Well well well, the lady down at the offices of Bright House thinks mine and your 6 year olds aren’t too smart. I know we all say, if even to ourselves, “My child is cute” or “my child is smart” and so on. Sometimes it rings true and in some cases it doesn’t.
Those of you that have met Ryan and have seen him in action, know that when I say he is smart at 6 years old, know that I mean it. In the 1st grade, he could easily read a 4th grade book and be able to tell you when he is done what it was about. So in our mind, he can certainly follow instructions on the screen at home.
Lets back up to the Auburn/Furman game. It was a pay per view event and even though we are the hardest of Auburn fans, I wouldn’t even buy an Auburn/Alabama game on pay per view. I am just too stinking cheap first and foremost. I would pay to see them in person, but not on TV, just not my style. However when Barb opened the cable bill there it was, we had been charged with the Auburn/Furman game. There was no doubt in our mind what had happened, RYAN!!
Those of you who have met Ryan, also know that in addition to being intelligent, he too is hardcore Auburn. So when he was rolling through the screen and saw the Auburn game listed that day, he chose to watch it. Now while he is smart and can read, he is 6 and doesn’t understand that pay per view is just that, money changing hands. Nonetheless the decided to buy it anyway. After all it was Auburn and he wanted to watch it.
So Barb goes down to the local office to talk about the bill and the lady there behind the counter says “Well someone must have come in to buy this, there is no way that a 6 year old can go through the 4 step process to buy it on the screen. My granddaughter is 6 and she couldn’t do it”. Well, your 6 year old most likely can and if not then you should really fuss about her reading level lady.
Bottom line is, Ryan ordered the game without our knowledge, we didn’t watch it, the bill was paid and this evening the parental control is going on the TV. I should carry him down there and let him sit in their office and purchase a movie. Evidently her granddaughter is the gold standard for intelligence level on 6 year olds.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
YES, we are ready for that Change, but not the Gouging
Well well well, the unemployment numbers are out this morning and we have tipped into double digits with 10.2% unemployment. That hasn’t happened since June 1983. I look around and while I do know more people, I seem to also know more people that are out of work or about to loose their jobs. That is sad, sad for sure.
After two failed stimulus packages, both designed to boost the economy, put people to work and put money in the pockets of hard working Americans; it seems that there is yet another failure of yet another Government run entitlement program. Government, and not just ours mind you, has proven time and time again that it is truly the most inefficient way of moving money, people and goods from point A to point B. They have mastered waste though, that they are real good at.
There are large numbers of people out of work across a very broad spectrum of business. There are arguments about how Reagan was able to lower the unemployment rates and leave office with a lower rate that was down from the 1983 numbers than when he took office. That’s all up for debate, however the end result was that he was able to turn the economy around and put people to work. I am afraid however that the President we have now is no Reagan.
To be completely fair, it’s not all on Obama either. Let’s face it; the first failed stimulus was issued under the waning days of Bush. Both packages have been dismal and I assure you that when you dig into where the money has gone that actually has been issued, you will see that it cost even more to get it there. That’s a throw back to Governments ability to waste money spending money. Which would also beg to ask, wouldn’t it be smart to have a Government job right now? They seem to be the only ones with the money at the moment, and not the failing business community.
So Mister’s President (Yes, that’s both of you knot heads that put us where we are right now today), what’s the plan? Maybe it’s time to go back to some of the old playbooks and put politics aside. Maybe it’s time to get people back to work in this Country before we all start looking for work again. stop the entitlement programs and do something that counts. Stop trying to flood the market with money that has no backing, and make the hard decisions starting in your own house first that make the difference. Get away from all of this time consuming health care balderdash and put people to work. While the Government concentrates on socialized programs, the job market continues to fail.
So how about it, maybe ‘change’ the unemployment numbers to something much more positive? Now thats some 'change' that I can even get behind.
After two failed stimulus packages, both designed to boost the economy, put people to work and put money in the pockets of hard working Americans; it seems that there is yet another failure of yet another Government run entitlement program. Government, and not just ours mind you, has proven time and time again that it is truly the most inefficient way of moving money, people and goods from point A to point B. They have mastered waste though, that they are real good at.
There are large numbers of people out of work across a very broad spectrum of business. There are arguments about how Reagan was able to lower the unemployment rates and leave office with a lower rate that was down from the 1983 numbers than when he took office. That’s all up for debate, however the end result was that he was able to turn the economy around and put people to work. I am afraid however that the President we have now is no Reagan.
To be completely fair, it’s not all on Obama either. Let’s face it; the first failed stimulus was issued under the waning days of Bush. Both packages have been dismal and I assure you that when you dig into where the money has gone that actually has been issued, you will see that it cost even more to get it there. That’s a throw back to Governments ability to waste money spending money. Which would also beg to ask, wouldn’t it be smart to have a Government job right now? They seem to be the only ones with the money at the moment, and not the failing business community.
So Mister’s President (Yes, that’s both of you knot heads that put us where we are right now today), what’s the plan? Maybe it’s time to go back to some of the old playbooks and put politics aside. Maybe it’s time to get people back to work in this Country before we all start looking for work again. stop the entitlement programs and do something that counts. Stop trying to flood the market with money that has no backing, and make the hard decisions starting in your own house first that make the difference. Get away from all of this time consuming health care balderdash and put people to work. While the Government concentrates on socialized programs, the job market continues to fail.
So how about it, maybe ‘change’ the unemployment numbers to something much more positive? Now thats some 'change' that I can even get behind.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Do your kids get in trouble when........
Why is it you can have the greatest kid in the world, until you complain about something? Let me explain. Ryan goes to an after school thing, of which I do not care to name at this point, and we never heard one complaint about him, his attitude or what he does. Then one day there was an issue, a small one, of which I made a small complaint. From that day forward and for quite some time, he was constantly in trouble and constantly doing something wrong. Everyday, not just most, but everyday there was someone always telling us that he did something wrong.
