Hello...
If you are one of the few readers of this blog, I have bad news.
I am relocating it to a new site. My own site.
www.samuraimarineblog.com is now up and running, and this will be my last post to the Blogger site. They have been great, but I wanted more customization...
Please join me in the new location.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Stupid Questions
I was watching one of those "Global Disaster" shows on Discovery tonight, and how the east coast of the United States may be wiped out by the collapse of part of the La Palma island in the Canary's.
Anyway... Listening to the show, more than actually watching it, I was reminded of a person I went to school with. For the sake of his privacy, I will give him the name Dick... which is oddly what he is, and another version of his name.
This person was the odd member of the group I hung out with. We all belonged to cliques when we were in school... Nowadays they are considered more like gangs, and some schools try to prevent people from gathering too much.
We were a group of nerds... Pretty much all of us, except Dick, were pretty good at what we did. Most of our time that was not spent in class, was spent in the computer room working on programs... except Dick... who spent most of his time, looking back in retrospect, playing games and bothering us.
He used to have these ideas he would pursue us about, and ask us for our input on... and these had to be, quite possibly, the stupidest or most irrelevant ideas that one could possibly think of.
One that stands out to me the most was this work of cerebral artwork:
"Hey... if you looked up and saw a nuclear missile coming right at you, what would you do?"
OK... Let us look at the deep and troubling philosophical nature of this question... Alright, Bullshit, there it is. Lets look at the reality of the question in the hopes that Dick ever wanders into this site.
1. Even if you were lucky enough to happen to glance up and see the device approaching, then you would only have seconds to really think about anything before you became incinerated, or at the very least blinded... at which time the only thing you will be thinking is "Damn I wish I was dead."
2. Who Cares? You can think of what ever you wanted, but what good would it do? It reminds me of the poor whale that was created, along with the bowl of petunias, as a result of the Infinite Improbability drive over the planet Magrathea in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. You can think anything you want, and come up with what ever opinions you want, but but after a few moments, you will meet the same fate as the Whale and the petunias.
3. And finally... it's just the dumbest question you can ask and does not deserve an answer. If you could look up a Thesaurus listing for dumb questions like this, you might find the following:
a. What would you do if you saw the sun go Nova?
b. Where would you go if you had nowhere to go fast?
c. What happens to all the missing socks that disappear in the dryer?
In closing, I need to add the following.
Dick was, at one time, a good friend... but as times changed and the rest of the group grew up and moved on in our lives, he stayed in his world... not moving and not growing up or taking the responsibilities that life and age cast upon him. Because of this, and only because of his own short sightedness, did he lose those who were his friends.
Anyway... Listening to the show, more than actually watching it, I was reminded of a person I went to school with. For the sake of his privacy, I will give him the name Dick... which is oddly what he is, and another version of his name.
This person was the odd member of the group I hung out with. We all belonged to cliques when we were in school... Nowadays they are considered more like gangs, and some schools try to prevent people from gathering too much.
We were a group of nerds... Pretty much all of us, except Dick, were pretty good at what we did. Most of our time that was not spent in class, was spent in the computer room working on programs... except Dick... who spent most of his time, looking back in retrospect, playing games and bothering us.
He used to have these ideas he would pursue us about, and ask us for our input on... and these had to be, quite possibly, the stupidest or most irrelevant ideas that one could possibly think of.
One that stands out to me the most was this work of cerebral artwork:
"Hey... if you looked up and saw a nuclear missile coming right at you, what would you do?"
OK... Let us look at the deep and troubling philosophical nature of this question... Alright, Bullshit, there it is. Lets look at the reality of the question in the hopes that Dick ever wanders into this site.
1. Even if you were lucky enough to happen to glance up and see the device approaching, then you would only have seconds to really think about anything before you became incinerated, or at the very least blinded... at which time the only thing you will be thinking is "Damn I wish I was dead."
2. Who Cares? You can think of what ever you wanted, but what good would it do? It reminds me of the poor whale that was created, along with the bowl of petunias, as a result of the Infinite Improbability drive over the planet Magrathea in the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. You can think anything you want, and come up with what ever opinions you want, but but after a few moments, you will meet the same fate as the Whale and the petunias.
