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.

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.

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 !!

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 ....

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 ....

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

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 ...

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."

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 ......

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

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.

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.

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.

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 ?

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

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 .

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.

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.

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 .

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

It's Never Easy....

So...I was going to post about my trip to Alaska tonight but other events have bumped that posting till a later date...

I did get to go to Alaska and it was AMAZING but on Friday morning right after we had finished breakfast I get a call from Mama telling me that my Nana had died that morning at the nursing home in Georgia.

This was my Dads mother and she had been in failing health for sometime ....Hospice had been called in last week but still its never easy to get that call and realize that someone you love and care for is gone. She had breakfast on Friday morning and was sitting in her room when she had a massive heart attack . She was 88.

Words right now cannot begin to tell you how much I will miss having this wonderful women in my life. She taught me so much and showed me so much ....I ache tonight knowing she is gone.

I will get to posting about Alaska soon but for now I remember my Nana .

Peace be with her tonight.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. "

John 14:27

Travel is fatal to prejudice......

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and, narrow mindness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad,wholesome,charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all ones's lifetime.
Mark Twain 1869

Tomorrow is the day ....I leave and head to Alaska. It's gonna be fun,cooler and more than anything..... relaxing.
Travelling prayers are much appreciated.
ALASKA HERE I COME !!!
See yall next week!!

It's not breaking and entering ....

....If the gate is broken ..Right ?

So ...Last weekend I went to the beach and while I was there we found ourselves at the big Alvins Island on the strip. For those of you who have NEVER been to the beach, Alvins is a HUGE store full of crap. Floors and floors of CRAP.

Coffee mugs with tacky stuff on them, airbrushed tshirts and caps,racks and racks of cigarette lighters,petrified or mummified aligator heads,wind chimes made of sea shells,beach chairs,beach umbrellas,beach toys,beach towels,beach coolers ...lots of crap. There are several Alvin stores spread across the panhandle of Flordia and into Alabama and they are always crowded. We took a group there to just kill time and hang out some ....

While they were inside I was outside with a friend and we wandered over into the parking lot of the abandoned Miracle Strip Amusement Park.

Miracle Strip used to be the spot during the summer ....It was a throwback to old time parks. Alot like Coney Island in NYC. The Big Eli Ferris Wheel, wave swinger, merry-go-round, musik express, paratrooper, teacup ride, spider, train ride, Looper Sea Dragon (swinging boat), Shockwave (Kamikaze), bumper cars, mini-enterprise, the O2 drop ride, a variety of small scale versions and spinning rides kids.The park had the old bumper cars,the big swings,an old wooden roller coster called the Starliner. The park opened in 1963 and was a regular stop for my family during the last part of the 1970's and into the 80's. The park was sold to developers in 2003 and closed in the early winter of 2004. The wooden coaster, Starliner was sold to Busch Gardens in southern Florida.

We walked around to the entrance and the gates were all locked but most of the windows of the ticket booths were broken out.....then we noticed a gate that was broken and laying open...

Well....of course we went in..Not to cause trouble but to see something one more time before its gone for good. There is a good bit of damage caused by recent storms but you could still get a feel for the old park.

We walked around for about 30-40 minutes before finally getting creeped out and leaving but man the memories came flooding back to me while in there ....

Anyway ....it was a cool walk down memory lane.

OUCH!!

Talk about bad timing on Greyhounds part....The bus line has pulled all of the above type ads after the recent beheading onboard one of its Canadian buses.

141 and counting ............

So....
Let me be the first to offer a hardy MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all....Yup, if yall know me then you know that I love the holidays. When the temps start staying near 100 I crank up my christmas music on iTunes and enjoy.
Christmas music is also a soothing thing for me ...It relaxes me....
Anyway....I am odd there is no doubt about it ....
Happy Holidays everyone !!!

Something that made me laugh ....

If you are offended by crude humor of any kind then you should leave this blog now....

