Without calling names, naming individuals, or calling...dropping dimes, however you see it...I would like to mention how society seems to run on mediocrity these days. Its not good enough to make sure that you do your part and seal things up tight so as to make sure that the next guy doesn't have your inadequacies to deal with, no...there are those out there that would like to half step, take short cuts and leave a little extra work for you to discover on your own.



While looking necessity in the face these people will ignore whats in front of them, because it 'just doesn't matter' and the next guy can take care of it. Whether its making sure that the air hose on the air machine at the gas station was wrapped back up when they were done or if it is changing the furnace filter on the house you 'so-called' remodeled to make a killing, these are all the same people. Consideration for the person that will soon walk somewhere near the footsteps that you have already traveled within.



It makes no difference what they are or who they are at face value...they still have the tendency to be one of these 'backstabbers'. Not necessarily stabbing someone directly, but indirectly its the same result. They may not know what they are causing at the time of the incident, but because of them someone may suffer far beyond what they may have comprehended at the time of their negligence. Kinda sorta sounds like criminal in nature, but rest assured that there is nothing that one can do to regain the ground when the incident hits them at the most inopportune time in their lives.



I spent the entirety of my most recent Saturday afternoon laying insulation in my attic. When I took a peak up there around lunchtime I found that whatever was there (in existence from the last person, and there was definitely evidence that someone who had done some work within these walls had been up there to lay new power runs, etc.) was so depleted that it was almost non-existent. Inadvertently creating one hell of a 'National Fuel' bill that is ridiculous to accommodate in the financial times that we face these days.



Not to mention the lines that were replaced showed of the littered lines that were cut loose. Would it really have been all that troublesome for someone, no matter who it was, to actually grab those lines up and toss them through the attic access and into the trash? Not at all, but that would have made it so that the next guy to crawl up there to take care of the first issue that they had neglected, would have had a little bit of an easier time facilitating what they had to do. Which is just my point. Why is it that nobody these days thinks about the 'Next Guy'?



Shortcuts...how many people these days will actually volunteer to go the extra mile for the guy that stands next to them? Not too many, perhaps if some of them had to take a few months and visit the other cultures in the world, say...those that fight sandstorms on a regular basis, they may gain a new appreciation for what the guy they may leave behind has to walk through. Perhaps if it was one of their offspring they would do the same. But in reality these types of people do not view their career or job choices as significantly as that....what would it take to put it into perspective.



I guess if we could back charge the guy that half arsed the repair job on our cars, or the banks that screwed up our deposit (and created an overdraft), or the receptionist who forgot to get the number, all the fees that could have made things a little easier on us, then and only then would we actually see a difference in the performance of "Employee's".



Its sorta like when you want to find out about what you can do to ensure that you consume water from a clean source. You cannot take for granted that the water company is making sure that you are consuming a clean source of H2O, you must actually get a water test, and then submit it to someone who is capable of testing it (also at our expense) and then and only then would you be able to sit with the comfort that what you are consuming is 'safe'. Or you could buy water in mass amounts to just avoid the topic all together and incur all the appropriate fees associated. Either way it costs you more money. So really is it worth it? I dont know the answer to that question, but I know that our society just keeps getting more and more screwed up, and those out there that think a president is going to fix it...really need to take a look in the mirror because that's the only person that is going to make the difference that really matters.



I am going to include a photo here that just makes me sick to my stomach. In addition to water leaking through windows in my house and gutters that freeze on the roof in a glacial state, I have yet found another nuisance that I found utterly ridiculous, with no answers to be delivered that would even be remotely satisfying....go figure:

Anyone who has even the most remote understanding of how a house works, let alone those that do this sort of thing all the time, would (and I assume) know to check on something like this. I don't think that in all the time I have been alive, have I EVER seen a Furnace Air Filter look this bad. From this view and this side of the filter you could not even see any portion of the filter.

This is a great contributor to sickness, gas bills, dust all over the place, etc. I am literally awed by this (I guess that's obvious since I took a picture of it).

I am sure that this is no great story, however if anyone is reading this and you are not one to check your Furnace Filter...I would greatly suggest that you do so. From what I saw on the filters that you can purchase, you should be changing them about every 90 days. Food for thought....

