And so it goes for the Wings

As so it goes, another hockey season cut short by a younger, faster, more desperate team.
As Edmonton goes on to the next round, the Red Wings return home silently with heads hung low, weary from the weight of our hopes on their shoulders. It has become a pattern in the last few years. The Wings place at the top of their league only to be swept away in the first round of the playoffs. Anyone who said the playoffs are a different game looks quite intelligent right now. Discipline out played by desperation. Puck control passed up by speed. You only have to look at the amount of times an Oiler lay his body into the path of a 100 MPH slapshot to realize who was willing to go the farthest in the quest for Lord Stanleys Cup. As our hearts slow and our thoughts turn to other things to help us forget the season we must remember that they are our Red Wings. We also need to thank them. They gave us a great season, albeit one cut short by a team who gave everything they had to move up.
No sooner had I turned off the TV when I was already thinking of next year and what changes will be made to ensure this bad karma is cured. I can’t imagine Steve Yzerman returning next year. He gave it everything he had, but in the end sheer will was not enough to overcome the challenge he faced. He is and always will be The Captain. Our Captain. His mark will be left on the team for years to come as all other Captains will be measured against his shadow. His leadership will serve as an example of how to lead, and for that we are grateful. We wish it could have been while holding the Cup but it wasn’t meant to be. He has earned his retirement and with it our respect.

So Detroit, what will it be when they return home? A scowl or a cheer? I for one will be cheering them. It’s the least I can do for my Detroit Red Wings.

Let's show them the class they deserve as we look toward next year...

Pork, the other tax.

Social Security, will it be there when I retire? I can tell you I don't plan on expecting it and I would venture to guess that if you asked most employed mid-life people they would say the same thing. I'm trying to make sure that my family's financial future will be secure when I retire. To wait for the government to fix the fiscal hole social security is quickly becoming is a fools gambit. The politicians are too busy figuring out new ways to inject pork projects into must pass bills because they believe that we elect them to swipe as much federal bounty as they can. The funny thing is, I would prefer a congressman who is honest when it comes to federal funds. Who do they think pays for all the pork? We do. So if congressman "Smith" attaches an amendment saying the government is to allot $100 million to measure and compare the amount of methane gas produced by grass fed and grain fed cows in the state of Texas, I still pay for that. Do they really believe that since I live in Texas and they procure that money for this project in my state I will cast my vote in their favor? Not likely. Imagine what could be accomplished if our congressional delegation all had the best interests of the United States as a whole in mind when they make decisions. An elected government representative is an honorable position, it's too bad we haven't elected many honorable people to fill that position.

Immigration

Blogging away

What’s going on in DC on Immigration?


I don’t profess to be a journalist and I readily admit I do not have all of the answers but I find myself asking over and over again why DC is so bogged down making decisions.

Immigration is the soup of the day and it’s become nothing but chicken. Our borders are in need of serious repair and we need a comprehensive solution to illegal immigration while taking into consideration that our economy is affected by the number of workers who cross the border under cover of night to work in this country. I have to ask myself though, if all of these illegal immigrants are taking our jobs why is unemployment at an all time low of 4.7%? The illegal mantra of “Today we March, Tomorrow we vote” may be true but I would like to remind our elected representatives that their constituents vote today. Since our elected representatives are unable to come up with a solution I would like to offer them a plan to get the ball rolling.

1-Enforce the Borders. It seems to me that any other solutions are doomed to fail unless we gain control of our borders. I’m talking Canadian also. We should and will let thousands of people in yearly, but let’s make sure we know who they are, what their intentions will be and if they will able to be a contributing member of this country. Unless we are able to control our borders anything else we do will just bring us back to where we are now.

2-Minimum Wage. The reason illegal immigrants are hired is because they are exploited for wages below the federal minimum. Make sure that any worker is paid according to the law. That means minimum wage. This will allow a decent wage for the immigrants allowed into the U.S. and also make sure job applicants are fairly competitive. If you have two people vying for the same job let the best candidate win. Americans are free to pursue the same job for the same pay.

3-Current Illegal’s. Any illegal immigrant who is here now will be offered the chance to be added to the list for a green card. They will be at the end of the list and must pay a fine for breaking our law (currently a civil infraction) but if they can prove they are steadily employed and contributing to our country in a positive way they can continue to do so. They must also pay taxes according to the law.

4-Join the military. Want to get bumped up on the green card list? Enlist into the United States Military. Complete a normal enlistment and you will be given citizenship upon completion. If you can serve our country, our country should be grateful enough to ensure your residence.

5-Obey the Laws. If you are convicted of any felony you are sent back to where you came. The Statue of Liberty doesn’t say “Give me your convicts”.

6-Be Proud Of the U.S. If you spent numerous days making a trek that would put the cast of survivor to shame and are living in the country you’ve dreamed of, then be proud of this country. Why would anyone come to a country only to criticize and put it down? As Stephen Decatur said, "Our Country, Right or Wrong". At least we have the freedom to be wrong and the opportunity to make it right.

This should allow those who we have elected to represent us to get the ball rolling on how to handle the immigration problems we have at this time. We elected them, we pay them, and now we should demand that they make the tough decisions to ensure the safety and prosperity of our nation. Someone needs to tell Congress they can’t please everyone because I don’t believe they realize it. It could be years before the political posturing provides a real solution.

