PACKERS WIN THE SUPER BOWL !

You don't have to know a lot about football (or anything really) to appreciate what the Green Bay Packers have done tonight. A football team has 22 players - 11 on offense and 11 on defense. The Packers LOST (through injuries)15 PLAYERS ! During this Super Bowl game they lost 3 more of their starters, but people replaced the injured and did well. They won. I was shocked. I thought there season wasn't going to go very far without some of the people that were injured. But the Packers pull through.

Much was made about their very strong opponents, the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have one the most Super Bowls - 6. They have played in 3 of the last 6 Super Bowls that have occurred. They were a very experienced group. Yet the fact that they turned the ball over 3 times was all the difference in the world. The Packers took those 3 turnovers and scored 21 points. Without turnovers, the game goes from a Packer victory of 31-25 victory to a 25-10 loss and a Steelers victory.

Turnovers count, having a big lead counts, but most of all triumphing over adversities, injuries, penalties, dropped footballs and still getting the job done and earning a victory in the biggest game of all, the Super Bowl.

I am especially pleased with Aaron Rodgers (he's #12 in the pictures)  who had a very very difficult task of taking over from a legend.  He took over from Brett Favre.  Tonight he equals the number of Super Bowl victories won by Favre.  Whether he can have a great career for the rest of his time as a NFL quarterback remains to be seen, but I just can't say enough about the classy way he carries himself and WINS GAMES.  

the big BLIZZARD !

There was a huge snow storm in the Chicago area.  It was much anticipated and reported.  There was so much talk about it before it happened (it began Tuesday afternoon and snowed until late Wednesday morning), that I figured it would be one of those instances (like Y2K) that was so built up and worried about that not much would happen to justify all the worry.

But it was a big storm.  I was still working at the law firm when the blizzard began, and the snow seemed to be pouring from the sky.  It was blowing furiously.  We were told that we were going to be sent home early, at 3 pm and that we would not be working on Wednesday. 

We were let out at 3:00, but my train would not leave for home until 3:45 (it's only a 10-minute walk to the train station).  So, I strolled leisurely to the train station, but I was in for a surprise when I was at the train station.  Almost a 1/2 hour before the train was supposed to leave the train was nearly filled already !  It was going to leave as soon as it filled and if it filled  at 3:35 it would leave then rather than 3:45.  & that's exactly what happened.   We left early, and I felt really lucky to get a seat on the train.  Many people were standing in the aisle. 

After getting off the train, and driving the mile home, it was very apparent that driving would be tricky with such slick roads.  I bought some groceries that I figured we would need.  The snow continued to fall and pour from the sky.  Then we had a very unique weather event occur.  We had thunder snow, during the night, we were not only getting the snow but thunder and lightning also.  The meteorologists noted that was very rare.   Brianna gets worried about bad weather, so she was asking, "Will our condo blow down?  Could we get a tornado".  No, we reassured her.   However, there have been times in the past, I would "josh" her and say well maybe something terrible would happen and that indeed would get her scared.  We would then quickly calm her down and say we were just kidding.  But I wasn't really in the mood to do that this time.  Also there were a number of things to really worry about:

1. If the electricity somehow got cut off by a downed power line (from ice or all the snow) we would not only have no lights but no heat, b/c we have electric heat. The only thing we would be able to do is huddle up under a blanket or go to Maribeth's dad's place in the hopes that he had electricity.  But thankfully, our electricity was fine.  However, for about 60,000 people in Chicago there was no electricity, and it must have been very difficult.

2. The snow the next morning was so high that it almost covered the hood of my car. So the concern was with all that snow, would my car start?

3. If the roads were bad (and many roads were filled w/ snow and not plowed) would Maribeth be able to go to work in the morning? 

4.  We still needed some groceries, were the stores open?   Most of the stores were closed.  But our Jewel was open.  There were some aisles in the store that were completely bare, and it was an amazing site.  Most of the time you are used to the aisles being covered with food begging to be sold.  Yet here, for one of the very few times, there was scarcity.  I grabbed one of the last bag of buns so that we could have sloppy joes for lunch. 

I was proud of our little community at the condo.  People worked together and got each other's car uncovered from all the snow.  We directed people to go where the parking lots for the condo had already been plowed and opened up.  It's amazing how much can be done when people work together. 

Here are some pictures of the condo and piles of snow that dwarfed us:

In the last picture, the snow nearly covered up the bush and was 1/4 of the way up the tree. 

I was surprised to find out that the law firm was going to be closed tomorrow too.  It has completely stopped snowing, much of the snow has been removed, so what was the problem?  I'm sure it's something obvious that I haven't considered, like many streets still remain unplowed. There is also going to be very bitterly cold weather which will make going to work much more difficult.  However, below zero weather has not stopped the community before.  So, I would imagine it must be a combination of things that is keeping our law firm closed.

Maribeth will be working, so I will be watching the kids tomorrow. She was pretty happy that I was getting it off b/c the kids would be taken care of.  There was a story that 1,500 cars were trapped on Lake Shore Drive and many people were stuck in their cold car and had no place to go because this major thoroughfare was completely jammed.    I do remember going home on the train and seeing I-90/94 (The Dan Ryan) completely filled with cars going nowhere.  They ended up making it home but those on Lakeshore Drive didn't until much later. 

very mysterious shoes !

for about 20 yrs. I very reliably took a size 12.  But then my foot changed.  We had a nice woman work at our firm as a consulting nurse.  So, I asked her why (back in about 2008 or so) I suddenly couldn't wear a size 12 on my right foot anymore.  In that year, probably the fall, my little toes were getting pinched and at first, I didn't realize what was going on until I saw that those toes were very bruised. 

Halina explained that as we get older, sometimes people older than 40 (especially those w/ weight issues) get wider feet.  Since I am somewhat overweight, my right foot apparently widened to the point I was forced to either get a 13 or a 12W (w=wide).  So, I gave the shoes to my son, who wears the same size as I do (before my feet widened), a 12. 

He kept them in good shape b/c in the 2 yrs. after they were bought, Andy has only been to about 4 formal occasions. So, with so little wear, the shoe is great. 

A few weeks ago, I ran an errand and used those shoes.  They fit fine.  I figured since I was only wearing them for 20 min. they wouldn't pinch my little toes too much.  & my toes were fine.  So, I kept wearing them.

Today, for the first time ever, I am wearing those once-tight shoes to work, and my feet and toes feel great.  I have a picture of them below.  My wallet is feeling good too, because I paid about $30 for those shoes ! 

Something very strange happened that I discovered yesterday.  There was a nice pair of dress shoes I bought, they didn't fit b/c of the above problem

Think about this for one moment......

This song was written by James McMurtry back in 2004.  The funny thing is we weren't experiencing a recession at that time, but many people were hurting economically and especially from the war in Iraq.  Now, the words seem truer than ever....................

