Short excuses for not writing.

    This is going to be a short post today.  The reason being that I am involved in National Write a Novel Month.  This means that I am attempting to write a 50,000 word novel by the end of November.  Unfortunately, I am seriously behind and thus need to concentrate my skills on that.  Add to that that today is election day and it makes for some crazy writing.  I also don't really feel like reviewing any games today.  I know, you expect better, but the fact is, I really don't feel like writing today.  That means that any writing I do needs to be on my novel.   Sorry.
    Thanks for reading (what little I wrote) and, as always, have a great day.

Game Reviews: Scategories & The Settlers of Catan

                Today’s games are a mix of old and new.  Ok, the new isn’t that new as it has been around for a while, I just wasn’t introduced to it until earlier this year.  The games are Scategories™ and Settlers of Catan™.  These are games that are definitely for the older crowd due to their nuances.  So let’s get started.

                Scategories™ is a game of creative thinking.  The rules are simple, straight forward, and easily followed.  The game itself is anything but.  The components of the game are a 20 sided die, a timer, a mat (with rules on the back), and six identical cardboard sleeves with pencils, paper, and lists.  The lists are the boundaries of the game.  The problem is they are specific enough to make you think, but broad enough to leave you room for a ton of possible answers.  The game comes with 12 different lists of 12 items ranging from heroes to vehicles, to books, movies, locations, etc.  It is a hodgepodge of items.  The first task then is to select a list to use.  Personally, I use a twelve sided die to select the list to use, but how you chose the list is up to you.  Once everyone has that list ready you roll the 20 sided die (which has letters of the alphabet on it minus some of the tougher ones), to determine the letter.  This is where creativity and the game rules collide.  You have to come up with a word or phrase that begins with the rolled letter that matches each item on the list before the timer runs out.  You get one point for each answer you have at the end of the turn and one point for each word in each answer that begins with that letter.  Did I mention that if your answer matches what someone else wrote, you both lose that point?  This is where creativity is important.  For instance, for the category heroes and the letter B, you could put Bob the Builder, Barney Fife, Barry Bonds, or Bologna.  Wait, bologna?  Yup, Bologna hero is a sandwich.  The category just said heroes; it didn’t say it had to be able to talk.  That is what I mean by creative.  The downside is you have to convince a majority of those playing that your answer fits the category.  That is just how it works.  After 3 turns the player with the highest score wins.  Overall, this is a great game that can lead to some weird answers and some hilarious moments.  Just don’t take it too seriously or you may find that you spend more time arguing about every answer than you do having fun playing the game.

                The Settlers of Catan™ is just the opposite of Scategories™.  Where Scategories™ is broad, creative and sometimes hilarious; Catan is rigid, straightforward, and serious.   In Catan, you are the leader of a group of settlers.  The goal is to build settlements, cities, and roads to have the greatest civilization on the board.  This is accomplished by getting resources.  Resources are gathered based on what tiles your settlements are next to.  Each tile has a number between 2 and 12 assigned to it.  Whenever this number is rolled that tile produces its resource.  The resources are ore, wool, clay, wood, and wheat.  These resources are then used to build roads, settlements or cities.  Or you could buy development cards.  Development cards give the user victory points, added resources, knights, or added events.  This added dynamic gives players another means of winning the game.  Speaking of, how do you win the game?  The answer: by attaining 10 victory points.  You receive 1 victory point per settlement, 2 points per city, 2 points for the longest road (minimum 5 road pieces long), and 2 points for largest army (minimum 3 knights).  Sounds simple enough right?  Not so fast.  There is a hitch in all this.  Should you roll a seven when rolling for resources, bad things happen.  First, no tile produces resources.  Second, if you have more than seven resource cards in your hand, you have to discard half of your hand.  Finally, the thief must be moved into play.  Wait, there’s a thief?  Yup, the thief is moved by the person who rolled the seven.  Whatever tile the thief is moved to never produces resources as long as the thief is present.  Also, the person moving the thief gets to take one card from one player that is adjacent to it.  This is where it gets fun.  The thief is only moved if a seven is rolled or if a person who has a settlement or city on that tile plays a knight card.  This means that if you are winning; expect the thief to visit your most productive tiles.  There is a lot more to this game than I have time or inclination to type.  There are strategies galore and several expansions that add and change rules to make the game more detailed.  This game can be complicated and a little hard to learn, but it is detailed enough to drag you in and keep you coming back for more.  The rule book is thought out in such a way that finding the answer to your questions is relatively simple.  In all, it is a great game if you like a mixture of strategy and luck.

                Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Game Reviews: Castle keep and Picteureka

                It’s Tuesday and that means that it is another game review day.  Today, I will be reviewing two games that we like to play with our children.  It should be noted here that our youngest is 4 and our oldest is 11.  That means that for a game to be enjoyed by all, it must be simple, so the four year old can play, but challenging, so our eleven year old doesn’t get bored.  Needless to say, this narrows the list quite significantly.  I have already reviewed two games that fall into this category.  They are Tsuro™ and Uno™.  The two games I am talking about this week are Castle Keep™ and Picteureka™.  I am sure you heard of the second, but the first is a little more obscure so we will discuss that one first.

                It is rare that a game comes along that is so simple in its design and, at the same time, offers a dynamic game that all can enjoy.  The object of Castle Keep™ is to build your castle before the other players build theirs.  Each castle is made of nine castle tiles and consists of four corner tiles, four wall tiles, and one keep.  Sounds simple enough, but, as they say on TV, there’s more.  You see the walls come in three different colors and three different shapes.  This means you have to match either shape or color to the adjoining piece in order to continue to build your wall.  Still too easy?  There is a fix for that.  You see, if your opponents can’t play or just want to be mean, they can destroy a section of your wall by matching wall pieces exactly.  When they match those pieces all connected pieces of the same color are also destroyed.  This means that the wall you have painstakingly built for the last three turns is now rubble and you have to start over.  By the way, this is a favorite tactic of my 4 year old.  Hands usually last 10-20 minutes and you usually can’t stop at one. 

