It's been a while...

A lot has changed since the last time I wrote... I got a new job, it's gotten much hotter outside... Actually, I think that's about it. I am now back inside, but still selling. Over the past few months I've realized that sales is in my blood and there's nothing I can do to change that, so rather than fight it, do the school thing, and try to find a 'job' at some corporation doing way too much work for way too little pay, I've decided to embrace my career path and run with it.

The main 'drawback' to a sales career is that "everything depends on you". You'll hear weaker people say negative things about commission-only, how you'll never make any money, you have to fight for every dollar, etc. I think everything depending on me is the most exciting part! If I'm lazy and don't try, don't sell anything, I come home broke. It's a tiny bit of motivation to be on point at all times. If you don't put forth 110-150% effort EVERY SINGLE DAY, you might as well not even come to work. I may be a little biased, or maybe I like the challenge, but if you can settle for an hourly job where someone else is in control of your destiny, good for you.

I've also been looking more into writing for a living. While sales is in my blood, and something I really enjoy, writing is a passion that, if it could pay the bills, would give me the best lifestyle I can imagine. Wake up in my cabin in the middle of nowhere, go take care of the crops and animals, do a little writing, maybe a little riding... Mmmmm. Near-perfection!

However, for now I'll keep doing what I'm doing, pay off some bills, and enjoy life. Look for some short stories in the near future, I think that will be my next blog endeavor. Until next time, be easy!

66! 90! Go, go, go!!

I'm sitting in the computer room at my parent's house, watching and listening to the rain falling outside. Sunday has become the only day I have to myself, so I try to use it to its fullest potential. That means doing laundry, cleaning up after "Skunky" the guinea pig, and spending time with everyone that wants to hang out. Surprisingly, spending time with people is the hardest for me to actually accomplish. I hate time management. I do love being busy, though... Always on the go, I never take the time to just stay home and relax with the family. I don't know why, either. Maybe it's because there's so much world out there, I feel like I should be out experiencing it. This is a serious Catch-22 for me, which I will deal with at a later date, I'm not thinking about that now.

I have had a very enjoyable weekend so far... I got a little beat up this past week at work, which happens from time to time in the direct outdoor (read: door-to-door) sales business. I decided to take yesterday off because I knew I wouldn't be effective in the state of mind I was in on Friday. Good decision on my part! I feel well-rested and ready to get back at it on Monday. Then, Thursday through Sunday I'll be out of state for a wedding (not mine!), and then back to the streets the following Monday.

One last note, before I wrap this up and watch some of the Dallas Supercross race, after which I'll leave until about midnight, when I'll come home to prepare for tomorrow. I realized that walking about 6 hours a day, 6 days a week, at about 2-3 mph (call it 2.5) means I walk about 90 MILES a week (15 mi/day)! That means, assuming this pace and the 5 weeks I've been at this job, that I have walked around 450 miles so far. And I wonder why I wore my shoes out so fast! So for you friends who wonder why I'm never around anymore, my 66 hour work week, and immense walking mileage are the answer.

I think my clothes are done drying... Back to work I go! As always, thanks for reading! I'll be back the next chance I get. :-)

Brain Stew

There comes a time,

In life, when death,

Is thoughtfully,

Thoroughly considered.

Sometimes it is the taking,

Of another's or your own,

Sometimes its from thinking,

You're old or all alone.

And when the time,

Of ponder is at hand,

Do we sit and take it?

Or do we make a stand?

Ofttimes I wonder,

With my prophetic mind,

What the future holds,

Try to determine mine.

The stand I take,

Though hard and long,

The choice I make,

Is it right or wrong?

Thick and thin,

Old and new,

What should I think,

When I think of you?

I like to dream,

Of better days,

When all our trouble,

Will go away.

And then I stop,

And fully see,

Exactly what's,

Become of me.

A dreamer?

A thinker?

A persistent man?

Is that what I really am?

So for today,

And maybe tomorrow,

I will sit here,

In my sorrow.

But don't you think,

Not for one minute!

That when the time comes,

That I'll regret it!

If it weren't for me,

Writing these words,

My harbored thoughts,

Would not be heard.