"We Can't Make it Here"

Vietnam Vet with a cardboard sign

Sitting there by the left turn line

Flag on the wheelchair flapping in the breeze

One leg missing, both hands free

No one's paying much mind to him

The V.A. budget's stretched so thin

And there's more comin' home from the Mideast war

We can't make it here anymore

     That big ol' building was the textile mill

It fed our kids and it paid our bills

But they turned us out and they closed the doors

We can't make it here anymore

     See all those pallets piled up on the loading dock

They're just gonna set there till they rot

'Cause there's nothing to ship, nothing to pack

Just busted concrete and rusted tracks

Empty storefronts around the square

There's a needle in the gutter and glass everywhere

You don't come down here 'less you're looking to score

We can't make it here anymore

      The bar's still open but man it's slow

The tip jar's light and the register's low

The bartender don't have much to say

The regular crowd gets thinner each day

       Some have maxed out all their credit cards

Some are working two jobs and living in cars

Minimum wage won't pay for a roof, won't pay for a drink

If you gotta have proof just try it yourself Mr. CEO

See how far $5.15 an hour will go

Take a part time job at one of your stores

Bet you can't make it here anymore

      High school girl with a bourgeois dream

Just like the pictures in the magazine

She found on the floor of the laundromat

A woman with kids can forget all that

If she comes up pregnant what'll she do

Forget the career, forget about school

Can she live on faith? live on hope?

High on Jesus or hooked on dope

When it's way too late to just say no

You can't make it here anymore

      Now I'm stocking shirts in the Wal-Mart store

Just like the ones we made before

'Cept this one came from Singapore

I guess we can't make it here anymore

      Should I hate a people for the shade of their skin

Or the shape of their eyes or the shape I'm in

Should I hate 'em for having our jobs today

No I hate the men sent the jobs away

I can see them all now, they haunt my dreams

All lily white and squeaky clean

They've never known want, they'll never know need

Their sh@# don't stink and their kids won't bleed

Their kids won't bleed in the da$% little war

And we can't make it here anymore

      Will work for food

Will die for oil

Will kill for power and to us the spoils

The billionaires get to pay less tax

The working poor get to fall through the cracks

Let 'em eat jellybeans let 'em eat cake

Let 'em eat sh$%, whatever it takes

They can join the Air Force, or join the Corps

If they can't make it here anymore

      And that's how it is

That's what we got

If the president wants to admit it or not (written in 2004)

You can read it in the paper

Read it on the wall

Hear it on the wind

If you're listening at all

Get out of that limo

Look us in the eye

Call us on the cell phone

Tell us all why

     In Dayton, Ohio

Or Portland, Maine

Or a cotton gin out on the great high plains

That's done closed down along with the school

And the hospital and the swimming pool

Dust devils dance in the noonday heat

There's rats in the alley

And trash in the street

Gang graffiti on a boxcar door

We can't make it here anymore

-----------------------------------------------
(emphasis added)

issues around the time of XMAS

I saved up some money in the bank where it's hard for me to withdraw money out of.  I deliberately picked the Richland County Bank so that I am unable to take money out unless I make the big trip to see my parents.  Through the years, the money I saved up always comes in handy when I purchase gifts during XMAS. 

Christmas seemed to have setbacks this year, but Christmases past often have difficulties.  In 2006, Maribeth's mom died a few weeks before Christmas, and she often states that XMAS isn't that happy of a time.  This December we had 2 problems.

1.  Maribeth went to her car and absolutely, positively couldn't move her key.   The battery was messed up, the battery cable, ignition, it's wires - all messed up and needing replaced.  She had just sunk a very substantial sum of money getting all  of her brakes replaced.  I was pissed off with Firestone for charging so damn much money on brakes.  I want to write a letter to them b/c it's nonsense to gouge the consumer like they did to Maribeth.  Then when I was taking my dear father-in-law to dialysis, we passed at least 2 places that had decent deals on fixing brakes.

So why did she go to Firestone?

We have gone to the same Firestone store for years.  We have trusted them; they previously earned that trust!  Maribeth was shocked when she heard the estimate, and sometimes it's very human for a bad surprise to simply lead to "paralysis". What  I mean is the idea that she felt she didn't have options, and the shock prevented her from thinking of other places to go and exercise those options.  We trusted Firestone before!!!!!!  We don't now, damnit !

When the ignition "fritzed out", she certainly didn't want to go to Firestone and picked "Sal the Handyman" to fix the car.  He has 3/4 of the car done after 1 1/2 weeks.  The car is able to drive, but not so reliably with this missing part.  Sal told her not to drive, and she's smart enough not to take risks doing so.  He found the part and the hope is that it will be fixed by the end of the week.  Maribeth works her usual New Year's Day shift. The time and a half money certainly will come in handy.   I am hoping that I won't be driving her to work as I have a number times during this recent car failure.  Other times I walk to the train station (a little over a mile) as she drives my car to work some 20 miles away.   

Frankly, I feel bad for her.  She has sunk well over $1,000 into the 2005 Suzuki Verona.  I truly thank God for my lowly 2000 Chevy Cavalier.  It has 109,000 miles on it.  I bought the car when it was 4 yrs. old, and it had about 40,000 miles on it (give or take a few thousand).  There have been 2 times where the brake lines have leaked but the indicator light has adequately let me know about that in each instance.  I bought 2 new tires and the stupid bastards at Firestone didn't follow my instructions to rotate the tires after they gave me the tires.  No, they incompetently replaced the old rear tires with the laziness of putting 2 new tires on in the same place.    This is yet another reason why I will be writing them a letter of complaint and threatening to withdraw our family's business with them unless they make some very very sweet deals with us in the future.   Damn! The money we spent on car maintenance and repairs might have put one of the repair person's child through the 1st semester of jr. college.  What kind of nonsense are they practicing at bad Firestone?? Did they not hear that people are suffering from the recession.  That includes us especially since I have been ordered to work fewer hours at the firm. 

2.  Our new toilet that "Sal the Handyman" installed this fall suddenly did not work as  a toilet should.  So, on what was supposed to be  a very Merry Christmas morning, we opened presents early, and I went back to bed.  As soon as I experienced the comfort of a nice bed, I hear a shriek, "GET OUT OF BED IMMEDIATELY OR SOONER!!!!!!!!!!"

To our deep chagrin, the bathroom floor flooded with toilet water.  Inexplicably, no one had flushed the toilet.    We felt terrible because we knew what was coming next.  A visit from our unlucky neighbor immediately below us who had our toilet water streaming through her bathroom fan vent. 

Maribeth was yanking the water out of the toilet, and I turned the valve off as soon as I saw what was going on. I found items that would soak up the water and stop damage to our neighbors walls.  Within minutes, the fiance' to the  woman who owns the condo was videotaping the watery mess that was made.  Yet, it was a watery mess made very inadvertently. 

