It's Over...

I know I haven’t weighed in on the Terry Schiavo case, and maybe for very selfish reasons. I didn’t want to be viewed as the sappy heart liberal, or the non-feeling realist, regardless of the point of view I take on the subject. But with her passing, my heart is heavy and I think I at least should make mention of her.

First of all, I believe in the right to live, and die, on your own terms. I am a supporter of assisted suicide. I don’t believe suicide should be illegal. I believe your life is yours, the only thing we are truly given and possess and no one has the right to make any decision or pass judgment on how you leave this planet beside you and your higher power.

I do not believe hydration and food to be a “life sustaining” measure. I truly believe them to be comfort care. If you are hungry and thirsty, you are not being comforted.

In a living will, you permit doctors to give you pain medication to relieve your pain until you pass. I think food and water should be included in comfort care, even though it serves a dual purpose.

That is why in my living will, it specifically states that food and water will not be discontinued. My living will is very customized to my wishes, I will be given food, water and pain medication until it has been certified by two physicians that I am vegetative, then I am to be immediately scheduled for surgery to harvest my organs and permit me to die. No waiting. No questions. Nothing.

A lot of people don’t realize that Living Wills can be overridden by the person you designate as your Medical Power of Attorney. I found that out when I was gathering my paperwork before surgery. My attorney told me that if I wanted my wishes to be carried out no matter if my mom or Lindi were designated as my next of kin, the only way was a Living Will and NOT to sign a Medical Power of Attorney. If I signed a Medical Power of Attorney, that person can actually override my Living Will – and you could have a Terry Schiavo all over again.

If anything, Terry Schiavo has brought the right to die back into the minds of Americans, and her struggle, the family pain, the court battle – all of it – will make us remember that life is precious, it is a gift, and it is ours to do with what we wish, even when others don’t agree.

“May the Goddess carry her to the New Land with a happy soul and a light heart to start her new Journey, Amen.”

But you Can't be GAY and be in the Boy Scouts

Hat Tip ~ Lorene

Boy Scout official charged in child porn case
Tuesday, March 29, 2005

DALLAS, Texas (CNN) -- A former top official of the Boy Scouts of America has been charged with downloading child pornography from the Internet after federal investigators found images of children engaging in sex acts on his computer.

Douglas S. Smith Jr. is scheduled to appear before a federal judge Wednesday in Fort Worth, Texas, said Kathy Colvin, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Dallas.

"We anticipate Mr. Smith will enter a guilty plea at that time," she said.

He's not even gonna fight it, so you know they have plenty of evidence.

Hypocrits.

How Tall IS He?

Last night was a fun night for me and Lindi. Lindi had VIP tickets to the Jazz game against the Houston Rockets, 6th row from the floor. We sat right behind the Hornet's team bench and I was able to see Yao Ming in person. He looked remarkably like 2 people standing on top of each other and it was rather odd.

We arrived at the Delta center at about 5, then went downstairs to the VIP room for complimentary dinner of salads, mini quiche, turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables and carrot cake and tarts for dessert. We took our drinks up to our seats and watched the game until halftime, then went back down to the VIP room for complimentary nachos, popcorn and soda. We were treated like royalty, being able to walk around behind the scenes, be with the press, and see all it takes to televise an NBA game. There's a lot more to it than I ever would have thought.

It was a low scoring game (99-85), and with the loss of Kiralinko to a broken wrist, the Jazz really didn't have a chance, and Snyder's loud mouth taunting of the Rocket's didn't help much. He will learn sooner or later that there is a right way and a wrong way to get at the opposing team, taunting isn't one of them. They simply came back fired up, Snyder was removed, and the Rockets smashed the Jazz.

All in all, it was a great night out for the both of us. We enjoyed the game, and left early, walking in the rain, splashing in puddles, and going to bed early. It's the first time in a long time we have really enjoyed each other's company, like when we first started dating. We talked over dinner, held hands in the car, and were the romantic couple I knew us to be. Romance doesn't die when you are married, it just takes a brief hiatus!

In other news, it's time for our 15 year class reunion, and I've been asked to sit on the committee, with a bunch of people who were too good to talk to me in school. It will be odd to see them again, but I am determined to make it a positive experience. They have asked for help with a memorial table to those classmates we have lost, and I take this assignment seriously, since one of them was a friend of mine. I consider it an honor to recognize him and his accomplishments in his brief life. I am hoping to put out a book of remembrance for his classmates to write a brief message to his wife and his two children.

