The dangers of Facebook

Hi
My name is David
and I'm
(dramatic pause)
addicted to
facebook.com !

There! I said it! It started out rather harmlessly a few months ago. A few friends of mine were on here and it was a good way to keep in touch with people. I have a Myspace account, but it never really thrilled me.

Then a friend of mine, who shall remain nameless...JUSTIN, introduced me to playing SCRAMBLE on facebook. Suddenly I was hooked...you see, Scramble is a gateway game. They'll tell you it isn't addictive, but before long I was sampling other games as well.

Then I started the Strafford Survivor's Network... a group that was for us "old folks" who still like to talk and visit about the "good old days." There were about 15 of us initially... but I adopted the "pusher" mentality and got other people hooked on it and they told their friends and so on and so on and so on... Now, it's totally out of control!

Then the chatting began. It started out very simple... One or two people for 15 to 20 minutes a night...but than it began to gather steam until this past Sunday night when two spent 2 and a half hours chatting with 17 different people! Sometimes as many as 4 or 5 at a time!

And not to name names, Val, Stephannie, Donna, Buddy, Linda, Phil, Johnny, David and so on.... but I like chatting with you guys! It's bad! I know! But I want it...I need it...I crave it!

I even end up talking to people about weird things too... Last night, one of the people above confessed to me that their porn name was "Snuffles Bellview!" Then I confessed that I wanted to pick out my own porn name like George did on "Seinfeld" and be known as "Stretch Armstrong!" rather than "Laddie YY" which is what it really would be if I were to follow the rules of Porn Names. (My Wife thinks "Laddie YY" sounds a bit gay "not that there's anything wrong with that" but I have to agree.)

If I were to be truthful here I'd say that I like facebook because it gives me a chance to visit with people I admire, love and respect. It also gives me the chance to talk about where we've all been and where we're all going. Plus I get to rekindle old friendships that may have fallen by the wayside due to our hectic everyday lives.

Too many people have died that I've later thought I wished I'd had more time with...this may not be the perfect way to do that, but it's a step in the right direction.

So, take heed of the dangers of facebook...but if you must use it...use it wisely.

-David Cox
who apologizes for the whole "porn name" conversation... Thanks a lot, Snuffles!

Seriously, when is the dude coming?

Dateline: Independence, MO December 25th 12:15 AM

After several hours of unsuccessfully attempting to put 8-year-old Jared to bed, his Parents, David and Sherry, have simply given up. They have now locked the door to their bedroom, where they have strewn presents, both wrapped and unwrapped around the room.

Jared has been in and out of bed several times and has taken to knocking at the door asking repeatedly "When is he coming?" Referring, of course, to the jolly old man himself, Santa Claus.

Fed up with these interruptions and constant distractions, Jared's Father, David has given up on opening the door and sticking his head out and has opted instead for the "Go to bed, Jared" warnings, sternly whispered through the closed door.

Sensing the frustration in both of their voices, at 12:15 AM, David opens the door one final time in an effort to cease these interactions. He opens the door a crack to find young Jared, clad in button-up flannel "Incredibles" pajamas, standing with his arms out from his body in a sigh of resigned irritation. "Dad," he implores "Seriously, when is the dude coming?"

David, who is still a bit angry with Jared, kind of chuckles to himself, knowing that he was once the child in a situation similar to this and blames genetics for the fact that his Son is a "night owl," and never wants to go to bed, much less on Christmas Eve"

David also blames the local news channels for posting "Santa Updates" on the late news, that implore kids to both watch the late news while admonishing them to "get to bed cause Santa's in St. Louis and will be in the Kansas City area Shortly!"

Being a Dad, David knows that all of this is the "Perfect Storm" for kids. Too excited to sleep and still worried that they might have been just a tad too ornery for the big guy to come see them, and in Jared's case, this is a valid concern.

Sherry and David, nearing exhaustion from shopping that day and trying to get everything ready for the big day, in addition to the makeshift meal that had to be prepared after the bar-b-cue grill suddenly turned into a raging fire that had to be stopped in it's tracks with the help of a fire extinguisher that no one really knew how to operate.

So after a hectic day and a crazy night, complete with house guests, four dogs and lots of late-night wrapping, it was understandable that both parent and child would be nearing an impasse.

"Jared, I love you... Santa loves you....Your Mom loves you..." but if you don't get to bed, I can't go to bed and Santa won't even think about stopping here." David told his son.

Jared turned to his Father and asked "But really, what time do you think he'll be here?" David walked Jared to his bed and tucked him under his covers..."Good night, Jared." He said.

Dateline: Independence, MO December 25th 7:00 AM

Barking dogs, an 8-year-old's voice, and the sound of small footsteps running down the hall wake David from a deep sleep.
"Dad, I got a WorldseriesbaseballfromtheBostonRedSoxandsomebaseballcards
andaBostonTeeshirtandsomehotwheelsandaPS2ControllerandsomeDVDsand..." Jared shouts, but doesn't stop there. As he continues blurting excitedly all David can muster in response to the verbal clatter is a bleary
"Huh?"

Later that day as the wrapping papers were discarded and the meals had been eaten and naps had been taken, David realized that in spite of the horrible economy and
the general "hectivity" of the season...it had turned out to be a pretty good Christmas. His family had still remembered the birth of Christ as the reason for celebration and they'd been thankful for all they'd been given. They were thankful for their house guests and all the dogs and for one more holiday with Luke, who pranced energetically around the house with his gigantic rawhide chew-bone becoming himself a pup once again at Christmas.

Even if for one day all the world can be perfect and filled with love...it gives us hope for the coming new year that all will be right once again.

-David

The Dreaded Christmas Letter

Gas Prices were HIGH
The Mood was low
and of course we all know how the economy turned out.
George Bush tried and failed, as did many a politician.
Obama won the Presidency and a lot of legends died...Goodbye Paul Newman!

So here we are
on the Precipice of 2009
Where do we go from here?
Let's stop and pray for a moment and then
We'll do what we always do...
Take another step

Here at Casa de Cox we had an interesting year
Sherry kept busy working at the school and shuttling the boys to various events.
Dustin kept busy with his music, both playing it and working with a local band
as an equipment man and working the lights during concerts.
Jared kept busy with basketball and baseball, earning both state and national awards for his efforts. He also moved around the infield in baseball a lot and ended up as a very solid pitcher for his team, the Bulldogs.
I started drum lessons, had knee surgery, helped to plan and then missed... my high school reunion, and I worked on a Presidential campaign that failed. I also won a radio station contest to take 50 of my co-workers to a Royals game with free tickets and food for all...It was a lot of fun!
Luke kept surviving his cancer battle, though at times it seemed his arthritis might be the thing that would finally stop him.
Socks joined our family and instantly became Luke's best buddy and in the process she stole our hearts.

As the year draws to a close we see more changes in the year ahead...

Sherry's parents moving back to Springfield, which means the absence of our
closest friends and confidants...our fix-it man and our babysitter too...
Cutbacks at the Library both on jobs and on money, while business there is better than ever...
Dustin still busy with his music and happily "going with" his Girlfriend, Amanda.
Jared's Basketball team, the Timberwolves, continuing to succeed after a 4-0 start to the season and seeing him grow as a pitcher during baseball season.
Sherry and me celebrating 20 years of marriage in July of 2009 and the start of our 22ND year together as a couple. (Where does the time go?)

We also hope and pray for a better economy, peace for the world and for man to start looking out more for his fellow man. We hope to see our nation and our world turn to God for guidance and direction and we pray for our new President to make the best decisions for our country and it's people.

We wish you all the best for Christmas and a Happy New Year too! We love you all and sincerely hope you'll all keep in touch throughout the year!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!

David, Sherry, Dustin and Jared

remissing you

First, I should take a minute to thank a few people for making my blog what it is...(or am I blaming them for it...? Hmmmm...) In any event, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention....

1. My Family
Many a blog topic has come from the antics, I mean, "activities" of my family.
Sherry, Dustin, Jared, Luke and Socks have each inspired several blogs of note.
Dustin and his musical aspirations, Jared and his sports achievements, Sherry and
our daily lives, Luke and his Cancer woes and the addition of Socks to our family
have provided me with plenty of fodder to write about. So, Family...Thank You and
I love you!

2. My friends at the Library and at Barnes and Noble
Gail, my snarky black female Libertarian friend, who often inspires or prods me
into blogging with her insightful, intelligent comments. Gail, I couldn't,
wouldn't write near as often without you around. I enjoy our discussions at work
and do think we need to team up for a podcast someday...

Michele, who ALWAYS reads my blog and let me steal her "Renaming the Reindeer"
line in response to my constant singing and whistling at work.

The one who shall not be named for reasons too numerous to mention. You too have
inspired much discussion and topics for blogification. You'll always be my little
"crack baby."

And Eloise, Mel and everyone else who has ever said "Hey, good Blog." Thank you!