Last year on the bus, it was much of the same story. No issues and no complaints until I raised a question. Then, all of the sudden he was bringing home a bad slip from the bus driver each and every day.
I thought this was a fluke, until it happened again and this time with the school. We heard nothing but praise about him and what he does all though kindergarten. Then this year up until about two weeks ago we hear more of the same. Then one day I complained about something and now all of the sudden he is a troublesome child. Now in the last week we have heard about three different things that MUST be corrected because he is getting out of hand. I had been asked if maybe he was acting out because we had flexed our parenthood, but that’s not the case since he never saw or heard us raise these questions to these three totally different people. Coincidence? I think not!
So why is it, or why does it seem, that when someone raises an issue and complains that a child would then be targeted? Now don’t get me wrong, our little one is not the epitome of an Angel. He is hyper; he has to be told something more than once in most cases and left unchecked he can find mischief. Oddly enough, I think that is how most kids were when I was growing up and are now too. However, he is not a bad kid, not as bad as some we see and certainly right in line with the main stream of children. Yet, when I raise a question about something that implies his caretaker of the moment may need to change something or see something differently, he is singled out.
I also wondered if it was just me and my perception. Nope, checked into that too and found that many people out there are in the same boat. They have questioned something and have noticed that after their children seem to be the receiver of more bad reports one after another. To the point in some cases that the parents now just accept the system as it is and don’t say anything for fear of retribution to their children.
Oddly enough, and to test this hypothesis further, I made it clear on the after school deal and the bus that he was in fact being targeted, and that if it continued, they would see the wrath of a father scorned. Guess what, there are no more problems at the after school place and the bus, well he hasn’t gotten a bad slip since nor do there seem to be any problems.
If you’re an educator, a mentor, a parent that watches others children, or just deal with children on a daily basis in some capacity, and a parent comes to you with a complaint; remember it’s not the child that is complaining to you. If your only recourse is to be harder on the child than you were before because your inequities were handed to you, then maybe you need to re-evaluate your career choice before blaming the child. I think from now on I will start conversation with his authority figures as such – “I am about to complain about something and if Ryan suffers the brunt of me bringing this up, then….”. I don’t know, just pondering ya’ll……..
Last year on the bus, it was much of the same story. No issues and no complaints until I raised a question. Then, all of the sudden he was bringing home a bad slip from the bus driver each and every day.
I thought this was a fluke, until it happened again and this time with the school. We heard nothing but praise about him and what he does all though kindergarten. Then this year up until about two weeks ago we hear more of the same. Then one day I complained about something and now all of the sudden he is a troublesome child. Now in the last week we have heard about three different things that MUST be corrected because he is getting out of hand. I had been asked if maybe he was acting out because we had flexed our parenthood, but that’s not the case since he never saw or heard us raise these questions to these three totally different people. Coincidence? I think not!
So why is it, or why does it seem, that when someone raises an issue and complains that a child would then be targeted? Now don’t get me wrong, our little one is not the epitome of an Angel. He is hyper; he has to be told something more than once in most cases and left unchecked he can find mischief. Oddly enough, I think that is how most kids were when I was growing up and are now too. However, he is not a bad kid, not as bad as some we see and certainly right in line with the main stream of children. Yet, when I raise a question about something that implies his caretaker of the moment may need to change something or see something differently, he is singled out.
I also wondered if it was just me and my perception. Nope, checked into that too and found that many people out there are in the same boat. They have questioned something and have noticed that after their children seem to be the receiver of more bad reports one after another. To the point in some cases that the parents now just accept the system as it is and don’t say anything for fear of retribution to their children.
Oddly enough, and to test this hypothesis further, I made it clear on the after school deal and the bus that he was in fact being targeted, and that if it continued, they would see the wrath of a father scorned. Guess what, there are no more problems at the after school place and the bus, well he hasn’t gotten a bad slip since nor do there seem to be any problems.
If you’re an educator, a mentor, a parent that watches others children, or just deal with children on a daily basis in some capacity, and a parent comes to you with a complaint; remember it’s not the child that is complaining to you. If your only recourse is to be harder on the child than you were before because your inequities were handed to you, then maybe you need to re-evaluate your career choice before blaming the child. I think from now on I will start conversation with his authority figures as such – “I am about to complain about something and if Ryan suffers the brunt of me bringing this up, then….”. I don’t know, just pondering ya’ll……..
Friday, September 11, 2009
They arent REALLY broken you know, dont you?
Are they broken?
I had to chuckle the other day while driving home from work. I was sitting at a red light and there in front of me was a car with an Alabama Veterinarian Foundation tag on it. I read the tag line at the bottom of the plate and it said to “Love Them Fix Them”.
Ok, first of all to my lovely wife, you love me and that is evident. You do not however have to express this through the act of ‘fixing’ me. I am not broken and don’t need fixing. In fact, our pets are not broken either.
Why do we use this term when it comes to the pets? Are Spay and Neuter such bad words that we cant use them in pubic, we have to imply that our pets are somehow broken and need to be repaired? Spaying and Neutering are what the procedures were called when designed and that’s the language that should be used.
Should we rename the Open Heart Surgery to something else because someone finds it offensive? You chuckle now, but I am sure someone out there has an issue with talking about it those terms.
Like Bob Barker use to say, “Spay and Neuter your pets”, because I believe in it too unless they are going to be used to raise more. That way you don’t have an accident at your house when your neighbors animal gets a little frisky. But for the love, stop calling it “fix your pets” because people, they are not broken.
Until of course you Spay or Neuter them, then they are not working as designed. Just for the record, when you look this tag up online, the acronym for it is SPNEUT, Im sorry, I think that indicates Spay and Neuter, not FIXTHEM.
Have a great day people!!