                The second game to detail here is Picteureka™.  This game is so simple in its rules and game play that the complexity of the design almost escapes you.  This is a game that has the added appeal that it can be played individually, in teams, or a combination thereof.  This means that it can be set up so that everyone has a chance to win regardless of their age or skill level.  Now for the complex part.  The game is made up of three decks of cards, two dice (one normal six sided die, and one six sided die with three colors corresponding with the three decks), a one minute timer, and nine square tiles.  The tiles are covered with drawings ranging from little flies to entire scenes.  These pictures are on both sides of the tiles.  The game is set up with the nine tiles forming a square in the center of the playing area with the decks alongside the square.  The first player or team rolls the colored dice to determine which deck they are playing from.  Guess I should mention the decks at this point.  The first deck is blue.  This is the all play deck.  When the blue deck is rolled the team/player that rolled it takes the top card and turns it over and everyone playing looks for the item on the card.  The item on the card is an actual drawing and there is only one of that particular drawing on all of the tiles (it is on both sides of the same tile, just in a different location).  The first team/person to spot the matching item points it out and the card is theirs.  I should mention that the first person/team to collect 6 cards wins.  The second color of the cards is green.  When green is rolled, the team that rolled it then rolls the other 6 sided die.  They then have to find that many of the item on the green card before the timer runs out.  The green card has words or phrases, such as “things that fly”, “Things that need electricity,” “Men with beards,” or “numbers”.   If they find the required number before the time runs out, they keep the card, otherwise it is discarded.  The final card color is red.  When this color is rolled, the card is bid for.  Without knowing what is on the card, the players/teams take turns bidding on how many of the item they think they can find.  The  team that bids the highest gets the chance to win the card by finding their bid before the timer runs out.  Sometimes this is easy since a single flower may have ten petals and there are at least seven flowers on the tiles and one of the cards say petals.  This could also be a near impossible task as it could be as specific as men with beards.  You never know until you get to read the card and start searching.  If your kids like the” I spy” books and searching games, they will love this game.  Even if they don’t, this game can provide hours of fun.  I know it keeps our family on its toes. 

                I guess the key to what makes these games so much fun is the family interaction.  The idea that, even when you are behind, you still have a way to come out on top.  This alone keeps you in the game. 

                Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Tuesday Game reviews. Social Staples.

                So I believe that I will start my regular game reviews on Tuesday.  This is due to a variety of reasons, but I think Tuesdays work for the best.  This week I am going to review two games that are family friendly and have been around for a while.  At least long enough that they have several spin offs.

                The first is “Apples to Apples”.  The specific version I am reviewing is “Apples to Apples Jr”.  There are a multitude of spin offs ranging from the original to specific versions for specific audiences.  I have only played the original and Jr.  “Apples to Apples” is easy to learn, easy to play, and a great social game.  This game is elegant in its simplicity and an overall good time.  The number of players allowed to play is only limited by the space at the table and how long you want to spend playing.  The game play is very subjective and house rules are a must.  The idea of the game is to collect a certain number of green apple cards based on the number of players.  The fewer players the fewer green apple cards needed.  You obtain these cards by having one of your red apple cards chosen by the judge.  I am getting ahead of myself though.  To start the game, 7 red apple cards are dealt to each player.  Then, one player is chosen as the first judge.  Don’t worry; everyone gets a chance to be a judge.  The judge then draws one green card and reads the adjective on it.  The rest of the players then pick a red apple card from their hand that best matches the adjective read by the judge (the judge doesn’t get to give in a red apple card).  These cards are submitted face down so the judge doesn’t know who submitted which card.  The players then draw new red cards so that their hands have seven cards.  The red apple cards contain people, places, things, events, etc.  So the answers you get may be outrageous, which is half the fun.  You may also find yourself in the position where none of the seven cards in your hand match the adjective.  That is when I go for the laugh and just toss in the card I think is the worst card in my hand.  The Judge then reads aloud all of the red apple cards and chooses the one he/she thinks best matches the green apple card.  This is where house rules may be appropriate.  If you have a very argumentative group, you may want a house rule that you cannot lobby for your card.  Or you may want to encourage the interesting explanation of how concrete is fluffy (it happens).  After the judge chooses the card he/she thinks is best, the player that submitted the card is revealed and that player gets the green card.  The person to the left is the new judge and draws a green card and play continues until one player has the required amount of green cards.

                “Apples to Apples” is extremely social and can be a hilarious addition to your game nights.  It can get loud and boisterous, but it definitely makes for a lot of good conversations.  I recommend this game to any family or group of friends.  The only downside is that this game is not much fun with less than 5 players.  You can play with four people, but it loses a little of its social dynamic.  Over all, it is a great game.

                The next game I am reviewing simply because I have never personally reviewed it and it has been around so long that people assume that everyone has heard of it, played it, and, at some point, owned it.  The game is “Uno”.  Once again there are a ton of versions of this game.  “Uno”, “Uno H2O” (a water proof version), “Uno Attack” (a motorized version), and the list goes on.  I own the first three.  For this review, I will assume that you have played “Uno” at some point in your life and thus know the basic rules and game mechanics.  Thus I will concentrate on the nontraditional versions and what makes them different and special when compared to the original.  The first is “Uno H20”.  This version was made for outdoor play.  The cards are a waterproof plastic as is the case.  My family uses it for our camping expeditions so we don’t have to worry about spills or rain ruining our game.  As with every “Uno” variation there are some added cards.  All the standard cards are there, but there are 2 new cards.  Wild splash +1 and wild splash +2.  These wild cards have the same rule for play as a wild draw 4.  However, instead of the next player drawing the 1 or 2, everyone except the person who played the card draws the one or two cards.  In other words, you splash the deck.  It is an interesting mechanic that makes it a lot of fun. 

The next version is “Uno Attack”.  This version comes with a motorized deck holder.  The deck is contained inside of it and the deck itself has changed greatly.  There are no more draw two cards or draw four cards because of the motorization.  Instead, you have hit 2, wild hit 1, and wild hit X.  When one of these is played, you hit the button on the machine as prescribed by the card.  Hitting the button is as random as the game itself.  It may just beep at you and give you no cards or it may suddenly spew six or seven cards at you, you just don’t know until you hit the button.  There have been times when we went ten hits with no cards coming out and there have been times when ten times in a row cards were given.  This makes for some large hands.  Thankfully, there are ways of dealing with this.  The first is a new card called swap hands.  There is one of these cards for each color and they allow the person who plays it to swap hands with any other player at the table they choose.  This means that you could have said “Uno” and suddenly Bob across the table swaps hands with you and you now have a dozen cards.  This can be combated with yet another card.  This is the play all card.  Once again, there is one per color.  These cards allow you to discard all cards of that color from your hand in one play.  This is really great when you have seven cards all of the same color and you get to drop all of them at once to win the game.  These new mechanics mean that the game could last less than one round or (in our worst case scenario) over three hours.  The great part is that it never stopped being fun.  People would yell “Uno”, not be able to play, hit the button and suddenly have eight cards they had to get rid of.  It really is random, but oh so fun. 

In summary, “Apples to Apples” is a great social game.  “Uno” keeps expanding and does a good job of keeping it new and fresh.  Try them and enjoy.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

First Game reviews.