3. Those of you who write to me to say "good blog" including all of my old Strafford
buddies...Donna, Marty and everyone...I thank you... I write for me mostly, but
love the fact that you "get" what I'm trying to say... THANKS!

4. And anyone, everyone and all who've kept me blogging for the past couple of years
keep responding... let me know you're out there!

So, I'll keep writing one way or the other and we'll see how it goes...

Take care,

David

Renaming the Reindeer

Do you ever start to sing a song, only to realize about half way through that you've forgotten the words? Or worse yet, maybe you never really knew the words??? I think that it's worse for me when it comes to Christmas songs because you only hear and/or sing them once a year.

The other day "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" came on the radio, and as is often the case, I began to sing along. So I'm going pretty smoothly (as is often the case) and I get to the part about there'll be da da da da da da da da da da da and
da da da da da da da... And I realize that I'm actually singing da da da da da etc... (you get the idea) and I don't know the words... Then I realize that I don't think I've ever known the words! Usually I sing out "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas La, di da, di da..." and then kind of hum along the way never really finishing the song. (which has to be a terribly annoying thing to those around me who wonder "Does he not even know this song? Why doesn't he shut the heck up?")

So today at work I start singing, as is often the case... sometimes just for fun I'll sing in the style of Sinatra, or Harry Connick, Jr. or even the late, great Nat King Cole... or sometimes I'll do my Willie Nelson imitation or even go so far as to sing songs in Steve Irwin's voice... "CRIKEY!" In any event I realize I've forgotten the names of the reindeer that hang out with Rudolph in the classic song..."What's-his-name the red nosed reindeer."

So I'm going along singing "You know Dippy and Trippy and Crappy and Daffy, Titus and Stupid and Muammar Gaddafi... but do you recall, the strangest reindeer of all?"
And all I could remember at that point was "Randy the bow-legged cowboy" which was one of the dumbed-down versions of the song we sang when we were children.

So...what the heck is wrong with me? Am I that confused? Is it the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder? Am I just forgetful? Should I write the words down? Why is a Middle-Eastern Dictator's name in the middle of a kid's Christmas song? I suddenly realized that I don't have any answers to these questions...so I'm going to think about it and get back to you next year...Okay?

Hey, have a Merry Whatchamacallit and a Happy whosit...

Dave

Oh the weather outside.....stinks....

I love snow...it's beautiful! I think it looks great from the comfort of a fireside chair while you're sipping hot chocolate and nibbling on some popcorn. It's light, it's fluffy, it's sparkly too...but here are some things about it that "ain't so great!"

It's cold
It's wet
It's cold and wet
It's slick
It's a pain to drive in
It's a pain to shovel
and it's cold (and wet)

If I were snowed in, I would love it... If I'm driving in it, I hate it.
A few years ago, I decided to relive my misspent youth by taking Dustin and some friends up to the horseshoe shaped valley near the school. It's the perfect place to sled because one side is a steady, but steep slope and the other one is a suicide hill.

I'm partial to suicide hills having grown up on a fantastic sled-run of a suicide hill in good old Strafford, Missouri. It was a long, "S" curved hill that was steep enough that the county would close the road at the top of the hill if it snowed even more than a couple of inches. It was every sled-lover's dream!

So, I decided that at the age of 30 hmmmmmphthing that I was going to outsled the kids and even try some ramp jumping. We played for hours, sledding away...ignoring the cold that turned our ears and noses to icicles and made our fingers and toes tingle and burn. We would slide down the hill and then run up it as fast as we could only to go flying down the hill once again. No ramp was too big, no hill too high.

The next morning the alarm rang and as I sat up in bed I discovered that I couldn't move my arms...oh, and it really hurt to breath! Plus, my back was one gigantic knot so it was at that very moment that I realized I was no longer a child...oh sure, I can still act childish from time to time, but the aspect of playing in the snow has lost most or all of its appeal.

So, now when I look at snow I don't think of fun and games...I think of driving and shoveling...both of which are not fun. Moving to Florida is starting to look like a viable option. Anyone ready for Disney World?

It's warm
It's only wet once in awhile
It's warm and wet once in awhile
It's slick (as in Smooooooth)
It's fun to walk around in
And you never have to shovel...

Dave

One last Winter

He walks stealthily over the snow and fallen leaves. The squirrel chatters away, not knowing that he is being watched. The stalking game continues even though Luke knows that it will end with the squirrel running up the tree and with him barking up at him as if to say "Get out and Stay out!"

Luke's work is done. The squirrel is vanquished to a neighbor's yard and Luke's back yard is once again a squirrel-free zone. Luke walks slowly back through the mixture of grass, snow and leaves and heads toward the door, where his friend, David stands with a fluffy blue towel, waiting to dry the snow from his coat.

David stands at the window looking out. Wondering if his friend of ten years knows that his days are numbered. He looks at his dog with a combination of amazement and sadness, thinking that they'd never get to this time and place together.

In April of 2007, Luke was diagnosed with cancer. During surgery that month, they removed five tumors from his front and back legs. The tumors were then sent off for diagnosis where it was discovered that the cancer was malignant and widespread. Luke was given six months to a year to live. In the weeks that followed, Luke endured a lot of pain and confusion, some of which was caused by his medication and some was caused by the cone he had to wear around his neck to keep him from biting at his stitches. It was a miserable time for both Luke and his family.

By summer's end of that year, Luke was stronger and more vibrant than he had been in some time. Gone were the days of endless running and playing, but Luke still held that puppy-like sense of wonder and playfulness, even if his body couldn't always keep up with him. He began to trip and fall on occasion and took to running into things more frequently. He still however, would perk up if someone mentioned the words "bread" or "popcorn."

As David looked out on the snow and at his dog, he remembered these things. He also remembered the puppy that Luke had been and the times that he'd hide in the laundry basket and fall asleep, or the time he fell asleep with his head in his dog dish. He recalled with a chuckle all of the times that Luke would somersault onto people's laps if he wanted to play. That was a sight to see, especially after Luke had reached his full weight of one hundred and sixteen pounds!

Luke comes to the door and barks. David, lost in thought, has forgotten that he's standing there with the towel, ready to dry off his old pal. Luke saunters in and sits awkwardly on the rug, waiting for his towel-down. The arthritis in his back legs is flaring up again and it makes him flop down on his stomach so that his legs don't have to bear his weight for so long.

David towels Luke off, carefully wiping the snow from the tip of the old dog's nose, and eyes. Luke bites at the towel and struggles a bit, a little of the pup in him coming out for just a moment. David stares his old friend in the face trying to remember how long ago it was that Luke's facial hairs began to go white.
"Hey old man," he says to his dog, "How come you're so old?" Luke wags his tail and plants a sloppy kiss on his Master's face. Then he barks a happy bark.

David gets Luke up slowly into a standing position and together they walk from the kitchen through the living room to the stairs that lead down to Luke's pen. As usual, Luke sits at the top of the stairs and won't budge until he gets both ears scratched. This process generally lasts several minutes as Luke leans into David's hands and moans and growls happily as his itchy ears find peace.

"C'mon boy!" David says as Luke wobbles upright again. They go through the office to the garage to Luke's waiting bed. Luke lays down on the multiple layers of carpet and rolls onto his side. As David turns to leave, Luke grabs his ankle with an outstretched paw and barks.

"Oh, so you want to play now?" David asks. He kneels as best as he can on his own wobbly knees so that he can sit next to his friend. Luke swipes at David's leg with his paw and then begins to bite on the edge of his shirt. David rubs Luke's tummy and feels the many cysts just beneath the skin. There must be eight or ten of them by now. Luke does a dog scratch with his hind leg as David hits an "Itchy Spot."

David stops for a minute and Luke moves to put his head in David's lap. He growls and then begins licking David's hand. "Luke old boy, I'm gonna miss you." David says.
Luke barks and licks David again. David suddenly realizes that times like these are quickly drawing to a close. He holds Luke's head in his hands and nuzzles his fur to give him a kiss on the top of his big, old head.

Luke, sensing his owner's impending kiss, makes a counter-strike and grabs David's nose with his teeth. "OW!" David yells. Luke quickly stops playing and begins licking David's face. "Okay, I'm not that hurt!" David protests. "Stupid Dog..." he says...and then he adds "Don't die, okay?"

How does it come to this that a grown man can end up sitting in a dog's pen on the floor, crying as he pets a big, dumb dog? As it turns out, Luke is more than a dog, he's family...and, he's actually pretty smart too... He can answer questions, or at least if you ask him a question, he'll bark. He knows the difference between bread, a stick, a ball, a treat, popcorn and pretzels. He recognizes the names of family members and will go to their rooms if you say "Hey Luke, Where's Jared?" or "Where's Dustin?"

The truth is, I will miss Luke as much as any other friend I've ever lost. Heck, I'm crying as I write this, so you can imagine what a sobbing fool I'll be the day he goes. I'm a sucker for animals and a lover of all of God's creatures, so I'm pretty sure a piece of me will die with Luke that day.

