Being Thankful (Wednesday)

I am VERY VERY thankful for the invention of the DVR (Digital Video Recorder)!

Depending on how you have it, it could be a "TIVO". But many have "DVR" machines that work with their TV service provider. Mine is with Dish Network Satalite. And I love this thing! I can record up to 100 hours of television and it is stored on a hard drive. The programing is easy to access, just highlight the program name and press select.

It was only 30 years ago that someone invented the VCR which was then called the VTR (Video TAPE Recorder). And by the 1980's, the whole idea of having to be at home to watch your favorate TV program became extinct. If you knew how to program the machine, you could watch television on YOUR schedule. Thanks to the DVR I can watch TV on my schedule AND never again have to worry about fuzzy tapes, video tapes eaten up by the VCR or mechanical problems. I don't even have to worry about power outages deleting the programs that I have already scheduled to record. The old VCR always had to be re-programmed.

Come to think of it, I am also thankful for my Satalite TV. Hundreds of channels! And I subscribe to nearly all of them! Back when the first VCR machines went on sale 30 years ago, most of us only had an average of THREE TV channels to choose from. If you had cable TV back then, your choices were an average of 20 channels. Now even with cable tv you have hundreds of options. We have come a long way!! And couch potatoes around the world are thankful!

Being Thankful (Tuesday)

With this being my mother's birthday, needless to say that I am very thankful for my mother. Even now that she is gone I remain thankful.

There is the obious reason. If not for her I would not be here.

I am thankful for all of her intentions. Her intentions were good and she did her best. We struggled as a family but we learned to appreciate what we had. And we managed to enjoy life while finding a way out of a struggle.

When we could not afford to buy food, we had fun fishing trips. When our living conditions were less than desirable, we had picnics in the park.

Our mother showed us a positive out of any negative situation. And I will always be thankful for that.

Happy Birthday to my Mother

Today would have been my mother's 70th birthday. She was born in Chappells, South Carolina on November 22, 1935. Raised in South Carolina by an Aunt while her mother married and moved to Charlotte, NC and later New York for a better life than what was available for Blacks in the south. My mother would move to New York in the 1950's to attend High School. She was a graduate of Flushing High School in 1953.

My mother then entered the WAC (Women's Army Corps) and was stationed at Army bases in Petersburg, VA and Ft. McClellan Alabama. She settled in Washington DC where she worked as a secretary working for a government agency. She met my father in Washington, married and moved to Memphis, TN where he was based as a singer and songwriter at STAX records.

I was born in Memphis, TN during that time. And by the early 1970's my mother moved us to Southern Florida where my sister was born. During our childhood, our mother worked a variety of jobs. Mostly as a cashier or bank teller, with additional jobs to supplement our household income. She moved our family to New York in late 1979 to assist our grandmother who was having medical problems at the time. Our grandmother recovered but family finances would not allow us to return to South Florida as we wished until 1986. By then my mother would have serious medical problems of her own. However she continued to work as hard as she could but developed diabetes and suffered a stroke in the late 1990's. By 2001 she had to be placed into full-time nursing care. She passed away this past April.

So on this first birthday after her passing, I tell you that I am always thankful for my mother. I am thankful for the respect and dignity that she has instilled in both me and my sister. And for raising us to have an open mind, to respect others for their character and not their background. To seek and enjoy a very diverse arena of life. From entertainment, to literature to travel. She encouraged us to enjoy the best that life has to offer and to break down the barriers, to accept no excuses and to never believe in the word NO.

She wanted to give us a good life and did the best that she could to provide that for us. And my sister and I are all the better for it. And most importantly. Our mother raised TWO children who NEVER caused or got into any trouble of any kind and often under the worst conditions.

I am thankful for my mother and as an old favorate song by The Intruders says it best....
"I'll Always love my mama! She is my favorate girl."

Being thankful (Monday)

This has been a rough year for me, but I am thankful for a few things. I am thankful for the lessons that I have learned in life. Those lessons have made me much stronger than most when stressful situations arise. Those lessons created a very low tolerence for stupidity and the people who display it. And life's lessons have enhanced my level of honesty and intregrity. And that is always a great thing.

