Creative Endeavors

The Long And The Short Of It.

Tapped Out

Oh, give me a break!

I remember when I turned forty (which was awhile ago) I got to thinking about my life, and where it was. At that juncture in time, I was making roughly twice what my father and my mother were making (combined) when they turned forty. But my buying power was diminished something like five times. So, the “good ole days” are or were, not necessarily that good.

Now days, my money don’t even slow down when it gets to me. I always have more month than money. Not that I am complaining, far from it, I live a good life, despite it all. I am just commenting. This morning I arose from my comfortable bed, washed my hands in hot water, made a pot of coffee and started my day. A lot of folks around the world were not afforded that luxury.

I am doing alright.

Oil Companies took out a full page ad in USA Today and they had the audacity to proclaim to the reading public “that they only make .08 cents on a dollar invested.” Yeah sure, and if frogs had wings, they wouldn’t bump their A** when they hopped. Eight cents on the dollar?

Obscene profits indeed. Had to think on this one.

If they make .08 cents on every dollar, or 8%, then it takes 12.5 cents to make 1 cent. (One divided by .08 cents) So, for every $12.50 dollars they make $1 dollar. Therefore, if they make 40 billion, they must have to make 12.5 times that much to earn the 40 billion. It can be more easily figured by multiplying 40 times 12.5 to get a product of 500. Then add the 9 zeros back on and you will see they have 500 billion (1/2 trillion) invested. Whew!

Please give me a piece of that!  Personally speaking, “put any spin on it you want, I am not buying it.”  Bush recently went to Saudia Arabia “hat in hand” to negotiate for more oil, how sad is that, we are reduced to what is tantamount outright begging.  The crown potentate or head Arab in charge, somewhat amused, said no and then sent him packing. 

Stop buying it, let them EAT IT and see what transpires then.  I am or have been, for a month or two, buying $20 a week and that is it.  Just what I need, now I know a lot of you have to purchase more, and you have my sympathy, but that is all I NEED to get by.

Last week the federal government started sending the stimulus package checks which Bush insists will reactivate the economy. It is not a coincidence they sent the checks last week, just in time to buy presents for Jennas wedding.

Jenna Bush got married this past weekend in a simple ceremony in Crawford Texas. The president walked his daughter to the altar and gave her to the groom while the secret service in the background unveiled a banner that read “Mission accomplished.”

Ahhhh, the splendor of it all, the pagentry … I wonder if Connie got drunk afterwards?

Obammy whats-his-name climbed Bush good yesterday and let him have a little taste of it.  Good for him, someone needs to send this guy a reality check.  He has effectively stopped public opinion under the so-called Patriot Act anyway (no protestors within five miles of him at any time). 

Don’t mess with the Obamma, rumor has it that he is being backed by Oprah.  And we all know how all-powerful she is!  She has people buying books that don’t even read … Don’t mess with Oprah or her protege.

Give me some room to breathe, I am trying to find something amusing in the absurdity of it all, but it is albeit, coming to me very slowly. And it is just not the price of oil setting me off this morning, it is the price of virtually everything (which is basically tied to oil anywho).

The price of everything these days astounds me.

Gasoline is actually cheap, it is just the way or manner in which one would look at it. Or it could possibly be, that everything else is so expensive, it MAKES gasoline appear that way. Here is a list of items that could be purchased by the gallon: This makes one think, and also puts things in perspective to other things we buy.

Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29 — ($10.32 per gallon)
Tube of tooth paste —($4) people that brush their teeth live longer, Madison Avenue.
Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19 — ($9.52 per gallon)
Gatorade 20 oz $1.59 — ($10.17 per gallon)
Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, 12oz. — ($7.46)
Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25 — ($10.00 per gallon)
Brake Fluid 12 oz $3.15 — ($33.60 per gallon)
Box of Cheerios $3.38, Honey-Nuts are more, $4.12
Honey Nuts? I don’t get that at all, kind like Chicken McNuggets, what part of the chicken is that, exactly?
Vick’s Nyquil 6 oz $8.35 — ($178.13 per gallon)
Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 — ($123.20 per gallon)
Whiteout 7 oz $1.39 — ($25.42 per gallon)
Cheap off brand Orange Juice, $4.00 — Minute Made $5.78
Scope 1.5 oz $0.99 — ($84.48 per gallon)
Box of depends, 20, $4.38 (for the bad days)

And this is the REAL KICKER… Evian water 9 oz $1.49 —($21.19 per gallon! $21.19 for WATER and the buyer doesn’t even know the source (Evian spelled backwards is Naive).

