child, you would think the parents became posessed by demons. Some parents go crazy, they become parent, coach, enforcer & referee all at the same time. I have had parents yell at their child to go to a certain position on the basketball court, swing the bat a certain way, yell at coaches, parents & officials. I have had parents run onto the field to attack an opposing player (yes, child player), parents, officials & coaches. It has been said that some parents are re-living their youth through their children but I think that although this might be partly true, I believe there are some parents that want their child to be a super star & they will do anything possible to achieve this & if anybody gets in the way of stardom, you will have what I call "parent Bi Polar disfunction". It isn't a recognized medical condition yet, but I am sure it will be, in the near future.
Some parents get so out of control during child activities & competitions that they lose control of all brain function, they become clinically insane. I know I am using clinically, even after what I posted in another blog but I sat around & talked about this with some friends & according to the dictionary, that qualifies as clincally proven.
I know that when my kids have been left out or not been given the opportunity I felt they deserved or had a bad experience, I have jumped in front of them as if shielding them from harm but what I now realize is that although we want to protect our children & see them succeed but nobody will succeed at everything. The one thing we neglect is that learning to deal with hardships makes our children stronger. We may not like the fact that our child isn't the team super star but look at most team super stars when they get older. that was the best time of their life & they are miserable as adults.
What I recommend to parents is to support your child & help them deal with trials & dissapointment but let them deal with it, don't do it for them otherwise they will be dependent on you or somebody else for the rest of their life & the last thing I want to stress as a coach, if you have the tendancy to be a "bi polar parent", take an aspirin & an anti anxiety pill before the games. I am not supporting drug use but am helping my fellow coaches. VBS

Debate

You can't believe how many people respond to my thoughts & enlighten me as to a different point of view. After reading some opinions I feel I don't have any idea what is going on in the world because the comments are presented in an adversarial way & in such a way that pose the thought that I don't do any research for my opinion or my decisions. Other comments are made with insight & research which when challenged by my point of view, enable a great debate. Some people simply respond with a "right on" or "I couldn't agree more" but in any case, I love to discuss real issues with people that really care & with people that do their homework.
I have strong opinions on most of life's events or challenges but will change my opinion when showed the err of my way's, which is why debating everything in life is great for interaction, social skills & for peace of mind. A good debate can re-affirm our own views, it can change your views or it can provoke deep intellectual reflection & soul searching which is always needed for reaching intelligent decisions & for determining who we really are.
To all of you reading this, thank you for your your opinions & not being afraid to share them because it is as has been quoted, "IT IS EASY IN THE CROWD TO FOLLOW AFTER THE CROWD'S OPINION, IT IS EASY IN SOLITUDE TO FOLLOW AFTER OUR OWN BUT THE GREAT MAN, IS HE WHO IN THE MIDST OF THE CROWD, KEEPS WITH PERFECT SWEETNESS, THE INDEPENDENCE OF SOLITUDE"
Share your thoughts & don't be offended when people disagree, it is our rights as human beings to have opinions & it doesn't matter how we gain those opinions but it also doesn't matter that people disagree with us. Debate is good, so go debate somebody, just do it with patience & respect not with anger or selfishness.

Admiration or Weakness

A few incidents have taken place recently which caused me to stop & think. I know, thinking may not be my strong point (haha) but on this occasion my brain was actually working & I wanted to discuss my thoughts with you. When we admire somebody is it because we want to be like them, we feel we are the same as them & can relate or are we really feeling inadequate about our own abilities or place in life? I think it is a combination of many things but when I admire somebody, it can be because they have excelled in any field, have similar interests & you feel a bond or you can feel inadequate & wish you were like the person you admire. It can also be because they have something you want & the desire to have what others have, can be a motivating factor in many things but having what others have shouldn't be confused with coveting because to covet something or what somebody has is not admiration & tends to allow many other problems to consume you.
Admiration is not a bad thing & can actually help motivate us to improve our life if used correctly but as I have been contemplating those which I admire, I find a wide range of people that I would say I admire but for many different reasons. I admire people because they have perfected what their passion is & shared it with others, I admire people because they have excelled in what they do or what they love & I admire people who dedicate their life to helping others, not for personal gain or status in life but because they truly love people.
Why you admire somebody is your personal choice but the people we admire should motivate us to develop the same qualities in our own life & not try to be somebody else but to find out who we are & be the best we can be.

Cancun Vacation

Well many of you have been asking me to set up another group vacation & because the past few have been fun, I decided to set up another one. I am working with JoAnna Inks, who is a travel agent & she is incredible, so make sure to book all trips with her. We are going to Cancun on an all inclusive trip, february 21st--28th. Everything is included so once we get this thing paid off, there is no other cost. Nothing is funner than going on vacation with friends or family (well most of the time--vbs). So if group vacations are fun then huge group vacations are better. We have had over 100 people on one of our trips & as few as 20 on others so it really doean't matter as long as you have fun & we do. Get ahold of JoAnna or myself if you have questions & we will help answer them.
Look forward to seeing you in Cancun.

