Saturday, December 27, 2008

What Are You Doing New Years......


So.....

It's a few days before the official beginning of 2009 but I thought I might be kinda busy the next few days so I am posting some end of the year stuff now.


I love watching TV. No big suprise there ....so here is a listing of what I thought was the best stuff on TV this past year.


  • LOST. This show just gets to me in so many ways, some good and some bad. But when LOST is bringing its A game there might be nothing better on TV. My favorite episode of the whole year was "The Constant ". Watching Desmond going back and forth in time with Penny made me cry...

  • MAD MEN on AMC is another show that is so amazing to watch. Watching the lead Character of Don Draper played by Jon Hamm, come apart was breathtaking. Watching the character of Peggy Olsen, played by Elisabeth Moss, become a real character with real depth was wonderful.

  • CHUCK on NBC is a smart, witty show that always entertains. Chuck easily plays the part of good guy trying to make it.

  • The great comeday of 30ROCK. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are so natural together. If you are trying to decide between 30ROCK and The OFFICE...take 30ROCK any day of the week. And lets not forget all the guest shots on the show this year....my favorite was the cast of NIGHT COURT showing up ....priceless.

  • JOHN ADAMS on HBO. History never looks so real as when HBO takes a stab at things. David Morse who plays Gen George Washington was fantastic.

  • TRUE BLOOD on HBO. You want to watch a good show about vampires living among us ??? Skip TWILIGHT and watch this gem on HBO.

  • The OLYMPICS on NBC. Specifically the swimming parts....I am an admitted Winter Olympics fan but I even got caught up in PHELPS mania this year. I was on the edge of my seat when he was going for a couple of those gold medals.

  • The magic maps on CNN. John King enjoyed playing with those a tad bit too much but it sure was fun to watch at times.

  • The Presidential Election coverage. Perhaps this type of election only comes once in a lifetime...I dont know but I am so glad I was a part of watching the great folks on CNN and NBC as they sat back after Obama was announced the winner. They let the visuals speak for themselves. Good reporters know when to shut up.

I did not see enough movies this year to really give a good reporting on anything. THE DARK KNIGHT was good though.


On a personal note 2008 was an up and down year in many regards. I deepened my friendships and made some new ones. I also lost some friends along the way ...That saddens me on a level that is hard to describe. I wish those folks the best in their lives and hope that one day we can have a beer or cup of coffee and laugh about the whole thing.


My Nana died in August of this year and it has really affected me more than I orginally thought ....This was my dads mother. Nana was really hard to describe if you did not know her but she was the first person I looked to and realized that "hey, shes a democrat and I like what she has to say about things". She cut my hair till I was 14 years old. She made the best chocolate cake, hands down. She put orange flavoring in her sweet potato casserole. She was stubborn. She was funny. If she liked you , she liked you. If she did not ...then you pretty much knew it. She endured alot. She never gave a wrapped gift. She smoked menthol cigarettes but never inhaled. She loved politics. She was on the city council in Tuskegee for 8 years. She would drink a beer or a glass of wine. She loved her family. She loved new houseshoes and Vicks Vaporub. She hated company to stay too long...it made her nervous. She put granny smith apples in her tuna fish salad....I gotta stop cause it makes me cry but goddamn I miss her.


I had the extreme pleasure of becoming a Godfather this year. My heart and thanks go to N and L for honoring me with this ....I cant wait to watch Harper and Lily grow over the years.

If you did not hear about it ....I went to Alaska this year and it was AMAZING.

So ....What does next year bring for me ?

I intend on stopping smoking, again. I quit for 8 months this year and then started back....its gross and stupid and I will be stopping for the new year.

I intend to finally get serious about my health and weight. No more excuses. I feel like crap and look it also....2009 will be a year of serious changes for me.

I intend to set reasonable sleep routines this year. Its been about 15 years since I had a good sleep pattern and I am sick of it. I vow by March to be going to bed by 11 each night. Goodbye late nights....it was nice knowin ya !

I intend to get back right with my monthly budget. I got off track at the end of the summer and have felt it the last few weeks. Budgets are good things and I intend to make a better effort at it starting in January. Brown bagging, less beer and Jack Daniels, staying home more....it all adds up. Think of the travelling I could do at the end of the year with the money saved by being a little more conservative with what I have...

And speaking of staying home more....I intend to do just that, stay home more. I am getting more and more to the age of wanting to slow down and take it easy. I stay in the road. I am not becoming a prude or anything but I vow to slow down in 2009.

I intend to spend more time with my Brother this year.....We dont do enough together.

I am going to England and Scotland sometime this year. I got my passport ordered. In the planning stages right now but its looking like sometime in the spring.

I want to take a few here and mention a couple of yall by name...To Nick and Laura, WOW, there are no words to really express my love to you both. Yall are my heart and soul and I would be lost without yall....and to Nick thanks for being my brother and friend. To Jason, our travels, our stories, our fun together only gets better. Cant wait to see England with you buddy. To Luke,Jackie, John and Laura, our friendship only continues to grow and I love every minute of it...LOST is just around the corner....I love yall.

So that's it for me really .... I hope 2009 is a wonderful blessing to not only me but to all my friends and family. My best wishes to each of you for the NEW YEAR!!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Gee the Traffic is Terrific.....

So.....
A few things on my mind ....
On Saturday we celebrated our family Christmas with my WHOLE family. Aunts, uncles, cousins, yada yada yada ...This event was held at my Grannys house here in Montgomery and in a word it was ....stressfull.
Our family has grown to the point that when we do all manage to get together nothing seems to go right. One family is VERY late, one aunt is upset because the kids dont seem to want to eat, I am stressed because people around me are stressed. Christmas with my extended family is not fun....I hate to say it but its true. Gifts are given because people feel like they need to or have to give gifts...not because they want to give gifts. We decided this year to forgo drawing names and to just focus on my Grandmother. It was decided that the kids would get something but for the most part they get PLENTY at each of their own homes on Christmas and so we would cut back on that also....Yeah well it did not work out quite that way.
We tear through eating....we tear through gifts and then folks leave. Its maybe a few hours and thats it ...we are done....gotta move on to the next thing. I remember when I was younger we would literally spend the whole day at my grandparents on Christmas. I miss those days ....

I am also tired....I dont have a monopoly on being tired. Most of my few readers out there are tired also...we work, we play , some of us raise families.
I want to take it easy for the next few days .....I want to just sit and enjoy the tree, I want to read some.... I want to listen to my Christmas music. I want to go to Christmas Eve service and enjoy that...
I seem to go all the time....I am never at home at night during the week. I blame no one but myself because if any of you know me well enough then you know I sometimes have a hard time with saying no to things.

Anyway ...

Thursday, December 18, 2008

So This Is Christmas .....