Of course I would be more thankful if I didn't have to learn those lessons the hard way.ven me

Should you get your Honey where you make your MONEY?

This is a tough one. I have a policy of being very careful, but I wonder if I will ever break that policy for the right person. Hmmm....

Anyway, here is the policy and my opinion on it.

Love in workplace. It happens all of the time and in all kinds of work environments. But it is very risky. There is the very high risk of relationship drama entering the workplace. There is the possibility of distracting a worker from their responsibility. And it gives material to those who love to gossip. And we all know there is always gossip in the workplace.

I respect that people are human and when attrracted to other humans many are inclined to act on that attraction. But in the workplace, this could become a problem especially if either of the people within that "attraction" are involved in other relationships. Things can and usually do get very ugly very fast.

I must say that I too have felt some attraction to someone within the workplace. Thank god I have never shared those thoughts with anyone no matter how I wished something could happen. It just was not a good idea to even consider the possibilities with anyone. But I thought that I could quit a job for the right co-worker if they were willing to get involved with me. Hmmmmm.

(Slaps some common sense into me) I think I'll keep those thoughts to myself. I need this job more than I need to become a target of gossip. But if I find another job, all bets may be off!

I tend to mind my own business. And I will always strive to maintain that policy. So when co-workers get romantically involved, I look the other way and wish them well. It is none of my business. But if I enjoy working with either of the people involved I always hope that they will come to their senses and avoid a potential disaster. Or I at least keep my fingers crossed hoping that the relationship doesn't go sour and their personal relationship problems spill over into the workplace. Which is more likely to happen.

I don't need any drama in my life, which may be the main reason why I am and have always been single. And I prefer to not have anyone else's drama surrounding me at work.

It is too early!

Every year I say this, but now I have a blog to document it.

IT IS TOO EARLY TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS!!

The Christmas holiday is so commercialized that it makes me sick!

Long before I can enjoy the thanksgiving dinner I usually have Christmas up to my ears! And one of my biggest complaints about the overdose of Christmas is when local radio stations start playing holiday music exclusively for well over a month BEFORE the holiday. Some stations around the US started at Halloween! So that is TWO months of Christmas music. It it too damn early for that! So far, only one local radio station where I live has started their non-stop holiday programing. 35 days before Christmas! There will surely be more stations to go to a holiday music marathon in the coming weeks.

And there are many people who are making early holiday profits for the power companies. Christmas lights went up all over town the first week of November. If I even consider christmas decorations of any kind, it would not be until AFTER Thanksgiving, which is supposed to be the kickoff for the Christmas Holiday. Now that "kickoff" has been pushed back to Halloween, with Thankgiving just another day off from work to eat too much while watching football.

I don't want to damper anyones holiday spirit, but Christmas is in December NOT November!

Thanksgiving week 2005

Thanksgiving is coming this week. And I have been invited to have Thanksgiving dinner with friends. And I am going. I really wanted to just spend the day in seclusion as I have for most Thanksgivng holidays for over a decade. But honestly I really should get into the holiday spirit once again. It sounds like a much better attitude to have than just staying home alone. Life is too short and I have experienced both setbacks and loss this year. So I am going to look forward to getting out for the holiday. I say thank you to those friends who have invited me to share the holiday with them.

2005 has not been a very good year for me. Spending Thanksgivng day with friends will be a great thing. At least I won't have to worry about the travel and traffic I would have faced if I were going to spend the holiday with relatives. I have no family locally.

I am going to think of all of the positive things that I am thankful for during this week of giving thanks. And I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday!

The Bastards of the Church

When my sister was little she had a problem pronouncing the word “Baptist”. When she would mean to say “Baptist” she would actually say “Bastard”. I first discovered this when she was about three or four years old and she proudly told a group of guests in our home that she went to Sunday School at “The First Bastard Church”. What did not help that situation three decades ago was the fact that we were a single parent household. Our parents separated before my sister was born.

