Fear is another of those emotions that is considered 'bad'.
It isn't. Fear is merely a premonition of what is to come if things aren't changed. It is necessary and can be as motivating as other emotions.
The thing people are afraid of most...is fear. They don't like feeling afraid, it makes them feel vulnerable. Fear often turns quickly to anger. This is a good progression too. The anger motivates the person to take action. When you take action, your fear recedes.
Fear is what some would call the power of premonition, I think. Without fear, there is no temperance.
Fear...not to be feared, simply to be felt and heeded. The only cure for fear is ACTION. INaction will only make your worst fears come true.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Second Day of Summer
My 17 year old comes home to tell me he was busted BY THE COPS making out with his girlfriend.
Where was he? At the park...RIGHT NEXT TO THE POLICE STATION.
Jesus. And he's my SMART one.
He tells me they called her parents too and he's worried. I said, "Well, son, you have every reason to be worried...why don't you continue your worrying down in your room. You now have SEVERAL reasons to be worried, just so you know."
Where was he? At the park...RIGHT NEXT TO THE POLICE STATION.
Jesus. And he's my SMART one.
He tells me they called her parents too and he's worried. I said, "Well, son, you have every reason to be worried...why don't you continue your worrying down in your room. You now have SEVERAL reasons to be worried, just so you know."
I Hate People
The senior chief and I were out and about the other day and we came to the four way stop. There was a guy to the right and there was a little confusion as to whose turn it was so we yielded the right of way, no big deal, no road rage, just nice living out in the country. Well, he had a bunch of plywood in the back and 4 or 5 pieces fell out into the middle of the intersection. So, the senior chief stopped, and helped the guy load them back into his truck. Seemed the right thing to do, the guy was older, there shouldn't have been a problem on some backwoods country road in the middle of nowhere...HA! The senior chief nearly got run over because these yokels were in such a damn hurry, they couldn't wait to get through the intersection. Hell, it took them all of 3 min. to get it done and the guy across waited nice and easy.
I hate people.
I hate people.
I AM Good..
I always heard this and still do...You are too good. What does that MEAN exactly??? And really, I am that good. I don't think mean things about people or judge them or even look at them that way.
I truly do look at each individual as a person with their very own struggles in life and if I can find a way to help, comfort, or aid that person, I will. It is in my nature.
So many people find this uncomfortable about me and I don't understand it. I know that there is so much jaded bullshit out there, it is wierd to find someone who is like that, but it's really true. I have no desire to hurt another individual in any way, shape or form.
I am even getting so sensitive, that I have difficulty killing bugs and I don't like bugs. I feel guilty for laying traps and bait. Really.
I truly do have that much kindess in my heart.
Oh, and the people who do believe it...totally mistake it as weakness and that's not true either. I may be good, and sweet, but I will not hesitate to right a wrong, or speak out when the occasion calls for it. I'm not scared, either.
I guess I'm sick of being judged one way or the other.
I truly do look at each individual as a person with their very own struggles in life and if I can find a way to help, comfort, or aid that person, I will. It is in my nature.
So many people find this uncomfortable about me and I don't understand it. I know that there is so much jaded bullshit out there, it is wierd to find someone who is like that, but it's really true. I have no desire to hurt another individual in any way, shape or form.
I am even getting so sensitive, that I have difficulty killing bugs and I don't like bugs. I feel guilty for laying traps and bait. Really.
I truly do have that much kindess in my heart.
Oh, and the people who do believe it...totally mistake it as weakness and that's not true either. I may be good, and sweet, but I will not hesitate to right a wrong, or speak out when the occasion calls for it. I'm not scared, either.
I guess I'm sick of being judged one way or the other.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Opinions
Everybody has them. It's the one thing that is annoying as hell about people and extremely gratifying at the same time.
Around our house, there's always a debate of some kind going on about some issue or another. We don't spend too much time on celebrity stuff because, well, it hardly seems important.
I am pretty careful about allowing all to express their opinions, no matter what they are in my house. It's part of why it's such a lively place to be. And, my word isn't the final word, always, and I'm glad for that sometimes.
One celebrity issue we have been discussing is Dale Jr. Why? Because the family dynamics so mirror our own, it's good to discuss things in a third person format sometimes.
Anyway, the stepkids weighed in on the situation and while they kind of agree with me that Jr. shouldn't have asked for 51 percent, they say that Theresa got what she deserved by not being there at the racetrack in any capacity..either as a car owner or as a stepmother.
Army boy stated that as the leader of the family she should be there. Especially in the stepmother capacity.
You know, that totally blew me away..those opinions. To them, that's just how it should be.
That made me think about my role as the stepmother and you know, I've always been there for them, no matter what they were doing. I'm glad they think that's just how it should be...because that means, that's the only thing they know at this point.
And, WOW..that implies a whole lot of sway and influence, too. It's good to know that my stepkids feel that way. It's wierd to know that I have that much influence over them, really.
I didn't have any expectations as a stepmother when I started on this adventure. I just saw some little kids and a sweet man that needed me and so we blended together, you know? The long term..never considered it. Good or bad. But, I've been in contact with other stepfamilies and other families, and I am so grateful it turned out the way it did.
But, I honestly never knew that I was that important in their lives. Honestly. Sometimes I think this ultimate mother thing I have going on is the biggest cosmic joke ever...I pretty much figured I would suck as a mother and wind up alone and unhappy. Glad to know God had other plans for me than that.
Around our house, there's always a debate of some kind going on about some issue or another. We don't spend too much time on celebrity stuff because, well, it hardly seems important.
I am pretty careful about allowing all to express their opinions, no matter what they are in my house. It's part of why it's such a lively place to be. And, my word isn't the final word, always, and I'm glad for that sometimes.
One celebrity issue we have been discussing is Dale Jr. Why? Because the family dynamics so mirror our own, it's good to discuss things in a third person format sometimes.
Anyway, the stepkids weighed in on the situation and while they kind of agree with me that Jr. shouldn't have asked for 51 percent, they say that Theresa got what she deserved by not being there at the racetrack in any capacity..either as a car owner or as a stepmother.
Army boy stated that as the leader of the family she should be there. Especially in the stepmother capacity.
You know, that totally blew me away..those opinions. To them, that's just how it should be.
That made me think about my role as the stepmother and you know, I've always been there for them, no matter what they were doing. I'm glad they think that's just how it should be...because that means, that's the only thing they know at this point.
And, WOW..that implies a whole lot of sway and influence, too. It's good to know that my stepkids feel that way. It's wierd to know that I have that much influence over them, really.
I didn't have any expectations as a stepmother when I started on this adventure. I just saw some little kids and a sweet man that needed me and so we blended together, you know? The long term..never considered it. Good or bad. But, I've been in contact with other stepfamilies and other families, and I am so grateful it turned out the way it did.
But, I honestly never knew that I was that important in their lives. Honestly. Sometimes I think this ultimate mother thing I have going on is the biggest cosmic joke ever...I pretty much figured I would suck as a mother and wind up alone and unhappy. Glad to know God had other plans for me than that.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Love
Love whispers
Listen closely
If you don't,
You may not hear
That sweet chorus
Called Love.
Love whispers,
Until it is heard.
Then, it shouts
Loud and Clear.
Love whispers
Listen closely.
Listen closely
If you don't,
You may not hear
That sweet chorus
Called Love.
Love whispers,
Until it is heard.
