Regret

There are many people out there that claim they have no regrets in their lives.

To those people I say this....

I don't believe you.

Now maybe you don't regret the big things in your life but EVERYONE has a regret or two. Even if it is as simple as a grade you got in high school cause you didn't do what you were supposed to.

How can you not have 1 regret?

Sure you can accept what happened and not think about it. But that doesn't mean you don't regret it.

There are many things in my life that I would say I regret.

From things that have happened in relationships to things I did growing up. There are lots of things that I regret doing or regret not doing.

But the real question is would I change anything if I could?

Probably not. Because, like Verb, I believe that you are a sum of your experiences. The things you have done or not done in life have shaped and molded you into who you are today.

So changing one thing in your past could in theory change everything that happened after that.

So I would not change anything because I am happy with my life and would not like to risk it by changing something in the past.

But that doesn't mean I don't have any regrets!

Get Informed

Don't forget that on Tuesday you are not only voting for the President but for many other candidates in many other races.

You should know who they are and what they stand for.

The people you elect for your local and state government have just as much if not more influence over your daily life and you should be electing people you want in office.

Here is a website that will give you some basics on candidates as well as what your ballot will look like.

www.smartvoter.org

Go to the site and look at the information there. And then search the Internet for the candidates home pages and read more about them.

Get informed so that you can make the right choices.

Looking for Perfection

4 years ago the only thing I ever heard leading up to the election was that they didn't like either candidate so they were going to vote for Bush since he was safer than Kerry.

Basically people were choosing the lesser of two evils they said.

I hate that!

And now I am hearing it again this year.

Why?

Are people really expecting to find a candidate that has the same opinions and stances as them?

Because that person isn't out there!

Everyone lives their life the way they want to. Which means that everyone has different life experiences that shape who they are.

So unless you were attached to someone your views are probably going to be different than then person next to you right now.

I personally like BOTH of these candidates more than the Bush/Kerry election from 4 years ago.

Do McCain or Obama agree with everything I think?

Hell No!

Does that mean I can't like one of them to be in office?

I don't think so.

I understand if you would rather of seen a different candidate in the running. I wanted to see Mike Huckabee. I think he would have been perfect for the position would be great for the country but unfortunately he didn't have enough money.

So my #1 choice isn't involved. Big Deal!

So I look at the 2 that are left and I listen to them talk and I research them both and I find one that I can and will support.

What is so hard about that?

Why do people have to continuously say things like I don't like either candidate so I will take him because he is safer. Or I will take the lesser of two evils.

What? Why?

Vote for the candidate that YOU feel will be the BEST President of this great country!

This Bugged Me

Let's talk about something other than politics on here for a minute or two.

Last week I witnessed an act on my bus that I find to be ignorant and unacceptable.

On my bus just about everyday there is a young man who is more challenged than the rest of us.

He rides the bus just about every morning and everyone knows who he is.

And he sits in the SAME seat everyday.

The seat he sits in and the one across from him have signs above them that say they are reserved for older people or people with handicaps if they are requested.

Well he was waiting with other regular bus riders at the stop in the afternoon one day last week.

And he was in the back of line.

But all the people that were getting on KNEW exactly who he is and where he usually sits.

Now if it was me I would NOT have taken his seat because I know he likes to sit there and seems much more comfortable there....in fact when I get on in the morning and he isn't in that seat he moves to it AS SOON AS THE PERSON MOVES!

So I know he is comfortable there and likes to sit there.

But did this other idiot think about that when he got on the bus?

Nope!

A daily rider of that bus sat down in that seat before he got on. And the other seat reserved was taken by someone not disabled and not old.

Did they get up and move?

Nope!

Now I understand that the seats are only reserved if they are requested by the riders....

BUT

if you know that HE is going to sit THERE....

DON'T SIT THERE!

Sorry....but I find that to be common courtesy.

Something that is sadly disappearing in this country!

self promotion

How do all of you feel about self promotion?

By this I mean how do you feel about proudly sharing your achievements with EVERYONE in the office?

My co-worker recently passed a test to get some letters put after his name.

I am sure it wasn't easy and I am sure he worked and studied really hard to do it.

But when he came in this morning (his first in the office this since he received his passing score) he went around to EVERYONE and told each person that he passed his test.

