Lessons learned...and what they mean

As I started outside this morning to shovel another bright fluffy layer of white goodness, with the wind chill at –10F, I also began reminiscing about why I was headed out in the first place. Let me add that I am suffering from a lovely head cold, with a temperature of 100.5 and mucus running out of my nose like tears sliding down the cheeks of a child. But in order to explain I have to fill you in on some of my life experience.
I grew up in a household with three siblings. Our parents did not have extra income when I was young. We barely scraped by for the most part. So when the snow fell, or the wood needed to be split to keep us warm, or the vegetable gardens had to be weeded to keep us fed, or the animal chores had to be done to have meat, we children were the ones who did it. Both my older sister and I paid a lot of sweat equity for those lessons. If we didn’t do them, no one would. Our parents were both very hard to provide for us. We didn’t have the extra cash to pay someone else to do these chores. It was often we, or starve (or go cold, etc).
I don’t resent my parents for teaching me this lesson the hard way. I can reflect back over my 30-something years and see that lesson has more than paid for the price inflicted on my childhood. I didn’t rely on financial aid from the government, from loans, or from my parents to put myself through college (I’m nearly finished with my doctorate). I earned my way, not relying on anything or anyone. I don’t fault the people who do, but I am proud of the fact that I did not. I worked my way up my company’s ladder over 13+ years, to the point that I am now. Again, I relied on no one.
So consequently, here I am again, out here shoveling, not because I have to (since I can afford to call a plow truck to do this for me) but because I want to. It is ingrained in my personality. Thank you, parents. You have done a wonderful job raising your child.

Ye Old Man Winter...

It's Snowing in our Town today
kids are hoping for long delay
the clouds are moving very fast
and the snow is moving in at last.
I love to watch snow fall down
as the ground covers all around
I can't wait for Christmas to arrive
as the love of snow comes in time.
Snow, snow for ever more
Winter is here and here for a while.
I'm so excited to see it Snow and now
I'm going to watch it soar.

Anonymous

Today we had our first good snowfall of the season, about 6 inches worth of light fluffy goodness. To me, the first snowfall of the season is a rebirth. It falls over everything, blanketing all with a clean white sheet of angelic purity. At least that's my perspective until I have to shovel the #$%@ing stuff.

Sign #114 of "You're getting too old"

I went to the local grocery store (which has a pharmacy inside) to pick up a prescription for my wife. She is 7 years younger than I am. The pharmacy clerk, looking at the date of birth, asked if "M" was my daughter...

Can ya pass me mah geezer cane, honey?

Life thru a different set of eyes

Ode to my master
When you are happy, I am happy.
When you are sad, I am sad.
Where you go, I want to go.
What you eat, I want to eat.
Where you sit, I want to sit.
Where you lay, I want to lay.
I am your friend, unconditionally.
I am your dog, and you are my master.
When you need some exercise, then I am there to play ball or "fox".
When you need to get up in the morning, I am there to stand on your hair and wash your face.
When you need compassion, comfort, and caring, I am there to lick the tears away.
When you need a towel, I am there.
When you need your plate cleaned, I quickly volunteer.
When you are hounded by rodents, I'll show you no fear.
I'll be there to dance at the best times in your life.
I'll be there to cry on during the worst times in your life.
For you are mine, and I am yours.
Love always,
the dog

