It's been awhile...

...but I'm still kickin'.

Ain't much more than that, really. But I guess I'll toss a bit of an update into the aether and see what's for, and what not.

I've a pair of degrees now, an Associates of Arts in Criminal Justice and a Bachelors of Science in Applied Psychology, and they handle themselves well enough. We'll see, in the long run, whether they add enough to my personal and professional happiness to make up for the cost. But, so far, so good.

I've been working in human services, initially as a Qualified Mental Health Associate, which means that I signed a lot of stuff with BSQMHA behind my name and somehow that added more weight to it. The work was satisfying, but I wasn't too impressed by the bureaucratic nonsense that managed the place.

However, I'm currently working for a legal services non-profit and it's been a lot more stable, satisfying, and with good folk.

I think that's the key part about my still being alive and kicking, it's that things are still interesting and challenging. A life lived is a good life, so to speak.

Anyhow, I'm sure some more rambling nonsense is bound to appear here, as time goes on...

It's hard to roll with the punches...

...which, I guess, is a sign that it's the right thing to do, as anything worth doing or having ain't easy. But, it really is hard, sometimes.

I tend to use the phrase, "It's all good," as a personal mantra of sorts, mainly with respect to things that I can't change and just have to weather. It's not that I don't care, but I've grown tired of tilting at windmills that don't matter for much. Sure, I'll still drop my lance and change on, sometimes without reason, at the windmills that do matter, such as individual freedom over corporate conglomeration, but those are things that could be changed by the voices of many. Stuff like when my next paycheck comes or how tight money will be until then, well that doesn't matter.

It sucks, though, as sometimes I find it real, real hard to roll with the punches and I'd like nothing better than to just say, "Screw it," and just have a Falling Down moment...but, I'm not there right now. Heck, I doubt I'll ever be, as I've seen the bottom and I ain't anywhere near it. Sure, it's lonely right now. Sure, it's fiscally hard right now, but I'm healthy, busy, and enjoying most everything else in life.

It could be a lot worse, a lot more dire, so I guess it's really all good.

We need some form of Healthcare reform, period...

If you're of the opinion that the current system of health care and medical insurance, within the United States of America, is acceptable and needs no form of reform, regulation, or change and that nothing said on the subject will change your mind, then this post is not for you and you just need to move right on by it. Also, anyone who feels that the current system is perfectly fine and acceptable, total fair and has no issues, I feel that those folks need some help, because our system is broken and needs to be fixed.

Fair access to health care, at reasonable prices, and without unreasonable restrictions placed upon it, is a right and not a privilege. People should not die, in the United States of America, because they could not afford basic medical care and treatment. People should not have to choose between putting food on the table and having treatment for medical issues. Health care should not focus more on prolonged treatment than cures and they should not be about excessive profit. In fact, running health care as a not-for-profit industry would be an excellent change from the current system.

As it currently stands there are plenty of people who either do not have health care, have over priced health care, or are denied treatment under health care and are fully employed people.

That's insane.

We're also a nation who is reportedly one of the most advanced nations to have ever existed on this planet, yet plenty of our allies are ahead of us in health care on all qualifiers and not just social ones.

Again, that's insane.

Reform would be better than government regulation. Government regulation would be better than government ran. Another that improves the situation would be better than doing nothing. Any improvement, at all, is better than doing nothing and letting folks suffer.

Adding into the options for folks, making pricing easy for folks, all while doctors and nurses make healthy wages and hospitals focus on treatment and curing, instead of guarding profit, would be an excellent change.

Civil discourse, honest debate, and a desire on all sides to enact change and bring fairness to health care would be the best of all.

Please, people, think and keep in mind that we're suppose to be a nation of We the People, not We the Corporations, and that what is best for most of us is best for all of us. I don't care of it is privatized reform, government regulation, or government ran, but we need some change in the health care insurance industry and we need it now.

Why do we try so hard?

