Here’s a poser for you. All these folks, Republicans, Democrats, Tea Party folks, you name it are absolutely adamant that the national budget MUST be balanced. They are equally eager to get or keep local State, County and City budgets balanced. I’m fine with that. I gotta keep mine balanced. If I don’t I get these nasty notes from the bank and they charge me this honking big fee for covering my ah - posterior until I get some more cash in. But the thing is they won’t wait too long for me to pay up.
Where’s the poser of a question? Just this. What do all these folks do when the big guys really do start trying to balance the budget? They are like little kids when Mom or Dad say’s, “No you can’t have that candy, that toy or that comic book because it isn’t in the family’s budget!” You can hear the screams of outrage throughout the store!
Yes, I am quite aware that it isn’t quite that simple. Especially as the “comic books”, “candy”, or “toys” are, in this case, usually things that a lot of folks see as necessities. Just as I see my piddling, almost makes it through the month but not quite, disability check as being an absolute need. After all if I don’t get it I don’t pay my bills and the bank will get very unhappy.
Things like class room size, special advanced classes for the smart kids, remedial classes for the not so bright kids, Fire Department and Police pay in big cities, swimming pools in the summer, after school programs during the school year, contracts to big companies that build weapon systems and employ lots of folks and the other companies that supply those big weapon system companies with the stuff to build the weapon systems are all on the chopping block now. People are rightly up in arms about this and they should be! After all these things are needed! They are necessary!
But then I remember when the times were a bit leaner for me. I didn’t go to the doctor (I was working then) not because I didn’t have insurance but because I had such a high deductible that I had to pay for each visit I just could not afford to go. I had to pick that insurance plan because it was the only one that would leave me enough in my take home pay to pay the other bills! Heck, even now, I’m considering not going to a rheumatologist as my Dr. suggested because it costs so much more ($50!!) to go to one. That and they are all in or around Dallas and I’m not sure I can afford the gas! But hey, at least I have insurance right? For now.
I saw an add on TV the other day where the advertiser was saying that “wasteful” and “unneeded” studies should be cut. Trouble is those studies employ people. People who pay bills and taxes just like us.
The point I’m trying to make is this: we all want the budget to be balanced. All of us. BUT. But none of us wants to pay the price of the balancing. The politicians just want to be re-elected so they bluster and make little puff cuts that will get them good press and hopefully re-elected. I just want to pay my bills, keep my car on the road and food in my tummy so I definitely don’t want them cutting my benefits! Teachers just want to keep their jobs for the same reason (though I have heard this odd rumor that some actually like teaching). The workers in the government contract plants and the businesses that supply them just want to keep their jobs to. We all raise cane and holler when they cut any of our services; when the streets aren’t repaired or the water bill goes up.
Yet I can’t help but go back to the family with a budget telling Jr. he can’t have that toy. After all Jr. also knows that he’s just GOT to have that toy. Just like you and me with our benifits or services.
What’s the answer? Heck if I know. I’m just not putting my neck on the block.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Travel to far places! Alt Op # 24
Well, I’m back from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and none the worse for it. It was cold and wet up there when we got there but cleared up and got real warm on Sunday, of course as that was the day we left. They told us they’d had eighty and ninety plus temperatures the week before we showed up.
I think I learned a lot and had some idea’s I’ve had all along confirmed by an outside source. I’m still left with some of my original problem however when it comes to implementing some of these great ideas around my personal place. I need a good deal more of one kind of power or another to make it work for me personally. I need “hand power” (the hands to do the various things) and / or “money power”. Of course if I had the “money power” (that name speaks for itself, I think) I could just hire the hand power.
Lacking the money power I’m just going to be forced to do these cool things as I’ve been doing similar things in the past. When and as I have the time and energy.
Maybe if I keep losing weight with Weight Watchers I’ll get enough energy going to pull some of this stuff off.
I’ll tell you all more about the nitty gritty of the trip in another article. Here I plan to just go on, and on, perhaps ad nauseaum about what I thought, felt, and may have been surprised by.
First off I was expecting to be using the heck out of my poor little piece of plastic money. I did end up owing Joyce (the other volunteer who went with Coop) about six dollars for this and that because I didn’t happen to have cash money on me at certain points. However, most everything else was paid for by the Baptist General Convention of Texas in the person of Gerald Davis.
We were going to stay in an old remodeled house near MLK street in Dallas Thursday night but, due to a miscommunication between Mr. Davis and someone else involved with the house, several of the beds had been given away or borrowed, leaving only one large bed. Seems this person thought it was a husband/wife team and one extra; who could sleep on a couch, that were expected. So that was a no go. Instead we were put up for that one night in a hotel just behind Love Field where we would be boarding a plane on Friday morning.