So ....
I decided it was about time I posted something new......Last year about this time I posted about things of Christmas that were special to me. It was good enough for then so I think its good enough for now also...

A few of my favorite things ..

  • Watching my nephews in their Christmas play at school.



  • Picking out my tree.



  • Holiday movies. Watching with friends, drinking coffee, laughing, sharing.



  • Going shopping. Yeah, I know many folks complain but for me its part of the season to get out there and be among all those people.



  • The houses decorated with lights. From big displays to small, I always find enjoyment in riding around and looking.



  • Making fudge. The peanut butter kind ...very tasty.



  • Egg Nog.



  • Reading A Christmas Carol.



  • Going caroling with the youths from church.



  • Finding new versions of old christmas songs to enjoy.



  • Seeing the stockings I helped my Granny make when I was a little boy. They still hang on her fireplace mantle each year.



"There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say," returned the nephew: "Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round -- apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that -- as a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"


Fred Scrooge's Nephew from A Christmas Carol

And thats my tree up above ...The red ornament used to hang on my Nanas tree and the Santa CLaus is my favorite ornament.

Merry Christmas !







Saturday, December 13, 2008

A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read.- MARK TWAIN


So.....
Mary Tyler sent up this assignment
Here's how it works:

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline (or make a different color) the books you LOVE - mine are in Orange! 4) Reprint this list in your blog so we can try and track down these people who’ve read 6 and force books upon them ;-)The premise of this exercise is that the National Endowment for the Arts apparently believes that the average American has only read 6 books from the list below:
I would like to add that The Adventures Of Huck Finn was not on this list ....BAD SLIGHT there against Mr Twain.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible(parts)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare(parts)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis(parts of the series)
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden (didn't finish it though)
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

A Change.....

So....
Coach Tuberville left today from AU. In a statement released to the press he said it had been a good run and he truly loved Auburn University and the city of Auburn.
So what does this all mean .....
  • It means that you can have decent seasons and then miss the ring one year and you are out.
  • It means that you can have your program clean and clear in the eyes of the NCAA but none of that really matters cause, well you lost 7 games this year.
  • It means that folks will return next season to root for a team. No matter what ....
  • It means that once again we find ourselves looking at the clock ...stroke of midnight and boom we are a pumpkin again....
  • It means that the professors at Auburn will still be grossly underpaid, cutbacks will occur and programs will be lost. BUT due to football revenue new venues will be built, streets will be widened to accommodate more fans for Tiger Walk, concrete will be poured but you and I cant afford the $60-70 dollar ticket next year.

I am disgusted by the whole football thing actually ....the drama and suspense off the field. Not just at Auburn but at Notre Dame and Washington. The list goes on....

We live in a world where people are losing jobs, tensions are high all across the globe, the world AIDS crisis is entering its 4th decade and we are upset about Auburn football.

Dont get me wrong ...I listened to the radio Wednesday afternoon just like many of you ....I got upset at it all ....I was pissed off

Then I had a chance to speak with a women at church whos companion of 9 years is laying in a hospital bed dying ....He most likely wont live to see Christmas. It hit me that I was being nuts worrying about the coaching job at Auburn. It hit me that if Auburn never wins another game it wont matter to this guy in the hospital...it wont matter to me either. Some of us live and breath Auburn football...and thats fine. I dont want anyone to take what I am saying as passing judgement in any way...It's just, ..I dont know .

I have literally been an Auburn fan since I was born...Both parents were AU fans and me and my brother really had no choice in the matter. I remember the days of tailgating in front of Drake Infirmary right behind the north endzone scoreboard. Before they took all that space away and provided more parking for "donors".

I will be the first to admit that my fervor for Auburn Football has not been the same since my Dad died....but tonight was the first time that it dawned on me that football just does not matter to me anymore . Will I never watch another game ....of course not . I will watch games but I will never again watch with the interest and zeal of this past year. That chapter in my life ended today.

I am going to try to direct my passion to other things now ....being a better son and brother, being a better friend, being more passionate to causes that really matter, trying to repair friendships and relationships....as the Auburn Creed says ..I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all. If I put just half the the energy I put into watching Auburn play into these other things ....things will be better.

Just my thought.

Good luck to the new coach ....you're gonna need it!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

A National Day of Thanksgiving.....

So.....

The First Thanksgiving Proclamation
In the middle of the Civil War, prompted by a series of editorials written by Sarah Josepha Hale, the last of which appeared in the September 1863 issue of Godey's Lady's Book, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day, to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November 1863
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully
acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the city of Washington, this third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-eighth.
A. Linclon

It was not until years later that the date became an official recognized federal holiday. In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that Thanksgiving would be the next to last Thursday of November rather than the last. With the country still in the midst of The Great Depression, Roosevelt thought this would give merchants a longer period to sell goods before Christmas. At the time, it was considered inappropriate to advertise goods for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. However, Roosevelt's declaration was not mandatory; twenty-three states went along with this recommendation, and 22 did not. Other states, like Texas, could not decide and took both weeks as government holidays. Roosevelt persisted in 1940 to celebrate his "Franksgiving," as it was termed.
In 1941 Congress passed a law making the holiday the last Thursday in November and President Roosevelt signed it into law that same year.

Here are a few of my favorites Thanksgiving Quotes

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. ~H.U. Westermayer

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sam Seaborn: Well over three and half centuries ago, strengthened by faith and bound by a common desire for liberty, a small band of pilgrims sought out a place in the new world where they could worship according to their own beliefs - and solve crimes.
Toby Ziegler: Sam...
Sam Seaborn: It'd be good.
Toby Ziegler: Read the thing.
Sam Seaborn: By day they churn butter and worship according to their own beliefs, and by night they solve crimes.
Toby Ziegler: Read the thing.
Sam Seaborn: Pilgrim detectives.
Toby Ziegler: Do you see me laughing?
Sam Seaborn: I think you're laughing on the inside.
Toby Ziegler: Ok.
Sam Seaborn: With the big hats!


CJ : I need you to pardon a turkey.
Bartlet : I already pardoned a turkey... aren't I gonna get a reputation for being soft on turkeys? ...
CJ : They sent me two turkeys. The most photo-friendly of the two gets a Presidential pardon and a full life at a children's zoo. The runner-up gets eaten.
Bartlet : If the Oscars were like that, I'd watch. ...
Bartlet : CJ, I have really no judicial jurisdiction over birds.
CJ : Yes, I know that, and you know that, but Morton Horn doesn't know that.
Bartlet : He's in high school and he doesn't know I can't pardon his turkey? CJ, if we don't and I mean completely overhaul public education in this country...
Bartlet : Morton, I can't pardon a turkey. If you think I can pardon a turkey, then you have got to go back to your school and insist that you be better prepared to go out in the world.
Donna : You can't pardon a turkey?
Bartlet : No. I tell you what I can do. I'm drafting this turkey into military service.

