luck, hard work, and other rants

I know it’s been awhile since I have posted; I do apologize, and I’ll try to get more details about this fascinating life up more often. I know you’re all itching to know everything (that was a joke, for those who couldn’t tell).

Maybe I’ve been listening too long to conservative radio hosts (sorry Boortz, you’re not libertarian. You’re a conservative), but I’m really getting tired of people assuming the good things in life are handed out on a silver spoon, or that success in life is purely luck. I deal with people all day who assume they don’t have to pay for the services given; that they were a gift to them and by golly we better keep giving them. To those people, I would have something to say to you, but I’m trying to not spew the f-word so much, so I guess I can’t. Darn.

Someone (who shall not be named) said yesterday that what I have had thus far in life was luck. The fact that I don’t have to work jobs I absolutely hate with a passion was not a result of my hard work or skills I’ve learned over the years, but luck. That pissed me off and made me almost haul off and pop him one.  I don’t have much; however, I have enough that I don’t complain. I have a job that pays well enough that I can mostly make ends meet, have a company matched 401k, and pretty damn good health insurance. I’m not about to leave this company any day soon. I may change positions in the company; I’m taking my pesticide license exam either next month or September, and once I pass I will see my monthly income shoot up to almost $3500.

Did I get this by luck? Hell no. I’ve spent the past 9 years learning how to put up with people’s shit and take it with a smile. I’ve worked 2, sometimes 3 jobs for the past year and did it back in 2004 too. Yes, I’ve walked out of jobs and burned a few bridges, but as a general rule I’ve sucked it up and dealt with a lot more crap then some people have, which is what helped me get this job in a time when nobody was hiring. They were impressed with my customer service background and good typing skills. I didn’t get those by sitting on my butt all day and expecting a welfare check, or by wishing on a lucky star.

As a result, I have a car that runs well and won’t be dying any day soon, a chance to earn tons of money, and a chance to actually save money for a house, kids, and God forbid I live that long, retirement. Nobody is guaranteed success; rather, we are all guaranteed the equal opportunity to work for success and the equal opportunities to education and the chance to bust our ass to make it in life. I’m not so arrogant as to think there was no luck involved at all; I had the luck and privilege to be born in the best damn country on earth and the luck and privilege to be born to a set of parents who have been there for me and gave me a good work ethic. The rest was a result of my blood, sweat, and tears and faith that somehow, someway God would provide. He has never failed me, never will, and between Him and my determination to prove a few naysayers wrong (I’ll never make anything of myself in life? Flip you, cod-bucket), I will be successful.

To those expecting  the government to provide, thinking that President Teleprompter will save you from your troubles, or thinking that those in life that have ‘made it’ are just lucky and knew the right people, get off your butt and do something about yourself. Get out there and meet the right people. Learn a trade or skill that will make you useful. Quit expecting the right ‘lucky stars’ to fall in your lap and go find your own success.

I end this with the following piece of entertainment from Adult Swim. Hey sometimes you just gotta let it all go and laugh:

http://www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=8a250aae222b916701222ce27cae0014

wedding

I am now officially Jennifer Woods as of June 12,2009.

For those of you wondering, yes we will still have a traditional friends and family ceremony come next spring. We decided to go ahead and get the legal aspects all dealt with for insurance and tax benefits (hey, if they’re available, use em) and still do the actual wedding next year so we can still celebrate with friends and family. Next year we’ll be in a better position financially to have a decent wedding/reception too.

Interesting fact that Mark pointed out to me: today we have actually known each other exactly 3 years. First year, didn’t like him and thought he was a freak. Second year, we became good friends. Third year, we fall in love and get married. Nothing like a great love story .

Keep tuned for more updates.

