Being Afraid

Sitting around the office waiting to wrap up the evening. Our IT pro is wandering back and forth to get us set up proper and Dennis (who is worthy of a blog himself) is rambling around doing...something. It gets me thinking though about how somethings, and places, can get awful creepy. Take churches for example, specifically ones constructed prior to 1980 with stained glass. Beautiful during the day and when full of people, but something about being the only person there with the lights out has another effect. How about porcelain dolls, beautiful in one light and terrifying in another. I could keep going, but each example I want to use I find there is one common element, it's unfamiliar. The place can be somewhere you are all the time, but one change can create an unfamiliarity. I'm sure there is a ton of research on this and I'll leave that to the pros, or your own curiosity, to seek out.

Really, all that was just a lead up for my own personal experience. Yesterday I came home, and the shorter days had made it a bit darker on my walk in. I'm confident in the knowledge of my surroundings and worked my way to the bathroom, successfully navigating around furniture to a even darker hallway where I have to hunt for the door handle. Thankfully construction standards help place the doorhandle fairly quick. Then as I open the door the even darker interior of the bathroom seems to wash over me. My pulse quickened as I gasped and held my breath. A rush over my body as the hair down my neck and arms stood in attention. I hastened to flick the lights on, hitting both the lights and the fan (personal pet-peeve of mine), and paused to recover from a feeling of vertigo. After turning the fan off and laughing at myself there came a serious moment. What scared me so? Especially in my own house? The rational side goes with a combination of sensations and a lack of external references for balance. The religious side questions the prescence of something beyond the physical. The rational side then shakes a finger at my choice of entertainment, scary movies and suspensful literature, for messing with my religious side.

I brought this up with Jess and shared how suprising it was to be afraid of the dark, especially after having no issues with it in the past 15 or so years. She expressed similar feelings with coming home to a dark apartment and made a deeper revelation. The anxious feeling of being confronted with darkness didn't come from the dark itself, instead the anxiety came from WHAT IS IN the dark.

With that in mind, the IT pro has gone home and Dennis left about 15 min. ago. I've sufficiently gotten into my own head now and have to walk around the office turning off the lights and walking down one particularly long and dark hallway lined with open doors to even darker rooms. Time to go home and HULU Nickalodeon's "Are You Afraid of the Dark?"

Till next time, stay in the light.

Old Folks, Felons and Babies

It is a great opportunity to meet a wide swath of people while traveling for work. First thing this morning was waiting on the Boss to be on time, always a joy. Once on the road I enjoyed games of people watching and changing lanes while trying not to hit the reflectors. Best driver of the day award goes to "Lady Styling Hair and Using Hair-Spray @ 75MPH". I couldn't decide whether to speed away from her or let her pass and possibly get stuck behind a wreck she could cause. She passed me. Also on the road was a new personal favorite part of North Carolina for me, that would be Hobbton Highway. Tons of rundown homes, farms, shops, and one amazing school that always get me itching to pull over and take pictures. Alas, a schedule to stick to, I must. Although, the "SHERIFF LINE - DO NOT CROSS" tape with a ton of cars stopped around a building was VERY tempting to ignore my schedule for.

Nursing/Assisted Living homes are not my favorite places to be. Mostly the smell, partly the gurgling sounds from the elderly asleep in the hallway, minutely the blank gaze from the staff (with exception to the activities manager with too much coffee in her system). Add three cameras, get out before the lunch rush. Seriously, don't get between ten geriatrics in wheelchairs and their lunch, you will be run over.

Next stop is the Evergreen Rehabilitation Center. Prison "lite". Still a little unsettling with everyone leaning over me while I work. Unsettling till they pointed out how interesting the nutrition facts on the back of my shirt were. Here I was waiting to get "shanked" and really I'm just providing good reading material. A rat's nest of wires brought on a strong desire to cut it all out and redo the connections; the desire was pushed down and a power supply older than me was replaced, ignoring the connections. Never mind the camera on the pole that we had no ladder tall enough with which to reach.

Tomorrow there will be youngin's that we'll have to be mindful they don't follow us up the ladders or into the attic. I'll personally have to focus and not go into playtime mode so that things can be finalized and we can move onto the next daycare and hopefully be in position to start our next install at a truck leasing company. Good weather and safe travels are being asked for and a little help on that is never turned down. Still waiting to hear back on the teaching position in High Point and holding onto hope.