Now personally I would never do this.

I might go and tell one or two people and then I would let the normal conversation and gossip carry it to everyone else.

But actually I don't think I would tell anyone unless someone asked me about it.

I am not saying I am right or anything but that is what I would do. But I also know that I am a very private person and don't want to have a conversation with anyone about my personal life or accomplishments.

But it does bother me when someone comes around and flaunts their achievements.

And then he sends out an email to more parts of the office telling everyone that he passed. And asking if anyone wanted to go CELEBRATE HIS ACCOMPLISHMENT next week.

Now maybe it is just me but I don't want to have to throw myself a party. But I can see why he would do this.

Now like I said I am not saying that I am right on this. Maybe most of you would do the same thing.

But it does bother me.

Just a Figurehead!

I tried to be as unbiased as possible in the post and (believe it or not) have not decided who I am going to vote for yet. Although I am leaning one way. After writing the post I am even more confident in my (potential) choice than before. I truly feel that this is true:


In my personal opinion the office of President of the USA is little more than a figurehead position.

Meaning they don't make decisions based on their own history, experience, or thoughts. But they take advice from a panel of advisers and then make a decision. Basically they get all the credit for great decisions and all the blame if something goes wrong.

I personally feel that the key to the office is the people they put around themselves. And then it comes down to how well they take advice and how stuck in their ways they are.

All of the candidates promise multiple things like tax cuts, health care, or education.

But what everyone has to remember is that they can't do any of those things without Congress.

Everything they are proposing has to be agreed upon by so many people that it will never happen.

What will end up happening is that no matter what is promised it will be watered down and will barely make an impact when it is finally accepted and made official.


On top of that, all Presidents have a bunch of advisers for everything they need to know. There are speech writers/advisers, combat advisers, scheduling advisers, and everything else.

So the real key to a successful President is one that is open-minded (as much as politician's can be) and one that chooses the right people around them.

And I am not referring to the VP position because that is even more useless than the President position and is really only there in case something happens to the President.

The best Presidents take the information that they are given from their advisers and take the interest of the American people and decide on the best course of action.

This is the reason why I don't blame Bush for the war in Iraq. I am pretty sure that everyone in his circle wanted to go into Iraq and get Saddam out of there. So he took every one's opinion and decided that they all couldn't be wrong. But they were!

And I think any President would have done the same thing unless they refuse to fight in which case they shouldn't be in office.

Even most of the American people wanted Bush to respond with military action. And yes maybe a lot of us didn't think Iraq was the right way to go but we didn't have access to the reports and information that was being given to Bush and his staff.

But Bush isn't a very open-minded President in my opinion. I think he has a plan in his head and he is following it completely. He is not straying from it and won't.

I think the first George Bush and Bill Clinton were much more open-minded and weren't set in their ways or ideas.


But this year I think we have a candidate that is perfect for doing what he needs to do. And that is Obama.

I think he will always listen to his advisers BECAUSE of his lack of experience. Where as McCain is very stubborn and stuck in his way. Just look at how he is handling the Iraq war issue! He will not waver in his theory and decision.

And a person like that can NOT run this country right now.


But it really all depends on who is appointed to adviser positions.

Does the new President put in people along party lines or do they branch out and create a diverse staff.

I think a diverse staff that crosses party lines is KEY to the Presidency.

And I have more faith in Obama to appoint the advisers necessary than McCain.


I read somewhere that people are confused by the "Change and Hope" campaign by Obama. They don't understand what that means.

I think it means exactly what I am saying.

Instead of the same thing from the same people like the last 8 years we are going to get a different perspective on things from here on.

He is going to be more open to listening to other opinions and take everything into account prior to making a decision.

And that is what we need right now. Someone that we can trust!

A Change in Policy

Yesterday, Caleb Campbell was one day away from beginning his dream of becoming an NFL player.

But today he is days away from another dream......joining his fellow classmates in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Campbell was drafted in the 7th round of this year's NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. At the time it was a rule and agreed that he would be an active Army recruiter while playing in the NFL instead of completing his necessary 4 years of active duty.

Those were the terms when he was drafted.

But on July 8th the Army changed their rules. Now Campbell will have to serve 2 years of active duty and then he can ask for an early release and (possibly) become a recruiter for the final 2 years of his 4 year requirement.

