A wild couple of weeks for me!

Just last week I was informed that my employer, Fleetwood gaming's routes were going to be sold to Century gaming- its chief competitor. That meant my job was virtually eliminated after 15 years of service. Imagine my trepidation at what the future held for me. I was quite nervous and wondered at what a 46 year old man would do to pay the bills and support my family. While Fleetwood would continue as a gaming manufacturer, they would have no use for an account representative like me. My gut was being eaten full of holes!

This week I met with the nice folks at Century and they basically hired me on the spot. Not only would I get a job, but I would get paid at the same rate I had been used to and keep my seniority, vacation time, insurance and 401k. This was partly due to my former employer's input in actually giving a damn about his former employees. While I was sad to lose my position at Fleetwood, I am happy to give thanks to Jon Dehler and Fleetwood for going to bat for their people.

I have heard some say less than nice things about Jon when he donated money for Cobb field reconstruction. Some said he did it for publicity and naming rights only. I know he did it because he loves baseball and our fine community.

Thanks for a great job over the last 15 years Jon. May you continue to have success in the future. You were a great guy to work for. Thanks also to Steve and the gang at Century for giving me a shot. You won't be sorry.

I'm considering siding my house-

Any of you out there have a point of view on siding? Steel or vinyl? Is it expensive? If you recently did your house, may I ask what it ended up costing you? Just picking brains. I know many of you have good ones. Give me some input.

Weather finally turns to spring?

We finally had some decent temperatures here in Billings today. Damn am I tired of the gray, wet and cold! I guess it will be yard work time soon. I have done some spring clean up, but mowing will soon follow. I get to pawn that off on my 14 year old boy though. He should have an easy time of it since we bought a new self-propelled Craftsman today. We looked at Toros, but they have plastic gears these days. Did you know that? The Honda looks nice, but for $700 it should!

I've been guilty of not posting much lately. Nothing exciting to talk about. I'm tired of Anna Nicloe and Don Imus (Don Imuschmuck?) I see Rosie is still an ignorant bitch though. She suggests Bush blew up WTC7. Imus is stupid, but Rosie takes the cake!

Super Bowl should be good

Yea- My Chargers let me down. They dropped way too many balls to beat the Pats. That stunk, but I'm hopeful for better next year.

As for the big game- I'd put my money on the Colts but don't look for a big bet. It should be a fine matchup of a VERY capable offense vs. probably the best defense (sorry Raven fans) in the league. I'm going to lean toward Manning leading the Colts more steadily than Rex Grossman does the Bears. My wife will disagree as she is a long time Bears fan. Don't take my advice though. My pre-playoff picks for the Super bowl were San Diego and Philly. Shows you what I know. I'll say 34-27 Colts.

What's your pick?

Merry Christmas!

May you all have a fine holiday season, no matter what faith you might

follow. I hope you had a good 2006 and enjoy better in the year to come.

Enjoy precious time with those you love and think of those others whom

have nobody of their own. I encourage you to give at least one gift to

someone unfortunate who needs help. It'll make you feel more holiday

spirit. I guarantee it.

Note how good the Seahawks must feel. They gave

my Chargers a shot at home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

They backed in themselves anyway, so I bet they feel great! Donkeys

won on a lucky missed extra point. Damn Bengals!

Chargers slice & dice Broncos!

My boys clinched the AFC West and are in first place in the AFC. The Broncos were no match for them- especially with a rookie at QB. I think Shannahan has made the wrong move there, but Plummer is no prize either. Tomlinson, Rivers and Gates played well and the defense was competent, if not overwhelming. I guess you don't need a Bears style defense if the offense is going to put up 48. With the Colts getting stoned by Jacksonville, my guys have top billing in the playoffs. All they need to do is win at Seattle and cover at home for a couple they should (!) win.

In any case, to you Bronco fans...

Better luck next year... Not!

Chargers climb to 10-2.

My boys won a tight game against a good Bills team who have won their last few coming in. Tomlinson has been a stud all year. He only ran for over 170 yards and two scores. I'm so glad I have him on most fantasy teams- yes, many in first place, thankyou.
I've been taking a lot of crap from Denver fans for years. It would be nice to bury them next week and end all the chat! The Colts loss to the Titans makes it an even bigger game with home field playoff considerations in effect. With three of their last four at home, I expect a strong finish. You Donkey lovers can hope, but you won't catch us this year.