An Open letter to President-Elect Obama

Dear President-Elect Obama,
First of all, congratulations. You were elected in one of the most lopsided victories since JFK. My hat is off to you for a great campaign, although I'm sure the majority of voters have no idea where you stand on the issues, at least they knew you were not of the same party that gave us [insert vomit sound here] George Bush. According to the AP, more people (as a percentage of total population) voted in this election than any other in a 100 years. I hope that you will take this as a sign that the country needs change, and fast. We have slid down the slippery slope, and need a hero to pull us out before we slide further down, where we might not be able to rescued. The country, nay the world, is counting on you. Just heed this warning: make sure the changes are better for the country, not for the special interests that got you elected. The world needs a leader who is independent, and can force changes not because it's popular, but because it is the right thing to do. Leaders like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin. That is what this country needs as we stand on the edge of the abyss.
I am an average middle class American. I work with more of the same. I come from a family of middle class Americans. Here are the issues that I hear about:
Taxes: Besides the sketchy history of why we have to pay income taxes in the first place (we know its not in the Constitution!), why should the average American work from the 1st of January thru the end of June to pay taxes? Especially when the federal government turns around and gives our hard earned money back to companies who obviously cannot manage their own funds? (Enron, AIG, Citibank, WAMU...I could go on forever). We've heard the argument that companies stimulate the economy. That's BS, Mr. President-Elect. Companies don't stimulate the economy, consumers do. Companies don't buy from retail outlets, they don't buy the majority of automobiles, nor do they purchase houses at the same rate that consumers do. How about giving the consumers tax breaks? Does anyone inside the beltway have a higher-than-5th grade education in economics?
Credit: Here's a great example of how idiotic this system is: My wife & I make about $90K per year. We have student loans, car payments, etc. that total about $12K per year. Factor out about 50% of our income for taxes, that leaves about $33K for utilities, rent/mortgage, groceries, fuel, insurances, etc. It divides out to about $2750 per month. Explain to me then, how we can be approved for a $250K mortgage, with a payment of $2085 per month? What are we living on? Does a $250K house magically generate food or fuel? The credit system is severely flawed through greed, both of the lenders and consumers. It needs reform, not more of our hard-earned tax dollars thrown at it. Even this dumb white trash can see that.
Energy: Speaking of fuel, here's good news. According to "new technology" we can now squeeze oil out of shale (Keep in mind that Germany was doing this in WWII). This means we don't have to worry about running out of fuel until 2020, according to Big Oil Experts (funny how only their experts "know" anything). Only one problem, Mr. President-Elect. The amount of energy needed to produce this oil is MORE than what is produced. Not to mention the vast amounts of toxins produced that leach into the water table or the atmosphere. Why aren't we looking at other non-petroleum fuels like alcohol? According to the book Alcohol can be a Gas!, the amount of money that would be needed to convert the WORLD'S infrastructure (not to mention ALL of the cars in the world) to run on alcohol is roughly $500 billion. That's less than we've spent in Iraq in the last 5 years. If Brazil can be 95% gas-free in 6 months, then why can't we? You are the first President since Jimmy Carter not to have ties to Big Oil. We expect changes.
Foreign Policy: Here's our biggest question: Why are we in the Middle East in the first place? Haven't we given Israel enough munitions, including nuclear weapons, to defend itself? Why aren't we taking care of our population first? We have rampant drug use, obesity, cancer, and hunger in this country. Don't believe me? Run with a busy EMS service for a day, sir, and you will see. You will see more than any one person ever should. Get out of the Middle East now. We aren't welcome, and we don't need to be there. Let's take care of our own first, then we can talk about "helping" others.
Veterans: Its a damn shame that the very people that we should be thanking every day for our freedom have, in my opinion, the very worst "comprehensive" medical coverage in the country. Why should they have to wait in line for anything? If it wasn't for their sacrifice, none of us would have the freedom to write blogs like this one. They should have health care plans like the politicians do. "Gold plated everything". Amen, Brothers in Arms, and I salute you all.
Welfare: This is the best case of reformation that I have heard. Why is it that a couple can pay for junk food (chips, soda, processed foods) with food stamps in the grocery store and then step out into the parking lot into their brand new $30K truck? Why is it that someone can be out on disability with a "back problem" and brag about using their spare time to build their new house? Why is it that another person who was using the system as it was intended, called the SSA to tell them to stop the disability checks because she was going back to work, and was told "We can't do that. It will make our numbers look bad, and we won't get as much funding next year."? Enough said, point made
Social Security: Ok, people in my generation get it, Mr. President-Elect. It won't be there for us when we retire. I just don't understand why the farce was played out so long. My mother, an accountant, told me 16 years ago that it wouldn't be there for me. Just acknowledge that, for us, it's just another tax wrapped in a "feel good" roll, hold the condiments. What saddens me is my grandparents generation. They bought into the farce lock, stock, and barrel. Our government left them out to dry. They struggle to survive from month to month. All because the government lied to them. It told them the money would be kept safe. That it wouldn't be touched. It's time for a New Deal, and this time, my generation expects those promises to be kept. We will be watching.
NASA: Why is this tax dollar suckhole still existing? Anyone? Haven't the Russians & the Chinese shown that the same exact missions can be accomplished for a whole lot less money? Read this, Mr. President-Elect: http://www.spacefuture.com/vehicles/how_the_west_wasnt_won_nafa.shtml

Please, Mr. President-Elect, we are looking for a leader in a tumultuous time. Be that leader, or you may find that those 137 million voters to be very unhappy. Remember what happened the last time a very large block of this country was unhappy? It was in 1776. We will be watching. Thank you, and may whichever higher power you believe in bless you.

