52 Pools, Pizza and Pee

I would have had my rant done hours and hours ago, but my 5'2" neighbor had to show me up. He shot a bear today that was about 300lbs. Knowing that I am the unofficial local butcher, I was called upon to cape out his prize, then I spent the last 5 hours modifying stands and placing cameras on new trails(the ruts a comin') . That being said, I thought I would tell you a tale of youth and youthful endeavors.

It all started about early grade school age. My Dad walked us behind the house to an upstairs apartment in the building over the hill. He introduced us and I was pointed towards this orange haired kid and I'm thinking " I dont know this kid. I want to go home and play with MY toys, not his." He took me into his room and the most prevalent thing there was STAR WARS everything. At least that's what it seemed like. Anywhoo- we hit it off after that, but being kids, we had previous friends and engagements. We played from time to time and about late grade school or early junior high, we just sort of stuck together. Kinda like peahs and carrohts. We shared comics, food, music and laughs and then, THANK THE GODS, somebody invented NIGHT TRACKS. We spent just about every friday watching videos all night and eating pizza that we slopped together. And thusly, we grew. We went through music revolutions, cultural revolutions, a few girls and Prince and the Revolution. From high school we went to WVU together for a couple semesters and then we parted ways for a few years. In between all this, we had more than a few adventures.

I cant really remember our first big one, but I know an early one involved walking his paper route. We always had problems with this guys dog, yap, yap, yap. Nipping at the heels kind of hairball that you just wanted to stomp on, you know? One fine morning, he shows me this little spray bottle(pressurized) and says, "Maybe we'll try it out on that stupid dog." So we maced the little mongrel. No more yap. And thus grows the legend. We figured out around that time that we could A--get away with murder together and B--were much more effective as a pair.

One of our many friday night video marathons came and went and he says(the next day) should you call your Mom and let her know what's going on? So I do and as I'm talking on the phone, he decides it would be a good idea to light a firecracker and throw it in a pop bottle. Now think back to yesteryear, all you 40 somethings, pop bottles used to come in tall glass bottles. He throws a book on top of it and BLOWEEEE!!!! we have shrapnel and a very loud explosion confined to the kitchen. I yelled very loudly and my mother was freaking out wondering what was going on. I had to play it off like Dewey, I mean "he" was just scaring me, not detonating an I.E.D.

Some other weekend, we were in the woods igniting various explosive devices and decided to go back to his house and do something constructive. By constructive, I mean, we spent half the day reading books. Big whoop, right? I remember distinctly I was reading some of the Star Wars spin-off series--Splinter in the Mind's Eye. We happened to look out the window after, oh about 5 or 6 hours and I say" Wow, I wonder where all that smoke's coming from?" Then it hit us: it was coming from the same spot where we had been that morning blowing up crap. We made a mad dash to the dense, brushy, dry-leaf covered area(it was fall, after all) and spent the next hour stomping out flames. We probably should have let the hill burn. Could have taken out half of Kingwood, it might have been a good thing. After we were sure the fire was out, we promptly went back and finished reading. Weren't we responsible, after all? I dont mean for the fire, we put out the damned thing and nobody got hurt. Well, maybe some trees and small animals.

As we got to that magical age of HOLY SHIT WE'RE IN HIGH SCHOOL?!!!!, we graduated to more, shall we say, lofty endeavors? I remember teaming up with another party and painting Class of 87 on a youthful learnitorium that was visible from other, higher educational edifices. Across a football field. We teamed up with a couple more and began a summertime ritual of swimming for free in the middle of the night in a normally Pay-as-you-go concrete swimming hole. We helped ourselves to some snackage and believe it or not, my conscience got the better of me and I left money to cover said purloined perishables. Fear not, I believe the statute of limitations expires on a misdemeanor after 7 years.

I saw my first completely naked woman at a private pool in an apartment complex. To be fair, she was with somebody else, she was drunk and unfortunately, is now deeply involved in the school system. We swam in that one because it was warmer and better lit. We tried the river, but it just wasnt the same.

If you're wondering about the pee, I was saving it for last. On one of our various school trips, I couldnt tell you which one, they stopped the bus at a fast food place. More precisely, the Wendy's in Sabraton, as I recall. Big line, bunch of us had to go, we went in the 'ol pisser and locked the door. Now we notice that there is only a toilet in this fairly large crappier' (french pronunciation? crappeeeyayyy) so I said" I gotta go, you can stand on that side or wait" He proceeds to whip it out and pee in the sink. Now I couldnt wash my hands, not that we gave a damn about that back then anyway. I did run some water in the sink, just cause I felt a little bad. Oh yeah, remember that piece o' crap car that Kurilko had? About half the football team used to pee in the tank to make sure it was always filled up for him. He probably wondered why it sputtered when it ran.

We had many, many other instances and I will release one from time to time, but after all, our adventures were ours. They were what made us, us. I'm not afraid they will degrade us or remove part of what we are, but some things you should just save for yourself. You wonder what makes a friend a friend. Sometimes it's listening, sometimes its partying, sometimes it's surviving exploits and not going to jail or the morgue. We figured out what we liked, who we wanted to be and why Prince really pushed the sex thing and the rippin' riffs. (He was short and we figured his wiener looked like a vienna sausage pickled in brine). We travelled to concerts, girlfriend rendevous and drive thru food holes on bicycles. (true, did happen, several of us, Hardees). We wouldnt be who we are or do what we still do if that didnt happen. I know divergent paths can cause different outcomes. If I had never gone back to that little apartment, if he hadnt discovered Night Tracks. If our parents hadnt know each other from years before. If, if if. But it did happen. We had enough adventures for a lifetime before we were 20. We never had to drink to do it and we never hurt anyone. We did leave a small wake of destruction but in our way, we atoned for it.

So here's to the burning streak on the steep road, bottle rockets from a car fender and how long crap will take to hit the water from the middle of Caddell Bridge(and there was a lot of it). Here's to the MOOO-OOWWWW, Rolling Stone and Columbia House Records. I will lift a glass for him, as he doesnt consume alcohol and I will pay homage to the Playboy T.V. watched thru the neighbor's window. Thank God for leggings and 80's hair. Praise be to the makers of Chef Boy ar Dee pizza and the guy that invented cassette tapes. (mixed of course) One last thing, if you see DEWEY MOORE, tell him I said "Hi"......

51 Damn You Hollywood

I was going to write about a happy thing today, but as I sit here watching a movie with the family, I just cant do it. As if watching Jennifer Anniston isnt enough, I just heard her say" Goodbye clearance puppy." sniff. tear. I cant take it. I felt tears welling up in my eyes and I have choked them back. My dog Katie is swirling around my feet as Marley comes to an end and all she wants is to play. Most of you are pet owners and you will know what I'm talking about. We have had pets in the past but most of the time, they werent that close to us. I want to tell you about one that is.

First, there was a dog a while back, her name was Bitsy. Our neighbor found her along the road with a dead puppy by her side. She was a wonderful little cocker spaniel, quite gentle and very personable. She was severely malnourished and needing a bath and a comb. Roz took her, nursed her back to health and we had a fast friend in the family. She wasnt with us long, one day as it was snowing, she started bleeding severly and was soon gone. I buried her in a field not far from the house. We were very sad and it just didnt seem right to get another pet right away, so it was a few years until we tried again.

We had a lab/pit bull mix that we rescued from the pound and he seemed okay, if a bit unruly, but as he grew he became more and more violent. No training methods seemed to work. Judge me as you will, we had to take him back to the pound. My last straw was him snapping at us as we walked by. I will not have a violent dog around me or my family. We tried to train him and it just didnt work. Just like people, animals sometimes have a bad personality.

After a couple years, we decided to try one more time. We did a bit of research and figured out that we would like some kind of dog in the beagle family. Roz and the kids came home one day and said that Kim Thorn had some puppies ready and "oooohhh, we just have to get one!" So, it came to pass that we owned a bassett hound. At the time, we had our own business, so while Roz and the kids were gone during the day, it fell to me to watch our new baby. She went with me to the office and just about every other place too. As she grew we (meaning moi) taught her some tricks and after what seemed an eternity, house trained her. She has got to be the most personable dog I've ever met. She is not violent at all, she would lick you to death maybe, but she's never so much as snapped at anyone. She does bark like crazy when someone new comes to the house, but she doesnt mean anything by it. She's cute and she knows it, she's always hungry and she really doesnt do anything bad, except maybe staring at us with the sad, bassett eyes while we eat. Those sad eyes and floppy countenance has gotten her mucho table scraps. She responds to normal conversation and often, she seems like she thinks she's people.