And so I'll sit,

And here I'll stay,

To write and ponder,

Another day.

Save your sympathy,

Save your grief,

Keep the symphony,

Playing by the wreath.

For on that day,

When I am gone,

I want to hear,

A happy song.

A song about flowers,

That grow so high,

And a girl with stars,

Right in her eyes.

Because in my dreams,

That's what I see,

And when I awake,

She's not with me.

My dear, where did you go?

It seems as if you disappeared,

Like footprints under fallen snow,

Almost exactly as I feared.

The moral of the story,

I write for you this day,

Is not cause for worry,

So please do not dismay.

Only do I wonder,

And only do I think,

What does the future hold for me?

I hope it doesn't stink!

Hope you all enjoyed that little tour of my mind... I've been stuck in my head all day and I needed to get it out somehow. For some reason, poetry seems to say what I can't. On a lighter note!!!

My new job is going swimmingly! Had a great first week in the field, made 3 sales, learned a LOT, and met some pretty cool people. I got kicked out of an entire town by the police, almost got eaten by a dog, AND... I doubled my "normal" weekly earnings. Not too shabby for not knowing what I'm doing! So needless to say, I'll be back on Monday.

(Once I start rhyming, it's really hard for me to stop. Sorry, it's kinda like an addiction.

"Hi, I'm Jim."

' Hi Jim!'

"And I'm addicted to rhyming."

'Thanks for sharing, Jim, don't you feel soooo much better about yourself?'

"No, actually, I don't. But thanks for asking."

Doesn't the saying your name thing take the anonymous out of it? Or is that just me?)

Sorry, little bit of a tangent there... Anyways, it sounds like my laundry is ready to come out of the dryer. I better start ironing. Ugh... Leave me some comments. And tell your friends to follow me. Thanks! :)

Diary Entry

You know that feeling in your chest? Like there's something on fire in there, yet at the same time it feels like someone has their hand wrapped around your heart, and they're squeezing it, but your heart is still pounding? Yeah... I love that feeling! People tend to call this 'nerves' or 'being nervous', but really it's the release of adrenaline and other fun chemicals your body produces. I call it being excited, it's a cup-half-full thing... I can't go into too much detail, but let's just say things are working out quite nicely. A positive mindset has a VERY powerful impact on your future. Trust me.

Today is the culmination of 10 years of work. It feels the same as every other day that led up to this point, which is a little surprising, I thought it would be different. I think I'm finding more comfort in things staying relatively the same, acknowledging this change would just make it all the more awkward. I'm extremely grateful for everything I've learned and experienced, and for the many relationships I've formed as a result. However, the time has come to move on, and this next step should help me get a lot closer to my goal. (That goal is to have my own business and become financially independent. It's not too much to ask.)

As far as the guinea pig thing goes, I figured out last night that if you just give them a piece of apple they stop squeaking! Who knew? TQ did. Turns out he does more than just lurk on the blogosphere, he actually knows something! Incredible...

Make sure to check back tomorrow, I'll have some more 'concrete' details, and hopefully more good news and a few funny stories!

