Friday, December 31, 2010

New Year's Eve

Happy New Year 2011Image by [ Mooi ] via FlickrIn a few more hours, people will be getting ready to celebrate the New Year.  I do not have any grand plans for the evening.  In fact, I will be working; delivering fresh hot pizza to the revelers out there.  I do not have an issue with working tonight.  It has been several years since I have "celebrated" the New Year.

Tonight, I am scheduled to work until midnight, but most nights I usually get off work by 11pm.  I am hoping it slows down early enough to allow me to leave before midnight so I can get home before too many lunatics hit the road.  I usually need to unwind for a couple hours after work, so I will definitely be up when it is time to ring in the New Year.  Most of the time, I am awake when the clock strikes midnight, but I rarely am paying attention to it.  Tonight will be no exception.

The other thing about the New Year is the tradition of New Year's resolutions.  I generally do not make them.  After all, it is hard to improve upon perfection.  Just kidding, there are a lot of areas in my life that I would like to improve upon.  I have given up on making resolutions for the New Year because they usually do not work for me.  Unless my mindset is such that I am prepared to make those changes, those resolutions usually don't last a week for me.  I am much better off to wait until I am mentally ready to tackle those challenges.  There is nothing magical about January 1st if I do not have my mind set on achieving those goals.

I am not sure when my attitude for the New Year changed.  It was always a tradition for me to stay up and watch the New Year come in.  Usually it meant watching Dick Clark's New Year's Rocking Eve.  Other times it was getting together with a few close friends and/or family.  I guess it all started to change after my wife and I had our son.  The first couple years we would at least stay up and watch the ball drop in Times Square on TV.  Now our entertainment tastes have gotten to the point where we do not like the acts that perform on the New Year's shows, so we tune out.

How about you and your family?  Is the celebration of the New Year important to you?  Will you be making resolutions or not?  Either way, here is hoping you have a happy and healthy 2011.


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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

A Cure for What Ails You

hot toddy for mishaImage by skampy via FlickrIt wouldn't be the holiday season unless somebody in the house was sick.  It seems that this time of year, somebody is always sick.  Even when I was growing up, one of my siblings or I or all of us, came down with something.  The worst was when we all came down with the chicken pox around the same time.

This year has been no exception.  It started off with my son.  About a week or so before Christmas, he came down with a bad cold.  Those are difficult for him because he doesn't understand the concept of blowing his nose, and frequently wipes his nose on his sleeve.  Also, he has a difficult time coughing up flem.  He usually ends up gagging and throwing up.  We can never seem to get him to move to spit in the sink or toilet.

The worst of his cold was over shortly before Christmas.  Unfortunately, about two days before Christmas it hit my wife pretty hard.  With her, these things frequently turn into bronchitis.  She has been so bad off for the past four days, that she passed on going to my sister's house on Christmas Eve.  On Christmas day, we were supposed to go to her parent's house, but she stayed home.

I have been fighting the beast for a few days now.  It has not hit me quite as hard as the rest of them, but I am still having some of the effects.  First thing in the morning has been the worst for me.  I wake up completely clogged up. So, last night I decided to see if I could knock this thing out of my system by fixing myself a good old fashioned hot toddy.

For those that don't know, a hot toddy is an alcoholic beverage that is supposed to help cure your cold.  There are many different varieties, but most consist of a liquor such as whiskey or rum, honey, lemon, and hot water.  I made mine with Captain Morgan spiced rum, lemon, and honey.  It was quite tasty, warmed me up, and while drinking it helped clear my nasal passages.

Unfortunately, while it cleared my sinuses and helped me get to sleep a little more readily, I still woke up pretty clogged up this morning.  Though I do have to say that the cold didn't bother me as much during the day as in previous days.  I think before I turn in tonight, I will have to fix myself another hot toddy.  Maybe two. 
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Monday, December 27, 2010

Music Monday-Darius Rucker "Come Back Song"

I absolutely love Darius Rucker's voice. I enjoyed listening to him when he was the lead singer of Hootie & The Blowfish, and I enjoy him even more now that he is successful in the Country Music genre.  Personally, I think he can sing just about any style of music and make it sound good.

His first song as a country artist, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" reach #1 on the country charts and helped Rucker to win the Best New Artist award at the CMA's.  Three of the four songs released off his debut album reached #1.  "Come Back Song" is his first release from his second country album, and it is his 4th tune to reach #1 on the country charts.

It is a song about a relationship gone wrong and the realization that you are to blame.  I think it is a song that most of us can relate to at some point in our lives, but not too many of us would be willing to admit it.



