Back to School!!! But for who???

   Well, it’s that time of year again. Time to get things ready for the new school year, which is only a few more weeks away. Now that my daughter has moved in with us, it means one more mouth to feed, one more body to buy clothes for, one more brain to buy supplies for, and one more body to wake up and have ready for the daily morning commute to school. Don’t get me wrong, we love our little girl, if that’s what you could call a thirteen year old nowadays. She is our prodigy child, the brains of the family, and the hopeful for a great future, and most likely a shoe-in for college scholarships. With that in mind, it is also hard to see that she isn’t as little as we perceive her to be. Long gone are the days of Barbie’s and Bratz dolls, and rolling in like thunder, are the days of boys, rock-n-roll, and clothes I think we had worn when we were that age. When they were all in their pre-teens, and in their adolescence, it was easy to buy clothes and shoes for them, as well as school supplies. One trip to Wal-Mart or similar stores, and we could find everything they needed; jeans, shirts, jackets, and shoes or sneakers. Me, personally, hate the fact that the older they get, the more complicated it is to get these things. The older they get, the more opinionated they get. No longer can we just go and buy clothes for them. Now we have to take them with us, because anything we buy is bound to be the wrong thing, or not cool, or in. The shoes are the wrong style, the jeans are too loose, or too tight, and for God's sake, that shirt is lame! And for some reason, even though the school sends a paper with a list of what is needed for the coming school year, they always come home after the first day with a list of a hundred other items they will need. The other thing that gets to me is the fact that Wal-Mart and similar places are taboo and to be avoided at all costs, at least according to the kids. Instead we are to bus them to places like Hot Topics or GAP, where a pair of, well, I guess fashionable, jeans can run into triple digits. As for the T-shirts, well, I never thought I would pay more than $10 bucks for one, but yet I find myself shelling out $20 to $40 for a shirt that doesn’t fit right to me, and has a picture or logo from some cartoon character I’ve never heard of. "Dad, I can’t believe you don’t know who that is, everyone knows that!” is the usual conversation as we patrol each and very isle in the small store. Who knew you could pack that much crap into a living room size space. Not to mention, every employee as well as patron, looks like a character from some sappy vampire movie. I can’t help but laugh and think of the Emo kids from South Park cartoons. So, as usual I cave in, and find myself at the register purchasing jeans with more zippers on it than my entire closet full of jeans and jackets, and a few shirts with weird characters and slogans that make no sense to anyone over the age of 20! Oh, and don’t forget the accessories, like the off color and bold belts and wrist bands, and the fashion buttons with more slogans and unknown characters. But wait, "Dad, I need some of these elbow length, fingerless gloves to go with my clothes!” Just when I think it’s over, we have to go to the other stores, for the other kids, and continue the entire process all over, this time with different tastes in fashion and likes. The only thing that keeps me feeling sane with some kind of control, is the fact that our littlest one is still little enough, and young enough for us to do the shopping, all we have to do is ask, "Do you want the blue one with the robot, or the green one with the shark?", or something similar to that, and shoes are even easier, we just pick the ones we like, and he picks the ones he likes out of that. He doesn’t care about the brand or the cost, all he cares about is the design and/or whether or not it lights up or has his favorite character on it. And the school supplies are easy enough; a few pencils, some non-toxic glue, crayons, and sometimes safety scissors and a pencil case. Most of the time, we just use the same supplies from last year, since they really never used it. Last year when our little one brought his school stuff home, his crayons were never opened! Apparently the teacher had enough for the entire class, as well as the other supplies we purchased. He goes to a special school, as he is hearing impaired, and wears hearing aids, so his classes were small; no more than 6 kids. So the teacher had everything they needed, or purchased it herself. So we couldn’t figure why they wanted us to buy the same things, especially if they weren’t going to use them. Oh well, like I said, it saved us from having to purchase them again, as we just put them in the closet until the next year, as he has all the same things at home. I swear we have the biggest box of crayons in the world. For some reason kids in this house don’t want to use a broken or incomplete box of crayons, or they favor one color, like black and purple, which causes us to buy an entire box of new crayons for just those colors, then the extras all go into the box, which by the way grows about 100 crayons per year, so you figure three kids at 100 crayons a year for the last three years, including stocking stuffers, and summer coloring days. I think the pencils are getting the same way, but in their case, we find them in every drawer and shelf in the house. Funny how you can always find an unsharpened pencil when you need a pen! And no sharpener in sight? Of course, no paper either! I swear we can buy the kids a million notebooks, but for some reason they take all the printer paper and non-school paper. Why? Who knows, maybe because it’s not theirs, or not conventional, or maybe it’s just because it ours.