Me being me

I promise I will not talk about politics or current events at all in this post. Unless something slips, and then just know it was unintentional. I'm taking a break from ranting, and instead focusing on storytelling for a bit. I feel that this will be more benefitial to all 4.75 people who regularly read my blog, according to a recent Shmogbee Poll survey. The only thing I really find disturbing about these poll results is that, somewhere out there is 75% of a person. How the heck does THAT happen?!
Now, I'm honored that "Three Quarters" is out there somewhere, intently hanging off my every word. However, until now I had no idea he was there! So after much thought and careful focus group polling, I have decided to cater more to Three Quarters, or TQ as I will refer to him in the future, in an effort to make him feel more like one of us "wholers". If you have a problem with this new strategy, take it up with my agent. Yes, I do have an agent. And she may or may not be my mother. I'm trying to maintain my plausible deniability here, incase of any future legal trouble, as per the advice of said agent, who from here on out shall be known as Secret Agent, because no one really knows... for sure.
Recently, my life has been going fairly well. Probably a bit better than TQ's, but that's why I'm here, to prove myself wrong and make TQ feel like he can muster up that extra 25%. This is all for you buddy! And don't you forget it...
You see, things in my hometown are pretty slow, and up until recently I thought I'd just ride it out. While I was lazilly perusing the web the other day I stumbled upon an ad that would change my life forever. I knew this, because it literally said, "This ad WILL change your life FOREVER". So I made the call. I find out Thursday whether or not ads can be trusted.
AND THEN there was this girl. She's cute, seems pretty cool, ya know, my kinda girl, right? As in, I could totally see myself making this work. Silly me, I always forget how much women and guinea pigs have in common. (DON'T SHOOT ME YET!!! Wait 'til you read this one...) You see guinea pigs like to make cute little noises, almost like they're talking to you, except you can't understand them. This is the first similarity. They also like to be touched, given attention, and enjoy little 'gifts', like food and toys. That is, until they flip out and run away because all the things they like are just soooo much fun they can't take it anymore. This is the kind of logic that keeps me up at night. It's also the kind of logic that keeps me single. I can't quite figure out why...
Anyways, TQ, I do have a point to this story, or at least I did a minute ago... Where'd - OH! - Here it is! I have a feeling there are some drastic changes about to happen in my life. I'm hoping these are good changes, but in today's world you just never really know anymore. In the past few days I've felt everything from 'Oh my God my world is going to come crashing down' to 'FINALLY! Everything is coming together EXACTLY how it should!'. Then I wake up to the real world, late for work again. And since Secret Agent is sick, it can be a bit difficult, not to mention expensive, to get her world-class advice.
In all seriousness: 10 years of learning, struggling, adapting, growing and settling could all be gone in the blink of an eye. 2 years of soul searching, self discovery, and learning could finally pay off. Or I could be here a week from now, with everything the same as it has been. I'm really ready for the next step, whatever it ends up being.

Decoder Ring

"How's everybody doing?! Are you ready for a show tonight??"


Dozens of screaming fans in the audience clap enthusiastically, while thousands more at home are on the edge of their seats, eagerly anticipating the return of their favorite speaker. At the same time, some in the 'studio' audience jeer at the orator. Others at home stare angrily at the television, crack open a cold beer, and reach for some Tylenol. For them, this is like nails on a chalkboard, but they listen anyway.


What did I just describe? American Idol? So You Think You Can Dance? Nope. Not even close. I'm talking about the State of the Union Address. Tonight at 9pm, President Obama will address Congress, the American people, and the world. His message, however, will be different than in previous speeches. You see, Obama and his handlers realize that his popularity is slipping, so they are going to try to take a 'populist' stance. There will be talk of more bank regulations, he'll probably be upset about the Supreme Court's upholding of the 1st Amendment, and he's going to offer TAX BREAKS TO THE "SANDWICH GENERATION"! Wait, what?


First, let me explain a few things... Like the word "populist". It means that you are in tune, sympathetic even, with the wants of the people. Don't let him fool you with this claim. He and his ilk care about power, fame, and money, not what the people want. Bank regulations, while innocent enough on the outside (an effort to keep banks from making risky investments), are just yet another power grab. The Supreme Court's decision to remove limits on corporate election spending will be met with charges of 'special interest groups' and 'big businesses', when Obama himself meets with lobbyists from these same special interest groups and big businesses on a regular basis, contrary to how he promised he would run his administration on the campaign trail. And the tax breaks? We've heard that line before... Keep in mind the $250 billion in savings (over the next 10 years) that he will tout is only a 3% reduction in the budget. This is like you spending $97 instead of $100, and then telling your significant other how much you saved! Are we really that gullible?


Lucky for me a friend sent me a way to handle tonight's speech, without too much thinking. Because I'm such a nice guy, I'll pass it on to you too. Just DON'T LOSE IT! These things are a hot commodity, speculators have already driven the price through the roof to near-bubble levels!

