"I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."
- Invictus by William Ernest Henley
The daily grind of the everyday hustle and bustle, or even the dreadfully dull, can become redundant and tiresome. From a bird's eye view, we must appear to be ants among smaller ants. We run this way and that. We go to work and we come home from work. We eat at the same places for lunch. We all answer our phones at work the same way and we all try to do the jobs we are given in the hopes that we make our money to enjoy the weekends or the free time that we do have.
Through all of the hard work and living the lives we lead, we are given our breaks from stress. We are given time to leave it all behind. It can be spent with family and friends. It can be alone on a porch with a cold beer and the sounds of summer. It can reward you with clarity and direction. It can be a time for you to just breathe. It is the dessert of life.
And sometimes, it comes with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
While mulling through some paperwork and dealing with the telephone this morning at work, I navigated my way to the United States versus Algeria soccer match at the World Cup. The anticipation for this match had strangled me right up until the opening kick and I was not to miss the event. I had the match on with no speaker volume in a little window on the corner of my computer and tried to check in every now and then.
The U.S. needed victory bad for many reasons. They needed to score one more goal than the desert foxes from Algeria to ensure a birth in the 16 team tournament that awaited the victor. A loss here would send the Americans packing up their bags to head home to a plethora of media badgering and ignorant folks who would just dog soccer again. A loss would have ended any real shot at the growth of soccer for a very long time.
As the game drew close to the finish, the score was still tied at 0-0 and I could feel myself deflate as a tie would do us no good. When an assistant referee posted four minutes of extra time, I could already hear the sports talk old-timers pointing their fingers and calling soccer a non-issue.
Then, in a blink of an eye, Landon Donovan caught a rebounded shot off goal and slammed home a goal that shattered the new century with the alarm of a new era. By this time, I had stopped all work, jumped out of my seat and cheered. My twitter feed erupted in a fury of nationalism that I had not seen in a very long time. The United States went on to win the game 1-0 and secured themselves in the tournament, playing Saturday against Ghana.
The whipped cream can go on top, thanks.
After the rest of the day at work and after watching Invictus, I put on the Phillies game against the Indians with the Phillies down a run. Chase Utley had just protected the one run deficit with a great double play in the top of the 9th as the Phils came up to bat. With Valdez on second base, Jimmy Rollins stepped to the plate. Hitless since coming back from an injury that had sidelined him most of the year he took the count to 1-1 as Kerry Wood drew in and delivered a meatball that Rollins delivered to the right field seats. That's right, the Phillies won in dramatic, walk-off fashion 7-6.
Days like this keep people going. Today is an amazing example of living life to enjoy life. It was a reason to deal with all the peripheral things that really don't matter in the end. Sport is an amazing thing that wraps your soul in intrigue and wonder. Some days are just better than others. Some days you just have to stand and applaud even if you are the only one in the room. Some days, sport applauds your efforts.
I think I'll have two cherries on top, please.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
my day at the doctor's office
so, i woke up today a little earlier than usual. i was up and at em at about 8 o'clock to get to my first real physical in over a decade at the doctor's office. to be honest, i really hate doctors or hospitals. i am not really sure why, maybe it is the old people. i left the house at about 8:40 and got to my appointment on time.
i was shuffled into the examination room and was told to sit down. i was given a blood pressure test and i was like 116/90. the 90 part was kind of high, but she said it was because i hadn't had a chance to rest. she checked my pulse, but didn't tell me what that was, so i assume i wasn't dead. then, she asked me some general questions about things and told me to take off all my clothes except my undershorts. undershorts? um, ok...
right around then, i thought it was funny that i wore boxer shorts today because it'd be hilarious to think as a doctor just wandering into a room with a fully nude man sitting on a communal chair with both socks on and wearing a watch. i sat there in my seat though, in my boxers, and awaited the doc.
she walked in and greeted me. she was nice and made me feel comfortable. i told her about how i had lost 20 pounds recently and she told me to keep it up and my blood pressure should get even better. now, if any of you really no me, you will know that i get freaking amazingly dry skin. especially where a unibrow would be and the sides of my nostrils. well, i haven't been to a doctor and told her about it. she said it was psoriasis. okay, that's not life threatening. i can deal with that. i even had a cream at home that i never thought to use on it because i thought it was eczema, but i didn't mention that at the time.
also, some of you may have seen this before or not with me, but i have had this problem with my hands and fingers for a long time. they shake upon movement. it is really annoying. i have been doing it since i was like 13. i remember back in the day, not being able to eat a real watery kind of soup because i would sometimes lose the contents on the spoon on the way to my mouth! even to this day, i sometimes have issues with placing small things or moving things. about a month ago, i took some change and put it in a pile between my pointer finger and thumb and when i went to give it to a cashier in a drive-thru, all the change started to shake in my fingers and then they splurged out onto the pavement between my car and window. so embarrassing.
i told the doctor about it and she performed this test on me where she held her finger out in front of me and told me to point my finger to my nose and then back to her finger with both hands. i was soooo off! shaking my way to the destination. it was ridiculous. she was like, "wow!" i don't think you want to hear your doctor say that.
after that, we got to the grand finale of male physicals: the hernia test. she told me to put my butt against the end of the exam table and stand up. she told me to drop trow. i did. then, she starts explaining to me all the things that she is going to check for and why and what she will be looking for. yo doc, i'm already naked! check my junk and let's get out of here. you can tell me procedure when we are done. damn. anyway, i'm all good down there too.
