The Inaugural

The Inaugural is fascinating me. I loved seeing the excitement of the American people and the unity. Now, the coverage of the presidential lunch doesn't do much for me, but the way America seems to have embraced this guy is heartwarming. I was not an Obama supporter, but I do think his election is a wonderful thing for our country. I don't know how well he will do as President, but I think the benefit has already been shown. Maybe we are reaching the time where people will be judged on their character.

There are some things I just don't understand.

• Why is plumber's crack considered disgusting, while cleavage is cool? I mean, if we are gonna have equal rights, start with the plumber's crack.
• I don't understand why we should kill a tree to celebrate the birth of Christ.
• I don't understand why they don't have apostrophe's in alimony. After all, isn't it a contraction for all my money?
• I don't see why kids find it necessary to use profanity to comment on a myspace video. I suppose it is an indication of poor education. They just don't know any more descriptive terms.

Some quotes from King of the Hill which cracked me up.

• Louanne: What is a BTU?
• Hank: That is British Thermal Unit.
• Louanne: Then there really isn't any bacon in it?

Life is very busy these days. I am doing a lot of work to reduce my bills and investing money to try to be self sufficient. Charles Schwab has a checking account that pays 1% interest. Check out your checking account and I bet it doesn't even come close. You may want to look into it. Yea, I know 1% doesn't seem like much, but one of my CDs is making less than that. Go figure.

I have been trying to resurrect my credit from what occurred a few years back. I had been stressing over this for a long time. Recently I found out about a check that bounced a couple of years ago that hadn't been paid. I just managed to make it to the courthouse and clear it up before it would have went to court. Surprising in this was the day that I had while going on this little adventure. Yea, I got lost as usual, but I actually enjoyed getting out and seeing a bit of the world. I took care of things and made it back to the Hermitage without much of an incident. Sure, I had a few people honk at me. They do that because they admire my driving. But this was the first time in years that I have made a decent length trip without getting sick during or after it. I am very excited. If I can enjoy a trip to the courthouse, there must be even more wonderful places in this world.

I have tracked down the money that was taken from one of my bank accounts because the bank couldn't contact me. It seems the state of Alabama stole it. I am going through some crap, but I should be able to get it back. Needless to say, the bank account was closed and unfortunately I cannot get it re-openned. It was with the phone company credit union and my dad no longer works for the phone company. It is sad because I had that account for over 20 years, but that is what got me looking at Charles Schwab.

Things have been going extremely well with the family. My wife and kids don't contact me, but as I have been told, that is a good thing. The conflict appears to be over and I can finally live in peace. I did my duty for the family while it was a family. Now I get to do what is best for me:)

I talk to mom about once a week these days and I got some very exciting news. She is considering coming to live in South Carolina if my neice moves. This isn't going to happen soon, but it is something to hope for. Mom is getting older and with my health issues we would be able to take care of each other. I like that idea. If I can keep working and get the financial situation straightened out, I should be able to get us a comfortable home to live in. I don't know if this will happen, but I can dream, can't I.

Someone it just seems that my life is all coming together these days. I am working through all the financial troubles. My panic attacks are fewer and far between. The headaches come rarely.. I am doing better at work. It just seems like this is the life for me.

Oh yea, I almost forgot to mention. I am considering getting a dog. I am not sure if I will pay the big bucks for a pre-trained pure breed dog or get a dog from a shelter, but I am considering my options. I would like to be able to rescue a dog from a shelter, but I don't know if I can handle training one. We shall just have to wait and see. Also, I really would love to have another Chow Chow. They are wonderful companions. I am not sure if I will do this, but I am investigating.

Take Care,
 Steve

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Darwin and Evolution

Why do I name this blog "Darwin and Evolution". It is very simple. That is the first thing that came to mind when I saw this video.

Now, I find this hilarious on several counts. Lets just work our way through this one step as a time.

I got up this morning. I knew I had to work, but other thoughts ran through my head. Do I go take care of some legal matters? Do I sip on some wine to relax? Should I go to the gym? Should I go to the zoo? Should I call mom? A lot of things run through my head, but for some reason it never occurred to me that I should intentionally set my crotch on fire. Call me weird, but that thought just didn't pop into my head.

