almost...

almost went to the Art College that would have cost me $80k plus interest    i was ready   wanted to go sooo badly   but the closer it got to going, the more i worried about the money    so, i didn't    i would havve been in school today if i had decided to go there   since then i got a good recommendation on UNM    so there i was today at an advisor's office getting the scoop on classes i need   so i'm applying for the Spring '08 term   if i get in, i'm taking a history course i need   basic requirement   if i pass, i'll pursue the degree   if not, i'll just take photography courses    but i'm having faith   belief in myself that all will go well   one class at a time   one step at a time    i'll keep you posted once january rolls around .....in the meantime, i'm waiting on my bike from the shop again    it's little stuff that keeps needing to be done    i'll be happy once i can buy a new one which i hope is this time next year or the following spring at the latest    Life is still good, a bowl of strawberries!

Vick

just a short entry    i want to make a short comment on Vick, the dog fighter    now 18months seems to be a short time for his involvement  in the dog fighting    i've been outraged ever since the story broke   i was just reading the probable fate of the remaining 53dogs that were seized from his property   yep they'll probably be euthanized   i'm outraged for these dogs and the ones that lost their lives  my heart cries for them  just the whole scheme of things   what wonderful dogs pits can be only for those like Vick who use them for dog fighting    it's not good in any way for the pit bulls   the euthanism hurts but that's probably the best for these particular dogs   i can't imagine how they could be good pets at this point, but God only knows    18months is too short of prison time for Vick    let's hope he gets the maximum    the cruelty of some people is too  much.....

just a tire change...

ok, so i wanna change my tire    my left rear tire has a slow leak   well i thought, now would be a good time ot change my own tire just to see if i remember correctly how to do it    simple    i thought   an hour or less i'll be done....so.....i go unload the jack    easy   it's a hydraulic jack   got it down   found my key for the locking nut   easy, no problem removing it    grab my crowbar   it don't work   none of the sockets work on this wheel    ok, so i've never really actually done this before, so maybe i'm not using it correctly    so i look up "Tino at church   nope it doesn't fit he tells me    ok back to 4 Wheel Parts where i bought the wheels and tires   need a different socket   bought that    go back to church   Tino & I get all but one lugg nut off   it won't budge   and the others came off after we found a pipe to use as leverage    ok back to 4 Wheel Parts with a quick run to my apartment    well it wasn't quick and Tino was right    you don't drive on 4 luggz    back at the shop, they don't get enough parts   waiting for more parts   then we don't get the right stud   waiting while they hunt for that part   Hours later and one new T-shirt (JEEP), all the parts arrive and i'm outta there late for work 2hrs....all i wanted to do was change the tire   simple?   not anymore    so my lessons for today    1. don't change the tires on this Jeep   the nuts are screwed tooooo tight by an air gun, not anyone, man or woman, can get them off    2.   let the men do the tire changing    too much muscle needed    plus they're the ones who put the nuts on too tight to begin with   3.   do not fill in for someone at work again    this is the second time this has happened,   the first time, my bike broke down on the day i was fillin in for someone     i'm signning up for auto club again and let them handle it     simple job isn't simple anymore.....now back to my Black Opal wine....Nice!

