Merry Christmas

As bad as things are in the current economic maelstrom, I am bound and determined not to let the greed of government and corporate incompetence corrode, spoil, or otherwise ruin my favorite time of the year.

Christmas is a special time and has always been my favorite holiday. I literally feel like I am floating inches off of the ground during this time of year. I cannot help but to smile and feel great just soaking in all of the wonderfully good feelings and good cheer.

And so I wish to everyone, with my deepest, heart-felt joy and love, a most profound, benevolent, and blessed, very,
Merry Christmas!

Status Quo in Congress

With the elections over and the lame ducks flapping about noisily in congress, we see how the professional liars, thieves, and swindlers are supporting their constituents; by filling their pockets, making their own lives more comfortable, and making sure that their wealthy cronies are getting the same.

The rich get richer and the rest of America gets poorer by the acts of Congress. The political system in the United States of America is broken. The rule of the two party system no longer servers the citizens of this country but only the members of congress, their political action committees, and the lobbyists that connive and grease the palms of those who would fill the coffers of their masters. This is what the corrupt political system of America has become. I am ashamed of what our government has become.

I love this country and the tenets that our founding fathers have laid down before us to make this great country what it was. It is no longer that way. The rich control the greedy politicians and it becomes a vicious circle with the good, God-loving Americans having to pay for their narcissism. Elections are a joke having to choose a lesser of two evils and, ultimately, not making any change for improvements at all.

I don't have the answer and apparently no one else does either. But I do know that something must be done and soon. The United State of America is losing or has already lost its leadership role in a vast majority of areas where we once did. This country is caving in under the weight of the incompetence, greed, and indifference of its leadership (if you can actually call it leadership) and worst of all, it isn't even the fault of the President. It is the House of Representatives and the Senate which is causing the decay of the political system and the increasingly corrosive sentiment toward American government.

Big corporations are freely raping the citizens of this country while the government bails them out with the tax dollars of hard-working Americans. The obscene paychecks and bonuses of the swine on Wall Street is beyond deplorable yet the cowards in Washington turn a blind eye. The oil and gas barons devour the environment belching out toxins into the atmosphere, the water, and the soil in every corner of the globe - but the cowards in Washington continue to suckle their teats. And when the homeless, and the elderly, and the unemployed have been pushed to the brink of living or dying, the cowards in Washington deny financial aid and vote themselves a raise and a raft of perks.

This is what I see going on in the Capital of our Nation. This is what I see happening from our elected officials sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. This is what I see tearing apart this country and demeaning its citizens. This is what I see killing America.

And I am ashamed.

Giving Thanks for Everything

Well, the Holiday Season is upon us and it's that time of year to step back and think about all that we should be grateful for. Ideally, we should do this every day of our lives, not just on one day of the year! However, it isn't a perfect world and we must play with the cards as they are dealt to us.

It is extraordinarily difficult to forge your own destiny in the modern world; it seems there is always some one who would try to quash your dreams and aspirations, for whatever reason. It is the single, most definable obstacle that must be overcome to truly succeed in life.

All struggles and epic variables aside, I am most thankful for the family and friends that have introduced, guided, and supported the various concepts and ideals with which I strive to live by. I deeply appreciate and am greatly thankful for the relationships that I maintain with each and every one of them. Without them, I am nothing but another lost soul.

Thank you.

Rambling Head-first Toward the Future

Despite the economy's best attempt to squelch my existence, I am rambling forward head-first toward the future. I have several engineering project that keep me busy and I devote my time to completing them.

Having realized that, at this time of year, businesses are doing little, if any, hiring at all and my best bet is to hold tight and wait until the new year. That isn't stopping me from performing my job search as required by the State Department of Unemployment, but there is weak hope of finding employment at this particular point in time.

As the recession has ended and the economy weakens further, it seems that all congress can do is bicker and whine and fill their pockets with the money from the middle class tax payers. This must all change next month when election time rolls around.

And Just When You Least Expect it...

The company I am working for just informed me that they have eliminated my position and I am now unemployed.

Talk about the world coming to a screeching halt. This could not have come at a worse time - with the economy going into a double dip recession, employment is anemic all over the country, the housing market is still sinking deeper into the muck, and I am now floating helplessly in a sea of despair, frustration, and anxiety.