One day, during lessons on proper grammer, the teacher asked for a show of hands of those who could use the word 'beautiful' in the same sentance twice.
First, she called on little Susie who said " my father bought my mother a beautiful dress and she looked beautiful in it"
Very good, Susie replied the teacher. She then called on little Michael. 'My mummy planned a beautiful banquet and it turned out beatifully'
Excellant replied the teacher. Then she called on Little Ralphy...'Last night at the dinner table my sister told my father that she was pregnant and he said "Beautiful, just F@#**$G beautiful'!!!!

A teacher asks her class, 'If there are 5 birds sitting on a fence and you shoot one of them, how many will be left?' She calls on little Ralphy.
He replies, 'None, they will all fly away with the first gunshot.'
The teacher replies, 'The correct answer is 4, but I like your thinking.'
Then little RALPHY says, 'I have a question for YOU.
There are 3 women sitting on a bench having ice cream:
One is delicately licking the sides of the triple scoop of ice cream. The second is gobbling down the top and sucking the cone.
The third is biting off the top of the ice cream. Which one is married?'
The teacher, blushing a great deal, replied, 'Well, I suppose the one that's gobbled down the top and sucked the cone.'
To which Little RALPHY replied, 'The correct answer is 'the one with the wedding ring on,' but I like your thinking.'

Little RALPHY returns from school and says he got an F in arithmetic.
Why?' asks the father?
The teacher asked 'How much is 2x3,'' I said '6', replies RALPHY.
But that's right!' says his dad.
'Yeah, but then she asked me 'How much is 3x2?''
'What's the f...... difference?' asks the father.
'That's what I said!'

HA !!!!!

Movie Night ....

So...Tonight we actually finally started our trek to watch EVERY movie on the AFI Top 100 list. Mr Lucas picked a great one ...GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER. Spencer Tracy ,Sidney Poitier,Katheryn Hepburn....What a good movie ...

Anyway ....If you have not seen it ...Find a copy and watch ...its a good one.

The scene where Sidney Poitiers character has a talk with his dad about things is so powerful....The topic of a black man and a white women getting married in 1967 was taboo and its still a powerful topic today ...

Spencer Tracy, in his last role, was amazing.

Thats it....

Strings and Ceiling Wax and other Fancy Stuff.......

So....It was 98 degrees in Montgomery today. We have still not had the heat that we had last summer....of course we have had a good bit of rain this summer also so that is great. But still, it was 98 degrees today and that just sucks.

I have this habit of checking the weather in places all around the country. I normally once or twice a week check the local weather in Asheville NC. Its almost like I am stalking Asheville in some way .....Going online to check out local webcams of downtown,checking the weather, checking on the progress of the new Pack Square,seeing whats going on at the Malaprops Bookstore...etc. But back to weather....

I am fascinated by it ....I love a good thunderstorm during the summer..one of those storms that you can see coming and you can feel the air around you changing. Then the rain and thunder begins and soon its cooler and you feel as refreshed as the environment around you. I have always wanted to experience a hurricane while at the beach ....Not some big huge Katrina style hurricane but a small one or even a strong tropical storm. I know its nuts ...many people have died over the years because they could not leave when a hurricane was coming and here I am wanting to be right in the middle of one. Call me crazy.....

Other things ....

I was asked tonight to go see The Dark Knight again ....I did not go. I am not a big fan of seeing movies twice in a theater. I can maybe count on one hand the ones that I have seen twice in the theater. For me the excitment of seeing a new movie is gone ....plus I am just weird about stuff ...My closest and best friends in the world still embrace me. I am the odd man out in the group and thats cool with me ....

I watched this dvd the other night about people who had experienced discrimination on their jobs based on the fact that they were gay or lesbian. A friend had suggested it.....

One story really stood out to me ....This women in Asheville NC was fired from her photography job at Wolf Laurel Ski Resort north of Asheville. Her former employers said that her lifestyle did not mix well with the "family,christian " atmosphere at the resort. Now, we have to understand that this women was not having sex with her partner on the ski lift...she was not conducting drag shows with her gay friends....she was not selling sexually explicit photos of her having sex with her partner...She was taking photos of people skiing and selling them at the resort. To be fair here ...calling Wolf Laurel a "resort" is using the broadest definiton of the word....I have been there and it aint a resort. But she had a decent job and they fired her....Thats discrimination. Plain and Simple. What if she had been a man and black and they fired him?

