Baseball players, the biker, a tiger and cheating.

Watching CNN today, I discovered that the New York Yankees player " A Rod," to be known  from here on as Mr. Wonderful, might still be taking performance enhancing steroids. Why is it that some people feel the need to enhance themselves. First of all, Baseball is a game. Its not Peter Smith, trying to land a billion dollar account for Conglomerate Co. Its not Janice Roberts trying to keep her client out of jail for murder. It's a game where someone throws a ball at you as fast as they can toward a target the size of a small paper plate, another guy with a stick trying to hit something the size of a peach to more men in a field trying to catch this object hurdling toward them at ninety miles an hour. I swear this game was created by farmers who were high one day, and decided that something needed to be hurled at someone else.
    In case you are wondering, No I am not a very active sports person. I cheer on Penn State in their bowl games,but that's about it. I have never been "that" guy who sits in the same seat for six hours watching the pre-game, then the game and then the high lights afterward. I've never tried to find a way to have everything I need all in one place so as not to miss a moment of the game, just holding on as I clench my legs together to stop the flow of urine from spewing out because I might miss a funny commercial with that dog and the box of Cheez-its. I was always that guy who was reading in the background while stuffing his face with the free food that so often comes with any type of bowl games or series games.
    Back to what annoys me. So Mr. Wonderful, who makes over two hundred thousand dollars a game, might be taking steroids AGAIN! "Oh, The Yankees are so great this season!" I hear people say that all the time. I don't know if that's true because I would rather take straight pins and pierce different parts of my body and let them get infected then watch baseball. What gets my goat, and yes, I used that phrase, is that the success of the team is do to a man who has admitted in the past to taking steroids. Is this fair? NO. If I was playing a game, say dodge ball, and a person three times the size of me decided to play on the other team, I would say unfair. If the guys success at dodge ball was do to steroids on top of his size, I would beat him with the nearest object for cheating. I hate cheaters. At games, in marriages at work, it does not matter, the fact is you were dishonest and you should not be trusted again.
    I say kick Mr. Wonderful out of Baseball. The Yankees should fire this man and make him pay money back to the fans that came to see him, bought his jersey/ uniform with his name or payed extra to get the game in high def. He made, according to ESPN,  thirty million in 2012. I think that would go a long way for little Timmy who's parents have to accept welfare because mom's job as a waitress and dad's unemployment check don't cut it. Or little Beth, the girl that gets picked on because she's a tom boy and her breath smells like Cheese. Not sure how the money would help, maybe she could go buy mouth wash and a brush for her hair.  Mr. Wonderful should for fit his titles/ and wins. Look at Armstrong. They took his wins in the Tour away so quick he never even saw it happen. Or Penn State. They took the Bowl wins and Joe Pa's title away and they, the Team, never did anything. It was that dick Sandusky. (Spelling might be off, but he does not deserve a correctly spelled name.)
   Why is it that as Americans we let people who are well known off so easy? Why not take Armstrong's other testicle as retribution, it will also safe guard that he does not reproduce. Maybe put Sandusky in a shower with bubba or Big Mikey and see what happens. I say we take Mr Wonderful and pump him full of the very thing he loves to ingest and see how much he can take. Its like the t.v. shows that show the mom or dad making the kid smoke the whole pack of cigarettes after finding one in his book bag. Make him vomit. I don't mean kill the bastard, but give him a large amount where it shrinks his penis and gives him a lot of back acne.
  It makes it worse that he is good looking as well. He had Cameron Diaz, Demi Moore and Kate Hudson! What a dick. Leave some of the beautiful women for the rest of the world will you? You have money, looks and fame, I hope you have a small penis! That would just level the playing field for the rest of the straight men out there.
    Can we visit the topic of Tiger Woods? He cheated to, but it took a toll on his marriage and his career. I am glad to see that Nike pulled its contracts with him as well as the others. I think he had a case of the "Have it alls." You know the disorder you get when you have everything you could possibly want and more. I hate when I get that. It sucks having money and toys and men/ woman etc. Its just not happiness. I also think he wanted to get caught. While I am not happy his marriage is dead in the water, I am happy to see that someone did not get away with cheating. His wife up and left, and took a huge chunk of his fortune as well as the kids. Now, that's a smart woman! He lost a kings ransom in contracts and ads. He is however making a kick ass come back. By that I mean, slow and steady, just like that turtle bastard in that fable. I guess good for him, maybe people can change, though I am skeptical of that.
    In a nation that pays out more money to its Baseball, Football and Basketball stars then any other profession,  save movie stars or music artists, we seem to value them more then our garbage men or plumbers, doctors or even teachers. How sad is that? I don't know about you but I think if my kids are getting a good education and they learn something, I 'd say that the teacher should get paid a damn good salary. What about our nurses? They take care of you when you are sick and in need of professional care. They should get paid more as well. Raises for everyone! Except Sports professionals. You just smile and sit there.
      Why do people cheat? Are they bored and looking for excitement? Do they think they will never get caught? Maybe they were dared as a kid, and this is fulfilling Billy's dare to become a rich, successful baseball player who takes steroids and almost gets away with it. Maybe its just stupidity. I like to think its the second one. It makes me fell better and would allow me to sleep at night.
   