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Sunday, December 26, 2010

And Now, Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

A typical speed limit sign in the United State...Image via WikipediaAlthough we still officially have one more week to the "holiday season," I am returning to my regular style of posting personal thoughts, news of the day, and the occasional rant.  I hope that everybody enjoyed the "12 Days of Christmas" theme of the past two weeks.  It was a lot of fun for me to put it together.

The day after Christmas is a day most noted for everybody heading back out to the malls to exchange all those gifts that either were the wrong size or were just plain not liked.  It is also a day for people to go out and use those gift cards that they received as well.  Thankfully, I was not one of those folks venturing out to the malls today.  The only presents that I received were cash, a gift card to a restaurant, and a few bottles of wine, one of which I am enjoying as I type this.

Originally, the weather forecast was calling for us to get about 3-6 inches of snow in my area. With the anticipated snowfall, I decided to head out to pick up a couple of items at the BJ's in my area before the snow began to fall.  I wasn't too worried about getting out tomorrow to go to work, but if we did get a good bit of snow, I didn't want my wife to have to go out if she didn't have to.  Which brings me to my rant for today.

There is nothing that frustrates me more when I am driving than to be stuck behind a slow moving driver when there is nothing but open space ahead of them.  Now by slow moving driver, I mean driving below the speed limit.  To be perfectly honest, sometimes if the driver is driving at the posted limit, and I am stuck behind them, I can get a bit frustrated.

On this particular Sunday morning, I was heading home in the left lane of a two lane road with nobody in front of me.  I was moving at a pretty good clip of 60 mph.  I think the posted speed limit on that stretch of road is 55mph though it may be 50.  So yes, I was technically speeding.  I glanced in my rear view mirror and saw a car moving rapidly onto my rear end. 

I was going to try to move over to the right lane to allow the tailgater to pass, but there was another vehicle moving just as rapidly in the right lane.  After that car passed, the car behind me moved over to the right lane and passed me.  I guess I wasn't speeding fast enough for them, which to me is just as frustrating as getting stuck behind somebody driving under the limit.
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Saturday, December 25, 2010

On the 12th Day of Christmas-Charlie Brown "The Meaning of Christmas"

To celebrate the season of Christmas, I will be presenting 12 straight days of posts related to Christmas.  We will call it, for lack of a better term, "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Real original, I know.  Some of the posts will be serious, some will be fun, but all will deal with Christmas in some way, shape or form.

I think Linus sums it up best of all. Merry Christmas everybody!

On the 12th Day of Christmas we present to you Charlie Brown and the true meaning of Christmas.

Friday, December 24, 2010

On the 11th Day of Christmas-Ray Stevens "Nightmare Before Christmas"

To celebrate the season of Christmas, I will be presenting 12 straight days of posts related to Christmas.  We will call it, for lack of a better term, "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Real original, I know.  Some of the posts will be serious, some will be fun, but all will deal with Christmas in some way, shape or form.

One has to wonder in today's world of political correctness and over regulation by the government, how would Santa Claus fare today.  Thankfully we haven't gotten to the point where we have lost all of our sacred traditions.  Though Ray Stevens has pondered what could happen.  Let's hope we never get to that point.

On the 11th Day of Christmas we present to you Ray Stevens and "Nightmare Before Christmas."

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Thursday, December 23, 2010

On the 10th Day of Christmas-I'll be Home for Christmas by Rascal Flatts

To celebrate the season of Christmas, I will be presenting 12 straight days of posts related to Christmas.  We will call it, for lack of a better term, "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Real original, I know.  Some of the posts will be serious, some will be fun, but all will deal with Christmas in some way, shape or form.

Today was the day that we were supposed to bring our son home from school for Christmas break. Unfortunately for his adjustment period at school, we had to pick him up two weeks early. Prior to us having to pick him up early, he had been telling everybody at school that on December 23rd he was going home for Christmas. Even though he came home two weeks early, I decided to keep this date as the day to post this tune.

On the 10th Day of Christmas I present Rascal Flatts and their version of "I'll be Home for Christmas."


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Wednesday, December 22, 2010

On the 9th Day of Christmas-You Gotta Get Up

To celebrate the season of Christmas, I will be presenting 12 straight days of posts related to Christmas.  We will call it, for lack of a better term, "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Real original, I know.  Some of the posts will be serious, some will be fun, but all will deal with Christmas in some way, shape or form.

I remember when I was a kid and the anticipation of getting up to open presents on Christmas morning.  In my family, we had a rule, we couldn't open presents until everyone was up.  I had two brothers and a sister, and we were all up well before our parents.  Once everyone was up, we could open one present each before breakfast.  The rest would have to wait until after breakfast, and it was usually a big breakfast.  It was torture.

On the 9th Day of Christmas, I give to you Rich Mullins and "You Gotta Get Up."



