Wednesday 3/21/04

Last Day of the month....

Last day of the month and the weather is beautiful   Woke up early this morning and went to the park early.  Skated 8 miles this morning before it was crowded.  The weather was perfect, the sidewalks were clean and the skates worked pretty good.  I hate new skates.  They always hurt the first few miles, but then when you settle in, get them under your feet and get comfortable, it's time to take off and do some speed work.  I like when I can push hard for a few miles to see how the skates respond.  My new ones worked just fine.  They aren't the best I have owned, but they will do for now to get a good workout without fear of the wheels coming off. 

I heard on the radio this morning that this has been the driest month on record for March.  Makes me wonder how the rest of the year is going to shape up.  It has been nice with the temp staying in the 70's.

Brandon and I went to get our hair cut this morning.  Walked into the business, saw the one lady I can't stand, then turned around and walked out.  I bet she thought I am crazy.  But she should know I won't let her cut my hair, she butchered me last time.  Nothing like a blind man who finds out they have been butchered.

Someone commented to me earlier that banks get mad at people who write bad checks.  I thought that was humorous.  I would think that most banks fear the elimination of checks due to the enormous source of revenue they collect in bad check fees.  They only get mad when they can't make money off of others bad bookkeeping or misfortune.  

Oh...and Bettie...if you ever want to read about a life that is strange beyond all thought, read about Bettie.  Read about how she found fame, had fun, then had a life destroyed by her fame.  Then learn how she lived life on her terms.  Bettie Page.

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More killing in Iraq.  Will it ever end.   Do you ever wonder what our country would be like if everyone that disliked anyone else resolved all issues with guns?  

OPEC is holding out on the oil again.....imagine that....Arabs wanting our money.  They announced today that they are going to cut production by one million barrels a day.  Surely some greedy country will take advantage of that opportunity and work harder to sell more.

Janet Jackson says she won't talk about bare breasts ever again.  What a shame.

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Sunday 3/28/04

Another Sunday, time to think.....

I guess there are times when you just get lazy and can't stay on routines.  My routine to add to this every day has once again fallen to the side.  Work just about did me in this week.  I had to work six days, since my co-manager was on vacation.  She needed the break, though.  I am so tired right now, then again, I want to do something different, to bust loose both physically and mentally.   I hope the opportunity comes soon.  

The daily routines of life can get old.  I wonder if that is why I am so easily swayed to buy things that I don't need, to add some small part of excitement.  Not a good thing.   Then again, today might be a good day to go out and find  some new skates.  I need em, I need the workout.  So easy to just do nothing, I need the incentive to work hard, I like to be different, so the need for skates.

I get my truck back on Tuesday.  Dang thing has me hooked.  I want my truck back!!!   How dare someone hit me and take it away from me!

We need to get to work on our site.  A project that has not taken off due to us procrastinating.  Time to work, time to get started.  Had a few others look at it and have been given good reviews.  Hope to get it going again.

Leigh Ann went to New Orleans for a track meet.  I hope she had a good time.  Again, I am so proud of her.

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Sunday 3/21/04

Family....Leigh Ann

A good day, nice weather, and fun with the family.  Leigh Ann came to visit today.  It seems that the more I see of her, the more I see of myself in her.  We do have a lot in common in terms of being calm and not wound up over issues.  We went to the park yesterday and walked the frisbee trails.  It was nice to take that time alone to allow us to talk about life.

Today we took all of the family and threw frisbees.  The little ones are getting pretty good at it.  It is fun walking the trails in the woods and just being silly.  The time alone to cut up and talk is good family time.  

Leigh Ann goes home tomorrow.  She has grown up so much.  She seems excited about graduating and going to college in fall.  Then again, I can tell she is going to miss her friends, the security of being surrounded with those close to her.  She will be fine, she is a strong young lady. I worry about her, I am so proud of her, she is my daughter.  I love her, she is my Leigh Ann.

Dang it, no pictures of all of us together.....noooooooooo !!!!!

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Wednesday 3/18/04

Short day

This was a short work day for me.  Some Wednesdays I go in for a half day.   Actually it is frustrating to me and the people I work with.  They need a a day off from me as much as I need one for myself.  It isn't that bad though, it does allow me to come home, spend time with Belinda and do odd jobs and get caught up on home life.

