The word "potential" has been the bane of my existence for over 20 years. I have heard various people make reference to my "potential", and the majority of people who really get to know me will eventually ask why I'm not "making the big bucks" somewhere. Too many people, in fact, to write it up to random sycophants blowing smoke. Eventually, after being asked that question, I had to ask MYSELF that question. Sure, I'd held down some good jobs, but none of the jobs really had a future, which...

At the end of September, I will end my tenure as a "media distribution specialist". I will be going to work in tech support for a local company (I'm working on an Indian accent). I was concerned about the move at first, because it would represent a loss in pay, something that wasn't too attractive to think about. But they're paying me a tad bit better than their base starting wage, and the schedule is 7 days on, 7 days off, which is perfect for someone like me who likes the idea of frequent v...

I have spent many a sleepless night since the demotion of pluto from planet status (OK, not really...but it's much more dramatic than saying "They killed Pluto! You BASTARDS!"). But I HAVE wondered, as a homeschooling father, how to rectify this demotion in the minds of my children. The oldest two have been taught that pluto was a planet, and, while they've heard the news, I'm afraid they've been indoctrinated to the "old ways" of thinking. That, and I'm not really ready to give Pluto up mys...

I have spent many a sleepless night since the demotion of pluto from planet status (OK, not really...but it's much more dramatic than saying "They killed Pluto! You BASTARDS!"). But I HAVE wondered, as a homeschooling father, how to rectify this demotion in the minds of my children. The oldest two have been taught that pluto was a planet, and, while they've heard the news, I'm afraid they've been indoctrinated to the "old ways" of thinking. That, and I'm not really ready to give Pluto up mys...

It's real easy to look at individuals working in low wage jobs and pity them. The jobs don't pay too well, and too often you see people who are obviously parents, with financial responsibilities and other expenses, holding down these jobs. There's a tendency to want to "cure" the situation by somehow offering a form of wage equity--by paying more to these workers so they won't have to struggle simply to provide the basics of life. But as noble as the intent of such proposals may be, they are ...

I am sick of hearing Democrats claim that Republicans are the enemies of free speech. While the Republicans certainly have done their part to limit the exercise of free speech, they hardly have a monopoly on the concept. The Democrats, however, have the added burden of hypocrisy as they make a point in condemning Republicans for doing the same thing they're doing. For a recent example, witness the efforts to silence the ABC docudrama "The Path to 9/11". The push has come almost exclusively fr...

I made a comment on one of my articles (LONG DISCALIMER FOR THE INCREDIBLY DENSE TROLL WHO SEEMS TO BE OBSESSED WITH ME TO A FRIGHENING DEGREE: I did NOT claim to invent the phrase, ever, in any context. I did not claim that I was anywhere near or involved with inventing the phrase, ever, in any context. If you were intelligent enough to read any blogs beyond JU, you would notice that the phrase "mommy blog" is a very commonly used phrase that has basically fallen into the public domain to descr...

Just about two weeks ago, our neighbor's dog had puppies. A dozen in all, but one was stillborn. My children and his great grandchildren have been keeping an eye on the puppies, which isn't easy, as they're nestled under a porch. This morning, they came back in to tell us one of the puppies was dead. We went out to take a look, and he wasn't dead, but he was very close to it. He's a runt, and he obviously hadn't been getting any milk. There was no discernible breathing, and very little moveme...

This month represents a milestone of sorts. In the nearly two years since we moved here, this will be our first month with a TRUE surplus. Technically, we had a surplus last month, but $1000 worth of "off budget" expenses turned that into a deficit, one that the bulk of this month's surplus is being applied to. In addition, I make the last payment on our main car Monday, and we actually may have the second car up and running by midweek, giving us two FUNCTIONING cars, a first for us in almost FO...

Monday, we had our Chatauqua. When I say "we", I mean, not our little community, but the *metropolis* that is our county seat. As director of the upcoming play, I had skits to perform to promote the play. But at the very end was my big musical "debut". To this point, I had only played to groups larger than my small circle of friends, once, in my aforementioned performance at the Woody Guthrie center. The plan was initially for me to join in with "Roll on, Columbia", which I have ppretty much ...

I haven't had much time to do more than try to keep pace in this month's trivia game through the week, so this is my first chance to express my thoughts on the death of Steve Irwin. While there's a tendency for some to claim he got his "just desserts", I see it differently. I enjoyed "The Crocodile Hunter". I found it highly educational and entertaining, and my children have pretty much grown up with it. Steve gave us an opportunity to see animals we should never even TRY to see in their natu...

OK, I was going to point this out as another inconsistency of the left, but I'm going to be fair on this one, as not all libs fit the bill on the issue, but... I was talking with "ol' bluehair" (see my article on "the culture war" for more on this biddy) about politics, and where I offended her was in my refusal to call George Bush a war criminal and condemn him for everything he's ever done (ironically enough, however, Woody Guthrie, the person with whom we share a common interest, was NOT a...

As many of you know through my blogging, I live near a community associated with Woody Guthrie. Because ol' Woody's values don't exactly match those of the Texas Panhandle, though, and because there are still folks alive who remember Woody in a less than favorable light, the Woody Guthrie Center around here is not exactly  hub of activity. Oh, they get their share of folks, but most of those folks are not the town fathers or the community leaders. Now, let me give you some back...

American liberals have adopted a state sponsored religion. Instead of worshipping a God, however, it is the government they worship, and whom they expect us to worship. When life is good, we are expected to pay tithes to the government, for it is the government that has bestowed upon us the opportunity to earn such money. The more money we make, the more we give the govt, for "the govt. loves a cheerful giver". When life is bad, it is the government who is to blame. It doesn't matter if we...

This just in, from the "they have no damn idea what they're talking about" department: As we're about midway through a hurricane season that "experts" had predicted to have nearly apocalyptic proportions, they have lowered their estimate on hurricanes to five. The disastrous season forecast did not come about, and as these (expletive deleted, plural) watch Tropical depression, or storm, or party pooper Ernesto in the desperate hope it will become the Biblical plague they wanted it to be to he...