Anyway folks ....I have much to be thankful for today and all the other 364 days of the year. I hope yall have a wonderful day.
Love to all

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Pop some corn and dim the lights ......


So.....

I was tagged by Mary Tyler to let everyone know the top ten movies that I have to watch if they are on TV. You know the kind...you are flipping around and they happen to be on or someone suggests a movie and you always tend to mention of of these classics...


  1. Gone With The Wind.

  2. The Godfather

  3. The Godfather II

  4. Silence of the Lambs

  5. The Breakfast Club

  6. Love Actually

  7. Junebug

  8. Its A Wonderful Life

  9. Almost Famous

  10. Mr Smith Goes to Washington

So there ya go ....


Thursday, November 20, 2008

Leaving on a Jet Plane.....


So....

This is old news by now but come on folks how CRAZY NUTS was it that the CEO's of the Big Three auto makers flew on private jets to Washington DC to ask for money. Money they need to help shore up the failing industry.

They could not have taken ONE jet?? Maybe the CEO of Ford calls the CEO of GM and the conversation goes like this .....


FORD GUY

" Hey man, you going to DC to ask for an insane amount of money too"

GM GUY

"Heck yeah brother, they are handing out money left and right, I want in on this"

FORD GUY

"I hear ya...Listen do you think we should all three take our private jets to DC or maybe jetpool it and all fly together on JUST ONE JET?"

GM GUY

"Well, I dont know man, the thought of flying first class on Delta gives me the willies"

FORD GUY

"True dat my friend...Three jets it is ...see you in DC. Wear a nice tie you know they are gonna have us on TV...and hit me up later and lets short sheet that prick from Chrysler"


Get a clue guys and realize that in order to compete with Asia you have to change your ways of doing business. Realize that this problem did not start a few weeks ago ...its been simmering on the back burner for YEARS!!


3 private jets ....WOW !




Wednesday, November 19, 2008

The Wagon Queen Family Truckster .....

So....
Tonight I was over visiting the Mielke's after church and we got to talking about all the cars/trucks we have owned or had the pleasure of driving since we became 16 years old.


My first car was my mothers old car and it was a 1980 or 82 Buick LeSabre. That's a lighter version above. It was a dark milky brown color with dark brown interior and a huge bench seat in the front. IT WAS A BEAST and it almost got me all the way through high school. The engine blew my senior year and after that my dad bought this....


A 1978 Chrysler New Yorker. In a word it was WET. For some reason something leaked ALL THE TIME and the front carpets were always wet. Not damp but wet...squishy,soppy,smelly wet. In the summer if you ran the air conditioner(which did not really work) and then got out and left the car in the heat...the moisture would build up inside and condensation would form on everything. From outside you would think two teenagers were going at in the backseat with the way the windows fogged up. On a side note I did feel alot like a Chicago gangster!

So I graduated and someone at Lou Gultz Motors decided it was a good idea to give me a loan and I purchased this ....




A 1994 Ford Taurus. It was a good decent car that ran really good but man did I put the miles on that sucker and at about 110,000 something went screwy with the transmission.
You would be sitting at a red light and when the light changed to green and you hit the gas the car would just REV up real high and there was a clicking noise....after about 10-15 second the gear would shift and the whole car would lurch forward....Violently!

In 2004 I bought a used 2001 Monterro Sport and have been driving it ever since ...It is a good car. Foreign made cars are just better. Its got almost 100,000 miles on it and i have had no troubles out of it ....


So there ya have it ...my car history....so its your turn ..

Tell us what you drove

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Take two of these and call me in the morning .....


So....

I am sick. And it sucks.


I keep hacking up my lungs every two seconds while my brain feels like it is going to be bludgeoned to death from rattling in my skull. Which makes me light headed. It's hard to breathe. I am running a fever.


Heres the thing, I was feeling pretty good yesterday and then yesterday afternoon at church it started. I was up all night and went to the doctor today

I have been fighting something off and off for a few weeks but today I hit the grandslam!!


So anyway, just letting you know it's hard to blog when you feel like your head might actually explode at any second. This damn plague spreads its ugly tentacles around and rapes you without consent.

Being sick is awful.

Don't let it happen to you.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Q and A .....


So.....

Stephanie posted on here blog a list of questions centered around the idea of "getting to know you" and encourged everyone else to do the same on their blog and to then add a few questions of our own ....here goes .


What was your favorite birthday?

It had to be in 2005. I was visiting friends out in Oceanside, California and on the day of my birthday we decided to drive up to LA...just for the day. On our way out of town we stopped and got Starbucks and my friend mentioned to the folks there that I was from Alabama and it was my birthday....so the folks in the store sang to me.

We then decided to stop at a Dennys and eat breakfast and again they all sang to me there...

I made a casual comment that the Anaheim exit was coming up and we should have planned to go to Disneyland instead....since we had all visited LA before, we stopped and went to Disneyland .....My friend mentioned to anyone who would listen that it was my birthday that day and at the ride ITS A SMALL WORLD the entire group of people in line sang to me ....That was my favorite birthday that I can recall. A great day. Fun.


What is your favorite way to spend a day off?

I am off on most Fridays but many of those days find me at the church doing something...but on those days when I am not doing anything I enjoy sleeping a little later, making some coffee, listening to some music and just doing nothing.


What is the best song to turn up all the way and sing to ?

Thats a hard one for me but usually its anything Sinatra....Maybe New York New York or All of Me .


What television show will cause you to ignore your roomate/spouse/children/phone until the next commercial?

Hmmmm not sure again ...but maybe it would be the West Wing even though I have seen every episode at least 4 times. If not the WW then for sure LOST.


When was the last time you cursed at the TV?

Perhaps during one of the presidential debates this year or during one of Jay Love's ads for congress.


If you have kids, what are you most likely to let your kids get away with when you're tired?

I dont have kids.


Aside from major milestones, what is your best moment (to date)?

Getting to see my Nana back in the early summer before she passed away....her mind was as clear as a bell that day and we had a wonderful last visit.


Are you an extrovert or introvert? How do you know?

I would like to think that I am the life of the party but in reality that is very much NOT TRUE. It takes me a while to warm up to almost any situation unless its just me and very close friends and even then I can be distant to begin with....


If had the resources and chance to do it ...where would you live right now ?

Asheville North Carolina.


What would be the biggest achievement in your life ?

Trying to live who I am ....its perhaps the hardest challenge in my life so far.



Saturday, November 08, 2008

Tagged


Laura tagged me with this crazy idea ....here's what you do

Go to 4th file folder holding pics on computer

pick the 4th pic in the folder and tell about that picture ...


