60-39: Now, let's get it right, Congress!!!

As we all know Rome wasn't built in one day.  Nor was Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid written swiftly, in a perfect manner or with everyone in total agreement.  It took a long time for all these programs to begin to serve the American public for the better and each one still has its problems.  None are perfect, but they do work way better than if they were never in existence.  They are socialist-based programs and they actually work here in the United States.  Matter of fact, our public school system is socialist-based as well.  It also serves our country better than if we did not have it.  These programs are slightly broken and need fixing, but at least we have them to begin with and to be able to build from rather than not having them.  Without any of them, this country would be in a real bind as we were without any kind of healthcare.  Both sides of the aisles of Congress better start to bend a little and meet somewhere in the middle so that this country can fix this terrible issue of so many Americans without healthcare coverage.  No one is going to die from rules or regulations in this bill and no one is going to have to pay for charges they could not afford to begin with if they don't opt for any coverage.  Let the system work as it needs to do so. 

Dear ole GOP, stop the shameful and un-necessary scare tactics you are so known for and let the citizens decide what works or does not work for them!  Your party has succombed to being the party of big government now - all the way back during all 8 painful years under "W". 

But, with that said, I will pay close attention to Pelosi, Reid and company that they don't trade too many deals with Lobbyists or members of Congress -for their respective states- that will create healthcare to suffer or to fail.  I am not 100% sure, but I never saw any member of the right-wing try to filibuster the healthcare bill; I believe they thought about doing so before the left-wing had the required 60 votes with which to stop a filibuster, but never actually did as such when the opportunity invited them to do so.  They (Reps) could have made an awesome stance had they done so instead of scaring the elderly, the poor and the uneducated as they have done so unjustly for so long.  Just like the awful "birthers" and their lame ploys at trying to convince ppl that President Obama is not a natural-born U.S. citizen; shame on all of you people.  Nope, not much fight in the House or Senate from the right when healthcare went in for votes and finally passed on Christmas Eve (60-39) making it what President Obama and the left-wingers are dubbing a historic vote.  Let's roll with this and see where it takes us because it can't get any worse than when we (United States) did not have healthcare.  Somethings gotta give or we (U.S.) will surely fall as the great empire it has become - just like the Roman Empire once fell...the one that wasn't built in one day but fell like it had!

Health Care Reform: Lance Armstrong likes H.R. 3962

Read the LiveSTRONG Blog

Prez Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize: What Would Alfred Nobel Think

A very good friend of mine just loathes the very thought of President Obama having won the Nobel Peace Prize. In defending her point of view, she went on to blog about it on Friday night and made referrence to Obama's support of many negative organizations. Organizations such as Acorn which have recently been "called-out" after he won the Presidency. I was not too concerned about blogging about it until today when several other ppl, who are not so happy with Obama's win of the Peace Prize, starting bringing it up. I cannot stand Acorn, never have. Not sure all organizations are ever on the "up and up". I believe any org can be negatively represented because it just takes one or a few ignorant people to do something bad to taint it. Many Laureates of the Prize had their windfall orgs. World leaders as well; Geroge "W" had his windfall organizations. To add, he actually had the worst admin in U.S. history and I am personally glad he is gone. Now Americans have to regroup and make sure our great country is back on the right track to improve and to fix what the previous" regime" completely ruined for the previous 8 grueling years (before Obama). I still want the Patriot Act abolished & war crime charges enacted against respective offenders under the previous "regime". Far worse actions than what Acorn is alleged with, and as I certainly don't condone what Acorn has done, I just do not see how their (Acorn’s) actions were as detrimental to the safety & reputation of our country as what we had under “W”. I was a Hillary Clinton supporter/delegate but am behind this President, and I personally challenge him to do better. As for what President Obama has positively done to date - what makes him just a little bit deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize? I will go out on a limb to acknowledge and maybe even to remind people that he has made the world look at America - the good ole U.S.A. - in a positive light again and brought a little more safety & respect back into our corner versus how we were viewed under "W's" watch. America is stronger for extending out a hand rather than calling out the "axis of evil" and defining who was part of that axis whether our country stood alone or not. Let us continue to share the peace and not worry about who wins what prize. Thanks for your time. Best to ALL!

Bigot at Sam's Club in Midland, Texas

As soon as I get my membership approved via the MRT open forums, I will be sure to blog there as well. To tell my story about this woman who tried in vain to make my family and I feel like second-class citizens by sounding off a racist remark - and she did it under her breath - which was not just wrong but very cowardly of her.

The scary thing right now is that a lot of racial terms are being spewed out by certain types of ppl all in the name of something else. Whether ppl are really upset over big government (not as big as when "W" and his cronies were holding the White House hostage for 8 long, miserable years), health care reform, the "birthers" who claim Prez Obama is not a U.S. citizen (poor, ignorant ppl), or those who are now voicing regret at having a black man for president, the fact is that racial tensions are getting bad. Last bit of proof when Prez Obama was called a liar by Joe Wilson the other day in the House Chamber. We fret and are saddened by the way ppl like Joe blame health-care reform when we know it is not reform which bugs Joe. Had it been "W" who was called a liar by a Dem (esp a black Dem), the GOP would have cried "bloody-murder" and started some form of radical punishment of would-be offender.

