John Mc

This is a collection of my thoughts. Some of the thoughts that I once had, I no longer do. Some thoughts I have now I have never had. Yet none shal be discounted. This blog is soley for the enjoyment of the author and the readers. On occasion the views expressed are overly exagerated in order to prove a point. Also there may be a dirty word or thought in some of the posts. Grow up and take this for what it's worth - a blog that barely anyone will ever see.

11/20/2006

Half Thoughts

I have had Tom Jones' "Sex Bomb" stuck in my head for a while. Not the whole song - I don't know the whole song, so that part can't get stuck in my head. Only the part where he says "Sex Bomb, Sex Bomb. You're my Sex Bomb." Yup. That second and a half is playing in my head over and over again right now.

I am about to make popcorn and watch "Scrubs" on Comedy Central. Why popcorn and "Scrubs?" Why not?

I probably haven't finished a book since Junior year of High School. Is that because I can't get through one? Nope. It is just because I have such a small attention span. I will get half way through (if I'm that lucky) and then move on to another book.

I thought that I had to work this evening. Turns out I don't. I had to work this morning. I thought I worked Friday evening. Turns out I don't. Just Friday morning. But, a girl at work wants me to work Friday evening for her. So, then perhaps I won't be that wrong.

Got a job interview tomorrow. Not sure what job I'm applying for or where to go. The interview is at 4:30.

I have had a cold/cough/sore throat thing for the past week or so. There is this cold relief stuff called "Equate." It is the bomb. If you have any of the standard cold/cough symptoms, get "Equate." It will knock the bad stuff on it's ass. (But, be sure to take it with food. Sometimes it will get confused and knock your stomach lining on it's ass.)

Yup. I'm still sick. But, that doesn't stop me from serving food to the general public. I can hide it well. Why do I still go? Because my job needs me and they would be in a bind without me? Nope. I need the money. And the folks at table 7 probably won't get sick anyway. If they do, they will be a long way from the restaurant when they do.

Done for today. "Scrubs" is about to start and I haven't even started my popcorn. Wait. I can pause live TV. That will buy me some time. Never get a DVR. It will change the way you watch TV forever. You will not be able to live without it. Paused. Great. It's popcorn time.

11/19/2006

NFL Picks

Just like last week, only the winners - this will get you back on to your regularly scheduled posts. And, yes. I promise to get you a tally of all that I have gotten right and wrong really soon... as soon as I have a spare moment.

Chicago (As always. Consider this a constant. - Just incase you haven't figured that out already!)
BAL
BUF (Upset, here.)
NO
MIA
NE
KC
CLE (Another upset)
CAR
PHI
TB
DET
SEA
IND
DEN (Yet another upset, but DEN/SD should be the game of the week. Enjoy it on Sunday night)
NYG (Although, JAX is very good as well. This Monday night game may be the first one WORTHY of Monday night!)

Enjoy your football, friends. I know I will... after I am done sorting sugar packets. Those bastards!

What Is Hip?

For no apparent reason other than it is the best show on television and who doesn't like to see white people dance to an abruptly cut off song? Enjoy a few moments from NBC's "The Office."


11/17/2006

Weird Al's Newest

Unless you've been living under a rock, you have seen Weird Al's newest video "White and Nerdy." But, you may not have seen his newest one "Do I Creap You Out?"
Al teamed up with Jib-Jab (You may remember them from the 2004 elections) to make a video that makes fun of some song written by that American Idol winner that looks like he's 40, but really he just ages fast like Robin Williams in "Jack." At least that's what I think is the reason behind the grey (or gray, if you wish) hair. Well, whatever.
I have it here, in all it's weirdness, for you. Enjoy.


AAAARRRRGGG! I'm FED UP!!! (No relation to K-Fed... or FedEx as he is currently known.)

