A friend of mine has suggested that I write up my story for a magazine and sell it. Or try to sell it. I guess the woman's magazines are into these kinds of story. The story that I have. Now, I'll admit, it would seem egotistical to me to write this up and try to sell it. It just seems strange.
Another friend suggested I do it as a book.
I had never thought of it until she suggested it, but I'll admit I am kind of curious about it. I don't want to just regurgitate what I've written here, so it would be a challenge. So I was wondering what you all think about it.
Is it too egotistical?
Would it be worth reading?
Would anyone care?
Could I make any money off of it?
What tone would I take with it?
How much information would I put in?
Should I even do it?
Let me know what you all think? After all, you'll be the ones doing the proofreading.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Did you know that Americans are pushy?
According to the Discovery Channel, Americans on the Titanic were rude and pushed ahead of other passengers to get on the lifeboats, while the Brits:
on board the sinking Titanic died while politely queuing to get their place on a lifeboat, while Americans pushed their way on
This is according to:
new analysis of passenger dataNothing like having concrete evidence to prove something:
David Savage, a behavioral economist at Queensland University of Technology, Australia, and Bruno Frey, of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, spent more than a year studying survival rates from one of the worst maritime disasters in history.Because as we all know from saber metrics, the numbers tell the entire story, and there is no evidence needed. And by all means, let's pick a bullshit hypothesis and make the data fit it in order to prove a point:
"The Titanic was built in Great Britain, operated by British subjects, and manned by a British crew. It is to be expected that national ties were activated during the disaster and that the crew would give preference to British subjects, easily identified by their language," the researchers saidSo lets look at this. The ship, built by, and manned by, the Brits, sank because the British captain was trying to set a speed record and was going too fast at night for the conditions. The British company that built the ship decided they didn't need to spend money on binoculars for the look out to actually spot the iceberg. And the British crew let the lifeboats, manned by British seamen, pull away from the ship half full.
They found that British passengers, who queued for a place in one of only 20 lifeboats provided for the 2,223 on board, had 10 percent lower chance of survival than any other nationality.
But the Americans are rude, pushy, murderers, who jumped into the lifeboats at the expense of other passengers:
In contrast, Americans, who reportedly elbowed their way to the front of lines, had a 12 percent higher probability of survival than British subjects.Now, lets look it another way. The ship, sailing to America, was carrying Americans. Who were going home, not immigrating. So lets assume, since this is what this entire study does, that most of the Americans had money and were traveling in first or second class, and not steerage. Therefore, they were close to the decks, closer to the boats, and more likely to have loaded before the immigrants from the lower decks were able to get up there. While all the Brits were not immigrants, it is certainly reasonable to assume that many of them were, and were in the bowels of the boat with others. Proving my point:
Passengers of the first and second class were advantaged: they likely had better access to information about the imminent danger, not to mention that they were closer to the boat deck.Remember, Brits comprise English, Welsh, Scots, and Irish. British here is a handy word for English, and ignores the nationality of the others.
When the sailors were loading the boats, it was most likely in a first come-first serve basis of women and children. From what I read, the study doesn't break it down by gender, but says younger women and children were more likely to be saved. This all jives with those who survived, and doesn't prove a damn thing at all.
Americans can be pushy, and might have pushed their way to the front. But Brits are just as likely to be pushy. I live here, and I see it all the time. Think of hooligans. It's nice to think of all Brits as being the polite, Jeeves's the butler robots, who would stand by and let themselves drown while others save themselves. Much as many Americans did, to include John Jacob Astor, who died on board. This is conveniently overlooked.
I don't understand the point behind this. The sinking was done in a British boat, with a British crew and captain, and owned by a British company that failed to provide enough boats. So, in order to make sure they don't get blamed, Brits now want to blame America's for the deaths because of some numbers on a list. This is just blatant anti-Americanism, and they don't do anything more to prove their case then I have done to disprove it. And I'm not even trying.
With all the problems in the world such as terrorism, the economy, children dying in Africa by the millions, and no clean water, is something like this really necessary. Seriously, what was the point of this. I just don't see Americans can be considered guilty of anything.
We are, however, guilty of James Cameron's awkward moment at the Academy Awards, and that song by Celine Dion that just won't die a natural death.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Pole-ar opposites
I had a little bit of a dust up at the house on Saturday night. There are currently 10 people living here. A Spanish couple, me, a British woman, a Polish man and his son, and his girlfriend (who isn't supposed to be here, but is), and a young Polish couple. As you can see, I'm kind of outnumbered.
The Polish couple like to go out on the weekends, and have friends who come to the house on occasion. I don't care about that, they live here and can have friends. We all can, and have. Having guests isn't the issue. Having guests who are rude, abusive, and violent is.
