Filed under: politics
My cousin was chatting with me on Facebook the other day. He is contemplating running for Congress. The first question he asked me, like I know anything about running for Congress, was if he should run as a Republican, independent, or 3rd party. As I thought that over, it just brought many more questions to mind. We went back and forth asking questions, putting out thoughts, and perhaps dreaming a bit. Is it possible for someone to get elected who just wants to go and do the right thing rather than play all of the political games? I told him he had to spend a lot of money to get his name out there. He doesn’t want to do that because his whole stance is that he is a common man who wants to go represent the common man. While I understand his desires and have had some of the same thoughts myself, is it possible to get elected that way? After discussing it for a bit, he told me I could be his campaign manager – never mind the fact that I’m in Louisiana and he is in Iowa and I have no clue about any of it. I guess it will be another unpaid job for me. So, if you happen to live in Iowa and see this guy running for office, vote for him because he would do what’s right.
Filed under: Scouting
Not my first backpacking trip, but Boxman’s and Buster’s first. I had prior commitments so I couldn’t go with them last weekend. My first, and only, backpacking trip was 20-something years ago when I went with my brother’s Boy Scout troop on the Appalachian Trail. Boxman and Buster were attempting an 11.2 mile trek in Oklahoma with Buster’s new Boy Scout troop. I was pretty nervous about letting them go without me. Buster wasn’t really prepared for it and Boxman had no idea what he might be getting himself into. The fact that he overpacked just added to my nervousness. They were to leave last Saturday morning but only had decided on Thursday that they were going for sure. Fortunately, the troop had a child-sized backpack that Buster could borrow for the trip and we had several packs that my dad had given us once for Boxman to choose from.
The troop also had tents for the boys to use, but parents had to provide their own.
Boxman had splurged on a nice backpacking tent a few weeks ago when he heard about this trip, so he was excited to get to use it.
They both had hiking boots although Buster’s were hardly broken in. I went and bought some hiking socks for him and sock liners for both of them. Boxman didn’t know he needed sock liners but he was glad he had them.
I also bought them Mountain House freeze dried food, and plenty of other good snacks. Of course when dinner time came and they were making their freeze dried macaroni and cheese, nobody seemed to know how many ounces were in a cup. The directions said to use 2 cups of water and they used 32 ounces! See, I knew they needed me to come along. But they did survive without me and both of them had a great time.
It helped that they cut the hike a little short due to some “issues” one boy had.
Filed under: Uncategorized
I was stopped at a stop sign behind an F-150 with the big off-road tires. It had one plain bumper sticker on the tailgate that said, “I am not wearing pants.” I couldn’t help but snicker over it. As I turned to go the same direction that he was, I started wondering what type of person would have a bumper sticker like that. I passed him slowly while trying to inconspicously look his way. He wasn’t wearing a shirt either!
Filed under: Uncategorized
Yes, it’s time for yet another martial arts tournament. And once again, I can’t decide whether I’m going to compete or not. I’m sure this discussion is getting old since I do go through it everytime there is a tournament. I guess the only reason I’m considering it is because it is a national championship tournament and a first place win includes a national champion patch to put on my uniform. I really could care less about the trophy as my closet is already overflowing. The kids aren’t competing this time because Buster has an all day troop meeting for his Boy Scout jamboree contingent and Doodles has a piano competition. I will be at tournament to help judge whether I compete or not. However, it does cost $5o to enter. So, should I do it or not?
