Help me understand

I really just can’t get my brain around this. We got the news yesterday that a former neighbor of ours had committed suicide. She was a wife, a mother, and a grandmother of at least two. We have not heard why she wanted to kill herself. We know that she was very despondent over having to move from her home next to my parents. But it’s inconceivable to me to swallow a handful of pills over a collection of wood and plastic.

The whole reason that they moved from their house was over some of the other neighbors that moved in. Her husband was a very meticulous man, who kept his yard neat and his house maintained. When the trash that moved in across the alley started doing the whole mangy dog-cars on blocks deal, he just couldn’t deal with it. So he decided to move. She did not want to.

I have heard that she could not drive down this street anymore. I have heard that just talking about this house would bring tears to her eyes.

But is that enough to end your life?

I will say something now that is likely to be very unpopular, but I think suicide, in most cases (NOT ALL- just most), is about the most selfish thing a person can do.

She left her husband a widower, and her children without a mother. Her one grand child will never understand what happened to Grandma, he is three. They have another on the way. That one will never meet her.

All over a house. Wood. Concrete. Glass. Wires. Shingles. Fixtures. Things.

I just don’t understand.

Sigh

You won't believe your eyes

Watch this and tell me how they do it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB-wUgnyGv0


Troubador

Interesting Meme

1. If you had to set your own work schedule; 8 hours per day; 5 days per week. Which days and hours would you choose?

9:00-6:00 Monday Through Friday

2. What Reality Show would you be on and why?

I couldn’t do one. I hate them all.

3. What is the last book you read?

Harry Potter- Half Blood Prince

4. There are many songs that bring us back to a certain memory. What song(s) do you HATE to hear for that very reason?

They were playing songs from “Return to Pooh Corner for my best friends visitation. Although I don’t hate the music, it brings back a very painful episode of my life when I hear it.

5. If you could go back in time to be any place in world history, what time would you choose and what country/place?

It would either be the time when Stonehenge was built- I am fascinated by that, or when Jesus was alive. I would like to hear his words with my own ears, and not how they have been spun and interpreted though the centuries.

6. Do you know more than one language? Which one(s).

English is my first Language. I had to learn red neck when I started into construction

7. What is your favorite blog? Please link it. One only.

http://mtpeaceofmind.blogspot.com/

8. What is your favorite web site?

www.imdb.com

9. Your house is on fire, the people and pets you love are safe and you can grab one other "thing", what are you taking?

As many photo albums as I can carry

10. You have $100 to spend in the next hour. How are you spending it? (Saving it or giving it away not permitted.)

Tickets to either the Blue Man Group show in October, or the Drum Corps show in Columbus.

Stolen from Christine http://whyihatemyhusband.com/blog/

Hey, an update and its not even a holiday

Hi guys,
Thought I would write a quick post since I don’t have time to get started on any other projects at work before my next appointment.

Life has been crazy busy for me the past few weeks, you will note the slowdown in posting, but that’s not the only reason. I am having a hard time coming up with things to write that people would want to read about. The whole crisis in the Middle East is weighing pretty heavily on my mind, and I am not really articulate enough in those things to make interesting reading.

Anyway, some of the things I have been doing lately, (in case you are interested)

1. Competed with the chorus at Indy, we were ranked 8th and placed 12th. I was not happy at all with that kind of result. So what do I do? Offer to serve on the music committee to see if I can make the changes we need to make.

2. Had several quartet rehearsals with and without coaching. We have flashes of brilliance now and then that makes me think that we have a real chance in September and October.

3. Helped the band director choose a new show when the school board in this hopelessly hick town decided that Moulin Rouge was too risqué and they did not want their daughters in a show about prostitution. Pulease. This is the same school board that puts up billboards of the cheerleading squad in their little bare midriff/mini skirt uniforms.

4. Went to twice a week rehearsals with the drum line. This will pay big dividends, but wont help my schedule any.

5. Took over the treasurers position for the Athletic Commission that I serve on. And I am not an accountant, and never wanted to be.

6. Painted my son’s room, pulled out the bushes in front of the house, got a kitten, kitten proofed the house….

And this is in my spare time.

I can’t go any farther without commenting on what is going on in the Middle East.

I will say this, the Palestinians and Hezzbollah need to thank their lucky stars that I am not in charge. If it were my son that had been kidnapped, there would not be one stone left standing on another. The term scorched earth comes to mind. I don’t care about “proportionality of response.” This is about retribution. The way that we avoided nuclear war with the Soviets is to make the potential cost of such a war so high that it was not worth fighting. Israel can and should do the same thing. The cost to the people of the terrorists should become so dreadful that they think long and hard before they send another suicide bomber into a crowded café.

Let the so called moderate Muslims lean on these guys for a while. And if leaning doesn’t work, then get them pissed off enough to take care of the problem.

