47 Years of Marriage and Still Smiling

All heavy posts aside I have to write about this woman that Yogi and I met in a local coffee shop.

Barister: Who is that?
Woman: It's your girlfriend! hehe
Barister: Why Hello Dear, will it be the usual?
Woman: Yes Phil. (woman looks to me) I'm not really his girlfriend, I'm married have been for 47 years. Oh my lord has it been that long? I dont even feel 47!

That is how it began. While we waited for our coffee(italian soda for me) she told us all about the goods and bads of marriage. She gave us priceless advice on how to keep it strong and happy. This woman is my hero. 47 years with the same man and she had a huge smile on her face when talking about him. So often these days marriage ends in divorce or a life of unhappiness. It was truly an inspiring conversation. I wish that every couple to be married could have a mentoring chat too. It was all of five minutes but it restored my faith in what marriage can be. So many people get married knowing that they are not in love or even happy with the person...we call this settling.

Don't settle people....you can find someone who will make you smile 47 years later AND the person you are settling for deserves to find that too.

Heres to Love and Happiness!!

Innocence Lost

         Last Night I had a dream. It was actually a memory from my childhood. I was in my bedroom with my two best-friends. We had eaten an entire package each of the most amazing jerky I had ever tasted in my life. Hyper was a very mild way of putting what we were. After what seemed like hours of laughter, I pretended to fall asleep. When I was convinced that they were sure I was asleep I sat up, eyes closed and began talking in a fake accent. I was pretending to talk in my sleep. They immediately began to laugh. I grabbed up my best friend who had been sitting next to me and began to “make sushi”. I was smoothing the rice, stuffing the insides and then rolling her up. All the while they laughed hysterically and debated on wether to wake me up. They decided against it. I continued on in my accent cutting the sushi rolls and giving them to the studio audience. When I had no more fresh material, I laid down and they shook me “awake”. My story was sleep talking and I stuck to it. “you guys are making it up!” I said and they rolled in laughter and my "not knowing".

        Waking up from that dream filled my mind with thoughts of us. One of those best friends suffered a terrible loss a few weeks later and as quickly as she joined our circle was gone. She found new friends quickly and couldn’t handle looking back at us and being reminded of her past. The other I had known since I was in diapers, she began my enemy then turned best friend. She was always there, she always would be...or so I thought. She was a great best friend, kind, giving and smart. We had similar goals: college, career, success and happiness. 

        We were innocent, young and happy, free of societal pressures. It didn’t matter what we did for a living, what out major was or how much we made a year. That was all N/A to us. Perhaps that is when a person loses their innocence when they enter the adult world, when those pressures are applicable. The trouble for us came when I moved out of state. When we were no longer neighbors. 

          I  had moved far away and she stayed behind. In the same small town that she was born. That her mother was born. It was always her dream to move. “I will get out of this town. As soon as I am 18 we are going on a road trip across the country! I will pick the best spot and I’ll stay there.” she would say. She never took that road trip. She never left that town. 

          Once I was gone she turned a leaf. She started smoking and drinking. Craving male attention and even trying drugs. She led herself into a life that was wild and unhealthy. STD’s and marijuana were words often used in her vocabulary. She became a mother young and as I hear her parents are raising him. Her ideas of right and wrong faded and new ways became clear to her. Wrong was her right now and she was too proud to see any different. Along the way we talked often, once she called me drunk and high to tell me, “This is all your fault! You are the one who just left me!”. 

          She had gone from selfless and kind to selfish and mean.  It is not right that two girls on the same path were both derailed. One by Levaquin and one by her own self destruction. Yes, my disabilities are sad and unfair, but her’s is the saddest of the two cases. Had she the want, she could bring herself out of this and be the person she wanted to be,

but she developed this attitude that she could kick the worlds ass and would.

          It used to take at minimum 6 months before we would have an argument that was over in less then an hour. Now after one joke that she didn’t like, she hasn't talked to me in almost a year. Except one phone call when she needed money. Her attitude on life both angers and saddens me. I could never throw away a best friend so easily as she. In the end she did me a favor she helped me to see...

          The truth is, I lost my best friend a long time ago. She has not been that person for seven years. No matter how much I told myself she was. I have excepted mine and the world’s loss. She was amazing and I thank her for being my best friend for so many years.

          I miss you B.

Boycott Johnson and Johnson

Johnson and Johnson is the maker of Levaquin. The toxic antibiotic that left me disabled. Please join me in a full boycott of all of their products. Every dollar they makes leads to more people poisoned. Thanks

They own alot of products, Neutrogena, Aveeno, Listerine, Band aid, etc here is a link to their full list of products. Thanks again :) http://www.jnj.com/connect/healthcare-products/consumer/

Oh Monthly Payments

I’m Sure they started with a kind man trying to help a loyal customer who was down and out. 