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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

On the 8th Day of Christmas-The Digital Story of the Nativity

To celebrate the season of Christmas, I will be presenting 12 straight days of posts related to Christmas.  We will call it, for lack of a better term, "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Real original, I know.  Some of the posts will be serious, some will be fun, but all will deal with Christmas in some way, shape or form.

These days we are more connected than ever. We have our Facebook accounts, our Twitter accounts, and I even recently started playing around a bit with FourSquare.  How could we survive without knowing every little status update?  They seemed to do OK 2000 years ago to get the story of the Nativity out.  Still, a couple friends posted this on Facebook today, and I thought it was pretty neat.

On the 8th Day of Christmas I present to you The Digital Story of the Nativity.


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Monday, December 20, 2010

On the 7th Day of Christmas-Silent Night

To celebrate the season of Christmas, I will be presenting 12 straight days of posts related to Christmas.  We will call it, for lack of a better term, "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Real original, I know.  Some of the posts will be serious, some will be fun, but all will deal with Christmas in some way, shape or form.

Without a doubt, my favorite Christmas song of all time is "Silent Night." There are two reasons that it is my favorite; first it is a beautiful song, and second is because it was originally written to be performed on guitar.

That is not to say that there are not other instruments that are as beautiful in the performance of the song.  I became a fan of the hammered dulcimer after listening to a lot of Rich Mullins music.  Also, my blogging buddy, Mike Golch, features the hammered dulcimer on his blog.

On the 7th Day of Christmas, and on this Music Monday, I present to you "Silent Night" performed on the hammered dulcimer.



Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.
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Sunday, December 19, 2010

On the 6th Day of Christmas-Carol of the Bells

To celebrate the season of Christmas, I will be presenting 12 straight days of posts related to Christmas.  We will call it, for lack of a better term, "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Real original, I know.  Some of the posts will be serious, some will be fun, but all will deal with Christmas in some way, shape or form.

Years ago, I belonged to a Baptist Church in the Bowie, MD area. In the last couple years that I had been in attendance there, they formed a hand bell choir. I was not a member, but I loved the harmonies and sounds they created using nothing but hand bells. It was simply beautiful. The video below is performed by the Hand Bell Choir of the First Baptist Church of Eastham, GA. It is not from the church I attended.

On the 6th Day of Christmas I present to you "The Carol of the Bells" performed by the First Baptist Church of Eastham, GA Hand Bell Choir.


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Saturday, December 18, 2010

On the 5th Day of Christmas-Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum by Jimmy Buffett

To celebrate the season of Christmas, I will be presenting 12 straight days of posts related to Christmas.  We will call it, for lack of a better term, "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Real original, I know.  Some of the posts will be serious, some will be fun, but all will deal with Christmas in some way, shape or form.

I have to admit that while I don't like when it is oppressively hot, when the weather gets cold, especially bitter cold, I start to think of warmer climates and the beaches. Sometimes I wonder if old Santa Claus ever gets tired of being at the North Pole surrounded by snow, ice, and elves. Do you think he ever thinks of heading off to the Caribbean for some boat drinks?

On the 5th Day of Christmas I present Jimmy Buffett and "Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum."


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Friday, December 17, 2010

On the 4th Day of Christmas-A Christmas Story

Cover of "A Christmas Story (Full Screen ...Cover of A Christmas Story (Full Screen Edition)To celebrate the season of Christmas, I will be presenting 12 straight days of posts related to Christmas.  We will call it, for lack of a better term, "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Real original, I know.  Some of the posts will be serious, some will be fun, but all will deal with Christmas in some way, shape or form.

Without a doubt, my favorite Christmas movie of all time is "A Christmas Story."  There are just so many classic scenes of Ralphie in his quest to convince his folks to get him a Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas.  When we were younger, we used to watch that movie over and over again.  One of the reason is that young Ralphie bore a striking resemblance to on of my younger brothers.

On the 4th Day of Christmas, we present to you "A Christmas Story," when Ralphie goes to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas.

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Thursday, December 16, 2010

On the 3rd Day of Christmas-Christmas Shoes by Newsong

To celebrate the season of Christmas, I will be presenting 12 straight days of posts related to Christmas.  We will call it, for lack of a better term, "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Real original, I know.  Some of the posts will be serious, some will be fun, but all will deal with Christmas in some way, shape or form.

If you ever needed a reminder of what Christmas is all about, stop and listen to the words of this song. I can never listen to this song without tearing up.  On the 3rd Day of Christmas we present Newsong and "Christmas Shoes."


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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

On the 2nd Day of Christmas-Gary Chapman "This Gift"

To celebrate the season of Christmas, I will be presenting 12 straight days of posts related to Christmas.  We will call it, for lack of a better term, "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Real original, I know.  Some of the posts will be serious, some will be fun, but all will deal with Christmas in some way, shape or form.

