One of the best Soldier Support Videos I've seen

Even if you don't like the music, you gotta love the message.
STAY STRONG

Pretty Close, no?

This is a mid-1960s video showing what technology might be like in 1999. Go here for more info: http://www.snopes.com/photos/technology/year1999.asp

Don't Do Christmas, Either

I found a great site that explains the holidays, and why I don't celebrate them, much better than I can. Go here for more info:
http://www.beyondtoday.tv/channels/holidays.htm

Cats & Dogs

I recently rescued a young dog that was running down a country highway. Butch is not a small dog, weighing in at about 40 pounds. Just a while ago one of my cats, Lucy, kicked Butch's butt. She seems to have become the Protector of the Feline, because Butch wasn't bothering her - He was chasing another cat, Gracie. Of course I broke up the fight, but I'm not unhappy that it happened. I want Butch to learn that the cats aren't something for him to play with, or chase.

Says who?

If you've ever visited my website, you might know that one of the things that annoys me most is people who think they know you, but don't have a clue about who you really are. I've come across one or two people like that in the past few days.

One man who I thought was a casual friend (because of how he joked around with me when he saw me) has begun to avoid me. He told someone else that I thought I was God's gift to everyone. I don't know what I must have done to make him think so, but it couldn't be farther from the truth. I have problems, flaws, and more, and I'll be the first person to admit it. I'm not anywhere near perfect, and I'm often wrong. I suppose I'll never have the opportunity to find out what I did and, therefore, explain and/or apologize.

I wish people were more straight-forward. If I do something to tick you off, tell me (hopefully in an tactful way), so that I can apologize and explain. I seldom want to make someone angry. We all sometimes misinterpret each other. Let's talk about it.

It makes me tired when I think about something like this - having someone dislike me for some unknown reason, misinterpreting without talking to me. It's just dumb. Life's too short for this kind of nonsense.

Recognized Already!

I worked for Wal-Mart for a total of four years. For the last two of those years I was one of the best "associates" they will ever have. I was especially nice and very helpful to hundreds of customers, often resulting in sales that W-M wouldn't have had if I hadn't been there. Never - not once - was I ever recognized for my customer service (except by the customers).

I'd only worked for Walgreen's for a mere three weeks when I was surprised with an "Outstanding Customer Service" award.

I'm amazed!

I know that Walgreen's is where I'm meant to be. This award is only one reason. Other things have happened to make me feel like I'm supposed to be there. Of course, the biggest thing is that I actually enjoy working for Walgreen's. In only 38 days of employment I already feel more appreciated than I ever did at Wal-Mart.

So, to Wal-Mart I award a big pppppppppppppptttttttttttttttttttttttt!

I don't do Halloween

It's Halloween. This is the only night of the year when I turn off my porch light. Don't want any little ones ringing my door bell begging for candy. I'll bet 90 - no 95% or more of them don't even know why they do it. All they know is that, one night a year they dress up and go begging for candy. Yay!

As most of our holidays do, this holiday has its roots in a pagan festival. I won't go into detail. If you want to know more, just google "origin of halloween." The short version is that "in the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saint's Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday." I find it interesting that we still hold Halloween on October 31, the original day of the dead, and not on November 1, "All Saints Day."

I'm a born-again Christian, but I don't celebrate a lot of our so-called Christian holidays. I don't celebrate Christmas because I know that Jesus wasn't born on December 25. Christmas is, once again, a made-up holiday to replace a pagan festival. Those pagans. They didn't want to be Christians if it meant giving up their festivals. And I won't celebrate a lie.

I guess I'm a little different than most of the Christians, born-again or not, you'll meet. Most of the people I know who call themselves Christians are happy to celebrate Christmas in the most capitalistic and non-religious ways possible, as well as Easter and Halloween. (Am I forgetting any?)

If it's not mentioned in the Bible, then we shouldn't celebrate something as a Christian event or holiday.

Halloween's not in there. Christmas isn't either. Oh, they mention the birth of Christ, but give no date. What little evidence they give points to a warmer part of the year. Easter is in there, so we should acknowledge it, but not the way we do now. It should be a serious occasion. A celebration, yes, but no bunnies and chicks and eggs. None of those symbols that come from who-knows-where.

Walgreen's - My new job

Walgreen's is so much better than Wal-Mart. It's so much more relaxed, the people are nicer, the whole experience is better. I'm currently helping open a new store in Copperas Cove, Texas. We're stocking the shelves and getting ready for the store to open next Friday, 10/26. I'll be doing that for my own store soon, so the experience will be helpful. I'll be mostly setting up the one-hour photo shop. I'm anxious.