 

The Gym

Well today I decided to get my flabby ass to the gym for the second time this year. That's great, considering that January is not over yet. (I can mark going to the gym two times in one month off my bucket list now. Thank god, because I thought I would never get that done.) To my surprise I found the whole of Pennsylvania packed into this little place of torment. I swear its either the damn $10.00 deal or the fact that its "judgement free." No! I remembered its everyone trying not to give up on their new year's resolution. A promise that this year I will loose all that shit I ate from 2009 to present. Then there is that little Jillian Michael's voice in the back of you head screaming "Get up fatty and get moving." Its all the positive reinforcement you need to kick of the year.
    I would lie if I said I entered with a smile on my face and skipped to the locker room spreading good will to all mankind. I was pissed off. I hate that a million people pact the nations gym's for two months until they give up, then enrollment drops back to the faithful and the "I go when I feel something jiggle." people (I am the latter encase you got hit by a two by four and lost your senses.) Its just not right. they should build a "new years gym under a tent in a random strip mall parking lot and set it up there for two months. That way these people do not have to bother the faithful and the jigglers.
   I found an open machine and went about my business. Only one heart attach this time. This is improvement! As I was Chugging along to my i Pod, I swear more people somehow packed into this tiny tinder box of of hopeless dreams of being fit.
   I did my routine and went to the weights only to be kicked off my machine by the trainer. You know the guy in the yellow shirt with a G.E.D. who walks around like he is a nutritionist full time and a real boy part time. He said " We need that SINCE we are doing circuit training." His emphasis on since. I have never wanted to punch someone in the throat more in my life. First off you have two old ladies who, lets face it are doing this because they are retired and have nothing better to do with their night then sit home and watch their husbands eat their cooking. Second, I am here a hell of a lot more then them and I pay my dues regularly. Third if any one of the three of them had said BEFORE I sat down, we are using these, I would have let it go. They waited until they used the other two machines and did a step up and down on the boxes they have in the middle of the floor. What a pretentious little dick head this "want to be" trainer was. I stared at him. He said " Circuit training. You know what that is?" I stared again. Then I said "Yep I know what it is. Do you, cuz you keep looking at the sign over there before you teach these ladies what to do?" Then I kindly got up and left me machine without wiping it down for extra affect. A sweaty bitch slap to you.
  Anyhow,I always wondered who hired these people? Do they do this because their job at Subway does not give them enough satisfaction, or do they do this because they have no life? Either way you look at it, its sad. I can imagine after a work out with these two lovely ladies he would say "Well ladies, that was a great work out. You did a fine job today. God home and feel the burn." Inside his head he would be trying, desperately, to get the image of a saggy chin and other areas, oily hair and man smell out of his head. I hoped he would go home to an empty apartment and cry tonight. That would do me justice, but then again I am cruel.
    I finished my work out and came home feeling like jello that was thrown into a fan. I cant feel my arms and my heart rate is still up despite a hot shower and a few sarcastic Facebook posts to people who deserve it and friends who can handle it. I feel as thought someone deserves a punch in the face. Is this an anger issue? Should I see someone about this? Maybe the lady who cuts my hair at the mall or the guy who throws my mail in my box and my packages against my door? Naw, they are to special a human being to unleash the inner workings of my mind on. I will save that for you, the reader, to navigate through this twisted wreckage of a mind.
  "By pass the flaming head of Reggis Philbman and keep walking toward the mountain of cake, turn left at the musical number and the go about six miles or until you come to the "pet" portion of the brain." This coming from a stewardess who is blond and French with a black, over sized mustache.
Anyhow kiddies, the moral of today's lesson is do not punch anyone in the throat and don't go to the gym where the trainers are rude and less educated then the local elementary students who say such things like "Poopy" and "Y'all." Go to a gym where people are excluded and there are open spots to actually exercise. That's a gym.

