Life is just too much at times your have to learn to laugh or otherwise you'll cry all day long.

I'm talking to 'WE THE PEOPLE", who are going through change after change or test after test making one wonder - what did we do to have such incredible bad luck!!!

In these bad economic times as they are you can't, but help lose faith in all you do, hear and watch what you say. The lack of confidence you feel, the hopelessness, the helplessness, the fear can make you doubt your sanity and paralyze you into taking any action. How will you survive you ask yourself? How do you feed your family? If single, how do you survive and pay your bills and eat? How do you get ahead when so much around you seems to be doomed and falling apart. Prices booming higher and higher because of nature, weather, but more importantly because of selfish, greedy men who care little what "we the people" should rightfully have - a decent way of life! As per the Constitution!

Curious George here: How come the "Government can BAIL OUT BIG BUSINESS, but not bail out our Social Security System? How can we continue to vote for career politicans that do nothing, but enjoy the good life and pass laws that only benefit themselves and the rich? (Present Presidential candidates included). How come they don't bail out our education system, which is falling apart since we took GOD out of our schools? Where we haven't enough books to give our children and teachers have to buy supplies with money from their own pockets to even teach. "We the people" should be outraged by this! How could being an elected official be more valuable in financial compensation than a good teacher? How, come they can't bail out the starving children in our own United States? Why do they make cuts on Education, Medicare, Medicaid and such needed programs for the elderly and our youth, as well as other important programs for "we the people" As per the Constitution?

I am fed up, just too fed up with these politicans that only claim to be on your side and want to make a better life for you, during election time. Yeah, right! I'll sell you the Brooklyn bridge! No wonder there is so much apathy. Wonder what would happen if no one voted?

By the time these candidates become president or congresspersons or senators they already owe so many "candles" to the interest groups "we the people" get NOTHING, just plain old empty promises, more and higher taxes and less and less of the good life! Do you know how many things "we the people" are taxed for? To name just a few:

Death Tax (Never understood this one)
Inheritance Tax (It's your money why give it to the "government?
Buy a home Tax - The list is huge!

Give me a BREAK here, throw me a bone! And, guess what, it's all our fault!

We should insist, lobby and legislate the following:

"WE THE PEOPLE" DEMAND THAT IF YOU WANT OUR VOTE YOU WILL ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING:

1. No more electorial states! Make it a REAL DEMOCRATIC United
States by popular vote only!

2. Demand a clean campaign discussing only the issues which "we the
people" are interested in and how they (the candidates) will
bring change to better our lives? NO MORE GARBAGE OR
ATTACKS ON PERSONAL LIVES OF THE CANDIDATES, ETC. WE SHOULD
ONLY CARE HOW THEY ARE GOING TO FIX WHAT EVER IT IS "WE THE
PEOPLE" ARE NOT HAPPY WITH IN WASHINGTON IF THEY GET ELECTED!!!

3. Let all 50 States votes count and the best man be the winner!

4. Place a cap on the total dollar amount any candidate may spend
on any campaign make the dollar amount low. No more, no less.

5. Vote to have EVERY elective official up to the President to put
in their proper, fair and NOT AT A REDUCED rate contribution
into the SOCIAL SECURITY!!! (Bet you that problem would be
addressed very quickly if their monies were involved)>

5. A term of only Four (4) years should be established for any
elected official and no longer. (This includes the President)
NO MORE CAREER POLITIICANS!!! Let them join the public work
force. Remember; if in four years he/she has not changed any
thing for the better he/she should not be in that position.

6. Legislate and vote that "we the people" should not pay with our
taxes Secret Service or protection of any kind for any elected
official after he/she has left office. If they feel they need
protection let them pay for it with their own money.

7. And if you wish to have our vote you HAD BETTER STAND STRAIGHT
AND PUT YOUR HAND OVER YOUR HEART AND HONOR OUR FLAG BY REPEATING
THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE WHEN EVER AND WHERE EVER YOU ARE!!!

I could go on and on about how badly we have messed up this USA and have allowed so much. Only my humble opinion, of course. However, with all that said "It is a beautiful world" and nothing like the USA!!!

But, heads up gals and guys, we are headed for a very bumpy ride should we not realize "we the people" are the government! THOSE TURKEYS IN WASHINGTON ARE SUPPOSE TO DO AS WE REQUIRE, WANT AND DEMAND. GET EDUCATED SO YOU CAN TELL THEM (YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS) WHAT YOU WANT AND WILL NOT ACCEPT LESS FROM THEM!!!

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit" Aristotle

And so it goes...

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!!

Getting along with others is generally not easy. So many thoughts, experiences, situtations, work and responsibilities in our lives makes that goal a bit difficult. Becoming more kindler, patient, compassionate, more forgiving does not come via asmosis, one has to make it a daily pratice!

I am a chestnut-reddish-brown, short hair Dachshund, I have expressive light brown eyes and a very cute black nose, with a great smile. A winning - can't miss combination. I am sometimes referred to as a "Doxie" or "Wiener dog."

