Do not go gentle into that good night

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Do not go gentle into that good night By Dylan Thomas Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

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Blogging at mySpace and blogspot.

Take Care,
 Steve

Mind Power

In the past I have written about positive thinking and the effects that it has on our lives. Tonight I ran across a video showing scientific proof of what I have been saying.

But first, let me mention my theory. We determine how we are treated. No, this video isn't about that, but it is about the incredible effect the mind has on how we feel and how what we choose to believe becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Yea, it is some heavy stuff once you realize the ramifications.

To a large extent we see what we want to see. If you believe the world is flat, you will see evidence that makes you believe the world is flat. If you believe there is no God, you will go around noticing proof that there is no God. If you believe you are going to die soon, you will likely die soon. What you want to be will be, in some cases in terms of what you perceive, but in other cases what actually happens.

This goes back to people that always have drama in their lives. Why do they always have drama in their lives? Because that is what they expect. If you know them for years you will hear a long litany of stories about the horrible things other people did to them. You will sympathize and go, man, don't you hate people like that? Why would anyone do all those horrible things?

The reality is that the drama queens produce the behavior themselves. The drama isn't following them. The drama is them. If you want to see bad, you will see bad. If you want to see good, there will be good. You can spend your life seeing what you have or what you don't have. It is purely up to you.

I have seen this repeatedly. Take some events. Take the outcome you want to see. Interpret the events to support your conclusion. The events that do not support your conclusion will either be forgotten or distorted to support your conclusion. This is the world of the drama queen and this is the world in which so many people live.

Now, the video. You may be a bit surprised by the conclusions I am able to draw from that video. See the above paragraph.

Take Care,
Steve

Books I Would Read, If They Existed

Yea, my blogs are getting rare, but the subjects are getting worse. But I still have a strange thought occasionally. So now I bring you something you have likely never seen before, a list of my favorite books that don't exist.

10 - “How to Get Rich off Two Boobs”, by Dolly Parton
9 - “Jay Leno Sucks”, by Conan O'Brien
8 - “How an E Killed My Career”, by Dan Quayle
7 - “Muscles Aren't Funny”, by Joe Piscopo
6 - “Something to Nothing in One Word”, by Michael Richards (Kramer)
5 - “A Dummies Guide to Being President”, by George W. Bush
4 - “The Most Expensive Sex in the World”, by Tiger Woods
3 - “The Men Who Loved Me”, by Bernie Madoff
2 - “Life in a Cave”, by Osama Bin Laden
1 - “How to Get Away with Murder”, by O. J. Simpson

Take Care,
Steve

News Headlines

So, you have been reading my blogs for years and wonder why. You think I have typed some of the stupidest things you have ever read. Well, I beg to differ. Wait until you learn of my way of dealing with the news.

I have an RSS news feed reader that gives me headlines. Being the busy guy that I am, I save a lot of time by only reading the titles and making up the story to go with it just to save time. After doing this for a while, I decided I should share the experience with you. I have included links to the articles in case you want to get the in depth story, but my guesses should be pretty close. So, lets get started.

Actors Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart tie the knot

In a shocking move Calista decided to become Mrs. Ford to avoid that funky last name she has been dealing with all of her life.

French president marks WWII broadcast in UK

In a shocking revelations, the president of France just found out about World War II in a radio broadcast while taking a trip to England. When asked about his reaction to finding out there had been a war that kill tens of millions of people, the French president was heard to say “Wow man”.

Illegal bushmeat 'rife in Europe'

Holy Cow!!! It sounds like there is some weird cannibalism going on in Europe, but I don't want to get into specifics.

Guide dogs attacked by other dogs

Discrimination has been found in the animal kingdom. In a shocking discovery, scientists have noted a disproportionate number of attacks on guide dogs by other dogs. It is speculated that dogs see guide dogs as turning against their own kind by supporting humans.

Hospital to use robot 'workers'

To improve efficiency, a hospital has replaced their entire staff with robots. In an interview the director of the hospital said that this will not stop here. If things work okay, they will take the obvious second step and replace the patients with robots. The director predicts a significant reduction in costs, as well as deaths.