Jenn and Mark Woods

random

Mark has been here for two weeks, and so far so good. I sure to heck am not complaining. He’s all settled in and job hunting, and I’m comfortably getting settled in my new position, which so far rocks. We’ve had our share of spats at each other, which I fully expected, considering we’ve been separated by 1400 miles the majority of the time we’ve known each other. Thankfully we both believe in not staying mad, so we’ve worked it out just fine. The fact that he makes one hell of a good housewife helps . I haven’t had to think about cooking for 12 days now, and that suits me well.

I am totally glad that winter is finally over with. It was a long one *as they all are* and it couldn’t end soon enough. I’m about to enjoy a walk on the golf course, which is something my friend Ronny got me into, and the benefits are completely underestimated, especially on a cool clear night like tonight. I know the stars do more then just twinkle (stolen from my better half, sorry dear), and it’s nice to think that God himself is there with me.

Wedding wise? Who knows. Mark wants to have a small ceremony down in Alabama next March, but we’re still most likely going to go to a JP this summer just to get the legal aspects of it over with. That way we can get all the good benefits married couples get *including guilt-free sex* and still celebrate with family and friends next year, when we’re in a better position to afford a ceremony. I really don’t have the inclination, time, or energy to do anything in the way of planning, so the smaller and simpler, the better.

Next up? Apartment hunting. Quite naturally, the cheaper the better. I already told my brother and Dave I’m leaving in August, so we have 3 months. That should be plenty of time. I’m not going to sweat it, but at the same time I won’t put this off to the last minute. If I do, we’re gonna end up screwing ourselves over.

See you all next month, or week, or tomorrow. I’m in the process of reading “The Unlikely Disciple” by Kevin Roose and am about to start “Lord of the Flies” as soon as I find a copy. Book reviews coming soon!

updates

Wedding:

We’re gonna save the money that would be spent on a traditional wedding and instead go to a justice of the peace. Yeah, we were only gonna spend $2500, but thats still money that can be better spent on other things, like saving towards a down payment on a house. Mark wasn’t all too excited about the idea of a wedding anyways, so he’s happy and I’m happy because I’m not spending money that can be used in more efficient ways.

Mark:

Unless something drastically radically changes, he’ll be moving up here this week and staying at our friend Ronny’s house for a bit. We’ll go from there as far as where we’ll go for an apartment and junk like that. I’m planning on staying where I am at least to summer, so there’s no rush. It’s not like I have money saved yet for first/last/security, not to mention I’m not gonna up and ditch my brother. Keeping family happy is a good thing

Job:

I ended up getting laid off from the landscape job, which to be perfectly honest is fine with me. I scored a job with TruGreen in Plymouth and start there on the 13th. It’s 11.50/hour, 40-44 hours/week, full benefits, etc., so that particular door closing was a good thing, as it opened a new door that is even better. I let  go of Dunkin, so now I’m down to just one job once the tax job ends. Victor kinda hinted last week about me staying on with him after tax season and getting involved in AmeriPrise (http://www.ameriprise.com) with him, but I’m not positive yet if that’s what I want to do. I still have a bad taste in my mouth from my experience with Amway/Quixtar. He says it’s different and better. I have my doubts, but I’ll give him a fair shot to convince me.

Faith:

Much as I love the people at Victory Chapel, I’m strongly feeling it’s time to move on. I don’t see myself staying and becoming a member there, so it’s time for me to find a place where I can grow, join, and really feel like I belong. I might still go to their Saturday night music events, but that’s pretty much about it. It won’t be easy; I’ve grown attached to several of the people there, and we probably won’t see each other much. I’d like to think we can still get together for dinner once in a while. However, the church itself is pretty much a closed church; they don’t interact much with those that go to other churches or aren’t involved in Christian Fellowship Ministries, so I don’t know. I no longer look at them negatively or as a cult (altho I can see why some might think they are, I can’t see it personally); they believe what they believe, and I believe what I believe, even if it is different in many areas. It’s simply not for me. I’m gonna try out Gateway, Osterville Baptist, and a few  different ones and see what’s out there.