They guy has a friend who comes over several times a week. He's in his early to mid-20's. A typical punk. The way the house is laid out, I'm on the second floor just to the left of the front door as you look at it. The Polish couple live right above me. Their friend will come over, stand outside the house (my window) and shout at the window to get his friends attention. It's kind of annoying, rude to the neighbors, and just plain stupid. He's done it several different times, as late as 11 pm.
After listening to it for a month or so, I finally got tired of it. It's obnoxious, and I live in the house and pay rent, and I don't want to listen to it. And I don't have to. So one day, when he was doing it, I went to the front door. He just walked right in and tried to go past me, like I'm the door man and he can do whatever he wants. I stopped him and told him not to do it again. I told him to use the bell, knock, or call. He just laughed and went upstairs. He did this a couple of other times and I told him to stop doing it, but he didn't take it seriously.
So on Saturday, I was in the kitchen, fixing my dinner, and he did it again. I went to the door and opened it, and he tried to walk by me like he owned the place. He and his girlfriend started up the stairs, and I stopped, and let him know in no uncertain terms not to do it again, or I would call the police on him.
He started with F^*) you, which I don't take from anyone. I told him people didn't get to say that to me in my own home (shared or not), and to stop acting like a child. At that point, he started back down the stairs and told me he was going to kick my ass. Then I was pissed. Big time. And I wasn't afraid of him, but I didn't want to get something started. I'm on a visa, and I'm trying to renew it, and I don't need to get into a fight over stupid shit. So I told him to get the Polish guy and have him come down stairs.
The Polish guy, Jurec, came down to the kitchen, and as I was talking to him, the punk walked in, brushed past me with his shoulder trying to knock me off balance, and yelled, "Don't touch me."
So he's acted like a child, laughed at me, cussed me, threatened me, made contact with me, and just generally acted like a complete dick. And in someone else's house. I could see it getting out of hand, and wanted to kick his ass so badly. But he is half my age, and it's been a few years. Instead I decided not to get stupid. So I called the police and had them come over. The emergency operator told me I should wait outside until they showed up.
I told her thought that was complete bullshit. I mean, it's my house, why should I have to go outside and wait while the idiot stayed inside. The operator told me it was to keep things from escalating, but I wasn't worried about it. I can take care of myself, he was in the wrong, and he wasn't going to try anything. Or if he did, he was going to jail. But to get her to shut up, I went outside and waited. It was only about 2 minutes until the police showed up.
They came up, took all my information, and of course the first question was, "Have you been drinking?". Which of course, I had not been. Because I'm so broke I can't afford to pay attention. I always hate when they do that, like sobriety solves every problem. Then they told me they couldn't really make him leave, because its a shared house, and only the landlord could make him leave, and someone would have to call him. I informed the police that I wanted him out, I wouldn't call the landlord, and if they didn't remove him, they shouldn't get to far away, because they would be back.
They stated again that they couldn't remove him, and two of them went inside while one stayed outside to get my information. They got mine, but didn't get his. Nice. I don't know what happened inside, but it went from "we can't make him leave" to "you have to leave now and don't come back", and the punk being escorted out by angry police officers. So he must have said the magic word.
I stayed out of the way while it was going on, but his girlfriend, who I had not said a word to, now decided to get involved by walking by me and throwing an elbow into my ribs. Right in front of the cops. Stupid. They didn't arrest her, but they should have. I told the police that if I would have done that to her, they would have arrested me, and it was only fair that she be arrested, but they wouldn't.
So I went back in the house to discover he had spit in my dinner, and I had to throw it out. Since I'm pretty much broke, and only have enough food to last a few days, and will likely end up borrowing money to buy food, I was really pissed off that I had to throw a meal's worth of food away and fix my dinner all over again. Then the Polish couple started in on me, trying to tell me all the things I've done wrong, and how they are so perfect and don't bother anyone, and I was wrong to have their friend made to leave by the police.
So lets review the facts:
He doesn't live here
He stands outside my window at all hours shouting at the people above me because he thinks its cute
When I tell him to stop, he laughs at me
He cusses me in my own house
He threatens to kick my ass
He shoves against me trying to intimidate me.
He threatens me again
He spits in my dinner
He gets escorted out by the cops and told not to come back
He comes back that night at 1:30 in the morning, stands outside the window, and shouts again.
And I'm the bad guy who's done something wrong? I don't think so. The Polish couple told me I didn't have the right to tell their friend not to stand outside and shout, and that he could if he wanted to. So I told them I was going to have friends of mine come over and stand outside their door, banging pots and pans together. And when they complained about it, I would tell them it was too bad and they couldn't do anything about it. All of the sudden, they kind of, sort of, somewhat got the point.
