Today, I do not feel well. I am beyond grumpy. I am scream-at-slow-people-in-traffic grumpy. Not one of my finer moments, and certainly not very Christ-like of me, but I'm human. And I don't feel good.
Quinn has had an ear infection this week. I have kind of felt under the weather all week myself. I get home from work and help relieve my wife a little bit because she deals with the sick, clingy, needy kid-o all day. It sucks because Quinn is NEVER like this, so you know he really feels miserable, which breaks this daddy's heart.
Anyways, last night we finally got to bed between 1230 and 1AM. Quinn woke up in the middle of the night because the Tylenol wore off, so Brooke got up with him. I woke up at 4AM sick to my stomach. So I slept from approximately 1230AM to 4AM. I didn't fall back to sleep until 5AM. I got up at 630AM. Totaled, I got 5 hours of sleep. And it wasn't good, deep, restful sleep. It was miserable sleep. It was laying there not feeling good and falling in and out of sleep kind of sleep.
I said all that to say this. I don't feel well. I'm tired. I'm cranky. I'm stressed. I'm feeling a bit bitter today because I'm tired, cranky, stressed, and I don't feel well. Because of all this, today I blog not about spiritual truths or uplifting insights. Today I rant. Sometimes when you're sick and tired, screaming about being sick and tired makes you feel better. So; if you are looking for some uplifting anecdote or spiritual insight, go read your Bible, because I've got nothing for you today. But if your curiosity has gotten the better of you; if you are wondering "What is this ill, mad-man going to complain about today?" then read on, my friends.
First, I've noticed something in the restrooms here at work. People come in, unzip and begin to put the urinal to good use, and just as the tinkle hits the water, they spit. Not out of necessity or because they need to clear their sinuses or throat or whatever. No, they spit out of habit. They spit out of some weird need to do something manly, or something... It irritates the crap out of me. It's gross and weird, and it's pointless. They spit in the urinal almost like they are throwing a penny into a wishing well; like the porcelain god's are going to grant them their wish because they did their little good-luck ritual of spitting in the same urinal they are peeing in.
I have never seen anything like this phenomenon anywhere else. It's almost as if a memo from corporate higher-ups went out to all male employees and requested they spit while taking a leak. And it isn't just a few guys that do it, its the majority of them. Literally any time I use the facilities, I hear someone spit into the can. I don't know why it aggravates me so much, other than that I find it weird and repulsive. But it does.
Now, on to more important issues. There is so much political stuff I could rant about today that I'd never finish this post and you've probably already given up once I started talking about spitting in urinals, so there would be no point anyways. However, there are a couple issues that I'd like to highlight.
Because President Obama said "You can't get corporate jets, you can't go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer's dime," the mayor of Las Vegas is demanding an apology and a retraction. Evidently, he doesn't care that the taxpayers, struggling to make ends meet in their own lives, foot the bill for corporations to enjoy lavish vacations in his town. And why should he? Doesn't EVERYONE in America get to take a Las Vegas vacation every year at someone else's expense? No, the bottom line is the bottom dollar. Mayor Oscar Goodman doesn't care what happens to the rest of the nation as long as his town gets business. Even if it is at the expense of the American people. I don't know anything about the man other than this news story. But if I had to make a snap judgement based on the fact that he is demanding an apology from the president because he disagrees with taxpayer's money going towards corporate vacations, I'd say he was a selfish jerkoff who has neither the brains or the integrity to be in any kind of office.
Next, I am outraged by the lawsuit of an Arizona rancher to the tune of $32 million by 16 illegal immigrants represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). Roger Barnett stopped 16 illegal immigrants from sneaking into America across his 22,000 acre ranch in Arizona. He stopped them at gunpoint and had an intimidating dog at his side. He held them there until the Border Patrol arrived to take them into custody. Since 1998, he turned over 12,000 illegals to the US Border Patrol. And now, with the help of the MALDEF, 16 illegal immigrants are threatening to take this poor rancher for $32 million!
