Thinking

Well, I just got home from work. As I sit here by myself, I can't help but think. Strange. Anyhow, I was just thinking about how meticulous some of us are in regard to cleaning our dishes. I mean, if there's a bit of crusted food on a fork, do we eat with it? Certainly not! If there's a spec of dirt on a plate at a restaurant, would we eat there? No! However, as I sat here chowing down on my previously frozen "TV" dinner, I couldn't help but wonder why it is that we so intimately trust that little cardboard box that it comes in.

I mean, think about it: we have no idea who handled that box, either during or after assembly. Then, I thought about how easy it would be for ANYONE to slice one open and inject something in there and then glue it back shut. How interesting to think that we trust strangers to pack our food, strangers to handle that same food, and someone strange to scan it and then place it in the bag for us. Yet, we don't think of our frozen little delights (tonight, mine was cheese ravioli from Michelina's) as being angrily molested by strange people with unknown intentions. I guess that we would like to think that, since it's food, people will handle it with the dignity and manners befitting a chef. Poppycock. Our frozen food has been abused in more ways that we could dream of. Assembly line-like processing and packaging, being thrown about, dropped on the floor, and crammed in a filthy truck.

Did all of this thinking about the true nature of my food keep me from eating, though?

Certainly not.

Angry

Well, I'm angry. I just got home and ate a bag of fritos flavor twists (the honey bbq kind), and I was having a pretty good time. Then, I read that the dweebs of the supreme court have ruled that cities can take "imminent domain" of people's private property. Now, I realize that imminent domain has been around forever. However, I can see the huge abuse of power right here. You see, what's going to happen is this: some poor schmuck in the city is going to be eeking out a living in his little slummy house. Then, the city's going to come in and say, "Oh, well, we're going to build a Walgreen's here to bring in revenue." You have a week to leave your house. Here's the fair market value--one thousand dollars. I hope that things go well. Tata." By this point, Joe Shmo is too busy having a nervous breakdown thinking (and rightfully so) that he can't find another house and doesn't even notice that the city is reaming him from behind.

I'm so sick of this bogus garbage. I see it all the time. Cities take nice little tracts of land--oftentimes farm land--and completely destroy the peace by bulldozing the place and putting a Walmart in. This is not right. Do you know how much money places like Walmart get just by coming into an area. Tax breaks, etc. It sucks. Walmart doesn't need free money. Nobody needs free money. Get off your lazy rear and work for what you have.

Oh, I might just point out that it was mainly the "liberals" on the bench who ruled in favor of taking people's land. That's because the liberals want to be in control of everything. You know what I want? I want the government to say as far away from me as they can. I realize that we need a centralized government. That's plain and simple. However, our founding fathers wanted that government to be as minimally intrusive as possible. They didn't want another monarchy.

Finally, I would like to defy anyone to try to take anything from me. It won't be pretty.

Update

Well, I've put my homepage URL on my profile now. Not that anyone cares, but I thought that it would be neat to at least have a pic of me that you all could see. Now, mind you, my home page is merely through aol, and it's completely out of date. Soooooo....... take it with a grain of salt, I suppose.

Good news!

My sister just told us today that she's pregnant! She's due in February! Woo hoo! I've been after her to hurry up and give me some nieces and nephews, so it looks good! I'll update here as events transpire (after all, we've got, like, eight months!).

My Ever-Lovin' Hand

Well, I now have almost full hand-faculties back, so I can tell my story! I was building a set of steps for my brother-in-law's daycare. They have a set of steps that go up a hill behind their daycare. The hill is about a 65 degree incline. Pretty steep. Anyhow, I had cleared all the debris from the old steps away so that I wouldn't fall on a nail (ah, the irony!). So, I had constructed a piece of the steps and was going to drag it up the hill and set it in place, but it was so long (about 16 feet) that I had to drag it around and through the pile of cleared debris in order to get it to a point where I could drag it straight up the hill and set it in place.

Well, as I was dragging it around, I slipped and fell on the steep hill. I reached out with my hand to catch myself on the side of the hill. Catch myself, I did. I felt a funny feeling when my hand came to rest, and, looking down at my hand, I noticed that there was a nice, 6 penny nail coming through the back of my hand. Now, this was one of those carpenter's nails that's flared down along the shaft of the nail and twisted so that it holds the wood better. It certainly holds flesh well, too. I would find out later that it was also bent at a ninety degree angle just an inch down from the tip. This whole thing was shoved into my hand just so.