They ended up apologizing to me for what they had said to me. I explained I wasn't concerned about their actions, but I wasn't going to be threatened and pushed and cussed in the house I live in, especially when the punk had been given fair warning to stop, and wouldn't because he thought it was funny. I explained to them that he had no rights in the house, and I did. They still aren't happy, but it's all cool now.
They did say they would have him apologize to me, but I told them that after he spit in my dinner, there was no way I was accepting his apology. I can be petty like that, but I don't care. And I told them if the girl came back and got within 10 feet of me, I would call the police again. I can't hit her, so she doesn't get to hit me.
Seems fair, does it. Man, I can't wait to get out of here.
I've lived a lot of places in my life, and been the foreigner many times. There are a lot of Poles living in the UK, and a lot of Brits aren't happy about it. They don't want them here, as the crime rate has gone up since their arrival. That doesn't mean all Poles are bad people, not by a long sight. The ones that live in the house with are great, and I've never had an issue with any of them, at least until Saturday. The problem is, when you're a foreigner, it just takes one shithead to ruin it for everyone else.
The Polish couple like to go out on the weekends, and have friends who come to the house on occasion. I don't care about that, they live here and can have friends. We all can, and have. Having guests isn't the issue. Having guests who are rude, abusive, and violent is.
They guy has a friend who comes over several times a week. He's in his early to mid-20's. A typical punk. The way the house is laid out, I'm on the second floor just to the left of the front door as you look at it. The Polish couple live right above me. Their friend will come over, stand outside the house (my window) and shout at the window to get his friends attention. It's kind of annoying, rude to the neighbors, and just plain stupid. He's done it several different times, as late as 11 pm.
After listening to it for a month or so, I finally got tired of it. It's obnoxious, and I live in the house and pay rent, and I don't want to listen to it. And I don't have to. So one day, when he was doing it, I went to the front door. He just walked right in and tried to go past me, like I'm the door man and he can do whatever he wants. I stopped him and told him not to do it again. I told him to use the bell, knock, or call. He just laughed and went upstairs. He did this a couple of other times and I told him to stop doing it, but he didn't take it seriously.
So on Saturday, I was in the kitchen, fixing my dinner, and he did it again. I went to the door and opened it, and he tried to walk by me like he owned the place. He and his girlfriend started up the stairs, and I stopped, and let him know in no uncertain terms not to do it again, or I would call the police on him.
He started with F^*) you, which I don't take from anyone. I told him people didn't get to say that to me in my own home (shared or not), and to stop acting like a child. At that point, he started back down the stairs and told me he was going to kick my ass. Then I was pissed. Big time. And I wasn't afraid of him, but I didn't want to get something started. I'm on a visa, and I'm trying to renew it, and I don't need to get into a fight over stupid shit. So I told him to get the Polish guy and have him come down stairs.
The Polish guy, Jurec, came down to the kitchen, and as I was talking to him, the punk walked in, brushed past me with his shoulder trying to knock me off balance, and yelled, "Don't touch me."
So he's acted like a child, laughed at me, cussed me, threatened me, made contact with me, and just generally acted like a complete dick. And in someone else's house. I could see it getting out of hand, and wanted to kick his ass so badly. But he is half my age, and it's been a few years. Instead I decided not to get stupid. So I called the police and had them come over. The emergency operator told me I should wait outside until they showed up.
I told her thought that was complete bullshit. I mean, it's my house, why should I have to go outside and wait while the idiot stayed inside. The operator told me it was to keep things from escalating, but I wasn't worried about it. I can take care of myself, he was in the wrong, and he wasn't going to try anything. Or if he did, he was going to jail. But to get her to shut up, I went outside and waited. It was only about 2 minutes until the police showed up.
They came up, took all my information, and of course the first question was, "Have you been drinking?". Which of course, I had not been. Because I'm so broke I can't afford to pay attention. I always hate when they do that, like sobriety solves every problem. Then they told me they couldn't really make him leave, because its a shared house, and only the landlord could make him leave, and someone would have to call him. I informed the police that I wanted him out, I wouldn't call the landlord, and if they didn't remove him, they shouldn't get to far away, because they would be back.
They stated again that they couldn't remove him, and two of them went inside while one stayed outside to get my information. They got mine, but didn't get his. Nice. I don't know what happened inside, but it went from "we can't make him leave" to "you have to leave now and don't come back", and the punk being escorted out by angry police officers. So he must have said the magic word.