Life today is different. A ramble from me to you.

Life in today's world... vastly different then when I grew up. (Not that I'm a fifty year old man reflecting on his youth after a long battle with a mid-life crises.) Everything changes and I get that, but what the hell. Everything is bad for you. Everyone is fatter, kids get medals for showing up and "trying", people are more sensitive about EVERYTHING, and god for bid some can do something for themselves or live within their means. I know its a lot, but lets take a trip down memory lane. Come, skip with me as we enter my mind. Keep you arms and leg inside at all times.
    When I was a kid, life seemed easier. Maybe its because I was young, maybe because the world was different. I don't know. I grew up with the values of the following: Don't be lazy, idle hands are the devil's play toy. Don't complain, no one like to hear it and no one will do anything about it. Do it yourself, who else is going to? Hard work pays off, people tend to notice when you do better. Be respectful to adults and anyone older than you are. (it was just a rule, no explanation was given. We were just expected to follow it.) If you want it, you have to pay for it. My mom and dad paid for the things necessary, but beyond that I had to pay for it.
   All these lessons taught me to be who I am. (Is that my consolation prize? If so I want to speak to a manager.) Now in today's world you see parents telling their children to "Use their words." What ever happened to old fashion yelling at your kid? If my mom looked at me, I knew to shut up and sit down. Today Kids run around screaming and crying because the parent wont get them an iPhone. I have a cousin who is a little brat. She complains about everything that her parents don't do. What about being grateful for everything you do have? How about shutting up, sitting down and saying "Thank you mom and dad, that was nice of you." How about that? Children have grown up ungrateful for the things their parents give them. That's because of our culture. We want and GET everything we ask for. As a nation of consumers, and debtors we buy, buy, buy and worry about money later. (Oh, the Founding Fathers must be rolling over continuously in their graves!!!) More! More! MORE! When did we become so greedy?
    Lets come back to one of the first things I said in the beginning. Everything is bad for you. Too much sun BAD. To much of this or that type of food is bad for you. When I was younger, everything was OK to eat. We even had the ten second rule and ate it. Now you have kids with horrible immune systems because having a dog might be bad or now that EVERYONE is allergic to peanuts, no one can have them. (People who are allergic to peanuts ruin everything ;) ) When I was younger, no one had a peanut allergy. It simply did not exist, around me at least. Parents are tying so desperately to keep their child away from everything harmful. Dirt, other kids, food, pets etc. Where does it end? Let a kid be a damn kid and play in the dirt and have a pet and eat peanuts. They are a kid for crying out loud.
  (A Special Note to the Parents and Teachers who give prizes and awards to kid for just trying. DON"T. Competition make a kid strive! Working hard to get something should be recognized by an award or prize. Showing up and just trying... Last time I checked showing up to work and just trying never worked for my boss or company. If I wanted money I needed to do more that try, I needed to do. Otherwise I would be in the unemployment line with the rest of the "try is good enough" people. Make the kid work for something. This is why China and India are doing better in the world. The U.S. kids do not try anymore. Make them strive for excellence. THEN give them an award.)
   Lets talk about money. Oh ho, for the U.S keeps pushing its debt reduction off. People keep going to college and not being able to pay for it. its sad. When I was younger if you could not afford it, you did not get it. I admit, I have fallen victim to this angry beast called the "Credit card." Its a horrible animal that gnaws at you and your bank account until you bleed cash. Is it worth it? Hell NO! I remember my parents asking, "Is it something we need right now?" or "Can we afford it?" Now a-days people say "Sure, credit or debit?" Not the way to go. I can attest. College! I see parents paying kids college tuition out of their own pocket. Must be nice.( I hope if you have a parent that does this for you, you go home every summer and treat them like a King and Queen. If you don't, SHAME on you for taking their hard earned money and shitting on them.) The student should be made to pay the debt for themselves. (This is going off topic) There is nothing I hate worse than people who sponge off mom and dad for everything. School, food, rent, phone etc. If you are a person who does that, let me tell you. The world is a unkind place full of people like you who don't care. If your child gets by with everything handed to them, how will they survive?!?!?! Most people who sponge don't make it in the real world. My parents never did that for me. Why should they. I might be living there with them still. Kids don't sponge, its not looked on in favor by many people in the real world.
  Life has change a lot since I was younger. Mostly for the good, but with all the change that happens over the course of one's life, I guess everyone is bound to see the good mix with the bad. For the people of the depression,  hard work, thrift and frugality have long gone by the waste side. For the people growing up in the 60's and 70's, respect has dwindled to nothing. For the people growing up in my generation, need is gone and replaced by want, doing has faded to try, and simplicity is being edged out by technology. What a world we live in. To think we can talk to anyone any place in the world in a matter of minutes by phone or face to face chat. To have millions of years of history at your finger tips and to think, we are not done creating. If it were up to me, I think I would have life be a little simpler, a little slower and little more then, rather than now. But I guess that's how I see things.  Life today... well its a hell of a lot different.