Ever wonder why printers are so cheap? So they have you hooked for the ink. Someone calculated the cost of the ink at (you won’t believe it) $5,200.00 a gal.

Five thousand two hundred dollars for ink, unbelievable.  So, if you find yourself at the Root N Scoot this weekend, at the pump filling up, be glad your car doesn’t run on water, Scope, or Whiteout, Pepto Bismol, Nyquil or God forbid, Printer Ink!

There you go! The next time the kids drop by to stick their feet under the table and visit awhile, and that inquisitive baby will ask all the questions, you will have some of the answers.

Stuff like: “Grandpa, has a candy bar always cost $20.00? When did Hillary give dogs the right to vote?”

You will know what to say …

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May 17, 2008 Posted by Don Smith | Recent, blogging, humor, life, nostalga, random, writing | , , | No Comments

GET OUT AND RIDE

May 17, 2008 Posted by Don Smith | Uncategorized | | No Comments

Texas Transplant

Big time open season on 32 bison in Colorado.  A Colorado man, a transplanted Texan, is accused of shooting 32 bison who lumbered onto his Colorado ranch.  He claims that when the bison stormed thru his fence, he had the “right to shoot them” under a hundred year old law on open range.

 

 

His neighbors are pretty opposed to this, and suggested that he take up the Amish style of hunting.  This is where you sneak up on the Bison, and then build a barn around the thing.  More humane, and less noise.  Possibly irritated because the animals killed his trees, ate he is grass, turned his land into a “feedlot,” turned over his Satellite Dish, he did the Texas thing to do …. He shot them. 

 

Which is a good deal, if this had been in Crawford, Texas, the residents there would took a WMD-Chainsaw to the hapless creatures for sure.  Messy, very messy.

 

While we’re at it.  On the subject of Transplanted Texas Tornado’s and Bison. Every time someone hears a tornado, they say it “sounded like a freight train.”  Bull, I used to ride freight trains and it doesn’t sound anything like a freight train.  I suppose in the “olden days” as my grandson refers to them, they said it sounded like a “herd of Buffalo’s or something like that.” 

 

Just thought I would clear up that apparently obvious Bison misnomer.  A tornado more or less sounds like a huge jet aircraft, or a group of jet aircraft.  There isn’t much difference between a tornado and a hurricane.  Both are about the same, only thing for sure is … Someone is going to lose a trailer house, beet yo’ last dollah on that one. 

 

Back to the Bison thang, I digress Y’all (Okie Talk).  The Transplanted Texas Buffalo shooter is now headed for court.  His Colorado neighbors commented “if he didn’t want to live where the buffalo roam, he should have stayed in Texas.”  That is pretty good. 

 

As Mrs. McGee in third period English used to say … “Let us expand on that thought” ….“If you don’t like Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and the American Flag” maybe you should have stayed in Mexico.”

 

Nice blend huh? 

 

Big doins for Cinco De Mayo in Oklahoma City this week.  Boise Idaho just opened up a “Mexican Consulate” in that city.  Don’t you dare laugh or snicker about that.  This is the 49th one to open in the United States!

 

Adios Amigo’s ….. Listen for the whoosh … That distinct sucking sound as your country goes down the tubes.

 

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May 16, 2008 Posted by Don Smith | Recent, humor, life, misc, random | , , , | 2 Comments

The Republican Blame Game

The Shooter (Dick Cheney) was in town recently, it appears that he was also in Tulsa.  Big doin’s on the biscuit & gravy circuit here lately, we have to get our man up on the hill, gimme your money.  He, much like his loopy counter-part are blaming everyone for this mess, except those in charge. Funny when it comes time to face the music, everyone seems to out of town (Washington DC).

The Veep says that the Democrats are responsible for the current round of motor-fuel induced suffering in Gasoline Alley.  Bush was on record recently saying the very same thing, I didn’t do it, it was the Congress.  Now as the fragile fabric of the nation’s underbelly unravels we are getting specific, “it was the Democrats.”

Those dirty-egg sucking dawgs!

