Monday Beginnings: Not The Best Of Nights For Me

            It was a rough day all together yesterday, nevermind just last night. It was one of those frustrating days when my problems get in the way of me doing what I really wanted to do. It started the night before last to be honest. I was supposed to go to chapel yesterday morning, but because of a bad case of insomnia I couldn’t get the sleep I needed to be attentive in chapel yesterdy morning. So, I had to call out. It bummed me out, because every time I go to chapel I leave feeling refreshed and ready for the week ahead.

            Instead I ended up sleeping till like 5 PM, which never makes me feel good. But, I was supposed to go to a show last night, and that added more stress to me getting ready for that. Then my anxiety started kicking in. And, friends were kind enough to help me beat it back for the time being. But, it came back to the point of paralyzing me as I was just about to finish getting ready. So, I ended up not going.

            I go to very few events, because I have a hard time in public gatherings. I try to do well with them, but it is hard for me. Even as my friend, Tim, tried to make it seem easier to cope with last night. But, for some reason something in me doesn’t do well with it. I can do well with family events and events where there are a lot of friends attending since I know there will be a lot of people I know there. And, they can make introductions for me and start conversations.

            It just strikes me as weird that I can strike up a conversation at a bus stop or on the bus, yet I have a hard time in other places. Maybe it is the temporary nature of the bus stop or bus ride that makes it easier. But, for some reason shows or other gatherings seem more permanent. Maybe it is because of the length of the event that it makes it seem that way. I mean a bus ride or wait is at most an hour.  Versus some of these shows and functions which go on for hours at a time. I mean I can make a few comments at the end of a movie to a stranger after all as we are all walking out like it is nothing so maybe it is that.

            But, it is still frustrating not being able to enjoy some of the things others get to enjoy. Though I am working on it still. I had a good talk with my mother last night where she told me that the next time I should call her no matter how much she is dealing with. And, today I had counseling, which helped me deal with the emotions I had coming out of my anxiety attack as well. So, I am feeling better as I am finishing this up tonight though still a bit frustrated with myself.

            But, I am resolving not to give up or give in. I will continue to fight and eventually overcome this. It is not going to be an easy road, but those things that are worth achieving rarely are. But, I refuse to give up. It’s just not in me to give up all together. I may lose some battles along the way, but I will win the way. And, to all those who gave their support last night and they know who they are, thank you. It meant a lot to me and it did help a lot. Just my mind was determined to work against me.

            I’ve rambled enough for one day though. Feel free to leave comments and questions below. And, please feel free to share with friends and family, especially if you go through anxiety attacks yourself so they might better understand what you go through. As for me I have a late assignment to work on next as well as an article for Odyssey. *Tips his hat and walks out the door. *

Saturday Thoughts: This Election Is A Disaster

            Most of you know I follow politics and government closely. On the federal, state, and local level. And, usually voting day is a great day for me. But, I’m not looking forward to it as much as normal this year. I’ll still look forward to the ballot measures and senate and house races. As well as the local offices being run for, but the one I am most unhappy about is the presidential vote. I haven’t decided fully who I will vote for. I thought I had, but I am still arguing with myself about it.

            One thing I am certain of is that I will not be voting for Trump. Even if I put aside his character flaws I find, and the sexual scandal hanging over his head. I don’t support his policies in general. I also have issues with him treating the country like one of his businesses, the majority of which he has bankrupt. The United States stands as a global leader in finance and we can’t go declaring bankruptcy just because we don’t want to pay our debts. That sends a bad message to the rest of the world. And, demanding countries pay for our protection makes us look like  nothing more than organized crime disguised as a country.

            And, deporting millions of people, some declared citizens of our country under our own Constitution is just wrong. Granted they broke the law by coming here in an illegal way and there should be some penalty for that. But, The Statue of Liberty does read, “Give me your tired, your sick, and your poor.” Now I can agree with deporting the criminals that commit felonies and violent crimes from our country. And, making those who are here illegally pay back taxes with penalties including an extra one for entering illegally. As well as strengthening the border in a logical way, but a wall is not the way to do it.

            This thing of a religious test is also ridiculous and Unconstitutional as it violates The Freedom of Religion. I can agree with screening people for ties to terrorist groups, but not to limiting them entry based on their religion. That is just Unamerican. We need to start making ties to the Muslim Community and showing that we are friends and not enemies. More terrorism has come from the Right-Wing Fringe towards us than Muslims in America currently. Yet we constantly talk about Muslims cause of what happens from time to time and in the rest of the world.