I had to chuckle the other day while driving home from work. I was sitting at a red light and there in front of me was a car with an Alabama Veterinarian Foundation tag on it. I read the tag line at the bottom of the plate and it said to “Love Them Fix Them”.
Ok, first of all to my lovely wife, you love me and that is evident. You do not however have to express this through the act of ‘fixing’ me. I am not broken and don’t need fixing. In fact, our pets are not broken either.
Why do we use this term when it comes to the pets? Are Spay and Neuter such bad words that we cant use them in pubic, we have to imply that our pets are somehow broken and need to be repaired? Spaying and Neutering are what the procedures were called when designed and that’s the language that should be used.
Should we rename the Open Heart Surgery to something else because someone finds it offensive? You chuckle now, but I am sure someone out there has an issue with talking about it those terms.
Like Bob Barker use to say, “Spay and Neuter your pets”, because I believe in it too unless they are going to be used to raise more. That way you don’t have an accident at your house when your neighbors animal gets a little frisky. But for the love, stop calling it “fix your pets” because people, they are not broken.
Until of course you Spay or Neuter them, then they are not working as designed. Just for the record, when you look this tag up online, the acronym for it is SPNEUT, Im sorry, I think that indicates Spay and Neuter, not FIXTHEM.
Have a great day people!!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Welcome to School, and oh yeah, go beg for some money......
Here we are, part way through week two of school and Ryan has brought home two fund raisers in as many days. I didn’t keep up with it too close last year but I remember the total number of fund raisers was a ridiculous number in comparison to what we did in school.
Before we continue, and before my teacher friends crucify me, let me explain my position. I understand it takes money and I understand that the teachers need more of it. The teachers I personally know, for the most part, do a wonderful job with the support they get. We have in the past personally donated to Ryan’s class in times of need. We have even bought things through the fund raising projects. We fully comprehend that teaching our youth takes money, time and good people.
However, I absolutely loathe the thought of sending my 6 year old out to raise money for a school system in which I am paying taxes for. One that I might add seems to have its priorities a little backwards. A few very large projects were just completed, addition to the Intermediate School, the building of the Redland School and many others. There is no doubt that these projects cost lots of money. They may well have been a need as well and not just part of someone’s wish list. That part doesn’t matter though because I was raised that you live within your means.
Additions and nice new schools are great, if you have the money free and clear to handle the cost, completely and fully. If we had money to put into projects, then we HAD the money to run what was already established. The Dave Ramsey line is missing so many times in Government run operations. “You live on less than you make”.
I don’t have the answer on this one. There seems to be less and less money and more and more students. If more people are moving into Elmore County, then the tax base is going up too. For me, I think the first thing that needs to be looked at is spending versus income. If you can’t cut enough to match the income, then the next place to look is internally. Is the Elmore County BOE top heavy?
After hearing about the way in which the BOE meeting was conducted at the beginning of the week, it makes it real hard for me to send my 6 year old to the neighbor’s house to beg for more money for a system that seems on the surface to be fiscally inept. If I am to pay taxes for education and many other County services, why then should I have to either pay or help raise additional money for the same thing? Nope, until BOE’s State and Country wide tighten their belts, par down the wish lists and become better stewards of the people’s money, don’t look for me to turn my 6 year old into a beggar.
Remember above all, these are elected officials too, and yes, they work for YOU. YOU are the boss, you are the ones that can make a difference in operations and hold them ACCOUNTABLE for their decisions.
Before we continue, and before my teacher friends crucify me, let me explain my position. I understand it takes money and I understand that the teachers need more of it. The teachers I personally know, for the most part, do a wonderful job with the support they get. We have in the past personally donated to Ryan’s class in times of need. We have even bought things through the fund raising projects. We fully comprehend that teaching our youth takes money, time and good people.
However, I absolutely loathe the thought of sending my 6 year old out to raise money for a school system in which I am paying taxes for. One that I might add seems to have its priorities a little backwards. A few very large projects were just completed, addition to the Intermediate School, the building of the Redland School and many others. There is no doubt that these projects cost lots of money. They may well have been a need as well and not just part of someone’s wish list. That part doesn’t matter though because I was raised that you live within your means.
Additions and nice new schools are great, if you have the money free and clear to handle the cost, completely and fully. If we had money to put into projects, then we HAD the money to run what was already established. The Dave Ramsey line is missing so many times in Government run operations. “You live on less than you make”.
I don’t have the answer on this one. There seems to be less and less money and more and more students. If more people are moving into Elmore County, then the tax base is going up too. For me, I think the first thing that needs to be looked at is spending versus income. If you can’t cut enough to match the income, then the next place to look is internally. Is the Elmore County BOE top heavy?
After hearing about the way in which the BOE meeting was conducted at the beginning of the week, it makes it real hard for me to send my 6 year old to the neighbor’s house to beg for more money for a system that seems on the surface to be fiscally inept. If I am to pay taxes for education and many other County services, why then should I have to either pay or help raise additional money for the same thing? Nope, until BOE’s State and Country wide tighten their belts, par down the wish lists and become better stewards of the people’s money, don’t look for me to turn my 6 year old into a beggar.
Remember above all, these are elected officials too, and yes, they work for YOU. YOU are the boss, you are the ones that can make a difference in operations and hold them ACCOUNTABLE for their decisions.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
2 Hours to Buy a Battery, Priceless
I recently read a friends blog about the simpler things in life and I was reminded of that just last night. I had to have a battery in one of my trucks so I took the old battery out and headed off to Wal-Mart to buy a new one. Before I go on, let me explain for those that don’t know you have to take the old battery in. It’s called a core, and you have to turn this in so that it can be recycled. Many large parts on a vehicle are done this way and it should be no surprise when an old battery comes through the door at a place that sells batteries.