Personal Appeals

Yesterday was a big day in American history, and I am glad to have been around to witness it. While I am not sure Scott Brown is the BEST candidate, and I don't know his M.O., I do know that the PEOPLE of Mass. spoke and the world is listening! Well, maybe not so much the world... But Obama is DEFINITELY pissed this morning! And, well, he has every right to be (in his own mind, anyway).

Obama was elected "by mandate" as the "messiah" candidate, and everyone loved him. There was absolutely NOTHING the guy could do wrong! Hangs out with terrorists? Big deal! Attends a church for 20 years that preaches hatred and American destruction? So what, he was probably sleeping anyway! Communists in the White House? You get the picture... But do you get what's happening right now? No, do you REALLY understand what's going on in your own country? Either way, you're about to! :)

Think back to November with me for a minute. Remember those special gubernatorial elections, New Jersey and Virginia? Well, do you remember that Obama was out PERSONALLY campaigning for the Democrat candidates (instead of making a decision on Afghanistan)? Do you remember them losing to the Republican candidates in notoriously "blue" states? The same thing just happened last night. Despite Obama's personal appeals (hence today's title), the candidates he goes out to support still lose. Three times in a row. Do you think Obama and his cronies have noticed this trend, too? You bet your bottom dollar they have! And they're getting a TAD bit worried. The POTUS, after only a year into his term, has lost his political pull with the people.

Bigger picture: The American people are starting to realize the LIES they are being bombarded with on a daily basis from "trusted" sources. They realize the hope and change they voted for isn't the hope and change they wanted. They want a smaller government. They want lower taxes. They want a president who will STAND UP for America and DEFEND the Constitution! So they are telling us at the voting booth, "We've had enough. Your entitlements won't buy us anymore. Your broken promises won't fool us anymore. We know what we want, we know who we are, and we know you don't get it. So get out."

Let's take today and celebrate our victory! Not the victory of Scott Brown, former semi-nude model and weird father (thanks Glenn). No, today we celebrate the American people, for braving the cold, snow, and sleet to make their voices heard. We celebrate the awakening of a dragon, who once awoken, is the toughest force in the world to overcome. We celebrate the fact that our Founding Fathers had the foresight to give that dragon the means to defend itself, from tyranny, from corruption, from those who seek to suppress our independence. Tomorrow we will diligently be back at work, watching the every move of the political elite for signs of trickery and ill-will. Today, we will celebrate.

Special Election

Today Massachusetts is holding a special election to fill the late Edward "Ted" Kennedy's vacant Senate seat. I'm excited! You see, the progressives (Democrats) need their current 60 vote supermajority to pass Obama's healthcare legislation, which would practically assure passage of Cap & Trade and Illegal Amnesty legislation as well. If Obama does not pass heathcare, his presidency will be seen as a failure, and he will certainly lose any chance at re-election. As you can imagine, they're pretty worried about today's outcome, as they should be. President Obama has been stumping for Martha Coakley (D), making television, radio, and phone ads using what political pull he has left to try to insure her victory. But is it helping?

Scott Brown (R) has been driving around the state in his pickup truck, (Janet Reno throwback, anyone?), with sports greats like Doug Flutie and Curt Schilling outside Fenway Park pulling for the populist candidate. After polling last year 30 points below Coakley, Brown is now seen in some polls leading by as much as 10 points. With the gradual awakening of the American people, populist, or "people's" candidates, who support small government, low taxes, and less government intervention will be at an advantage over the "big tent" types who advocate for more entitlement programs and increased spending. The trend I am seeing is of REAL Americans, those of us who work, pay bills and taxes, and generally want to be left alone, starting to wake up and realize the tyrannical nature of our current administration. And they don't like it... Not one bit.

So what happens now? Let's say the Union "thugs" and Harvard "scholars" show up in droves, some even paid to vote for Martha Coakley (yes, it's true), and she wins. That being the case, nothing really changes. The radical revolutionaries will continue on their current path, restricting our freedoms and ruining our economy, until we vote them out in November, which we will. On the other hand, let's say that what I've been hearing is true, that there are people literally wearing Red Coats and Blue Coats in Mass., walking around quoting the Founding Fathers, and rallying around Scott Brown. His win of this election would be a masive blow to the libs, and a great kickstart to Congressional Blowout 2010. Not only could we potentially stop the big tax-and-spend bills coming down the pike, we could create even more momentum for the Re-Awakening of America, which I and many others like me believe is essential to the survival of our nation.