Sudan/Darfur needs world attention

Please go read about the problems between Chad and Sudan & the poor people being killed. We must not allow this barbarism to continue. This area could become a bigger problem than Iraq. Those whom believe we should bring all our troops home and hide our head in the ground need to think more about whether they are willing to stand aside and let poor innocents be murdered in ethnic cleansing. Like it or not, this kind of thing happens every day in our world. Death and destruction are not limited to Iraq. Other than my new favorite- Glenn Beck- I have seen very little in the press about this. Shame on them. We need to push world leaders to do something right now! Join me in demanding action.

New Montana blog

Our friend Shane Mason has started a new blog and welcomed me as a contributing author. The latter aside, stop in and give it a look. Most of the authors lean to the left, but this site is working to be a place of sane discussion of issues without the backbiting and name calling. It's about time we all come together somewhere without "sides" being taken, don't you think?

Vote on November 7th!

I also urge you to vote for conservative candidates. We must win the war on terrorism. The American public should not allow itself to be deterred from backing the effort against extremists who wish us dead. Democrats cry that we have no plan while they have no plan themselves. Sure, some things have been tough, but quickly exiting would be seen as a sign of weakness by the extremists. Not everything has been bad either. The Kurds are very thankful of us coming to free them. You won't see pictures of that in the liberal media, but I challenge anyone to prove it's not true. Some would have you only know the more sensational bad news. We need to support our troops AND their mission. Some people don't support their mission. What do these people think that mission is? I see us tring to help these people. What do liberals see? Rampant murder, rape and pillage by our guys? You know they are better than that. John Kerry seems to think only poor dumb souls would join to enter the fight. I have family in the service and I find that comment offensive. Our military personnel are the best. But even if they were less intelligent than John Kerry (I severely doubt it), why would anyone impugn the brave souls who volunteer to defend us? Kerry says he just botched a joke intended toward Bush. Last I checked, Bush got better grades than Kerry at the same school. Skull and bones anyone?

I also don't want my taxes raised. The economy is doing just fine. Leave it alone liberals!

I see Conrad Burns as an imperfect candidate. He talks without thinking sometimes, but he'll vote the way I want most of the time. John Tester might very well be the "nice guy" that David Crisp describes him as, but I doubt he'd vote with me. I have to go with Burns because of terrorists and taxes. Go ahead now libs- call me names.

Monica Lindeen went to the same school as I did. I'm sure she's still a standup person, but again, she won't vote my way. Denny has done a good job for us and deserves not to be replaced anyway.

I can't support raising the minimum wage. It will only be inflationary and is simply feel good politics. The free market pays more than that in a lot of places now anyway. Automatic adjustments tied to the CPI seems poorly considered as well.

Billings needs to support building a new ball park. Cobb field is a disaster waiting to happen. Which will hit first? Collapse or fire? Surely we have enough civic pride to build a better city. What if our forefathers had been too stingy to fund pools or parks and the like? Local businessmen are stepping up to donate to the cause. Surely the rest of us can chip in.

Athletic pool could be a casualty of any new Cobb. I understand that some people don't want to lose it, but it leaks anyway. I'd support building a new pool. Maybe we could build it away from 27th street too. I'd think that would be safer.

I have to begrudgingly support the safety levy. I don't like the way "cumulative and permanent" was conveniently overlooked, but I do like having sufficient police and fire protection.

In any case- VOTE! As they say, if you don't vote, don't bitch.

Rosie has a strange "View"

Tueday on "The View", Rosie O'Donnell stated that Radical Christians are as large a threat to the United States as radical Muslims are! Come on Rosie! Show me where some radical Christians blew up thousands of innocent people. You simply can't. Some of them might even be dangerous, but there is no comparison. As far as being dangerous goes, radical Muslims are even more of a threat to Muslims around the world. They senselessly murder people every day. This woman has a right to her views, but this is totally wrong. I'm thinking that an apology to Christians isn't going to cover it. I don't watch the view- wonder why?

On this historic date...

Always remember the innocent lives lost. Remember the hurt and pain. Also remember how we all came together to stand strong. Recall the selflessness of so many policemen and firemen. Respect the courage of those who forced the last plane down in Shanksville Pa. It's so sad what happened, and sadder still that the togetherness lasted such a short time. Never forget 9/11!

Vacation in Mexico

I recently took my family to Mexico on vacation. Other than the security hoops to jump through at airports, the entire trip was wonderful! We stayed at the Iberostar Quetzal hotel (4 1/2 star) in Playa del Carmen. That's about 25 miles south of Cancun on the Yucatan peninsula. The room was nice, the food great, the beach clean and well maintained and the staff was friendly and helpful. I heartily recommend this resort. They took us out to Cozumel to do some snorkeling on the reef. It was beautiful with astonishingly clear water. There were many varieties of fish to see. I saw several sea turtles and got within about ten feet of a barracuda! Later, a shark swam by underneath us. The guide said not to worry; that it wouldn't bother us. We're all still here, so I guess he was right.