In conclusion, this doll.

Many Blessings

The past week has been filled with prayer, blessings, and joy. It's funny how a simple prayer over dinner can raise an eyebrow. Jess and I were praying over dinner and after asking for discernment over the coming months regarding our finances, Jess looks at me and asks "Did you get fired?". I reassured her that our income is still intact. It makes me chuckle a bit that the first reaction over wanting to be a good steward with our finances is making sure that I still have a job. It also made me wonder how many other people in our present age are looking at what they have and saying "I have enough." and more importantly "We should be mindful of our finances." I've heard a pastor say Christ spoke most on the Kingdom of God, and I agree. He went on to point out that the second topic Christ covered the most was money, I trust his research, I just haven't busted out my concordance and glossary of terms to verify this. As far as prayer goes, I think personal financing is something to be meditative on (along with all our other concerns such as family, friends, ministry opportunities, and the Super Bowl). Currently also praying for healing as stomach viruses go around as well as fun things such as sore throats and streptococcus.

The blessings this week: awesome paycheck, able to pay bills and still save; a personal best in spousal communication; and a job interview. The interview was a mind-blowing opportunity. T. W. Andrews High School in High Point is looking for a new art teacher and I got a crack at it. Of course the initial phone call had me shaking with excitement and I wanted to tell everyone in the world, but decided to keep it to family and close friends (and my tech manager). The interview seemed to go quite well. I felt as if God wrangled my tongue and kept me from rambling with excitement. I was to the point on my ideas of an art program and my interviewers nodded in agreement, I took that as a good sign. I could go into great detail of the specifics of the interview, but that is best saved for personal conversation. Both walking in and out of that interview there was no fear (at least not in the five minutes before), no timidity...only strength and passion. The interview alone was not the blessing, but what God did in me to show off. A young man with a passion for seeing students succeed and progress into higher education with confidence in their knowledge and abilities. On the spousal communication blessing, I admit I'm a bit of a straggler. Jess is wonderful at digging into our conversations and creating an open atmosphere. I tend to stay reserved even in safe conversation. I felt this was possibly my best week in communicating with Jess...still room for improvement ;).

Joy came from all the above mentioned topics topped off with a 30min. bike ride and a beautiful sabbath to spend with family. Looking forward to the evening with my wife watching the premier of The Walking Dead on AMC. I'm such a romantic ;)

The Joys of Fall

Waking up to a cool room under warm blankets. A nice cup of coffee accompanied by a slice of one of Jess' many apple pie recipes. Smelling the dew on the air. Watching steam roll off of rooftops and bodies of water on a morning drive down the back roads. The smell of dirt and oak while splitting firewood. Sitting on a patio listening to the sound of a slow running fountain, a cool breeze blows by, and an immediate return to warmth via help from the sun. Dinner with family and anticipation of the holidays. Captivating stories of humor and suspense. Pumpkins and their wonderful diversity from edible to art, and sometimes a combination of both. The low evening fog. Evening tea and laughing over lack-luster attempts at reading tea leaves. Crawling into a warm bed wondering, hoping, that the day could be repeated.

Remember Now?

Deep breath in and breath out as you look through your screen. Welcome back.

The past few weeks have been wonderful. I love the cooling weather and can't wait for the days I go out to warm up my car and scrape off the frost. I've the opportunities to see some things I want to share. First off, the worn buildings I pass by as I drive all over this state. So many beautiful locations tucked away or sitting right on the highway. I may have to sit down one day and really write out my fascination with the broken and fallen.
Jess and I got to wander around the State Fair with her little sister and another friend. All the strange things that people spend their money on for a stuffed animal that'll rip in less than a week. The mix of people dressed for comfort, some dressed to impress, and others that just don't know how to dress their bodies. People of the internets get on that for me, I'd like to see a peopleofthestatefair.com in the next few weeks. There are also the heart attack inducing foods such as the Krispy-Kreme Bacon Cheesburger. If you split it between 3-4 people, I highly recommend at least getting a taste.
Also, hunt down the Neese's booth and grab some Liver Pudding and Souse.

