Ever used an Outhouse If you Still Do You Might be a Redneck

I was chatting with a friend a few days ago. she lives near my old Kentucky home. Well quite closer than near, she lives on the street I grew up on.

We reminisced. We talked about the way things look now and I went on to explain how the street used to look. Ram shackled houses and tar paper shacks lined the street. No apartment buildings back then. Well I guess there was one and I can remember when it was being built. Remember quite well actually. I wasn't too old then barely old enough to keep up with my brother and his friends. I remember running down the hill through the building construction and falling, tumbling and nearly breaking my neck. Guess I deserved that after all we had been throwing water balloons and eggs at passing cars.

There was several acres of open ground all around, a few hogs nearby and on occasion you could hear the rooster crow. Right behind Grandpa's they planted corn during the summer and I chased a few girls up and down the rows. Got lost a few times, man were a couple of them gals fast! Barefoot and all. Oh yeah we always went barefoot.

Also behind Grandpa's and many other neighborhood houses was the outhouse. Ever used and Outhouse? If you still use one your obviously a redneck. Beaten path straight from the backdoor. Wasn't too far away from the backdoor but I was young enough that when it was cold out I peed right out the door. Hurry they'd say your letting in the cold air. Damn hillbilly!

We didn't know any different. Neither did the neighbors who kept the honey pot right next to their stove. Well it was a few feet away but in the kitchen never the less. I'll never forget the smell of that house. The girls were pretty, they were the ones I was chasing.

Many a house had a peculiar smell back then. Of course we didn't have a hundred thousand different kinds of air freshener either. And no air conditioning in the summer. Fans if you were lucky. I guess we were lucky because Grandma had a fan. Got our behind beat a few times too. Yes we'd run by the fan and throw a cup of water into it and of course everyone on the couch would get soaked or sprayed anyway. Some thought it was funny, others not. Had to cut our own switches too. Boy get out there and cut me a switch and it better not be the wrong kind. You know which kind to get.

Winter time had it's own neighborhood smell too. Most burnt wood and coal, mostly coal....

Nice chat we had. Fond memories but oh how times have changed. Guess I ain't a redneck anymore but I am a hillbilly at heart!

Find the Heart Think You Can?....

Having one of those days you might say. No not might say, say it. OK I will. Having one of those days where it starts out with a blah and slowly progresses as I allow. It's a chosen choice if you will. Either I can complain moan and try to make others as uncomfortable as I feel or I can chose to let it take it's course. But I need to focus, focus on the positive not the remorse if I want it to feel better. I choose to feel better!!

Recently I took on a challenge to write about stress and how I deal with it. Thanks John! Not so long ago I was sharing with you on how to best deal with it, it was my job, my chosen purpose at the time. I followed the calling, took the challenge and you benefited. If you didn't it was your choice to not use my suggestions. I benefited regardless, it was my calling, my choice and I followed it. Got a calling?

I was watching the tube, am watching the tube. An ABC program. 'Fuck' and 'Balls', no not my choice but they allowed someone in an interview to say it. Wasn't blocked out or bleeped...loud and clear in the middle of the day. Not necessarily a child's program, sports fan, if your kids like sports then they more than likely was watching. Oh well Internet is full of it, I'm guilty, I use it too much. Both.

I vow to change but I didn't change the program so am I? Life is full of choices, drowned consequences, good, bad, blahs.

Then I found an image in my email....just in time to give me that extra nudge. No more monkey's jumping on the bed. Heart in there, easy to find. Look for it, there's actually 2 hearts, can you see it or what do you see?

A Day in the Life of Tomorrow

Just got up, now I'm getting ready to go back to bed, face tomorrow. Tomorrow same as yesterday is now today but will soon be tomorrow.

Yard is mowed grass is green, pool cleaned, roses smelled. Didn't stop but smelt them anyway, will maybe stop tomorrow. If not will still smell the roses.

Breeze, feel the breeze, it's always breezy here! Sun's out, complaining it's hot. Burn feel the burn, no, yesterday I did though while cleaning the pool and mowing, maybe tomorrow I will again.

Raining, maybe tomorrow I'll have to mow again now like yesterday and today is now tomorrow. Breeze again, cooler now.

Tomorrow already! Colder, snowing, glad I got those Halloween decorations put away. What are you looking at? My Christmas decorations? Aren't they nice? Spent alot of time putting those up after taking down the Halloween ones tomorrow.