US sailor reaches New York after record-breaking 1,152 day voyage

When asked where the sailor sailed from, the captain of the ship said New Jersey. When asked why it took so long, the captains wife responded that she couldn't get him to stop and ask for directions. Hearing this, the captain responded “nag nag nag nag nag”.

By the way, for those of you who didn't get the bushmeat thing, consider yourself lucky. For those of you that did get the bushmeat thing, I sincerely apologize.

Take Care,

Steve

Bashing BP

There is something happening that frankly bothers me. It is the difference between a politician doing what is best for the people and a politician telling the people what they want to hear.

There have been politicians on television bashing BP. Yes, obviously BP made a huge mistake in the gulf. Whether BP followed standard drilling practices or tried to cut corners is up for debate. I have read some things that suggest part of the reason for the problem was that BP representatives at the oil rig where trying to cut corners to save money. That is certainly possible, but it is absolutely irrelevant to the point I want to make.

The American public wants BP to pay for the damages they have inflicted, which is only right. After all, companies take risks to make money, but they shouldn't put people at risk that don't stand to make money from the venture. I have no problem at all with that concept.

But the problem is that politicians are bashing BP in public. Your first reaction may be to say good, they deserve it. But the problem here is who are you punishing when you do that? The answer is many people. Sure, the decision makers at BP get punished, which is fair. Also, the investors in BP are punished as their stock prices fall. This includes many in the United Kingdom who have their retirement savings tied up in the company. This is fair, although sad. When you make an investment you take the risk. In this case, they chose poorly, as I almost did. Yes, I had considered buying BP a while back.

But you are also punishing the people damaged by the oil spill. What!!! How can that be?

If you want BP to pay for the damage that it caused, you can't destroy the company. If the company has no money, they can't pay for anything. And that is exactly what the politicians are doing. At one point this year BP stock sold for over $60 a share. It is now down less than $30 a share. I have seen that often the decline in the stock price corresponds with a politician running their mouth, and each time this happens, BPs ability to pay for the damage it has done declines.

Yes people, BP should pay. But if you destroy the company, how can they? Politicians, please wise up before more damage is done.

Take Care,

Steve

Christmas In June

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Listening to Christmas music in June,

What a surprising little twist,

It brings back all the memories of,

And the times that I have missed.

Some would call it a sad thing,

Or some might even think me mad,

But Christmas music played in June,

Reminds me of times I never had.

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Blogging at mySpace and blogspot.

Take Care,
 Steve

The Wacky World Of Politics

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Hi Folks,

I am doing very well these days. Yea, the insomnia is getting to me a bit, but I have made what I believe to be an important decision, South Carolina is home. I am not sure why, but I just really can't see myself anywhere else. I am reasonably close to my family in North Carolina and not terribly far from my family in Alabama, so this is apparently where I belong.

I have learned to cope with life fairly well. I follow the decisions made in family counseling fairly religiously. More and more I am able to focus my thoughts on what I am doing and not worry about anyone else. It really helps when you don't actually talk to anyone else.

I have also taken steps to kind of expand my world. I am taking more time to keep track of world events, although I am choosy about what I read. I try to go from the perspective that everyone is good, but sometimes bad things happen. You just have to look for the good in them, try to understand the reason for the bad, or just assume you cannot understand the situation because you don't see it from the perspective of the people involved.

Some things are hard to deal with, like a guy in South America that apparently had sex with his daughter and fathered something like 9 children through her. This is one of the more troubling stories, so I didn't read all of it, but I am assuming that the father had some serious mental issues and hope that he finds help an peace.

Then there is the story of the 15 year old kid attempting to sail around the world alone. For a while there it looked like she was lost, but the latest reports say she has been located and is safe. I really don't understand the need for such a dangerous adventure, but in some ways I guess I can see it as a test of maturity. It just isn't something I would recommend.

And then we come to the college football conference expansion thing that is going on. Yes, I am a huge Auburn fan and follow them religiously. I also keep up with happenings in football in general. Well, the strangest thing is going on. The Big10 conference is looking to expand and is apparently adding Nebraska from the Big12, or possibly now the Big12-1. There is also the PAC10 that is going after numerous Big12 schools, and apparently has accepted Colorado, making it the Big12-2.

