Far Too Long

So I'm back. Excuses would be pretty lame at this point. Basically, I thought I was to busy for my blog. That's a bunch of hooey as I'm sure you all know. The only thing i was busy with was sitting on my fat lazy ass staring at Face book. So I will quickly recap the last several months:
        1: We bought a house. (I will never buy a house again. The process is insane. If I ever need to move out of this house I will build a cardboard structure in the backyard)
        2: No more electrical engineering school. (Very sad. Turns out I don't relate well to engineering.)
  OK.... so that's it. I already stated I had been sittin on my ass staring at Face book.

   I could have turned it political and called it "Occupy My Couch". Seems to be the trendy thing to do and it's a lot warmer than a park or sidewalk. I know that sounds harsh, but if you take an honest look at the political climate in this country you just end up sitting on your couch waiting for the end. We have a congress who are hell bent on disagreeing no matter what the consequences. Which shouldn't be a surprise considering the sole purpose of professional politicians is to be reelected. A president who seems to be mailing it in. And really can you blame the guy? I'm pretty sure he's figured out that he's a one and done president. Being president actually seems like a pretty shitty job. You get blamed for decades of financial abuse, you inherit previous administrations foreign policy disasters and more people can identify who JWOWW is than can name your vice president.
   The whole damn things a mess. Rampant unemployment, wars that have gone on far to long, an education system that's turned into a joke (really? we still debate whether creationism should be taught in science class... gimme a friggin break...) Corporations that have more rights than people do. Have you seen the republican presidential hopefuls? Holy shit if that doesn't scare you into thinking about moving to Canada nothing will. I can go on and on.
   Luckily we have a rebellion happening. Wait.... actually we don't. See the problem is there is no where for it to go. It's too vague to be productive. We have become exactly what those that own us want us to be. We have convinced ourselves that we change the wrongs in this country with peaceful protests and leaderless opposition. If I were part of the ruling class i would be stoked if everyone was grouping together with no desire to force change. spray some fire hoses shoot some plastic bullets and you can keep everyone corralled in the parks. No threat no change.
  But hey who am I to judge. i don't even know which percentage I'm in. I'm not real good at math. And I really, really like my couch.
   

The Insurance Incident

I have tried to avoid talking about work in any great detail here in cyberspace. Certain aspects of my employment can be kind of touchy. For one I work in support of the Army National Guard, and any complaints or gripes could be taken as unpatriotic. I am not unpatriotic. I spent several years in the Air force and very much understand what it means to serve our country. Second, I don't wanna be a complainer. Aren't those of us with jobs just supposed to be happy we have one? This is somewhat true, I am grateful i am still employed.

The issue I will be discussing here in a minute is the most current of a long and steady line of strange policy changes and disregard for peoples dignity and self respect. What happened is not isolated to only me or my company. It is something that has been slowly over many many years been building into a crisis. That is the exorbitant cost of health insurance. Let's be real here. Many people want to blame "Obamacare". i don't even know what that statement means. It's like everyone is just supposed to know exactly what that means. If I remember correctly Our health insurance issues began long before Obamas attempt at medical reform. Others want to blame republicans because of there opposition to regulate private industry. And really who can blame them? Is it really OK to pick and choose whats OK to make a profit on? I don't think so.

The real blame lies in us. The working class that have spent far to long being grateful just to have a job. We've bought into the fear that if we speak up we will be unemployed. We've let our unions be controlled by the same bureaucratic crap that has finally, after many many years, bogged our government down into complete ineffectiveness. It is our job to regulate what our employers can and can't do, just as it is our responsibility to force those that represent us to act in our best interest as private citizens.


What happened with my company and health insurance probably isn't to different than what has happened to many people around the country. I am not egotistical enough to think that what happened where I work is isolated to just where I am employed. I am also quite sure that it is not the worst thing that has happened. you see what happened was that we had our open enrollment benefit period begin. You know that wonderful few days you company gives you to make massive life altering decisions about how much health care you are willing to do without. I will use the family "plan" as an example as that is where the main source of the problem. With the old plan a family, defined as an employee, a spouse and whatever offspring they have produced, we paid $180.00 per pay period. A pay period is two weeks, so we paid around $360.00 per month. Which really wasn't bad and we all figured there would be some kind of increase, but hey that's life. Well we definitely got an increase. That same plan that cost $180.00 every two weeks is now priced in at the extremely affordable price of.... ready for it? $420.00 every two weeks or eight hundred and fucking forty dollars a friggin month. Yes go ahead read it again that is not a typo.