Today I watched "The Colbert Report." It is my only source for non-biased satirical Republican news. I highly recommend it.
Today he had on the director of a new movie coming out tomorrow called "Fast Food Nation." Let me give you a brief synopsis of this guy's stance - the fast food industry gives a product. This product is not good for you in mass quanities. (Heck, it's not good for you at all.) Some Americans consume this food in mass quanities. The fast food industry turns a profit on these purchases. Americans become fat and sick. The fast food industry should pay these Americans for their suffering.
What crap. Just because some dumbass slides a burger down his throat each day because it's readily available does not mean that the fast food industry should pay to have it sucked out of him. We do enough rewarding of stupidity in this nation. (Look at the last election)
Speaking of the last election, congrats, Democrats. You are in control. The fate of this nation is in your hands - don't blow it.
There are several issues on the table. They have been there for months. Years, in some cases - what are you going to do about it? I'm sick of hearing about illegal immigration. Come to a solution. Deport them all. Make them all citizens. Make some citizens, deport the rest. SOMETHING! Enough with renewable fuels. Form a committee to come up with the best road to take (Biodiesel, ethanol, hydrogen, etc.) and go with it. Create funding for a national infistructure and have deadlines and goals that will take this country off it's dependence upon fossil fuels. Gay men and women still want to get married. Decide if we want to let them or not. If we don't, they'll be upset. If we do, our health care coverage goes up. The war in Iraq is still going on. If you wish to cut and run, it is now on your watch. When that country becomes a hell-hole again and is run by people just as bad or worse than those we took out of power - it is on you this time. And all the lives lost over there will be in vain - YOURS.
I am sick of all this discussion of the issues until we get so immune to their true value. Discuss them intelligently. Come to a conclusion and DO IT! Not in the future. NOW. And don't blame those across the aisle for messing things up. Apparently the Republicans couldn't do anything right, so now it is your turn to prove us wrong.
Oh, and Trent Lot as "Minority Whip?!" Republicans - couldn't you have thought this through a bit more? Do you realize the comedic value in this? The late-night talk shows are having a field day with this one. Idiots!
It is getting to the point that I am losing interest in all of politics. It is all talk and no solution. Take a cue from Elvis - A little less conversation and a little more action. From now on, how about this method:

1) Identify the problem. (We already have this one down.)
2) Intelligently discuss some possible solutions. (We start well on this one, and then we begin the name-calling like 5-year-olds.)
3) Settle on a solution and go with it.
4) Make changes to the solution, if necessary to better the outcome.
5) Maintain the outcome.

Seems simple enough, doesn't it? Then why the crap can't we get ANYTHING done in this country? Our policies are pretty much the same today as they were last year - five years ago, heck a decade ago. With each month, our government should be renewing itself to better serve the people. Instead, we continue to drag our feet until it's too late or we have given up interest. Something needs to be done and it needs to be done YESTERDAY!

Oh, and ACLU and similar organizations - YOU AREN'T HELPING!

11/16/2006

Sayings For The 201st

I messed up.
I am so very sorry.
To all my loyal readers (all three of you), I am forever sorry.
You were expecting a great post for my 200th post. Sadly, I messed up. I miscounted and was not paying attention. I, instead of bringing you a very insightful and meaningful post, brought you football predictions. While, a great deal of you may have made some serious illegal cash from those, I ruined my 200th post.
So, instead, we will celebrate my 201st post!

Here we go!

In my long 27+ years on this planet, I have come across some interesting information in the form of "sayings," "mottos" and/or "inspirational quotes." I would like to share these with you... or at least the ones that I remember.
You have already heard my great one "If you're not having fun, you are doing something wrong." If you haven't read about this one yet, click here and then join us later.
I will start with the most recent one that I have read: "Do not let your life be like a shooting star. Which lights up the sky for only a brief moment. Let your life be like the sun. Which always burns brightly in the heavens. Bringing light and warmth to all those on Earth. Let your light shine."
That is taken from the most recent book that I just started called "The Rhythm of Life" by Matthew Kelly. So far, so good. But, let's look at the quote, shall we?
Once, I knew a girl who showed me how she wished on stars. We would lay under the sky (usually in my convertible) and each pick a star and make a wish on it. We usually shared our wishes. This was a fun little event. But, it would prove meaningless if these wishes did not become goals and the goals were not worked towards. Now, I don't remember any of these "wishes," but I'm pretty sure that most of them did not come true. Now, wishing on a shooting star is a near must for anyone who sees one. They are rare and some people have never seen one before. However, they are short bursts of light in the sky. By the time they are gone, so is the wish.
Instead root yourself in something more concrete. While there is no guarantee that the sun will come up tomorrow morning, there is a good chance that it will. It is a constant. Putting your faith in a constant, like The Son, is always a win-win situation.
Now, put your whole life in these terms. A few dozen people may see the same shooting star that you see tonight. A greater number of people will see the sun tomorrow morning. To have specks of greatness is ordinary. To have constant greatness is extrodinary. Imagine your life lived with the warmth of the sun to radiate to all those around you. What would that take? What would have to be in place for people that you don't even know to understand that?
I'm still trying. I will continue to.