    As for my wife, Brook, I’m not sure how she feels about it all. I assume that she agrees with most of my thoughts on the matter, as we spend countless hours talking about these things. I know I always welcome her opinion and feedback, God knows I can’t do it by myself, especially when it comes to our daughter. It’s funny, that it doesn’t matter what age they become, women are always complicated in certain ways. Maybe it’s because I’m a man, and not allowed to understand all that it is that makes them so needed, wanted, and loved. In any case, hopefully, she will post her thoughts on the matter, and help out those other men and fathers who are in the same predicament, or just as confused.

Stupid Tattoos???

   Why is it that when someone gets a stupid tattoo, there are no sensible friends around to talk you out of it. As a tattoo artist, I have seen my share of stupid tattoos, and have had to cover-up a ton of stupid tattoos. It seems to be a running plague in our country. If you could take all of the people who have gotten a stupid or crappy tattoo, you could probably fill up a small state like Vermont. I feel we need a study of this over growing problem. I mean we need to know fully as to the whys and hows, these persons decide to get these ridiculous so called works of art. More importantly, how could an artist, in their right mind, perform these acts, without thinking of the repercussions for their client and themselves. I have been in this business for over 15 years, and one of the most important things in the "getting a tattoo" process, is the consultation with the artist, about the design and placement of a particular piece. For instance, I don't just go tattooing someones face, neck or hands, without first talking to the client about the repercussions of their choice. For instance, how hard it would be to cover up, or the fact that you would not be able to get certain jobs, or possibly get fired from a present job, and somewhere in their, where will you be in 10 years? The choices we make now, will affect us in the years to come. I often wonder why any artist would put their seal of approval, on any tattoo, that well, looks like shit. I think as professionals, we have a duty to not only do a great job, but to be ethical as well. For instance, I choose not to do gang related pieces, or offensive or racist works. I also will not tattoo on the face, unless they already have extensive work done there already. I treat tattooing hands the same way. Tattoos are permanent, unless you pay triple to have them lasered off, and change over time. Any good artist knows what that ink is going to do over the years, and what that tattoo could possibly look like in 10 or 20 years. I find that most people who decide to tattoo their faces, or get a "stupid" tattoo, are usually young people or people from bad backgrounds. Regardless of who or where your client is from, it is in the best interest of everyone, that we choose to avoid or at least try and talk someone out of a bad decision. It not only makes the person getting the tattoo look stupid, but it makes you, as the artist, look stupid.
   A simple search on Google will result in hundreds, if not thousands, of pages of bad tattoos or stupid tattoos. Im sure it will never end, but at the very least, we as professional tattoo artists have an obligation to ensure the work we put out there is not only of great quality, but also of a higher standard. Those tattoos are walking billboards, and are a reflection of the quality and effort you put into that piece, and all of your works. So why on earth would anyone allow anyone else to get something that is obviously a "stupid" tattoo. You would think that in todays media world, with TV, internet, and websites like YouTube, and television shows like, Miami Ink and LA Ink, that people would be more educated about what a tattoo involves, and what they should expect. It seems the opposite has happened, and that more and more people are going and getting really bad tattoos. There is also a rise in what I call minuteman tattoo shops. These are the guys who buy some equipment, do a few tattoos, then think just because they have some money, that they can open up a shop and be considered a tattoo artist. They usually don't last very long, but long enough to hurt, scar, and ruin what could've been a good design. Then artists like me have to figure out a way to cover up or fix something that could've been avoided, if the client did their research. Just like a doctor, we as artists, have an obligation to make sure that what a person is getting, is something that will stand the test of time, and will not be a regret to them later on in life. Of course you cant see the future, but you can weed out an obviously bad choice or terrible design. Saving both you and the client, a lot of heartache in the future.
   So from now on, think people, think! Check out an artists portfolio, see their work, check out the reputation of a particular artist before you take the plunge. And for Gods sake, DON'T GET A STUPID TATTOO! Thats not a club you want to be a part of!

Should America Follow The Lead?