The above picture was made on August 26, 2008 at the Homer Small Boat Fishing Dock in Homer Alaska. We had just returned from our first day of fishing off the coast of Alaska and the guy in the orange pants was off loading our haul. His name was Paul.
We were all exhausted from a long day of riding the boat and fishing. BUT IT WAS SO MUCH FUN !!
I dont know if i am supposed to tag anyone ...so I wont !!

Thursday, November 06, 2008

No State Shall Deny any Person Within its Jurisdiction the Equal Protection of the Laws-US CONSTITUTION


I can't believe we elected an African American man to be President.

People always say, "why do you have to bring race into it?"

Because in America, race still matters. People can say they aren't racist, but they are. We as Americans are some of the most bigoted people in the world. Whether it's race, social class, sexual orientation, we discriminate, even though we learn it is wrong and the opposite of what this country was founded on.

But we are creatures of habit, and slowly, we bring in new generations who slowly change some of those habits.And now we've made history..... And I am so proud of my country right now in this moment..... As Arianna Huffington said, "Born Again Americans," people who have regained faith in their country.......And it's exciting.
Lets hope the dream is fulfilled and Barack Obama does bring change to America. I have faith right now. And that's all we can do right now. Believe in him and he will believe in us. And any other cliche kind of statement I can come up with.

But sorry to say , Prop 8 passed. In such an amazing day in history, gay rights were assaulted in states such as Arizona, Arkansas, and Florida. ...Arkansas outlawed gay adoption (who is going to take care of unwanted children now?) While Florida and Arizona passed anti gay marriage amendments.

And one fact that could very well be the nail in the coffin is that African Americans in California voted FOR PROP 8 70%.

70% of those people who voted for Obama also voted to TAKE AWAY the rights of homosexuals.

The same people who were DENIED the right to marry who they wanted to marry, and were granted said right by the very same court system .

How completely backwards can people be? .....

Lets look on the bright side, if Obama gets to nominate 3 Supreme Court Justices, we might just have a Federal Recognition of Gay Marriage, which would trump any Mormon funded Proposition and finally allow people the equality they deserve.
Still a great day for American but lots of work still left to do ....


Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Almost 24 hours ....

So......
I had a pretty nice day today. After seeing a friend off to bham I had ChikFilA biscuits with my brother and we had a nice talk about our dad and the election yesterday. Today would have been my Dads 63 birthday. Its always a bitter moment when you wake up and realize that someone you loved would have had something special going on in their lives that day.
My dad would have so loved seeing Sen Obama elected last night .....He worked hard in his life to help those around him and I love him for that and am proud of him for that....

The election of Senator Obama as our next president was a huge thing for this country. Its amazing to think that just a few decades ago african americans could not vote and now this ....I love this country.

As always I am always saddened when I talk to some folks at my church . I know most of the folks in my church were leaning or voting for McCain. I talked politics today with folks that I knew would share my feelings but I never once mentioned last night to some others.
At supper tonight I had three seperate people seem to go out of their way to say something to me about the election.....and none of what they had to say was positive in anyway . Thats unfortunate because I said from the beginning that if McCain won I would be upset but I would do my best to support and pray for him.
One man even asked was I comfortable with the fact that a known Muslim was elected.....I just walked away. What else am I supposed to do at this point in the game ?? Argue ? Fight for my man ? At this point it seems a tad bit crazy ....
But all three of these folks had this HUGE tone of bitterness in their voice. To hear them you would think we had opened the floodgates of hell last night .....

I dont know ....
And to add insult to injury I think I am getting sick with something...I have coughed like crazy today and just feel blah all over ....
Maybe Thursday will be better...

I love you Daddy and miss you so much ....

Monday, November 03, 2008

IT'S NOT WHAT WE HAVE AS A NATION THAT MAKES US GREAT ...IT'S HOW WE USE WHAT WE HAVE THAT MAKES US GREAT



So…
A little on Voting ….


A few weeks back Mr. Lucas posted a blog post encouraging each of us in the world of blogs to take a little time and post about voting, the democratic process and what it all means to us.


Here is what I think ….
As of today, I will have voted in 5 presidential elections. I first voted in 1992 and my ballot was cast for Bill Clinton. At that time he had this ability to connect with people…across the board. It did not matter if you were young, old, white, black…He got me excited to be voting.
We elect a new president every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Congress set this date and it has been held this way for decades.
We have a process, we have a peaceful process. Something that many nations still strive to achieve.
Regardless if you are a democrat or republican. Black or white. Rich or poor. We all get to vote. I take comfort in that fact.
Some people say that it’s a waste of time to vote. Some will tell you that there is no honesty left in politics. I don’t know all the answers but here is why I vote.


I vote because of my friend Rick Varacalle. He served two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Whether you hate the war or are totally behind it I have all the respect in the world for that man. He served in the US Marines for 22 years. I vote because he fought.


I vote because of my Uncle Jim who served in Vietnam as a Ranger. I still to this day do not know what all he did over there but it was bad enough that he decided decades ago not to discuss it. I vote because he was reviled when he returned home and that was wrong.


I vote because men like Jefferson, Washington, Franklin and Adams put their lives on the line to change things for the better. They saw far into the future and what they saw was a world that would be better because of democracy. A world where every person could be heard. They said WE THE PEOPLE and that includes me … Its not been an easy process and it has been tweaked over the years but it works and we owe our thanks to those patriots.


I vote because Frankling D Roosevelt said
“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.”


I vote because so many people over the years were denied that right. From women to blacks. I vote because I realize that any one of us could have been or might still be denied for some reason. You are an immigrant? Cant vote. You are gay? Cant vote.


I vote for my friend Jason who lives in Birmingham and as of last Wednesday became a US citizen. He missed the deadline for registering but he achieved something that many people never get in their lives and that’s the chance to live in a true democracy.


I vote because when we elect a new president or congress its peaceful, even during wars and uncertain economic times. In the 232 years as a nation and in the 43 times a man has taken the oath of office never has there been a tank in the street or an attempted overthrow of our government .


I vote because of my grandfather Oman P Miller. He served in North Africa under Gen Patton and fought Gen Rommel of Germany. He served in Italy and southern Europe under Gen Clark. He was wounded twice and received two purple hearts and one silver star. I vote because even in his worst days of being sick and crippled he got up and went to vote. He paid a price for his volunteering to serve his country. The least I can do is drive less than a mile to honor his sacrifice.


I vote because my Dad and Mom made sure they never pressured me to chose a side in politics ,they urged me and my brother to decide on our own. They just wanted us to be informed and to vote.


And finally I vote because THIS is the year ….this is the year that we turn the corner and we become once again that country that Jefferson and Adams talked about…This is the year that we become the country that Grandaddy bled for ….the country that my parents told us to work hard for and to become involved with on some level. This is the year that someone different arrives in the White House.