From here on I am going to post the letter that I was asked to write concerning the conversation me and the company representative the company I currently work for sent. This all occurred in front of a room full of people. So luckily this guy was not only an asshole but not very well versed in current views on hostile work environments.. And yes I'm lazy and just don't feel like writing the whole thing over again. I have blocked out any names including my own.

 

From:

Date: 3 June 2011

Subject: Discussion concerning health insurance with ... during open enrollment briefing.

On 2 June 2011 at 12:15 PM, I attended an open enrollment insurance briefing with my crew and members of the services section. At this briefing we were informed that our health insurance premiums were going to increase to as much as $840.00 per month for an employee with a spouse and children. This is an increase of roughly 40 percent from what we are currently paying.

 An employee asked for an explanation as to why this increase was going to take place...., who was delivering the briefing to us, attempted to explain that this increase was unavoidable due to the increased costs of medical care and the increase in number of employees that M2 services currently has. We were not told if other avenues for health insurance were sufficiently investigated or exactly how much the company was paying into our insurance plans.

I told ... that an increase of 40 percent was impossible for a person such as me who is the soul income for a family. I told him that this would make it impossible to pay for health insurance as well as the other costs of supporting a family, such as food, rent, etc. He asked if I could live without health insurance. I told him I could not, but I also could not live without food. Mr. Johnson then informed me, in front of the group that I needed to re-prioritize my life and make some hard choices. I told him that these were not choices I could make and that it was a matter of not having the means to pay this kind of premium and pay for food for my family. He once again told me that I would have to make some hard choices.

I also expressed my concern that the disparity between what a single person has to pay and what an employee with a family has to pay gives the impression that people with single income families are not welcome here. I did not receive any response to this.

It is difficult enough for middle income families to afford all the necessities in life as it is. This 40 percent increase to $840.00 dollars a month is, in some cases, half a month’s pay. To be told that I need to re-prioritize how I take care of my family is an attack on my character. I feel this to be discriminatory towards anyone who must support a family. It is not right to tell any employee that not being able to afford a 40 percent increase in health insurance is a failing on their part. It is also the company’s responsibility to inform their employees as to exactly why such an increase is taking place.

All Hail the Overlords!

Well it seems I am really bad at this deadline stuff. I said I would post every Friday and I usually miss that deadline by a week or more. I never claimed I was perfect, as a matter of fact the reason I am always late has a lot to do with my lack of perfectness. (Perfectness probably isn't a real word, but it sounds  better than perfection.) Was I too busy last Friday to post? Probably not considering I don't even remember what I did last Friday after I left work. I know I was at the house and I can guess that I even had my laptop turned on and on top of my lap. Lets be honest though. How many people really turn on their computer and immediately do anything productive? If you raised your hand then I do not know why you are reading this. This is obviously not a productive way to spend your time. If you do consider this to be a productive use of your time then you either need to seek help from a mental professional or get a life. The point is I will not apologize or make lofty promises of posting exactly on time every week. As long as Facebook, RIFT, ESPN.com, and whatever other .com, .org or .anything exist, I can not be held responsible for my irresponsibility.

Well considering I cant remember what happened last week I will deal exclusively with this past week. Unless, of course, a sudden memory is triggered and I lapse into the prior week. So here's a list of this past weeks events:
Looked at that awesome house again.
Did more "work" on the Monte
Worked
Visit from the father in law
Bought a "thing"

Not necessarily in that order but damn close. The house rocks. We totally want it. I'm pretty sure if someone told my wonderful wife and I that we could have this house if one of us won a cage match against a UFC fighter, my wife would obliterate him. Seriously, she wants the house that bad. Betting against her in any competition in which the house was the prize for winning would be ill advised.