C-Ya!

Surfing the net can always lead one into some interesting places. I recently encounter www.howobamagotelected.com and was a little amazed at what I read. I guess that amazed might be a little extreme. However, it always seems as though when someone starts to discuss things related to the government, opposite the outcome, they always get shot down for whatever reason.

The gist of what you may find there is related to 'Obama' voters after they had voted and their knowledge of the Presidential Candidates. The focus was to survey those individuals knowledge of the candidates and things related to them. I think that everyone, regardless of which side of the fence you remain, should take a look at it. Of course there will be comments, but whats the price of reading some material? $0.00.

One should know that I don't claim any sincere stake in Presidential Candidates or the Election. For one I really don't think that votes matter these days and will matter even less in the future. Having said that, any comments regarding my perspective are silly attempts at nothingness. I am just trying to live and have a good time doing so and ensure that I do my best to secure a great future for my daughter. Spending time in argument about things that I can't change is worthless. Anyway its moderately entertaining to read that others actually vest so much effort in stating what they believe.

Funny thing is that this whole idea that this guy had was solely to show how much of an effect the media has on any given situation, and then gets shot down on technicalities. Its a crazy world that we all exist in, and getting even crazier by the day. I would like to hope that things slow down a bit in the future, but am sincerely doubtful that it will. It tends to be a shame in a lot of situations. However if the financial situation doesn't improve there may be no alternative but to slow things down significantly.

On lighter notes I have been looking at a new website that revolves around "going green". That is another touchy topic but as I look into the future, I think it is only appropriate that I at least make an attempt to try to do something beneficial, being that I have a little girl that has a future that will exceed the time span of mine. www.treehugger.com is the one that I have primarily been looking at. Of course there are others out there, I just haven't spent as much time on any others as of yet.

They have a plethora of information on their site. I have actually been thinking of (may sound extreme also) collecting my rainwater from my gutters to use for car washing and gardening. Yes I have been thinking of creating a garden. They say for kids its a great thing as they will then be involved in the growth process furthering their education on other things also. Would be kinda cool.

I would like to save some of this snow for some type of use, but damn I would have to have like a roll off dumpster to do so, and then would have to worry about how I was going to make sure that it was somewhat clean. The costs associated with using whats around us in a safe and friendly way are so steep, it definitely explains why our governmental services aren't doing anything to help us out.

During the time sitting here I have been trying to find cheaper Internet, Cable etc. It seems as though moderately impossible. The phones don't get answered and its ridiculous. When we sign up for cable we sign up for Church channels, shopping, news, sports etc. and some of us could give two shits whether or not we have this crap. Where is that cable company that lets us choose what we want to see for our dollars? Oh yeah, they don't exist....that would make too much sense and meaning for our money.

No more rants, I am fed up till next time....!

Well its finally a new year, and we're finally getting what seems to be an appropriate "Pennsylvania" snow from years past. I cannot remember the last time we got snow that made me think, "can I drive in this?" Well its here. Here is a pic from this morning around 740am as soon as I woke (I couldn't believe it, most of the time that 'They' say its coming it never does:

Since I took this photograph I have shoveled the driveway twice. Luckily I cleaned it when I got home last night otherwise the 4 or 5 inches that we got over night would have been a whole lot more to move around.

For those of you who dont know I have moved from my last residence (if you call it that) to a new location about six miles away. Isn't it crazy how you can move and discover things that you knew that you had but thought that you lost, and then find again. Its almost like going shopping in your own dwelling, spending no money, but all the gratification you could want. Anyway here is an additional picture from this morning of the house.

When I woke this morning at 730 I looked out the gap between my blinds and the window and saw what looked to be clouds and sun shining through them. I thought man what an opportunity to get out and take a look and the Sunrise and maybe go and get some really good photos. So I got up and looked out the front window...boy was I ever so mistaken. I really am flabergasted at what is happening outside. Most likely more than 'they' have predicted.

AMAZING day, too bad I am not closer to some good slopes...have a good day all!!!

OK...well...Forest said it best "Stupid is what Stupid does!"

I was trying to add a photo, and the upload screen was already up, and I had no clue whatsoever. I think that at this point this is where my father says "I hate these damn computers". Well if he ever reads this . . . it took me fourty minutes to figure that one out!

