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There are a few people who really enjoy putting together and following a family budget but for most of us we’d rather endure a day of fingernails on a blackboard. The question is why so many of us “budgeting adverse”. I know for me, it’s the fact that I don’t like to be restricted by or told what to do even when I am the one doing the restricting and the telling! It sounds a bit crazy but I know more people like me than not.

When I am out shopping, I don’t want to ask myself if this is something I need or not even though I should. I don’t want to ask myself if this is something that is helping my situation or something that is hurting my situation; I’m shopping and that means I am looking to have a little fun and satisfaction! The thing is, after I buy something I don’t need I feel guilty about it and wonder why I bought something I don’t need yet again that has blown my finances up. Thus the circle starts again.

I realize I hate to be told what to do because I was not allowed to make my own decisions growing up but I am also no longer a child so it’s time to stop acting like one. I am now listening to the adult in me and she and I are sitting down today a creating a budget. It’s time to grow up whether it’s fun or not; it’s necessary.

Several friends have commented lately that they need more fun in their lives so I have started asking people if they play enough. It didn’t surprise me to find out that the resounding answer to this question is NO! When I asked what they felt like they did with their time the vast majority said work, both at work and at home. For those with kids, driving the kids to and from events and activities was another answer. It has become very apparent that no matter what demographic you are in you’re not having much fun.

For the few that stated they were having fun, I was surprised at what they said was fun. After all, watching TV to me isn’t fun but to some others it is. Hanging out with friends was high on the fun list for guys and gals alike and reading was another winner for the gals and there was the occasional guy who sited his job as being fun, which for them is a very good thing. If all of us could find a little more fun in our lives it just might change the way we look, act and feel. The first assignment is finding out what we deem as fun and getting out there and having some!

Visiting Nashville, TN last week was a treat! I had the chance to go see some of the damage done by the recent flood but more importantly had the opportunity to see first hand all the wonderful things the people of Nashville are doing to help those that were impacted get back on their feet. It was a joy to see.

One thing that really surprised me was the restaurants we ate at; they were magnificent! I have to admit that I went to one of them more than once and want to put a word in for anyone visiting in the future; you must go eat at the Silly Goose in East Nashville! I was amazed at the flavors of the sandwiches and thought I would die for the homemade ice cream. I don’t know how the chef comes up with these flavors but they are truly magnificent! The friends that took me there live in the area and eat at the Silly Goose several times a month and they were telling me about the Honey Beet ice cream and the Peanut Butter and Jelly ice cream just to name a few. I had the Chocolate with Salt and Cracked Pepper which was a wonderful finish to a great meal. I highly recommend it!

Considering the fact that the US is 51% Protestant and the Supreme Court will be without a Protestant on the bench after Justice Steven leaves the court, the answer to the question is no. But that brings up another couple of questions. The US Constitution is clear that there will be “no religious test” when being considered for the Supreme Court so why is it that it seems to always be considered? Also, there is no guidance what so ever as to the makeup of the Supreme as a reflection of America so why does that always come up when a new appointment is made?

I have concluded that it’s because we are dummying down in this country into a media lead society. I run with people who actually have read the US Constitution at some point but the vast majority that I ask outside my circle has never even read it! You would think we should all have a working knowledge of the Constitution if only because we send representatives to Washington that we ought to be able to hold them accountable to uphold the very document that leads our nation. But you can’t hold anyone accountable to something you know nothing about nor can you argue a point with someone who listens to the likes of a Glen Beck or a Bill O’Reilly instead of reading the US Constitution and making up their own mind.

A perfect example of being lead by the nose….

This afternoon, I had some car trouble.  And, as I sat in the hot, dingy waiting room of what will undoubtedly be a an overpriced mechanic, of course the TV show blaring in the corner of the room was Jerry Springer.  Today’s topic was “I Spent All the Money on the Hooker”.  Well.  Now, I’m invested.

As I sat and watched the physical and emotional carnage, I felt absolutely no empathy.  Now, I know that it’s probably staged – all an act.  But, even so what does that say about our society?  That whether it’s real or not, we don’t even stop to check, do we?  We just sit there and gaze, slack-jawed at the screen.  I started to feel bad… well as much as I could until one realizes that someone else in the history of the world has done something MUCH worse.