Anyway, back to this ignoramus of a woman at Sam's. The incident occurred on Saturday 09-05-09 between 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM. She was pushing a shopping cart which had space for her two kids (a male & a female probably between 4 and 6 years of age). Her husband was following her around. My sister Josie, my brother-in-law Jabier, Sara and I had arrived at Sam's to pick up a birthday cake for our 75 year old Mom whose surprise birthday party we were hosting for her later that evening. The 4 of us had lunch first before we went to the bakery dept to get the cake. As is more often usual than not, no employees were to be found so we waited around. There were two ladies ahead of us, both Hispanic like us, which will later be an important part of this story. Because we were second in line, we were standing a little bit outside the area but not too far into the main aisle where other customers could not easily pass by us. Well, apparently that one lady thought she owned the entire store (probably cited eminent domain as her reasoning) and she blatantly ran her shopping cart, with two kids in tow and all, into my sisters side. Her and her husband must have known they did this and probably thought they had just cause because unknowing to what they had just done to my sister, I happened to look up ahead to where the couple was heading (veggie dept) and the lady gave me a really wicked look and asked if I had a problem. My sister had just mentioned to us what they did so I replied to the couple that they hit my sister. They denied it and started saying some stupid things. They were yelling at us. I told them they should be ashamed as they had their children with them and they were obviously setting a negative example. They kept yelling and acting very foolishly so I added that may God bless them. It was ridiculous, upsetting and embarrassing for us. The couple (who was white in case I forgot to mention it before) looked really ticked off and as if it was no big deal that they were acting this way. My guess would be that they probably get into arguments with others all the time and probably with one another as well. Their children looked scared. They walked further away towards the meat dept so I thought all was done until I saw my sister move a little ways from where we were still standing near the bakery dept and she said (and I quote)...'Ma'am, you did not have to say that'...I asked Josie what had the couple said or done. My sister Josie said that the lady had called us a bunch of "damned Mexicans". Like I wrote in the paragraph above, the lady said it in a manner in which she may have thought we would not hear, but my sister has excellent hearing and she did indeed hear it. Josie, for those who know her, is very friendly, peaceful, lovable, law-abiding, and as close to a true Christian one could hope to be. She is not one to look for trouble, she is the one who tries to bring solutions to a table and one who tries to keep others from fighting or such. For her to have to defend her family and herself in such a manner is really sad - it is sad for that one ignorant woman and her own family who heard those words come out of her mouth. It was quite evident that this woman and her husband knew that they had done something really awful as they hurried away to some other part of the store. Josie did not follow them because it is not her character. I did not follow them either as I normally would because of the children they had with them and because I was not going to allow anyone to ruin that day that we had planned for so many weeks to celebrate our beloved Mother's 75th birthday. A day that we wanted to honor Mom and give thanks to the Lord for keeping her with us on this earth. For letting us find the right Dr. and the right treatment for Mom after months of not knowing what was plaguing her health that we almost lost her. We had too much to celebrate and too much to be grateful for and this one foolish woman and her husband were not going to rob us of that so we let it go. Now remember the two Hispanic ladies ahead of us in the bakery line, they also heard all of this and were shocked by such actions of the white couple and that the woman had allowed such trash to leave her mouth. They were as disgusted as we were and hopefully as others in the store were that day who heard that woman's comments.

Never in my 43 years of life had I ever been victim to a racial slur. Being a cleft-palate, I had endured much taunting about that, but never because of the color of my skin. Not to my face (or as close to my face as the cowardly woman said it under her breath). It offended me and it upset me. Those kind of feelings were new to me and it took every ounce of bravery to denounce the woman's actions and indeed turn the other cheek.

I felt bad for my sister because I knew she felt all of these things if not more as she was the one to hear those foolish words of belligerence. She is too smart and too classy to succumb to the kind of actions that are the apparent nature and character of that woman.

If that woman ever reads this blog posting or one I will surely place on a Midland, Texas forum, she should know that she did not break us. She did not shame us. She did not scare us. She did not make us cry. She made us stronger and more tolerant of her kind. We went home and had a fantastic party. Later that evening, I am as certain as the fact that taxes will never end, that my sister, my brother-in-law, that my entire family who showed up for our Mom's party and were appalled and taken aback by the actions of such a woman, that everyone went to their respective homes and prayed for this woman just as I did.

Shame on her, her husband and may the Lord have mercy on her going forward and may her children remember that day and their parent's actions and their mother's words and one day refrain from ever acting as such or from saying such demeaning words. Those kind of words never demean the ppl they are shouted at, they demean they very person who stupidly allows the words to flow so freely from their mouths.

In the end, my family and I came out ahead of all of this and are the better ppl for it. But as the mighty Edward Bulwer-Lytton said in his play, "the pen is mightier than the sword"...I promised myself to blog about the incident so that the woman remembers it and maybe will be regretful of it. So that she reads it and maybe accepts blame and shame - the same kind of shame she tried to throw our way on that fateful day at Sam's Club in Midland, Texas.

Shame on you whomever you are...GBY.

Poor ole Pat Buchanan...the misogynist, racist "wanna be" political pundit.

His interview on tonight's episode of the Rachel Maddow Show just made me cringe with shame that a white man could say such things without batting an eye. Plus, it made me an indignant Hispanic female seeing first-hand his disregard for minorities in general especially women. I hope many people saw this and if not, that it makes the news elsewhere. I urge everyone who reads this blog, to find it on the web or I am sure it will make youtube.com.

