Okay, so the weekend is upon us, and I decided that I would put some of my thoughts on the week that was on paper…sorta. I don’t know if this will become a regular occurrence or not, but I promise it will be interesting. As with everything I do, I’ll put my own spin on things that I found unique throughout the day. So, without any further ado, here we go.
The week started off kinda bad for me. Everyone on Earth has their weaknesses; for some people, it’s chocolate. For others, it’s sex. For me, it’s allergies. Just a little lining to this one: I don’t know whether or not I had allergy problems when I was growing up, but I know for a fact that I have them now. And, I don’t mean the usual problems: the itchy eyes, the watery nose, the sneezing fits. No; for whatever reason, my allergies knock me on my ass and decides to have a seat on my chest. It’s one of the most debilitating feelings I’ve ever had, and it prevents me from doing much of anything. I can barely move, I really can’t talk well, and I get this insane fever that renders me useless. The last time my allergies went off on me, I was done for almost a week. I was out of commission from Saturday to Thursday, and I’m surprised my boss didn’t fire me. I came in to work one day during that stretch, and they promptly kicked me out and told me not to come back until I was better. This time wasn’t as bad, but I knew I wouldn’t be worth a damn; so, I stayed at home. I blame it on the fact that I was out in gale force winds that prior weekend. Whoda thunk that eating BBQ would flare up ones allergies? I sure didn’t.
There really wasn’t a lot of other things going on, but that was because I stayed in my lane for the most part. I went to work, I came home. Wash, rinse, repeat. On Wednesday, I got my guitar. It’s a Yamaha FG700S acoustic guitar, and it is gorgeous. It sounds nice, and the music I’ll eventually make with it will sound even better. That being said, until a couple of days ago, I had no experience playing the guitar. None, zero, zilch. If I had to rate my musical ability on the first two days of my owning this guitar, I would say I’m a step below a two year old. That’s okay, though; I’m not naive enough to think I’ll become the next Eric Clapton – I have too much of a tan for that. I would like to be somewhat proficient at it, though. I think that’s the least I can ask, don’t you? Of course, the problem I’m running into is figuring out how to hold it comfortably without straining myself. I think I’ve found the position that works, though; hold it on my leg at a bit of an angle. That way, I can see the strings and frets, and hit most of them without any major discomfort. Still having problems hitting those strings properly, but that’ll come with practice.
Of course, I can’t let this blog go to waste without talking about the HCR bill that President Obama wants to ram through. I don’t have a problem with insuring those what don’t have it – for whatever reason. I DO have a problem with the jobs that this bill will create going to the IRS so they can take away refunds for those who don’t get the insurance. Let’s face facts for a second; no one likes the IRS. NO ONE. Remember Joseph Stacks? He REALLY didn’t like the IRS. This is only going to serve to vilify the IRS even more than they already are. Granted, that’s no small feat, but they’re going to do it anyway. Also, for the progressives who want to take a line from Tony Stark (“Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk.”), stop. The idea of a Public Option is wonderful. The idea of a Single Payer system is wonderful. The idea that this will take effect all in one swoop is sheer lunacy. The problem is that most people may say that they want change, but the truth is, they’re scared of it. Change is a freaky thing; too much of it sets the world off its axis, and too little of it is much ado about nothing. You have to find the right balance, and that’s not the easiest thing in the world to do when you try to ram that balance through with inane talking points. If I wanted to hear or read talking points, I’d go to the website dedicated to that. I don’t, so don’t try to tell me what your policy is just by using that. It insults my intelligence, and I hate it when people do that.
Finally, I was watching Real Time With Bill Maher, and he showed a video of a guy with Parkinson’s Disease sitting quietly and peacefully in front of a Tea Party rally against HCR. This was one of the most disheartening and painful videos I’ve ever seen. These people were acting like monsters, shouting at this man and throwing money at him like he was a stripper. Meanwhile, he said nothing. NOTHING. He sat there defiantly and looked at these people act like the jackasses they are. I know there are probably some Tea Party supporters who read this, so I ask you: where is the humanity in that? Huh? Where is the humanity in demeaning another human being who is just sitting peacefully protesting what you stand for? Of course, I shouldn’t really be surprised at that; after all, people did this during the Civil Rights Era, and they were supposedly thoughtful, caring and following Christian beliefs. The rant on people who do monstrous things in the name of “Christian beliefs and values” will come at a later date, but I was just appalled at the gall of these people to treat this man like crap, and the fortitude of this man to sit there quietly and take it.
In closing, to those who would sit and demean another human being due to their race, religion, sex, creed, or other status, I leave you with a single line of scripture from Matthew 7:12:
“So then, whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”