3. And finally... it's just the dumbest question you can ask and does not deserve an answer. If you could look up a Thesaurus listing for dumb questions like this, you might find the following:
a. What would you do if you saw the sun go Nova?
b. Where would you go if you had nowhere to go fast?
c. What happens to all the missing socks that disappear in the dryer?
In closing, I need to add the following.
Dick was, at one time, a good friend... but as times changed and the rest of the group grew up and moved on in our lives, he stayed in his world... not moving and not growing up or taking the responsibilities that life and age cast upon him. Because of this, and only because of his own short sightedness, did he lose those who were his friends.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Charity
Let's face it... We have all given to a charity. It gives us that "warm fuzzy" that lets us feel like we have done our part for (insert global/geopolitical/cultural/religious need here.)
The problem with these charities is that we are not always sure what the money will actually do for the people that it is going to. We give... and yes, we all know that a certain percentage does not get to the needy, but what does the money actually do?
Personally, I am very hesitant to give money to any group or organization for the simple fact that charity, in most cases, breeds further need. It solves nothing if not done right. Why would anyone want to give money to a group that feeds children in a foreign country, only to watch them grow and have more children that need to be fed? I see this as nothing more than watering the "need tree" and sowing the seeds for the next generation of people with extended hands.
Have we not learned that simply feeding a person accomplishes nothing, and in reality, without education, creates a growing needy base?
If we are to be truely charitable, then more of the groups that we give money to would dedicate themselves to educating the needy instead of just feeding them, giving them medicine and sending them on their way. This is not to say that there are not groups that do educate... there are. But there needs to be more.
These groups should band together and move into these communities and countries and educate the people, or build schools for the people that live in that area. The creates another form of propagation that spreads knowledge to help the next generation, and so on.
The purpose of Charitable groups SHOULD be to work themselves out of a job by making people more self-supportive... but see... there is the problem. Many of these groups realize that. Why would a person want to work at a job that they know when it was done, they would be out of work? Likewise why would you work at a job that the primary sign of your success was that you needed less and less money in the form of government hand outs or donations?
While many will not admit it, especially the Charitable groups that are out there, they do not want to see that money dry up, so they really do not WANT to see an end to poverty, famine, or need. Because the money you and I donate does not just go to the people that need it... it also goes to the employees that work in the offices, do the marketing, create the advertisements, and the actors that go out and walk among the kids to create the sharp contrast between them in their clean clothes and nice shoes, and the kids who are usually very dirty and living in filth.
If I seem like I have a problem with Charity... No... I do not. I have a problem with its abuse. By both the people that use it and those that offer it. I do have some clue what it is like, because when my mother and I first moved to Bakersfield, we lived on Welfare for some time, until my mother could get back on her feet, then we left it. We used it for what it was intended... a helping hand until she could get a job and get back on her feet.
Too often you find people that live on welfare or some other form of assistance for their entire lives, and if you approach them about it, they say stuff like "It's my right." or they point to some problem they have that they feel qualifies them for the assistance. Perhaps my favorite of the abusers are the people that have done drugs all their lives, and are now almost completely handicapped because of the affects. I have met several of these people that now live on permanent disability or welfare... and three of these people have never held much more than a burger-flipping job, and even then got fired or quit.
This moves me into my last topic before closing out...
How is it that people who have never held a job for any length of time, and have a history of abusing drugs, qualify for, in some cases, better benefits than members of the Armed forces who served with honor? I am not going to point out examples, because in almost every community we have heard of some poor veteran that is having problems with their medical coverage, or how the VA is not helping this person or that one, or like the incident in my community where an official in the VA was taking money from the coffers that were meant for the Vets in my area.
It is really sad. America celebrates the welfare state... we do not do enough to penalize people that abuse it, and we really do not give people enough incentive to get off of the welfare programs and support programs that are out there. Until we do, things will just get worse. Here are some ideas that I would love to see in place:
These are just ideas... I am not a politician, nor a planner... so there may be gaps... so just bare with the results and try and understand the point I am making.
Local Groups
1. Mandatory job training and placement for people who are no more than 50% disabled and received assistance.
2. Limited coverage for people that are disabled do to drug abuse.
3. 100% Med. Coverage for Veterans of the Armed Forces that were injured in action.