So I am just goin to push some pics here on this one that I found I liked or enjoyed:

Saint Mary's Ohio at six thirty in the am...I think that I suffered for a couple of weeks after this one - due to wet hair out in the cold.

Pretty Neat, I think the majority of these have now been replaced with cardboard signs backed with Plywood...

Its truly amazing that I was even able to catch this, I mean really probably not, but when it came out and I saw it, I couldn't believe that I just caught it.

I was actually trying to be clever here...I thought that it came out pretty cool, but who knows?

Geneva, New York...early morning sunrise and the next day, even brighter yet...!

My Little Brother and Sister, while Mom and Dad where away on vacation. I dont think that anyone had intentions of this picture coming out so good, even in those days, but it will be with me to the very end...!

Photography: is the process, activity and art of creating still or moving pictures by recording radiation on a sensitive medium, such as a film, or an electronic sensor. Light patterns reflected or emitted from objects activate a sensitive chemical or electronic sensor during a timed exposure, usually through a photographic lens in a device known as a camera that also stores the resulting information chemically or electronically. Photography has many uses for business, science, art and pleasure.


(there is the textbook definition)

I thought that this would be a pretty neat topic to open up, being that I have found a new love to pushing that little button to take photos of my daughter, which has in turn sparked so many other interests of snapping as well.

I guess it would have all started back when I got the "Set". The set included a camcorder, and a camera with I believe it was two lenses. I paid a small penny for them and was fortunate enough to receive that sweet deal from my father. That was oh so long ago, but still a huge advancement for me. Luckily I had that camera all during my stint in the Military and had the opportunity to use it for many Motocross Races and at the unbelievably beautiful area known as "Great Falls". I didn't at that time have a clue how to use it (and don't have much more knowledge at this point) but still was able to catch some great photos of the river and many of the professional racers at the AMA Nationals.

Since then I have run into some other great deals, yes once again from DAD. I am very fortunate to have a father that is into many many very cool things. As I have learned throughout the course of my lifetime, there aren't too too many children that grow up having parents as cool as I. So after the first sweet deal came another, and finally oh about a year ago or so, maybe more....I got the sweetest of them all. At the time I don't know if I realized what I had presented to me, but now more so than ever am I still awed by it.

I now have the ability to pretty much just point and shoot at just about anything I want and most of the time end up with some pretty darn good photos. I have taken so many photos that it kind of boggles me when I actually take the time to sit down and look at them. These days with memory (as inexpensive as it is) its almost a no-brainer to document life as it passes us by, using this new digital world.

The real thing that sparked this entry was my new found love for the sky. Not really being up in it at the hands of a "pilot" per say, but more so, as the sun rises and falls through it. Now again, I am definitely classified as an amateur, but with the right equipment you can pretty much just do it:

This one just happened. I was at the bird propagation area on the Shenango Lake and was getting ready to leave after trying to take enough photos to create a 'Panoramic' picture and this is was set in. Its interesting to me how the sun can just, at the right moments with the clouds, create something that leaves an imprint on your memory for a while.

Obviously these came at the same time, but man, I was totally shocked at the outcome when I off loaded these to the PC. They almost look as though someone took some sincere time to shoot. But being in the right place at the right time def. paid off.






This shot came from Nantucket Island. I was out there for work and boy was it cold. My Aunt Jackie and I went to the shoreline like everyday to take pictures of the sunset and she was looking for shells and what not. My battery died shortly after these shots, and I had no tripod or mono pod to stabilize my camera. I had a dirty lens and really had even less of a clue how to use my camera. But nevertheless was able to snap it. I have become such the critic of anything that I take, so this was not bad but there is a lot that I don't like about it.



I guess I really can say that I also don't really like the way that it has pulled into this page also. Again still learning about the site and how to use and upload things, so for now that's as good as that one is going to get.

Being that I am still learning how to use this 'blogger' thing, I have hit a road block. Wont let me add anymore pics so being that I have added and worked on this much, I am gunna have to pull the plug here. Hopefully I can get over this part of it, cuz I wanted to push more pics that what I have at this point.

