grateful for

Now that I have gotten some things that I miss in rough economic times on
my blog. This is a list of what I am grateful for.Things that give me
comfort.Things that make me well me..Again in no order.

My kids
kites
bikes
my health
my wife
pinto beans
literacy
books and the library
meatloaf and mashed potatoes
mac and cheese
blue jeans
the dollar menu
Spanish rice
torrent downloads
my dogs
sunshine
a warm blanket
silence
a hot dog in a flour tortilla
health insurance
zero cavities in my sons teeth
new shoelaces
the radio
the archery range by my house
a hand made cake
fish sticks
homemade pizza
my moms salsa
dad teaching me old skills
Family guy
kool aide - red flavor is best
pita bread
a cold beer
hot wings
my cars running well
good friends
old friends
my nephew
old pictures
black and white movies
used book stores - good luck trying to find one
the INTERNET
working for a good company
401k
stocks
prayers that work
laughter
pickled jalapeño
pancakes with jelly on them
warm tea
having my back scratched
the last frost
putting on a freshly pressed pair of pants
new socks
an unexpected email from a friend
camping
watching the stars
catching fireflies
cicadas
archera on the grill
my sister.
my mom
Mexico
speaking in Spanish
polish food
Indian tandoori
Italian beefs
corned beef
pho
kung bao chicken
egg rolls
a fresh shave
......Thanks all for now...Peace

miss

Money is tight everywhere across the world. Everyone makes choices on what
to spend on and what not to spend on. This is a list of things that I miss
in the economic rough times. Things that either can not afford, now use
seldom or just want to want. So in no particular order.

The INTERNET at home. (I loved just hitting stumble upon for hours)
Crab legs.
Good English beers. (at 10.99 a six I enjoy them every now and then)
Car Washes. (this one I don't mind, I have the kids help me outside)
4/$9.00 12 packs of coke....The price of corn syrup drove the price up.
buying tools..(this is just a guy thing,you buy a tool hoping that you'll
use it soon).
magazines. (god I would buy magazines by the dozens and read non stop for a
day)
Comic books. (See above, but at $3.00 a pop this got expensive quick)
Premium cable channels. (I really don't watch TV. I work way too much, but
I still miss it) - Basic works fine.)
Imported English cheeses. My god where I used to work I would get these
for free. Brie, Shropshire, Roquefort, Stilton....
Shrimp.
A bottle of Silver Oak. Alexander.
The smell of roses in the house.
Name brand Oreos.
Scotch
Concerts. - I think this is just a time factor.
Days off.
Waiting lists at work.
Strip clubs. (thats just throwing money away)
Buying shoes that are not on sale.
Massages
Manicures
an obersweiss milk shake. this is more to keep me smaller.
I would live to buy a 60" TV
just ordering out of catalogs

Granted this list is just based off of want instead of need....peace.

From the WHite house....

Dear XXXX XXXX:

Thank you for your recent note, and for sharing your thoughts
with me. Your kind words echo the messages of millions of
Americans who have welcomed me and my family to the White
House with an outpouring of goodwill.

On January 20th, Americans spoke with one voice, choosing
hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. Our
Nation faces serious challenges, but we will overcome them if
our imagination is joined to common purpose.

Now is our time to work together, reaffirm our enduring
spirit, and choose our better history. With your help, we will
renew our Nation's promise to carry forth the great gift of
freedom to future generations, as our forebears have delivered it
to us.


Sincerely,

Barack Obama


*** After the election www.whitehouse.gov was soo transfermed by his staff. I signed up and sent him a note of thanks knowing very well that the odds of him reading it were 1,000,000 to 1. I got this automated letter back... Even though he didn't pen this to me personaly it was nice.

Buzzzzz.....

The crowd was cheering us; the 15 students 4 dads, 1 mom, 5 teachers (2
were female)and one principal. All agreed to have our hair clipped for a
good cause. The school it's self raised $11,000 for the St. Baldricks
foundation. Its all to fund pediatric cancer research. The kids started it
up by having their tiny heads shaved. The crowed roared SHAVE IT < SHAVE
IT! I my self was in the second round to be clipped and I actually giggled
when the clippers hit my scalp. I felt the wind blow against bare skin and
I knew it was well beyond the point of just a short hair cut. It more of a
shearing. The girls who cut the hair were from a local Sports cut and one
or two made it look like a hootchie show. Their skirts and boots just did
not fit in well at a grade school. .. I have more hair than money right now
and it all went to a good cause...... It just seems every time I cut it it
grows back with more and more gray....At least it grows back!!!
I was asked why I did it and in many ways its too much to number. My
own family was touched with cancer several time and many of my friends are
in the same boat as me. This was the very lease I can do to support a good
cause.
Maybe it was the Sun on my scalp but afterward I felt kinda ill and
needed to nap for about an hour. Could be the lack of hair like Sampson or
just a food bug, but it was kinda weird.... When I close my eyes I still
hear the clippers.......

Peace.....

It depends when you are...

In New York, it's 2009.
In Chicago, it's 2008.
In Minnesota, it's 2004.
In Ohio, it's 1986.
In Mexico, it's 1979.
In Alabama, it's 1966.
In Russia, it's 1949.
In South Africa, it's 1833.
In Saudi Arabia, it's 805.
In Tokyo, it's 2014
In Tel Aviv, it's 5769.