Back to the movie, if you've watched it, you'll know why I'm sad. Katie is an inside dog, she pretty much does as she pleases. She truly is one of the family. At about 4 years old, she's still quite young, but in the back of my head, I know that she will not outlive our household. Her fat, sleek, shiny body click, click, clicks through the house, letting us know she's busy. Otherwise, she's usually curled up on one of the couches or in front of the fireplace. Some day all too soon, she will begin to slow down. She wont jump and play chase(big house). She wont want to fetch for what seems like forever. She wont go from person to person looking for any little crumb she can beg. Right now, she's whining because Roz and the kids aren't here. It's hard to explain, unless you have a pet you truly love and value as a part of your family. I know sometimes you have a pet for a purpose: a barn cat, a bird dog or even just a watch dog. A four-legged family member is different. So she balls up every rug she runs past, so what? Didnt the kids do worse when they were little? They may or may not have pooped in the floor on accident, but it probably wasnt as much. When she ages and grays and can no longer bounce and play like she so often does now, and the end is near, I wonder how I will react? I know how I'll feel. Just like I do right now. I feel sad, teary and I have this weird since of nostalgia. I dont know if she can ever be replaced, but this holiday season, we are getting a second bassett. You know, because we dont have enough to do. Seriously, I look forward to it with a lot of fascination and wonder and also a little fear. I know she gets along with other dogs, so that wont be a problem. In fact, it should be quite fun to watch 2 fat, short legged clowns tear up the house. The deep, baritone barking should be quite pleasant in stereo and God knows what the furniture will look like. They really are quite endearing, but, again, I dread the day that Katie is no longer with us.

She has become a part of me and my family and when she leaves us, she will take a part of us as well. I dont wonder if animals have feelings, she has proven to us that at least some of them do. She has moods, the same as a human and you can always tell when she's feeling guilty or happy or sad. I really do love her, the same as a family member, because, well...she is family. That damned movie made me tear up and I still have a lump in my throat. I feel a feeling right now, that I havent felt since I was a small child: I remember thinking that everyone lived forever and I didnt want anybody to die. I wasnt sure what "dead" meant. I couldnt see them anymore? They were right there. Someday seemed so far away and once you have tasted the bitterness of death from a love that's lost, you grow a little inside and yet you die a little as well. For this reason, I will love and care for her just like the rest of my family and I will not think of this again for quite a while. I will not watch Marley and Me ever again, I dont think I can.

50 A Different Kind Of Pig

It used to be that families stayed together longer. Less divorce, less trauma to the kids and less money for the damned lawyers to fight about. Boy has that changed. I am not judging any of you, I am just giving you my observations. It is so much easier in our throw-away society to just say screw it when there is a problem at home. "To hell with him/her, I cant stand their_____. I'm going to go out and____. Let him/her watch the kids, take care of the house and bills, and I just KNOW their cheating." Instead of us talking about the problems rationally, it is like the weak elk falling to the wolves. I know, sometimes one spouse or the other seems irrational. They dont want to talk, they dont want to listen. They seem like they have become a different person. At this point they have gotten it into their minds that they are tired, mentally and physically from dealing with whatever perceived problem they have. It doesnt matter that they havent actually dealt with the other person, they just feel overwhelmed, so their mind is already made up. They dont want to be with their partner any more and they dont want to deal with homelife, work, whatever. Compromise is a thing of the past. In many cases, the two people in question are quite frankly, selfish, they want their own things and it will come at the price of their partner. We are so ingrained in this society of now, now , now and me, me, me that we sometimes fail to realize that family is what it boils down to and that sacrifice used to be part of the relationship. Sacrifice. There's one for you. Yes, I know : you that are reading this sacrificed for your kids and you sacrificed for you partner. I'm talking about your or their unwillingness to sacrifice. That's what brought you to this, right? I realize that their are an almost infinite number of reasons for divorce, I'm being general for sake of the size of the blog.

So it falls to the lawyers, lawmasters and family and friends to break the bond and begin picking up the pieces. Whichever parent has custody feels that they are the only parent now. In many cases, they are right. They do the every day stuff most of the time and they run the errands and diversions that come with a child. Again, it is overwhelming, even if you have moved on to another partner. Sometimes I think it's worse when you have moved on. It's worse for the child, because they have already been through the trauma of the divorce and now they get to hear 2 sets of parents griping and bitching about the other. You think they dont hear you 'cause you wait till their gone our out of hearing? I bet they do. I probably spend as much time with kids as I do adults. They hear and they tell their friends because they're stressed. I have heard them talk about problems with visitation or whatever and they always have a sad, faraway look in their eyes. You want whats best for your child and I'll bet in a lot of cases, so does the other parent. The problem comes now that the two of you no longer work things out together. He/she may seem like a royal jerk and a pain in the ass, but what would be going on if you were still together and not having problems? You would be talking it out, but now it's too late. He/she's paying(literally) and not getting enough face time with the child and they WILL have their way or say. They feel that since they dont get to spend as much time with the child and they are paying child support and possibly alimony, they should have more say in what goes on and when it's their turn to have the child for visitation, it will be so at all costs. Unfortunately that usually comes at the cost of the child's happiness. The child always suffers when there is a divorce. Period.

It's not easy being divorced. No, I havent been, but we have befriended enough folks that have. I have often heard both sides and thought to myself: "If they only talked to each other like this, even with a mediator, maybe this wouldnt have happened." I must keep reminding you, I understand that not every situation is like this, I know you feel you did all you could and they didnt. It sucks to go through this, doesnt it? What about the parent that gets on a wild streak and either neglects the children or out and out abandons them, for lack of a better term? I have seen many parents get on a binge of partying and bouncing from partner to partner. They play like they were 18 and unmarried again. They often forego seeing their kids in favor of their own pursuits because they feel"they paid their dues and now its 'me' time". Bull. I say if you were adult enough to have those kids, then you should be adult enough to act like a parent and raise them before you move on to yourself. If you find a legitimate relationship in the meantime and start a new life and love and it is partnered and meshed with your children, well, that seems like it's right, doesnt it? Alas, it doesnt usually go that way. We have been around parents(with custody) that feel they have "spent their life raising their kids, so I'm going to enjoy myself now"---as they look at their kids that are barely out of grade school. Really? You spent your life? All of what, 10, 12, 14 years? How much of that alone(without the biological parent? You feel that justifies you pawning off or outright neglecting your kids so you can go get your jollies? BULL!! What about the parent that spends every waking moment, doting on their kids, hoping the ex will show them a little love and understanding? Why does it have to be so hard? Grow up, both of you!

I also realize there is a third side to the coin and that is abuse. Mental, physical, sexual, it is all deplorable, more so with a child. All I can say is that the kid is better off without this piece of crap. I knew kids when I was in school that their life was one big beating or yelling session. They would have been better off in a broken home or even with a different family altogether. What child wants constant yelling and hitting?

I know that I have only scratched the surface and there are so many more situations and factors to consider, but I see and hear so many of our friends that are dealing with the aftermath of divorce, I wanted to say something on the subject. Some of you feel like you're beating your head against the wall dealing with your ex and you probably are. It is not in your best interests to keep beating yourself up over it. There will always be a situation where you 2 will not agree and one or neither of you will get your way, but ask yourself: What does my child want ? Is there a particular event going on that they want to attend, so that means we have to switch visitation? Is there a particular friend they want to see this weekend? A family event? It doesnt mean they dont love you anymore, kids have their own agenda. You should remember that. It may sadden you or make you mad because you feel they arent wanting to spend time with you and you get so little of it, but in many cases, I dont believe this is so. They have living to do and they have growing to do. You need to work it out with your ex so that the child is happy, not you or your ex. They will never be happy about the arrangement, really. After all their birth parents arent together anymore, but it doesnt have to be horrible for them.

Take the initiative once in a while. Plan some events even if they're small. Maybe if you start enjoying your child you'll realize how precious their happiness is. Take them to a movie, a museum or exhibit, even a party of some sort, you'll be surprised how fulfilling it is to spend even your couple days of visitation with them.

I am not trying to be up on a soapbox, I just get so tired and sad seeing so many folks dealing with their broken lives. Roz and I had our share of problems and we almost forgot how to simply talk to each other. We worked it out and have been the better for it, but it is work. Like I said at the beginning of this, most of the time, 1 or both of the parties involved just dont want to put the time and effort into it. If you are the parent that is providing the majority care and you cant reason with your ex anymore, you have my sympathy. I dont have any magic answers. I can only say that you must continue doing what is best for the children involved. If that means continually dealing with an ex that is pig-headed, arrogant or even dis-interested and uncaring, then you must be the bigger person. Try to reach a reasonable and logical solution as best you can with this person. Your children are watching, whether you think it or not and they will be basing their future relationships and their very lives on what transpires now. I salute you that are doing your best and I hope for the kids' sake that you and your exes can do what needs to be done for them.

49 Death By Pig

The first thing that grabbed me this morning was the headlines in Morgantown: 17 year old dies from H1N1. Just this weekend I said to Roz: Why, when they see that there is a rash of flu in a school, do they not grab some balls, cancel classes and extracurricular activities and send home some school work with the kids? Remember when we were young and they sent home those snow-packs? They knew we would be home for several days so they fixed up some work and although it may not be as good as being in a school environment, at least we had something to do.