Now, lets suppose that I had decided that the best thing to do today was to set my crotch on fire. I suppose that my next thought would be to have a fire extinguisher handy. If not a fire extinguisher, a bathtub full of water might not be a bad idea. It would never occur to me to try to put out my little precious with my t-shirt. That just doesn't come to mind.

But lets suppose that I believe that I can catch my crotch on fire and put it out with a t-shirt. Since we have also decided this is a good idea, my next question has to be, should I let someone see me catch my crotch on fire. My first though would be, well, possibly the fire department, but that is about it. I would never have thought to actually do a video of my burning crotch, much less put it on the web. This just never occurred to me.

So, as with my other blogs, I always try to have a point, and I suppose there is one here. Did you have a bad day today? Did someone piss you off? Did you make a bad grade on a test? Did you get a speeding ticket? Well, I have good news for you. Think about what is troubling you. Then think to yourself, well, at least I didn't set my crotch on fire and post it on the internet for the world to see.

Take Care,
 Steve

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Passing Away

Last Sunday night my cousin went to sleep. Apparently he never woke up. Technically he is my cousin, but he was much younger than me and I remember when he was born. He was only 29 years old and they don't seem to know why he passed. This has been terribly troubling to me. He is the only one in the family that apparently went through something similar to what I have been dealing with the last few years, at least from what little I know.

Work is getting very tough. Two more people have been let go and things are extremely tight. I am doing what I can to stay focused. I am feeling a bit healthier and have been to the gym a few times. Hopefully it will help my energy level.

My mom seemed very happy that I made it to Alabama for Christmas. That was a big deal for me. If it had been for anyone else, I would have never attempted it, but I would do anything for mom.

My apartment is looking much better. Once I came up with the wall of furniture concept, everything kind of came into place. I was even able to set up my kitchen table in the extra bedroom. I consider it a brilliant move. I can store stuff under it and do my gardening on top of it. Yes, this apartment is becoming functional.

I went to the gym again today. I did a bit of weight training and it is very evident how far I have gotten behind over the last 9 months. I only stayed a little over and hour because my head was giving me fits, but I am going to give it another shot this evening.

I like these survival shows like Survivorman or Man vs Wild. Both shows basically leave the guy somewhere for a week. It then occurred to me that I could survive in a lot of places for a week assuming I could find some water. They should have a special edition of the show where they decide to let the guy stay an extra week without letting him know up front. Then it would become a much better test of his skills.

Well, I am considering another trip to the gym and working a bit. I just wanted to let everyone know I am doing well.

Take Care,
Steve

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Financial Insanity

I have been attempting to find out the status of some of my financial accounts. My wife managed the finances and hasn't forwarded any of my mail so I could get a handle on these. Today I located my account number for one of my accounts and was able to log in on the web to find my account. I find that my wife apparently reported the address on the account as invalid instead of forwarding my mail to me. So, my bank closed the account and took all the money. I still believe that people are naturally good, but I don't understand these actions. Was I being unrealistic to think my wife would forward my mail?

People kept telling me not to trust her and I guess I should have listened. The cost of the destruction of this family is approaching $100k and that is just on my side. I don't understand people like this and I guess I never will. I know I shouldn't judge, but after trying to defend her actions for so many years, I am tired of looking stupid. I have been told repeatedly by family, our family counselor, and my lawyer about how people like this are, but I guess I was too stupid to believe.

It is hard to have put so much faith in someone and have them attempt to destroy you. I have experienced having all my money stolen, my cell phone number stolen, my e-mail account deleted, my chidren attacked, my attempt to see my children sabotaged, my family abandoned, my family abused, had the cops called on me based upon a lie, attempts to get me fired, attempts to see I couldn't get another job, and my trust continually broken.

During all of this I have did my best to continue to support my family. I have sent all my child support payments, sent my alimony even though my wife said she didn't want it, emptied my bank account so my daughter could go to college, and sent whatever extra funds I could afford in the hopes that my family would be okay.

I have had enough. I have been warned about associating with these types of people and was actually warned even before I got married. Maybe now I will be smart enough to listen.

Steve

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