Sincerely,
A disgruntled, cynical, middle class American

Ok, so it's been a while. Let me tell you about my week, and maybe everyone will understand. It's a long story, so make sure that you have the comfy chair. It all started actually last week. My mother has had a live-in boyfriend for about 5 or so years. He is a wonderful person, and my mother truly deserves the relationship that they have together, after many years of heartache.
He suffers from advanced stage emphysema, and is on an oxygen concentrator to sleep at night. Unfortunately, he still makes the choice to smoke, although in his defense, he has drastically reduced that. Last week he had a MI (a heart attack to the uninitiated) which has resulted in CHF (Congestive Heart Failure). He is home, but weak & essentially able to mope around the house but not much else. This glimpse of mortality in someone that I have a great deal of respect alarms me, in addition to the concern that I have for someone I love.
I have grandparents in the late 70s & early 80s that have been the cornerstones of my life. My parents were busy constantly when I was growing up, and both my older sister and myself practically raised ourselves, with the help of our grandparents. They taught me to love the outdoors. I caught my first fish with them. I bagged deer with them. We shared blood & sweat together. They have been there for me when no one else would. In recent years, my grandfather has shown a touch of senility setting in (he's 81) but other than that the two of them have been relatively healthy. Throughout last weekend, I kept thinking "if something as small as the head of a pin (size of most clots in a MI) can practically level someone as strong as my mother's boyfriend, than what would something like that do to my Grandfather?" Most certainly, it would likely kill him. The thought of losing my grandfather is devastating. He has been that much of a cornerstone in my life.
In addition to all above, I have had crises at work. On my shift in the machine shop, we are a close knit group of five. One of the five has been going through a great deal of trials in his life. I’m not going to delve into those, out of respect for his privacy. Let’s just say that it would break most people. Well, Tuesday he was headed to commit suicide when, fortunately, a friend intervened and brought him to our local Psyche ward. He is now getting the help that he needs. I keep wondering if I could have done something different. I realize that armchair quarterbacking is useless, but it doesn’t stop me from doing it. It was obvious that he was depressed, and had occasional thoughts of suicide. I counseled him on getting help. I gave him numbers to counseling services & suicide hotlines. It still did no good. I keep wondering if I should have hauled his butt away the week before.
Part of the problem is reliving the past. The machine shop that I work for is a small, family owned business with about 60 employees. About 12 years ago, I had become a great friend with someone who worked there. We’ll call him K for now. The friendship was wonderful. We thought and acted alike, and I felt like I had found the big brother (K was about 20 years older than myself) I never had. We were inseparable. I even hiked Mt Katahdin (highest point in Maine) three times with his wife’s Girl Scout group.
However, K did suffer from depression at times. He had a severe back problem, and at the time, doctors simply threw pain medication at it, without prescribing treatment therapies. Over years, this regimen of narcotics and anti-inflammatories began to slowly change his personality. He began to exhibit some aspects of bi-polar disorder. He changed, and I, like others around him, either didn’t recognize it, or failed to act on it.
In September 2000, I went on my honeymoon to Orlando, FL. Before I left, I spoke with K because he was bummed he couldn’t go to the wedding. He asked if I could “squeeze him into my luggage”. Instead of seeing the plea for help, I thought he was joking. I left on a Sunday. Tuesday he committed suicide. To this day, I believe he chose that time and place because I wasn’t there. If I had been, I likely would have recognized his altered behavior and perhaps talked him out of it. After this episode, I began to withdraw slightly from my coworkers. To this day, I remain somewhat aloof from them because of this episode. We nearly had a repeat of that disaster, and on “my watch” so to speak.
So that’s been my week.

Space, ET's, & the moon. The latest conspiracy!

I work second shift at the machine shop. We usually get to work about 3pm, and work until 1:30-2:00am. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, it all depends on the workload. It’s a great time to listen to the radio, because I guarantee that you will hear stuff that you won’t hear any other time of the day.
For instance, for many years I have had the pleasure of listening to a late night show called Coast to Coast AM. (www.coasttocoast.com) This show used to be hosted by Art Bell, who is a 2008 inductee into the broadcast radio Hall of Fame. It is not your typical talk radio show. Listening to it for one night, I guarantee that you will hear news that is simply not reported in any other media outlet. The current host, George Noory, prides himself on honest, accurate, unbiased reporting, something that you simply cannot find anywhere else. An additional attraction for me is that the main theme of the show is paranormal. Ghosts, demons, shadow people, aliens, UFOs, Inner Earth, and such are common topics.
On Thursday night’s show, the main topic was the Moon. Now, if anyone still believes that anything NASA does is on the up & up, please take a minute to check out this website: http://spacefuture.com/vehicles/how_the_west_wasnt_won_nafa.shtml
I believe that space is the area where the grossest lies have been told by our government. Take these for examples:
1. The Earth is 4.6 billion years old. Why has the Moon been dated AT LEAST 5.3 billion years old?
2. The Moon has traces of water vapor found on it, but yet has “no atmosphere”
3. It costs $20 million to launch (just to launch) the space shuttle. The Russians are doing essentially the same thing for $175,000. (Ok, not a lie, but it still ticks me off)
4. Has anyone ever heard a plausible explanation for a UFO?
5. Amateur & professional astronomers for years have reported lights on the moon. NASA categorically denies this possibility.