   Well, if most of you follow the news, you will know of the protests going on in Cairo, Egypt. It would seem that after thirty years of being ruled by one person, it has finally taken its toll on the population. What a lot of you may not know, is that this is not the first time in history, that another country's population has rallied together for a cause. In fact, throughout history, many countries have protested against their government, in an effort to change the way the government or leader has ruled over the years. Many Mid-East countries have done the same in the past. Other countries, including France's, "French Revolution", have done so as well, including right here in our very own backyard, when our forefathers fought for the so called freedoms we now have today. When I watch these news stories, or read about these revolutions, I cant help but wonder, "Why haven't we done this yet?". I mean, when you look at the data, it would seem that out of all the revolutions and protests that have gone on throughout the years, have all been for things that would be considered "not as bad" as the things that go on in our very own country today. If you think back to a time not too long ago, we bailed out a bunch of wall street companies, to which most of them screwed the American public. A nice thank you, considering we paid for the bailouts with our very own taxpayer money. Also consider all the money we give to other countries for all kinds of reasons and problems, but right here in our own country, we have the same problems, if not greater, that could use that money. The list goes on and on, but my all time favorite, is the way oil companies price gouge and our government never says a thing about it in any speech or proposal. We are told it is because of the price of oil per barrel, and conflicts in other countries, and any excuse they can give us. Well, my friends, the numbers don't lie. When companies, like Exxon, are reporting billion dollar profits, in excess of $40 billion, well that's not because the price of oil went up, its because they raised the prices, period! Its very simple folks, you don make a profit if you are paying more, thus having to charge more. You make a profit, when you pay less and charge more. So essentially, the big oil companies continue to pay a certain price, then tell us that a war in some god forsaken place, or a shortage, or that some fish off the coast of India has laid eggs, so we had to raise the price of gas. The first time Exxon, or any oil company reported a $40 billion dollar profit, our government, who is supposed to look out for the welfare of the American people, should have questioned how they made such a profit, when the price of oil has supposedly gone up. So, if you noticed, the question or topic of oil prices is avoided like the plague by our politicians.

   It wouldn't be fair, if we didn't mention the health care issue. Another reason as to why we need a regime change in our country. Has it ever struck anybodies curiosity as to why prescription drugs are the most expensive here in our country, but dirt cheap for the same medication in another country? I'll tell you why! Its because our health care is not determined by our government, it is controlled and determined by the pharmaceutical companies, that lobby our congressman, and bestow lavish gifts (in the form of money), to hear their pitch about a product or law (which means to vote in favor of them), in the hopes it will go through (which means it will). We are the one of the worst countries, when it comes to allowing the rich and powerful to run this nation of ours. Not one politician in D.C. represents the people fairly. Instead of voting together for things that will makes us better for it, they would rather vote against or for something, because of what party you belong to. So it doesn't matter that your Democratic leader has a great bill or law that will help us, when all the republicans are going to vote against it, all because it wasn't a Republican bill or law. If you watch politics in our country nowadays, it is nothing more than a civil WWEake it to the streets, take it to the steps of our political leaders, and most certainly, take it to the very steps of the White House. Because voting doesn't work, and writing to your congressman doesn't work, and little town hall meetings don't work. Nothing works, because your cries can not be heard over the sound of money being put into their pockets. You wan to cut back the budget, how about cutting those big fat paychecks our congressman get for doing nothing. If a person is representing the people, then he should have to live like the people. I don't see how you can even begin to understand the trials of living in poverty, until you live in poverty, and that's half the problem. We pay these guys so well, that they live a lavish lifestyle, and lose touch with the American people. Did you know that some states have as many as 53 congressmen?!! 53? Really? Why would we need 53 congressman to represent one state? Talk about sharing the wealth. If these guys would do their jobs, they wouldn't need 53 representatives. Considering a congressman can earn up to $400,000 a year, cutting back to one representative per state could save us billions of dollars a year. I think the mob has more business sense than our government. I know I am not the only one who feels this way, or sees the blatant crimes taking place in our government, so again, my question is, "Why haven't we done this yet?".
   As Americans, we have a duty to right what is wrong, and we have a right to. We need to stop hiding behind our computers and cell phones, and get back to the basics by voicing our opinions as a whole. Instead of writing to our congressmen, we need to show up at their doorsteps and offices. We need to rally together to show them that we are not stupid, and that we are sick and tired of being robbed blind by our government, and that we want change for the people, by the people.

WTF America, Wake up and smell the Stench!

Why the fuck do we even bother!

