Niall Lyons

I just wanted to post a link. Niall was a friend of mine in HS. We hung out and he will be missed. We put a special time capsule item in together with a couple other friends for our 20 year HS reunion. I wasn't able to make it to the reunion and haven't talked or seen Niall since 1988 when we graduated from Shadle Park HS in Spokane WA. RIP Niall and may God Bless your family.

http://www2.dothaneagle.com/dea/news/local/article/dothan_man_remembered_after_fatal_afghanistan_helicopter_crash/105171/

Old Government

Often times while looking for work I see and read reports that many government employees are going to be retiring soon. The government work force is old. Many times we here how inefficient the government is. Could the two be related? Over the last 15 years we have moved to computers and applications that constantly change. It is my guess that a younger government workforce would be able to adapt quicker raising efficiency. Something to think about. Its one of those types of jobs that once you get you just keep.

Swine Flu

I know a lot of people are nervous about the Swine Flu. Most people who get it will run a high fever for two or three days along with sniffles. The high fever is the problem. The other problem is the overall health of people. With all the prepared and fast food that people eat people are not as healthy as they should be. This could cause the flu to be worse. Most kids don't get proper nutrition and that can cause more issues. So maybe the best thing people can do is start eating better.

Americans better brace for a housing nightmare. Selling a house could be costly and very difficult. We will see if the credit markets punish people due to economic conditions. Hopefully everyone will have a fresh start. I think it will be difficult on the economy for a long time if the credit markets punish people for difficulty in the current housing market.

Homeowners

I own a home. I hope for a long time too. The homeowners association gets picky when doing inspections. I was replacing the pine straw in the flower beds with red mulch. Some grass was growing through. This is a vine Bermuda grass. I got roundup and have been spraying and killing the grass. Then when the roots are dead pulling it out. So I put a thin layer of mulch down and keep adding to it. My house doesn't pass inspection. It looks tons better than some neighbors and the red mulch looks better than pine straw. The project should run $500 of which I have spent $350. I need to get a better barrier and then fill in more mulch. They act like it is my front yard driving down home prices in the neighborhood. Well what about all the bad mortgages. The people running the homeowners association can't afford their homes and are on interest only. They need them to be worth as much as possible, so they are getting picky.

I have been watching SEC football. I think Alabama is better than Florida right now. Tennessee will be very good in 2 more years if they get a QB. LSU is on a slight decline as is Georgia. Notre Dame gets more respect than they deserve. I just don't want them to take Boise State or TCU's spot in the BCS. They would just get beat badly again. USC is good for being led by a freshman QB and having so much talent leave. Not sure if they are elite again. Yankees got CC and AJ for this reason. You have to beat them to win a series. I think Anaheim can, not sure about LA or Philly.

Working life

I forget as a single parent the demands of get up early for work, get through the day, get home as quick as you can, and take care of cooking and taxi driving. Is there more to life? Anyway, I just described my typical work day. Boy do I prefer working.

Working

It is odd working again. Going into work and getting the kids schedule is a challenge. My daughter was sick and its the first time she was sick in a long time. She did miss a couple school days when her wisdom teeth were pulled. Things have been good. Its nice to have a job and be able to be productive.

Had a discussion with some people. Economics is a driving force and I am amazed at how misunderstood it is. If more people understood economics then I think more people would understand our government. I still laugh that uneducated people are democrats. I would be careful catering to that part of the population as the amount of college educated people is growing to a higher and higher percentage.

MLB Baseball

First off I will talk about the Nobel Peace Prize. It is an honor to receive such a prize. This year Obama won it. Now I am not sure if he has done anything to deserve such a prize with the exception of giving well written speeches. Maybe his speech writers should get a bonus? He has inspired many people with hope. Not just in the US, but around the world. I am a moderate, so am not happy about a liberal agenda. I see talk of including Republicans, but when they won't give Republicans anything then they just pass it and say they tried. There is no way a Republican bill will be passed in the current congress. Moderate bills will be passed only if the Blue Dogs fight and hold out for it. Either way there is hope. I am now thinking I should have been nominated for the prize, but nobody knows who I am. Does this prize force Obama to actually make a difference? I hope he and our stupid congress don't push issues beccause of it. Time will certainly tell.

On to the World Series. I like the Rockies and the Phillies series. This should be a great match up. I played fantasy baseball and won my keeper and public league. I finished second in my annual league. So I have done quite well in baseball this year. I think the LCS will be Colorado vs LA and Anaheim vs NYY. I think the series will be Anaheim and Colorado with Anaheim winning. I say this because I think they have the right match ups. Phillies have a home run park which helps Colorado. I do not like the Yankees, but they now have a home run park which helps Anaheim. I really like Morales. I just don't like the Yankees pen. The Twins and St. Louis just seem outclassed this year, no offense to Big Albert.

Back Yard Video

My Back yard has a rock vein in it. So it causes runoff during rain. Here is a video of the vein and runoff. The other issue is growing grass on it. I let the weeds grow and hope to help the erosion of my yard.

Government Health Care?

Here is the deal. When I lost my job I tried to get insurance for my kids. It took over 3 months. I got the insurance in May. It was government run Medicaid. I tried for the SCHIP but didn't make enough. They denied me cause unemployment was too little and I ended up with Medicaid. I have a 5 week job coming up. Since I have to report the change I called to see what the rules were. The lady took my info and said the kids will have their account terminated on the last day of the month. Then I can apply for the SCHIP insurance and at the end of Nov reapply for Medicaid. Does this sound like people and rules we want running our insurance. I agree that my 5 week job will pay over the amount allowed by Medicaid. But temp jobs must be treated different. The problem is it discourages people from taking these types of jobs. So because I took this job my kids go off insurance and if one has a problem during this time I could easily lose more money than I made. How long till my kids get covered again? I want insurance and premiums based on income, but it needs to be based on tax returns. renewable annually. This is a big issue.

College Football

Watched college football today. It is an interesting game. I love football, but college football can be unpredictable. Usually in the NFL the players don't make mistakes the same way. In college they just mess up. LSU had a running back score somehow to win the game against Georgia. I watched Washington lose to Notre Dame. I didn't like that result. But Michigan beat ND and Mich St. lost to them, yet Mich St beat Michigan. College football has the worst postseason. But the regular season is awesome. UNLV lost again. I expect them to hire an AD and fire the coach.

Obama took a trip to Europe and pitched the Olympics for Chicago. Would he have gone if it was Charlotte or somewhere else? Supposedly Chicago was super close, but quickly got eliminated. I thought the world loved Obama? The media portrays it that way. I think Rio had a good case though. Its time to put the Olympics on every Continent. Well maybe not Antarctica, but I bet that would be a good place for the winter games. Africa needs it. Probably South Africa, but I think the continent needs a chance to put on the games at least once.

Video of my yard when it rains.

Unemployment

Unemployment is around 10%. I am part of this statistic. I got a short term contract job today and it is a good position. It is not a temp to perm, but it is a temp job. Anyway I am working hard to find work. Jobs are few and far between here. I've been turned down for a few and there are some that want travel or working nights and I can't do either of those.

Our government is trying to figure out how to have health care affordable and available for everyone. This is going to be tough. After the bill goes through how many amendments will need to be done to the bill. Will it be easy to accomplish. This bill will have issues that need to be worked out. Congress will need to work to do it. I'm pretty sure we are getting a Democratic bill. Congress won't work together. We should vote them all out and start over with new ones. I like Obama, I just don't trust Reid and Pelosi. Obama seems to be letting Reid and Pelosi write the legislation for his agenda. I do not like this approach and if he isn't careful they will keep him from a second term.