Ham. Same as Thanksgiving we had yesterday but tomorrow it's ham and turkey. Just added ham but everything else is the same. Family, food and fun it's the same. Hopefully will be the same... tomorrow.

Cloudy, can't see through the trees like yesterday. Tomorrow the leaves block the way. Roses again? Ah I love roses.

Yesterday it was brown, today it's tomorrow and green again. Gotta mow, clean the pool, take down decorations, cook another ham... Maybe tomorrow.

don't forget to stop

Come into my Home For Coffee Cake and Shark Meat

Guest Post from number27.org

Come into my home and I will serve you coffee cake and milk and shark meat. I will pull it from the ceiling and you will brush away the flies and I will cut it sideways with my pen knife and you will run into the grass because you cannot stand the smell of it and I will laugh and pound the table with my hand and spill the coffee. I will take my guns and shoot the mink that eat the birds and break the eggs and kill just for the hell of it.

My sister will be in the kitchen and she will bring the things for us to eat and we will eat them on my bed with a table in between us and I will show you photos. I will get them from the hallway and you will see how they are only showing things ! I love — accordions and cameras and all my sheep especially the gray one and all my cars especially the red one. I will treat my sheep like kids because I never had a wife and I never had a family and they are very beautiful especially the gray one.

But I will get old and it will get hard and my back will give out and I will have to send the sheep to slaughter and it will take me years to get over the sadness. But when I am over the sadness or anyway to help me get over the sadness I will use the money from the sheep to buy some cars and I will not buy one car or two cars but three cars and I will keep them in my barn under the plastic and under the shark meat and I will not drive them but sometimes I will drive them and park them all around the valley in front of the mountain or in the fjord or out in the snow or the flowers and I will take pictures of the cars in these places because I love them equally the places and the cars not to mention the sheep.

I will! take pictures of the cars and I will put the red one next to the blue one and the blue one next to the red one and the blue one next to the blue one because I have two blue ones. I used to be a road man, then I was a mail man, then I was a mink man, then I was a sheep man, but now I am only a man and I hope you liked the coffee cake and milk and photos even though I know you didn't like the shark meat and it was too hot in the house but I will never open the windows because there was a time when we were cold.

Rouge Flight attendants jetblue ~ Steven Slater Is he Your Hero

You Go Steven Slater aka Indiana Jones!

So we've all heard that the Rouge Flight attendants jetblue up. Got outta bed bumped his head grabbed two beers and slid off and got drunk instead. Ah hell I've always wanted to do this! Don't say you haven't either cause if you think long and hard enough I bet you have wanted to tell your boss to shove it.

Only thing that would have been anymore exciting was pyrotechnics along the shoot on the way down. Humans just aren't meant to be stuck in a little tube together. Guess that's why I don't fly at least not on airplanes.

Here's what Linn Murphy says on facebook. "On a lighter side...Steven Slater should consider opening up a Water Park. He likes slides and beer. His Water Park could consist of an airplane with a slide coming out of the fuselage. You grab a microphone and say a few words, chug a beer, and slide down the ramp. I would love to attend when it becomes available. LOL"

Now that's funny. Dudes fan page on facebook is less than a week old and already has nearly 200k fans. Just while I was writing this post it was going up by the hundreds in a matter of minutes.

Having worked in retail for several years dealing with the public it's easy to see how Steven after all these years became frustrated and lost his composure. The richer they are the more difficult and demanding they become. I don't encourage anyone to follow suit with Steven but hey it's better than going postal like we've seen in the news lately.

courtesy of Allison and Ashley Kyler

So what do you think? Had any bad experiences as a flight attendant or working in customer service and retail. Feel free to join the conversation by commenting. And as always you can follow this blog by hitting the Rss Feed in the upper right. Thanks keep it real and let's have some fun!

I raise my glass, the customer isn't always right and in this case she was clearly in the wrong.

