Don't want to go to work today...

Should just go back to bed and sleep until aroused... but then I would be adding to the overall economic failure of the Obama Administration, so get up and out and make the doughnuts. I caught the President making a remark about the steroid abuse in the Major Leagues, the tragedy is in the abuse in Pony League and High School not in the Majors where everyone was making lots of money for slow stupid death. And medically steroids are important for healing and growth. Now his thinking that the ball players are role models and should be above this was interesting, but didn't he just approve Federal Funding (more stimulus?) of embroynic stem cell research? Wait until you see the monsters we will get from that, amazing that he can't make the connection of good science and medicine used for all the wrong reasons by people for profit and pretty. Kind of like morphine and such - used properly a fine medicine, otherwise slow stupid death.

I liken the current frenzy to protect us from Economic Disaster, or Terrorist Attack, to the Body Armor of Knights of old, or those fine Infantry sitting in armored HMMVs. You aren't light on your feet, take too long to dress, spend too much energy in lift and motion and only work at thirty percent efficiency in combat. As the Federal Government protects us from all our follies and foolishness and failures - we will become less able to take care of ourselves - we will be looking for someone else to care for us. Well, maybe you will, I will be in hiding or just worn out paying for more taxes for all the wonderful protections in place.

What's keeping you up at night?

I have been trying to prepare my taxes, download TurboTax 2008, under Firefox (NOGO 3x) then back to Windows, it works! then since I care I write the incoming President about my good wishes for America and the 2nd Amendment. You did, too, didn't you?

Saint Peter! don't call me for I can't go...

I owe my soul to the Company store. What is it about listening to the good Reverend say: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" that drives me to pay my bills, reconcile my accounts and post my Quicken -- and then know that Tennessee Ernie Ford had me pegged before I was old enough to vote? One fist of iron and the other of steel, if the right one don't get you then the left one will... yeah, sure.

Getting ready for tax time, and clearing the paper clutter, trash day is tomorrow, and although I am sure if I die before I wake - my wife has all my assets and insurances to cover everything I owe, but if I don't die then I am going on loading that number nine coal, forever... about that high toned woman - slipped right by me, didn't notice her, no wonder I am so broken.

Well, it will all be better in the morning, I don't think I am directly paying a 150 million for the party in Washington, DC. I know I am not invited, I am still carrying a weapon or two, and I do have to go to work to pay the bills, taxes and prepare for the worst. No one is bailing me out. No one has read the 2nd Amendment the way I did, so they made all these laws and regulations to infringe upon my Right. Silly people, hold that regulation up in front of you next time someone points a firearm at you - if the Law is several pages thick it might work.

Time to participate in government, by the People...

Have been meaning to write to my Congressman, Adam Smith, so I did this morning. Nothing like cold icy weather to make me think. I put a stamp on the letter and will drop it off on my way out the door. As I was thinking about the expected non-response, it is about the 2nd Amendment after all, I considered running for his office in two years. And I looked up the qualifications, I meet them, and the entry fee, here it is one percent of the annual salary for the position - or, the signature of a registered voter for each dollar I can't afford to pay. Sounds like it could work.

He doesn't need to worry, I am not a public enough person, and a Congressperson needs to be comfortable in front of people and working crowds. Still, if this year is going to go strange and against what I believe, I may have to become what the Founding Fathers intended - an active motivated armed and concerned citizenry - politics is not a spectator sport, one must get out there and play the game... we count and it matters.

Ah it is raining, really Northwest Coast Raining...

It is constant, it is heavy and there is more on the way, the streets are wet, when the drains plug up with fallen leaves the roads become little rivers flowing to find escape from the cars spraying and splashing large fans of water. The large umbrellas come out, the rain coats and rubber boots, it is darker, and the rain falls heavy drumming upon the roofs and roads. The Sound absorbs the rain from the Pacific but the trees and ground want to shed it, and can't. Since the ground is already soaked, the rivers start to rise flooding in the near future, warnings on the television to clean the drains of leaves, watch driving across slick wet leaves and an example of a car that went over the embankment when it slid out of control.

In the library today my crew and I worked on steadily, the primary shelver was on a mission to find all the books I would withdraw because of pages and pictures missing. They are torn or cut out because there are so many stupid people in prison, ones that still believe their wants out weigh that of the many, and if they don't get it first some other guy would steal it anyway. Always remember that these inmates will be released back to your neighborhood one day. As I say that I remember putting about forty-two donated books into the collection, many brand new donated by inmates that do care and will share. When I put the newspapers out about Senator Obama's victory with his speech and pictures of his family and Senator McCain it was a pretty good set of coverage. In an hour they were all stolen and the local bookie couldn't get his NFL spread for this weekend's betting. Do remember that I am not here to provide targets and opportunity for more crime, I do circulate real fine information and reading material.

My State of the Union, at our kitchen table

My wife wouldn't talk to me, because I wasn't properly responsive over our nephew's impending divorce (which I am very unhappy about) but I don't want to know the details - and she wants to share (dumping all the dirt she got from her sister). Ah, women. Then I find out this morning that President Bush has been giving the State of The Union speech last night - and he was at our kitchen table (where I found out about the divorce) and he heard we were discussing the economy. Ah, he has a hearing problem, we are old long lived working folks (middle-classless) and we will get another job, cut back spending and pray harder. We won't be waiting on the government to make us feel better. We will talk at the kitchen table about people we love and care about, about strangers going through tough times and what we can do to help, and what the weather is like outside and can we safely go to work. Doesn't match the agenda of Presidents and those other guys and gals in Washington, DC. does it? Nope!