   The STENCH, I am referring to, is the stink of immigrants that is festering in this country. I have for years, been  a supporter of stricter laws against immigration. I think today was the straw that broke my camels back. Like most Americans today, we are feeling the pinch of the horrible state our economy is in. With that in mind, we, like many Americans have had to resort to help from our state. By that I mean, Social Services, or to many, Welfare. We signed up for it many months back, and since then, most of the family has received medical cards, food assistance, and whatever else they could help us, which by the way wasn't much. Well, this again, was months ago, and I myself had not received my medical card, nor any word of it. So today we made the journey down to Social Services, and immediately I felt out of place. Why? Well for one, we were the only AMERICANS in there. Out of 100 people in there, we were the only white people. Not because there were alot of African Americans, but because it seemed that everyone in the waiting room was either Somalian or Mexican!!! Every sign on the wall was written in 3 different languages, and each counter had a sign for interpretation services available. Already my blood was boiling, I mean this help is supposed to be there for AMERICAN citizens in times of need, but yet there were no Americans there except for us. Fortunately our case worker was very helpful, for the most part, by informing us that most of these people didn't even hold citizenship. Now wait a minute, you mean to tell me, that most of these people don't even have citizenship,but yet here they are benefiting from our services? What the hell is going on? From what we were told, they not only get to live in our country tax free for so many years, but they also get free medical, free food stamps, free money every month, free housing, free schooling, and some of them even get SSI! What on earth are our leaders doing? How can they let this happen? And why are they wondering why our economy is in the shit house? Well isn't it obvious? Our economy is so bad, because we give our money and services away to immigrants. So WHY, is the big question I have. Why give them all this help, when for one, they don't believe in American values, they force their beliefs on us, most of them HATE, and I do mean HATE America, and Americans. We have illegal immigrants on national TV, stating they are illegal, and no one arrests them. There is no deportation, and no legal action taken against them at all! What I really cant understand, is how we, as Americans stand by and let this happen. Have we become so numb to all this or so scared of our own government, that we just sit back and watch it all down and let it happen. I know there are thousands if not millions of Americans that feel as I do, yet do nothing. We let criminals, terrorists, and those who wish to destroy our ways, come into this country and mock us, laugh at us, and abuse our way of life, and then just sit back and do NOTHING! What has happened to us, what has become of the American spirit. Why do we sit back, and watch these hateful, despicable, and disgusting immigrants come here and spit on us and our way of life. Have we as Americans become pussified? That's right, I said pussified
   I guess the really big question would be, what can I do about it and what can you do about it? Well for one, stop buying products from them, stop going to the little corner stores for cigarettes and drinks. Stop using cabs and use public transportation instead. Most important, is voice your beliefs, to your local congress, your local leaders. Vote for those who share your thoughts and values. You do realize we vote for our politicians, right? Instead of making the same mistake we did with Obama, use your head. Voting for someone because he is black, is just stupid. He made alot of promises he couldn't keep. We were fed lies, and we just ate it up. Stop voting for people who look good in a suit, or have the same religious beliefs as you. Start looking at track records, if you see someone has voted against things like, oh, i don't know, free money for immigrants, they are probably going to vote against it in the future. Its not racist to say fuck them. Its smart! We have enough problems of our own. We don't need more mouths to feed. Alot of Americans don't even realize the gravity of the situation. Most don't realize that they come here, illegally, have a baby here, then move back. Or the fact that they come here and work, and send all of the money home, because of the value of the American dollar. Or that they come here to got to college for free, then go back to their country to live and work, because the education system in their own country sucks. I say we have a military power for a reason, and we should use it. Want to know how much damage a  particular bomb does, use it on those bastards. Maybe if we did something of that nature, they wouldn't come here. Sure they might hate us, but how would that be any different than it is now? Lets see, if you have neighbor who you cant stand, in fact you hate them, you despise them. Would you go to a cook out at their house if you were invited? My guess is that your answer would be a big fucking hell no! So why would these people come here if they hate us so bad? Again, are you that ignorant? It is because of all the freebies they get. Of course I understand, if your are legal, you do have papers, then it is all good. But the truth is, we give these benefits to those who are not legal. What I don't understand is why? I feel as if those who help these illegals should be fired, and brought up on charges. Wouldn't that be the same as stealing form our government. I mean your taking money that is not yours, and giving it to someone who isn't even supposed to be here.
    I could go on and on, and get into more details about the facts, but hey, your reading this, which means you have Internet access, maybe you should use it to do some research, and see what is going on in this country of ours. Or is it theirs? I just done know anymore. I do want to share one more story with you. I feel it is a good example of how they abuse our system, and steal the food from your mouth and the mouths of your children. We went grocery shopping the other day, and as usual we were in line behind some Somalian bitch, with more food than we can eat in a year. When the total came up, it was over $600 in groceries, so it came time to pay, and when she opened her wallet up, she had more credit cards than I have ever seen in my life, I swear to you she had at least 20 credit cards. Visa, Master Card, Am ex, she even had a Diners club card, Sears, Walmart, the list went on. Not to mention, she had what appeared to be over $1000 in cash, so what does she pull out, you guessed right if you said a fucking Food Stamp Card. WTF???? It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut, which of course I didn't. I bitched and complained so loud, that she was shaking when she handed her card to the cashier. Why was she shaking? Not because of some illness, it was because she knew what I was saying was the truth. That she had all that cash, and all those cards, but yet she had a food stamp card, why, because she can, and she knew it. They all come here, get all this help, and then call the whole tribe back home and tell them how to fuck the system over. So they do, and who gets fucked, we all do, with higher taxes and over inflated prices. Canada is looking better and better all the time. Hell even Mexico is looking good now, since no one is there, because they are all fucking here!
   It is time we took a stand for what we believe in, to take stand against those who abuse our system, a stand against those who wish to destroy us and our way of life. For fucks sake, if you hate us so bad, then stay the fuck out!
   This is a link I found that has alot of information and news stories from around the country, about the same bullshit that I have talked about. It is really amazing to see the middle finger stuck up to us, when we say get out illegals! I thought it was very symbolic about how they feel about us. In any case, you should at least check it out, get informed, and then take stand, if not for yourself, then for your children, for your friends, for your country. http://www.anunews.net/blog/?cat=5
    I also want to say, that I am sorry if I offended you with my rant, unless your an immigrant, then in that case, GO FUCK YOURSELF, instead of fucking us!
   And by the way, I still don't have medical. Fucking immigrants!