At work and doing well. Love out to Shane, thank you for your help! Thinking of you. And RIP to Lorene's and Dylan's furnace. May it rest in peace. (laugh)

From the Front Lines...

From our Lovely Soldier Boy, Scott, in Northern Iraq:

Hello, I'm glad to hear that you are doing better. Hopefully you will heal all the way soon.

It's starting to warm up and it's only going to get hotter. Yesterday I was on a raid. We ended up taking some weapons and some anti American stuff. Other than that we got to shoot some artillery the other day, that's always a lot of fun.

I'm not sure when I coming home, sometimes I think never. But I should be back around Xmas + or - a few months.

To be honest, we've helped a lot of people, mostly kids. The problem is that one bad apple can spoil the bunch. I think the best part of this country are the dogs. I feel bad about the dogs more than I do the people. They have ruined this country. The air, the water and the ground itself is about 50% oil. They have no concept of throwing trash away. Where it lands is where it stays. It's one big mess.

Well I hope I haven't depressed you to much.

Happy easter and take care,
Scott

Happy Monday Morning!

This week has been good, bad and better, and I am happy to be through the worst of it. Last Sunday, I had a bout with some very severe pain that landed me in the ER and out of work for 3 days. With the help of two of my doctors, I have been virtually pain free since then, so I think the worst is over. I have a dr's appt today, so we will see how well "the boys" are healing.

Saturday was entertaining to say the least. I decided, with the spring weather and all, that two of my cats needed to be groomed. Mickey, my siamese, won't let me get close to him long enough to brush him, so his back was pretty matted, and Dori, my foster kitty, has started to shed in anticipation of the cooler weather. So, I made appointments for them to be groomed at Petsmart.

Now, if you have ever Kitty Wrangled, you will understand my pain. Dori was a cinch, since she comes to me when called. Mickey, on the other hand, was quite abused and barely lets me pet and love on him, let alone put him into a cat carrier. The marathon ended with me literally picking up the couch and moving it to the middle of the living room, and cornering him upstairs and talking to him. It lasted about 20 minutes, up and down the stairs, racing from bedroom to bedroom to couch to kitchen, before he finally resigned and let me pick him up like a baby.

I dropped both of them off and promptly went home to meet my Sister, then she sent me to bed after lunch. I was in a LOT of pain after all the adrenaline wore off... and three hours later, my lovely wifie came home with two cats who had furry paws, furry heads, a furry poof at the end of their tails - and shaved all the way in between! They look sooooooo adorable! It's the classic "Lion Cut" and Petsmart did a great job. Lindi hates it. The cats wouldn't talk to me Saturday and the others who didn't go avoided me because they thought they were next! I will definately post pictures.

Sunday was a blur of BBQ's, Birthday parties and family. As always, it is such a joy to be around our families. We are talking about spending Thanksgiving in Mexico with Lindi's family, and that sounds wonderful to me!

Well, gonna run for now, I will update more this week. Good Energy out to all of you!

New Song I'm Lovin'

No Regrets... Yet/Sonya Isaacs

High school yearbook on her lap
Snapshot faces take her back
Class ring and strings of broken hearts
A single word of 'yes' or 'no'
could've changed her destiny

What would it be like
if she'd-a married Mike
Three kids and a dog,
and be Queen of the Kitchen
How would it have been
if she'd settled for Jim
She'd be battered and bruised
on a bunk in a mission
Now she'll never know what happened to Joe
Cold feet when the church bells rang
Where she learned to let it go and never forget
Her life is her own and she has
No regrets yet

Voted 'Girl Most Likely To Succeed'
She made her dreams come true
Single and happy in her world
But she would be lying if she said
she'd never thought about

What would it be like if she'd-a married Mike
Three kids and a dog, and be Queen of the Kitchen
How would it have been if she'd settled for Jim
She'd be battered and bruised on a bunk in a mission
Now she'll never know what happened to Joe
Cold feet when the church bells rang
Where she learned to let it go and never forget
Her life is her own and she has
No regrets yet

Who knows who, where or when
Only love will stop her wonderin'

What would it be like if she'd-a married Mike
Three kids and a dog, and be Queen of the Kitchen
How would it have been if she'd settled for Jim
She'd be battered and bruised on a bunk in a mission
Now she'll never know what happened to Joe
Cold feet when the church bells rang
Where she learned to let it go and never forget
Her life is her own and she has
No regrets yet

No
No no no no regrets
Yet...