Arriving at Wal-Mart I put the battery in a buggy in the lot and pushed it into the store with the 6 year old in tow. Now if you have ever walked in the door at Wal-Mart with something in your hand you know you have to stop and talked to the Greeter at the door. This usually proves to be an exercise in futility, and sometimes quite humorous as they try and exert the little bit of power they have to figure out what is you want to do with the item in your hands.
So there I am, and I explain to the lady that I need to buy a battery and this is my old one. She asks “are you exchanging this one”. Well, no it’s not an exchange, I’m turning it in for recycling just like hundreds of people do. When I take something to the store for exchange it’s because there is a problem with it, in this case, it’s just used up and to keep from paying $12 more dollars for the new one, it has to be turned in. So again I tell her, “I am bringing my old one to turn in for recycling, and buying a new one”. She promptly gets a sticker to put on it. Keep in mind, this is my old one, there isn’t a clean spot on it. I stood there patiently though as she goofed around trying to get this sticker to adhere to dirt. Finally the last millimeter of glue found the only millimeter of clean spot and hung. She then wrote the date and her name on it.
Off to the returns counter we go when I hear “Utoh, wait a minute, I put the wrong sticker on it”. I stop, gracefully back up, and find out that the sticker is the wrong color. Now I am almost certain that this lady is someone’s MeeMaw and I am trying real hard to be patient even though I am trying to get home before dark so I can put the new battery in. Again, we go through trying to find a clean spot for the new sticker, not real sure what was wrong with the first spot at this point. Finally, I am off to the counter again.
Arrive at the counter, announce that I need to purchase a battery and that I have my old one to turn in. The lady says “I need to see your receipt”. I inform her that the battery is 3 or 4 years old and I have no idea where a receipt would be. I can’t find them from last week when needed. She tells me that I have to have it to get credit. Again, I explain that its old and I don’t have one so she calls another lady in there to talk to her about it. The second lady agrees and tells me that I have to have the receipt to get credit. I explain to that lady that I don’t have one, due to its age and as I am putting the battery in the buggy I say “Buying a battery shouldn’t be this hard, I will never buy another one here”. The second lady says “Oh, you’re buying a new one, why didn’t you say so”.
Ok, at this point, I am about to turn real ugly and let all of these semi-inept people know what I really think about them. I put the battery on the counter, and leave to go get a new battery before I go sub-atomic. I arrive in automotive, now pushing the 6 year old along so we can hurry to find that THE ONLY battery they are out of is the one I need, literally. Hats off to the guy back there though, he took the time to go to the back room and see if there was one, which my crossed fingers would soon find out was not going to happen. Before turning and walking back up to the front to retrieve my old battery, I paused, looked to the Heavens and simply asked “What did I do”? Got my old battery back after informing the lady at the returns counter that they were out and headed off to a parts store.
Arrived at O’Rileys Auto Parts, battery in hand, and told the guy at the counter “I need a new one, like this one, that works better”. He smiled, looked up the battery that I would need and left to go get it for me. This would take him 4 trips from the computer to the battery rack. It was obvious when he returned the last time with a frown on his face and no battery in his hand that I was going to be out of luck again.
Me and the old battery left, with one option left and that was Auto Zone. With daylight fast becoming a thing of the past I hurried down to their store and took my old battery inside. They guy there looked up the battery in the computer and retrieved one from the shelf. This was easy!! Things were finally turning around for me!! I was so happy that I bought the 6 year old a ring pop as a celebratory gesture to the parts house Gods!!
Life is good, new battery, headed home and just enough light to install the battery and not have to pull out cords and lights to work with. Hold on there master mechanic, you got the wrong battery and when you arrive at home you will soon realize this as you try to install it and see that the post are on the wrong side. I knew it was going too good, so with my head hung low, I load the new battery up to get back to Auto Zone before they close since it seems like the sun will be rising soon.
As I walk in the store, new battery in hand, I see a battery on the counter and the guy says “I gave you the wrong battery”. Really? No kidding Richard Petty!! He realized this after I was gone and with a fast setting down and picking up of batteries I was gone in a flash, just like a real NASCAR pit stop.
2 hours later, the new battery was installed the truck was running and I was give out. So much for the rest of the list that I had to do last night, there was no time for that. Now, I sit here at the house this morning waiting on the guys to come and put two windshields in two trucks. I have been told that they will be here sometime between 8-12, I’m sure that this will be an adventure too.
Arriving at Wal-Mart I put the battery in a buggy in the lot and pushed it into the store with the 6 year old in tow. Now if you have ever walked in the door at Wal-Mart with something in your hand you know you have to stop and talked to the Greeter at the door. This usually proves to be an exercise in futility, and sometimes quite humorous as they try and exert the little bit of power they have to figure out what is you want to do with the item in your hands.
So there I am, and I explain to the lady that I need to buy a battery and this is my old one. She asks “are you exchanging this one”. Well, no it’s not an exchange, I’m turning it in for recycling just like hundreds of people do. When I take something to the store for exchange it’s because there is a problem with it, in this case, it’s just used up and to keep from paying $12 more dollars for the new one, it has to be turned in. So again I tell her, “I am bringing my old one to turn in for recycling, and buying a new one”. She promptly gets a sticker to put on it. Keep in mind, this is my old one, there isn’t a clean spot on it. I stood there patiently though as she goofed around trying to get this sticker to adhere to dirt. Finally the last millimeter of glue found the only millimeter of clean spot and hung. She then wrote the date and her name on it.
Off to the returns counter we go when I hear “Utoh, wait a minute, I put the wrong sticker on it”. I stop, gracefully back up, and find out that the sticker is the wrong color. Now I am almost certain that this lady is someone’s MeeMaw and I am trying real hard to be patient even though I am trying to get home before dark so I can put the new battery in. Again, we go through trying to find a clean spot for the new sticker, not real sure what was wrong with the first spot at this point. Finally, I am off to the counter again.