        I came to the realization recently that I have a wide variety of games at my house.  I can't help it.  I see a new game that sounds interesting and I just have to get it.  I love games of all kinds.  Games that are easy to learn, but hard to master tend to be my favorite.  I also tend to enjoy games that require the players to work toward a common goal.  With all this in mind, I have decided to review a game I have every once in a while.  I have two that I would like to review today.
       The first is a game call Tsuro.  I first heard about this game on the web series, Tabletop.  This game calls itself "the game of the path," and that is accurate.  The objective of the game is to be the last player with their game piece on the board.  This is accomplished by playing square tiles with lines or "paths" on them on a 6 by 6 grid.  You may only play to affect your own tile.  In other words, where you end up is up to you...mostly.  Because of the size of the grid, you will eventually end up adjacent to one of your fellow players and thus b at their mercy.  Did I mention that up to eight people can play this game at the same time?  What I really love about this game is its simplicity and speed.  The box says it is for ages 8+, my four year old son has managed to figure out how to play and how to win.  This is most definitely a game that brings luck, strategy, and fun to the gaming table and I highly recommend it.  It can be found at Barnes & Noble for about $30.
         The next game is one that I bought because it sounded fun and interesting.  I have to admit that it was kind of fun the first time I played it.  It is a game called Furt.  While the name is interesting in and of itself, the game is anything but.  The goal of the game is muddled in the mechanics and is more about silliness than about any kind of strategy, skill, or even how well you roll the dice.  It all boils down to how well you convince others that you aren't playing and how silly you are willing to make yourself look.  Allow me to explain.  The game is played on a spiral board.  As you move around the board, you enter zones where you are required to act a certain way as long as you are in that zone.  These actions could range from talking like a pirate to shouting I got it every time some says a certain phrase which guarantees that that phrase will be said repeatedly as long as you are in that zone when you play with younger kids.  The way you advance your tokens is by completing tasks which you get from cards.  These tasks range from drawing a word or phrase to acting silly.  Then there are the challenge cards.  These cards contain challenges that have to be completed before your next turn and this is where the game really fails.  Everyone knows you have this challenge and thus you will be ignored as most of the challenges require that you get the other players to say or do something.  In other words, drawing a challenge card means that you get to do something silly or off the wall for everyone's entertainment and no use to you.  This is one of those games that sounds fun as you read the description, but loses its appeal after the novelty wears off, which was after the first game for me.
             These are just two of the games I have at home and have played.  I obviously recommend Tsuro; I give it 4 out of 4 stars.  Furt gets 1 star based solely on the initial fun with the kids.  It is most definitely not recommended.
           Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Marriage: 14 years and going, I did it and so can you.

                Fourteen years ago today I got to say I do to the most wonderful woman in the world.  I keep telling here she's stuck with me for at least the next hundred or so, after that we'll talk about whether or not we got it right.  I love you dear and am looking for to the next...however many years we have (I don't see an end to this thing we got).  Happy anniversary.

                I was going to make this a long post on how wonderful my wife is, but, for some reason, I get the feeling it is going to go in a different direction.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my wife and could fill pages with her praise, but I hope that any husband could do the same for his wife and, although she turns a lovely shade of red, my wife tends to get slightly upset with me when I embarrass her by publicly praising her.  I don’t understand it, but, then again, I am not her.  That being said, allow me to get to the meat and potatoes of this post.

                As I was reflecting on what to write for today one theme kept creeping into my head, how did we keep it going for this long and what makes me confident that it will continue?  Let me begin my answer by saying that God must be at the center of it all.  But that is just the start.  First off, you have to be committed.  This means that before the words “I do” pass from your mouth; you absolutely must take the word divorce off the table.  Humans are lazy and will always take the easiest path available.   If you make divorce an option, you will use it.  Marriage is hard work and can be very difficult.  Let’s face it, you put two people into a life together, there will be conflict.  Conflict is hard, especially when you care about the person you are in conflict with.  Divorce is easier than maintaining a marriage and when you make it an option, you eventually stop trying to maintain the marriage and start looking for the lawyer to protect your stuff.  So the first thing you need for a successful marriage is commitment.

                The second thing you need is humility.  What do I mean?  Simply this, you are not always right.  Let me say that again, you are not always right.  For a marriage to work, you have to put the other person first.  This means that the only argument you should have that is in any way unending should be over who gets to apologize for the last fight.  You will fight.  It is inevitable.  It is what we humans do.  What makes a marriage work is the ability to say, “I was wrong.”  The humility to let the idea that you are right go (regardless of whether you are or not) for the betterment of your relationship is the key.  We have an infinite ability to hurt each other and we use it all too often.  A strong marriage is one that recognizes these tendencies and jumps on them before they happen and is just as quick to apologize and admit the error.

                Since it appears that I am rambling, I will add one more ingredient and call it a day.  The final ingredient is love.  Why did it take so long to get to love?  Simply put, it is something that I shouldn’t have to mention.  It is, after all, the reason you got married in the first place.  But let’s dig into this.  Let’s first get rid of the idea that love is about that gut feeling you got in high school with your first girlfriend/boyfriend.  Love is an action, not an adjective or noun.  It is actively placing the person you love before yourself.  It is pursuing that persons goals, dreams, needs, and desires with your every fiber.  It means that you don’t hesitate when that person needs you, that it is second nature that you are second to him/her.  It means that no matter what, you are going to do what is right for him/her as quickly as you can regardless of what it does to you.  The idea that you would die for the one you love is not far off from this.  Love is self sacrifice at all times.  Love is actively searching for the best and aiding the worst.  Love is lifting the fallen and supporting the lifted.  Sometimes love requires that we let those we love suffer so they can grow.  Take your children, for example, you have to discipline them when they err so that they learn.  This hurts them, but it has to happen for their good.  We do it out of love.  Love is an action and it must be used actively.

                There you have it, my thoughts on what makes a successful marriage.  Love, Humility, Commitment, and above all else, God.  I am sure I could think of more, but I think I will leave it at that.

                Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Is college really necessary?

            Why do we push college on our kids?  I think this is a valid question.  First let me clarify why I ask it.  I recently came across a statistic that said that nearly 60% of college graduates were working in fields unrelated to their degree.  That made me wonder why they had to have a degree in the first place.  The more I looked into it, the more I began to realize that we have been scammed.
            I am not saying there aren't jobs that require a degree, a doctor or an architect are two that come to mind quickly.  I would hate to go into surgery and have my doctor show me his high school diploma and say, "let's get cuttin'."  It just isn't happening.  I also don't think I would want to walk into a high rise designed by a guy whose credentials include, "I lived in one once," and no degree.  But for a lot of the other jobs out there, you just have to wonder.  Then there is the trusting the university thing.  I find it increasingly difficult to trust a university that tells me that in order to get an engineering degree I need to take 4 hours of elective courses.  Let me point out that these are 4 credit hours of courses that in no way aid you in your field of study.  It should also be noted that most elective courses taken are 1 credit hour each and cost close to $500 these days.  In other words, the university wants you to add $2000 of useless credits to your degree for unspecified reasons.  What if your mechanic told you that you had to rechrome your wheels in order to complete your oil change?  I think we would all end up going to a different mechanic.  So why do we let a university do the same thing?  Because we want the name of the university on our diploma because it sounds impressive.
              Let me clear the air here.  I do not have a college degree, nor will I ever have one.  I spent 20 years in the military getting experience in my field.  If that means that someone beats me out of a job based solely on the basis of a degree, so be it. 
              We have been feeding the lie of college to our kids for so long; we have begun to believe it ourselves.  We send them off to college and tell them to follow their dreams.  They do that and get their degrees only to find that there is no job for those degrees in the field they love.  Why?  Because no one bothered to also tell them that a degree in photography is only worth something if your father happens to own a publishing company and you are at the top of your field.  Congratulations, you just spent $100k on a piece of paper to hang on your wall so you can look at it on your way to you minimum wage job.  Yet, having a degree is a must today.  We need to start teaching our high school students what the job market is really like.  Or what jobs require a specific degree and what jobs prefer experience.  Instead we tell them go to college.
               It used to be that a degree is what made a candidate stand out.  It used to be just getting into college was a big deal.  These days, if you have a pulse and an ability to fill out forms (most colleges will have someone help you with that), you can get into a college somewhere.  Here, fill out this form for financial aid, this form for grants, this form for you student loans, this form for waivers for your grades, and this form to choose your classes.  Congratulations, you are now going to college.  Sure there are a few colleges that are still selective in who they allow to attend, but they are in the minority.  Most colleges just look at filling all their classes to make sure that they can pay their bills. 
              Let me restate that I understand there are some fields that a degree is a must and I wholly support those degrees, but when a job lists "degree or experience" or just degree as a need without any clarifiers, it makes you wonder just what the degree is needed for.  I would think that if any degree is good enough because it shows dedication, that working for 2 years while involved in sports and graduating with decent grades from high school would be enough as well.  Then again, what do I know, I never went to college.
           Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Take a stand