Let's all hope and pray that Scott Brown successfully grabs the "Kennedy Seat", and pray even harder that he is a man who cannot be bought and traded to the dark side, that he will aid the conservatives in our fight for individual liberty, constitutional freedoms, and smaller, more effective government.

Digging Deeper - Part 1

Today's post is the beginning of a 5-part series, in which we'll discuss a few topics of immediate relevance. Throughout this series we'll talk about things like education, religion, economics, government, and wrap it up with the Will of The People. As you are all aware, these are trying and transformational times, and whether you realize it or not, we are writing history with our decisions as a nation. I will include links to particularly intriguing sites when I feel it is appropriate, however this is not so much a policy debate as a philosophical look at where we are, what is happening, what our choices are, and what the outcomes may be. Let's get started!

Education is first on our list of topics, and for good reason. Education is essential to human and societal development. Everything we know we have been taught, at one point or another, whether by someone else or by ourselves. Personally, I choose to educate myself, according to the things I want and feel I need to know. My reasoning behind this is three-fold: I can determine what materials I educate myself with (as not everything you read is the truth), I can learn at my own pace according to my own desires, and it is a LOT less expensive than college! Do I think college has merits? Absolutely! College is a great place to learn responsibility, meet new people, and broaden one's horizons. Do I think college has downfalls? Absolutely! Take for example the curriculum. Who determines what you hear and learn in college, or any public school for that matter? For the most part it is the NEA and other (liberal) teacher's organizations, and also the increasing role our government plays in, should we say, indoctrination of the "educated".

The youth in school today are subject to a very different environment than most of us were. Rather than teaching the values of hard work, the positive impact of the free-market and its advocates, and the incredible history of the founding of our great nation and the wonderful things that have happened as a result, things like communism, socialism, and entitlement are taught instead. In the FCAT this past year, there was a story of a community garden on private property, which was shut down because the land owner wanted to use his vacant lot to build on. The students were asked what the town (read: government) should do: allow the farmers to continue growing their garden because it is good for the community, or allow the land owner to use the property as he sees fit? When broken down to the bare basics (or 'brass tacks' as that funny Geico Gecko says) this is a question of communism versus capitalism and the fight over private property rights. In our society governed by the Constitution, the supreme law of our nation, the land owner should be allowed to use his property as he chooses, because he owns it and therefore has rights. The town should not have ever been involved, because technically the farmers were trespassing, and as such had no rights to use the land in the first place.

We need to be very aware of what we send through our brain's digestive tract, just as we need to be aware of what we eat in order to maintain a healthy body. If you are a parent, it is YOUR responsibility to teach your child and not anyone else's. The public school systems have become parent, baby-sitter, and mentor. This is wholly unacceptable. If we expect our traditions and way of life to be carried on in the future we must pass it on to the youth in the present. Personal responsibility, a strong work ethic, and the knowledge that no one owes you anything, save what you make or build for yourself; these will be key in coming years for the preservation of our society. Trust your instincts when it comes to matters of knowledge, for it is one of the most easily manufactured falsehoods. To paraphrase Mark Twain: It's not what you don't know that can come back to bite you, it's what you know for sure that ain't true.

If we do nothing, there are a few various outcomes, some more probable than others. The most obvious is the degradation of our society and traditions. There are forces at work that would like nothing more than to see the end of free-market capitalism and the fall of America in favor of a global autocracy. The same forces acting in our White House and Congress are the same forces acting in our schools. I'll leave you to your imagination from here, I think you get the point I'm trying to get across. Stay tuned! There's more to come. Let's get some comment conversations going, eh? The more feedback I get, the more interesting I'll try to make this! :)