The following day, Sal and Maribeth took the toilet off to see what the hell was causing all of the problems.  There was good news and bad news.  They found the culprit 2 plastic forks.  The bad news is not having the slightest idea who the hell would put plastic forks in our toilet.  The dog?  the ever-present Jake, Ted's sidekick?  Both ideas were pretty implausible.  We  took some steps to prevent anything else from falling into that damn toilet. 

Oh and of course there were 2 necessary steps to take once the toilet worked well.  Sal, had to be paid for working on a Sunday, and he kindly did it without the traditional extra fee you would pay if a plumber worked on a Sunday.    Maribeth needed her due also.  So, she was patiently listened to as she explained what happens to one's stomach when you smell fecal matter. She was patiently listened to as she repeated the sad consequences of smelling this most foul substance, and she repeated the foul story no fewer than 3 more times. 

Hey, you can't be too hard on Maribeth, b/c her ex-husband (the writer of this post) didn't fix the toilet.  No, plumbing is not at all my function in life.  I am a pre-trial practitioner, a legal researcher, an investigator and a writer.  I would have just messed things up anyway.  I gave Maribeth one of my XMAS gifts which I received at the law firm.  She loves Starbucks, and I gave her the gift car I had received.  She'll love drinking a cappucino  after doing such a  good job fixing the toilet. 

Lord knows if  the insurance will help us. We know they'll pay for the neighbor's damage.  But our bathroom flooring is messed up badly.  Let's see if they'll actually give us compensation for our damage in a timely manner.  

Stay tuned............

Country Western and Garth Brooks comeback

Have you ever gone up to someone you were getting to know and asked them,  "what kind of music do you like?"
& you get those people that say, "Oh, I like all kinds of music"  Oh, yes, that makes them soooooo cosmopolitan, lmao.
I  WON'T tell you that I like all kinds of music.
I dislike 95% of rap music (and no, I won't call it "hip-hop", damnit) and I despise most Country Western music.  
Between the ages of 13 or 14 to 18 and then a # of years during college, I would have to wake up at 5 fuckin, o' clock in the morning and one of my family elders would add insult to injury and put Country Western music on.  YUCK!  That's all I can say, to all their dumb lyrics and even WORSE melodies. 

If you want real music, look at the pictues below  and there you are ! 

thoughts while working FAST

Since October, the biggest thing that has happened to me is the series of events – past, present, & future – that I can say the least about. I befriended someone who I met a long time ago, and we have renewed our friendship. My life has been enriched, and the future shows some optimism.

The dynamics between the parent and the adolescent is an interesting dynamic. There are stories of parents that have to limit the independence a 15 year old wants or even tries to demand. With our son, Andy, it’s different. We welcome the independence that he sometimes shows. He is an upright, conventional benevolent soul!

I’m contemptuous toward indiscriminate drug use, but Andy hates it even more. He worries about his tragic uncle who will go to prison later this month for drunk driving.  & come Dec. 15, when my brother has his trial, we all hope he pleads guilty.

Getting back to Andy, he diligently informs us every single time he stays late @ school for an after-school program. For the 2nd yr. in a row, his art teacher is Andy’s biggest backer and is glad he’s in the Art Club. We don’t worry about where he is b/c MB’s hospital, and my law firm are both leaning hard on both of us to come through during these trying times. Our jobs have demanded our leadership and experienced savvy we’ve learned for decades. Se, we didn’t have time to do Andy’s birthday party invitations and told him he better work on them. Andy’s party is Dec. 11, and this week, 1 morning when his Ma was already hard at work as a nurse, I discovered Andy had done nothing about his invitations.

Well, this was the 1st time he made birthday invitations. So, on that franatic, fast paced morning, while Ted and Bri prepared for school and left, Andy did the same, and I taught him to make a proper invitation. The 4 elements are as follows:

4 elements

It should answer the question 1. What? You’re invited to Andy’s birthday party

2. Where? Place, street address, town of party

3. When? Date, time, how long party lasts

4. A phone number of host in case invitee’s have questions. Thankfully, Andy knows where his phone is b/c he’s fielding the calls, not his parents.

Andy executed those instructions well. He made honor roll during the 1st quarter and we’re proud inspite the number of obstacles Andy has faced. He struggles w/ Typing (or whatever the hell they call it now when you learn how to use a computer keyboard in quick fashion, I think OFHS calls it “microcomputing”). But Andy struggles just like both of his parents struggled in typing. I think that’s the only C+ or B- Maribeth even earned in high school as she earned a full 4-yr. scholarship for nursing at Lewis University in Romeoville. & I got a mere C in typing my freshman year. I could only type 45 words per minute by the time the course ended in the spring but now w/ 33 yrs. of typing, computing/keyboarding, whatever the hell you wanna call it, I can type a better-than-average 60 words per minute.

results of Championship that Ted played in

Ted's football team, the CHIEFS, was in the citywide Super Bowl in the SENIOR League.

It was the 1st SUPER BOWL in over 15, 20 yrs. to go into overtime for the Senior League.  The Chiefs lost 8-0.   We did very well on defense as we did all year.  The game ended tied 0-0.

The problem was that the team we played, the Jets worked harder, both BEFORE THE GAME and during the game.  They practiced most of the year but ESPECIALLY BEFORE THE SUPER BOWL, 3 times a week.  We practiced twice a week w/ only an hour long practice the 2nd time, Saturday.

They worked extra hard on their blocking, we worked hard but not on blocking but doing some passing plays and running the offense some in practice.

When the game occurred, the JETS put many guys on the line and pressured our quarterback.  the one who led the Senior League in scoring.  There's  a picture of him w/  Ted herein that I just uploaded. He had so little time, he couldn't run for 100 yards like he did in many games this year.  He threw passes that he did well and completed.  But it was a windy, cold November day, and MOST OF HIS PASSES JUST WERE OFF THE MARK, if he wasn't sacked by the Jets.

No offense by OUR TEAM, b/c there was a lack of blocking.  The Jets worked hard during practice, came out very angry at us beating them twice in 2 games (in 2 games we beat them by a combined score of 40-6).  They wanted revenge at the 2 times we beat them. They got revenge on their touchdown in overtime.  We had great defense, but our offense just could not match the anger, the fire and the many guys they put on the line against our decent offensive line.  Our coach exorted and encouraged our line and they played better, but it was not enough.  We moved the ball 100some yards today BUT WE NEVER MOVED IN FOR A TOUCHDOWN.

Ted is upset and doesn't even want to play next year.  But I hope he gets over the bad disappointment he suffers.  I want to get him a weight set for XMAS.  I want him to get stronger b/c he will play more than this past season.  But he obviously can't play if he stops playing football.  It really stung and hurt him to see the opposing team cheering, screaming and hoisting a giant, 5 ft. trophy of wood and gold up high over their head. As assistant coach, I told the entire team that you learn the most not when you win but when you suffer a loss.  When life hands you disappointment and pain, the hope is you are better from that.

