The 40 Year Old Student

Arizona got it right!

2010-05-24T15:14:00.002-05:00

I follow David Werst and his Real Texas Blog Religiously. He definitely hit the nail on the head with this post, and there is nothing else I can add to this, except that I work with several LEGAL Mexican immigrants, and they feel that the law is not unconstitutional in any way. They are not ashamed to show their papers if asked, and are proud of the trouble that they went to to become legal citizens of this great country.

Anyway, check out Mr. Werst's Page and see how I feel.

http://realtexasblog.com/2010/05/20/why-i-support-arizona/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+realtexasblog%2FtMFT+%28RealTexasBlog.com%29

Until next time, hug a legal immigrant, and send an illeagal home!!

Does the media influence what we think and feel?

2010-02-07T15:47:00.003-06:00

I could not agree with the statement more!! It is obvious that the media in general has a TON of influence over the way people think, feel, and act. Two things that come to mind immediately are nudity on television and politics.

First the nudity. Being older, I actually remember watching Mash when it was on. There was no nudity, and no overt sexuality on that show, and that was the norm for the time. Sometime in the 80's television started to become much more provocative and sexual. I watch several shows now in prime time that would not even have made the midnight showing on HBO in the 70's. This has caused a massive desensitization, in both children and adults. In my humble opinion this is part of the reason that teen pregnancy has become to prevalent today. As parents and children see more and more sex on TV, less and less becomes taboo in the real world. I will admit that we were not angels when we were kids, but I was terrified of what my parents would do if I were to get a girl pregnant. Today, the parents of pregnant teens seem to be thrilled about their child ruining their lives.

As far as politics, a lot of the time, the media covers only the things that are tailored to their views. This is obvious when you watch ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. I am not trying to say which is correct viewpoint, that is an argument for another discussion, but there can be no argument that they see things differently, and that their coverage reflects those differences. Again, when I was young, all of the media outlets covered all of the news. I know it is hard for youngsters to believe, but opinions were not put into news casts. The news outlets put the story out there with the facts, and let the public decide. Today, while not outright saying that something is right or wrong, they put a spin onto the story to make their opinions known. This is wrong in my opinion.

I will admit that the media is not all to blame. With the success of sensationalist shows like Jerry Springer, we, the public, have told the media outlets what we like. These shows used to only be on in the middle of the day, or late at night when children normally would not watch them, but with their success shows of the same lax morals have become the norm throughout the programming day. We the people have done this to ourselves.

So I guess I was wrong, the media does not control us so much as we control what we want them to do with the ratings they get. I guess that means that I am in the minority, as most of the shows and opinions that we get from television are not in agreement with my beliefs and morals.

Until Next time, remember to hug somebody you love!

Unexpected Bliss

2010-02-07T14:28:00.002-06:00

This is a little assignment I had to do for my intro to ethics class. I thought it was pretty good so i thought i would put it up on here.

So there I was, packing up my belongings and leaving my wife and children behind. This was not my choice, so it cannot be right. Well, that is the initial reaction to a divorce anyway. Nothing felt right about it, and I would only find out later how happy it would make me.

I began wallowing in self pity, mad at the world, and realizing that I had failed at yet another thing in life. I had just recently been fired from one job, and left another due to my lack of sales ability. I thought that my wife of 10 years would stand by me in my time of need. Oh, how wrong I was about that. She actually added to my stress by tossing me out in the cold without even a good explanation. My parents have been married for 50 years and, to me, divorce is the admission of not only failure, but also the admission of making a bad choice in life. I could not see how any good would come of it. My children would only have a part-time dad. There would, eventually, be some strange man living with them, and I would have no say who he was, or how he treated my children. He would also be stealing my woman, and we all know how egotistical men can be about that. What good could possibly come from this?

Now, you have to understand that in hind sight I should have seen this coming, and I could write a college thesis on all of the things I did to deserve this. But at the time, of course, I was an angel. It was only after I accepted the fact that I was getting divorced that I began to realize how miserable I had been in that marriage. When we first got married, we were a happy couple, but somewhere along the way we became complacent, and that is the beginning of the end for a marriage. When you start taking the other person for granted, and assuming that you know all of their thoughts and feelings, that is when the trouble starts. I am not sure which of us got there first, but we definitely got there. Of course, as time went on, I began to get used to the idea, and realize that I really did not have a choice in the matter. If she wanted a divorce then I would give her a divorce. That is the point at which my realization began.