I guess I'll spend the rest of Luke's days trying to make sure he has just a little extra food, a little more water, some extra treats (especially bread) and a lot more love. We've been lucky to have him and we'll always have memories of all of our years with Luke and of that one last winter.

David

I'm dreaming of surviving Christmas...

Wow! I never thought I'd be this worn out already! The Christmas season hasn't even arrived and I'm already tired of it. I know, I feel like a Grinch too! I love Christmas!!! Honestly I do, but for some reason, be it lack of funds, ornery kids, difficult customers....I don't know...maybe a combo of all of them is what is driving me to the brink so early on!

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. This year the winter weather kicked in suddenly, which seems to have hit me harder than in year's past. The cold air goes right through me and makes my old knees (arthritic knees?) ache and makes my balding head way-too-cold. Sometimes it's bad enough to make my bionic shoulders hurt.

Then there are my favorite customers...the LOUD ONES! You know, they sound like George Costanza's Mom on crack and helium, while they attempt to corral three kids, and engage in a lengthy cell phone conversation while asking you for a book that they don't remember the title of or the author, but they know that the cover is blue.

Then due to the sheer number of people you're dealing with, you suddenly realize as you're walking down an empty aisle to avoid the full aisles, you notice that the reason that particular aisle is empty is because you're walking through a "FART CLOUD" that someone has carefully let loose in the vicinity. Shoving your nose into the crook of your elbow, you make your way to the end of the row where you end up face to face with several watery-eyed patrons, who were unlucky enough to also make the brave journey that you have completed. You scan the group hoping to catch sight of the one who might have ripped one and in doing so ripped the hole in the ozone layer just a bit bigger.

(This person usually has the remnants of a Taco Bell combo meal still on there face and is trying to avoid eye contact with you at all costs. You move on as to avoid being caught in another bout of noxious vapor)

Then there are the kids...the ones at work and the ones at home. The ones at work you can leave at work...MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! However, the ones at home are yours to keep. (at least until you're done making payments on them!) These are the ones who are so anxious for Christmas that they forget about the "be good for goodness sake" part of the contract and go straight for the, "Hey I love my Brother, but I really feel like punching him right now for no apparent reason."

These are the same kids that you love so much and yet wish the Prophecies of the movie "LOGAN'S RUN" might apply to. These are the kids that you threaten to spank, ground and cancel Christmas for...but hey, they're family...YOU'RE STUCK WITH THEM!
It's a good thing I'm broke this Christmas, cause I can blame part of the present downsizing on that and the other part on their crappy behavior.

And then there's my Wife, who I would lay down and die for, whose parents so thoughtlessly gave birth to her twelve days before Christmas. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? On the plus side, I usually just buy a bunch of stuff and then the night before I sort it out... Birthday/Christmas/Birthday/Christmas. I never remember what I gave her for which, but at least I get the job done! But that just makes it more expensive in the long run. PLUS, most of her family's birthdays are in December!
(Of course, most of my family's birthdays are in April...TAX TIME! Good thinking there too, huh?) My Wife's pretty good about the whole thing, and I do love her a lot, so I guess we'll work that part out eventually.

Tonight at work we had the giggly teens, the unruly teens, the loud teens, the giggly adults, the unruly adults and the loud adults. We also had the criminally uninformed, the slightly confused and the completely dippy. Those groups are available in both teen and adult and will be put on clearance after the holidays. (But would make more sense if we could clear them out entirely before the Holiday season which would do loads for our sanity!)

So, Christmas can be an uphill battle. But then I stop and I think of what it is that I like about Christmas...Jesus, Church, Friends and Family, Snow, Santa, Food, Smiles, Warm thoughts and even Warmer Fireplaces... and all of those memories. That erases all of the shopping stresses, the holiday messes and the second guesses of the "Getting ready for Christmas" part of Christmas.

So I'll try to cheer up. I'll pray and be thankful and I'll try to make a positive impact on those around me. If that doesn't work, I'm cancelling Christmas!

David

43 years 7 months 14 days 10 hours 6 minutes

Up until I was 43 years 3 months and 11 days old, I had only known two people in my entire life who had committed suicide... Three if you count my friend Damon, but all of us who knew him are fairly positive that he was murdered.

Prior to that, I'd had a former classmate and a friend from church kill themselves. It had been pretty calm around here in terms of Suicides for the past 20 plus years, and then, in the past four months I've had the misfortune of knowing two additional people who have decided to end it all.

The first was my friend Scott's Mom. She had been very depressed since her Husband had passed away a few months earlier. They had been married for a very long time and I think the thought of living without him was just too much for her to deal with.

This past Thursday, my friend, Vicki, decided that she'd had enough and found the exit that she thought was best. She too, had lost her true love within the past year and this "attempt" was her second, or perhaps even her third since his death.

When I first heard the news, I was shocked...and then I wasn't. She had been on a downward spiral for awhile. When I last saw her she looked empty...for lack of a better word. Her closest friends were convinced it was only a matter of time before she took her life, but I wasn't so sure....maybe it was the optimist in me...I don't know... how can you ever read that in someones eyes? I knew she was lost, but I didn't know that she'd never find her way back.

One of her closest friends convinced me after her previous attempt that she was determined to succeed and he thought that she would eventually. I hoped that he was wrong.... and for a few months it seemed as if he might be.

All that changed on Thursday. So now I know four people who have killed themselves. Could I have done something to stop them? Is there anything I could have said or done? In Damon's case, I spent the day working with him on a Friday...he spent the day talking about his Daughter's birthday party that he was planning for that Sunday, and for how on Monday, her actual birthday, he would be taking her to Chuck E. Cheese...

I told this to the police on Tuesday of the next week, after they found his body in a parked car on Monday morning. I tried to convince the police that he wouldn't have killed himself on Sunday night if he'd been making plans for Monday....but still they ruled it a suicide.

Was there something that I missed? Mostly I think we all just miss the people when they're gone...

Part of me is sick at the news and of the feeling that they're gone. Part of me is angry at the way they chose to ignore God's will and take their lives in a direction that God abhors... and part of me is just sad for those they left behind.
Whoever said "Suicide is Painless" obviously never knew anyone who tried it.

David

Luke Cancer Update

Luke seems to be doing well in spite of his terminal status. He's having problems on the stairs once in awhile, but that's more his age than the Cancer. We know his days are numbered, but he seems happy and most days you wouldn't know he was sick. I took these pics the other day during a storm. Just this past year, loud noises like storms have started to scare him....so he was spending time with us in the living room with his "girl" Socks.

PICTURES NOTHING BUT PICTURES

I've traded my mood swings for a mood playground

I swore I wouldn't let the outcome of the election upset me...and really so far, it hasn't. HOWEVER, the attitude of people and their reaction to the election has eroded my positive thoughts all week long.

I was talking to my friends K, G and M and they all agree with me to some extent that people have been taking this thing way to far. I actually had someone tell me that the world seemed brighter and better since the election and that things were instantly going to get better. Hmmm....wonder how that works? There have been some amazing Presidents in the past, but I can't recall any of them magically changing the entire world and it's attitude (and weather) in one day. How is that possible? (or logical even?)

This person (who is a friend) went on to say that we just couldn't take anymore of Bush and that it could never get any worse than him and his years in the White House...

Now, I consider myself an optimist in almost every sense of the word, but even I realize that it could always get worse...CASE IN POINT: The day after the elections, the Russians threatened the United States. That could make things A LOT WORSE!
The economy, which I believe will rebound, could always tank even more so than it has already! What if retail sales and the Stock Market dive during the Christmas Season??? HMMM...what then? Wouldn't that be worse???

Then, another friend of mine started dogging on how stupid Sarah Palin is. Okay, so she gave a couple of bad interviews and now she's stupid? Didn't Tim Russert (a Liberal) once say that someday the Democrats would have to learn that their opponents opinions were different than theirs, but not stupid. Can't we just agree to disagree without labeling everyone as "stupid?" I mean, with all of the Biden Gaffes out there this political season, he would have to be Einstein twice removed!!!

Then yet another friend of mine joined a "Countdown to Bush being out of office club" on Facebook, which might be funny to some people, but just seems tacky to me...I mean, come on! The election was the biggest slap in the face they could have given him. Can't people just be happy with the results and let the poor guy crawl away?

Obama won by about 3 million votes... almost half of the people who voted in Tuesday's Election didn't vote for him... So I fail to see how the world is going to change overnight. I'll give him a chance and I'll give him time to make some changes...and I do sincerely hope he changes things for the better...but for me...so far... nothing has changed. In fact, it may have gotten colder.

David

My Fellow Americans

First let me say that although I did not vote for President-Elect Obama...I'm proud of the political process and I wish him the best in his endeavors. I hope he really is all that people seem to think he is and more! I want him to be successful as a President and in representing our country.