That’s when it occurred to me, Jerry Springer, and it’s Maury Povich, Judge Judy counterparts are the modern day equivalents to the epic battles, hunts and live executions that took place at the Roman Coliseum.  Royalty and peasants alike gathered around as innocent people were killed, eaten or maimed.  Pure entertainment.  No empathy.  And, these TV shows are no different.

But, like so many others sometimes I just can’t look away.

Everyone knows that the newest James Bond movies have not exactly been at the level that the other James Bond movies of the past have been. Plenty of people like to blame the new actor Daniel Craig for the decline but I do not think that the acting is the problem.

I have seen Daniel Craig in other movies that I have enjoyed. I usually really enjoy his characters. Daniel Craig always looks and acts so cool that you would think he would make a perfect James Bond. I do not think his performance as the super spy was that bad. I think that the script and story line that he was supplied with is the real problem. If they had been up to par with the rest of the Bond movies then people would not have criticized Craig.

On top of that, perhaps the 007 movies need to end. There are more twenty different Bond movies and they have been being made since Sean Connery was a young actor. He was, after all, an early 007. It is just time for the Bond movies to go.

People do some crazy things for a living. Some people tightrope walk. Some people disarm bombs or chase down armed robbers or killers. The profession that I have always thought was incredibly intense was flying jet planes. Those immense pieces of government property go at incredible speeds and are usually piloted by only on person. At those speeds everything you do would have to be perfect. You would have to be able to listen for what to do, figure out what to do, and do it. And you would have to do that all in a matter of seconds.

I think it takes an amazing person to fly a jet. Your comprehension skills would have to be supreme and your reflexes would have to be better than that. You also have to be able to take the strain. The jet planes that they pilot often go at mach one speed. That is about 750 miles per hour. That is so fast that if you blink you may not see it go by. These same jet planes frequently go over one thousand miles per hour. That is the strain I am talking about. The strain of your body being pushed one thousand miles per hour through the air. But these pilots are strong and they can take it.

Most people are familiar with the popular show Family Guy. I watch it occasionally and enjoy the outrageous humor that is sometimes just plain wrong. Another television cartoon show that has that style of humor is the show South Park. Fans of that show will tell you that nothing is off limits when it comes to their comedy. These shows will make fun of things that were so serious that you thought you would never laugh at it. Things like Martin Luther King’s assassination, the 911 bombing, and so many more tragedies are made into humorous affairs. This style of humor should be called Edgy comedy.

One of my favorite comedians, Sarah Silverman, has based her whole act on that Edgy humor. The jokes are just so outrageous sometimes you do not want to laugh but at the same time they are so funny that you just have too. I really appreciate this type of humor because it shows that everything can have fun poked at is and nothing is above a little comedy. And for things like racism and sexism, Edgy Comedy points out just how foolish racists and sexists are.

I got home from a physical this afternoon where my doctor informed me that I was very close to being diabetic. He has been bugging me for the last two years that my weight was growing and my health declining. He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t know. I used to be in shape an active but once I got out of the field and took a promotion and desk job I just seemed to have blown up. So I wondered if I could get fit over 40.

So I took a little trip on the internet to find out what it really takes to get fit after years of neglect. Not only have I let my weight get out of hand but also but my knees and lower back are in sad shape as well. It hurts to just walk up and down the stairs to my home everyday. I have actually thought about selling my house to get rid of the stairs! Now I am realizing that if I don’t change my ways, I’m going to die sooner than later and I have a wife I want to grow old with and kids that I would like to see grown. I started reading about this P90X from a couple of people who have had some serious injuries in the past and have slowly overcome them and used this exercise program to get in shape. They actually show their progress, which gives me hope.

Poison Frogs are always fun to look at in the zoo or maybe even see in the wild if you have the opportunity. They have beautiful colors and are usually very small. They almost look like little globs of wet paint on leaves. The reason they are that color is to warn other animals and possible predators that the frogs are not good to eat. An interesting thing about these frogs is that their body does not create the poison like poisonous snakes. Poisonous frogs will eventually lose their poison if they are bred in captivity and even frogs that have been captured in the wild will eventually lose their poison.

The reason for this is that these frogs get their poison from the variety in their diet and from some of the insects that they tend to eat a lot of in the wild. So frogs that are captured or bred in captivity would not have the variety of food nor would they have access to the insects that they make their poison from. Another thing is that the frog’s poison does not go through skin so they are safe to touch as long as you have no open cuts and do not put your hands in your mouth.