       As I listen to the news, I am made aware of an interesting duality in our society.  As multiple riots rage throughout the Islamic world as a result of a video insulting the Islamic prophet Mohammed, the world jumps forward to point out that the is not representative of all Muslims.  I agree that this is not representative of all Muslims and that is not what this post is about.  What it is about is the idea that hundreds of riots large and small do not represent a majority, yet individual protests do.  That's right, I am talking about how a small group of "Christians" seem to be the accepted representation of all Christianity, yet if we apply the same standards of representation to other religions or sections of society we are bigoted at best, racist and intolerant at worst.
             Don't get me wrong, I am not advocating categorizing anyone based on a sample of any size.  I believe each person is an individual and is accountable only for his/her own actions as it pertains to the group they are a part of.  What I am saying is that, if we apply the standards equally, Westboro Baptist does not represent all Baptists, a few select Catholic priests do not represent all clergy, and a small group of rioters do not represent the entire Muslim world.
            I think a friend of mine put it best when he said, just because I stand for my beliefs, doesn't make me an idiot, fool, or intolerant.  In today's society, to take a stand is to be intolerant and to continually shift your morals and beliefs to adhere with the ever changing tides of society is considered progressive.  Another way to look at this is an analogy to ships.  A destination is reached by trimming sails, adjusting the rudder, and continually checking your course.  If you simply go where the wind takes you, you may very well find yourself somewhere you don't want to be, a hostile land at best or sunk by the rocks.  This is what today's society tells you is best, to go where the wind blows you. 
             I want you to notice one thing in the previous statement.  I mentioned three things in regard to reaching a destination, trimming the sails, adjusting the rudder, and checking your course.  All three of those things require effort, knowledge, and practice.  In other words, if you aren't willing to put the effort into where you want to be, you will never get there.  The weirdest thing is that everyone seems to ignore this.  One other thing that needs to be noted is the practice part.  If you don't continually practice navigating and trimming your sails, you tend to lose some of the skill you gained.  Think of it like reaching the top of any skilled profession, if you stop practicing, your skills will wane.  A professional pianist once admitted to an interviewer that he practiced more now that he had reached the top of his profession than at any other time in his career.  Why?  Because he wanted to stay at the top and he knew that the only way to do so, was continual work.  The same is true of any profession.
            So why are we so lazy about our lives?  Why are we willing to put so little effort into where our lives are headed?  Why do we continually decide to take the easiest route even though we know that it leads us nowhere at best?  I can't understand it and I find it unnerving that so many people are willing to go there.
           I am going to leave you with a challenge.  Look deep within yourself and find one thing that you think is worth standing for.  It could be a belief in the constitution, a moral stance on nudity, a belief in God, or simply the belief that your diet is the right one.  Just pick one thing.  Now, ask yourself if you are willing to stand for that one thing no matter what is thrown at you.  If all your friends and family take the opposite stance, are you going to waiver or continue to stand for your belief?  Are willing to maintain that regardless of societal change?  The final part of this is do you apply your morals and standards equally across the board?  Think about it.  To stand for nothing is to allow everything.  We all have to make a stand somewhere on something.  Whatever we allow will eventually come into our homes.  It may not be this generation, but someday it will come in.
                Thank you for reading and, as always, thanks for reading.

Paying for what we want.

           I came to a realization this weekend and it is so overwhelming that I felt I had to share it.  When the government is asked to give something to the people, it must raise taxes in order to pay for it.  To some of you, this is an obvious statement and you just said, "Well, duh," to me.  The rest of you need to take heed.  No one wants to pay taxes and we get our politicians to agree to cut our taxes.  We then turn around and start yelling that we want special programs to fix some problem, we want lawmen to protect us, teachers to teach us, soldiers to defend us, doctors to heal us, and roads to drive on.  These all cost us.  Yet, no one wants to pay for them.
          We have a deficit, not because our government can't do math, but because we the people refuse to.  We the people demand that our government give us all these things and while refusing to allow it to tax us.  The fact that our politicians are elected, leads to their desire to give us what we want so they can be re-elected.  This leads to a deficit as we demand bigger government oversight and lesser taxes.  You can't have both.  If we were to take the annual budget and ensure it was fully funded, everyone would have to pay their fair share.  For some reason, we the people have decided that those who were either born into money or made their own fortunes should pay for those of us who aren't as well off.  Tax the rich has become the mantra we live by.  We should be living by the standards of pay equally.  If every American paid his or her fair share we could kick this deficit, we just refuse to.
            I always felt that it was an obvious statement that you don't buy more than you can afford.  It always amazed me when the government continued to pay for things it couldn't afford.  Then I took a closer look.  I found out that we continued to expand to give more to programs people wanted and then gave them tax breaks because they wanted that as well.  And so we ended up where we are today, deep in a hole with only ourselves to blame.
          Allow me to make a confession; I am one of those that take advantage of our current tax system.  I have been receiving tax refunds for years and have actually been getting more back than I pay into it because of all the breaks and credits I receive.  I am at the low end of the middle class with four children and thus get a lot of deductions.  In other words, if we were suddenly made to pay our fair share, my tax bill would go up significantly.  I am still for paying our fair share.  We need these programs.  Our teachers, firefighters, policemen, and military need paid.  Our roads and infrastructure needs repaired, maintained, and built.  There are a ton of programs that we need to continue.  Sure, we could work to make them more efficient, and that should definitely be one of our goals, but we still need to pay for them.  We need to trim some of the excess, but we still have to pay for the necessary.
           We all have the same problem.  I call it the gimme syndrome.  We all want the government to ”gimme, gimme, gimme," just doesn’t want to pay for it.  You don't walk into a grocery store and expect to walk out without paying for your groceries, so why should we expect our government to give us all that it does without paying for it?  This is something we all need to remember as we move into this election season.  If a politician promises a ton of new programs, reduced taxes, and a reduced budget, you know he/she is lying.  It just isn't possible.  You can do 2 of the three but the other has to go a direction you probably don't want.  New programs and reduced taxes means an increased deficit; reduced deficit and new programs means increased taxes; and reduced taxes and reduced deficit means, not only no new programs, but a reduction in existing programs. 
             This is something every American needs to understand.  We can't end the cycle without understanding the truth of the matter.  We can't solve the problems by turning a blind eye and using wishful thinking.  We are supposed to be about equality, yet we continually strive to punish those who, using the rules established, have made their fortune.  In order for America to be truly equal and to have the same rights, we must stop the inequality in what we pay in taxes.  Be honest, what percentage of your income do you actually pay?  I don't mean adjusted or what the government says you pay, I mean the money that you get before anything is removed, what percentage of that, do you pay?  I am willing to bet that it is less than 10%.  Why should we throw a fit when a millionaire pays 15%?  Fair isn't fair when we use different standards.  That's my two cents.
               Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Why I hate Politics.