Mentally:

This is a quick and easy update. I’m stressed out. I need a break. I feel like I’m being pulled in several different directions all at once and my head is spinning. I’m going up to Maine on Sunday afternoon and staying there for a day or two. It won’t be long, but it’ll be nice to just get away from everyone and everything for a little bit and recollect my thoughts, talk to God, and just CHILL. Later in the week I’ll catch up on schoolwork and get back to the real world. For now, before I go postal, I need a break. For those of you that might have noticed I’m getting snippy, sarcastic, or just flat out mean, I’m sorry. Give me a few days to unwind, and I’ll be back to my halfway sunny self.

Until next time , adieu

Massachusetts / Alabama

So Mark is now dead set on moving here to Massachusetts. Rock on, I think.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about the fact that I don’t have to move halfway across the country. Spring is here soon, so I’m not stressed about the cold anymore.
So why am I not quite jumping at the whole thought?

I guess a lot has to do with the fact  he has the worst damn timing. The day after he fully decides he wants to move, I get laid off at work. Can we say “sign”??? As in “sign that you shouldn’t move here”. That’s how I see it. Naturally he interprets it differently.  I’m also nervous about the fact that things are a LOT more expensive here then Alabama.  Not only am I kinda in the poor house, we have higher expenses to look at.

I’m trying to be optimistic. I had an interview today for a full-time year round job that would easily cover all expenses and has great benefits. We’d be moving in to an apartment with another couple friend of ours,  so we could save some money all around on rent and utilities. I can stay here with my family and friends.

I guess as the time comes and he actually moves, I’ll get more excited and be happy about it. Right now, I’m too worried about the whole job situation to really be excited about the whole deal. Thankfully, I still have Dunkin to hold me down. I talked to the manager and she’s gonna hook me up with another 5 to 10 hours a week until things improve. I’d rather not be there, but I gotta do what I gotta do. I’ll update this as things play out.

funny

I wish I knew who to give the credit to for this one:

 

Who’s the man with no arms and no legs under your car? Jack
Who’s the electrician with no arms and no legs? Sparky
Who’s the guy with no arms and no legs hanging on your wall? Art
What are the arms and legs hanging on your wall? Pieces of Art
Who’s the guy with no arms and no legs that everyone walks all over? Matt
What do you call a cat with no legs? Dog food
What do you call a dog with no legs? It doesn’t matter. He won’t come when you call him anyway.
What do you call a fly with no wings? A walk
What do you call a man with no arms or legs swimming? Bob
Who are the two guys with no arms or legs hanging over your window? Curt n’ Rod
What do you call a legless and armless boy on a baseball team? First base
What do you call a man with no arms and no legs who lives in an envelope? Bill
What do you call a man with no arms and no legs who lives on the side of a mountain? Cliff
What do you call the same man living at the bottom of the mountain? Rock
What do you call a man with no arms and no legs who lives in a hole? Phil
What do you call a man with no arms and no legs in a meat grinder? Chuck
What do you call a man with no arms and no legs in a pot on your stove? Stu
What do you call a man with no arms and no legs crawling through dry grass? Russell
What do you call a man with no arms and no legs on a stage? Mike

Book Review

Book: “I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell”

Author: Tucker Max

My brother picked this up at Borders last night. Let me start by saying I did not finish reading this book. I ended up having to stop reading about halfway through because I honestly couldn’t stand reading any more of the crap that this guy did.

Some of his stunts made me cry from laughing. The guy genuinely did some funny stuff. However, some of his stunts made me want to grab a shotgun and just spare the rest of the female gender from his crap. He may be funny, but he’s also a total tool.  Some people were put on this planet with deep issues. He’s one of them.

However, his book is fast becoming a best-seller, so I guess his mission was accomplished. He gets to tell the world what an @$$hole he is and get paid for it. I’m just glad I didn’t contribute financially to this mess. Sadly, my brother did.