Then, it shouts
Loud and Clear.
Love whispers
Listen closely.
Fine.
So, I was out and about reading and I just really could not believe the number of blogs out there of men refusing to buy their wife a mother's day gift, or bitching because they felt like they had to.
What the hell? Ok, first of all, your wives do deserve a token of appreciation on mother's day from their husbands. The only exception is if they are a mother to grown children that aren't yours. They did gain the weight, suffer through the hormones, suffer through the morning sickness (I never had that, thank God) and whatever and did I mention the weight gain, and then they labored to bring forth this child. Yeah, you need to show your wife some appreciation on mother's day.
Now, does this mean you need to spend a ton of money? No, man, just be the guy in the Publix commercial. Coordinate the kids so that they can express their appreciation the way they would like to. Be their labor ..whatever. A card doesn't cost that much money, especially if you take the time to read it and let the one that expresses how you feel be the one. I mean, geez, they make whole stores full of cards for just such occasions.
The senior chief was feeling bad because he just didn't have time to think of it and he was excused, really, because we were busy. I forgot about it for a day or two even. I did remember to get my mother in law a card and send it though. Anyway, this mother's day wound up being particularly special because they got to express their appreciation in ways that they knew how and it was very touching.
You see, my stepkids are always torn on mother's day. And when they realized that they forgot to mention it even on Friday, they felt bad. Hey, I get it and we've always been about the intangible around here.
Anyway, besides that, there's a lot of people who are of the opinion that I am a mean stepmom. Not anybody that sees us in day to day operation, but when it comes to issues, I call it the way I see it. They have told me over and over that they do appreciate me, that I am their conscience, if you will, and after so many times, I have to believe them. The senior chief thinks I'm too hard on them sometimes, even.
But, on mother's day, to see each of them, unprompted just do something incredibly sweet really meant a lot to me. Especially the oldest. He spent every moment with me that he wasn't working. He was there and visiting with me early in the morning and then home for supper AND he brought a present. The senior chief, bless his heart, teared up with me and said, "Wow, if you didn't give him the smackdown every so often he really would think you didn't care. He really does rely upon that as part of his support."
I really really hate having to be the hardass all the time, but on Mother's day, and many days besides that, they let me know they appreciate it. They know it hurts me to have to be that way, but I love them enough to say what needs to be said. I do. And to know that they truly know that, means a lot. I spend less time feeling bad for the discipline I have to instill and more time thinking of productive solutions to problems.
And, you know, it's good to know that the senior chief appreciates me too. Once he got over feeling bad, he reckoned that the thing that I would like the best from him was a nice backrub and he wasn't wrong.
But, guys, part of being a mother is taking care of all the petty bs so that you can come home and be the good guy...you should thank her for that. Because trust me, if she weren't doing her job as a mother, your job would just be that much harder as a dad.
What the hell? Ok, first of all, your wives do deserve a token of appreciation on mother's day from their husbands. The only exception is if they are a mother to grown children that aren't yours. They did gain the weight, suffer through the hormones, suffer through the morning sickness (I never had that, thank God) and whatever and did I mention the weight gain, and then they labored to bring forth this child. Yeah, you need to show your wife some appreciation on mother's day.
Now, does this mean you need to spend a ton of money? No, man, just be the guy in the Publix commercial. Coordinate the kids so that they can express their appreciation the way they would like to. Be their labor ..whatever. A card doesn't cost that much money, especially if you take the time to read it and let the one that expresses how you feel be the one. I mean, geez, they make whole stores full of cards for just such occasions.
The senior chief was feeling bad because he just didn't have time to think of it and he was excused, really, because we were busy. I forgot about it for a day or two even. I did remember to get my mother in law a card and send it though. Anyway, this mother's day wound up being particularly special because they got to express their appreciation in ways that they knew how and it was very touching.
You see, my stepkids are always torn on mother's day. And when they realized that they forgot to mention it even on Friday, they felt bad. Hey, I get it and we've always been about the intangible around here.
Anyway, besides that, there's a lot of people who are of the opinion that I am a mean stepmom. Not anybody that sees us in day to day operation, but when it comes to issues, I call it the way I see it. They have told me over and over that they do appreciate me, that I am their conscience, if you will, and after so many times, I have to believe them. The senior chief thinks I'm too hard on them sometimes, even.
But, on mother's day, to see each of them, unprompted just do something incredibly sweet really meant a lot to me. Especially the oldest. He spent every moment with me that he wasn't working. He was there and visiting with me early in the morning and then home for supper AND he brought a present. The senior chief, bless his heart, teared up with me and said, "Wow, if you didn't give him the smackdown every so often he really would think you didn't care. He really does rely upon that as part of his support."
I really really hate having to be the hardass all the time, but on Mother's day, and many days besides that, they let me know they appreciate it. They know it hurts me to have to be that way, but I love them enough to say what needs to be said. I do. And to know that they truly know that, means a lot. I spend less time feeling bad for the discipline I have to instill and more time thinking of productive solutions to problems.
And, you know, it's good to know that the senior chief appreciates me too. Once he got over feeling bad, he reckoned that the thing that I would like the best from him was a nice backrub and he wasn't wrong.
But, guys, part of being a mother is taking care of all the petty bs so that you can come home and be the good guy...you should thank her for that. Because trust me, if she weren't doing her job as a mother, your job would just be that much harder as a dad.
Six Point Seven (6.7)
Yeah, I guess I wouldn't be much of a NASCAR fan if I didn't weigh in on the latest.
Yes, I've been following the story on Dale Jr. and all the surrounding drama.
The first thing I'd like to say is that shame on the press for stirring this up. This got this bad as a direct result of the press.
I've been pretty silent about it all especially at home with the family dynamics so closely mirroring my own, it would be easy to get into a heated argument, eh? But, the senior chief asked me my opinion yesterday and I had to tell him that if he and I built a company up from the ground, he died and one of his kids came up and demanded 51 percent, I'd just have to cut 'em loose.
He grabbed me and hugged me and said that's EXACTLY why he loves me, I won't let ANYBODY walk on me. What a hoot, eh?
Anyhoo, if it was that important to him to own a company he's going to own in the future anyway, then he'd have ponied up the 55 million to buy the majority shares.
And that's what I think about that. I know Jr. has had a rough time and a lot of responsibility but he's not the face he thinks he is. I'll watch him drive whatever car. It doesn't affect my standing as a fan, I think he's got a lot of talent.
However, it is not in my nature as a fan of the sport to hang all my hopes on one driver. If Jr. quit driving tomorrow, I'd still watch races. I'd still be a fan because he ain't the only good racecar driver on the circuit.
Yes, I've been following the story on Dale Jr. and all the surrounding drama.
The first thing I'd like to say is that shame on the press for stirring this up. This got this bad as a direct result of the press.
I've been pretty silent about it all especially at home with the family dynamics so closely mirroring my own, it would be easy to get into a heated argument, eh? But, the senior chief asked me my opinion yesterday and I had to tell him that if he and I built a company up from the ground, he died and one of his kids came up and demanded 51 percent, I'd just have to cut 'em loose.
He grabbed me and hugged me and said that's EXACTLY why he loves me, I won't let ANYBODY walk on me. What a hoot, eh?
Anyhoo, if it was that important to him to own a company he's going to own in the future anyway, then he'd have ponied up the 55 million to buy the majority shares.