They could quite easily come up with something for the kids to take home for a week. Cancel the damned classes before more kids wind up in the hospital or worse, dead. If this virus is as bad as they have hyped it up to be and it has mutated over the summer, then for the sake of all that is good, send the kids home(with work to be completed and brought back the following Monday) cancel or reschedule all events and get all media involved. No social situations while you are off, Mom, Dad---go to the store and work only as needed. Get serious about this damned infection. Leave your kids home(if possible) while going to the store. Get help if needed. Get a family member or friend to help do your errands. You could both benefit. For God's sake, use common sense. Stop the spread of this thing before it really does mutate and cause (potentially) a high number of deaths.

Why do people never use common sense? If you know it is in the area, such as good 'ole Kingwood here, leave your children home with the other parent or a friend or relative long enough for you to do what you need to do. How many times with normal colds and flu have you seen the retarded idiot in a store with 1 or more sick kids, sniffling, hacking and generally leaving a freaking slime trail throughout the store? Is it really that hard to call someone if they are too small to stay home by themselves? No, it isnt. People are generally lazy and hardheaded it seems. They hack and gag and you just KNOW when you see them, its too late. You or one of your family is going to get it. They have already infected the air around you and in a few days or in the case of the common cold, a couple weeks, you're sick. Then your spouse. Then your kids. Then friends and relatives, and on and on.

How much lost time at work have these people caused? How much lost time at school? Sure, some kids are hardier than others and they may not get sick, but what about the majority? How many do you know that will go to school anyway because of a test or an event they dont want to miss? I'm not leaving out that some kids will use any excuse to take a day off, I just want to cover the other side of it. There are a lot of kids that will go, regardless. So, if you're going to wind up with a small epidemic in your school, why in the hell would you not want to stop it now? Nip it in the bud? Use your damned head for something other than a hat rack. I wont apologize for being worked up. This is idiotic. My 13 year old has told us for the last 2 weeks that there have been quite a few kids missing because of the flu. So what's the problem? Is the school board to stupid to figure out that a week of slower learning with kids doing some stuff at home outweighs the potential loss of one child? What if it were your kid that comes home with the virus and he or she is the one that winds up hospitalized or dead? Doesnt sound like too much to ask now, does it? What's a week? They'll miss wayyyy more than that here in Prestonhole, when the snow starts flying. Take a day with the teachers, run off some sheets for each class that will cover the current subject, and if at all possible, avoid having them bring every book from every class home. Too much for them to carry, after all. Let's be practical.

I know sometimes you guys think I'm nuts, but seriously, does this not make sense? If 1 week could contain, slow or stop the spread of this virus, then all the planning and rescheduling is worth it. Yes, teachers, it is more work for you. I'm sorry, but I think the whole reason you're there is that you wanted the kids to have a better future, right? You wanted to teach them something? Well, teach them that common sense is what is needed. Teach them that they can rely on you to look out for them as well as their friends and family. Teach them that their life and health is worth more than getting the required number of instructional days so that the school keeps its precious funding. Hell, get the board off its ass and TALK to the state, someone tell them that 1 week in the scheme of things isnt that much. Let's march on Charleston and demand that they waive the requirements or give you a free week, so your funding doesnt suffer more than it already is. Wait, no, let's not march. We dont want to spread the virus.

When I read the headline this morning, I got angrier the more I thought about it. What is that boy's life worth? Was it worth continuing classes while more and more of his classmates got the virus? Was it worth having a football or soccer game? Was it worth not taking a week or so off to curb this thing? Ask his parents. I bet I know what they'll tell you.

Someone that is reading this, let me know: How do we go about this? Is it a good idea? If not, then why? or what is? Give me some help, people. I will call the CDC in Atlanta myself if it will help. Let them tell the board what an appropriate time is to let this thing pass. I would not even care to imagine the devastation that would be caused if this thing mutated again and became fatal in a more-than-50% case basis. Would you? Some of you might not care, you might not think it will happen, but let me tell you, it IS happening. People are dying. Yes, people die every year from the flu, but this is different. This is killing children and young adults. It is killing people our age. They say it's odd because, usually, it kills the very young, the very old and the already weakened. This could happen to us, to you, here, now...

I hope and pray that it doesnt get any worse. I hope that we bite the bullet and dont have any fatalities here from it. I hope none of you do.

48 R.E.M. Was On To Something

I have only seen one preview for "2012-Doomsday" the soon-to-be released movie. I do listen to a lot of talk radio and I have heard quite a few "experts" debate on the subject. Their view range from the movie's version of worldwide destruction to a more, intellectual and social upheaval.

I dont really want to get into the movie, as I havent seen much about it, but I will say that some of the professional researchers on the talk radio shows have said that there is a galactic alignment of sorts that is due to happen on that date. Planets and galaxies are going to be in an alignment that occurs once every 26,000 years. The Mayan calendar just happened to be a 26,000 year calendar that they miraculously calculated all those millenia ago. From what they say, every so often in Earth's history, the planet has pole-shifted on a somewhat regular basis. They think it coincides with the galactic alignment. The planet literally shifts on it's axis and some believe that, for example, the current equator would shift from being a latitude to a longitude. This would create the kind of global devastation that is seen on the movie preview. Massive, global devastation on a scale not seen by modern man. Earthquakes and upheavals, massive floods, tidal waves, storms and the like. It is scientific fact that it has happened before and just like the dinosaur killing asteroid strikes, it hasnt happened in the certain period that has been calculated and to put it bluntly-we are due. Scary? Yes, if you think no global event will or can happen, you are sadly mistaken. It just hasnt happened since man began keeping records. It could happen, it will happen sometime, nobody really knows when, but the upcoming alignment of planets and galaxies is a good possibility because of the unheard of potential for gravitational forces that could occur.

The other side of that coin are the folks that say 2012 being the end of this 26,000 year cycle, it portends a great social upheaval. They say it will be a shift in man's thinking. It could be a mass upheaval towards good fortune or bad. We could have an awakening, leading people to a more"global" consciousness or just the opposite: a further dumbing down of society. If we fare well, we could all be enlightened and aware of each other's misery, man helping man, as many of us desire. It could also be quite the opposite with man falling on each other like a pack of wild dogs tearing into a lame sheep. Let's hope for the best.

If you care to read further, I'll give you my opinion. I know I can be a bit opinionated:), but here we go: I think that there may be some shift in awareness and probably for the better, but will not be based on a schedule of galactic alignment. I think that there is an underlying , pervasive feeling that a lot of you may feel, but may not care to admit. Havent you had a feeling for a while now, that something is not right? Not just the obvious social and economic problems, but something that either has yet to happen or is about to happen? A sense of almost-dread? There is a web-bot program that some braniac computer-geeks put into effect a while back and it searches posts worldwide from many, many web sources that searches for key words and patterns in the post. It has confirmed and predicted,yes predicted, events that have happened. It also has detected a sense of a yet-to-happen major, catastrophic event. I dont think we're going to get smacked by an asteroid, but I do think we could well see an almost globally-devastating event in our lifetime. I hope I'm wrong, but only time will tell, eh? Think I'm a kook? What about that feeling I mentioned? Be honest, do you have that little nagging in the back of your mind? Not the "bills, taxes, kids" nagging or your wife or boss or the cat wanting fed all the time nagging, but a little knot of something you cant define that you shove aside or smash down from time to time when you have time to sit and reflect on things. A vague sense of uneasiness that people sometimes get before a traumatic event occurs. It's sort of like when that little voice tells you"dont get on the bus" and then the bus crashes 2 blocks down the street.

I think that we have to , as a society and one earth, answer the call of energy responsibility, suppression of war and violence and management of our global resources, i.e. food, water and livable space. If we do not, we may be in for an unheard of die-off or kill-off of millions or perhaps billions of people. Again, you may think I'm crazy, but it could happen. A lot of you dont realize just how fragile and tenable our hold is on this planet. Are you paying attention to the massive, fish killing algae blooms in the Gulf of Mexico? They are believed to be caused by fertilizer and pesticide run-off from the Mississippi basin's agricultural areas. Honeybees are dying on a massive scale from possible genetic damage due to the same. Massive areas are becoming drought-stricken because of (in-part) over-saturation of people. We build housing developments in places that are scenic but were never meant to support large populations. We have drained lakes almost dry purifying water for human consumption and use and forsaken the fish and wildlife to do it.

We are on a downward spiral with fossil fuels, there are massive reserves under the planet, but many are unattainable with current technology. We need to be sinking more money into research and development of sustainable energy for our vehicles and homes. I think the time is coming soon, that it must happen. In the last 10 days, gas locally has risen 30cents. I have said before that it could quite easily approach 4,5,6, maybe even 8 or 10 dollars a gallon. Think you could afford to drive then? Not if you have much of a commute. Vehicles that get 30, 40 even 50 mpg are not enough. We need to put massive research and development into bio-fuels and vehicles now and then, when we have enough breathing room, look for more "space-age" technology. Maybe gravity based? Fission? I dont know, I'm not a physicist. Or a scientist. Or an oil baron. They control it now anyway, but I do think it's coming. Over the winter, I am going to try my hand at distilling some different plants and making some bio-fuel. If I dont burn down my building or vehicle, I may convert all my vehicles and hopefully inspire others to try it. Anywho---

The coming 2012 date, in my opinion , is flawed. We are operating on the Gregorian calendar and the dates have been changed and manipulated at the onset of it, so who can say where the true date actually falls? I imagine we're close but after all, most of this was based on the upcoming alignment. Our downfall will lie in apathy and prejudice, probably not on a planet-wide destructive event. We may fall prey to not caring for our neighbors, both here and planet-wide. We may fall to not putting what resources we have into becoming more earth-friendly and continuing to use and abuse the planet. Whatever happens(or doesnt) we are in a period now of change. We have made choices here to elect a man that years ago, would not have been elected because of prejudice. We have charged him with changing our attitudes and our policies and methods. He has allowed the vocal minority to begin to take charge against entrenched, old-money mentality. Big business and big money controlled many if not most policies, but now, ah now, we are on the verge of challenging the old ways. We no longer think in terms of say, oil is our only option, or that's the way it is for folks that have all and those that have nothing. We are looking at options for taking care of people that have never had help. We challenge poor choices quickly and with a loud voice instead of shrugging shoulders and saying"we cant change it, so we just have to take it". So, yes, I think we may experience a sort-of "end of society" but it is going to be a years-long, gradual change with little spurts of "aha" moments and advancements.