Remember when you've seen instances of that in your own life as you look back????

I really hope he gets over that loss today.  We won 7 games; we were undefeated during the regular season. We won the 1st playoff round and came in 2nd place.  There should be no shame in that, should there??

quick little bits of info

• still very, very busy at work.  I have to get ready for when the department goes from 6 people to only one person - ME.  Last year, was rough b/c a couple of the clerks didn't do much before they left for 2-3 weeks of law school finals.  Hey, I loved the overtime and the extra money was essential for Christmas, but there was some stress involved.  Plus, there was the stress during that time of MB's cancer. Thank God she healed well from that.
• I am woefully old compared to the law clerks.  Hell, I'm f*-k--g old enough to be there father! !  I'm worried about my high school son and my other son's championship game this Sunday,  and they're worried about their law school's ranking in the nation.  It's fun working with them, yet things are so emotionless and platonic, that something funny happened.  I just trained this 20something woman to be a law clerk, and she's from LA.  She sometimes burps but with her mouth closed. None of the other clerks do this, and hers are pretty audible.  I just laugh to myself and think, "There's a  possibility  those clerks could be talking behind her back"
• I am absolutely loving how well my teams are doing in fantasy football.  By accident, there was an auction (with fake money of course) to get your players.  By accident, I paid too much for the kicker and was called a "moron"  .......  & here I am in 2nd place.  They have a chat part of the league so one of these days if I keep winning, I'm going to write, "That dumbass that bid to high for Mason Crosby" (me) "is doing pretty well". 
• Here, the economy is rough like it is most parts of the world, but I was ecstatic to hear that my older brother got a new job working in the warehouse at this store that sells excellent suits and other clothing.
• There's just certain times you can't help........even if you have good information.  The women at our law firm have a bathroom that is small and cramped on our floor (that's what I was told, I don't frequent the ladies' room)..  We used to own the floor BELOW ours and had a cafeteria down there (not a very good one).  We also continue to have access to the bathrooms down there b/c the males can't use the private male rest room that employees like I can use.  So they go down the floor below.

Here's the irony.  The floor below us is not very nice to look at and is actually dusty, dirty, b/c they don't have any tenants.  But for some inexplicable reason, they have this HUGE ladies restroom which is kept clean and nice.  No, I don't frequent that one either but it has a tricky door lock so they have to have the door open or else some of them get locked out. 
The reticence is as follows:  I WON'T tell new female clerks about the nice bathroom.  It just makes me sound weird if I knew one was better than the other.  I mean I hear it from the secretaries who have been here for 10 yrs or more, and like I said, you can see into the nicer one how clean and spacious it is.  It's on a right angle so you can't see the whole thing, of course.

But, here is one instance I would like to help,  but I just can't. 

a fun fall......

I was invited to a Halloween party by a friend from the train. Her brother living in a very nice neighborhood hosted a party in his spacious garage with fun music and even better people. A good time was had by all. But before the party, I posed for pictures with my dear son, Andy. 



 

During the regular season, Ted's team went 7-0. He starts as right defensive tackle. The Chiefs were a perfect 7-0 during the regular season and allowed only 16 points in 7 games!! Their offense led by quarterback Jake Olson scored 169 points.

quick hits for what's been going on

Here's a number of things that have been going on:

• It's been very hectic at work.  I trained a new law clerk this past Friday.  Instead of working for 2 lawyers, I've been working for 4 lawyers.
• Ted's team finished the regular season and next week is the playoffs. The mighty CHIEFS finished the regular season 7 wins and 0 losses! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
• Money struggles, wondering about the future and what's going to happen and where I'll work with concerns at the law firm. 
• Not much time for other things like writing for Wikipedia, but I read a good self improvement book.  They said that "pride is the bastard son of dignity"  It's a good distinction, b/c pride will hurt your interaction with others while dignity does NOT.

http://entrecard.com/blog/?p=1593

when a SON has been wronged (2 parts)

Ted learned to ride a bike, and he became proficient riding in a small area in our suburb.  Rules stated he had to either leave it outside or carry it up 3 flights of stairs.  I made it very clear to him that I was not going to carry the bike upstairs for him on a regular basis or any-kind-of-basis!!

He had a lock for the bike.  Did he use it right everytime?...........................................2 months later his bike is missing and the lock cable left there at the condo's bike stalls.  About the same time, Maribeth started talking about a homeless person walking around the neighborhood, and that he set up a shack in a  neighboring Christian church near our place, a little less than a mile.  Then around the same time, Ted accidentally put a scratch on top of the seat of his bike.

Then about a week later, Ted, Brianna & I went to Walgreens.  As I stood in line, a man with salt & pepper (grey and black) hair rode up to Walgreens on a bike.  I didn't think much of it.  Then Brianna grabbed my shirt and whispered something unintelligible in my ear........."man.......bike.........Ted...." I nodded.  He grabbed a candy and got in line behind us Brianna walked away from him.

He mentioned something about the penny I left in the change circle after I made the purchase. 

"Don't need a penny", I replied and looked at his Army jacket.

"Yeah, well some of us do,"

ok I thought "take the change" I didn't say that but he looked at the penny as the cashier got it. At the same time, Brianna motioned and SUMMONED Ted to Walgreens'  door and gave me a strong, hard stare. 

As we walked to the car, she said, "HE stole Ted's BIKE!  He rode in and I SAW THE SCRATCH ON TOP OF THE BIKESEAT !"  She was smart enough not to say it loud and provoke a confrontation. Ted didn't hear Brianna and got in the car.

I told Ted that we had some bad news and hoped he would control his bad temper he received from both parents.  We locked doors and with the Army guy and the bike already zoomed away from Walgreens, we told Ted

"If he needed the bike that bad, let him have it," Ted replied.  I asked out loud how desperate is he?  Maribeth quickly confirmed that he's pretty desperate, b/c he keeps away from our Pit Bull MINNIE. 

We should all pray for him...........

PART 2 

Early, this month, my 3 kids and Ted's best friend, Jake (of AZ)  all go to my hometown west of Madison, WI.  The Ithaca Fair occurs on Saturday, and we get there Friday night.  As we are speeding north toward WI, Ted and Jake talk about the bike thief.  Jake came from a bad part of a city in Arizona, and he always carries a knife 6" blade and only a few inches shorter than the one evil "Wakefield" is carrying below. 

Jake is older and quicker than Ted.  He gave Ted a knife but Ted is like me & hates a ton of violence.  So both of them were in the car fantasizing what they would do to him on the upcoming Halloween. Ted mentioned throwing stuff at his shock.   Jake jokingly mentioned cutting deep into his neck. So, I said, "Wait Jake, he's stronger than you, so if that don't work, then what?"