To clarify, at first, I was totally against divorce, but as time passed, and mostly when I met my second wife, I realized that, maybe, this is not all bad after all. I started to realize how unhappy I had been in the marriage, which is funny, as I did not see myself as unhappy at all before then. I began to realize that, while my children would have a part-time dad, it was up to me to make the most of the time that we had together. That other man did show up, much faster than I would have liked, but I was able to talk to my ex-wife about how he was treating my children. I was able to express my opinions about him in a non-confrontational way, and we could discuss them as adults and come to a resolution. And the big realization was that he did not steal my woman, I had lost her long before he came into the picture.

As time passes the wounds heal, and the relationship between ex-spouses heals as well. If both parties accept what has happened and move on, it is much easier for everyone involved. According to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, parents' conflict can overshadow their desire for their children to have the best. Putting children in the middle of a divorce by talking badly about the other parent, giving the other parent " the silent treatment," and even something as simple as having children carry messages from one parent to another is detrimental to the child's mental health. This I agree with totally. The children did not choose the situation that they have been put in, it is up to the parents to handle the communication with an adult attitude, and not show their attitude to their children. If the parents fail in any of this, the children are forced to grow up too early, and loose their childhood.

Others will tell you that divorce is bad. The parents should stay together, be unhappy, and make the best life possible for the children. As a human being, everyone knows that is just not possible. All people, regardless of how guarded or how much control they have over their emotions, will act coldly towards people that they do not like. Although popular belief is that children are oblivious to strife or happiness in a home, children are not stupid. They may not understand the dynamics that go into relationships, but they can definitely see the outward reactions of adults towards one another. My first wife and I were not "touchy feely." My second wife and I are. We are happy with one another, and it shows in the way we talk to one another, the kisses we give one another, even something as simple as me lovingly grasping her arm as I walk by. My step children and children notice these things, and my children have commented that my ex-wife and her new husband do not act that way. Of course to 8, 9, 10, and 13 year olds, the way we act is gross and embarrassing. As they age they will come to understand that the way we act is a result of the love that we have for one another.

In hind sight, while divorce should not be the first option in a troubled marriage, it can be a good thing for all parties involved. A troubled couple should use all of the resources available to them to try to save their marriage, but when nothing else works, then, in my opinion, divorce is a viable and workable option. The parents, and children, in a divorce will have trauma, this is unavoidable. If the parents actively work to minimize that trauma, the long term effects of divorce can be minimized, if not avoided altogether.

Let me know what you think!

This is WAY to true to be funny!

2009-12-23T09:07:00.004-06:00

This is a little something that i got via email from a friend of mine. I am not sure where he got it, but it sure strikes home. Remember we are saying have a Merry Christmas this year, not Happy Holidays!!!!

Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,

Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.

See the PC Police had taken away
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.

The children were told by their schools not to sing
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.

It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.

Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!

CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-Pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!

Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.

As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.

At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.

Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.

Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!

At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.

And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace

The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.

So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.

Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday!

Please, all Christians join together and wish everyone you meet MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Christ is The Reason' for the CHRIST-mas Season!

Author Unkown

That is all for now, thanks to my source. If you agree with this, point people to my blog so they can see it. I think that it is important to express your views openly with people you know.

Until next time grab a christian and tout the reason for the season as loudly as you can!

IT IS NOT HIS JOB! click here for the text of the school speech

2009-09-08T15:34:00.002-05:00

So the big debate rages. The left says “what a great president” the right says that he is Hitler all over again. I land squarely in the middle, like most of us do. I have a firm belief that if there is no one further left or right of you, then you can not possibly be correct. Now all that being said I will say that there are some overtones of socialistic education to a president talking to all of the students in America at one time. It does not mater what party he is affiliated with, or whether or not i agree with his views.

To the best of my knowledge, no other president has done that, I know that some have gone into select classrooms or schools and talked to a few students, and that I have no problem with. The problem with a speech to all children, be it a brainwashing session or not, is that it sets a standard. The biggest issue stems from the fact that if people get used to it, the media will not cover it and we are one step closer to the federal government stepping into our everyday educational lives. Once we have 2 or 3 speeches from say the President, The Speaker, and then the Secretary of Education, the fourth speech that is from a leftist, or rightist, individual will go unnoticed.

I am big on America. I may not agree with your belief that you can burn the flag in protest, but I definitely agree with your right to do so. If we let big government into our everyday education, the likelihood of the basic American rights being taken away grows exponentially. The government can start to introduce socialistic views at an early age, and when it comes time for those children to vote, which way do you think they will lean?