What I find strange is that apparently all of this is just a fight over money and TV dollars. College sports has long been a big time business. My question is pretty simple. Shouldn't at least be partially focused on improving academics? Are our universities becoming the proverbial gas station and video rental? All of this is done tax free. Yea, you got it. They are making tons of money, paying huge salaries to coaches, and the college athletic departments get along tax free. There definitely seems to need to be a change here where academics is placed on a higher level, or these schools need to start paying some taxes. Us tax payers are basically subsidizing the outrageous salaries because the universities want to make a buck.

And then there is the wacky story that makes me love South Carolina so. If you ever live in South Carolina, you will recognize wacky stuff like the lack of a helmet law for motorcycles or that you can buy much on Sundays before 1:30, because Jesus didn't believe in commerce on Sunday mornings. But then there is the politician that nobody knows that won the a democratic primary.

Yea, that is right. A guy named Alvin Greene, a former member of the military, a guy up on some felony charges if showing some pornographic material to a University of South Carolina student, and a guy that is unemployed won the democratic Primary. One of the theories of why kind of baffles me. Supposedly everyone new he was black because he spells Greene with an “e” on the end. Supposedly it is an artifact of illiterate blacks after the Civil War not knowing how to spell. Well, who could blame them when some idiots made it illegal to educate blacks in the first place, but I digress.

The democratic party is pissed and wants the guy investigated. He apparently paid $10k to run, which seems odd for someone who didn't really campaign. He just paid the fee to the Democratic Party. Yea, that does sound suspicious. But what is incredible is that people voted for someone they knew absolutely nothing about. How is that for the wacky world of politics.

So yes, I think I will stay in South Carolina. Yea, we may be stupid, but we are funny. Hmmm, maybe I just coined a new state motto.

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Blogging at mySpace and blogspot.

Take Care,
 Steve

I Believe...

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Yes, I find it useful to document my beliefs, so in Blue Collar Comedy fashion, here they are.

I believe...

1. Video killed the radio star.

2. No good deed ever goes unpunished.

3. Two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.

4. Without bad news, newscasters would be unemployed.

5. If Mohammad is a saint, he can handle being depicted badly in a cartoon.

6. People are good, taxes are bad, and religion is somewhere in between.

7. Scooby doesn't like census works. He actually growled at one that was interviewing me at the door. Scooby doesn't usually growl at anyone!!!

8. I identify with all races. Yea, the census worker asked me which race I identify with most. Naturally I said black since he was black and I am the sensitive type. Lucky he had a sense of humor. If you don't identify with the black perspective, take the time to learn a little about Harriet Tubman or Fredrick Douglass. Would being black and living near Wye House plantation these days piss you off?

9. Star Trek is more than just a science fiction show. It is an excuse to get hot women in tight outfits.

10. You may be a redneck if you have ever slept with someone to get back at someone else.

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Blogging at mySpace and blogspot.

Take Care,
 Steve

The Uterine

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Sometimes I feel like I am getting back to normal, and then Gary Coleman dies and my world changes. Hey, I do appreciate the laughs he provided on Different Strokes. It seems that he was never able to adjust to growing older.

The other day I saw where a man had got uterine cancer. Yea, uterine. I know you are asking how can a man gets uterine cancer when he hasn't even got a uterine. Simple, an organ transplant. No, they didn't transplant the uterine. They transplanted the kidney of a woman that had uterine cancer. Yea, pretty bizarre.

Lay off Obama about the oil spill. I really find it kind of silly to blame him. Don't you think the guy is doing everything he can and wants to be the hero? No, I am not an Obama fan and, yes, he seems to have made a lot of mistakes, but the guy is doing the best he can with the spill, so either go do your part to clean the beaches, or lay off Obama.

I continue to make the donuts. Day in and day out I get online and do my work. Yea, I do it pretty much every day. No, I still don't actually go to work, I go to living room. Sound great? Well, it isn't exactly all it is cracked up to be, but I do feel pretty lucky. In this crappy economy, just having a job is a blessing.