I do have one recommendation for you though. This is an "all inclusive resort" so the drinks are free. If you are going to partake of adult beverages, have the lady of the house go to the bar to get them. This isn't because I'm a lazy pig. It's because the mostly male bartenders make much stronger drinks for the ladies. If they are blonde, it seems that's even better.

Oh, and you might want to leave young children home if you are puritanical in nature. Many Europeans seem to vacation here. There were about 15-20 topless women on the beach every day. Not a problem for me, but some might balk. I did see one guy dress right on the beach too. Different cultures, I guess.

Be sure to get a passport for international travel. It's REQUIRED after the first of the year. It'll probably take one or two months to get also.

Thank God the boy won't laze away the summer

My thirteen year old son is joining the workforce today. It is a volunteer position at St. Vincent hospital. He won't earn a cent, but will earn valuable experience. He'll also get something to put on his resume for when he applies for an actual paying job. He gets to feel good about contributing to society too. He has done some volunteering before, but nothing on a weekly scheduled basis. Maybe he'll find out that his dad isn't the only demanding job boss in the world.
He gets to become very familiar with the city bus system also. It won't hurt him a bit. He did this on his own. His parents didn't push at all. Yep, I'm happy with him!

My favorite time of the year is here!

Spring just has to be the finest time of the year here in Montana. Oh sure, you can get some cold and blustry days, but days like today are rare. The temp up in the high 60's and little to no wind afforded us with pure comfort. I missed my chance to have a nice walk ruined by a little white ball. Maybe later in the week. NFL draft on ESPN all day long- snore! After the first round, who really cares enough to watch? Not me! Chargers got a DB in first round. Drafting for need on that one kids. My momma could pass on em!

Daytime TV is a wasteland!

Having been home all week for a little time off from work, I have been treated to a bit of free time during the day. I started off on Monday by surfing through all 57 damn channels and - lo and behold, nothing on! That started the lame tune of the same name running through my head. I made a trip to the video store, but that too was a wasteland. I guess my expensive wide screen is a waste when there isn't a good game on or Sci-fi Friday. Thank God for that or I could just sell the damn TVs. I did learn on Tuesday that there are more judge shows than I knew of. My wife was off that day, and she really likes them. I'd prefer a root canal- but that's just me. Some of the people that show up on those programs are painfully stupid. I guess I did enjoy watching one guy get the tongue lashing of his life from judge Judy. He deserved it though. He was stupid enough to provoke her early on. Idiot.

Happy Presidents day

I'm guessing few of you got the day off. Lucky me has the entire week off. Don't turn too green! I'm sure my spouse will have a few things to keep me busy. Have a good week everyone.

Spouse Shopping

A store that sells new husbands has just opened in New York City , where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates. You may visit the store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the attributes of the men increase as the shopper ascends the flights.There is, however, a catch: you may choose any man from a particular floor, or you may choose to go up a floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building! So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads: Floor 1 - These men have jobs. The second floor sign reads: Floor 2 - These men have jobs and love kids. The third floor sign reads: Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love kids, and are extremely good looking."Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going. She goes to the fourth floor and sign reads: Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead good looking and help with the housework."Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it!"Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads: Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead gorgeous, help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak. She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the sign reads: Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store. A new wives store opened across the street. The first floor has wives that love sex. The second floor has wives that love sex and have money. The third through sixth floors have never been visited.

Fantasy Baseball starting soon.

This is the time of year when I find myself in a sort of limbo. I really enjoy playing fantasy sports on the net. It just so happens that this is the dead time of year for that activity. Fantasy football has recently expired. I fared reasonably well on my teams there. Two first places, a second and a fourth. Fantasy baseball is nearing ready for sign ups- but that is not going to really start for more than a month. Fantasy NASCAR and fantasy golf have gotten into gear this weekend and a couple of weeks ago. Neither of those really hold my interest though. Fantasy basketball is half way over with the All star game this weekend. That means no scores to worry about there for a few days either. I'm not faring too well in those leagues this season as I had a bad draft in the two leagues I'm in. I didn't seem to get any good big men out of the ones I ranked high. Oh well. Next year, as they say!

Super Bowl Prediction

This year I'm going to have to go with the majority and pick the Steelers to take the big game. They have been on a roll in the playoffs and have beaten some very good teams. I really believe that the AFC has been the stronger division for quite a while now. The Seahawks aren't without hope. Shaun Alexander is definitely a stud that can hurt you. Seattle has won quite a few games, but against inferior competition. I'll say- 34-24 Steelers.