Friday Rambling

I stopped on my way to work and topped my gas tank off on my car. I did this for two reasons. First, over the past couple of days gas prices have jumped anywhere from $.20 to $.30 per gallon. Secondly, after today the gas tax which had been temporarily suspended will be added back on. This should make the price of gas go up an additional $.15. So, the price for a gallon of gas here will be in the neighborhood of $$3.25 per gallon. One of the things I can't figure out is why the price always jumps about $.20 per gallon. Never $.03 or $.08 or something. It's always a variable of ten. 10, 20, 30... If we're not being gouged, then what is it? Why is it that one day there's going to be plenty of gas, then there's going to be a shortage. One day gas prices are high because of high demand, the next day they're high because of low demand. One day the refineries didn't sustain much damage, next day none of them are able to run. On and on. There is not a doubt in my mind we are being bilked to the max. Again, where's the government. Aren't they supposed to protect the populace? Only when it helps them in the polls, I'm afraid.

This Is Thursday

Today is Thursday. The day before Friday. Friday is the day that seems to never get here unlike Monday which comes around much too often and much to quickly. Even when Friday finally does arrive it passes as if it's never going to end. This only applies if I am at work. If, on rare occasion, I have a Friday off, it flies by. This would be a good day to be off work. Partly cloudy, temperature in the mid 80's. Much too nice a day to have to spend it at work. I hope it stays this way over the weekend.

Rainy Wednesday

What a surprise! It's raining here for the first time this month. I watched the Weather Channel last night and not a word was said about rain. It has made the air cool, crisp, and clean. That's one of the reasons I love this time of year. It's such a change from the past two or three weeks in which it was hot and humid every day. Whether or not it will last remains to be seen. I, for one, certainly hope so.

Day After Monday

In about three weeks we will make our yearly trek to the mountains of Tennessee to see the fall foliage. In all the years we have gone there has only been one time that the leaves were really pretty and colorful. We have been either too early or too late, there was either too much rain or not enough, or it hasn't been cold enough. The trip is still enjoyable but it adds something when the leaves are really in their peak colors. One color we will see a lot of is orange. We will be fairly close to Knoxville which is home to the University of Tennessee. Therefore, there is orange everywhere. They really get into the Vols. As for the tree foliage, only time will tell as to whether we see a lot of color or whether it turns out to be another bust.

Sunday Musings

Is it just me of do politicians just make everyone sick. I am sick and tired of seeing them doing nothing but taking every advantage they can of a situation. Doesn't matter if it's a natural disaster or the fact that the oil companies are gouging the hell out of everyone, they are there with their faces on the TV looking or trying to look sympathetic. They're pathetic all right. We need to get rid of all of them and start over. They should, on their way out, repay all their salaries and all the money they have made while in office.

End of the Week News

Found out this morning my boss is leaving to take another job. This doesn't break my heart in the slightest. He should have never hired for that position to begin with. He doesn't really know anything about the job but wants to act as if he knows everything. When we try to steer him in the right direction, he will not change his mind, so we end up doing things totally wrong. He has made it clear he has no desire to deal with personnel matters so the trouble makers and misfits play this to their advantage as they know he is a weak leader. They know we can't count on him for support. At any rate, he leaving and I may regret it later but for now I am greatly relieved.

Wednesday - Day of the Blahs

I should have known that this wasn't going to be one of my better days when I woke up and thought it was Thursday. Upon realizing it was only Wednesday and I still have three days of work to endure my entire system seemed to shut down. This is shaping up to be a long week. I am really down on myself right now for a number of reasons, none of which I want to go into at the moment. I'm sincerely hoping that as the day goes by it will get better. That's what I'm hoping. I don't have a lot of confidence it will actually happen.

Tuesday Night

Well, it's Tuesday night. The week has been about the same as any other so far. The only thing that is different is that my wife's grandmother passed away last night or really this morning. She was 98. Because of people like her I hope I never live to be old. She had dementia, loss of all bladder control, didn't from one minute to the next know where she was at, and sometimes recognized her family, but just as often not. If that is what growing old gets you, forget it. I'd rather die young. At least you can die with some dignity. That's a helluva lot more to be said than dieing in an "old folks" home alone and not even knowing where the hell you are.

Just Another Weekend

Not an especially good weekend, so far. Went out to eat Friday night to a Zaxbys (a local chicken finger place). Noticed when we went in it seemed to be unusually hot. Their air conditioning system wasn't working and by the time we discovered this it was too late. We ate in discomfort. Other than that it has been a nothing weekend. I have been at home doing nothing. Another unfortunate thing that ongoing at the moment is that me and the little woman aren't exactly seeing eye to eye about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There have been several arguments and discussions over the past couple of days. I suppose this occurs when people have been married a long time but it reminds me too much of my first marriage in which the way the wife manipulated me was through guilt and insecurity. The more guilty and insecure I felt the more she got her way. It's a sad way to handle a relationship and in this case I eventually became weary of it over time. I am starting to feel that way about this one also.

Game Day

There is another football game here this weekend. The third in a row. I realize that it brings money into the city but for those of us who live here it is nothing short of a pain. Traffic and more traffic, the inability to go anywhere that is needed because of the traffic, the inability to go out and eat and be seated in anything like a reasonable time, and the partying and it's aftermath. Most of the people here have learned what times to try to do what (the best time is when the game is actually going on). The absolute worse period is after the game is over. Everyone is trying to leave at the same time and it's a hand full for the police and traffic people. I always realize when all this is going on, how people who live in tourists places feel. Even though it brings in the cash I know everyone breathes a sigh of relief when everyone's gone and it's their town again.