As far as the Monte goes well ummm yea. It goes slow and I'm pretty sure the neighborhood has placed odds on whether I can figure out how to put all that stuff back in it. Honestly I have my doubts. I figure anything that doesn't make it back into the car was just extra anyway.

Is there anything I really need to say about work? I know I know I should just be happy to have a job at all and I shouldn't complain because I do get paid fairly well. However, it does not make it not suck. I think it's best defined by the shirts we were given this week. On the back of the shirt it says "Serving the Guard that Guards Our Nation". Apparently not only is the Army National Guard our customer but also our overlords. I think next week we get to sacrifice a goat and leave it in a helicopter as a sacrifice to our them.

My wonderful wife's father came to visit. It was good to see him, he doesn't visit enough. That's probably better than over doing it I guess. What? You expected some kind of sarcasm or snide remark? Not my fault it was a nice visit.

What is this "thing" I speak of? For years I have been looking for something to put our TV on. I could see it in my head but could not describe it. Not an entertainment center, I think those things are obnoxious. Not a TV stand. I have no real issue with TV stands, I just had it in my head that something far cooler existed somewhere in the universe. Lat week I found it. We were in one of those RestoreIt stores that Habitat for Humanity has, and sitting there, way in the back was the "thing" I had been searching for. I said to my wonderful wife, "That's it! That's the "thing"!" Now, I'm not sure which part is stranger, that i expected her to know what I meant by "thing" or that she immediately knew what "thing" was in reference to. Anyway we paid for it and agreed to pick it up later in the week. (The previous events happened last Saturday)

Well today we decided to go pick the "thing"up. We got it loaded in the truck, all tied down nice and snug and began our journey home. Happy with our new purchase and full of smiles. Well the "thing" has drawers. And as I learned today it is very important to ensure that the drawers are secure. I did not do this. About a half mile down the road I heard a strange noise. I even said "Did you hear that? It was a weird noise." The weird noise was the top drawer flying out of the "thing" and smashing into the ground. Fortunately we were able to recover all the pieces and I now have a nice project to occupy my time this weekend.

So remember my wonderful wife is willing to fight to the death for a house, anything left out is extra, swear allegiance to your overlords, enjoy time with your family, and make sure your drawers are tight.

OK OK... So I missed another week. The last couple of weeks have been a little crazy. It was the end of the spring semester at school and if work were a person it would be locked away in a mental hospital for severe psychotic behavior. I would go into it more, but I honestly don't think anyone would believe me. From the workplace harassment cover ups, the massive ripoff to taxpayers the entire place is, to the never ending saga of the broken toilets. Each one of these has at least a blogs worth of material to write about. I have, at the advice of my wonderful wife, chosen to avoid any topics that involve work. Partly because we don't want me to get fired. Partly because I already take a crap load of medication just to get through a day at that place so I do not need to relive it at home.

This semester ended well. By well I mean it's over. I took two classes, AC/DC Circuits and Systems and Precalculous. Did you know Precalculus was a foreign language? This surprised me because it was listed as a math class when I registered. Two nights a week for fifteen weeks I sat there and desperately tried to follow along. My professor was engaging and full of energy. She wrote everything clearly so we could all easily take notes. I didn't understand a single word she said. Other people in the class could speak this language quite fluently. It was extremely fascinating watching the interaction, kind of like watching a foreign culture as an anthropologist. Except I'm not an anthropologist so it didn't help.

OK so I missed a week. The family and I went to New Jersey to visit my wonderful wife's father and grandfather and the hotel we stayed at had lousy Internet. Shocking that the luxurious Sea Foam Motel would have crappy wifi. Our room did have the wonderful aroma of  Lysol and mildew. A smell that says, "Yea we're dirty but we sprayed some stuff".  If you are recently divorced, depressed, alcoholic, drug dependant, or any combination of these then I highly recommend this place. Otherwise, my recommendation is to find other accommodations.