More later

Things that keep me awake at night

I know someone who is on death row.
I know his family, his brothers and sisters.
I know the family of the girl that he killed in a murderous jealous rage
I knew her father, who took his own life, grieving over the loss of his daughter

I wonder about Pat a lot
I wonder what drove him to commit such an awful crime
I wonder what goes through the minds of his brothers and sisters when they think of him
I wonder if he is afraid

I find that I am at odds with myself. Part of me thinks that no punishment is harsh enough for those who commit heinous crimes. Part of me thinks that we should string them up on the courthouse lawn, and make everybody watch. This is what happens if you kill somebody. To quote Ron White, “if you kill somebody (in Texas), we will kill you back.

But then I ask myself, does the punishment really fit the crime? I remember in an ethics class in high school, the local prosecutor came and showed us pictures of a crime scene. I can still hear his voice 25 years later, telling us that the only fitting punishment for these “animals” is the death penalty. I think at that time we still used the electric chair. That seems quite harsh to me. But does the punishment really fit the crime?

What happens to rapists? Do we rape them back?
What happens to child molesters? What could we possibly do to them that would fit their crime?
What happens to men who beat their wives? Or wives who exact revenge and mutilate their husbands?
What happens to people who swindle old people out of their retirement?
What happens to someone who starves his retarded son to death?

This really does not make sense to me. All of the other crimes involve jail time, and a fine, and eventually parole.
Only one punishment actually involves causing bodily harm to the criminal

This does not seem consistent to me. Part of me thinks that the most appropriate thing to do is what is happening to the 20th hijacker. He is locked in a super max prison. In a tiny cell. Only getting out one hour a day. Only going outside once or twice a week. I have read that most people in the supermax prisons will eventually go insane. That would scare me worse than a needle. The idea of years going by and never getting a visitor. The idea of dying in prison, and nobody caring, or knowing that I had passed. Of truly becoming a person who’s only identity is a number. That no one knows, that the world forgets about. Perhaps that is the ultimate punishment.

Yet, for all his crime, and all the hurt that Pat caused, I must finally ask myself, could I lead him to his cell, lock the door, and then walk away?
Could I lead him to the gurney, and close the curtain, and then open the valves that drip death into his arm?

I honestly don’t know. Am I weak? Maybe. Do I believe that the true responsibility for life and death in this world is in God’s hands? Most definitely. I know that there is something to be said for forgiveness. Maybe if it was my sister that was killed I would feel differently, but maybe not.

Peace

Another Questionaire I stole from leesa

Stolen from Leesa
1. Have you ever been searched by the cops? Nope

2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?No. I want to see what’s coming. Don’t ride them much anymore though.

3. When's the last time you've been sledding? Winter of ’04. We didn’t get enough snow last year.

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?It really depends on how tired I am.

5. Do you believe in ghosts?Yes. I believe in Extra Terrestrials too.

6. Do you consider yourself creative?That’s one talent I am most proud of.

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife? Doesn’t everyone?

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie? Are those my only choices?

9. Do you stay friends with your exes? There is a reason they are exes.

10. Do you know how to play poker? Some games

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight? No. It wouldn’t be pretty if I tried either.

12. What's your favorite commercial?Since I watch the Super Bore for the commercials, I really cant choose one

13. What are you allergic to?I get hay fever, and high mold counts bother me. I used to be allergic to animal dander.

14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around do you run red lights?Nope. Not with my dumb luck.

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you? Yes.

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees? They play baseball, right?

17. Have you ever been Ice Skating? Yes. It was humorous and painful

18. How often do you remember your dreams?Very often. Sometimes I like the dreams better than waking.

19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?Its been a while, something my daughter did.

20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles? Um..let's see.
Blackbird
Michelle
Come Together
Strawberry Fields
Hard Days Night

21. What's the one thing on your mind now?Making sure I don’t list a song by the Who as a Beatles tune

22. Do you know who Ghetto-ass barbie is?No. Glad I don’t

23. Do you always wear your seat belt?Yes. See that Bulls Eye painted on the side of my truck?

24. What cell service do you use? Cincinnati Bell Wireless

25. Do you like sushi? No idea. Probably wont try it

26. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident? I have been in a head on collision…that could have been fatal

27. What do you wear to bed?as little as possible

28. Been caught stealing? No

29. What shoe size do you have? 10.5

30. Do you truly hate anyone? It takes too much energy. There are some who have earned it, but I am just not gonna let them rule my emotions

31. Classic Rock or Rap? Classic Rock

32. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be? This questions is really tough. Most famous people have slept around so much, I would suffer by comparison. But I would love to trade places with John Travolta for the scene in Phenomenon when Lacy cuts his hair…. I have been watching the Mummy this weekend, so today’s flavor would be Rachel Weisz I guess

33. Favorite Song? You have never heard of it, but its First Circle by the Pat Metheny Group

34. Have you ever sang in front of the mirror? Every Tuesday at Chorus Rehearsal

35. What food do you find disgusting? Squid creeps me out…raw meat etc does the same.

36. Do you sing in the shower? I sing, I compose music, I design marching band drill, and do all of my important thinking in the shower

37. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours"? yep

38. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?That progresses to a sport if you are in a Quartet

39. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew? Yes

40. Have you ever been punched in the face? I am 6’2 and currently 250 lbs. Most people would think twice before they did that.