We had no problems with security at all on the way up there. Once we were there we were checked into a hostel like building on the Wisconsin State Fair Grounds called the Tommy Thompson Youth Center. Great place even though the room Joyce and I were in had six bunk beds as well as a small, two sink, bath with shower and toilet. We also had to make up our own beds with the linen and pillows they provided. No biggie as far as I was concerned at that point. I just wanted something to eat and a place to crash.
That was the only night we ate out. We went to a place called Pauly’s which was a sports bar and grill. Coop and Mr. Davis had an eating contest with the all you can eat fish order while I had a mushroom and cheese burger with homemade potato chips. Yep. Way off the charts when it comes to my points on Weight Watchers. I did record it as it was about the only real meal I had that day. Then we walked back to the Thompson Center and I crashed after figuring my points. Good thing we walked back. The activity points I’d racked up running around the airports and with that walk took a bunch off the points for that burgher. Yea!
The next two day’s, Saturday and Sunday were filled learning stuff and meeting people. I was amazed at what they were able to stuff onto only three acres of land and what they managed to produce on it.
Then we had to leave early Sunday as our flight left an hour or two before the conference / workshop was over. Sadly, when we got to the airport we found out that our flight was delayed by about an hour. There was no going back to the workshop so we had our last meal out in Milwaukee there at the airport. That’s also where I finely used my plastic to buy a pack of gum and a book. I got the book as I suspected that I couldn’t get anything on my card if I didn’t spend at least five dollars. Whooee! Just what I got cost me ten dollars and twenty two cents!
This is also where I had my only problem with airport security. I went through the full body scanner and they found my pedometer. I guess it kind of looked like a belt bomb or something on the scanner cause they had me stop and show it to them and then patted down my waist. No problem as far as I cared. My imagination is good enough I can see just such a thing really happening! So I’m glad they caught it and me.
We had a one hour lay over in Kansas City Airport instead of a two hour layover and then got back into Dallas about nine thirty or ten as expected. The Captain of the flight kept the sports fans on board apprised of the basket ball score, much to Coopers dismay.
The three tired travelers got back into lovely Lone Oak about eleven or so Sunday night. I don’t know about the others but I took a shower and crashed.
If you want to know a little something about the folks who put on the workshop we attended you can go to www.growingpower.org and check it out.
I think I learned a lot and had some idea’s I’ve had all along confirmed by an outside source. I’m still left with some of my original problem however when it comes to implementing some of these great ideas around my personal place. I need a good deal more of one kind of power or another to make it work for me personally. I need “hand power” (the hands to do the various things) and / or “money power”. Of course if I had the “money power” (that name speaks for itself, I think) I could just hire the hand power.
Lacking the money power I’m just going to be forced to do these cool things as I’ve been doing similar things in the past. When and as I have the time and energy.
Maybe if I keep losing weight with Weight Watchers I’ll get enough energy going to pull some of this stuff off.
I’ll tell you all more about the nitty gritty of the trip in another article. Here I plan to just go on, and on, perhaps ad nauseaum about what I thought, felt, and may have been surprised by.
First off I was expecting to be using the heck out of my poor little piece of plastic money. I did end up owing Joyce (the other volunteer who went with Coop) about six dollars for this and that because I didn’t happen to have cash money on me at certain points. However, most everything else was paid for by the Baptist General Convention of Texas in the person of Gerald Davis.
We were going to stay in an old remodeled house near MLK street in Dallas Thursday night but, due to a miscommunication between Mr. Davis and someone else involved with the house, several of the beds had been given away or borrowed, leaving only one large bed. Seems this person thought it was a husband/wife team and one extra; who could sleep on a couch, that were expected. So that was a no go. Instead we were put up for that one night in a hotel just behind Love Field where we would be boarding a plane on Friday morning.
We had no problems with security at all on the way up there. Once we were there we were checked into a hostel like building on the Wisconsin State Fair Grounds called the Tommy Thompson Youth Center. Great place even though the room Joyce and I were in had six bunk beds as well as a small, two sink, bath with shower and toilet. We also had to make up our own beds with the linen and pillows they provided. No biggie as far as I was concerned at that point. I just wanted something to eat and a place to crash.
That was the only night we ate out. We went to a place called Pauly’s which was a sports bar and grill. Coop and Mr. Davis had an eating contest with the all you can eat fish order while I had a mushroom and cheese burger with homemade potato chips. Yep. Way off the charts when it comes to my points on Weight Watchers. I did record it as it was about the only real meal I had that day. Then we walked back to the Thompson Center and I crashed after figuring my points. Good thing we walked back. The activity points I’d racked up running around the airports and with that walk took a bunch off the points for that burgher. Yea!