I remember four years ago when I voted for President Bush and had people say to me "I hope he falls on his "face" so the whole world will see what a fool we elected." To me, that represents the worst sort of attitude you can have if your candidate loses. When our President loses, we lose... Who wants that to happen???

Am I sorry that Senator McCain lost? Of course I am! I would not have gone to his rally, or posted and delivered signs for him if I didn't believe that he was what is best for our country. I wouldn't have made phone calls on his behalf and prayed for him nightly if I didn't believe.

Many people believe the same thing about Senator Obama, and in this election their voices were heard. I say more power to them! This is the way it's supposed to work. After the glitches and gaffes of the 2000 and 2004 elections it was nice to have one that went uncontested and relatively smooth.

I would have hoped that the press would not have been so biased. I wished that people would stop saying that Sarah Palin was stupid, when it is obvious to anyone that she is a strong, resourceful and intelligent woman who earned her job as the Governor of Alaska and didn't buy her way in or inherit it from a family member who pulled some strings.

And yet, the lack of respect that has been given her, especially by "enlightened" "Feminist" women was appalling. Some even went so far as to produce a commercial featuring young girls who said that if they were raped, Sarah Palin would look the other way! This sort of hate speech needs to end NOW!

I would have loved it if the candidates had answered questions. I would have Really loved it if there had been about a million less commercials. And for the people who broke into McCain Headquarters in Independence to steal laptops and for those who repeatedly broke windows at Obama's campaign HQ, you are the worst of the worst as far as I'm concerned. You and the sign thieves and sign defacers should be forced to live in a country without free elections so that you can really see what a right, a privilege and a duty it is to vote!

Just as there have been bitter Democrats for the past 8 years, now there are bitter Republicans. Don't be bitter... this is a lesson learned. The popular vote was close, so be proud! Your efforts weren't in vain! You worked hard, you tried your best... The nature of elections is cyclical. The Republicans have had the ball for awhile and now it's the Democrat's turn. We hope they do what is best for the country now...

Pray for our leaders, no matter who they are. Hope for the best and help our new leader achieve it...if it doesn't work out, we'll be voting again in a few years!
We're Americans! It's what we do!

Dave

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Here are a couple of pics we took this summer at Lobb Cemetery in Blue Springs, MO. We took them at Midnight and contrary to the date posted, it was actually July 4th not, April 7th.

One picture has Dustin with what appears to be his face floating over to the side. This "error" happened in camera and we were able to see it right after we took the pic. I'm still not sure what caused it.

The other pic has what looks like headlights or some sort of glowing orbs floating above the ground. I would subscribe to the headlight theory except for the fact that behind the cemetery there isn't a road...only more cemetery and a lot of woods...

So, even if you don't believe in ghosts...(and I don't!) It's still kind of cool!

Happy Halloween! Save me some Kit Kat Bars!

Dave

Connections...

Okay,

So I've been spending a lot of time on FACEBOOK lately and I've actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. At first, my Friend, Justin got me hooked on playing SCRAMBLE (which Really Is Addictive!) and then I discovered a whole hoard of people I knew on the site.

The neat thing about it is that I've had conversations or connections with people that I haven't talked with in ages. I have a friend, who is a Missionary in Africa, and we've been emailing quite a bit within the past couple of weeks. So, "HI DAVID!"

I also chatted with Donna, who I haven't seen in about 27 years. We spent a long time chatting through FACEBOOK and caught up on a ton of people.

Then there's Susie, Brett,Michele, DeEdra, Lisa, Marty, Lisa T., Craig, Phil, My Sister Kayla, and several relatives that are FACEBOOK members. I've even set up a "support group" for people who live in, or used to live in Strafford, Missouri. Not that we need support, but it gives us a chance to write about or post pics about growing up in a small town in MO.

It's been fun connecting with those old friends as well as some of our "newer" friends...Jeff, Don, Pastor Fred and his Wife Laura, and many, many more...
I should say HI to LINDA, even though I disagreed with her political video that she posted...(I still love you, Linda... just don't go vote on Tuesday....HA!)
I'm kidding about the not voting...

HEY, Speaking of which... I'll be working the polls ALL DAY TUESDAY, so if I can do that, you can certainly get out and VOTE! DON'T FORGET...DON'T USE THE "THE LINES ARE TOO LONG" excuse! I may even go to a late night Watch Party...so if you don't hear from me much next week, that's why.

So to all of my friends, old and new...and to my family KEEP KEEPING IN TOUCH because it's important and it's fun.

Love and Friendship,

David

Stuff racing through my mind

1. Why aren't there more pizza places that offer Bar-B-Que Chicken Pizza?
2. What will the news programs talk about after the election?
3. If President Bush got blamed for high gas prices, why aren't people thanking him for
the drop in gas prices?
4. If they have arena football, why don't they have arena baseball that can be played
during the winter?
5. How can celebrities "forget" to wear underwear? How dumb or drunk do you have to be
to forget to put on underwear?
6. Why can't I understand the words to rap music?
7. Why does anyone even listen to rap music?
8. Why do rap musicians have to change their names to P something or G something or
whatever? I'm thinking Jim-Bob or John-Boy from the Walton's would be good rappers
if the name thing is all it takes to be successful.
9. Why do some people say "Oh Snap!" Why not "Oh Button," or "Oh Zip?"
10.Why am I awake when I'm tired and tired when I'm awake?

A letter to my Sons

Someday when you're all grown up you'll understand.
Being a kid is tough...but being a Dad is even tougher.
When you're a kid, you can't wait to grow up...
But once you're grown up, you wish you were a kid again.

Sometimes I yell.
Sometimes I get angry with you.
Sometimes I'm right when I do this
and Sometimes I'm wrong.

Sometimes you listen
Sometimes you don't
Many times it seems you just don't care
When I know that inside, you do...

You forget that I was a kid once too.
Granted, I didn't have the same problems as you do,
But you'd be surprised how similar many of them are.
When I say that you don't understand...you don't!
Because I really only want what's best for you.

Don't give up... Don't give in...
Be strong, be brave, be smart and be happy.
Know when to ask for help, and yet be brave enough to try on your own.
Don't give up... I'd rather see you fall on your face trying,
Instead of never trying at all.

You want to be smarter than me... Please do so...
You want to be tougher than me...be my guest...
But use your brains
Use your skills
Be better than I am, that's all I ever want from you.

You have more chances and opportunities out there than I did.
Take advantage of them. Be your Best!
You're smart, funny, good looking and talented...
Show the world how smart, funny, good looking and talented you are.

You'll make mistakes...
I did
I still make them every day
Some of them I've even perfected!

I get mad at you sometimes...just like you get mad at me...
But I'll never stop loving you
You're never too old for a hug, or a pat on the back
You may let me down sometimes, but my love for you
Never decreases...

When I see you struggle
I only love you more
I want to see you help yourself
And I'll be right there with you
In case "yourself" isn't enough.

Be someone that other people are proud to know
Be an example to everyone, even strangers
Smile even if you don't feel like it
Be thankful to God for all that you have
Even if it seems like sometimes you don't have all that much.

You are the only "YOU" that you have
You're the only "YOU" that I have
I wouldn't trade you for the world
As my Mom used to say
"I brought you into this world...
And I'll take you out of it..."
(HA! My Mom's a joker, you know, but she got the first part right)

I love you during the darkest days
and during your proudest, brightest moments.
You're my Son...
And I love you...

Love,

Dad

Debating the Debates

Okay,

Those of you who know me know that I tend to vote Conservative...(and for those of you who are keeping score I've already voted in this election and I did vote for three Democrats, so no one can say I'm intolerant!)

In any event....I do support John McCain because of his many years of service and experience and I think that with all that the next President will inherit, they're going to need as much experience as possible...

That being said, I have tried my best to remain objective during the debates and to listen and watch objectively to what the candidates have said and the manner in which they have carried themselves...

That is why, if I were to judge the debates individually I'd go with the following as winners and losers.

Debate #1 McCain=Obama tie
In this debate, McCain started out strong, while Obama began kind of slow and had an irritating habit of saying "UM" a lot, as if he didn't quite know what to say.
As the debate progressed, McCain began to fall back on talking points as Obama picked up speed. Obama finished strong, while McCain fizzled out.
Clearly Obama had the style in this one, while McCain offered greater substance.
Most of the pundits said they thought no one delivered a "knock-out blow" and left the viewer with the impression that it was a tie, or at best, a slight Obama lead.(of course, those of you who read the Kansas City Star the following day, read a ridiculous account of a debate that no one else must have seen and declared Obama the "obvious winner.")