Milk

No, I’m not talking about the white stuff you drink (altho I wouldn’t mind some 2% right about now…). I’m talking about the movie. If you haven’t seen it, then watch it. It’s amazing. For those of you that never knew this movie existed, that’s ok, you’re not alone. Harvey Milk was a politician in San Fran back in the 70′s; he was assassinated in 78. Why? Because he was gay. More importantly, because he was a gay rights activisit. He fought hard for gay rights in CA, and in the days after him and his followers defeated Prop 6 (which would have made it legal for all “out” employees AND THEIR SUPPORTERS to be fired for no other reason than they were “out” or supportive of gay rights), one of his fellow politicians blew both his and the mayor’s brains out.

Why do I, an evangelical Christian, support equal rights for all, whether they’re gay straight or sideways? Well, first of all, this issue directly affects me and someone I deeply care about. I won’t go into detail, but it does directly affect us. Take from that what you will.

Outside of that, I support equal rights because of several reasons. Our constitution demands it (ALL MEN are created equal), God demands it (love your neighbor as yourself), and its just the right thing to do. Why would you deny someone the right to be free of harassment and discrimination? Simply because they’re different? Yep, that’s the way to teach your kids…until they come up to you. “Mom and Dad, we need to talk”.

While we’ve come a LONG way in ensuring equal rights for all, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Random facts you may not have known:

only two states allow for gays to be married
only 5 states allow for civil unions/domestic partnerships
30 states allow for an employee to be fired for no other reason then being gay
elementary and secondary school students have no protection from harassment/bullying in 27 states
the federal government defines marriage as one man/one woman…nevermind something as “states rights”

Do states have the right to prevent gays/lesbians from being married? Under the constitution, YES. Sorry, I don’t like that either. However, do states have the right to deny them civil rights? NO. The Declaration of independence prevents that. ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL. Not just white men. Not just straight men. ALL men. Women too, for those of you that want to be truly literalists.

That’s my random insensitive rant for the day…until next time. Peace

dang skippy…

I don’t know if this is real or not, but I like it. “Borrowed” from my fav talk radio host Neal Boortz!
===================================================================

Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters,

We’ve stuck together since the late 1950s, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know that we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and just will not ever agree on what’s right. So let’s just end it right now while we can do it on friendly terms. We can smile, shake hands, chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and each go our own way.

So here’s a model separation agreement.

Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by land mass, each taking a portion. That’s going to be the difficult part, but I’m sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy. Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate taste. We don’t like redistributive taxes so you can have those. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. And since you hate guns and you hate war, we’ll take the firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O’Donnell. But you are going to be responsible for finding a biodiesel vehicle big enough to haul them around.

We’ll keep the capitalism, the greedy corporations, the pharmaceutical companies; we will keep Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have the homeless, the homeboys, the hippies and illegal aliens. We will keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, the greedy CEOS and all of the rednecks. We’ll keep the Bibles and we’ll let you have NBC and Hollywood.

You can be nice to Iran and Palestine and we’ll retain the right to invade and hammer anybody that threatens us. You can have the peaceniks and the war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we will provide them with security. You won’t have to worry about it. We will keep our Judeo-Christian values. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley Maclaine. You can also have the UN, but we will no longer pay the bill.

We will keep the SUVs, the pickup trucks and the oversize luxury cars. You can have the compacts, the subcompacts and every Subaru station wagon you can find. You can give everybody healthcare, if you can find any practicing doctors. We will continue to believe that healthcare is a privilege and not a right. We will keep “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and the national anthem, and I am sure you will be happy to substitute in their place “Imagine.” I’d like to teach the world to sing “Kumbaya” or “We are the world.” We will practice trickle-down economics and you can give trickle-up poverty your best shot. And since it so offends you, we will keep our history, our name and our flag.

Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along other like-minded liberal and conservative patriots. And if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the friendly spirit of parting, I’ll bet you ANWAR which one of us will need whose help in about 15 years.

Sincerely,

John J Wall

Law student and an American

P.S. You can also have Barbara Streisand and Jane Fonda