For years, we joked about my sister’s speech impediment. Only now that I know the behavior of many Baptists as an adult, I wonder if my sister had a vision.

I was born a Baptist (not a Bastard). I am not happy with the behavior of the Baptists. I really get sick of people who use their faith in a way that discriminates against any individual. Whether it is based on race, other religion or sexuality.

This week, the Georgia Baptist Convention voted to cut their ties to Mercer University in Macon, Georgia because of a Gay-Straight Student Group that met on campus. The group offered a safe and friendly group of their peers in a spirit of acceptance. They were not harming anyone. But Baptist extremists are so worried about the student group “promoting” immoral behavior, they choose to punish the entire school by cutting ties to the university. By punishing the entire school, this may include full Baptist scholarships for many students who had NOTHING to do with the Gay-Straight student group on campus. (NEWS ARTICLE)

The “final straw” for the Georgia Baptist Convention was when the Gay-Straight Alliance group of students held an event for “National Coming Out Day”. October 11th of every year is a designated day of “coming out” for gays and lesbians. And events are held around the country where people can meet others who share the same sexual orientation in a safe and welcoming environment. It is because of the blatant hatred for gays and lesbians that some people need to have these events. Many of these people face rejection on a daily basis. So having a group of your peers can be a great comfort to someone who feels alone and hated for nothing more than who they happen to be if that person happens to be gay or lesbian. But really, the very existence of gays and lesbians at the school offends the Baptists.

Sadly because of the “controversy” made public by the Georgia Baptist Convention, that student group formerly known as the "Mercer Triangle Symposium" on the campus of Mercer University has disbanded. Now there is no safe and friendly support on campus and little else to offer in town. There will be some students who will feel lonely and rejected simply because of who they are if they happen to be gay or lesbian. I want to applaud the people who were part of the Mercer Triangle Symposium over its three year existance for their great efforts. Having met some of the students, I know these were great people and that open minded christians could clearly see were an asset to the community, not the threat percieved by the Baptists and other people who call themselves christians.

Mercer University was founded by the Baptists and the school has been accused of straying away from the religious faith in which it was founded. So I must say that it is the Georgia Baptist Convention’s prerogative to support or not support the school based on their beliefs. But if you want to punish the school because of a small gay organization, then why not punish schools because some of their students drink alcohol, or have sex before marriage, or who cheat on their relationships?

I could go on with many issues in relation to this, but I’ll save it for future posts. But while I think I can get away with saying it, I’ll just use my sister’s mis pronunciation of the word by saying that there are a lot of hypocritical bastards within the Baptist church.

(Yeah, I’m saying it!)

I can always do better.

I grew up mostly in a single parent home. My parents separated around the time that my sister was born. My mother never remarried. We struggled for much of that time and dealt with the loss of a house and two apartment evictions during my childhood.

When I was in high school we eventually were without a home of our own. We spent a year moving from one friend's home to another and at one point, my mother tried to get us into a homeless shelter. And I have to tell you that was the most humilating experience of my teenage years. I am so glad that we failed to get into any shelter. I would eventually live with my Aunt and my mother and sister moved back in with my grandparents. Family tensions had prevented us from living with them in the past and those tensions made living with them quite stressful for everyone involved.

There were also times when our family was on welfare and getting food stamps. That was also an experience that I am not very fond of. Dealing with government services was and still is a hassle. You approach these agencies and are treated like a low life piece of crap. And I will tell you that most of the people seeking services from these agencies ARE low life pieces of crap. But many people are just down on their luck. Some have given up on life and some are just lazy.

The experiences I've had growing up have taught me that I could do better. I felt so low of my life at that time that I decided that I would set a higher standard for myself. And at that point I became a workaholic. Whatever it took, I had to step up to the plate. It did not matter what kind of job I had to get as long as it was legal and offered a paycheck. So for 20 years I have worked more than one job at the same time.

