Words that ring true…

He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast, he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he once fought in and the deeds that he had done, in his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.
And ‘tho sometimes to his neighbors his tales became a joke, all his buddies listened quietly for they knew where of he spoke.
But we’ll hear his tales no longer, for ol’ Bob has passed away, and the worlds a little poorer for a Soldier died today.
He won’t be mourned by many, just his children and his wife. For he lived an ordinary, very quiet sort of life.
He held a job and raised a family, going quietly on his way; And the world won’t note his passing, ‘tho a Soldier died today.
When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state, while thousands note their passing, and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell of their life stories from the time that they were young, but the passing of a Soldier goes unnoticed, and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land, some jerk who breaks his promise and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who in times of war and strife, goes off to serve his country and offers up his life?
The politician’s stipend and the style in which he lives, are often disproportionate to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary Soldier who offered up his all, is paid off with a medal and perhaps a pension, small.
It’s so easy to forget them, for it is so many times that our Bobs and Jims and Johnnys, went to battle, but we know,
it is not the politicians with their compromise and ploys, who won for us the freedom that our country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger with your enemies at hand, would you really want some cop-out with his ever waffling stand?
Or would you want a Soldier– his home, his country, his kin, just a common Soldier who would fight until the very end.
He was just a common Soldier and his ranks are growing thin, but his presence should remind us we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict we find the Soldier’s part is to clean up all the trouble that the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor while he’s here to hear the praise,then at least let’s give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in the paper that might say:

“OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, A SOLDIER DIED TODAY.”

Publisher Unknown

-Dan

VN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)
Powered By Wordpress Tabs Slides

Age before Technology

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930’s 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and or drank while they carried us.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitch-hiking.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren’t overweight because

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo’s, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms……….WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And YOU are one of them!  CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

Publisher Unknown?

-Dan

VN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Rating: +2 (from 2 votes)
Powered By Wordpress Tabs Slides

This Week…

This past week has been bad.  Every morning my hands have been the worst in terms of mobility.  I can barely put on my on damn socks they hurt so bad.  Once I sit down, its a battle to get back up under my own power due to my knees and ankles.  The pain meds I have been taking are not working as well as they normally should since I have been taking them for years now and my body has built up an immunity to them so now I have to take double the amount I would normally take to get the same effect to take the edge off.  My next appointment I am going to try and get different pain meds and alternate between the two so that they may work better.  Also going to try and get my doctor to up the corticosteroids.  I can’t believe I am still sane after all I have been through so far…

-Dan

Powered By Wordpress Tabs Slides

Never ends…

My pain never ends.  This last weekend, both Saturday and Sunday mornings were horrible.  Both hands/fingers completely frozen.  Locked up to the point that I could not open my hands at all.  I would start to try and open them and then they would stick and pain shoots all the way up both arms.  My knee’s were also swollen.  If I sat down for more then 5 minutes, I would have serious trouble getting up to a standing position on my own.  The pain pills (OxyContin) is not working like it should any more.  I figure my body has built up an immunity to it making it ineffective.  I think I am going to try and have my doctor change my medications to see if that helps any (and if he even does it).  I have so much shit to do yet I can’t do it in this condition.  I am so sick of feeling like this that it is driving me insane.  Fucking INSANE!

-Dan

Powered By Wordpress Tabs Slides

Definitions

I like this so much that I pulled it from a friends blog (www.LagMonster.Com):

(1) Fine : This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes : If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing : This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don’t Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh : This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That’s Okay : This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That’s okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks : A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint..Just say you’re welcome.  (This is true, unless she says ‘Thanks a lot’ – that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say ‘you’re welcome’,  that will bring on a ‘whatever’).

(8) Whatever : Is a woman’s way of saying FUCK YOU!

(9) Don’t worry about it, I got it:  Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking ‘What’s wrong?’   For the woman’s response ‘nothing’.

-Dan

VN:F [1.8.1_1037]
Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)
Powered By Wordpress Tabs Slides