I have no doubt that being held at gunpoint is terrifying. A man threatening to feed you to his big, mean dog would be enough to make me wet my pants. Inhumane? Perhaps. None of us were there, so we don't really know. But this is America where we have a right to protect ourselves and our property. You don't want some guy holding you at gunpoint and sending you back Tijuana? STOP TRYING TO SNEAK INTO OUR COUNTRY!!! You don't want some guy threatening to feed you to his dog? KEEP YOUR BUTT OFF OF HIS PROPERTY!!! Seriously folks, this is an absolute outrage. And what's worse is that some anti-American law firm is representing this farce as an injustice. It makes me angry. It makes me want to start a border patrol militia. It makes me want to round up 12,000 people and go traipsing through THEIR backyards, destroying their fences, killing their animals, leaving their garbage and crap all over. I'm curious how they'd feel then. I wonder if they would feel violated and try to stop it. Furthermore, I wonder how they'd feel if their attempt to protect their property was called inhumane and THEY were sued for $32 million by people who ARE NOT EVEN CITIZENS OF OUR COUNTRY!!!
You can read these stories for yourself at FoxNews.com and the Washington times here.
On a short positive note, I don't agree with the stimulus bill. I don't agree with what I feel is wasteful spending and nothing more than a Democratic spending spree under the guise of saving our nation from catastrophe. That, I believe, is fear-mongering. However, I will say this. I appreciate and respect the fact that Obama is making it a priority for the American people to see where every single dollar of the stimulus is being spent. The problem with the government is that there is no accountability to the people. And the more bloated the government becomes, the less accountability there is. It might be a bit extreme, but Thomas Jefferson said “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government...” I wonder sometimes if our government has become bloated to the point of doing more harm than good. Perhaps it's time for people to start seriously considering a peaceful revolution, if there can ever be such a thing.
Tomorrow I will feel better. Tomorrow will be a better day. Perhaps tomorrow I will write something positive and uplifting; something in stark contrast to today's rantings. However I must admit, I do feel a little better now that I've let some of my grumpiness out of the cage of my attitude and placed in the cage of my blog.
Cheers, and God bless!
Hoss
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
My Fantastic Weekend
My weekend was amazing. Nothing spectacular or over-the-top amazing happened, it was just a weekend filled with joy, peace, and happiness. There might not be any deep spiritual insights in this blog, and there probably will not be any political ranting, but I want to share about my weekend and who knows; maybe I'll stumble on something deeper.
Friday night I got home from work and my wonderful wife went through the house and cleaned the place up better than normal. I walked in and it smelled so fresh and clean...The air sparkled almost. The counters were cleared, kitchen clean, dishes done, laundry put away, floors vacuumed and she even mopped the tile with extra attention to the little details and specks. It is so nice to walk in to a wonderfully clean home and know I get to just hang out and enjoy it with nothing on the agenda.
My parents stopped by for a little while and we got to visit with them for a bit, which was nice since we haven't really been able to do that in a couple weeks. Later that evening, we were planning on watching a movie together after the kid-o went to bed. Well, we were both pretty beat from a busy week, and we ended up falling asleep on the couches in the living room at about 10PM.
Saturday morning, we slept in as late as the munchkin would allow us, after which we spent the majority of the day in our pajamas and relaxed. Brooke made some tasty waffles for breakfast and we just enjoyed our quiet, mellow Saturday. Just before church, Aaron stopped by and dropped off the rabbit he shot earlier in the week when we went hunting. I threw it in a big stock pot to boil while we were at church and I chopped up a bunch of veggies and fried them in bacon grease (mmmm...so unhealthy, but so tasty). I threw all the veggies in the crock pot after I fried them, checked the bunny, and headed off to church.