When I was younger, I used to listen to a lot of Contemporary Christian Music. One of my favorites, it should be no surprise, was Amy Grant. At the time, her husband was Gary Chapman. I enjoyed his solo work as well. Gary Chapman also released a Christmas CD which included this song, "This Gift."  Whenever I have heard this song, I have always thought of it as a man offering his heart to a woman.  That being said, I like the last couple frames of this video set to that song.  After all, it is what Christmas is all about.

On the 2nd Day of Christmas we present to you Gary Chapman and "This Gift."

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Tuesday, December 14, 2010

On the 1st Day of Christmas-A Doggy Christmas Surprise

To celebrate the season of Christmas, I will be presenting 12 straight days of posts related to Christmas.  We will call it, for lack of a better term, "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Real original, I know.  Some of the posts will be serious, some will be fun, but all will deal with Christmas in some way, shape or form.

We have all heard phrases like "it's a dog's life," or "dog tired."  To me dogs are about the best pet one could have.  Nothing against other animals, just a personal preference.  A good friend of mine posted the article below on his blog, Intrepid Ideas.  I thought it was so cute that I had to post it here.  I wonder if they can clean up after themselves?

So, on the 1st Day of Christmas we give to you "A Doggy Christmas Surprise."


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Monday, December 13, 2010

Music Monday-Kenny Chesney "Anything But Mine"

Sure, it is the middle of December and everybody is thinking about Christmas and the holidays, but whenever the weather starts to get cold, I like to think of the beach.  To me, you can never have enough "beach music."  Usually for me, that entails listening to a lot of Jimmy Buffett, but I really like this song by Kenny Chesney.  It captures the idea and feelings of a romance at the beach coming to an end as the summer draws to a close.  




Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.
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Sunday, December 12, 2010

Early Christmas Vacation

A bauble on a Christmas tree.Image via WikipediaI slept a little bit later than I usually do this morning.  Normally, on the weekend, I get up around 8 am.  When my son is home, I usually get up a little earlier because he tends to be an early riser.  This morning, however, I must have been particularly sleepy because I didn't crawl out of bed until 9:30.

I got up and took care of my usual morning business; brushed my teeth, showered, etc.  After getting dressed, I headed downstairs to fire up the old laptop and fix myself a pot of coffee.  I was going to have a couple cups of coffee, and do a little web browsing before heading out to do my weekly grocery shopping.  Then it was going to be a relaxing day of watching football.

As is so often the case in my life, things don't always seem to go exactly as I planned.  Just as I was about to pour my first cup of coffee, Mrs. Dickster comes walking down the steps to inform me that she had just received a phone call from my son's school asking us to come pick him up.  Needless to say, we were somewhat surprised as his Christmas break was not to begin until December 23rd.

I called the school to speak to the person who had made the request.  She requested that we come pick him up and bring him back after the Christmas break on January 3rd.  We were informed that he was being completely non-compliant and was hitting other kids.  My son has had a history of slapping at people in the past, and we definitely do not condone that behavior, but he usually does not go out of his way to hit others. 

We knew it was going to be a difficult transition for him to be living away from home.  However, I do have to say we were completely taken aback by the request to come get him this early.  For the most part, we have gotten positive feedback from the staff at the school and the dorm.  He has been doing well in class, and had been making some strides in the dorm life. 

There have been some concerns about his eating, but for the most part they said he seemed to be adjusting.  When I spoke to somebody earlier this week, they told me that he had been interacting more and more with the other kids.  My wife had to take some medication out to the school on Thursday, and she saw him from a distance and said he looked happy.

Of course, the holidays are a particularly stressful time of year for anybody.  I guess it can be particularly stressful for a special needs child away from home for the first time.  The hope is that after holiday season when things settle down a little bit at school that he will be able to adjust after things return to normal.  I hope so, though getting him back will be difficult. 
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Saturday, December 11, 2010

Time for a News Blackout

The O'Reilly FactorImage via Wikipedia
Fox News ChannelImage via WikipediaI am tired.  Exhausted really.  There are a couple of reasons.  Part of it is because for most of the past 20 years, I have worked two jobs.  Not complaining, but you do what you have to do to pay the bills and put some food on the table.  Another part would be dealing with the difficulties of the issues with my son.

Prior to getting into blogging, I was probably your typical American.  I watched the local nightly news, checked out a few websites to be informed of things that interested me, but for the most part didn't get into the details of the happenings in DC.  As long as I was working and doing OK, it just wasn't that important to me.

