Out with the old… in with the new.

I finally did it.  I switched Alythea from Internet Explorer to Firefox.  I have told her before that she should use this program and it was available on her start menu (actually on the start.  IE she had to go through the menus for) and now I have eliminated the IE icons and in their place, made sure Firefox was more apparent.  I even showed her what to use and how to use some of the other functions like the tab manager and g-mail manager.

 It is great that we can start to get rid of the Microsoft programming that has plagued us for so long for something that works better, something more efficient, and something more user friendly.

There are some rumors of programs in the works to eliminate more of the Microsoft programming, mainly a new OS that will be coming out in a couple of years, and this programming will hopefully be better than the current regime that is Microsoft.

Now, if we could have some rivals for the Walmart Corporation that will make their influence less felt and eliminate the "monopoly" that they are headed towards.  It is my hope that they will get knocked down a few notches for their elimination of smaller mom-and-pop niche markets with their supercenters, but that is another blog entirely. 

Outside

I had a discussion with my wife last night. Actually, it was more of me complaining and her listening to me complain than anything.  I couldn't understand how, with such wonderful weather, people wanted to stay inside.

 Last night, I went home and started working on bikes, getting them ready to ride, etc.  While I was headed outside, my oldest daughte was sitting watching television.  I asked if she was going to come outside and work on her bike.  Without moving her eyes from the television, she told me that she didn't know how.  I said I would teach her but she still sat, eyes glued to the idiot box.

So, I went outside followed by Mason.  Nicole and Jayna followed later when they realized they could be outside.  So, after working on my bike for a few minutes, I told Mason to go get Aurora.  She came out with her usual "What?".  I told her that we were working on bikes and if she wanted her's fixed, she was going to have to help.  She complained that she didn't know how.  I told her, again, that I would teach her.  I was finishing putting my new tire on and told her it would be a couple of minutes but that we would work on her bike.

During this time, seeing how my bike was upside-down, Mason turned his bike upside down and helped Nicole to do the same with her bike.  Aurora stood around with her I-don't-want-to-be-here-because-there's-a-tv-on-somewhere attitude.  She didn't stick around very long to wait her turn as I finished my bike and took it for a quick test drive to make sure it was working properly.

So, we had dinner, did chores, etc.  (Well, most of us did chores.  Aurora went to watch tv.)  I announced that I was going back outside to work on bikes to a pretty much unphased audience, and went outside.  So, I worked on my bike gears.  Nicole came out and wanted her bike fixed, so it got fixed.  She actually helped.  She helped hold the bike so I could get the chain back on.  No one else came out.  I filled Mason's tires and greased his chain, tried to put air in Aurora's back tire (you could actually hear it leaking out) and greased her chain and then locked them up.

So, when I got back inside, I informed Aurora that her bike wasn't getting fixed because she didn't come out to help.  I have since decided that the TV is to be turned off, pretty much permenantely, and that everyone needs to find a new hobby other than television.

This is not unique to my household.  I got in a discussion the other day at Albertson's and  we were discussing what it's like to be a boy now compared to when I was younger.  When I was a boy, we would go play baseball, football, handball, etc.  Now, there are a lot of boys who couldn't throw a ball if their life depended on it.  This is just sad, really.  While it is fun to watch tv or play video games, it should not be everything.

Now that the weather is nicer, GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY!!!! 

Just Enough……

Those two little words describe what I want. I watch people that seem to want everything. The very big house, the 2 or 3 vehicles, vacations, toys, etc. Nothing is ever good enough. They want bigger and better; they want top of the line. Well, I refuse to try and keep up with the Joneses. I don't want to be like the Joneses, they actually seem like boring people.

So, I've decided that I want, "Just Enough…." I want a house that is Just Enough to fit the family. I want vehicles that do Just Enough or fit Just Enough. If we have things that we don't use, that's Too Much and needs to be disposed of. We need Just Enough stuff to make sure we aren't bored and have things to do but not Too Much that we never get to use all of it.

For example, kids toys. Kids toys seem to be one of the big problems around our house. The kids don't play with them. They do play with a couple, but for the most part, most of the toys end up on the floor for me to step on them. So, we go through the toys and keep a few things and get rid of the rest. That simple.

An example of Just Enough is that we have our Lagoon passes and our Zoo passes. We can effectively be busy every weekend and some weekdays just by those alone. We have Desert Star Playhouse passes and go to a show once every other month. (We got the economy Saturday Matinee Pass. We get to see the show but it is…. Just Enough…)

This gives us stuff to do. We will use them so they are effective. We will get our monies worth out of them and that makes it economical. It is something we can afford to do every year so it becomes a tradition. It is…. Just Enough.

So, my new life philosophy is …Just Enough… and if more people adopted this type of an attitude, we would be less in debt, we would have more fun as a family, and we would have less clutter in our lives. We could actually work less because our lives would be less expensive and we could spend more time doing instead of dreaming about.