This just goes to show you that you cannot depend on ANYONE for a livelihood except yourself.

I am quite uncertain of what the near future holds for me, but it is not looking good and there are ominous storm clouds on the horizon.

Wish me luck everyone, I'm not sure I'm going to make it through this one...

...I Gotta Wear Shades

The future is so bright...

Things are going very well for me at this time. I am putting the final touches on my new CD 'rhythMatrix': the album artwork is done and I am in the process of wrapping up the final mix before having it mastered for production.

The weather has been great and I am enjoying the overabundance of sunshine in my life and overhead (they DO call Florida the Sunshine State after all).

It is looking like I will be releasing the CD on September 3rd along with two singles from it, Thunder Road and DreamLight. I will be making a special announcement around that time.

New CD Release Coming Soon

I am happy to announce that I will be releasing a new CD titled 'rhythMatrix' in the next month or so.

My first CD, 'Rebirth', took me approximately 6 months to complete. This new CD took me nearly 5 years to finish due to economic strangulation, a move to a new state, a divorce, and completing my Bachelor of Science degree.

Don't you just hate it when life gets in the way of the really fun stuff?

Anyway, rhythMatrix is more of a techno/trance/dance album with a bit of spacey chill-out thrown in for good measure.

Stay tuned for further details.

Active Hurricane Season Predicted

Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida are predicting another active hurricane season this year.

Living in southwest Florida, I tend to keep a watchful eye on the developments in the Atlantic coast of Africa where most hurricanes are born.

Last year forecasters predicted a busy hurricane season, but it was relatively calm compared to previous years. So we will just have to wait and see.

Keeping Busy

I have been finishing up my CNC Thermoplastic Extruding Printer project and all I need to do is to calibrate it and away we go!

Unfortunately, I need a computer to hook it up to and I am fresh out. I intend to get a laptop to maintain portability, but that looks like it will have to wait awhile.

I am keeping busy to get my mind of of the solitude that seems to envelope me at times. Thank goodness i have a job that I can fill up most of my day.

Steady As She Goes...

Moving right along, things are progressing smoothly for a change. Work has been steady, I've been paying down my bills, and have remained in good health.

It's been getting quite warm in the old lab to do much work on the CNC project, but I managed to slap a coat of paint on the X-Axis table. That should hold it until the fall when temperatures permit me to go into the garage lab without subjecting myself to the possiblilty of spontaneous combustion. It do get mighty hot in there!

So until next time, be well and take care.

Death of the Long Winter

Here we are at the end of the wicked Winter of 2010. With only a few more days until Spring, those of us, wide-eyed and foaming at the mouth from Cabin Fever are getting ready to get outside and git 'er done!

As we slowly come out of our caves after this long and bitter winter, remember to make your personal environments a little bit better each day. Plant some flowers, wash your windows, paint your garage, clean up the back-yard, whatever it may be; we all live here and no one likes to see decrepit, dying, and dismal spaces. After all, who doesn't like to be happy?

So make a little effort, take a little time, and spruce up your surrounding environs to make the planet a little bit more of a happy place to live.

Is the Foreclosure Blackhole Finally Over?

How many hardworking Americans have lost their home in the past couple years? The answer - TOO MANY. The greedy and self-serving banks in the United States banking system are on the prowl to fine new and sleazy ways in which to screw their customers. Uncontrolled credit interest rate increases, ever diminishing savings interest rates, new and increasing transaction fees... where does it all end?

If the clowns on Capitol Hill don't get on the stick and do something about the banks raping the citizens of this country, this recession could drag on for quite some time. But then, who is to gain by an extended recession? Why the banking system, of course!

Next up, toppling evil corporate greed.

New Year, New Hope

While 2009 was a bleak and troublesome year, 2010 shines like a beacon in the dark as we all crawl, bloody and battered, out of this awful recession. Things WILL get better albeit at a snail's pace. Keep on keeping on, have faith, and we will ALL make it out together.

Remember that, as bad as this recession was, it pales in comparison to the Great Depression. So many have sacrificed so much and gotten so little in return, but we are Americans and we are the toughest, most courageous, and fiercest fighters in all the world - We Will Make It.

So keep your spirits high, continue to look at the big picture, and mow down anyone who even hints at negativity. Bring on 2010!!!