So, I knew from previous knowledge that if something is stuck in your body, you should never remove it, but let the doctor do that. So, I thought that I would leave the nail in. Then, I realized that this nail was attached to thirty feet of railing. The nail itself was in the base of a 2x4. So, I thought that I might just get my circular saw and cut the board at a spot where I could carry the remainder. Then, I realized that my saw was about 20 feet away, and I couldn't drag this railing that far. So, I called my parents on my cell phone, thinking that they could come and cut the board for me. I got their voice mail. So, rather than sit there all night with a board stuck to my hand, I decided that I would pull my hand off the board and go to the hospital.

I knew that it would hurt, so I thought that I might just quickly jerk the board off. I tried to do so. Much to my chagrin and hurt, the board came straight up with my hand when I jerked (remember, I didn't know that it was bent at a ninety degree angle in my hand!). So, I decided to do the only manly thing that I could do. I stuck my left index and middle fingers under my right hand and I pushed my thumb against the board and I pried my hand off the nail. Now, this act took a considerable amount of leverage, wiggling, and pain on my part. I can honestly say that it was the most painful experience of my life.

Anyhow, I got the nail off. I was surprised to see the twisted, mangled nail for what it really was. It was all corroded and covered in my blood and flesh. Pretty neat, actually. Anyhow, at this point, I realized that I could call my brother-in-law and have him come pick me up. He rushed over with my sister, and I instructed her to pick up all my tools and put them in the trunk of her mountaineer, and then move the wood off to the side. She gave me a few paper towels and a bag of ice to wrap around my hand, too (at this point, all I had was my filthy work shirt to wrap around my hand). On the way to the hospital, the ice melted all over the crotch of my pants, so I'm sure that people thought that I had driven a nail through my hand and then passed out from the pain and wet myself. How humiliating. But, I survived.

I thank God, because the nail could've easily broken bone (how it missed the bone attached to my pinky finger is still a mystery to me!), severed tendons, injured nerves, hit an artery, or maybe my eye, or anything. Yet, God protected me through it all and gave me a calm mind and peaceful spirit. So, all in all, it really wasn't that bad, and I now have a pretty exciting story to tell!

Sabbatical

Well, not really. However, last night, I punctured my hand with a 6 penny nail, and I won't be typing on here for a few dails until it heals a bit and i don't have pain. I'll type up the whole story for your delight once I'm a bit better. Take care, my friends!

My Cat

Earlier today, I put my cat, Waffles, to sleep. It was the hardest thing that I've ever had to do. We took him to the vet's with every intention of putting him down, but I still wasn't ready. I won't go into all the detail about his condition, because it's just downright pathetic. I will say, though, that the doctor told us that there was little hope for him, but, if we wanted and could afford to, we might still try to do something for him. I was completely out of money. So, I had to make the decision. I chose to let go of him.

I had my cat for 14 years. He was a great cat. He was full of personality. I got him from a place called "Animal Friends" in early March of 1991. He was born in February of that year. I went around, looking at all the kittens, and I chose him. Not only was he cute, he was the only one with an apparent "desire" to leave the place. As I walked by, he sat on his haunches and shoved his little paws and arms through the cage door and reached out, like he was trying to grab me. He was so cute, that I couldn't resist. At that time, when he curled himself into a ball to sleep, you could lay him across your open hands. In just a couple years, he grew to be a monstrous cat, weighing 16 pounds. My cousins called him the "amazon" because he was so tall, strong, and ferocious.

He had a nasty little personality that I just found endearing. When new people would come to the house, they would say, "Aw, what a pretty kitty!" It was then that he usually bit them. He liked me most of all, and was very loving with me. He also loved my dad. He didn't start liking my mom or my sister until about a year ago. Anyhow, even though he was a bad cat, I still have many fond memories of him. I was the only person he would sleep with, and he would sleep on my chest every night. Sometimes, he would get up in the middle of the night and go walk across the keyboard of the piano, which drove us nuts.

My cat was also very sweet and cute. When I was in college at WVU, I got many phone calls from my parents saying that Waffles would sit on my bed just crying through the night because I wasn't there to hold him at night. He also had a little doll that he just loved. It was an Arnold "Governator" doll that was filled with catnip. He used to fall asleep with it in his little arms. He loved to sleep in boxes, and he wasn't happy if there wasn't a cardboard box somewhere in our kitchen for him to hang out in. He was great. I will miss him so much. He was so beautiful. Everywhere we would go, people would comment on what a big, beautiful cat he was. He was perfect.

