Daily Dose of BS August 16

There are a lot of Americans who are not proud to be Americans, there are thousands who could care less about our Country.  People are out there bad talking us, burning flags, committing crimes and not giving a damn about a country that I and millions of others love.  These are people who were born here, raised here and have had the world handed to them, had the best of the best not because of what they did but what our forefathers have done.  There are natural born citizens who don’t care for America and could care less.  This ticks me off.  Then you look at some citizens who fight hard to be in America and bring their kids with them looking for a better life when they come to our country to be in the land of the free, home of the brave, yet they get looked down upon.  Correct me if I am wrong but don’t we all have our roots somewhere else if you go back far enough?  Yesterday was the first day of the Deferred Action Immigration Event, allowing thousands of young undocumented immigrants who want to be here, that want to work that have not been in trouble with the law, are in school, have graduated or have served in our military.  I guess if someone wants to be an American, and follow the rules, I welcome them with open arms.  For those of you who  don’t like it here or don’t want to be here, what is keeping you here? 

Daily Dose of BS August 15

Have you ever happened across any of the slight disappointments in life?  You know the disappointments that I am talking about right.  The ones such as pouring a bowl of frosted mini wheats and finding only a slight amount of frosting on the cereal?  You know what’s worse than that is getting the bowl of cereal ready have the hunger for the cereal then going to the fridge for the milk only to find out that there is either not enough milk for the cereal or worse yet pouring the milk taking the first bite of the cereal and having the milk be bad.  How about after enjoying a Chinese dinner and opening up your fortune cookie only to find you have been jipped out of a fortune?  I know that these are slight things to be upset about but there are many of these slight disappointments that add up to many disappointed people, how about when you finish up a job in the bathroom only to find that the person who was there before you didn’t replace the paper or maybe you’re out of soap or paper towels, not anything that will kill you but make for disappointments.  

Daily Dose of BS August 14

Today is an important day, don’t get me wrong every day is an important day, but today is extra special.  Today you could be part of the solution, you get to help choose many different elected seats from Congressional, to United States Senator federally to Legislative and State Senate, to Representatives to the Assembly, District Attorney and Clerk, Treasurer and Register of Deeds.  Voters may vote for candidates in the primary of ONLY ONE political party, if you do not designate a party preference and vote for candidates of more than one party then no votes will be counted, so please read the directions when going to the polls.  Voting takes only a few minutes, but the results are resounding.  The primary in my opinion is one of the most important votes you will make, since it is less attended than the main election meaning your vote really counts you also get to help to shape the election from a bigger pool.  Please get out and vote.

Daily Dose of BS August 13

 Last week was the first time I got to sleep in every single day for an entire week in over 2 years.  It was also I am assuming the last family vacation I will be taking with my entire family, my oldest goes for his senior year this year and already is growing wings.  I spent a few years in Scottsbluff Nebraska working in radio 20 years ago and would drive thru South Dakota to get home to the Twin Cities a few times a year and saw the signs for Wall Drug and The Worlds only Corn Palace and always just drove by.  On vacation I made sure we stopped at the above places and also many other roadside places.  We did the Corn Palace a week ago Sunday stayed at a great place off the Interstate at The Thunderbird Lodge, it was the first time I have ever stayed in a place with enough beds for the 6 of us.  What a great night’s sleep, plus it was close to the Corn Palace.  Next up was our trek across the state of South Dakota to Custer State park, stopping in the Badlands and if you have never been there, would greatly suggest it.  We were passing and getting passed by the bikers on their way to Sturgis, pretty sad that all the hotels and State Parks boosted their rates for the half million bikers and others coming into their state.  At Custer Park went on a Buffalo Safari and saw up close, close to 200 buffalos it was breath taking.  Off to the faces, and a pioneer dinner.  We then headed south to Scottsbluff to visit some friends we hadn’t seen in 20 years stopped at a restaurant we missed and then off to visit friends in North Platte Nebraska.  It is good to have friends, catching up and reliving the good old days.   

Daily Dose of BS August 2

The .9 isn’t fooling anyone, when gas is 3.64.9 why don’t they just say 3.65?  I am not fooled and most of the American public isn’t either, if that is the case why do it?  I guess that is why cars are 44,999 or other things are 1.99.  Why not make it 45 grand or 2 dollars.  The extra cent isn’t going to make or break anyone will it?  Wait let me take that back, we are getting nickel and dimed these days at the pump these days.  Gas prices are up again this week, we are up about 15 cents in the past couple weeks.  At 10 gallons that is a buck fifty every time you fill up, and if you thing back to about 14 years ago we had a bit of time when gas was 99.9 cents a gallon, my wages haven’t gone up 4 x in the past 14 years has yours?  In fact I think my wages have gone up .9% a year.