So all you consumers of “earl,” the black elixir of the moneyed kings of the world, the power brokers of black gold, can sit back and relax, they have the culprits in their gun sights.  They are going to pounce on them like a mad pit bull at a mailman’s convention. 

Cover me Dubya, I am reloading.

We have isolated the problem according to our illustrious NRA Vice Pres. It is all those Eskimo’s sitting on reserves up north, and these Democrats at home.  He also had the audacity to say that:  “When the history is written, it will be said this is a safer country and more hopeful world because George W. Bush was president.”  I suppose it will, if it written by Biggy Rat & Itchy Brother, check Borders.com in the near future for a hard copy or CD.

He also said before leaving T-Town, the economy was hitting a “rough patch” and that “some in Washington view as an excuse to expand the size and scope of government.”  This from a member of an administration that is currently building bridges and roads, in a country that doesn’t have automobiles. 

Rough patch?  How about monumental-humongous-Pothole … When is someone going to come to the microphone that has something to say besides lies. 

All this contrived shortage is about avarice, greed and personal agendas.

THE RECORD SPEAKS DIFFERENTLY.

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May 16, 2008 Posted by Don Smith | Oklahoma, Recent, blogging, life, politics, random | , , , , | 6 Comments

Your Pop-Ups Are Ready

Now this one is a hoot!  I am downloading some stuff, and it recommends that I drop my pop up blocker in order to complete the process.  Seems reasonable to me, so I drop it.  Then it says I need to reboot after loading this stuff.  

Again, seems reasonable.  I re-boot, the pop off blocker is off, yup, you guessed it.  Here they came like a pack of rabid dogs!  Before it was over, I had “forty-six” ##!##!@!**!! pop-ups on my screen.  “Life is getting up one more time than you’ve been knocked down.”  John Wayne the duke, said that. 

And I thought it was going to be a slow week?

Officials in Lo Prado, Chile, a working-class suburb of Santiago, have begun handing out free Viagra to senior residents.  About 1,500 men are eligible for the program, which will cost about $20,000 per year and will run thru the end of the year.  The mayor said, “An active sexuality improves the overall quality of life.”  Which makes sense to me, and means nothing to Cup Cake (my beloved), I showed her the article and she just growled.

Participants are required to provide a doctor’s certification that states that they are healthy and are able to take the drug.  Other mayors in the Santiago area are planning similar programs.  I called our mayor’s office and inquired about it, they said that they were aware of the problem and already had a new Viagra for women, it was called “Money.”

More South American news.  Lo-Jac for the departed.  A cementary in Santiago, Chile, is offering its clients coffins with a sensor that detect any movement insde after they have been buried.  “We want to be pioneers and avoid catalepsy cases, in which a person gets completely paralyzed for a few hours and ends up buried as if they were dead.  We want families to rest assured that if a case this this every happens, their loved ones will be immediately rescued.” 

I am not making this up 

Isnt’ technology wonderful boys & girls … For a few bucks more, you can insure no one is trying to phone home from six feet down.  This is one reason I requested that my family bury me at least 8 to 10 ft.  So in the end, they can say “Old Don, deep down, was a pretty nice guy.”

No good huh?  Well whadya expect for free.  Chile and South America in general, seem to have a problem with this kind of thing happening.  You can find other related at: 

Tom Cruise has sent his wife, Katie, for a much higher level of Scientology training.  She recently expressed a desire to go to New York without Tom and apparently he wasn’t too happy about it.  So now Katie will be subjected to intensive auditing sessions that sometimes last for as long as 36 hours or more.” 

Maybe he came home and found her jumping on the couch or something?

AT&T …. “Thank you for your business.  We have received your equipment rebate form.  Attached is your rebate in the form of an ATT &T promotion Visa card.  Your card is preloaded with funds ….. Blah, blah, yadda-yadda.”

I asked for a “rebate” I didn’t ask for no ___ card. 

Now here is MY reply in the form of a terse message …… “Kiss the Part of me that goes over the fence last.”  I didn’t ask for a Visa card, I asked for a rebate.  Here is a novel idea.  How about just charging a lower price for the phones, or cutting the consumer a check on the rebate? 

Last I heard, this site was reaching about 100,000 people per day, and now all of them know what lousy business you do, and of course, “I am going to tell everyone I meet, not to do business with you.”  What a bunch of jerks.

