Congratulations Free People of Iraq

I know there is still much more to be done in your country. However, your courage in the face of the terrorists' threats prove to me that you actually want freedom despite what our media portrays. Congratulations on the first steps to achieving Democracy. There is much more work that needs to be done, but the smiles on your faces and the celebratory dances in the streets tell us that after 50 years, you've longed to have your voice heard. Today, we hear you.

Welcome to the first stage of achieving freedom, brothers and sisters of democracy!

This Great Land

I know this country isn't perfect, but it's the best we've got. I know some people wish it to be a little more socialistic in it's leanings, but that would benefit only those who favor such governments. I believe that the reason some people say, "USA - love it or leave it." is because so much of the world is already socialistic in its leaning. We, those who appreciate less of a socialistic approach, wish to preserve our way of life. We appreciate less government involvement. We love our independence. Where will we go if this country becomes Socialist? I thought diversity was a good thing. Where is the tolerance for our system of government? Actually, diversity is not what made this country great. Opportunity made it great. I don't see much opportunity under a more socialist government.

We are the world's only superpower. We did not become that way by becoming more socialistic. We did it because with our form of government, people have incentive to succeed. We work more hours because we can see our goals more attainable than if we were heavily taxed, like in Socialist countries.

Some of you may wonder why I'm such a war hawk. It's simple. When someone intentionally TARGETS civilians, I believe anyone who has the power has the moral obligation to help. In other words, if I'm walking down the street, with my sidearm and I see someone mugging a woman for her purse. I feel it necessary to step in to protect her. Call it chivalry or whatever. I just feel that the powerful should protect the innocent. Is that wrong?

I'M FUCKING PISSED!

This country has been my home for the last 29 years. I left Vietnam because the democracy that my family fought for was denied. The Communists had a price on our heads. This country offered us the safety and freedom that we fought so hard for. This past weekend, my life was almost stripped from me.

When I married Zelda, politics was not something that interested me much. But, the more "Meet the Press" Zelda watched, the more I found myself getting involved in debate. The current issues of the time started to catch my attention more and more. Then, it happened. September 11, 2001. From that point on, I made it a point to learn the details of policy. I sat back and saw how everything I was taught in the public system was nothing more than propaganda. The media no longer portrayed 2 sides to an argument equally.

The more I researched the country's situation, the more I realized that I had been lied to. I realized that the media no longer prioritized truth in their reports. I can't say that the entire media has been malicious...just the majority.

This weekend, Zelda went to protest the people who were protesting the inauguration. I couldn't go because I had classes both days this weekend. It's all a part of the freedom of speech in this country. You have the right to protest the inauguration, but I sure as hell have the right to protest you for doing so. That's the nitty gritty of freedom of speech. You might not like it, but you cannot deny someone else from doing exactly what you're doing. Unless of course, you only believe in freedom for yourself only...I'm pretty sure that's what other totalitarian dictators thought too.

From what I'm told, Zelda and about a dozen other people spoke out against those who favored communism, anarchy, etc. Let me just admit that if you tell me you're a socialist communist, I'll have much to educate your spoiled American Liberal Ass. Sorry to my left leaning SENSIBLE readers who are willing to listen and consider a debate. However, you Fucking anti-peace, anti-Bush activists who pushed my wife into moving traffic for voicing her opinion in the same manner that you were voicing yours, pray that you never meet me. I can no longer guarantee self control. You tried to take one of the most important persons in my life, my wife, away from me.

For a group that favors peace, you don't seem to practice it. You want a socialist government? Go to Canada! See how their government works. More people return to the United States from Canada than the ones who leave. Look at the immigration reports! Those who move to Canada, realize what a fucked up decision it was. You want Communism? Go live in Cuba for a few years! See how you will be stripped of your life's work! I guaran God Damn tee you that you will understand what it's really like. You see, you live in a great country that allows you so much opportunity that your spoiled American ass can't appreciate it. You ever see the children of multi-millionaires are like? They can't appreciate their parents' hard earned work. The same goes for you. You can't appreciate what the founding fathers have done for this nation. You feed off of it like a spoiled brat. GROW UP!

If you try to link arms and push the group away from you, I will consider that assault and I will be forced to defend myself. If you wish to hold a blow horn in front of my face and scream into it, I will consider that an assault on my auditory system and I will be forced to take action to defend myself. You have been warned. The condition I leave you in is in no fault my own doing. If you wish to push me into moving traffic, then in the process of defending myself, you will cease to exist. Again, you are warned!

And to the asshole who tried to push my wife into moving traffic, pray to whatever deity you want that I don't find your ass.

Kill the Wabbit!

My buddy, Corin, got back from boot camp last week. Zelda and I took him out for a few beers. He told us a great story back from a previous training session. I think he said this was ROTC.