Daily Dose of BS August 1

All too often we get upset with service, either bad service for this or bad customer service for that.  We have all had our share of bad service.  If we get bad service we tend to complain under our breath and move one, only to return to that store to spend our money there again.  Kind of a sad commentary of us I think.  I am as guilty of it as the next guy.  When we get good service or even exceptional service when have we even said anything about it to the manager or whomever it was that gave us that service, I think in the back of our heads we expect that service every time we go somewhere right?  Unfortunately it isn’t the case; I so rarely receive superb service that when I do I say something, like thank you or you are doing a good job.  I went through the drive thru lane at Taco Johns last night on way to Logger game and blown away by the customer service that was given to me.  I had three contacts with the young lady working the drive thru, from the loud speaker to the purchase to the handing off of my food and each of contacts was better than the last.  I mentioned to her, thank you for doing your job well, for the positive attitude and for making it easy to be a customer.  I made an effort to save the receipt but must have tossed it, I think the name on the receipt said Chelsy but I may be mistaken, but whatever business ends up with this young lady working for them in the future, will be lucky.

Daily Dose of BS July 31

The James Holmes shootings in Aurora Colorado has brought up some interesting topics.  I believe that we all have the right to bear arms.  I feel that we should be able to conceal carry if we are properly trained.  I also think that guns are too easy to get.  Why would anyone other than a police officer or someone in the service need or even want a rapid fire semi or automatic gun.  If you are a hunter these take out the sport of the hunt and the only other reason I can see you having one is so that you can shoot something many, many times.  Why?  Also why do we need to buy 1000’s of bullets at a time?  Why can we buy them without ever having to see anyone, or register your bullets?  If you are buying over a certain amount of ammo don’t you think that it would be safer for us all if the person who bought massive amounts of ammo should have to register it somewhere, or at least see someone?  Don’t get me wrong, I think we should all have guns if we want but they should be registered legal guns.  If you’re not causing problems or plan on doing something illegal why would you care if your bullets are registered and why would you care if someone knows you have the bullets?

Daily Dose of BS July 30

The rabbits in La Crosse have been doing what is expected of them.  I don’t think I have ever seen more rabbits in my life as I have around my neighborhood.  I remember when I was a kid growing up in the Twin Cities, that my buddies and I tried catching rabbits with a box and some carrots, never having enough patience to wait until they actually jumped into the box so that the string could be pulled.  To be honest with you I don’t know what I would have done with the rabbit if I would have ever caught one.  The reason I bring these pesky four legged luck bringers up is that the luck on at least one ran out this morning, it was on the other side of the road and wasn’t moving, it didn’t move that is until I drove by then I am guessing the boredom of being a rabbit overtook the rabbit and he decided to play chicken with my tires, the car won.  Too bad that he chose my car to play it with, cause when it happened I felt bad, bad enough to think about it for more than a minute, bad enough to write about it and talk about it.  Ok, I’m over it now, but come on rabbits it’s not cool to play rabbit roulette with the four tires of a car, eventually you will tire.  

Daily Dose of BS July 27

We are going to be seeing the best of the best after the Olympic opening ceremony opens up the annual 4 year games tonight.  There has already been some controversy with the uniforms that the American Athletes will be wearing; in fact Harry Reid called for the burning of all uniforms and start over.  I don’t know about you but most of the clothing I am wearing unfortunately is made overseas.  I would more likely say lets burn the uniforms because they are ugly rather than that they are made overseas.  I am hoping for lots of positive stories to come from the Olympics, but as we know from prior years there competition sometimes brings out the worst of the worst.  Remember the Olympics from 18 years ago, if I say skating and Olympics what is your first image?  I think of Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, I was ok with their friendly rivalry but once the clubbing happened, come on.  This isn’t the only time that controversy has taken center stage at the Olympics either.  Let’s hope for more of the positive stories to come from the next couple of weeks as thousands of amateur athletes and hundreds of professional athletes take center stage, here is to good sportsmanship and positive outcomes.  