50 Things About Me You Didn't Know

1.) I love to Ski
2.) Playing Texas Hold'em is fun
3.) I Wear Boxers
4.) My totem is the Lion/Tiger
5.) If I don't go to Heaven I want to come back as a Bull Elephant
6.) My Favorite Movie is Legends of the Fall
7.) My Favorite Disney Movie is the Lion King
8.) Someday I want a Houseboat and to live on the Water
9.) I've Given two complete accumulations of Household items away (i.e. furniture, car,everything)
10.) I'm not Materialistic
11.) I Believe in God and am Spiritual (but I don't always live it as such) Pray for me
12.) I Have Difficulty Trusting
13.) I am Scared of Spiders
14.) I like going Barefoot
15.) Technology has taken over my life
16.) I'm Hooked on Several Reality TV Shows
17.) My Favorite Food is Mexican food
18.) I love to Read Books mainly bios
19.) I'm very Competitive
20.) I like Sports, mainly NFL and NCAA Basketball
21.) I Smoke (but only after sex, so I haven't smoked for yrs.)
22.) I Love Nature and the Outdoors
23.) Sometimes I use Anger/Sarcasam as a Defense
24.) I'm Emotional and not Afraid to Cry
25.) I'm only at #25 (wait till you see #50)
26.) I really do Smoke I just don't ever get lucky
27.) I don't like A/C
28.) I like to mow the grass
29.) I love to grow things
30.) I have family in 8 states
31.) I comitted adultry in 3 of them (no states fewl)
32.) I've never been married (I run)
33.) I have a problem with alcohol, my problem is I'm out right now
34.) I have migraines
35.) Caught iT in the Zipper one time (I was a kid) still hurt
37.) Cooking is my passion
38.) I do all the dishes all the time
38.) No I don't live alone
40.) I love to exercise
41.) I'm not lazy
42.) I FB
43.) I'm sad
44.) I think cowboys are cool
45.) I never wanted to be a rockstar
46.) I'd rather be a cowboy
47.) I haven't been outta the house in 9 months
48.) My friends think I'm hilarious
49.) I think my friends are hilarious
50.) Ah haa You peeked from #25 didn't ya?

How do I Deal With Stress

Here's to a long life and a merry one. A quick death and an easy one. A pretty girl and an honest one. A cold beer and another one! ~Author Unknown

How do you deal with Stress

• Throw Shizzle!
• No get drunk and then throw shizzle
• Drink more 
• Deny it
• Throw some more shizzle
• Deny it even more
• Eat
• Eat some more
• Smoke

I don't do the above when dealing with stress. It just causes more stress. I drink to relax and sometimes it helps me deal with stress. It's not the healthiest way to deal with the stress in my life though.

How do you deal with the stress in your life?

With today's fast paced, microwaveable mentality, most of us have more stress than we like to think we do. For me most of the little things seem to stress me out more than the big things. Most of the time I have little or no difficulty rolling the rock over to God and saying here this is for you. I don't want to handle this today I'm giving it you. Would you please take care of it until I get back or find that happy place you have prepared for me. I know it's here just give me some time and I'll find it.

List of possible stressors

• Work
• Family
• Bills
• Relationship issues
• Moving
• Change
• Decision Making
• Death of a loved one
• Being a people pleaser

These are just some that are easily recognizable. But what about the ones we don't recognize, the little things that might make me want to run for the hills but you say, "oh well". Kinda reminds me of the big book story where the farmer and his wife ran for the cellar to find safety from the cyclone. Upon emerging the wife notices that everything is in ruins. The house is gone things are overturned, destruction everywhere. Yet when gramps comes out the old fart says, "look ma nothing the matter here. Ain't it grand the wind stopped blowing".

It helps if I can at least identify my stressors. I learned long ago that picking up on what triggers some of my stress is very important. Learning how to say "No" turned out to be a big one for me. I used to never be able to say no to anyone.  Not only does it help me to deal with it by seeing it as stressful, it can and does help me to avoid certain situations that create the stress. Below is a list of ways that are helpful but I'm sure there are several more things I could do at times.

Healthy Ways I deal with Stress

• Recognize don't deny
• Pray
• Meditate
• Read
• Write
• Talk about it
• Exercise
• Sex
• Breath
• Count to 10
• Realize it's Ok or going to be OK
• Get plenty of rest
• Rinse and repeat

I don't always do what is appropriate to avoid stress in my life. As stated above some things in today's world of just living life is and can be very stressful. It's a choice I make to allow these things to create stress and turn them into roadblocks or see them as beneficial and helpful. Some of my most life changing experiences  have came directly from me dealing with stress in a healthy way. It gave me a chance to take the time to reflect on what's most important at the moment.

