And so one day, three months later...he resumed his blog

Sorry for the Summer break. I did not intend to be away so long. I could use the excuse that it was a busy summer or a short summer or that the alien invasion kept me away from my computer, but we all know that those would just be lame excuses for me not taking the time to write.

So in closing I'd like to say....

Just kidding...


"What I did over Summer Vacation" by David Cox

Helped kids with turtle
Planted tomatoes and peppers
Went to Springfield for 20th Wedding Anniversary
Celebrated 20th Wedding Anniversary
Saw old friends we hadn't seen in ages...Mark, Marty, Dave, Debbie, Joan, Valerie, Walter and others.
Went to Royals games (5 so far)
Went to a Springfield Cardinals game (1 ever)
Ate Cashewed Chicken at Shanghai Inn (2 times this Summer)
Visited with family
Took pictures of Strafford, MO to post on my Strafford Facebook page
Got more addicted to Facebook
Got Sherry addicted to Facebook
Watched Jared play baseball
Hung out with Dustin and Hannah
Worked at the Library
Worked at the bookstore
Started my book "Lacey Donnelly Knows a Thing or Two"
Watched the first seven seasons of the TV series "WINGS" and had forgotten how funny it is!!!
Read books
Took Pictures
Went to Church
Gained weight (THANK YOU Dr. PEPPER!)
Mowed my Lawn
Tried to keep Luke alive and then when he did revive, tried to keep him out of my tomatoes
Played and snuggled with Socks, the snuggliest dog alive
Played and snuggled with Sherry, the snuggliest Sherry alive
Typed
Ate
Drank (pop)
and was Merry
Cooked
Cooked out
Ate out
Slept
Planted plants
Painted part of the shed (ongoing project)
Painted part of the living room (Sherry's project, so she did most of it)
Went to Sherry's Cousin Tim's party in Springfield
Hurt my back the night before going to Springfield and spent the weekend there in bed except for the party part.....
Emailed
Mailed
Blackmailed


I think that's about it...here are some pictures too...

David

Diverse City

Yesterday we went to the graduation ceremonies for Blue Springs High School at the Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The first thing that I noticed as we approached the auditorium was the diversity of the crowd. There were young people, old people, Black people and White people. There were Samoans, Hispanics and American Indians too. A lot of people wore the school's color, purple, while others wore dress clothes or even casual wear.

We hurried to our seats in the crowded hall, trying to make our way to where our friends, the Cameron's, were seated, eagerly awaiting their son, Jack's name to be announced. I was proud to be a part of such a wonderful day and such a diverse crowd.

And then it happened...

It seemed harmless at first, but I soon realized that a sinister plot had been put into play. One after one, the names of the students were read... One after one, the name Nicole kept cropping up. Out of 492 Students in the 2009 Graduating Class of Blue Springs High School in Blue Springs, Missouri... approximately 400 of them were named "Nicole!" And out of those 400, 67 of the Nicole's were male!

How is this possible? You ask? Is it possible that in 1991 the most popular girl's name was Nicole? Sure, I suppose that might be possible...but even at that rate only 58.5% would be named "Nicole." Yes, amongst the Nicole's and the one Jack that we knew, there were about 22 "Tara's" and a few "Brittany's," but the amount of Nicole's was disproportionately high.

So, who is behind this nefarious plot?
The Commies?
The Hippies?
The Pinko's?
The Libs?
George W. Bush?
Aliens from another world?

How the Heck should I know? All I know is that at this rate, in approximately 17 years, every new baby that is born on this planet will be named Nicole! Am I alarmed? You Bet! Now I know that you and I both know some very nice Nicole's, Nicolette's and Nikki's, but still, doesn't this event seem a bit too well organized? I guess that leaves our Government off the list of likely suspects, but it still does not answer the bigger question....what exactly is the point I'm trying to make?

I DON'T KNOW!!!

Just take some time and think this out...if you have any theories, please contact me in my underground bunker.

-David

Why can't we be friends?

Recently on facebook, I've noticed a strange phenomenon... People who I was acquainted with want to be my friends. That's cool...I have no problem because sometimes these people have stories to tell about people and teachers we knew that I've never heard before, and in doing this, I'm becoming friends with them.

To be honest, there are a couple of people on facebook that I never thought I'd talk to again. Not that I didn't want to, just that I never figured that our paths would ever cross again. Now that they have, I'm happy with the results and have really enjoyed visiting with these people.

This brings me to my second point. There are a couple of people who were friends of mine in High School that I have fond memories of and actually considered friends who still have not befriended me on facebook. This wouldn't bother me so much except for the fact that they've befriended people on facebook who asked them to be friends after I did.

I'm not sure why that is? Some old grudge perhaps? Maybe they didn't like me in school and I only thought they did? One of them in particular really bothers me because we used to talk a lot in school and I always thought she was sweet and pretty and funny...in fact, we even went out once. I would think that if anything, our one date might have been the deal killer, but we actually stayed friends for awhile after I graduated high school and went on to college.

So what's the deal with that? I thought the idea to facebook was not only to reconnect with old friends, but to make new ones as well. I'm even chatting and sending notes to my Sister's friends on facebook when I know they never thought of me as a "FRIEND" in high school. There are people that I was casual friends with in school that I've become pretty tight with on facebook because now that we're adults, we actually have things in common...like kids, or jobs or "GASP!" Political beliefs!

So, to those of you who haven't answered yet to my friend request "LIGHTEN UP!" To quote my old friend, Mark Shoemaker, who once asked a girl to dance at a nightclub only to be turned down, "I DIDN'T ASK YOU TO BEAR MY CHILDREN, I ONLY ASKED YOU TO DANCE!!!"

C'mon.... Dance with me, will ya?

Take care,

Dave

As he slowly fades to gray

The day slowly begins
Another week just ends
Wonder how the time slips away
As he slowly fades to gray

You beg for him to stay
but it won't turn out that way
Because it isn't up to you
There isn't anything that you can do
And he slowly fades to gray

Wish everything would stay the same
You've hidden from the storms that never came
Vibrant colors wash in the light of day
As he slowly fades to gray

-David Cox

Do Liberals wear sensible shoes?

Today I watched as hundreds of people protested our current tax system. To call our tax system "current" is a joke of mammoth proportions. Sensible people will tell you that our tax system is as antiquated as a Model T Ford due to the myriad loopholes and seemingly endless amount of paperwork involved.

Several years ago, wannabe Presidential Candidate, Steve Forbes (He of great ideas and ZERO personality) proposed a flat tax. Forbes opined that a flat tax of 15% would be fair across the board and that for people below a certain income, there would be no tax at all.
Liberals hated this idea...they thought it would deprive the government of much needed funds. (This in the era of $500 dollar toilet seats and Pentagon Screwdrivers that were purchased at $800 dollars and up)

Other candidates since have proposed national sales taxes or variations on a flat or "Fair Tax" That make perfect sense....even to non-mathematical geniuses like me. Many have theories as to why our current (and by that, I mean antiquated) leaders opposes a new tax system, and I can find about ten or fifteen of them that I could by into on some level. However, none of them really make sense in the long run. I may be wrong, but I believe it was Ronald Reagan who said that no country has ever taxed it's way to prosperity...and no matter who said it...I believe they were right.

David