And that's what I think about that. I know Jr. has had a rough time and a lot of responsibility but he's not the face he thinks he is. I'll watch him drive whatever car. It doesn't affect my standing as a fan, I think he's got a lot of talent.
However, it is not in my nature as a fan of the sport to hang all my hopes on one driver. If Jr. quit driving tomorrow, I'd still watch races. I'd still be a fan because he ain't the only good racecar driver on the circuit.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Honored
You know, I am really honored that Army boy thinks enough of me and has enough respect for me that he truly wanted me to join up and serve with him. He's a hard one to resist, too, and he knows it. We've always been buddies, and it would be an experience to treasure, I'm sure.
However, as I explained to him, at this point in my life, I have other people depending upon me and my time would be better served helping those unfortunate disabled veterans navigate the system and make sure they get the benefits due to them. It's an intimidating process and a lot of veterans are so very humble that they don't get what they need to take care of themselves. They get a little stuck being sad that they couldn't do more for their countries, initially. It takes a little while for the anger and whatnot to set in especially if they didn't act within th statute of limitations.
I took him to pick up his car the other day. I'll post a picture soon as I remember to snag the camera from the senior chief. Anyway, it's a 1987 Black Iroc Z-28 with a 305 and a five-speed in it, t-tops. It's sweeeet. Very sweet. I have yet to drive it, but I rode in it yesterday. Ha! Ha! The boy's still afraid of it, which is a good thing. He's still a little rough with it, he all but hopped it up the street. He's more inclined to overrev the engine in first gear, and that hurts. I taught him how to get on up through the gears yesterday..be a little smoother with it...whew. The senior chief hates it when I do that, but hey, they're going to learn how to do it anyway, better to know where the cut off is right from the get go. I gave him a lot of speed to play with, hell, I only had him get up to the speed limit, but geez, he just didn't need to take ten miles to do it. Get on through the gears and then cruise, that's my motto anyway...hehehehe.
Besides, he answers to a higher authority right now. He always has to keep in mind that he's government property now so he's got to be extra careful. I am enjoying spending time with him though. Treasure every moment and all that.
However, as I explained to him, at this point in my life, I have other people depending upon me and my time would be better served helping those unfortunate disabled veterans navigate the system and make sure they get the benefits due to them. It's an intimidating process and a lot of veterans are so very humble that they don't get what they need to take care of themselves. They get a little stuck being sad that they couldn't do more for their countries, initially. It takes a little while for the anger and whatnot to set in especially if they didn't act within th statute of limitations.
I took him to pick up his car the other day. I'll post a picture soon as I remember to snag the camera from the senior chief. Anyway, it's a 1987 Black Iroc Z-28 with a 305 and a five-speed in it, t-tops. It's sweeeet. Very sweet. I have yet to drive it, but I rode in it yesterday. Ha! Ha! The boy's still afraid of it, which is a good thing. He's still a little rough with it, he all but hopped it up the street. He's more inclined to overrev the engine in first gear, and that hurts. I taught him how to get on up through the gears yesterday..be a little smoother with it...whew. The senior chief hates it when I do that, but hey, they're going to learn how to do it anyway, better to know where the cut off is right from the get go. I gave him a lot of speed to play with, hell, I only had him get up to the speed limit, but geez, he just didn't need to take ten miles to do it. Get on through the gears and then cruise, that's my motto anyway...hehehehe.
Besides, he answers to a higher authority right now. He always has to keep in mind that he's government property now so he's got to be extra careful. I am enjoying spending time with him though. Treasure every moment and all that.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Army Strong
So, I almost joined the Army today. I'd kind of still like to. Reason prevailed, that and the thought of facing the senior chief and telling him ..Hey babe, I joined the Army today. Not cool.
But seriously, I am in a dilemma. I never transitioned. I realized it at the graduation the other day. The senior chief didn't either, really, but more so than I did because he's had to overcome his transition fears.
Me, I've just always been ultra patriotic. These years without any kind of involvement with the military have been hard. I've missed it every minute. Parts of it. Parts of it I don't miss.
I could probably get an age waiver for the Navy too considering prior service.
It's a strong pull. Just as strong as my pull to get out.
Hell, I could join, do 10 more years of active service...12, anyway, and me and the senior chief could be sitting pretty at the end of that time.
I wish...
But seriously, I am in a dilemma. I never transitioned. I realized it at the graduation the other day. The senior chief didn't either, really, but more so than I did because he's had to overcome his transition fears.
Me, I've just always been ultra patriotic. These years without any kind of involvement with the military have been hard. I've missed it every minute. Parts of it. Parts of it I don't miss.
I could probably get an age waiver for the Navy too considering prior service.
It's a strong pull. Just as strong as my pull to get out.
Hell, I could join, do 10 more years of active service...12, anyway, and me and the senior chief could be sitting pretty at the end of that time.
I wish...
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Motivated
I heard something at the graduation the other day that just tickled me pink. I don't know why, but it did. All those young soldiers in their uniforms...so proud..and happy..
Anyway, so a group of them were standing in formation and they were cutting up with their drill sergeant a little bit and then they all snap to, and that is always just so sharp.
He says "So, fellas, are you motivated?"
And, all those little soldiers replied in unison..Motivated, motivated, hell yeah, motivated Hoo-ah, I want to shoot someone, hoo-ah, I want to shoot someone. SOOOOON!
Tickled me to death, it did. Now it's running around in the back of my head...just ready to pop out at the MOST inappropriate time...like standing in a long line at the grocery store, the average civilian just doesn't appreciate you chanting that under your breath, eh? Ah, but it feels so good.
I have really enjoyed talking with my Army boy the last couple of days, hearing his philosophy on things and hearing how his opinion has changed on things with just a little dose of the real truth.
He now knows about the civilian intellect (isn't that more of an oxymoron that military intelligence?)and that those people are the ones he's protecting...and what that means.
I am so proud I could burst...and more than a little jealous too. But, I told him at this point in my life, I'm pretty good with living vicariously through my children. I just wish that we had been able to finish this back in the day. It hurts to know that my children have to finish cleaning up a mess that was started back in MY day because we weren't allowed to finish it. But, they're trained well, and they don't seem to mind.
And for that most of all, Thank you to our young soldiers out there.
Anyway, so a group of them were standing in formation and they were cutting up with their drill sergeant a little bit and then they all snap to, and that is always just so sharp.
He says "So, fellas, are you motivated?"
And, all those little soldiers replied in unison..Motivated, motivated, hell yeah, motivated Hoo-ah, I want to shoot someone, hoo-ah, I want to shoot someone. SOOOOON!
Tickled me to death, it did. Now it's running around in the back of my head...just ready to pop out at the MOST inappropriate time...like standing in a long line at the grocery store, the average civilian just doesn't appreciate you chanting that under your breath, eh? Ah, but it feels so good.
I have really enjoyed talking with my Army boy the last couple of days, hearing his philosophy on things and hearing how his opinion has changed on things with just a little dose of the real truth.
He now knows about the civilian intellect (isn't that more of an oxymoron that military intelligence?)and that those people are the ones he's protecting...and what that means.
I am so proud I could burst...and more than a little jealous too. But, I told him at this point in my life, I'm pretty good with living vicariously through my children. I just wish that we had been able to finish this back in the day. It hurts to know that my children have to finish cleaning up a mess that was started back in MY day because we weren't allowed to finish it. But, they're trained well, and they don't seem to mind.
