Just a taking a few moments to dispel any rumours of my demise, defection or defenestration.

I've been under the weather again, maxed out in my day job and all that, but here lately, most of my energy has been getting ready for my daughter's High School Graduation.

How pleasant it is for a father to sit at his child's board.  It is like an aged man reclining under the shadow of an oak which he has planted.  ~Walter Scott

Yes, tomorrow afternoon my youngest child Kayla, whose writing has been showcased here, will graduate.

It's is a huge moment for her, no doubt, but it is also a signal of a change in my life as well.  We, as parents, devote a lot of time and energy into our children's lives, and the end of High School is one of the significant way points.

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.  ~Elizabeth Stone

For some of us, the child heads off to some college far away, proving that the money drain may not be over after all.  In my case, she plans to work and attend Jr College locally so no education loans for me.  She will keep her room, and still be here, at least for a while.

But still, the feeling of evolution and change is unmistakable.  A few weeks after graduation she turns 18 and another way point is reached, whereby the girl whom we have been treating as a young adult is truly an adult.

We parents dread this day even as we anticipate it.

The day signals the beginning of independence, and an end of dependency.  We enjoy that because we long for the freedom to reclaim our own lives somewhat, but at the same time, we long for the little child we raised.  Parents may be tired of that dependency by the time the child turns adult, but at the same time, we take from it as well, it is interdependent.

Apologies for being so quiet this weekend.

After I wrote the Patriots day blog, I was just tired.

Too tired to contend with the back and forth gutter fight of the democrats.

Too tired to deal with Al gore and his musical hypocrisy.

Too tired to deal with the price of oil, Earth day and the entire environmental movement.

Some days this job becomes rather draining.  There is so much negativity and bitterness, so much venom and vitriol and so much partisan hatred that you almost want to shuck it all, and take up paper mache jewelry.

Almost.

Sunday I rested, and  Monday I focused on my day job, as Monday's often demand.  And today I was treated to this story, which served to piss me off.   That was shortly followed by a round of "Bush is stupid" on a Christian Discussion list, a round of Hillary and her promise to Obliterate Iran if they attack Israel on another discussion list, and a few other like stories.  So I was ready to jump in.

But the kicker was an email, the story of a friend named Paul who has been facing despair and unemployment for about a year, which was followed by a stint of homelessness, the feeling of misery that comes from realizing your children are the real happiness in your life, coupled with the feeling that you are a failure to them.

Paul was close to meltdown as he put it, but somehow managed to overcome it and was hired today at a job that offers him the chance to rebuild his life, his self esteem and his faith in himself.

In short, my feelings of weariness form work, life and blogging are pure bullshit.  I have a decent apartment, a good paying job, wonder family and friends and I get to blog anytime I want, something I really like.  Heck, I blog in not one but 5 places now, and I feel good about the impact it has had. 

I sat up with my kids tonight, waiting for the glory and spectacle of the fire works show in Seattle, what we fondly call "blowing up the Space Needle."

It started on time, then abruptly quit.  "We're sorry, we seem to be having technical difficulties..."

Oops.  Seattle ended the year on a disappointing fizzle.  As my Daughter noted "..and they had Star Wars music playing, too!"

Undeterred we set off a few dozen of the little confetti poppers and the kids went their merry way with their faux champagne (Sparkling cider).

The old year was nice, Bizarre, even.  I reflected to myself, and had no less then several dozen weird and amazing events.  Too many to detail, maybe another day.

But looking ahead...ah...I see great things happening.  A presidential election that so far promises to break all the molds.  I seriously cannot wait to blog it. 

Likewise, I look forward to my continued efforts, futile as they seems sometimes, to thwart the Global Warming lies by posting all the truth and science I can. 

Immigration will surely continue to be a huge issue, as will terrorism, the war and so much more, all dovetailed into the presidential election theatre.

The local election theatre promises to be feisty as well, as Dino Rossi preps for a rematch to his stolen victory in 2004.

And then there is Hollywierd.  Britney may have imploded and become old news, but now her sister is entering the fray. And I cannot believe that Paris will lose her fortune without some headlines.  What of Lindsey, will she clean up, or burn out?  Will Rosie return with her conspiracy theories intact?

Film at 11...and so much more.

On a personal note, I am going to be dieting, practicing guitar more and preparing to redesign my blog.

Oh Joy...I hate web design, but the new software has some features my present design cannot use.  NW Bloggers will get a face lift, and I hope, a rebirth.

My main blogging computer is in a slow bleed situation, and I expect it to crash completely soon.  I can't complain, I have had it for 5 years, and more then gotten my money's worth.

That, of course, is severely curtailing my blogging time, so if stories are bit less frequent, well you know why.

As soon as I get a new machine, or get this one fixed, I will be back to my normal rate posting.

Thanks for understanding.

LSU

Enjoy today with your family and friends.   See you on Friday.

Till next time, here is Johnny Cash.

Deciding what to blog sometimes is just as hard as writing it.  There are too many viable topics.

Al Gore always makes for interesting commentary, but even I can only call him a parasite so many times before the point gets old.

Parasite!

Sorry I had to, I guess I had one more in me.