Backpacking

This is one of my favorite subjects & although I research everything that I participate in or try to excel at, backpacking is probably the one thing that I am the most knowledgeable on. I research all the new products, read reviews, do my own testing & always try to keep in mind, weight, efficiency, pack size, necessity & durability. I have made all the typical mistakes when backpacking & some of those mistakes have been very costly, both physically & monetarily.
There are a few rules to follow which are always important & if you follow those rules, you will be as prepared as possible for a great experience. If you aren't prepared, you could have the worst experience of your life & in many cases people who aren't prepared have died.
(1) Always pick hikes that you are physically able to do (2) Never hike alone (3) Know where you are going & let others know where you are going (4) Only take what you need because more isn't better when hiking or backpacking (5) prepare for the unexpected. The mountains offer a an entirely different set of potential problems than the desert, the foothills have different dangers than the high peaks & wetlands have different problems than coastlines.
If you are doing a day hike under 8 miles or an overnight backpacking trip under 4 miles, you really don't have much to worry about if you have checked the weather, are in ok physical shape, are hydrated & are on a well marked trail. If you are this close to a road, you will probably not go far without seeing people which can help you if needed because most people stay within a comfort zone when hiking & that means they don't stray to far from the roads. The unfortunate thing is that the people you meet close to roads are usually a lot different than those you meet, far down the trail. The people who stay close to roads are less likely to appreciate the beauty or the magnitude of what they are experiencing while those who venture farther down the trail will be there for the challenge, the beauty or the experience & had to work for that experience. These people are friendlier because they know you have endured the same pains & overcome the same challenges, it is almost like seeing a friend, one you have shared life experiences with & enjoy sharing those experiences.
I have learned far more by talking to long distance hikers than I have ever learned in books, on tv or in outdoor equipment stores. As in the rest of life, there are people who think they know it all & are full of crap, so choose carefully when taking advice from somebody who appears to talk a lot but have very little actual experience. This is what happened to the Donner party & after trusting somebody they didn't know & believing his lies, they were trapped in the Sierras by Truckee & this became one of the most tragic survival stories in American history.
I will be discussing survival tips, backpacking & hiking tips & some of the hikes I have been on during future posts so if this stuff interests you as it does me, we can share experiences.

Referees, judges & umpires

I can't stand referees, judges & umpires. They seem to make the worst decisions when the game is the most important & the decision they make can change who wins or loses. Case in point, The San Diego/Broncos game last week. The play with less than 2 minutes left in the game, when The broncos quarterback fumbled the ball & San Diego got the ball, would have guaranteed a San Diego victory but the referee called it an incomplete pass, reviewd the call & admitted his mistake but still gave the ball to Denver. They went on to score a touch down & won the game. In real life if an employee makes a decision that costs the company money or makes the company go out of business, they are fired. Why couldn't the referee, say "my bad" & do the right thing?
Judging for gymnastics, diving, bull riding & any other sport that is judged for style is lame. I have watched olympic athletes do some amazing things but because the judge has problems with that athlete, they get low scores while loser athletes that kiss up or are liked by the judges, get high scores. This is wrong & needs to be changed. It is hard enough in life to become great at anything but to become the best & have everyone know it & then have some want a be judge give a low score because of their own small guy syndrome, is wrong.
How can you have 9 judges give a high score while one judge give the lowest score on the same performance, this is crazy. I think that when judges, umpires & referees make poor calls, we the fans or athletes should be able to throw up signs from 1-10 & rate them & that way if they get high scores, they can keep their job, if they get low scores, they are fired.

sports junkies

I have been known to show signs of extreme excitement or life altering pain while watching or participating in sports & I thought I was a sports-a-holic until I recently watched a guy that was so into the game that he had his team tattooed on his back, he had season tickets to all home games, he had a room in his house made into a shrine of his team, he dyed his hair the team colors & he wore all the team clothing everywhere he went.
I hardly ever watch a game unless it is a playoff game or a championship game. I don't wear team clothing, I don't really have a favorite team although I do have favorite players that I keep track of because I admire them. Tiger Woods, Alex Rodriguez, Brett Favre are among my favorites but I don't really care about a team. As I am thinking about it, I do like to watch teams or players I don't like, lose. For example, I will watch the lakers, Aaron Rogers or the 49ers as long as they are losing but as soon as it looks like they will win the game, I change the channel. Is this because I am a sports-a-holic or because I have some deep rooted issues? Well regardless of my personal problems, I know a lot of you out there that are much worse than me & watch all the games, have all the latest athletic clothing or gear & can't wait until the next week when you can support all your favorite teams while being oblivious to anything except the game during those 2-12 hours of games on a weekend.
To all you weekend warriors out there, "if your not living the dream, support those that are"