“Hey Bob, I’m really needing a good bull. I have to get my numbers up. How much for that big brown one?” 

“Well Lyle, I’m asking 30 dollars for him. He is a prime breeding bull. Worth every penny. He will make you a fine herd.” 

Lyle lowered his head in shame and tried to think of a reason why he suddenly didn’t need a bull. Bob saw this and remembered back to all the times Lyle had done business with him. Even to the time that Lyle had given Bob a half a steer to feed his family when the shop was just getting up and running.

“I’ll tell you what Lyle. You give me a dollar a month on him and you can take him today.”

With that monthly payments began and have change ever so drastically since then. One dollar a month changed to 2, then to 4, then 8. Meanwhile the price doubled and tripled. Until we are here, present day America. Where the amount you pay is always Price+Interest+Tax=Ridiculous. Ask yourself this...If I walk into a cell phone store and told them I want this cell phone with plenty of mins, unlimited texting and insurance. If they said OK that will be $2,640. $5,180 If your spouse wants a phone too and you guys can share the minutes! :) Would you pay that?.....Because you are.

Let’s say you want TV. You say I want these five specific channels and all the movie channels. They say OK but in order to get all five(most popular channels)you will need the EVERYTHING pack. You say ok every channel sounds great, how much?

        Only $3,360! Would you pay that? Here is the kicker. It is Sunday your favorite team is playing their rival but they are not playing it on the common channels because your favorite team is 1000 miles away form you. So you go to the channel that does play it and you dont get that channel!!! What I get every channel! You call your friendly TV provider and they say....Oh you dont get “every channel” Its just called the EVERYTHING pak. But for $360 more I can get you those sports channels you are wanting. :)

Don't forget rent, insurances and Gym fees. The next time you go to buy something on monthly payments, pull out your trusty calculator and see just how much they are going to rip you off for. Is being able to call or text someone worth over 2 grand? Is “every” channel worth over 3 grand? Is that shiny new car worth 9 grand on top of the 10 grand mark up? Have a good day :)

Get Off Of Farmville and Do The RIGHT Thing!

        Over the last few years I have grown increasingly frustrated with DUMB people. I dont know a nicer way of saying that. I can think of several meaner ways though...Scam  artist, Con artist, Asswipes, soul-less wonders, heartless bastards, DirtBags..I could go on but instead I’ll get to the point. I know that doing the right thing is rarely the easiest thing, but there is a reason that it is called THE RIGHT THING....because the other way is wrong!

So many scenarios come to mind when writing this blog. Johnson & Johnson. The man who owes us 30 grand. The hairdresser who trashed my hair then defended and yelled at me for her shotty work. The man that bought my mothers car, never put it in his name getting multiple tickets and eventually got it impounded, now she is responsible for your debt. Bally total fitness, you are a corporation of scammers. The infamous bearded troll...you know who you are....i took the fall for you but in the end we all see through your whiskers. 

There are multiple BAD people in this world. What really makes me sick however, are the ones that leave an endless supply of pain in the wreckage they cause and don’t care. Currently I am dealing with a certain person like this. This person created a life, without any thought or caring of what it’s quality of life would be. She did something dirty for one reason. It seems as though this reason is always somewhere in the shadows of all scams. Money. The life that was created was given a host of pain. All of which could have been avoided had this person not made the poor choices they did. I happen to love this life and by loving it feel pain at watching it suffer. I am doing everything in my power to make the life, a happy and pain free one. These people don’t think of the rippling effect that pain has. 

They are all the same. They throw out false guarantees to make the scam. They act as though they are your very best friend. There is always a reason that the scam must be rushed to completion. When things end up bad they... First ignore, Second play the stupid card, Third blame you, Forth ignore again, Fifth scream attorney in an effort to scare you away from holding them accountable. I will be the first to admit that these steps have worked in SEVERAL of my personal scenarios. I begin to think it is not worth the trouble, I tell myself “just shrug it off, move on.” This time however I will not do that. This person will be held accountable for their actions that have caused pain. It is disturbing to hear the heartlessness and the lack of personal responsibility they have displayed. 

I realize it is hard times for everyone, but I urge you all to think of the many times you have been screwed over and how it felt, when you are in a place to do the right or wrong thing. Please do the right thing. I would welcome any who read this to add your worst “screwed over” experience in the comment box. Maybe that person will happen upon it one day, hear your side and finally do the right thing....HAHAhaha probably not but it might make you feel better to vent a little. :)