I'm so tired of watching the individuals who are supposed to be our leaders failing miserable at being leaders. Millions of people are about to vote for President of the United States of America. Millions will vote for Hillary Clinton. This is not an attack on Hillary Clinton. This is simply a comparison about the rules us normal people have to follow and then the special privileges our elite politicians follow. A US Navy Seal Matt Bissonnette wrote a book about the raid by Seal Team 6 on the Bin Laden compound in Pakistan. The United States sued him for the royalties of the book saying that he had signed a non disclosure agreement. Do politicians not sign these same agreements?
Look, I won't get political because I know everyone has their affiliation. Nobody listens to the specific situation they just dive into their camp and back up their political camp. I have no camp. If I had to choose today I'd pick Donald Trump. I don't like him personally but to have Hillary as the alternative is to me against my principals. That's my personal opinion. But what I've found is that what used to be civil servants are now an elite monarchy. They declare what is best for us and make it law yet they do not follow the same rules. Congress doesn't have the same retirement, medical, etc. It's not good enough for them so they made their own. But for us peasants? They don't really care. They might say they do but they don't.
So for me to hear about this guy Matt getting sued by the US after Obama was so eager to take credit for the Bin Laden raid that he threw all of Seal Team 6 under the bus the night of the raid. All anyone had to do was look at who was in Seal Team 6 and know who killed Bin Laden. Completely outing every member to any Osama Bin Laden sympathizer out there. Not one of those people apologized or accepted responsibility for the outing. They all laughed and yucked up the attention. Then, as soon as something bad happened they avoid any responsibility. Typical of the selfish politically correct rulers that are in power. Pretending to care about you without really giving a damn. But so many puppets and zombies eat it up. They love the establishment. They listen to the media that is owned by the people who run this country. We're in so much trouble.
As a former member of the US Navy who was on the USS Carl Vinson (which dumped Bin Laden in the ocean) and USS Rushmore who has spent over 18 months out at sea I feel I should be allowed to at least have an opinion. I better watch it or they'll sue me.
Anyways, no more woe is me cause nobody is listening anyways. People will just keep working and working until it affects them and they can't live anymore. Until then they'll just continue to say the economy is great like the media tells them.
Here is a link to the story.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/20/us/bin-laden-book-seal-team-6.html?_r=0
And it got things accomplished. I'm usually the last person that acts that way. The only pride I have really is in treating people the way I hope to be treated and my kids. And by being a dick I was abrasive to a few people. I'm not proud of it but it got the job done.
I might ramble if I do I apologize I'm sure I'll have a point. If not just close this and ignore it. As a Virgo I feel like I avoid confrontation. I'm sure there are other factors in my disdain for calling people out. I know more about some things than many other people. Yet, some people will tell me I'm wrong and argue it when I know I'm right. To the point where they'll fact check and see I'm right. So, many times I just avoid it. I'd rather sit in my moment of bliss than to get my heart rate up proving something that doesn't matter. But when it comes to either work or my family I get so passionate and fired up!
I might avoid confrontation but many people thrive in it. In fact I could argue that the people that embrace confrontation tend to be allowed to lead. I've had many bosses who are only good at motivating people. Whether it be positive or negative they motivate. I worked for a company where the highest rated tech got a raise, middle techs got no raise, and lowest rated tech was fired. It created this ridiculous competition between coworkers that should not exist in a true team environment. But for a while it got results.
What happened to me today was nothing like that. I like to work with self motivated passionate people who want to build our company like as if it was their own. I have problems when I work with someone who does not put one more bit of effort into their job than they have to. Problem with that is you can't build a business with that attitude. I needed some equipment to ship out today and it wasn't going to ship because of some issues with the customers credit. While I understand the company has to get paid it was nothing bad enough to stop the deal. This customer and this specific purchase are an important step for the relationship. For only 18 thousand dollars it's not going to make or brake the company. That wasn't the upsetting part, for me it was paperwork that had to be done holding up the situation. When I work until late in the night getting a sale that would have gone to a competitor it hurts to see my work possibly go up in flames.