Debate #2 The Vice Presidential Debate Biden=Palin tie
Both candidates did a great job in this debate, which made all of the other debates (save for the last one) look like a grade school production. Palin, who was widely predicted to fall flat on her face or her fanny, did a remarkable job of holding her ground against the older/wiser/more polished Biden, who at times seemed to want to bite his lip to keep from screaming at her. (although politely so!)
Biden won on talking points and on substance by far, but that being said, Palin controlled the direction of the debate from the get-go, by defiantly deflecting questions and flat-out ignoring some of them as she pleased...(looking like a pro in the process).
I could have done without the down-home corniness of some of Palin's comments, but I think she sold herself well to the people in the small towns and to Conservative women in particular... (and a few men too!) So, Style points went to Palin, and the fact that she was the main thing people talked about the next day, goes to show you that she scored some solid points.
(unless you're the editorial board of the Kansas City Star who said *that she was outshone by Biden...) *not a direct quote, but words to that effect.

Debate #3 Obama=McCain tie
I would have liked to come away from this debate saying that McCain won this round, but he seemed ill at ease and stumbled for about the first half of the debate. Obama seemed calmer and more collected until the debate turned to foreign policy. This is when the lights came on in the McCain engine and he revved up and took over. I kept getting the Mr. Miyagi and Daniel-San pictures in my head as McCain "taught" Obama a lesson in foreign policy.
But I could have REALLY done without both candidates going over their talking points and over and over and over them again... I kept thinking... "These are the two best guys we could get to run???" And poor Tom Brokaw, who I admire a lot...was left beaten on the ground....
No clear winner unless you divide the debate in half and give them each the half they excelled in... so NO CLEAR WINNER....
(well, except for where the KC STAR is concerned as they declared McCain "stiff" and "grumpy" and Obama "Calmer" and "collected.")
*I'm starting to notice a trend here, but if they pick McCain as the winner of the third debate, I'll stand corrected...although I doubt they'll ever pick him as the winner!)

Debate #4 McCain=Obama tie
Try as they might to go back to the talking points again and again, Bob Schiffer, the Moderator of tonight's debate, did the miraculous job of keeping them pretty much on track. Obama did some more of his "um" and start and stop talking, while McCain would begin a sentence, get sidetracked and then go back to the sentence. Both seemed a bit less polished (maybe they're just tired?) this go-round, but they did actually say some new things this time.
The round table format seemed to suit them both better after the previous debate's horrible "let's walk in front of the camera and teleprompter" format. Both got some pretty decent points across and Obama, still looking calm, seemed a bit unnerved by McCain's challenges. Brian Williams of NBC said McCain was "Feisty" tonight, and that may have been an understatement. He seemed like he'd had two or three trips to Starbucks on the way to the debate. To be fair, he did get off the best line of the night when he said "If you'd wanted to run against George Bush, you should have ran four years ago!"
They both did well where they were expected to do well, although other than McCain's "Bush" pronouncement, neither really drew blood. McCain did look tougher, although I'm not sure the "His buddy's a terrorist" argument really does a lot for his campaign. If he'd wanted to do damage, he should have brought up Jeremiah Wright, who is still a sore spot with the Obama campaign.
Obama did a good job at explaining his health care plan, but faltered a bit when he talked about the Supreme Court. McCain's explanation sounded better. (At least to me...) So, no clear winner again for me, but if you want to give McCain extra points for sheer energy (although the eye rolling was a bit much!) you may do so... (unless you're the Kansas City Star and you've already given the debate to Obama....)

-David

TV PARTY TONIGHT

To be honest, I haven't been the least bit excited about this fall TV season at all.
None of the new shows really appealed to me when I viewed their previews and promos, and what I was mostly interested in were shows like "The OFFICE," "Pushing Daisies," "ER," and "30 Rock," that were returning for another season.

So far, I've only seen three of the new shows, and here's what I think of them...

"Life On Mars" ABC Thursday nights.
Great show. Does a good job at combining elements of "LOST" and "NYPD BLUE" with little reminders of past TV Detective Shows like "Cannon" and "Barnaby Jones." It's about a modern day New York Detective who, after being hit by a car, ends up in the early 1970's using his current knowledge and skills to solve 30 some year old crimes.
It's fantastically well done, although some of the characters border on caricatures and some of the fashion is a bit over-the-top. But still gets an "A" for effort.

"Kath and Kim" NBC Thursday nights.
Good cast....Crappy show! Possibly the flimsiest excuse for a TV show ever. A single Mom raising her adult (although socially stunted) daughter, who is separated from the world's biggest moron. It should be cancelled NOW! After only one episode!!! Stop the madness!

"My own Worst Enemy" NBC Monday nights.
Christian Slater, still channelling his inner Jack Nicholson, does a decent job at playing both Henry and Edward (Jekyll? Hyde?), one of which is a family man, while the other is a hit man. Silly premise done well by the makers of "Alias."

Of the returning series, "Pushing Daisies" has had some good, but not great moments and seems to be lagging a bit from last year. "Chuck" has been good, if not better than last season. "Heroes" is all over the place and has been a bit hard to follow so far this year. There are way too many characters at this point.
"The OFFICE" is perfection... "Earl" may have peaked in season 2, and while season 4 so far is better than season 3 was...it's still a far cry from the quality of the first two years. "ER" is still solid and well done in it's final year.

Oh, and "LOST" can't start soon enough for me... ditto "30 Rock!"

Dave

The weariness of the middle-aged male

sleep evades me
as does money
life adds weariness
day by day

busy to the point
of way past exhaustion
marathon runners
running on treadmills

seasons change
yet days drag on
time flies
when someone else
is having fun

fall is the time of year
that does this sort of
thing to me
makes me the kind of tired
that sleep won't fix

thirsting for something
hungry for anything
just lacking the time
or some place to sit

time to consider
a long hibernation
envy the bears
who can get away with it

Today's review

Today it's raining.
I am having trouble walking because my knee is acting up.
I ate Nachos for lunch.
My dog was up barking and upset because it was storming this morning.
The Today show is goofy.
I'm tired.
Did I mention my leg hurts?

All the news that isn't

Clay Aiken is Gay? Really? I had no idea! Honestly...is this news? It's on every news website there is today. Why is this news at all? Everyone already had a pretty good idea that he was... oh well...whatever... I don't care if he is or not, I just hope that he doesn't become the next Celebrity on a mission like Brad Pitt, who seems to want to adopt the world and provide money for gay marriages...all in the same day!

It's been a gay week in the news... ABC.COM reports that there are now more gay characters on television than ever before. Hmmm... this is news? I don't see them saying "There are more skinny people on television now than ever before..." You know why? Most people really don't care. You're either going to watch the shows that have gay people on them, or you aren't.

It's like the show "Brothers and Sisters" which is a show that Sherry loves and I hate. I watched a few episodes of it when it first started, mostly because there are two or three actors from "Alias" on there, plus a few other decent actors too... but then the show got splintered into all these dopey categories... Sally Field's kids were "GAY," "ALCOHOLIC," "REPUBLICAN" (I like how they treat the Daughter being Republican as a "problem"), "Being cheated on by their spouse," "Cheating on their spouse" and so on... Each of her kids is an afterschool special or a movie of the week all on their own!

But I digress... in other "NEWS" Lindsey Lohan has a Girlfriend... Wait, she's Gay? Oh Man! I used to think she was cute and talented...now she's troubled, drugged up and lesbian! Darn!

Steven Spielberg (along with Pitt) is donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to aid lobbying efforts to promote gay marriage. He lives in California doesn't he? Gay marriage is already allowed there...can't he just be happy with that? Oh, isn't he the one who used to do ads for Boy Scouts and then later disowned the Scouts because they won't allow Gay Scout Leaders? Wow, he really is into gay rights... Has he met Clay or Lindsey?

I don't have anything against gay people...I just don't agree with singling out people when we're supposed to view everyone as the same. What gay people do in their own homes is their own business and none of mine...but I don't have to agree with it or be told that I have to agree with it.

In the news today there was a story about a giant pig terrorizing a woman in Australia... NOW THAT'S NEWS!

David

Soria S-O-R-I-A

I have seen the future of Kansas City Baseball...and it is Soria...and Aviles...and Shealy...and Gordon....and Butler... and DeJesus...and Greinke...and possibly a few others that I'm forgetting at the moment.

Twice this week, I've had the privilege and the pleasure of watching the Kansas City Royal tear into their opponents with a ferocity that has been missing for many a season. I've been to 16 games this season and of those, I've seen the Royals really go after someone maybe a total of 4 times!

Tuesday night against the Mariners (Not a huge challenge), the knocked three home runs over the wall!!! Three! And tonight against the Chicago White Sox (Number one in the AL Central) they not only hit one over the wall, but David DeJesus actually hit an inside the Park Home Run... Something I've only seen in person like, twice ever!

And then, after Pitcher Kyle Davies (who I haven't been overly excited about this season ) Pitched a Masterful 7.5 innings, Kila Ka'ahue, one of our newest wunderkinds, hit his first Major League Home run...OVER THE WALL! Standing Ovations were handed out to several of the players and the crowd chanted several players names as they batted.