4. 80% Med Coverage for all Veterans, regardless of service during a conflict.
5. Mandatory GED training and Job Skills training and job placement for Welfare Recips. who have not graduated.
6. Organizations must provide accountability reports to a non-government based, volunteer committee to demonstrate that they are making a difference.
Overseas:
1. Must not go into a country without an action plan and statement showing when they will be able to pull out after creating a self-sustaining infrastructure to let the people help themselves.
2. All donors would receive quarterly statements explaining where their money is going (no pictures of "a child you are helping.")
3. Facilities based overseas would be assigned a military or private security attache and a security force to protect it's workers and stock from attack or theft.
4. When possible, they group should make use of local citizens to be trained in areas that will support the facilities and reduce the need for foreign support.
5. As the training moves forward the charitable group will reduce the amount they will help slowly, until the majority of the work is being done by the local inhabitants, thus setting the ground work for the removal of all foreign support.
The problem with these charities is that we are not always sure what the money will actually do for the people that it is going to. We give... and yes, we all know that a certain percentage does not get to the needy, but what does the money actually do?
Personally, I am very hesitant to give money to any group or organization for the simple fact that charity, in most cases, breeds further need. It solves nothing if not done right. Why would anyone want to give money to a group that feeds children in a foreign country, only to watch them grow and have more children that need to be fed? I see this as nothing more than watering the "need tree" and sowing the seeds for the next generation of people with extended hands.
Have we not learned that simply feeding a person accomplishes nothing, and in reality, without education, creates a growing needy base?
If we are to be truely charitable, then more of the groups that we give money to would dedicate themselves to educating the needy instead of just feeding them, giving them medicine and sending them on their way. This is not to say that there are not groups that do educate... there are. But there needs to be more.
These groups should band together and move into these communities and countries and educate the people, or build schools for the people that live in that area. The creates another form of propagation that spreads knowledge to help the next generation, and so on.
The purpose of Charitable groups SHOULD be to work themselves out of a job by making people more self-supportive... but see... there is the problem. Many of these groups realize that. Why would a person want to work at a job that they know when it was done, they would be out of work? Likewise why would you work at a job that the primary sign of your success was that you needed less and less money in the form of government hand outs or donations?
While many will not admit it, especially the Charitable groups that are out there, they do not want to see that money dry up, so they really do not WANT to see an end to poverty, famine, or need. Because the money you and I donate does not just go to the people that need it... it also goes to the employees that work in the offices, do the marketing, create the advertisements, and the actors that go out and walk among the kids to create the sharp contrast between them in their clean clothes and nice shoes, and the kids who are usually very dirty and living in filth.
If I seem like I have a problem with Charity... No... I do not. I have a problem with its abuse. By both the people that use it and those that offer it. I do have some clue what it is like, because when my mother and I first moved to Bakersfield, we lived on Welfare for some time, until my mother could get back on her feet, then we left it. We used it for what it was intended... a helping hand until she could get a job and get back on her feet.
Too often you find people that live on welfare or some other form of assistance for their entire lives, and if you approach them about it, they say stuff like "It's my right." or they point to some problem they have that they feel qualifies them for the assistance. Perhaps my favorite of the abusers are the people that have done drugs all their lives, and are now almost completely handicapped because of the affects. I have met several of these people that now live on permanent disability or welfare... and three of these people have never held much more than a burger-flipping job, and even then got fired or quit.
This moves me into my last topic before closing out...
How is it that people who have never held a job for any length of time, and have a history of abusing drugs, qualify for, in some cases, better benefits than members of the Armed forces who served with honor? I am not going to point out examples, because in almost every community we have heard of some poor veteran that is having problems with their medical coverage, or how the VA is not helping this person or that one, or like the incident in my community where an official in the VA was taking money from the coffers that were meant for the Vets in my area.
It is really sad. America celebrates the welfare state... we do not do enough to penalize people that abuse it, and we really do not give people enough incentive to get off of the welfare programs and support programs that are out there. Until we do, things will just get worse. Here are some ideas that I would love to see in place:
These are just ideas... I am not a politician, nor a planner... so there may be gaps... so just bare with the results and try and understand the point I am making.