Le Sigh.

Did you ever get to a point in your life where you feel just blah? Not sick, or depressed, but I would equate this feeling as being in a rut. Nothing exciting or new ever happens, you don't have any challenges, you time is as close to "managed" as possible and what ever does happen in your life is less than stellar.
  I think I have come to a point, be it a point that has come too soon, in my life where things have slowed to a halt. I have little to no challenges in my life, I have let most of my friendships lag, I have become routine, my work presents no challenges, no reward and does not produce a sense of ease. I have no money to do anything "exciting" and Jim and I seem to be running on opposite schedules all the time, with the exception of Saturdays. Its nuts... or rather boring.
  I guess a good start would be to go back to school, which I am doing this year. I have decided, with encouragement from Jim, to go back to school for my Certificate in Social Studies Secondary Education. Finally getting my biggest goal on track. That's nice, but I think this goal is lacking the spark I though I would have. Maybe it's because I have been out of School for almost three years now. Maybe its because I feel a little apprehension about going back after I have completed one degree to a totally new school, where I know not one person. I don't know, it could be all of that. The thing I keep reminding myself is that I want to be A Social Studies Teach! I love the idea of teaching people the concepts of what happened to get us to where we are today. I like reading, and presenting the information in an interesting way. I think I'll like taking attendance, assigning homework and grading papers and such. Everyone keeps telling me, its worth it, and I know they are right. I keep telling myself every time I go to work, "Its gonna be so much better when I'm a teacher." That I think, is a good mental start to getting me into the mind set of going back to school. I just hope I can complete this stupid math class I will be taking.
 As far as doing "exciting" things... well I have no money to do that. Jim and I are trying to live frugally with the exception of going to dinner. that is our "Stress free" time. I'm not going to complain about money since I know some people have it a lot worse than I do. I should mention, that I have come to the point in my life where I would rather hang out with people and do dinner, or a movie, or a board game then go to a bar. Jim and I go to the "up and coming comics" series in Scranton, which is a nice evening. But, I've gotten over the whole bar scene even before I got started. That's just not me. Give me dinner and good conversation any day.
  As for work, I want to find another job. How about one where I work with people and have more time to my work then other peoples. I also want a job that is less stressful mentally and more rewarding. I just hate the fact that I do all this work and the people who I am working with (Clients not staff) don't say thank you. (They can say it too. I have heard them.) Its a very hard job mentally working with people with intellectual disabilities. The job itself involves a lot of paperwork, finances and meetings, but the actual job of taking care of them is harder. You have to feed, bath them, make sure they have the right pills at the right times, deal with their behaviors and the golden rule: YOU MUST STICK TO A ROUTINE AT ALL TIMES NO MATTER WHAT. That equates to nothing new EVER. Dinner is at the same time, meds at the same time, showers in the same order at the same time, snack at the same time and given in the same order, out at a certain time and back by a certain time. If the schedule is disrupted even sightly, you