My dad preached an awesome and timely message about "going beyond the map." He took a quote from a sailor around 63AD; "today, the storm pushed us beyond the map." Man, that's exactly where we've been and are, and we are not alone. Pretty much all of our close friends are in similar situations where the storms of life have pushed them into unfamiliar territory and uncharted waters. It was a timely sermon about trusting God enough to let him take us into the unfamiliar and scary to bring us through to the blessings He has waiting for us.
We had everyone over after church for rabbit stew. We had a wonderful time talking about the sermon and just hanging out eating rabbit stew. Some liked it, some couldn't get over the fact that it was a rabbit, and Thomas thought it tasted a bit hoppy. (I almost fell out of my chair when he said that!)
Sunday we got up and got around and had everyone meet us at our house. We loaded up firewood, guns, and food and headed to the hills where we built a fire and shot guns and hung out. I made chicken gumbo in the dutch oven, which turned out fantastic. We enjoyed our day-camping a ton, but I'm not sure if it eased or intensified our spring fever.
Oh, and my kid was so adore able. Brooke dressed him up warm and we let him run around up there in the mud. He was SO filthy by the time we were leaving, but man was he cute.
Once we got home, Quinn got a bath and a nap and the wife and I got cleaned up and into our comfortable clothes. We ended up taking a nice long nap with Quinn and got up just in time to make pastrami burgers for dinner. So good.
On my Mom's recommendation, we watched the movie Fireproof. The acting was definitely amateurish, but the movie itself was amazing. I won't go into what it is all about, but I will tell you that if you haven't seen it, you need to. Ignore the bad acting and focus on the message and you will be blessed and changed. It made me stop and think about my marriage and about how blessed we are and about much we still have to work on. We have a wonderful marriage, but it's comforting to know that there's always room for improvement.
As we watched the movie last night, Quinn sat in the floor and played with his books. He was playing so quietly and was being so good...I sat and watched him for a couple of minutes and nearly cried. The sweetness and innocence of this young child; the massive, unspeakable amounts of love I have for this little being; this little life I created and am responsible for. I suppose this is the great spiritual concept of the blog; I love my son more than words can say, and God loves us infinitely more than that. How precious, amazing, wonderful. Our weekend was so wonderful. We weren't worrying about bills or money or anything else. We didn't have an agenda packed full of "have-to's." It was just peaceful. If it wasn't peaceful, I probably would have never stopped to appreciate the beauty of my relationship with my son and the love I have for him. It's so sad, but we get so wrapped up in this life's cares that we fail to even notice the truly priceless blessings we have.
Around 930PM I changed Quinn's diaper, put him in his pajamas, and gave him a bottle and watched him fall asleep in my arms. After he fell asleep on me, I picked him up and took him to his room. As I carried him into the dimly lit room, I whispered a prayer for God to bless him and watch over him as he slept. I laid him down in his crib, still partially awake, and he didn't even cry or whimper. He went to sleep so peacefully. The whole evening of bonding with my little buddy absolutely wrecked this daddy's heart all over again. He is so precious and wonderful, and the older he gets the more I realize the depth of a father's love for his son. The more I realize that depth, the more I realize just how much God loves me.
After I put Quinn to bed, Brooke and I finished watching the movie together, snuggled on the couch with our 3 dogs. It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.
Friday night I got home from work and my wonderful wife went through the house and cleaned the place up better than normal. I walked in and it smelled so fresh and clean...The air sparkled almost. The counters were cleared, kitchen clean, dishes done, laundry put away, floors vacuumed and she even mopped the tile with extra attention to the little details and specks. It is so nice to walk in to a wonderfully clean home and know I get to just hang out and enjoy it with nothing on the agenda.
My parents stopped by for a little while and we got to visit with them for a bit, which was nice since we haven't really been able to do that in a couple weeks. Later that evening, we were planning on watching a movie together after the kid-o went to bed. Well, we were both pretty beat from a busy week, and we ended up falling asleep on the couches in the living room at about 10PM.