I stayed out of the way while it was going on, but his girlfriend, who I had not said a word to, now decided to get involved by walking by me and throwing an elbow into my ribs. Right in front of the cops. Stupid. They didn't arrest her, but they should have. I told the police that if I would have done that to her, they would have arrested me, and it was only fair that she be arrested, but they wouldn't.
So I went back in the house to discover he had spit in my dinner, and I had to throw it out. Since I'm pretty much broke, and only have enough food to last a few days, and will likely end up borrowing money to buy food, I was really pissed off that I had to throw a meal's worth of food away and fix my dinner all over again. Then the Polish couple started in on me, trying to tell me all the things I've done wrong, and how they are so perfect and don't bother anyone, and I was wrong to have their friend made to leave by the police.
So lets review the facts:
He doesn't live here
He stands outside my window at all hours shouting at the people above me because he thinks its cute
When I tell him to stop, he laughs at me
He cusses me in my own house
He threatens to kick my ass
He shoves against me trying to intimidate me.
He threatens me again
He spits in my dinner
He gets escorted out by the cops and told not to come back
He comes back that night at 1:30 in the morning, stands outside the window, and shouts again.
And I'm the bad guy who's done something wrong? I don't think so. The Polish couple told me I didn't have the right to tell their friend not to stand outside and shout, and that he could if he wanted to. So I told them I was going to have friends of mine come over and stand outside their door, banging pots and pans together. And when they complained about it, I would tell them it was too bad and they couldn't do anything about it. All of the sudden, they kind of, sort of, somewhat got the point.
They ended up apologizing to me for what they had said to me. I explained I wasn't concerned about their actions, but I wasn't going to be threatened and pushed and cussed in the house I live in, especially when the punk had been given fair warning to stop, and wouldn't because he thought it was funny. I explained to them that he had no rights in the house, and I did. They still aren't happy, but it's all cool now.
They did say they would have him apologize to me, but I told them that after he spit in my dinner, there was no way I was accepting his apology. I can be petty like that, but I don't care. And I told them if the girl came back and got within 10 feet of me, I would call the police again. I can't hit her, so she doesn't get to hit me.
Seems fair, does it. Man, I can't wait to get out of here.
I've lived a lot of places in my life, and been the foreigner many times. There are a lot of Poles living in the UK, and a lot of Brits aren't happy about it. They don't want them here, as the crime rate has gone up since their arrival. That doesn't mean all Poles are bad people, not by a long sight. The ones that live in the house with are great, and I've never had an issue with any of them, at least until Saturday. The problem is, when you're a foreigner, it just takes one shithead to ruin it for everyone else.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
A job at last
Yes, I've finally gotten a job. After 5 1/2 months. It was getting hard. I've never went that long without working before. The longest I ever took off was the last 3 months in the Army, but I took terminal leave for 89 days. So even though I didn't work for 3 months, I still got paid for it. And I did umpire baseball games, which is more work than people think it is. Especially on those hot Missouri summer days.
The job is working for a lawyer, who does family mediation. Kind of ironic, isn't it. It's writing letters, doing financial disclosures, and any other admin job that needs to be done. Just up my alley, I think. Also, she has an office in London, and another out west, so she's out of the office quite a bit. And will be in Spain for 3 weeks.
I think I only got the job because of my gender, which is a switch. I don't know for sure, but just going by what she said. She has all women working for her, and she thought it might look like she was always taking the woman's side if there were no men in the office. I explained my situation to her during the interview, and I think the fact that I have experience going through what the clients are going through made a big difference also. I don't really care, it's a job.
It was supposed to be 30 hours a week, which I didn't have a problem with. I have enough going on right now that those hours would have been okay with me. But when she called to offer me the job, she said she wanted to go to 40 hours a week. The office would be open until 5 instead of 3. Okay with me. If I'm done with the work, and I'm just sitting around, I can get some writing done. No problem to me.
I'm a little nervous about going back to work. It's been a long time, and while this isn't brain surgery, it is important, and there is no margin for error. It's about people's life, particularly the kids. And I know how important that is.
The job is working for a lawyer, who does family mediation. Kind of ironic, isn't it. It's writing letters, doing financial disclosures, and any other admin job that needs to be done. Just up my alley, I think. Also, she has an office in London, and another out west, so she's out of the office quite a bit. And will be in Spain for 3 weeks.
I think I only got the job because of my gender, which is a switch. I don't know for sure, but just going by what she said. She has all women working for her, and she thought it might look like she was always taking the woman's side if there were no men in the office. I explained my situation to her during the interview, and I think the fact that I have experience going through what the clients are going through made a big difference also. I don't really care, it's a job.