           The one thing I hate about elections is the never ending rhetoric.  The thing that is different this year than from 4 years ago is the profuse use of face book in the campaign.  This means I see a ton of posts attacking each party.  What it comes down to is the fact that there is no real positive message from any candidate.  I have heard a few statements on what they intend to do in office, but usually it is over run by negatives on either side.  It has become of a game of who is less evil instead of who is better and it makes me sad.
         The question is, if a law were passed that required a week of positive messages only during each campaign, would we hear anything from either candidate?  It seems that they have taken the old adage of "if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything," and turned it around to say, "If you don't have anything good to say about someone, put it on air."  It is a sad state of affairs.  What really makes it suck is that it has become what people expect.  If we got a politician that was honest (yes, I know, honest politician is an oxymoron), I think people wouldn't vote for him on the grounds that he was too different.
       Speaking of honest politicians, growing up, I actually knew one.  He was our local state representative.  The story goes that he was first elected without campaigning because the people in his district knew him and felt he would do right by them.  He was a farmer and was one of the people.  Between sessions he actually returned to his farm and worked, politics was something he did as an extra duty and he claimed his profession as farmer.  You actually had to point out that he was a representative because he looked at it as a side gig.  The funny thing is, he never campaigned but he was re-elected year after year.  One year he even had an opponent.  The funny thing was the opponent got 5 votes, his, his wife’s, his campaign manager, his campaign manager’s wife, and the incumbent.  The sitting representative said he voted for his opponent because he didn't really want the job but would continue to do it as long as the people wanted him to and he was competent to do it.  He finally resigned at 82 or so and it was a loss.
       I used to say I was a republican and would never agree with a democrat.  I have sense come to realize that that mind set is exactly what is wrong in government.  The largest problem we have in our government is that we have become polarized with very few exceptions.  Either you are a republican or a democrat; if you claim to be independent you are labeled as indecisive.  What further complicates this is that if you have convictions and stand by them no matter what, you are a radical and a hatemonger; if you go with the current trends, you are pandering; and if you compromise you are a traitor to your party or an indecisive fool.  We have decided it is better to give negative labels to people rather than look at what their decisions are based on.  I would rather vote for a man that follows his convictions and votes against his party than for a man that follows the party line no matter what.  I would rather vote for a man that compromises to get things done over a man that refuses to listen to the opposing party because they are the opposing party.  We as a people have allowed this to happen and we as a people have directed it.  It is no coincidence that the very people we complain about hold the power to limit what we can do about it.  The saddest part is that the independents have very little influence.  They are such a minority that the only influence they have is when the parties are deadlocked and even that is rare.
            The one thing that makes this worse is that the politicians start looking at the next election almost as soon as they are elected.  Instead of looking at what this country needs, they are looking at what will make them look good for the next election.  The only regular exceptions are a second term president or a senator that has decided to retire.  It is a rare politician these days that repeatedly does what is best for the country over what his party wants. 
               Am I to critical of all this?  Maybe, but then again, if I weren't wouldn't I be like most of us who just take what the media gives us as truth and move on.  Sure, most of what the media says is true, but then a half truth is still true even if it isn't the whole story.  The media takes some flak, but most of it is directed at the "extreme" media.  Those sources that make no secret of their political leanings and jump on anything that helps their party affiliation are targeted most harshly allowing the more subtle sources to be taken at face value. 
               The most interesting part is that, with a little research, you can find the truth and it usually isn't what you are led to believe.  Both sides use statistics and numbers that, while true, only tell a part of the story at best or are downright misleading.  Take the "discretionary spending" argument used to cut the DOD budget.  In budget speak, discretionary means anything not specified by amount to be spent.  In other words, if the amount to be spent is estimated, it is discretionary.  Since caring for personnel (medical, logistical, pay, etc.) is estimated it is discretionary.  This means the department uses its discretion to ensure the people are paid and cared for properly.  So is it right to say that the DOD has a large discretionary budget?  Yes it is very true.  But then, by the budgetary definition of discretionary, teachers, policemen, firefighters, roads, electrical power, and the air traffic controllers are all discretionary as well. 
            The problem isn't what it means; it is how it is used.  The politicians use it knowing that most people will read it as the department has a choice on whether they spend it or not and thus can just cut it.  To most people, discretionary means that part of the budget spent on extras.  Discretionary means to them the excess after bills are paid, not the portion used to pay bills that are in flux.  If we used discretionary the way the government uses discretionary, our electrical, gas, water, grocery, and clothing would be a discretionary part of our budget.  I don't know about you, but I think I would be in a little bit of trouble if I just stopped using or paying for all of that. 
          I guess what I am saying is that we as Americans have to stop looking at the surface of what we are told by the media and politicians.  It is our responsibility to dig deeper and find the truth in what is being said and discover where it is we really fall on the issues.  What is said may be true, but that doesn't mean it is the truth of the matter.  A twisted truth may still be true, but it becomes a lie when it is interpreted wrongly.  Take the time to look into the truth.
        Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

The first day of school.

          The school year is starting again.  Today is the first day of school for my family here in western Washington.  While the kids debate whether to mourn the end of summer vacation or if school should be celebrated, mom is not so quietly dancing in the corner.  Those of you with school age children understand the sentiment.  As much as you love the pains in our rears, by month 2 of summer vacation you are ready for them to be out of your house.  You look forward to having the house free of that many mouths screaming for attention, reduced noise level that doesn't mean you should worry, and one less voice at 10 am asking, "what's for lunch?"
          I know my wife is jumping for joy.  She actually smiled when she asked me to remind her to set her alarm.  The kids, on the other hand, are indifferent.  They get to see their friends, but they are back in school.  I remember sarting off each school year with a bit of confusion as I had to learn all about new teachers and new classrooms.  Then the first day actually started and I had to jump into learning.  The funny thing is that is all I really remember about the first day of school.  I look forward to hearing how the day went with them when I get home.
          I am still a bit out of it so I think I will call this post done for now.  Thanks for reading and, as always have a great day.