Rich & Poor at the same time

I can't help but think that anyone who votes for Obama must have there head so far up a really dark place that they can't see what a two faced hypocrite he is. He claims to be of the people & come from poor beginnings. He claims to understand the poor folk & knows how to unite the Country behind his take from those that provide work & those that pay taxes & give to those that sit on their butt & do nothing except complain plan. He with his wife who if she showed emotion, her face would crack wife, both graduated from Ivy league schools, where only the rich are accepted & are in the top 5% income bracket in the Country. His middle name is Hussein, does that name mean anything to you? He changes his views more than anybody I have ever seen & most politicians change there minds regularly based on polls. Sad but true. There is an older song which says "I need a hero". I bring this up because Obama isn't a hero, he is a zero. He Has zero experience leading a business, state, city or country. You will say, he runs his campaign & has done a great job but I will say, you are nuts if you think he has done this. He has so many rich & powerful people telling him what to do & say that he doesn't have any idea what he believes. He was put in as a Senator by people that told him what to do & say. His votes in the Senate were based on people that told him what to do & say & he is running for president because of people who are telling him what to do & say.
As you can see, nothing about Obama is poor except the lies he tells trying to portray himself as a man of the people. I take that back, He hasn't done a poor job at all, he is fantastic at telling lies & selling his line of crap because so many people believe it. Wake up & do some research of your own, it isn't a big secret who Obama is unless you are just ignorant or just don't care.
One thing is a fact. Obama has no idea what it's like to be poor & his policies, views & beliefs are all scripted for him by very powerful people that have greedy personal agendas.

Always Happy

Is it just me or do people that always act like they are happy, make you sick? I understand the idea of being polite even when you are not happy, I understand not hanging your dirty laundry in public, I understand trying to be positive even when life is falling down around you but some people come across with the same answer every time you ask them how they are doing & it is fake.
Just be real. You don't have to dump your life problems on everyone but just be real. I know people that when asked, always say the same "can of crap" response & if you didn't know them, you might think that these people are the happiest people on earth & never have problems. The issues I have about this are that I do know these people & there life is a disaster. They could have just lost there house by fire, there kids won't speak to them, they could have just lost a loved one & rightfully so, could have reason to be a little down but because they want there image to be left in tact, they respond with, some flowery lie of a response.
Here is some advice for those people who always use the same line when asked how there day is? We know you aren't happy every day & that when you say you are, we know you are lying. It is ok to have a bad day & here is how you can respond without sounding like a whiner. Just say, I've had better days but theres always tomorrow--I am ok but the future looks bright---life is full of surprises but we are getting through it---It's been a rough week but I'm optimistic about the future. These are just a couple examples of somebody that is real & positive but not negative.
I understand the need to please people & put on a smile face but when you are fake, we all know it & it makes you look worse than when you complain. Just be real & we can respect you regardless of how your day is.

Say Thank You

I was driving home from the airport yesterday & was reminded of why I hate driving around other people. Most people are rude & those that know me will say, I drive to fast, I drive to close to cars in front of me, wah wah wah. I have a speed that is comfortable for me & respect other people's right to drive any speed they want but when your right to drive slow, stops me from driving the speed I am comfortable, GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!!!!
When a car comes up behind me (yes, it has happened), I pull over anywhere I can, outside the fog line, turn lanes, passing lanes, I have even put my signal on & pulled into opposite lane because the moron wouldn't pass when they had the chance. All I want when I do something nice for you, is a simple wave, a mouthed "thank you", a honk of the horn or any acknowledgment of appreciation.
When a car pulls over for me, makes room for me to get in to a lane or does any good deed for me while driving, I am honking, waving & thanking them because it mean a lot to me when somebody does something for me or anyone else.
I don't need a Christmas card or be invited to family functions, I just want a thanks for being kind.
All of you have seen this, you get behind a car or group of cars & the car in front is going slow & every time they get to a passing lane, they speed up. As soon as nobody can pass, they slow back down. I don't know what these people are thinking but I can promise you that the cars behind them are hoping for divine intervention & that this car breaks down or that you are able to get beside them & show them how much you dislike their poor driving skills. This only adds to everyone's stress & is simple to avoid. All you have to do is, pull over when cars are behind you (obviously they are faster than you) & say thank you when we pull over for you or do random acts of kindness while driving.

Marriage--What is it ?

I am going to offend some people with this so put your seat belt on, it may be a rough ride. The good thing about reading something is that if you don't like what you read, stop reading. If you don't agree with what is said, it is only an opinion, we all have them.
Marriage is ONLY between a man & a woman, anything else is simply a union, nothing more & nothing less. It's like the guy who proposes to the woman he loves & then they say they are engaged but have no wedding date planned. It's a union, not a marriage. Besides if you can't commit to a date, who wants you anyway? I know the politically correct nut jobs out there, want to make everyone happy & allow you to do whatever you want but it is wrong. I don't hate gays although they ruined a perfectly good word that used to mean happy. I have very good friends that are gay or lesbian but I don't agree with their lifestyle & I don't feel it is the same as a typical, man, woman relationship. You can spew all the evidence you want about why it is the same but it won't change my mind & apparently it won't change the mind of most Americans.
When we cave in to pressure from special interest groups or views that we don't agree with, we are not true to our self & we are one step closer to being controlled by the government. To some it would be easier to let everyone do whatever they want & let the government make all our decisions but when this happens we will no longer be free.
Believe what you want but God would be heartless if he played games with people's gender & identity. He doesn't & any feelings you have for someone of the same gender are your personal choice but have nothing to do with God's plan.
The problem with this country & the world right now, is that people want to be accepted & if we act like we are the "IN" crowd, we are cool. Being cool today means you allow any minority to get their way, allow the minority view to determine what the majority does & you don't oppose anyone that has an abnormal view.
Be gay, be lesbian, I honestly don't care because it is your choice but don't shove it in my face, don't tell me it is ok & don't ask me to vote to make it legal for you to get married, I won't do it because I think cool is standing up for what is right & standing tall for what you believe even when politically correct says you shouldn't.
Once again, politically correct has ruined our nation by trying to control our independence & our right to voice an opposing view.

