Todays thought...One of those days..or weeks..or well... you get the point!

So much has happened since I blogged last. So ok its been like 4 months. A lot has happened. My business partner has been injured. My full time job is still hanging in there. Lots of team changes and position changes. Nothing bad mind you. Always hesitant at first but nothing serious once all said and done. It just keeps changing. And hey, business is business and will always change, but I buck against it every time. Its just my thing.

One of my girls...I will call her Murph...is going through a major time with the loss of a loved one right now. I have so much pain inside for her because of what I went through with my grandpa when I lost him. And she's got the worse side of the whole deal. But, I can say, thankfully for her, she had a chance to see him once more before he passed, just as I did. As it was very sudden that she lost her family member, she still got to say good-bye.

Things like this make you realize just how short life is. And just how important it is to tell your loved one's that you love them. Because you never know. You never know! I hope this reaches to every heart weather hot or cold and you out there realize that life is short. Tell those you love, that you love them. Tell those you are mad at why you are mad. You may not ever have the chance again, and they may never know. I learned that the hard way too!

Thats all I have for tonight. Holla peeps!

Todays thought...Just a catch-up

Ok so things have been like totally crazy on this end. I swear, it has been one family gathering after another. Not that I am complaining, I love my family, but a quiet house is just what one needs after several weekends of company.

Life is still life and work is still work. Work sucks sometimes ya know? I am concidering going to work for a friend of mine. Nothing major, just something part time. I am a little scared at the thought of going into business though. Its a big step. Its nothing that I am going to decide on now, there is still a lot of negotiation to go into, however, I am definitely concidering.

Have you ever had one of those opportunities come up, that just felt right? It just felt like something that was right for you? This is one of those opportunities, and while it is going to take a lot of talking...and probably reassurance from my husband, I think I am going to go for it. Anyway, other than that, like I said, life is life and work is work. Nothing major to report. (Thank God above!) Thats about all for now.

Holla

Todays thought...Another rant

Ok I have just been informed of a commercial on the TV for a company that makes Khaki's involving "Making Things Right" with the Cable Guy. Lets just say that I have written a letter to this company. For those of you who don't know, both my brother and my husband are Communications Technicians for 2 separate cable companies in my area.

First off, it portrays the cable guy to be both beligerant and unprofessional. I know a lot of the guys that work in the cable field, mostly friends and family of my husband and my brother. None of them are that unprofessional. They do not drive up on your curb and they absolutely DO NOT tell you .. the customer .. that you are lucky that they are even there much less being late. You have no idea what they have to go through on a daily basis and if the cable guy is late to your house, there is most times a call and an extremely good explanation as to why they are late. Contrary to most misconceptions, cable guys as public servers are not late, to make your life hell. And if you have someting important that you need to get to like, oh I don't know, a recital for your daughter as portrayed in the commercial...RESCHEDULE THE DAMN THING AND MAKE IT TO THE RECITAL! IS YOUR CABLE THAT FREAKING SERIOUS? UNPLUG YOURSELF FROM THE TV ANYWAY! BE CONSTRUCTIVE WITH YOUR TIME!

Oh and then second off, the guys that are "upset" because the cable guy was both late and unprofessional these guys pull the ladder off the roof so that the cable guy can't get down and they commence to trying to "make a deal" with the cable guy. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!???? What the Hell is that!? The guy is stranded on the roof. Oh, and then they show the cable guy threatening to kick the guys ass when he gets down off the roof. Ok...REALITY CHECK! My husband might kick your ass when he gets down off the roof, but he's not going to threaten you! And there is no telling him that oh you'll be back to put the ladder on the roof between the hours of 7-11 and will most likely be late like he was. No, at that point the supervisor would be called out, and they would probably black ball you from their services for ENDAGERING THE LIFE OF THE TECHNICIAN!

COME ON PEOPLE. THIS IS A VERY GROSS PORTRAYAL OF A COMMON MISCONCEPTION IN MOST EVERY DAY PEOPLE OUT THERE. THESE GUYS HAVE FAMILIES, THE HAVE HUSBANDS/WIVES, THEY HAVE KIDS, THEY HAVE PEOPLE TO GO HOME TO MOST OF THE TIME THAT ARE JUST AS FRUSTRATED AS YOU ARE BECAUSE GUESS WHAT, IF THEY ARE LATE GETTING TO YOU, THEY ARE LATE GETTING HOME! THEY ARE LATE FOR DINNER, THEY ARE LATE GETTING TO SPEND TIME WITH THEIR KIDS BEFORE BED TIME, THEY ARE LATE GETTING TO SEE THEIR HUSBANDS OR WIVES BEFORE THEY HAVE TO GET TO BED! HAVE A LITTLE RESPECT FOR THESE GUYS PEOPLE! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHATSOEVER WHAT THESE GUYS GO THROUGH ON A DAILY BASIS. YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF TRAINING THEY GO THROUGH TO GET THE POSITIONS THEY ARE IN...INCLUDING HOW TO DEAL WITH A CUSTOMER, IRATE OR NOT! UGH! HAVE A LITTLE COMPASSION! YOU THINK THEIR JOBS ARE SO EASY?! WHAT, ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS COME HOOK UP YOUR CABLE AND FIX THE PROBLEM? YOU GO OUT THERE AND GET THE JOB AS THE CABLE GUY! YOU DO THEIR JOBS. I GUARANTEE AFTER A WEEK OF TRAINING, YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DON'T WORK THERE!