He and his "squad" had to endure a week of survival on their own in the wilderness. They were given a few MREs for emergency use (If you ate the MRE, you failed). Corin was quite gung ho about the military. He took to this challenge with much enthusiasm in the beginning. On the first day, he climbed a tree and constructed a snare to catch birds. Unfortunately, it was in the middle of the winter and all of the birds had already flown south for the winter. So, 2 days have already passed without anyone in his squad eating. If you don't like to hear hunting stories, you might want to skip the next paragraph. You are warned.

Corin eventually found rabbit tracks. He followed the tracks into what lead to a hole in the ground. There were a few leaves covering the entrance. He took out his shovel to dig a trap. As he cleared a few leaves that partially covered the hole, he realized that the rabbit was sitting right there. Corin saw that the rabbit was about to take off out of the hole. So, he did the only thing he could. It was too late to reach for his knife. Since he was holding the shovel, he hit the rabbit on the head with the blunt end of the shovel. The rabbit was stunned. It looked right at him with a "What the fuck did you just do?!" look. Then, it jumped right out of the hole. Corin had to jump right on top of it to grab it with one hand while repeatedly smashing it on the head with the shovel. Keep in mind, this guy and his squad hasn't eaten in 3 days. So, after much wrestling and smashing, Corin finally got his meal. He walked back to the squad, threw the rabbit on the ground and said, "Here, I caught it, you guys clean it and cook it." He sat down and took a short nap. He was awakened by the sound of 2 other guys from his squad. These 2 had wandered off and found a chicken farm. They managed to steal 2 chickens. Corin was pissed. He just had to fight long and hard for his meal, while 2 of his guys stumbled onto a chicken farm. The 2 guys asked, "What do we do now?" Hearing these words, Corin pulled out his field knife and stabbed both chickens. "There! Now they won't bother you while you pull out their feathers, and cook 'em!"

Again, he sat down to take a nap. A few minutes later, he heard shouting that woke him up again. "Get it! Don't let it get away!" As he opened his eyes, he could see that the chickens had come back to life and was running away from the guys who were trying to remove their feathers. Getting really pissed, he reached for his M-16. Then, thought...."Wait, if I shoot the chicken with this, there won't be alot of meat left." Just then, one of them fell right on top of one of the chickens and the other one ended up getting caught.

After that, he stayed awake until everything, rabbit and chicken, was roasting over the fire.

Everyone especially women should read this!

I've finally got around to visiting some of your blog sites. When I stopped at Jeanette's site, I read about how she received the interpreted results of her bone density scan.

Bone is in a constant state of turnover. That means that your body breaks down bone through cells called osteoclasts while it also builds bone through cells called osteoblasts. This is why you can heal after breaking a bone. When an imbalance of these 2 processes occurs, problems arise.

Osteopenia is generic term for bone loss. If you ever hear your doctor talk about osteopenia, make sure you have them determine whether it's osteoporosis or osteomalacia. There is a difference. Osteoporosis is the where your body produces good quality bone, but "not enough" of it. Osteomalacia is where your body makes "enough" bone but not a good quality.

Everyone, I repeat EVERYONE, gets some form of bone loss eventually. The only thing we can do is to slow down the process. After the approximate age of 30, females lose bone at a rate of about 1-3% PER YEAR. Males lose bone too, but at a slower rate. After a certain time (I can't remember the age) both sexes lose bone at an equal rate.

So what can we do to slow down the process? First off, if you have some form of bone loss, make sure to have your parathyroid gland checked. Hormones from the parathyroid (If I remember correctly, it's parathormone) causes breakdown of bone. This normally happens when the serum is low in calcium. However, a number of conditions can cause the parathyroid gland to be over-reactive.

Probably the best thing you can do is WEIGHT BEARING EXERCISE. I can't stress this point enough for all of you, especially the women. You don't have to use actual dumbbells. Gravity alone is good. So, go for a walk, jog, or do some standing squats for your legs. Find some form of small resistance for your arms. MAKE THIS A PRIORITY. Make time for it out of your busy day. This is by far, the most essential part in dealing with osteoporosis. If your body doesn't experience the stresses on the bone, then it won't adapt to the need for more calcium to be retained by the bone. For this reason, I don't care how much supplementation you take, if you don't do the weight bearing exercises, it doesn't do any good.

Speaking of supplementation, there are various forms of calcium that work much better than others. Certain forms like Calcium citrate malate or calcium citrate are much more efficient to absorption by the body than other forms like calcium carbonate.

There are foods that you do want to avoid. I'll have to double check my notes on those. If I remember correctly, simple carbs/sugars, caffeine, alcohol are just a few. But, let me check my notes (if I can find them again).

There are probably other things that I'm forgetting to mention as well. If I do remember them, I'll post them in the comments. If you have other questions, I'll do my best to answer them. I can't promise that I'll have an answer, but I'll try.

I need your help!