Indentured servants or slaves

I have thought about this awhile & whether I should go here but as I was watching the news, which is depressing most of the time, I heard a black man say how much he hated whites & loved his home land of Africa. I thought about the statement & was puzzled by his point of view. It was Africans that sold blacks to most countries, including the United States. The reason was because the African government didn't put much worth on the African people who were poor. The original plan was to have United States business owners, purchase the Africans as indentured servants, which meant there would be a contract of so many years & once the contract was honored, the African indentured servant could have a piece of land, be set free of contract or go home. Considering where they came from, this wasn't the worst deal they could have.
The problems started when many African indentured servants began to multiply & become large voting blocks. this frightened some greedy white communities & the indentured servant plan became slavery & we know the rest.
The problem I have besides slavery, is that many black Americans are still whining about slavery & how their ancestors were picked on even though it was northern white Americans who gave their lives in the Civil war along with the leadership of President Lincoln, to free them & give them equal rights. Something never discussed during black rallies or history. Blacks were picked on in a terrible way by some people but so were the Indians, the Mexicans, the Irish, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Polish, The Mormon's & many other religious or community groups. The difference is, that everyone else has got off their butt & worked their way out of the problems they had. I am not speaking bad about blacks or individual black Americans but I am a little ticked off by the whining black movement which wants everything given to them because their family was picked on by a small group of sick Americans. I would like to see the same anger about the Country they love, Africa, who sold them for money. Which country did the most damage? I don't think it was America because have you seen Africa lately?
If you don't like it here, leave, go back to Africa. If you are here, quit whining & get a job like everyone else that has been picked on. I have no hard feelings towards you but I don't owe you anything.

People that kiss up

It's a fact of life that everyone kisses up to somebody in their life, maybe for a job, get a loan, gain acceptance into a family or group or to find mr or mrs right. My problem is, that unless you absolutely have to kiss up to somebody, why do people do it? I hate it. Just say it like it is, say what you mean & quit zigging & zagging around what you want to say. Unless it is an employer, a spouse or in law parents, just let it fly. I have learned that even when I have kissed up, which by the way, I am reformed now & don't do it, I still make people upset. So why waste time, just tick them off & get it over with.
When people kiss up to me for whatever reason they feel the need to do so, I hate it. I would rather have somebody tell me, they can't stand me & will never want to be around me rather than kiss up. People that kiss up are liars & I can't stand liars so from now on when you see me & want to kiss up, remember to tell me the truth, even if it hurts. I give you permission.

Instructions in English

OK, I can't stand calling a business or looking through instructions that are marked in english & spanish. This is one of the most stupid things I have seen in my life & it is all about greed. Money, money money. I have been to other countries & I can promise you that there is "NO" instructions or messages on a phone that are in another language other than the country you are in. I know people who have lived in other countries & it took years to take a drivers exam because it was in the native language. Americans on the other hand who are trying to profit from everything, change the drivers test to be in other languages. Are we nuts? How can this happen when signs are in english? Oh yeah, they use symbols now that nobody understands, smart move, morons. Now nobody knows what you are trying to say. Have you noticed the deer crossing signs? They don't have deer walking across the road, they have a deer on it's hind legs standing up. When was the last time you saw any deer standing on it's hind legs? NEVER. Come on, this is in sane & we are nuts to think having drivers liceneses in other languages will do anything except confuse us & make the roads more dangerous.
heres the other complaint. When you have an automated message service which says, If you want english press one & if you want spanish press two, don't speak to me in spanish when I press one because I have no idea what you are talking about & it annoys the crap out of me.

Is it just me?

I can't figure this out? I express an opinion & I get ripped apart by people who have different opinions. Am I the only one that thinks people are way to consumed with trying to change everyones opinion & are not spending enough time accepting the fact that (NOBODY AGREES 100% OF THE TIME). Duh.

conservative or liberal who cares

I am amazed at how much venom is spewed by any political election but especially during this presidential election. I have received numerous e-mails from conservatives & liberals who are absolutely on the verge of losing their minds with hatred or anamosity over candidates or private political views. This is crazy & whether you want Obama, McCain or somebody else, it is your right to say so & it is everyones else's right to do the same.
Do whatever you have to do to chill out or go to that happy place you have & ride out the rest of the campaign season. People are so stressed out over this that they can't focus on anything else. I had a lady tell me today that she doesn't like being stressed out so her & her family have "fun time" so they can forget all the day to day garbage we deal with. I thought about this & feel we should all have fun time. So my advice is, if you can't find your happy place, go have some fun & forget the election for awhile because realistically no president is going to make a huge difference because special interest groups & big business won't allow the change needed to help anybody. It is impossible so quit thinking your guy or woman can walk on water, they can't.