Saturday morning, we slept in as late as the munchkin would allow us, after which we spent the majority of the day in our pajamas and relaxed. Brooke made some tasty waffles for breakfast and we just enjoyed our quiet, mellow Saturday. Just before church, Aaron stopped by and dropped off the rabbit he shot earlier in the week when we went hunting. I threw it in a big stock pot to boil while we were at church and I chopped up a bunch of veggies and fried them in bacon grease (mmmm...so unhealthy, but so tasty). I threw all the veggies in the crock pot after I fried them, checked the bunny, and headed off to church.
My dad preached an awesome and timely message about "going beyond the map." He took a quote from a sailor around 63AD; "today, the storm pushed us beyond the map." Man, that's exactly where we've been and are, and we are not alone. Pretty much all of our close friends are in similar situations where the storms of life have pushed them into unfamiliar territory and uncharted waters. It was a timely sermon about trusting God enough to let him take us into the unfamiliar and scary to bring us through to the blessings He has waiting for us.
We had everyone over after church for rabbit stew. We had a wonderful time talking about the sermon and just hanging out eating rabbit stew. Some liked it, some couldn't get over the fact that it was a rabbit, and Thomas thought it tasted a bit hoppy. (I almost fell out of my chair when he said that!)
Sunday we got up and got around and had everyone meet us at our house. We loaded up firewood, guns, and food and headed to the hills where we built a fire and shot guns and hung out. I made chicken gumbo in the dutch oven, which turned out fantastic. We enjoyed our day-camping a ton, but I'm not sure if it eased or intensified our spring fever.
Oh, and my kid was so adore able. Brooke dressed him up warm and we let him run around up there in the mud. He was SO filthy by the time we were leaving, but man was he cute.
Once we got home, Quinn got a bath and a nap and the wife and I got cleaned up and into our comfortable clothes. We ended up taking a nice long nap with Quinn and got up just in time to make pastrami burgers for dinner. So good.
On my Mom's recommendation, we watched the movie Fireproof. The acting was definitely amateurish, but the movie itself was amazing. I won't go into what it is all about, but I will tell you that if you haven't seen it, you need to. Ignore the bad acting and focus on the message and you will be blessed and changed. It made me stop and think about my marriage and about how blessed we are and about much we still have to work on. We have a wonderful marriage, but it's comforting to know that there's always room for improvement.
As we watched the movie last night, Quinn sat in the floor and played with his books. He was playing so quietly and was being so good...I sat and watched him for a couple of minutes and nearly cried. The sweetness and innocence of this young child; the massive, unspeakable amounts of love I have for this little being; this little life I created and am responsible for. I suppose this is the great spiritual concept of the blog; I love my son more than words can say, and God loves us infinitely more than that. How precious, amazing, wonderful. Our weekend was so wonderful. We weren't worrying about bills or money or anything else. We didn't have an agenda packed full of "have-to's." It was just peaceful. If it wasn't peaceful, I probably would have never stopped to appreciate the beauty of my relationship with my son and the love I have for him. It's so sad, but we get so wrapped up in this life's cares that we fail to even notice the truly priceless blessings we have.
Around 930PM I changed Quinn's diaper, put him in his pajamas, and gave him a bottle and watched him fall asleep in my arms. After he fell asleep on me, I picked him up and took him to his room. As I carried him into the dimly lit room, I whispered a prayer for God to bless him and watch over him as he slept. I laid him down in his crib, still partially awake, and he didn't even cry or whimper. He went to sleep so peacefully. The whole evening of bonding with my little buddy absolutely wrecked this daddy's heart all over again. He is so precious and wonderful, and the older he gets the more I realize the depth of a father's love for his son. The more I realize that depth, the more I realize just how much God loves me.
After I put Quinn to bed, Brooke and I finished watching the movie together, snuggled on the couch with our 3 dogs. It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.
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