We did enjoy the weekend. I'm even fairly sure my wonderful wife's grandfather almost, sort of started to like me. He's one of those old guys who has worked hard for everything he has. He raised his kids on his own, ran his own business, made himself a pillar in his community, and is a lethal card player. Mind you this man is eighty-six and the only thing he doesn't still do is raise his kids.... sort of. Actually I'm pretty sure he stills does that too. I'm thirty-seven and struggle playing solitaire. The man is a little on the intimidating side. but that's OK he's earned it. I figure another 30-40 years of solid progress and he may even smile in my direction.

It's probably the same for anyone when dealing with the in-laws. As secure as we all pretend to be, the need for approval is hard to suppress. One of the ways we show we care is by seeking the approval of our significant others family. Not necessarily every single one them, but at least the ones that are important to our wives/husbands/girlfriends/boyfriends (or whatever the proper term is today). I mean I don't need my wife's third cousin twice removed cousin on her mothers sides approval but her the ones that are important to her are important to me. She would say this is a silly idea. I guess a shorter way of saying this is it's important for the people she cares about to know she is happy. I'm also pretty sure if she wasn't her grandfather would beat me with a tire iron.

   This week our family lost a one of our own. Our two year old cockatiel, Tank, passed away on Tuesday. He had gotten quite ill at the end of last week. My lovely wife was with him at the end he was not alone. And I'm quite sure he knew he was loved. He had just turned two this past March. We found him a nice burial place down by the water for him to take his final rest. We will miss you, Tank.
  
     I don't want to dwell on death. Tank wouldn't want me to to either. Cockatiels tend to be rather positive animals. I think he would be happier knowing that we had moved toward the future.

    Then again it does bring up the usual reflective question that comes when a death occurs. What does it all mean? Are we defined by our careers? Our mistakes? Our accomplishments? Do I win anything if I end up with more cool stuff than someone else? Do we have to be nice to people no matter what? I hope not because sometimes I can be a real prick. Some people are good at playing piano or a sport. Me? I'm good at being an asshole.

   I hope I'm defined by my character. The kind of father I am and hope to be. The kind of husband I am and try to be. Although on that point it's probably best to remember I am a male. So I was born with a genetic disability that causes me to act like a complete moron from time to time. As with all that are afflicted with this condition I am prone to bouts of insensitivity, leaving the toilet seat down while using the toilet, leaving the toilet seat up when I leave the bathroom, and last, but not least, horrifying gas. So as long as thetas taken into account i don't mind being judged as a husband.

   I guess the things that are important in the end are up to each individual. I mean really who am I to judge. But if it comes down to the cool stuff thing then I'll be pissed. I'm putting all my eggs in the character, father, husband basket.

  As a final thought I want to mention G.E. You know, the appliance people. Well they are a huge, like really really huge company. They make billions of dollars in profits every year. As we all know, our country is in the crapper financially. Well the wonderful folks at G.E. managed to shelter themselves from paying taxes through corporate money voodoo. Now that sucks bad enough because I'm sure you like me pay more than plenty in taxes. Check this out. These assholes received a 3.2 billion dollar tax return form our government. Really? 3.2 billion dollars? I'm no financial expert, but if that's the kind of tax refund we're dolling out to major corporations, it's no wonder we're friggin broke. I'd like to see our fine Representatives, senators, corporate big boys and all the other assorted assholes have to budget on any of our salaries. I give em a week til their homeless.

Another Year........

 Tonight's blog is being written with the assistance of Melody......She's a cockatiel. ...and a crappy speller.