How Much Is Enough

If you could choose how much money you wanted to be happy & to take care of all your needs for the rest of your life, what would you ask for? I thought about this for awhile (you can now see how bored I must be to think of this junk) & the dollar amount kept changing. I first thought a million dollars with interest would be perfect. I then thought about rising costs, vacations, kids, grand kids & toys (motorcycles, kayaks & backpacking junk). I then felt I needed ten million dollars. Once I started adding up what I currently make & multiplied it by 20 years I realized I was greedy with my ten million but could really be happy with a lot less if I wasn't so greedy. I know we are talking theoretical here & that if you can wish for something you might as well make it big but I realized we live in a society that wastes everything & we don't need money to be happy although if were not happy, money will help us deal with it better & we can pay our bills.
Only you know how much is enough but as far as for me, I just want to pay my bills & take 3 or 4 vacations a year to be with family & friends because I need family & friends to be happy, not money.

Opinions

What is it about humans that we can't stand it when somebody has a different opinion than us? I see people lose friends, get fired or fire somebody, get divorced, break up & get so stressed out that they get sick just because somebody disagrees with an opinion. Are you kidding me? We are to up tight, lack confidence or simply selfish when we can't handle opposing views.
Don't get me wrong, I have all the right answers & it irritates me when somebody is so dense or ignorant that they can't see that. (hahahahahahaha)
Here is my advice. patience, consideration for others, relax & realize an opinion is simply a point of view. This phrase is much overused but seems fitting. Agree to Disagree.
You say what does that mean? It means you don't have all the answers & neither does anyone else, so shut up, listen, learn & if you don't agree, go on to another subject you agree on.
Happy opinionated conversations.

"NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT" shirts

I have a problem & need some help figuring this out. I am going into the "NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT" shirt sales but can't decide on a price for them ? I can go to a normal print shop & pay the asking price while marking up the retail shirt 100-300% like most stores. I can have it made in another country because our labor prices are to high & then pay less for the shirt but mark it up 300-800% over the cost to manufacture the shirt. Finally, I can do the right thing which all of us should do & that is, I can pay an American company a fair price to manufacture the shirts so they can make a fair profit. I can charge a fair price, not to exceed 100% mark up, determined by the cost to advertise, handle & ship the shirt. If I choose the last option, I will help an American company, with American workers make a fair income & profit while making a small profit for handling the shirt orders & those that buy the shirts will not be ripped off paying huge prices because a shirt company or business owner is greedy.
I am doing research & will get back to you because I want you to have good quality at an affordable price. Wow, I think I heard that line on an advertisement somewhere. haha

Quotes & Sayings

1) you are in the game or you aren't
2) Backpackers know pain they just deal with it better
3) If I'm behind you, I am faster, so get out of my way
4) If you want happiness, ride a motorcycle
5) Learn from your mistakes, get rid of them
6) Backpackers know pain, they just know how to carry a heavy load
7) Backpackers deal with life better because they always have a heavy load
8) If you think your the life of the party, maybe you have a big mouth
9) Don't bore me with your problems I have plenty of my own
10) If I have to listen to your problems, you have to listen to mine

More shirt sayings

1) If you can't speak the language you can't drive a car
2) Loyalty for two nations means you are a traitor to one
3) You can only fight for one country which one do you choose
4) work hard-play hard-have fun
5) Obama + President = Disaster
6) Black or White shouldn't matter were in this together
7) McCain/Palin Rock--Obama/Biden Talk
8) I'm tired of supporting you, get a job
9) Lazy people annoy me
10) Help America, quit hiring illegal aliens

Shirts--Hats--Junk

I can't help myself, I have these sayings, jabs, barbs, quotes & ideas flooding my brain all day long so I decided to write them down & share them with you. I think we should start telling others what we think & avoid the misunderstanding of trying to all believe the same way as a clone. The way to tell somebody what you think is not new & has been around forever. You can say what you think which takes awhile to verbalize at times, we can write it down, we can record it or we can put it on tee shirts, bumper stickers, hats, etc.
Heres the deal, I have issues & am aware of this but I am not always wrong, so why not say what is on my mind & avoid the confusion. If you see me wearing a tee shirt that says "i don't like whiners", well maybe you won't whine around me & we can both avoid saying or doing something which would offend the other. I know that just by putting my opinion out for the world to see, is offensive to some but to others it isn't. I am not saying this will solve world problems but it will sure make me feel better about what is going on around me & really, who else realy matters? If we aren't happy with ourselves we can't ever be happy with anyone else.
Here are some examples & I will be posting many so if you like what you see, just let me know & we can work something out.
1) SUPPORT LAZINESS, VOTE FOR OBAMA
2) A VOTE FOR OBAMA IS LIKE A VOTE FOR HOLLYWOOD
3) PUT AWAY CHILDISH THINGS, GIVE OBAMA A RATTLE
4) QUIT WHINING
5) WHINERS NEVER WIN THEY JUST ANNOY EVERYONE
6) GET A JOB
7) AMERICAN OR NOT YOU ONLY GET ONE CHOICE
8) SHUT UP AND DO SOMETHING
9) GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND GET A JOB
10) ILLEGAL OR LEGAL LEARN THE LANGUAGE OR GO HOME

You get the idea & many more to come so start watching because I will be making hats & shirts with all these on them & maybe we can find a common voice to share what we believe.