Heat of the Night

It looks like we're in for some chilly weather, the forecast for Central Florida this weekend calls for highs in the 30's and 40's with lows in the high 20's! Not to mention all the rain, which they say will turn into snow flurries and sleet overnight and into the morning. Snow in Florida? And Al Gore says the science behind Global Warming (er, Climate Change, it's not getting any warmer) is settled. Really Al? How stupid do you think we are? First, we're all going to burn up because of Global Warming. Then, when they realized the world is actually cooling, they change the name to Climate Change, hoping we won't notice their massive screw-up. What a joke, anyone with half a brain and a splash of common sense can see through their foolish ruse. "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

OK, enough of that. Since I'm sure you'll be spending some time indoors this weekend I'm going to hook you up with some good ol'-fashioned BLONDE JOKES!! *Disclaimer: I LOVE blondes, of course not as much as gingers (another topic for another post), and none of this is meant as an insult in any way. So sit back with your hot cocoa by the fire and have a few laughs on me. No laughing AT me, though... That's against the rules! ;)

THE MOON
Two blondes living in Oklahoma were sitting on a bench talking. One blonde asks the other, "Which do you think is farther away, Florida or the moon?"
The other blonde turns and replies, "Hellooooo, can you see Florida??"

T-SHIRT
A blonde goes over to her friend's house wearing a T.G.I.F. t-shirt.
"Why are you wearing a 'Thank God It's Friday' shirt on Monday?"
"Oh, crap!" the blonde says, "I didn't realize it was a religious t-shirt. I thought it meant 'Tits Go In Front'."

CAR TROUBLE
A blonde pushes her BMW into a has station. She tels the mechanic it died. After he works on it for a few minutes, it is idling smoothly.
She says, "So what's the story?"
He replies, "Just crap in the carburetor."
She asks, "How often do I have to do that?"

SPEEDING TICKET
A police officer stops a blonde for speeding and asks her very nicely to see her license. She replied in a huff, "I wish you guys would get your act together. Just yesterday you take away my license and then today you expect me to show it to you!"

RIVER WALK
A blonde goes out for a walk in the woods. After walking for a while she comes to a river, where she sees another blonde on the opposite bank. "Yoo-hoo!" she shouts, "How can I get to the other side?"
The second blonde takes a long look up the river, and then down the river. After a minute she shouts back, "You ARE on the other side!"

AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE
A gorgeous young redhead goes to the doctor's office complaining that her body hurt wherever she touched it.
"Impossible!" says the doctor, "Show me."
The redhead took her finger, pushed on her left shoulder and screamed, then she pushed her elbow and screamed even more. She pushed her knee and screamed. Likewise, she touched her ankle and screamed. Everywhere she touched made her scream.
The doctor said, "You're not really a redhead, are you?"
"Well, no" she said, "I'm actually a blonde."
"I thought so," the doctor said, "Your finger is broken."

KNITTING
A highway patrolman pulled alongside a speeding car on the freeway. Glancing at the car, he was astounded to see that the blonde behind the wheel was knitting! Realizing that she was oblivious to his 20 flashing lights and siren, the trooper cranked down his window, turned on his bullhorn, and yelled, "PULL OVER!!"
"NO!" the blonde yelled back, "IT'S A SCARF!"

IN A VACUUM
A blonde was playing Trivial Pursuit one night. When it was her turn, she rolled the dice and landed on Science & Nature. Her question was, "If you are in a vacuum and someone calls your name, can you hear it?"
She thought for a few seconds and then asked, "Is it on or off?"

ON THE SUN
A Russian, an American, and a blonde were talking one day. The Russian said, "We were the first in space!"
The American said, "We were the first on the moon!"
The blonde said, "So what? We're going to be the first on the sun!"
The Russian and American looked at each other and shook their heads. "You can't land on the sun, you idiot! You'll burn up!" said the Russian.
The blonde replied, "We're not stupid, ya know... We're going at night!"

THE GRAND FINALE
A girl was visiting her blonde friend, who had aquired two new dogs, and asked her what their names were. The blonde responded by saying that one was named Rolex and the other was named Timex. Her friend asked, "Who ever heard of someone naming their dogs like that?"
"Hellooooo....." answered the blonde, "They're watch dogs!!"

Hope you enjoyed those, I know I did! Stay warm and have a great weekend!