"Life is short. If you don't stop once in a while and look around, you might miss it." This is what Ferris Bueller said on his day off. If you haven't seen this movie, you have a homework assignment. Go rent that movie ASAP and get back to me on how great it is. Not only because it is based in Chicago, but because Ferris is the Holden of our generation. (+5 bonus points if you got that reference.)
We live in a fast-paced world. Many people go through it without vacations. Having a perfect attendance at work is a great accomplishment, but is that what they will talk about at your funeral? Or will your kids talk about how you pulled them out of school, for no apparent reason, to go fishing one day or will your friends talk about how well traveled you were or how well read of a person you were?
Life is to be experienced and enjoyed. It is a gift from God that is not meant to be wasted. Don't get me wrong, a permanent vacation (that Aerosmith wishes we take) is never a good idea either. A healthy balance of the two should be achieved.

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you make look back and realize that they were the big things." I mentioned this in a previous post, but I will bring it up again. Christa brought this quote to me. I feel that it goes along with the previous one, slightly. When you think about your favorite memory that you hold of your parents, siblings and/or friends - what is that memory of? Is it at an awards ceremony or is it laughing about something stupid in a car ride? Is it an inside joke that only the two of you share? Is it cooking Thanksgiving dinner together? Is it sharing a beer on the roof of a radio station? (Ok, maybe that's just me.)
It is the simple moments of true connection between two people that mean the most.

"Respect yourself. Others will follow." I came up with this one only about a week ago. I don't really know where it came from, but there it is. If you have self esteem. If you have pride in who you are. If you respect the person that is you, others will share that respect.
Ever notice someone walk into a crowded room and immediately everyone notices? This confidence is rooted in respect for him or her self. It is quite an admirable trait and one that we all can accomplish. If you don't respect who you are, how do you expect others to respect you? You are, obviously, your biggest selling point. Ask anyone who has been in sales. Most of the time, people purchase the seller, not what is being sold. Someone may have a mansion on a hill, a fleet of cars, a yacht and a bank vault filled to the brim like Scrooge McDuck, but without self-respect, they have nothing. They are still as poor as a beggar.
You and your character are the strongest elements of your being. Value them. Respect them.

"The Truth is permanent. Everything else falls by the wayside." - Dave Chappelle - Inside The Actor's Studio. I heard this from Dave Chappelle. Not a usual source for insightful wisdom, but yet, the star of "Half Baked" really struck me with this one. What a value this puts on truth. It is the only thing that will remain forever. The Truth. Once all else is gone, The Truth is the only thing that remains.
It reminds me of what my good friend, Gayle, from Effingham, once said "If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember what you said." Once your life becomes clouded with lies, you lose out on meaningful connections with other people and you also lose out on your own idenity.

"Perfection can not be achieved by the human race. But, that doesn't mean that it can't be strived for." What is perfection? Nothing on this planet is perfect. Nothing. It is all of this planet. Everything that we have done and everything that we will do can be done better. Never has something been done perfectly by Man.
Does that mean we should give up? Nope. Getting as close to perfection as possible is what we should reach for. Whether that be on a great morning radio show or organizing sugar packets for the restaurant Nazi, perfection should be the goal. Our lives will be that much more complete and have a great sense of accomplishment.

"Your future is what you make it. So, make it a good one." Some of you may remember this one from Back to the Future part III. It is one of the last pieces of advice that Doc gives to Marty at the end. (Don't worry, I won't ruin the ending of the trilogy for you.) This saying puts the responsibility into our hands. Our future is what we make of it. We can make it a great one or a lousy one. While we can not control our surroundings, we can control how we react to them. It is up to us to decide if getting cut off in morning traffic will create an entire bad day or if we will brush it off and look for the good in the next moment of time. Tomorrow is not yet written, but we are the ones holding the pen.

"You can do anything you set your mind to." This is another piece of advice that Doc gave Marty all throughout the trilogy. (It is a really great set of movies. Again, rent them if you haven't seen them.) The human mind is capable of such great things. The statue of David. The invention of the light bulb. Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin. (Everyone remembers Eli from History class!) If we set a goal, we will come up with some way of accomplishing it. We may need assistance from others or a great deal of time, but with the mind that we were given, we can accomplish great things. This has already been proven. This saying kind of relates to another one of my favorites...

"Trust in God. Through Him all things are possible." God created the universe! If we have faith in Him, we can do great things. Even better - we can become great people. It also says "ALL things are possible." Not just some or even most, but ALL. There is an endless amount of possibilities before us with God on our side.

That's all that I can think of right now. I'm sure you have a few that you would like to add. I encourage you to do so by posting a comment on here. If I think of more, I will write another post for ya.
Until then, Have fun.

11/12/2006

NFL Picks

I don't want to hear about Da Bears from last week. I have seen WAY too much about it on TV this week. So, this week, in order to put a more possitive spin on things, I will only mention the winners of this week. Sound good? I knew that it would.