Anyway, wanted to get that out! Holla!

Todays thought...Women and the war

Ok so some of the women out there are all against the war. You spout that its not right that our men are dying over there so that we can...what? For what? What are they dying for? Let me tell you.

They are fighting and yes at times dying, so that I can go to the store in the middle of the day, with a pair of cut off shorts and a tank top with sandals on my feet. They are fighting for my right to get dressed up and make up on to go out on a date with my husband. They are fighting for my right to vote, as well as my right to go to work every day to help support my family which is something that I love. I am proud to have that right....AND YOU SHOULD BE TOO! Some of you women out there cannot leave your house to go to the mailbox without "putting on your face". NONE of the women in Iraq, know what eye liner is, much less putting on their faces. Women in Iraq can't vote, they can't go out with even an ounce of skin showing. When they go grocery shopping they are supposed to wear 10lbs of clothing. To go to the store! They aren't allowed to voice their opinions on anything! So now I ask you, WHERE DO YOU GET OFF?!

Things I am sure you take for granted in your day to day lives. You have a drivers license for 1. You can yell and scream and call someone a bitch for taking your parking spot, without getting stoned or getting your arm chopped off. You can go out into public and smile. They have things in the store made for us women to be pretty. So that we can whiten our smiles, so that the public can notice your beautiful white teeth that have no enamel on them. You can entertain a guest at a kegger at your house. You can ask a guy out on a date. You are allowed to carry a cell phone, as well as yacking on it while driving down the road. I'm not gonna get started on that one again!

You can go to a department store and buy panties and a bra that match. There is a reason it is called Victorias Secret, and not Victorias Seclusion! You can have a girls night out with your best friends! You can have a weekend with the girls. You can go to the gym and work out. You can take a jog in the park. You can take your kids to the park. You can run your own business, be the president of a corporation, be the boss. You can be the one in charge. Not the one who's NEVER in charge. You can be a politician. Even one that accepts votes of dead people and convicted felons then tells everyone that its because your a black democrat and turn it into a racial thing instead of being upset that the votes were in there in the first place. You can have your opinion, and voice it, instead of having your opinion given to you. You can have a blog and write how you feel. You have access to the internet, and you can read how I feel, and make your own opinion of it. In Iraq, women can't come out of their own front doors without permission. They cannot go to war because they want to, they're not allowed to go to college, have friends, host Bridge parties while the husbands are at work, watch TV, listen to the radio...Do I need to go on?

In the end, it all comes down to the fact that as women in America, we can make changes in our lives, in our society, and in our world. Change is power. A power that has been far too long denied to the women of Iraq.

Today's thought...Just another rant.

Ok you know what really irritates me? WOMEN DRIVERS! Ok I am one and I have more consideration than most of these women out here. PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ARE DOING! GET A FREAKIN HEADSET SO THAT YOU CAN CONCENTRATE ON WHAT YOU ARE DOING! AND STOP GETTING SO CLOSE TO MY BUMPER THAT I COULD FLICK A BUGER ON YOUR WINDSHIELD! BECAUSE ONE OF THESE DAYS...I'M GOING TO!