I have proven my abilities well enough that in 20 years I have had only 2 major employers. And I managed to earn a good income. But I got tired of having to answer to STUPID bosses. I knew that I could do better than what I was doing so in early 2005 after 11 years with my last employer I quit my job.

Today I am developing a service business. I perform a service for several companies as an independent contractor AND I work an evening job AND I work a weekly job one day per week. Eventually I will be completely my own boss. It has been a long haul and it will continue to be. But I refuse to give up or slow down.

It is because of my life experience that I work so much. My only problem is that I worked so much that I haven't gone to college yet. I kept promising myself that I would go to college by a certain date or age. First it was age 21, then it was 25, then it was age 30. But by age 30 I had some personal issues to deal with that would have made going to school a waste of money.

Well I have dealt with those personal issues and my sister and I dealt with the severe health problems of both our mother and grandmother. They are both gone now and I need to move forward. I need to step up to the plate again and work for the home run. Actually I need to make it a grand-slam home run. I may be old enough to have a kid in college now but I plan to be attending a college soon. No more promises. It's time for "a little less conversation and a little more action". (I like that song by Elvis Presley.)

A college degree will enhance my income and business abilities. Not to mention a whole lot more respect, dignity and pride in myself. That for me is more valuable than money. (well maybe)

I say all of this only to remind myself that I need to get off of my ass and do something. Anything. And I hope others will read this, take a look at their life and situation and get up off of their asses and do something.

I am not where I wanted to be at this point in my life. And there are people half my age that are twice as far ahead of me. And I must catch up. No excuses! I HAVE to catch up.

I only lost a dollar.

Well as expected I woke up today a dollar poorer than I was yesterday. And a total stranger somewhere is now a millionaire. I bought that lottery ticket last night around 10pm. Only spent a dollar as I said in the previous post. I just could not bear losing too much money for a lottery.

Not a single number on my ticket was drawn. The winning Mega Millions lottery ticket was sold in California. There was a single winning ticket worth around 315 million dollars.

I am really dissapointed is that I had a prepared "lottery winning" speech that I won't get to read. And it was a really great speech. Now I will file that speech for possible release in the future.

Oh well, I only lost a dollar. No pack of chewing gum for me this week.

Thinking about buying a lottery ticket.

I have issues with playing the lottery. I just don't see the sense in throwing money away on a risk. Actually I have many reasons against the lottery but that's for another day. Because today the Mega Millions jackpot is over 300 million dollars. So I am thinking of making an exception to my rule of never playing the lottery. If I would ever buy a lottery ticket, this may be the perfect time to buy ONE! Only ONE DOLLAR, never more than a dollar!

I even have my speech prepared just in case I win the lottery and I have to do one of those press conferences when they present the winner with that big cardboard check.

I'll share with you the first sentence of my prepared speech in case I win the lottery. Here it is....

"The following people can kiss my........"

(I'll share the rest of my LONG prepared speech AFTER I win the lottery.)

Driver Alert: YUGO sighting!!

When I saw this car in a parking lot I just had to take a photo. A real YUGO!

Wow! What a flashback! IN 1986 this foreign lawn mower that allegedly seated four was introduced to the US with great fanfare. It's sticker price was lower than that of a used car back then. It sold for $2,000 brand new compared to a $6,000 Chevy Chevette or Ford Escort without a radio or Air Conditioning.

With this "car" you could go from 0-35mph in 20 minutes depending on the wind (but don't drive uphill) Gas mileage was really cheap with this car. You only needed enough gas to drive back to the mechanic. And there were dealerships everywhere. Once respectful Ford, Chevy or Chrysler dealerships developed "import divisions" in order to sell these little gems. And later you could get one of these at your local bicycle shop, burger stand or hair salon. It got to a point when anyone could get a YUGO franchise .

By the year 1990 Yugo cars went the way of the Betamax. And I am sure that the nerd that drove this car to work has a few Betamax machines at home, still connected to a 12 inch black and white TV.

I wonder if I could sell him my old 8-track tape deck?

STOP! Please?

I am getting some feedback about my new blog. And I want to thank everyone for taking a look.