Then came Soria... The phenomenal, magical, mystical pitching machine that is Joakim Soria. Even poor Mike MacDougal (who was the one of the last young pitchers for the Royals to get a Rock-Star Welcome upon entering a game....) couldn't hold a candle to our "MEXICUTIONER" Joakim. I've got to admit, I'm dazzled by his pitching skills. He reduces batters to T-Ball players, with his array of pitches. I've literally seen batters spin in a circle or fall down while trying to bat away one of his throws.... It's Amazing!

After a rough August, September seems to be a month of re-birth for the boys in blue as they head-butt anyone who gets in their way. All I can say is "Come on April, get hear fast!" Cause I'm dying for Opening Day!

David

Books I'd never buy

I'm not one to advocate book banning or book burning, but that doesn't stop me from wondering why some books ever see the light of day...

There are some really horrendously awful books out there and I don't know if I'm more disturbed by the fact that someone wrote them or that someone actually took the trouble to publish them? Or even still, who the heck buys this dreck?

Take for instance that classic book "Henry Kissinger: Mystery Man of Power" which has been rotting in some person's basement since it was published in 1972. I'm thinking for the original price of Fifty Cents, it might have been a bargain, especially if you found out about his ability to fly or see through walls. (I have to admit, I do love that title!"

Speaking of loving titles, how about "Little Monkey's Big Peeing Circus"? A terrific title that brings to mind.... YECCCCHHHH! What were they thinking with that title?
And you should read the review of it on Amazon.Com... Would anyone ever really buy this thing? The picture on the cover is enough of a turn-off for most people...even if the title doesn't get you.

Which brings to mind my new favorite Urban Romance title "The Moanin After." No comment necessary here at all with a title like that, I'm sure you can judge a book by it's cover. Ewwwww...

So, with those books in mind...go to your local bookstore or online at www.bn.com or www.amazon.com and buy something else! Anything Else!

Dave

Don't read this blog

Okay, I will admit that sometimes I stray into areas political when blogging. I also wander into family topics, discussions on religion, my thoughts on movies, television and books...and pretty much anything else that happens to be "tripping my trigger" at the moment.

However, this isn't, nor has it been, nor will it be solely a Political Blog. This being said, one of my long-time readers recently took me to task for being "too political." Okay...maybe I have been from time to time, but the beauty in writing a blog is that people have the choice to read, or not to read whatever you write and then they can choose if they agree, or don't agree with what you've said. Wow! Novel Idea!

Back when I used to write movie reviews and various articles for the local paper, I was always intrigued by what might set someone off. I could write a stirring true-life account of a Preacher, who had been a minister in a war-torn country and of his heroic measures to bring the word of God to those in need....and I'd never hear a word about it from a single reader.

Then the next week I'd write a scathing review of some stinker film like "The Firm" and would say something like "You know a movie is in trouble when a character who appears for only five minutes in the film, is more interesting than the hour and a half you've spent with the lead character played by Tom Cruise" and I would get bombarded with hate mail from the Cruise fans who (not so subtly) would infer that I stick things in each and every available orifice on my body.

So let me just say, if I've offended...I apologize... that was never my intention. If you don't like something I've written...fine...tell me so... But if anything I've written bothers you that much than my best advice is Don't read this blog!

David

Rainy days and Tornado days always get me down

It's raining.

It's been raining for days.

The rain will not stop.

Last night, while I was at work we had a tornado. The sirens went off, and yet people wanted to shop. How strange...how dangerous...how dumb! One lady said "I've been through lots of these and they don't bother me." So I thought "You know, she's right! What do the people at the National Weather Service know anyway??? With all their fancy-shmancy gizmos and machines! I'm listening to the lady who isn't bothered by 100 mile per hour winds! She knows her stuff!" (of course, seconds later she was swept away by the storm, never to be seen or heard from again, so I quickly changed my mind!)

So, after the sirens stopped, business kind of died too. My Boss said she wanted to send some people home, and me with my wonderful head cold raised my hand and volunteered! "I'LL DO IT!" I shouted, throwing caution to the wind (no pun intended). "I'll GO!" I said, not thinking of myself at all, but looking out for my co-workers who didn't want to see me blowing my nose or hear me cough again.

So, after the storm, the rains picked up a bit and it is raining still. I didn't sleep well last night (Cold? Rain? I don't know the reason) so I think I may have to take a nap soon. Rainy days and tornado days always get me down.

Dave

Oxymorons against Sarah Palin

I actually did promise myself that my last blog on Sarah Palin would be MY LAST BLOG ON SARAH PALIN...but then, some how, some way, some knucklehead comes along and says or does something that is just begging, pleading to be shot down. (Since most of the things said, and theories connected to said comment have so many holes in them anyway, what's a few more gonna hurt?)

While surfing the net I came across a group that calls themselves "Intelligent Women against Sarah Palin." Okay, fine...but since this group primarily came together over their bizarre hatred of Sarah Palin, I'm thinking first and foremost that they are a hate group and should be dealt with as such.

Secondly, I'm not sure why these women feel so threatened by Sarah Palin. Even if they don't agree with her, this is a momentous occasion, is it not? I mean, really! It's taken forever for either political party to put a woman on the "Big Ticket." Geraldine Ferraro was YEARS AGO! And there were some who thought the Republicans might never do it! But they did! Maybe they are a progressive, forward thinking party after all!

Thirdly, if I were campaigning for a candidate, I would be out CAMPAIGNING FOR MY CANDIDATE, not wasting time trying to tear the opponent down. Is their candidate so weak that they can't think of reasons to tout him, so they've got to spend their time not only hating the other candidate, but setting out to belittle or destroy them?

Doesn't that seem a bit over the top? Besides, Palin is the second on the ticket, and has been called insignificant, trivial, a setback to women everywhere, and so on and so on and so on... If she's that bad, why bother?

What happened to the "Hate is not a family value" crowd? Plenty of hate there now, isn't there? Is it because she's a Mom? Cause she wears dresses instead of pantsuits? Actually loves her Husband and has a Husband who is seemingly devoted to her as well? Really, what is it? I want to know what has inspired so many women to degrade themselves publicly by declaring their hatred for a woman who their candidate can "mop the floor with" (as a friend of mine so nicely put it.)
(Or better yet, Sarah could stay home and mop the floor herself, as some feminists have declared.)

We're always telling our kids that "who knows? Someday they could grow up to be President" Well...maybe not...

David

What I said to John McCain and Sarah Palin this morning in Lee's Summit, Missouri

Whooo!

Go McCain! Go McCain!

Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah!

Whooo!

Straight Talk! Straight Talk!

Go McCain! Go McCain!

Whoo hoo! Whoo hoo!

Yeah!

Whoo!

(I actually would have said more to them if I hadn't had a thousand or so people in front of me!)

Sarcasm will get you everywhere...

Okay, so that last blog was snarky...I'll admit it... but I was just doing it to tease my friend Chrissy, who thinks I'm obsessed with McCain.

I'm obsessed with the following things...

1. Panera Asiago Cheese Bagels
2. Dr. Pepper
3. Television
4. Movies
5. The American Political Process
6. "Green Acres" (see above listing for Television)
7. "Moonlighting" (see "Green Acres")
8. Cindy Crawford (actually, that was a long time ago... post Farah Faucett, but
prior to Ashley Judd, Catherine Zeta Jones and Charleze Theron... (RRRRRRR)
9. Playing Drums (I wish I'd started 25 years ago!!!)
10.Blogging

Oh wait, I meant to say "John McCain" instead of all that other stuff....sorry!

To be totally honest, McCain wasn't my first choice, or my second or my third...
BUT he is now my choice. I think Palin is a breath of fresh (inexperienced) air.
But then again, how does one "practice" to be the Vice President? There aren't really a lot of jobs even like it, so wouldn't life experience along with political experience be enough to get the job?

I mean, honestly... She's going to just have to go to some state funerals and sit in on a few meetings here and there, right? If Gore and Quayle can do it, anyone can!

So there are some of the things I'm obsessed with... John McCain is not one of them... (Sarah Palin might be one sometime in the future cause she reminds me of Tina Fey, who is a total babe! RRRRR)

David

Why I love baseball (and Sarah Palin)

A friend of mine recently accused me of "Gushing" over John McCain in my blog...which is funny because when I looked back over the last few months of blogging, I see where I've mentioned McCain a couple of times, Obama several times and Sarah Palin exactly once...

I will admit that I came close to gushing over Fred Thompson, but then he decided that he didn't really want to be President even though he was running. I did mention that I thought Huckabee was funny on Saturday Night Live, and having Chuck Norris as his head of security was a hoot.

I kind of flirted with the idea of voting for Rudy or Mitt and maybe for a half second thought that I'd vote for Hillary if worse came to worse...but really? Gushing??? I don't think so...

That's why today, I'm not going to write anything political at all. Today I'm writing about why I love baseball (and Sarah Palin!)