What is it about the human desire for companionship that causes us to try too hard, too much, in such a way that demeans not only ourselves, but those whose attention we wish to attract? Would any love we found in such a way truly be worth it? Also, what does it say about the worth of that love, if it came from a debased source?

Perhaps it started out with the romance game shows of the previous decades, but whatever good intent was in those types of shows has devolved into a freak show where people and their emotions are the playthings of editors and producers who seemingly could care less about someone finding love, so long as they get good ratings. Is it worth it? Is whatever fleeting attraction, as well as the destruction that often comes with it, worth it?

Maybe that's my problem, with respect to relationships, in that I expect and give respect, thus I don't throw myself out there in the same way others do.

Is that what we have to do in order to find someone? Are we expected to totally reject our own self-worth, as well as find someone who is rejec their own, just to then have to re-build ourselves together, hoping it doesn't self-destruct, either?

Who knows, I know that I don't, but I also know that services like eHarmony, Match, and so forth have agendas of their own that are not in the direct and best interests of their clients. Plus, to be quite honest, their process doesn't seem to be about honest, but a new version of saying what someone wants to hear.

Anyhow, enough blathering, it's borderline Emo and I'd prefer to avoid that. ;)

Laters.

Self Realization Statement

I am not a pervert, however I am a letch and I am quite okay with this fact of life. While I enjoy looking at lovely ladies and letting them know that I find them attractive, I do understand civility and limitations, thus I am quite respectful, even if a bit coarse.

Personally, I do not see anything wrong with letting a lovely lady know that she is lovely, however I do see something wrong with turning women into objects, as it makes it easier to ignore them if they say "no." Thus, I am a letch, not a rapist. I will flirt with a lady, comment within reason, which is directly dependant with the comfort level between myself and the lady.

It is really that simple, guys, and there is not need to say a woman is a lesbian just because she rejects you, since by that logic any guy who rejects a woman would be gay. Seriously, it is quite acceptable to know that she is just not into you, just like you are not into her, so do not be a dick about it and mess things up for the rest of us.

Pax vobiscum.

WTF?!?! - Where's Matt LeBlanc been?

It's been almost three years since Joey went poof, admist the whole wife/divorce/dating co-star stuff, and Matt LeBlanc has been nowhere that I can think of - WTF?!?!

How can someone go from being that huge, that over the top famous and then, suddenly, just disappear. Him and Andrea Anders are still reported together, with her getting her own show, but is he seriously so over that she is now more bankable?

Damn, weird stuff, in television land.

I hate Jack Shephard...

...seriously.

I've hated Jack, pretty much, since the first episode of Lost for reason that are more guttural than cerebral and I still hate him. I enjoy the actor, Matthew Fox, in previous works, but the character of Dr. Jack Shephard is someone that I don't like, almost without question.

While Jack might have some strong points, I just don't like the guy and I feel he's an ass that irks me more often than naught. If Lost were D&D then Jack Shephard would be a Paladin, but instead of using a realistic version of Lawful Good he'd be using the stereotypical model of Lawful Stupid. You know the type who is judgmental beyond reason, causing interparty strife, because they're not getting their way, and are generally annoying jerkwards.

That's Jack Shephard and I wish the black smoke would give him a colonoscopy, without any warning, lubrication, or spooning.

Maybe it's that I like Sawyer and Jack is a pain in the butt to him, maybe it's because I like Kate and feel that Jack belittles her a lot, maybe it's because I like Kate and Sawyer together, but I really hate Jack. Jack listens to folks until the folks have a different opinion of him, then suddenly they're persona non gratis and he downs them and fights them tooth and nail.

Sure, that might be admirable, except that Jack is wrong so much of the time that someone should just slap the crap out of him, tell him that he should only worry about being a doctor and that's it. Hell, maybe they should have killed him off, first episode, like they said they were gonna do....damn writers, the one time they have an idea I like, they don't do it.

So, in closing, frak jack, jack sucks.

Pax.