We spent the afternoon raking the yard.  We must be turning into pros, it only too us about 30 minutes to rake over the dirt.  One day we may actually figure out how to grow grass on this dirt.  Who knows?

I love Belinda and worry about her so much.  She tries so hard to make life good for all.  I really think she gets frustrated at times and it makes it hard on her to get through some days.  I guess life gets tough when you allow it, at times almost overwhelming.  I think I am finally learning at this late stage that being organized in most things makes things go easier.  All I can do is hope that the next day will be better and let her know how much I love her.

I like my days at home.

Kerry and Bush...still at it...will it ever end?

Nokia introduces the first megapixel phone!

Whitney Houston checks into drug rehab...is that really news???

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Tuesday 3/16/04

....as we seek help.

Due to my work, I have the opportunity to work with many young people.  I am able to share in both the good and bad that may be found in others lives.  Recently, it seems that I am hearing more of young people who are lost.  They have no sense of direction and are lost in terms of being able to resolve issues that may be threatening to them in terms of how it affects their lives.  They feel as if everything around them is being lost and there is no way out, that life at times is hopeless.

The other day, someone very close to me shared with me issues that   person feels they cannot correct without help.  It seems these days, every time someone feels  lost,  they feel that someone else has to help them through their problems.

How do you tell someone that in most instances, the problems they have, has to be solved by themselves.  They alone, have the answers they are looking for.  In searching for help, they tend to pass those that they feel aren't experts.  They go from person to person seeking advice on who they can talk to, hoping to find someone that can help them.  All in hope that they will find that one person who can show them "the way".  Funny thing is, that when they finally find that one person who can help them, the only thing that really happens is that they have found someone who motivates them to take care of their own problems.

How do you tell a young person that they are their own answer.  They alone, can correct the things wrong in their life.  Whether its skills, bad habits, relationships, money, weight problems, or any of the other many problems that people find, the answer is within themselves.  Once they learn the difference between what is wrong and how they can correct it, along with the results from doing right, the problems go away.  Why do we pay others to tell us the things we already know?  The voice of reason that you seek is already in you. 

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Sunday 3/14/04

A Trucking Man

Been a while now.  Work, family, life in general.  I am glad to be back, I am glad to be able to contribute again.   Our home life has changed somewhat and been in a state of semi-chaos.  Transportation chaos.  We one day had committed to sell our van, then the next day I totaled my car.  

A couple of weeks ago I had the great fortune to wreck the most reliable car I have ever owned.   My 1996 red Dodge Avenger. It was such a good car, with a mere 186,000 miles on it.  It had so much more to give.  As a result of my misfortunes, I have also found great fortune.  In our search for new vehicles, I have had the opportunity to get to know Belinda's grandfather better.  What a great guy.  I hope one day to be the caring and generous man that I see in him.  He is country, but at the same time he is about being good to people.  He saved me in terms of finding another vehicle that I really like.  He just happened to have a full sized 2001 Dodge Ram truck.  He really did a good job taking care of it.  What a change!

The truck has a camper shell on the back that I told him I really didn't need.  But after seeing that I might hurt his feelings by not taking it, I have grown to like it.  I now have a PawPaw truck.  I am now officially a Lower Alabama rednek old man.  

Not to say I am completely bitten, but I do like my truck.  Power?  Above others?  I don't know, but it is a "man" thing that I don't quite understand.  Now, if I could just find a way to feed this gas guzzling monster!!!   I can carry kids, I can put a dog in the back, I can ride with my wife sitting next to me....oh, the feeling of going back in time.  I like it.

Also, I now hereby commit to showing more pictures.  We finally bought a new digital camera.  No excuses not to have some visual memories to add to my future.  So be on the lookout.  They are on the way.  Might just have to create a picture page....not a bad idea now that I think it over.  Just more time....time, something that I wish I had.  But then again, time is something that you take, you don't wait for life and events to happen, they happen as you live.  So choose to live each minute and each day, don't wait for it.

al Qaeda....a name for cowards, a name for the insecure, a name for the weak

Mel Gibson presents the Passion of the Christ.  What a debate, what a spectacle.  People pointing fingers at each other, people blaming each other.  So which of those people that are doing all of the blaming, were here over 2,000 years ago?  The people being blamed weren't here either.  Just watch the movie and enjoy or dislike it on the merit of being a presentation on a screen, get over the silliness of being a lifetime debate.

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