On the offhand chance that the galactic alignment tears great rifts in the fabric of our universe and stands(quite literally) our planet on its ear, I will continue to post hopefully, until the servers crash and West Virginia winds up somewhere around the new equator. I have fattened up our bassett hound and she should feed us well in an emergency. I wont touch the cat, mostly because I dont like cat and they Dont taste like chicken....

47 Fall in and of America

When I was young I was reminded of God every day. We went to church back then and when you went to school, you recited the Pledge of Alliegiance. Although my religious views have changed a bit since then, I still see God in the things around me and the people that I know.

Back then, we were taught to fear God and respect people. Now, our children are not allowed to express their views and they have no fear of retribution for negative actions. There is a lot less respect because of lax punishment and the children dont have a direction to go in. With the respect that we were taught for our Christian founded government and our leaders, we, for the most part, gave back that respect to our elders and to those who were in charge of us. For the most part, yes. There are always a few bad apples and back then, they got a little bit of corporal punishment. Lordy, lordy we cant do that ! I have talked about this kind of punishment before and I do think there is a need for it , but it needs to be weighed and measured rationally, not with a heavy hand.

One of the worst things they have done is this "politically correct" crap. Taking the Pledge out of the schools, I think, has taken a bit of honor from us. Our children were taught that our Republic was founded on fairness and the roots of a Christian religion. Our forefathers were driven for one reason or another from their homelands and settled here to express their religion in the manner they saw fit. Yes, we have the greatest diversity of people on earth here, but it was still based on the Christian religion. I think we should respect each others' views and religions, but if for 200+ yrs, this country was based on Christianity, then we should at least start the day with that small bit of respect for what it is. As adults, we chose what we want to believe and that was the result of many men's spilled blood. Millions have died to give us the right to worship how and if we want to. I may worship God as nature, you may worship the Holy Trinity, another may seek enlightenment with Buddha. That is our RIGHT. If you take away the roots, will the tree continue to grow? I think it is a small price to pay, if a few children here or there have to pause for a moment while the rest pay respect to our heritage and our forebears. Over the years, there have been a few, self-righteous, narrow-minded, cry-babys who have filed lawsuits over not wanting their children to have to mention the word "God" in their morning rituals. If you and your family are atheist, then tell your child to put their head down. Afraid they'll be traumatized if they hear the word? Tough, if they are interested when they hear this now, what will they do when they get older? Will you keep them under your fist forever? They should be able to make up their minds for what they feel is right. Worship a different deity? Is your deity not your version of "God"? Tell them why we say the pledge. Tell them about the men who died so you could worship as a Jew or Muslim or Jehovah's Witness. Tell them that it is about respect for others. Does your religion not teach respect for others? Does it tell you to generalize people and dumb them down so that everyone is the same? Maybe we should buy 7 billion gray jumpsuits, shave everyones' heads and then everyone would be happy. No differences.

Are not our differences what make life interesting? God, to me, is all about difference. Every tree, rock, animal and person is different. We or they may be the same species, but there are no 2 the same. So why would we have to smash our children all into the same mold and make everyone the same? Again, teach them why they are saying the Pledge. If you are truly a son of your deity, you will not have a problem teaching your children about diversity and paying respect to others.

A few friends have pointed to a popular talk show host and said" He's right, he makes so much sense." Well, he and others like him, DO have valid points and believe it or not, I agree with them a lot of the time, but this fellow frequently lets his own personal biases, agendas and political offiliations sway his message. Yes, I guess that's part of diversity, but respect also comes in. They frequently focus all problems and rage on the President. He is not the cause of most of these problems and he seems to be trying to fix and change some of them. He has been in office about9 months and you would think, if you listen to them, that he is the cause of a crashed economy, world hatred of us, 2 unpopular wars being lost and the price of gas being too high. Of course a republican talk show host is going to be down on a democratic President. Of course a host with wealthy, influential republican friends is going to blame a democrat for all of our ills. I think it goes back to the respect thing I mentioned. Whether you like it or not, this man is our elected leader. I am a registered republican as I have mentioned before. I vote my conscience, not my party. Whether I voted for Mr. Obama or not is irrelevant, I have accepted the country's choice and I have placed hope and confidence in the man that was chosen to lead us.

If you were doing your job, got promoted to a leadership position and were trying to make changes that YOU saw as best for the company and the employees, would you be able to perform better or worse if, at every turn, your employees did not give you a little support and confidence? I know, many times, employees do not like change unless it's theirs and they usually dont like management as a general rule. Be realistic. You know the man we chose has got ungodly hoops to jump through and our 2 party system makes it that much harder. We have created our own division. The 2 main political parties are ran almost like 2 countries at war with one another. Each hates the other because they are so entrenched in party mentality, they cant see the forest for the trees. I see many of the "younger" politicians with great ideas, but as they progress through terms in office, they become jaded and held back by the old "dinosaurs" that still have that "good 'ol boy network" mentality. Between that and the various payoffs, kickbacks and " campaign contributions", who could resist? Come to the Dark Side, young Skywalker. Something good gets done now and then to take our minds off of all the sideways, devious crap we let them pull. And above it all, now they have a scapegoat for all their frustration. "Mr. Obama, why are you trying to change our beloved country? Folks dont want universal healthcare. They dont want energy independence. They dont want their kids to further their education and have a better life than their parents do. "

So what if you didnt vote for him? So what if you dont agree with some or all of his policies? Ask yourself why? Does his name bother you? Does his skin color bother you? Does it bother you that folks that need a hand may eventually have some of the same comforts and breathing room you have? Are you afraid of change? Why can you not give the office respect, if not the man? Yes, we need to balance a lot of factors when considering a big change like healthcare or a business reform. I dont think that's the problem. I think there is a lot of personal bias being applied when people lash out at the President. He really hasnt been given the chance to screw things up, if you think about it. Some people are screaming at the top of their lungs before any policy has been enacted. Both parties tripped over themselves, running with fistfuls of cash to throw at the feet of Bush when he said he wanted money for 2 wars with the godless heathens that invaded American soil . We did topple a dictator, but people are still dying every day in that shithole and that includes our boys. They are dying in Afghanistan and we havent actually ever had Bin Laden pinpointed to a single hole, rock or building. They die and for what? A Texas oil man's misguided attempt at retribution? Yes, I want blood for what they did and have done to this country. I want that bearded freak's head on a pole, jammed into the Whitehouse lawn. There's an old saying" When a fox breaks into your henhouse, do you reward him? No, you cut off his head and hang it from a fence as a warning to other foxes" .

Give Mr. Obama the encouragement to end this quickly and justly. Send forces en masse to root out every single terrorist along the path that leads to Osama. Maybe if he hung a thousand heads on poles along the way and presented Bin Laden to us in chains or hanging from a pole you would respect him then? I dont agree with all his policies, but he seems more focused on making change at home right now than ending our wars and finding a place in the new, changing world. Maybe he's right and maybe he's wrong. You want to gripe? Great! E-mail the WhiteHouse, your congressmen, whatever it takes. Just think twice when you hear some talk show host trying to cover his own personal bias and agenda with a valid and important issue. We must balance every policy, every law that is enacted, and we must enforce them with a fair hand and educated judgement.

As I said: Teach respect for our roots, which includes God in whatever form you care to call him, teach respect for the process of government and our elected officials and temper it with rational, educated questioning, not ranting and nit-picking due to personal bias. We must think and act as one when fixing a problem while still maintaining what makes us,...us.

The Pledge of Allegiance:

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August 1892 by the socialist minister Francis Bellamy (1855-1931). It was originally published in The Youth's Companion on September 8, 1892. Bellamy had hoped that the pledge would be used by citizens in any country.
In its original form it read:

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

In 1923, the words, "the Flag of the United States of America" were added. At this time it read:
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words "under God," creating the 31-word pledge we say today. Bellamy's daughter objected to this alteration. Today it reads:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Section 4 of the Flag Code states:
The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.", should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute."

God keep and help us, all.

