Smoke-Free Kit

I’m ordering a smoke-free kit from the EPA’s web site for each of the grandparents, and myself. 

Joe & Dana

I’ve said very little about Joe and Dana.  Joe is my father-in-law for a bit yet.  Dana is his wife.  They have both decided that they want to continue a relationship with the kids, and even me.  I don’t know how this usually works, but it’s my opinion that once you’ve committed a piece of your heart to someone as a member of your family, no matter what may happen after that, family is always family.  As my brother Don once said about me, there are no half-s or wholes between us as brothers.  I believe this works the same way for step- and –in-law. It is a two-way street though, and if someone continues to show you nothing but disrespect, and gives you nothing but grief, then they are best avoided.  Joe and Dana and I have not always seen eye-to-eye on everything, but there have been a lot of misunderstandings in the past.  Many of these have been cleared up.  Bygones can be bygones once everybody is ready to move on.  I’m glad for the kids, because they are good people.

They care very much about the kids, and are going to be an important and continuing part of their lives.  They have expressed this desire, and I want the kids to have all the positive influences they can get.  They are also very physically conscious of the kids and their health and wellbeing.  I’ve noticed that, although they are both smokers, they always go outside to smoke when we are there.  They must do this all the time, because I have noted that unlike the homes of other people who are smokers, their home is not stained with nicotine, and it doesn’t reek of tobacco.  My sister’s home is the same. 

I worry about the kids health.  I know that they are recently being treated for respiratory problems by their doctor.  I wonder how much of this is from living where they do half the time and breathing in all the second hand smoke.  The EPA states that “The developing lungs of young children are severely affected by exposure to secondhand smoke for several reasons including that children are still developing physically, have higher breathing rates than adults, and have little control over their indoor environments. Children receiving high doses of secondhand smoke, such as those with smoking mothers, run the greatest risk of damaging health effects.”  More info is available at http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/    Thankfully, the kids mother does not smoke, but she lives with her mother (the kids grandmother) right now who smokes.  Some times when I pick up Lexie and Logan, I have to ride for a while with the windows down because their clothes and hair reek so badly of stale cigarette smoke.  I worry what their lungs look like.  Joe and Dana would never risk the kids health this way.  I’ve spoken with them about it, and they both know the dangers of second-hand smoke.  I’ve come to visit without the kids, and they do the same thing—never smoking around me.  Their mother is just doing what she has to do right now, but I look forward to the day that she has her own place and is away from that unhealthy environment.  She has asthma and allergies.  If you read on the EPA web site, you know why she probably has these problems.

George!

Here is my final picture of the Thorogood concert. I will send a link later for more pictures...

Louisville Barbies

This is way too funny.

Mattel recently announced the release of Limited-edition Barbie Dolls for
the Louisville, Kentucky Market:

St Matthews Barbie
This princess Barbie is sold only at The Mall St Matthews. She comes with an
assortment of Prada Handbags, a Lexus SUV, a longhaired foreign dog named
Honey and a cookie cutter house. Available with or without tummy tuck and
face lift. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with "augmented" version.

Lyndon Barbie
This modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Ford Wind star Minivan
and matching gym outfit. She has no full time occupation or secondary
education. Traffic jamming cell phone sold separately.

Middletown Barbie
This is an upgrade to the St Matthews Barbie. Accessories include the SUV
with an extra large gas tank.

Portland Barbie
This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9 mm handgun, a Ray Lewis knife, a
Chevy with dark tinted windows and a Meth Lab Kit. This model is only
available after dark and must be paid for in cash (preferably small,
untraceable bills). Unless you are a cop, then we don't know what you are
talking about.

Anchorage Barbie
This yuppie Barbie comes with your choice of BMW convertible or Hummer H 2.
Included are her own Starbucks cup, credit card and country club membership.
Also available for this set are Shallow Ken and Private School Skipper. You
won't be able to afford any of them.

Okolona Barbie
This pale model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans two sizes too small,
a NASCAR shirt and tweety bird tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of
Bud light and a Hank Williams, Jr. CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and kick
mullet-haired Ken's butt when she is drunk. Purchase her pickup truck
separately and get a confederate flag bumper sticker absolutely free.

Glenmary Barbie
This collagen injected, rhino plastic Barbie wears a leopard print outfit
and drinks cosmopolitans while entertaining friends. Percocet prescription
available.