The Constant Gardener

I watched an interesting movie last night called The Constant Gardener. It was a very interesting movie. Basically, it is a murder/conspiracy mystery about pharmaceutical companies and the testing of new drugs. It brings up a lot of philosophical questions regarding our health care system and our desires to beat death.

The main idea is that pharma companies, out to make big bucks, will make shortcuts to have bigger profits while trying to give the general public what they want. No one wants to hear how they develop the drug that will cure whatever disease as long as it it there when needed. So, the question is, if you or a loved one was dying from a disease, any disease, what lengths would you go through to save that person’s life? What responsibility would you put on your doctor? the pharma companies? Would you authorize the use of a drug that was developed using people in other countries as guinea pigs knowing that it was done in unsafe conditions or that the initial testing resulted in a high number of deaths?

It is a very tough question. At what cost would you save your life or the life of someone you loved? Would the deaths of innocent people be ok if the end result was what was wanted? Do the ends justify the means?

As I sat and thought about this and all the things that we die from these days, I realize that, as a society, we demand that our medical fields be able to solve all of the things that come up in our health. When they can’t, its THEIR fault. While we have made leaps and strides in these fields over the last 100 years, there are still so many things we don’t know. We put pressure on these fields and they, in turn, try to produce results. Some of these start out as benevolenty as they can, but with all of the regulations and resources required, these people turn to where they can to get assistance, business. These are people that are now only out for money. The relationship starts easily enough until business says to sell it for more and produce it for less. Widen the profit margins.

Now, this company that started to try to help people is now in bed with people who care less and less about what is produced as long as it makes a good profit. Even if the product is flawed, the collateral damage is not bad enough to warrant re-evaluation. It becomes competition between companies and that is the most important part, get the product out, make the money, and satisfy the investors. If a couple of people die in the process, so what? Right?

What once started out many years ago as a desire to better our lives has turned into a better our lives at the expense of other “non-important” lives and make a major profit doing it. It is really sad but will it change? Will we be so caught up in our lives that we will determine that it is ok? Will our shiney new developments be bathed in the blood of the innocent sacrificed for the almighty dollar?

Immigration Reform

All the news is a buzz with the new immigration package being offered by the Bush administration.  At last count, it had passed the House and was on its way to the Senate.  This has not made many illegal immigrants very happy, as it should not.  While I have not looked into the whole of the package being introduced, I have heard quite a few things that I agree with.  Here is my take on any illegal immigrant package.

 First, if you are going to come to our country to work, why can't you go through proper channels to come across the border legally?  Why sneak across?  I know it is difficult to come into our country and with the terrorism that has become a part of our lives these days, you can't blame us for wanting to be careful can you?  YOU may be ok but that guy standing next to you with the wires coming out of his jacket, well, we worry a bit about him.  We have to stop everyone because that terrorist is going to do his best to look just like you when he comes across the border.

Second, come here to do something.  Don't come to get on our welfare systems.  They aren't meant for you.  They are meant for our own degenerates.  I know I made a few people upset  about that one, but working in the environments I do, I get a consensus of those that are on state offered programs and quite a few are capable of more but just won't do it.  There are quite a few people that do need help and you can tell when they come through the lines.  Mostly because they have a well rounded diet.  There are those that come through getting steak and lobster and shrimp and say "This is on food stamps."  Anyway, I digress…..

Third, and this to me seems very important, LEARN OUR LANGUAGE.  Even though English is not officially claimed as our country's official language, it IS THE LANGUAGE!!!!!!  Take an ESL class, have someone walk around with you at all times when you would encounter an English-speaking native so that you can communicate.  Don't claim you don't understand and try to get out of situations because of it because, quite frankly, if we go to your original country, that excuse doesn't fly for us so why should it for you.  We shouldn't produce forms in any other language than English EXCEPT the sign up form for the ESL class.  We will produce a sign that says, "Learn English" in your original language as a compromise.

Lastly, if you are coming to this country to become a citizen, become an American.  This Mexican-American, African-American, etc. crap has to go.  That would signify that you have allegiance to 2 different countries and that's not possible.  Either you are an American or you are not.  If you are not, don't attach American to your nationality because its stupid.  People seem to what to hold onto their heritage identity and while its great to celebrate your heritage (because you wouldn't be who you are without it), remember that it is your heritage and NOT your nationality.  Most "African-Americans" that I have met and know have never actually been to Africa so why should they claim it as part of their heritage?  

This is a reason why our country is being torn apart.  We find more differences then similarities.  We focus on being seperated so we can be an island unto ourselves but we never try to come together.  Nationality is only one thing that causes us to be seperated.  We should look to finding similarities and common ground so we can be happy with who we are and who is around us.