The next two day’s, Saturday and Sunday were filled learning stuff and meeting people. I was amazed at what they were able to stuff onto only three acres of land and what they managed to produce on it.
Then we had to leave early Sunday as our flight left an hour or two before the conference / workshop was over. Sadly, when we got to the airport we found out that our flight was delayed by about an hour. There was no going back to the workshop so we had our last meal out in Milwaukee there at the airport. That’s also where I finely used my plastic to buy a pack of gum and a book. I got the book as I suspected that I couldn’t get anything on my card if I didn’t spend at least five dollars. Whooee! Just what I got cost me ten dollars and twenty two cents!
This is also where I had my only problem with airport security. I went through the full body scanner and they found my pedometer. I guess it kind of looked like a belt bomb or something on the scanner cause they had me stop and show it to them and then patted down my waist. No problem as far as I cared. My imagination is good enough I can see just such a thing really happening! So I’m glad they caught it and me.
We had a one hour lay over in Kansas City Airport instead of a two hour layover and then got back into Dallas about nine thirty or ten as expected. The Captain of the flight kept the sports fans on board apprised of the basket ball score, much to Coopers dismay.
The three tired travelers got back into lovely Lone Oak about eleven or so Sunday night. I don’t know about the others but I took a shower and crashed.
If you want to know a little something about the folks who put on the workshop we attended you can go to www.growingpower.org and check it out.
Busy, busy, busy! Alt Op #23
Finding time to write this article is as alternative as I think I can get this week. Whoosh!
The writing conference I went to this past Saturday was both entertaining and informative. The hot dogs and other goodies at Mike Johnson’s place afterwards wasn’t bad either. Except, of course, for the number of
excess points a certain Weight Watcher consumed (but faithfully recorded). So much for the weekly points.
Oh, well that’s what they are there for, right?
As I write this it is Tuesday afternoon and I have to get with Peggy to go get some dog, cat, goat and horse feed. I think she needs some “cool lube” for her electric dog grooming razors as well. On top of that I need to get to Commerce by five for the weigh in at the Weight Watchers meeting. Tomorrow, Wednesday, I will be heading back to Commerce for the Silver Leo’s Writing Guild meeting. Oh, man! Do I need to do any editing for anyone for that meeting? Don’t think so. Hope not! With any luck we will finish making puppies pretty in time and Peggy can go to. (As it turned out we had so many dogs to groom that even I didn't get to go!)
After that all I have to worry about is making sure all the bill’s that I can pay are paid after my check comes in Wednesday and that I have everything packed that I need to have for that Growing Power conference up in Milwaukee. Of course I also need to make sure there’s enough dog, cat and goat feed on hand for Peggy to feed my critters while I’m away and that I’ve told her how much which ones get. Sigh. Long trips are such a hassle! No wonder this is the first one I’ve taken in ages.
Is there any thing else I need to do? Should I officially inform the bank that I will be WAY out of town and probably making purchases with my bank card? Just so they don’t do me the “favor” of refusing to let me use it because that can’t possibly really be me way up north!
I can’t believe travel, even travel by airplane has gotten so complicated! Back when I was in the Army and flying home from the East coast for holiday leave it was no biggie. Just call up the airline, order a ticket, go to the office there on post to pick it up, pack your bags, get to the air port and go. Now I have to worry about if the bag I’m using for carry on is too big because I can’t afford to pay the ridiculous price I’d have to pay to check it. I also have to remember that I can only have three one ounce bottles of anything in carry on luggage (or so I’m told). Believe it or not I’m worrying that my half used 2.5 ounce container of deodorant will be taken away and tossed because it’s over the limit and just might be a bomb. So why am I taking it? Simple. I refuse to use antiperspirant because it gives me pimples and the only one ounce travel anti- stinkum I can find are also antiperspirants. Oh, boy! There’s an Alt Op article for me. The totally whacked out assumptions that these big companies make about who is going to use what. Assumptions such as “all women want antiperspirants in their deodorants.” Except little ol’ me who is usually forced to use deodorants made for men.
Oh, well. I look at it this way. They perfume the stuff that men use to smell good to women so they will be attracted to the men, right. They do the same with the women’s deodorants and such, perfuming them to smell good to men. Yes, I do like the odor of a lot of the men’s deodorants. So why shouldn’t I use them? I’m not dating anyone so why shouldn’t I please my own nose as I’m not trying to attract a mate. I just don’t want to chase friends away with sweaty old lady stench.