Battle weary

It's dinnertime. Wifey is working and Connor has a friend over to spend the night and play. Pizza is the dinner time solution for tonight. Connor is a bit of a picky eater but Sara usually eats everything we serve. We have a rule at dinner time though, the kids have to eat at least 2 bites of the main dish. Pizza should be easy but tonight Sara decides she doesn't want any. They've been playing hard all day and I know that hunger will surface if she doesn't eat anything. Playtime can resume as soon as they eat their bites but Sara is getting stubborn. After a few minutes she starts to get cranky so it's time for a time-out. This is a battle I can't afford to lose. We go back and forth with the time-outs for over 40 minutes. Each time-out is only 2-3 minutes because at her age it doesn't serve to make it longer but she is particularly stubborn tonight. I know she likes pizza and breadsticks, she just wants to skip dinner though and go play some more.
After about 30 minutes into it I'm ready to give up but I know I can't. It would come back ten fold later. She really turns it on for me, pulling my heart strings until I think they'll break. The crying, calling Daddy, pouting, kicking her feet and any other thing she thinks will break her out from having to eat first. She knows how close I am to just saying ok and letting her go play. At least it feels like she does. I have to keep telling her that I love her and she needs to eat her dinner first but to no avail. Finally after 40 minutes of going back and forth she agrees to take her 2 bites. We go to the table and she takes the bites. Happily she gets down as if nothing ever happened and runs to the playroom where her brother and his friend are playing. As for me, I need therapy now and a cold beer. Chalk another gray hair up to my 2 year old sweet little girl.

Vacation

Last week the family and I went up to Missouri to visit the in-laws. It was a short visit for wifey and I but the kids get to stay for the week. Needless to say we're taking it worse than the kids. It's too quiet at the house, but at least we take solace in that we are getting some projects done while we can. We called about 7 times that first day. Maybe 3 the next. Today may be 2. Wifey's sister and her family are there so our kids get to spend some quality time with the cousins as well as the grandparents. They'll have a great time. Of course we wouldn't mind a little "we miss you cry" once in a while when talk to them on the phone, at least one that comes from them to us instead of the other way around.
The visit was nice albeit quick. We flew in Friday and returned Tuesday. I think I gained 5 pounds! My mom-in-law is a very good cook. Sometimes a little too good.
We'll go back on next Tuesday to pick them up. Can't wait for that day to come. The silence is killing us!

Bedtime

It's Friday night. I've been up since 4 am since I work mornings. Tomorrow is another work day, up at 3:30 am. I'm looking forward to getting the kids to bed and getting to sleep myself. Mommy reads a bedtime story chosen by each child. Sara wants to read hers again but it's time for bed and we can read it again tomorrow. I get to take Sara to bed while Mommy takes Connor. As I carry her into her bedroom and turn down the lights she softly says "daddy rock?" I say "Sure Princess, I'll rock you for a little while". We sit in the glider and she snuggles up to me. Slowly we rock back and forth, just the sound of her soft breath and the quiet squeak of the chair as it moves. My mind is thinking of all the things I still have to do before I can get to bed. Feed the dogs, pack my lunch, get some water for the nightstand, get the dog beds ready... the slight sigh of a little girl falling asleep catches my attention. She's cuddled up with her bear, the one I brought her back from a trip last year, with her thumb delicately perched on her bottom lip and her eyes closed. Her breathing calms my mind and brings me back to something I enjoy. Just being together. I could put her in her bed, get my list done and be off to bed within minutes but I don't. I don't want to go just yet. These are the moments that make life so beautiful, peaceful, and blessed. I rock back and forth and realize my list of things has left my mind and has been replaced by one thing, the sweet love shared by a daddy and his little baby girl. Sleep can wait, I've found something that is much more restful. I realize that I never want to be able to say "I wish I had spent more time with my kids". They'll be grown up too fast I already know, but for right now, time is standing still. And so am I.

Garage Sale

Every year, in the spring and fall our subdivision has it's community garage sale. We particpate most of the time just to open up some space and make a few bucks. We usually invite friends to join us as it's a good excuse to get together and it also helps pass the time. It also has the benefit of having an extra pair of eyes watching the potential customers. Wifey and I have a symbiotic relationship when it comes to pricing our wares. She tends to want to get rid of the stuff as expeditiously as possible (translation-cheap) whereas I tend to want to make a buck extra even if it means foregoing the sale if I can't get a minimum (translation-expensive) price for the item. There are limits though as my wife put it so well the other day, "If they can't pay $5 for a $40 item then we'd rather donate it to someone who is really in need". Of course, there's the usual items we disagree upon that should or shouldn't be in the sale. How many times have I sold something only to have found a use for it 5 years later? Remember that left over 4 inch piece of weather stripping I had? Now where did I put that? The garage sale rule of thumb is "If you haven't used it in 1 year, you can do without it". Being a guy who likes to store stuff, I really don't think 1 year is adequate for determining if something is worth keeping. Besides, I can't tell you how many times a friend has needed a particular item only to find that I have it and would be glad to lend it to them, if only I could remember where I stored it. Or even worse, something I could have needed. Why do you think guys garages and workshops have so many old spare parts from projects finished (and unfinished) years ago? Those 5 rusty 4 inch nails could be used to shore up an aging wooden fence in a few years, right? Do you think we like to keep those 357 different types of nails along with the 289 types of screws in that coffee can? Sure it may take us 3 hours to find the one we need but at least we saved a trip to Home Depot, and don't get me started on the gas savings too! I'm sorry if we can't fit our 2 cars into the garage, but we really need that old lumber I saved from replacing the fence 3 years ago. I can use those boards to replace the ones that go bad in 2 years on the new fence. Of course we could also need firewood this winter in case the heating bills get too high. Everything has a purpose, and if it doesn't then I'm sure one will come up in time. Of course if I don't end up using those boards I could always sell them in our next garage sale as long as my wife doesn't price them too low.