So yeah, I was a dick today. But it's because I was a dick that my bosses got involved and approved the shipment which I knew they would do anyways so they should have just shipped it. I'm not proud of being a dick today and I don't want to be in the future. Right now I feel crappy about myself and I've already been doing that too much. I'm working on being able to hear any type of news in the world and still stay calm and emotionless. Unfortunately I am far from that goal.
There are some people that I will never like. The people that drive slow in the fast lane for one. Or the people that get out of the carpool lane right before their exit. They then come to a complete stop as they maneuver across the freeway. Or how about the people that speed up when you put your blinker on? But people that dislike police because a few of them are bad. Those people are stupid! Below is a link to a story where a restaurant owner asked police to not eat at his restaurant any more.
I know many people put themselves in a bubble to escape reality. They avoid politics even though elections are in less than 4 months, and they play little computer games to pretend things are not eroding around them. I understand that and can appreciate it. But, for those silly and naive people that think that police are all bad? I feel sorry for them. Do not judge the masses because of a few bad apples.
Police protect people around this country every day. Lay their lives on the line for not that great of pay. Many just because they enjoy protecting people. Yet people let the media tell them what reality is instead of experiencing it for themselves. The media loves to sensationalize things because of ratings. Stories about all the examples of police rescuing people out there don't sell like the negatives one do. But STUPID people like this restaurant owner are why we can't all figure things out. This guy should take his Chinese restaurant to another country where there are no police or infrastructure, I dare you. I freaking love this country and what it stands for. If you even come close to believing there should be no police? Get out of my life because I have no idea what you're thinking. It's the same mentality as those that hate people based on color, gender, religion, etc without knowing the individual. Get a grip haters, most of you are too cowardly to protect yourselves so you might want to support your local police department.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/police-officers-asked-stop-dining-154928069.html
This post isn't for everyone but I've noticed over the years how people have become more angry and bitter. I first noticed it in New York and slowly to California. When I visit places like Scotland, Canada, Australia, and even Arkansas I notice that a bigger percentage of people are more genuine and cordial. I'm not saying it causes more violence in the US but it doesn't help. When I go through customs in these other places I'm treated like a person. When I go through customs in New York or New Jersey I'm yelled at and treated like cattle. So I smile and joke with them. I've even been sent through extra security for telling a TSA agent that she needed an attitude adjustment and made to miss a flight by customs because I'm a smart ass to rude people.
I definitely still get angry but I realize it soon and I check myself (or My family checks me). Most people that know me can attest I'm generally a class clown jokester. But one thing that pushes my buttons is someone treating someone else badly. From personal experience as a young kid being that angry person I know for a fact it will only hurt you. I didn't tell my wife happy anniversary on Facebook on June 7th like many of you do. We first met in August of 1995. But I do credit her and appreciate her for helping me see that love is the most powerful aspect of life. Even though we've had tough times, I have 3 wonderful young adults because of her. I also wouldn't be the person I am happy to be today without her.
Be the reason someone else has a good day by just showing some genuine kindness. I've decided I have to speak up even though I'm generally insecure and afraid of what people think. I have to ignore my own self doubt and realize there are people out there like me that wear their heart on their sleeve and are a bit different.
Also, not many of you are still reading this, but if you are you know I love you. Stay strong and may we find a way to fix the downward spiral were on as a species. It's on us as a whole and we can't depend on the Donald Trumps or Hillary Clintons to fix it for us.
Speeches like Jesse Williams at the BET awards last night is what I believe sets us back as a species. Another rich person trying to tell others that he's fighting the fight? What fight? It's similar to Hillary Clinton giving a speech on inequality while wearing a 14k dollar Armani suit. First, I loathe BET. If black people want to be equal then they should be happy being equal. Instead, they want what nobody else is allowed to have. A channel and awards show only celebrating black people. Wait, where are Will and Jada Smith at? Why aren't they complaining that no white people were nominated for any awards last night?
Jesse Williams trying to compare himself and others today to "branded slaves" is laughable. Look, there are many examples of racism today. We all share the same struggle though. We all struggle, I don't care what color you are. There are impoverished white people just like there are black people. But, if you're telling yourself that someone else is keeping you down? Then you're keeping yourself down. You are responsible for getting yourself out of your situation and into an environment that will help you thrive. But to try and believe that people like Jesse Williams and Hillary Clinton really care about your struggles? That's just foolish. They just want to feel better about themselves and the fact that they no longer live the struggle. By falsly inserting themselves into the conversation it even enpowers them to feel as though they're a leader in getting people out of the struggle.