And for that most of all, Thank you to our young soldiers out there.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Best Mother's Day Ever
It really was. It was so nice just having everyone here, but I got to spend some good, quality time with them all, as well.
Army boy got up and cooked a huge breakfast..pancakes, bacon, eggs 2 different ways..and the 17 yr old was his helper. It was good, too!
The eldest surprised me. He made sure he was there in the morning to wish me a Happy Mother's Day and came home from work really nice with a gift just about the time I thought they all forgot about me ..haha!!
Nice and simple supper, which was nice...very nice and for the grand finale, the kid whose keys I took the other night came over and they made some homemade fireworks.
That's what you get when you put a jarhead and a grunt together, I suppose...here they are..just enough knowledge to make them dangerous and they send 'em home to mom..hahaha.
It was funny because little dude comes running in....MOOOOOM they are building BOMBS out there.
Learn something new every day let me tell ya. Aluminum foil and toilet bowl cleaner.
Anyhoo, it was a grand day. I got a nap and had the whole day off and it was very nice.
Army boy got up and cooked a huge breakfast..pancakes, bacon, eggs 2 different ways..and the 17 yr old was his helper. It was good, too!
The eldest surprised me. He made sure he was there in the morning to wish me a Happy Mother's Day and came home from work really nice with a gift just about the time I thought they all forgot about me ..haha!!
Nice and simple supper, which was nice...very nice and for the grand finale, the kid whose keys I took the other night came over and they made some homemade fireworks.
That's what you get when you put a jarhead and a grunt together, I suppose...here they are..just enough knowledge to make them dangerous and they send 'em home to mom..hahaha.
It was funny because little dude comes running in....MOOOOOM they are building BOMBS out there.
Learn something new every day let me tell ya. Aluminum foil and toilet bowl cleaner.
Anyhoo, it was a grand day. I got a nap and had the whole day off and it was very nice.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Happy Mother's Day
Happy Mom's Day to all you wonderful moms out there!!! I got to have all mine home this year, how cool is that?
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Bu-u-u-sy and Lovin' It!
Joe graduated from boot camp yesterday and they put on a show that was AWESOME!!! They had a couple of personnel carriers, and some hellacious smoke bombs, I want some of those, let me tell ya.
It was one of the most proud moments I've had as a mother, let me tell ya. The birth mother was in attendance, but that didn't even steal anything away because last night, he was home. We cooked him a steak and potatoes and fed him real food, visited and today he and the senior chief went out and bought him a car. I understand it's a black Iroc z28 with a brand new 305 in it..new everything and he picked it up for a song. It'll blow the doors off my hot rod, and the eldest's new hot rod without even breathing heavy.
Of course, last night a party blew up like a tornado. I love the relationship I have with Joe. I love the relationship I have with all my kids, honestly. Even the one with the eldest is coming around. We had a nice long visit last night and now I know his weakness and how to exploit it, (evil grin). And, truthfully, you do catch more flies with sugar than you do vinegar. It's an old saying, but it's very true.
When I turn the sugar on, not a one of those kids can resist doing exactly what I want.
That way, when I am unbending on certain issues, it's not a problem. Like, the cost for one beer in this house is your keys. Period. One beer, you might as well have a couple and stay for awhile because one beer costs you a set of keys. I don't give a damn who you are, what branch of the service you are in or where you've served, who you've killed, or any of that. At my house, even if you are the fucking president, if you have a beer, then it costs you your keys. I can't count how many people have been drinking, so we'll just make it easy for me.
So, I have only one question...Are you Motivated????
It was one of the most proud moments I've had as a mother, let me tell ya. The birth mother was in attendance, but that didn't even steal anything away because last night, he was home. We cooked him a steak and potatoes and fed him real food, visited and today he and the senior chief went out and bought him a car. I understand it's a black Iroc z28 with a brand new 305 in it..new everything and he picked it up for a song. It'll blow the doors off my hot rod, and the eldest's new hot rod without even breathing heavy.
Of course, last night a party blew up like a tornado. I love the relationship I have with Joe. I love the relationship I have with all my kids, honestly. Even the one with the eldest is coming around. We had a nice long visit last night and now I know his weakness and how to exploit it, (evil grin). And, truthfully, you do catch more flies with sugar than you do vinegar. It's an old saying, but it's very true.
When I turn the sugar on, not a one of those kids can resist doing exactly what I want.
That way, when I am unbending on certain issues, it's not a problem. Like, the cost for one beer in this house is your keys. Period. One beer, you might as well have a couple and stay for awhile because one beer costs you a set of keys. I don't give a damn who you are, what branch of the service you are in or where you've served, who you've killed, or any of that. At my house, even if you are the fucking president, if you have a beer, then it costs you your keys. I can't count how many people have been drinking, so we'll just make it easy for me.
So, I have only one question...Are you Motivated????
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Happy Belated Birthday
Well, my oldest turned 23 the other day. I think he's finally turned around and heading in a direction, but it's still a little too soon to tell.
He bought some wheels last week while we were at Talladega. Not the choice of wheels I would have chosen if I were trying to ease my parents worries, but hey, he's not about easing our worries. He bought a Firebird.
I did express to him my fear that he was going to wreck it. And, I'm not even worried that it's going to be a drunk accident. I'm worried that he's going to find a NEW way to wreck it...see that's HIS MO. He isn't in the habit of making the same mistake twice, thank God, but he'll find as many new ways as he can to make mistakes.
So far, he seems to be chilled and moving forward with the plan he had outlined when he came home. Good.
But, I'm still skeptical and I don't trust him one bit and that just really bothers me. It seems that time will take care of it, and I truly hope so.
He has been hanging more with the buddies of his that don't party as much lately..the ones that are getting responsible and sucking it up and building their credit scores, keeping jobs, the whole nine yards. He's always had the same job, so it's not like that, it's just that he really needs to get one with benefits and whatnot. He says he's going to...at this point I have no choice but trust that and when we move, well, if he hasn't got his stuff together by then, I guess he's screwed, eh?
He bought some wheels last week while we were at Talladega. Not the choice of wheels I would have chosen if I were trying to ease my parents worries, but hey, he's not about easing our worries. He bought a Firebird.
I did express to him my fear that he was going to wreck it. And, I'm not even worried that it's going to be a drunk accident. I'm worried that he's going to find a NEW way to wreck it...see that's HIS MO. He isn't in the habit of making the same mistake twice, thank God, but he'll find as many new ways as he can to make mistakes.
So far, he seems to be chilled and moving forward with the plan he had outlined when he came home. Good.
But, I'm still skeptical and I don't trust him one bit and that just really bothers me. It seems that time will take care of it, and I truly hope so.
He has been hanging more with the buddies of his that don't party as much lately..the ones that are getting responsible and sucking it up and building their credit scores, keeping jobs, the whole nine yards. He's always had the same job, so it's not like that, it's just that he really needs to get one with benefits and whatnot. He says he's going to...at this point I have no choice but trust that and when we move, well, if he hasn't got his stuff together by then, I guess he's screwed, eh?
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Aggression
I've had people ask me this a lot...What causes some children to be so aggressive?
I have been thinking about this for awhile and there are many reasons that children are aggressive. First and foremost, they are BORN that way. Yep. This is one of those things that you can say kids are born with..it's natural instinct and it takes a while to civilize them, believe it or not.
Don't believe me? Try and take a piece of candy from a child and listen to them GROWL at you. Oh yes they will, just like any other baby animal.