Yes, she can...go Sonia Sotomayor - we are proud of you!

Read Sonia Sotomayor's bio as she makes women and Latinos everywhere very proud.
She makes Congress crazy because she is not naive like the Emperor who saw himself without a robe after having listened to everyone else instead of to himself. She defines the law as it should be and does not divulge personal data or beliefs which would one day come back and bite her as is true of Washington and its bad boys.
Sonia is an altruist; she clearly is NOT apathetic. To herself, she does remain true.
We all know who she is, she is one of us.

A DAY OUT WITH MURPHY!

With Murphy's Law - that is!

After being hit with a storm of (huge) hail this past April and hoping our roof would have sustained no damage, we were proven wrong. That lone discovery by the inspector would begin a series of events that few or none would believe unless one personally experienced it all like we have. Sara and I agreed that we may not believed it ourselves had it happened to someone else. Perhaps, more than not, this will remind us both to be more accepting & lenient with other people when they tell us stories that would almost seem too fallacious in reasoning for us to believe.

Let's start with said eventful "storm of hail" back in April.

Saturday, April 11th, 2009: The city of Midland was surprised by an ominous thunderstorm which also included some pretty big hail. Some were the size of golf balls and a few were the size of baseballs. Sara picked some up and stored them in freezer bags and stored them away to freeze. All of which would have made for a good story with "show and tell" antics to display except our fridge of 5 years happened to die on us right when the warranty ran out. So - our tangible part of the hail storm story did thus die as well leaving nothing but water droplets on our kitchen floor and just the semantics to mention in occasions to follow.

The next day we reviewed the damage to the yard and saw signs of probable damage to the roof. So come Monday, we placed a call to our insurance company. An Indepedent Inspector was scheduled and he came over quite promptly in the next few days to follow. My Mom was here during that particular week to keep appts with her Rheumatoid Arthritis Specialists whom has been treating her dermatomyositis. I clearly remember her stay with us because I was being pulled so many different ways in trying to set my own schedule for interviewing roofing contractors, interviewing with recruiters for jobs I had applied for, and in trying to keep my own dr's appts. After interviewing with over 5 roofing contractors, I did narrow it down to three. A good choice I thought until I saw how much more $$$ they each wanted to further obtain from my insurance provider. Not unusual for them to do, but it did worry me a little because of premiums which might increase. Long story short with interviewing & deciding on one roofing company...I chose the one that other family members had picked. The owner was a nice gentleman.

The problems began when my insurance company issued out the checks to both me, as the home owner, and to my mortgage company. BTW - the roofing company was not able to acquire more $$$ for the roof, but I do feel that the amount they (insurance) sent was a good sum as did others when I investigated the matter further. It was actually two amounts to cover 1) the replacement of the roof on our home along with the shutters & some siding on the eaves and on the facade above the brick line and 2) the roof of the storage building/workshop in the back yard.

The mortgage company sent me paperwork and I endorsed the checks to them to place in an escrow acct to begin work. All of this occurred within a span of 60 days. Yes, 60 long days! Our mortgage company was a royal pain in the neck to work with; I believe it was because they had just merged with the mortgage company who had just taken over for the original mortgage company. That's right, this was the third mortgage company to handle our note. To add, they are the worse ones in ways I will not blog about right now.

We are now in mid-June and the roofing contractor has still been unsuccessful in negotiating with anyone at the insurance company (or the mortgage company). I have been in contact with the contractor on a regular basis, and I never did feel nervous about our deal as a contract had been signed so obligations going forward between us were pretty much set in stone. The mortgage company had still failed to send me back more paperwork until we (Sara & I) called and they say that no escrow acct needed to be set up and that they would just issue me out new checks to place in my own personal banking acct so that work could begin. Duh...

Almost a week into the month of July, the mortgage company-issued checks arrive. But to my chagrin, the checks are issued out to not just me, but to the roofing contractor. The checks were underwritten by Chase Bank, but they refused to cash them unless me and my contractor were both in attendance and one of us had an acct with them. I had to wait a couple of days to try our own bank (Bank of America - BOA). In the meantime, I made contact with the roofing contractor and he decided to begin work on Friday (07-10-09) since he would not charge until the jobs were finished. That would give me time to deposit the checks and for them to clear.

Nope...that arrangement went wayward because...

Thursday, July 9th, 2009: "the fateful day does begin with Murphy laughing his ass off at me the entire day"...

1) My bank stated that the way the checks were issued out to me and to a company, we needed the owner to verify things in person along with a rubber stamp to denote his company name. Both of us showed up at the main branch and still "no go" even after the teller took the situation to two big wigs (I will refrain from writing down what I really think they should be called) . They further added that since Chase was the bank on the check, we needed to take it to them. Even though I replied with a rather lengthy & detailed account of what had already happened when I tried doing that a couple of days earlier, they said they could not help me out. I called my mortgage company as well hoping that maybe they had messed up by placing both parties on the checks and maybe they would re-issue them to just me or to the contractor. "No GO" - again! The mortgage company said it was pretty routine to issue checks like that to a homeowner and to the contractor, and for me to try cahsing them again at another BOA or a Chase branch or another bank. I said to the lady (the very, very, very ignorant & sometimes condescending & gleeful witch)...I have already tried that.