Stress can be good or bad. It's important for me is to realize that it's only temporary. Most of the stressful situations I find myself in are usually brought on by my own doing. So if I want it to go away I have to recognize I brought it on myself so I might need to change something or I can choose to hold onto it and continue to be stressed.

When I am able to realize and accept that a certain issue be it family relationships, a job and even today  blogging can cause me stress. The first thing I tend to do is not act quickly. In other words act and not react to the situation. I used to practice asking myself, "what's more important? Me allowing this event to stress me out and make me angry or my serenity?" It's easy answer this question. Of course my serenity is far more important.

So I challenge you to use this for yourself. Ask yourself what's more important being stressed or your serenity?

Obviously some things are unavoidable. For instance the loss of a loved one, diseases and physical health issues are not always avoidable. That's when I roll that rock back over to God and say, "hey this is yours it's getting too heavy, I don't claim it anymore."

What are some ways you deal with stress?

How do you cope with the loss of a loved one or the stressors that are unavoidable? The easy ones that are recognizable and avoidable do you learn from them or do you continue to allow yourself to be in stressful situations.

As always join in the conversation and let us know by commenting. If you liked this please StumbleUpon, Retweet or send to your facebook friends. Also if you not following the blog through the RSS Feed please take a moment and do so if you want to keep up with Lee's Shizzle.

Most importantly thanks for taking the time to read the post. Hope you come back and join me in my journey of blogging stress free.

Go Ahead Cross the American Border Your Safe

Cross the North Korean border illegally you get 12 years hard labor.

If you cross the Iranian border illegally you are detained indefinitely.

If you cross the Afghan border illegally, you get shot.

If you cross the Saudi Arabian border illegally you will be jailed.

If you cross the Chinese border illegally you may never be heard from again.

If you cross the Venezuelan border illegally you will be branded a spy and your fate will be sealed.

If you cross the Mexican border illegally you will be jailed for two years.

If you cross the Cuban border illegally you will be thrown into political prison to rot.

If you cross the United States border illegally you get:

1 - A job

2 - A driver's license

3 - A Social Security card

4 - Welfare

5 - Food stamps

6 - Credit cards

7 - Subsidized rent or a loan to buy a house

8 - Free education

9 - Free health care

10 - A lobbyist in Washington

11 - Billions of dollars in public documents printed in your language

12 - Millions of servicemen and women who are willing to – and do – die for your right to the ways and     means of our constitution

13 - And the right to carry the flag of your country - the one you walked out on – while you call America racist and protest that you don't get enough respect.

My Favorite Blogs I Should Avoid and Why I Did

I realized several months ago that there are some blogs (I won't mention them it's not important) that I just needed to avoid. Not only were they  putting me in a negative frame of mind, I had chose to feed into the negativity and comment bashing of others. This my friends is not healthy for me. Seriously, it's not me. I know some of you are thinking this is not the blogger I've come to know or the person I've seen commenting on others' blogs. There's actually alot of things most readers don't know about me or each other for that matter when it comes to the Internet. Of course that could be a post in itself so we'll leave it at that but feel free to leave a comment on it fo Shizzle if ya want.

Another thing that this was doing or I should say was not doing was helping me with the Social Media Networks. Cause I would sure as hell call you out on twitter just as anywhere else other than a comment section. This of course made me look foolish and at times I still am but that is the part of me that probably won't change. In the heat of the moment I tend to be very confronting and say things that I don't usually regret but only wish I had said them different. One thing is certain, you can't take it back, some will forgive and let go, others will never be seen again and some will feed off it and bait you even more if you let them. It is a choice and has to be a concious one for me when it comes to how I interact in the social networks and blogosphere.

However when it comes to my blog, I can say any damn thing I well please and it's really not up to you to decide if it's right or wrong. You can just go away if you don't like it and never return again. I say this in a nice way because the same can be said about your blog or site, it's yours and you should be able to say what you want. If you don't then that's your choice. Obviously some niche blogs are not personal blogs like this one so it's a whole other ballgame.

On the flip side of this is that I never intentionally say anything to hurt anyone, at least that's not my goal when speaking out. I always say don't ask a question you don't want an honest answer to if you can't handle the truth.

I have to say I'm proud of myself. I made the commitment and stuck to it by staying away from these certain blogs. However, yesterday for shits and giggles I popped into a couple of them and wouldn't you know it, it's still going on. Some of these are big name bloggers too folks. At least they profess to be making an very nice living off us. Well not me cause I haven't bought any of their ebooks or joined their bromances with each other and I say more power to them. But lo and behold, wouldn't it get you down if you were negative all the time? Having to defend yourself or your post or some post someone made about you you didn't like?