Work, work, work

I started my new job last week. I'm going to be developing photos. As I was being trained, learning how to do things in the dark, I began to wonder: do they hire blind people at the companies where they make film and negatives? It would make sense.

Oh, it cost about $1400 to get my car fixed. Don't ever buy a Saturn. If you want details, ask. Otherwise I don't plan to explain.

If it wasn't for bad luck. . .

The first two days of my new job have been, um, interesting. I have to drive about 35 miles to get to the place where I'm being trained. I drive a 10-year-old car. On my first day, on the way to work my cruise control just quit working. Great! There goes my gas mileage. On the second day, on the way to work my brakes went out. Great! There goes my car! So I get to work and tell them that I have to take my car to the shop. That's fine with them, but I'm sure it doesn't make such a good impression. I take the car to the shop and I'm told that they have a lot of cars left over from yesterday, so they might not be able to get to my car today. I explain that I work in city A, and live in city B, and they are 35 miles apart. Can I get a loaner? Nope. But we can rent you a car for $30 a day. I'll see if you can fix my car today and then decide. They drive me to work where, for the second day in a row the company's computer has failed to acknowledge that I exist so I can't do any of the computer based training that I really need to do. Add to that a rare and frustrating equipment malfunction that means no actual work - except for trying to figure out what's wrong and how to fix it - for most of the day.

I finally find out that my car will definitely not be done today, so I arrange for another expense - a rental car. You might already know that it's nearly impossible to get a rental car without a credit card. Guess who didn't have a credit card? They said I could use my debit card, but I'd have to show them a pay stub and utility bill. Who carries around a pay stub and a utility bill?! Finally the car repair shop agreed to pay for the rental as long as I reimburse them - which I must do in order to get my repaired car back.

So here I sit with a $35 per day car in my driveway doing nothing but sitting there. I guess I should be glad I was at least able to get home today! (I chose to pay the extra $5 for a slightly better car - a Kia Altima.)

Tomorrow the equipment at work should be operational so we can get some actual work done, and the company computer should acknowledge my existence so that I can get some training done. And maybe I'll get my car back. We'll see.

Hummingbirds

In central Texas, where I live, we're blessed with ruby throated hummingbirds during the summer. I put my feeders up in March. I usually see the first hummer before the end of the month. This year we had a very unusual snow fall on April 9, and I had a LOT of hummers at my feeder. I spent my lunch hour at home putting up two more feeders. I've had a little more activity this summer than normal. I suppose that means that fewer people in my immediate area are hanging out feeders.

The southern migration started not long ago, and my regulars have gone. I think I saw the last hummer about three or four days ago. I leave the feeders up for those who are passing through until at least the end of October. That's probably too long, but I want to make sure that the migrating hummingbirds find the nectar. I'm going to miss them, as I always do during the fall and winter.

If you're interested in learning about hummingbirds, start here: http://www.hummingbirds.net/ .

PC is Missing

One of my cats has gone missing. PC came into my life nine years ago when his stray mama decided to raise him on my front porch. I lived in North Carolina at the time. He grew to be a beautiful and extremely loving cat. He loved to be held, and I loved holding him. He's a beautiful gray (I like to say silver) long haired cat. Until recently he was an indoor-only cat, which is what I prefer, and how I believe all cats should be raised, for their own safety. But I installed a doggie door so that my dogs could go outside to relieve themselves while I was at work. Of course, this meant that the cats could go out, too. Most of them stay pretty close to home. But even though PC has been neutered, he would stray farther than the others. I live in a fairly rural area. My house is on a "dead end," so there isn't a lot of traffic. That's why I didn't worry too much about my cats being outside. I wanted to build an enclosure for them so they couldn't leave the yard, but I couldn't afford it. Now he's gone. He's been gone for 34 days. I dream about him coming home every night. I've put up signs, called the local vets, notified animal control. He has been microchipped, so he can be identified if he's found. He's not wearing a collar. Too dangerous for a cat.

I know that I am completely responsible for whatever has happened to him. After all, if I hadn't let him out, he'd be home now. I hope he's not alone, scared, hungry, thirsty. Maybe someone has decided to adopt him and is taking good care of him. Eventually that kind person will take him to the vet, who will hopefully scan him and discover his microchip, whereupon he'll be returned to me. I hope so. I hope. I pray.