Children can become aggressive when they don't have clear boundaries. Children are territorial by nature and they have rigid little minds so when things are inconsistant, you are going to get more aggressiveness.
As well, the only emotion that we see little children express is anger. That is because it comes naturally and they don't yet understand the nuances of other emotions. Sad, happy, and mad is all they know. The understanding of disappointment, frustration, and hurt feelings comes later, hopefully. But, you have to actively teach your children to identify their emotions, just as you would teach them to identify different objects in the world.
Sometimes what appears to be aggression..isn't. I had one kid who would just melt down with too much stimulation, too much activity. I had to limit his exposure to crowds or he would just go nuts. Screaming, kicking, the whole nine yards.
Aggression in older kids is caused for different reasons, but a lot of times, anger is the root.
My parents weren't particularly abusive..in that they didn't hit or anything...but I'm very aggressive when it comes to certain things and all of it is repressed anger at some of the things that were said and done.
Aggression in older kids is also their way of trying to be proactive. You'll see this when there is perception of someone being backed into a corner with no escape..it's part of the fight or flight syndrome.
When you have classic abuse, it's a lot easier to identify the source of these things and deal with them. Most people don't have too much trouble looking back and saying..."Hitting me was wrong." The problem occurs with mental abuse. Mental abuse can be very damaging as well as physical abuse. I won't say that mental abuse causes more harm because mental abuse ALWAYS accompanies physical abuse.
However, whenever you have mental abuse, getting help can be much harder because you say to yourself, well, geez, they did the best they could...at least they didn't hit me like so and so's father or mother or whatever and you tend to minimize your feelings and what has been said and done to you.
My stepchildren were very aggressive to me when I first married the senior chief. The eldest one and Jake, anyway. Joe wasn't. Joe just wasn't that kind of kid. He internalized his feelings more and wanted to hurt HIMSELF...and to me that was far worse. They all had help from their natural mother, but really the cure for it was consistancy and nobody hit anybody in this house. The eldest one wanted to play rough and the senior chief got a little upset with how he tried to be and I handled that be letting him know that he was playing too rough and if that's how he wanted to play...fine...but let it be known that the next time he hit me, I was going to hit him exactly that hard..he did..I did and that was that.
There is more of a tendency for aggressiveness in the spring. Again, we are all animals and part of the animal kingdom and it's mating season for every other animal on this planet..we are no exception. Yeah, we're like the rams butting heads up on the mountain and the stags fighting in the forest.
Sometimes, aggression is assertiveness gone a little too far. If you've ever been abused, this is perfectly natural..it's a finding of balance. In my younger years, I was very guilty of this. Never again was a man going to hit me, and a LOT of men paid for the deeds of the one. Time and experience taught me the difference and how to find the balance.
When you have a kid that is particularly aggressive, the only real thing you can do is talk, talk, talk to them and try to understand where they are coming from, what they are feeling. Once YOU understand, then you can help THEM understand and when you understand the driving emotion behind it, then you can begin to redirect the aggression to more productive outlets.
I have been thinking about this for awhile and there are many reasons that children are aggressive. First and foremost, they are BORN that way. Yep. This is one of those things that you can say kids are born with..it's natural instinct and it takes a while to civilize them, believe it or not.
Don't believe me? Try and take a piece of candy from a child and listen to them GROWL at you. Oh yes they will, just like any other baby animal.
Children can become aggressive when they don't have clear boundaries. Children are territorial by nature and they have rigid little minds so when things are inconsistant, you are going to get more aggressiveness.
As well, the only emotion that we see little children express is anger. That is because it comes naturally and they don't yet understand the nuances of other emotions. Sad, happy, and mad is all they know. The understanding of disappointment, frustration, and hurt feelings comes later, hopefully. But, you have to actively teach your children to identify their emotions, just as you would teach them to identify different objects in the world.
Sometimes what appears to be aggression..isn't. I had one kid who would just melt down with too much stimulation, too much activity. I had to limit his exposure to crowds or he would just go nuts. Screaming, kicking, the whole nine yards.
Aggression in older kids is caused for different reasons, but a lot of times, anger is the root.
My parents weren't particularly abusive..in that they didn't hit or anything...but I'm very aggressive when it comes to certain things and all of it is repressed anger at some of the things that were said and done.
Aggression in older kids is also their way of trying to be proactive. You'll see this when there is perception of someone being backed into a corner with no escape..it's part of the fight or flight syndrome.
When you have classic abuse, it's a lot easier to identify the source of these things and deal with them. Most people don't have too much trouble looking back and saying..."Hitting me was wrong." The problem occurs with mental abuse. Mental abuse can be very damaging as well as physical abuse. I won't say that mental abuse causes more harm because mental abuse ALWAYS accompanies physical abuse.
However, whenever you have mental abuse, getting help can be much harder because you say to yourself, well, geez, they did the best they could...at least they didn't hit me like so and so's father or mother or whatever and you tend to minimize your feelings and what has been said and done to you.
My stepchildren were very aggressive to me when I first married the senior chief. The eldest one and Jake, anyway. Joe wasn't. Joe just wasn't that kind of kid. He internalized his feelings more and wanted to hurt HIMSELF...and to me that was far worse. They all had help from their natural mother, but really the cure for it was consistancy and nobody hit anybody in this house. The eldest one wanted to play rough and the senior chief got a little upset with how he tried to be and I handled that be letting him know that he was playing too rough and if that's how he wanted to play...fine...but let it be known that the next time he hit me, I was going to hit him exactly that hard..he did..I did and that was that.
There is more of a tendency for aggressiveness in the spring. Again, we are all animals and part of the animal kingdom and it's mating season for every other animal on this planet..we are no exception. Yeah, we're like the rams butting heads up on the mountain and the stags fighting in the forest.
Sometimes, aggression is assertiveness gone a little too far. If you've ever been abused, this is perfectly natural..it's a finding of balance. In my younger years, I was very guilty of this. Never again was a man going to hit me, and a LOT of men paid for the deeds of the one. Time and experience taught me the difference and how to find the balance.
When you have a kid that is particularly aggressive, the only real thing you can do is talk, talk, talk to them and try to understand where they are coming from, what they are feeling. Once YOU understand, then you can help THEM understand and when you understand the driving emotion behind it, then you can begin to redirect the aggression to more productive outlets.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Drugs
So, I see in the news that there is a call for the FDA to put stronger labels on antidepressants for kids, saying that they increase the risk of suicide, blah, blah, blah.
I'm not sure it's going to work. I'm not entirely sure the blame lies with the drugs, entirely, and if there is a problem it is with a die or some other strange, inert ingredient.
First of all, depression hurts..the commercial doesn't lie. It truly does hurt all over. Overcoming depression is a lot of hard work, with or without medications. Overcoming ANY mental illness is a LOT of hard work, with or without medications. It just is. You learn to not trust your perceptions of reality around you and when you can't trust your own instincts and that what is around you is real, it becomes hard to even recognize that you need help sometimes.
Secondly, why ARE our teenagers so damn depressed these days? What is up with that? The problem is two fold I think, at the very least. There is more information available to them and less people to interpret it correctly for them, or to help guide them into the correct interpretation.
EVERYBODY is depressed at the state of the world today. Teenagers today have more access to more knowledge than a lot of us did at the same age. They are being pressured to do more, to care more, to take part in fixing this messed up world and they aren't being given the coping skills in which to do it.