Today, at the vet's, he weighed eight pounds. He was listless, lifeless, and miserable. He couldn't hold his head up, and he could barely cry anymore. I held him like a baby in the car on the way to the pet hospital. He didn't make a sound or try to move. He just laid there letting me hold him. He was so miserable that I couldn't make him go on any longer. I would have force fed him for 14 more years, if it would've kept him alive and happy, but he wasn't happy anymore. So, at 4PM today, I held him in my arms as he went to sleep for the last time. After he was gone, his head lay on my arms, and he truly looked peaceful one last time. He didn't look dead, or uncomfortable. He looked like he was just resting in my arms, like he had done so many times before. I will miss him so, so much. He was my kitty, my friend, my baby.

Clearing My Head

I'll tell you what, I've been pretty depressed and stressed over my cat lately. He's been pretty sick for a while now. I wrote about it a few posts back. Well, he seemed to be on the mend, and then regressed again. He's actually really, REALLY bad now. We've begun force feeding him again. We feed him this stuff that's like ensure for cats. He seems to enjoy it. I don't, however, think that he's going to get any better. I think that he's just sort of stagnating. If we were to stop feeding him, he wouldn't eat, I'm sure. He barely drinks on his own anymore. If there was anything that the vet would do for him, I'd take him there. However, the last time, they just charged me hundreds of dollars and sent him home to die. They didn't tell us about force feeding or anything. It was awful. It's awful now, too. His condition has just made me a nervous wreck. I'm pretty depressed about the whole thing. It's just darkened my whole demeanor.

I went to work today, and that didn't really help. I just didn't feel like being there. Thank goodness for the AC, too, because it was hot and humid today. Anyhow, it rained, which relieved a bit of the humidity. I got off at 10PM, and I rode my motorcycle home. That was nice. Riding my bike always helps to clear my head. I felt relaxed and calm through the whole thing. I have to say that my mind was a complete blank, too. I just couldn't think any more. The fact that my bike is so big and comfortable and easy to ride makes it great to just escape. I was able to clear my head and forget about things for a while.

When I'm on my bike, it's sort of a zen experience (if I believed in zen). I'm completely engulfed in what I'm doing, yet completely gone, too. I have to concentrate really hard to think when I'm on that bike. When you're so connected to the earth, air, and everything around you, you don't need to speak. You don't need to think. God just speaks to my spirit. That's pretty sweet. I can forget all my troubles and woes, and I just bask in the earth that our wonderful God created for us. It's so awesome to be so intimately connected to God through His nature. I really needed that ride tonight.

New gear and hunting trips from Outdoor Life

Well, my new issue of Outdoor Life came a few days ago. I'd just like to point out two of my favorite items from it. One is the best rifles and shotguns. I don't have much to say, other than I think that interchangeable barrels on a rimfire, allowing for four different calibers, is an extremely cool thought. I'm also glad to see Ruger bringing back the old round action side by side with their Gold Label. Very nice.

I'd also like to comment on Grizzly hunting. Without a doubt, that would have to be one of the most exhilarating hunts in all of North America. You see, the fascinating aspect of hunting Griz is that when you enter their territory, the lines between hunter and hunted are blurred. When you go into their area, they begin to hunt YOU. How cool is that? I've hunted for over a decade of my life now, and I can say that there is nothing that compares to that here in PA or WV. I mean, yes, there are exciting hunts, which I love. However, you never feel the need to SURVIVE when hunting deer or turkey, or even black bear. No, Griz is an exception. Polar bears are along the same lines. Absolutely intense.

What the World Needs Now

Isn't love. I DO, however, like that song (if you don't know what I'm talking about, then shame on you!). I was listening to Michael Savage last night. I usually detest him. I find him to be a raging, shameful, banal man. He usually is so predictable that you can tell exactly when he'll explode with this line: "We've gotta get the perverts out of our schools!" or some such other outburst. He's a robot. He's programmed. He's fake. I DO, however, tend to agree with a lot of his political views. I WILL say, though, that the man knows precious little about religion. So, I was quite surprised to hear him say something last night that I unconditionally agreed with. What he said was (paraphrase), "the only way that America will ever become a great nation again is when there is a revival of religion." I completely agree with that. Two years ago, I went on an archaeological expedition to France. I spent some time in the British Isles, as well. I was shocked and horrified to see the sheer godlessness of the people who had birthed some of the greatest theology of all time. It was shocking, appalling, and sad. I realized that America is QUICKLY traveling that same path. If we do not do something quickly to bolster religion in America once again, then we will very soon become a depraved country full of socialists and wimps.

Why do you think that the generation that fought in WWI and WWII was called the "greatest" generation? I'll tell you why. Character. Solid, rock-like, un-compromising character. Whether you were in the city or the country, you could find men and women of character everywhere, just sixty years ago. Where are they now? I would suggest that many of them are probably STILL in our armed forces. I think that that accounts for a lot. How great to have a willingness to die for one's country and freedom. However, all the rest of the character-driven people are in churches. I'm not saying that everyone who goes to church or claims to be a Christian is a person of character. What I AM saying, though, is that the Church is the last stronghold of character in America.