BAL
IND
ATL
MIN
JAX
KC
NE
SD
SF (Upset game)
PHI
DEN
NO (Upset of the week)
DAL
STL (Difficult choice)
CHI (Unfortunently, this is also an upset)
CAR

Go Bears. It will happen, come Feb.

11/11/2006

Update

I realized that I haven't written about myself in a while. So, here it goes.
My friend Luke (You can link to his many blogs off of my site) has just accepted a job in Savannah Georgia. He will be doing nights on a rock station out there. It is because of this that he was able to quit his awful call center job (The one that he and I started together. I got out after only two months or so) and he quit his weekend job at a local Chicago radio station.
I now have two friends living in Georgia. One in Atlanta. The other will soon be in Savannah. I have been looking for a reason for a small vacation and I think with two friends out in Georgia, I have found it. I was going to go to the West coast to visit a friend, but that never came to pass, so a plane ticket out to Atlanta and a 3 hour car ride to Savannah may be my next vacation. We are probably looking at March. I am told that their St. Pat's day celebration is a lot of fun.
Me? I'm still working at the restaurant. I come home each day exhausted. I use this as a motivator to find other work. I'm currently applying at places that I don't even think I want to work at, but it is more money. So, it seems like a fair trade-off. More money, but disliking my job the same amount. This makes it slightly more than just a lateral move.
I was getting ready to leave work today when the "Shift Lead" (This is a fellow server that makes sure that your area is up to code before you leave.) told me that my sugars were wrong. Yup. Something wrong with the sugars. I was just as confused as you are. So I took a look at them. They looked fine. I put them right back in their little holders and said that things are great. She looked again. She said they were not. I was getting a little aggravated at this point. I demanded clarification on why the sugar packets were so very, very wrong.
She let me know that the name of the restaurant on each sugar packet needs to be facing a certain way and read from top to bottom when they are horizontally placed in their holders. The look on my face must have told her that I felt this was the dumbest thing I had heard in months. She reminded me that this was the way that "we always did it." I had never heard this before and hope to never hear it again.
So, I went back to sorting the damn packets. It is always at this part of my day that I have the dreaded personal reflection time. It is in this quiet, brain-numbing task that I begin to analyze where I went wrong. I'm 27 years old, college educated, talented in many fields that this job does not require and I'm taking orders from a 21 year old who has an unhealthy fixation on sugar. I then fantasize about throwing down the sugars and walking out of there. I'm scared that one day I will have a gun with me in one of these random day dreams.
Then, like a bad CBS sitcom, one of the sugar packets burst open while I'm jamming them back into their little containers. I figured I had cleaned enough for that day and just swept it onto the floor. I went back to her and she reminded me that it should only take 20-25 minutes for us to do all the extra crap at the end of our shift. I'm surprised I didn't hit her in the face. I just looked her in the eye and smiled. Didn't say anything. She then asked if I had dusted the hanging lights. I continued to smile. She didn't know what to think, so she just signed my release and I was able to check out for the day.
I will have to remember that one for the future.
What is the purpose of that? Who walks into the restaurant, turns to the server and says "I look forward to enjoying my time spent here. I look forward to many future visits with co-workers, friends, family and - wait a minute. I see that your sugar packets are not uniform. The 17th one from the right is upside down. Bring your manager to me. I need to tell him or her why I will be taking my business elsewhere and never returning to your poorly-run establishment ever again." We would have to close out of pure embarrassment.
Everything else, I understand. I see it's purpose. This, however - is pointless.
Elsewhere at work, this person is dating this person. This person just broke up with this person. This person doesn't want to work with these four people because they are ex's, annoying and/or smell funny. It is all a great deal of drama. I dig it. I'm so glad that I'm not involved with any of it. Instead I nudge the regular drama queens and kings just so slightly, then back off and watch the show. (So, how are you and ____ doing? or Did ____ work this morning? or Did ____ get those personally embarrassing test results back yet?) It's usually better than TV. Usually.
I have e-mailed several radio stations in Chicagoland with hopes of getting a job. Two have e-mailed me back saying that they enjoyed my stuff, but don't have any openings right now. Of course. Oh, well. I will just continue to e-mail them until they give me a shot. That's the best way to go about it, right? Harassment into employment? Surely one day they will look with favor on my electronic mail.
So, nothing has changed much. Still doing what I was the last time I gave you an update. Soon, things will change. Just not today.

