This may be the end of this blog. Frankly, I had forgotten about it. Google emailed me saying "This email address has a legacy Blogger account associated with it that hasn’t logged in since 2007. In 60 days it will lose access to the account and associated content; the data will be permanently deleted unless migrated to the Google Account system at Legacy migration page."

I'm gonna go there and see if I can keep this thing going.

The Squirrel

It happened just the other day. This is the unfiltered version of the story moments after it happened.

Cindy called me downstairs. Said she heard scratching. Didn’t know where it was coming from. I listened but didn’t hear anything. We let some time go by. Then we both heard it. It was coming from the wood stove. I looked inside. Nothing. Heard the sound again. Looked inside. It was a squirrel! A squirrel had worked his way down my chimney into the wood stove. I put on some heavy gloves and tried to grab him. He bit the gloves. Startled me! I jumped and screamed like an old lady. I regrouped. Came up with a "better" plan. I put a paper bag inside the stove and tried to coax him into it with a big wooden spoon. He jumped straight up out of the stove and onto my head. WooHoo! Then he leapt off my head, out the patio door, into the yard, and ran up a tree. I almost peed myself.

Avatar is the Best Movie Ever!

Avatar is no doubt the best movie I have ever seen. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made be proud. In a couple of spots it damn near made me pee my pants! It has 3D special effects that made the crowd clench their seats, throw back their heads, and shout "whoa!". But that is not what makes it so special. It's... the story, and the characters, and the music. In short, it's the whole thing. Avatar is a complete sensory experience that will leave you wide eyed with mouth agape. All I can say is WOW! P.S. Take the kids and your great aunt Pearl. It's a movie for everyone.

[http://www.avatarmovie.com/]

Communication Has Become Impersonal (a Quick Rant)

Communication has become so impersonal. I was reminded of that today as I was working my through all the new activity on my Facebook page. Anyone with a Facebook account knows what I am talking about. Sending and receiving virtual gifts takes up a lot of time. The process is tedious, and it can get annoying after a while. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the gesture, but would much prefer real conversation. Whatever happened to that? People text their friends instead of calling them on the phone. And does no one meet face-to-face anymore? I want to go back to the good old days.

To those who care: I told Verizon Wireless to cancel the text feature on my cell phone. If you want to talk to me, call me. Better yet, stop by the house for a beer.

Nation in Distress?

I ran across a website today, quite by mistake I assure you. They say they're a critical thinking discussion group that inspires Americans to exercise their right to “Freedom of Speech” by giving them the tools necessary to educate themselves of their Constitutional rights, and allowing them to express their likes and dislikes in a patriotic atmosphere outside of the guidelines of political correctness or social acceptance. (their words)

They don’t identify with the left or right, but suggest we're a nation in distress, and they fly the US Flag upside down. That’s where they lose me. That chaps my hide.

I have something to say about that. I'm about to exercise my right to free speech, and I will not hide behind the US Constitution nor be concerned with political correctness when I do it. Here goes.

Network1776.org has its head up its ass. Only pea-brained extremists -- on the left or right -- would make the argument that the United States is a nation in distress. To those who follow their lead, I have a proposition. Take a litmus test. When the United States opens its borders, which way do the people run? Do they scramble to enter our country, or leave it? I think you know the answer to that one. Compare our freedoms, our opportunities, and our rights to those of any other country on earth. If you find one you like better, go there. Me? I'll stay right here, thank you.

It’s not our nation that’s in distress; it’s the American political system. It's those with extreme views on the left and right who are working to tear this country apart. They stand back and cry wolf, point fingers, and blame each other for this or that – global warming, 9/11, the failing economy, the war in Iraq, the spread of the H1N1 swine flu virus. Their arguments are ridiculous, and they’re counter-productive. Their constant bickering tears at the very fiber of the American value system.

It's the minority extremists who do all the yelling. They get all the press, while the moderates, the voice of reason, those in silent majority, sit on the sideline and stay quiet.

I’m tired of it. I won’t stay quiet any longer. You extremists have your right to free speech, and I have mine. Screw you. Get a life. God Bless America!

Hepatitis C, the Silent Epidemic

Hi guys. Haven’t written in a while. Been working on project that‘s very dear to my heart. I formed an advocacy group on facebook that promotes hepatitis C awareness and early detection. The cause has taken over my life (literally) for the past few weeks and has kept me from just about everything else.

Why am I doing this? I have Hepatitis C. I don't know how or when I got it. I want people to learn about it and encourage them to get tested.

On my 40th birthday I donated blood at a local high school. About a week later the Red Cross wrote to inform me that my blood was tainted, that I had tested positive for HCV antibodies.

The news hit me hard. Reading in a letter that I had Hepatitis C was harsh. It left me with more questions than answers. I didn't even know I was sick. The doctors said I was asymptomatic. That was several years ago. To date I still show no signs of infection and my liver enzymes test close to normal.

I would never have known I was infected had I not tried to give blood. I don't know how or when I was exposed, but I do know I have Hepatitis C, and I am doing all the right things to stay healthy. I feel OK right now (a little tired perhaps), but I understand that can change without notice. That's why it's so important to get tested and schedule regular check-ups.

Hepatitis C, the Silent Epidemic promotes hepatitis C awareness and early detection. I started it earlier this month and poured my heart into it. Membership is up and increasing. Donations could be better.

There are three parts to the effort.

1. The group, where we promote hepatitis C awareness and provide information of interest.
2. The cause, where we encourage participation and solicit donations to The American Liver Foundation.
3. The stores, where we sell merchandise, books and apparel that promote hepatitis C awareness. I made a personal pledge to donate fifty percent of all profits from those sites to The American Liver Foundation. (If there was some way to automate the fifty percent contribution, I would do it. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be one. All I can find are all-or-nothing solutions that allow 100% contributions, or nothing at all.)
   

Once I get my head back in the game, I’ll start writing my weekly posts again. If you watch any news at all, you know there are a world of ideas out there to write about. Please stay tuned.

From Each According to His Ability

I think maybe it's time I teach you a little something about the Democrats.

Karl Marx made popular the phrase, "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need(s)". Under a communist system, every person is expected to contribute to society to the best of his ability and consume from society in proportion to his needs, regardless of how much he has contributed. It's the concept of "Take from the rich, give to the poor".

That's called income redistribution, it's Obama playing Robin Hood, it's a basic tenet of Socialism, and it's never worked to the benefit of a healthy society. You may be unfamiliar with the phrase, but you should know something about the practice. Why? Because it's exactly what your president and the Democrats are trying to do with the '09 economic stimulus package. It's their answer for everything, and it's been their answer for everything since Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930's.

Funny thing about the Democrats. They act like Socialists, but they do all they can to disassociate themselves from the label. Irony? Self deception? Maybe they think we're just stupid.