It was supposed to be 30 hours a week, which I didn't have a problem with. I have enough going on right now that those hours would have been okay with me. But when she called to offer me the job, she said she wanted to go to 40 hours a week. The office would be open until 5 instead of 3. Okay with me. If I'm done with the work, and I'm just sitting around, I can get some writing done. No problem to me.
I'm a little nervous about going back to work. It's been a long time, and while this isn't brain surgery, it is important, and there is no margin for error. It's about people's life, particularly the kids. And I know how important that is.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Dan Seals (1948 - 2009)
Everyone might not have been a fan, but I was. From his days as 'England Dan and John Ford Coley', to his solo career, I always liked the music of Dan Seals. I was sad to hear that he had passed on.
It's not quite Elvis dying on his toilet, or John Lennon being murdered, but it's still sad. He had better songs, but this is the one I want played at my funeral.
Dan Seals (1948 - 2009)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
25 Random Things About Me
Just as an exercise to keep on here and writing, since I've been so bad lately, I'm going to add this. This is my 25 Random Things About Me From Facebook. Not everyone who reads here is on my list on Facebook, so some people haven't seen this.
What I'm going to do, for what it's worth, is break this down and make each item an individual post. Just to expand on it. Some will be good, some will be boring, some might be revealing. Stay tuned.
This is it. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
1. I think the 5 greatest musical acts in history are the Beatles, Elvis, Merle Haggard, Pink Floyd, and Alison Krauss. You don't have to agree, but then it just proves you don't know what good music is.
2. I've been on television in six countries (United States, South Korea, Germany, Angola, Latvia, & Slovenia)
3. Someday I will buy a tropical island in the South Pacific, move there and never leave. Special invitation only to visit, so be nice to me.
4. People think I talk to much, and I should shut up at times. They're right, but I don't care. People who knew me when I was young know how painfully shy I was and how hard it was for me to interact with people. I would take F's in school, so I didn't have to get up in front class and read a paper. I know how I was then, and I know how I am now. Yeah, I irritate people at times, but I will not be silent. I will never be that way again. Deal with it. I have.
5. Beer, pizza, ice cream, buttermilk biscuits. I believe that pretty much says it all.
6. If they offered me a place on a space mission to explore new planets, I'm gone. No doubt, no hesitation. I won't even pack. I'll buy it when I get there.
7. I think a lot of people are jealous of me, because they always show it when we trade stories. The problem is, their stories start: last fall, when I was in Sheboygan for a convention. My stories start off: when I was in the middle of Africa watching the wild elephants; the day I came face-to-face with a North Korean soldier; one day in the middle of a tank battle; yesterday, when I met the President; or this time I got arrested by the police in Latvia. Sorry, that's what I have. I'm not going to apologize for living a charmed life. I think instead of being jealous, people should stop reading about my life on Facebook and go get their own. Take a chance. Explore. Experience. There's a whole, big, bright, beautiful world out there, and it's yours for the taking.
8. I love my daughter more than anyone in the world, but I know it's a good thing she was born at the time she was. If she had come along 10 years earlier, or 5 years earlier, or even 2 years earlier, I'm not sure I was the man I am today, and I don't know if I would be doing what I'm doing now. I would like to think I would, but I also think I might have been the guy to walk away. I guess timing is everything.
9. I don't know if I'm the person I am today because of my family, or in spite of them. If you know my family, you know what I mean. That's not meant to be an insult to my family; it's just the truth. And they all know it.
10. The only thing I've ever really wanted to do is be a writer (realistically). Someday I will get paid to write something. There has to be a book out there I can write. And I will do it. Eventually.
11. I've only ever loved 2 women in my life, and they were both the right woman, at the time. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it work with either one of them. But I'll keep trying until I get it right.
12. I think my friends that I have are my greatest asset. I have the greatest group of friends anyone could every want. And because of the places I live, I have friends all over the world. Thanks to e-mail, I talk to people everyday on six continents. Whether or not they want to take credit for it, I am who I am today because of my friends.
13. My favorite vehicle of all time that I owned was a piece-of-shit '75 Dodge Ram pick-up. The breaks were shot, the suspension was a distant memory, and I swear it got negative gas mileage. You can have your Mercedes and Volvo's. Give me that pick-up again, and I'll never own another vehicle again.
14. I've had six surgical procedures, have been to the emergency room 29 times, but have had only one broken bone, and only received stitches one. Sure, I need to lose 15 pounds. But I bounce.
15. I hesitate to use the term soul-mate (since Jorgen has said we shouldn't), but I know who the perfect woman for me is. Unfortunately, due to circumstances, I wasn't able to do anything about it at the time. But I know she's the one, because any time you can get a woman to smile like that, you're doing something right. I know where she is and what she's doing. And one day, when my life is better, I'm going to go knock on her door and ask her to move to an island in the South Pacific. And I'm 90% sure her answer will be: "What took you so long".