It IS the last stronghold because it is the only place where you will currently find morals. Those morals are the same today as they were in the greatest generation. We still value life, family, freedom, God, and ACCOUNTABILITY. If you ever see the Church fail somewhere, it's because they have left some or all of those values to fall by the wayside. I think of churches that ordain homosexuals. That defeats the very central core of the Church. Whether or not you agree with homosexuality, you MUST agree that the Bible, and Christianity, does NOT agree with it. There are far too many accounts of homosexuality being an abomination to God. If that is true, then why would one ordain a homosexual to be a minister in a church that condemns the act? I see so much of this in the Church, that it makes me sick. I'm not just talking about homosexuality, either. I'm talking about sexual immorality, lying, cheating, stealing. It is on the rise.

However, there IS hope. You see, there is this thing called "holiness." It is the theological concept that you can live a HAPPY, sin-free life in Christ. It is that message that is preached in most Wesleyan churches. The Church of the Nazarene, which I am a part of, the Methodists, the Wesleyans, Christian Missionary Alliance, etc. These are all holiness churches. Until we bond together and begin to spiritually revive all of America, there will be no more greatness in America. You will see this country wane and rest upon the brink of destruction. It's a fact. Look at every other country that has done away with "religion." They are NOT great! We must get back to morals. We must get back to God! We must be held accountable for our actions. If we do not, then we have lost. We damn ourselves to hell through our complacency and unwavering resistance to accountability.

This post is already huge, so I'll leave it at that.

"We have to learn to walk according to the standard which has its eye on God. 'Walk before me.'"--Oswald Chambers.

Howard Dean seems to be a Racist, Stereotyping, Explosive Windbag

The entire Democratic party should be absolutely ashamed to have Howard Dean at their forefront. Yes, I would like to say right now that the Democratic helmsman is an utter, unquestionable pinhead and bigot. In case you have no idea as to what I'm talking about, let me tell you that Howard Dean is a racist, bigot, and dope. He said that all Republicans look the same, sound the same, and ARE the same. We're all a bunch of white Christians. Well, I'm a Whate Christian and a Republican, so I guess that he's right. However, he also said that none of us are grounded in reality, and that none of us have ever made a living doing an honest day's work. This man is sick and full of hatred. I don't really know why he hates Republicans so much. Republicans don't hate him. As a matter of fact, we Republicans think that Howard Dean is doing a splendid job driving the Democratic party into the ground.

Previously, Howard Dean has made racist statements, as well. He has spoken about blacks in very insulting ways to the great applause of his fellow libs. Tsk, tsk, Democrats! He has implied that the only people who work in hotels are black. He has implied that that's the only type of job they can get. What a shame. I know several black people who have never worked for a hotel.

I might also take this time to say that I have worked many jobs. I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, but God HAS blessed me. Just because someone is doing well, or someone has some "stuff," or someone gets recognition, you do not have the right to say that that person isn't worth their weight in salt. Many people in BOTH parties have worked their pants off just trying to get by. Let's be honest, though, most politicians have NOT done this. What type of a childhood did Dean have? What about Kerry--there's a guy who's really worked his way up from the top!--? What about any other candidate? They are all from wealthy families. They are all the "firstborn" sons of America. That is what this country was founded on--rich people. that's what it still IS founded on. This is not a democracy. This is a democratic republic. You people who support people like Dean, or any liberal policies, need to learn a little about history and common sense. You need to get your noses out of Marx's books, because they're fairy tales.

I have to say that, if communism truly worked, it would be great! However, it doesn't. So, capitalism is the next best thing. If someone does something good, they should be rewarded. I'm not sorry that someone out there has more than I do. I'm not sorry that I live in a city run by Democrats. I think, though, that the mayors of Pittsburgh have shown that Democrats haven't a clue how to handle money. This city is so far in the hole that we're about to come through the other side. Pittsburgh is a prime example of what happens when Democrats with no money sense run a place. I'd like to point out how much money Kerry wasted with smear campaigns on Bush. Boy, that was using his money wisely. That was after polls showed that they didn't want anymore smear campaigns. He still did it. Bush's people, though, decided that they would NOT run smear campaigns, because it was not beneficial.

Howard Dean is a walking smear campaign. He is blinded by hatred and he doesn't think before he speaks. What a weakness. I have nothing against him. I have nothing against Democrats. Most of my family are Democrats. However, it would appear that Dean has something against white Christians. Obviously, we're not as smart or caring as he is. This touts him as a racist bigot.