Stranger Than Fiction

Just saw a movie with my friend Kate. She and I have become movie partners. It is rare and unplanned when we do see a movie. I will send a text message to her and after a short back-and-forth, we head out to see what is playing. It is quite the spur of the moment kind of thing.
I guess I'm like that. If money were no object, a weekend in a random city would be on my schedule at least once a month. The city would probably not be determined until the day of.
If you ask me what I'm doing tonight at 10 am, my answer may be completely different than what I actually end up doing. My day starts off on one path, and after a series of decisions, several new paths emerge. Don't dare asking me what I'm doing next weekend. My answer will surely be incorrect.
But, am I making these decisions or are they made for me? Does the world influence me? Sure it does. If Jenny is having people over tonight, but I don't really care for Jenny or some of the people that she is having over, I may consider it a back-up plan. If Tom tells me that he would like to shoot some pool tonight, Jenny is out and Tom is in. Tom has influenced my activities for the day. But, was it Tom? Was it something greater? Did I choose what I did that Thursday night, or did someone or something else? Who is really in control?
Yes, I know. Pretty deep for 12:32 on a Friday night.
But, that is the kind of questions that you start off with after seeing "Stranger Than Fiction" with Will Ferrell. This was a GREAT movie. It is a separation from Will's previous roles in "Anchorman" or "Talladega Nights." It is not a comedy, but instead a drama with comedic undertones.
The premise is that Will plays a character by the name of Harold Crick. Harold works for the IRS and is part rainman. He is remarkable with numbers and well suited for his boring job. One day, he begins hearing a voice that narrates everything that he is doing. Shortly into the film we find that an author is writing a novel that has Harold as it's main character.
This film is rather dry and at times, slow-paced. However, it is, by far, the best new release of the year. I give it four stars out of four. It seems like a silly premise, but once you get past that, you get involved with the characters. Think of "The Royal Tenembaums," "Rushmore" and "Steve Zazu." I know that the same director(s) did those films. Their feeling is very similar to "Stranger Than Fiction." The only difference is that I enjoyed this film. Other than a few brief moments of "Steve Zazu" (I'm at a loss for the movie's complete title) I didn't care for their movies. I did enjoy their style.
So forget about Borat and dancing penguins. See this movie first. It will be well worth your time.

11/05/2006

Vote Or Die... Or Not.

Election time is rapidly approaching and not a minute too soon. I am SO very sick of all the political ads that are running right now. I don't know what party Melissa Bean is running with or what she is running for, but according to the ads, she has done everything wrong in her past short of killing Christ.
The negativity in today's political ads are disgusting. If I ever ran for office, the first ad that I would run would be "The person who opposes me doesn't have favorable opinions on the issues that you care about. It is because of this that their ad campaign will be filled with no real meaning, but instead negativity and hatred. If you want to elect someone like this, be sure to vote for them. If you want someone who will discuss the issues, choose me."
I think that would be a great deal more effective than "Melissa Bean punts toddlers for fun."
I used to be a big advocate for voting. I was almost in Puffy's camp of "Vote or die." Instead, recently, I encourage some people to not vote. Not because of the electoral college debate or anything like that. (even though, that is a MAJOR issue with me) I would just like to see some people vote and others stay home on Tuesday. Mainly the dumb people. Because, we all know who the uneducated select on the ballot. More dumb people.
What? Did you think I was going to mention a particular political party?
Instead, I encourage everyone to be aware of who they are voting for and what their stance is on EVERYTHING. Learn from the highest person(s) on the ballot all the way down to the guy who is running for village idiot. (What party would he be a part of?)
There is a website going around called www.payattention.org It is a great way to look up those running in your neck of the woods. It is a satirical site with a purpose. You can register to vote on the left of the page and look up your candidates on the right.
The site will let you know what position (if any) in politics that they hold right now and for how long they have held it. It will also give you a point-by-point look into what they stand for and what they don't.
Take a look at it. Play around with it. Learn from it.
If you are going to be going to the polls on Tuesday, I hope that you know what you are doing. More importantly, I hope that you vote for someone who knows what they are doing!

Kids Are Messed Up!