Now I am not blaming this only on the Government. Parents are as much at fault as the President. When those children come home from school after seeing this speech, parents need to talk to their children and impress upon them whatever views the parents have. The majority of children who saw the President’s speech today will not hear anything said about it at home, and that is the true crime in America, not a socialist leaning president.

Just a short note with my 2 cents today, school has started and time is very limited.

Until next time, hold your loved one close, and your children closer!!

Grumpy Dwarf!!!

2009-08-20T22:32:00.002-05:00

Well, I finally got school all figured out.

I thought, and considered, and pondered, and finally have decided to go with the X-Ray Tech program. I think that the 10 years of school for Nurse Anesthetist, while having a great payoff, is more than I can expect of myself at this point in my life

I talked with the head man at work and we hammered out my schedule, I luckily get to keep my job. While I never really thought that I would be let go, with the economy the way it is, the thought was always in the back of my mind.

I got school all figured out a few weeks ago. I registered over a month ago, but was unable to get to school to make the payment in time, and the classes were dropped. Of course, by the time that I realized this, one of the classes I enrolled in was full forcing me to do the mad rush to figure out a new schedule and get re-enrolled. I finally made the payment and am good to go. Actually, I think that the new schedule will work out to be better for me in the long run, so it looks like someone up there was lookin’ out!!

I ordered all of my books, and have received all but one of them. I am having trouble pinning that one down, I am not sure if it is in transit, or somewhere in the ignore pile. If worse comes to worse I will just have to buy it at school next week. I have also applied for a parking contract and expect that to be taken care of in the next day or so (my campus is in the medical center area; everything there is $5.00 an hour or better to park).

Since I have everything so in place, I could not figure out why I am so grumpy!!!!

Then I realized it is grade point envy!

I have not even sat in a classroom yet, and I am already starting to stress over the grades! I have high expectations for myself, but I think I have set my wife’s higher. I must admit that I have done plenty-o-trash talking about what a good student I am, and how I never had to study to get by. I guess now it is time prove it or pay the piper. I wonder how much that piper charges anyway…..

I do not remember if I told you that my wife is an x-ray technologist, In fact, my wife’s family owns the rights to be called the most x-ray tech family there is. My wife, brother-in-law, and his wife are all radiographers. I am sure I will go through the next 3 years of school with her telling me how to do everything, and telling me my instructors are idiots. Of course, she will also be there to remind me that I blew that test because I was too busy playing Xbox – right honey?

My grumpiness, I think, stems from the aforementioned issues, as well as some that I have not thought of yet. I guess my biggest problem is the self-doubt that I have. As I mentioned in my first post, my adult life has been one incomplete after another, and I always have that fear hanging in the back of my mind. I am blessed with a wonderful wife, and a great set of in-laws. Neither of them will stay “out of my business” nor will they let me give up. It is a great feeling to have that in my life. My mother-in-law always kids about how unwelcome she must be in my house, but in actuality, the exact opposite is true. While she is not perfect (sorry Linda), she is as good as gold to me. I never missed that feeling before, but I never had it in my first marriage. My parents will give me all the hell I can handle, but I tend to keep them removed from my day-to-day life for some reason, but that is to be addressed in another post.

As I move forward from here, I can only hope that everything will work out as I, no we, have planned it. I can honestly say I have the love and support of my significant other, and regardless of where life will lead me, I am positive that I always will. It is hard to explain how great it is to finally feel complete. She walked by and asked if I was writing bad things in my blog about her, and I can honestly say that I don’t have anything bad to write about her. I am not saying that we are perfect and float around like angels all day, we of course have our disagreements, but we do not take them to heart, and what is life with out a good debate every now and then. She has this knack of telling me how to cook when I am in a bad mood, and being the emotional midget that I am, I have difficulty separating one thing from another.

That is definitely something for me to work on.

I am still not 40, but today I can officially call my self a student.

Until our next encounter, tell someone that your sorry for something you did, mean it, then change it…otherwise it is an empty apology. I have mine to work on, now go and find yours!

Healthcare Schmealthcare

2009-08-09T21:55:00.002-05:00

Here ya go Linda!

What a great weekend!! I spent Friday and Saturday night in a campground on the Guadalupe River. For those not familiar with Texas, this is located in the central area of Texas, just north of San Antonio. It was a good weekend of great family and fun. We floated the river on Saturday, and just hung out Friday night and played dominoes.