            And, no Hillary is no angel either. She has made mistakes in the past. But, with the policies she proposes I am more in line with. For instance, she says we should support our allies, and I agree with that. I don’t agree with doing it all for our allies, since they should have to do some of the work themselves as well. She also wants to invest in our infrastructure, which desperately needs an overhaul and as a benefit it will create jobs for a good amount of time. Hillary also wants to invest in green energy. Now don’t be alarmed that will take away jobs yes but create others. And, she wants to invest in education on multiple fronts.

            She wants to improve schools across the country on the base level first and foremost. Hillary also wants to invest in higher education on multiple levels. Meaning a four-year degree is not your only option for higher education though it is one. She wants to invest in apprenticeships as well as vocational schools and technical schools. Making for a more diverse job market overall. As well as in the nutrition for schools so students are well fed throughout the day.

            To me the other great thing she wants to do is increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour and I believe she wants to tie it to inflation as well. This would bring all wages in line where they should be currently. On top of that she wants to make parental leave a real thing along with paid sick days and paid vacation for employees. This would put America in the lead of how employees are treated at most and at the very least put it up where it should be among countries in the 1^st world countries. Does it increase cost to companies yes, but you have to pay to play is the saying in business and businesses have forgotten that they have to invest in employees for far too long. Plus, all these expenses are able to be written off on their taxes.

            But some of the scandals around Hillary Clinton have me a bit reluctant to vote for her. I also am looking at Jill Stein who has a lot of the same policies as her. And, then there is the option of just writing in Bernie Sanders for me. Am I going to hold how anyone votes against them? Of course, not. This is America where you are free to vote how you want to. I just encourage everyone to come together after the elections and work together for the betterment of the country. We will all disagree at times and we can do so civilly and discuss it and find common ground. I laid out my thoughts here and anyone else is welcome to do the same.

            But, I have rambled long enough for one day. Feel free to leave questions and comments below. And, please share as well as discuss with your friends and family civilly. As for me I am going to work on my article for Odyssey for the week after next and do some more schoolwork. *Tips his hat and walks out the door. *

Rambling Friday Passing Thoughts

            I know I keep disappearing, but I am still adjusting to things around me. I am thankful for everyone bearing with me as I am finding my way too. And, eventually I am going to have to change the title of my off days since I am giving up coffee for religious reasons. At least that is the plan and I am going to do my best to follow it. I’ve got another post I am working on about the election, but I wanted to step away from the election talk other than to say remember to vote.

            I saw an amazing presentation by Microsoft the other day, which I will be going more in depth on when I write my article next week for Odyssey. But , needless to say we can expect awesome things in the next major update due out in the springtime.  I also saw a recap of the Apple event from yesterday, and I must admit I am not that impressed with their new products overall. I admit they have some impressive things, but they still lack behind overall for me. But, like I had said with the Microsoft event I will get more in depth with that when I write my article next week for the following week for Odyssey.

            I’m slowly working on catching up with my magazine reading, which is no easy feat. But, I think I can work out something to make it manageable so that I can read books along with it. Along with getting my schoolwork done at the same time. I never thought I would have too much reading to do in a million years, but here I am with that very same problem. Not a bad problem to have I must admit. Just takes some managing and persistence. I haven’t found a bad read yet. And, all of them have helped me become much more informed as well as in some cases entertained.

            I hope to be back here writing regularly as soon as this weekend full time, but bear with me if there are some hiccups in the process, since Sunday is a very busy day for me. I have church in the morning and I am going to see Jake “The Snake” Roberts do a one man show that night. So, I only have the afternoon to try and get out a blog in a timely manner, which I will try to do. Other than that, things should go fairly smoothly. I’m trying to find my groove to write as many words as I can in any given week, including schoolwork. I’m looking to do about 5000 including everything. I think I can manage it, just going to take some time to get there possibly.

            Columns may end up being shorter than normal for a little while at times, but then again give me a topic I am fired up about and I will go off on a rant. And, we all know how those turn into epic columns in length. Hopefully everyone has been getting their fill of me through my Odyssey articles though. Or, at least a good taste of me. It is a great experience writing there for me. It is a tight knit community welcoming to everyone. You quickly make friendships and find your groove for articles. I encourage anyone who is even remotely interested to reach out to me or anyone you know who writes for Odyssey.

            Well I have rambled on long enough for one column, and I plan to be back tomorrow. Earlier for sure.  Feel free to leave questions and comments below. And, please share with friends and family so they can share the experience as well. As for me I am going to do some more reading before getting back to schoolwork. *Tips his hat and walks out the door. *