After the State Fair there was some well needed time with family out at the Daniels' house. It made me wonder how our grandparents passing in our formative years differs from them dying in our later years. Most of my grandparents (and all of my great grandparents) were gone early in my life. I said goodbye to my mom's mother well before she died with her severe alzheimers, it seemed she was already gone. Didn't make seeing her that one last time any easier, but I digress. I wonder how it will affect me when this family I've become a part of begins to let it's patriarchs/matriarchs go home.

Jess and I attended a visitation to pay our respects to a close friend. While waiting to see the family we found our conversation in the realm of "...at my funeral...". I'm sure we've all had this conversation, but I feel the time to reflect on our mortality is important as we aren't here forever. Instead of focusing on how we're remembered it seems easier to talk about how the world sends you off. Everyone standing around my ashes laughing about stories of old, and not in a funeral home but the house I lived in. No lines to greet my family but instead a steady flow of friends and extended family paying respects in their own way. Starts at dinner and ends after supper. The length of visitation also is dependent upon that first reflection of how we're remembered. I hope that there are people that would surround my wife and family with love. People that I touched but never knew showing up. I guess that's me hoping that in my quiet way people in the world notice me. Those of you that know me just laughed about the quiet part. Again, this is the type of reflection that is hard to set upon. It brings about a great fondness for the little things; it also brings an overwhelming feeling that in this big world, what have I done? As we enter this season, I hope you enjoy a slower pace and take count of the blessings and trials you came out better from. May the coming fall and winter build a desire in you that bursts forth with the spring to go out and impact how you're remembered.

The Original Hollywood Horror...let down.

Tucked far away from the interstates and highways lies an old farm house. A flashing road sign draws you toward the grayed exterior and red flashing batons direct you into parking. A short walk through medium recently-mowed grass, over a road, and you approach the smiling portrait of a skeleton to purchase your tickets from an enthused attendant. Is the attendant's attitude a by product of apathy developed by multiple seasons of service; or was it a carefully crafted ruse, an attitude of caring nothing for the terror you are about to endure. Increasing the coming terror even more. A transaction of 20 dollars, and a gold coin is placed in your hand. Maybe to pay the ferryman.

While waiting, entertainment can be found in the trailers and behind the scenes footage shown above the entrance. The transformation of humans to ghouls is made as transparent as a ghost in Hogwarts. Trailers for upcoming, as well as past releases, horror films help provide the proper mood, yet the real entertainment is live. The screams and squeals from within the house receive a quick turn of heads from the waiting line. The most attention is given to the crowds exiting with the occasional scream being chased with a dose of chainsaw revving.

Respects are to be paid to the recently undead before entering the house. Guides encourage a closer look at the first prop of the show, not many dare to step too close. Reminders are given that the ghouls only get touchy if touched first and if the experience becomes too overwhelming a quick exit can be provided. The ancient wooden door opens, beckoning.

Now, the experience will change from person to person. For the easily scarred and skittish, take delight in the screams awaiting you. There is a little something to tickle everyone's scaredy-bone. To lovers of horror, there will be laughs a plenty. Laughs will be increased if paired with the aforementioned group.

As for my personal experience, 3 nice big laughs from going through with Jess. Highly disappointed that from the last time I went (over 10 years ago), only a few new areas existed but the majority of the show went unchanged. The majority of scares were predictable, as evident in Jess pointing to a unmoving figure (that looks plastic) and saying "That one moves" and sure enough, IT MOVED! I really can't go into much elaboration without ruining some specifics, but I must admit I was unimpressed. Not worth $20. Really, even if you're escorting a group of prepubescents...find something cheaper, I'm not even sure the $20 a pop is worth saying "I went to The Original Hollywood Horror Show".

Another 14hr day.

Sitting in a dingy Howard Johnson next to 85S. Let the other guys have the beds, I'm enjoying the cot. Checked out facebook, Jess at home in bed, tired but can't go to sleep. Didn't even wake up with Jess this morning to help her get off to work, can't wait to be home and off to the grill with her. Left for work in Pembroke at 6:15 this morning, 2 hours later I'm walking through a beautiful house full of tacky taxidermy. Interesting how those two words sound so similar. Installing cameras, crawling around under a house and getting a nice sun burn just really make the day drag.

8:35 to 4:30 is...well, it was. Get a call last minute from another technician, we've got another stop at 6:15. Awesome, the office can't even call me. Fine, I've got time to at least hit the hotel and sit for a spell...alas, the office forgot to get a room for the techs. No place to rest, might as well drive to a fire department and teach them how to use their surveillance system. Too bad I don't know what they want to know, good thing I had a manual, too bad it makes me look ignorant.