46 Union of Social Surfing Matriarchs

Have you done the laundry today? Why would you want to do that? They dont pick up their dirty laundry, they dont put the clothes away and when was the last time they opened the washer? The clean folded clothes in this picture have been at the foot of my oldest's bed for a week . The dryer, maybe, since they were probably looking for some article of clothing that was important to THEM. Roz and I do the laundry as needed and witchever one of us has the time. In the last week I have done 9 loads, washed and dried. Roz folded a mountain of them and I sat them in front of bedroom doors. They either get shoved out of the way, or stepped over, if it's not too tall. I might as well be talking to the wall asking them to put them in or near the hamper. Many times, they get tossed in front of the bathroom door and occasionally when they walk in the door from school or wherever, it gets dropped where they take it off.

We are still building this house, and we have never had, nor do we expect to have, a show home, but--I just cannot seem to get them to differentiate between a house that is "lived in" and a sty. When they get out on their own, they can live as they will. What to do now? Quit washing their clothes? Roz and I average 1 basket for every 3 of theirs.

Dishes? Same goes for them, too. That is, after you take a wheelbarrow around the house looking for the dirty ones. We are not traditional by any means, we frequently eat at the computer desk or in the living room. How hard is it to take your damned dishes to the sink at least when you get up to get a drink? We take turns washing them, if you want to consider it washing. We have a dishwasher for crying out loud. It was to make life easier, but it seems that only half of us know how to operate it. You have to stand over them with a whip and chair to get them to unload it and god forbid you ask them to load the thing: " ugh, ewww, I'm not touching those nasty dishes!" My reasoning is: you ate off of them, you can touch them long enough to load it. You ARE at the sink, after all, you can wash your hands when you're done. What the hell would they do if they had to change a poopy diaper? I can hear the gagging now. Why they have gone this route, is a mystery to me. They used to help, but it seems that when puberty kicked into full gear, they forgot all chores and how to do them.

I have seen a lot of husbands that work a 40 or more hour week with a wife that works. They both come home, hubby plants his ass in a chair or out in the garage/building and wifey gets to do the housework and take care of the kids. It was always a pet peeve of mine, but I never say anything. How would that look? One of their own, chastising the dominant male of the pride and speaking of lowly housework. I have taken pride in being able to help out when I can, especially when we hear a wife complaining about hubby putting it all on her. I may not do it all, every time, but I know Roz gets stressed out dealing with the public and if I can do a load of clothes, dishes and maybe supper a few times a week, what's the big deal?

I am not patting myself on the back, I'm just giving my end of it. I see many posts on facebook about how tired and stressed the primary homemaker is. Many, many guys were brought up with Mom at home, doing everything that Moms do. Dad goes to work, Mom works at home. I know some of you still have that traditional role, but more often than not, both parents/spouses work now and a good percentage of them still put it all on the wife.

I am here to celebrate those of you with the patience and stoicism to do both jobs and not use a tack hammer on your spouse in the middle of the night. I bet that there are more guys now helping out than there used to be, but the percentage is still low. I cant really tell you how to get more help out of your spouse or significant other, but I do know that if NOTHING gets done, someone will wonder why, eventually. I am seriously considering shoveling all their dirty clothes into their rooms and telling them to wear them until they fall off or wash them theirselves. We may have to quit cooking for a while or maybe I'll just nail the cabinets together until they get tired of eating out of a can with their fingers. Then again, that will prep them for the post-apocalypse of 2012, but that's another rant.

Lastly, let's talk garbage. We have a huge old 25 gallon crock with the old wooden lid we use as a garbage can. I can take out the bag, tie it, put a new one in, set the bag in front of the door and they will, surprise,surprise, walk over or around it. They will occasionally set it outside around the corner(in one of the cans). Monday mornings, I carry the cans down for the garbage dudes and as of this post, I can still see the cans down by the road. They come home from school, park across the road and walk right past them, content in their ignorance of the cans' existence. Again, I may quit taking out the garbage. Just let it pile up. We have a huge common area(its almost 1000 square feet) so it will take a while to fill up. My guess is they will kick a path through the house or figure out how to get out of a window.

I have mentioned to Roz many times that we should cut off the cable, the phones and the internet, but I would go through the D.T.'s . I dvr a bunch of shows and I gots to have me some internets, the phones...ehhh, I could live without them. So where does that leave us? My boys really are good kids. They used to help and loved doing it. They were glad just to participate and be around us. As they got older, and obviously richer( they do have built-in maid service apparently) they just act like they dont have time, they cant be bothered with something so trivial. One of them actually told Roz once " It's not MY job, it's yours." He has lost his way. I will be the King Henry to his church. The reformation is about to begin. I will talk to Roz after she reads this and we will see how much of their work we will continue to do. Maybe it will be based on how much they are willing to help again. Cant carry your clothes in daily and put them in the hamper? Dont expect them to be washed. Dont carry your dishes out? Fine, I'm fixing dinner for 2. Cant help with the garbage? Maybe we'll store it in your room until you can.

The worst part of this is that we shouldnt have to ask. Some of this should just be second nature by now. Dont get me wrong, they are still pretty good kids. They are mostly respectful(2 teenage boys/hormones/ girls/ need more?) and they do on a rare occasion, lift a hand to help. Sometimes they fix supper and the youngest likes to use the weedeater(go figure). We just get frustrated trying to ask them time and time again to help with the little things.

Well, there it is. I gave you our experience because I got a feeling from your posts that it is not exclusive to us. More importantly, I gathered that some of you are as frustrated as us. Maybe not the same tasks or manner, but I'd wager you have a lack of help at home too. Short of going on a full-out strike, I suppose the most we can hope for is that when the kids grow up, they will realize how many little tasks there are in keeping house and home and as husbands and wives, they will realize the importance of sharing the load. When you're young, a lot of things are taken for granted, your caregivers wanted to do these things for you. You have your own problems and agendas as you get older and closer to leaving the nest and you stray from your duties. Parents take up the slack out of love and politeness. When it gets to be too much with work and other parental duties, we need to remind one another of the things it takes to make a home run. That goes for slacker spouses too. The job gets stressful and the last thing they want to hear when they get home is someone telling them to wash clothes or scrub the toilet. If you are truly, happily married, you should be able to talk about it without yelling, without arguing. "I need help" should be uttered verbally, not when it's too late and you feel like drinking or strangling.

There is a bright side. If you get to the point that you are going to quit doing it all, you shouldnt have to worry about too many visitors and no self-respecting bill collector or salesman is going to wade through the mountains of trash and dirty aeropostale to get to your door. You could even take up a new hobby: buy a b.b. gun and start shooting the rats that are sure to show up. Me? I think I'm going to try assigning chores again. After school work and/or activities will be no excuse. Until they go to college, marriage or prison, they can help out. I must go now, the dryer just beeped....

45 Sugar, aw Honey, Honey

I have stated previously(and it should be apparent that it's one of my favorite sayings) that confession is good for the soul. Well, I have something to confess: I am fat. I have been a yo-yo dieter for a long time. Well, not really a dieter, I have had weight fluctuations, true, but I really dont consider what I did dieting. I would try a lifestyle change, i.e.--eat better, exercise regularly and the weight came off. As soon as I noticed good results, I fell back into the old habits and gained it all back. Today, I HAVE HAD ENOUGH.

I imagine most of you that read this blog know that I shot a bear yesterday, and I was so happy and proud...until I saw the photos. I will post one with this blog because I need motivation. I feel pretty good, I can excercise and walk without sounding like I'm dying of oxygen deprivation. When I saw these photos, I was sickened. A few years ago, I was down close to my post-military weight. I ran several times a week and worked out almost every day. I ate well and my body could handle the occasional junk food craving. As time has drug on and stresses of every day life have piled up, I have been guilty of the trap that millions of others have fallen into. I ate what I wanted, didnt get up other than to help with housework and said to myself: " I'm tired, I did enough today, I deserve to sit around. " Well, this is it boys and girls: do or die time. I avoid scales like they carry the swine flu. This morning I weighed myself and realized that I have ballooned up to 240lbs. Yes, I have admitted it. I will keep posting my weight occasionally because I am absolutely SICK of myself. I want to HAVE to show some progress.

Weight watchers is not an option, I just dont feel the pull of communal weight loss. I WILL NOT take diet aids and I will not starve myself. A few months ago, I had lost about 20+ lbs and have gained it all back. I am NOT defending myself, but I do have a large frame even though I am only about 5' 9" or 5'10". I have broad shoulders and chest and I have always been able to do a lot of physical work. That being said, there is no reason I cant reverse this trend. I figure with a regular, reasonable schedule, I can have about another 20 years or so of health and fitness, but only if I fix this now.

I know that a lot of you ladies do not like to talk about your weight, it has been bred into you and through generations of learning, it has been made into a huge taboo. Oh my God, you DONT EVER ask a woman her weight. You are only allowed to mention if you think she's lost. A little extra weight looks good sometimes, its when you are 50 or a 100 pounds over that you have went too far. Well, ladies, I went too far. I know we gain some weight as we age(I know, not EVERYONE)but When we have allowed ourselves to become lethargic and we are making the aforementioned excuses, well, what else can be said? We dont want to hear it, but we feel too tired to begin the long, difficult process of losing the weight, or, we start dieting by starving, eating weird crap or excercising like I said before till we lose some or even a lot and then we crash again.