As I got into blogging, and started looking for subjects to right about.  I had gotten tired of listening to the local sports talk radio station and found a fairly balanced talk radio show in the mornings, that featured three local reporters with both liberal and conservative commentators.  The station eventually switched over from commentary to only Federal news.

I then started listening to WMAL630 with Fred Grandy in the morning.  They were definitely my conservative, but my political views were more conservative to begin with.  It is there that I would also listen to Sean Hannity and Mark Levin.  Frequently, I will hear stories on this station, not always political, that would inspire a particular blog post.

Politically, I consider myself to be a Libertarian, though I am registered as a Republican.  Most of my views would be considered conservative and while I definitely do not always agree with the Republicans, especially on social issues, I do fine myself more in agreement with the GOP, especially when compared with the Democrats.

In addition to WMAL630, I found myself watching a lot of Fox News channel in the evenings.  In particular, The O'Reilly Factor, Hannity, and On the Record with Greta Van Susteren.  In recent months though, I find myself tiring of it, especially O'Reilly and On the Record. Plus several of the more liberal leaning guests on all the shows have a tendency to raise my blood pressure.  It has gotten to the point where I have been considering a self imposed news blackout of sorts.

The idea of the news blackout has really come to a head this past week with all of the hand wringing on both sides of the political spectrum in regards to the deal that Barack Obama announced regarding the extension of the Bush era tax rates.  I actually wanted to give the President some credit for the bipartisan agreement, but he couldn't go without attacking those that don't agree with him.  Of course the more left members of the Democrats and the more right members of the GOP are all attacking the agreement.

For the entire week, I have been listening to Mark Levin blasting the agreement.  He has gone on and on about how the GOP should be holding out for even more concessions from the Democrats, even if it means waiting until they take control of the House in January.  Hannity has been picking up on the theme of holding out, even if it takes a month or two to get a deal and how it would be an "interesting game of chicken."  I actually turned off Levin as he started his opening monologue last night and switched to music in the car.

While philosophically, I am in agreement with their position, the practicality of it leaves me scratching my head.  If the tax rates are left to expire, then folks that are living pay check to pay check currently will really be struggling when the tax withholding goes up on January 1.  It is funny that the very people who want a prolonged battle with the Democrats are the same ones that can afford to have a little extra money withheld from their paychecks.

Meanwhile the Democrats continue their class warfare battle.  They are all up in arms about the tax rates being extended for everybody, especially the evil rich.  They are even more irate at the proposal to have a break in the estate tax. I have never understood the logic of an estate tax.  A man or woman can work hard all their life, pay taxes on everything they earn, and save for their children.  Then when they die, the government wants to confiscate property that had already been taxed.

So now, I say a pox on both their houses.  I am not sure I am going to completely go on a news blackout, but I may cut back considerably.  Plus it is time for the holidays.  Over the next two weeks, I am considering running a 12 Days of Christmas theme where I will post a Christmas related post for 12 straight days, culminating on Christmas day.

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Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The Death of John Lennon

Photograph of John Lennon as The Beatles arriv...Image via WikipediaIt was 30 years ago tonight that John Lennon breathed his last.  Lennon has always been and will always be my favorite member of The Beatles.  Not that it particularly matters, but in order my favorites are Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and last would be Paul McCartney.  I liked Lennon and Harrison the best because they were both guitarists, and I played guitar.  There was always something about McCartney that rubbed me the wrong way.

A friend of mine posted on his Facebook page the following question; "Where were you when you heard the news of John Lennon's murder?"  I posted a response to the question on Facebook, but thought that I would talk about it here as well.

I was 19 years old when John Lennon was gunned down outside his home on December 8, 1980.  He had just released his first new music in several years with the release of "Double Fantasy," a collaboration with his wife Yoko Ono.  Half the songs were performed by John, and half by Yoko.  I really wanted to get the CD, but we had a rule in our house that I couldn't buy myself anything prior to Christmas.

I didn't actually hear the news of the tragedy the night that it occurred.  I had to get up early the next morning to go to work, so I went to bed a little early that night.  The next morning my mother knocked on my door to make sure that I was up for work.  It was then that she told me that Lennon had been shot seven times. (He was struck by four bullets, but three passed completely through his body.)  Logic completely escaped me at that moment, and I asked if he was alright.  She told me he had died.

I was devastated.  I got up, and got ready for work, but my heart wasn't in it.  I dressed in black.  The only reason I went in at all was that I had to open the store I was working at and had to get the cash drawers ready for the day.  I told them I was sick and took the rest of the day off.  My mother, understanding my grief, waived the "no purchases before Christmas rule" and allowed me to go purchase the new CD.  I listed to John's portion of the disc and The Beatles the rest of the day.   
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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Back at School

My son has been back at school since last Monday after coming home for a long weekend over Thanksgiving.  On my last update, which I wrote the night before we were to take him home.  I was concerned at the time that it would be a challenge to get him to return back to school.  Let me tell you, it was more than difficult. 