have a behavior on your hands. Its not fun. I do get told I do a good job, but that's not the point. I am looking for a job that has meaning. Meaningful friendships. That I cannot have because I am the Manager and I am not suppose to befriend any of my staff. Meaningful line of work. I feel that I am helping someone in some way, but I don't equate that into meaning for me personally. ( I know that is weird and most of you would say that should carry some meaning, but it does not anymore, at least for me. Its sad I know.) I think I may have burnt myself out already working in this field. I have not taken one sick day as of yet at my job and I rarely take a vacation day or any time off. I know why they say the Social Services filed is exhausting now. It truly is.
  I don't want people to think, "Ah, your just depressed." or "Well that's life." or even ""Just suck it up, everyone goes through that." That is all shit advice and you know it. I am not complaining but rather venting a little. My life has just found a rut. Now I hate change, especially big change but I think I could use some of it right about now and that is saying a lot right about now.
  Maybe thing will change, maybe they wont but I am determined to stay positive even if I have to tell myself that a horrible situation is awesome. How else do I keep my sanity? I guess this goes back to what I said in my last blog about me trying. Not doing and setting myself up to fail, but trying. So, I shall try and stay positive. Hopefully some change comes along soon. Until then, I will be posting on here about things people want to say but can't. (Dont worry, this blog wont turn it to my life story. It will stay about things that happen to me, or things that go on in the world that are outrageous and that need to be talked about. I am contemplating writing about gun control but fear it might be to soon. Maybe that might be my next blog. Who knows.) Until then.

Religion and Politics.

For all intents and purposes, I wrote this blog to show a point. I will say that not everyone will agree with my view/ views and I think that is okay, after all isn’t that part of the American way. The point that I am trying to make is that politics and religion have become intertwined over the course of our history and that the law protects its right to.

  Let me get my beliefs out of the way, so as not to cause confusion and cut the questions you may be asking yourself about me down to a minimum. I do believe in God, I was raised Catholic, I am not a practicing Catholic at this time but still believe in a higher being.  I believe in a mix of religion and science and think it is ok. (Yes I believe in the Big Bang Theory.)

  In addition, I think we can agree on the basics of religion to be defined by and will include, but not limited, to the following: One, that there is a higher being (God), two, that there is an established set of rules or regulations (Bible, Koran, Torah, Ten Commandments.) that the religious must follow, three, there is a way to explain the world and everything in it and four, that there was a prophet send to intervene in mankind’s  history (Moses, Jesus, Mohamed Etc.) Whatever your religious view, I think we can agree that these things are represented to an extent and can cut across or are sometimes interwoven into other religions.

  When is religion ok to insert in politics? I’m my view, it’s only ok at one point, in which case I hope does not happen, and that point is a national tragedy. (Ie: Sandyhook) Even during Christmas, Chanukah or whatever holiday you celebrate, it is not ok to insert religion or your beliefs into the politic scene. Let’s keep the words  “god”, “Faith”, “Heaven” etc  to the appropriate time and place..