It seems that most of the conversation was geared toward politics, as I am sure that all conversations in predominately republican families are. The most talked about was the “Obama Care” plan. Of course, we can all fix all of the world’s problems, and have no trouble telling each other what the politicians are doing wrong. In talking too, not only my family, but also everyone else I know, i have discovered that no one seems to want health care reform. It seems to me that the people on Medicare don’t want healthcare reform because they will lose a lot of their benefits, the people who pay for their own insurance don’t want healthcare reform because they will lose a lot of their benefits, and the poor (not monetarily) people who don’t have health benefits don’t want healthcare reform because the will lose the ability to complain about not having health insurance!!!

I work in close contact with people whose income is considered to be below the poverty level. We have excellent insurance at work, and most people pay for it, and most people complain about the cost. I am one of those people. But I also work with a few people that would not pay for the insurance if it were $50 a month. One person who worked for me had a special needs child, and was paying more per month on doctor’s visits than he would have paid for the healthcare benefits, but by goodness he was gonna get what the government owed him, so used Medicare/Medicaid to pay for his child’s treatment. When you are dealing with stupidity like that there is no fix for it.

I do not like paying $400 a month for health insurance, but I know that it is a necessity, and that I am doing my part to better healthcare. I saw a report on one of the weekly news shows about healthcare in Canada. This report stated that it was easier to get a CT or an MRI for the family dog than for a child. Does this not speak volumes about socialistic healthcare? I have not heard anyone, excepting the president’s advisors say that drastic healthcare reform is a good idea. Every expert that I have heard speak said that limiting the income to hospitals will limit the leaps that our healthcare technology takes. MRI, Nuke Med, Organ Transplants, and all the other things we have here in the U.S. were invented due to the money that we are willing to pay.

My wife had surgery a few months ago, and the surgeon billed my insurance company more than $1000. When the EOB came back for the procedure, I think they paid in the neighborhood of $150. How is that healthcare running amuck??? It sounds to me like our healthcare system is doing its job. I have heard of an insurance company paying the doctor more than he billed, have you?? Is there some argument about $150 being too much to pay someone who is the protector of your life for the duration of the procedure? I think not.

The problem with over billing in health care stems from the hospital having to cover the costs for everyone involved in your healthcare. This is not just the doctors, LVNs, RNs, and CNAs that have direct patient contact, but also the billing people, hospital administrator, CFO and all of these people's assistants as well. I think that we need an a la carte health care system. Charge me 50 cents for my Tylenol, and then charge me 5 min at $40 and hour for the RN to give it to me. If I need my sheets changed, charge me the 15 minutes that the CNA spends in my room to change them, I am ok with that. I understand that there will have to be a base charge to cover the administrative staff, but do not charge me for the direct contact medical staff. I can get up and pee on my own, so why should I pay the hospital to have some one do it for me???

Now I realize that this is an overly simple example, but it holds true for everything. Most people are misers, and if they have a choice between $5 and $10, most will take the $5. In time the healthcare system would fix itself. Some people will say that this could never work, how would you keep up with the time and who is in the room??? RFID!! Radio Frequency Identification tags tracked by computer and automatically logged in the billing system. Done!

I think that, over time, the insurance companies would begin offering discounts for people who are willing to forgo some of the unnecessary duplications in the hospitals. And everyone will be happy except for the people who just need to complain about healthcare.

Before next time, hug someone and tell them that you love them!

ARRRRRGH!!!!!

2009-07-23T21:53:00.002-05:00

OK. I am not an old man, I am not necessarily a young man, but I am NOT an old man. 38 is pretty d@^^n young if you ask me.

So I was walking around the Sooper Dooper got everything store, you know the blue one, and not the light (does that narrow it down enough for ya?).

I was looking for canned tuna. Pretty easy, huh? Well think again, ten minutes into walking aisle by aisle looking for Tuna, I realized that I had yet to see a blue-mart employee. As a child, I can remember not being able to find something in a store, and within an aisle or two, there was someone stocking, or cleaning, or something. Now here is the kicker, that employee would have actually known where the tuna was!! Now I understand that when you have 55 acres under roof, it can take a few people to cover all of the bases, but come on, no one on 12 aisles??

So I am walking around this forest of food products that I did not need, looking as lost as the next person was feeling I am sure, I was gone so long, my wife sent my son out on recon to see if he could find me. Finally, I notice a sign that is MAYBE the size of an index card with the words “CANNED MEATS” on it. Who would have thought that you would find tuna in the canned meats aisle? Out of the 55 acres of covered warehouse that they call a super center, they had a 5 foot section on one aisle dedicated to Canned Meats.