Local Groups
1. Mandatory job training and placement for people who are no more than 50% disabled and received assistance.
2. Limited coverage for people that are disabled do to drug abuse.
3. 100% Med. Coverage for Veterans of the Armed Forces that were injured in action.
4. 80% Med Coverage for all Veterans, regardless of service during a conflict.
5. Mandatory GED training and Job Skills training and job placement for Welfare Recips. who have not graduated.
6. Organizations must provide accountability reports to a non-government based, volunteer committee to demonstrate that they are making a difference.
Overseas:
1. Must not go into a country without an action plan and statement showing when they will be able to pull out after creating a self-sustaining infrastructure to let the people help themselves.
2. All donors would receive quarterly statements explaining where their money is going (no pictures of "a child you are helping.")
3. Facilities based overseas would be assigned a military or private security attache and a security force to protect it's workers and stock from attack or theft.
4. When possible, they group should make use of local citizens to be trained in areas that will support the facilities and reduce the need for foreign support.
5. As the training moves forward the charitable group will reduce the amount they will help slowly, until the majority of the work is being done by the local inhabitants, thus setting the ground work for the removal of all foreign support.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Do not waste it
Along with other things, wisdom is something that we acquire as we age. Always learning what is right and wrong, what is good and bad, etc. We add these to the other things we pick up with age. Among these are weight, hair in places that it should not be, bad knees and a plethora of other gifts that nature bestows upon us.
One thing that I have learned that is important is that we need to make sure that our relationships are in good standing. It is important that we take the extra steps to make sure that we are on good or civil terms with those that mean the most in our lives.
Recently I had a co-worker pass away. While I would not call us the best of friends, I would say we were on good terms. I worked with him on an almost daily basis, as part of my job, and I knew that he had issues in his life.
The last time I spoke with him, we had there was a little friction, and while we did not hang up angry, I knew there was tension. It was a couple months later that he passed away. I had never gotten the chance to speak to this person again.
In 1991, when my father passed away, there was much the same situation, except in this case I was encouraged not to tell my father all the demons that I had built up about his and my relationship. And when he died, there was all these things that I never had a chance to tell him.
These are things that we carry with us. The things not said, the resolutions not made, the fences not mended. You never know when it will be too late to do something that could make a difference. Maybe my father was waiting for me to open up and tell him how I felt, so that he too could have that final bit of closure. Maybe my coworker would have been a little bit happier if I was able to tell him that what I said was nothing personal, and to take it with a grain of salt.
The problem is that now we will never know.
We need to make sure that we part our friends and acquaintances on good or civil terms. Never walk away angry or mad. You never know when the last words or actions you share with a person are truly going to be the LAST ones. There is no way to predict the event that might cause you or your friends to no longer be there for one another.
I make it a point to never walk away from my wife angry. We have our arguments, and some of them can be pretty interesting, but we always make up.
So... Next time you walk away from your friends, wife, husband, etc... ask yourself one important question. Do I want those to be the last words that they remember me by, or are those the last words I want to have said to that person?
Most of us will live good, long and healthy lives... and for some, this is not a question you need to ask yourself, but sometimes we say things that we regret... that is what we should watch out for. Nothing is worse than to tell a person something hurtful, then something happens and you never have the chance to take it back.
One thing that I have learned that is important is that we need to make sure that our relationships are in good standing. It is important that we take the extra steps to make sure that we are on good or civil terms with those that mean the most in our lives.
Recently I had a co-worker pass away. While I would not call us the best of friends, I would say we were on good terms. I worked with him on an almost daily basis, as part of my job, and I knew that he had issues in his life.
The last time I spoke with him, we had there was a little friction, and while we did not hang up angry, I knew there was tension. It was a couple months later that he passed away. I had never gotten the chance to speak to this person again.
In 1991, when my father passed away, there was much the same situation, except in this case I was encouraged not to tell my father all the demons that I had built up about his and my relationship. And when he died, there was all these things that I never had a chance to tell him.