My name is Napoleon you know like that French guy who always had his hand in his jacket. I'm a runt! Being a runt means being the smallest when you are born, the last to be born and the last to get what you want. I'm not any bigger now than when I was first born. I am a year old. I've grown and filled out some, but am still quite tiny. I am about 14 inches long and only stand two and one half inches off the ground. I very long and very thing.

Being the smallest does not allow me many concessions. I mean I have to follow the ways of the pack. There are five of us quadrupeds. Our human mom lovingly refers to us as "The Corporation." Being the youngest I must wait my turn at almost everything except at dinner. I do love dinner! I have my own bowl thank heaven for that. But, that's as far as my concessions go.

It is because I have to wait my turn I get into a lot of trouble with the pack. Floppi, my dad periodically literally bites my head off. My uncle, Mr. Big has left a few discerning marks on my ears. And mom, well moms will be moms! She's disciplined me enough times. You see I hate to wait (no surprise to you) When I want something I want it now! You've been there! No ifs, ands or buts about it. To dogs immediate gratifiction is our major concern and goal. Once, we see what we think we want, we just want it. I say think because most times we find that what we wanted wasn't what we really wanted after all. Funny, aren't we? Very much like humans.

The pack must take turns to play with anything. We must also share table scrapes (not that we get many of those - hint to mom). We all have our designated sleeping spots and favorite toys and must respect the hierarchy of the pack. If you don't mind the order of the pack you get it at the end.

The trouble starts when one of the members of the pack begins to play with a toy or is chewing on something. I get so excited! So much so that I want what they have. However, their usual response is very negative. Dogs are very territorial you know. I get a lot of verbal warning, and growls, but I become head strong and I don't back off. Any good minded pooch knows you are supposed to back down. Not to do so is suicidal in a pack! But, well, I don't! Please don't ask me why? I don't know why. I feel terrible about it, but when I am confronted I stand in defiance. It's just that getting along ain't easy.

We continue with the usual Mexican stand-off, some heavy breathing, lots of growls and head gestures requesting I back off. Then, finally they strike. I fight back and do my share of biting in return, but they get me at the end. I end up squealing loudly and my human mom rushes in from wherever she was and stops the fight. She ususally doesn't pick me up when this happens. She knows that to survive in the pack you must learn to get along with all the pack members and know your place. Although, there are times she does pick me up and smothers me with kisses and cuddling. Those are the times I feel like I'm in heaven on a fluffy cloud protected with all my toys.

We have a lot of toys. We call them general toys which any member of the pack may play with. Then, there are the specific toys. There are Foppi's Fuzzy Green Ball, and Mr. Big's rubber circles and his multi color balls. These cannot be touched by any of the other members of "The Corporation." Boy, I think that stinks not being able to play with those toys. I like them all, so I find myself devising ways to play with them. And, of course get into trouble every time.

Lola, my sister and I play tug of war with the other toys quite often. I really do enjoy that a lot. But, then there are times when I just want to play with the spcific toys. Remember, how excited I get? I usually wait until Floppi is asleep and take one of his Fuzzy Green Balls to play with. I am usually done playing by the time he changes positions on the couch and looks for his ball. He has so many of them, how can he miss one? He often falls asleep with one of them under his chin. However, there are those times he catches me playing with one and chases me. I drop the ball as soon as he jumps off the couch. I'm a fast runner so I get away and laugh because he doesn't catch me. (Oh, I see you don't think dogs can laugh, uh?) He picks up the ball, looks around to see if I'm hidding somewhere to pounce on him and then returns to his favorite spot on the couch and goes back to sleep. Now, you see how I get into trouble.

Like my dad, my uncle Mr. Big gets furious whenever he sees me with one of his multi color balls or rubber circles. He complains to our human mom so loudly. Squealing abd barking with frantic pleas to get his stuff away from me. And if she doesn't he'll take a bite out of one of my ears. I can tell you from past experience that that hurts. Not that he is afraid of me, not by a long shot. He just doesn't want a fight. He just wants to play with his favorite toys without my interference. Sounds fair!!! Our human mom gets very upset with me and scolds me. I sit for a while and politely listen to her, but a few minutes later I am at it again - so much for the talk. Can you see me laughing?

I'm older now, in fact all five of us are. I'm a bit more mellow, a bit wiser, but every now and then, well...

As I said before, please don't ask me why I do these things. I guess I still have to learn to get along, but it sure ain't easy!


As it is in the animal kingdom, it is with humans. (Unknown Author)

And So It Goes...

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!!

Yup, a computer CRASH is just not fun, not fun at all! How did it happen??? I didn't see it coming! I wonder, is there a little invisible person inside the computer who goes on strike? Arms folded across chest with feet planted firmly on the gigabytes saying no way, I'm not working anymore!!!

Remembered, pure and adulterated panic, fear, frustration coming on with a bit of anger. Immediately, wondering what will I lose? What have I lost? What did I back up? When was the last time I backed up? Oh, my gosh what do I do now? I can't get into any site, do any research, read and/or reply to e-mails. Hell, we sure are a captive audience!!! Annoying? You have got to be kidding. You've all been there at one time or another, I'm sure.