Long story short on trying to cash the checks, my contractor went ahead and agreed to open up an acct over at Chase. That seemed to have appeased all the vulture-like, bottom-feeders at Chase. Things were going well except that my contractor did not have his DBA papers. So, that put things in my corner to open up a lone acct which I hesistated in doing since I have been a 12 year member of the banking community over at BOA; a happy and satisfied member -might I add- regardless of current events with the mortgage checks which was the fault of my insurance company and of the mortgage company and not of BOA. Besides, I cringed at the credit check and what it does to one's FICO score. All went well and I was on my way to opening up a "temp" checking acct with Chase so my contractor left me there in anticipation of all things going well with said checks. Before he left, the new accts banker informed me that my Texas D.L. had expired, and he could not do anything until I returned with a renewal document. It was 3 PM so I had 2 hours to drive over to the DMV to renew my dl and to return to Chase.

I stood in line at the local DMV for the required time that the DMV jerks at some point in time - in some secluded meeting somewhere decided would be long enough to drive a sane person mad and a nice person bad! When my time arrived, I was informed that after having my dl data scanned, there was a problem with it. I was denied my dl renewal and only given some screwed up phone number to call to find out what the problem was. After calling the number the DMV person gave me - all the while Sara & I are sitting outside the DMV office under the hot, blazing sun - I get referred to several other offices all located in San Antonio, Texas. Yes, SA, the city I used to adore and to yearn for, yes, they duped me into not just one charge of "FTA" (failure to appear) but two FTA's. Both some sort of traffic ticket dating all the way back to 1993. I did not officially change my address until 1995 so there were at the least 18 months for the city to inform me of said tickets. Not to mention that I was never that negligent to ignore one ticket much less two. I do admit I did get at least 2 tickets (3 at the very most) the entire 7 or more years I lived there, but I always took care to settle them in court as instructed, and I always had the option of traffic school to waive them off for insurance reasons. I deny that they were never settled; I would never have left town knowing of such pending offenses. I know 100% that I took care of business in that regard. As a law abiding and law fearing person, I would never do such a thing.

Now I only have two options. 1) Hire an attorney, which I do plan on interviewing with sometime this week at the earliest time possible, probably one I have worked with in the past. 2) Drive to SA and meet a judge in person and either make him believe that it was their office that screwed up and incorrectly cited me with such unpaid offenses or he will unjustly make me pay the fines. I never do mind paying my debts, but they need to be valid ones and these two traffic tickets are not valid to me. 16 years later they (city of SA) wants to charge me with FTA of two tickets which by law in Texas, makes me guilty because of failure to appear. How stupid. Even if they are not mine or if some drunken city worker accidentally hit the wrong key on some stupid computer keyboard making them go from "paid" to "unpaid", it is going to be difficult for me to prove otherwise. I have no tangible documentation of paying such tickets. It is too long ago for me to have kept any kind of proof. I do usually keep up to 10 years worth of data for obvious reasons but 16 years...come on, give me a freakin' break. Also in the retarded state of Texas, there is no statute of limitations for traffic tickets and it has been noted on various legal web sites and on several blogs that the city of SA has made it a point to go all the way back to the year 1988 to recup money due on unpaid tix.

At the end of this stupid on-going game with the city I used to love, I will either get thrown in jail (as I have more time on my hands lately than $$$-ha,ha) or pay a couple of fines for tix I do not owe on because no judge ever believes a defendant esp when said defendant's fines total to over $400 or $500. Yep, that is how much I am being required to unfairly pay. In a time when money is rather scarce and jobs even more rare, I am being hung out to dry by a city that seems unable to get their act together. Nevermind that in the 16 years prior to this wrongful accusation, I have been able to renew my dl at least 4 times with no problem. I have undergone extensive background checks at least 5 times in my life 1) for the privilege to become a volunteer for Special Olympics 2) for major insurance coverage 3) for my district manager position 4) for the honor of being accepted into the Adopt-a-Highway program to get my family the route in honor of my nephew Philip 5) for obtaining my Texas Insurance License. How in the world did this mess get overlooked that entire time (rhetorical question). Seems nightmarish in reviewing it, but I will get through this. Tougher times have plagued me and my family and through the odds, we have always endured and come out better than okay. Maybe this is another one of those quirky tests which life tends to throw our way from time to time. I have never run away from these kind of tests. Usually they come my way every 10 years. I have only to tighten my belt buckle, grit my teeth, and meet the issues face to face and give it everything I have. I aim to have things settled soon so that my dl can be renewed and so that I can have a clearer picture of where I am supposed to be and doing what the karma gods chose for me to do some 43 years ago - because apparently - I have merely been coasting by on someone else's ship. It's time to climb aboard my own ship for to be at the helm of it so that when rough tides do once again hit the waters of my life, this captain will always be at the ready.

H1N1: don't blame the pig or Mexico for swine flu

It was a very interesting article I read today via Time magazine (online). Read full article via the following link: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1894703,00.html?cnn=yes

It seems some countries are panicking over this swine flu and others just don't trust their respective government and feel that they are not being told the entire truth. My question..When did any country's government ever tell their citizenry the entire truth (rhetorical). I am not sure what to make of all of this as it has gone into two weeks now that it was first reported.