Oh, and the stock market is kicking my butt these days. Yea, I am into it pretty big now. Actually, I think I am in it a bit too big. I have around 12 different stockes, about 7 different mutual funds, and one CD. Yea, they call me the plunger. Wait, that doesn't sound to good. Maybe high roller would be better. But the month of May has been terrible for investing, so I am now just riding out the troubles. Hopefully it will all work out.

Mom seems to be doing very well these days. The stress has eased up a bit. The estate crapola is still going on, but I filled out some papers that should help the lawyers handle more of it. Between mom and I, baby brother is doing fine.

I have a new idea I am toying with. I am considering paying to have the down stairs of baby brother's house remodeled so I can live there. The downstairs was pretty poorly designed and has an incredible small full bath and a bedroom that my king sized bed would completely fill. There is also an oddly shaped den and a garage. Remodeling it, I could probably have a large bedroom and bath, along with a laundry room and den. That might be cool. I am not sure if I have the guts for it though.

And I finally got me some new glasses. My eyes have turned to crap and I need to blog about that sometime. I can't have eye surgery or contacts. All I can really do is pay out the butt every year or so for new glasses. Now, doesn't that stink. It is part of the price of growing old.

Yes, I am rambling again, but I am sleepless in Columbia. What do you expect me to do?

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Blogging at mySpace and blogspot.

Take Care,
 Steve

Things I Have Learned

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Well, it has been a long time sense I blogged, so by request I figured I would give it a shot. So, here are things I have learned.

1)The rumors of my death are exaggerated. It turned out to be just a minor headache.
2)My Name Is Earl isn't a comedy, but rather an educational program.
3)Psychology is great, but drugs work much quicker.
4)Money is everything when you don't have it, but nothing when you do.
5)Roses, by any other name, will still cost you forty bucks.
6)If your dog follows you around the house, try following him following you. It makes for an interesting trip.
7)The people on Star Trek come in peace, until they blast the crap out of you.
8)Yes, a light bulb has come on, but it was a low wattage bulb, so I am not sure if it counts.
9)On Survivor, Russell may never grasp why he is always doomed to lose.
10) Shrinkage

Well, that is about it for now. That is all that I have learned.

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Blogging at mySpace and blogspot.

Take Care,
 Steve

Famous Last Words

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With the passing of my father and health problems pretty much rampant in my family these days, something strange came to mind. What would I choose as my last words. No, I am not going to go out like a dying redneck who says “watch this”. I want to find something cool to say, so I decided to come up with my top 10 famous last words. I was tempted to include more, but limiting it to ten is good. It makes you more selective.

10. Is it the Fourth?
~~ Thomas Jefferson, US President, d. July 4, 1826

9. I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis.
~~ Humphrey Bogart, actor, d. January 14, 1957

8. I owe much; I have nothing; the rest I leave to the poor.
~~ François Rabelais, writer, d. 1553

7. I've had eighteen straight whiskies, I think that's the record . . .
~~ Dylan Thomas, poet, d. 1953

6. Get my swan costume ready.
~~ Anna Pavlova, ballerina, d. 1931

5. They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist. . . .
Killed in battle during US Civil War.
General John Sedgwick, Union Commander, d. 1864

4. Go on, get out - last words are for fools who haven't said enough.
To his housekeeper, who urged him to tell her his last words so she could write them down for posterity.
~~ Karl Marx, revolutionary, d. 1883

3. Am I dying or is this my birthday?
When she woke briefly during her last illness and found all her family around her bedside.
~~ Lady Nancy Astor, d. 1964

2. I knew it. I knew it. Born in a hotel room - and God damn it - died in a hotel room.
~~ Eugene O'Neill, writer, d. November 27, 1953

1. Either that wallpaper goes, or I do.
~~ Oscar Wilde, writer, d. November 30, 1900

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Blogging at mySpace and blogspot.

Take Care,
 Steve

WTF

Solving a major American crisis all by myself.