Busted some folks in San Diego, 75 of them went to the slammer who were students at San Diego State University (Higher Learning?) and 21 others who happened to be just dropping by I suppose.  Get this.  One of them was working toward a master’s degree in Home-Land Security … A smoker and a toker, he ought to just about fit in.

American Idol is down to just two contestants, which is a break for all us guy’s out there who are required to “give up our remote controls for a period of an hour or more.”  According to some magazines, Ryan Seacrest is said to be unhappy because of the declining ratings of American Idol. He was seen smiling again though, when he heard of the Subway offer of $5 for a foot long.  Randy is dogged about it, Paula and Simon just cannot seem to make up their mind.  Oh well, Boston Legal was good lastnight, but they are taking the character parts and plots too far. 

(Please insert favorite Lawyer joke here … Hi Jack!)

Fox is premiering a new TV show in which wealthy people go undercover in impoverished neighborhoods. Apparently, the show is based on the recent elections. Reflecting hard economic times, fewer of the 18.9 million Latino’s in the U.S. are sending money home to their families.  There goes your $36 billion dollar second-economy boys, tell me, “How’s that working for ya?”  Only half send any kind of stipend home now compared to 73 percent just two years ago.

If we want to stop them at the border, perhaps we just post our recent “economic statistic’s on a sign written in Spanish at popular entry points that would discourage illegal colonization for sure.”  American employers seem to have finally figured it out.  Investing a couple of bucks to keep our workers healthy and happy beats paying for them when they are out and sick.  That is option #1, unfortunately they went for the other … Option #2 …

They discovered that outsourcing their jobs to other countries, works even better.

The corn required to make the 7.6 billion gallons of ethanol that are projected to be produced this year would cover an area the size of Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey and Washington D.C..  I don’t know why, but the vision of Washington D.C. covered with rotting corn, in the hot sun, flies, well, that just kind of appeals to me.

In other related political news. 

In a recent survey, thirty-nine percent of Americans say they’d be uncomfortable with a president first taking office at age 72; sixteen percent, uncomfortable with a woman taking office; and twelve percent, with an African American taking office.

Good luck if you are an old, African American woman.

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  • May 15, 2008 Posted by Don Smith | blogging, humor, life, writing | , , | 8 Comments

    Put It On The Card

    The Iraq war is the first U.S. war that has been financed entirely on credit.  When the war started, the Bush administration said it would cost no more than $60 billion.  (Read My Lips … No New Taxes … Something sound Familiar here?)  At that time (the start of the war) the U.S. was in budget deficit, so the administration had to borrow to finance the invasion.

    About 40% of this money was borrowed from China and other international investors (War is good business, invest your son or daughter), the first time since the Revolutionary War.  At the same time, the administration and Congress did another “stupid thing” they lowered taxes. 

    Which I am not complaining about here, I do hate taxes in any way shape, form or manner.  Hell, it is downright “Un-American” to not hate taxes, everyone knows that.  But going to war on a deficit and borrowing and then lowering the taxes, well that just isn’t the way to do it. 

    Wait, it gets even better, rates go down!  Much to the glee of the Average American the Fed also lowered the prime interest rates, which encouraged Middle Class Americans to go on a consumption binge, that was mainly fueled by credit cards.  Now things are not so rosy, some of these very same people are now living in empty appliance cartons, or under bridges in the greater L.A. Basin. 

    Nearly half the sub prime mortgage loans written in 2005 have ended in foreclosure.  Cleveland has the highest rates in the nation, another thing they will have to live down.  Southwest Airlines just borrowed $600 million to buy jet fuel, things are not going well in River City.  I can no longer afford a visit to Starbucks on Thursday afternoon.

    Just to put this in perspective, the federal government borrows 600 billion each year to make up what they don’t bring in tax revenues.  That doesn’t show up in the deficit as it is easily manipulated.  The difference is in things like the wars that we fund “off budget” that makes it appear the deficit is shrinking …or was … until this year. 

    Last I heard, our government is collecting something like 2 trillion dollars from us in taxes this year.  There are a thousand billon in a trillion, and a thousand million in a billion.  Two trillion has 12 zeroes.  It looks like this:  $2,000,000,000,000.00.  Dog gone, the first thing you know, we will be talking about some REAL money here folks.