Whenever my son thinks we are taking him someplace he doesn't want to go, he will drop to the ground and refuse to move.  We found out that they were able weigh him at school and that he weighs in at 186lbs.  Needless to say, if he drops to the ground, my wife and I can not move him.

We decide that on the day we were to return him to school, that we would take him someplace he liked to go.  He had been asking to go to IHOP over the Thanksgiving break, so we decided to head out to IHOP that morning.  As soon as he got out the door, he dropped to the ground.  After about half an hour, we finally got him to the car and headed to breakfast.

We finished breakfast, and we headed out the door, he dropped to the floor in the restaurant.  Once we got him out of the restaurant, we had at least three more incident of his dropping to the ground.  Two of them were in the parking lot between two cars.  After several minutes, I walked to a nearby fire station and enlisted the help of some firemen to help get him in the car.

Once we got out to school and went in for the Christmas party.  We had a pretty good time while we were there.  I got to meet a few of the other people at the school who work with our son.  At the party, Santa Claus was there.  My son usually doesn't want to see Santa, but he sat on his lap and told Santa something he wanted for Christmas.  Still, our son wanted to go home, and at one point asked me to stay with him.

I call daily to check on his status.  The good news his first week back was that he was attending school daily, and was eating lunch.  Unfortunately, at the dorms he was not eating dinner.  The weekends for him at school have been the most trying.  Those are the days that he usually doesn't eat anything.  I had almost gotten to the point where I dreaded calling to check on him because I was concerned he wasn't eating.

On Sunday night, I called and he was down at a social.  He loves going to those so he can dance.  The best thing was that they reported that he ate well that day and had an overall excellent day, watching football and decorating the Christmas tree.  Then yesterday, he refused to go to class and spent the day in the dorm.

There have been several good reports, but for every good report there has been some negative.  It is a major adjustment period for him and for us.  On the positive, he is starting to interact more with the other kids in the dorms.  One day I could hear him in the background laughing and playing with the others.  Then the next, he spends it in his room.  Only two more weeks until Christmas break.
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Monday, December 6, 2010

Good News on Taxes

President George W. Bush and President-elect B...Image via WikipediaPresident Obama announced tonight that an agreement has been reached on extending the Bush era tax cuts.  At least for the next two years, there will be no tax increase for anybody.   In addition, certain tax credits like the Child Tax Credit will also stay in place.  One aspect of the compromise deal that I particularly like is a 2% tax cut on the payroll tax for next year.

This is particularly good news for me, and the timing is most fortunate.  As I have mentioned here before, my share of my health insurance is slated to go up 23% in 2011.  If the tax cuts are extended, as it looks like they will, then it would have been difficult to absorb the increased health insurance rates.  If the tax rates had of expired, it would have been impossible to absorb it.  With the additional news of the 2% payroll tax rate, it almost becomes a wash for me.
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Music Monday-John Lennon "I Don't Wanna Face It"

Lennon signing Chapman's Double Fantasy albumImage via WikipediaWednesday, December 8, 2010 will mark the 30th anniversary of the brutal murder of John Lennon.  One can only Imagine how much more great music John could have produced had it not been for Mark David Chapman.

"I Don't Wanna Face It" is one of my favorite songs released by John during the time when he started his comeback.  I think partly because of the wonderfully cynical line "You want to save humanity, but it's people that you just can't stand."  It is a typically Lennon line, and one that I can really relate to.  RIP John.


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Sunday, December 5, 2010

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas lights on Aleksanterinkatu.Image via WikipediaIt is three weeks until Christmas.  In a lot of ways, this is my favorite time of the year.  There is a nice little nip in the air.  My wife has started baking her Christmas goodies to give away as gifts.  I always manage to grab some cookies fresh from the oven.  Starbucks has their Eggnog Lattes, and in general, people are usually just a little bit nicer.

While there is a lot to like about the holiday season, there always comes a little bit of bad to go with the good.  The shopping centers and the parking lots are a lot more full than they usually are, so you have to be a little more careful navigating them than usual.  You always have somebody just whipping around the parking lot like there is nobody else around.

Thankfully, I do not have a lot of Christmas shopping to do, so I can avoid the malls, especially as we get even closer to Christmas day.  Things will get a lot crazier the closer we get to the 25th.  When I do have to head out to the malls during this time of year, I try to get out as early in the day as possible to beat the crowds.  Though the best way to beat the crowd is to shop online using Mr. Rebates.
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Friday, December 3, 2010

Somebody Really Screwed Up

Interstate 495 in the state of Maryland and Co...Image via WikipediaI woke up this morning to get ready to head out to work and turned on the news.  Instead of thinking to myself "Thank God it's Friday," I thought "Oh, God, how long will it take me to get to work today?"  The traffic reports said that there had been several accidents on a key stretch of the Beltway that I use to commute to work.  Not only was there massive delays, but the Beltway was closed.