Remembering the wind...

The Sun is slowly coming back to us. Here it is 5:50 pm and as I stare out of my window at work the Sun is still hanging on. This weekend we will swing time back an hour and there will be Sun at 7pm..... The night gets a touch smaller from this point on. The wind stirs the spirit and we feel better after the long freeze. The Springtime mud and grey is on us now. Old gray mountains of dirty snow still hide where the Sun can't touch them, but for the most part its done......I am beginning to feel better in my old bones. My left arm is slowly healing from a torn ligament (or pulled). It still hurts is I grab something with an open hand. If I reach for the top of a cup of coffee it hurts.
My bicycle is ready to turn its first mile in 2009 and with some luck and will power I will be able to rack up 250 miles - 300 miles this year. While not a world record by any stretch of the imagination its the most I have done in a long long time. I am rigging a 12 volt light system to be seen in the dark.
My kids are ready to break out the kites. This year I think they are ready for them....My dad and I used to fly kites together. Its one of the only good times I remember with my dad as a kid. No worries or yelling; just the wind , my dad and the kite...The park has long since closed but if I can look in to the sky and think really hard I can sometime see my dads old kite.

OK kids, thats about it for now.....peace.

and the Oscar goes to...all on a Sunday

I watched what I could of the Oscars in between doing laundry and putting
up Spackle. They show was nice - it seemed that they tried to bring back
glamor and an actual show instead of just reading names off and giving
awards away. I had seen most of the big movies that were on the list well
2 of 5 but I had seen a bit more here and there. My choices were picked
sometimes and other were not. Thats the fun of it, who are you rooting for?
The my own joy was seeing both Danny Boyle and Slum dog get awards. I
truly enjoyed slum dog and the hope it brings in to the world. I guess its
a Cinderella story for the 21st century (with guns and a bollywood dance
number).
******
My father came over this Sunday to help me install a new bathroom
exhaust and re-spackle a hole we had in the ceiling in the kitchen. I hated
doing it while we were doing it, but felt so good to see your Handy work
afterward... He also took some time and taught me how to solder wires for
minor electrical work. So that one thing off my list. The next would be
soldering copper pipe. Little by little I'm still picking up skills needed
to maintain a home. It was nice seeing him and my mom. We had our fill of
delivered pizza while working on the multiple projects in the house.....

The last snow???

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salt and arrows.....

I think it hit me today that I hate the salt. The rock salt in the ground,
in my shoes and in my rug. Its in my garage , on my car, on my pants and in
the ground. The white ring on the cuff of my pants make me crindge....I
hate the weight of the bags as I take them from my trunk. 40-50 and 80
pounds. I hate the cold and wet as I spread the salt on my drive way. I
hate the ice that it takes away....
I'm tired of the long hard winter. The temps this year made me feel like I
got beat up. In under 3 weeks we went from -20 air temp to 62...What wrong
with me. Its an 80 degree swing.... I know I pulled an arm ligament either
shoveling or helping a friend move. Either way it still hurts- bleachhhh.

OK OK thats my end of winter rant.....

I went archery shooting about a week or so ago. I had a blast, granted my
equipment is antique - from 1962 or so. It still is pristine , but quite
old. My arrows need to be re-fletched and my target arrows are a bit too
short. The arrows for my compound bow were fine except for the rubber
fletchings. They crumbled in to dust....The last time I spent any time
shooting I was 18 years old...It didn't seem that long ago...I would like
to go and get new ones made for my arm length. I just don't have the extra
$cratch right now. I did find a free range by my house that I can shoot at
during my lunch time. Even if I shoot once or twice a week I think it would
help my shoulders a great deal......

.....
I'm glad that g-cast worked and has worked for you. I'll post that way when
I can. It's kinda hard with out a script or coherent thought in mind. When
I write it starts as a random though that blossoms and congeals in to some
kind of post..... OK thats enough for today.

1%

You ever meet some one that within 2 seconds you want to hit them? I had
dealt with one such person this last day or two. I really don't know what
it is with people who come in with a chip on their shoulder. They came in
to my house with an attitude. At one point he yelled "do you want to make a
sale or not?" So I replied ... Not if your going to be rude. I think I had
caught him by surprise by saying that yes a sale would be nice, but no it
not as important as being proper. It was a verbal wake up to him. With in
three minutes he has realized that he was an a$$ and took some of my
advice.
99% of the people who come in to see me are nice. Some of those people
are overly nice, but all it take is that one jerk to make me think that a
night in jail may not be so bad if I teach him a lesson. 10 years ago I
think I would have wound up with a jail record with that guy....Things are
different now. I have much more to lose if I do go to jail.
All I ask when you come in is that you shake my hand, look me in the
eye and let me know how I can help you. Thats it. Its funny to read body
language of people who come in. Men especially do not know how to hide
fear. They always come in with both hand in their pockets. They have no
clue on what to do with the hands. I can read that inside of one second.
The converse is to be loud...How can you help me?? I know everything? ....
these guys are usually that have busted credit or are trying to show of for
their wife or girlfriend. I usually cut that to the quick.
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