It’s a long weekend, so I’m playing around with the theme again. While I’m doing that I’ve broken out this oldie but goodie.

I’m also getting some things ready for tonight’s Independence Day Warm-up.

Finally, for now, an update on this post. When I wrote that two days ago I had 29 cigarettes left. Right now that number is down to one. Even that is quite a reduction in normal consumption. The good news, yeah I know there’s all that health stuff too, is that I haven’t given the state of Florida or the federal government any more money. And I’m not going to.

I know it’s awfully early in the morning, but I’ve been up for two hours and I’m on my second cup of coffee, so I shouldn’t strain anything trying to do some math. If you’re going to play along at home, please stretch first. I don’t want you hurting yourself, and numbers can do that to you.

The tax on cigarettes goes up $1.00 today in Florida. That’s on top of the increase in the Federal tax that has been in place since April.

The first increase prompted me to go from my regular brand to the generic brand that, I believe, is manufactured from the sweepings around the “good” cigarette machines and grass clippings. As of today those cheap cigarettes will cost just over $4/pack, over half of that in various taxes (which tells you just how cheap those generics are).

I’ve told you in the past that I’m a bit of a numbers geek. I spend about half of my work day immersed in an excel spread sheet. And I like it. That’s the background. This morning I ran the numbers on my habit.

At the end of a week, July 7th, I will have saved $28, almost enough for a family run through McDonalds.

When we get to the end of July I will have saved $124, about the equivalent of an extra day of work without the drive, conference calls, and complaining.

Lets move out a little further. School starts around here on August 24th. I can have an extra $220 in my pocket. Who wouldn’t like that? Of course, with what it takes to equip three for school, my pocket will still be empty.

My birthday falls on Thanksgiving day this year. If I put all of the money that I save away (an if that isn’t going to happen) I could have $596. That’s a lot of turkey and cranberry sauce.

By Christmas eve, just in time to do my shopping, I could have $708 to take on my frantic dash through the empty-shelved stores that are going to close in just a few minutes. Either that, or I could buy a whole lot of presents at the nearest gas-n-shop.

Finally, in a year from now (making the probably inaccurate assumption that prices won’t go up any further) I could save, are you ready for this, $1460!

Dude, I’m getting a Dell.

Maybe not.

We have a leak in the pipe leading to the water heater. Not a small leak, an “I can hear the water running behind the wall” leak, a “water pressure in the rest of the house is next to nothing” leak.

I am not a plumber, but I have lived long enough and in enough different places that I am pretty comfortable performing most household repairs. The question is going to be access. If I can get to it without too much trouble a quick trip to Lowes for a few bucks worth of parts should have water flowing again. I already know it’s behind a wall, but it is in a place where enlarging the hole where the pipe comes through will not be a problem. It’s how far behind that wall that could cause the problem.

I wonder what Samuel (Joe the Plumber) Wurzelbacher is up to this morning?

Think good thoughts kiddies. I’m going in.
UPDATE: We have hot water!! And in time to watch the NASCAR race, too.

Today is my birthday. This isn’t an unusual event, I’ve had them before. In fact, I’ve had a lot of them already. This is number fifty-three.

I hope that in that time I’ve learned a few things. Not really earth shattering things, but I consider them to be pretty important. As an elder in the tribe I have the prerogative to share them with you, so sit down, shut up, and listen. Oh, and respect your elders.

They’re in no particular order, and this list is not all-inclusive. In other words, just some random thoughts and I’ll probably forget a bunch of stuff.

I’m not as good as I think I am. By good I mean the idealized view we all have of ourselves. I’ve known this for a while now, but it did take some time to sink in. A psychologist could probably put this better, but I believe that we are all several different people; the person we think we should be, the person we think we are, and the person we really are. The best we can hope for is to narrow the gaps.

I’m not as bad as I think I am. There are things in life that make you feel like a total failure. My life is full of them. Not to mitigate the importance of some of those things, it still took some time to realize that my failures are not as complete as thought and that perfection is far from possible. Related to this is understanding that even the worst failures are not the end of the world and that most things can still be fixed, or at least improved.

There’s nothing wrong with my monitor. Reading glasses are here for the duration.

Thinking something is important doesn’t make it so. This applies to politics, work, hobbies, and all the rest of life. It also applies to what others think. Just because you think something is all important don’t expect me to see it the same way. Harder yet as been the ability to realize that you (the big, broad, whoever it happens to be at the moment you) don’t give things the same importance that I do. This post is exhibit “A”. That’s OK.

Sometimes life sucks. Most people learn this pretty early on. Just learning it isn’t the important part, it’s knowing that life can throw the worst at you and that you are still around to go at it again. How cool is that?

Related to the above: Sometimes life sucks, but it’s only sometimes. Most of the time life is great. Not “I have everything I could possibly want” great, but “I have every possibility I could want” great. There’s a difference.

I’m never going to be in the shape I was in in my twenties again.

I need to be in better shape in my fifties or I’m never going to see my sixties.

The best advice I’ve ever heard: There are only two things in life that you can control; your attitude and your actions. If you don’t realize how profound that is, think about it some more.