I would lament and really go on and on, how bout this: I miss my wife and being home; I'm thankful for a job that allows us to have a home; we're meant for more than this.

Thinking and a Ridin'

Traveling around and helping people with their surveillance issues, I get plenty of time to think...occasionally I get to write some of it down at stop lights. So let's look at what got written down...I'll try and explain.

"Ramble Ramble Ramble" - Sitting outside the office, killing time before going in. I know I can't be the only one that dreads walking into the office from time to time. Finally decided to move it and make my way to the first job site.

"8:18 8:20" - After getting my first assignment and heading down the road I hit what I feel is one of the longest lights in the world...apparently, 2 minutes feels like forever when you're 5min. behind schedule.

"Diane Rain(?)" - Ahhhhh NPR, thank you for making my mornings so riveting. Diane's soothing voice lulls me to sleep and I jolt awake to keep from slamming into the transfer truck next to me. Riveting. Is it just me, or does NPR purposefully try to find announcers that sound as uninterested as possible. Then again, a soothing voice is much preferred to the raving antics of Glen "Mad Max" Beck.

"Google v. Apple" - Interesting debate on how these two companies are competing. But the way their competition was worded. Control. I scoff at the word. Why would you ever want one side to win? Competition drives our wonderful market. Just imagine how much more expensive Apple products could be if they didn't have to compete. Imagine how many people would be computer illiterate if Google (and PC based) technology was the only option. Just the idea of people wanting one side to win blows my mind. Especially when we supposedly have laws in place to keep from such things...like Monopolies.

"Stalling 4 Time' Nessner' - I wanna read this book. Didn't get to hear the interview, but an insider perspective of a police hostage negotiator. Sounds intense. Just gotta finish "Uprising" "A New Kind of Christian" and The Complete Works of Shakespeare.

I'll be heading down to Pembroke tomorrow. If anyone doesn't have dinner plans, I know a wonderful young lady that would love to be kept company. I'll update ya'll hopefully tomorrow night.

The Air-Speed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow.

Tonight Jess will become privy to a world of humor that is widely appreciated and mostly just driven into the ground by college students. If you too are privy, it would be obvious in the title of this entry. The humor I speak of is that of British comic troupe Monty Python. These guys, and one smokin' lady, perfectly mixed dry and absurd humor well before SNL was enjoying their hay-day and formatted their show in a way that Seth Macfarlane is still taking notes on. Jess will be jumping in the same way I got my introduction to Monty Python and that is "Monty Python and The Holy Grail". Depending on how this goes we may move onto "Life of Brian" and possibly "The Meaning of Life". So sing the lumberjack song in hopes that Jess finds this humorous.

In the meantime; I'm cooking pork chops, potatoes, mac-n-cheese and garlic toast for dinner. All this while enjoying the dance party that is DCB's "Church Music"

*UPDATE*
8-29-10
Monty Python's humor does not pass muster, even while extremely tired and slightly loopy.

Dream a Little Dream, with Dragons and other Mythical Beasts.

Ask anyone I've lived with and they will attest I have some odd dreams. Not that I have lived with psychics or anyone involved in any Inception-type activities, but I just have the habit of letting it pour out. I also have read that the reason our dreams seem so odd is that we go through multiple cycles and we wake up it is the order that has gone out of wack. With that in mind, stick with me.

On a family vacation to the west coast, some unknown part of California that looks surprisingly like the Dominican Republic. Everyone is enjoying the beach and I wander off to this old gothic cathedral. I speak with the father there and he begins to speaks with some apprehension about the travel group we went through. He gives me some directions to the sublevels of the cathedral and tells me to come back later with my camera. I return to my family and enjoy the beach for a bit. Someone points out how odd the waves look. The water is a beautiful teal/light blue but when the waves crest and roll the water turns a deep red. I bring up the "seas running red with blood" quote from The Bible and reference the end times. Someone corrects me saying that was only for Moses in the Old Testament. Everyone is captivated by the red tide. Never mind that during this: there is a plane that leaves a dotted jet-stream with each dot looking like the plane itself and slowly fading out (this was explained to me as a way to keep track of where the plane came from, as if a normal jet-stream didn't hack it); a double-decker plane/bus/boat with the shape resembling a dolphin; an amphibious RV that drives into the ocean over beach goers; and creepy men in black trench coats combing the beach. Apparently, everything else is normal.