Okay, want to talk politics? Don't think the Republicans are conservative enough, there isn't a lot of freedom for adults in America and growing less all the time. Don't think the Democrats are about the little people any longer - only about the rich money lenders with guilty feelings for being so rich (and wanting to get richer). That is about enough, I am sure the NRA will tell me where gun owners should vote (they don't get to my kitchen table where I clean my guns either). I will vote, but only for the people that I think will do less harm and sometimes it is hard to know about that. And in Washington State if the proper Governor (Governess?) isn't elected on the first count they keep recounting dead and disenfanchised voters until they get the results that King County wanted. We actually had several counties that had the exact same number of ballots and same results in all three counts - but not in King County. Enough politics, may the best candidates win (that should be a prayer phrase, shouldn't it?) and I will do the best I can to be a good citizen and an independent freedom loving American. So should y'all. There is a War on Terror on, and our military needs our attention.

Blood pressure is lower today...

I check it daily, every morning and today it was good (or too low as my wife says) 103/64 and 97/67 - heart rate of 41 and 38 bpm. It was the wine last night? the medication? the motorcycle ride in the Sun? well, no prize if you guess my choice but it wouldn't be the first two. I seem to have lots on my plate, all undone and I keep piling more on to see how tall the pile of procrastination gets before it topples. Today on a conference call I volunteered to work with two other library keepers on a blog for our Institutional Library Services - which would be easy, except in the end it must be very professional and politically an asset, never a liability (bland?). I sometimes think politicians are completely surprised when they find they aren't perfect, nor perceived as perfect. I also mentioned in a local Homeowners meeting that the library has books on how to incorportate in Washington, so I got the assignment of getting the books we need to do that (the others don't go to libraries?). At the same time I picked up two new things to do, nothing dropped from what I need to get done - stress adaptation - keep piling it on. So by the end of the day I am farther behind in work flow. Today I lost one library clerk to getting a haircut, tomorrow I lose one to a visit, and no one came to get the job opening today although there were five names told to show up, only one did. And Friday is my day (only in my mind) to clean up and finish all that the week brought with it, will he make it?

Well, my plan is to do what I can and concentrate on the important stuff. Being really old so much that passes for things to worry about, I won't. Universal health care, I was in the military, my family and I had total health care - we never needed plastic surgery, brain surgery, nor (lucky me) did anything traumatic come along. But I had to participate, taking all shots when scheduled, eating the food provided when in operations, and physical fitness training five or more days a week (those candidates never talk about what to eat and how much exercise you will have to do under their guidance, and look out on smoking and drinking and UA's?). And scheduling appointments was interesting, since there were never the number of health care professionals to support the needs of the populations served (the purpose of the military is to break things and kill people when so directed by Congress and the President - healing is only an economy measure - for morale and cutting training costs for replacements). This is one of my not to worry abouts, Medicare is coming to save me - and why do I have to pay for something I am taxed for already? Don't worry about it, they know what they are doing.

The IRS thinks I don't have to pay taxes (or file them) for 2007, since they haven't sent my booklet and materials. I won't worry about that either unless I think they owe me - since they think they got over they are waiting for me to figure it out. With all their computers and staff and everyone reporting to them - they could do my taxes for me and send me something to check against. I will file, and keep the records and be happy about it - proves I still have just a bit of intelligence left to be able to do my own taxes, they don't make it easy because it would empower more independence in the citizen. April 15th is weeks away.

One thing I always noticed when I wandered in foreign countries - I never had to worry about the laws. They existed in the local language, and if I behaved, like my parents taught me, good manners got me through just fine. But there are people in all the different governments making new laws to cover whatever they hadn't thought about before. I can't worry about that, I don't have enough time to read them, obey nor break them, or be punished for them. Not going to lose sleep on that either.

I think I will ponder the Clintons as repeating Presidents... when is the daughter going to be thirty-five? Or should I look at the interesting French fellow with his fine lady, and think that an American wench from Orange County country could be President and publicly fool around better than the French (not in 2008, give us a few more years to get it right). Well, nothing even got my blood pressure to spike, so I will go read about the Boer War.

Resolutions or resolution?

End of the year is about here; I have completed weeding three hundred and four items from the collection this month. Weeding is one of those terrible secrets about Public Libraries that those that love books don't like to talk about, needing space for newer and better (one hopes) circulating items. But I could use the same treatment in my home, getting rid of the excess I will never use again, or in my life getting done with those wasted minutes in a life poorly spent. Here in the prison the inmates have a sentence and time remaining to be served and they are experts at what they must do to get out any sooner, unless there is a surprise they didn't expect in their future. I have to come up with a six year plan, all I have left before I start draining the Social Security Trust Fund with the rest of the Boomer generation. I figure to also look at the ten year plan at the same time, having been granted three score and ten years as the life of a man. There are several things I won't become: a Presidential candidate, a suicide bomber, a holy man, nor a drug or alcohol addict. I do have some things I would like to do (a bucket list?) and some titles I don't have yet but would like to (a fine fellow?) and positions I could work at earning (Elder?). Well, back to regular work, buying new titles to replace the ones weeded.