i kind of thought about what i would do if i was a doctor and had to look at male genitalia from time to time during these exams. i think it would be funny to bust out one of those back scratchers with the hand at the end to perform the test. also, if you had to give a rectal exam, i think i would get some laughs if i put on a coal miner's helmet first and turn on the light.
so after i put on my clothes, she came back in and sat down and told me the outcome of her exam. she stated that she was giving me a steroid cream for my dry skin. she warned me not to use it on my face though for a long time because it could develop spider veins. that'd be weird. i think i am gonna try my other cream first, or maybe i can use steroids and hit many homeruns in professional baseball!
then, she told me that she wanted me to see a specialist about my shaking. a neurologist to be more specific. she said that since it only has gotten a little worse over the last 17 years, she didn't think that i had...wait for it...a brain tumor or parkinson's, but she wanted to do a test to make sure! WTF?! she said that she thought it was what is called a familial tremor or something, but it was odd because you don't develop that so early in life. crazy. i'm not gonna get all worked up about it until i hear what it really is, but that's crazy.
so that was my trip to the doctor. i got a referral to see a brain doctor, some steroids, and my junk is fine.
talk to you soon.
i was shuffled into the examination room and was told to sit down. i was given a blood pressure test and i was like 116/90. the 90 part was kind of high, but she said it was because i hadn't had a chance to rest. she checked my pulse, but didn't tell me what that was, so i assume i wasn't dead. then, she asked me some general questions about things and told me to take off all my clothes except my undershorts. undershorts? um, ok...
right around then, i thought it was funny that i wore boxer shorts today because it'd be hilarious to think as a doctor just wandering into a room with a fully nude man sitting on a communal chair with both socks on and wearing a watch. i sat there in my seat though, in my boxers, and awaited the doc.
she walked in and greeted me. she was nice and made me feel comfortable. i told her about how i had lost 20 pounds recently and she told me to keep it up and my blood pressure should get even better. now, if any of you really no me, you will know that i get freaking amazingly dry skin. especially where a unibrow would be and the sides of my nostrils. well, i haven't been to a doctor and told her about it. she said it was psoriasis. okay, that's not life threatening. i can deal with that. i even had a cream at home that i never thought to use on it because i thought it was eczema, but i didn't mention that at the time.
also, some of you may have seen this before or not with me, but i have had this problem with my hands and fingers for a long time. they shake upon movement. it is really annoying. i have been doing it since i was like 13. i remember back in the day, not being able to eat a real watery kind of soup because i would sometimes lose the contents on the spoon on the way to my mouth! even to this day, i sometimes have issues with placing small things or moving things. about a month ago, i took some change and put it in a pile between my pointer finger and thumb and when i went to give it to a cashier in a drive-thru, all the change started to shake in my fingers and then they splurged out onto the pavement between my car and window. so embarrassing.
i told the doctor about it and she performed this test on me where she held her finger out in front of me and told me to point my finger to my nose and then back to her finger with both hands. i was soooo off! shaking my way to the destination. it was ridiculous. she was like, "wow!" i don't think you want to hear your doctor say that.
after that, we got to the grand finale of male physicals: the hernia test. she told me to put my butt against the end of the exam table and stand up. she told me to drop trow. i did. then, she starts explaining to me all the things that she is going to check for and why and what she will be looking for. yo doc, i'm already naked! check my junk and let's get out of here. you can tell me procedure when we are done. damn. anyway, i'm all good down there too.
i kind of thought about what i would do if i was a doctor and had to look at male genitalia from time to time during these exams. i think it would be funny to bust out one of those back scratchers with the hand at the end to perform the test. also, if you had to give a rectal exam, i think i would get some laughs if i put on a coal miner's helmet first and turn on the light.
so after i put on my clothes, she came back in and sat down and told me the outcome of her exam. she stated that she was giving me a steroid cream for my dry skin. she warned me not to use it on my face though for a long time because it could develop spider veins. that'd be weird. i think i am gonna try my other cream first, or maybe i can use steroids and hit many homeruns in professional baseball!
then, she told me that she wanted me to see a specialist about my shaking. a neurologist to be more specific. she said that since it only has gotten a little worse over the last 17 years, she didn't think that i had...wait for it...a brain tumor or parkinson's, but she wanted to do a test to make sure! WTF?! she said that she thought it was what is called a familial tremor or something, but it was odd because you don't develop that so early in life. crazy. i'm not gonna get all worked up about it until i hear what it really is, but that's crazy.
so that was my trip to the doctor. i got a referral to see a brain doctor, some steroids, and my junk is fine.
talk to you soon.
Monday, February 15, 2010
A tale of two skippers
Welcome, my friends, to year six. The train is set to depart in a couple days on another long season of comfort sounds. The balls are set to smack the back of a catcher's mitt and the sounds that crackle off the barrel of a wooden stick careening a baseball 350ft away into the roar of a crowd are soon at hand. Yes, my friends, it is year six that our train is set to depart and at the helm of the engine is our skipper, Charlie Manuel.
Expectations are high this year, but so has every year that Charlie has taken the reigns of the club. He comes into the season with a newly acquired pitching phenom that will surely bolster his rotation and he has reloaded the usual cast of offensive bullets in an attempt to shoot down the rivals of the division as he has in years past.
The ride hasn't been as smooth as one might remember it being though.