Fortunately, by the time I finished showering, dressing, and making a fresh pot of coffee, they were reporting that all lanes were open.  Still, I headed out expecting massive delays on my commute.  To my surprise, the commute wasn't as bad as I expected, and really wasn't much worse than it usually is.

In anticipation of potentially icy weather, the Maryland State Highway Administration decided to pre-treat the roadways to prevent icy road conditions.  Instead two of the trucks used an incorrect mixture of chemicals that had the opposite effect on road conditions.  One radio report that I heard on WMAL said that there was a total of ten accidents over that stretch of highway this morning.

Fortunately for those that were involved in accidents this morning, the State Highway Administration has taken full responsibility for the mistake this morning.  Those who had accidents will be able to file a claim with the SHA.  After such a massive screw up on their part, it is the least they could do.
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Thursday, December 2, 2010

Taxes and Political Gamesmanship

I have to say, that while my own political views are definitely right of center on most issues, I am really getting fed up with the political posturing of both sides of the aisle.  All you have to do is take a look at what is going on in regards to extending the current tax rates as established under the Bush tax cuts.  Their actions show that all they are concerned with is their own political power and not the negative impact the higher tax rates will have on those that can least afford them.

My personal opinion is that the government does not have a tax revenue problem, but rather a spending problem.  Consequently, my personal preference would be that all of the current tax rates be extended for everybody.  Yes, even for those evil rich folk.  After all, I have never gotten a job from a poor person.

Both sides seem to be digging in their heals on the issue of taxes.  The Democrats insist on raising taxes on those that make $250k a year or more.  The Republicans don't want anybody to have to pay the higher tax rates.  Unfortunately, right now, the Democrats still have control of both Houses of Congress.  Today, Nancy Pelosi held a vote to extend the tax rates for those making less than $250k.  Most believe that it will never make it out of the Senate.

While I fundamentally agree with the Republican position, we are getting dangerously close to not resolving this issue, at least not before January 1st.  Eventually, I think the Bush tax rates will be extended, at least temporarily, for all earners.  If a compromise isn't reached, it will have a negative impact on the people that both sides say they want to help. 

For example, a person making between $58-68k per year could see their tax rate rise from 15% to 28% if the rates aren't extended by January 1st.  I like what I heard Congressman Paul Ryan say tonight on Hannity.  He said if the rates do not get extended before January 1st, when the GOP take control of the House in January, they will introduce legislation to reinstate all the current rates back to January 1st.  That is all well and good, but that person making $60k per year will have a harder time absorbing even a temporary increase in withholding compared to the person making $250k.

I have to decide by the end of next week what I want to do with my open enrollment for health care.  As I said previously, my share of my current insurance is going up 23%. The decision on whether or not to stay with my current health plan could be greatly influenced by the status of the tax rates.  If the rates stay the same, it would be tough, but I might be able to absorb the increased insurance premiums for a couple months until my annual review when I would be scheduled to get a pay increase.

If the tax situation is not resolved, I figure that my withholding would increase by at least $100 per pay period.  I know that I could not absorb both an increase in insurance premiums and an increase in taxes, even for one pay period.  However, if I had to switch to a lesser health insurance plan, I would run the risk of further financial hardship if anybody in my family would happen to get sick or need any tests.  These people are fucking with the financial well being of myself and others like me, and it is pissing me off.
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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Road Rage

Pussy Road RageImage by skatoolaki via FlickrI admit that I am an easily irritated fellow.  It doesn't take much to get me call somebody a dumbass.  Quite frequently, my ire is directed by those that I encounter during my commute to and from the office.  A couple of things that happen frequently tend to get my goat, as it were.

First there are the discourteous drivers that are out there.  I spend close to two hours, sometimes more, on the DC beltway each day.  There is a lot of gridlock in DC, and I am not just talking about the politicians.  The lack of civility from my fellow drivers continues to amaze me.  There are those that speed up so that you can't change lanes, even though you have your signal on.  Then there are those who cut you off by changing lanes abruptly without signaling so that you have to hit your breaks just as you are accelerating.  Damn that pissed me off. 

I try to be courteous when I am on the road.  If I am driving along, and you have your signal on in traffic, I am most likely going to let you move in ahead of me.  When I have my signal on to change lanes, and you let me in, I am going to give you a little thank you wave.  Too often, those that I have shown the same consideration to, do not even acknowledge it.  It makes me want to scream out, "Where is my freaking thank you wave, you moron!"