Graphically Speaking

More about Dexter

I've decided that I'm now addicted to Dexter. I've watched eight episodes, so far, and can hardly wait until the next disk arrives, tomorrow. What's really nice is that the second season starts on Sunday, so I'll be able to go straight from the end of season one to the beginning of season two. I've subscribed to Showtime and I have my TiVo set, so I'm ready! And if there's a power failure, for some reason, or the satellite goes out, as it often does in extremely hard rain, I'll be able to watch episodes on iTunes. I love technology!

One thing that I've found very refreshing about Dexter is that all the women have small breasts. Why is that refreshing? Because it means the boobs are real and that the producers aren't hung up with huge and/or fake breasts. Of course, now that the series is a success, and the actresses have a little bit of money, maybe they'll come back in season two with boob jobs. I hope not. I like to think that some women with smallish breasts are happy with what they have.

On the down side, the women with the small breasts are all exceedingly thin. This could mean eating disorders. I surely hope not. They could stand to gain a few pounds. It would make them look healthier. And it would make their breasts larger, too.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today would have been my dad's 84th birthday. Dad was depressed and he was an alcoholic. He took his own life on April 9, 1979. He thought you had to be very strong to commit suicide. So he said in a note he left. But he was wrong. You have to be strong to stay and face whatever it is that's causing you such despair. Ending your life to end the pain is the coward's way out. My dad was a coward. But I always loved him, and I always will. And I forgive him. I just wish we'd had a little more time to talk. Happy Birthday, Dad.

Dexter

I subscribe to Netflix.com, which allows me to see a lot of TV shows that I didn't see on TV, once they come out on video. My curiosity led me to rent the first season of "Dexter." I just finished watching the first four episodes and I have to say that I really like this show. I think I'm going to subscribe to Showtime just so that I can keep up with season two, which starts in a few days.

Dexter is a serial killer who works for the police as a forensic blood spatter specialist. I'm not sure what I expected. I didn't know much more than that when I started watching. I guess I expected more violence and blood, but there wasn't much. That's good. It means they're not counting on graphic violence to sell the show. They're using the characters and plot lines to sell it. So far, imho, it's working. I'm looking forward to receiving the next disk with the next four episodes.

Bad Religion (cont.)

I got one of those messages today, like the ones I blogged about a few days ago. Here it is:

--quote--
Hey, its almost 11:00 a.m. and I'm needing some good news, not to
mention, it does well to pray for your friends.

Meeting @ 11:00
This morning when the Lord opened a window to Heaven, He saw me, and
asked:
"My child, what is your greatest wish for today?"
I responded:
"Lord please, take care of the person who is reading this message,
their family and their special friends they deserve it and I love them very
much." The love of God is like the ocean, you can see its beginning, but not
its end. This message works on the day you receive it. Let us see if it is
true. Pass this on to your true friends. Something good will happen to
you at 11:00 in the morning; something that you have been waiting to hear.
This is not a joke; someone will call you by phone or will speak to
you about something that you were waiting to hear.
Do not break this prayer; send it to a minimum of 5 people.
--end quote--

I honestly believe that the prayer is nice, the sentiment is nice, but the
end of the message is definitely not what Jesus would do.

So Tired

I want to post, but I'm so tired. Been up since about 4:30 this morning. Running errands all day, driving a lot. Seems like I'm tired most of the time. Hopefully I'll find out why on Friday, when I go see the doctor. I'll post tomorrow.

Uncle Jay

For a good laugh, check out Uncle Jay Explains (the news) at unclejayexplains.com. He's hilarious! The down side is he only publishes a new "report" each Monday.

Bad Religion

Like most people, I get a lot of forwarded e-mail. A lot about it annoys me, but I tolerate it, even if it contains headers from a dozen other versions that were forwarded before I got my copy. What I won't tolerate is the type of message I've been getting recently. It's a religious "blessing" that the sender insists you must forward or there's something spiritually wrong with you. (I don't have an example right now. When I get one, I'll post it.)

This sort of e-mail is just mean. Are they trying to tell me that God won't love me if I don't forward this "blessing" to a hundred other people? I don't think so. I don't recall anything in the Bible that says so.

First of all, the only one who can bless me is God. Not you, not the priest or minister, not an e-mail. God. You can ask God to be blessed. You can ask God to bless someone else. You can not bless me. I can not bless you.

To try to make anyone feel guilty or not spiritual for not forwarding an e-mail is just mean. And it goes against God, not for him.