Senator Barack Obama does not represent change…in some ways I think that phrase has been overused this year. To me he represents Excitement. Energy. Commitment. Love of Country. Good.


He represents me….I am excited and have energy about our political process for the first time in years.


I vote today for Barack Obama and Joe Biden !


God Bless America


Now its your turn….Go Vote!


Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting. President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Do you have one of these ??

Voter ID Implementation
In the 2003 regular session, the Alabama Legislature approved, and Governor Riley signed into law, Act 2003-381, Alabama's new voter identification law. The law was precleared by the United States Department of Justice on August 7, 2003, and, therefore, will be in effect beginning with the September 9, 2003, special constitutional amendment election. Following is a list of acceptable forms of identification under this new law. Each voter should ensure that he or she has one form of identification available when he or she goes to vote.
Current, Valid Photo Identification
Government-issued photo identifications (current and valid)
Employee identification for employee with photo of employee produced by the employer
Photo identification card issued by Alabama college or university
Photo identification issued from Alabama technical or professional school (current and valid)

OR

One of the following
Utility bill of voter with voter's name and address
Bank statement with voter's name and address
Government check with voter's name and address
Paycheck with voter's name and address
Valid identification card (authorized by law) issued by the State of Alabama (including any branch, department, agency, or entity of the State of Alabama)
Valid identification card (authorized by law) issued by any of the other 49 states (including any branch, department, agency, or entity of that State)
Valid identification card (authorized by law) issued by the government of the United States of America (including any branch, department, agency, or entity of the federal government
Valid United States passport
Valid Alabama hunting license
Valid Alabama fishing license
Valid Alabama pistol/revolver permit
Valid pilot's license issued by the FAA or other authorized agency of the federal government
Valid United States military identification
Birth certificate (certified copy)
Valid Social Security card
Naturalization document (certified copy)
Court record of adoption (certified copy)
Court record of name change (certified copy)
Valid Medicaid card
Valid Medicare card
Valid electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card
Government document that shows the name and address of the voter
Note: Those items listed in Section B can be the original document (license, card, etc.) or a photocopy of the document. Without one of these forms of identification, a voter is permitted to:
vote a challenged or provisional ballot
vote, if he or she is identified as a voter on the poll list who is eligible to vote by two poll workers and both poll workers sign the voting sign-in register by the voter's name
NO REASON NOT TO GO VOTE ...

Friday, October 31, 2008

Naive....


Here is my principle: Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay. That is the only American principle. Franklin D. Roosevelt


So.....

Once again its getting close for us to chose a president of the USA.

There has been SOOOO much written about how wonderfully naive all of Obama's supporters are and how we are drinking the kool-aid.

I have tried real hard for the past few months to not "knock" McCain supporters. I dont agree with his politics but I realize that they are as passionate about their man as I am about mine...

But the main thing is I respect them and really dont begrudge them in their choice for president.

That brings me to this ....We have been vilified, mocked, laughed at and ridiculed from people on the right because of the man we happen to support.

That is harmful and hurts the fabric of the democratic process... in my opinion.

We have been called socialists, we have been called baby killers, we have been called stupid.

Any why ? because we chose to believe that someone can POSSIBLY bring real change to Washington??

That after 8 years of sliding consumer confidence and lost wages we should vote for a man who might do something different...something that could bring a renewed sense of self worth to this country.

I am a Christian man and I would like to think that Jesus would be more concerned about feeding those who cant feed themselves...lifting those up, who for whatever reason cannot do it themselves....That he would love us all, regardless.

I cant speak for Christ....but his message is one of Love ....and I am sticking with that.

We should not be a country known around the world as a place that invades and takes over....imposes our ways on them...makes them become something they are not.

We should build our nation up and help places by showing them how great it is to have the best schools in the world ....showing them that with the best work force in the world you can feed the planet . We should lead by another example.

We should let democracy speak for itself.

I am sad to hear people question a friend who has supported Barack Obama longer than anyone I know. This is not him jumping on any bandwagon. He was telling me 4 years ago that this man is good and represents something different.

But ...it would not matter if Hillary was the person on the ticket....It would not matter if it was Jon Stewart ...or the Pope for that matter....

The right has torn apart good decent individuals for years and it will always continue ....

John Kerrys patriotism was questioned 4 years ago with the swift boat ads....for what ? He came home from fighting in a war that George Bush avoided, that Dick Cheney avoided...and he came home and voiced his opinion that the war in Vietnam was wrong and should be stopped.

In Georgia 6 years ago Saxby Chambliss questioned the patriotism of his opponent, then current US Senator Max Cleland .....he said he was not pro american....Max Cleland served several tours in Vietnam and as a result he lost not one...not two ...BUT THREE LIMBS!! Guess who lost that election??? Sen Chambliss is in a though fight this year to hold his seat ....

I think the reason is this ...folks are just tired of the status quo....They are tired of the crap they have heard for 8 long years. When people are worried and scared the first instinct is to lash out ...I think thats what we are seeing ....McCains camp is trying hard to revive the Rev Wright talk ....cause thats all they have. People want to hear how you are going to fix things not what you think is wrong with your opponent.

Most economists and leading financial experts have said that Obamas plan makes sense in the long run. While its not perfect...its better than the other side.

We need something different.....call me naive!

and for poops and giggles ..here are some more quotes that I like
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."-Theodore Roosevelt, 1918
"Because I am tired of working for candidates who make me think I should be embarrassed to believe what I believe, Sam. I'm tired of getting them elected. We all need some therapy, because someone came along and said that liberal means "soft on crime." Soft on drugs. Soft on communism. Soft on defense. And we're gonna tax you back to the stone age because people shouldn't have to go to work if they don't want to. And instead of saying, 'Well, excuse me, you right-wing, reactionary xenophobic, homophobic, anti-education, anti-choice, pro-gun, Leave-it-to-Beaver-trip-back-to-the-fifties!' we cowered in the corner and said, 'Please. Don't. Hurt. Me.' No more. I really don't care who's right, who's wrong. We're both right, we're both wrong."

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

A Night In Lake Wobegon.....


So....

Last night I had a chance to go to Birmingham and see Lake Wobegon's most famous resident, Garrison Keillor.

He was doing a one man show at the Alys Stehpens Center at UAB. Let me say ...IT WAS AMAZING!!

If you are a fan of this man then you know how wonderful his voice is and how amazing his delivery of jokes, stories and songs is....

The ticket to see him was going to be expensive but thanks to a good friend who works at the ASC he got me in for free (thanks Heath).....

I was sitting about 7 rows out and it was surreal to begin with that he was standing about 25 feet from me while he was performing

More than once I sat there thinking about how much my Daddy would have enjoyed seeing GK in person.