Enjoy....more to come, hopefully

Its been quite some time since my entries for this "blog", so long that my perspective on how to post here have changed. Things that spark my mind and interest may now become points of interest rather than rants and raves.


I now am an extremely awed Father of the most beautiful little girl I have ever layed eyes upon.

So many things have changed for me and I cannot believe it. I sometimes find myself remembering things that have happened, how they happened and then think about if they will ever happen that way again? Most likely not...hopefully they will be better than before. Everyday that I wake in the presence of this little beauty, my life is defined once again in that very moment.



I just finished watching a video on the Internet about the 'Adam Walsh' family. They are now finally able to put to rest the knowledge of the sick person that took their little six year old boy away from them. Its truly amazing that someone possesses the mindset necessary to be capable of this type of evil. It really scares me that society was polluted by this type of person so long ago, and only leaves wonder about what is actually out there today.



About two weeks ago I finalized a bike build that I was looking to do for quite some time. As a young teenager all I could do was bury myself into a world of cycling how to's and how not's. I was always on the lookout for things to improve my abilities at a rapid pace, and touched on them briefly. I have completed building a single speed road bike to beat-up through the winter time so that I may preserve the actual bike for summer time or better weather. Here it is:

My first few rides were a little rough, being as they were at night, in the cold, and am totally way out of shape. The other thing was that I had outfitted the cranks with chainrings from the 'Old Skool' days when they didn't use those sissy gears. So I had a '42 toothed chainring on the front with a '16 tooth cog in the rear. Picked up a "Single Speed Kit" from http://www.bikenashbar.com/ for like 20 beans. Works pretty dog garn good too. Anyway that gear ratio makes it kinda tough for a fat kid...!

Well what actually happened was the cranks (being that they are SO old), the axle started coming out of the bottom bracket cups. The set was from the old skool days when 'Tioga' came out with a Three Piece BMX style crank. So I actually beat them down to get them to line back up one night, cuz I needed to ride and didn't want to tear everything apart.

I have since then taken them off and replaced them with a more up-to-date set of Mtn. Cranks that have a '32 tooth on the front, and that has made things much much easier. For any of those old 'two wheel freakers' out there that may have an interest in meeting up with me for a ride or so. My schedule for riding will be on Wednesday nights through Friday nights around six or so. I will make my way to the park and ride around for a little while (actually till I cannot feel my toes any longer) and then head home. Saturday morning will be a must, but will wait till the weather has a little bit of a chance to warm, if at all. It will be every other week that I am able to include Sunday mornings in for a ride as I may or may not have my little princess with me. All depends on the week that it is.

For anyone that reads this that is an avid or even a here and there mtn biker looking for an inexpensive set of Mtn Bike tires. Look up Nashbar...they have a set of tubeless tires that are 9.99 each. They have an internal tube that is much similar to that of the old Sew-ups from the old skool roadie days. Here they are:

I got two of them since they were so cheap, and got the 1.85" ones, cuz I have this weird love thing for skinny tires. Subconsciously I think that I feel like they are faster or you can put more P.S.I. in them, who knows?



Well that's all for that one...look for a photo session of my little sweetheart in the very near future, maybe even in an hour or so or three once she goes to bed for the night. Here's a parting shot:



My first BMX bike . . . neat (when Schwin was still the BOMB)!

I could not think of anything better to ramble on about this eve, well could have been survivor, but that could have taken forever. So I thought about some things, and came up with a blurt of questions. We all ask them, and we all would like to have answers. Some of them can be answered, some never will and some we just have to wait...even if it ends up being that they have to hit us in the face. Even then we may not know it at the time, but later on we may understand.

Here are a few (at the end I'll state how long it took to come up w/em):



Do we really need DST (daylight savings time)?

Why does it seem like old people are driving like younger drunk people?

Why dont we send criminals to fight in war, instead of underpaid soldiers?

Why does it cost more $ to eat healthy and less to eat unhealthy?(that could be easy)

Do people really need to pull out in front of you just to turn in 100ft.?

Does love last forever, or is it just that at some point you just have no other options?

When taxes are so high, why are all of our roads so shity?

Why is there so much incompetency in society today?

How can locals go to the same bar nightly? Do they get sick of seeing the same people?