Arrive at the counter, announce that I need to purchase a battery and that I have my old one to turn in. The lady says “I need to see your receipt”. I inform her that the battery is 3 or 4 years old and I have no idea where a receipt would be. I can’t find them from last week when needed. She tells me that I have to have it to get credit. Again, I explain that its old and I don’t have one so she calls another lady in there to talk to her about it. The second lady agrees and tells me that I have to have the receipt to get credit. I explain to that lady that I don’t have one, due to its age and as I am putting the battery in the buggy I say “Buying a battery shouldn’t be this hard, I will never buy another one here”. The second lady says “Oh, you’re buying a new one, why didn’t you say so”.
Ok, at this point, I am about to turn real ugly and let all of these semi-inept people know what I really think about them. I put the battery on the counter, and leave to go get a new battery before I go sub-atomic. I arrive in automotive, now pushing the 6 year old along so we can hurry to find that THE ONLY battery they are out of is the one I need, literally. Hats off to the guy back there though, he took the time to go to the back room and see if there was one, which my crossed fingers would soon find out was not going to happen. Before turning and walking back up to the front to retrieve my old battery, I paused, looked to the Heavens and simply asked “What did I do”? Got my old battery back after informing the lady at the returns counter that they were out and headed off to a parts store.
Arrived at O’Rileys Auto Parts, battery in hand, and told the guy at the counter “I need a new one, like this one, that works better”. He smiled, looked up the battery that I would need and left to go get it for me. This would take him 4 trips from the computer to the battery rack. It was obvious when he returned the last time with a frown on his face and no battery in his hand that I was going to be out of luck again.
Me and the old battery left, with one option left and that was Auto Zone. With daylight fast becoming a thing of the past I hurried down to their store and took my old battery inside. They guy there looked up the battery in the computer and retrieved one from the shelf. This was easy!! Things were finally turning around for me!! I was so happy that I bought the 6 year old a ring pop as a celebratory gesture to the parts house Gods!!
Life is good, new battery, headed home and just enough light to install the battery and not have to pull out cords and lights to work with. Hold on there master mechanic, you got the wrong battery and when you arrive at home you will soon realize this as you try to install it and see that the post are on the wrong side. I knew it was going too good, so with my head hung low, I load the new battery up to get back to Auto Zone before they close since it seems like the sun will be rising soon.
As I walk in the store, new battery in hand, I see a battery on the counter and the guy says “I gave you the wrong battery”. Really? No kidding Richard Petty!! He realized this after I was gone and with a fast setting down and picking up of batteries I was gone in a flash, just like a real NASCAR pit stop.
2 hours later, the new battery was installed the truck was running and I was give out. So much for the rest of the list that I had to do last night, there was no time for that. Now, I sit here at the house this morning waiting on the guys to come and put two windshields in two trucks. I have been told that they will be here sometime between 8-12, I’m sure that this will be an adventure too.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Man, Life is Grand, When Your 6!
So there we were, sitting in our easy chairs watching a little weather channel and getting ready to start the day. (Actually, Barbs day had started at 4:30 by dropping off some thigns to be sold at a community yard sale).
The night before, we had been to Dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Brian Miles. (that’s Charmon and her husband). While leaving the establishment I saw that Ryan, our 6 year old had stopped and gotten one of the real estate books from the little box by the door. It was one of those that are free, you just reach in and get it. Right on the cover, it says “FREE”, meaning you don’t pay for the book obviously. Well, its not that obvious for a 6 year old.
So there we were, this morning and Barb was looking through the book when Ryan came over to sit with her. She had let me know that he was going to buy us a house because they are free, as she pointed to the word on the front of the book. Yes, he thought because the word free was on the front that everything in it was free and he wanted to buy one of those free homes for us. Isnt that a nice thought?
As they looked through the book more, Barb informed him that the houses were not in fact free and that you had to pay for them. He wanted to know if we had to pay for our house. We informed him that we send them money every month. Then he wanted to know if they send us money back.
Just when we didn’t think this could get any better, he found a house he liked. It was $174,000 and his solution, “I cant take the money out of my piggy bank”.
This made me think, how simple it is to be 6? How nice it must be to not have the concerns and worries that we have to face everyday. No worries about money, bills, food, shelter. No worries about life in general other than what cartoons come on at what time and what am I going to play on the Wii today. Innocence is great!!
Needless to say, were not moving, were not selling, and were not buying. However, I cant speak for Ryan at this point because he is still real interested in the book with all of the “FREE” houses in it.
Have a great day everyone!! Were off to get his mouthpiece for Football, yet another thing important to a 6 year old.
The night before, we had been to Dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Brian Miles. (that’s Charmon and her husband). While leaving the establishment I saw that Ryan, our 6 year old had stopped and gotten one of the real estate books from the little box by the door. It was one of those that are free, you just reach in and get it. Right on the cover, it says “FREE”, meaning you don’t pay for the book obviously. Well, its not that obvious for a 6 year old.
So there we were, this morning and Barb was looking through the book when Ryan came over to sit with her. She had let me know that he was going to buy us a house because they are free, as she pointed to the word on the front of the book. Yes, he thought because the word free was on the front that everything in it was free and he wanted to buy one of those free homes for us. Isnt that a nice thought?
As they looked through the book more, Barb informed him that the houses were not in fact free and that you had to pay for them. He wanted to know if we had to pay for our house. We informed him that we send them money every month. Then he wanted to know if they send us money back.
Just when we didn’t think this could get any better, he found a house he liked. It was $174,000 and his solution, “I cant take the money out of my piggy bank”.
This made me think, how simple it is to be 6? How nice it must be to not have the concerns and worries that we have to face everyday. No worries about money, bills, food, shelter. No worries about life in general other than what cartoons come on at what time and what am I going to play on the Wii today. Innocence is great!!
Needless to say, were not moving, were not selling, and were not buying. However, I cant speak for Ryan at this point because he is still real interested in the book with all of the “FREE” houses in it.