Family vacation: the Finale

            When I last posted, I left off at just after Golden Spike national memorial.  The next day we finished our journey to the Grand Canyon.  Let me begin this by saying that just the drive to the North Rim is beautiful.  You pass through two national forests that are astounding.  It makes it even better after seeing desert for a hundred or so miles before hand.
           We arrived at the North Rim campround around two in the afternoon.  This gave us enough time to go to the visitors center and get our initial view of the canyon and it was amazing.  I believe on of the most endearing features of the North Rim is that it isn't as populous as the South Rim.  Whether this is due to the fact that the nearest freeway is 200 miles away, a 50+ mile drive on 2 lane roads, or that it is just not as well advertised as the South rim is up in the air.  Any way you look at it it makes it very easy to get around.  That night the rangers informed us that there was a campfire event where a ranger would talk with us.  We went and learned alot.  The ranger talk was on the ancient pueblonians (I hope I got that right).  We learned about their lore on where they came from and where they got their ability to make pottery and baskets.  At the end the kids got to make figures out of clay.  The kids loved it.
           The next day we took a bike ride from the campgrounds to the visitors center.  It was only about 1.5 miles, but it was over some decent sized hills.  The two older boys rode there bikes and I got to pull the two younger kids in the trailer.  We saw some majestic views and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  The ride back was even harder as the campground is higher that the visitors center.  In other words, mainly uphill.  I actually had to make the kids get out of the trailer and walk with me a couple of times.  Once again the kids loved it.  We got back to the camprounds about noon.  As we were eating a park ranger came up to us and informed us about another ranger talk that was going on at one.  The talk was very informative.  It was on the animals that live in and around the Grand Canyon and the relationships between them. 
          That night we relaxed and just enjoyed being a family.  The next day we headed out to take a few hikes along the rim.  Let me tell you that, unless you have some health defect that makes strenuous activity a death defying feat, you really have to do some hikes to fully appreciate the majesty of the Grand Canyon.  They don't have to be long hikes.  The longest we took was about a mile or so.  I would attempt to describe the views here, but I just don't have the vocabulary.  All I have to say is, after the Grand Canyon, everything else is just a hole in the ground.  Yes, I borrowed that from my dad. 
           The next day I learned that, apparantly, Arizona has a pretty loose definition of what a city is.  When we left the Grand Canyon we decided to make the drive to Mesa Verde in one day.  This meant backroads through Arizona and southern Colorado.  The maps showed towns every 9 miles or so.  Apparantly, if it has a gas station (or did at one time) it gets a spot on the map as a town.  Luckily, the route we were taking stuck to one road for quite a ways and thus my wifes confusion as to where we were was not detrimental.  It really wasn't her fault.  It wasn't until we had passed the fourth or fifth gas station that we realized that those were the towns listed on our maps.  Overall, it was some beautiful country to drive through and well worth it.  We arrived at Mesa Verde about 6 pm.  We made camp and had our dinner.  That night they had a talk about the animals in park.  It was quite interesting.  The next day we headed out right after breakfast.  We ended up going all over the park.  We probably hiked around 5 miles.  We were able to go through a few of the cliff dwellings and were amazed at the sheer scope of the work that went into them.  There was an eerie beauty to it all.  The only downside was the heat.  That night we did another load of laundry and played Uno as a family.
            The next day we headed out for home.  As we were driving we dicided that, since it was on the way, to drive through Arches National Park.  It was decidedly worth it.  The boys got to climb up around the double arch and our youngest wouldn't stop talking about it.  Everywhere we went in the park, he wanted to go climbing.  Overall, the boys fell in love with the park. 
             We ended up making it to Salt Lake City that night despite the 2 hours we spent at Arches.  The next day we drove straight through to Boise.  We arrived around 3 pm.  Since we were a little early, we decided to go to Cabela's.  There I found one of the .22 rifles that I had grown up with.  My wife allowed me to buy it.  This meant the boys got to roam Cabela's for about 2 hours while I made the purchase.
            That night, we ate with my wife's brother at Golden Coral.  It was a good meal and we all enjoyed ourselves.  We ended up talking until almost midnight.  It was a good time.  The next day we shared breakfast and had a good timie.  We ended up swimming for most of the afternoon and the adults ended up getting sunburned since we ran out of sunblock on the last of the boys.  It was so worth it though.  Onec again we talked until late at night before saying good bye. 
          The next morning we made the journey home.  In all it was great vacation.  I know it was because I still haven't recovered from it.
          Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Summer Vacation: Part 1, on our way.

          I am back from my vacation.  It was a good vacation.  Ok, my wife says it was great, but she wasn't driving.  The little timer in the truck says we spent nearly 60 hours in it.  That means I spent nearly 60 hours driving through the western US towing a camper with 4 boys.  All that after sleeping on a bed that was less than comfortable and it makes for a very tiring vacation.
          To be honest, if that were the entirety of the vacation, then the vacation would have been the worst ever.  What elevates it to good is the fact that the parts where I wasn't driving (and even a few that I was) were absolutely amazing.  I got 2 weeks with my family and we stuffed a lot into that.
          First we went to Idaho and visited my brother in law, and it was a great visit even if it was only for about half a day.  Then we left for the Grand Canyon.  Due to a slight miscalculation on my part, we had an extra day to get to the Grand Canyon.  We decided to spend it looking at various sights.  We decided on the Hagerman Fossil beds.  Turns out, they weren't that great.  It was interesting and all, but it wasn't worth a day of travel .  I think the family would have preferred Craters of the Moon National Park instead.  The problems with Hagerman are that, in hte first place, it is 30 miles off the main road.  This normally wouldn't be a problem, but the second issue is that the park entrance is a small town and the visitors center is small, very small.  There are a few activities, but they are rather mundane and, for a fossil bed, there were suprisingly few fossils.  Top that off with the fact that the fossil beds themselves are inactive, hidden, and can't be reached without a few mile hike (not recommended with a 4 year old) and the whole thing was disappointing.  We ended up going a few miles down the road before camping for the night.
                 The next day is when the vacation really took off and became what really made it all worthwhile.  We now had 2 days to go about 600 miles.  No problem.  It started off with us looking for a Walmart or something like it because we were low on a few necessities.  The GPS told us there was one not to far off the road so we headed that way.  At the exit, I noticed a sign for Golden Spike National Memorial.  For those of you who are currently having brain farts, Golden Spike National memorial coomemorates the driving of the last spike on the transcontinental railroad in Promontory, Utah.  As we approached this Walmart, we discovered that what the GPS had meant to say was Walmart Distribution Center.  Yup, It was a huge warehouse surrounded by Walmart trucks.  In other words, shoppers not welcome.  We decided that, since we were on the road anyway, why not visit Golden Spike.  it was so worth it.  Sure it was another 30 miles off the main road, but it was informative and the kids loved it.  It helped that it had 2 working steam locomotives and was pretty quiet.
               As we left the Memorial, we noticed a rocket display at a place called ATK.  At first, I was convinced that I had heard of this place before.  Turns out, I had.  ATK is where they built, fueled, and tested the booster rockets for the space shuttle among other applications.  The display actually included a full size decomissioned booster rocket that you could go up to and be awed by.  My wife went nuts and wouldn't stop talking about it the rest of the day.  We did eventually find an actual Walmart and got our groceries before we stopped for the night.
             This is a good place to stop for now, I will continue with part 2 on Monday.  Hopefully, I will be able to complete it, but I wouldn't count on it.
             Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Defining success in a round about way.