What to do, what to do? I dont have an answer, except that if you start too slowly, you wont stick with it and if you start too quickly you get the same result. We need to balance eating a better diet, no processed food or fast food and stay away from sugar and white things like bread and taters. We need to get up, off our asses and move around. You will NOT lose that fat if you arent sweating. Sweating while eating does NOT count. I've seen a lot of us "work out" and not put any effort into it. Not sweating, not even really breathing hard and then wondering "why havent I lost anything?" is just not going to cut it. " No time, I have too much ______ to do" Really? Do you have time to wind up on 17 different medications when you're 60 and walk with a cane or a wheelchair because your swollen, gout-ridden legs will no longer support you?

I hear women(even the ones that are barely 20lbs overweight) complain all the time about how they feel like a cow and they "would really like to get on a program and lose weight". Well, ladies, let's do it. I am challenging you right now. I posted my weight and yes, I am a guy, but it shouldnt matter. I am embarrassed by my weight, and I am TIRED of it. I have come to the end of my rope. I will NOT yo-yo anymore. I want you that really NEED to lose weight to join me. Post your weight if you're comfortable and find an excercise program. Eat better, treat yourself reasonably and not often. I will be doing the "Biggest Loser" workouts with Roz. They were working before and they made us feel a LOT better. I will continue eating better and only OCCASIONALLY treat myself. I will post my weight every Sunday night. Think of it as a free "weight watchers" without the crappy food. Feel free to post ideas for food or excercise on my blog comments and we'll do what needs to be done.

If you really want to change your life, Roz and I are here for moral support and encouragement. It is sometimes easier to do this with friends than it is to try it by yourself and fail because you dont have enough willpower. My goal is to fit into the 34 jeans in my closet. What's yours? Remember to be reasonable to start. Be safe, know your limitations and medical conditions. I know people that have changed their lifestyle and actually gotten off meds. Let's do it now before we're too old or too diseased to do it.

I know you WANT to do it. I want to , Roz wants to and I think that maybe we could start each other off on the right path. Good luck and please dont think you cant or its not worth it, it is and you can. Oh yeah, normal rant tomorrow. My revelation just had to come out today. If it helps me and you, then it's worth it. See ya tomorrow.

44 Land of the Lost

It was such a cold morning. Snow falling and temperatures hovering around 34. Rain was prevalent I guess, with snow intermittent. We heard of occasional power outtages and once in awhile we would see a surge in the electric here. After several years of warm falls and winters, we seem to finally be having a "normal" winter. Remember the old fashioned(yeah, like even 80's is old fashioned now) winters, when we actually got deep snow and extended cold spells? I dressed appropriately this time, with several layers, gloves and nice wool cap.

Sitting in the treestand, it doesnt take long for the warmth to leave your body. Even quicker when the rain and snow are quickly soaking through layers. What's the saying? We suffer for our art? Well, there was a bit of suffering today, let me tell you. As soon as the gloves get soaked, your fingers start getting numb. You try to move them and work it out, but it's only temporary. I can usually stay through it, but today was the first day, so I figured" I've got the rest of the season, why get sick now?" and decided to go home after only a few hours.

I stopped on the way home to grab some coffee and noticed the headlines on the paper:" Virus claims 10 more children" and "Thousands feared infected" . This virus seems suspicious to me. We've been hearing about it for quite some time now and at first only a few were infected and very few died. Then we were told that over the summer the virus would mutate and be even more aggressive in the fall and even more deadly. It seems they were right. Worldwide it has been reported as less than the normal deaths from the seasonal flu. But now it's picking up.

I drove home and upon resting, decided to head to the big ol' city and do some shopping with the wife. Occasionally we would see a surgical mask over an ambiguous face and I cant help but think" Why are Americans so stubborn? Why cant we be like the oriental countries and prevent huge infections and outbreaks by simply not having so much pride and wearing a thing as simple as a mask?" Thoughts like these make my shoulders heavy and I quickly put if from my mind. Besides, I smell Gloria Jean's coffe waiting near the food court. As I stood in line, I saw a 20 something causing somewhat of a commotion in the throng of shoppers. He appeared to be drunk or more likely, doped up. He was swinging his arms and babbling incoherently on his wild-eyed mission. It is one of my biggest fears that my boys would even think about trying stuff that would cause you to do this kind of thing, but I have preached to them since they were small that it does you no good and whether your friends do it or not, you dont have to make that choice. You dont have to be part of that particular line of peer pressure. Security soon tackled the kid and he promptly bit one of the guards, a fat, gray haired gentleman that was probably working until he could collect his social security. He jumped up, and started to run away and me being me, I decided to act.

I jumped towards him and he lurched sideways, away from me and into the jumble of tables at the center of the court. I darted past a palm tree and around a trash can and made a jump for his legs. He came down hard on the tile and in an instant there were others on top of him. At the last instant before the guards got to him again, he doubled over and clamped down hard on the side of my hand. I felt like beating his face in, but I figured he was already in enough trouble, so I backed off and let the rent-a-cops try to do their job again.

They took me back and poured a little antiseptic on the bite and wrapped it up for me and asked for a statement. Then the Mo-town police showed up and wanted a statement. After that, they wanted me to go the hospital to check it out, but since he barely broke the skin, I said that if it started looking infected, I would go then. On the way home it was throbbing pretty good, but I chalked it up to adrenaline and put it out of my mind. I've usually been pretty good about dealing with pain. It doesnt really bother me most times. It's not really a pride thing, it's just that it doesnt bother me. When I got my tattoos it didnt feel any worse to me than a sunburn would. Even on the inside of my arm didnt hurt any worse, usually people say its too tender to get tattooed.

When we got up the next morning, I saw plenty of crappy news, as usual. Riots here or there, suicide attacks, random violence and more about this stupid infection. Sounds like Jersey on a Friday, right? ha. There has been war and violence most of our lives, but after 911 it just seems more depressing. I felt quite feverish and not very hungry and the bite that mr. dopey gave me was an angry red and very "weepy". I went to the e.r. and they gave me a shot and some anitbiotics and sent me home. I have felt like I should hunt that kid down and rip his face off for making me sick. Dope-headed freak probably never brushes his teeth, let alone puts down the crack pipe.

Laying down in the afternoon, I felt better when I got up. I tried to eat some taco stuff that Roz made, but immediately threw it back up. I'm getting madder by the minute. If that little bastard gave me a potentially fatal infection, I WILL hunt him down before I go. I feel very fevery right now and am covered with a blanket. The afternoon news has shown more and more people infected and there are numerous reports of fatalities.

Hey everyone, I'm sorry it took so long to post this, but I figured that Scott would want it posted and just wanted you all to know that he is in the hospital and has been admitted. He became very incoherent a few hours ago and then started mumbling to himself. I called a neighbor to help me get him to the hospital and on the way he became very violent. He seemed out of his head and he's not normally a violent person, but Iknew it was this infection causing his condition. He struggled quite a bit when we tried to get him out of the car and he leaned heavily on me and bit my arm. We got him admitted and they had to sedate him and put him on an I.V. His thrashing around got too bad and they had to restrain him to the bed. I'm sure he will post more when he gets out of the hospital and in the meantime, your prayers are appreciated. I may have to go get a shot later because of the bite. It really hurts and it looks a little weepy. BTW-have you noticed all of the violence and increased infection cases that are on the news? We've seen quite a few folks that were quite pallid with open wounds and they were being quite violent. I think we'll have to avoid public anything until this virus goes away for the season. Anyway--I need to go lay down, I feel a bit fevery.....


The preceeding has been made for entertainment purposes only. I am NOT in the horsepistol. This was merely my attempt at a short story. Enjoy your Halloween!

43 Adam and Eve vs. Adam and Steve

I suppose it's about time I covered this subject. I have stated previously that I have several friends and relatives that choose to live alternative lifestyles or maybe it is simply the way they are made. That debate is for psychologists, religious leaders and nut-job politicians. They will screw up just about anything, anyway, so whatever reason a person has feelings for the same sex we'll just say its nature.

If you know anyone that is gay or lesbian, is it on good terms? In every personality type, every job, every social situation there are people that are a bit overzealous or perhaps even overbearing. These people are the ones that give rise to stereotypes. You Kingwoodians will remember Gary Cale from Bruceton a.k.a.--Scary Mary. He looks like he walked out of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. He doesnt necessarily act much different from us and truth be told, I dont think he's gay, but his appearance is very off-putting. He has become a walking joke over the years and it is a shame, because I've talked to him from time to time and he seems okay. He doesnt talk crazy or try to hit on me or people he sees around him. Other than his appearance, he seems fairly normal.