I was succesful in doing work on my brakes earlier this evening. I drove a few miles to get some chinese food take out and the car stops very nicely. No squealing! This really is a temporary fix as I need to get the rear brakes done as well. For that I will have to take the car to a mechanic. The front disc brakes were easy to work on, but I cannot and won't even attempt to work on the rear drum brakes which are also the parking brakes on this car. They are starting to get a little weak. Good thing I live on a flat street and don't have to worry about the car rolling downhill.

The chinese food that I ate this evening was horrible. We have many chinese food restaurants to choose from in this town and I normally go to three of them. Tonight I went to the newest of the three. And the food is usualy good. Tonight I just regret spending my money.

Two types of food in my area that just isn't as good as they are back home are Chinese and BBQ. More often than not I find myself disappointed.

Mr.Goodwrench

This afternoon I am about to change the front brake pads on one of my cars. This particular car has had to be repaired several times in recent weeks. I use this car for business and for a part time job of delivering pizzas. And surprisingly enough, it does run good for a 9 year old car that has seen over 60,000 miles in only ONE YEAR!

Of course all of that driving takes a heavy toll. I had to replace the alternator last week ($140). The radiator cooling fan last month ($50 replacement part from a local junk yard) and now the front brakes were squealing so I will replace those today. ($11). Also I am close to needing 4 new tires for the second time on this car. Again, I drive a minimum of 1,000 miles a week on this car, so I have to really keep up on the maintence. Overall my experience is not bad with this car. To save money I do as much of the repair and maintence as possible myself.

Since I drive mostly General Motors vehicles, you can call me Mr. Goodwrench!

I bought this GM car, a 1996 Oldsmobile Achevia SC (2-door) for only $900 last year in a rush because of a 10 year old (Nissan) pickup truck whos engine died at 175,000 miles. The $900 Oldsmobile only had 85,000 miles on it when I bought in November, 2004. That car now has 148,566 and despite having to replace a few parts in recent months, I think this little car is holding up pretty well. If you don't know this car, it is basically the same thing as a Grand Am.

I do have a "good" car, one that looks nice and I don't like to put too much mileage on it. And if I could finally catch up on my bills without emergencies popping up I will finally get a new engine in my truck. I kinda like my cute little pickup. And would like to drive it again and maybe even add a couple of nice tricks to it. Nothing extravagant. Just some larger tires and to raise the profile a couple inches. Maybe even a nice bedliner and tool box on the back. Sounds kinda butch doesn't it? Well, thats the way I really like my truck. Functional and attractive at the same time.

I really want a new Chevy truck. If the gas prices were lower I'd surely get a Silverado, but I fell in love with the new Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon trucks. I rented one for a couple of weeks earlier this year to check them out and was really impressed. But there is no way in hell that I will ever get into making monthly car payments again after my last car purchase. So the new truck is a very long way in my future. Better get my still good looking old truck back on the road for a few more years.

"Hello Chunky Chunky!!"

OK, so I stopped at the supermarket for a few things. I only do this on Sunday if I absolutely need to get something. And today it was Toilet Paper. (I know, too much information.) And while I was walking to my car there was this car full of children and they were looking at me. I didn't think much about it but then I heard a child's voice laughing and yelling "Hello Chunky Chunky" and then it was repeated with a few more voices. "Hello Chunky Chunky!" those "cute" little kids sang with great amusement.

I don't dislike children, but I don't have any either. You see I would probably end up in jail for hurting one of those rugrats. It's called "Old School-down-in-the-country-southern style-black family parenting". I am an adult and those children spoke out of line toward me. And "back in the day" if I had said to someone "grown" what those brats said to me? I'd get the mess slapped right out of me. And in some cases, the adult you spoke out of line to would get you first, then you got it again from your own parents. You can't do that today. You can't even think about slapping a child in the mouth today. But whats really sad is that children are so out of control now. They can get away with so much that previous generations could never dream of.

So when a child decides to make comments about an adult like me who happens to be a little "Chunky Chunky" as they call it, I just have to smile, pretend that I think those little brats are cute and go on my merry way.