Why do people assume that doctors know it all?

Why is single like a disease? Do all people think or assume that when someone is single that there is something wrong with them?

How can mainstream sports be so popular to the norm and most others be frowned upon like you are carazy for participating?

Do rich mens wives really need to drive 50,000 dollar SUV's to drop the kids off?

Does that contribute to the fuel issues in the country?

Why dont people with money turn the lights off in their homes when they cannot possibly occupy every room in their house at once?

Are people really that inconsiderate of others?

How can so many women desire to have such fake bodies?

When people are wrong in life, why do they put so much emphasis on insignificant wrongs that others may do?

How is it that we can have such a strong desire to have an altered state of mind?

Why is it that we are willing to spend so much money to do so?

How can people succumb to someone else's version of a good time and atmosphere?

Is death really all that bad?

Does Hell exist? how about heaven? What do they look like?

Why can't we start off being old and get younger?

Would we have more to look forward to?

Would you have been happy as an Indian?

Would you have survived if you were?

Do you listen to more music than what the radio provides you with?

Have you ever eaten foods that you didn't know the names of?

Do you have secrets that you have never told anyone about?

Do you love someone that is unworthy of it?

Do you love someone that doesn't realize it?

Are relationships really supposed to be that much work?

Why does everyone say that marriage is work?

Shouldn't marriage be easy, maybe it is just that it was the wrong decision?

Do really hot young women really dig older fat nasty men, or is it their money and possessions that are attractive?

Does it really matter if there are real factual answers to any of these questions?

Well that was twenty minutes and that is enough. I am sure that anyone could, well I guess not anyone, go on forever with that. Hopefully that wasn't too much like a rambling complain session. Or it doesn't make me seem angry. If so I would assume ignorance anyhow.

Maybe I can come up with some deeper questions. Maybe a few more specific questions in one area. That would most likely be pointing fingers and making me seem much more angry at certain things, maybe I'll refrain.

I do want to speak of music in the near future. It has been something that has intrigued me for some time. There are so many types and so many differences out there. I guess that is why I am just so boggled that so many people only opt to delve into the things that are immediately accessible to them via the crap radio.

Wildlife and nature are on my list as well. It is just that they are so vastly incredible and amazing. I will get there though...

word!

There are so many different types. There are the ones we lift, the ones we cannot lift, the stress ones, the emotional ones, the financial ones and the most difficult ones - the ones that sit upon your shoulders. I guess that those are also the ones you cannot lift.



The emotional weights can of course be in so many forms. I am guessing that there are good ones and bad. Most likely the good ones could drive us to be better to others, work harder, provide more, etc. The bad ones almost seem as though they can be more restrictive than anything. It's like someone puts the brakes on you. Its always present in everything. No matter how much you push on through it seems to surface at the most inopportune moments. Like having a great day walking around with a youngster that has no comprehension, and you don't show the surprise, but it surfaces in a person you see. Crazy how one can be so easily distracted.

Weights that we lift can be so therapeutic though. They relieve stress, build strenght, not only physically but also rather mentally. Even though we may not walk around and think "hey I lift weights, I am mentally strong!" We may have a bit of a confidence boost in doing such. I know that when I lifted during my military stint due to inactivity from surgeries, I felt like I was more invincible, even though I knew otherwise. But at the same time I watched one soldier who lifted them religiously and his mental attitude changed week by week.

Those dog garn Financial Weights, its amazing how much they affect us without remorse. When you ignore the responsibility of getting them taken care of, they increase on your shoulders exponentially. But as soon as you take and get them out of your hair you feel like a million bucks. Its like a rabid dog chasing you down a dark alley in the hood. If the dog don't get ya, ya almost know that there are tons of other thins out there that are gonna. Once you take care of them, it almost as though you have no worries, but then again, they come back around three weeks later. I guess we just thank whomever we thank for that ability to take care of them and force them bad dogs back to their homes.

