You know, I get pretty busy at work and getting away during the hectic summer months is tough. This year it was trickier because we had some facility repairs and my right hand was down for the count. Add to that the problem of coordinating time off with my wife, and my summer vacation turned into a staycation in October. What a sham that was.
After we settled on the best time for us to get away, the summer joy of going somewhere was out of the question. October is just not a good time to go sightseeing. We decided we would stay in town, do a few chores, and play a lot, you know movies, restaurants, bars, that kind of stuff.
As luck would have it two intervening factors crowded out my week. State monitors decided to do a desk review during my week off and my participation at an inbriefing and exit briefing was mandatory, on Monday and Friday respectively. And my lovely daughter, fresh into her new job as a federal law enforcement officer made plans to move out of the house that freaking week.
On Monday I awoke early went to work then hurried home because it was moving day and I had to help. We worked til 7 PM helping her move and get partially situated. Tuesday I had to follow up on several things at the office via phone, then back to my daughter's new apartment to continue setting up her apartment. Wednesday I cleaned out my garage. Now that my kid was gone, and with her all of her clutter, I had the opportunity to reclaim my garage. Some of my stuff was under the back porch so I got to bring it into the garage. Thursday I got to clean up my back yard for the winter.
One good thing about the week is that I started working out again. I made it to the gym 5 consecutive days for a 30 minute work out and a 30 minute session in the steam and sauna rooms. I love that, it's so relaxing. You see, last winter I was training for a 20K run over the mountain. That run was in March and I was in great shape, except for the pounding my feet took from the road work. After the race I started lifting weights and was going to gym for 60 minute sessions at least 4 times a week. I was in the zone until that inguinal hernia.
I knew I would be out of action for awhile so I decided to tend to other small things that I had put off. I went to the doctor for a physical and referrals. My initial physical was fine. We planned the hernia repair surgery, a colonoscopy, and a ptyerigum removal. All outpatient procedures. It was my overhaul summer. All went as planned, only three days out of work. I began working out again in July and got into a groove, stretching, running and doing push ups, then on Labor Day I got that crud in the chest and throat. It took me out of commission until last week, my week off. So, getting back into a workout routine is great.
On our week off we got to eat out a few times. We saw a movie, From Mexico with Love and we both liked it. We lost $200 at the casino. On Friday night we had a costume party with the neighbors and friends. I hadn't done that in years, so it was fun. I found it odd that all of the young women's costumes were sexy, in one case the thong was quite visible. We stayed out late.
Saturday was a slow start but we went to PF Chang's for an early dinner, Pat really likes that and we don't go too often cause it is a bit pricey. Then we went to have a martini and margarita at a nice place, a beer at a college bar and a night cap at Starbucks. Wouldn't you know it, the slice of lemon pound cake made me sick. I hadn't thrown up like that in 30 years. The only thing I regurgitated was the coffee and cake. I was up late feeling sick, but I had to get up very early Sunday for the annual pilgrimage. Local Catholics ascend a mountain to visit a 40 foot statue of Christ. It's only once a year so I want to go, and I did. It's a 2 1/2 mile trek up, 5 miles round trip.
But the week ended on a positive note. My wife and two sisters got together to celebrate birthdays and talk about important family business and laugh. Me and my brother in law and a couple of nephews joined the dinner party.
There were some highlights, starting the empty nest phase in life, cleaning up neglected chores, getting back into the work out routine, communing with my Catholicness, and seeing the sisters laugh. All in all, it would have been better without the interruptions of the office and moving day.
My week off was real and it was fun, it just wasn't real fun. Staycations suck.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Staycation Sucked
You know, I get pretty busy at work and getting away during the hectic summer months is tough. This year it was trickier because we had some facility repairs and my right hand was down for the count. Add to that the problem of coordinating time off with my wife, and my summer vacation turned into a staycation in October. What a sham that was.
After we settled on the best time for us to get away, the summer joy of going somewhere was out of the question. October is just not a good time to go sightseeing. We decided we would stay in town, do a few chores, and play a lot, you know movies, restaurants, bars, that kind of stuff.
As luck would have it two intervening factors crowded out my week. State monitors decided to do a desk review during my week off and my participation at an inbriefing and exit briefing was mandatory, on Monday and Friday respectively. And my lovely daughter, fresh into her new job as a federal law enforcement officer made plans to move out of the house that freaking week.
On Monday I awoke early went to work then hurried home because it was moving day and I had to help. We worked til 7 PM helping her move and get partially situated. Tuesday I had to follow up on several things at the office via phone, then back to my daughter's new apartment to continue setting up her apartment. Wednesday I cleaned out my garage. Now that my kid was gone, and with her all of her clutter, I had the opportunity to reclaim my garage. Some of my stuff was under the back porch so I got to bring it into the garage. Thursday I got to clean up my back yard for the winter.