Why did the Army change their policy?

Mainly because the Air Force and Navy complained. They said it would hurt their recruiting of athletes. Because they still require a graduate to fulfill his required active duty before he can begin a career in something else.

And why are the Navy and Air Force complaining anyways? How often does something like this happen?

Those two academies still had a 4 year requirement in place. And most (if not all) players that sign with service academies instead of colleges are planning on serving their 4 years of active duty. Or else they wouldn't have signed up.

And why wouldn't they change their rules instead. It seems to me that the academies would get more athletes to sign with them if they could reduce or eliminate their active duty requirements if they sign a contract with a professional sports league.

It doesn't happen often. And it would help bring in more kids who figure they are going to the be active duty military when they graduate but there is always that chance that they could be drafted into a professional sport instead.

I bet you would see more talented kids going to the service academies to play sports and become officers if there was an option for that.



Now, do I agree with the ruling by the Army?

Sure. It is fine with me. It is up to them as far as what rules are in place.

But why isn't Campbell's situation being considered under the rules that were in place when he got drafted?

He was drafted when the rule stated he could become a recruiter instead of serving overseas in active duty. So why not allow him to continue on that path and change the rule for any future situations?


Is it okay with Caleb Campbell?

Absolutely. He signed up to be in the Army and the possibility of an future in the NFL developed while he was there. And that is something he still intends to do. He can come back to the NFL in 2 years. It isn't like he is just going to be sitting on his couch watching tv for the next 2 years.

But what does this say about the decision makers at these academies that allow a rule to be in place even though they aren't going to follow it?

This just makes it look like the Army, and most government agencies, will change the rules around whenever they want to get what they want.

This does not make the Army look good.

And it surely WON'T help with recruiting!

Don't Just Sit And Watch

Quit being such a wimp.

No more excuses.

Stand up and tell them what you are thinking and feeling.

And don’t take no for an answer.

You owe it to this person and yourself to push them.



What am I referring to here?

Anyone who has a friend or family member that is causing harm to themselves.

Whether that harm is being caused by alcohol abuse, drug abuse, abusive relationships, or just blatant ignorance of a situation.

Obviously there are some people that are going to respond favorably to you saying something and there are some people who won’t.

Does that mean you should be content to just stand back and watch?

Let’s say you have a friend that drive’s drunk on a regular basis.

And just for arguments sake, let’s say you disapprove of them doing this (which you should by the way).

Do you say something to this friend??

Let’s say you decide that they are an adult and can handle it themselves and you ignore it and right it off as part of who they are.

Now let’s say this person has an accident and is killed in it.

Now, don’t you wish you would’ve said something??

Let’s now say you did say something.

But the friend didn’t want to listen and threatened to not be friends with you if you didn’t chill out about it.

Now what do you do?

Your friendship is on the line here.

I think most people would back off because they don’t want to lose a friend.

I am not sure what I would do personally. It would be really hard, especially if it’s a good friend, to risk that friendship for it.

Especially considering your point may not be heard and it wouldn’t make a difference. And then you would have lost a friend and your efforts wouldn’t have changed anything.

That would suck.

But you know what would make that worse.

Is if you back off and they have an accident and die. Then you would beat yourself up about not doing more.

It isn’t an easy thought to have.

But sometimes you have to put your friend’s well-being before your own.

If you truly are a friend and care about someone than you need to step up and say something.

I don’t care if you have never had a more personal conversation than “hey what are you up to tonight?”

You still owe it to your friend and YOURSELF to stand up and do something.

If you watch from the sidelines as your friend tempts death than you aren’t a good friend.

No matter what excuses you come up with.



Note: there is more to this, but it can’t be told right now.

Let's Drill It, That Will Help

Here are two articles that I found on PennLive, a site that features stories and news from around the Harrisburg area and in Pennsylvania in general.

This one is about how the government (local or national) is getting too involved in the lives of its citizens.

If you don't want to read it, here is a brief overview.

The borough of Stroudsburg (near the Poconos) has decided that people cannot have furniture on their front porch if it was intended for indoor use.

Meaning that they cannot have a couch or upholstered chairs on their front porch.

Why can't they you ask...

Because they say it could start a fire. Back in 1994 (14 years ago and none since) there was a fire at Bloomsburg University that started in a porch sofa.