Once again it appears that man is to blame as man was the one who started bringing together all types of animals for farming/ranching/breeding purposes; animals who were not usually kept together are now sharing their germs and bacterias and illnesses. They are cross-contaminating one another. There is a reason why certain animals and types of animals were found in certain parts of the world. Maybe they were supposed to remain apart. Man decided to bring them together. That is a reason why I strongly oppose cross-breeding of any domesticated animal with various species or exotic/wild animals for that matter. Like for instance, a Chihuahua who is bred with an Alaskan Huskie is just wrong. A Siamese cat cross-bred with a Jaguar is wrong. Genome factors are proving that doing this is wrong, not morally as I believe we all answer moral issues to a Higher Being, but it is wrong for reasons of health & safety. Think about the cross contamination of animals and certain illnesses which often plague them. If they are put into an area with other animals, it is only natural for them to contract one another's illnesses. It happens to humans all of the time. Ppl usually send sickly kids to school instead of keeping them at home until they get better or ppl go to work all sickly and such and because of this, more ppl become ill and it takes longer for illnesses to go away and actually makes illnesses dissipate. It is the same concept in not keeping sick ppl separate from one another and not keeping animals separate from one another whether seemingly sick or not. Seems obvious to me that humans are once again to blame for all of these flus, viruses that we are seeing. It is the "law of probability" coming to bite us in the rear. Not a pandemic of epic proportions as some are thinking and thus reverting to biblical teachings for signs of Armageddon. It is the humans, we did this. Please let's leave the Lord out of this one, He has better things to do, although He does expect us to fix it. We are guests in His domain and we need to clean up after ourselves and fast.

Being clean...the best option to avoiding certain illnesses

The best measure I believe in and have implemented in our own home is to be very well informed. There is just too much data available to us via the Net to not be informed. For instance the swine flu of late, I have spent much time researching it for myself and for my loved ones. Now whether ppl take what I say seriously is strictly up to them.

The next best thing my household and I can also do is to be cautiously clean. Keeping a clean home has always been part of my OCD so that is no problem for me (might be for Sara who lives with me - the OCD part - that is). I could write a book detailing how to thoroughly clean a home, then when you have cleaned it as such, how to merely spot clean it going forward so that you keep it safe & healthy enough for your loved ones and yourself while avoiding embarrassing moments when ppl arrive unexpectedly and/or uninvited (all the same). Being at home so much has helped me discover these things. That's just the way I run my household; I believe in keeping a clean enough home to be ready for guests - at any time, day or night.

Another excellent deterrent for avoiding certain sickness and such should come way of washing our hands. It should be a priority and something we do without second thought, but as I have witnessed and been very appalled over in public restrooms and in other locations where washing hands should be a must, many ppl do not bother with washing their hands. Or if they do, they do not use soap or do not take the 30 second rule to heart. 30 seconds of thoroughly washing one's hands with soap. No need for anti-bacterial ones either, just plain ole soap will suffice. I just read another article via the Food Safety Site that anti-bacterial soaps (or other anti-bacterial substances)are okay for occasional usage, but not for constant use as it can seriously weaken and/or kill off weaker, more susceptible bacteria, leaving tougher, more resistant bacteria in their place. The conclusions were that antibacterial products, including soaps, are not necessary for the adequate removal of bacteria.

My thoughts to that...use soap- regular soap. Dove always worked best for me as does Dial, and as for washing dishes, I keep to Dawn and maybe will begin to sway from being amiss about anti-bacterial products ($$$ could be cheaper $$$) and just buy regular products. Maybe I can hold onto my better bacteria so that the worse ones don't keep threatening my immune system and not be so fast to buy everything anti-bacterial. However, I must say that I will still buy certain anti-bacterial products at my own discretion. Bleach should also be one's friend. Yes, it is potent and there is no doubting this cleaning product's ability at all but to be used in moderation and with safety in mind.

Party turns out nice

Sara's friends arrived and we ate and had drinks. It was a nice, mellowed out evening. We laughed and joked and discussed various topics such as religion, politics, education and people. We learned a great deal about one another. They are very smart and witty. We had a very good time. I will put tonight's event on file and remember what a nice couple of friends Sara has made and brought into my life. One more pic of them all posing with the nutcracker(s) that Sara refuses to store away following Christmas for two years in a row now. She is afraid they will get damaged and leaves them out all year round by mere chance that they also provide security for our home. Yeah right - like they are alive (ha, ha). Anyway, as I get ready to close up the blog for tonight, I am thinking how nice everything came together and am happy for more good friends. I also cannot wait for tomorrow with our family over in Big Spring for Erica's wedding shower. Life is good more often than not. Enjoy the last pic of the night.

