Wouldn’t it be nice if most of the population of the U.S. were as unaffected by terrorism as they are in Europe? It’s all about perspective, I guess. Check out this article and think about it.
In other news: The webcam is back online. I had some issues with my home wireless and I finally got around to fixing it.
This entry knows it has a greater chance of getting struck
by lightning than getting killed in a terrorist attack.
National Geographic has a very interesting article on their website about swarm theory. It’s about how simple creatures like ants and bees are able to act more intelligently as a group than would be possible as individuals. There are people already basing studies and experiments on how this might come to work for people as well. Businesses, government, and military could potentially find innovative ways to apply this to improve their operations.
This entry has a new respect for ants.
Just do it. I find most of Michael Moore’s films to be one-sided crap, but Sicko is far from it. I had no idea about how England, France, & Cuba (!!) manage the healthcare for their citizens (and tourists). It’s sad to see how bad it is here compared to what they do in these other countries.
I think the time has come for some serious reform in America’s medical system. Universal care looks like the best option. Let’s follow the good examples set by our friendly countries (and Cuba!!) and make it work for us.
This entry just wants people to be healthy.
I just read that Fred Saberhagen, the science fiction author, has passed away at the age of 77. I remember reading his Book of Swords (and then later the Books of Lost Swords) series years ago and being captivated by the storyline.
This entry is paying its respects.
Some things I’ve learned over the last couple of months:
This entry likes to view the ocean.
… that I have nothing to say.
Okay, that isn’t entirely true.
My mom emailed me with some very bad news yesterday: One of my cousins was in a car accident and her 3 y/o girl was killed as a result of the accident. I can’t imagine the pain she’s going through right now.
The new job is going pretty well so far. Some days are a bit slow, but I’m told that it isn’t unusual, especially since I’m new and don’t have any regular clients assigned to me yet. I have taken on 3 new clients for the company since I started, which feels good. One of them turned out to be the mayor of Tustin, CA. He and his wife are very nice people.
Let’s see … hmm … while driving to a client’s office I witnessed traffic come to a complete halt and people rushing out of their cars to come to the aid of a mother duck and her ducklings trying to cross the busy multi-lane road. I couldn’t help but smile while I watched a mixed group of soccer moms and businessmen give them an escort.
This entry doesn’t know what else to say.
Can one truly believe the world as it has been presented to them by their parents or the media? What about your own two eyes? How difficult is it to earnestly look at things on your own and come to your own conclusions? Why is the world so caught up with celebrity and scandal? Isn’t their own existence enough? If it isn’t, why don’t they do something about it?
Get up. Get out. Seek the truth yourself. Don’t bother spouting off at the mouth about what you’ve read and heard second-hand. Everybody lies. Find the answer for yourself.
This entry cares not for titles and accolades.; Put up, or shut up.
I read this fascinating article on the Central Connecticut State University website. It argues that a typical hybrid (they used a Toyota Prius as an example) car — yanno … the ones that are supposed to be so environmentally friendly — are actually more damaging to the environment and costly to own over their lifetime than a Hummer. If their figures are right, then the public has been quite deceived! Who would have thought?
This entry doesn’t want to ever own a Hummer or a Prius.
I’ve been there before; standing in line at the food bank because I couldn’t afford to buy it for myself. This wasn’t the worst of it, as food is just a necessity - you do what you need to do in order to survive and provide food for you and your family. What it really hit hardest was to my self esteem, my pride, my feeling of being worth something. More than anything, I was ashamed.
It hadn’t always been like this. There hadn’t been a time in my life when I wasn’t working. I had always had a job since I was 15, working at Santa’s Village, and sometimes 2 jobs. Suddenly losing my job, then our car, and ultimately our apartment was a major blow - and one that came out of nowhere. I was left reeling from these events and fell into a depression, which didn’t help the situation.
We moved into a motel and I became a miserable person - not only to myself, but to my wife and son, too. To make matters worse, I came down with gall stones… a painful and sometimes unpredictable affliction that causes excruciating pain. Without a job and without insurance, I was forced to visit emergency rooms, who could do little more than confirm my problem and provide me with limited relief via pills. One thing I’m thankful for during this time was that I was paranoid of addiction to the painkillers, so I was reluctant to take them until I could no longer cope with the pain - and only then take just enough to get me through it.
Eventually my gall bladder got to the point where it was life-threatening, so the hospital had no choice but to remove it. The ER visits, the hospital stay(s), and the surgery ultimately left us with an insurmountable debt - above and beyond what we were already dealing with. I felt hopeless about ever getting out of this situation.
This stage of my life lasted only 8 months, but it felt like years. Living in a run-down motel room, with boxes of our possessions lining the walls, a mini refrigerator, and a hot plate to cook with. I was fortunate enough to have a car, but having enough gas to just get around for necessities often proved a challenge. After a couple of months, I managed to pull a favor from an old boss I had and got a job waiting tables (part time). That was what ultimately pulled me out of the situation I had stumbled into.
Luck for me, during my time waiting tables again, a young gal started working the same sift as me. She was working nights waiting tables to earn some extra money for the holidays. A couple of months went by and she noticed my ability with computers, which prompted her to helping me get my current job. I’ll always be grateful for her help.
There was a lot of personal growth for me, coming out of all of this and getting to where I am now. It showed me a lot of how the world works and how easy it can be to get blind-sided by something that causes a sudden downward spiral. It has ultimately led to me taking life less seriously and to enjoy every day more. There’s less focus in my life on material things and more about spending time with the people I care about. I’m working on creating a financial cushion so I’m not having to worry month-to-month about my employment.
Now I find myself in a pretty good job, making a enough for a decent living for me and my son. It feels good, but the fear of going back to that food line has seemed to paralyze me into trying for something better. Where I would have jumped at better opportunities prior to the hell I went through, now I’m more bent on security and not chancing going back through any of it again.
Is it maturity? Is it fear? Is it a mix of both? I don’t know, but this is something that’s been on my mind recently.
Thanks for listening!
This entry doesn’t want to live like that again.
Why is it that it would be perfectly acceptable to hear a father say “I know more than 101 ways to kill a person” or “I own a gun” to a daughter’s boyfriend, but if said to a son’s girlfriend it might cause some serious legal woes?
This entry finds society’s norms rather restrictive.
Recent Comments