    My pet peeve, when GWB’s first budget took effect on Oct. 1, 2001 the national debt stood at 5.806 trillion dollars.  On Friday, the debt stood at 9.364 trillion.  That’s a difference of 3.558 trillion dollars in a little over 6 1/2 years.  Divided the 3.558 by 5.806 and you will see that it is a 61 % increase in the national debt during that time.  Or, put another way, if you divide the 3.558 by the total debt of 9.364 you will find that about 38 cents of EVERY dollar owed by the federal government was borrowed under GWB’s budgets beginning on 10/1/2001.  Not a sustainable financial position. 

    That’s why the dollar is fried and soon only things like gold and silver…..or a beast system currency will be the only thing of value. There is no such thing as a “free war” the United States and the rest of the world will be paying the price of this massive boon-doggle for years, possibly decades, to come.

    It is high time that we figure it out.  It is pretty simple really.  We (The United States of America) are not all powerful and we ought to get used to it.  We are slowly degrading ourselves to the status of a third rate debt ridden country (if we haven’t already) and it is time to step down off our high horse.  It is no longer possible for us to impose our idea of how people ought to govern themselves in a Muslim country, and/or a oil based economy in the Persian Gulf or any other place in the world.

    Establish a bogus Democracy in the sand.

    Adopt and feed an entire country while they sit back and put billions in the bank.

    Stop the Chinese and the Soviets from developing their oil fields.

    Mission Accomplished …. That’s Priceless.

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    May 15, 2008 Posted by Don Smith | Recent, blogging, life, politics, random, writing | , , , , , | No Comments

    Krazy In The Heartland

    Hello and thank you for visiting The Creative Endeavors webpage.

    Please select from the following options menu:

    If you are obsessive-compulsive, press 1 repeatedly.  If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you.

    If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5 and 6.  If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want, stay on the line so we can trace your call.

     

    If this is a complaint, go to our “complaint counslor” … go to Helen Waite.  If this offends you, please leave, it will more than likely just get worse.

    If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be forwarded to the Mother Ship.  If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.  If you are a member of the human race, live on the planet Earth, please press 8.  If you are manic-depressive, it doesn’t matter which number you press, nothing will make you happy anyway.

    Because you are soooooo special, please stay on the line, we will play you some horrific, terribly sappy, I just want to sit in the bathtub and slit my wrists music for you. Please set your dial on sixty-nine.

    If you are dyslexic, press 9696969696969696.  If you are bipolar, please leave a message after the beep or before the beep or after the beep. Please wait for the beep.  If you are holding any Ritlan, my telephone # is …

    If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.
    If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.
    If you have short-term memory loss, press 9.

    If you have low self-esteem issues, please hang up; our operators are too busy to talk with you.  If you are menopausal, put the gun down, hang up, turn on the fan, lie down and cry.  If you have not received your Economic Stimulus Check … Tough.  If you are my Ex-wife, my NEW LAWYER can whip YOUR OLD lawyer.

    IF YOU ARE A REPRESENTATIVE OF A MAJOR OIL COMPANY OR A MEMBER OF THE BUSH ADMINSTRATION … GO SIT UNDER A SICK CAMEL.

    If you are blonde, don’t press any buttons, you’ll just mess it up.
    If you are blonde, don’t press any buttons, you’ll just mess it up.
    Concentrate.  There will be a test later, and you will be lost as usual.

    One last thing … If you were directed to this site, by one of your family or friends? You need to find some new friends. This site is addictive, especially if you are depressed, alone, or sitting on a quarter of a tank. You won’t be crazy forever, but there is a distinct, very strong possibility, an awful good chance, your car will be out of gas in the near future.

    This coming week is National Mental Health Care week.

    You can do your part by remembering to contact at least one unstable person to show you care. If you have trouble locating one, just look around, they’re not all that hard to find.

    My wife is married to one.

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     (I stole the duck from the Local Malcontent ).

    May 14, 2008 Posted by Don Smith | Recent, humor, life, misc, random | , , , , | 7 Comments

    I Have A Problem

    Here is your Presidential Election sound-bite of the day:

    “AMERICAN’S NEED A LEADER,
    I CAN BE THE LEADER THAT AMERICA NEEDS.”