Let's see... Why I love baseball... by David


It's fun... kind of like Sarah Palin

It's beautiful...the way the game is played outside under the clouds and blue skies... You see, it's very serene and beautiful...just like Sarah Palin!

It's tough...like Sarah Palin!

It's a good way to spend a few hours...almost as good as spending time listening to Sarah Palin!

Watching the pitcher with his control and focus is like watching Sarah Palin as she dissects Obama's campaign promises.

Seeing the star player hit a home run is like watching Sarah Palin as she spoke at the Republican Convention... It's a Grand Slam!!!

Wow... I could just go on and on about BASEBALL (and Sarah Palin)... but I won't.
I'm just one of many Palin...I mean, Baseball, fans in this country...so I don't need to tell you why I think it's one of the best things ever! Just like Sarah Palin!


David

The Borking of Sarah Palin

The darkest, most devious aspects of American politics reared it's ugly head today as we witnessed the "Borking" of Sarah Palin, the presumptive Republican Vice Presidential Nominee.

As we all know, her 17 year old Daughter is pregnant and unmarried, and while this is a sad situation for this young girl to be in, it in no way reflects on the abilities of her Mother, to Mother or to be considered as the Vice President.

The thing that makes me most angry is that the feminists in this Country say that their main purpose is to promote Women's Rights and Equality, and yet once again, they will only stand united for a Woman who agrees with them on every issue, not one who differs with them on Abortion, Gay Rights or anything else along that line.

So, as long as you drink their kool-aid and tow the line, then you're worthy of being defended...if not...You're on your own. One feminist commentator even referred to Palin as the "Skirt" on the Republican ticket! If a Man or better yet, a Republican ever referred to a woman as a "Skirt" they'd be beaten back to the stone age! Some have suggested that her Daughter's pregnancy would not have occurred if she'd been at home watching her kids!!!

Feminists are telling Strong, Bold, Brave Republican Women to stay home with their kids???!!! Have they gone Mad? The easy answer to this question is "YES," they are officially stark-raving loony! (They have been for quite a while, it's just now becoming obvious to everyone, and not just Republicans)

Rumors are swirling that Palin may bow out as early as tomorrow. I hope not... Politics is a pretty pathetic place as it is...but if decent people keep getting "Borked" out of politics, all we'll have left is the swill.

David

John McCain will kick your Grandma!

One might argue that last night Hillary Clinton gave the best speech of her political career. One might even say she showed more life and fire in her speech than she ever has even hinted at previously.

I found the speech to be interesting, insightful and carefully (albeit theatrically) delivered, and I believe that she believed every single word that came out of her mouth.

BUT....(everyone I know has such a big but!)

I take exception to the portion of her speech where she began by saying that "John McCain is my friend and colleague" and then went on to say how he's had a long and dignified career and is honorable in his service to his country and to his fellow man...but voting for him would mean that once elected, he will kick your Grandma, starve your kids and kill your dog!

Taking it a step further, he might Kill your Grandma, kick your kids and rape your dog! Or even still, he might starve and kill your Grandma, then kick her, then take away her health care, then bring her back from the dead and make her kill your kids and kick your dog!

Sound silly? Yup! But not to the politicians during an election year. Imagine what she might have said if John McCain weren't her friend!!!???

Joe Biden's speech this evening was more of the same... He said that he and John were CLOSE LONGTIME friends, but that John had bad judgement in every aspect of his political life...I'm guessing that includes his ability to choose friends!

Senator McCain, with all due respect, you really need to start hanging out with a better crowd.

Dave

(PS, although I don't think the Republicans will stoop as low as the Democrats next week, don't be too shocked if they try to!!!)

Believe it or not, it's just me

Back again, just takin' a break from Olympic viewing... Whew, how bout that Michael Phelps? Who knew that Superman could swim? This guy is amazing... I've been impressed with a lot of the Olympians this year and with NBC's coverage as well. Costas is good, as usual, but I have to chuckle whenever he has the former Olympic Coach on who discusses gymnastics... I catch about every third word that he says...not his fault, but perhaps maybe NBC might consider a commentator with a better grasp of the English language.

I'm feeling okay today after going back to work at the bookstore Friday night. I felt REALLY good on Thursday, so much so, that I mentioned to my Boss that with my luck I'd probably be in a coma on Friday... well, it appears I spoke too soon and jinxed myself. I ended up getting sick from my pain pills Thursday night (I twisted my knee getting out of the car on the way home from work and was in a LOT of pain just trying to get into the house).

So, I was up sick all night and went to bed sometime around 4:00 AM and then got up at 5:30 to get ready for work. I worked four hours out of the six I was scheduled for and then came home, iced my knee and took a nap. I was leery about going to work, but did well until I tried to stand back up after my break at 9:30... my knee wasn't playing along, so I had to really slow down the last couple of hours. I iced and elevated when I got home and took it easy yesterday so I could go back last night. I had a lot of good back up from co-workers both nights and I did take it slower last night so I made it through a bit better I think.

I couldn't sleep last night (which may be a side-effect from the pills), and ended up awake for most of the overnight hours. I ended up sleeping till after ten this morning and totally missed church!!! So today has been a lazy day other than trimming some plants back around the deck and the pond and cleaning the pond filter out. Dustin mowed and Jared helped me with the trimming and then he fed the fish.

Jared's been weaning himself from some of the Olympic coverage today by watching DVD episodes of "My Name is Earl" and then quoting entire scenes back to me almost verbatim. He's a nut!

Dustin, the ladies man, has been fielding multiple calls today from the young chicklettes who bask in his angst-filled universe, while I have been mulling over a return to fiction writing. I'll see how that goes... In the meantime you get to read this rambling, somewhat incoherent rant that has little to do with much of anything... (See, what did I tell you?)

So, as the sun fades in the sky and the smell of my Neighbor grilling ribs wafts overhead (making my stomach rumble and my mouth water), I'm left to think that this weekend, while mostly restful, was a waste...

Dave

Michael Palin is a Genius

So I've been reading Michael Palin's diaries about how he and several talented British Lads (no, not the Beatles!) got together and formed "Monty Python." Between very sad and delicate entries about his Father's failing health, and his perceptions of art, good food and politics (not that those things go together at all!), I've found myself laughing out loud at the many funny and insightful Pythonian and Palinian turns of phrase. (Many of them far too naughty to reprint here...not that I could without benefit of Mister Palin or Mr. Python(s) permission to use them.)

Oh, okay here's one of them... During a game show sketch, one contestant is introduced as such:

Mr. _____ is a _________(whatever occupation you wish to insert),
and in his spare time he likes to strangle small animals, play golf and ______________(too tacky to even print in a family friendly blog, suffice to say I laughed till I had tears in my eyes...which is better than razor blades, but still, you catch my drift)

So tonight, (or is it morning? A quick look at my watch confirms that it is, in fact, morning...thank you, Watch!) I'm awake after spending most of my evening...

A. Nauseous
B. Gagging
C. Head Achy
D. Knee Hurty
E. (is there ever an option "E"? This is the FIRST TIME OFFERED...)
F. (ANOTHER FIRST! This one is for "All of the above, except for "E" which really
doesn't count for anything except for being a valuable time-killer, which makes
me, the writer, seem rather prolific in my journalistic endeavors, wouldn't you
say?)

So now I'm eating saltines and waiting for my stomach to stop feeling like Rosie O'Donnell is jumping on a water bed. (or as Dustin calls them in Rap-Speak "Krak-uhs")
(How cool is it to dis Rap and Rosie in the same sentence??? TWO POINTS!!!)

Anyway...I feel craptastic and bored and sleepy, while not feeling actually sleep-eeee, which poses a dilemma when the alarm goes off on me in the morning.
I think my alarm clock hates me anyway...all it does is criticize! It says "BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ" really loud, but what it's really saying is "Hey Fat Butt! Get out of bed! You should have been up ten minutes ago you stupid, lazy bum!"
(I hate alarm clocks!)

I also hate busy signals! Is there anything more rude than a busy signal? (Well, the answer is obviously "Yes," but since I'm talking about busy signals, let's stick to the subject, okay? Mr. ADHD? Geez!) Anyway, what a busy signal is really saying is "I'm too busy talking to someone more important than you to be bothered with your silly little call, so go away and come back later, mmmmkay?

The other thing that is really annoying is when your 8-year-old Son hacks your Myspace profile, your e-mail and other accounts, accidentally downloads a virus and wipes your entire profile from your computer! Yes, this actually happened to me!
And after re-setting everything, he emails Myspace to tell them I forgot my password (WHICH I HAD JUST CHANGED) and they email him my new password and he does the whole thing all over again!!! ARRRGHHH! Can you say "GROUNDED?" Good! I knew that you could!

So, anyway...what was I saying...??? Oh yeah, Michael Palin is a Genius...Read his book! You can visit his web site at www.palinstravels.co.uk/. It's all about his travels around the world since he "retired" from acting.

-Dave

Why? Because it's 1:30 in the morning and I can't sleep...THAT'S WHY!