Mini party tonight...Priscilla and Katie

Katie and Priscilla are Sara's classmates from UTPB; all are getting ready to get their master's in something or other. I believe Sara is the only one receiving hers this spring (May 9th, 2009). Not sure about the other two but they are definitely further ahead in their degree program than I am. BTW: Sara and I saw Jacob Hicks the other day. He is cashiering over at Sam's and we inquired about Dr. Hicks; she is doing very well according to him and he suggested we drop by their home to visit with her. Back to the two ladies coming over for our party this eve. They have been friends with Sara since they all met while in grad school. What I do not yet know about them I am certain I will find out after the many "spirits" we will have tonight. The bar-b-que that Sara prepared looks just awesome. Cannot wait to eat and to be merry. Have to take it easy though as tomorrow is my niece, Erica's, bridal shower over in Coahoma and before we head over there (starts at 2PM), we will be stopping by Mama's house to pick her up for the grand occasion. Tonight will surely be fun. Sara and I are patiently awaiting the arrival of our guests who are driving in from Odessa,where they each reside. Priscilla is a world history teacher and Katie is an assistant band director. High. More later as they arrive. Meanwhile, enjoy some of the pics I took getting ready for the guests.

More pics of the stuff today's T-storm left for us.

My niece Alex sent me a text that the Easter Bunny was confused and a day early. She's too witty. They live a couple of blocks away and were fortunate to make it back home before the bigger hail started to fall and fall fast. They were on their way to mass. Glad they are safe.

Oh, Hail! Thunderstorm on Sat. 04-11-09 Midland, TX

No wonder that with global warming the weather patterns really are non-existent. Meteorologists cannot even predict the weather. Anymore, we just rely on how our bodies are feeling and what the arthritic pains decide. Today has been quite hellacious here in west Texas. Midland itself is seeing hail unlike any I can recall since moving here in 1996. The storm bringing all this rain and hail started at around 7:00 PM; we had hail the size of golf balls, ping-pongs, and even a baseball sized one or more. At around 7:50 PM, we were slammed by another mini round of marble sized hail. This round came and went rather fast. Sara and I decided to do some spring cleaning to prep for the family and friends who will be staying here the weekend of May 9th, 2009. That is when she is going to receive her Master's degree in history. Yea, she will be "hooded". Anyway, in anticipation of the house-full of peeps, we are prepping the house with paint, molding, chair-rail molding, tile and such that we purchased over a year ago. We had to take several breaks this eve to make sure all was o.k. with the storm. No broken windows and so far it appears our roof sustained no damage. Unfortunately, our nephew Rudy 's home across town seems to have taken the brunt of this storm and his carport and two of his vehicles (including their new SUV) were damaged. Prayers are with Rudy & Veronica and their two girls, Gabby and Gracie. If they need anything, their family will surely help including his Auntie Dora. The storm is headed eastward which means the rest of the family in Big Spring & Coahoma are due to see this storm within a matter of minutes. The thunderstorm is huge on doppler radar. Some areas (counties) southeast of here (Glasscock & Howard) have just been placed on tornado warning. The clouds here in Midland were ominous in appearance. I hope and pray that our family is o.k. when the storm reaches them over there. A few pics of the left-overs that this storm left behind this eve.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: lend me an ear and bless a family

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: I write this blog today because I am an angry person. I am an indignant sister, aunt, and daughter and I also speak on behalf of a brother, an uncle and a son.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Yes, I am extremely ticked off. Is there anything you can do to help me? I can answer that for you before you respond…the answer is “NO”. You cannot do anything for me because the issues I have are not with a stranger as the introduction to this letter implies, you are merely Mr. or Ms. "to whom it may concern". My issues are with some members of family and it is time to voice my disappointment in hopes that some will listen.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Please take heed in what I am about to say and try to help me shed some light on what it is that angers me. To be able to explain it without making others angry (or worse) at me for what I need to say to them. So that they listen very carefully and keep my words in context and try to see what it might be that they are lacking or what they can bring to the ole proverbial "table" and help resolve “those family issues”.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: My family is not as close as it could be…am I the only one who sees? I would like to say "NO"! I lay awake at night to try to figure out how I can fix things. My days are bound with ambiguity because I know not where to start. I love my family dearly and don’t want to offend my elders or to taint the way the younger generation looks at me by asking them to be better so that our family can come together again. I see my own faults and I am trying as well to change, but I cannot go at it alone, I need everyone's help to pull our family together again.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: I plead and plead for certain family members to get more involved with family events and such, but my pleas fall on deaf ears. I silently bask in disappointment at how my pleas are probably laughed at, but it merely bothers me because it is not brought to ME..."face to face". I never did like the ones who would cowar behind closed doors; please just save us time and grief and tell it to ME. I am not a threatening force, I am here to listen and to help. I am not asking for a lot from them; I just want some participation. For if they do not participate in family events, how are they to expect a favor returned. For when times are tough, how can they expect to survive it alone? Do they not realize that their actions really do say more than words? That their lack of participation, when specifically asked, says little about their character. Does anyone not worry about their character anymore and that their honor could be tainted when they fall short in being good to others. Afterall, those traits are what defines them and some of the few things in life that are free and should really take little effort.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Do we really have rotten people in this family? I stand now and say “NO”, but they are lacking in appreciating what they have. Family is also free and indeed a true gift from the Lord. Do they not see that their elders are getting slammed with old age and that they will not be around forever? Do they believe that life goes on eternal? Do they not see that ignorance of family values is hurting their own spirit? Do they not know that they can really improve their own life by simply being nicer to others and doing something that a loved one requests or needs, can they not see this? Doing a favor should come naturally. Do we need to have a building to fall on us when we want entire family involvement? How long can we go on being selfish and ignoring the feelings of others?