"oh sorry man we have alot of people come up here from Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi and they are still living in the 1950s down there and they dont take too kindly to seeing a negro working the lifts, youre fired" Thats the same thing ...right ? You are firing someone based on who they are....I believe it will take a federal measure to make things right ....

Stepping off my soapbox....

I go to Alaska in 20 days and I am pretty damn excited to be going ...Until then I have youth week,a trip to the World of Coke museum in atlanta,a trip to the beach with the youth, youth sunday and another trip to a new heart doctor.

Hurry up and get here Fall....

Thats it for now

$7.00 BUCKS FOR THIS ???

So...The Dark Knight is all the rage right now in America and across the globe really....and for all you poop heads out there I am not referring to Senator(stop acting so damn presidential) Obama's great visit to the Middle East and Europe!! I am talking about the new Batman movie. I am not going to make this a post about TDK but more about going to the movies in general.

I have said it before that I used to love going to the movies....and still do for the most part but maybe its part of my getting older and becoming more like my Dad ..More and more I dont enjoy going !!

I went two weeks ago to see TDK and what follows is a description of my afternoon. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE ---STOP READING NOW---

I spend $7.00 bucks to see the movie....get into a fairly crowded theater about 20 minutes before the film starts. Right before the credits begin a large family enters and sits behind us....There is what appears to be a dad,mom,grandmother and four kids. Two of the kids are way too young to be in this movie...one is a toddler maybe 2 years old and the other is a baby.

The movie begins with a bank robbery....lots of guys in creepy clown masks being killed right and left....the toddler behind us starts crying telling everyone in the theater how much he hates clowns. He is very upset about this but settles down after they are off the screen. The baby is making a constant 'ugh,ugh,ugh,ugh' sound....I dont think he ever was quiet..but he is a BABY and hey they do make noise....

The Joker makes his first appearance on the screen and again the toddler goes nuts with crying and screaming that he hates clowns. I never once noticed or heard any adult in his group tell him to be quiet or try to get him to be quiet or God forbid LEAVE the theater with the child.

Add to this all some strange odor coming from the row behind us...By the point I have directed my steely gaze to the row behind us a few times and finally I snap and leave my seat to go complain. Thats right I got up and went to the front concession stand and asked the nice young girl who I needed to speak to about people being loud in the theater. She yells for Cedric...YELLS I say !!! Cedric asks me what the problem is and I tell him and he radios for a manager who looked to be about as old as my nephew but hey at this point any port in a storm will do right ??

He follows me to the door of the theater and stops me to ask where I am sitting ...I tell and he says nevermind he will just watch me and then come up...I tell him he can follow me up if he likes but he says thats not a good idea. Whatever.

I sit and he comes up and tells the folks behind me that there have been complaints about the noise and if they cannot keep the kids quiet they will have to leave....

They all stand and leave.....pushing and bumping us as they go and for good measure some form of liquid fell on my head and right shoulder .....I am saying it was soda or water of some kind and not any type of pee or spit of any kind ...So we will say it was water....just to protect my sanity .

The movie was enjoyed from there on out .....

My question is this ....when did it become acceptable forople to take small children to a movie like that ?????Or any movie like that ??? For that matter when did it become ok to take a BABY to any movie?? Hey Nick and Laura ,Pack up Harper and Lily and go watch the afternoon showing of TDK on Saturday....Brian and Stephanie ,yall should take Asher and Silas to a midnight showing of Hellboy 2!!!

I dont have kids....and I dont see kids in my foreseeable future. I love kids, I really do. I am blessed to have two wonderful nephews in my life and two adorable little girls that I can hold and spoil for the rest of my life.

I hope that that family did not get a refund on their tickets when they left.....Not being a jerk here but they made that bed .....

