I suck....

Things have been crazy busy and I haven't had much of a chance to write anything.... I'll try to get better but I wouldn't hold your breath for too long... this might be a long year ahead....

Summer 2008 Pictoral Reveiw

Seems as if this summer flew by ~
here are some pictures of us and some of the things we did this summer:

Geek on the loose

Ok so I read this board every day.... the topic is about something very lighthearted/happy (nothing deep) and I read it for ideas, a laugh, cause I'm bored... who knows. Today one of the posts asked what everyone thought about lowering the drinking age. Now I rarely comment on this board but I after the few responses that had been made thought I chime in mine (an educated perhaps devils advocate type viewpoint).

This was my initial post:

This topic seems to come up more often lately... and there are strong viewpoints on either side.

IMO it doesn't seem to matter how old you are if you want it there are good chances you are going to get it legally or illegally. In many other countries the age is lower than in the US and they also don't have as many issues with DUIs etc... (unsure if it is because of tougher rules or because the issue is taken more seriously or if it is the culture and their views on).

I must say I also agree that if someone can serve our country and put their life on the line on a daily basis they probably should be able to legally drink if they choose to. I also think if you are viewed to be responsible enough to vote you should be able to drink legally if you choose to.

A couple more people chimed in... I just kind of shook my head and thought whatever but then someone wrote they chose the age of 21 because your brain isn't fully developed until your 21 and that's why the law is 21 and a few other things that were a bit unsupported or untrue perhaps.

So you know me geek to the core on a mission to at least get people to think and perhaps try to educate them I posted this...

Wow kind of a deep topic I guess...

Drinking age not increased to 21 due to brain function/development. States changed the drinking laws in 1984 so they would not lose money from the Federal Highway Aid Act. The push was from a few well funded special interest groups. The law actually prohibits the purchase and public possession of alcohol but it does not prohibit persons under 21 from drinking. If you read the law public possession does not apply to possession if it is for a religious reason (if you are with parent/spouse/guardian over 21), medical reasons, or in private clubs or establishments. Therefore it is legal for someone under the age of 21 to drink in the privacy of their home ~ it is illegal for who ever purchased it to provide to them knowingly, it is illegal for them to drive intoxicated, and if they were out in public they could be charged with public intox or disorderly conduct but it was legal for them to drink (legal loopholes and oddities). I'll stop boring everyone with my mini history/legal lesson now but for fellow geeks like me or for people who would like to read more here are some good sources of info regarding drinking ages/laws/history:

http://en.wikipe
dia.org/wiki/Legal_drinking_age
http://www2
.potsdam.edu/hansondj/LegalDrinkingAge.html

http://inst.sfcc.edu/~hfl/speech/drinkage.htm


I am sure there are more out there but these are unbiased or give both sides of story.

Thru my line of work I have noted the majority of drunk drivers are legal to drink and people who should know better (because they are old enough to know better or are repeat offenders). After spending a day in court listening to drunk driving cases I have realized it is all a big joke and not taken too seriously (at least by that judge and those defenders). I know there are many officers out there who pull over drunk drivers and charge them appropriately but there are others that do stop them but don't charge them due to all the paperwork and BS it involves... they merely have them call for a ride or get them a cab.

I have held the hand of someone dying due to injuries sustained in a drunk driving incident, I have had to explain to family members that their loved one will never be the same due to a incident with alcohol, and I have prepared and cleaned the bodies of people killed in alcohol related incidents. Do I drink, yes, do I drive after drinking, no. I think education, change in attitude, and enforcement of laws drunk driving laws is what is needed not higher drinking ages. Educating people about responsible drinking (which would included not driving), changing people's attitudes about binge drinking/the dangers of drinking/etc..., enforcing the drunk driving laws and making it a serious matter.

Ok I've went on much longer than I intended... everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that... as with anything I would hope that before forming that opinion you take a moment to search out unbiased information on both sides and weigh that information for yourself.

So I highly doubt half the people will read my post and I am sure there will be a few who won't want to read or be further educated or just plain don't get or want to get the facts. But damn it all it made me feel better :)

Hmmm now as far as being welcome on that lighthearted board any more ummm well all I can say is I didn't bring the subject up... lol nah I don't think I'll get kicked off... well I hope...

First Shopping Link

Another first... added my first link off to the side (shopping link ~ I know me a shopper what a shocker ;) ). So if you haven't checked out Etsy do ~ it's great. Ebay for crafts... and we aren't talking shit here... there's some really nice/quality stuff at great prices.

Enjoy :)

A few more firsts

Just added the first blog link to my blog list and made a few comments... big day in the blogging world.

LOL directions what are those?

Chain saw massacre

Came home this am after a tiring weekend at work and the tree men where in my drive... they were suppose to be here tomorrow (it was part of the deal with my dad and part of the contract between my dad and the company). The dude was probably like what a bitch when I asked if he was sure he was there on the right day and he offered to come back but I was like WTF go ahead. I called my dad and he came over so that he could deal with any BS that might arise. I sat with him and watched for a bit until I thought I might pass out from being exhausted and then I went to bed. Just passed out and didn't even hear the chipper, chain saws, or anything. Woke up and everything all gone... looks different but better... now I just have to figure out what to put in their place.

Ancient Chinese Secret

Totally ran across this link and thought it was fun and that I would share. I tested it out for me, my brother, and Jackson and it was all right. Says it is 90% plus accurate so if you are trying to guess the sex of a baby, want to birth a certain gender of baby, or just are a geek like me and want to test it out here go....

http://www.thenestbaby.com/calculators/ChineseGenderChart.aspx