Please note, I don't know Howard Dean, and I can't really make any authentic comments on his character. All of these adjectives are not meant to slander him, but to reveal what his public character shows. This is not a statement on who Howard Dean really is, but on what his views lead people to conclude.

Interesting things

Well, this has been an interesting few days. I celebrated my parents' 25th anniversary on Friday. Tomorrow is their actual anniversary. Anyhow, it was an incredible party. I sang some Roy Orbison and Barry White. My sister sang Shania Twain. Everyone had a great time. My parents have always shown me a loving, kind, godly example. My parents are, without a doubt, the best parents that anyone could ask for. They truly love each other, and they love my sister and me. I can't tell you how much having good parents has shaped my life. I am who I am because of them. They have instructed me in the ways of God, and in the ways of humanity. They have done their best to impart to me the importance of an education, friendship, and a relationship with God. I was proud and honored to be a part of their celebration. They have been the greatest friends, mentors, and spiritual advisors that anyone could have. All of my friends respect and love them. My parents love and respect all of my friends. I believe that it is the natural fondness that they exude which makes them such wonderful people. I am so glad that God gave me what I didn't deserve by giving me my parents.

Next on my exciting weekend is my cat. I love cats (I love all animals, but cats are my favorite). I have a cat. He's 14 and he's not usually a pleasant cat. He doesn't like very many people. Anyhow, two weeks ago today, I took him to the vet. He was having trouble breathing, so I thought that it was congestive heart failure. Well, they x-rayed him and found that he had fluid in his chest cavity. He had so much fluid that they couldn't see any of his vital organs. So, they ran some tests and tapped his chest. From only one side, they drained half a liter of fluid. They couldn't tap the other side because my cat was a nervous wreck by this time (he hates the vet). So, they sent him home with a diuretic and told us to bring him back in a week. Well, if we had just shoved the pills down his throat and done nothing else, he would've been dead before the week was up. The next day, he was completely dehydrated and listless. So, we began to force feed him food and water through a syringe. We started feeding him every three hours (I was sick at the time, too, so it was quite a task to keep getting up in the night to feed him). He did NOT like to be force fed (who would?). Then, after he improved, we were able to go longer between feedings. Well, after about six or seven days, he started eating and drinking on his own. The doctor examined him and couldn't believe the recovery. Well, just yesterday, he ran away (he's an indoor/outdoor cat) and we didn't know where he was. We searched for him about four or five times. Finally, the neighbor found him under his bush. My dad got him and I came home from a friends house. He was totally listless and void of any vigor or livelihood. He could barely walk anywhere. When he drank, he vomited. So, I just nursed him on little sips of water for a couple of hours. He's getting back some of his strength, but who knows. In any event, he's made me a nervous wreck. Thankfully, I have friends, family, and God to help me through. He's already giving me peace, knowing that whatever happens will happen for the best. So, I suppose that I'll keep you updated, if there's anyone out there who reads my blog.

God's Spirit continually reveals what human nature is like apart from His grace.--Oswald Chambers

About Me

Well, I know that it's a boring title, but you'll just have to suffer through it. I just thought that I might tell you a little bit about me. My name is Adam. You don't need to know my last name, mwahahahaha! Anyhow, I like the outdoors, film, hunting, fishing, etc. My first love is God. That's why my first post is called "Here am I," instead of "Here I am." If you still don't get it, you may certainly ask me. I'm not up on a lot of techno-gyzmos, so I probably won't check this or update it often, but it might become like a sickness of a sort, and I might post frequently. Anyhow, I work with people who have mental retardation. That's my full-time job. I also preach at a church, do home improvement/remodeling (on the side), and I act when I can. I was just at my property in West Virginia on Memorial day. We had a nice family picnic and bonfire that day. We shot some guns, found some newts, and had a generally good time. We sat around with some appalacian instruments and played some music. Then, my very good friend Ned came by and we had a bonfire. I love bonfires. I really like to burn things. The best is when you have a large brush pile and you soak it in gas or kero and then light it, and the flame is about 30 feet tall, with black smoke billowing out of it. I prefer to have fires so hot that you can't stand within about 20 feet of them, haha! Anyhow, I'm about to go to church tonight. Then, I'm off for a production meeting with my friends, and then I'm gonna sing some karaoke. The movie I'm involved in right now is a series of comedy sketches that we're pulling together. It's gonna be good. I'll keep you up to date as to when it'll be out on DVD. That's the long term goal: DVD sales. So, keep it real, and keep cool! Adios!