I’ve mentioned this before (and I’m too lazy to search for a link), my philosophy of life: Always be content. Never be satisfied. Let me explain. There is a big difference between contentment and satisfaction. Many people get it backwards. When I say always be content I mean don’t whine about where you are in life. Believe me, no one else cares. That doesn’t mean you (in other words, me) should be satisfied with where you are. Be better, work harder, don’t give up. When I say that many people get it backwards I mean that too many times I see people who are satisfied with where they are in life, but they are hardly content.

Principles are more important than politics.

Like what you like ’cause you like it. Everyone else can go pound sand.

Learn something new today. Plan on learning something new tomorrow, it will give you something to look forward to.

Reading is one of the greatest gifts we’ve ever been given. See above.

Screwing up is OK. At least you’re doing something.

Cut people some slack. Not everyone is as perfect as I am. [/sarc]

That’s it. I know there’s more, but I need to get ready for work.

I woke up this morning and happened to turn on the TV next to the computer. It was still on TBS from watching last nights playoff games. Airing early this morning: Major League: Back to the Minors.

I played an umpire for twelve days on this film, and you can see me on both first and third. I guess I can look forward to another check with nothing to the left of the decimal point.

UPDATE: If you’re watching right now, I’m the 3rd base ump. (Yes, the fat one.)

Well, let’s have some coffee and then take a swim. ~ Johnny Weissmuller

Sorry, no first cup this morning — and this is awfully late as it is. I had some things to take care of this morning that took up all morning and in to this afternoon. Instead let me re-post these fathers day thoughts from last year:

Lessons from my dad

My father passed away at the beginning of my freshman year of high school in 1970. Among the many obvious things that made that so sad was the fact that it was at a time when our relationship was just beginning to change from father-as-instructor to father-as-adviser. When I was young he taught me to play baseball and helped with my homework. Shortly before he died he began teaching me how (not what) to think about things in addition to how to do things. Even though that time was painfully short, the lessons were there and their impact remains.

One incident occurred when the Youth for Christ singing group I was involved with returned several hours later than scheduled due to circumstances I can’t recall now. Cell phones didn’t exist so the parents where unaware of our several hour delay. Dad was waiting in the church parking lot when the bus finally dropped us off. On our way home I remember him saying something along the lines of, “Your mom is very worried and she may appear mad. It’s OK. That’s what mom’s do. You didn’t do anything wrong, so don’t be upset if she acts angry. It’s because she loves you and she’s been worried.” That may seem to be an inconsequential conversation to you, but it has stuck with me for these past 35 years. Over the years since I’ve observed several truths that I only began to learn that night.

• Men and women are different, as non-pc as that may be. It’s not a difference in ability or potential, but a difference of thought and outlook. One thing I’ve observed over the years in parents is how often a mother is quicker to think a child should go to the doctor or hospital than a father. Mom says, “that needs to be looked at.” while dad says, “he’ll be fine.” Women tend to want to protect their loved ones from “the world” while men are more focused on protection from individual situations. Of course as with all generalizations, it falls apart under the light of specific incidents, but I don’t think that invalidates the general observation.
• Don’t read too much into observed emotions. Emotions that are easier to see can mask others that lie beneath the surface. Dad was right that night. When we got home my mothers questions could have seemed angry if dad hadn’t prepared me for them. “Where have you been?” Why was the bus late?” But dad (in the small way that a fourteen year old boy could relate to at that time) had already let me know that those were rooted in worry not anger, and in love.
• A fathers love can be expressed differently but isn’t any less for that difference.

One other thing I took away from that event, although it took many years to realize it, was an appreciation for the changing role of a father as a child grows. It remains a pivotal part of my life in that I began to learn not only how to do things, but to think about things as well.

Other lessons weren’t as anchored to a specific event and in many cases took years to sink in. The lessons were there all the time, I just had to look back to see them.

• Character comes from what you do, not what you say. Dad, like a lot of men of his generation, wasn’t much of a talker. As I look back at his life I can remember much more about things I observed than of things he said. I remember how he treated people. All people. At a time when race relations were being tested and changed dad was mostly color-blind. I remember the way he related to people and can see now that it was tied to their character not a group to which they were a part. Most importantly I remember that his character didn’t change when he wasn’t in public. In later years I’ve associated it with the phrase, “Character is what you are when no one is around.”
• Beliefs trump Circumstances. The fact that life doesn’t always give you what you hoped for is not an excuse for changing what you believe. My father believed in God without question, but not without questions. His questions (this I learned from others telling me about dad over the years) served to deepen his understanding of God, not to question his belief in God. He believed in America. He was too young to serve in WWII and too old to serve in Korea, but his respect for this country was unwavering. When the flag passed by in a parade he would ALWAYS stand (an make my sister and I stand too). When the National Anthem was performed at a ball game his hand would be over his heart. I don’t recall seeing either of those things much anymore. He believed in his family. Not that we were flawless, but that we were his. Even his discipline, I can see now, came from believing in what we could be. He even believed in the Phillies during years that doing so was a very trying thing to do.
• Whatever you do, do the best that you possibly can. He never allowed me to do a job part way, and he wouldn’t either. Looking back I could see his loyalty and character even doing jobs he didn’t particularly like.