I parse a lot of sites for stories.  SisterToldjah.com, MichelleMalkin.com, Hotair.com, StopTheACLU.com and most importantly Memeorandum.com all provide excellent information to stories on a broad range of topics, while EffWa.org and Soundpolitics.com offer great local coverage.

Of course the left provides its own entertainment.  HuffPo, DailyKos.com and Wonkette.com have a great time proving their unhinged nature on a national level, while Horsesass.net and blatherwatch.com provide the entertainment locally. 

Sometimes I post a series of links, or headlines and a bit of commentary.  Sometimes a reference to a topic and detailed commentary.

Sometimes I post videos or cartoons to break the pace and relax.

Sometimes I just think and write how things make me feel, and post the petulant whiney results (like this one).

Blogging provides a lot of things for me.  Stress relief, chance to poke the nose of big events in the world, and a chance to have my voice be heard and make an impact.

And it's fun.

But sometimes it feels futile.  The events keep rolling right over me sometimes, and it almost feel hopeless.

How can one b-list blogger make a difference.

And yet...I get a lot of feedback from people thanking me for trying, for doing things like keeping the Global Warming Swindle alive so the information continues to flow.

To be clear, I don't keep posting all the anti-alarmist information for no reason, I do it because the other side of the story matters, and we cannot make informed choices without full information.  And when the media and the traditional outlets will not provide complete unbiased information, how can I not, even if my sphere of influence is limited?

Thanks for all the kind comments and emails.  I feel much better.

What started off as some weird kind of bug or virus, ended up as a nail biter at my doctor's office.

I started off Monday feeling generally 'OK' but not great.  That deteriorated rapid until i was wracked with cold sweats and body aches. A bout the time headaches and dizziness started, I left work.

On the way home on the advice of a friend whom was concerned about some of the secondary symptoms, I stopped and checked my blood pressure.

157 over 104

Not too good.  I waited a bit and rechecked it and after four such attempts it slowly went down to 149 over 96.

I called my doctor and made an appointment for Tuesday afternoon.  Then I went home, warned the family I needed rest and quiet and proceeded to lay down most of the rest of the day.  The headaches faded and I felt OK that evening, but just barely OK.

I went to my doctors on Tuesday and my blood pressure was 140 over 94 and 136 over 90 the two times they checked me.  Not scary high, but scary enough.  On the borderline of Hypertension.

Sigh.  I have been dodging the bullet on this for a few years now, so this is hardly a shock.

In the past, oh 10 years, from 35-45, I have had to deal with possible sleep apnea, acid reflux disease, cautions about hypertension, weight issues, a bad back (the result of too many years as a mechanic), tinnitus (ringing in the ears also a result of being a mechanic), asthma that came and went, allergies that have happily subsided a bit, an ankle injury in 1997 that resulted in major surgery 10 years later, TMJ issues and way too much grey hair. Oh.  And cholesterol.  There I really hit a home run, letting my cholesterol peak at over 300 before getting it under control and wrestling it down to 199.

I need to take a few days and rest up from some health related issues.

Be back soon.

Despite an impressive effort to make it through basic, his physical injuries have taken their toll, and my son Kris expects to be medically discharged.

He also is unsure of the physical problems are permanent, so healing at home and trying again may not be an option.

We, his friends and family love him and are incredibly proud of the effort he has made to do everything within his power to serve his country.

As a dad, nothing he has ever done has made me more proud.

My son has a gift, a spirit that refuses to lose and insists on success. He will bounce back from this.

But the big news....he wont leave the Navy empty handed.

He got MARRIED last weekend.

Surprise! He gets to go from being a Machinists-mate to being a Machinists-mate's Mate. His bride Stephanie is also Navy.

So this Friday has been pretty wild. I am happy for him, and can't wait to meet my new daughter in law.

And I again thank all of you for sharing in my son's endeavors.

I should have mentioned that I am on vacation this week, and celebrating my birthday early as well. (I'll show pictures of my presents later)

While I wasn't able to make a fun trip like last year, this year is still a chance to unwind and recharge, which is what vacation is all about.

While I am sunning myself under these grey cloudy Washington skies, I am reading a lot, and making plans for the direction of my blog.

I want to add a book review semi weekly, some in depth commentary on the 2008 election madness and a regular Global Warming update with the Idiot of the Week award.

I want to continue the cartoon roundups, and I certainly do not plan to ignore the War on terror.  You did know the surge is working didn't you?

I also want to try and make some commentary on the local radio shows, and other local news.

And finally, I am going to revisit some local stories and try my hand at interviews and maybe even a podcast.

My blog has always been a work in progress, and this week offers a new chance to improve it.  Feel free to drop suggestions in my comments. 

I have really struggled this year with time management and keeping the commentary flowing.  The news bits I cut and paste and the cartoon round ups are easy, but the personal comments and reflections take longer.

They are all satisfying, as is the positive feed back I get, but it is a chore some days. Fortunately, the world seems determined to give me plenty to write about. 

So stay with me as I make a few site updates this week, and continue my quest to make common sense mean something tangible in a chaotic world.

And a thanks to all who come here regularly.  Without you I am nothing.