One good thing about the week is that I started working out again. I made it to the gym 5 consecutive days for a 30 minute work out and a 30 minute session in the steam and sauna rooms. I love that, it's so relaxing. You see, last winter I was training for a 20K run over the mountain. That run was in March and I was in great shape, except for the pounding my feet took from the road work. After the race I started lifting weights and was going to gym for 60 minute sessions at least 4 times a week. I was in the zone until that inguinal hernia.
I knew I would be out of action for awhile so I decided to tend to other small things that I had put off. I went to the doctor for a physical and referrals. My initial physical was fine. We planned the hernia repair surgery, a colonoscopy, and a ptyerigum removal. All outpatient procedures. It was my overhaul summer. All went as planned, only three days out of work. I began working out again in July and got into a groove, stretching, running and doing push ups, then on Labor Day I got that crud in the chest and throat. It took me out of commission until last week, my week off. So, getting back into a workout routine is great.
On our week off we got to eat out a few times. We saw a movie, From Mexico with Love and we both liked it. We lost $200 at the casino. On Friday night we had a costume party with the neighbors and friends. I hadn't done that in years, so it was fun. I found it odd that all of the young women's costumes were sexy, in one case the thong was quite visible. We stayed out late.
Saturday was a slow start but we went to PF Chang's for an early dinner, Pat really likes that and we don't go too often cause it is a bit pricey. Then we went to have a martini and margarita at a nice place, a beer at a college bar and a night cap at Starbucks. Wouldn't you know it, the slice of lemon pound cake made me sick. I hadn't thrown up like that in 30 years. The only thing I regurgitated was the coffee and cake. I was up late feeling sick, but I had to get up very early Sunday for the annual pilgrimage. Local Catholics ascend a mountain to visit a 40 foot statue of Christ. It's only once a year so I want to go, and I did. It's a 2 1/2 mile trek up, 5 miles round trip.
But the week ended on a positive note. My wife and two sisters got together to celebrate birthdays and talk about important family business and laugh. Me and my brother in law and a couple of nephews joined the dinner party.
There were some highlights, starting the empty nest phase in life, cleaning up neglected chores, getting back into the work out routine, communing with my Catholicness, and seeing the sisters laugh. All in all, it would have been better without the interruptions of the office and moving day.
My week off was real and it was fun, it just wasn't real fun. Staycations suck.
Monday, October 26, 2009
I'm Mad as Hell and I'm Not Taking it Anymore
Well my dear friends, I've been gone for awhile because I found face book, but I am back. Hope you like this one.
What, do you ask, am I mad about? We are in the midst of the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind and Americans are too stupid to see it. If you look at recent history, Baby Bush doled out a $150 Billion stimulus package in the spring 2008. Then he rescued Freddie and Fannie and AIG and he lent $25 Billion to the auto industry to comply with federal regulations - all this BEFORE his TARP program that needed immediate approval to avert financial Armageddon.
By the end of September 2008, he had given out nearly half a TRILLION dollars. TARP added an additional $700 Billion to the kitty, that’s $1.2 Trillion. Fast forward 6 months to Obama and his generosity of nearly $800 Billion in ARRA and we are at nearly $2 TRILLON. Assuming a population of 308 million, minus the 12 million unauthorized residents (that’s illegal aliens to you jerks) and this economic stimulation costs $6,757 for every American. I don’t know about you guys, but all I got was a lousy $600 last summer.
Comes now the health care reform with an estimated price tag of $800 Billion over the next ten years and the price goes up to $2.8 TRILLION and we are up to $9,459 for every man, woman and child in this country. That is nearly ten grand per person and the money is going to bankers, investors, insurance titans, auto makers, health insurers, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, etc. And all I got was a lousy $600 last summer.
Over the past 30 years Presidents have championed the reduction of taxes and signed all manner of bills with much fanfare. Tell me, my fine Americans, how many of you have actually seen a reduction in taxes? Our taxes will go up. Our insurance premiums will go up. Our utility rates will go up. Worse yet, “their” bonuses will go up. This is what I call the greatest transfer of wealth ever, and it’s costing me and you. I am mad as hell and I vow to vote against my Congressman and my Senators and my President at the next election.
It’s not just at the federal level, but that certainly pisses me off the most. At the state level our illustrious governor Rick Perry started the governor’s enterprise fund, not to be confused with a kickback fund. It had $200 million in it to “stimulate” a business climate. Two of the first three recipients of stimulation were Country Wide and Wachovia, both are belly up now. At the local level our city and county officials love to give tax breaks. Most recently some enterprising, not to be construed as blood sucking, business man, who is really a lawyer, bought a fixer upper in downtown El Paso. Then he pitched a plan to launch a fancy hotel IF he could get a tax break; he got it, then asked the city to let him off the hook and they did. Another transfer of wealth.
It happens everywhere. Dallas and New York built monuments to decadence in the form of sports arenas mostly with tax payer money so that club owners and star athletes can make fortunes while fans pay exorbitant parking fees, ticket prices, and concession prices. Yet another transfer of wealth.
I am mad as hell.
Barceleau 4 President.
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