We did not have 24 hour cable news when we were kids, nor did we have the internet where news and very personal stories are told. Each tragedy that happens is right in your face, it's very personal now.
You top that with the fact that both parents have to work in most families to make ends meet. Those of us with the ability to stay home are very, very fortunate indeed and for my fellow stay at home moms, let us just stop for a minute and thank God for His blessings upon us.
So, the kid comes home from school, flips on the tv, or the computer and it's not like you can really escape the news, and there's disturbing things going on in the world and it seems like there's just so much damn hate and these kids feel bad and then there's nobody to talk to about it.
That's just one scenario. That's not getting into the abuse suffered by so many children these days. I know I'm on and on about it, but it is so widespread. When I can think off the top of my head of at least 6 different kids, from 6 different families, within 6 miles of the school, whose kids have reported being beat, raped, you name it...and these are not all POOR families, like you would expect. Hell, I don't live in a trailer, ya know.
So, these kids are miserable and they finally, finally get to a point where they are so miserable they ask for help and teenagers are wierd like that...they will wait until the last minute. They are scared or whatever..within the age group, mentall illness is still VERY MUCH a stigma. Very much.
Anyway, so they finally get some help and they are just miserable enough to try a medication and WOW..it seems to work. But, here's the catch....whatever the driving stress is behind the depression has GOT to be dealt with. The medication only helps make it more easy to deal with. It doesn't cure a damn thing. And, if you don't deal with the underlying issues, then the depression will return, medication or no medication.
How many of these kids do you think are getting follow up counseling along with their medication? And a lot of this follow on counseling is simple stress management techniques.
And then there's the counseling techniques...oh lordy..teenagers better than anyone else know when you are trying to blow smoke up their ass. They LIKE it when you tell them they need to get over themselves and start to own their lives. It's YOUR life now, what are YOU going to make of it? They need to be taught to take control of their own lives, to own the consequences of their actions...and teenagers think that mentall illness is perceived as an excuse and many of the ones I've dealt with truly don't want an excuse for why they are fucked up, they just don't want to feel that way anymore.
Haha...I remember one kid...I had to tell him...Look kid, your boss does not care if your meds don't work...or do work...or if you are too depressed to get out of bed, all he knows is that he put yo' ass on the schedule and he's counting on you to be there and it doesn't matter WHY you aren't there, what matters is that if you AREN'T there, you don't have a job and if you don't have a job, you have only BEGUN to be depressed.
You have to teach them to raise the standard, to push through the wall like a runner would...and sometimes it isn't easy.
So, I'm not sure if the FDA putting extra warning labels is really going to take care of the problem because most people just aren't aware of how much work it really is and when to do that work.
Until we quit believing in magic pills, then we are going to continue to have problems.
I'm not sure it's going to work. I'm not entirely sure the blame lies with the drugs, entirely, and if there is a problem it is with a die or some other strange, inert ingredient.
First of all, depression hurts..the commercial doesn't lie. It truly does hurt all over. Overcoming depression is a lot of hard work, with or without medications. Overcoming ANY mental illness is a LOT of hard work, with or without medications. It just is. You learn to not trust your perceptions of reality around you and when you can't trust your own instincts and that what is around you is real, it becomes hard to even recognize that you need help sometimes.
Secondly, why ARE our teenagers so damn depressed these days? What is up with that? The problem is two fold I think, at the very least. There is more information available to them and less people to interpret it correctly for them, or to help guide them into the correct interpretation.
EVERYBODY is depressed at the state of the world today. Teenagers today have more access to more knowledge than a lot of us did at the same age. They are being pressured to do more, to care more, to take part in fixing this messed up world and they aren't being given the coping skills in which to do it.
We did not have 24 hour cable news when we were kids, nor did we have the internet where news and very personal stories are told. Each tragedy that happens is right in your face, it's very personal now.
You top that with the fact that both parents have to work in most families to make ends meet. Those of us with the ability to stay home are very, very fortunate indeed and for my fellow stay at home moms, let us just stop for a minute and thank God for His blessings upon us.
So, the kid comes home from school, flips on the tv, or the computer and it's not like you can really escape the news, and there's disturbing things going on in the world and it seems like there's just so much damn hate and these kids feel bad and then there's nobody to talk to about it.
That's just one scenario. That's not getting into the abuse suffered by so many children these days. I know I'm on and on about it, but it is so widespread. When I can think off the top of my head of at least 6 different kids, from 6 different families, within 6 miles of the school, whose kids have reported being beat, raped, you name it...and these are not all POOR families, like you would expect. Hell, I don't live in a trailer, ya know.
So, these kids are miserable and they finally, finally get to a point where they are so miserable they ask for help and teenagers are wierd like that...they will wait until the last minute. They are scared or whatever..within the age group, mentall illness is still VERY MUCH a stigma. Very much.
Anyway, so they finally get some help and they are just miserable enough to try a medication and WOW..it seems to work. But, here's the catch....whatever the driving stress is behind the depression has GOT to be dealt with. The medication only helps make it more easy to deal with. It doesn't cure a damn thing. And, if you don't deal with the underlying issues, then the depression will return, medication or no medication.
How many of these kids do you think are getting follow up counseling along with their medication? And a lot of this follow on counseling is simple stress management techniques.
And then there's the counseling techniques...oh lordy..teenagers better than anyone else know when you are trying to blow smoke up their ass. They LIKE it when you tell them they need to get over themselves and start to own their lives. It's YOUR life now, what are YOU going to make of it? They need to be taught to take control of their own lives, to own the consequences of their actions...and teenagers think that mentall illness is perceived as an excuse and many of the ones I've dealt with truly don't want an excuse for why they are fucked up, they just don't want to feel that way anymore.
Haha...I remember one kid...I had to tell him...Look kid, your boss does not care if your meds don't work...or do work...or if you are too depressed to get out of bed, all he knows is that he put yo' ass on the schedule and he's counting on you to be there and it doesn't matter WHY you aren't there, what matters is that if you AREN'T there, you don't have a job and if you don't have a job, you have only BEGUN to be depressed.
You have to teach them to raise the standard, to push through the wall like a runner would...and sometimes it isn't easy.
So, I'm not sure if the FDA putting extra warning labels is really going to take care of the problem because most people just aren't aware of how much work it really is and when to do that work.
Until we quit believing in magic pills, then we are going to continue to have problems.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Connections
Dax wrote a post the other day in which he ended with the following question:
Funny how that works. He was trying to get in touch with me and then I have a weird dream that prompts me to call him. Weird shit I’m telling you. Has that ever happened to you?
It HAS happened to me. I have a very special friend, whom I haven't mentioned before as I don't tell very many stories about my childhood. But, this friend, whom I have known since the sixth grade, we have ALWAYS had that connection, those experiences. Every time we are in touch, it is an experience much like Dax described. It's wierd, I suppose. We never questioned it, we just acted on it.
We were inseparable during our younger years. From the sixth grade on. She freaking remembers when I had the chicken pox, k?
Never will I think of being sixteen and not think of her. She is my sister. I don't know what kind of people we would be today without each other during those years.
After high school we lost touch and went our separate ways. I have only spoken to her a couple of times since...I could probably count on two hands.
The last time I talked to her, I was in Dallas meeting the senior chief's family for the first time. I called her while we were there, and the very first thing she said to me was "OH MY GOD, I was JUST thinking about you." We talked again when my dad died and she got married....