    Says who? Who says the people NEED a leader. Some of us can do just fine without a leader, there are people who can live in modern society and do not NEED to be led around by the nose. Why do we NEED politicians to take care of us? The intensity of the political ads are increasing, and with it, my frustration I guess.

    I have a problem, maybe you can fix this. The Virtual Fence on the border was an absolute dismal failure. I suppose we will go back to plan B now. Remember when Mr. Bush was considering sending our National Guard to protect the southern border of the United States. I guess that would be plan B, but this Administration seems to be visibly barren when it comes to conceiving “good working plans” on just about anything these days.

    So I am not really sure if this is plan B or not.

    That must be something, to serve in Afghanistan or Iraq, then come home, and promptly get shipped down south to defend the border from all the illegals that are trying to enter the country. Why not just bring the troops home for good and let the “law of the jungle apply in the desert” the strong survive and the others, well, see you later.

    Let’s say I break into your house and when you discover me there, you insist that I leave. But I say, “I’ve made all the beds, washed the dishes, did the laundry and swept the floors — things you do not like to do. I’m hard working and honest (except for when I broke into your house).

    Not only must you let me stay, you must add me to your family’s insurance plan, and provide benefits needed for me and my family. My husband will do your yard work – he too is hardworking and honest (except for that breaking in part).

    Try to force me out and my friends will picket your house carrying signs proclaiming my right to be here. It’s only fair. After all, your house is nicer than mine and I’m just trying to better myself. I’m hard working and honest … um, except for … well, you know, (that breaking into your house thing).

    This crap is really starting to get old.

    Parkland Hospital in Dallas is now known for having illegal babies. This is the hospital that they took JFK to when he was assassinated in Dallas in ’66. Now they are allowing illegals to birth there at a record rate, each baby costing the hospital about $6,000.

    Another hospital in near-by Ft. Worth has started denying free treatment if the Mexicans cannot provide proof of “legal status” and of course they are being picketed by Mexican immigration activists.

    But wait! The politicians say, “You cannot deny medical to anyone, go ahead and treat them, we will re-reimburse you at the end of the year.” And they do, you spend a dollar, and govt. gives you back twenty-one cents. What a deal! Lucky you.

    These people seem to think that even tho’ they are here illegally, that they share all the “rights of legal citizens?” And all these other suckers seem to believe that it is okay to get out and protest in their favor, legal or not. How does a race of people, who do not serve a country (militarily), who pay NO taxes, fail to abide by the rules of society, the norm, do not vote, who want a “Spanish” (very much changed) National Anthem think they have rights?

    I was born here, I served a full term in the Armed forces of the U.S., name me one thing that I can “illegally do over and over” and not suffer the consequences? If the I.R.S, doesn’t hear from me, they send someone out to hunt me down and put my *** in jail. If I say in a country that is supposed to support freedom and free speech, I don’t like this Illegal-immigration stuff … I am a called a Racist.

    Contrary to popular opinion there are a few American’s that don’t want to live with free-loaders and will pay more for our vegetables and lettuce if that is what it takes. It boggles the mind, that an invading Army of Mexican Citizens, who will not even bother to learn the official language of the country, or contribute to the general well being of the community, feel they have “rights?”

    Mr. Bush is a joke. Placing the National Guard along the border is a joke. Only thing is, “if it is so funny, how come the rest of us are not laughing?” Why don’t you wanna-be-political-pecker-heads give us some hope. How about something along the lines of …

    “AMERICAN HAS PROBLEMS,
    I THINK I MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIX SOME OF THEM”

    That would certainly fetch my vote in November and I suspect a lot of others too. We now return you to your mailbox and your Economic Stimulus Check and other useless Political Flyers.

    My name is Don Smith, and I approved of this message.

    Sneak into America

    000

    May 13, 2008 Posted by Don Smith | blogging, life, misc, politics, random, writing | , | No Comments

    Sixty Days - Thanks Gang

    Sixty-Days and counting.

    In March of this year, I first arrived at WordPress.com and began to post on this page. This was on or around the 12th of the month, some posts go back to the first, but that is because I post dated them when I put them up.

    Born out of necessity, I was posting over on another site, a highschool alumni site on MyFamily.com but as I am rather prolific the site was often chocked full of my stuff, and no one else was posting, so I brought it over here. During this sixty day period it has been my pleasure to share with you all the quirky things in this world that often drive me to the brink of insanity.