I know that this paints him in near saint-like hues. Like all humans he had his many flaws. It’s just that the things I remember are the things that made him so great in my eyes. I love him and thank him for everything he gave me and taught me in what amounted to a few short years. I miss him. Most of all I am grateful that I can look back at his life and see how it has molded my thinking. At times I don’t live up to the standard he set even as I realize that he didn’t always measure up to the standards he set for himself. I certainly have not been the father I would like to be. I’ve made choices and done things that went against these valuable life lessons. Yet, I can almost hear him say in my mind, “That’s ok. Just do better next time,” or “Is that the best way to do that?” That is when I don’t here him say, “The Phillies could really do it this year.”

Happy Fathers Day, dads. God bless each of you.

Coffee is good for talent, but genius wants prayer. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

BUMPED TO THE TOP TODAY. NEW POSTS BELOW

One Year Ago Today at bRight & Early Making book on filibuster detente — “A compromise has been made. Fourteen “moderate” Senators, seven from each party, have added their signatures to a deal that would allow the voting to go forward on some of President Bush’s judicial nominees. Others would still be subject to the obstructionist threat of filibuster. In other words, they will be obstructed and the will of the majority will not be heard.”

That was my first post, one year ago today.

It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by. I didn’t discover blogs right away. Oh, I knew about them in a way. I even had a copy of WordPress, I just wasn’t sure what to do with it. I had been reading the Drudge Report and discovered the columns of Ann Coulter, David Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, and others. And I discovered blogs. Then the local talk radio host, Pat Campbell, started talking about his new blog. It was on blogspot. Investigating his site I discovered that I could be too!

I’ve been politically interested and semi-active for a long time. I served as the Republican Party County Chairman (of a really small population, rural, county in South Carolina). And I ran a write-in campaign for Mayor of a very small town where all three candidates had to run as write-ins. I came in third.

And I’m opinionated. I’ve mentioned before that the original name of my blog was going to be One Opinionated Old Fart.

I think that my writing has improved (in some ways. It’s deteriorated in others.) I KNOW I’ve learned a lot. I believe I’ve read more in the past year than in the previous forty nine. I’ve enjoyed reading the thoughts of some pretty thoughtful and insightful people.

I’ve had a blast.

If you want to send a gift, here are some suggestions.

• Traffic! I’d love to have a record setting day. (I didn’t realize that I had to have sitemeter on my individual post page until after my first and only Malkilanche) [Note: Not a realistic goal for a Wednesday. lol]
• Sign Up for the Blogiversary Database, and please tell others (and get others to tell others). And add the code to your site. This post explains it well. If you have any questions, drop me an email (lakelandjim at gmail dot com.)
• Blogroll Me!

Oh, hitting the tip jar (it’s over there on the right), buying an ad, or buying something from one of the ads is acceptable too.

Linked with TMH’s Bacon Bits This Is a Yak — Bacon Break, The OTB Beltway Traffic Jam, Blue Star Chronicles Mid-Week Open Post

It’s raining here in central Florida. This is a very good thing. It has been a looong time since we’ve had a good rain as my brown lawn attests. Too bad I can’t lay around and enjoy it.

I’ve got a busy day starting right about now. Posting will resume later this afternoon or this evening.

I’m working on the First Cup now, but before it finishes brewing I want to share some EXCITING news!

If you look at the top of this page you will see a countdown timer tracking 2 events — The time ’til the 2006 Elections, and a Special Event (TBA). At first that special event was counting down to May 19th. Yesterday it changed to May 5th. It’s changed again this morning. Go ahead, scroll up and take a look. Yeah, that’s today.

So, what is this event?

Here’s some stuff for a relatively slow Sunday Morning:

Blogads — You can purchase blogads here at bRight & Early. They’re not expensive, and I could use the help.

Update Your Blogroll — Have you changed the url for bRight & Early on your blogroll? I know most of you have, but some (Matt) still have not.
Of course if you haven’t added bR&E to your blogroll, a slow Sunday morning would be the perfect time to do so.

Florida Bloggers — Are you a conservative Florida blogger? You’re invited to join the Red State Floridian blogroll.

Blogs4Blogs — This blogroll is for those who think that our free speech, particularly our political speech on our blogs, is protected by the Constitution and should not be regulated by the FEC or the government. To join just drop me an email with your blog information.

Frappr Map — Why haven’t you stuck a pin in our Frappr Map?

Getaway ‘N Go Travel — Part of today will involve some site updates at Getaway ‘N Go Travel. Included will be the ability to book your travel online. If you’re making travel plans consider using Getaway ‘N Go Travel. You’ll get competitive prices and personalized service. You’ll also be helping a conservative entrepreneur and blogger.

Coming to Florida? — This is sort of a side note to my blog friends. If you’re planning on visiting the Florida Mouse or any destination in Central Florida, and you don’t let me know, I’m going to be most upset! Spring break and summer vacation are both approaching fast. Come on down!

Have a great Sunday.

Linked with the Sunday Morning picnic at basil’s blog.