Recently in Everything Else Category

I was flicking through the channels today and our President was discussing "sacrifice" on 60 Minutes. To be honest, I didn't really listen very long because I have almost no interest in what the man has to say, but the gist of the response was that if we don't hit rich people harder that those who can least afford it will have to sacrifice more.

Ok ...

Explain to me how getting paid for not working is a sacrifice.

How is getting free food, free healthcare, and free lodging a sacrifice?

To quote the great Inigo Montoya: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Be careful folks, there are some first class idiots out there.

We took the kids out to get pictures with Santa. I haven't even made it out of the neighborhood before the first incident happens. A Hummer H3 pulls out in front of me without even looking. Anti-Lock brakes worked well, thankfully. At least this person wasn't intentionally trying kill me ...

The next incident happened as we left the mall. We were about to cross the street when my son pulled on my arm to prevent us from going into the street. There was plenty of distance between us and the oncoming truck, but this probably saved our lives. The person driving the truck, being polite, stopped and waved us across the road. We just get past the truck when the idiot gangbanger in a silver and purple POS Buick behind the truck, floors it go around. He nearly hit us. I can't help but think that if we had crossed in front of the truck like I had planned, this idiot would have done the same thing except we would have been directly in his path then. This guy is apparently unable to stand any minor inconvenience without acting like a complete asshole. His antics continued and he floors it again after we are just barely clear of him. I was seething mad, but I had to let it go. There were some things I wanted to yell, that I couldn't. Hopefully, he only ends up killing himself, and not someone else. I was too distracted to get his plate number, I wish I had.

So, a simple trip to the mall to get pictures with Santa and we end up in two near serious accidents.

If you are the size of a grown man, uttering words like "f", "mf", and "n", then you are too old to be out trick-or-treating.

It only takes a few people like that to ruin Halloween for those with small kids. We left after encountering that group.

Got my new phone today. This entry was created on it. I really need to find a moveable type app for it. This kind of sucks.

You know, it takes a special kind of person to sit there and try to sneak every kind of charge they can on to your bill, and then have the gall to tell you how to answer the factory's service questionnaire so that they get the best evaluation.

The whole thing is just a nickle and dime you to death process, and if you don't ask what every little charge is I guarantee you will end up with a gold plated extended warranty, gap insurance, credit life insurance, lifetime oil changes, etc., etc. on your bill financed for however long your term is all without even asking for it.

The business model just needs to die. You should be able to walk in, see what the actual total out the door price is right on the car. (And I say this as someone who loves to haggle for the best deal.)

It would also be nice to skip having to go through a dealer at all. It's the 21st century, I should be able to order a car right from the factory and have it delivered to my door.

I have a gun, a phone, and a Jeep on order at the moment. No idea when I'll get any of them.

I consider myself to be pro law enforcement. Most cops are doing a good job, I think.

Last night we had about 4 cop cars from various agencies show up on our block at different times. I know because I was outside watching my kids play and ride their bikes. As one was leaving he must have hit 45-50 mph where my kids were riding just minutes before.

I do believe he must have had a reason, if not his driving was completely unacceptable, but even with a valid reason, does that reason trump the safety of the people who reside in this neighborhood? I personally don't think so.

If you've ever watched those Amazing Police Chase shows, a lot of times the act of taking out the person being chased brings more risk and more actual damages to innocent bystanders than the perp did. I don't get it.

Anyway, I really am for law and order. I just want people to slow down on my street, even if they have a badge and a gun.

It's been a couple of weeks now since the wife went back to work, and it's been a big change for both of us.

I'm getting up before dawn (if you knew me, this would be a shock) and helping get the kids get ready. Wife has to leave before they are fully ready, so I pick up the process after they eat breakfast, then get 'em in the family truckster and take 'em to school. Then it's back home to work. Hopefully, I get everything done so I don't have to work at night. Around 3:15 they get home from school and I get 'em some snacks, help them with their homework, and start on dinner.

For the most part, taking care of the kids has been pleasant and rewarding. When they were in half-day pre-K I didn't really get to spend that much time with them during the day due to work. Now, I get lots more time and feel a lot more involved as a parent.

My work day is a lot more productive since no one is here to bother me, but even though the change in my hours was approved, it seems like they still expect me to be available 24-7-365. Have already got stuck on calls and emergency requests "after hours". It's a little stressful and hectic when I'm having to respond those things while my kids are fighting and yelling and doing what kids do. I kind of expected that though, and realize I'm lucky in this economy to have a job and some flexibility at all. I think it will get better once my current project is over, whenever that will be.

Things have been different around here. The kids are in school full time, and the spousal unit has resumed her career. I've had to change my work hours around so that I can drop the kids off at school and be Mr. Mom after school. So I've been busy with that and just adapting to the changes. Adjusting to less sleep has been hard. Blogging time has suffered, but I also haven't felt like I had anything pertinent to blog about.

So there's a little bit of downside but there is more upside, we'll have two incomes and much better benefits, so we'll be able to afford baby sitters and more vacations. We'll be getting one or two new vehicles since our current fleet is getting up there in mileage. This will likely lead to more reviews of guns and gear on this blog. (We're going to save the rest. Our goal is to save up enough in 4 years to get a little patch of land somewhere close.)

I've decided to switch my carry gun from the EMP to an M&P. Still love the EMP, but all this flash mob stuff has me thinking I need more capacity. I considered carrying the Hi-Power again, but almost all of my shooting these days with my M&P Pro, so it made sense to standardize on a platform, plus the M&P is lighter.

I keep hearing this "shared sacrifice" phrase in relation to all things budgetary, but what does it mean?

Does it mean we should buy war bonds, ration gas and food, and recycle our metals? Obviously not.

I don't believe it has ever been explicitly explained, but if you listen to the rhetoric it appears to mean that taxes will go up on those who have been "more fortunate" and that entitlements will be insignificantly trimmed (from each according to their means, and to each according to their needs). Somehow each of those things is sacrifice and they are deemed equivalent.

I can not wrap my head around how getting free food, healthcare, and housing is a sacrifice. I'm not implying that you are living well if you are dependent on these things. but you are getting free stuff. That is not sacrifice.

I think the term "shared suffering" is more apropos.