Wilma

First day back to work from Hurricane Wilma. Luckily it didnt have a huge direct impact on my area. Never the less it did have its scary moments. After 3 hurricanes my family gets into a routine on what to do for hurricanes. First we obviously prepare with batteries and the such, but also being that we have a two story home, my wife and I decide to sleep downstairs in the Living Room.

We tried the Family room which is empty awaiting a pool table but there is no TV in there. YET! LOL..

Most of the reason for us sleeping downstairs comes from my wife being affraid of the upstairs area in storms and the obvious reasoning of Tornados that spawn from the Hurricanes. This one gave me a real scare when the National Weather Service said that there is a Tornado Warning for my town and the Towns east of me.

It was a definte cause of concern and my wife and I frantically after the pleasant Kiss your ass good bye sound of the Emergency Broadcast system, began running around preparing the one safe room we have in our home. The Laundry room on the first floor. I think we were panicking and doing to much to quickly because my son began to shake like he was cold but it was his nerves.

Seeing his fear in his eyes made me realize that I need to calm down. I am usually pretty cool, calm and collected in stressful situations. I have proven that countless times. This time for a brief period I was a bit too excited mostly with fear and it quickly dawned on me that I need to relax. Most of my nervousness of the impending doom from a Tornado comes from the fact that I never been through a Tornado, nor being a kid from the Bronx ever thought I would have been.

Funny thing is that when I purchased my home I made sure I did research on the area and made sure there wasnt a re-occuring theme of hurricanes and Tornadoes in that region. Last Tornado to hit the area was like 1945 or some shit like that. So I guess it was due so to speak.

In anycase we gathered up some pillows, some sheets and I grabbed my leather coat (for some reason, but I think I grabbed it because its really thick) and began putting them in the laundry room. My wife and I both got dressed and grabbed our son and got him dressed too. I grabbed my cell phone just in case and I made sure to grab both car keys in the event that we needed to really get out of dodge so to speak.

I grabbed the radio and my laptop so that I can get continuous coverage of the hurricane and the emergency updates. WIFI rocks by the way. So between the radio, my laptop and my constant walking from room window to room window looking out for a funnel I regained control so to speak of the situation. With the ever so often holding my son and telling him to relax, having him have flashlight patrol and take care of his mom in the room. That was really cute. I also had to calm my wife down so its good that one of us knows how to stay calm in stressful situations. LOL....

After about 45 minutes of walking from window to window and seeing and hearing the immense thunder and lighting and heavy rain pounding on the house we finnally came out of the room. The winds had picked up but the warning for the area had lifted. I also saw that the heavy area of rain that they had called the emergency for the area for had moved along.

But just in case we stayed downstairs for the rest of the night. Kinda sorta sleeping with the radio on tunned to the local talk radio station that was providing all the updates. I also occasionally woke up and looked at the radar of the area.

Tornadoes are no joke and I have seen enough History Channel and Discovery Channel shows to know this. We lucked out and weren't hit with one in our area but it was really scary to have that kind of fear in you. Makes you realize (as if I needed reminder of this) that mother nature rules and we are just borrowing the land from her.

3 Hurricanes last year with primarily Jean and Francis affecting us in my home it makes you have a new found appreciation for Mother Nature.

In anycase say a prayer for those in South Florida that really took a hit from Wilma.

Off To War

Everyone should be watching this thing. Its a great documentary on the Discovery Times Channel about the lives of some Army Reservists that go off to Iraq and right into Baghdad. Its raw, no bleeping no nothing. It follows both the time of the Reservists and their families and it is great.

If you have TIVO set it up to record it. If you dont I think it comes on Saturdays in the evening.

I was watching what I have TIVO'd and it really showed you what its really like to have to go off to war. Its really odd how reservists seem so much different then career military that I have met.

There was one part that Pissed me off big time and I mean really made me mad. There is a part where they show the guys already in Kuwait and needing to Up-armor their Vietnam Error Trucks with Pieces of Scarp Metal and old Flak armor.

I was fucking pissed watching that and was wondering WHAT THE FUCK ARE WE DOING WITH OUR DEFENSE SPENDING. It also really leads me more down the path of thinking that the US really isnt that Militarily advanced as it claims to the world to be. That it may just be all a sham to confuse the outside Nations that we are very advanced.

What also pissed me off is that they had these reservists guarding and going into combat areas to get suspected insurgents with no prior training for it. I dont get that shit! How can you just throw people into those situations with no training.

Another part that pissed me off is about this one man that goes over there and is pretty old. He is I want to say 50 maybe and is injured severly in a Mortar attack. His jaw gets blown off his bone in his arm shattered and when he gets back he need to apply for SSI because he cannot continue working for Maytag in his condition. And he has waited more then 2 months and NO DAMN CHECK YET! Yet we give checks out to wefare recipients quickly but a service man that served for OUR DAMN COUNTRY gets the shaft.

That pissed me the fuck off. And on top of that the company he was working for Maytag said they wont give him his pension till he turns 60 or some shit like that because he wasnt injured on the job but in the war! WTF is that! Fuck Maytag!

In any case its a great show and everyone should watch it.

Weekend

I cant even believe I am posting a second time on here. LOL...

I still dont know what direction I want to take this crazy blog.

Lets start I guess with my weekend. I went to Hollow Scream at Bush Gardens and I have to say that is was the biggest waste of my time ever. Spent about 6 hours in the park and only got on 2 "attractions" I cant even call one of them rides cause it was some cheesy haunted house.

It took over 2 hours to get on one roller coaster there. And about 2 hours for this cheesy haunted house. Most of our time was spent just on line and walking from one place to the next.

You walk through certain areas and along the side of the walk way are people jumping out trying to scare you. I cant front I was caught once right in the begining. But other then that I didnt get caught. All you can really hear all around you was girls screaming.

It was perhaps the biggest waste of 60 dollars I have spent. By the end of the night we figured we could have spent our money alot better on something else.

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Sunday was the first day I went back to playing basketball in over 2-3 months. I was rusty to say the least. I'm going to put some real effort to get back in basketball shape. I mean I was huffing and puffing way to much even in the first game. My body feels soar all over.

It was good to be back playing ball. Its still my one true escape from everything. I love basketball.

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Here is something that I wonder about. How is a person supposed to react when they find out someone is constantly bashing them behind their back but act buddy buddy in their face?

Do you approach the person?
Do you drop subtle hints?
Or
Do you just brush it off your shoulder and keep it moving?

I am not sure.

Ehhh that is my post for the day. 2nd post. WOW.

Sure Why not...

I have been wanting to do this for quite some time now.

I am sure there are countless blogs that start off the same way. I kinda started one but on my own personal computer at home but I decided after reading my "freinds" site ehh... shit why not.

Its about time I joing the Bloging Masses.

Let see how this goes and if I will actually be posting in here everyday. I dont see why not, I am hovering on forums talking about everything from Politics to Cars on a semi Daily basis, so this shouldnt be to hard to commit to or should it?

Hmmmm....

I'd say something cheesey like stay tuned or strap your selves in but lets be real here this isnt an episode of some 1980's TV show and this isnt going to be some intense thrill ride by no means.


Hey cool I just realized you can really edit this thing to be however you want. I guess its time to brush off the old CSS skills.