YOu see it was my Daddy who got me interested in public radio at a very early age....We used to sit on our back patio out in the country and listen to Prairie Home Companion. Daddy was a DJ when he was in high school so he always had a love for all things radio.

He would have really really enjoyed being in Bham last night to hear Garrison Keillor.

Anyway it was a great night ......

Sunday, October 26, 2008

157

So....
This has been quite the long weekend around my parts....I wont go into any long detail but I will say this ...I have not been this tired for sometime.
In the past 24 hours I have slept for a total of 2 hours maybe ...and of course at this time I cant seem to will myself to get into the bed for sleep. Its like I have mental blcok from going to bed or something ...Blech.
I am working tomorrow morning then going to try and take off in the afternoon.
Nothing exciting here ...sorry guys

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The Undecided Vote.....

So....
I really enjoy David Sedaris. He has been one of the funniest authers over the last 20+years...Enjoy.


"I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?

"To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”

"To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked."
- David Sedaris, writing about undecided voters in New Yorker.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

THE LATE SHOW .......

So....
Maybe David Letterman should have been the moderator at all of the presidential debates this year.
If you have not seen the show from October 16...find it online and watch it ...
Good Night.

My Heart Is In The Highlands.....


but I am going to Georgia...

So....
Tomorrow I am taking a quick weekend trip up to Stone Mountain in Georgia to attend the annual STONE MOUNTAIN HIGHLAND GAMES.

It will be my first highland games in about 4 years...ever since the Alabama games were cancelled a few years back I have not been able to attend any southern games. I am excited to be going.

My Clan name is MacGregor and our family crest bears a lion with the words "S'Rioghal Mo` Dhream" translated from Gaelic it means " Our Race is Royal" or "Royal is our Race"

Our family motto is " While there are leaves on the trees and foam on the river, MacGregor despite them all shall flourish forever"

Should be a good weekend.....

On a sad note I will helping with a funeral tomorrow at church before I head out of town....It will be the first time that I have helped with a funeral since my Dad died two years ago ...Tomorrow will be tough for all involved.
The debates are over and I have decided to vote for McCain. Yep...you betcha!! HA
I saw this quote from CS LEWIS the other night and close with it ....
"Let's pray that the human race never escapes Earth to spread its iniquity elsewhere"
Amen Mr Lewis.

Monday, October 06, 2008

CRIME, BOY, I DONT KNOW ....


So...


At 7:05 this morning I get a call that our church, the place where I work, was broken into over the night. This is the second time in less than 10 months that it has happened. They broke out windows and messed up the ceiling (dont know why), they broke door handles and pryed open cabinets. Unlike last time they walked away empty handed this time.

I will not even bore you with things like ..Why ? People sometimes break in places just to tear crap up....

My concern is this ....There was not one sign of forced entry into the building, much like the last time someone broke in....I was the last to leave Sunday night.

The police asked were doors open before I left and I said yes ...They think someone knew our routine ...came in while we were there and just waited till we left the building.

I was at the church with about 12 youth sunday night. They were mainly in the youth room on the 3rd floor but a few went to the kitchen for drinks, two girls went to the second floor to talk in private....it concerns me that someone was possibly lurking about in the building while we were there....after the youth left I went about turning out lights and shutting things down. I was in the building alone for maybe 10 minutes.....gives me the creeps.

What a Monday.....Keep us in yalls prayers.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

The USATODAY, THE WASHINGTON POST, THE NY TIMES , THE BOSTON GLOBE, THE MIAMI HERALD,THE ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS,THE JUNEAU EMPIRE


So.....

I was talking to someone tonight at church and as is the way things go lately the talk turned to politics.


It was a civil nice talk about things until I brought up the fact that most polls are showing Sen Obama with a lead. Key states are starting to show fairly big leads....CNN was reporting that as of today Sen Obama leads with 250 electoral points to Sen. McCains 189.

This person I was speaking with was THRILLED beyond comprehension a few weeks back when Gov Palin was picked to be the running mate for Sen McCain. It was the best choice. There was no mistaking that this was going to lead to 4 more years in the White House for republicans.

Tonight ...no so much the same tune was being sung.

He told me he was not so sure it was a wise decision to pick her but he still thought that with her on the ticket the "core" of the republican party would turn out on November 4 and that it would lead to a victory. Ok...fair point.

I told him it was actually hard to watch Gov Palin in interviews anymore....it's gone beyond being cute and funny. It's terrible. She knows nothing about Sen McCains record in the senate. She only seems to know campaign catch phrases. She could not say if it was a problem that Sen McCains main guy running his campaign, Rick Davis, had a conflict of interest since he worked a lobby for Fannie and Freddie. She could not even tell Katie Couric what news papers she reads on a daily basis. Really ??


I am no where near an expert on foreign affairs, I dont know Sen McCains record in the senate, but you would think Gov Palin would know SOMETHING.

My friend I was talking to tonight said the he kinda hoped that Sen Obama would win in November and then he said it ....The main reason he wants him to win is so he will fail!!

He said it will show people how incredibly wrong they are to have voted him in office. That in four years people will be running back to the republican party.


Is that what we need to be hoping for right now ? That the person elected in a month FAILS??

I dont envy either person ...but I honest to God will tell you that I hope and pray that they succeed while in office. I hope they bring something to the White House that has been lacking for years. I hope that which ever gets in there will have a strong group of men and women behind him who will push them and help them lead America back to something better.


Our economy stinks, we are fighting a war on two fronts, we have millions without health care, jobs are being sent overseas at an alarming rate,we are so divided on things it's hard to see what we agree on and business owners are being forced to close. It makes me sick and mad that the best thing some of us can hope for is that if Sen Obama is elected to be our next president he will fail. Who does that help ....I mean really ?


Sunday, September 28, 2008

Excuse Me...But Do You Have Prince Albert In The Can?

So....
Congress Sucks ! Just my opionion but I am SICK SICK SICK of hearing about whos fault it is that things dont get done.
These people are elected by US to guide and lead and instead they worry about what will happen if they dont get a chance to go campaingn more ...or have to actually make a decision and stick with it ....
Franklin Rooselvelt said it best in 1933 "It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something."
Something has got to be done ...SOMETHING...
I hate Congress tonight ...
The following link is how I feel tonight ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM9KcAS5_K4

Monday, September 15, 2008

It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World......

So....
Gov Sarah Palin finally sat down at the end of last week for some interviews by ABCs Charlie Gibson. I am always amazed at how two different people can watch the same thing and come away with TWO VERY DIFFERENT OPINIONS.
Speaking for myself I was VERY unnerved to hear Gov Palin talk of possible war or fighting with Russia over a country that is not even in NATO. If we are to use history as a guide, and I think we should, we managed to not go to war with the USSR in nearly 50 years of the Cold War. I would like to think that I am a pretty smart guy when it comes to some things and it would seem to make sense that we should be talking to people about things and not loading guns ...just in case. I sleep easier at night knowing that she can see Russia from an island off the coast of Alaska.....talk about ready to lead on day one !!