Listening to the Launchcast

and working away. They gave me a time sensitive, detail oriented, brain scrambling project, so I've been doing nothing but crunching numbers and data entry for two days. Thank God for my internet radio providing entertainment, or I might just go postal in a serious way.

Lindi is on vacation, so more than anything, I've wanted time off with her, which isn't going to happen. I did take Thursday off for birthday projects for Sarah, so I guess I will have a little time off with her, but getting out of bed has been hard... except for this morning. Weird dreams that make no sense.

It seemed like an episode of Laguna Beach from MTV... if you've ever seen it, it's a lot like Melrose Place and The OC, but with not nearly as much talent. I jump in a jeep and go to the beachhouse - which apparently is mine - and I am surrounded by 20-somethings in bikini's with drinks galore. There were a few odd's and end's of people I recognized, which I thought was a very eclectic mix - Brigg and a couple of people from my college days.

I go into my house, which reminded me of that place in Midway, The Homestead. There is my 20-something girlfriend who is about a foot shorter than me and we are planning a party complete with a BBQ and jell-o shots. Later on, a boy who looks sooo much like G-Fry, I have to do a double-take... and I end up making out with him on the beach.

I woke up and told Lindi about the dream and she tells me I have to stop playing on the computer. I think I agree!

I bet the dream was prompted by the return of a long-lost box, found in G's storage unit, containing pics of my college days, articles, programs, etc. I even found pics of my 19th birthday and Lorene's 21st "Over the Hill" birthday that I think is rather ironic now. Over the Hill at 21? We were all babies! I can't wait to go through and get all of these pics remade from the negatives and get them in an album to share.

Well, back to my work project and munching on lunch. I should have more interesting dreams to report later!

Hump Day

I saw my wound care specialist yesterday, and was a bit discouraged when I walked in the door. By the time I left, however, I was much more optimistic… my wounds have finally begun healing! They have shrunk about 15-20 percent, and no signs of infection. I am thrilled that ‘something’ is finally happening, 2 months after my surgery.

Work is… well, work. I could say something witty about it, but I honestly don’t have the energy to do so. I come here, bust my ass, and go home. I will say however, that it is much better on the self esteem to start bringing in some money to the household and take the stress off of Lindi.

The spring air is doing wonders for my head and heart. I love the feeling of the evening air right before it goes cold and I can’t wait for spring to fully be here. I want to have another garden party at my house as soon as the weather permits, barbecue some food, couple coolers of beer and just enjoy one another. I think I will plan something around May – that’s always a good month for a spring party.

Miss Sarah is having her birthday this month – the big 16. We are taking her and three friends to dinner and a movie – that’s what she wanted. We will be sitting in another part of the restaurant and in another theatre, of course. Yup, drivers licenses and dating are right around the corner. I think I am going to need a 4 year supply of Xanax at my disposal.

Things are going well, and I am in a good place. I could always be better, but it’s something to look forward to!

For Scott

Couldn't have said it better myself...

Chely Wright - Bumper Of My SUV

I've got a bright red sticker on the back of my car
Says United States Marines
And yesterday a lady in a mini-van held up a middle finger at me
Does she think she knows what I stand for
Or the things that I believe
Just by looking at a sticker for the US Marines
On The Bumper Of My SUV

See, my brother Chris, he's been in for more than 14 years now
Our dad was in the Navy during Vietnam
Did his duty then he got out
And my grandpa earned his purple heart
On the beach of Normandy
That's why I've got a sticker for the US Marines
On The Bumper Of SUV

But that doesn't mean that I want war
I'm not Republican or Democrat
But I've gone all around this crazy world
Just to try and better understand

Yes I do have questions
I get to ask them because I'm free
That's why I've got a sticker for the US Marines
On the Bumper Of My SUV

Cause I've been to Hiroshima
And I've been to the DMZ
I've walked on the sand in Baghdad
Still don't have all of the answers I need
But I guess I wanna know where she's been
Before she judges and gestures to me
Cause she don't like my sticker
For the US Marines
On the bumper of my SUV

So I hope that lady in her mini-van
Turns on her radio and hears this from me
As she picks up her kids from their private school
And drives home safely on our city streets
Or to the building where her church group meets

Yeah, that's why I've got a sticker for the US Marines
On the bumper of my SUV