When Charlie took over after the 2004 season, he took the place of the recently let go Larry Bowa. Bowa was a charismatic leader of a team that wore his heart on his sleeve. You always new what you were feeling out of Bowa. He was never afraid to show his true feelings towards the umpires, the media, and even his own players. Bowa was a favorite among fans. He helped bring the Phillies back to the winning ways of the early 1980's by teaching a game of all out hustle and grit. The Phillies had a many losing seasons before Bowa grabbed the helm of the club and quickly brought the team to the bright side of baseball compiling 3 seasons out of 4 of winning baseball and even won a manager of the year award.
He lost his team though and couldn't quite get over the hump of making a deep run into the playoffs. He was fired, and I must say, I was not to pleased at the time.
Fans and the media did not take long to notice the difference between Bowa and Manuel. He tended to not speak out against his players and he didn't really offer up much of a reply for decisions made during games. He didn't seem to be quite comfortable sitting in at press conferences answering the questions and having the spotlight solely on him and the media ate it up. Teasing him about his mumbling answers and down home approach to the professional nature of the game, Howard Eskin and others started to mention him as Uncle Charlie. They would berate him in the newspapers and on the radio constantly, second guessing every call. I have to admit, I was among them with my friends. We would almost use our Foghorn Leghorn voice as Manuel's.
You know what seemed to happen though? He won. Charlie Manuel has never finished a season with less than 85 wins. He has gotten over 90 wins twice in five years. He has been voted by fans as the best manager in baseball on one occasion. He has the absolute backing of his players. He even has won over this writer.
A new season is upon us and I sat back today and wondered what would have happened if Larry Bowa had remained the coach of The Philadelphia Phillies all this time. You know what, I'm not sure. What I do know is that what has happened has happened. Results are results. We have our ring. We came damn close last year. Sometimes I think that coaching is overrated in sports and that if you have the talent, anybody can win sometimes.
Manuel reminded me though back in 2007 that he cared deeply for his team and his players when he finally confronted Mr. Eskin during a press conference. Eskin was really egging Charlie on about why he didn't get in his players' faces and pressed their buttons and try and motivate the players through pressure tactics. What Charlie did instead was defend himself and his team at the same time by telling Howard that he would gladly talk to him about it in his office anytime and actually had to be pulled out of the room.
That showed me what we had as a skipper. Fire. Determination. Passion. Leadership. I didn't realize it before then and I really believe the team has been a different one since that day.
Charlie Manuel is the coach of our Phillies. As fans we have trusted in him and he has given us all that we could have asked for. I am ready to ride the train again.
Welcome to year six. All aboard.
Expectations are high this year, but so has every year that Charlie has taken the reigns of the club. He comes into the season with a newly acquired pitching phenom that will surely bolster his rotation and he has reloaded the usual cast of offensive bullets in an attempt to shoot down the rivals of the division as he has in years past.
The ride hasn't been as smooth as one might remember it being though.
When Charlie took over after the 2004 season, he took the place of the recently let go Larry Bowa. Bowa was a charismatic leader of a team that wore his heart on his sleeve. You always new what you were feeling out of Bowa. He was never afraid to show his true feelings towards the umpires, the media, and even his own players. Bowa was a favorite among fans. He helped bring the Phillies back to the winning ways of the early 1980's by teaching a game of all out hustle and grit. The Phillies had a many losing seasons before Bowa grabbed the helm of the club and quickly brought the team to the bright side of baseball compiling 3 seasons out of 4 of winning baseball and even won a manager of the year award.
He lost his team though and couldn't quite get over the hump of making a deep run into the playoffs. He was fired, and I must say, I was not to pleased at the time.
Fans and the media did not take long to notice the difference between Bowa and Manuel. He tended to not speak out against his players and he didn't really offer up much of a reply for decisions made during games. He didn't seem to be quite comfortable sitting in at press conferences answering the questions and having the spotlight solely on him and the media ate it up. Teasing him about his mumbling answers and down home approach to the professional nature of the game, Howard Eskin and others started to mention him as Uncle Charlie. They would berate him in the newspapers and on the radio constantly, second guessing every call. I have to admit, I was among them with my friends. We would almost use our Foghorn Leghorn voice as Manuel's.
You know what seemed to happen though? He won. Charlie Manuel has never finished a season with less than 85 wins. He has gotten over 90 wins twice in five years. He has been voted by fans as the best manager in baseball on one occasion. He has the absolute backing of his players. He even has won over this writer.
A new season is upon us and I sat back today and wondered what would have happened if Larry Bowa had remained the coach of The Philadelphia Phillies all this time. You know what, I'm not sure. What I do know is that what has happened has happened. Results are results. We have our ring. We came damn close last year. Sometimes I think that coaching is overrated in sports and that if you have the talent, anybody can win sometimes.
Manuel reminded me though back in 2007 that he cared deeply for his team and his players when he finally confronted Mr. Eskin during a press conference. Eskin was really egging Charlie on about why he didn't get in his players' faces and pressed their buttons and try and motivate the players through pressure tactics. What Charlie did instead was defend himself and his team at the same time by telling Howard that he would gladly talk to him about it in his office anytime and actually had to be pulled out of the room.
That showed me what we had as a skipper. Fire. Determination. Passion. Leadership. I didn't realize it before then and I really believe the team has been a different one since that day.
Charlie Manuel is the coach of our Phillies. As fans we have trusted in him and he has given us all that we could have asked for. I am ready to ride the train again.
Welcome to year six. All aboard.
Friday, January 29, 2010
2010 Phillies
What was your New Year resolution? We all know the drill. I'm gonna lose 40 pounds. I'm gonna make it rich. I'm gonna ask that girl out in the office. Whatever the goal was, few of us have pulled through on the big plans. We have hope.