Gov Palin went on to discuss her ideas of the "Bush Doctrine" and how it relates to terrorism. And when I say discuss ....I mean she really seemed to have no idea what was going on or the true meaning of the doctrine. She did say that what she brought to the table in terms of foreign policy was that she had a good knowledge of the oil and gas situation in her state. This was to be a foundation of the McCain/Palin White house.....sound confusing ?? Thats cause it is.....

She could not define what the McCain/Palin ticket would do to change the last 8 years of a Bush White House. She mentioned putting the banking and houseing industry back into the hands of people...and getting the Fed out of things. Here's the kicker though ....most analysts on CNN MSNBC And FOX all say that the gross deregulation of the above industries has directly lead to the HUGE problems we are having as we speak.
How can we really afford 4 or maybe 8 more years of this nonsense???

One more thing...for her to say that she thinks Sen Obama is regretting not putting Hillary Clinton on the ticket.....that is just insulting really. Would Hillary have been a great person on the ticket ...no doubt. But Joe Biden is a great one also....
Speaking of women .....for those on the right to get upset when those in the LIBERAL and LEFT LEANING Media question Palins background as a leader....GIVE ME A BREAK ...This is the same media that tore Hillary Clinton to shreds not just in this election but for 8 years while she was first lady .
The media, I believe , has an obligation to uncover the facts and report them to the country.
If Gov Palin or her biggest fans cant handle two months of being in the limelight perhaps she should have stayed in the Governors mansion in Juneau.

On to lighter things ....
Has any one been watching the second season of Mad Men on AMC. It is an AMAZING show ....Perhaps the best thing on TV right now folks....One thing that I am really impressed about this show is their attention to detail . The show takes place in the early 1960's at an ad agency on Madison Avenue in NYC. Its almost like watching something that was ACTUALLY filmed in 1962....the colors, the art, the clothes, the smoking, the sexism...its all there in bright living color.
Check it out some Sunday and see for yourself .

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

To be is to do .....

So .....

Politics seem to be the dish of the next few months ....So I am going to try and post about religion and politics.

I have wondered when religion became so ingrained with politics in this nation? I know how our nation was founded. I know the founders and framers looked towards a higher power when planning our country. But they were also clear to place in our constitution that "te congress cannot pass any law making any religion the religion of the United States, or take away the freedom to worship as one pleases ." Ammendment 1, first paragraph of the Constitution.

Abortion and the right for two men or two women to marry seems to be the main thing that people talk about when it comes to politics and religion.


The following statistics come from a group called The Pew Forum: Religion and Public Life Survey. They are independent of any church or social group.

Abortion

I honest to God dont think there will ever be a time in this country when everyone agrees on this subject. Recent polls have shown that more than half of those surveyed say that abortion always will be or should be legal. A majority of those said that abortion should be legal if the person involved is raped, the life of the mother is in danger or there is incest involved. 13% said it should be illegal in any circumstance.

46% of women in this country who had abortions in 2006 were not using birth control of any kind. Using birth control of some kind would have possibly resulted in 500,000 fewer abortions that year. Perhaps if both sides could agree on birth control then maybe less abortions could be achieved in this nation.

What if we went back and started really trying to show that sex is a sacred act between two people. Not something you do after a few dates or drinks. This would also DRASTICALLY reduce abortions in this nation.

70% of those polled who had abortions called themselves Christians. Perhaps as a church we could do more to support those who decide to carry the child to term. Show them love and understanding. The church has to do a better job of saying "We love you ...regardless"

Its clear that over the last nearly 40 years nothing has changed as far as the debate on abortion goes. It will take calmer heads and understanding to address this issue. But its generally not one that should be held on a national debate stage.

amicans cannot be easily characterized as conservative or liberal on todays most pressing social questions....Along with favoring no clear ideological approach to most social issues,the public expresses desire for a middle ground on the most divisive social concern of the day:abortion.

Summery of the Pew Report on Abortion.



Homosexuality and Same Sex Marriage

These are also two very difficult situations to wrap our minds around and come to some sort of middle ground. The stark reality of it is this: One day we will all know people who are openly gay and living their lives. They might be children,grandchildren,neices and nephews,co workers or close friends.
Those against homosexuality or same sex marriage often quote scripture. Genesis 19:1-29 deals with two messangers sent to the town of Sodom where Lot lived. The men of the town demanded that the messangers be turned over to them and to be sexually assulted. Most biblical historians will say that this is more of a cultural reference. The men would sexually assult other men to show their power over those men.

Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 come from a section of the Old testament known as the Laws of Moses. Purity or Holiness Codes. 18:22 says that "You shall not lie with a male as with a women; it is an abomination." The word abomination translated from greek and arabic means something uncustomary. Not a sin. The people of that time were trying to build the nation of Israel. There are many laws on the pages of Leviticus that we never mention... "Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material" Leviticus 19:19. "Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed" also found in chapter 19.

Corinthians mentions "male prostitutes and sodomites" alongside with drunks and the greedy. God says that they shall not inherit the earth. How many of us have ever been drunk or greedy?
1st Timothy 1:10 mentions "sodomites" along with liars and those involved with other women outside their marriage. Who out there have ever lied about something or possibly cheated on our wives or husbands.

Some people will say that at the very core of this debate is the issue of civil rights . We have two different standards in the country in relation to how we treat gays and lesbians. Many of these people daily live a life that is a living nightmare.

Billy Graham was asked once in an interview his views on homosexuality he said" Im going to quote the Bible here, not myself, that homosexuality is a sin. But there are other sins. Why do we jump on that sin as though it's the greatest sin? The greatest sin in the Bible is idolatry, worshiping other things besides the true and living God. But homosexuality is a sin and needs to to be dealt with and needs to be forgiven, and thats why Christ came and died on the cross"

Christianity has to be a mix of grace and truth that Jesus Christ brings to us all. We all have sexual baggage . We all have baggage...PERIOD.
Matthew 5:28 says " it is ultmately a matter of the heart, and brokeness is as common in our private thoughts and attitudes as it is in our behaviors."

James says in 1:26 " If you claim to be religious but dont control your tounge, you are fooling yourself , and your religion is worthless"

and of course in Pauls letter to the Corinthians he says this : Faith , hope and love ...and the greatest of these is love" 13:13

We need to love. Unconditionally each person. Each other. Every day.