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: When a sister loses her only son, everyone’s heart should break as does hers. Do not just say that your heart is broken, show it. The entire family should have more compassion and when a little favor is asked in a manner in which to remember that loved one, all should exercise some of that compassion and participate from time to time, while remembering that one day it could be you in her shoes. Be thankful that your day has not arrived to be lost in that kind of grief, and cooperate with her in thankfulness that your world is still good. Follow your own heart; the one that the good Lord gave you at birth and disregard anyone who may try to cheat you of said compassion - ignore that they try to make you not do your good deed or deeds in how they may persuade you to stay away - for they are following the path of the soul-less, the path of the un-righteousness, for they could be "LEGION" as it was in the beginning. Even if religion is not your forté, you should know right from wrong.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Everyone knows when loved ones are in need. Do we always have to wait until we are asked to show up for a family event or to do something for someone in need? We should challenge ourselves to be better people and ask "what can I do to help?". Do we need a plane to fly around town with a banner to remind us that a loved one needs a ride somewhere? Last time I checked, the tooth fairy does not take anyone’s widowed and elderly Mom to cash her checks, to pay her bills, to her Dr's appointments, to buy her meds, or to buy her groceries. And what a kick in the head when the one's who seldom or never help are the ones who reap the benefits when someone else has done the favors for the Mom. What a happier life everyone would lead if their Mom was taken care of without her having to ask for any favors. Do people not realize how difficult it really is for a Mom to ask for favors especially one who has always been so independent in the past and who has always sacrificed her own way of life to ensure her family’s life is better and safer (And I do mean everyone, not just her own children)? That Mom still has her pride and why should she not. Ask yourselves how you would feel if your pride was threatened with old age and/or with needing the help of others. Ask yourselves because one day it will happen to you and "old age" will stop on your door-step. Your own pride right now should be to protect your own Mother's pride and ask her what she needs before she has to go to you. If she never asks you for help, do not believe she does not need it. Maybe ask yourself "why does Mom not ask me for anything?". How much suffering does one have to endure before we find compassion for that Mom and just take her to run her errands without her having to ask. All the while remembering to be patient with her because she is not so young anymore and she does indeed move slower and she does get tired more quickly. Remember that she moves slower now because her bones are old and fragile because she spent the better part of her young and vigorous life doing things for you and most likely she did those things for your children as well in her older years when she should have been relaxing and taking better care of her own health. Next time honor her age, honor her spirit and honor the love she has always had for you. Remember the times she most likely went hungry so you could eat. Remember the times she went with torn clothes so you could have better ones. Remember the times she worked - be it cold, raining, hot, whether she was ill, tired or just did not feel up to it – but she worked nonetheless so you did not go without a single important thing. Remember how she took care of when you were ill and she herself was too but she probably did not let you know that so you could be her priority. Remember how she took care of your loved ones as well when you yourself may have been too selfish "to step up to that plate". Remember her actions and let her actions serve as a role model for you to try to emulate. She should be your hero. She should be a priority. She should be assisted without hesitation. One day she won’t be around. What will you do the day that it happens? Will you be at rest because she is now at rest and you know you did everything you could have and should have done for her while she was still alive? Or will that be your beginning of endless, restless, and guilt-ridden nights knowing you could have and should have done more, but now she is gone.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: As life should have taught everyone by now, being alone is terrible...take time to spend with a loved one who might be alone. That person could also be that Mother who never left you alone when you were in need. Place yourself in a lonely person's shoes and share some of your own time. Simply showing up for life and partaking in everything it has to offer should be enough, but from time to time, we should take the lead and place others before ourselves. A true sacrifice for the benefit of others is a beautiful thing. Share of yourself and your time and you will reap the rewards. Live each day with faith leading the way and don't question it; it will NEVER let you down.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Life really is beautiful and needs not be so difficult. Our stresses and issues in life are not other people’s fault or other people’s envy; our problems are more than likely the fault of the person one sees in the mirror. We have more control over our lives and our lives really are what we make of them. If you try hard, I mean really, really hard to succeed, you most likely WILL. If you do nothing to better your situation, opportunity cannot come around to lend a hand and you should not depend on others to fix your own problems. Life tends to forget people with that kind of negative attitude, but Life surely does reward those with a positive one. How can anyone expect their children or anyone else to be of good morals and good character when they may have themselves failed in those departments? When times are rough, family is fantastic to have around for support and maybe for guidance; however, we cannot pick and choose when we decide to be part of family. We take the good with the bad and when it is time for us to step up to the plate, choose to be of good character. No one can take that away and I have a strong belief that someone above will smile down at you and say “well done”.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: One day we all will be old. One day we will be struck by grief. One day we will be the one looking in. Do we want life to send people who lack morals and character your way when that day arrives. I say “NO” and I personally refuse to be that kind of person now. I will ignore the ignorance of others. I will denounce the denouncement of others. I will do my own part to support the family, but priorities will be enforced. I will return favors as they are done for me and if none are done, I have nothing to worry about. I will also keep true to my mantra that when I do a favor, I will NOT expect one in return. I never have, you know. I just plan for family to be a priority. Being part of family and cooperating in it more often than not should not be a favor nor a bother, it should be something one does out of appreciation, out of being grateful, out of faith, and for sure to be done out of so much love.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
I SIGN OUT FOR NOW...My name is Karma. I remain angry, and I will continue to watch over you.