"Well, Ted would stab him in the ribs and puncture a lung!" Jake replied.

"YEAH" Ted said with GUSTO!

"Ummmmm, Ted?"

"Yeah Dad?"

"If you were to puncture a lung how would you do it? Cross ways or hold the knife up & down?" I asked............

"I'd take that knife and drive it down into him with everything I had!" Ted replied.

"FOOL!! YOU both would be dead because there is NO WAY IN HELL WILL A KNIFE GO THROUGH RIBS WITH THE BLADE UP & DOWN" I yelled in my most Germanic voice, "YOU BOTH WOULD BE DEAD!"

"Well maybe I could stab him in the nuts after Ted......."  Jake slowly and tentatively replied. 

"YOU BOTH WON'T BE THAT STUPID, RIGHT!!!!!?"

YES, they said at the same time.  We talked about the virtues of running in different directions. 
The cops are notified after they both see him again.  The thief took down his shack by a church and set up near a sub sanwich place.  Ted and Jake saw him while eating elsewhere with a group of friends, and Jake is still carrying his ole' Arizona hunting knife. Ted is much faster than he was when he 1st joined football
& I still buy Streetwise a way in which homeless can better themselves in Chicago. 
please check out       http://www.streetwise.org/magazine.html  

some people would like to stay anonymous

"....Everybody knows the good guys lost


Everybody knows the fight was fixed

The poor stay poor, the rich get rich

That's how it goes

Everybody knows ........."  by Leonard Cohen from the song "Everybody Knows"
--------------------

It was toward the tailend of my shift when I felt, emotionally, that the bottom fell out; a  feeling of despair crashed on me again. My political party would lose in November, 2010. 

 I might as well talk about what is bothering me. Same old shit about me not having money.  In this instance, I decided not to go to this party w/ co-workers, because of no money and don't think it's a particularly good idea to live beyond my modest means.  I wanted to go to her party, but I just couldn't !

 But that wasn’t what frustrated me the most.  No, it was the frustration and despair that there are far too few people seeing what the real cause of the recession has been.  There’s far too few people who know what’s really needed to get us out of the recession. 

There’s so many greedy bad people who no one knows about (the billionaire Koch Brothers come to mind immediately.  & you don’t know about the Koch Brothers, do you?  I can't blame you for not knowing about them.  They are very  happy you don’t know about them. If you were polluting the planet would you want everyone to know who you are???!!??), and far too few people realize the devastation they have wrought, not only to the economy, but to the environment.  They create dangerous workplaces, ignore laws that are on the books.  Most of the time they don’t get caught. When their workers get hurt and they do get caught, they shrug their shoulders glibly while they get a wrist slap.    They settle their fine at a few million, and they are worth tens of billions.   Really! Think about it. 

Most of you make less than $100,000. If you get a parking ticket, do you feel like your whole financial future is going to crash down?   The $25 ticket you pay is about how painful it is for them when they pollute rivers and maim workers for having shoddy, dangerous workplaces.  Remember, if they are sued in a court of law, they have the best lawyers in the business, and they don’t lose trials, they negotiate relatively painless parking-ticket-like settlements.  

What a wonderful world we live in.  Reading about people like the Koch Bros. making money at the expense of others.  Hearing how they paid for the Republican takeover in Congress. 

Watching them stay filthy rich

 Watching them not giving a damn about the people they hurt working for them as they make billions.  They are not only NOT PUNISHED, but richly rewarded.   Do you realize over 10 people died last year in April, 2010 in the odious oil spill.  Do the rich who owned that oil well really care, or were they too busy blaming the 2nd company that owned and maintained the oil well???  Think about it ! !

Where’s the justice? 

Words to parent by.....

 The day after Andy (our 1st child) was born, I went to the hospital gift store, and lo & behold, I found the "Parents' Creed" and immediately bought it and it's been our refrigerator ever since. Here it is:



If a child lives with criticism,

he learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility,

he learns to fight.

If a child lives with ridicule,

he learns to be shy.

If a child lives with shame,

he learns to feel guilty.

If a child lives with tolerance,

he learns to be patient.

If a child lives with encouragement,

he learns confidence.

If a child lives with praise,

he learns to appreciate.

If a child lives with fairness,

he learns justice.

If a child lives with security,

he learns to have faith.

If a child lives with approval,

he learns to like himself.

If a child lives with

acceptance and friendship,

he learns to find Love in the world.

10 years ago

I can't help but think about what happened to me 10 years ago.  The Wednesday after Labor Day in 2000, I started working at Nolan Law Group  (  http://www.nolan-law.com/ ).  They not only do the standard personal injury cases (like car accidents) and workers' compensation cases, but also aviation disasters.  The premise in a aviation disaster case is that an airline tells you before you fly with them that they will get you to point A to point B safely.  When they don't do that, they don't do their job, and many times, it's due to allowing airplane parts to deteriorate and that's when crashes occur.  Thankfully, that doesn't happen very often.

I remember the first assignment that I had there was to help with their work on a case where a jet plane went down in April, 2000 in the Philippines.   The airline bought a 737 that had been laying in the AZ desert for years and there had been damage to the plane before it flew in the Philippines.  Anyway, the air crash in the Philippines was the worst in their history.  I was told to talk to one of the provincial governors there which was a thrill for me; it's certainly not something you do everyday.

I improved as a paralegal, and I learned a lot at Nolan Law Group.  I loved my office because it had a window with a small view of Lake Michigan.  I miss that view  :( !   Oh well, I am paid more now than I was when I worked there.  I have more responsibility.

Still, I am very thankful I had the opportunity to work at Nolan Law Group.  I learned so much from one of the paralegals there.  He was the best paralegal I ever knew!   Mike basically ran the workers compensation department there, and I'm sure it was a big loss (in many ways) when he died of a heart attack a few years ago.  He was not even that old (only a few years older than me), but when you smoke, you deal with some big health disadvantages. 

One of the big things that really helped is that when I applied as a paralegal at other firms, all my potential bosses knew about Nolan Law Group. The fact that I worked there for awhile helped make my resume stand out. 

Maribeth got on TV !

Plus, we were all real proud of Maribeth, b/c she was on the 10:00 news last night!!!!! As I told some of you already, she works at a very big hospital, Loyola Univ. Med. Center. They are using robotic doctors. A robot goes down the hall into a patient's room. & like a teletubby, there's a TV on their belly, and that's a doctor who speaks to a patient. They say the robot is very instrumental in rapid response, b/c if a patient is going bad and into a near lethal condition, the robo-doc can get to the patient's room quickly and take the patients blood pressure, run tests on the patient and give the doctor info that will tell him which drugs or which treatment to use.