I run off to keep my appointment with the father and get semi-lost wandering around the cathedral which is now a castle(?). Every stone in this place is three times my size and lighting my way is no torch nor flashlight, just the glow and flicker of some invisible light source right in front of me. When I reach my destination the father is waiting for me on a boat at the end of a rickety dock, which leads out into a gloomy swamp with an odd yellowish hue to the light. I hop aboard and we venture out through the twisted trees, murky water and an over-abundance of spanish moss. We arrive at a small land mass with some luggage and the father just points for me to look closer. I slide into the murky water and get closer to the luggage, there are no tags or indicators, but I know this belonged to someone using the same travel group as my family. It was a larger bag opened up with a smaller piece of luggage inside. As I investigated this, the luggage was extremely worn and had some awefuly strange red/brown stains, I realized at this point I needed to show my family; alas, I forgot my camera. I continue to investigate and inside the smaller case was A CAMERA! with no SD card :( (So close yet so far.) The father tells me we have to leave now. The sky is growing dark and stormy and we rush back. Everything is a blur as I return to my family and we get in our plane to leave, it is after we are in the air that things begin to slow into something recognizable again.

So our plane is more like a house with an open floor plan, still shaped like a plane, and flies. The spaciousness of this plane puts AirBus to shame with three levels, multiple bedrooms, a full-size kitchen, dining room, two bathrooms, 3 viewing decks (open air, no windows, nice breeze while flying though), and more open sitting rooms than I can remember. Plenty of storms in the area and I start to get a bad feeling. I tell my sister to take the kids somewhere safe. Weird shapes are flying through the clouds and ominous roars and screeches are now heard. For some reason my nephew runs up to me holding three really big knives (practically short swords). We come under attack by little flying creatures and we're all running around trying to defend our plane/house. Jess and my Mom hole up in a closet somewhere with the younger kids. Kanyon escapes somehow and helps be fight leprechauns, while we wear orange and green sunglasses that protect us from the spell of their songs. (What the spell does, I don't know, I just know it's bad.) Kanyon has the leprechauns on the run and my mom walks by, but something isn't right. I chase her down as she ducks into a bathroom and before the door closes I burst in. My mom is standing there smiling, I'm in a rage with my knife (a much smaller one as I traded with Kanyon), my mom's features shift. Literally, the shape and color of her face changes slightly. Awesome, we now have a changeling on board. I grab it by the throat and it does it's best to hold my mom's form while I threaten it. It breaks it's form as I scream, "SOMEONE, I NEED A BIGGER KNIFE!!!" (and it appears to have a brownish/purple skin, no nose, and elf ears) and confesses.

It relays a tale of how the travel group we've gone through has thoroughly destroyed many habitats of mythical creatures to make resorts on special beaches and other locals. He explains the reason why so many vacations feel "magical" is because the very place they are on is magic. A group of the creatures have created a resistance to destroy the travel group and they target travelers and destroy them to create bad press for the organization, but the travel group is so well connected that the stories never get out. We are interrupted by a louder-than-normal roar. I trust the changeling now and he seems to regret attacking innocent travelers, all fighting aboard the plane has stopped. We step out onto an observation deck and out of the clouds giant black chinese dragons (long snake-like bodies, tiny legs) slide towards us. I ask the changeling how to stop them since all the other creatures have stopped attacking us (as Kanyon continues to wrestle a leprechaun while laughing). He admits, once the dragons are released they are of a single mind and are not deterred till the target is destroyed. I rush to gather everyone so we can all make a last stand. I find Jess with Noelle, both motion sick. Mom is covered in some slime; Jeremiah, Cully, Anitra and Hogan are all holding weapons and the clouds are now glowing with fire-like flashes. The dragons seem to toy with us. Flying circles around the plane, nudging it, eating the plane-shaped jet stream we're leaving behind (almost a taunt of what they could really do) and generally stressing everyone on board. My family huddles together knowing there is no way to stop this and the dragons begin to latch on and pull the plane down with their weight. There is no crying or screaming, no prayers to be heard. We all just look at each other, waiting, smiling.

And I wake up.