Ok here's another thing that is slightly disturbing. Ok I like to visit my friends profiles on myspace. I got on there playing around thinking about setting up an account and what do I see there on the front page? New people. And who would be one of the newest members of myspace? Hillary Clinton! I kid you not! It disturbs me that she is running for president. I am not above seeing a woman president in the house, but you know, why does it have to be her? First off...democrat. Ok don't get me started on that one. Second...She's already served her 8 years when her husband was in office because he was too busy playing around with interns to care about the nation! Woo he decreased the national debt. Ok I'll give him that...but where was he in '93 when Bin Laden said he would bring the towers down? Oh wait...Care to take that one Ms. L? Because something went down...but I don't think it was that. What happened to the middle class tax cut Mrs President? What happened to the universal health care? Its funny to me that the same figures he used to propose the middle class tax cut when he was running saying it was possible, were the same figures he used once in office, to say that it wasn't possible. Now lets talk about Bush. Ok so lets see. Tax cut for the middle classman. Hmm, a few years ago didn't we get the nice little tax return? Thank you Mr. Bush! And then ok we have the people who are upset because woo we've decreased the national debt. Big deal. Bush put his foot down and said ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! YOU MESSED WITH THE WRONG PRESIDENT NOW BUCKO! All of these people set here and say "I don't want this war... we need to bring our guys home". Ok but lets look at this shall we? Would you rather have us fighting over there, or would you have them fighting over here? Because lets face it people. If 1 man can walk into a college and kill 26 people with 2 guns, what in the world do you think that 50 terrorists can do? No bombs, just guns. Heaven forbid if we stay over there and let our democratic influences spread there and stop the terrorists where they are. That would just be terrible wouldn't it? I rest my case!

Ok I had other stuff to rant about, but that pretty much filled my thoughts for now. I will rant later when I can remember what the rest of them were. I bid you goodnight for now.

Holla!

Todays thought...Loss of more family.

So, I had to put my horse to sleep yesterday. She was 27 years old and her intestines had gotten twisted up. Now for those of you who do not know, most horses don't make it that long, so I was very lucky that I got an extra few years with her. And they were good years too. Up until she got sick she acted like a filly, running through the pasture, kicking and rearing up and playing. So this blog is dedicated to my appaloosa mare.

I first brought her home 12 years ago. She was bought from a couple that did not really know enough about horses. Long story short, she'd been beaten with a 2x4. We didn't realize this until she blew her winter coat one year and she had white fur come up where she'd been hit on the rump with the 2x4's. The day we brought her home we walked her around the property and she laid down on the ground. That is a very rare thing for a horse to do, first thing. Our friend that helped us buy her told us that she was really comfortable here.

So here's me the next night. Totally green about owning a horse, I didn't have the first clue. I went out to see her the next night and my idiot self, left the gate open. Not very far, but enough that curiosity got the best of her and she ventured out into the back yard. And then into the front yard, and managed to find herself on the back porch. When my mama got up the next morning, she came in and got me and told me that I had left the gate open the night before. She knew this of course because of my mare being at the back door. I freaked expecting my first horse to be gone. I ran out of my bedroom, down the hall and blasted out the back door not expecting to have this horse on my back porch. Needless to say, when I got out there, she had a look and whinnied at me as if to say "Come on. Its breakfast time. I'm hungry!" So, of course she followed me back into the pasture, and stood there in her stall, patiently waiting fo her breakfast.

A few weeks had past and I was determined, I was going to learn how to saddle her up, and ride. So I went outside when my mama went to work, and started. She stood there ever so nicely as I brought out the saddle. She knew I had no clue what I was doing. So I put the saddle blanket on her, drug the 40 lb. saddle out with me, put it up on the post that I had set up for it and tried my darndest to figure out what went where and how I was going to manage this.

She was tied very lightly on the barn and there was a lot of slack in the line. So I finally get everything figured out, throw the stirrup and the girth up on the saddle, pick it up, and go to gently set it up on her back. To my frustration, she decides to side step and the saddle falls to the ground. She snickered as to laugh at me and go Neener neener. So I picked up the saddle, and set it on her back carefully, and then commenced to strapping on the girth, which was a task in itself with her help.

I get the girth fastened to the other side of the saddle with ease. I'VE GOT IT! Or so I thought. So I walk her around for a little bit, away from the barn, got to get up in the saddle, put my foot in the stirrup and what happens? The saddle turns to the side? Completely perplexed at the puzzle before me, I just don't undersand why on earth the girth was fastened but the saddle wasnt' staying on her back. She stands there in all of her wonder looking at me like "um, excuse me, fix please." So I walk her back to the barn, tie her up, fix the saddle, and try to figure out why it wasn't staying. As I walk back around, I see that my horse has taken a deep breath and was holding it. So of course, the girth was tight. Until she let her breath out. So she figures out shortly that I have learned of her deviousness.

Finally, after stopping and tightening 3 more times, I have it. The girth is tight, the saddle isn't moving, we're ready to go. So I jump on. I had ridden horse a few times before, and even had one spook on me, so I was comfortable in the saddle. We ride around the yard, I don't dare venture outside the fence and we get going good. She was responding really well to what I asked. We get turned back to the barn and I get her to running. I am so excited right now to feel the rush of a galloping horse, that I am not paying attention to her and she stops on a dime.