It frustrates me that people just grab their children of any age and head off to the movie....I think its selfish of them....its not fair to the kids and its sure as hell not fair to the other movie goers.

Am I a jerk ?? Am I asking too much of people to have some kind of respect for those people around them who want to enjoy a show?

I dont talk on my cell phone in a theater, I turn my ringer off like I am asked to do ...Its a shame we have to be asked to do things like that anyway but ok ....I was once told by management not to use my cell phone again that someone had complained!!! I use my cell phone as a time telling device and was checking the time but ok It bothered someone enough...fair enough
Again, I love kids but just wait till Pixar has a great show out to take them to or better yet wait for the DVD.

Chicken -A Whole New Thing!!

Here is my entry ....albeit a little late into the great chicken thing cook off ....

I followed the recipe but used regular brown rice since the yellow stuff Nick suggested is FULL OF MSG...Thanks for tying to kill me, AGAIN !!

I also used sliced Chipolte Chedder instead of the pepperjack cheese. I then added a small Green salad with sliced tomatoes fresh from the Montgomery Curb Market.

The watermelon was a cool slice of love.

Through the Looking Glass............

When I first started this blog more than two years ago I told myself and the lovely readers out there that I would treat this as an online journal. Of course I started it with the intentions of talking my way through my Dads death.....I have always tried to be honest to myself here and my readers... having said all that this post is gonna be tough!!

I found out Monday night that my Grandfather, my Ga, my dads father ,carried on an affair with a women more than 15 years his junior for about 8 years off and on. It seems to have started in the Late 70's and continued right up until his death in 1984 at the age of 68. Excuse my language here but WHAT THE FUCK???
This information has rocked me to my core ....I have spent the last 24 hours trying to make heads or tails of it....here are a few things about the whole situation.

• They met in AA.
• They would meet at a local hunting lodge in Macon County and AHEM go from there.
• She was also married
• The other women would stay at the hospital with him after family had left for the night.
• My Nana knew about it and had tried to get him to stop seeing this women and thought he had....the other women came to the funeral .
• The other women died this past sunday morning.

I dont know how to comprehend this ......this was my grandfather!! Not that it would be any better or worse if it were my Dad but we hold our grandparents in a different light and now that light is shining in a whole different way..... the other thing--I was the last person in my family to know this had happened ?!?!?!? My mother knew,brother, aunts, uncles...but I find out when my mother shows me the obit in the paper. She assumed that I knew everything....WOW!

What am I upset about ? The fact that he had this affair? The fact that I did not know? I dont know but it has upset me more than anything in my recent memory. As I do with lots of things I tried to find the humor and wondered if we should perhaps send flowers to the family ??? HA I mean no disrespect to this women by calling her "the other women" but that seems to fit....

I am angry, pissed, hurt and more than anything feel terrible for my 88 year old grandmother who was married to a man who was not faithful to her. My grandmother who for the past 24 years has never to my knowledge said a bad word about her husband. My respect for her is tremendous !!

Anyway ...thats my post tonight

211/108

I have always known that I had to be careful about my salt intake and I do a really good job of watching how much salt. ....I hardly ever salt my food and if I do I typically use only a small amount. I also have to be VERY careful about eating any foods that contain MSG.....a fact that was brought home to me in a pretty alarming way this past week.

On Wednesday night I ate some red beans and rice that I had made the night before....It was in a box and contained a LARGE amount of MSG of course I did not know that at the time....I did not eat that much the night before so I had no problems but on Wednesday night I had a good bowl full and a grilled cheese sandwich. Roughly two hours later I was FLYING!!!

I was dizzy, had blurred vision, my heart was racing and my blood pressure was 211/108....THATS HIGH!! After taking another dose of my blood pressure meds I finally settled down and started feeling better and went to lie down ...

I have mentioned this before but sleep does not come easy for me ....and it did not that night.

Add to all this a massive case of heartburn Friday night and feeling very lethargic and worn out since my blood pressure incident....It has made for a pretty crappy week. I told someone Saturday night that I felt like you do when you get the flu...except not the first days but the following days when you are just worn out....thats me this past week.