Yes I'm convicted, I'm convicted of following my instincts and pledging to stay away from certain blogs that feed a side of my personality that I'd rather see go back into hibernation. I could go on and on and tell you here that I'm this type of person or I'm that type of individual and that I'll not ever change. The point is I will not compromise my integrity for the sake of others benefit. It's definitely not to my advantage to engage in controversy that is unhealthy. Most especially if I know so little about blogging anyway. I don't want to be an A-lister or some new generation wannabe. I'd rather stay obscured. "A star obscured by the clouds" so to speak.

The blogosphere is way too huge to have to stoop to a level of compromising in order to benefit. I want this blog to be a healthy, humorous, insightful, sometimes controversial place for me to share my experiences with others. So there are some blogs I should avoid, have avoided and will continue to do so. I will take a moment and say to anyone anywhere, "that if I've offended you in any way, hurt your feelings, brought out the worst of you and what not, I apologize". In the meantime, happy blogging, hope you come back.

And as always feel free to join the conversation. Have you or do you avoid certain blogs? Maybe you've even learned some helpful blogging tactics from these bloggers but you avoid them anyway for different reasons. Take the time to comment or Retweet and StumbleUpon if you would and send to your facebook junkies if you will.  

My College Years Were Somewhat Life Changing Experiences

What about some of your life changing experiences? I'm not exactly certain this was a life changing...

But it taught me a great deal about self


I remember when I was going to college. Whew! The hassles of student loans, yep I needed them, the worries of living expenses, travel, class times vs. employment obligations and on and on. The list just kept getting bigger it seemed.

It was actually pretty fearful at times and obviously overwhelming. Thank goodness I had some really good friends and mentors who walked me through it on occasion.

For the most part, to me it was the ability to continue to take the risks that helped. I used to challenge myself each day to do something I didn't want to do, no matter how large or small, no matter how complicated or challenging it seemed the important part was to continue to take that risk.

See that didn't hurt at all I would tell myself.

I was not a student right out of high school. I enrolled in college 8 years later so I felt somewhat out of place at times but needless to say this wasn't going to hold me back. I was proud and held my head high and even poked out my chest at times. Can you imagine me walking across campus, books in hand, arms swinging and little chest protruding? That was me. The big man on campus. So they thought.

Yet inside I was actually one scared lonely little boy. Could I do this I wondered? Could I manage to really be going to college? In a few short days it became apparent how true these statements were. I had taken on quite the load for a first time student. Not only was I going to school full-time I was working full-time at a local hospital, working 8 to 20 hours a week in a work study program and volunteering no less than 15 hrs a week for a class requirement. (thank goodness the work study was in the library so I actually had some time to study)

The volunteer work was the most challenging. It was at a local Neurological Institute. My work in the Institution consisted of working with the Developmentally Disabled. And wouldn't you know it I was given an assignment of working with the most active group there. And wow where they the most active. Age range from 7 to 15 yrs old. Each having a severe mental disability. Our mission was to provide the best possible support to each person who lives at the institute to have a meaningful life.

Each time I reported to work the children there were always glad to see me. From the hugs and tugs on my arms and legs to the jibber jabber commotion I could not at first understand. It soon became apparent that each one was very needy. It also became apparent that most if not all were in the right place as several of them had been abused in their own home. From cigarette burn scars to bald spots from hair being pulled out and even a twisted limb that would never heal right from the break a so called loved one once inflicted upon the child. Yes they were in the right place, and so was I.

My time spent going to school then was quite educational you might say. Even if some of the lessons learned were not from any direct classroom teachings.

I learned alot about myself during those next few years and so much was humbling and rewarding in more ways than one.

The times I spent worrying, stressing and wondering if it was all worth it, looking back today tells me it was. Though I don't hold employment in any field of study (though I once did) I am still grateful I went to school and gave myself the chance to walk that path in life where I learned the most. Those kids taught me the more about myself than any professor or educator could.

As always feel free to jump in and join the conversation by leaving a comment. Also if you would kindly Retweet, StumbleUpon and send to your Facebook friends it's greatly appreciated. And if you are not already you can follow this blog through the RSS Feed and get the latest.