These are things that we carry with us. The things not said, the resolutions not made, the fences not mended. You never know when it will be too late to do something that could make a difference. Maybe my father was waiting for me to open up and tell him how I felt, so that he too could have that final bit of closure. Maybe my coworker would have been a little bit happier if I was able to tell him that what I said was nothing personal, and to take it with a grain of salt.
The problem is that now we will never know.
We need to make sure that we part our friends and acquaintances on good or civil terms. Never walk away angry or mad. You never know when the last words or actions you share with a person are truly going to be the LAST ones. There is no way to predict the event that might cause you or your friends to no longer be there for one another.
I make it a point to never walk away from my wife angry. We have our arguments, and some of them can be pretty interesting, but we always make up.
So... Next time you walk away from your friends, wife, husband, etc... ask yourself one important question. Do I want those to be the last words that they remember me by, or are those the last words I want to have said to that person?
Most of us will live good, long and healthy lives... and for some, this is not a question you need to ask yourself, but sometimes we say things that we regret... that is what we should watch out for. Nothing is worse than to tell a person something hurtful, then something happens and you never have the chance to take it back.
Monday, March 19, 2007
A Movie to watch
This is not really a movie.
It is a documentary about a little school in Whitwell, Tennessee.
The movie is called "Paper Clips" and is about the a small middle school that took on a challenge to create a visual representation of the six million Jews that were murdered in Hitler's "Final Solution."
In watching this movie for the second time, I was reminded of how I felt when was young, and I first started to grasp the sheer scope of what happened during the Holocaust. Not understanding the volume of people... men, women, and children... that lost their lives to the ideals of a ethnically pure race that Hitler wanted to create... yet in which he did not even live up to.
Paper Clips is inspiring in that you see the amount of support that pours out to this group of kids as they go further and further in to the project, and not only do they learn about the Holocaust, but they learn about themselves as well.
I feel that it is important that people watch movies like this. It is important that people feel the pain of seeing the gaunt, almost lifeless faces of the people that came out of the camps as survivors, as well as the pictures of the people lying in the trenches getting ready to be buried.
It is also fair, and I would be closed minded not to mention, the several million non-jews that were "exterminated" in this campaign. The Gays, the Gypsies, and all the other people that lost their lives for no reason more important than they were not Arian.
It is important that these pictures be burned into our minds, and that they evoke tears and pain when we see them. That is a sign that we are compassionate humans, and that we understand that what was done, cannot and should not happen again.
There are many people out there, maybe you reading this are one of them, that claim that the Holocaust never happened, and that it is all an elaborate hoax. You are free to your opinion, but when there is this must proof to the contrary, then how can you buy that? Look at the survivors, look at the US, British and Russian soldiers that liberated the camps as they pushed through to beat the Nazis down. The stories they tell, and the sights they saw were not in their own imagination, they were real. So if you are one of the people that does not think that the Holocaust took place, then my advise to you is to stop listening to the talking heads that feed it to you, and go back to school, if for no other reason than to take a history class. Better yet, take a trip to Germany or Poland, and visit places like Auschwitz.
I encourage everyone to watch Paper Clips. It will make you cry, make you laugh, and in the end, it will give you a good feeling. You will see kids that are learning about something that helped to make them responsible people, and, hopefully, more compassionate adults.
It is a documentary about a little school in Whitwell, Tennessee.
The movie is called "Paper Clips" and is about the a small middle school that took on a challenge to create a visual representation of the six million Jews that were murdered in Hitler's "Final Solution."
In watching this movie for the second time, I was reminded of how I felt when was young, and I first started to grasp the sheer scope of what happened during the Holocaust. Not understanding the volume of people... men, women, and children... that lost their lives to the ideals of a ethnically pure race that Hitler wanted to create... yet in which he did not even live up to.
Paper Clips is inspiring in that you see the amount of support that pours out to this group of kids as they go further and further in to the project, and not only do they learn about the Holocaust, but they learn about themselves as well.
I feel that it is important that people watch movies like this. It is important that people feel the pain of seeing the gaunt, almost lifeless faces of the people that came out of the camps as survivors, as well as the pictures of the people lying in the trenches getting ready to be buried.
It is also fair, and I would be closed minded not to mention, the several million non-jews that were "exterminated" in this campaign. The Gays, the Gypsies, and all the other people that lost their lives for no reason more important than they were not Arian.