Those brats better be glad that I never give out halloween candy. I'd be the one who slips some ex-lax inside a choclate candy wrapper. That'll teach them!!

Would someone please tell parents to teach their little rugrats how to respect adults, regardless of their size!

Sunday is MY day

My ideal Sunday morning is one that where I only get up if my body tells me to. The sound of jazz music softly fills the air. The house is dark with the hint of sunlight peeking through the cracks of the window blinds. But I don't even think of looking outside that window unless it is into the back yard just to look at a tree or my overgrown grass. If I really need to do any yardwork I'll get to it late in the afternoon. But Sunday is MY day. Yardwork is not a priority on Sunday.

Many Sunday mornings I may have a telephone conversation with my best friend of over 20 years. His name is David and he lives in another state. We usually call each other before David and his family go to church. Mostly it would be David calling me and waking me up! But since he got married he now has a larger extended family and now he and his wife also have a baby girl. So his life is busy with family on Sundays. I do my best to respect that. I am happy for David and his family.

In my ideal Sunday morning, I don't have to go anywhere. I might get dressed about 11 or 12. And I will have the CBS Sunday Morning recorded on TIVO just in case I did not wake up earlier to watch it at 9am. I have been watching this great laid back newsmagazine since the early days when the late Charles Kuralt hosted the show. If I wake up any earlier on Sunday I'll watch the local TV News to see any local band they may have perform in the studio, or the cooking segment or the animal segment. The local Sunday morning news here can be fun to watch. And I know the main news anchor from many events that we both have been a part of over the years. She is really a cool person.

While I am watching TV I may go online for no real reason at all. I might read the news, do a little reasearch on something or catch up on my e-mails but it is not likely that I will respond to any e-mails today. I really don't feel like communicating that way on Sundays. Then somewhere after noon I prepare something to eat. It could be breakfast food or I'll just get a good Sunday dinner kind of treat ready and that may be the only thing I have for the day.

If I have to go out at all, it has nothing to do with Church, or shopping. The church I occasionally attend has services on Sunday evening, so I have the entire day to fill or to do absolutely nothing. Sunday is mostly a day of rest for me even though I work most Sunday evenings. And today I have a monthly meeting that is held on the second Sunday at 2pm. So I have to get ready to go to that. You'll know more about those meetings with future posts, I dont have time to get into that right now.

Right now as I am posting this, am listening to one of my favorate jazz bands, The Crusaders were popular mostly in the 1970's.

I did look outside the window, it is another Chamber Of Commerce type of day outside. Sunny, not too cold or too warm and not a cloud in the sky. On Sundays like that I just may venture outside, but the pleasant feeling of that occasionally rings hollow for me for the reasons that I mentioned yesterday. But today I'm not going to think about being what I call "terminally single". Sundays in solitude are actually great for me.

My Sunny Saturday NOT!

This is one of those mornings that I really hate. It is a peaceful morning and a beautiful day outside. And as I have for all of my adult life I don't have anyone to share this beautiful morning with. I have never truly experienced that companionship. Someone to make breakfast for or to make breakfast for me. Or to share this Saturday while shopping, doing yardwork or finding something fun to do. And I know some who do get to enjoy that type of life. They seem to enjoy their day well.

I try not to envy those who share life with someone, but it is hard when I am alone on days like this. Not that I have to have anyone around. I do like the peace and quiet. But I did not ask for it to be a lifetime of that. I have been single for my entire adult life, never having any luck in finding that "relationship". I think I came close once, but that turned out to be a joke on me.
A few people that know me know that this is an old issue that I have and occasionally rant about via e-mail. And I'll probably rant about this often in my blog. At least until my luck changes.

Sometimes I give up on the bullshit process of meeting people and that is because of the bullshit that you have to go through. And the bullshit reasons that people use in their rejection of me. Everyone wants someone with model good looks and I certainly dont have that. And I think that so many are stuck up and full of themselves because they may be attractive and or successful or have one of those happy-everythings beautiful kind of lives. And I may not have a place in that life. Almost always, I am "not their type" so I am told. Well how the hell would you know that if you don't take the time to know ME? (I can never get anyone to answer that damn question!)