another road trip

Fort Sumner.    this was my road trip yesterday   didn't know i was going until i was on my bike headed to meet a friend for coffee before church    it was such a beautiful day   the weather has cooled much since my last entry, thank goodness    so instead of going to church, i headed out to Ft Sumner   the famous place where Billy the Kid was shot, killed and buried    it's also was a famous fort during the times when they were rounding up Native Americans way back when....anyways, i took the interstate most the way for that road experience    then south on hwy 84 to the town   stopped in a museum which had all kinds of old relics including some nice old cars   but it also had some of Billy's stuff hanging in there like his guns and his chaps   those chaps looked awfully heavy    anyways, then it was off around the bend to the gravesite    the site is all covered in bars    apparently his tombstone had been stolen a couple times and as recently as 1981    he's buried there with two of his friends   Billy's tombstone has another shackle on top of it besides the bars all three are incased    there was another museum but i passed on that    then i went around the corner to the original Ft Sumner & Bosque Redondo Monument but didn't go in there either   wasn't sure the place was open    there was a modern building there and in the way back a very small fracture of the original fort    i was hungry for some grub for i hadn't eaten all day, so i moved on from there    i took hwy 60 back to albq for awhile anyways    found a turkey sandwich in Vaughn in one of the dirtiest places i've ever been    but it was something to eat anyways    then in lieu of continuing hwy 60, i headed north on hwy 285 to stop at Clines Corner for some sunglasses    i was kicking myself in the ass for forgetting mine    due west, late in the afternoon, the sun was directly in my eyes    and even after i bought sunglasses, the sun was pretty damn bright   that's its intensity here during the summer but i still love it.....the ride to & fro was boring at times    just straight flat desert for awhile and hot    not like going thru the Jemez mountains where you have shade and curves to ride through   but i still enjoyed the ride    only my shoulders are a little sore    will get a massage soon, in the meantime i've got Tiger Balm on it which is Wonderful!    anyways, that's about it for now    not much happening    just working,  hiking and relaxing....until another time.... 

freakin' Hot!!!

it's freakin Hot here   back up to 100degree weather again   its' drivin' me and everyone else crazy   and we ain't in Phoenix where i know it's hotter than hell there    goodness, hurry up mid-August for it always starts to cool off a bit then   if nothin' else that fall wind blows in to stay keepin it coolin than now....went for a bike trip the other day   through the Jemez Mtns onto Bandalier Nati'l Park    it was a blast   had my white leather jacket on which was alright except riding at 30mph or less   i had worn short sleeve shirt under theh jacket only for my arms to sweat up a storm    so i bought a long sleeve t-shirt to absorb that    it was nice and cool in the Jemez    need to go back there and cool off some more....

 THE ATHEIST AND THE MARINE
( God - this doesn't get any better)
A United States Marine was attending some college courses between
assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

  One of the courses had a professor who was a vowed atheist and a
member of the ACLU.
One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to
the ceiling and flatly stated, "God, if you are real, then I want you
to knock me off this platform. I'll give you
exactly 15 minutes."
The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes
went by and the professor proclaimed, "Here I am God. I'm still
waiting." It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine
got out of his Chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him;
knocking him off the plat form. The professor was out cold.

  The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other
students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence.


The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the
Marine and asked, "What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you
do that?" The Marine calmly replied, "God was too busy today
protecting America 's soldiers who are protecting your right to say
stupid stuff and act like a ass. So, He sent me."


(thank my sister who sent me this via email...)
________________________________

back 2 iraq

he left this mornin'    i had to wake at some ungodly hour of 3:30a.m. only to sit and wait on his but to get home from being out all night    his flight was originally due to leave @ 6:05a.m. but got delayed an hour   the above pics were taken this morn at 4:30a.m.   she's a new girlfriend   but i'll wait and see how long this lasts   he's headed back 2 iraq where his now ex girlfriend is (they broke up while he was here at home)   so anyways, he has too many girlfriends for me to keep up with   not that he has that many and i don't think he considers them all his "girlfriend"   but it seems to me anyways he can't be without a girlfriend for too long   doesn't matter   as long as he's happy   he'll figure out when to "settle" down    i told him to be single for awhile   sometimes he gets anxious to get married and have kids   he's only 21 and there's plenty of time for tying the knot later    anyways, he took off with some of my music again   at least 3 cds and of course they were my favorites   i think he thinks that what is mine, it is his as well    i'll kick his ass later, but right now he's headed back to Iraq and i can forgive him   not going to get too upset about the cds and whatever else he might have taken off with   he's a good kid and has grown up a lot since being in the army   even his buddy Gerard noticed    so now i just keep him in my prayers until he gets back to Hawaii in October    he shared a few things with me that's he's done in Iraq    he's ok with it all, so i'm ok with it    for now i'll miss him, but it sure is nice to have my place to myself again....and he wants to come home and live with me for awhile    should be interesting......