After 8 years, I can utter the word "President" with real meaning and pride.

After 8 long, difficult, arduous and exhausting years with "W" holding the White House hostage, I can once again utter the word "P-R-E-S-I-D-E-N-T" as it pertains to a current Commander-In-Chief. The word simply escaped me during the Bush reign, and I could never bring myself to recite the appellation in front of "W's" name. The only way I could use it before a name was in reference to previous President's such as Clinton, Carter, Kennedy, Roosevelt, Lincoln...well, you get the idea.

Today we watched history being made as Barack Hussein Obama took the oath of office of President of the United States. How significant it was that it occurred the day following MLK Day. Befitting a person of President Obama's character. As a previous but ardent supporter of Hillary Clinton, I was still in dissents corner - as most people know - in transferring my political support to Obama, but I did it when she asked her respective supporters (18 million +) to support Obama. Long having gotten over that self-enforced barrier, I did get on the Obama bandwagon. It was satisfactory to hear that Hillary was hand-picked by Barack to be Secretary of State. The best decision he has made in my opinion by far. Especially if he was to gain total and tenacious support from her supporters over to his camp.

Living in Midland, Texas makes it a bit difficult to be Democratic due to all the Republicans who reside here, but their naiveté or gross negligence (mostly the latter) makes it sweet to be contrite especially when the left is right and the right is just plain wrong and amiss. It feels awesome to be Independent or Democratic here. In stating this, I have been witness to the most disrespectful and ignorant political viewpoints imaginable when it pertains to citizens of these parts. Their terrible views stemming from the right but mainly from the fundamentalist right who have always sided with "W" no matter what wrongs he was doing. Whether he was chiding NATO's request to wait for a solidarity vote of all its members prior to invading Iraq, then starting a war with a sovereign nation, , to illegal wire-tapping, to ignoring the Geneva Convention, to publicly denouncing the torture of possible political enemies and probable terrorists yet, in the meantime - behind closed doors, the torture was occurring as was confirmed by Susan J. Crawford. Crawford is a top official in the Bush administration overseeing the military trials of terrorist suspects held at the U.S. prison in Cuba. Meanwhile, Osama bin Laden remains at large.

Sara and I drove to the Midland International Airport today to video record the airplane which was bringing "W" back to Texas. The very plane which only bears the official name of Air Force One when it carries the current, sitting President of the United States. Since "W" is just a citizen like any one of us, the plane is simply referred to by its tail code (28000 or 29000). Anyway, we were always in awe of the plane and the logistics behind it, and we always wanted to see it in person or as close to it as possible. We set out this late noon to await its arrival at MAF, but not to see "W" and surely not to wait along the roads for a glance of his motorcade, but simply to record in digital format, this magnanimous & important airplane. The moniker of Air Force One was dubbed during the Eisenhower Presidential term.

As we sat in the SUV at the airport, we were disappointed and taken aback by so many "W" supporters who still believe him to be a hero. Home-made signs which assumed he did a terrific job and thus bore positive remarks and welcomes to this man who created so much havoc. The 3 "D's" still come to my mind as they did the day the Supreme Court "selected" him to be President, they are...debt, destruction and death. No matter how long this man waits for history to find any good outcome of his administration and the long 8 years they supposedly served the citizens of this great country, he will never get vindication or approval of a job well done. He left so much turmoil for President Obama to over turn. President Obama can turn things around ("Yes, he can!"), but it will take all of us to pull together to get it done. Unlike his predecessor, Obama welcomes us all to come together to set things right. "W" was one of the most polarizing figures in history, not just in this country's history, but of all time. His unofficial motto of 'if you are not with me, you are against me' was very indicative of the mandates set forth by one Adolf Hitler. "W" implied that any opposition of his leadership was unpatriotic. How pathetic. It is our history and the wars we (Americans) fought which have given any citizen the right to agree or to disagree with the president. This does not make us communists or unpatriotic, matter-of-fact, it makes us more patriotic as we take advantage of those hard-fought rights. Let us remember what President Roosevelt once said in regards to patriotism...'Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president.' Or my personal favorite quote of his...'To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. (1918)'.

So as you move into private citizenship once again, "W", remember those quotes and remember everything you did was not always for the betterment for the whole but for the betterment of the few. Mainly the rich few. Your cruelties, your atrocities and your lies will remain with you until the day you pass on and you shall carry those burdens with you and no atonement will absolve you of the ill wills done during your watch. Whether you choose to remember your political sins or to acknowledge them on a daily basis, they will remember you and they will haunt you and your cronies. The citizens of this country will remember them as well and they will hold you accountable forever. History will not be good to you, dear sir. Shame on you for stating that you did your best, how you liberated over 50 million people or how you leave the office in strong belief that you did your best.

Leave the best for the current administration who certainly does bring a much needed change. It brings a renewed spirit and a reaffirmation of a government who once again cares for its constituents, its citizenry. Together with this administration we can make a difference and get this country back to the top as we show the world that we are a caring nation and a responsible nation. We will fix the wrongs that "W" left and continue to move forward in a positive light. A new wind blows through this great country. It blows a loud but refreshing air and it sounds off the great possibilities which are yet to come if we all follow President Obama's motto...

"YES, WE CAN!"