Palin Rocks

She is awesome!!! I would vote for Obama if Palin was his VP? (Not). But I would sure think about it because that would show he has good judgement & thus far based on his associations & ministers, he doesnt have very good judgement. Sarah Palin is like a breath of fresh air. Are you kidding me? this lady is what every American woman should want to be like & every American should look up to. She has problems, she deals with them, she has doubters & she deals with them. You are great & I am your fan.

Power Hungry

Does it irritate you as much as it does me, when arrogant people force themselves into positions so they can be the boss or be recognized above others? I have seen so many people that want to be the boss, want the extra pay with all the perks but don't want the responsibility or accountability.
You can't have it both ways, you can be the boss with all the headaches that go with it or you won't be & can do what you are told. No other choices, choose one but if you can't (I can't believe I am using this) stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.

President McCain & Vice President Palin

I had no reason to vote for Mccain because he is boring, no energy & he doesn't adhere to the conservative beliefs I live by & believe in. He panders to anybody that will vote for him & that type of person makes me ill. Obama is worse so I had a conundrum until today. Sarah Palin is incredible & as I have watched her over the past year dealing with all the environmental lunatics in Alaska, I am a huge fan. I am McCain all the way but not for his views, I am voting for him because his VP is exactly what I feel an American & a politician should be-------REAL

Crying Baby

My kids are grown but I remember when they were babies & in the middle of the night, if one of them started crying, the Academy Award performance began because both parents began acting like they didn't hear the baby cry & acted like they were asleep. Don't act like you didn't do this, we all do, it's just that some are better than others at pretending like they are asleep. It is an art to have the same breathing pattern & make the same funny noises, while laying the way you do when you are really asleep. The hard part is, we don't know how we act or sound while asleep because we are asleep. This is were you need to ask questions ahead of time, like, what do I sound like when I sleep? Do I snore & what does my snoring sound like? It is just like anything else in life, if you want to be good at anything, you have to do research & practice makes perfect.

Womens Eyebrows

Who started telling women that they should pluck their eyebrows & then paint, tattoo or pencil them on? Do you look in a giant magnifying mirror that makes it look like you have the Rain Forest above your eyes? That is the only explanation because nobody is going to tell you that what you did to your eyebrows looks good & if they did it will be a mercy congrats.
I see people all the time & they are beautiful but this is my little secret for men & women, thin, fake, short eyebrows is equally as disturbing as a the full forest unibrow. My advice is that if you are considering doing this, look around because when you see somebody with these messed up eyebrows, it is the only thing you notice on what could be a beautiful face or you could ask any normal guy. (I didn't say gay) I said normal.

Women's Beauty Products

This is the biggest rip off along with diets on the planet. I think woman don't want the truth because they want to stop aging so bad or look better than they normally do, even if they are beautiful, that they will do anything to achieve the desired results.
Has anyone besides me, noticed that every year these same beauty companies come out with new beauty secrets never before seen anywhere. Yeah they are different because they changed the name of the same product or added water instead of distilled water. The amount of stuff I have in the bathroom is about 1% of what my wife has & every so often I see the new products pop up. Don't get me wrong, I support my sweetheart but she is beautiful without this junk but beauty companies thrive on women's insecurities & vanities. Women, you don't need all this junk, we like you the way you are.

Eternity

All of those that understand eternity, raise your hand. I thought so, none of you do & this is where the discussion becomes interesting. The only thing in my entire life which gives me any understanding of eternity is looking into the sky at night, like I did with my nephew last week. There is no possible way that the sky ends & it drives me crazy trying to understand that concept. How can that be possible? If you have a grasp of this & can explain it to me without saying the universe ends & there is nothing else (which is foolish to think by the way), then let me know because the concept of eternity is fascinating & overwhelming at the same time.

Obamas Gang

I know, I have more thoughts on Obama. What can I say, the guy is like a pile of rotten trash, You leave it out & it attracts flies & all kinds of strange critters. Have you seen the people who support Obama? Actors, gangsters, politicians, people who want money without working for it & Ted Kennedy. You have to be kidding me. If these are the people you rely on for making your decisions on a president, you should have your voting, driving & pro creation abilities taken away because you are genetically defective.

Clinically Proven

How is it possible that all the junk, companies sell, is clinically proven? Have you heard some of the side effects of some of these products? If you heard the side effects & you still use some of this junk, you are clinically insane. I looked up what clinically proven means, are you ready? It can mean "a group meeting to discuss something". In that case, the new diet which says all you have to do to lose weight is eat corn only for 2 years & you will be skinny because clinical testing has proven it, will be correct. The clinical testing didn't tell you that corn is one of the few foods which doesn't dissolve in the body & is passed right through, I know because with my job, I see a lot of it. (vbs)
You probably will die within 2 years & you will become overcome with exhaustion because you will deplete the nutrients in your body by only eating corn but "by danged", you will lose weight. I guess my thought on this in closing are that people have to use a little common sense. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. If the side effects out weigh the outcome, don't do it. & do everything in moderation but always use common sense---(THAT HAS BEEN CLINICALLY PROVEN---WINK)