16. I'm one of the 5 smartest people I've ever encountered. Sure, there are people out there with higher IQ's, and who are smarter than me. But of all the people I've ever met in my life, there are only 4 as smart as I am. That sounds egotistical, but it's true. Deal with it, and don't complain. And if you have to ask if you're one of the 4, then you aren't.
17. I don't understand people who like to play, "What if?". Because you can't. You can't go back and change things. You can't redo decisions and change situations. What you know is what you have. I could have made better decisions in my life (we all could), but I wouldn't trade what I know for what might be. If you change, you relegate the people you know and the things you've done to nothingness. If you're not happy with your life, make better decisions in the future, stop complaining about the ones you've made in the past. And stop asking me, "What if?"
18. I've ordered beer in 35 different countries in 12 different languages. It's important to have a hobby.
19. Every day I doubt myself about whether I'm doing the right thing for my daughter. I know I am, and she's better off having me here than not, but it's still rough for her, and if I can't make her life better, then I should go away. I know I am a positive influence on her, but I still doubt myself everyday. Maybe that's a good thing, because it will make me try harder.
20. I wish I could have a better relationship with my daughter's mother. Not because I want to be friends with her, but we do have a child together. We are supposed to be the adults in the equation, and some days we fail miserably at it.
21. I like beer.
22. I subscribe to the 3 B's theory of life:
Blond hair
Blue eyes
Big tits
Sure I'm a shallow person, but I'm having fun. Are you?
23. I plan on living until I'm 100. The day after my 100th birthday, everything is fair game. Before then, I'm going kicking and screaming and taking the bastards with me.
24. I think people who engage in exercises like this only do it try and impress people with how smart they are, or the things they have accomplished in their lives. I, however, am able to pull it off successfully. It's the truth, you know it, deal with it.
25. I love this crazy tragic, sometimes magic, awful beautiful life.
What I'm going to do, for what it's worth, is break this down and make each item an individual post. Just to expand on it. Some will be good, some will be boring, some might be revealing. Stay tuned.
This is it. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
1. I think the 5 greatest musical acts in history are the Beatles, Elvis, Merle Haggard, Pink Floyd, and Alison Krauss. You don't have to agree, but then it just proves you don't know what good music is.
2. I've been on television in six countries (United States, South Korea, Germany, Angola, Latvia, & Slovenia)
3. Someday I will buy a tropical island in the South Pacific, move there and never leave. Special invitation only to visit, so be nice to me.
4. People think I talk to much, and I should shut up at times. They're right, but I don't care. People who knew me when I was young know how painfully shy I was and how hard it was for me to interact with people. I would take F's in school, so I didn't have to get up in front class and read a paper. I know how I was then, and I know how I am now. Yeah, I irritate people at times, but I will not be silent. I will never be that way again. Deal with it. I have.
5. Beer, pizza, ice cream, buttermilk biscuits. I believe that pretty much says it all.
6. If they offered me a place on a space mission to explore new planets, I'm gone. No doubt, no hesitation. I won't even pack. I'll buy it when I get there.
7. I think a lot of people are jealous of me, because they always show it when we trade stories. The problem is, their stories start: last fall, when I was in Sheboygan for a convention. My stories start off: when I was in the middle of Africa watching the wild elephants; the day I came face-to-face with a North Korean soldier; one day in the middle of a tank battle; yesterday, when I met the President; or this time I got arrested by the police in Latvia. Sorry, that's what I have. I'm not going to apologize for living a charmed life. I think instead of being jealous, people should stop reading about my life on Facebook and go get their own. Take a chance. Explore. Experience. There's a whole, big, bright, beautiful world out there, and it's yours for the taking.
8. I love my daughter more than anyone in the world, but I know it's a good thing she was born at the time she was. If she had come along 10 years earlier, or 5 years earlier, or even 2 years earlier, I'm not sure I was the man I am today, and I don't know if I would be doing what I'm doing now. I would like to think I would, but I also think I might have been the guy to walk away. I guess timing is everything.
9. I don't know if I'm the person I am today because of my family, or in spite of them. If you know my family, you know what I mean. That's not meant to be an insult to my family; it's just the truth. And they all know it.
10. The only thing I've ever really wanted to do is be a writer (realistically). Someday I will get paid to write something. There has to be a book out there I can write. And I will do it. Eventually.
11. I've only ever loved 2 women in my life, and they were both the right woman, at the time. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it work with either one of them. But I'll keep trying until I get it right.