    To open the windows of my life and allow a little fresh air to come into my world. As I call it “blowing the cobwebs” out of my mind. Which at times is often a definte new walk down the path of life. The good and the bad, the real and unreal, a little bit of each can be found within the confines of this webpage/site thing.

    You have been faithful to it, and it has grown, and that is not only refreshing, but at the same time, encouraging. Thank you. It has been my distinct pleasure to sit here and watch all the little red dots appear on the site map and I would be lying if I didn’t admit that it gives me a litle warm fuzzy when it appears at a new location each day.

    I know that sounds kind of strange, but it does.

    Kind of strange when a sixty year old guy gets a charge out of such a small thing. But then again, at my age, it has been so long since I did have a charge, I have forgotten where to hook up the jumper cables! We are now being read in over 26 locations across the Nation, Hawaii, a couple in South America, Iceland, the U.K, Eastern & Western Europe, Asia, Australia, South Africa, Portugal and the list goes on and on.

    This has been sort akin to watching a small baby, stand up and walk for the first time, an interesting and rewarding journey. Most everyone has been congenial and I have not had to delete or censor all that many comments up and until today. That is nice, I again thank you for not hammering my dumb butt into the ground when I occassionally step over some invisbile line.

    You have been most gracious.

    I want to thank my Brother John in Western PA. who has been an immense help during this start up period, for teaching me the nuiances of computerland, and helping me to learn geek-speak and all the other associated terms that are often necessary for all this to come together. Kudo’s to Art out in the shakey-side of Nevada, and Trish down in the swamps of Louisanna … Hey, that kind of ryhmes, we might have a post right there.

    My coffee consumption is up considerably, had to buy an egg timer just to remind me to get up and get away from the keyboard every now and then. This could possibly be an addiction on my part, I don’t know. Recently I came across a good page “DisIsMyPlace” and she had a piece in there that kind of hits close to the house on some of the nuts and bolts details of this bloggin’ thing. The article can be found there at DisIsMyPlace the name of the article is mental constipation. A good read, and it just about covers it, how doing this daily can be rather addicting at times.

    Like I have said, “it has been a trip.” Finding myself in here for hours, tweaking this and that, trying to get it to come together and be the best it can be. If it isn’t, then it is not worth doing. It has been a rewading experience, learned a lot of new stuff starting from scratch and all, and I have picked up some very appreciative, warm, understanding web friends along the way.

    Like the old trapper in the movie Jerimiah Johnson said ….. “You come a long way pilgrim, were it worth the trip?” and Bob Redford smiles and says, “Trip? Eh, what trip?”

    In sixty days there have been close to 1,500 people come and visit this site. This to me is absolutely incredible, when you stop to figure I didn’t know one solitary soul in the neighborhood when I first started out. As I am a novice, I don’t know for sure if those numbers are good or not, but I would like to think they are.

    A few statistic’s and then I am outta here. 105 hits or as I call them “visitors” on the best day, which was on April 6th. Moses Dies the death of Charleston Heston, English Class a nostalgic look back at high school, and the title page post, a whimsical somewhat light-hearted piece, about invisible deoderant and not wanting to get out of bed in the morning LOOKING THRU THE KEY HOLE .

    Well, it was a slow day, what can I say?

    It might pay to note here, that on the busiest day we ever had, we only received “2″ comments. So don’t put a lot of stock in “hits” they are not all that important. People come to read, browse the material and then they are off to the next guy. Creative Endeavors put out 154 posts during this time, 17 catagories, 103 tags, and a total of 54 comments. Which might prove that “hits” are not where it is at, “content” is the key.

    We have been pinged so many times … My ears are ringing!

    Having no real idea as to where all this is going in the future is anyone’s guess. We will just sit back and watch it unfold, and then comment on it. I will be prepared, after all, “It wasn’t raining when Noah started building the Ark.” Our mission is to provide good information, humor, a lift up and a smile down the road.

    If we can hit any one of them, then I figure we were right on the money.

    Thanks again Gang … You have been swell.

    Don Smith

    May 13, 2008 Posted by Don Smith | Recent, blogging, humor, life, random, writing | , , , | 6 Comments

    Before You Go

    May 11, 2008 Posted by Don Smith | Recent, blogging, life, nostalga, random | , , | 6 Comments