After the deluge of what ifs that had so rapidly overtaken my entire body and of course what was left of my also "crashed" brain I began to investigate. With clammy hands and a not a happy camper attitude I was ready to do battle. After all, we usually won't believe what we see. I certainly didn't see that coming!

What do I do now? I haven't got an little invisible computer geek in my computer. Don't know anyone who does, do you? It sure would be nice though.

After what was a while I tried desperately to gather what was left of my boggled mind and body together and began to try to figure out what might help my dilemma. Tried rebooting, cleaning, purging nothing was working. Oh, forgot to mention me, not very computer savy. Even tried the restore system, but to no avail. The crash was confirmed.

I called AOL, they in turn advised me to call my distributor because after trying a few things it looked to them as if I will have to reinstall the entire Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, my printer, my camera, etc. I almost fainted!

Not wanting to believe I would have to re-install anything (thats the way we humans are) I continued to investigate. By now I'm ready to scream, cry or hit something. In my search to remedy the problem I discovered my keyboard was not typing my commands correctly if at all. Oh my gosh, what now? I realized I had to get a new one. You see I kinda banged it when the crash happened. I guess a little anger slipped out.

Okay, here I go. I must call my distributor and get a new keyboard. No big thing, I thought! After waiting on the phone about 15 minutes (reasonable waiting time I thought)I was greeted by a friendly foreigner. I explained my problem and gave him all the details about my computer to order the keyboard. I even requested he double check the order and he swore to me it was the correct keyboard and promised it would be at my home the very next day, for which I paid extra, for next day delivery. You've got to know where I'm going with this.

Sure enough got it next day as my friendly foreigner had promised and of course it was the wrong keyboard. I was at my wits end. That initself took two week to correct. And, here I am with no backup computer. Darn! Darn! Darn! I just didn't see that coming!!!

Well, I have done the reinstalling. I have lost some stuff, still not sure what, still putting my files in order. However, I'm back and hoping you'll be back. Have lots of stories. Thanks for the visit.

REMEMBER: Backup your stuff!!!

And so it goes...

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS

HAD BIG COMPUTER CRASH. BUT WILL SOON BE BACK. THANKS FOR THE VISIT. ANS SO IT GOES...

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS.

Being one isn't easy, after a divorce, a death of a partner or just on your own in a big city.

As, I sit here contemplating my computer playing a game of Video Poker I find my mind traveling far off into space of dreams and wishes of what I would like to see in my life happen. Instead I'm here playing and watching the chat as players talk to one another, while they play. I wonder what their lives are like and the reasons why they are even playing.

My mind travels far sometimes wondering if I had not been born me and been born someone else. Where would I be right at this very moment? What would my life be like? I know what I would like to see in my life and even where I would have loved to have had been born, but well, they are but dreams which cannot come true because I'm already here!

Flashes of memories and people I have known in my life come to mind. Where are they now? Why did we loose touch? Can that be mended, changed? Would I really want to see them all again?

I think of places I have been to along the path of life - my life! It seems like a long path, yet I know I still have a long way to go. I continue to play and dream as I write, as if my life depended on it. When younger, I would travel a lot and with little if no fear or money. Yet, today I wouldn't think of leaving my place with just a few bucks to my name and flying off to a tropical island as I often did so carefree and without fear. Times sure have changed. As I play I listen to classical music which continues to transfer me to far away places. A little rest and relaxation via daydreaming. Very nice yet, melancholy remembering places and faces, the sun, the sea, the beach the very places I would like to be in now, but can't. My present life situation does not allow me the luxury.

So, I sit here in front of my screen and play and play for the jackpot, for which I have no confirmation that it is real for I have never won nor do I personally know anyone who has. Although, there have been winners I am told. So, I continue to play my lonely game of poker, I read the comments on the chat of the many players in the room. Occasionally, I acknowledge someone who wishes me "good luck."
I always greet the players already in the room when I enter to play some reply, others do not. Responses depend on those you know, if they are playing when you are and if the vibrations are right at the time.

There are times however, when you enter a favorite room and it's magical, because through the times you have made some acquaintances and they seem to all be there. They remember your screen name and give you the most warmest welcome which makes you feel so close to them all. Lots of "wtg = way to go, when you hit a high score and you politely thank them in computer language, which you had better learn if you wish to chat and read responses. And, the hours pass.

Everyone comes from different part of the USA, as well as from other parts of the world like; Britain, Australia, Canada, etc. You could play forever. Laughing at the things that are written and enjoying everyone's sense of humor. It becomes a night to remember and one you wish would not end, and come again and again. But, that's not always the case, for life is as it is. "Some days are diamonds, some days are stone."

As the night comes to a close and one by one your acquaintances sign off and say their good nights you find yourself in front of your screen back to your daydreaming of all the places you would rather be at that moment as you find yourself, by yourself with yourself. This is life!

If only one could take time back and start again with what one knows, would we do it any differently?

And so it goes...