Partaking of the Grape Wednesdays

Not too bad for Wednesday. Tonight is my partying night for the week. This entails me sitting at the computer with a glass of wine. This all began way back when the wife joined her church's chorus and they rehearse on Wednesday nights. As I had no desire to either join the chorus or go listen to them practice I took up "wine at the computer night" on Wednesday nights. At first it was great. I had ICQ and would chat and drink 'til my heart's content. After a period of time the newness of it wore off and ICQ became a bore. Now, it's just a routine thing I do on Wednesday nights because I don't want to watch TV and have nothing else to do. Usually by the time the wife arrives I am well on the way to a wine hangover. Thing is, I have to act like I feel just super on Thursday mornings and she is not a drinker and fails to understand why people want to. She, therefore, likes to make me feel guilty about it. I also cannot depend on her for any kind of sympathy for anything related to the downing of alcoholic beverages. Having said all this, I am on my way home to partake of the grape. Cheers!

Tuesday, So Far

Tuesday. A long way from Friday. I know it's just a frame of mind but I have always wondered why when at work the time passes so slowly but when at home or anywhere not at work, the time shoots by. There are weekends that seemed to have never been. There are trips and vacations that it seems went by so quickly it's as if I never did it. I didn't like school so had the same kind of feelings then too. I counted the hours, minutes, and seconds until that last bell rang. I thought if only I were grown things would be so different and wonderful. Yeah, right! Now that I'm grown I find myself wishing I were still in school. I'd probably still be counting the hours, minutes, and seconds until that damn bell rang!

The Weekend

My weekend began on an OK note. Friday night dined out with the wife. Saturday had lunch with my son and his girlfriend in town for the football game and a little shopping with the wife. But then Sunday. Nothing went right or was good about Sunday. The wife spent the day at church and then at her 20 year old son's mobile home helping him and her Dad get the place ready for him to move in. Why, as old as he is, he couldn't get his own place ready I don't understand. To make matters worse the Dad wanted us to buy him some chairs and a table. When the wife explained that we didn't have money to burn he made some statement about he didn't understand why we didn't have tons of money as we both have good jobs, make good salaries, and just should be rolling in dough being that both of us work. This coming from a man who rents mobile homes and a few houses, is retired, and does have money to burn. This pissed the wife off and she then explained that with car payments, house payment, car repairs, having to help pay for a funeral for my sister who had no insurance, and other and assorted monetary committments, there wasn't a gold mine left. This is not to mention taxes and all the other stuff that is taken from us before we ever get our hands on our hard earned checks. Anyway, the remainder of the weekend was spent with everyone in a foul mood. So much for resting on the day off.

Not A Good Day

It was bad enough that I started the day with a slight hangover but to add to my misery I managed to lose my office keys. On the grand scale it's not a major tragedy but a big inconvenience. I'll have to borrow someone's keys and have them made again. How I lost them or for that matter where I lost them is a mystery. I just know I don't have them. Until I can get some more made I can't get into the office until someone else arrives. This is a personal bummer to me as I am usually the first one at work. I hate being dependent on someone else, but for now I have no choice.

Human Nature?

I am constantly amazed that no matter what the situation may be, people will find some way to take advantage of it and/or the people involved. It's bad enough that with all the misery and tragedy in the Gulf that people will loot and steal but then I hear last night that there is a heightened fear that people there could become victims of identity theft as there are credit cards and other personal cards floating in the water everywhere. I could never understand a person who would rip another person off anyway but under these circumstances it's even more appalling. We have not progressed very much since the very first person set foot on earth. It just seems to be human nature to try to get something for nothing whether or not you're entitled to it rightfully. I know it is disheartening to me personally. In fact, it's downright sickening.

The Weekend

The weekend hasn't been all that great. I worked in the yard yesterday and for the most part that's been my weekend. I am off work tomorrow but don't have a thing planned. It's my father-in-law's birthday today and I had thought we were going out with them tonight, but I must have misunderstood as I am apparently the only one who thought this. I did watch the movie "Guess Who" last night and it was OK, I suppose. It wasn't as funny as the previews on TV made it seem, but then that's not unusual. It's difficult to find a really good movie and reading reviews is a waste of time as normally I don't agree with the reviewer anyway. I have rented movied on the recommendation of a reviewer who gave it high marks only to find the movie is terrible. So, I'll get prepared to pass away the remainder of my weekend hoping that something interesting will come up.

Our Leadership

My very negative opinion of the media was somewhat soothed last night as I watched CNN's Morton Cooper interview Louisana's Senator Mary Landreau. Her self serving answers to every one of his questions is a sad statement of how our leaders think and shows how out of touch they are. They are clueless. For several minutes no matter what he said all she did was stroke the Senate leadership, Bush, and herself for the great job they were doing. Even when he point blank told her people there didn't want to hear anything about politicians patting themselves on the back while they are dealing with hell she still didn't get it. We need to get rid of these politicians. They are nothing more than corporate flunkies who are bought and paid for by the rich and the big businesses. We are where we are now because they don't represent our best interests, they represent theirs and their rich pals. It starts with Bush and goes right on down to the local levels of government. We need to think and educate ourselves before we go to the polls and just blindly pull the lever, push the button, or whatever. We are putting idiots in charge. All you have to do is look at the situation on the Gulf Coast to see that or look to Iraq.