I am no where near ready for this, so what do I do? Yep, out of the saddle, up and over her head as she ducks, flat on my back in a mud puddle. I set there stunned for a moment trying to figure out what had just happened to realize, that I still have the reigns in my hand, and my horse is standing over me, face to face, laughing at me. Yep, she thought it was funny as everything.

Determined not to let this stop me, I get up, dust what mud I could off my butt, and climb back in the saddle. We go to riding again. Once again she gallops heading back toward the barn and this time I realize she's heading straight for the mud puddle. She stops on a dime again, but this time, I was ready for her tricks. I shoved my heels down, put my feet forward and when she stopped, I didn't move from that saddle. She took a deep breath, discustedly let it out, and we commenced to riding.

A few weeks later we were doing really good. She was still testing me at times, but nothing major. Until one day. She was trotting, and she tripped. Immediately I stopped her to make sure that she was ok, and walked to where she had tripped and could not find anything. No mole hole, no bumps in the land, nothing. So I check her foot. I hold it up, make sure there is nothing in there to make her foot ouchy and cannot find anything there either. So I get back on. A few minutes later, she trips again. Once again, I get down, check the land, check her foot, nothing. Once again, I get back on. She trips once more and I pay attention to her head. She looks back at me to see if I am going to get back off her this time. I realize her game, tell her to knock it off, she disgustingly sighs again and we go about our ride.

A few short minutes later, she goes to trotting, and coughs. I stop her. I give her a few minuts to take a breather and commence. She coughs again. Once more, I look to her face to see that she again is looking back around to me, to see what my reaction is going to be. I tell her once more to knock it off, she sighs disgustingly, and procedes. In one last attempt to deceive me, she coughs and trips at once. She stops, looks up at me, and I tell her that I know she's playing then and to knock it off.

She had the patience of Job with me. After that moment, we both connected. I started and dared to ride her bareback once. It was a good thing. I rarely used the saddle once I learned how to bareback ride. I remember one time, I was riding down the road and a UPS truck came down the road. I don't know if it was the deer whistles or the roar of the engine but something about it spooked her and she ran. Now as I said before, I had been on a spooked horse before. With a saddle. This time, she side steps, takes to running as most spooked horses do, and because I had just brushed her, I stayed in the same place. Then gravity took effect and down I went. But it was ok. My butt broke the fall to the ground! Instead of standing over me laughing at me this time though, she stopped dead in her tracks, turned around and sniffed me over and nudged at me to make sure I was alright.

Anyway, todays blog, I dedicate to you my friend. You helped me through a nasty divorce, you taught me a lot, and I will never forget you, nor could I ever try. I love you.

Todays thought...The world of Cochlear Implants

Ok so as most of you know, my mama has had a Cochlear Implant. I cannot tell you how proud I am. Well, she has a support group that meets a few times a year and I am thankful to say that I have been able to attend quite a few of these meetings with her.

Todays meeting was a discussion about the history of the Cochlear Implant and while on the topic the question came from the room as to why it is so hard to get an insurance company to approve dual implants...Or...one in each ear. Now it strikes me as funny in the sense that yes, the implants are expensive. However, tell me something, if you can hear, and have never had an issue hearing in the past nor do you now, how important is your hearing to you?

What is it worth to you, for you to have your hearing? $100 - $1,000 - $10,000...Or maybe even $100,000. What is what you are hearing right now, worth to you? If you heard for your entire life, and say you were in an accident, you hit a transformer and it exploded beside you. And you lived, but the explosion was so loud, that you lost your hearing completely. What would you think to be a fair amount to get your hearing back to where it was? What would it be worth to you? To hear birds chirping, or an approaching storm, or even a refrigerator running.

Or let me put it to you in a different kind of question. If you can hear, and you have been able to hear since birth, how would you explain hearing, to a person that is deaf? Go for it. Right now. Tell me, how would you explain the concept of hearing, to someone that has never heard anything in their life. I tell you what, the surgeon that did my mama's implant told me about a website. I checked it out today. I invite anyone else who is reading this to do the same thing. It shows you a little bit about what advances they have made in the science of hearing and will show you a little bit of what it is like to not hear, and then have the opportunity to hear and actually understand what you are hearing. It is the University of Texas Dallas program. The link is http://www.utdallas.edu/~loizou/cimplants/ and again...I invite anyone reading to take a look at this web-site. Read the tutorial. See what it is like. Better yet, challenge yourself. Plug your ears for a day. For 24 hours so that you cannot hear anything. See what you are missing. Then ask yourself the question...What is it worth to you to hear?

Thats all I have to say for todays blog. I recommend anyone taking a look at that site and see what you can learn from it.

Holla!!!