How much did you say that cost??

   If you have read our other post about our little mishap with our old car, you would know that we received a substantial amount of money from the insurance company. Now we didn't get millions of course, but lets just say we got more that the car was worth. Instead of blowing the money on frivolous things, or other nonsense, we took the money and of course replaced our car. We decided to use all the money to get a car that was well worth it, a little newer, and what we both liked. We found a great car, which we both loved. It was well below book value, and in great shape. Once we test drove it, we instantly fell in love with it.  Now it was only a 2003 model, but for us, that was new, and it drove like it too. But isn't that the way it always goes. Needless to say, after a month or so of owning it, things began to happen. Somehow the evil car gremlin had found its way back to us. It started one day with the trans-axle or transmission. It began to make a rattling noise when the clutch was disengaged and out of gear. Then the front struts began to go bad, then the clutch, then the back shocks, and now the trans-axle again. Oh!, I almost forgot, the rotors are now warped. It would seem the car gremlin had been busy at work, while we peacefully slept in our bed, dreaming of racing, and cruising in the new ride. As we filled our heads with visions of sleek rims and tires, leather seats and a pearl paint job, while we cuddled closely in bed as our brain projected these thoughts and images, and feelings of excitement and content. The damn gremlin was up to no good, destroying one critical item after another. Ripping the visions and feelings of happiness and triumph from our fragile dreams and hopes. We come to the realization, that you can not escape the car gremlin, no matter how hard you try. But, as horrid as the gremlin is, as mischievous and unemotional he can be, we realize that is just how he is, that is his purpose. Too destroy cars, to ruin them and break things you didn't even know existed on or in your automobile. That is his nature, that is what he knows. So I guess you cant really blame him for doing what he does, cause that's who he is. Deep breath..... The true evil ones, the true masters of broken dreams and broken spirits, are the repair specialists! Oh..., you know them well, you know, the "Experts". Hell, they may even hire or somehow coax the gremlins into doing what they do, just so they can offer you their "Expert" advice or "Expert" services. Some try to trick you, by calling themselves " Mechanics", or "Car Care Specialists". These guys, or girls, are the real threat, the true harbingers of misfortune and terror. I guess you could say, the real terrorists are, "Al Carda", and not Al Qaeda. I bet "they" even got to Bin Laden. You must have been in the presence of one or more in your life. You can easily spot them when you bring you vehicle in for one problem, and they tell you that there are dozens of problems, or they fix the problem, but somehow it still exists, and they fix another problem, and yet it is still there. The repair or fix fifty things, until they finally get it, and try to charge you for the whole thing. They are also the ones who charge you triple or quadruple the actual price of the part, and then charge you to put it in! They are also the ones who tell you what the problem is, in some alien language, that is incomprehensible to the human brain. " Well Sir, we need to replenish the No. 5 blue dyed methanol mixture, into the manufactures specially designed container, so that it may travel through the delivery system on your car. That way your forward silica preformed protective visor can be cleansed of any foreign matter that may hinder your ability to drive, and we need to charge you $30 dollars for the special solution, and $50 dollars to have one of our specialists inject it on to the specially designed container." Now for those of you who do not understand the "Language" they use, that pretty much means, we have to put windshield wiper fluid in your car.