So the borough is arguing that for people's safety no one can have a porch sofa any more.

Now lets consider the real reason....

It looks terrible. And to a point it does.

I have seen front porches that have a TON of trash and junk on their front porch. It is dirty looking and definitely influences the opinions of people that are driving through.

But once you buy a home aren't you allowed to do with it what you please (obviously within reason).

I hate looking at homes with junk all over the front porch but a couch? Please...don't these governments have ANYTHING better to do?


The second article is about drilling in Alaska because of how gas prices have shot up.

I was never against this and still am not but the reason to do it now is RIDICULOUS.

The article says that in 2000 70% of Americans were against it but now only %49 percent are against it.

And the reason people are starting to like the idea is because they all think it will help gas prices!

Maybe I am wrong about this but even if the government allowed companies to drill there, wouldn't it take a few years before drilling actually started??

And wouldn't we STILL run out of oil eventually??

And it WOULDN'T lower gas prices anyways!! It would just make us a little (and by little I mean not much at all) less dependent on foreign oil.

So here is an idea....(and I realize how completely ridiculous and absurd this is, but I have to say it)

Lets try some alternative energy!

The sun or wind seem to produce energy, so let's power our homes and world with them.

You want to heat your home, get a geo-thermal unit. I have one, they work WONDERFULLY!

And for cars....electric, hydrogen, bicycles, or I don't know maybe MASS TRANSIT!?!?!?!

(And I don't want to hear about ethanol because that WILL NOT help the prices. Ethanol is just as or even more expensive than gas.)

I ride the bus daily and it saves me a ton (it costs $45 for a whole month or you can get 25 rides for $32). But of the probably close to 50,000 people that work in Harrisburg, I would bet there are only 1,000 (maybe 2,000) that regularly take the bus.

And yes I know some people can't take mass transit due to where they live but there are ALOT that could if they wanted to. And for those who think they can't take it....I don't live on a bus route, I drive about 10 minutes to get to one then I park and ride the bus. There are even lots around the midstate for this EXACT PURPOSE!


I don't know maybe I am just being stupid to think that we could use things other than oil and gas to get by.

But something tells me that it has been done before?!?!

Faith No More

Lately I have seen many different articles and posts that have to do with religion.

I saw a post from Devils Heaven about this article.

Then I saw this article on msn.

And then Lynne wrote this.

So I thought, "I have some opinions on this stuff, let me share with everyone."

But first some background:

I grew up in a Catholic household. I went to Catholic school from kindergarten to 8th grade. And then I had the choice of high schools and chose a Catholic high school because my friends were going there.

So I went to a Catholic school for 13 years. My parents are (were) Catholic, my grandparents are very Catholic, and most of my relatives are Catholic to some extent.

My wife......is a pagan.

I was baptized, had first holy communion, and was confirmed into the church. But...

I no longer consider myself a Catholic. Most people describe me (and others like me) as a non-practicing Catholic.

I say BULLSHIT!

I do not consider myself an atheist (yet) but rather an agnostic. If someone could prove to me that there is a God than I would believe, but until then I believe that gods don't exist.

So lets examine a couple of those articles I mentioned previously.

First up is the excommunication of anyone that ordains a female priest.

Why? Because women aren't equals?

No its because Jesus didn't have any female apostles so there can be no female priests!

Oh, well that makes perfect sense! How ridiculous is the Catholic church!

I spent 13 years learning about the history of the Catholic faith and why it is what it is and I am pretty sure it was all a LIE!!

And that's why I think the other article about a religious theme park is perfect.

I mean really, what is the difference between Disney characters and Jesus?

One thing, the characters from Disney are typically animated where as Jesus is usually thought of as a human.

But really they are similar.

They are both works of fiction. They have each contributed to a ridiculous amount of money for their creators. And people love them or hate them.

Kids believe in the Disney characters just like some (brain-dead) adults believe in Jesus and everything he said.

Do you really believe that someone can take water and turn it into wine right in front of everyone? Or take bread and fish and make it multiply for everyone??

Seriously?

They are no different than Alice in Wonderland or Fantasia.

Wonderful stories that are part of the greatest works of fiction that the world has ever seen.