  I stated above that politics/ government (for the sake of the blog I will uses politics and government interchangeably even though I would not do that at any other time.) and religion are intertwined. By intertwined, I mean that there is very little separation between the ideas and words (that produce those meanings or thoughts) and government. Let’s look at some of the examples in Everyday life. Money. Take any American money and you will inevitably find the words “In God We Trust”. On the ONE, FIVE TEN and TWENTY dollar bill it’s on the back (If you have a bill that has a higher amount designated to it, congratulations you have more money than I do.) in the middle, and on the quarter, dime, nickel and penny it’s on the front. Tender of the United States, something that every American has, Has the word God, which is religious in and of itself, printed on it. In Schools, especially in Elementary and Middle schools, the very controversial “Pledge of Allegiance” is said allowed. This has the words “Under God” present in the pledge. We are not only pledging allegiance to our country but to god even if we don’t me to, which is why this is becoming a evermore hot button issue. There are many songs that are patriotic in nature that use the word god in. “God Bless America.”  “American the Beautiful.”  We even say “May God Bless the USA/ America.”

  Let’s go a little further. When the members of Congress, President or Federal Judges are sworn in or do the swearing in, we use what? A bible. Not only that, but thanks to George Washington, almost all people, and subsequently every president after his assent to Chief Executive has said “So help me God.” at the end of their oath of office. This is something that was never  added in writing to the oath of office. This is something that presidents and the people that hold office of our national government CHOOSE to add to the oath. Look even closer at our Congress. The usually choose to start and/or close their sessions with a prayer. This is not a requirement, but a choice. Interesting how people choose to insert their person religion into an institution (govt) that chose to “separate” and establishment of religion from itself.

  The Anti Defamation League states that government” prohibits religious endorsement and regulation”. True on the surface, but look at some of the examples stated above and tell me differently. Endorsement not in law, but by the law maker who influences the law. Ipso Facto the law is determined by religious people and therefore has a religious tint. (Not to say that all members has a religious agenda, but it does not mean that one’s own ethic/ religious/ personal beliefs do not influence their choices.) The league further goes on to say that the “Government plays almost no role in promoting, endorsing or funding religious institutions or religious beliefs.” The key word in that passage is ALMOST. They don’t fund religious institutions, but rather make them tax exempt. What about government funding for institutions of higher learning? They receive funding don’t they? What happens if that institution of higher learning is also a religious institution? I graduated from a Catholic University. The University receives federal and state funding.  I ask, what happened to not funding a religious institution. Again ALMOST is the key word.

I will not, but in mentioning, say that most people in congress who let their personal/ religious ideologies dictate their creation or implementation of laws are wrong. If you believe in a God that “Hates Fags” or that says that discrimination of any kind is ok, you should not be a representative of “The People” or put into a power to take away other peoples freedom. (I will end this rant before I get worked up as this is very near and dear to my heart strings, tug at them and you might just pull the wrong one.)

  What makes this all ok? Simply put, it’s our law that makes it ok. Or rather the “Law of the Land” otherwise known as the Constitution. In our Bill of Rights, added by the first congress in 1791, in Amendment ONE it states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” The first Amendment goes on to talk about freedom of speech next. The Amendment was created to keep One Established Religion (I capitalize it to show that One and Established as important) from creeping into the government like the church of England did. That was the original intent. However, the amendment goes on to say that is no way to prohibit people from exercising their own beliefs and further goes on to say that freedom of speech in any form shall be inhibited, this includes religious speech.  Thank you James Madison.

Personally, due to the social melting pot that is American, I do not believe that politics and religion should be intertwined the way it is. According to the law, I have to submit that not only are the examples stated above lawful , but rightful. I have to remember that our country was founded on Freedoms and even before it was the United States, it was 13 British colonies, most (Especially Massachusetts, Maryland and Pennsylvania) were founded on Religious tolerance for the branches of religion that was not accepted in England. (Puritans, Quakers, Catholics, Calvins, Jews etc.) Religion will always have a place in politics. Does that mean everyone will like it or even tolerate it? No. But then again, the freedom to do or not to do so is what the U.S. was founded on isn’t it?