Daily Dose of BS July 26

Couple of things I am thinking about this morning there are so many times that we let things go, for example I have a piece of siding that got blown not off my garage but is not in the track and is about 16 feet off the ground this happened last March when the tornado went through my neighborhood, I see it once in a while, but it’s one of those things that doesn’t bother me, it’s on the honey do list but is not at the top and someday it will get done, most likely today since I am making a deal about it, but there are many things on that honey do list that just keep sitting there like, paint the door jamb in the basement or build shelves for the cabin I have a list that keeps growing.  I sometimes get to the list but more often than not, the list grows, and I am guessing that mine isn’t the only list to keep growing.  Do you have items on your list, if so what kind of items are on it?  The second thing that is on my mind is that I put together a lunch most nights so I don’t have to do it in the morning, I went to grab my lunch this morning and over half of it was eaten, thanks to my 17 year old son.  

Daily Dose of BS July 25

I really dislike the phrase No Worries.  It implies that I was going to worry about whatever it was that I said that made someone say not to worry.  To me that is very presumptuous of you to think I was worried about it to begin with I would have said something or I would have just worried about it but now I have the free pass of not worrying about it at all.  Well thank you, thank you  very much thank you for the free pass thank you for allowing me off the hook, thanks for the chance for me to have a free conscious.  Thanks for making me not think about what I did anymore, what if I wanted to worry, what if that was my main purpose in life at that moment.  I sometimes like to worry about things that may or may not have been I sometimes sit and think what if they would not have said no worries and then thought what if I did worry after they said not to, it is no wonder that I go through so many tums and rolaids and other antacids.  All this because someone offered me two words after I answered them an answer, the two words of no worries, is what started it all. 

Daily Dose of BS July 24

A six year old is among the 12 dead, I am sickened by the fact that this monster James Holmes went in guns blazing to a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises, last Friday in Aurora Colorado.  This is unacceptable, a travesty, a horrible chain of events.  I am not claiming to be a great parent, we all have our own situations that we have to deal with as a parent but I don’t think that I would have brought my 6 year old or my 4 year old to a movie at midnight.  Especially to The Dark Knight Rises, these movies are made for an older crowd; a crowd that understands what it going on.  I sometimes get questioned by my own kids when we are watching things if they are real (and they are older than six), and when you see things that are in the movies that are presented as real we sometimes get caught up in the “realness” events, then bringing your kids to a midnight showing which is way past the bed time of a typical 6 year old.  I am not trying to start anything with this especially with 71 people shot and 12 dead, but don’t you think that having kids at that young age in the movie theater is inappropriate.  I am angry, actually mad as hell that this happened, just like the rest of the nation but come on there is a reason that Bambi isn’t playing at midnight, it is not a movie show time for kids.   

Daily Dose of BS July 23

Be a tourist in your own community.  In the economy we are enduring and gas prices un the upward swing again I think we should look at the great things we have in our own back yard the things that we take for granted like the rivers, and lakes.  When was the last time you were out on the water here in our backyard?  How about the bluffs and the many miles of trails both on the bluffs and through the parks, I have been exploring these trails more in the past year than I did in the first 19 years that I have lived in Gods Country.  I also invite you to take in the great local shops in Downtown La Crosse or a short drive to the north there is the La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway, many different foods can be found here and you can't forget the salute to this that and the other thing, almost every single weekend we are blessed to live in an area that has fest fairs and fun weekly.  So look around and take in what is around and live life to its fullest.  And share what you have found, don’t just sit on that diamond, let everyone know.   The reason I bring this up is I was in Stevens Point over the weekend for a baseball tournament and when I told a few people I was going there, everyone mentioned to go to Belt’s for ice cream and when I posted on fb I was going to Stevens Point everyone there said go to Belt’s when someone says I am going to La Crosse what do you tell people to check out?

Daily Dose of BS July 20

When you are in line at the grocery store and you write a check, why would you not put the name of the store, the date, and your signature on the check while you are in line instead of waiting until the last possible second to do it?  I have been stuck behind people in the shortest line at the grocery store and 9 out of 10 times this will happen.  Why do the people writing the checks not use the debt card and why would they wait until the last second to fill in what could have been done earlier?  And why is it that these people who wait do not seem to have a care in the world that maybe just maybe this is why they are buying cat food for 10 and food for one.

Daily Dose of BS July 19

I got a new toilet at my house it is a 10 when it comes to the flush at least according to the flush scale, why in the world would anyone get anything less than the best when it comes to flush power?  Do you like to embarrass your guests by putting it as the guest bathroom toilet and see who comes out and asks for the plunger?  For my top of the line 10 flusher I paid under 200 bucks, 200 bucks for a piece of equipment that takes everyone’s ummm Schmidt.  The reason I bring this up is that the sound of the toilet is not a nice flushing sound of cascading waters gently flowing around the bowl but a hack if you will of trying to get something unstuck from the back of your throat, forcing the mess to its final resting place, the noise will wake the dog and the kids from a quiet nights sleep, scare the heck out of you the first time it happens and when you happen to be napping on the recliner in the other room.  It may be a low water user and it may be a 10 on the flush scale, but on a decibel scale it is deafening, so next time you flush one of the new toilets flush and plug, I better clarify flush and plug your ears.   