The Philadelphia Phillies begin their new season this year with a new batch of members that they hope can get us over the hump this year. The Sound of Philly is here now to give you a rundown of the newest members of the team. Please hold your applause until the end of the lineup...
Roy Halladay - If you don't know who this man is, then you must have been out of the country for a while (and Canada), but we’d be glad to fill you in. Halladay has been the ace of the Toronto staff since about 2002. His record since 2002 has been 130-59 with an overall career E.R.A. of 3.43. Impressive stuff considering that he has been pitching in the more offensive American League. The Phillies may have had to give up a bunch of prospects, including pitching stud Kyle Drabek, and they had to depart with ace Cliff Lee in the blockbuster three team trade done this offseason, but the Phillies have stated that they are committed to winning during this golden window of opportunity that they have. The front office made a move that will ultimately save money (Cliff Lee is looking for Sabbathia money next year) and in return for making the move, they are getting arguably the best pitcher in baseball in the peak of his career who has not been injury plagued. Knock on wood.
Danys Baez - Welcome to a below .500 pitcher lifetime with a journeyman status. A defector from Cuba, Baez hopes to resurrect his career with the Phillies and give a much needed boost to the setup position now that Scott Eyre is gone.
Juan Castro - This 37 year old is out trying to prove that he has something left in the tank. Castro is a journeyman that we hope can give help to the bullpen in case one of our beloved starters has a bad game.
Placido Polanco - Polanco is a new third baseman for the Phils that will give a little umph to the bottom of the lineup. Last year, I know that some of us were a little frustrated with the way that the old third baseman showed up to the plate in the postseason. Fingers crossed again.
Jose Contreras - The 38 year old is ready to help out in anyway he can. Born in Cuba, like Baez, Contreras is going to play any role that the Phillies give him at pitcher. He can start, although he will most likely relieve, the team needs a healthy Contreras to make it through the season if the team looks to improve.
The Phillies have decided to make moves this postseason. All last year, we were screaming for a bullpen that we didn't have to worry about. Ultimately though when Lidge came into the game, we held our breath, which was uncharacteristic due to his performance in 2008. The Phillies lost over 10 games that they had the lead in going into the ninth inning last year.
The Phillies new additions this year included three bullpen pitchers. We gained a phenomenal starter in Halladay, and we picked up a good position player. The other three are pitchers that are hiding an inconvenient truth.
The truth is, is that the bullpen will be considered great if Brad Lidge gives us a great year. In the end, we are going to be giving the ball to the guy that our skipper has the most trust in. It reminds me of how we gut out every game with McNabb at quarterback because he is all that we have at that position right now for who can give us the best shot at winning.
Is Lidge the Phillies equivalent to McNabb? I wouldn’t say so. Lidge has a ring, but when meeting our new Phillies, I think that we can see the management trying to build a more solid support group around “The Weakness” in the hopes that a strong offense will carry him.
Nothing was done to fix the closer position, except a hope that Lidge will be better. In the end, we have what we had. Solutions to the problem may be that we need to make a deal for a new reliever at some point during the season. They say that once a closer loses it, it’s gone, but can the men in the front office make the business decision when the time is necessary for Mr. Lidge to have a seat or find another place to go? We shall see, but we may have to play the first few games before making any brash decisions.
And we have to hope that he pitches lights out.
Play Ball.
The Philadelphia Phillies begin their new season this year with a new batch of members that they hope can get us over the hump this year. The Sound of Philly is here now to give you a rundown of the newest members of the team. Please hold your applause until the end of the lineup...
Roy Halladay - If you don't know who this man is, then you must have been out of the country for a while (and Canada), but we’d be glad to fill you in. Halladay has been the ace of the Toronto staff since about 2002. His record since 2002 has been 130-59 with an overall career E.R.A. of 3.43. Impressive stuff considering that he has been pitching in the more offensive American League. The Phillies may have had to give up a bunch of prospects, including pitching stud Kyle Drabek, and they had to depart with ace Cliff Lee in the blockbuster three team trade done this offseason, but the Phillies have stated that they are committed to winning during this golden window of opportunity that they have. The front office made a move that will ultimately save money (Cliff Lee is looking for Sabbathia money next year) and in return for making the move, they are getting arguably the best pitcher in baseball in the peak of his career who has not been injury plagued. Knock on wood.
Danys Baez - Welcome to a below .500 pitcher lifetime with a journeyman status. A defector from Cuba, Baez hopes to resurrect his career with the Phillies and give a much needed boost to the setup position now that Scott Eyre is gone.
Juan Castro - This 37 year old is out trying to prove that he has something left in the tank. Castro is a journeyman that we hope can give help to the bullpen in case one of our beloved starters has a bad game.
Placido Polanco - Polanco is a new third baseman for the Phils that will give a little umph to the bottom of the lineup. Last year, I know that some of us were a little frustrated with the way that the old third baseman showed up to the plate in the postseason. Fingers crossed again.
Jose Contreras - The 38 year old is ready to help out in anyway he can. Born in Cuba, like Baez, Contreras is going to play any role that the Phillies give him at pitcher. He can start, although he will most likely relieve, the team needs a healthy Contreras to make it through the season if the team looks to improve.
The Phillies have decided to make moves this postseason. All last year, we were screaming for a bullpen that we didn't have to worry about. Ultimately though when Lidge came into the game, we held our breath, which was uncharacteristic due to his performance in 2008. The Phillies lost over 10 games that they had the lead in going into the ninth inning last year.