I hope you found that as entertaining as I did. No, I didn't eat anything weird or stay up unusually late. I'm just glad I got to share as Jess was off early to work this morning and I knew there was not much time to get all this in. It needed to be written down while fresh, so thank you blogspot for providing the outlet (this was so much easier than handwriting it).

To Maryland and Back

8-17-10
-Leaving @ 3:45, 6 1/2 hr. drive ahead, whew.
-Traffic just added 30 min. to the drive.
-Seeing signs for Annapolis, Langley, Quantico, Washington. No historic or political thoughts to ponder, just all the times these locations are referenced in Hollywood.
-Driving by D.C. with thoughts of Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" rolling through my head. Really wanting to stop and hit as many of the locations mentioned as possible. Especially the "Wet Pod".
-Why am I seeing signs for Baltimore?
-Oh look, my GPS was set to avoid toll roads. It's trying to take me all the way around the Chesapeake, I could have been at my location an hour and half ago.
-$6.50 in tolls later, I'm within 45 min. of my hotel.
-All of Salisbury, MD is dark and I haven't eaten supper. Only 3 mi. till my hotel.
-Sweet thanks that there is a Wendy's right next to the hotel :D
-Arrival @ hotel, 11:15pm. Eat, shower, in bed by 12:30....tossed and turned till around 1:15. :\

8-18-10
-Forgot to turn off 6:30 alarm, ugh.
-Toss around till 7:15, then out of bed to pack up, eat my continental breakfast of cold hard-boiled eggs and cereal, head out to install some cameras.
-Raining and can't find a place that is only 3 mi. from my hotel.
-Pouring down as I unload equipment, wringing out my shirt.
-Running wire through a garage, moving more of their equipment than my own ladder. Wires all ran before lunch.
-Skipped lunch to stay in the groove.
-No fish sticks to get internet line down office wall, 20 mins later after taping a drill bit to my line and doing my best at "precise dangling", the line is down the wall and I can just reach in and grab it.
-I find one plate to cover my hole-in-the-wall with, whew.
-Break said plate while drilling hole for line, crap.
-One extra plate found, whew.
-Didn't break this one, YES!
-Did internet set-up on equipment I've never used, YES YES!
-Supposed to have assistance from people at install site, no help till last 2 hours of my day.
-Time to pack up and go home, it's 3:45...sigh.
-Long dark drive home, 11:15pm arrival

Get up for work and do it again.

Art on Walls

Looks like I'm gonna finally put my art up in a physical location for some time. Details to come.

Bed Time

Gotta make this quick before passing out:

-Human cement mixer is not one of my brighter moments.
-Realized I need to lose weight as my wife has pointed out (A) I'm starting to snore (B) my stomach is beginning to look like a face when I sit down and (C) my own discovery that my man-boobs shake when I brush my teeth. I'm gonna go drink some soda and down some pizza while my metabolism is at it's slowest point in the day, right before beddy-bye.

-I really miss working outside with my family. Helped move some wood today. Not the most exhilarating job, but you can stop at the end and see progress.


-I'M HOW FAR BEHIND ON MY COMIC DEADLINE?!

G'night Ya'll

It's Cancerous

DISCLAIMER: *To dispel any concern or confusion, this is not about myself or anyone I know being diagnosed with cancer.*

CLAIMER: *This IS, however, about tanning beds and the new federal taxes.*

Just heard a bit on the good ol' talk radio yesterday about tanning beds being the new taxing realm. We're currently taxed on the biggies like property, income, roads and luxury items...now it's UV rays. What next? Air? That's just me purposefully getting ridiculous. I do find this funny though.

Tanning beds will be incurring a 10% sales tax as a deterrent to use such services. I'd love to touch on the assumed racism of such a tax (as light skinned people are the primary users of said service) but I just start laughing too hard to have the seriousness and intensity of some radio personalities. What I DO want to touch on is a possible cash flow issue that may hinder the income of tanning salons.

Much like other potentially harmful products (cigarettes, alcohol, R-rated movies, etc.) users CHOOSE to accept any possible side-effects. Moderation is defined by the user; up until friends stage an intervention (great show by the way), or the government says "no more". But I digress, my original intent was not to enter the realm of FREE WILL versus GOVERNMENT CONTROL.