My wife just read this over my shoulder, and pointed out that any woman who reads this is going to say that I should go to the store more often. Well, I am man enough to admit to that being part of the problem, but you cannot tell me that women never walk into a store and say “I know it should be here somewhere, where did I see that stocker again?” I know women are a better species than men, but that much better they ain’t.

This is just another example of the fleecing, or the breakdown, or whatever you want to call it, of America. As my profile says I live in small town Texas. I live in a town of 3500 people. I have lived here since I was 5, save 12 years of early adulthood, so basically for my entire memorable life. I can remember thinking for most of my childhood that I could not wait to get out of this Podunk little town. Soon after getting out, I realized how much better small town life was, and therefore, spent 12 years away from here, trying to figure out a way to get back. I did finally succeed. Life in a small town is completely different than in the city. When I walk down the street, or go to the store, or whatever, I am guaranteed to see someone that I know. I lived in Georgetown for several years, and I could run errands for several hours to this store and that, and not see anyone that I knew. I am an intensely private person, but I can tell you, that it is nice to go to town and be able to talk to people that I actually know and who know me, not just people that see each other at the little league fields.

The importance of community is lost in America! My parents are still friends with people whom they lived next to, in a neighborhood in Dallas, 50 years ago. I have no idea who any of the people were, that I lived next to in any of the incalculable apartments, rent houses, and houses that I have lived in during my adult life.

The federal government is making the mistake of trying to be our neighbor, and it is time that we stood up and told them that our neighborhood is full. There was a time when people had trouble, they would cry on their neighbors shoulder, and their neighbor would honestly listen and do what they could to help. Now most people don’t even know who lives next to them much less what kind of trouble they are in.

I saw a news report on the Houston news awhile back about a man who killed his teenage daughter for something. I am pretty sure that she was pregnant, and her father believed that to be a disgrace to his family (I agree, but that does not give him the right to kill her.) The reporter interviewed his “neighbors” and you could tell that they really had no idea who this man was. They new of him, but you could tell they were not a close knit community.

I guess my mother-in-law is right. Church is the only place that you can get that in this day and age.

By the way, I did find the blue-mart employees; they were all sitting on the curb farthest from the store talking about something far more important than their jobs, I am sure.

Until the next time, I wish only the truest love and the happiest days upon you and yours.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

2009-07-17T13:05:00.002-05:00

Well, technically, I am not 40, nor am I a student, but I will be both soon enough.

I am 38 years old and looking at my life(mid-life crisis I guess). I look back and I do not see anything that I have finished! I flunked out of college the first time, with a whopping .7 GPA(thank goodness for band!), I was kicked out of the army for being too fat, and I was "fired" from my first job after the army. Also, my first marriage ended after ten years(second one is going great though.)

Now, all that being said, I am a productive member of society, I am not a dead beat Dad, and I have a job. Actually I am the Assistant Plant Manager. I feel that I am overworked and underpaid, but then who doesn't? I am married to a wonderful woman who takes very good care of me. We have 4 children(2 are hers, and 2 are mine) and enjoy an "above average" lifestyle.

Upon close examination, I realized that my career is going nowhere. I will be climbing neither the corporate ladder, nor the income ladder, in any significant steps. I have sat back, analyzed my life, and decided that it was time to move on to something else. Yes, this is the first time that someone did not decide for me. Now the only question is what to do? I have settled on the medical field for reasons that I am sure that I will discuss at a later date, but am having trouble deciding between Radiography(X-Ray Tech) and Nurse Anesthesistststttsss(I think that is how it is pronounced.)

Nurse Anesthesia is a much longer program, but with much better pay in the long run. It also has the drawback of not getting accepted to a school for CRNA after my RN school. But I am not sure that x-ray will hold my interest for the next 40 years, but then my wife and I can travel and take 13 week assignments in the future.

Yes I said 40 years. I have accepted the fact that the letter that tells me how much Uncle Sugar is going to pay me when I turn 67 is sent for the purpose of making me feel better about the money they are taking from me to pay for my parents Social Security.

Anyway, that is a brief introduction to me and my motivation. I will post to this blog on occasion, whenever I feel that something important; or unimportant, but deserving comment; has happened in my life or the world. This is not going to be so much a catalog of how to go back to school, but just the humble opinion of an everyday Joe. Call me a plumber I guess. I will discuss politics, religion, life, and anything else that strikes me as needing to be fixed in the world.

In short it will be the forum for my “If I were King of the world!” ideas.

Who knows, maybe some of you will agree with me. I know a lot of you will not, but that is what makes life fun, the debate.

I hope that your loves fulfill you, and that you have wonderful days until the next time!