Have a great day everyone!! Were off to get his mouthpiece for Football, yet another thing important to a 6 year old.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Hey Washington, get your hand out of MY cookie jar, NOW!!
Rep. Henry Waxman (D- California) is not real smart for a guy who has been put in charge to help make the decisions that run this country. On the other hand though, I don’t guess it’s a requirement that you have smarts or common sense to hold that job, after all you just have to win a popularity contest to hold the job.
Please read the below taken from FoxNews - (yes, there are similar stories on other networks)
A key House committee chairman on Friday threatened to roll over moderate Democrats who are holding up the health care reform bill and bring the package straight to the floor.
The statement underscored the deep divisions the health care reform debate is causing in the ranks of the Democratic Party.
Fiscally conservative Blue Dogs are holding up the bill in the House Energy and Commerce Committee over cost concerns and other issues. But Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., on Friday accused those Democrats of empowering Republicans.
"I won't allow them to turn over control of the committee to the Republicans," Waxman said, threatening to bypass the committee process.
"I don't see what alternative we have," Waxman said of talks that have raged for days with the Blue Dogs. "This can't be an interminable discussion."
The radical move would mean Waxman would finish writing the bill in private and merge it with the two bills that have already passed out of the committee in the chamber before bringing it to the floor………
…….Nearly all 52 Blue Dogs are expected to vote against the health bill if it hits the House floor in its current form. That spells doom for the measure when coupled with unanimous Republican opposition………
………..House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has heard complaints in stereo from the liberal and conservative wings of her caucus. The Blue Dogs are giving her an earful with their grievances……….
…….But Pelosi has said she's "confident" she has the votes and that she wants to bring the bill to a floor vote next week.
Lets break it down. So he is mad that 52 people want to take a longer look at the bill and/or have raised some concerns about it. This is the political equivalent to stomping your feet because your not getting your way. How dare them (the Blue Dogs) hold up something in “his” committee. Just who does he think he is that he can strong arm YOU, yes, you are being told that because some people don’t want to play HIS game, he is going to shove this bad legislation down your throat.
This health care debacle is quite possibly the biggest change this country has seen in decades and most certainly the greatest opportunity to really muck things up for future generations.
Think about all of the little pieces and parts you have heard over the last few weeks. Obama hasn’t read the whole thing, no one in congress that was elected to serve has read the entire thing, Obama doesn’t know what its going to cost for sure, no one in congress elected can tell you what the cost is. The Congressional Budget Office has made a guess at the cost, and its higher than any one else’s guess. (these guys know their stuff by the way). All we can be told is that 2/3 will be paid for by cutting waste from government (those are Obama’s words) and the rest will have to be budgeted. BUDGET – everyone does remember here that THEIR budget is our TAX DOLLARS right? (oh, and the Federal Governement is going to cut waste from a system and come up with the 2/3? I cant believe that there is a reasonable person alive that doesnt see the irony in this)
Democrats and Republicans alike have lost sight of the most important thing to me, that they were elected, based on what they said they can do for us, by us, to make good decisions for us. Yet we largely sit back and go “ok, whatever” as they continue to pass pork into the system and allow special interest to dictate where money should be spent.
Look at the polls for this health care thing. No ones polls out there, no matter what source you care to use (assuming you pick one that is reliable with a track record) shows that a majority of any group wants this passed, except the democrats in Washington. Even their supporters are now waking up and saying “Wait, there is something going on here, lets look at it.
Hats off to the Blue Dog Democrats. Want to know who they are, google it. Once you have, email them and let them know how you feel, even if you are for this garbage they are trying to shove up our nether regions. Because I can assure you that if everyone did that across the US, this piece of bad legislation would go down in flames.
Why should we, I, you, and them be forced to accept the thought that Government could possibly pull off running health care? Look at all of the programs out there that are already messed up. I hear many people everyday talk about the things that don’t work, and the vast majority are run by the Federal government or are at least under their careful and watchful eye. I say let Waxman and Pelosi bring this thing up, right now, right here today. Its stands the best chance of failing now than ever before.
I have an idea, for all of the elected officials in Washington. Lets concentrate on finding the perps that killed 3000 people on 9/11, lets concentrate on keeping people out of this country that are coming here illegally, lets concentrate on educating our young and old to be fiscally sound and responsible parts of society, lets concentrate on taking care of those that really need to be taken care of, lets concentrate on once and for all using this drug Czar that was set up to actually get the drugs of our streets and out of our kids hands, lets concentrate on letting the free market system do what it is designed to do, lets concentrate on making a tax system that you don’t have to go to 20 years of school to understand and finally, how about all of you concentrate on doing the job you were sent there to do and that is serve the people in the most fiscally responsible ways possible and get your hands out of MY cookie jar!! (as you can see there are plenty of other important things going on too)
Call your congressman today and let them know you are tired of the way business is being done in Washington and you want your Country back!! I did. ;o)
Yall have a good weekend now, ya hear.
Please read the below taken from FoxNews - (yes, there are similar stories on other networks)
A key House committee chairman on Friday threatened to roll over moderate Democrats who are holding up the health care reform bill and bring the package straight to the floor.
The statement underscored the deep divisions the health care reform debate is causing in the ranks of the Democratic Party.
Fiscally conservative Blue Dogs are holding up the bill in the House Energy and Commerce Committee over cost concerns and other issues. But Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., on Friday accused those Democrats of empowering Republicans.
"I won't allow them to turn over control of the committee to the Republicans," Waxman said, threatening to bypass the committee process.
"I don't see what alternative we have," Waxman said of talks that have raged for days with the Blue Dogs. "This can't be an interminable discussion."
The radical move would mean Waxman would finish writing the bill in private and merge it with the two bills that have already passed out of the committee in the chamber before bringing it to the floor………
…….Nearly all 52 Blue Dogs are expected to vote against the health bill if it hits the House floor in its current form. That spells doom for the measure when coupled with unanimous Republican opposition………
………..House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has heard complaints in stereo from the liberal and conservative wings of her caucus. The Blue Dogs are giving her an earful with their grievances……….