Not Politically Correct

American or something else you only get one choice.
If you don't support America get out we don't want you here.
If you aren't contributing you are taking & I am tired of you taking what I work for.
Why should I support your laziness?
Stop laziness, quit giving money to lazy people.
If I am going to educate your kids, learn the language
If you can't speak the language you get no drivers license
Blacks aren't discriminated against any longer so quit whining
Everyone has been discriminated against at some time in history, just most people get over it & work for what they get instead of whining about it.
There was a little war called the Civil War & it was White Americans that fought for your freedom so show a little respect to those who died for you
Lazy people should have to pick up garbage along the roads to get welfare or tax dollars
Taking from those that work & giving to those who don't is only good for those that don't work
Supporting laziness is like feeding a disease, it only gets worse

Words

What does the word "do" mean? If somebody says, (how do you do)? What does this mean?
How can one word be spelled 3 ways? There--Their--They're or two--to--too
How can the same word have different meanings ? Bear(animal)-(carry)-(give birth)-(produce)
Why do words have different sounds than how they are spelled? shoe-true-flew-toe-blow-sew
Why isn't school spelled with a "k" skool
Why does ph sound like "f"
How in the world can Colonel be pronounced Kernel
Heres one for you. Who decided how to spell "pneumonia"

I am no genius but I am pretty sure I could have spelled words in a similar way & kept one word to one meaning. Maybe the geniuses should have asked normal people to help, when they began naming things & then we could understand each other a little better.

Blog Police

This is for the people who read these things & take them seriously. Are you nuts?
We all have issues & if we don't deal with them, make fun of them or share them, we will have all sorts of problems & illnesses. The problem with humans is we keep everything in & take everything to seriously. Pay close attention because this one little diddy will solve many of your problems. ENJOY EACH DAY, HAVE FUN, BE FRIENDLY TO EVERYONE & LIGHTEN UP.

House Prices

I have traveled a few places & can't understand how a brand new house in Minnesota or Arizona will cost $90,000 while the same house in California will cost $600,000. You will tell me that the reason is because land costs more in California, there are more local, State or County assessments, fees or taxes & that labor costs are higher. OK, I will concede those points & then I will tell you that I am not talking about land costs, I am talking about price per foot to build the house.
California charges enormous fees & assessment taxes to build but when the Architect, Engineer, planning Department, Building Department, Utility companies & special tax recipients get their cut of the money, your house has cost over $100,000 before you started building & if there is a problem with the house & it collapses in the future, it will be the contractor who gets sued because the architect, engineer & county agencies aren't responsible for problems on the house although they charge you to build it. Nice!!! In other states, there are reasonable fees to build a house & the contractor will be responsible for building the house correctly or will be prosecuted just like in California, you just eliminate several wasted steps & non important people making money off the house. Maybe we should take what we need & pass on the savings to the home owner. I know it is a concept long forgotten especially when people are buying houses & selling them for $100,000 profit after 2 years. We have become greedy & need to learn to share because we can't keep going at the pace we are otherwise we will destroy ourselves. Perhaps it's to late but we need to try & it can start with house costs & taking what we need not what we can get.

Illegal Aliens

I know the intent but can't quite get my thought process around the phrase illegal alien. Does this mean if a person from another planet came here they would be called illegal aliens? Does this mean that there are legal aliens? I am not for giving jobs to people, feeding them, educating them or giving houses to people who won't become American citizens but I am for allowing anybody who wants to be an American to do so. I understand being here illegally but if an alien from another planet came here, would they be illegal or legal ?

Say it The Right Way

I can't stand people who say one thing but mean something else or avoid being truthful for fear of hurting somebody's feelings. Don't get me wrong, I am not going to tell somebody their hair style or clothes look terrible when it really doesn't matter & they are all into it or tell somebody the diet must not be working after 10 years because they are still fat but I will be honest about my opinion on my personal views about an incident, philosophy or point of view. I was just asked to change a letter I wrote regarding something I feel very passionate about & I found myself caught in a quandary. I can say what I think like a fool or think what I say like a wise man. The problem is, I'm not very wise & I don't really care if this person is offended by my candid opinion but I also don't want to alienate others that could be affected by my comments.
I think I will be truthful in my comments but avoid elaborating on hurtful issues or examples, this way I say what I mean, get my point across & am true to my beliefs & opinion, without hurting the wrong people.

Other Peoples Kids

Kids are among my favorite things on earth & I look forward to every chance to be around children because of their honesty & fun outlook on life. Enjoy the moment, eat & sleep, what a life. The problem arises when other people treat their kids different or discipline them different than you feel they should be. Oh, you don't want to discipline another person's kid because the wrath of a parent is worse than anything you can endure. You get nasty looks, snippy comments & everyone sides against you regardless of whether you were right or wrong.
I have found the answer so read slowly. Get a pair of great ear plugs & never look directly at what the kids are doing so you won't have to see when they do something wrong but never discipline another persons kid because you will regret it.

Families Are Forever

I don't know about you but sometimes I think enduring my family for this life is hard enough & takes a lot of work so I'm not sure I could handle having them forever. I Love my family but there are times when I just don't like them very much. Yeah, I know, it's all me & I need to accept everyone for who they are, turn the other cheek & get over it, (blah blah blah). I have heard all the righteous opinions about turning the other cheek but I am sorry, some family members are simply a pain in my other cheek, the one they see when I turn & walk away.