So anyway, the 10:00 news in the Medical Feature series showed the robo Doc going into the patient's room and there was Maribeth "in the flesh" standing next to the patient. They showed her several times in fact. She was clearly happy and proud and quipped, "well there's my 3 min. of fame". She does not enjoy being a nurse, but I asked her if her being on TV as a nurse made working at Loyola more worth it and she said yes.

a little progress...

I think I lost 5 lbs. I'm not sure if I did, b/c I'm not sure how accurate our scale is. It said I was like 244, but that seems too good to be true. But it was nice to see the scale needle go to the left with a weight loss. I'm not sure why I lost the weight, but I'll take good news anytime I get it (for sure)!! It also makes me happier that my oldest son has noticeably started to lose weight, too. (Walking to school has really helped him lose it!! :)  ).    I have been watching  what I eat and do portion management. I think that fact that the cupboards have been pretty bare due to lack of $$ helped a lot, MORE than I want to admit!
Ahh, the blessings due to lack of money...............I do remember Saturday night going to the refrigerator and just shutting the door with no food in my hand, b/c there was nothing worth eating. I even remember drinking a glass of water. That's a damn sight better than a malt!! Long ago, the pattern of eating had been established. Mon. - Fri., I either stay at the same weight or lose some weight. During the weekdays, I eat 2 meals and a light lunch. The weekend is a different story; snacking at midnight is not uncommon. Weight is often gained, undoing the hard work of the weekdays.

The near future looks good for losing more weight. I am unsure when I'll be getting my car back, by the end of the week, hopefully. Today, I walked to the train station which was over a mile. I walked fast and sometimes ran because I only had 20 min. There was good news and bad news. The good news was I got there with one minute to spare. The bad news was that my shirt was literally soaked with sweat. Then, I had to ride a train full of passengers and work with co-workers. I sat by an attractive 20something. I subtly looked at her facial expressions to see if she could smell me. She dozed off....I don't think you can sleep if you smell something bad, right? Had I not put on anti-perspirant/deodorant I would have smelled like a repulsive mess!! I'm hoping I don't stink anyway. I get paid in 1 week and 5 hours, but it almost seems like it's a month or so away. The time might go by kinda fast but it seems like such a long time until I see money in my account again!!! I added up all the things that I will be spending my money on between September 7 - Sept 20. ...it's all bills of one kind or another. It really looks like I will have very very little money to spend on anything besides a bill. I wonder if things will be harder than the last 2 weeks. God forbid but it could be that way.

The only thing is, I'm close to getting rid of this credit card. I have less than $350 to pay on it, and then I'm going to cancel it. I planned on having it paid off by October or November. But along came 3 kids' public schoool tuition payments and CCD, and my plan was crushed. Hopefully by the end of the year it will be all GONE. When, I do pay it off, it's going to make paying the next 5 or 6 cards that much easier to pay off. Except for 1 credit cards, I have not spent any money on the other credit cards b/c I'm doing a debt consolidation program. On 1 of the cards, my TARGET card is 0% interest, which is unbelievable, I know. The other cards range from 5% -9%. The interest is very low, so I have been making progress on my credit card debt. But I have to be really smart and I have to be really patient. hopefully in 2 yrs. the credit card situation can be much better, and I can afford a used car to buy.

Andy starts high school !

I registered Andy for high school yesterday, and he's beginning high school as I write this!  Two years ago, our school district wanted to pass a property tax hike to better pay for school expenses. It was defeated. So, the school came up with ingenious ways to charge parents extra money that they need. First of all, registration (which is charged at nearly every school) is a not-so-bad $125. Yet, it doubles because they charge a "workbook fee". Students are given workboods and since they write the answer right into the book, you can use the workbooks only once. So, now the cost is $250.

Then, the high school passed a rule that any student living within a mile and a half of the high school are NOT entitled to riding on the school bus unless they pay $150. When they asked me if I was paying for busing, I had to make an instant decision. We know with Andy reaching 200 lbs. (he's 5'9") this summer, that walking 1 1/4 miles to school (each way, to and from school) would be good for him. The idea of him walking over 11 miles a week sounds pretty good, actually. The only problem is when we get rain or storms, we'll have to drive him to school, and hopefully if it's storming after school either his mom or Matt, our nephew will bring him home.

The thing also is that Maribeth & I agree that we don't want to have Andy trudging to school in the snow and the weather being 0 degrees. Plus, we know that weather is unpredictable in the fall. So, we will save $50 if we wait until October 1 to have Andy use the bus.

I was also not happy that they did not schedule Andy for a gym class. I am going to ask about this, but I already know the answer. They'll say, "since your son is in special ed class and takes academic subjects the rest of the time, there is no opportunity for him to be in gym." That's not right, but I don't know much I can do to stop this.

finally a little justice !

My credit rating is in the toilet b/c in 2003 at the start of the divorce process we declared bankruptcy. But there are a number of inaccuracies in my credit report which makes my credit rating even worse.

One thing is that someone committed identity theft against me 5 yrs. ago before I moved back with Maribeth. They made a purchase at JC Penney for just under $600. They were even sloppy b/c they used the street address for Midlothian (where I lived while I was separated) and the town where I live now as the customer's address.

So, I was really harassed for 3 yrs. about this debt. I told them I wouldn't pay for it after a 1 hr. long conversation. I followed it up w/ a letter from one of the attorneys I know. So they stopped demanding money from me. HOWEVER, they reported to all the credit agencies that I had a debt that was never paid. That naturally hurt my credit rating even more.

So, I joined Experian for a little bit of money and protested the bogus debt. There were about 3 other things wrong too. Another thing I pointed out which was the truth was that JC Penney never gave me a credit card after I declared bankruptcy, and even if I wanted to, they would have never given me a credit card! That was a good point but not as conclusive as the halfassed address mixed from 2 different towns.

I just found out that Experian finished their investigation and said I was right. They are deleting the bogus bad debt. So my credit rating will improve.

One thing that bothers me is that they weren't sure about one of the other inaccuracies. I haven't worked w/ hospital for 3 yrs. and have been w/ my law firm for 5. None of the credit card companies have the right employer I am with and say I make less moeny than I do (all of which also makes my credit rating lower). I told them about the fact I was w/ my law firm. They told me they might change it but they might not b/c usually credit reporting agencies get the employment info through other means not the person like me. Heck, I was willing to give them a paycheck stub, you can't get better proof than that!!

dreadful people...............

I was inspired last fall to become an Administrator of this Christian subgroup. I call it “subgroup”, because it’s one of thousands of groups that make up this big Internet website that helps people with mental illness. My illness, as many of you already know, is that I suffer depression.