I know you all know folks or have seen them on movies or tv that are what the masses call "flaming" or "butch" . I will have to admit that I have described a few ladies with the term "bull-dyke" . Am I making you uncomfortable or angry? It is not my intention. I simply think that you should speak the truth. If that means that I admit to giving in to bigotry or bias from time to time, then I should at least be man enough to admit it. Sometimes, though, it just seemed funny. I have no problem with whatever your sexual orientation is. Someone that is mature enough to not "hit" on someone they know is not gay or lesbian deserves the same respect as anyone else. You know what I'm talking about: there are those out there that for some reason or another, will hit on or make someone of the same sex uncomfortable even when they know they are not gay. Someone that has a different sexual orientation and still maintains their maturity and sensitivity of those around them should be considered equal in your eyes and mine.

That brings us to the reason I chose this subject. I have seen gays harassed and I'm sure you have too. We have seen them denied rights because they chose a partner that traditional customs does not want to recognize. They are forbidden to marry in most places and are denied benefits frequently when they do. Why? If they are truly loving and caring of one another and choose to spend the rest of their lives together, should they not be afforded the same benefits and opportunities that you and I have? Just because you or I are not attracted to the opposite sex doesnt mean it is wrong. I'll admit, I used to think it was. You cannot "have" children. (yes, I know, they can adopt, not what i'm talking about) It was a so-called "christian" upbringing and old, ingrained prejudice that made me think that. I dont see any difference between two men or two women loving each other and what the rest of us do. You may find it gross and if we're talking about two hot chicks, well, lets just say that I AM a guy, you know. ;) Seriously, If a gay or lesbian lifestyle is not affecting work or social habits when interacting with a traditional person, then why the bias? Most people our age or younger are quite accepting of just about anyone. There will probably always be people that hate what they are not familiar with or know nothing about or maybe afraid of.

If you dont know something, ask a question. Duh. Just because you dont think a certain way, doesnt meant there arent alternatives. I told you in previous rants and comments that I was in the military with people that were gay and they were just as fine a soldier as anyone else. I have worked with people that were gay and lesbian and they probably did a better job than others because they didnt want the bias. I worked with a guy in the mines(ungodly prejudice people there, trust me) that was saying something a bit, shall we say, adventurous. Some guys said " That's f'ing gay" He said " It's only gay if you like and I just like it a little bit". This guy was probably 15 years older than me and he was married, but he wasnt afraid of himself. He had kids and a wife that he loved, but he knew what his feelings were telling him. He had sexual limitations that were just "different" from the norm. He wasnt going to leave his wife, he just wasnt afraid to explore things that to him were pleasurable.

I spoke of children earlier. I know this may be wrong or I guess you can call it conjecture, but I think a lot of the bias that people have about a gay or lesbian couple having children stems from a fear of the child being harmed. This could be mentally by them having a confusion between their parents and traditional parents. It could be a fear of them being sexually abused. Yes, this is unfounded. It's not me you have to worry about. I know that if a couple that cannot have children for whatever reason are going to adopt, they will adopt out of love and desire. That applies to traditional AND gay couples, right? I think it does, but many officials dont . High profile actors and actresses have adopted kids and with the exception of Rosie O'Donnell(whack job) the kids seem fine. You never hear anything in the news that reflects negatively on the parenting. We have friends in Morgantown that happen to be a gay couple. The older of the two was married for many years and has a lovely daughter and beautiful grandchildren. He and his partner dote on the children and as far as we care, they are probably better Grandparents than a lot of the ones we know. They get along great, make good livings and are very quick to brag about their "babies". There are always bad parents and you know all too well traditional parents can be true monsters. I'm sure that there are gay and lesbian couples that shouldnt have kids, but friends, family and case workers for an adopted child would hopefully catch any abuse quickly, but then, how often does that happen with traditional couples?

It's not just rednecks around here that are biased or prejudiced. I've heard it from just about every income and social level. I would hope in this day and age, most of us are teaching our kids to be tolerant of everything except abuse and ignorance. It is way better than it was 50, 30 even 20 years ago. Remember when Boy George was popular? Big joke. Somebody said to me: call him what you will, he's still a millionaire and you're poor. He was right. It didnt matter what I thought, he did his job and was very successful at it. Remember when Ellen DeGeneres came out? Wasnt her show cancelled? What a load. What difference did it make from the day before when most people thought she was "normal"? It didnt. I was sad, I think she's very funny. That and Anne Heche really turned my key.

So, here we are. I think that with education and understanding and time, we will hopefully erase all the hate and prejudice. Look at racism: almost a 140 years after the civil war and they are still fighting it. There are jerks and worthless people in every lifestyle, race and gender, trust me--it is not exclusive. I'm not telling you to go out and hug a gay, and for crying out loud, dont ask him to watch a "Sex and the City" marathon with you. (you cant stay up all night, you have to go to work in the morning) Try talking if you dont understand something, most folks'll be glad to clear up any misconceptions if you approach the subject without malice and with some willingness to learn and accept. Oh yeah, thank god for girl on girl videos and threesomes and hot girls kissing and ....wow, I gotta go...

42 Bears and Bulls and Dinosaur poop, Oh My!

I will start the day by saying" CRAP". Not just any crap, the dark, oily , expensive kind that comes from way down in the earth. Well, "crap" just doesnt begin to describe our feelings, now does it? The particlular brand of crap that they shovel, or should I say pump, at us is the source of much heartache. We have to buy their crap if we want to go to work or school and we have no way to dictate to them what will happen if they dont stop throwing crap at us that costs more per pound than milk. Oh, right. I forgot. Since they charge more for their crap, milk costs more, now. And bread. And soup. And clothes. And heat. and.......

For most of my life gas rose a bit here and there and I suppose, by leaps and bounds in the 70's. It went from 35cents a gallon to about a dollar and then settled around 85 to 90 cents for a while. Quite a while if you use the current happenings as a measuring stick. even through the nineties it only fluctuated at most 30 cents. Now thats a weekly thing. I know, for about 6 or 8 months its settled around 2.50 to 2.75, but look at the last 3 years. Up 30 cents by the end of this week and maybe more by the end of the month. Yo-yo from hell. I have felt the pain of the poor slobs that have to contend with gas taking up possibly a fourth or a third of their income just to get to work and do their daily tasks. Then they get to pay bills and buy food and buy things for their family like shoes, clothes, entertainment, etc.

That brings me to what jammed us into the current problem: credit cards. How many have had to swipe that damnable piece of plastic to get their food for the week and in the back of their head, wonder"How am I going to pay the payment on this?" Lives have been ruined, homes lost, marriages ended and worse over this financial mess. I know, some of you cant live if you dont have a card to make ends meet, but what is the alternative? Can you do without something for a while and still get your gas, groceries and getups? Hey, I kinda like that....the three g's...I'm going to use that from time to time. Any-whoo....I've seen folks that, once they start using a card, they feel they cant stop. "I'll make the minimum payments, pay off a bunch when I get income tax." Then it becomes a viscious cycle. Spend, borrow,spend, borrow...sounds like the government.(you see where it got them). Sacrifice, people. Figure out how. Do without, throw them out. You can break the cycle and besides, do you really want to owe some titanic company exhorbitant amounts of interest which they WILL tack on when you only make the minimums or miss a payment?

If you follow the news, the current blame game goes to the speculators on the stock market. Remember when we used to blame the Arabs? It's not very p.c. right now , so the media had to blame someone. The hell of it is, it's true. It's just like pork belly futures. A bunch of jackasses sit around reading reports, determining whether the pig crops will be good or bad, then they set the price for pork bellies and ....down the line....you pay more or less for bacon. Same with gas. I heard an analyst( or should I call them anal-ists) on the radio last night saying that the price of oil is a "good indicator of projected economic growth". What's that mean? It means that at the first chance they get, they figure out how to extort more money from us. Our dollar buying more? RRRiiiiPPPPP!!!....goes the dollars from our pockets. Job growth looking good? rrrippp. Home sales up? rrrriiiippp. and on and on...

So here we have some weasely little graduate from Brown or Yale or Penn State, speculating his ass off so that they can raise fuel and heating oil prices at the first indication of us having a few dollars extra on a payday. I say we just stop. One day is about all it should take. Fire, ambulance and police, everyone else, stay home, dont drive your car, your 4 wheeler, your boat. dont turn on your lights, tv, radio, toaster, anything. Converse among yourselves and then yell at me. Cant be done, oh no! Bull. The problem is, most people wont sacrifice anything to make the difference. We should go as far as shutting down all tv and radio. Save every drop of electric and gas that we possibly can. NO FRIGGING CELL PHONES!!!!!! Emergency only. Walk around your neighborhood or your property or wherever you're at. I know, we are a mobile society. We arent used to the old ways anymore. One lousy day is all it would take. One day would allow for a massive glut of oil that speculators, investors, execs, arabs, south americans and dictators would have to eat. No cash for Dubai to build another indoor ski park so their 120 degree heat wont melt it too fast. (true story). No cash for them to light their cigars with and buy that new 36 room mansion by the coast, with. OH MY GOD!!, You would think I just asked you to sacrifice your child on the altar of Walmart!!! It boils down to that ugly word I just mentioned: Sacrifice. Maybe if I could gain enough support, I could take this national. I just fear that the biased media would never touch it.