12. I think my friends that I have are my greatest asset. I have the greatest group of friends anyone could every want. And because of the places I live, I have friends all over the world. Thanks to e-mail, I talk to people everyday on six continents. Whether or not they want to take credit for it, I am who I am today because of my friends.
13. My favorite vehicle of all time that I owned was a piece-of-shit '75 Dodge Ram pick-up. The breaks were shot, the suspension was a distant memory, and I swear it got negative gas mileage. You can have your Mercedes and Volvo's. Give me that pick-up again, and I'll never own another vehicle again.
14. I've had six surgical procedures, have been to the emergency room 29 times, but have had only one broken bone, and only received stitches one. Sure, I need to lose 15 pounds. But I bounce.
15. I hesitate to use the term soul-mate (since Jorgen has said we shouldn't), but I know who the perfect woman for me is. Unfortunately, due to circumstances, I wasn't able to do anything about it at the time. But I know she's the one, because any time you can get a woman to smile like that, you're doing something right. I know where she is and what she's doing. And one day, when my life is better, I'm going to go knock on her door and ask her to move to an island in the South Pacific. And I'm 90% sure her answer will be: "What took you so long".
16. I'm one of the 5 smartest people I've ever encountered. Sure, there are people out there with higher IQ's, and who are smarter than me. But of all the people I've ever met in my life, there are only 4 as smart as I am. That sounds egotistical, but it's true. Deal with it, and don't complain. And if you have to ask if you're one of the 4, then you aren't.
17. I don't understand people who like to play, "What if?". Because you can't. You can't go back and change things. You can't redo decisions and change situations. What you know is what you have. I could have made better decisions in my life (we all could), but I wouldn't trade what I know for what might be. If you change, you relegate the people you know and the things you've done to nothingness. If you're not happy with your life, make better decisions in the future, stop complaining about the ones you've made in the past. And stop asking me, "What if?"
18. I've ordered beer in 35 different countries in 12 different languages. It's important to have a hobby.
19. Every day I doubt myself about whether I'm doing the right thing for my daughter. I know I am, and she's better off having me here than not, but it's still rough for her, and if I can't make her life better, then I should go away. I know I am a positive influence on her, but I still doubt myself everyday. Maybe that's a good thing, because it will make me try harder.
20. I wish I could have a better relationship with my daughter's mother. Not because I want to be friends with her, but we do have a child together. We are supposed to be the adults in the equation, and some days we fail miserably at it.
21. I like beer.
22. I subscribe to the 3 B's theory of life:
Blond hair
Blue eyes
Big tits
Sure I'm a shallow person, but I'm having fun. Are you?
23. I plan on living until I'm 100. The day after my 100th birthday, everything is fair game. Before then, I'm going kicking and screaming and taking the bastards with me.
24. I think people who engage in exercises like this only do it try and impress people with how smart they are, or the things they have accomplished in their lives. I, however, am able to pull it off successfully. It's the truth, you know it, deal with it.
25. I love this crazy tragic, sometimes magic, awful beautiful life.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Life in the U.K. - 6
I don't think anyone is advocating that the police start carrying guns here. That's something that everyone agrees on here. They don't want police to do that. And it's a good idea. There isn't violence against the police here like there is in the states. The police here aren't killed at the rate of more than one a day.
They do have weapons, but they don't carry them on routine patrols. They are kept locked up until needed, and if I remember correctly, they have to have permission of a supervisor to use them, or have come under fire. Carrying them would probably just create more violence as the criminals would then start to carry them also. I think the US is in a position now where we can't turn back.
But the idea of gun ownership here is a lot more common than most Americans would think. There are a lot of difference in between Brits and Americans, but in some ways we are a lot more alike then they might want to believe.
Lots of people here still think they should be able to have guns. Not so much the concealed carry like we have, but the right to have them in their own homes, or places of business. Since the expansion of the EU, there has been an influx of immigrants from eastern Europe. I've lived there myself, so I'm not condemning them all. But along with the immigrants who come here to work and have a better life, criminals are making the trip also. Why steal from poor eastern Europeans who don't have anything, when you can come to the UK and steal from people who have something. So now that they can move to the UK, they are coming in force, and because of that there is a marked increase in crime in the UK.
There are an increasing number of house break-ins and robberies at stores, and many people feel that having their own weapons could either prevent robberies, or provide "protection" when it does happen.
I grew up in a gun society. My father didn't keep one, but most of my family and neighbors did. I went hunting for the first time when I was six. Didn't fire the game. Oddly, it was my uncle who took me, because my father was in Vietnam. Most people I grew up around hunt, and have pistols in the house. Of course, I spent my adult life in the Army, and know what it is like to carry a live weapon, point it at someone, and have one pointed back.