Recently, though, I was thinking about her...as a matter of fact I wrote this post with her in the back of my mind. And wouldn't ya know, she called me real damn quick after that? As usual it was a fluke. I had no idea where she was, or what she was doing and just three days after I wrote that post, my phone rang. She had run into my mother and gotten my phone number. I hadn't talked to her in 7 or 8 years. It was so wierd and when I said..."OH MY GOD, I was JUST thinking about you..." she knew it was true...it always is.
I guess ..that connection... is what differentiates a friend from an acquaintance for me. But those connections take a lot of time and effort to develop and they are very few and far between. Kind of like true love. I am so grateful for her and even when we don't talk for a long time, she is one of those people that just knowing she's alive in the world is pretty cool.
And you know, it took me all of 10 seconds to give her the address for my blog, and like a true best friend, she read it all. My friend, you know who you are...I have not said your name or any of that to protect your privacy, but know I love you and no matter where we are in the world, you can count on me.
So, if you find you have a friend like that, treasure that friendship. Defend it to your death because it is spiritual and a gift from God.
Funny how that works. He was trying to get in touch with me and then I have a weird dream that prompts me to call him. Weird shit I’m telling you. Has that ever happened to you?
It HAS happened to me. I have a very special friend, whom I haven't mentioned before as I don't tell very many stories about my childhood. But, this friend, whom I have known since the sixth grade, we have ALWAYS had that connection, those experiences. Every time we are in touch, it is an experience much like Dax described. It's wierd, I suppose. We never questioned it, we just acted on it.
We were inseparable during our younger years. From the sixth grade on. She freaking remembers when I had the chicken pox, k?
Never will I think of being sixteen and not think of her. She is my sister. I don't know what kind of people we would be today without each other during those years.
After high school we lost touch and went our separate ways. I have only spoken to her a couple of times since...I could probably count on two hands.
The last time I talked to her, I was in Dallas meeting the senior chief's family for the first time. I called her while we were there, and the very first thing she said to me was "OH MY GOD, I was JUST thinking about you." We talked again when my dad died and she got married....
Recently, though, I was thinking about her...as a matter of fact I wrote this post with her in the back of my mind. And wouldn't ya know, she called me real damn quick after that? As usual it was a fluke. I had no idea where she was, or what she was doing and just three days after I wrote that post, my phone rang. She had run into my mother and gotten my phone number. I hadn't talked to her in 7 or 8 years. It was so wierd and when I said..."OH MY GOD, I was JUST thinking about you..." she knew it was true...it always is.
I guess ..that connection... is what differentiates a friend from an acquaintance for me. But those connections take a lot of time and effort to develop and they are very few and far between. Kind of like true love. I am so grateful for her and even when we don't talk for a long time, she is one of those people that just knowing she's alive in the world is pretty cool.
And you know, it took me all of 10 seconds to give her the address for my blog, and like a true best friend, she read it all. My friend, you know who you are...I have not said your name or any of that to protect your privacy, but know I love you and no matter where we are in the world, you can count on me.
So, if you find you have a friend like that, treasure that friendship. Defend it to your death because it is spiritual and a gift from God.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Talladega Recap
Well, once again, it was a spectacular weekend. The senior chief and I decided that we have a much better time when we bring the kids, oddly enough.
The little people were totally enthralled with the whole experience. We took them to the Busch race on Saturday. I like the Busch races and the Truck races better, to be honest. I think it's better racing, but that's just me. Anyway, we usually sit next to turn 4 on the front stretch down low. I like it down low. Screw that nosebleed stuff where they look tiny...I like it down low where you can smell the gas and catch the flecks of rubber that comes off the tires.
So, the first time they came around under green, those little people's eyes got SO big, it was AWESOME. Then, the senior chief took them down by the fence and let them watch from there for awhile, and little dude is HOOKED!!! My girl kid is like me...she's good with the shorter races, but little dude, he wanted to go to the Cup race the next day. The cool deal about the Busch race is that kids 11 and under get in free. Not so for the Cup race, but that's understandable.
That makes it good for the whole family anyway, so those of you that say it's not a family sport anymore, I beg to differ. It's still very much a family sport.
Anyway, the racing was AWESOME. They raced all 117 laps. My daughter was about done when they red flagged it with 8 laps to go. She just didn't think that was right at all..haha!! But, as soon as they started going around and HER driver was in the lead, she was good to go. She was jumping up and down and screaming with the rest of us.
I tell ya what got her though, was the wreck that Kyle Bush had. That was wicked looking and boy howdy I am glad that he was ok. I had to watch the replays again, but it was a racing deal, he wound up on his roof and slid on his roof into the grass and started barrel rolling. It looks so much worse live than it does on tv for some reason. Maybe it's the heat of the moment and the real time and all that, but that girl's eyes got BIG and she was about to start bawling when Kyle got out of the car. She didn't care for that wrecking stuff, not one bit. Neither did little dude, but she's a little more sensitive. That car was bent in half too.
That's another thing I like about where we sit. It's close to the pits so you get to really understand what it's like for them to get into the pits because they come out of turn 4 at 200 whatever miles per hour straight at you..that is a rush..
The senior chief assured me that the Busch Race was the race of the weekend. He said they rode around for 70 laps in single file and nobody made a move. Snoozeville. Interesting note is that there is exactly 70 laps difference between the Busch race and the Cup race.
I pretty much skipped the party this year. The senior chief went and hung out with some kids we adopted a few years ago, my rookie night out and the 19 yr old hung with him. He's a veteran Talladega camper. He's seen titties, he's over it. My 17 year old isn't into any kind of partying. This year he wandered around and went to a Rave...gotta get up on what those are exactly...and made a killing on some beads. He bought 40 beads for 10 bucks or something early in the evening and later, when the party was raging and all the drunk dudes can think about is scoring some beads so they can see some tits...he charged a dollar a string of beads. My little entrepreneur...I got a kick out of that. This was his first Cup race, too and he had a blast.
On Friday, me and the daughter had the beads talk...she asked me what the big deal was with the beads..why did BOYS want beads??? So, I told her. She was like...Well, THAT'S stupid. I laughed my butt off. Then I had to confess where my beads came from (the ones I got my rookie year) and she was all....MOOOM, that was stupid, I didn't know you did stupid things. I said, Hey, kid, I have way cooler beads than these. And besides, how would I be able to answer all these questions of yours? Ha. I then told her I discovered that made it pretty cool living with a bunch of boys because they'll make sure we get WAAAAY more beads than if we went to get some THAT way. And, this is why I love the senior chief because he wasn't there during this talk..he and his buddy were off doing something...anyway, just as soon as I said that, they walked up with their arms full of beads and the timing was impeccable.
And then watching all the Busch race and seeing that run that Stewart and Labonte made from about 10th and then the finish..now THAT was spectacular. Labonte is one of the senior chief's drivers and I like him too and Stewart is one of my drivers. And hell, even the driver's I don't like..I don't ever want to see wreck. Poor Kyle took a real hard hit in the Cup race, too, and I'm sure that poor baby is a hurting unit today.