9/11

September 11, 2001. I was at home. I woke up earlier than usual (I worked second shift) and turned on the TV. That's about the time the first plane went into the first tower. I watched live as the second plane went into the second tower. I watched live as the first tower collapsed. I watched live as the second tower collapsed. I watched live as nearly three thousand people died - innocents and rescuers. Nothing has affected me as much as the events that unfolded that day. I was in shock. I don't cry much, but I cry every time I see those images. I don't know anyone personally who died that day, or anyone related to anyone who died that day. But I do know that those events would change the world, and our way of life. I suspect that a lot of my feelings came from my having served in the Army for 22 years. And for realizing the fear and despair of the people stuck in the towers knowing they would probably die. And for thinking of the families left behind. May God bless and be with all of those who were affected on 9/11, both directly and indirectly. Amen.

Getting Clean

Does anyone else out there hate taking a shower? I like to be clean, and I know I need to be clean, so I do shower before I go out in public. But I hate the process. I'm not sure why. I think I just want a faster way to get clean. I mean, if I'm only going out to pick up a few things, it seems like taking a shower is a lot of bother for a short "mission." Every time I shower I wash my hair, which adds time and effort. But my hair will smell bad just like my body would if I didn't wash it. I want one of those sonic showers like they had on Star Trek: The Next Generation. I don't know how they worked, but I think they were faster! I think that, getting ready for an event should take less time than the actual event, even just going out to pick up a few things.

Addicted to Lost

I'm a huge fan of the TV show "Lost." It's in hiatus right now, and I miss it a lot. Still, I check into the newsgroups and websites from time to time to see if there's any news about the new season (starts in February on ABC). While checking the Usenet group (alt.tv.lost), I saw a post that said that Jorge Garcia (Hurley/Hugo) had started a blog. I'm now checking that blog daily to see what Jorge has to say about Lost and about life. Check out his blog. It's at http://dispatchesfromtheisland.blogspot.com/.

Lots of free time. No money.

I quit my job at Wal-Mart. You know how they tell you to end unhealthy relationships? Well, that was definitely an unhealthy relationship. Mentally and physically. Now that I'm an ex-associate, I can tell you that there are a LOT of things wrong with Wal-Mart. And there are a lot of things wrong with "my" Wal-Mart. Maybe I'll go into specifics one day. Right now they're too depressing!

Last night I had a dream that I got up, got dressed, and went to work at Wal-Mart. After I got there I realized that I'd quit several days before. I wondered what the store manger would do when she saw me there. I had to change clothes when I got there, and the clothes I was putting on looked like my old Army NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) suit. It was green, heavy, and zipped at the ankles and wrists. I guess my military and wal-mart dreams are starting to combine.

This isn't working

I've posted twice to my blog via email, but for some reason the posts aren't showing up. That sucks. I'm not coming up here every time I want to post.
I've followed the instructions, used the right "address," but nothing's coming through. Things like this annoy me to no end.

Elephant Insemination

Whose job is it to, um, collect the sperm?

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Just in time for Father's Day, tests show that a bull elephant known as a prodigious stud has sired another offspring.

The Louisville Zoo said the tests showed Jackson was the father of Scotty, a male elephant recently born there. Scotty's mother was artificially impregnated in 2005.

With six living offspring, the 28-year-old Jackson holds the record for fathering the most calves at U.S. zoos. He lives at the Pittsburgh Zoo, where zookeepers regularly collect Jackson's semen and ship it around the country.

"He is extremely valuable," said Deborah Olson, director of conservation and science programs at the Indianapolis Zoo and studbook keeper for African elephants in North America.

Jackson is by far the most productive of the five male African elephants available for breeding in North America; three others have two calves each.

"We really appreciate the (Pittsburgh) zoo's willingness to use him for breeding," Olson said. "They never say no, they're just always right there ready to help."

The zoo next year plans to mate Jackson with two elephants it is getting from the Philadelphia Zoo.

Vacation

I was watching a video on YouTube, posted by geriatric1927, and he was discussing the drudgery of home and the anticipation of leaving that for vacation. It occured to me - maybe we go on vacation so that we will appreciate home a little more. We enjoy our vacation, usually, but don't we then enjoy and appreciate coming home again? Maybe vacation has a dual purpose: one, to let us get away and "relax;" and two, to let us appreciate our home.

One day I'll have something to say

My third attempt at starting a blog. I have a lot to say, just don't feel like writing it down much. And usually, by the time I get to the keyboard I've forgotten all the witty stuff that was swirling around in my brain a little while ago. Getting older. Sigh.