According to most studies I've seen, the places where guns are allowed (and particularly concealed carry) have lower crime rates. Of course, like any other issue, there are counter studies that show the exact opposite. I don't know who's right or wrong, but it is interesting that DC has one of the highest crime rates in the world, yet gun ownership is banned by law. (Or was, until the recent Supreme Court decision). When I lived in Arizona, where everyone had guns, the crime rate was low. So to each his own.
I'm not advocating anyone own a gun. I'm not advocating banning guns. Everyone should make their own choice. They might prevent crime, or they might increase it. There isn't one overall reason why the crime rate here has risen at the same time that gun ownership was banned. But a lot of people here want their guns back. And will do something to get them.
Outlawing the legal possession of guns doesn't get rid of guns. The criminals who want them can and will get them. They're criminals, they don't care about the law. The idea of getting caught with a gun doesn't really faze them as they already spend their time committing crimes. Outlawing guns doesn't keep them out of the hands of criminals. But it does keep them out of the hands of their victims. This might be a good or bad thing.
But I already know what is going to happen. As the crime rate increases, people here will get guns. It's easy. Finding guns isn't a hard thing to do, and they aren't that expensive. With the open borders in the EU now, it's not that hard to get something in or out of any country. So the ordinary citizen will get guns, and eventually, one of them will use one to protect themselves. And they will probably end up wounding or killing someone. The criminal will then become the victim, and the victim will be charged with a crime for protecting their home.
It's an interesting conundrum. As Buffalo Springfield said, "Nobody's right when everybody's wrong."
They do have weapons, but they don't carry them on routine patrols. They are kept locked up until needed, and if I remember correctly, they have to have permission of a supervisor to use them, or have come under fire. Carrying them would probably just create more violence as the criminals would then start to carry them also. I think the US is in a position now where we can't turn back.
But the idea of gun ownership here is a lot more common than most Americans would think. There are a lot of difference in between Brits and Americans, but in some ways we are a lot more alike then they might want to believe.
Lots of people here still think they should be able to have guns. Not so much the concealed carry like we have, but the right to have them in their own homes, or places of business. Since the expansion of the EU, there has been an influx of immigrants from eastern Europe. I've lived there myself, so I'm not condemning them all. But along with the immigrants who come here to work and have a better life, criminals are making the trip also. Why steal from poor eastern Europeans who don't have anything, when you can come to the UK and steal from people who have something. So now that they can move to the UK, they are coming in force, and because of that there is a marked increase in crime in the UK.
There are an increasing number of house break-ins and robberies at stores, and many people feel that having their own weapons could either prevent robberies, or provide "protection" when it does happen.
I grew up in a gun society. My father didn't keep one, but most of my family and neighbors did. I went hunting for the first time when I was six. Didn't fire the game. Oddly, it was my uncle who took me, because my father was in Vietnam. Most people I grew up around hunt, and have pistols in the house. Of course, I spent my adult life in the Army, and know what it is like to carry a live weapon, point it at someone, and have one pointed back.
According to most studies I've seen, the places where guns are allowed (and particularly concealed carry) have lower crime rates. Of course, like any other issue, there are counter studies that show the exact opposite. I don't know who's right or wrong, but it is interesting that DC has one of the highest crime rates in the world, yet gun ownership is banned by law. (Or was, until the recent Supreme Court decision). When I lived in Arizona, where everyone had guns, the crime rate was low. So to each his own.
I'm not advocating anyone own a gun. I'm not advocating banning guns. Everyone should make their own choice. They might prevent crime, or they might increase it. There isn't one overall reason why the crime rate here has risen at the same time that gun ownership was banned. But a lot of people here want their guns back. And will do something to get them.
Outlawing the legal possession of guns doesn't get rid of guns. The criminals who want them can and will get them. They're criminals, they don't care about the law. The idea of getting caught with a gun doesn't really faze them as they already spend their time committing crimes. Outlawing guns doesn't keep them out of the hands of criminals. But it does keep them out of the hands of their victims. This might be a good or bad thing.
But I already know what is going to happen. As the crime rate increases, people here will get guns. It's easy. Finding guns isn't a hard thing to do, and they aren't that expensive. With the open borders in the EU now, it's not that hard to get something in or out of any country. So the ordinary citizen will get guns, and eventually, one of them will use one to protect themselves. And they will probably end up wounding or killing someone. The criminal will then become the victim, and the victim will be charged with a crime for protecting their home.
It's an interesting conundrum. As Buffalo Springfield said, "Nobody's right when everybody's wrong."
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