The one group of weights that I have never really felt that I have got a grip with are the emotional ones that are created by relationships. When you care for someone there are certain things that you just take for granted. There are things that you tend to never expect, never foresee and would not imagine that would be capable of taking place. Then one day it all happens. Then the weight hits you in the face in the shoulders in the chest, everywhere. Thing about it is that you must wonder what these others that are involved are thinking. Well at least I do. I guess I have always been considerate of what other people are thinking and how they may feel. Weigh all the circumstances and then make your decisions as drastic as they may end up. But one should not come to conclusions before analyzing the facts and looking in the mirror. There have been a few times that things have gone arye (sp) for me and I am still left wondering how some people are capable of the thought processes that possess them so. I guess mine is not to wonder about how they can think this way but to better learn from these occurrences and make better choices in the future so that they happen less frequently. It will always be a learning in progress for now, and I am also guessing that if we knew how people and things were always going to be there would be no point in living. Its just not really much fun when you have to learn some of these things the most difficult way...by experience.

Here is a link (in case anyone should ever read this) that I found to be so incredibly touching, moving, and flooring all at the same time. At one point I found myself in tears at what I saw:



It is another blog, and I am not sure how I came across it, but it was extremely moving.

I started this blog many many months ago. Never actually put anything up here, thinking it would be a waste of my time, and may be. However, so many thing have happened in the recent past, and I thought that sharing may just inform, enlighten, and comfort or assist others in understanding some things about life. Not to say that I may be some form of truth or answer, but maybe to console some others about things that they may be thinking of that they cannot seem to find otherwise comforting in any other place.

I realized a while back that in doing this I may end up exposing some (who may recognize things that associate their situation to the story) to a situation they may not want to confront, but I will only do so with anonymity. So if offended....to bad. I am just full on the B.S. level and don't quite give a damn anymore.

So I was thinking that in initiating this "BLOG", so to speak, I would firstly have to describe myself a bit. Which will require me to actually be honest with myself (for once, or maybe I really am and just don't quite know it yet). In any case, I am really thinking of the rants and raves and daily occurances that run through a mind of experience and logic.

I began reading blogs about a year and a half or so ago. Understanding that most blogs you may encounter here are someone's form of a "Diary" or a complaint session, I never really wanted that to be mine. Although one may not really be able to sit down and blurt through their fingers words without bitches and gripes. I will do my best.

About me: I am just an average dued (sp), trying to get through this life with a path of happiness, moderate success, and the least amount of drama and grief possible. Now we all know that that is not really all that realistic, but it is worth a try. I am of an age that has had the opportunity to run around the block a couple of times and have experienced a couple of things here and there in the interim. Not to say that I know it all, or have seen it all. Never the less, I have seen a bunch.

I experienced the recovery of persons from sincere habits, lower of the lows, and the nothings who came to be something and those who have become something only in their feeble minds. Again not to stand upon a pedestool, just to state that some are much more capable of seeing themselves in a manner in which they exist but to themselves. Afterall we are all small and not as significant as we would all like to think. If we dont show tomorrow, we would be missed for a bit, but not for long after that.

There are so many things that are taken for granted, but they could all dissappear "the day after tomorrow". Those of us who dont realize this are just that "Naive". Does anyone ever realize that Naive spelled backwards is Evian, the water that so many of us purchase on a daily basis. How ironic is it that a company most likely makes millions on the label that just kinda spits it right back in our faces.

So back to who I have become or what I have been leading up till now. Understand I am only going to state a few things here such that I am still protecting myeslf from things that may be fired back in my direction. Militant, I am, ignorant I dont think I classify, ambitious I try to be and to be humble, I search for daily. I dont like the floatation of an ego nor the support of one.

I used to be rather high strung, but a stint of egocentric nobody's kinda cured me of that poison. Realizing that you are a statistic in life really brings you to the realization that you can exist in society without a major focus on your every move. I once read a quote "silence makes no mistakes". I am not too sure how heavy that quote was, but it stuck with my since the day that I read it. The other, which was repeated to me just the other day was "its better to be thought an idiot, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt". That speaks volumes.

Realistically I am just an average human (afterall that is all we are) trying to exist in an ever growing more difficult environment than we can all imagine. If I get nothing more than my own satisfaction out of spending my free time doing this "BLOG" thing then it will be, how should I say....theraputic.

I am sure that I will find myself going from topic to topic and ups and downs frequently...but will do so with as much realism and logic as I am capable. I hope that at least, someone may find this at least desireable at some point.