                  I know I eluded to a well written article that would incorporate facts and figures and be neat and concise.  I know that is what I promised.  This obviously isn't it.  I am still gathering data and looking into the post I eluded to, but it may take longer than expected.  It isn't that there isn't a wealth of data, in fact, quite the opposite, there is almost to much.  But that is not the point of this post.
                  As I sat here doing research and surfing the internet (more of the latter than the former I am embarrassed to admit), my mind started wandering as it tends to do and I got to thinking about human successes and how they are achieved.  I realized that worthwhile successes either come about through sheer luck (miracles if you lean that way) or hard work and perseverance.  We have no control over the sheer luck aspect and, let's face it, if you are waiting for sheer luck to bring you success, then you will be waiting a while.  In fact, I would wager that, usually, when sheer luck strikes, the success has been worked toward and was accomplished through the sheer luck.  What do I mean?  Simply put, while experimenting (the hard work) an inventor discovers something unrelated to what he was working on (the success).
                   So what am I getting at, you ask.  Simply this, in order to succeed, you have to go against your human nature.  Human nature is to find the easy way out.  Human nature says, I want the reward, but don't make me ask for it.  You have to go outside of what it is you want to do and go further.  Think on it.  Was there anything that you wanted, worked for and got?  Wasn't that thing more cherished and celebrated than the thing you were given for free? 
                  I admit, I am lazy and really don't want to go outside of myself.  I don't like doing extra work and tend to wait until the last minute to do many things.  The fact is, that my biggest achievements and the things I remember the most, are those things that I went after and clung to tenaciously to achieve.  Those things that I was able to concentrate on and do to the best of my ability and hold up as what I could do.  It was those successes that I like to look on.  The stuff I got lucky with, I really don't remember (that may also be because I don't get lucky to often).
                 Ask yourself this, am I waiting on luck, or chasing success?  The first does nothing, the second gets you there.  The funny thing is, when you chase success, you may not end up where you thought you were headed.  The great thing about that is that the new place may be better than where you thought you wanted to go. 
                    I am not talking about monetary success alone.  Whatever it is you want success at requires effort.  If you want a long and successful marriage, you have to work at it.  You can't just sit back and let it happen, you'll end up with a roommate instead of a spouse.  If you want your kids to grow up right and happy, you have to work at it.  You have to discipline them, teach them, and spend time with them.  If you sit on the couch and ignore them, they become the kids you complain about at the store.  You get the picture.  If you are living life under the assumption that you deserve something because of who you are for no effort, then you need to reevaluate your life.  People who believe that have a name, spoiled brats.  If you define yourself by the success of others (Do you know who my daddy is?;  I work for ___), then you are a nobody.
                    I may have ranted and gone off the dep end a bit here, but there is a worthwhile point.  Your successes define you.  I hope that people can recognize me as a good husband and father and that that is how they define me.  I don't want who I am to be defined as a good sailor or a good inspector and nothing else.  Don't get me wrong, I would appreciate those definitions, but the definition I strive for is great husband and father.  How are you defined?  How do you want to be defined?  Do they match?  If not, why not?  What can you do to make it happen?
                   That's all for today.  Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Things to come.

             This is just a short post to let you know where I am headed with all this.  I have decided that my next post will be on a topic that has been bothering me for a while.  I am not going to reveal it until I am done with the research and have figured out what I am going to write.  Just know that I am doing the research and that it will be a bit more fact laden than usual.  The down side of this is that I may not complete it this week, and with school next week, that means that it could be the following week before I post again. 
                No, I will not be posting next week as will be in class.  I have enjoyed posting regularly for you, but I have come to the realization that the quality has been beginning to slip.  Thus, I have decided to opt for quality over quantity.  I will try and give you a time line for each post, but they will not be as often.  Thank you for regularly reading my blog, I just felt that it was time to step up what I was writing.
              Thank you for reading, and as always, have a great day.

Busy, busy, busy

                I have taken a look at my schedule and the next month or so is so full of stuff that I won't have a lot of time to post.  I will post when I can, so don't despair (not that you would).  I just can't seem to find anything worth talking about for extended posts so I am just going to wing it for now.  This weekend was interesting.  I had duty Sunday so was completely unavailable.  Yesterday, the family and I went out and got shopping for school supplies done.  We also bought what we needed to launch some model rockets with the boys.  David has his built, Mathew will get his built this afternoon, and John should be able to finish his as well (John's is actually a higher level one).  I look forward to launching them sometime this week. 
                   As I said, my schedule is pretty full.  Next weekend I have a campout with the boys, which I am looking forward to.  Next week, I am in RTAP class.  That is a program for the military to help us transition to civilian life.  It teaches us how to write resumes and translate what we do in the military to skills needed in the civilian world.  Over all it is a great class that will help me as I move closer to retirement.  I will then be one week away from my trip to the grand canyon.  As I said, I have a pretty full schedule. 
                     Not much else worth saying, so I guess it is time to sign off.  Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

A plea for help. Not that kind, I just need topics.

            Why is it that I really don't have much to say beyond the usual rants.  I could go off on how people misuse various resources to prove points.  I could spout my opinion on any number of current events.  I could pull up statistics to support my arguments just as you could to support your side.  The fact is, I don't feel like starting arguments or becoming angry over things that I have no control of.  This makes me realize just how tough it is to write articles day in and day out.  New ideas are hard to come by and old ideas get repetitive.  What is a writer to do?
             I've thought about writing a nonsense post, but that gets old quickly (and I've done it a few to many times for it to be funny anymore).  I thought about posting another answer, but those are more for my sons and there are only a few that have any relevance outside my family. 
              I guess what I am trying to say is that I am running out of ideas and am looking to you, my readers, to throw me a bone.  What do you want to read about?  What interests do you have?  I really don't mind looking things up.  It doesn't bother me at all.  I have all day.  My job allows me to do whatever as long as I am available to do inspections when required.  This means I have 8 hours (give or take 15 minutes or so) to do research and write articles.  As my boss said, we get paid for what we know, not what we do.  Sure there are times when we get busy, but they are spurious and we usually have a few days between them. 
             All that being said, I look forward to your input.  Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Another answer

            I didn't post yesterday because I got sent to the other office at the last minute to fill in for coworkers who had appointments.  That being said, I really don't have a topic for today so I will include another answer for my sons.  Here it is.