This next one will probably surprise those who regularly read my rants given my stance on laws that ban the use of cell phones on the road.  However, I am a "rule of law" kind of guy.  Now that cell phone use is illegal in my state, I am using a hands free device.  I hate it.  However, I am frequently frustrated when I am trapped behind somebody driving well below the posted speed limit.  Sure enough, when I can finally get by them on the road, they have the phone up to the year.  Get off the fucking phone and drive!  Where are the cops when you need them.

Finally, today was one of those days that pissed me off.  I am not what you would call a "green" person or a terribly environmentally active person.  I do recycle, but I am against things like trying to control carbon emissions through cap and trade.  I support drilling along with pursuing clean energy.  However, I do believe in keeping our environment clean.  I was stuck behind this black Maxima with Virginia tags.  Twice, the dipshit opened his car door and dropped trash onto the freeway.  Moron, take your trash back with you to Virginia and don't drop it on the road in front of me.

So, if you see me on the road near you, show me courtesy, and I will show you courtesy back.  Then we will get along just fine.  Just keep off the phone, don't cut me off, and keep your trash to yourself.  Otherwise, I may end up flipping you off and writing about you here.

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Monday, November 29, 2010

Music Monday-Toby Keith "I'll Never Smoke Weed with Willie Again"

Country legend Willie Nelson got in trouble again over the weekend.  On Friday, his tour bus was stopped at a border checkpoint and he was arrested for possession of six ounces of marijuana.  It is not the first time that he has had legal issues with marijuana.  He is a vocal proponent of the legalization of the drug.

My choice for Music Monday this week is Toby Keith's homage to Willie and his love of marijuana, "I'll Never Smoke Week with Willie Again."


Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.
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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Update on School and My Son

It has been three weeks since I have written an update on my son and school.  There were a lot of things going through my mind that day as we took him to his new school.  I was concerned about how difficult it would be to try to explain to him that we would be leaving him that day and not seeing him for two weeks.  To describe his eating as picky would be a severe understatement, so there were major concerns about him eating while he was out there.

Surprisingly, getting him to the school was much easier than I anticipated.  Saying goodbye wasn't, and I don't think he understood when I told him that I would see him in two weeks for Thanksgiving.  With me being the worrier that I am, I called the school every evening to get an update on how he was doing.  The initial reports that we got that first week were encouraging.  He tried a couple new foods like hash browns and some salad.  His teacher said he was adjusting to the schedule and working well in class.

At the time, I considered writing a post about my adjusting to his being gone.  When he is here, he basically dominates the television.  It is rare that I get to watch what I want on television, when I want to watch it, and without interruption.  Then there is the issue of buying him all the food that we buy special for him.  In addition to the benefit he would get from being at the proper educational facility, there were benefits to me in terms of my personal leisure and savings on the weekly grocery bill.  Still, the bottom line was that I missed him immensely. 

His first weekend at the school was a bit more difficult for him.  He prefers to stay home on the weekends, and watch TV, play video games, and surf the internet.  The school plans a lot of weekend outings and activities, which he shows no interest in.  They do have socials where they play music and have dancing.  He really enjoys and looks forward to those.

When the second week of school started, he had a difficult time getting back into the routine, but had a another good week of classwork.  Towards the end of the week, he started to have a lot more difficulty, especially in the eating department.  By the end of the second weekend, I was extremely worried because he had basically stopped eating and drinking entirely.  It became a concern at school as well, as they had us pick him up a day earlier than the original Tuesday pick up date.

He has been home almost a week now.  As soon as we picked him up, he started drinking again, and he has been eating his usual fare since he has been home.  Tonight, he and I went out to Watkins Regional Park in PG County, MD to see the Winter Festival of Lights.  It has become something of a Thanksgiving weekend tradition for the two of us.  As we were driving home, he looked over at me and said, "No school tomorrow, Daddy."

Tomorrow is the day we are supposed to take him back to school.  They are having a Christmas party.  When we picked him up last week, he talked about coming back to school and going to the party.  However, based on his response coming back from the Festival of Lights, I have a feeling we will have a difficult time tomorrow.  More importantly though, is the eating.  This time, he is not supposed to come home until just before Christmas, almost four full weeks.

I am not sure what will happen over the next four weeks.  The one thing I know for sure, is that it will be another four weeks of worry on my part.  I am not sure what will happen if he stops eating and drinking again.  He obviously needs to drink and eat.  He also needs to adjust to his new situation.  My son, even with his disability, is a bright child.  If he thinks he can continue to manipulate the situation and get to go home by not eating and drinking, he will display those behaviors.  Pray for us.   
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