I close with this

My church's exclusion of homosexuals who confess Christ and live together in committed love makes me very sad.....Is there really a wideness in God's mercy like the wideness of the sea? Is his mercy wide enough to fulfill one of the deepest of all human needs by the way my wife and I have fulfilled them for fifty years-In an abiding partnership of lasting love? I think I know my own heart well enough to believe that if his mercy is wide enough for me, it must be wide enought for them also....
Lewis Smedes.

Monday, September 08, 2008

Speaking From Experience.....

So....
I been reading alot about the canidates lately. Trying to bone up on what everyone is all about... We are less than two months away from one of the biggest decisions this country has ever faced and it seems all we hear about lately is that people are not ready to lead. Obama is not ready to be president or Palin is not ready to be veep. My question today is this ....who is ever really ready to be President of the United States?
I mean if we look over all the years of this country was there ever ,EVER any person who was truly ready to lead on day one? I would offer this ...No! No one has never been fully ready to walk into that big oval room and run this country. Thank God our founders knew this and distributed the power all around.
Here are a few examples of past presidents
  • Abe Lincoln-He was a captain in the Black Hawk War, spent eight years in the Illinois legislature and lost to Stephen Douglas in 1858 for a senate seat. He was elected in 1860 and lead us through the Civil War.
  • Teddy Roosevelt -During the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt was lieutenant colonel of the Rough Rider Regiment. Republican candidate for Governor in 1898. Roosevelt won and served till he was tapped by McKinley to be his Veep.
  • George Washington-Farmer and from 1759 to the outbreak of the American Revolution, Washington served in the Virginia House of Burgesses. May 1775, Washington was elected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. In 1787 the Electoral College unanimously elected Washington President of the United States.
  • William McKinley-Private in the army during the Civil War. Lawyer. Served 14 years in Congress. Was on Ways and Means committee. Elected president in 1896.
  • Franklin D Roosevelt- He won election to the New York Senate in 1910. President Wilson appointed him Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and he was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 1920. In 1928 Roosevelt became Governor of New York.
  • Harry S. Truman-Captain in the army during WW I. Elected county judge in Missouri in 1924. Elected to US Senate in 1934. Choosen as Veep in 1944 and was on the job weeks before FDR died.

So....I would say that no one is ready to be president ...ever. You can plan and prepare and run for congress or be the governor of a state. You can serve in local politics and get things done on a local level but you still are not ready for what lies ahead of you. I admire any person willing to give their time and energy for their country in this capacity. There is no "SCHOOL FOR PRESIDENT"....you get elected and then you go to work doing the damned best job that you can do for all the people of this nation.

Was George Bush prepared for what happened 9 months after he took office in 2001. No. Perhaps he had briefings that terroists were plotting but they had no real idea when or where. Thats what I believe anyway....He had to jump in the water feet first and learn to swim real quick.

Was Ronald Reagan prepared to be shot three months into his first term in March or 1981? Hell no...you assume the risk but who knew...he survied and managed to lead this country.

Harry S Truman is now considered one of the best presidents we have ever had but he was a failed shop owner from Independencebefore going into politics. Hell he did not even know we had an atomic bomb till the day after FDR died.

We could go on for ever and list every president....I am just saying how bout we as a whole lay off who is better prepared and just focus on the issues. Focus on what we are going to do to make this country better . How we are going to improve education and reform social security. How can we balance a budget while providing for the people of this nation and funding our troops over seas. How can we establish a fair tax system in this country that is balanced among everyone. There is so much to tackle....May the best person win on November 4.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Where do we stop.....


So ...I watched Gov Palin on an old episode of Glenn Beck. First of all Glenn Beck should have asked her to marry him because he appeared to be in love with her ...but anway...

She was talking about drilling in the ANWAR area of Alaska and how its the duty of the people to explore that area and open it up to drilling. SHe said that there is plenty of natural gas and oil trapped beneath the surface to handle the needs of the United States. What she failed to mention was this ...and she is not the only one who fails to mention these things, but here goes...


  • Drilling in that area will not create immediate results. It will take years to study the impacts on the region and then years to get the drilling actually going . Do people think that the Alaskan Pipeline was built overnight ?

  • All the oil and gas in the world is great BUT it will eventually run out . Plain and Simple. There is only so much of the stuff left and once its gone, then what???? We make more of it ? I dont think so .....Some analysts predict that the worlds reserves of oil will be used up in the next 50 years, and thats being conservative . Then what ??

  • Who will really benefit from all of this untapped oil and gas ? The people of Alaska ? The people of the lower 48? Will these great reserves of oil be used ONLY in the USA or will it maybe be sold overseas to the growing economies or China and India? Nations that are growing at an alarming rate and greatly need fuel. Who will recieve the huge $$$ windfalls that will happen once this land is opened up?

  • And speaking of opening up land ....where do we stop? Proponents of the drilling in Alaska say it will be restricted to a small 2000 acre tract but what happens when it is figured out that oil is beneath Kachemak Bay in Alaska? or near the Portage Glacier ? or off Prince William Sound ? Or in Chugach National Forest ??? No one answers these questions ...

Why dont we use this time to focus our energy and resources on finding real alternatives to not just foreign oil, but to oil in general . Gather the best scientists and minds in the country and offer them incentives of some kind to find a real change. We have done this before in this country. When no one else could figure out a way to dig a canal across Panama... we did . When no one thought that polio could be wiped out ...Dr Salk figured out a way to do just that thing. When people said we could not land a man on the moon ...we did just that and when folks said we could not beat communism ...we did.


But instead of agreeing to any of this Gov Palin will tell people how terrible stem cell research is and how terrible it will be for the nation if gay men and women are allowed to get married . How every man and women should own a gun because the constitution tells them they should..forgetting to mention that in the second line of the 2nd Amendment it says that the federal and state governments have the right to enact laws restricting gun ownership..... BLECH .....This is just one of the many reasons I will not be voting for McCain/Palin on November 4th.


Perhaps we need to explore other options ...just a thought .


Friday, August 29, 2008

NORTH TO ALASKA ........























So ...It would seem that Alaska has been in the news quite a bit today ....I am not here to talk about Sen McCains choice of his VEEP canidate. I will only say one thing and thats this ...the McCain camp can now lay off the whole "experience " thing....I mean come on.

Having said that I will now talk about my great trip to Alaska last week....

IT WAS AMAZING ....I have said that time and time again over the last week and I reallty dont know how else to describe the place ....Its just wonderful,glorious,amazing, breathtaking ....everything really.
To be in a place that is really untouched by human hands is a wonderful, soul mending experience. To be able to stand on the back deck and look across the bay and see a huge glacier and know that that glacier has been moving slowly for the past several thousand years...
To see whales off from the small boat you are riding on....and a 35 foot boat is small to me folks. It was really the trip I had hoped it would be .....enjoy the pictures