Now I have to admit that there are many things that I could do and many have suggested going to bars and clubs to meet people or to move to a larger city where the potential dating pool would be larger. But I dont drink and cannot stand the bar/club environment. Also, I grew up in the larger urban environment. No luck there at all, the bitches in the city are more evil in their rejection than the country folk. Its all about attitude and I have little tolorance for the attitudes of the city. And I can't afford the high cost of living in the city. Not to mention the traffic. So with all of that that I wont put up with here I am....still single with little chance of changing that status anytime soon.

Please don't tell me that "special person" will finally come into my life! I heard that shit back in my mid 20s. Then again in my early 30's. Now I dont even tell my age because at this point it could be embarassing for people to know that I have never been involved with anyone. Never dated, no long term relationships, nothing. Only a couple of times when I may have met someone online only to fool myself into thinking that maybe that could turn into something. At least there I did make a couple friends who I do maintain contact with.

I spend way too much time complaining about being single, but 20 years of trying and failing are taking a toll. I dont even have an "ex" to talk about. Everyone I know at least has that much to reflect on. Not me!

Well enough of my "sick of being single" rant for today. I have to go out and run some errands along with the happy couples and families that I will see at the bank, the shopping centers and Home Depot. They'll be working together in their lives and I'll wish that they stop holding up the line at the cashier counter! And I better not go anywhere near the Starbucks. The happy couples sitting there enjoying their latte' really depress me. I'll get a "crapaccino" from the gas station instead. My boring single life as usual.

At least the weather is nice today.

I just want to walk, Thank You!

The other day I decided to take an extended walk. I was walking to work to retrieve one of my cars which had broken down at work. The car was repaired and I drove my good car home and had to go back to get the older car that had to be repaired. It was parked at work. And instead of getting a ride for the 3 mile trip or paying for a taxi I decided to walk. Besides I need the exercise! I am fat! And walking is not a bad idea for fat folks. I need to lose weight, so I need to get off of my fat rump and walk some pounds off.

So I take off for my walk and I cant go 10 minutes without being offered a ride. It seemed to shock everyone that I was walking somewhere. First, my neighbor who knows that I have two cars and a truck. "What happened? Why are you walking? Get in, I'll drive you" the neighbor pleads with me. He was concerned that I had broken down since he noticed that one of my vehicles had not been around for a couple of days. I told him that everything was ok I was walking to enjoy the beautiful day and a little exercise.

About half way to my destination a familiar truck passes by. I held my head down hoping that the driver won't recognize me because I really did not have time to talk and I wanted to continue my walk. But about three minutes later I hear a horn blow and I turn and there is that truck. Inside is this couple that I know. I have great respect for the both of them for their generousity and their intelligence. And I appreciate that they took the time to check on me and to ask if everything was ok. I assured them that I was fine and explained why I was walking. And even though I wanted to avoid them at first, it was good to see them as I know they plan to eventually leave the area. I continued on my walk.

I made it FIVE minutes before the next interruption in my walk. This one by a co-worker who was dropping her daugher off at the babysitter. By now I am less than a mile from work. I really wanted to continue my walk and I told my co-worker "Thanks, but I can make it the rest of the way and I will see you there soon." And I was sure that I would make it.

But then I arrived at the big intersection where I would have to cross a major highway during rush hour. I waited for the traffic light, but could not get across as todays drivers really dont give a damn about pedestrians. I want to walk but I don't want to get killed crossing this highway so I waited a few minutes. Then came two different co-workers. One a young guy barely into his 20's and the other a mother just a few years older than I. They both saw me at the same time and they both tried to get my attention. It was the motherly one that yelled "GET IN" and she must have meant it since she stopped in the middle of the street and held up traffic waiting for me! At that point I said "OK" and gave up on the idea that I was going to walk all the way to my destination.