I'm a weird parent. Many people have either questioned or wondered about my parenting methods. I'm not claiming to be a great parent or that I'll ever win some sort of award for parenting. But, I do believe I am on to something with some of my methods.
We'll focus on the positives before getting to the negatives. The biggest item is responsibility. If you have a child that is hungry to learn, feed them! In America especially, we coddle young children when they're at their toughest. Young people are very resilient, yet we don't allow them to push themselves in multiple areas. My daughter started doing her own laundry at 6 years old. She said she wanted to learn, so I taught her. We never did her laundry again. She might be tired of doing it now that's she's 22, but she does it!
The other biggest thing is being honest with them. Even with your faults. Who should they learn from more than you? Sometimes kids learn most about what not to do by watching you fail at it. If you say don't do this but you do it that's one thing. But if they live the struggle with you they might have a different perspective. Instead of keeping them away be honest with them on the specifics of how you became addicted or whatever the situation is. I am not afraid to confess my shortcomings to my kids. I'm not quite an open book, but they see things to help them learn. My bank account is an example of what most parents don't share with their children. My parents never shared their struggles with me. As I got older My respect grew but through trial and error. I wish they would have vented about their stresses. We would have learned through them!
The last thing is multi-faceted. In addition to being real with them, love them! That means hugging and saying I love you. You'd be surprised at how much this part helps.
That's really to me the most important things to consider with raising children. I'm not in the clear, and that's what you'll learn as a parent. Parenting is never done. If you want to be a role model? You'll never be done. I plan to always being there for my kids like my parents have been. Well, my dad passed away 6 years ago, but he embodied these fundamentals. I hope to learn more soon as well. In 2016 have a 22 year old, 18 year old, and a 16 year old.
One of the hardest things for me to deal with is disappointment in myself and I'm harder on myself than anyone else is. My wife is a close second and my apologies for that jab. Maybe I'm feeling irritable lately. But mostly I'm just upset with myself. I'm so easily distracted it's frustrating. It's hard not to get distracted though. I have a daughter that just had a baby and a son that starts at a UC in the Fall. I have no idea how we're going to pay 23,000 dollars a year but I'm not going to let that keep him from going. He is guaranteed to graduate with over a 4.0 and has worked very hard to get accepted. I try to stay focused and handle my business but I get distracted. It's my adhd and I'm not a great multi-tasker. I feel that if you are doing 2 things at once then you are only doing each at 50%. I prefer to focus on one thing. Anyways, I digress...
I lasted 3 months without drinking. I didn't stop because of any reason besides health. For 3 months I felt level and didn't have to worry about waking up feeling crappy because i drank the night before. I tried my best not to make it a big deal but at times it was. When people ask you if you would like a drink and you decline they get curious. When you tell someone you stopped drinking they instantly want to know the reason. Now all of a sudden it's a topic. There were numerous people that felt Awkward hanging out because of me not drinking. I feel like I can hang without alcohol but maybe I'm not as fun? I'm not much fun these days anyways. I mean I can tell a few jokes and I enjoy my days but my life is so damn serious these days. So after having 2 beers with the wife one night before I left for a week on a business trip I went downhill. The Friday after that I had 3 Stone Delicious IPAs (gluten free) and a couple shots. The following week I drank Thursday and Friday. Now, here we are the following Friday and my wife is already asking me to get her some Guinness and shots.
It all makes me so disappointed in myself. I was so focused on my goal of getting healthier and even getting under 200 pounds by my 40th birthday. Here it is late April and I'd have to go to some sort of boot camp to achieve my goal. I should only write about rainbows and butterflies. Or whatever people would want to read. Instead I try to be real and sometimes that's fucking depressing. Most of the time I promise I'm smiling and just thankful to be in the game. These last few weeks I've been really questioning many things. I seriously should just be happy and not complain. I truly am lucky. But until I wake the fuck up and get my act together I'm going to keep kicking my ass. And that's the part that I'm trying to figure out. Should I just ignore my conscience and just enjoy life and indulge? Or should I be strong and do what I have to do to stay healthy? Seems like a fucking no brainer.