I tell ya what's going to fuck it all up though. Those asshats that won't just keep their fucking beers to themselves. Look, Gordon earned that win and I won't go to another Cup race if that is how it's going to be. That very first year, it was understandable...but the point got made..and NASCAR has been very generous about their beer policy since then and so has Talladega Superspeedway. They made some changes but nothing that is horrible. Those fans that feel the need to do that..I don't know what to do..but it needs to stop. I don't honestly give a rat's ass who wins the race. It's exciting to know that with 4 laps to go, it could be anybody's race...that's the fun part. I'm not all hung up on one driver or another driver...a race is a race. I actually have a new driver I've been watching for awhile and that is Johnny Sauter...that cat can drive a car...I like to see him paired up with Booty Barker...I think that should be a good combo, I hope. I like Booty, too.
So, that's pretty much it. Me and the little people lazed around all day Sunday and played games. Every time those cars got on the back stretch, my big top would lift..some wierd things those cars do with air. And, there's nothing like the fireworks. Talladega is the only place that on a Saturday night, pretty much anything goes. The fireworks are AWESOME really. The ground shakes well into the wee hours of the morning with folks launching fireworks. Big ones, little ones...like I said, pretty much anything goes. But then they tried to say we couldn't have our little shower. How wierd is THAT?
Looking forward to fall already, but now I have to clean up all the stuff, put it away...that'll take the rest of the day. Tomorrow I have to go and get ready for the oldest kids birthday, which does get simpler as they get older. And, then there is Cinco De Mayo...and then Joe comes home from boot camp. Then, I am going to Texas. Ok..now listen up folks, next winter when I'm whining and feeling all like I do nothing..blah, blah, blah, y'all can remind me that during busy season, I earn that little winter vacation I take. And I don't even take one, I just slow down a little. I swear I lost 3 or 4 pounds this weekend, too. I have one of those metabolisms, it's disgusting, I know.
Off to start the cleanup process...woo hoo!
The little people were totally enthralled with the whole experience. We took them to the Busch race on Saturday. I like the Busch races and the Truck races better, to be honest. I think it's better racing, but that's just me. Anyway, we usually sit next to turn 4 on the front stretch down low. I like it down low. Screw that nosebleed stuff where they look tiny...I like it down low where you can smell the gas and catch the flecks of rubber that comes off the tires.
So, the first time they came around under green, those little people's eyes got SO big, it was AWESOME. Then, the senior chief took them down by the fence and let them watch from there for awhile, and little dude is HOOKED!!! My girl kid is like me...she's good with the shorter races, but little dude, he wanted to go to the Cup race the next day. The cool deal about the Busch race is that kids 11 and under get in free. Not so for the Cup race, but that's understandable.
That makes it good for the whole family anyway, so those of you that say it's not a family sport anymore, I beg to differ. It's still very much a family sport.
Anyway, the racing was AWESOME. They raced all 117 laps. My daughter was about done when they red flagged it with 8 laps to go. She just didn't think that was right at all..haha!! But, as soon as they started going around and HER driver was in the lead, she was good to go. She was jumping up and down and screaming with the rest of us.
I tell ya what got her though, was the wreck that Kyle Bush had. That was wicked looking and boy howdy I am glad that he was ok. I had to watch the replays again, but it was a racing deal, he wound up on his roof and slid on his roof into the grass and started barrel rolling. It looks so much worse live than it does on tv for some reason. Maybe it's the heat of the moment and the real time and all that, but that girl's eyes got BIG and she was about to start bawling when Kyle got out of the car. She didn't care for that wrecking stuff, not one bit. Neither did little dude, but she's a little more sensitive. That car was bent in half too.
That's another thing I like about where we sit. It's close to the pits so you get to really understand what it's like for them to get into the pits because they come out of turn 4 at 200 whatever miles per hour straight at you..that is a rush..
The senior chief assured me that the Busch Race was the race of the weekend. He said they rode around for 70 laps in single file and nobody made a move. Snoozeville. Interesting note is that there is exactly 70 laps difference between the Busch race and the Cup race.
I pretty much skipped the party this year. The senior chief went and hung out with some kids we adopted a few years ago, my rookie night out and the 19 yr old hung with him. He's a veteran Talladega camper. He's seen titties, he's over it. My 17 year old isn't into any kind of partying. This year he wandered around and went to a Rave...gotta get up on what those are exactly...and made a killing on some beads. He bought 40 beads for 10 bucks or something early in the evening and later, when the party was raging and all the drunk dudes can think about is scoring some beads so they can see some tits...he charged a dollar a string of beads. My little entrepreneur...I got a kick out of that. This was his first Cup race, too and he had a blast.
On Friday, me and the daughter had the beads talk...she asked me what the big deal was with the beads..why did BOYS want beads??? So, I told her. She was like...Well, THAT'S stupid. I laughed my butt off. Then I had to confess where my beads came from (the ones I got my rookie year) and she was all....MOOOM, that was stupid, I didn't know you did stupid things. I said, Hey, kid, I have way cooler beads than these. And besides, how would I be able to answer all these questions of yours? Ha. I then told her I discovered that made it pretty cool living with a bunch of boys because they'll make sure we get WAAAAY more beads than if we went to get some THAT way. And, this is why I love the senior chief because he wasn't there during this talk..he and his buddy were off doing something...anyway, just as soon as I said that, they walked up with their arms full of beads and the timing was impeccable.
And then watching all the Busch race and seeing that run that Stewart and Labonte made from about 10th and then the finish..now THAT was spectacular. Labonte is one of the senior chief's drivers and I like him too and Stewart is one of my drivers. And hell, even the driver's I don't like..I don't ever want to see wreck. Poor Kyle took a real hard hit in the Cup race, too, and I'm sure that poor baby is a hurting unit today.
I tell ya what's going to fuck it all up though. Those asshats that won't just keep their fucking beers to themselves. Look, Gordon earned that win and I won't go to another Cup race if that is how it's going to be. That very first year, it was understandable...but the point got made..and NASCAR has been very generous about their beer policy since then and so has Talladega Superspeedway. They made some changes but nothing that is horrible. Those fans that feel the need to do that..I don't know what to do..but it needs to stop. I don't honestly give a rat's ass who wins the race. It's exciting to know that with 4 laps to go, it could be anybody's race...that's the fun part. I'm not all hung up on one driver or another driver...a race is a race. I actually have a new driver I've been watching for awhile and that is Johnny Sauter...that cat can drive a car...I like to see him paired up with Booty Barker...I think that should be a good combo, I hope. I like Booty, too.
So, that's pretty much it. Me and the little people lazed around all day Sunday and played games. Every time those cars got on the back stretch, my big top would lift..some wierd things those cars do with air. And, there's nothing like the fireworks. Talladega is the only place that on a Saturday night, pretty much anything goes. The fireworks are AWESOME really. The ground shakes well into the wee hours of the morning with folks launching fireworks. Big ones, little ones...like I said, pretty much anything goes. But then they tried to say we couldn't have our little shower. How wierd is THAT?
Looking forward to fall already, but now I have to clean up all the stuff, put it away...that'll take the rest of the day. Tomorrow I have to go and get ready for the oldest kids birthday, which does get simpler as they get older. And, then there is Cinco De Mayo...and then Joe comes home from boot camp. Then, I am going to Texas. Ok..now listen up folks, next winter when I'm whining and feeling all like I do nothing..blah, blah, blah, y'all can remind me that during busy season, I earn that little winter vacation I take. And I don't even take one, I just slow down a little. I swear I lost 3 or 4 pounds this weekend, too. I have one of those metabolisms, it's disgusting, I know.
Off to start the cleanup process...woo hoo!
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