Anyone else wondering how much we don’t know?

"Do you want the Blue Simms, or the White Simms?"

[Scene: two citizens of a small Carribbean Island country standing in the main town square, looking up at side-by-side posters of the two candidates for President]

"Are you going to vote for the Blue Simms, or the White Simms?"

Imagine a country, if you will, where you elect a President in a true democratic fashion (keep in mind we live in a republic). Each vote counts once. All citizens can vote. Sounds positively utopic, doesn't it? A place where most people would love to live.
Except that every political party is banned except the two principal parties, the Blue party and the White party. Now consider for a moment that the two principal parties decide to put forth the same candidate, one Alphonse Simms. The political posters in the scene show the same person, albeit in a different background. Obviously, anyone with a particle of gray matter between their ears would scream "Dictatorship!".
The movie is Moon over Parador, a 1988 remake of The Magnificent Fraud. It stars Richard Dreyfuss & Raul Julia. I won't bother to get into the specifics, other than to say for a "B" movie, it is a wonderful movie. I highly recommend the movie to everyone, if you can find it.
This scene came to mind this morning as I listened (once again) to the political rhetoric churned out by "our" two presidential candidates. I kept thinking to myself, "What's the difference between the two?" Obviously age & race, but does age really matter? and race does not matter. But look at the two from a political perspective for a moment. Are there really differences? I don't see a lot of differences. Sure, they highlight their differences, but look at the voting records of McCain & Obama. Most of the votes, they are on the same side. Look for yourself:
http://www.411mania.com/politics/columns/69733

Other than some areas (likely pressure from their respective parties), the two vote almost identical. So what are we really getting for our vote? Does it matter?

1 tomato, 2 tomato, 3 tomato...

So the Food & Drug administration today declared that we can all go back to eating tomatoes again. Gee, I have warm & fuzzy feelings again. Oh, but wait, they still don't know what is causing the outbreak of salmonella. David Acheson, one of the head feds, states, and I quote:
"it's possible tomatoes caused some illnesses and that it's impossible to prove that they didn't cause any."
What? So why were tomatoes implicated in the first place? Why not poultry, eggs, or meat? After all, "it's impossible to prove they didn't cause any" either. "Trust us" seems to be the message. "We're getting down to the bottom of it." [insert quizzical look here]
Let's take a brief stroll through the history of the FDA to examine why we should trust them:

• The FDA was formed in 1906 under the Food & Drug Act, despite the entire legislation being unconstitutional, but that is a blog for another time.
• During its 102 year history, over 13,000 products TOXIC to human beings have been approved.
• The FDA has a recent history of rushing approval through for some medications (from the same few pharmaceutical companies no less) while dawdling for some life saving medications. (See Vioxx, Rezulin, Imclone cancer treatment, etc.)
• Interesting fact: More people have died from medications approved by the FDA than those substances not approved, including illegal drugs)
• FDA botched the Iams/Eukanuba pet recall so badly that Americans ended up discarding tons of good pet food, and keeping tons more of tainted food.
• Does anyone really need reminding of the HSUS/PETA video inside the slaughterhouse last year?

Suffice it to say, imho, they do not instill a great deal of confidence in me. Thanks, but I'm growing my own tomatoes & peppers this year. Grow your own folks! At least until the FDA recalls YOUR produce. Just keep out of my garden...

What this blog is about...

Apparently, people in this country do not have enough witty commentary in their daily lives. I've finally been subjected to enough peer pressure to start a blog. Hopefully it will eventually be read by more than 2 people. Within these entries, you will obtain an insight into my daily thought processes as I read the news blurbs from day to day. So kick back, have fun, and remember that hooked-on-phonics only works if you apply it :)
You will find out quite fast that my thoughts jump from subject to subject and I hope that you can keep up. Most of my blogs will likely deal with politics (it's easy to make fun of politicians!), nature, and religion.
So let's get the first out of the way: Politics. I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. If you really have to fit me into one of those square holes, I guess that I relate most closely to the Libertarian party, although I am a (PROUD!) registered Independent. My belief is that our Constitution should be the ultimate authority in this land, not Congress, not the President, and certainly not the Judicial branch. While this seems straight forward, wait. You will see lots of blogs on this topic, and if you are not outraged after reading these, then you are not paying attention.
Nature would obviously be a large topic for me, being a Maine Guide. I feel a strong connection to the earth. I know with absolute certainty that if I had not been domesticated at an early age, I would be running naked through the woods with the wolves. Howl at the Moon for me, buddies.
That leaves Religion. I'm currently pursuing my doctorate in Religion. I'm fascinated by a facet of humanity that is that powerful, with so little evidence of why it exists in the first place. I'm well versed in all the ,major religions, so be prepared for anything. :)