So, why am I blogging again you ask?
Well... It's one thirty in the A M and I'm wide awake.
I went to bed at Midnight after watching the Olympics,
But I find that I'm not sleepy at all and my Knee kind
of Aches.

Too Bad, you say? Well, yes it will be at 5:15 when my alarm
screams at me to WAKE UP...

Then there's Luke, who upon discovering that his "DAD" is up and about
suddenly has to go outside, and in doing so, wakes up Socks, who also thinks
it will be neat to go outside for a bit.

So now that half of the family is up, what to do? I search the Internet for
references to Strafford, Missouri (as I do from time to time in my efforts to
locate long-lost-friends) and I find only pictures of what used to be "Exotic Animal Paradise." The fun pictures to look at are old ones of "Silver Dollar City" that
people have posted on Flickr or Photobucket that have scenes of rides long gone, or people long passed, or cars that no longer haunt the roads. (Station Wagons, anyone?)

And so I write... Not much to say, but better than another entry about my Knee...right?

I saw Jesse today... Those of you who know him know of his recent trials and of what a stroke can do to a man. A Superman of super-strength, who bows to nothing, not Cancer or previous strokes... a man who has been hit hard by this particularly nasty stroke and who is fighting a valiant fight to regain the superhuman strength he once had.

If there's anyone on this planet who can do it, it is Jesse...but I hate to see him taking a hit like this. A hit that no one, especially him, should have to endure.
So I feel crappy about complaining about the pain in my knee...when I see this hulk of a man in a wheelchair, just happy that he can now swallow water without a thickening agent having to be added to it to help him swallow.

I know he'll make it back. He has to....we all look up to him and root for him to make it.

So here I am, at almost 2:00 in the morning... deep thoughts, random thoughts and silly thoughts to spare. And lucky you, you get to sift through them on the net.

Or you can always look up Strafford, Missouri and look at the zebra pictures...

David

Ob la di ob la da life goes on....

So,

One week out of surgery and I feel pretty good. Yeah, still a bit achy, still a bit slow, still a bit non-bendable...but hey, I can walk (a bit) and I'm hopefully past a lot of the knee probs from the past.

So, this week I napped a lot, which was GREAT! Cause I'm still waking up at odd hours of the night and not knowing why. I've been reading Michael Palin's Diaries (of Monty Python fame) and they're pretty interesting...so in those odd hours of the night you can usually find me reading that, or Entertainment Weekly or ESPN magazine.

Jared and I have almost finished all of the entire run of "Moonlighting" which has been an utter blast! Last night we started watching the Olympics and today we've watched some of it here and there... I'm pretty sure we'll watch it tonight when Michael Phelps swims....Jared's a big fan of his.

Today we did the exciting "Car Inspection" thing, and my dear OLD car did not pass because it needs new tires. (NO BIG SHOCK THERE) We also got some furniture from my Mom and Sherry's been rearranging everything to fit it in.

I've been spending my day "resting" since I went back to work yesterday and ended up exhausted even though I mostly sat all day. I think just getting out and about and trying to resume the routine kind of wore me out. I'm hoping if I take it easy today and tomorrow I'll be up to a normal "LIFE" starting Monday even though I'm on light duty for the rest of the month. I did a LOT of work yesterday at the Li-Berry and got a remarkable amount of stuff caught up. Not that I still don't have a ton to do, but I feel better about the stuff that is left...

So, I'm feeling better...Life is pretty good and U.S.A. is NUMBER ONE #1 NUMERO UNO! (and before I forget...prayers to the family of Bernie Mac, who was funny and cool and is gone too soon)

David

Trip Review: My One day trip to Springfield.... and why Humansville was settled by Martians

Okay,

So yesterday I woke up feeling less than stellar with my knee hurting and the pain pills making me woozy and nauseous. (which is pretty serious when you consider that woozy and nauseous are almost the same exact thing!) But, not wanting my lovely Bride to make the trip to Springfield alone, I saddled up the front passenger seat, propped my leg up on a hugely inappropriately HUGE pillow and away we rode...

The trip to Springfield has gotten significantly better over the years as they've gradually widened "deadly" 13 Highway. The other big change in driving the three miles South from Kansas City is the addition of dead armadillos. Why, when I was a kid, we didn't have armadillos in Missouri...we had to walk miles, barefoot in the snow, just to import armadillos from Arkansas...yeah, we had it rough back then!

So, the drive was uneventful, other than the random bouts of almost pukedom that swept over me as we approached various towns... (of course, I've always felt that way when approaching Humansville!) HA! Just kidding denizens of Humansville! (although with a name like that, can't you almost see space people coming to our planet and trying to blend in by naming their settlement "HUMANSVILLE???" Weird...) Of course, that brings to mind businesses like "Citizens Bank..." Who else would be using it???
It's not called "Dog Bank" is it? Dopey name.

So, we get to Springfield and bank a left and head towards my favorite place on the planet "STRAFFORD, MISSOURI!" To where Sherry's parent's have land just a stones throw (If you can throw a quarter of a mile and not accidentally hit Tim Ewing's house) from where I was born and raised. Okay, I wasn't born there, I was born in a hospital, but I did spend my first 24 years there trying to avoid being hit by thrown stones.

Had a nice visit with Sherry's folks, although still feeling a tad pukey. (I think the medication I was on coupled with the extreme heat of the past few days, had a LOT to do with it).

Went to my Mom's abode and had a nice visit with her too... She was in a good mood and happy to see us so we visited for quite a while. We were supposed to meet my Dad, but our schedules got crossed up, so we drove through town past the Minor League Cardinals home, Hammon's Field, so that Jared could see it up close. We drove through the Square, which I hadn't been through in close to 20 years or so... It's rebounding, but still looks remarkably the same for the most part.

Being the family of diverse tastes that we are, we could not decide on what food to "grab" on our way out of town. Sherry and I had "Shanghai Inn" in mind for Cashew Chicken... Jared wanted a personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut, and Dustin wanted Taco Bell. So we made the stops and then stopped for Gas (the other kind, not the stuff we picked up at Taco Bell) and then hit the road around 6:30. Thanks to the miraculous healing powers of Cashew Chicken, I started feeling better and actually slept part of the way home.

The boys argued a bit and I yelled at them some and we looked for deer, but spotted mostly cows and dead armadillos along the way. Ah, the one day road trip to Springfield....

David

Shanghai Inn Springfield, Missouri

Restaurant Review:



One could say that of all the Chinese Fast Food places in Springfield, Missouri, "Shanghai Inn" is hardly the fanciest. And yet, while they sit in a portion of North Glenstone surrounded by tire shops and junk stores in a rather nondescript building, they consistently dish out what I believe is some of the best Chinese Food in all of Springfield.

Springfield is famous for it's "Springfield Style Cashew Chicken," which is imitated throughout the state, but rarely duplicated. I discovered this shortly after moving to the Kansas City area and have been underwhelmed by the efforts of restaurant owners here for many years now.

My advice to those of you who spot "Springfield Style Cashew Chicken" on any menu... If you aren't in Springfield, it isn't Springfield Style, so skip it! Upon ordering, you may discover a Bar-B-Que style chicken, a garlic laden dish of chicken, drowning in a gelatinous white blob of goo that supposed to pass for gravy, or worse yet, a plate full of sauce and vegetables with nary a piece of chicken in sight.

I'm not sure what it is about the people at Shanghai Inn, but somehow they always get it right. In the 20 plus years I've been eating there, I've yet to get a bad order of anything...even when I was going through my "Moo Goo Gai Pan" phase. (Yet another dish that varies from establishment to establishment.

I think part of what they get right, (and the reason that my Wife of nearly 20 years, and I even stopped there right after our wedding to grab a bite to eat) is due to Flossie, the manager. Flossie, who ALWAYS says "HI" and asks how we're doing, sets the tone for each visit. By the time you get done visiting with her, you're in a good mood anyway so the food is almost an afterthought.

However, once you bite into the tender, white meat chicken, and eat the flavorful (but not overly so) rice and egg rolls, you'll be totally sold on Shanghai Inn. Now, I've eaten at a lot of fancier (i.e. "More Expensive") Chinese places, but again, none have captured the flavor of the food served at Shanghai.

We've actually felt like trips to Springfield were nearly ruined if we got there after they've closed for the day! I first got "addicted" to Shanghai when I was the manager of "ALL STAR VIDEO" on Kearney Street on the North Side of Springfield. The owner, Liz and I would eat out a few times a week, which usually meant once at Subway and twice at Shanghai. I would always volunteer for "Shanghai Trips" because they were close, and because it was always so nice to see Flossie and talk with her for a minute.

So, I've been eating there nearly every trip to Springfield that I've taken since moving away, and if it's worth it for me to drive the three hours just to eat there...(well, okay, sometimes we go down to visit relatives too...) Then it's certainly worth your time to go eat there!

-David