Yes, gas doesnt just come from the middle east. It comes from south america and here as well. There are many countries starting to drill along coasts that were long off limits. Ours are still taboo as well as many pristine areas of our federal lands. If done correctly, the environmental impacts could be quite minimum. I am sick to the gut of importing oil and exporting some of what we have.

Now we come to alternatives. Electric would be ideal, its cheap, clean and efficient. It would be, except Americans wont sacrifice power, styling and familiarity to start us on the path of freedom. We are slaves to places like the middle east and China. (pick up just about anything in your house and tell me it didnt come from china or taiwan or malaysia). I'm sure they could make more efficient vehicles, but they dont. It's not economically sound for them. If most average Americans would go to electric or some alternative and our shipping infrastructure would be given more efficient diesel movers, you would see a drastic difference in our overall way of life. We need to go back to more rail shipments to supply our ravenous appetite for all things walmart. For the last 10 years or so, we've done nothing but rip up tracks that have existed since the 1800's and make so called "rail-trails" out of them.

Bio-diesel and ethanol would be awesome, because there's not as much trade off with power in your vehicle. You do lose some power, but if you could get your fuel for 75 cents instead of 2dollars and 75 cents, dont you think you and the country would be better off? Dont let them fool you with the "crops to fuel" crap they want to feed you. We have a surplus of immense proportions every year of corn and other staples. The bio-fuels can be made from switch grass, cattails, yes, i said cattails, and just about anything that will ferment. Take about half of the trillion dollar "bailout" money and build some damned bio-fuel factories. Oh, right. Big Oil wont allow that, now will they? They pay the elected officials in one form or another with "donations" and "grants" and we pay them. I have personally ripped off an arm a leg and a testicle when gas went to $4 a gallon, to get to work and pay for heat. They bought statues for Bernie Madoff's Christmas presents.

Bio-fuels are cheap, plentiful(since it can be made from just about anything that grows) and would make sense, since most of our vehicles either run on them or could be converted easily. Wow, imagine that, Americans doing something that made sense. Screw Big Oil. Why should they get all my money? Hell, if they want to build the plants, sell me the bio-fuel, fine. They just dont want to because the profit margin wont be as high. The production costs are low, too. Crude oil is expensive to refine and did you know that gas is more or less a waste product of the process? Heating oil and diesel come out of the mix closer to the top and gas is the last thing left. The wast product of an outmoded system. Did you know that some of the first vehicle invented were actually electric and ethanol users? Its true. Look it up. Some guy in Pennsylvania changed that for us. Oh, and a Rockefeller or two.

So where does that leave us? Seriously, the only thing I can think is that when gas goes up to 6 or 8 dollars a gallon(think its far-fetched? think again) maybe then I can get you and about 250 million other people to join me in a "Great American Fuel-Out". So, in the meantime, you might think about some of the things I've given you today and remember when you shell out $4o to fill up your truck that in another 6 months or a couple years that could easily turn into $100 or more. I'm crazy, you say? We shall see. I hope I'm wrong, but one more bad downturn in the economy and we may see 4 or 5 or 6 dollar a gallon gas again. I hope that maybe then, Joe America will give my little experiment a try and then maybe we can fling crap at the oil companies. Kinda like monkeys in a zoo...except I wont be using alternative means of cleaning said fingers....

41 Beating the Odds

As a general rule, I usually say that I had a pretty good childhood. Nothing out of the ordinary, but then, what is ordinary? I played, drew, rode bikes, read books and just about anything else you can think of. I remember the mentality of the day, though, when it came to the "other" kids.

We had a neighbor that had (at the time) 4 kids. The oldest was about my age, and we played together a lot. His brother and 2 sisters would occasionally join in with us and the other neighborhood kids. When the day was done and we were called inside for dinner and a bit of t.v. and family time before bed, we could usually tell when their "dad" came home. The screaming and yelling would start. The occasional loud crash and kids crying. I remember once, the oldest boy came flying out the door, just as I went to our front door. He wasnt running, he was being thrown through it. His "dad" was an alcoholic, gambling horses ass and when he came home from work, he took his frustration out on his wife and kids. I can recall many, many days when Mom had to feed those kids because they never had food in their house. Once, on a lazy summer day, I went outside after lunch and they were gathered around a tree eating a bag of shake and bake because that's all they had. At one point, the two boys chopped a hole in a bedroom floor and out of the house to have an "escape route" Back then, you rarely said anything to this kind of family. Other Mothers tried to lend a hand now and then and sometimes your Dad would talk to "him", but for the most part, it was "their problem", and you didnt say anything to them. Thus, the abuse continued.

I know this is a hard subject, but it was brought up yesterday and I just wanted to explore it a little today. I see abuse in many forms all around me. Hell, sometimes I feel like I'm abusing my kids because I didnt get them the latest "X" product. But, today, I'm talking about physical and mental abuse.

We have several friends that are single Mothers and they are doing their best to raise their kids at the sacrifice of their personal lives and gain. They do not worry about dating or buying themselves frivolous things like a new pair of shoes. These people I have all the respect and love in the world for. Then there are a few that I feel are, in fact, abusing their kids by establishing a lower mental worth through a form of neglect. They put their personal lives first. They date, to the point of dumping their kids off with whoever will watch them and they do this at every given opportunity. "But they need personal time." you say? Baloney...and not. Yes, you need a little time, but the ones I'm talking about are teaching their kids that they come second, after the "parent's" needs. You need shelter, food, money. You do need a little personal time, but if it comes at the price of your children becoming wild and unmanageable or worse, withdrawn and angry, I think you need to re-evaluate what you're doing. A parent who sacrifices those few precious years that a child is becoming an adult is to be lauded. One who would rather have a new boyfriend or a drunken night out every week(or more often) is, in my opinion, not deserving of children and is, in fact, abusing them.

What about jobs? We all have to work and pay bills, it is unavoidable unless you hit the lottery or have a reallllly good inheritance. A few years ago, I walked away from a 6 figure a year job because my youngest son tugged on my sleeve one Sunday morning and said"See you next Sunday, Dad". I had to force myself not to cry at work. I had co-workers that often told me of never experiencing their families joys. These were 20, 30 and 40 year veterans of that job. One guy told me he"guessed he would have to use a vacation day" to go see his daughter's college graduation. He told me he had missed every game, every play, every event she had ever been to, but it was okay he supposed, because his wife was there. I chose another path because I wanted to see my family. I know, you say it's not possible for everyone and you're probably right. It was very difficult, both financially and emotionally, but we managed. We have, I think, came out the other side the better for it. I hope the kids have, too.

You probably all know kids who were beaten or neglected, maybe worse. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that I would love to be able to take some of these "parents" for a short visit to a small room with just me and a bat. What do you think you're doing to your child? He or she is learning that they are worthless in your eyes. They are learning that its okay to abuse a child and studies have shown that they probably will. You may have had a bad marriage/relationship/boyfriend, but does that excuse you from being a parent and showing those children the love and respect that you didnt get from that relationship? I think my readers would agree--NO! You made those children , now pony up and take the responsibility of raising them without abusing them and show them that they dont have to make the bad choices that you did. They might also learn that just because one parent or the other is absent, it doesnt mean they arent loved. They have you, family, friends and extended family to rely on and to learn from. Be the better person and accept your responsibility. You have a chance to raise a generation of people that know what caring and loving mean, even in a broken family.

Something worth having doesnt always come easy. It is not easy and is down right scary to face the world by yourself while raising a kid. It is also a lot harder sometimes to deal with your inner demons and not lash out at your spouse or kids. Were you beaten as a kid? I'm not literally asking you that, and I'm not talking about our previous rant about punishment. I'm saying--would you really want your kid or spouse to endure a lifetime of what you went through? If you are that frustrated with your job or situation, you have but to 1--talk to your spouse, best friend, family and try to work out a new situation and 2--look for a new job or environment that better suits your personality and talents. I said earlier--change is hard. Sometimes we are unwilling to sacrifice certain things to move along with life. I'm here to tell you that it is possible. Just remember that if you have kids, they come first. If that means living with a friend or relative until you can affect your own change, be it through an education or just changing jobs , then you do it. You can manage fine without holding on to that house/apartment/ property, what have you if it means you and your kids arent so stressed and in the long run you will have a better job and hence, maybe a better life. Some people get caught up in their troubles and their families pay for it. You and I have seen them, we feel pity for them, we are angered by them. How do you change it? How do you end it? That one you have to figure out on your own. People are afraid to use even words to let another know that they are not doing right by their family. I am guilty of it as well. We dont want to cause a conflict in the family/friendship, so we say nothing.

Abuse is abuse. Physical, mental, emotional, it all wears on a child or spouse or partner. I hope every day that I find the courage to say something , but even with all that I spew out to you all, I still dont know where to start. I feel around certain family and friends that we know, that I might pop and lash out myself. There is abuse and then, maybe, there is a sort of justice. Maybe it would take some of these idiots getting a beating to realize that maybe what they're doing isnt right. That is the duality of it. So where does that leave us? I dont know. I have tried to give you food for thought and now it is up to you, if you know of abuse like this or in a different form, to try and affect a change. Be subtle,be bold, whatever the situation calls for and whatever your heart and head tell you is right.