Here is the cash issue I was looking at. The government will no receive 10% of what is paid at tanning salons. Okay. Some people use tanning salons as preventative care for a skin condition they might have; and no, paleness is not a pre-existing condition. I already checked. Under the new health care bill, preventative care will be covered. So, Patient A with a skin condition goes to a tanning salon regularly, even has a membership. Their membership is now paid for by the government, 10% of that membership returns to the government to help pay for other medical tanning initiatives (or into someones pocket). Granted that minor loop may not be enough to sink a tanning salon, but what if people get some COMMON SENSE and start using THE SUN!!! I think besides retailers, ski lodges and tropical getaways; tanning salons are the only people making money in the winter months.

Now that even tanning seems to be government regulated, I can just see the raids happening now. Little local shops being turned in for giving someone an extra 5min. for some money under the table. Hemp and coconut oil being brown bagged. People with large pieces of property arrested for tanning farms, allowing people to come lay out on their property for a nominal fee. OH THE HU..mani...ty. This is just plain silly.

Ya know, I don't wanna end up in a road warrior future or be associated with any local militia. I know that we haven't reached "absolute despotism", but I can't help but ponder on the part about "it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security". (That last part is found in our Declaration of Independence.) Maybe that security is not just a physical army, but maybe a fiscal one made up of pencil pushers. Like I said, I don't see us in the middle of a thunder dome situation but we do need to pay more attention. Local elections are coming up this year, get your head in the game and vote.

Remember, "Two men enter. One man is elected to their position of choice."

"I've been South of the Border, but I've never been to Boston in the fall."

Another day has come and gone on the road, a 9 hour work day past, of which 5 were spent driving. Knocked out another 3 service stops that add up to almost $1000 of revenue for the company. Alone in a hotel room, bored and ready to be home. I'd like to be witty and creative, but that just isn't coming right now. So as not to be completely bland here are a couple of thoughts from the day:

-Video baluns are tedious and highly defective.
-How does a 6'5" man fit into a Pontiac Fiero?
Finally, on my way in, I drove past the MULTIPLE South of the Border billboards. I began reading such gems as, well, here...just look:Any ways, I found myself reading each billboard with the voice of Mr. Lunt.That would be Mr. Lunt surrounded by vicious little cheese-curls, to hear the voice I spent most of my ride speaking in, you can find the stylings of Mr. Lunt here.

G'day. Hopefully I'll be home soon. But don't expect any updates anytime as this weekend is my wife's birthday. Yes, the whole weekend is her birthday, turning 25 is a big deal. Catch ya'll on the flipside.

Many Splendid Cereals

Been traveling a bit today. Roughly 460 to be exact. That oxymoron was unintentionally planned. With my bit of time on the road here are some random thoughts, seeing how I can't remember my entire stream of consciousness from a 14 hour day:

-I'd love to start my day earlier, but it helps if a schedule exists before I get to work.
-Communication affects more than just you and the person you're talking with. Ever play telephone?
-My wife deserves so much pampering when I get home.
-I'm sooooo happy I don't live near an air force base.
-Camp Lejune traffic @5pm is 10x worse than that of Atlanta.
-Will this bridge ever end?! I have an awful need to breath.
-HOLY CRAP THAT'S A GIANT CRAB!
-I really wish I could take pictures and drive at the same time.

Those are the random thoughts. Now I will move onto my thoughts of my current location, South Carolina. I don't believe "The Palmetto State" is an apt nickname for this state. More like "The Trashy, Putt-Putt Capitol, Firework Pushing, Watered-Down Soda State" Sadly, that wouldn't fit on a license plate. Seriously, within 2 miles of crossing the state line I passed 15 fireworks shops, 10 Wings (or some variant of cheap beach store), and 2 giant shark mouth doorways. At least it wasn't as monstrous as South of the Border. Well, not until I got to Myrtle Beach. Repossessing a system from a pizza place run by some awesome hippies. They were actually awesome, now if only they fed me. Then going next door, literally next door, to sell one of the repossessed cameras (and make an extra $175 for the day). Alas, that system was full and not able to be added onto. Before I found that out, the owner wanted to argue price with me. Communication is key, just not today apparently.