It is important that these pictures be burned into our minds, and that they evoke tears and pain when we see them. That is a sign that we are compassionate humans, and that we understand that what was done, cannot and should not happen again.
There are many people out there, maybe you reading this are one of them, that claim that the Holocaust never happened, and that it is all an elaborate hoax. You are free to your opinion, but when there is this must proof to the contrary, then how can you buy that? Look at the survivors, look at the US, British and Russian soldiers that liberated the camps as they pushed through to beat the Nazis down. The stories they tell, and the sights they saw were not in their own imagination, they were real. So if you are one of the people that does not think that the Holocaust took place, then my advise to you is to stop listening to the talking heads that feed it to you, and go back to school, if for no other reason than to take a history class. Better yet, take a trip to Germany or Poland, and visit places like Auschwitz.
I encourage everyone to watch Paper Clips. It will make you cry, make you laugh, and in the end, it will give you a good feeling. You will see kids that are learning about something that helped to make them responsible people, and, hopefully, more compassionate adults.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Mistakes that strengthen us
Nietzsche told us that "That which does not kill us, makes us stronger."
As I have aged I have seen that is more than true. Not that there have been many attempts on my life, which there have not, at least not that I am aware of.
I think of this more in the philosophical and emotional sense.
I have been thinking about the past a lot lately, not sure why, but I have been really thinking about all that has happened to me, and where I am now. The question that I come up with is would I still be where I am now, and doing what I am doing, if the bad things in my life had not occurred? Were my failings actually just small parts that made up my success?
I would say that this is the case.
We learn at a very young age that when we do something wrong, it has consequences. Then, as we get older, we learn that those consequences can have greater repercussions. Trust me, I could write a book on my mistakes, and maybe even have enough for two volumes. Some of them I would not be willing to share, but if I were to have removed them from my life, then I think that I would not be quite the person I am today.
Mistakes help us keep perspective and remind us that we are not as good or as hot as we would always like to think we are. Should we ever start getting a little too cocky or full of ourselves, then there is that little laughing gremlin sitting somewhere ready to knock us down a few pegs. If you are a follower of any faith, then you understand that this is probably God reminding you that there are things that are greater than yourself.
Personally I think that this is something slightly akin to Karma. Karma is simply a spiritual version of Newtonian law. For everything you do, there is a reaction... maybe not always an opposite, but certainly an equal reaction. I have learned that the more good I do and the more positive outlook I have, then the more good happens to me, or me or for those around me.
We will keep making mistakes, and we will keep learning from them, or at least I hope we do, and people will continue to not listen to our learned advice and experience. This will, in turn, help the next generation and the generations after that learn how to be who they will be. There is nothing wrong with this, and it is expected.
Look at your life... how often did you listen to a person say not to do something because of certain possible consequences, then you do it anyway thinking that you can do it better? We all have... and most of the time we realize that we they were, at least in part, right.
That's all... Just some insight.
Thanks for your time, and we'll leave the light on for ya!
As I have aged I have seen that is more than true. Not that there have been many attempts on my life, which there have not, at least not that I am aware of.
I think of this more in the philosophical and emotional sense.
I have been thinking about the past a lot lately, not sure why, but I have been really thinking about all that has happened to me, and where I am now. The question that I come up with is would I still be where I am now, and doing what I am doing, if the bad things in my life had not occurred? Were my failings actually just small parts that made up my success?
I would say that this is the case.
We learn at a very young age that when we do something wrong, it has consequences. Then, as we get older, we learn that those consequences can have greater repercussions. Trust me, I could write a book on my mistakes, and maybe even have enough for two volumes. Some of them I would not be willing to share, but if I were to have removed them from my life, then I think that I would not be quite the person I am today.
Mistakes help us keep perspective and remind us that we are not as good or as hot as we would always like to think we are. Should we ever start getting a little too cocky or full of ourselves, then there is that little laughing gremlin sitting somewhere ready to knock us down a few pegs. If you are a follower of any faith, then you understand that this is probably God reminding you that there are things that are greater than yourself.