The Phillies new additions this year included three bullpen pitchers. We gained a phenomenal starter in Halladay, and we picked up a good position player. The other three are pitchers that are hiding an inconvenient truth.
The truth is, is that the bullpen will be considered great if Brad Lidge gives us a great year. In the end, we are going to be giving the ball to the guy that our skipper has the most trust in. It reminds me of how we gut out every game with McNabb at quarterback because he is all that we have at that position right now for who can give us the best shot at winning.
Is Lidge the Phillies equivalent to McNabb? I wouldn’t say so. Lidge has a ring, but when meeting our new Phillies, I think that we can see the management trying to build a more solid support group around “The Weakness” in the hopes that a strong offense will carry him.
Nothing was done to fix the closer position, except a hope that Lidge will be better. In the end, we have what we had. Solutions to the problem may be that we need to make a deal for a new reliever at some point during the season. They say that once a closer loses it, it’s gone, but can the men in the front office make the business decision when the time is necessary for Mr. Lidge to have a seat or find another place to go? We shall see, but we may have to play the first few games before making any brash decisions.
And we have to hope that he pitches lights out.
Play Ball.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
start your engines
today, i turned on the computer to begin my journey. if i am to run for office here in sarasota, i need to start making some serious moves. as google came up on my screen, i sat wondering what to put as my search. i decided that i needed to speak to someone, but i didn't know who. so i did a search for the state of florida and obviously i was brought to stateofflorida.com. i clicked on contact us and came to a page with a bunch of links offering me different groups of phone lists that i could click and see. unfortunately, everything that i clicked on did not load, so i was back to the drawing board. in the back of my head i made a mental note that when i had the power to do so, i would fix that webpage.
after a moment of perplexion, i decided that if i was going to do this, i would start with the most basic question. i typed into the computer: how to run for office. i pressed enter.
the first link that i saw was for a website that was called runforoffice.org. jackpot! i went to the page and filled out some basic information and was able to see what was available for me to run for this november. they included: governor, state senator, state representative, lieutenant governor, attorney general, commisioner of agriculture, chief financial officer, state attorney, justice of the supreme court, circuit court judge, and school board member.
a couple of these i threw out right away since i haven't passed the bar exam. i was left with governor, state senator, state representative, commisioner of agriculture, chief financial officer, and school board member. i then realized that i am going to be doing this locally so i could throw out governor and state senator since i wouldn't be able to campaign all over the state.
even though originally i am from the garden state of new jersey, i know absolutely nothing about agriculture except what old macdonald had on his farm, so i dropped that effort and seeing how i am not skilled in the art of bookkeeping, i stopped considering chief financial officer. i was left with two choices: state representative and school board member.
i had a decision to make. i had to figure out if i was going to go for it really, or was i just going to keep it extremely local. a school board member is admirable because you can shift the lives of tomorrow's leaders by making good decisions, but i just don't see myself being taken seriously by parents since i don't have children myself, or ever even attended the schools in florida as a youth. i think i can do better with getting a younger vote by just going for the gusto and trying to become a state representative. so that is what i chose.
what are the requirements was my next question. well, i saw that right off the bat i had to be 21. check. then it said that i have to have been a resident of the state for 2 years prior to the election. check.
the next two were tricky. i have to pay as a filing fee 6% of my annual salary to the state to declare that i am running and i have to receive the certified signatures of 1% of the registered votes in the state. now, i am not sure if that means in my district that i am running, so i have to find that out. the filing fee is going to be a tough task. i might need to see when the deadline is to pay that fee, but seeing how i don't have a high paying job at the moment, that fee could be minimal. also, it says that if i don't get all those signatures i might be able to pay a qualifying fee. i need to see how many people exactly would have to sign and how i certify them.
hey, i am on my way!
while perusing the internet, i went to craigslist to check out some part-time jobs because my dad was saying that he would help with some classes in september if i got one on the weekends or something. i stumbled across the u.s. census bureau and decided to click on what they were hiring for.
i called up the number and a woman named nancy answered and told me that they were looking for help going door to door this year to help calculate the actual census. cool, i thought. she asked if i was interested and i said that i definitely was, so she told me that tomorrow morning there was going to be a test administered at an office building near where i live. it is a two hour test on who knows what, but she gave me the link to a practice exam that i am about to tackle. she said that if i do well on that then in late february i could be hired to do the job!
i thanked nancy and closed the laptop. it was a productive morning. i bundled up my things, i grabbed my lunch from the refridgerator, and i drove myself to work. let's see what tomorrow brings.
after a moment of perplexion, i decided that if i was going to do this, i would start with the most basic question. i typed into the computer: how to run for office. i pressed enter.
the first link that i saw was for a website that was called runforoffice.org. jackpot! i went to the page and filled out some basic information and was able to see what was available for me to run for this november. they included: governor, state senator, state representative, lieutenant governor, attorney general, commisioner of agriculture, chief financial officer, state attorney, justice of the supreme court, circuit court judge, and school board member.
a couple of these i threw out right away since i haven't passed the bar exam. i was left with governor, state senator, state representative, commisioner of agriculture, chief financial officer, and school board member. i then realized that i am going to be doing this locally so i could throw out governor and state senator since i wouldn't be able to campaign all over the state.
even though originally i am from the garden state of new jersey, i know absolutely nothing about agriculture except what old macdonald had on his farm, so i dropped that effort and seeing how i am not skilled in the art of bookkeeping, i stopped considering chief financial officer. i was left with two choices: state representative and school board member.