1-1          What’s the most important lesson you learned from your dad?

To begin with, I learned a lot from my dad and not all of it was appreciated at the time.  Some of the things I learned from my dad didn’t sink in until years after I left home and I realized where that particular bit of wisdom came from.  The one that I deem the most important was one of these.  Dad didn’t come right out and say you ought to do this or not do that.  No, it was a lesson taught through living and by example.  I don’t even know if dad realized he was teaching me a lesson, I believe he just lived that way.  The lesson I am talking about?  Treat others with respect and kindness at all times.  Sounds simple enough until those others step on you and hurt you.  I can’t remember dad ever getting angry and yelling at anyone.  He always treated everyone he met with respect and honesty.  Even when they weren’t around he treated them right.  Sure, there were times when he may have said something negative, but it was always in a respectful manner, more of an observance than gossip or meanness.   As I said, it wasn’t so much a lesson taught as a lesson observed.  I hope it is a lesson I can pass on to you. 

I couldn’t leave this at one lesson.  There is a second lesson that comes on the heels of the first.  It is to work hard at whatever it is that you do.  This was a lesson I definitely didn’t appreciate growing up.  Usually, it was because it was one I learned through doing.  This is a lesson that is best taught through action.  I learned it through chores and work on our four acres.  There was always something that needed to be done.  Usually it was enough to keep us kids working all week during the summer and all day Saturday during the school year.  Looking back, I thank God that dad made us do that work and do it right.  He gave us the understanding that spending a little extra time to do it right the first time is better than doing it right the second or third time.  I hope that it is something I can teach you as well.  The ability to do a job right the first time and to see it through to the finish is important.  It is what sets you apart from your peers and allows you to find success in whatever you do.

             As I look back I realize that lessons that struck home the strongest were the ones taught through actions.  Those taught to me by word of mouth have tended to fade while those that my dad lived have endured.  I hope that I can live those lessons for you and that you can live them for your sons and daughters.
            Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Another answer

           What a week.  The Fourth was great.  Had a good time with family and fireworks.  I managed to end the day with the same number of appendages as I started with, which is a good thing.  Even better, my boys had a good day and got to light fireworks as well.  So much fun.  My mother-in-law and niece had a good time as well and leave tomorrow.  They will be missed but it will also be nice to be able to take a single vehicle to go somewhere as a family again.  Overall, it has been a good couple of weeks with them. 
            Not much to say today.  Didn't have any news story catch my eye.  No discussions worth rehashing.  In all, a quiet weekend.  Guess that means I get to post another answer.
            This one is pretty quick.

As a boy, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Like all boys, I went through several stages of what I wanted to be.  Early on I wanted to be a pilot.  This was re-enforced when I found out my father was in the Air Force, as it sparked my interest in airplanes.  I had a large collection of aircraft cards.  They were about 5” x 7” in size and had pictures on one side (some were photos and others were drawings) and the airplane’s specifications and weaponry, as well as a brief description of when the plane saw service.  I spent hours going over those pictures, dreaming of being a pilot.  I loved the idea of flying.  I really didn’t care what, I just wanted to fly. 

As I entered my middle school, I discovered that, in order to fly in the armed forces, you had to have near perfect eye sight.  Since I was already in glasses at this point, I realized flying an airplane for the Air Force was out of the question.  At this time I was already taking piano lessons (I started when I was in 4^th grade), and so I adjusted my dreams.  I decided I wanted to write music.  I loved playing around on the piano (practicing was not really that fun after all) and making up music.  I guess I still have that dream to a certain extent; I just don’t have the discipline or training to follow through.  Looking back, I realize just how important that practice was.  Had I put more of an effort into actually playing my lessons, I might have actually been able to write a full song. 

I had other fleeting dreams as well.  I dreamed of being a fireman, a police officer, and an astronaut.  I played at being a soldier, a ventriloquist, and a movie star.  I dreamed of being rich and famous (though in all honesty I was a bit vague on how I got there.)  The point is, have a dream.  Find out what it takes to follow that dream, then go for it.  There is nothing you can’t do if you just pick up your feet and move towards it.  Sure, you may find that it takes a lot of work, but it can be so satisfying.  Just remember, no matter how tough that dream may be to achieve, you have my support. 

There is an old joke that goes: “how do you eat an elephant?”  The answer:  “One bite at a time.”  The same is true of your dreams.  Take them one bite at a time and keep chewing.  Eventually, you’ll look back with a full life and say, “Whew, what a mouthful, but man was it satisfying!”

       Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

My America, How I love her.

          As this is the last post of the week due to the holiday, I felt that I should write on what this country means to me.  Although I believe that John Wayne did it better (look up his "America, Why I love her), I will try my best to put my feelings on her into words we can all agree with (or at least not get angry over).
         America, to me, is a country that means freedom.  This, by itself, is not enough to make her great or enamor me to her.  No, America draws me home for so many more reasons.  While its lands are vast and its sights awe inspiring, it is her way of life that keeps bringing me back.  Oh, we have our problems, but, then, who doesn't?  We pride ourselves in our freedoms.  Freedoms that few countries truly have.  Freedom to say what we will about our government and debate its merits or pitfalls openly and without fear.  Freedom to worship or not as we see fit.  Freedom to choose how we spend our lives.
          America has been called the land of opportunity, and rightly so.  This doesn't mean it is given to you and you are guaranteed success, only that you have the freedom to chase your dream as hard as you want.  If you decide it is to hard and you don't want to pursue it it is your choice, no one can, or is allowed to, make that decision for you.  Yet, you also have the freedom to go where you wish within this nation to chase your dreams.  So many come here, not because life is easier, but because it is freer.
          America is not perfect, no land where humans lives ever will be, but it is a place you can call home.  The American dream is to own our own chunk of land.  A parcel we can call our own and use as we will.  We are granted the ability to not just vote, but to write to and speak with those we vote for.  We are allowed to see our government in operation and the freedom to at least read what it does.  While we may not agree on what has been done or will be done, we have the freedom to debate it.
          Why do I love America?  She is the mother of freedom and the guiding light of democracy.  Though that light may dim at times and freedoms may falter, the light always returns to shine brighter and the freedoms return to stand stronger.  When endangered she rises up and stands together, her light shining brighter than the sun and bringing even those who are unhappy with her to her call.  She leads where others dare not tread and stands where others would fall.
            America is a nation of passion. We share what we are passionate about freely, without fear.  We are granted the ability to follow our beliefs where and how we will.  We are allowed to share those beliefs freely and invite others in.  Thank God for that freedom.
           In closing, I believe I can sum this up by simply saying that America is a land where we get to be who we choose to be, how we choose to be, when we choose to be, and where we choose to be.  It is all a matter of personal choice, a choice we are free to make.  God bless America.   Have a great Independence Day!
          Thanks for reading and, as always, thanks for reading.