The writing conference I went to this past Saturday was both entertaining and informative. The hot dogs and other goodies at Mike Johnson’s place afterwards wasn’t bad either. Except, of course, for the number of
excess points a certain Weight Watcher consumed (but faithfully recorded). So much for the weekly points.
Oh, well that’s what they are there for, right?
As I write this it is Tuesday afternoon and I have to get with Peggy to go get some dog, cat, goat and horse feed. I think she needs some “cool lube” for her electric dog grooming razors as well. On top of that I need to get to Commerce by five for the weigh in at the Weight Watchers meeting. Tomorrow, Wednesday, I will be heading back to Commerce for the Silver Leo’s Writing Guild meeting. Oh, man! Do I need to do any editing for anyone for that meeting? Don’t think so. Hope not! With any luck we will finish making puppies pretty in time and Peggy can go to. (As it turned out we had so many dogs to groom that even I didn't get to go!)
After that all I have to worry about is making sure all the bill’s that I can pay are paid after my check comes in Wednesday and that I have everything packed that I need to have for that Growing Power conference up in Milwaukee. Of course I also need to make sure there’s enough dog, cat and goat feed on hand for Peggy to feed my critters while I’m away and that I’ve told her how much which ones get. Sigh. Long trips are such a hassle! No wonder this is the first one I’ve taken in ages.
Is there any thing else I need to do? Should I officially inform the bank that I will be WAY out of town and probably making purchases with my bank card? Just so they don’t do me the “favor” of refusing to let me use it because that can’t possibly really be me way up north!
I can’t believe travel, even travel by airplane has gotten so complicated! Back when I was in the Army and flying home from the East coast for holiday leave it was no biggie. Just call up the airline, order a ticket, go to the office there on post to pick it up, pack your bags, get to the air port and go. Now I have to worry about if the bag I’m using for carry on is too big because I can’t afford to pay the ridiculous price I’d have to pay to check it. I also have to remember that I can only have three one ounce bottles of anything in carry on luggage (or so I’m told). Believe it or not I’m worrying that my half used 2.5 ounce container of deodorant will be taken away and tossed because it’s over the limit and just might be a bomb. So why am I taking it? Simple. I refuse to use antiperspirant because it gives me pimples and the only one ounce travel anti- stinkum I can find are also antiperspirants. Oh, boy! There’s an Alt Op article for me. The totally whacked out assumptions that these big companies make about who is going to use what. Assumptions such as “all women want antiperspirants in their deodorants.” Except little ol’ me who is usually forced to use deodorants made for men.
Oh, well. I look at it this way. They perfume the stuff that men use to smell good to women so they will be attracted to the men, right. They do the same with the women’s deodorants and such, perfuming them to smell good to men. Yes, I do like the odor of a lot of the men’s deodorants. So why shouldn’t I use them? I’m not dating anyone so why shouldn’t I please my own nose as I’m not trying to attract a mate. I just don’t want to chase friends away with sweaty old lady stench.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Alt Op 22, what's happening
Fall has fell and Spring has sprung. Summer’s here and it’s hotter than, well, take your pick of all kinds of similes. The point is it’s HOT! All I can say is: remember back when all that white stuff was piled up on the ground and we were moaning and groaning about how cold it was? Kinda wish we had some of that stuff again, don’tcha. Well, actually I’d prefer it in a cup with cherry syrup over it as a snow cone. Or with some tea for a nice tea slushy.
This is a busy month as I pointed out last week. Friend and editor of ye olde newsletter Peggy is sneaking ( Ha! Who hasn’t she told? ) off to Houston, or is it Austin, for a bowling league thing on Friday. She’s been hassling me to get this article done and in so she can get the paper bedded down early. That way she can split earlier if there are no dogs to be groomed Friday. That’s great as I’m her trusty bather and that means I won’t have to work Saturday. The result of that is I won’t have to rush about and barely make it to the writers conference that is happening Saturday. Hey, it’s the kind of writing conferences I can afford. It’s free!
There is just one little hiccup in all of this however. Because the gal Peggy bowls with who has a car big enough for everyone who’s going can’t get her AC fixed guess who’s new small SUV has been volunteered to drive them down there! Yep, you got it in one. MINE. Up side of that, sort of, is that Peggy will leave me that little white truck she drives around in. All I can say is that I’m very glad that Linda, her sister, is also going to the writers conference with me so we can go in her, air conditioned, car.