My experience at this website has been extremely good, and I have been there for 2 years. The group has grown like “wildfire” and has hundreds of thousands of members and is growing. It’s in every continent except Antarctica, and I haven’t yet run into anyone from Asia but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. What really gets me down are instances where my ex and a few people in rare events are cynical towards me and don’t understand me. Yet, the people at this website “get me”, they understand, I help them, and they help me. The whole inspiration for the website is that there are so many people suffering from mental illness, and there isn’t enough money to pay for the psychiatric healing all these people need. Moreover, one can even go as far as to say that there are not enough psychiatrists and psychologists to help all those needing help. This is especially true in rural areas!! There’s been a number of newspaper articles written about this. & this is what inspired the website and drives it to new heights!  It's possible, some day that we will be a million strong at this website. 

The group has picked me up when I’ve been down so often that I just can’t thank the many friends I have enough!! Also, they give great advice; sometimes even spiritual advice which is often the best advice to get!!

Well as administrator at Christian Fellowship, I’m happy that I have improved the site a little bit. Unfortunately, I had to kick this one person out. First, she spoke meanly about someone else in the Fellowship group (it’s “Fellowship”, not “Be Mean Group”). So, I deleted her reply. From there it went all down hill. She created new fake identities so that more than one person would be criticizing my administrative skills. That’s a direct violation of our website’s policy!! Then she told lies about me and I just said, “enough”, and I kicked her out. She had her friend then talk about how sorry she was, and that she was actually this really good person that has saved souls by proselytizing.

But this woman wasn’t finished with me. I made her more angry! First, she looked through her Friends list. If any of them were friends with me, she wrote them a note saying you can be friends with me or you can be friends with Vince. BUT YOU CAN’T BE FRIENDS WITH BOTH, MAKE A DECISION BY THE END OF THE DAY!

Then she spent hours examining 6 months worth of my Journals that I kept at the website. Like a politician, she wanted to dig up dirt on me. She found one where I was upset and was venting (damn, if you can’t vent at your mental health website, where can you vent??). So, she copied and pasted it and spread it around to a number of people with the comment, “Wow, that guy sure is a Christian chap…..look at how he swears.” Let me tell you something, God is not going to send us to hell for swearing (unless it relates to the 2nd Commandment), He is going to send us to hell for not helping our fellow man, for lying, cheating, hurting others, etc. Further, the Bible tells us he will not send to Hell people who ask for His forgiveness.  I responded to this by restricting access to my Journal.

Well, the worst was yet to come (& she may not even be finished with me, who knows?). Last spring, a woman in Christian Fellowship committed suicide. Before she died, she criticized one of our members. The person she criticized was devastated and thought she caused her death. We had a series of e-mails back and forth as I counseled her. I finally convinced her that, no, she wasn’t responsible for the person who committed suicide. Somehow, the very same person digging dirt in my Journals got wind of the suicide, so she told someone that I drove her to her death. Luckily, the person she told said that she was absolutely wrong. Thank God for good people!

I’m strong, and I definitely don’t regret banning her. She is developing a terrible reputation inspite of the fact that she is sick too (she suffers Parkinson’s). I will not let one bad person ruin the beautiful experiences I have had and all my dear friends there at that website.

some quotes

People are measured by the challenges they overcome given the resources available.

A pat on the back is only a few centimeters away from a kick in the pants.

Murphy's Golden Rule is that he (or she) with the Gold makes the Rules.

Murphy's 1st rule is that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. 

Peter's Principle is that in any company a person will rise and be promoted until he is incompetent at the higher position and stay there.

In a workplace, if you carry a legal pad and walk around looking buisnesslike you can walk anyplace at work premises. 

When you drive a long distance, the speed and number of cars you pass is inversely proportional to the speed of the car you are stuck behind at the very end of your trip.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. 

it will do you some good

WE live life; we feel strongly about things, we work hard, & we learned many things............. but maybe sometimes we need to look at the other side of the coin. 
Read this, it won't change your vote but it may do ya' some good.



Robert Creamer

Dirty Little Secrets the Republicans Don't Want You to Know

The Republicans have a set of dirty little (actually not so little) secrets they don't what you to know -- and certainly don't want you to think about when you go to the polls in November.

And the fact is that some of those secrets could provide Democrats with silver bullets this fall. But first let's recall the context.

Over the course of eight short years -- between 2000 and 2008 -- the Republicans methodically executed their plan to transform American society. They systematically transferred wealth from the middle class to the wealthiest two percent of Americans -- slashing taxes for the wealthy. They eviscerated the rules that held Wall Street, Big Oil and private insurance companies accountable to the public. They allowed and encouraged the recklessness of the big Wall Street banks that ultimately collapsed the economy and cost eight million Americans their jobs. They ignored exploding health care costs, tried to privatize Social Security, gave the drug companies open season to gouge American consumers and presided over a decline in real incomes averaging $2,000 per family. They entangled America in an enormously costly, unnecessary war in Iraq, pursued a directionless policy that left Afghanistan to fester, and sullied America's good name throughout the world.

Their economic policy of cutting taxes for the wealthy and deregulating big Corporations failed to create jobs. In fact, over his eight year term, George Bush's administration created exactly zero net private sector jobs. They inherited a Federal budget with surpluses as far as the eye could see and rolled up more debt than all of the previous Presidents in the over 200 years of American history. And in the end they left the economy in collapse.

This was not a disaster that could be remedied overnight. By taking bold action at the beginning of his administration, President Obama and the Democrats in Congress prevented the financial crisis from morphing into a Great Depression -- but the Republicans, some Democrats, and the powerful special interests have done everything they can to throw sand into the gears of change. Most importantly, they have stood in the way of providing enough economic stimulus to launch a robust, widespread economic recovery.

But notwithstanding Republican opposition, Obama, the Democrats and their progressive allies have -- after a century of trying -- finally passed health care reform allowing America to end its status as the only industrialized nation that did not provide health care as a right. They are on the brink of reining in the recklessness of the big Wall Street banks. And they have set the stage for massive long-term investments in economic growth and clean energy.

But it has been hard to pull the car out of the deep economic ditch and Americans are angry at the slow pace of economic recovery -- and also at the special interests that profited from their economic pain.

So the Republicans now have the audacity to argue that President Obama and the Democrats are somehow responsible for the hardships that they themselves created. In effect they want the election to be a referendum on whether the Democrats have mopped and swept fast enough cleaning up the mess that they created.

They will do everything they can to prevent America from focusing on the real choice before them in the fall elections -- a choice between going backward to the failed policies of the past that caused this catastrophe and a new direction that will create sustainable, long-term, bottom-up, widely shared economic growth. The real question before the country is whether it is willing to hand over the keys to the economy once again to the same gang that just caused the most serious economic pile up in 60 years.

That's where the dirty little secrets come in. It turns out that the leaders of the Republican Party have learned nothing from the reckless escapade that caused so much economic pain, and came perilously close to inflicting mortal wounds on the American economy.

They still actually believe -- despite what we have all just experienced -- that by "freeing" big oil, the insurance companies and Wall Street banks of the "burdens" of government accountability, that the plutocrats and the "invisible hand" of the market will lead American into the promised land of economic prosperity.