Now don't get me wrong. If you believe in this stuff that's fine, just leave me alone.

My sister is quite religious. She is a christian and truly believes that I am going to hell. But I don't want to hear about it.

I am a good person. I am nice to everyone and I give everyone the benefit of the doubt. And many times that gets me into trouble but its who I am.

But I don't believe in a god (or the God).

So does that mean that I am going to hell? I guess that depends....


do I believe in heaven and hell??

A little out of line? Maybe.

Ok, so maybe I was a little out of line yesterday. But I think it was more just out of character.

To be honest I debated all morning about whether I should write that post or not. And I obviously decided to write it.

I know of 3 people that read this blog, that friend (rarely but I think he checks it), this friend, and the wife. And those 2 said that they couldn't believe I wrote it.

They both agreed though that I am right in my opinion.

And don't think that this was the only thing that made me think about not being friend's with said friend anymore. Cause it most definitely is NOT.

There have numerous times where we stopped talking because of some stupid thing he did. So I feel justified in my decision, but there is still more to it.

When I met said friend, 8 years ago as a freshman in college, we had similar interests and were obviously at a similar point in our lives.

But now things are different (which is what happens when you get older). I have a family, a good job with a great future (even though I am not a fan of working), a house and other interests that I give my time and effort towards.

And said friend has no family, no real job, no house and much different interests than me.

So when he tells me something I give him advice based on where I am in my life and what my life has taught me. But his life is nowhere near mine and he doesn't not feel like the advice fits.

But that is what our friendship has been based on in the past few years. His life and stories and my advice and opinions.

There have been times when the roles were reversed but usually he would call and tell me something and ask for my opinion. I would give it and he would do the opposite.

And that's how it went. Until a few months ago.

I told him that I didn't want to know about his life anymore. I didn't want him calling and bitching or telling me about his conflicts. And he didn't and it worked for a while.

But now I realize that there really is no friendship outside of those parameters and I don't want to go back there.

Mainly because I get frustrated in dealing with him and I don't need the aggravation. Maybe that is my problem, that I can't just let things go, but it is my problem so I have to do something about it.

So I am.

Tired of it!

I have a few close friends and a few others that I consider friends that live near me.

I also have 3 friends that don't live near me that I have known since I was 5 and I consider them my brothers.

And most of my friends know the kind of person I am. If they tell me a story I am going to give my opinion whether or not they want it. The one's that want an opinion tell me about something, the one's that don't, don't.

So yesterday a friend of mine (who definitely knows that I like to give an opinion) was telling me a story of how he got a speeding ticket.

And this friend is one of those people that know a little bit about everything but not much about anything.
One of those people that no matter what someone tells them they can compare it to something that either happened to them to to someone they now.

Well my friend starts telling me about how he was following someone else and how they were going faster and blah blah blah....

All I heard was an excuse, which is quite typical of said friend. He does not seem to be able to accept responsibility for ANY of his actions without first rationalizing them.

So he starts arguing with the cops about how he got pulled over and the other person didn't. Well the other person was a cop for one and he was IN A MARKED COP CAR!!

Did you think maybe he was part of the speed trap? Or that maybe he was getting you to be stupid?

Well it surely worked. You were an idiot and you got a ticket.

But what really pisses me off is his blatant lack of respect for authority. And it isn't just when he gets pulled over. When he is at work a lot of the time he is bitching cause a boss didn't give him this or this boss doesn't like him or he is trying to get a day off.

Well no duh they don't like you. You are a high maintenance PAIN IN THE ASS!!

Maybe my issue with his lack of respect is more personal than social. But I was raised to respect you elders and authority. And I expect others to do the same. Is that wrong of me? I don't think so.

When I tried to tell him my opinion, which he even admitted knowing that it was coming, he started talking and wouldn't stop because he didn't want to hear my opinion.

If you didn't want my opinion than DON'T TELL ME THE STORY!!

And don't try and tell me you tell me everything cause I didn't even know you got a new car!

But anyways I am getting off track. I have many friends that don't give me this much trouble.

In fact all of my other friends combined don't give me as many headaches as this ONE does. And yes maybe that is MY fault and maybe I should just ignore things more and let things go but I can't.

So instead....

I think I am done being friends with this person.

And yes he does sometimes read this blog and I am hoping he does today!