   My new concern now, is with today's economy, and the complicated design and technology of newer cars, is how much will these type of repairs cost us. It used to be that cars were easy to work on. Nowadays, you have to have a degree and a super computer to fix many of the problems cars have. With companies like Toyota and others, one has to wonder if these problems are created purposely by the manufactures, to put money into not only their pockets, but the pockets of parts manufactures, and the pockets of the repair "specialists". Why not, crazier things have happened.
   The real craziness is, is that we continue to spend our hard earned money into the pockets of all of them, not by choice, of course! So while our dreams turn into nightmares, and our "hopes" turn into "hope nots", we do it. We do it, because we have to, so we can go to work, take the kids to school, shop for food and clothing, and to just enjoy the thrill of the drive. But that doesn't mean we have to go without a fight, and one way of doing that is to use one of our best resources, the Internet. Be smart, and check the Internet for DIY causes and solutions to common problems, you'd be surprised by how much information and help is on the net. Another great thing about the net, is you can always find great prices on parts and tools. Almost all the time, you can find the parts you need cheaper than what the parts store want, and definitely cheaper than what a repair specialist would charge. The only draw back to that, is some repair shops wont use parts other than theirs, or they will not offer an as good,or no warranty at all on the work, since your not using their recommended parts. So, like anything, it has its pros and cons. So you have to use your knowledge and common sense. Shop around, and do your research. Be sure to check out any parts supplier and repair shops with the BBB (Better Business Bureau). Always read the warranties, and especially the fine print.

   Now I have to get my holy water, garlic, silver bullets, and wooden stakes ready, for our next visit to the repair shop.

Happy Easter, or so we are told!

   Well Easter is upon us once more. Which for many, means Easter dinner with family and friends. For the rest of us, it means, screaming children wired on sugar and candies. It means over $100 worth of candy gone in 60 seconds. It means the cleaning of messes made by kids wound up on at least a pound sugar, that is contained in all the Easter goodies. It also means, that as the adults, we are responsible for getting dinner ready, cleaning up all the messes, and keeping all the kids wrangled up into one area, just to keep things sort of in control. Well, we all know the reality that is truly Easter.
   Luckily for us, today we will be going to a relatives house. So the cooking, the mess, and all the chaos, will be at someone else's house. Which means to us, that we can relax a little bit, and leave the hard work to someone else this year. It also means we can leave when we want to. So when things get to the point when there is too much craziness, we can pack up the troops and head back to home base. Well, at least for Brook and the kids it does. As for me, I have the joy of working on Easter Sunday. So, I don't get to enjoy all the moments and good food. But it also means I don't have to deal with screaming kids, or cranky old people. Now I am sure that it will be a good Easter. But then again, every Easter is supposed to be a "good" Easter, but we all know how it usually turns out. I guess I will have to make it up to Brook tonight with a bubble bath and maybe a foot rub, as she will be the one who has to deal with everything today. Its funny, how I am the man of the house and family, but Brook is definitely the backbone. She deals with and handles more of the family matters than I do. She is half my size, but she definitely takes on more of the responsibilities and chores around the house and family. Like they say, "Behind every man....", and Brook is most assuredly a great woman.
   So, on this warm and sunny Easter day, I wish to thank Brook, for being the great mother, wife, and friend that she has always been to me and the kids. Maybe instead of remembering the religious aspects of Easter, we should all thank our mothers, and our wives, for being so strong and keeping us alive and happy. I say that, as 90 % of the time, it is our wives and mothers who arrange and manage the Easter festivities, not to mention all the things they do at every holiday, all year long. I suppose if it weren't for them, Easter would just be another Sunday.
So, from our family to yours, we would like to wish you all a HAPPY EASTER! And now its time to raid the kids' Easter baskets, and see what the Easter Bunny has left for us.