Some of the things they believe are not only dangerous to the economy, luckily they are also politically radioactive. And quite remarkably, many key Republicans are actually willing to say them out loud. Here are a few:

· Meet Congressman Paul Ryan. Ryan is the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee. If the Republicans once again take control of the House, he will be the Chair of the Budget Committee. Ryan believes -- and says out loud -- that Medicare, one of the most popular Federal programs in history, should be abolished and replaced with vouchers for private insurance. Let's recall that one of the ways Republicans stirred up opposition to health insurance reform was by falsely accusing Democrats of wanting to cut Medicare. They convinced some unwitting seniors that "Government" should keep its hands off Medicare -- which is, of course, a "Government" program. Democrats need to make it crystal clear in this campaign that Republicans -- who opposed Medicare from its inception -- actually want to abolish the program and hand over control of health care for America's seniors to the same private insurance companies responsible for driving up rates three times faster than wages while their profits have exploded.

· Congressman John Boehner, the House Minority Leader, has endorsed another Ryan proposal to raise the retirement age of Social Security to 70 years old -- a proposal that might go over fine with a guy like Boehner who makes speeches for a living. But it won't be very popular at all with someone who has laid bricks, or run an earth mover, or waited tables for forty-five years.

· The whole Republican crew wants to resurrect the failed Bush proposal to "privatize" Social Security. The defeat of Bush's privatization plan was the turning point in the Bush Presidency. It was all downhill from there. Yet -- whether it's to pad the investment accounts of their friends on Wall Street or because they are "private markets uber alles true believers" -- the Republicans want to try it again. Only this time retirees won't have to work very hard to imagine what it would have been like if their Social Security checks had plummeted in value the way their 401K's did when the market collapsed just two years ago.

· The Republicans want to weaken and repeal the new law to rein in the recklessness of the big Wall Street banks. Most Republicans and Democrats voted to bail out the big banks to prevent a 1930's style market collapse. The difference is that Democrats supported legislation to rein in their recklessness -- that had cost 8 million Americans their jobs -- and assure that a bailout was never allowed to happen again. But with very few exceptions, the Republicans voted to a person against holding Wall Street accountable. Given a chance, they plan to team up with their pals on Wall Street to free them to return to their reckless ways at will. In fact, they told the titans of Wall Street as much in fundraising meetings, where those "masters of the Universe" were asked to ante up. Republicans claim to oppose more Wall Street bailouts, but they refuse to support legislation that would prevent one in the future and hold Wall Street accountable. That -- coupled with those big contributions from Wall Street -- is a position that is very difficult for average voters to swallow. In fact, the polling says it's down right toxic.

· Republicans have consistently voted against extending unemployment benefits to workers who have been laid off because of Bush-era policies and the recklessness of Wall Street. Remember, people who get unemployment benefits -- by definition -- are looking for jobs that the economy doesn't provide. In addition, many Republicans actually believe that the best way to spur employment is to lower the minimum wage.

· Finally, meet Congressman Joe Barton. If the Republicans win back control of Congress, he would once again most likely serve as the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee -- the Committee that oversees the oil industry. Congressman Barton has never met an oil company he doesn't like. In fact, he's the guy who actually apologized to BP when they were forced by the Obama Administration to take economic responsibility for the disastrous Gulf oil spill. As a political matter, that's like apologizing to Jack the Ripper.

These are politically radioactive positions that do, in fact, define the core of Republican policy if they were once again to control the gavel in either House of Congress.

We hear a lot about how Democrats have to "localize" the elections to have a chance of victory in November. And it is true that people vote for people in elections -- and the quality of Democratic candidates will give them a major edge in many races. So while it is a good idea to "personalize" the races for Congress, the last thing Democrats should do is to "localize" them, because the party that nationalizes a midterm -- and dominates the national dialogue -- almost always comes out ahead.

Instead, Democrats need to take the offensive and dominate the national conversation by talking about what the Republicans actually believe and what they would do if they win in November. Voters must be offered a stark choice between Democratic and Republican policies in the fall. If they are, "Conventional Wisdom" that keeps predicting a Democratic disaster will be proven wrong, the same way it was when it predicted that America would never elect a tall, skinny African American guy named Barack Obama.

let me just take a nap!

Yesterday, Saturday was a bit of a disappointment. I woke up very tired.

 I was in slow motion during the morning. I really wanted to go biking but there was so much else to do that I was absolutely overwhelmed. I was so overwhelmed that I'm planned on the spur of the moment to ask management at the firm if I can take a vacation day next Thursday.  That way I can install a window that was broken, BIKE, and take care of other chores. 

The morning got worse. MB just got 2 airconditioners and she's got them going on "COOL" and the temp in the low 70s. I took it off COOL and put it on "Energy Saver". I mean, hell, she complained about the electric bill being $200 last month. I told her it would be $300. She said, "That's ok, at least we won't get sick from being hot". Who's been sick?? no one. I was being yelled at for  trying to save electricity and money by moderating the air conditioners some.  Wouldn't most people like it when their spouse tries to save them some money?? Well, it was good of her to buy us air conditioners.  The one we had was old, and it's asking a bit much for expecting that little thing to cool the whole condo. 

Then, I paid a couple bills, took them to the post office. My youngest, Brianna, got invited to another birthday party. Honestly, she's only 8 and she has twice the social life that I do. I  took her to get 2 birthday gifts (she was going to a birthday party today and just got the invite to the one tomorrow), I did laundry, fixed her sandal, took her to her party. Then I played ball with my son and his friend. & through all the activities, I said, no way am I going biking. It's too much. I was fighting fatigue through the afternoon amid all the stuff I was doing.

I beelined it to the bed as soon as I got done playing ball w/ my son and laid there for at least 3 hrs. But then I got up and watched SNL and futzed around the computer for awhile. Like I'm doing now.

The weekend brings its own complications, b/c I refuse to take Lunesta to go to sleep. No Lunesta  makes me go to sleep much much later.  Now, I could take a Benadryl to go to sleep instead, but DAMN(!!), do I have to live like fucking Elvis (the one who took a pill for everything he did)!!  Then the next day starts considerably later. I was advised by me Dr. not to take Lunesta 7 days a week. & with it's rotten side effect who the hell would want to??!!?? I have "metal mouth" when I take it. I basically have a metallic taste on my tongue and can't drink water b/c that really doubles the metallic taste!

It's like I said before. The Lunesta advertisement is that a purple butterfly flies around benificiently spreading stars everywhere, and people smile and say "good night" and sleep tight. Now, if there was truth in advertising, they would show the butterfly climbing in someone's mouth and leaving a fecal deposit on their tongue.

I'll continue to struggle and hope I bike a helluva lot more this week than last. Oh well, at least, my daughter is happy.