i had a decision to make. i had to figure out if i was going to go for it really, or was i just going to keep it extremely local. a school board member is admirable because you can shift the lives of tomorrow's leaders by making good decisions, but i just don't see myself being taken seriously by parents since i don't have children myself, or ever even attended the schools in florida as a youth. i think i can do better with getting a younger vote by just going for the gusto and trying to become a state representative. so that is what i chose.
what are the requirements was my next question. well, i saw that right off the bat i had to be 21. check. then it said that i have to have been a resident of the state for 2 years prior to the election. check.
the next two were tricky. i have to pay as a filing fee 6% of my annual salary to the state to declare that i am running and i have to receive the certified signatures of 1% of the registered votes in the state. now, i am not sure if that means in my district that i am running, so i have to find that out. the filing fee is going to be a tough task. i might need to see when the deadline is to pay that fee, but seeing how i don't have a high paying job at the moment, that fee could be minimal. also, it says that if i don't get all those signatures i might be able to pay a qualifying fee. i need to see how many people exactly would have to sign and how i certify them.
hey, i am on my way!
while perusing the internet, i went to craigslist to check out some part-time jobs because my dad was saying that he would help with some classes in september if i got one on the weekends or something. i stumbled across the u.s. census bureau and decided to click on what they were hiring for.
i called up the number and a woman named nancy answered and told me that they were looking for help going door to door this year to help calculate the actual census. cool, i thought. she asked if i was interested and i said that i definitely was, so she told me that tomorrow morning there was going to be a test administered at an office building near where i live. it is a two hour test on who knows what, but she gave me the link to a practice exam that i am about to tackle. she said that if i do well on that then in late february i could be hired to do the job!
i thanked nancy and closed the laptop. it was a productive morning. i bundled up my things, i grabbed my lunch from the refridgerator, and i drove myself to work. let's see what tomorrow brings.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
my new year's project
well, it's the new year. last year wasn't the greatest year for many reasons, but i don't want to delve too much into that, and by not too much i mean at all. so, with that being said, i would like to jump straight into this fresh new year feet first. i'm not holding my nose first either because it's not cool.
i haven't posted much recently because i had been on a rollercoaster of a vacation. i went back home to visit family in new jersey. it was a blast, but it was a lot of late nights and a lot of driving around. that was cool and all, but it definitely was not like a corona commercial. living in florida is kind of funny. most people in new jersey would take a vacation in florida to get away. i got away from florida by going to new jersey. it was perfect.
before my trip, i thought of something that may be fun and interesting for me to do this year. fun for the reader and fun for me to try. something that will keep my attention and, hopefully, help the community. i'm going to run for a public office position.
yup. this year is a voting year and the elections come up in november. i better get a move on it. i need to do a bunch of things here in these first couple of weeks. i need to see what kind of seats are up for election and what my eligibility would have to be to secure a place in the debate. i need to find out where to debate!
i know what you may be thinking now and that's, "oh, that's just mike being mike." nope. i am serious. i talk all the time about what i would do or what i think is wrong with the world. well, i'm here now to do something about it. it is as grassroots as it can get. i have to do this with as little personal money as possible and i have to get the word out to start with just my sole voice. i think i can win. win what? i don't know yet, but i will, and you can follow my adventure here with me, on twitter, or on facebook as i make my way through the trials and tribulations of what it takes for the average everyday american with little social standing to become a voice for the people.
also, i think at some point, i may need to get married because from what i have seen there aren't too many single politicians and i'm going to need to get the senior vote by showing everyday family values. i am in florida, you know. i will have to deal with later down the line if my campaign gains momentum, which it will.
so, first things first will be to see what kind of seats are going to be open this fall when the public casts its' vote for who they want and think is right for the job. let me be the first to tell you florida that i am here to do your work and i will not stop campaigning to win your trust! except at first i can't really campaign monday through friday from 12-7pm because i have to work. you see, i truly am the everyday man looking to make a difference. i will have to take on this task at first by working hard in the mornings and getting the word out on the weekends to take down my opponent, whoever he or she may be.
i'm ready to make that splash. join me in the pool. the pool of democracy. where everyone is invited in and it's only an adult swim! splash!!!
www.facebook.com/hendrimike
www.twitter.com/judenewcomb
i haven't posted much recently because i had been on a rollercoaster of a vacation. i went back home to visit family in new jersey. it was a blast, but it was a lot of late nights and a lot of driving around. that was cool and all, but it definitely was not like a corona commercial. living in florida is kind of funny. most people in new jersey would take a vacation in florida to get away. i got away from florida by going to new jersey. it was perfect.
before my trip, i thought of something that may be fun and interesting for me to do this year. fun for the reader and fun for me to try. something that will keep my attention and, hopefully, help the community. i'm going to run for a public office position.
yup. this year is a voting year and the elections come up in november. i better get a move on it. i need to do a bunch of things here in these first couple of weeks. i need to see what kind of seats are up for election and what my eligibility would have to be to secure a place in the debate. i need to find out where to debate!
i know what you may be thinking now and that's, "oh, that's just mike being mike." nope. i am serious. i talk all the time about what i would do or what i think is wrong with the world. well, i'm here now to do something about it. it is as grassroots as it can get. i have to do this with as little personal money as possible and i have to get the word out to start with just my sole voice. i think i can win. win what? i don't know yet, but i will, and you can follow my adventure here with me, on twitter, or on facebook as i make my way through the trials and tribulations of what it takes for the average everyday american with little social standing to become a voice for the people.