It's been quite a week. And, admittedly, that is probably the most cliche way to start writing. I'm sure to plenty of people around the world my week would seem pretty darn boring. I haven't had to survive a tsunami, my government isn't literally fire bombing me, and I'm not a soldier in a war zone. But for an average guy living in a medium sized American town with no threat of any serious harm, it's been quite a week. My employer changed overnight (seriously I left work one day employed by one company showed up the next day, same time same place, employed by a different company). This has been a major pain in the ass.  It's left my family with no insurance for a month. So until the beginning of the May my daughter will be dressing in bubble wrap with a flashing light and siren on her head. One of the Birds is sick. Tank, the older one has an infection that I am completely unable to pronounce so you know its a bad one. He went to the vet yesterday and got some antibiotics and pain killers. And yesterday was my birthday.
      Yesterday was my birthday, there I said it twice. I am now 37. 37 is three less than 40. I know this because my wonderful wife doesn't say my age as 37. She says three years from 40. And hey that's OK because 40 is the new... new what? 20? I don't even know what that means. I'm 37 and I feel 37. This is OK, I can accept that.
      Birthdays are funny things. I've  never been much of a birthday celebrator. It's just always been so uncomfortable to me. The gifts and the song and everyone making a big deal about my ability to survive another year. I don't hate my birthday I just don't like to go overboard for it. Some people really like to go big for their birthdays with the parties and the dinners and the gifts. I suppose for me the things I like most on my birthday are my daughter giving me a hug and saying "Happy Birthday Daddy!" And my wife giving me a kiss and taking time to eat a picnic lunch with me on my lunch break. And tonight we had dinner with my Mom. I can't think of a better way to celebrate. So thank you Daughter Wife and Mom for helping me celebrate another year of survival on this rock. I couldn't have done it with out you.

Blog Number 2

         I sit in my living room surrounded by yarn, toys, birds, and our slightly over weight cat. We actually have two cats but one won't come out of hiding until after the child goes to bed. Our daughter has never actually done anything to this cat, but I respect the caution which this cat exercises. The slightly overweight cat is not one for hiding. Most of the time she can be found laying on the floor on her back with a look of absolute contentment on here face. I envy her.
  The yarn is a product of my wife's rather severe yarn and fiber addiction. If you're not familiar with this affliction it causes the sufferer to buy yarn and fiber uncontrollably. You will most likely know that you live with an addict if your clothes start moving out of the closet to make room for the yarn and fiber. Her ability to make really warm and comfortable winter hats has caused me to become codependent. As a matter of fact She just told me she bought a skein of yarn from Germany. A skein seems to be the yarn addicts version of a dime bag. Not a huge amount but it will get her through. And I will continue to support her habit because I love a nice hat.
    The toys come from our five year old daughter. Over the years I have learned that, for the most part, toys aren't actually for playing with. What happens is the toys are systematically removed from her bedroom. These toys are then placed strategically throughout the house. Usually beginning at the top of the stairs and then along the path leading down, through the living room, and into the kitchen. I find these toys at five in the morning as I try to make my way down the stairs, through the living room, and into the kitchen to make coffee. And yes, I have noticed that the toys are placed on the same path I use to get to the coffee maker. She seems nice and she's pretty small, so I can only assume she isn't trying to cause any serious harm.
       As for the birds, well they probably have a combined weight of ten ounces. Neither of the cats are what you would call "skilled" hunters, so the birds have no idea cats are supposed to eat them. I wouldn't call them dumb exactly. They do seem to lack any form of common sense. And shiny things are as irresistible to them as bacon is to a fat man. ( mmmm bacon!).
    I'm not complaining about any of this. Absolutely not. This is my home and family. I love every minute of it and wouldn't dream of changing a thing. Why would I? I have so much to come home to.

First Blog Ever!

                         I am a rookie blogger. As a matter of fact I've never even read an actual blog. My wife has often suggested that I start one and, as always she was right. Don't worry I don't have an over bloated sense of self worth such a huge ego that I feel my life is more interesting than anyone else's. I don't have any incredible wisdom to share. Like most people, I have far too much to do day to day to have strong enough political views to ram down any ones throat. I'm not here to tell anyone how to do anything. Hell, in most cases I would recommend you not do anything the way I do. What i am here to do is share some tidbits from my life with anyone who has an abundance of free time that wants to peek into my world.
             What is my world you might ask? Well, I'm 36 white and a little overweight. I am a married father of one. I have two somewhat strange cats and two Cockatiels. I live in an apartment that's too small and work a job I can't stand. Pretty standard stuff for a guy my age I suppose. I go to school part time for electrical engineering. Recently I bought a 1985 Monte Carlo SS which is quickly becoming my obsession. My hope s to share my experiences as a husband, father, pet owner, disgruntled employee, student, and very amateur mechanic. Who knows maybe someone out there will be able to bestow some wisdom upon me.
          That's it for the first blog. Short I know. But we all have to start somewhere.