"It's the big one 'Liz'beth!"

According to the little nebbishes who keep track of this stuff, this is my 100th blog! Actually I knew it a week or so ago, and I wanted to write something special, something that would carry me into the shadow of Hemingway, make me an impoverished "cult hero", and stuff like that. Well, here it is a week later and no cataclysmic revalations have occured,.....so I guess we'll sort of "bullet point" a bunch of stuff for your consideration and entertainment.

1. Company Christmas Party today. 2-5 pm at one of the best restaurants in town, four star at least, sit down meal, awards and recognition, Christmas bonuses, listening to the very well paid tell the rest of us how much we mean to them and how WE are what makes the company grow and prosper and what a priveldge it is to work with such a fantastically talented and wonderful crew, and how we will put it "over the top" again next year,..blah, blah,blah. You get the idea, but guess what NO BAR, NO WINE, and a ton of the "Thank you Jesus" stuff. (Side note, if you don't show up you don't get a bonus!) Oh how I love working for those who have to decide between two rounds of golf next week and which Mercedes to put in the shop for an oil change, and the decision over the trip to Hawaii or Cancun for the holidays and yet can look me straight in the eye, Thank me for personally bringing them over $160,000 in business a year and REALLY think that helps me pay my bills each month, plus all my gas and vehicle expenses, plus my cell phone costs, (averaged over $7,000 for the first 6 months) all of that out of my $32,000 GROSS wages, no overtime, and "praise the Lord" the privelege of being part of thier "health plan" at $260 a month out of my pocket! (Maybe I'll become a Democrat or a bum, with a new Democratic leadership they'll be looking to take care of me big-time!)

2. I am a very proud United States Navy Veteran. I joined in the 1960's when the "hippy movement" and the peaceniks, and the "flower power", and "Equal Rights" folks and all that other crap was happening. I joined to serve my country, where ever and whatever they needed of me. The Viet Nam war was just beginning to really heat up. Our country was becoming totally polarized over it. I was proud, just as proud as those guys who spent weeks in trenches in WWI (World War One) with bullets all around, poison gas in the air, etc. , just like those guys who had to just about freeze to death in the French/ Belgium country side fighting the Nazi menace of WWII, or woke up to a Sunday morning of death and destruction in a place called Pearl Harbor. I speak of all of us who survived and came home, knowing WE made it possible for you to have your freedom to have those little white "buds" growing our of your ears, the freedom to not really give a shit about anyone other than yourself, the freedom to sleep most of your life away wondering who will win the important things of life, like "survivor", "American Idol", and the like. My only regret is the freedoms I gave five years of my life to protect have created a society that has no "cajones" to get a job done, like clean up the middle east. It is very clear the "kinder and gentler" America is going to be the beginning of the end of our society in this world. Like I always say "If you want to do WAR, let's do WAR, people are going to die, sons, daughters,mothers, children, fathers, brothers, sisters, best friends. People you know, love and care a great deal about are going to die. But that's because WAR is death, WAR is destruction, WAR is the perennial battle of light and dark, good and evil, sanity and insanity. So if you want to do WAR, bring it on, and don't you dare even give me shit about it! My job, every soldier, sailor and fighter is the most fundamental law of the earth, and none other,..."kill or be killed and take no prisoners". That is war!

3. Justice, ...what the hell is that? In the past forty years of my 20's to 60's I've sure as shit seen damn little of it around our whole planet. Why are there human beings , Americans even, born, brought up and living in my country with absolutely no health care? Why are there little children starving all over Africa? Why is it that people who WANT to work hard can not be paid anymore than a "living" or a shitty subsistence rate of pay? Why is it the rich get richer and the poor continue to get poorer? Why is it only the really wealthy can afford to "live", while the rest of the masses just barely "live til they die"? (Sorry, I guess I'm supposed to know the answers since I'm asking the questions.) When a man (or woman) kills another, is tried fairly, found guilty by a jury of their peers, and sentanced to death does it take twelve to fourteen years for the sentance to be carried out? And at the same time a man (or woman) who has to resort to stealing from others to personally survive (and I'm not talking "junkies" etc.) or feed thier family and gets caugth ahve to spend years and years in prison and the rest of thier entire life as a "convicted felon"? In that respect human rights are for the wealthy, not the humans.

4. But on a brighter note we all move forward. I have always believed in the dignity of man and the ability of any man (and woman) to rise above themselves, their environment, and thier surroundings,...if they want to. Some folks say I'm a pretty sharp guy, others think I'm a "loose cannon", and still others think I am far to cynical and "not politically correct". To my critics I say , "Up yours!" I am who I am, I am what I am. I can be your friend for life, as loyal and giving as any human who ever drew breath, OR I can make a horror movie look a lot nicer than your life. I'll always give you the choice.

5. On the personal side of life. As you know from reading this column I've lost two dear friends in the past two months. One who was a complete pauper in the world of savings, investments and property and lived the hand he got dealt with dignity and a full love of all mankind. A guy who told the Doctor that if he could just keep him alive until he was 65 and could sign up for the Medicare program he would have any tests the doc wanted done. Well he missed 65 by three months, 90 days, or 2160 hours. Look at your life for the past 90 days are you proud of the way you've lived them, what if you could have a "do over" in those 90 days, what would it be?
The other friend was WEALTHY (capital letters to emphasize the degree of wealthy), best doctors, every test available under his health insurance plan possible, phenomenol stock portfolio, trust funds for every one of his kids, and his grandkids, house on a huge lake for the summer, place on the Gulf of Mexico for the winter months, brand new Cadillac every year, not a worry about a thing, a great guy to talk with, and a guy who in his retirement found out the "dog eat dog" of a career was the price for "politically correct friends", but not the ones who just were generally glad to see him, and sit and "shoot the shit" with who were genuinely concerned about him as a person.
They both left the same way they came in, alone, without a chance to say a good bye to us, and absolutley without taking anything with them. Ain't life funny like that.

6. I would be completely remiss if I did not count the new friends I've come to meet on the net and thier "blogs", Lucy, SuvvyGirl, Rocky Mountain Princess, Jezzy, GBE, Alliecad, WaltonCad, MissDevilish, and the dozens I read and lurk around like Mental meatloaf, Bear tracks, Mimi in NY, Audrey, Bated breath, etc. We all have a place in this world and all of you help me remember I'm not alone, not the only person who is human, and that we are all of the one big marble with similar, but different lives. with similar, but different problems, but boil them all around and guess what? It all comes out the same WE ARE ALL HUMAN!

7. This 100 blog thing is overrated. I'm putting too much pressure on my self to be Hemingwayesque, but gess what it's still silly old me getting older, wiser(?) and still loving my Guinness.

Luck, Life, and Love ,....what more could you want?

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