Okay everyone,

I need some input from everyone for 2 of my classes. First off, I have to come up with a name for a Chiropractic practice and a layout for the office that meets HIPPA regulations. Since I have to design the the layout for the office, all you have to do is give me a NAME for the practice. Also, give me some cities that would be good.

The second thing is, I need a good discussion on a health care topic. It must be specific. So, for example, abortion will not be sufficient. However, abortion of one non-viable fetus for the sake of a viable twin is acceptable. So, anything health care related is up for grabs: euthanasia (remember, be specific to a situation), etc. will do.

School has started

As my quest to reclaim my credit moves forward, school has started up again. I'm now working the main clinic. I'm excited but a little nervous. Zelda has been so sweet. She see's that I'm burned out. I love working the clinic because I can practice and apply what I've learned so far. However, there are still a few academic courses still left. I know it's important to take these courses, but I'm so tired. Zelda said that we would take each weekend and do the one thing that helps me completely relax: fishing. You gotta love a woman like that. I'm extremely busy right now so more bloggin' to come later.

Troubles

As you all know, Zelda and I have run into some problems that have pissed us both off quite severely. No, we're not pissed at each other, but situations have come up that require for both of us to deal with. I don't want to say too much about it, but we took care of a big deal this past week, and we should be bloggin' soon. If you're dying to know what happened, let's just say that someone has taken my personal information and used it for their own fraudulent activity. 'Nuff said. I'll blog again as soon as all this bullshit is taken care off.

The first time I saw Zelda Nekkid

Before Zelda and I were an item, we were friends. I used to live in the dorms of a small Catholic university in downtown Houston. Yeah, I know. Why is a Buddhist going to a Catholic university? Because they offered me a full tuition scholarship. I wouldn't have to pay a dime for an undergraduate degree unless I chose to live on campus, which I ended up doing.

I met Zelda through an ex-girlfriend. They were best friends. The dorms close over winter breaks. So, everyone had to leave. My parents lived in a small town Northeast of Houston. My ex lived in the Southwest part of Houston. Over the winter break, I came down with a mild case of the flu. My ex drove out to see me and brought Zelda with her. When the door bell rang, I climbed out of my bed and opened the door. I looked at Zelda and thought to myself that she was really cute. We were introduced. Zelda and I hit it off immediately. We became very close friends. Zelda used to say to me that if I ever cheated on her best friend, she would castrate me. I never did....eventhough I had many opportunities especially when my ex and I were having problems.

Anyways, my roommate and I were having a party in our dorm room once. I've been to other dorms on other universities. Our dorms were much bigger and nicer than any of the others I have seen. Each room had its own bathroom, complete with bathtub, toilet, sink. We didn't have to share with anyone else except our roommate. Zelda was at most of our parties. Her family life was a little on the rocks, so she could usually be found hanging around. She was struggling a little so I would help her out whenever I could. Zelda showed up to the party and started drinking. She told us how the only thing she had eaten all day was corn. I asked her if she wanted anything to eat. She said no because her allergies were acting up and she had taken a Benadryl earlier. She was just waiting for it to kick in. After a few drinks, Zelda got drunk. She excused herself to my bathroom. Then, we heard the water to the bathtub get turned on. We figured, she just had to go vomit a little and probably got some on her clothes. She probably had to rinse some of it. Every few minutes, we would knock on the door to make sure she was okay. As long as we could hear something along the lines of a moan, we knew she was fine. After about half an hour, we decided that maybe we really should check on her. One last time my ex knocked on the door.

"Zelda, you okay in there?"

(silence)

"Oh shit! She's not saying anything, the tub is on, and the door is locked!"

The lock on the door to the bathroom is easily unlocked with a screwdriver. It takes half a second. So, I unlocked the door and opened it.

There was Zelda in my tub fully clothed, drenched with water and corn chunks. She didn't plug the drain with the stopper so the water level never rose very high.

"Eeeeewwww! Is that corn?"

"That's what she said she ate earlier."

My ex turned to me and said, "Okay, I'm going to need some help to clean her up. The only guy she'll probably feel comfortable with seeing her naked is you, Jethro. Can you hold her up in the shower while I bathe her?"

"Sure." Now that I look back on it, I was about to have one of my wildest wet dreams come true. Here I am between 2 girls. One is about to scrub the other one down with soap. However, with the stench of vomit everywhere, it wasn't quite fantasy material. So, I went to grab some of my clothes for Zelda to borrow while my ex undressed Zelda. When I came back, Zelda was already undressed and my ex was shampooing her hair. After her hair was rinsed, I stepped into the tub and picked up Zelda. I held her up while we turned on the shower and soaped her up. Was it evil of me to actually enjoy it?

We dried her off, put her in my clothes and placed her in my bed. She woke up with a huge hangover. We told her what had happened the night before. She asked me if everything she heard was true. I looked at her and smiled.

Then, I pulled a single kernel of corn out of her hair and said, "Ooops. Missed one."