Family Drama

You all have it so don't act like you don't know what I am talking about. You all have family members or incidents that rock the family foundation or knock it off the blocks. Don't get me wrong, I love family & being at family functions but when I have to be careful what I say because uncle Henry doesn't like aunt martha or Johnny married a woman that doesn't like the family potato salad & everyone is mad at her for it, it has gone to far. Suzie is mad at george because he didn't invite her to Billy's birthday & everyone is mad at him for violating the family code. When you invite one family member, they all have to be invited whether you like them or not.
I don't have the answers on this one but I know that sometimes it would be easier to stay home & avoid the chaos of family functions but if you try this drastic step, you run the risk of being talked about for life & become the Thanksgiving conversation forever because it is always the one not present that gets talked about.

Obama

It had to happen, I couldn't help myself & I tried hard to shut my mouth about Obama but I just can't do it & have no will power. He is a deceptive snake but are you kidding me? This guy couldn't lead us out of Walmart on welfare check day. He goes to church for 20 years, listening to a priest that hates whites & America, he has no experience leading anybody, He portrays himself as a moderate but rallies the black troops every time he gets a little nervous about the poll numbers & he promises to take money from the businesses who employ everyone that work & give it to the lazy people who sit on their butt waiting for a hand out.
Smart move, take from businesses who keep the economy working & make it so expensive to operate that they all go out of the country to do their manufacturing & lay off all American workers.
ANYBODY THAT VOTES FOR OBAMA IS A MORON!!!!! I take that back. There are probably some people that vote for Obama that have mental disabilities & can'tbe judged for their actions.
Don't get me wrong, I won't dislike you for your misguided decision to vote for Obama but will always try to get you into counseling.

Diets

I was getting gas the other day at a convienence store / gas station & while in line I noticed a person buying chips, candy bars, sausage sandwich, cigarettes & a dispenser diet pepsi that appeared to be in a half gallon drink holder. I don't know for sure if I could lift that drink with one hand but I know that after the junk they just bought, the 5 gallon bucket of diet pepsi certainly wasn't going to reach its desired objective of losing weight. Is there some chemical in-balance in people that are on diets & feel that buying 2 big macs, supersized fries & a diet soda, will help them lose weight?
here is my secret diet tips for all you diet soda drinkers that drink those disgusting tasting sugar free drinks to lose weight. Get off your butts & excercise, eat less junk & eat less food, don't eat after 9:00pm & quit reading weight loss books & watching Oprah. Have you seen the wealthiest woman in America lose weight & keep it off? Obvioulsy what she is doing & telling you, doesn't work. Am I the only person that sees this?

Never Enough

How much is enough money? How many toys do we need? If money can't buy happiness then why do we need money? All I want in life is to be happy so if money can't buy it, what good is it? It is said that money is the root of all evil? So if money can'tbuy happiness & is the root of all evil but we need it to pay bills & be considered successful in life, I am confused?
When was the last time you saw the news & the reporter or article was talking about a homeless person with no money being successful in life & happy? It won't ever happen because it isn't true. Money might not buy happiness but it sure can buy alot of things that take my mind off not being happy.
I do however think a little goes along way & if we aren't suffering from "little guy" syndrome, where we over compensate for insecurity by having big toys, lots of bling & showing off what we have, we can be happy by working hard, paying bills on time, putting some money away for security & enjoying every day by having fun. We don't need more, we need to be happy with who we are & what we have. If we are caught up in what everyone else has, we can never be happy.

Wives

If you get a bad wife, your life is miserable & it gets worse every single day.(so I'm told) because I would have no idea what it was like since my wife is perfect in every possible way.(vbs)
The one thing about wives is that we will never understand them so quit trying & if you think you know your wife, you need counseling because you are delusional.
If I was going to give one golden nugget of information about wives it would be to leave them alone until they want you around, otherwise you will irritate them, put yourself in a position of defending yourself or you will become completely insane because you won't have a clue what to do when they make no sense at all. There is logic & there is emotion but woman don't have much use for logic because their emotions control every decision. Women work off of emotion & it drives guys nuts. We can't comprehend making decisions off of emotions or changing your opinion hourly because of emotions. Women come across vulnerable & soft when we meet them but as soon as we are in the web, nobody is more opinionated or stubborn than a woman. The soft & vulnerable side is out the window forever & the woman we wanted to protect from the mean & harsh world, has us looking for a place to hide or an exorcism because we are afraid to death of this woman & now know what she is capable of.
I guess the moral of the story, is that woman come across weak & sensitive when we meet them so they can get a man but once they have us, we become their slaves for life. You might think this is a trap & maybe it is & with so many guys going through this, you would think we would never get married but what is the motivation for us to keep going through this?
I think it's because we come across strong & invincible to impress people & feel manly but really we are insecure & intimidated by most things in life & if it wasn't for women we would still be eating raw meat in the cave & beating each other up for fun.
Yes, we need women & they need us but if you are going to have a wife, find one like mine. She is my best friend, we have been through hell together & worked through it, she is a hiking maniac & those that have hiked with her know it, which I like. We have many of the same interests & after all these years, she is more sexy & beautiful than the day we met.
Good luck on the search but be careful----it is a trap----but you just might like being caught.