These past few days I have had off of work. I worked yesterday morning, but since then, I have been at home. Didn't go out. What did I do with myself?
I was online looking for jobs. I cleaned up the place a bit. I watched a little TV. I listened to some music. I played some Madden 2005 (The best Madden EVER). And I thought. Yup. Took some time out and thought. I do that from time to time. Not as much as I should, but I took a few moments and just thought. Prayed. Thought. Then prayed some more. I highly recommend you try it out. You begin to put things in perspective when you do that.
It was thanks to my "quiet time" that I made myself scared. I realized that in about 20 years or so, my generation will be in public office. There will be some people that graduated with me who will be in charge of the country. That, my friends, is scary.
The people in office right now (and for the past 20 years or so) have done such an awful job, but I think that my generation will do worse.
Why?
Because my generation is a bunch of idiots. I have come to realize this recently, too. Now, do I put myself in this category? No. Do I put most of my friends in this category? No. Why? I'll tell you why - we aren't idiots. I don't mean to brag, but I feel that I am smarter than most of the people in my age group. Why? I'm not too sure. Maybe it's because I enjoy learning. Discovery Channel, History Channel and keeping up on current events. It is keeping me sharp in a world of the dull.
I can tell you about ancient cultures. I can point out countries on a map. I can even draw you a map of all of the states, their names, and most of their capitals. (Seems like something most Americans should be able to do - right?) I can tell you what the U.N. is up to. I can talk about political issues with facts to back me up instead of opinions.
Can the average American do this? Most can't. Can my generation do this? Even less can. Am I writing this to boast about myself? No. Instead, it is a concern that somewhere along the line, things went wrong. Education? It's part of it. Teachers? They are at fault too. Parents? Getting warmer. Where does it start? I'll tell ya - salaries.
Yup. My generation was the first generation to have two working parents. Why? The cost of living increased when salaries didn't. The greedy 80's fueled an economy based on buying what we don't need and charging the rest. Personal debt soared. Mom then had to work off the boat that dad had bought so that they could spend some quality time with the kids on the weekends. When in reality, the kids would have probably been just as happy playing catch in the back yard with a ball and a set of gloves that wouldn't have cost more than $20.
So, where does this leave the kids? They become "latch-key kids." They come home from school, put a hot pocket in the microwave, watch some cable TV and do a little homework. If they are lucky, Mom or Dad will be home in time to put them to bed. The element of a positive role model is nearly non-existent in the home. Instead the house becomes a place where people sleep. It is more of a hotel than a home.
Who becomes the role model? TV. Teachers. Other students. These options are not the greatest. TV is filled with such crap that it has little to no value. (Some of it is good. But, for the most part - crap.) Other students? They are just as messed up as the kids themselves. That leaves teachers.
The teachers that I had, for the most part, were good. But, they can't serve as a role model for our kids. Especially teenagers who see 6-8 different teachers a day. Each teacher has 30 students in a class. Surely this is not enough attention to provide a healthy environment for the average kid.
Plus, you have teachers that are tenured. This is a bunch of crap. Once this occurs, the teachers (not all of them, mind you) realize that the teacher's union has their back and they can slack off. They give the same tests for decades. They give the same lectures each year like clockwork. They push the kids in and out of their classroom as if it were some sort of assembly line.
The kids today are even more messed up than my generation. They play sports without a score. They are given test grades back that are not an A,B,C,D or F. And God forbid a teacher use a red pen for fear that might effect the kid's self esteem. Purple is more soothing! And God has NO place in the life of these kids, so He is out of there.
Kids also have a low self-image. You may have seen the interview that Dove did with some of our youth in one of my previous posts. The efforts in our school system to raise our children's self-esteem are not working! As a matter of fact, they are either remaining the same or getting worse.
You may be saying "Well, John - what's your solution?"
Well, I don't have a complete one yet. But, I do have some suggestions to get the ball rolling. You ready? I thought you were.
First - increase worker's pay. Reduce the cost of living. Also, teach Americans the evils of credit cards. So much so that Visa and Mastercard go out of business. Also teach that buying just to buy is STUPID. We have a bunch of teenagers that don't have anything to do except waste their time and money in a mall. This is setting up bad habits. Buying things on Daddy's money only teaches them that they don't need money to buy things and eventually leads to sizable debt. Thus, leads to having both parents work.
Don't get me wrong, ladies. If you want to work - go for it. But, if you have a kid, why not consider you or your husband stay at home and do the most rewarding job that has ever existed - be a parent. Don't tell me that you can't afford it. If you can afford to go out to dinner several nights a week and afford those expensive cars and boats - you can afford to sell them and eat rice and beans for a bit so that your kids don't screw us over in the future.
If kids were taught the value of a buck early on, they wouldn't have debt in the future and wouldn't have to worry about all of this. Make sense? I knew that it would.
Parents need to be the role model. In order to do this, they need to be present. They need to monitor what their kids do online. (Maybe the MySpace freaks wouldn't be able to con as many kids if Mommy and Daddy were standing right behind them?!) They need to learn what a "V-Chip" is and how to use it. They need to encourage their kids to hang out with the right groups, tell them that drugs are damaging and that teenage pregnancy doesn't exist only in after-school specials. Wow! Great concepts, right? Won't find those in prime-time, will you?
Also, incorporate God back into schools. I don't want to hear about the atheists. You had your shot and have proved to us that it isn't working. Even if it is only five minutes of silence to start the day to clear your head, this would be better than no potential presence for God in the first place. And kids should also say the pledge. Every day. We are living in a volatile society. I think it is important for our future to be proud of where they came from and know what team they are playing for.
Next, pay teachers more. Yup. Make this a highly sought after position like doctors and lawyers. Teachers are the second best role model in a child's life. Granted, they aren't as important as parents, but they should be valued more in our society. To make only $16,000 or so a year and be that important to the development of our future is an outrage. If you increase the salary, you have more people applying. If you have more people applying, you have a better selection of potential teachers. You don't have to hire the dumb blonde with spelling errors on her resume because of lack of selection. But, do away with tenure. Every teacher must take a test at the end of the year to prove that they are still capable of teaching that subject and teaching it well. Along with that test, a psychological profile to make sure that you haven't gone batty and that you are sane enough to teach our kids.
The ideas of games without scores and tests without grades are doing NOTHING for our children. Instead they are teaching them that the real world will accept you no matter what. This isn't true. It is a harsh reality that should be with them since day one. Teaching them that hard work and dedication to a cause, whether it be individual or with a team is the only way to succeed in society is a more important lesson than "everybody wins." Because they don't. There will ALWAYS be a looser. And, sometimes you are that looser. Teaching kids this early on will better prepare them for the world and also teach them the most important lesson - when you fail - try harder next time.
Will this solve all of our problems? Nope. There will always be problems. But, if we better the influences around our children (such as parents and teachers) then maybe we won't have bills signed into law with purple pens.