also, i think at some point, i may need to get married because from what i have seen there aren't too many single politicians and i'm going to need to get the senior vote by showing everyday family values. i am in florida, you know. i will have to deal with later down the line if my campaign gains momentum, which it will.
so, first things first will be to see what kind of seats are going to be open this fall when the public casts its' vote for who they want and think is right for the job. let me be the first to tell you florida that i am here to do your work and i will not stop campaigning to win your trust! except at first i can't really campaign monday through friday from 12-7pm because i have to work. you see, i truly am the everyday man looking to make a difference. i will have to take on this task at first by working hard in the mornings and getting the word out on the weekends to take down my opponent, whoever he or she may be.
i'm ready to make that splash. join me in the pool. the pool of democracy. where everyone is invited in and it's only an adult swim! splash!!!
www.facebook.com/hendrimike
www.twitter.com/judenewcomb
Monday, December 21, 2009
my vision
the health care reform bill is set to be voted on by the senate on christmas eve. this bill has been on a wild ride since the wheels of reform started to move back in march. the plan was simple. americans needed more affordable health care. they needed a better preventative program of screening for illnesses and they needed to have better access to being insured.
a couple of plans were on the table to try and reach these goals. one way was to create a single payer system where everyone's money was to be pooled into one government program allowing access for everyone to have any procedure done for no cost except for the money taken out initially from taxes. the second plan was a more toned down approach of a single payer option which basically would be having a government plan available, but as a competitor to insurance companies in an effort to keep the rates of these businesses fair. the idea was that if the government offered a lower rate, then big business would have to lower their rates for fear of a majority of americans jumping ship to the government plan. a plan that was introduced later on in the debate was a plan to lower the age a person could buy into medicare from 65 to 55 and doing away with the public option.
three ideas that could signal change for millions. right?
as the summer drove on and the debate for health care grew some interesting things started to happen. in town halls across america, "grassroot" efforts were being grown by the republican party and funded by insurance companies to engage politicians who were speaking to disrupt any serious debate being held on the issue. the president was being compared to hitler and the death of ted kennedy was being mocked by the far right. the president and democrats still wanted to try and negotiate a bipartisan outcome with the republicans in an effort of solidarity of getting things done.
the single payer system was almost thrown out immediately as it was lauded as being too much government control over an industry. the public option, at one point looked as though it would have the votes to pass, was then suddenly rejected by joseph lieberman and a couple other senators after it passed the house version of the bill. while still looking for a way to include republican ideas, the senate democrats tried the third option, which was initially sen. lieberman's plan when he ran as vice president in 2004 with al gore, and lower the age of medicare. guess who decided he was adamently opposed to it? you guessed it right. joe lieberman. how can one man who proposed a change in the system with a plan one day adamantly oppose the same thing a few years later?
if you aren't too involved in the process you may say, "well, why is that important? he's just one guy." you see, the democrats hold a 60 - 40 vote majority in the senate. when you pass something with 60 votes, the minority has no way of filibustering a vote, which is to talk and talk and talk and talk about a bill for infinite until the bill dies. joe lieberman was the 60th vote along with bob nelson of nebraska.
what is left is a bill with no public option, no single payer, and no age cut for medicare. it does cut out being denied for pre-existing conditions and a couple other things, but it demands that if you do not have health insurance, you must get it now, like auto insurance, or be fined. i would have no problem with this mandate if a public option was their as competition to the big business insurance companies.
my problem is that politicians have been bought. which leads me to a point.
back when the country was being formed, americans lived in a very different time. their were no televisions, radio wouldn't be used for over a century later, telephones didn't exist. in fact, electricity was just discovered a few decades earlier. america is an enormous piece of real estate and in the non-technological age of the late 18th century, it was even bigger with a tremendous challenge for people to communicate.
this was one of the reasons for america to create congress. people were chosen by americans in certain sections of all the states to pack their bags and go to washington, d.c. and represent the people that voted to elect them. the politicians were the voice of those that had no other way of getting their voice heard. the people needed to have the liaison of this representative with the president because word could be spread easier this way of what the people wanted. it still was a system with flaws, but it was the best that we could do.
during the health care debate, polls routinely had shown that over 60% of all americans were in favor of having a health care reform bill that included a public option and yet it was taken out of the bill. thus, the health care reform bill is now disapproved upon by the majority. the new bill that is being offered is not what the people see as a good enough change in the way that people see fit. it is because campaign contributions to the representatives of the people are more important to the representatives and reelection than what the people actually want.
and that is why i say that there is no more need for congress. it is obsolete. big business cannot control america if it has to buyout all of america. it can deal with a bunch of men and women in a room that pass the laws, but it cannot afford to buy 300 million voices.
america votes once a year in november. in today's times, that doesn't have to be anymore. with the internet, tv, and the telephone we all can have immediate impacts on the way that america can be shaped and it is not being utilized to it's full potential. the capacity of congress can be greatly diminished if we just allow the representatives to introduce bills and legislation, but ultimately give the vote of approval to americans. through computer votes, phone votes, and telephone votes the popular vote can finally win what we want and not be forced to take something that a group of a few deem is good enough for us.
i envision a family coming home from work one day and going to the computer and reading over some bills that are being offered for the day. they can have town meetings to discuss it, hear debates about it from the media, or just talk with the family about it. they can decide for themselves what they feel would be good for them and vote on it one way or the other. people have lost their faith in congress because it doesn't do what they want. when 60% of americans want something and they don't get it, it's easy to see why people don't feel that their vote counts. it's esay to see how they lose faith in washington.