…….But Pelosi has said she's "confident" she has the votes and that she wants to bring the bill to a floor vote next week.
Lets break it down. So he is mad that 52 people want to take a longer look at the bill and/or have raised some concerns about it. This is the political equivalent to stomping your feet because your not getting your way. How dare them (the Blue Dogs) hold up something in “his” committee. Just who does he think he is that he can strong arm YOU, yes, you are being told that because some people don’t want to play HIS game, he is going to shove this bad legislation down your throat.
This health care debacle is quite possibly the biggest change this country has seen in decades and most certainly the greatest opportunity to really muck things up for future generations.
Think about all of the little pieces and parts you have heard over the last few weeks. Obama hasn’t read the whole thing, no one in congress that was elected to serve has read the entire thing, Obama doesn’t know what its going to cost for sure, no one in congress elected can tell you what the cost is. The Congressional Budget Office has made a guess at the cost, and its higher than any one else’s guess. (these guys know their stuff by the way). All we can be told is that 2/3 will be paid for by cutting waste from government (those are Obama’s words) and the rest will have to be budgeted. BUDGET – everyone does remember here that THEIR budget is our TAX DOLLARS right? (oh, and the Federal Governement is going to cut waste from a system and come up with the 2/3? I cant believe that there is a reasonable person alive that doesnt see the irony in this)
Democrats and Republicans alike have lost sight of the most important thing to me, that they were elected, based on what they said they can do for us, by us, to make good decisions for us. Yet we largely sit back and go “ok, whatever” as they continue to pass pork into the system and allow special interest to dictate where money should be spent.
Look at the polls for this health care thing. No ones polls out there, no matter what source you care to use (assuming you pick one that is reliable with a track record) shows that a majority of any group wants this passed, except the democrats in Washington. Even their supporters are now waking up and saying “Wait, there is something going on here, lets look at it.
Hats off to the Blue Dog Democrats. Want to know who they are, google it. Once you have, email them and let them know how you feel, even if you are for this garbage they are trying to shove up our nether regions. Because I can assure you that if everyone did that across the US, this piece of bad legislation would go down in flames.
Why should we, I, you, and them be forced to accept the thought that Government could possibly pull off running health care? Look at all of the programs out there that are already messed up. I hear many people everyday talk about the things that don’t work, and the vast majority are run by the Federal government or are at least under their careful and watchful eye. I say let Waxman and Pelosi bring this thing up, right now, right here today. Its stands the best chance of failing now than ever before.
I have an idea, for all of the elected officials in Washington. Lets concentrate on finding the perps that killed 3000 people on 9/11, lets concentrate on keeping people out of this country that are coming here illegally, lets concentrate on educating our young and old to be fiscally sound and responsible parts of society, lets concentrate on taking care of those that really need to be taken care of, lets concentrate on once and for all using this drug Czar that was set up to actually get the drugs of our streets and out of our kids hands, lets concentrate on letting the free market system do what it is designed to do, lets concentrate on making a tax system that you don’t have to go to 20 years of school to understand and finally, how about all of you concentrate on doing the job you were sent there to do and that is serve the people in the most fiscally responsible ways possible and get your hands out of MY cookie jar!! (as you can see there are plenty of other important things going on too)
Call your congressman today and let them know you are tired of the way business is being done in Washington and you want your Country back!! I did. ;o)
Yall have a good weekend now, ya hear.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
An 8 year old does not 'need' one, anymore than you did when you were 8.
I have talked about this before to some people, and I while I am not real sure how they took it, I know it made them think. Something happened at lunch today that was pretty funny, and it touched on this topic so I thought I would share.
I was sitting at the DQ just down the road from the office eating lunch in the truck. I wanted to listen to the radio while I ate so I often do this. I looked up and there was a van load of kids getting out to go inside and of the 8 teens, 7 had cell phones in various states of use. One had just answered theirs, two were talking as they got out and the rest were either texting or doing some other activity that required the use of their hands.
The girl in the back of this group was the one that caught my eye, see, she was the only one that didn’t zig or zag with the group as they made their way towards the door and miss the light pole in the middle of the really wide walkway. Then, SMACK, followed by another SMACK! The first was her head hitting the pole as she walked into it and the second was her butt hitting the ground. Yes, I was busting a gut laughing so hard.
After they disappeared inside to get their lunch and hopefully a bag of ice for that girls head, I was reminded of a discussion I had one day with a group of people. The topic came up of teens and cell phones. I didn’t have one growing up, although before I was out of high school they were more common. My teen doesn’t have one now but has asked about it. When the 6 year old reaches that teen status, he’s not going to have one either.
I made the comment once to a group that teens don’t need cell phones. I was abruptly stopped and had it explained to me by one of the ladies “My daughter needs one so that I can keep up with where she is and what she’s doing”. Really? That cell phone has the GPS tracking function enabled? You check the records EVERY month? You can tell by a simple call where she is, how many and who she is around and if there are drugs or alcohol present? Come on now.
My next comment allowed me to feel what a mother’s laser eyes burning through me felt like. I rebutted “I choose to parent at the reach of an arm and not the touch of a button”. Man, could she stare. I also let people know that one of the many problems with kids today is that their parents want to be their children’s friends, and secondly their parents. This lady’s teen didn’t ‘need’ a cell phone. What business could any teen be conducting that they ‘need’ a cell phone for. She ‘wants’ a cell phone and momma ‘wants’ to be the good friend and give it to her.
Now when I have uttered this conversation they always throw out a litany of reasons to have one. Car crashes (which by the way, tons of Wetumpka youth have no business behind the wheel), needing to be picked up from a function, just to talk, to talk to their friends, everyone has one these days, what if they are abducted, what if they need an ambulance, what if their in trouble. All of which I explain away and remind them that there are plenty of phones in this world now and ‘your’ child really doesn’t ‘need’ that phone. This usually leads to frustration and the end of the conversation.