Folks, I appreciate the kindness of offering me a ride while I walked in this not-so-small-town that behaves like it is a small town. But I just wanted to walk for a change. And it is a habit that I plan to get into once again and begin to lose weight.

I just want to walk, thank you!
And thank you for caring.

DAMN the SPAMMERS!!!

I created a blog a couple of hours ago. I posted my second thing about the jackass nose picker cell phone driver and then I get two comments from the blog. And they are spam messages!

I just cant get away from the parasites who plague cyberspace with their unwanted crap!

DAMN THE SPAMMERS!!!

DAMN THEM STRAIGHT TO HELL ON A ROCKET!

What finally made me start this blog thing

OK, I had wanted to start a blog for a while. It is a great way to express my true thoughts. And often I wish I could tell the world about the things and/or people that totally piss me off. I am not mean enough to tell the person directly, otherwise I'd slap them.

Today, while driving I confronted my usual pet peeve. PEOPLE WHO DRIVE WHILE TALKING ON THEIR CELL PHONES! I'm sure you will read often as I express my disgust with people who commit this crime against safe driving. But today, I witnessed what had to be the most disgusting example of "Driving while Talking".

Many people hate to see what many of us do while alone in our car. Some of us pick our noses. It happens at the traffic light and some unfortunate driver who just happens to glance into their rear view mirror to find the driver behind him just digging away for the golden booger. Today I was that driver. and the guy behind me was digging up his nose with one hand and cell phone was in the other hand!

I wonder if the person on the other end of that phone conversation had any idea what was going on. The whole idea of picking ones nose while talking to someone on the phone is creepy. Just as creepy as if you were sitting on the toilet while talking on the phone. But some people just cant let go of the phone.

Now whats really bad about this is that when the traffic light turned green, the driver behind me continued to multi-task. He was still picking his nose AND talking on the phone! HOLDING THE PHONE WITH ONE HAND and picking the nose with the other hand! Occasionally his nose picking hand would manage to reach the steering wheel for a few seconds, but the telephone hand remained firmly pressed against his hollow head.

I fear this kind or driver and for good reason. I have had TWO separate incidents where people who were driving and talking on their cell phone at the same time collided with MY car. Fortunately there were no injuries, but in both cases I had to deal with the inconvience of having a car in the body shop and dealing with insurance companies for thousands of dollars in repairs.

People who drive while talking on the cell phone are a menace to society and you rank equally with those who are DUI! Some of you should not even talk on the phone using any hands free device. You just cannot carry a conversation and safely drive a vehicle at the same time. You need to focus on your driving and stay off of the phone!

Blogs are great! I feel like I can say anything. So I will give you an idea about the jackass I am talking about. He was driving a blue Honda Civic (with a University of Georgia "G" Sticker in the back window), BIBB County Georgia License plates and traveling along GA HWY 247 near the Macon Georgia Regional Airport. I first saw this idiot at the traffic light just south of the airport. After the light turned green I tried to speed away from this car, but he kept up. Then I changed lanes and hoped that he would pass and go away, but he did not. I could not pull over as we were about to cross a narrow bridge. Eventually I got a safe distance from him. But later this idiot nose picking-cell phone talking driver made a right turn WITHOUT USING A TURN SIGNAL onto Watson Blvd in the city of Warner Robins, Georgia. and he used two lanes of traffic to make that turn!

That phone never left the side of his head!

I wish people like that would run themselves right into a tree and save the rest of us from their carelessness.

Welcome to my blog

Well, here I am. And the things that I may say on this blog may cause many emotions. But I promise that I will be completly honest in my opinion. I may even reveal some really personal stuff here.

If anyone reads my blog, I say to all readers that I appreciate you taking the time to read whatever is on my mind. Some of what I say may shock you. Some of what I say may offend someone, but the truth hurts and I am all about the truth! Accepting the truth no matter how painful it may be may help someone grow. And continued growth and learning is always a good thing.

Anyway, welcome to my blog, this has been my first post. Created ust an hour before my sister's 34th Birthday. So happy birthday to Erika.