I complain about this ...I moan about not feeling good and trust me I am trying my hardest to get things in my life going right ....

I love my job, I really do but lately it has been pretty dang stressful for some reason....the mission trip was nice but on some level I did not enjoy it like I thought I would. Usually on trips with the youth I can find time to have a good time....I can let go and enjoy things but this years trip to DC/Balimore found me stressing and worrying about everything.

I try to please people as a whole....

I want my youth to be happy, I want my adult sponsors to be happy, I want my friends to be happy, I can typically handle stress but lately its been hard for me to let things go and just enjoy things .

And lately when I am stressed out I tend to take it out on the wrong folks ....I am sorry to everyone for my being a jerk lately.

Others things that bother me ....

The Economy-I really think we are one small step away from a depression. Not recession but a deep depression that it might take us years to get out of .... former senator Phil Graham said this week that its all in our heads when it comes to the economy problems....WOW.

My grandmother-88 years old, frail,confined to a chair or bed most of the day,confused,weighs 90lbs,slowly slipping away ....its real tough to call her and realize that she has no idea who she is talking too....

I am whining ....there is so much in my life that I should be lifting up as a praise but I am human....

Thats it for now

Around the World in 72 days 6 hours......

I am home .....

The youth trip to the Washington DC/Baltimore area was a whirlwind of activity that started at 5:30am Saturday June 28 and did not end until about 5:30pm on Saturday July 5. In addition to working at two Salvation Army centers in both Washington DC and Baltimore we had a chance to see many of the sites and sounds of these big cities. While the main reasons for youth mission type trips continues to be our desire to help others they also provide the kids with a chance to see cities they might not ever see.

The kids were so excited to see places they have on seen on TV or in books and magazines. A few of us had travelled to the DC area before but about 15 on the trip had never been and of those 15 about half had never left Alabama before.....It was a great trip. I ahve included a few pics of the sites that week ....for some weird reason I never took a picture of The White House ?!?!?

Prayer has also been on my mind for a few days .......

Why do we pray ? I dont always pray on a daily basis......sometimes I will actually go days without doing it and then boom ...I will lift something up to God. I will say that I used to pray more before my Dad passed away ....and while my love for God and Jesus Christ is still strong my act of prayer is not....Its hard to put into words actually but I just dont pray alot anymore....

One of my favorite authors is CS LEWIS and I turned to him recently on this matter....here are some things he said that I found interesting in regards to prayer.

He could, if He chose, repair our bodies miraculously without food; or give us food without the aid of farmers, bakers, and butchers; or knowledge without the aid of learned men; or convert the heathen without missionaries. Instead, He allows soils and weather and animals and the muscles, minds, and wills of men to co-operate in the execution of His will. “God,” said Pascal, “instituted prayer in order to lend to His creatures the dignity of causality.” But not only prayer; whenever we act at all He lends us that dignity. It is not really stranger, nor less strange, that my prayers should affect the course of events than that my other actions should do so. They have not advised or changed God's mind—that is, His over-all purpose. But that purpose will be realized in different ways according to the actions, including the prayers, of His creatures. So at least it seems to me. But what I have offered can be, at the very best, only a mental model or symbol. All that we say on such subjects must be merely analogical and parabolic. The reality is doubtless not comprehensible by our faculties. But we can at any rate try to expel bad analogies and bad parables.

When he says that "the reality is doubtless not comprehensible " he is right I think....we are so stupid and dumb with it comes to fully understanding Gods will in our lives and when it came to Daddy dying it made me just sit back and realize that I just dont get it.... and I could have decided to spend the rest of my life figuring it out or I could say I love God and am growing closer to him and Jesus Christ through this tragedy.

Prayer in the sense of petition, asking for things, is a small part of it; confession and penitence are its threshold, adoration its sanctu­ary, the presence and vision and enjoyment of God its bread and wine.

anyway just a thought or a form of a thought here on my end ....good to be back in Montgomery