I was happy to call it a day at 10:15 and head to my hotel, 30 min. away. Stopped to fuel up, by the way, gas is $2.67 down here. I stepped in to get a receipt for my gas and had to take a moment to take in the station attendant. Medium height, gangly, stringy black hair, forearm tattoo, wide eyes, carefully spoken words, and a slight shake (as if he'd eaten too much human flesh). Take what you will from that description. I purchase my 44oz. Big Chill and expect to savor a nice cold coke, but wait it's flat, just like the soda at the pizza place I was at. What is with this place? Can a man not get a fountain soda with some fizz to it?! As I was on my way to my lodging for the night I passed roughly 10 mini-golf courses, with one particular dinosaur one that I must come back for, and 18 or so strip clubs and adult stores. I'm sure that if a bomb went off here and all that was left was a crater, it would be a crater lined with tattered mini-golf decorations, cheap beachwear, hermit crab shells and herpes.

I am happy to report that I survived the night. I was welcomed to my wonderful hotel by a chipper desk clerk, a hot shower (with hotel shampoo that actually left my hair soft) and soft sheets. I will make my way down to a wonderful continental breakfast of many splendid cereals and packaged donuts, hopefully someone will show up at the office a little early this morning so I too can be on my way.

First Sumter, then Florence, then back into NC to lay siege to the Lumberton area with great amounts of customer service and awesomeness.

"Hold on, I have to update my status."

Another late start on a weekend for me. My wife has left for work hours ago and I was well into another sleep cycle. I get up a second time this morning, stretch, shower, check all my networking sites all in an odd silence. It's not one of the ominous "too quiet" moments, just more quiet than usual.

The internet doesn't take my mind off of it, neither does finishing a painting. So I decide to catch up on some blogs I've missed out on over the past few weeks. It was here that I read a nice little description, so fitting to my morning, that made me realize what this quiet was. I'm lonely. The craziest part was getting smacked in the face with, "I'm missing out on so much human interaction simply by missing church." Of course I immediately jump back to facebook and update my status with this realization, must be a defense to not dwell on it. Obviously, I'm dwelling.

It seems I lack the drive to pull a group of people together to do community with. I don't blame it on work as it seems everyone I know has part of their weekends free. I can't say I'm a huge fan of Panera, but if it draws people out, let's meet there. I must veto Starbucks outright though, too pricey.

With the enlightenment of my wife, I will make a list. (In our past 5 1/2 months of marriage she has pointed out, if it's not on a list, I won't do it. I laughed at first, now I see it's true.) These are the people I must make time for:

My Wife
My Parents
My Sister's Family
My Brother, whenever he gets back into the states
Katie, Matt, Kerri, Derek and Maria
Jack and Debbie
Rob and Jennifer
Sheena and Andrew

In light of my late rising morning, and dismissive weeks, I must give more time to the God who first loved me. I've heard many times that our earthly relationships are a reflection of our heavenly relationship. As you can see, I've been missing some people.

Ready, flow.

Hey, I'm producing stuff again. It comes in short bursts, but that's the way I like it. If I work too long on something it frustrates me. Here is a piece I did for my sister and her family. Titled it "Flutter By" after how my wife refers to butterflies. I thought the title also fits the easy-going nature of my sister's family.






I just can't express how wonderful it is to paint, move and watch this mixture of materials outside of me (along with the energy flowing through me) to create an image. I definitely don't feel like my images are nice crisp works that belong in a gallery, but it does seem to convey a feeling. That, that feeling (preferring good over bad), is what I want.
You can find the rest of my stuff here, on DeviantArt, along with a larger version of the above painting.

Mayan Apocalypse. 1 Year, 364 days and counting.

In spite of any New Year's meals, "rabbit rabbit" sayings or other superstitious activity (or resolution making) I think I'll just chalk a new year and decade up to personal responsibility. The Maker gave us sense enough to recognize blessing if we want to. If we want to. See the responsibility part there? I didn't say "If God blesses us", no, the blessings will come. We have to make a conscious decision to recognize it and be thankful. Now that you recognize it, take care of it. Don't leave it up to chance, flip of a coin (which can be helpful with little non-matters), or hopeful wishing. Take responsibility for the family you've been blessed with. Use your finances responsibly to help with that first part. Be responsible with your body. These are more than just resolutions. These are obligations that the new year just tends to remind us of, sometimes in a manner that makes us feel like such a failure :\ Then again, that's why God blessed us enough to make it one more day (let alone a year or decade).

I'm sure future posts will be more positive, goofy and uplifting. But since we've got a little time to think here at this kick-off point, let it be of use to us. Now, go save the world ;)