11/04/2006

One More.

I just can't get enough. I'm sorry. For those of you who aren't football fans, or who aren't Bears fans, you can stop reading this right now.
For the rest of you, congrats on having GREAT taste and a very high IQ. I bet you have great personal hygiene and a lot of friends as well.
I was on the Chicago Bears website (which I have been meaning to make my home page for quite a while now) and found the following article. I have created a link to it through the picture that I also found. Da Bears are #1 in the league in points scored (31.6), #1 in the league in points allowed (9.9), #1 in total defense (245.9), #1 in turnover ratio (+11) and we need to work on total offence because we are 12th (336.0)
Here is the article that I was talking about. This proves (once again) that God has given man Da Bears:


One of just two unbeaten teams remaining in the NFL, the Chicago Bears will put their perfect record on the line at Soldier Field on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. Starting the season 7-0 for the first time since opening 1985 with 12 straight wins, the Bears and Indianapolis Colts are tied for the best record in the NFL.
Leading the NFL in scoring offense and scoring defense, Chicago has outscored its opponents by 152 points after seven games this season. That total is the third highest scoring differential in team history at this point of the season and the highest in the League since the NFL-AFL merger. Averaging 31.6 points per game, the Bears 221 points are their most after seven games since 1956 (158). Allowing an NFL-low average of 9.9 points per game, the 69 points permitted by Chicago is its lowest seven-game total since 1937 (58).
After snapping a four-year losing streak coming out of their bye week with last week's win over San Francisco, Chicago will be hosting a team coming out of its bye week for the second consecutive week when the Dolphins come to town. The Bears are now 11-7 (.611) all-time after the scheduled open date. Holding 10 of their last 12 regular season home opponents to less than 10 points since 2005, Chicago has won 10 straight home games for the first time since winning 12 in-a-row from 1985-86. The Bears are averaging 38.0 points at Soldier Field this season.
Miami is the first of three AFC opponents in the Bears next four games with trips to play the New York Jets and New England Patriots on tap.


Sorry Miami. You have already lost. God said so.

Realized

I mentioned in a previous post that when I wear my official Chicago Bears Coach's Polo, Da Bears win. I have worn it for each win this season and will be wearing it again this weekend. However, I have noticed something new recently.
I have just purchaced a Chicago Bears hat. (I can't believe that I have gone this long without a Bears hat.) It is the same one that the players will be wearing on the sidelines.
I wore it for the first time last Sunday. Apprently, the hat plus the official Chicago Bears Coach's Polo, when combined, give Da Bears super powers.
I will be wearing both this weekend. Expect a few players to have capes.