Personally I think that this is something slightly akin to Karma. Karma is simply a spiritual version of Newtonian law. For everything you do, there is a reaction... maybe not always an opposite, but certainly an equal reaction. I have learned that the more good I do and the more positive outlook I have, then the more good happens to me, or me or for those around me.
We will keep making mistakes, and we will keep learning from them, or at least I hope we do, and people will continue to not listen to our learned advice and experience. This will, in turn, help the next generation and the generations after that learn how to be who they will be. There is nothing wrong with this, and it is expected.
Look at your life... how often did you listen to a person say not to do something because of certain possible consequences, then you do it anyway thinking that you can do it better? We all have... and most of the time we realize that we they were, at least in part, right.
That's all... Just some insight.
Thanks for your time, and we'll leave the light on for ya!
Monday, March 12, 2007
In search of... ME!
Ok...
So if you are a regular reader of mine, then you have no life, and you may have also noticed that I have not written in some time.
For that, I am sorry. I have been suffering a combination of the lazies, depression and business... all at the same time.
Unfortunately I doubt that there are any really regular readers of my work. If you are out there, then I would appreciate it if you at least said hi to me.
So if you are a regular reader of mine, then you have no life, and you may have also noticed that I have not written in some time.
For that, I am sorry. I have been suffering a combination of the lazies, depression and business... all at the same time.
Unfortunately I doubt that there are any really regular readers of my work. If you are out there, then I would appreciate it if you at least said hi to me.
In memory of the path not traveled
As I reach the five year mark with my present position, I have had a chance to reflect on many things.
When I was very young, I was undecided on what I wanted to do with my life. I went through the usual stages of wanting to be a Fireman, a Policeman, a Doctor, etc... But under it all I had always had a love for animals.
Nowadays I can honestly say that I have one regret, and that is that I did not become a Veterinarian. That is not to say that I do not like what I do, because I do enjoy my job, but I do not think that it gives me the same sense of accomplishment that being a Vet.
I know that at almost 40, someone with more drive could probably still go to school and become a vet with several years left to practice, but I guess I am a wimp.
I know that there is really no way for me to go back to school now, for two reasons. 1. Money... While I would not consider myself poor, I have no way of going to school and supporting myself and my wife if I were to return to school full time. 2. Location... my town really has no place to go to school to become a Vet... I would have to relocate or commute in order to go to school. Needless to say, it is not happening any time soon.
So... not being able to become a Vet, I do what I can otherwise. I donate money to worthy causes that can help animals. In fact my wife and I have three dogs, and all of them are rescue dogs. They all came to us as homeless or needy dogs.
If you are a vet, or are becoming one, then you have my respect. You provide a service that is second only to that of Doctors that practice human medicine. In reality there is not much difference between the two, but with animals, you are helping something that cannot communicate what hurts and why.
For those of you who are not vets, but would like to help other programs, then please follow the attached links:
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Hearts United for Animals
When I was very young, I was undecided on what I wanted to do with my life. I went through the usual stages of wanting to be a Fireman, a Policeman, a Doctor, etc... But under it all I had always had a love for animals.
Nowadays I can honestly say that I have one regret, and that is that I did not become a Veterinarian. That is not to say that I do not like what I do, because I do enjoy my job, but I do not think that it gives me the same sense of accomplishment that being a Vet.
I know that at almost 40, someone with more drive could probably still go to school and become a vet with several years left to practice, but I guess I am a wimp.
I know that there is really no way for me to go back to school now, for two reasons. 1. Money... While I would not consider myself poor, I have no way of going to school and supporting myself and my wife if I were to return to school full time. 2. Location... my town really has no place to go to school to become a Vet... I would have to relocate or commute in order to go to school. Needless to say, it is not happening any time soon.
So... not being able to become a Vet, I do what I can otherwise. I donate money to worthy causes that can help animals. In fact my wife and I have three dogs, and all of them are rescue dogs. They all came to us as homeless or needy dogs.
If you are a vet, or are becoming one, then you have my respect. You provide a service that is second only to that of Doctors that practice human medicine. In reality there is not much difference between the two, but with animals, you are helping something that cannot communicate what hurts and why.
For those of you who are not vets, but would like to help other programs, then please follow the attached links:
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
Hearts United for Animals
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