My point here is I was never in a car accident because I was texting, I was never admonished at school for having my phone out, I never ran up a high bill because I was talking to everyone everywhere, and I certainly never ran into a pole because I was preoccupied with a phone in my hands. As a society we have given teens and younger, more and more responsibility with less and less check and balances. Our parents knew where we were 90% of the time and there was no cell phone involved. It was because they decided to parent at the reach of an arm, and not a touch of the button. Too many times I have stood on the side of the road late at night working an accident scene of a youngster who has died or been maimed, just to find out that they were suppose to be at someone’s house hanging out. But Daddy just called and checked on me so it’s ok? I feel as a society that we have the same responsibility to make sure that the kids of today learn what is needed to run this country later, just as our parents did. After all, not too many years down the road the ones we are teaching now, will be the ones taking care of us then.
PS – for those of you that let you kids drink in front of you because “I don’t want them to sneak off and do it”, your being fooled there too.
I was sitting at the DQ just down the road from the office eating lunch in the truck. I wanted to listen to the radio while I ate so I often do this. I looked up and there was a van load of kids getting out to go inside and of the 8 teens, 7 had cell phones in various states of use. One had just answered theirs, two were talking as they got out and the rest were either texting or doing some other activity that required the use of their hands.
The girl in the back of this group was the one that caught my eye, see, she was the only one that didn’t zig or zag with the group as they made their way towards the door and miss the light pole in the middle of the really wide walkway. Then, SMACK, followed by another SMACK! The first was her head hitting the pole as she walked into it and the second was her butt hitting the ground. Yes, I was busting a gut laughing so hard.
After they disappeared inside to get their lunch and hopefully a bag of ice for that girls head, I was reminded of a discussion I had one day with a group of people. The topic came up of teens and cell phones. I didn’t have one growing up, although before I was out of high school they were more common. My teen doesn’t have one now but has asked about it. When the 6 year old reaches that teen status, he’s not going to have one either.
I made the comment once to a group that teens don’t need cell phones. I was abruptly stopped and had it explained to me by one of the ladies “My daughter needs one so that I can keep up with where she is and what she’s doing”. Really? That cell phone has the GPS tracking function enabled? You check the records EVERY month? You can tell by a simple call where she is, how many and who she is around and if there are drugs or alcohol present? Come on now.
My next comment allowed me to feel what a mother’s laser eyes burning through me felt like. I rebutted “I choose to parent at the reach of an arm and not the touch of a button”. Man, could she stare. I also let people know that one of the many problems with kids today is that their parents want to be their children’s friends, and secondly their parents. This lady’s teen didn’t ‘need’ a cell phone. What business could any teen be conducting that they ‘need’ a cell phone for. She ‘wants’ a cell phone and momma ‘wants’ to be the good friend and give it to her.
Now when I have uttered this conversation they always throw out a litany of reasons to have one. Car crashes (which by the way, tons of Wetumpka youth have no business behind the wheel), needing to be picked up from a function, just to talk, to talk to their friends, everyone has one these days, what if they are abducted, what if they need an ambulance, what if their in trouble. All of which I explain away and remind them that there are plenty of phones in this world now and ‘your’ child really doesn’t ‘need’ that phone. This usually leads to frustration and the end of the conversation.
My point here is I was never in a car accident because I was texting, I was never admonished at school for having my phone out, I never ran up a high bill because I was talking to everyone everywhere, and I certainly never ran into a pole because I was preoccupied with a phone in my hands. As a society we have given teens and younger, more and more responsibility with less and less check and balances. Our parents knew where we were 90% of the time and there was no cell phone involved. It was because they decided to parent at the reach of an arm, and not a touch of the button. Too many times I have stood on the side of the road late at night working an accident scene of a youngster who has died or been maimed, just to find out that they were suppose to be at someone’s house hanging out. But Daddy just called and checked on me so it’s ok? I feel as a society that we have the same responsibility to make sure that the kids of today learn what is needed to run this country later, just as our parents did. After all, not too many years down the road the ones we are teaching now, will be the ones taking care of us then.
PS – for those of you that let you kids drink in front of you because “I don’t want them to sneak off and do it”, your being fooled there too.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Steve Is pondering Health Care......
At what point did Health care become a "right"? Someone said this afternoon at work that people have a right to good health care. True, but no one should expect it for free. I mean, health care is a service, not a right granted to us by the founding fathers.
Also, whats the rush with getting this health care under the control of the government? Something so monumental should get a seriously long, real long, look. I don't see health care under the governments control as a good thing, looking at their track record of allocating funds through history and running things, its not that stellar.
Also, whats the rush with getting this health care under the control of the government? Something so monumental should get a seriously long, real long, look. I don't see health care under the governments control as a good thing, looking at their track record of allocating funds through history and running things, its not that stellar.
The Blog was Born!!
Here I was having trouble learning how to register for the purposes of posting comments on other blogs and in the process, actually created a blog of my own. COOL!!
Most everyone that knows me knows that I ponder life from time to time. Those ponders have been viewed as fun by some, interesting by others and informative by most.
I try to bring a lot to the table when I do sit down to put ink to paper, err, fingers to keys. I would like to know what some of you ponder from time to time as well as feel free to comment on what I ponder about.
Steve
Here I was having trouble learning how to register for the purposes of posting comments on other blogs and in the process, actually created a blog of my own. COOL!!
Most everyone that knows me knows that I ponder life from time to time. Those ponders have been viewed as fun by some, interesting by others and informative by most.
I try to bring a lot to the table when I do sit down to put ink to paper, err, fingers to keys. I would like to know what some of you ponder from time to time as well as feel free to comment on what I ponder about.
Steve
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