Now if I could just convince the AC in my house to actually work. The darn thing comes on, the fan outside spins, air comes out of the vents but it is most certainly NOT cold air. It isn’t even cool. Hey ho. Guess where a chunk money from next weeks paycheck is gonna go. I have found to my disgust that I actually seem to need the AC now. Well, actually I could survive without it, I think, but I’d sleep a lot better with it going. I might dream of eighty degree weather when I crawl into bed during the winter but even then I don’t think I’d want to sleep in that kind of heat. I actually got fairly used to sleeping at about 65 degrees which is what I kept my house at through the winter. I’ll be bumping it up this summer however. Likely to about 70, though I would prefer 75. So I’m cheep. Yeah, if I had the money I’d set the AC at 68. But I don’t. Oh, well.
There you have it folks, what all’s going on in my little world this weekend. Busy, busy, busy! And I haven’t even mentioned getting ready for the big trip next weekend. Then from around the 24Th of June until the fourth of July the LOTFD will be running the fireworks stand up on 69 just north of town. That should keep me busy for sure, and I don’t even really LIKE fireworks. Other folks do though so, there ya go. Takes all kinds. They save up their pennies for fireworks while I save mine up for books and paper to write my odd little stories on. Oh, yeah, I also save mine up for gasoline to get to the bookstores so I can buy the books.
Maybe I’ll get one of those Kindle© things after I win big from PCH. Then I could just down load books to my hearts content. Except no one has yet told me how the heck I’m supposed to read the things if that little electronic gizmo’s battery runs out of juice. I mean with a regular paper book you don’t need batteries. All you need is light and candles will work for that in a pinch or even a campfire.
Addendum: Thanks to a good friend my homes AC is once more working! Thank you Master Bruce! And by the way, 68 is way too cold! I'm finding even 70 degrees is kind of chilly. Guess I got too used to the heat.
This is a busy month as I pointed out last week. Friend and editor of ye olde newsletter Peggy is sneaking ( Ha! Who hasn’t she told? ) off to Houston, or is it Austin, for a bowling league thing on Friday. She’s been hassling me to get this article done and in so she can get the paper bedded down early. That way she can split earlier if there are no dogs to be groomed Friday. That’s great as I’m her trusty bather and that means I won’t have to work Saturday. The result of that is I won’t have to rush about and barely make it to the writers conference that is happening Saturday. Hey, it’s the kind of writing conferences I can afford. It’s free!
There is just one little hiccup in all of this however. Because the gal Peggy bowls with who has a car big enough for everyone who’s going can’t get her AC fixed guess who’s new small SUV has been volunteered to drive them down there! Yep, you got it in one. MINE. Up side of that, sort of, is that Peggy will leave me that little white truck she drives around in. All I can say is that I’m very glad that Linda, her sister, is also going to the writers conference with me so we can go in her, air conditioned, car.
Now if I could just convince the AC in my house to actually work. The darn thing comes on, the fan outside spins, air comes out of the vents but it is most certainly NOT cold air. It isn’t even cool. Hey ho. Guess where a chunk money from next weeks paycheck is gonna go. I have found to my disgust that I actually seem to need the AC now. Well, actually I could survive without it, I think, but I’d sleep a lot better with it going. I might dream of eighty degree weather when I crawl into bed during the winter but even then I don’t think I’d want to sleep in that kind of heat. I actually got fairly used to sleeping at about 65 degrees which is what I kept my house at through the winter. I’ll be bumping it up this summer however. Likely to about 70, though I would prefer 75. So I’m cheep. Yeah, if I had the money I’d set the AC at 68. But I don’t. Oh, well.
There you have it folks, what all’s going on in my little world this weekend. Busy, busy, busy! And I haven’t even mentioned getting ready for the big trip next weekend. Then from around the 24Th of June until the fourth of July the LOTFD will be running the fireworks stand up on 69 just north of town. That should keep me busy for sure, and I don’t even really LIKE fireworks. Other folks do though so, there ya go. Takes all kinds. They save up their pennies for fireworks while I save mine up for books and paper to write my odd little stories on. Oh, yeah, I also save mine up for gasoline to get to the bookstores so I can buy the books.
Maybe I’ll get one of those Kindle© things after I win big from PCH. Then I could just down load books to my hearts content. Except no one has yet told me how the heck I’m supposed to read the things if that little electronic gizmo’s battery runs out of juice. I mean with a regular paper book you don’t need batteries. All you need is light and candles will work for that in a pinch or even a campfire.
Addendum: Thanks to a good friend my homes AC is once more working! Thank you Master Bruce! And by the way, 68 is way too cold! I'm finding even 70 degrees is kind of chilly. Guess I got too used to the heat.
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