A New Decade

I remember the start of the last decade. The 2000's, "ohs", "aughts"... Whatever we finally decide to call them. December 31, 1999 was such an intense night, everyone was all a flutter about Y2K, the New Millennium, and the end of the world as we knew it. Well, the clock struck midnight and we were all still here, no worldwide computer crashes, life-ending asteroids, or aliens hell-bent on world domination. We did have an outbreak of some of the WORST-EVER TV commercials, which haven't gotten too much better, but that was about as bad as it got. We came in to the 2000's with all the feel-good extravagance of the 90's, fully expecting the kind of peaceful prosperity we had grown accustomed to over the past decade. And for a while that's exactly what we had.

September 11, 2001 was more than a successful terror attack on the United States, it was a pivotal moment in our history. Because we were scared of those who attacked us, we allowed our government to strip us of freedoms and fling us head first into a war that took the lives of many great and courageous young men and women, all in the name of protecting us from another disaster. We became consumed, even obsessed, with the thought of capturing and killing Osama Bin Laden and those who helped him mastermind an atrocity that will forever be burned in the minds of millions of Americans. Our government may have taken a few wrong steps, but our people took an incredible leap forward (which is to say backward)! Allow me to explain. After 9/11, we were once again PROUD to be Americans! We helped each other again, we were patriotic, we wanted to fight for our freedoms and we wanted to win! Do you remember that America? I do.

Fast-forward to December 31, 2009, the end of an era and the start of a new one. This night was different. We were still celebrating, and once again we were celebrating in fear. This time, however, the fear wasn't a made-up computer problem, but instead fear of change, of losing our jobs, losing our freedoms. Some say there is no way things could get worse, that we are at the bottom and the only way we can go from here is up. I'd like to believe that, but I don't. Things can always get worse, and they probably will before they get better.

So how do we improve? How do we make sure we get what we want, what we deserve? We find that American, patriotic, fighting spirit that we had in 2001-2002! We need to make our voices heard, study history and learn its valuable lessons, and not settle for anything less than what we deserve! What do we deserve? Freedom. It's what our Founding Fathers fought for and gave up everything they had to achieve. Keep your chin up and your head down, we can make it through this and we will, so long as we remember who we are and what we, as a nation, stand for. It's like the song says, "If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything." We can't afford to fall, so we must stand, and stand proud. After all, this is a new decade, and it is ours to shape as we see fit.

Introductions

Being as this is my first blog (and first post on said blog) I'll take a few lines to briefly introduce myself. I won't make this too long or in-depth, because you'll get to know me soon enough. My name is Jim and I am a WMSWW. Oops, sometimes I forget that not everything is a "Personals" ad on Craigslist... Let me translate: I'm a white, politically conservative, socially moderate, male 20-something seeking a like-minded female. (That search isn't going too well, by the way.) I live in a formerly small Florida town that's trying way too hard to grow up, which is both amusing and annoying at the same time. I work with my family at our retail business, which is another story for another day!

I've been thinking about the blog scene for a while, mostly as something to do to take up the ample free time I have while standing around waiting for the Great Recession to end. For some reason, call it an epiphany, revelation, or misfiring synapses in my brain, the phrase "Diary of a Broken Youth", and subsequently this blog, came to mind today, and it seemed fitting given the current circumstances. You see, my ACTUAL youth (growing up, middle school, high school) went pretty well, all things considered. I didn't die, and well, I probably should have - on more than a few occasions. Go me! My story isn't unlike yours, things were going great, my future looked bright, and I was on top of the world! And then it happened. LIFE. That dastardly sum-bitch sneaks up on ya when you least expect it!

The "Broken Youth" part ("Diary" is pretty obvious) will be about life as I see it in a frugal and confused transforming society, more commonly known as the United States circa 2010. I don't plan on this being a political or social "agenda blog", nor do I plan on ignoring any topic that's worth discussing. I would love to see people comment, debate, suggest topics, and just plain interact with each other, something I feel is increasingly absent from our techno-modern lives.

So there you have it! YOU are on the cutting edge! The first to be a part of a brand new fad! Stick around, we'll have some fun. :)