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With the economy as it is, the job market very uncertain, and the deficit rising to unprecedented levels, I thought I would take it upon myself to come up with a solution to our most pressing problem, the deficit. I know some of you think there is no solution to the budget deficit, but I am here to say that you are wrong. There is a solution to every problem. You just need to think outside the box. How do I solve this pressing issue? I first asked myself what Americans value most of all? What is the last thing an American would be willing to give up? The answer to that question was surprisingly easy, freedom. So, since freedom is valued above all other things, it should be where the money is. If you want to pay off such an incredible amount of federal debt, you go after what Americans value most. Now, I do not propose to eliminate freedom. The would be counter productive. After all, it is where I think the money is. Why would I ever destroy that? That wouldn't make good sense. So, what would I do? I would create the WTF association. WTF, which stands for We Tax Freedom, would completely eliminate the federal deficit.

How so? What would WTF mean to you? It would mean you have freedom of speech, but at a cost. I would develop a cost structure for speech and tax the perceived value of what you have to say. Want to throw in some profanity? That is fine. I have a special rate for that. What about freedom of religion? Well, the WTF will be there too. You will be free to worship in the way you see fit, but to ensure equality, the pricing structure will be based upon the percentage of the population that shares your religious view point. Want to be a Roman Catholic? No problem, but it will cost you. Want to worship Homer Simpson? That is no problem either, and we have an incredibly low rate. Freedom of assembly will be affected also, but to make things fair, the rate will be based upon the total number of members in your group. Want to go to a college football game? No problem, but the rate of 100,000 fans is pretty steep. Then there is the best tax of all, the tax on happiness. You know, we are guaranteed the right to the pursuit of happiness, but it would be unfair to tax the pursuit because we would really bum out people that failed in their pursuit, so we will make it much simpler. We will just tax smiling. I expect to make big bucks off of this tax. Yes, it is that simple and we can have a balanced budget by the end of this decade if you are just willing to say WTF and smile while we stick it to you.

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Blogging at mySpace and blogspot.

Take Care,
 Steve

I Get Paid For Doing This....

Yes, I have made it back.

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Scooby Christmas - I was very pleased with Scooby at Christmas. We stayed at my mom's and everyone came over, including my little nieces. One of them, a cute little 23 pound girl walked right up to Scooby and hugged his neck. She told mom that she loves the big doggie!!! Yes, Scooby is a charmer. Oregon - Yes, I went to Oregon again for the first time in about a year an a half. I had no trouble getting there, other than getting lost on the drive from the airport. The week went better than I expected, although I kept waking up at 5:00 in the morning, which is 8:00 eastern time. The return trip proved to be an adventure. I had two layovers and had some troubles, but I resolved them by some tricks I use, namely hiding in the bathroom and sleeping in the airport. Yea, I am a weirdo. I have also been asked if I would like to move to Oregon, which is an intriguing offer. I am very tired of working home alone. Yes, you read that right. Many people dream of being able to work from home. For me, it has become very rough, although I am not sure I could do anything else. The best part is that the guys in Oregon seem very satisfied with my work and seem to think we have work for at least another year, if not longer. That is very good news because we are transitioning to new projects. The project I have been working on will continue, but is already profitable and future work on it will primarily be bug fixes. Future Topic - I haven't discussed much of my reading lately. I am working on a book called Children: The Challenge, which is by Rudolf Dreikers. The approach is similar to what I have read in other psychology books, but I find this one particularly straight forward. Hopefully I can write something up on it soon.

Hello!!! - Sorry that I haven't been around for a while. Things got very rough on returning from Alabama. Christmas went well. Coming back here didn't go as well. Health Issues - Yes, health issues have been getting pretty bad for several months now, but I am trying to come up with something to make things a bit better. We will see how it goes. Executor - Yes, I am still playing Executor for my father's estate. If I had known all that would be involved, I would have suggested he get someone else. There is a hearing at the end of March, but this is liable to go on for a while. Pop turned out to be very well off so things won't be simple. Retirement - With the results from this latest trip to Oregon, I may not be retiring as soon as I had thought. I am living as cheaply as possible and putting all the money I can into saving for retirement in the hope that I can avoid using the funds that Pop left me. Sure, I could retire on that, but it feels like spending the families money rather than my money, so I am hoping to fund my own retirement.

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Blogging at mySpace and blogspot.

Take Care,
 Steve