their are many different ways that this plan could be implemented, and i know that the likelihood of it occurring are slim, but it should happen. our lives should not be controlled by corporations and lobbyists. people that we never see shouldn't be deciding what we want. allowing everyone to vote on important legislation all the time would be a true democracy by the people, for the people. having one man in connecticut, or one man in nebraska take away what the majority of america wants because their pockets are being stuffed with money is not.
democracy is the vote of every american counting towards everything, and not who gets rich and powerful.
a couple of plans were on the table to try and reach these goals. one way was to create a single payer system where everyone's money was to be pooled into one government program allowing access for everyone to have any procedure done for no cost except for the money taken out initially from taxes. the second plan was a more toned down approach of a single payer option which basically would be having a government plan available, but as a competitor to insurance companies in an effort to keep the rates of these businesses fair. the idea was that if the government offered a lower rate, then big business would have to lower their rates for fear of a majority of americans jumping ship to the government plan. a plan that was introduced later on in the debate was a plan to lower the age a person could buy into medicare from 65 to 55 and doing away with the public option.
three ideas that could signal change for millions. right?
as the summer drove on and the debate for health care grew some interesting things started to happen. in town halls across america, "grassroot" efforts were being grown by the republican party and funded by insurance companies to engage politicians who were speaking to disrupt any serious debate being held on the issue. the president was being compared to hitler and the death of ted kennedy was being mocked by the far right. the president and democrats still wanted to try and negotiate a bipartisan outcome with the republicans in an effort of solidarity of getting things done.
the single payer system was almost thrown out immediately as it was lauded as being too much government control over an industry. the public option, at one point looked as though it would have the votes to pass, was then suddenly rejected by joseph lieberman and a couple other senators after it passed the house version of the bill. while still looking for a way to include republican ideas, the senate democrats tried the third option, which was initially sen. lieberman's plan when he ran as vice president in 2004 with al gore, and lower the age of medicare. guess who decided he was adamently opposed to it? you guessed it right. joe lieberman. how can one man who proposed a change in the system with a plan one day adamantly oppose the same thing a few years later?
if you aren't too involved in the process you may say, "well, why is that important? he's just one guy." you see, the democrats hold a 60 - 40 vote majority in the senate. when you pass something with 60 votes, the minority has no way of filibustering a vote, which is to talk and talk and talk and talk about a bill for infinite until the bill dies. joe lieberman was the 60th vote along with bob nelson of nebraska.
what is left is a bill with no public option, no single payer, and no age cut for medicare. it does cut out being denied for pre-existing conditions and a couple other things, but it demands that if you do not have health insurance, you must get it now, like auto insurance, or be fined. i would have no problem with this mandate if a public option was their as competition to the big business insurance companies.
my problem is that politicians have been bought. which leads me to a point.
back when the country was being formed, americans lived in a very different time. their were no televisions, radio wouldn't be used for over a century later, telephones didn't exist. in fact, electricity was just discovered a few decades earlier. america is an enormous piece of real estate and in the non-technological age of the late 18th century, it was even bigger with a tremendous challenge for people to communicate.
this was one of the reasons for america to create congress. people were chosen by americans in certain sections of all the states to pack their bags and go to washington, d.c. and represent the people that voted to elect them. the politicians were the voice of those that had no other way of getting their voice heard. the people needed to have the liaison of this representative with the president because word could be spread easier this way of what the people wanted. it still was a system with flaws, but it was the best that we could do.
during the health care debate, polls routinely had shown that over 60% of all americans were in favor of having a health care reform bill that included a public option and yet it was taken out of the bill. thus, the health care reform bill is now disapproved upon by the majority. the new bill that is being offered is not what the people see as a good enough change in the way that people see fit. it is because campaign contributions to the representatives of the people are more important to the representatives and reelection than what the people actually want.
and that is why i say that there is no more need for congress. it is obsolete. big business cannot control america if it has to buyout all of america. it can deal with a bunch of men and women in a room that pass the laws, but it cannot afford to buy 300 million voices.
america votes once a year in november. in today's times, that doesn't have to be anymore. with the internet, tv, and the telephone we all can have immediate impacts on the way that america can be shaped and it is not being utilized to it's full potential. the capacity of congress can be greatly diminished if we just allow the representatives to introduce bills and legislation, but ultimately give the vote of approval to americans. through computer votes, phone votes, and telephone votes the popular vote can finally win what we want and not be forced to take something that a group of a few deem is good enough for us.
i envision a family coming home from work one day and going to the computer and reading over some bills that are being offered for the day. they can have town meetings to discuss it, hear debates about it from the media, or just talk with the family about it. they can decide for themselves what they feel would be good for them and vote on it one way or the other. people have lost their faith in congress because it doesn't do what they want. when 60% of americans want something and they don't get it, it's easy to see why people don't feel that their vote counts. it's esay to see how they lose faith in washington.
their are many different ways that this plan could be implemented, and i know that the likelihood of it occurring are slim, but it should happen. our lives should not be controlled by corporations and lobbyists. people that we never see shouldn't be deciding what we want. allowing everyone to vote on important legislation all the time would be a true democracy by the people, for the people. having one man in connecticut, or one man in nebraska take away what the majority of america wants because their pockets are being stuffed with money is not.
democracy is the vote of every american counting towards everything, and not who gets rich and powerful.
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