Here are my NFL picks for this week: (Yes, I know that I have missed a few weeks here and there. I will give you an update on my record after this week's games are played out)

ATL will beat DET
BAL will take CIN (This will be a GREAT game)
WAS will loose to DAL
BUF will beat the snot out of GB
HOU has no chance against the NYG
STL will take KC (Another great game here.)
CHI (obviously due to my wardrobe) will beat MIA
NO over TB
TEN will fall to JAX
SF will have it's second loss in a row (unless they had one before they came to The Windy City) against MIN
SD will take CLE
DEN will win over PIT (Another AWESOME game here.)
NE over IND (This may be wishful thinking to make Da Bears #1, but I'm stickin' with it. Oh, and the best game of the week is right here!)
And finally, SEA over OAK (This one is a no-brainer.)

Those are my picks. Expect them to be all wrong. Well, except for the only important one. (Sorry, MIA.)
Oh, and click on the picture of Da Bears beating up on the 49ers for an AWESOME article about Da Bears vs. The Colts in the Super Bowl. This is what experts are ALREADY saying. The article does a great job breaking down each team so far and even has some accurate projections for the big game. Let me know what you think!

11/03/2006

Pig's Ears, Walks and Peeing

So, last weekend, I made a new friend. His name is Beau. A few of my friends left for the weekend and let me get to know Beau. On Friday I got there and being the attentive watch dog that he is, he attacked me as I entered the house. Well, he jumped on me and did everything in his power to lick my face. I finally gave in and let him. I got him some food and he then took me for a walk. All I had to do was pick up the leash and he was running from the back of the house to the front door in anticipation of pulling me through the neighborhood.

Beau peed on everything along the way. Nothing was left. Mail boxes, trees, bushes, small children. When we rounded the block, he saw his house and got excited again. (This dog is excited about everything.) He pulled me to the house to let me know that this is where we go back inside. I then gave him a pig's ear. It looked like a pig's ear and I'm going to assume that it was. Not really my cup of tea, but he dug it.

He was quietly eating his pig's ear in the other room while I watched the World Series. There was a point where the Cards looked as if they had a homer leaving the park. So I began clapping and shouting "GO! GO! GO!" Well, to Beau it sounded like "BEAU! BEAU! BEAU!" He came running into the room to see what I needed him for. The clapping must have furthered the importance of my chants.

I tried to let him know that I was yelling at the people on TV who couldn't hear me. (Actually at the ball which wouldn't have been able to hear me anyway.) I thanked him for his quick response time. He then looked at me as if I was nuts and went back to his pig's ear.

I spent the night there. I brought my pillows with me because of my weird neck and back. I left the house for only a few seconds to get them and Beau then greeted me the same way as if I were gone for days. I went upstairs and Beau raced me up them. (He won. Then looked at me as if to say "You coming up anytime tonight, slow-poke?!") I got ready for bed and found him laying on the bed. I guess this was his way of showing me where I sleep. I appreciated the heads up on this one. I was going to sleep on the big pillow on the floor by the water dish if he hadn't showed me this.

The next day I decided to see if he would like to play a game of catch. So I took one of his squeaky toys out and showed it to him. He got excited (I'm telling you, this dog is the happiest creature on the planet) and I threw it behind him. His eyes followed it and then turned and looked at me without going after it. He gave me a look as if to say "You get me excited about my toy and then you throw it away from me? What is wrong with you? What if I did that to the remote?" So, our game of catch was short lived. I ended up doing the fetching after feeling guilty for throwing his toy.

We did, however, have a spirited game of tug-of-war. That was fun.

The second night that I stayed there, I went to bed at about 2. Beau slept in the same room on the floor like the night before. Each hour he would come over to the bed and nudge me. I thought that he needed to go outside, so each time I would get up and he would go back to his pillow, circle and then lay down. I'm assuming that I was snoring or something and he had had enough and was trying to get me to stop. I don't blame him.

So, Sunday came and I let Beau know that we were going to take our walk early so that we can watch Da Bears beat the heck out of the 49ers. I'm not sure if he was excited about Da Bears or the walk. I'm guessing both. So, after he pulled me around the neighborhood and marked more territory than Napoleon, we watched Da Bears. I had a pizza, he had a pig's ear.

Now, if you know me, I'm allergic to some animals. I was concerned with Beau, but I didn't have much of a problem. A little congested, but I was ok. I loved hanging out with Beau. It has furthered my love for dogs and my desire to have one someday. He was one of the most well-behaved dogs that I have ever come across. If you are ever in the DuPage area, stop by and say "hi." He'd love to lick your face.

11/01/2006

Trunk Monkey

Thanks to my friend Janice for sending me the links to the greatest series of commercials to hit the airwaves in a LONG LONG time.
Want to find out what the Trunk Monkey is all about? Click on the video below!