Fairdale Barbie
This tobacco-chewing, brassy-haired Barbie has a pair of her own high-heeled
sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased beer-gutted Ken out of
Barbie's house. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid washed jeans, fake
fingernails, and a see through halter-top. Also available with a mobile
home.

The Highlands Barbie
This doll is made of actual tofu. She has long straight brown hair, arch
less feet, hairy armpits, no makeup and Birkenstocks with white socks. She
prefers that you call her "Willow." She does not want or need a Ken doll,
but if you purchase two Tower Grove Barbies and the optional Subaru wagon,
you get a rainbow flag bumper sticker for free.

Newburg Barbie
This Barbie now comes with a stroller and infant doll. Optional accessories
include a GED and bus pass. Gangsta Ken and his '79 Caddy were available,
but are now very difficult to find since the addition of the infant.

Shively Barbie
Not much different from Fairdale Barbie - instead of the trailer, she comes
with bingo chips and a rosary. We don't know where Ken is 'cause he's always
hunting.

Main Street Barbie/Ken
This versatile doll can be easily converted from Barbie to Ken by simply
adding or subtracting the multiple "snap-on" parts.

Butting into other peoples business...

Mean nasty people should butt out of other peoples business. They should not try to stir up crap and make people angry. They should not be hateful, spiteful, or bitter towards other people.


There ought to be a law,,,,,,

Floyd County Circuit Court

My friend Chuck prepared all the paperwork that is necessary (in the
state of Indiana) to file for divorce. He gave it to me and Shellie to
sign. So I take it to the Clerks office, and they say, well, you need
this paper first, and then you need to take it to the Circuit court
before you come back down here to file. I was highly p*ssed. Not only
was it time out of work, but also I had to take the paper to Shellie and
get her to sign it. She had been up all night with no sleep, and was
going to take a nap. It's a big inconvenience for both of us. She was
kind enough to sign it, so I had her sign it, took it to the library,
made copies, and took it up to the Circuit court. The lady at the desk
said "you also need to have a motion for final hearing, and a notice for
final hearing.

I called Chuck. He said this was not, by the laws of the state of
Indiana, necessary at this time. But he said that rather than have to
argue with somebody and risk making them mad, it would be better to just
get what they asked for, and give it to them. He's sending it tonight.
I have to have Shellie look at it, sign it, then I have to take another
day, go BACK to the court house, and try all over again. Man, this just
sucks.

Shave and a hair cut...

Decided to cut my hair this weekend. Saw Bruce Willis in Armegeddon this weekend. That must have done it... :-)

Aerosmith SUCKS!

We drove all the way to Lexington last night for the Aerosmith concert.
They cancelled "due to illness" at the last minute. There were rumors
that Rupp Arena will not allow them to come back, because this is the
2nd time they have done this.

I'm going to see George Thorogood next week at Coyotes here in
Louisville. He had better not cancel!!!

Steven Tyler is a WUSS!

Paintball Condor's Scenario with Theresia

Condor's Paintball in Elizabethtown, KY had a huge scenario game. Quest for Power III. Theresia and I went and we had a blast! There were these two guys who worked at the field. They wore heavy padding and went in as "Terminators". The concept was that they could not be killed. So you could shoot them, but that did not take them out of the game. Each team got a terminator of 5 minutes only and Terminators got only one hopper full of paint, and two or three guppies. Here's a picture of Theresia and I with our paintball gear.

For more pictures, CLICK HERE!

Update

The kids and I are moved. There are still boxes all over the place...that will just take some time. But I can watch TV, check my email, fix a meal, sleep, drink, work, and play at the new place. And we can live in peace, harmony, and safety. No more crazy room mates and no more dependency on anyone else.

Monday, I had to go to Wal-mart. I got fitted sheets for the kids' beds, and a pair of swimming trunks. I got the kids all ready to go swimming in the complex indoor pool. Then we got there, and they said it was closed! I was so upset. That was the thing the kids had been really looking forward to doing. There was some issue with the plumbing and it wasn't draining correctly so they called a plumber to fix it yesterday. The manager said that it would be fixed and it was!! I took the kids directly after work...I had swimsuits and towels packed in the car. We stayed until about 7:30, then we went home and had supper, watched a little bit of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and then bed. I have been really beat lately for some reason.

My vision has been getting worse, so today I went to the eye doctor. Came out with new contacts. I have to go back in about two weeks to pick up my permanent prescription of contacts. The ones now days you wear them for a month, then throw them away. The doctor seemed knowledgeable and competent. Now I just wish I had my old pair of tortoise Ray-Ban Wayfarers...