Daily Dose of BS July 18

Move over; don’t wait until the last possible second.  Where there is road construction there are going to be idiots.  I don’t get it.  You know that when there is road construction that you need to move over especially when there is construction that is ongoing like the Hwy 35 construction in Onalaska or the Losey Blvd construction in La Crosse, it should not come to a surprise to you that you are going to have to switch to either the right or left lane, you should know that.  Unless today is your first day in the city, or your first day driving, when you are the car that waits until the last possible second to merge how did that make you feel?   Did you feel like the b.m.o.c?  Was it a feeling of power?  Was it your winning moment of the day, if so I am sorry that your life is so boring that you need to put yourself and your passengers in harm’s way along the way putting my life in danger and in turn ticking me and everyone else behind me in a bad mood at least for a second.  Um if I am talking to you when was the last time that someone did that same thing to you?  Did it tick you off?  I bet it did and here you are doing the same thing, wonderful.  Have a pleasant day, and don’t let the idiots tick ya off. 

Daily Dose of BS July 17

If you listened to any radio over the weekend, you may have heard that the credit card companies are now going to allow stores to pass on the 3% usage fee to the customer.  Now correct me if I am wrong, isn’t that cost already being passed on to us as the cost of business?  I guess I can honestly say this right now that I for one will try not to spend my money with businesses that are adding the credit card fees to my bottom line.  I can say as of right now this is how I feel, but in the grand scheme of things, I hope that this fails miserably and falls back on the credit card companies and every business that implements this outrageous fee, unless of course they drop the fees straight across the board for all the prices at the store for people who pay cash.  I can say this now but will most likely it will be about as meaningful as a celebrity saying that they will move from the country if x is elected, I don’t recall anyone of these loud mouthed celebrities moving from the county.  If they did move would we miss them, most likely not but if we all complain about this, maybe just maybe we can make a difference.   

Daily Dose of BS July 16

Do we give in to our kids too much; are we taking too much crap from our kids?  Are the inmates running the asylum?  I see it at my house and at others around, when I misbehaved I got the look and if that didn’t work I got the threat of wait until your father gets home.  That was about all it took, I am sure I was a good kid, not like the many that are running all over their parents now.  I am not pointing fingers at least not too much but when was the last time you saw a kid ask either mom or dad for something heard the parent say no and then the kid turns on the tears, attitude, and anger only to have mom or dad give in to the kid.  It kind of makes me a bit mad to see this, because what is this teaching these kids, that if they have a fit they will get what they want.  I am sorry to burst your bubble kid but that is not going to work once you get in life.  In fact I am not against punishment for misbehaving, I am not saying beat your child or even raise your hand but what is wrong with a few days break from the tv, computer, gaming system or even a day or two off of spending time with friends.  I feel we need to get our lives back and it can start at home, getting respect from our kids.  It really does hurt to see a kid walk all over their care giver, parents do your kids and yourself a favor and take back the house. 

Daily Dose of BS July 13

Billboards are great reminders, the one that stands out the most to me is the one that ran a few years ago that said “Buzzed driving is Drunk Driving.”  I am not a stupid man and never really thought about it but it made sense to me.  It was a wake up call that made me realize just that.  Since that billboard came into my life, I have changed the way I drive, and when I will get into a car.  I lucked out and I am guessing that you may have also.  It was an easy and simple message but it hit home, the people who put that message followed it up with a few car crash billboards with the caption under each that said drunk driving and showing a smashed car and the same picture with the caption buzzed driving under it.  Bam wake up call.  As I said in a few moments ago, wasn’t something I even though of, so for the people who put up that campaign thank you for saving some lives.

Daily Dose of BS July 12

I know a guy who gave up his smart phone since he couldn’t not look at his phone while he was driving.  I think that if you know you can't not look, this is a smart thing to do.  I am not sure how many times throughout the day that I notice someone texting while driving, and it is both men and women, young and old.  I am often looking at my phone when I am stopped but have been tempted to look at it I am not going to lie.  I heard on the radio yesterday morning that there is new technology out there that will stop your phone from being able to text while driving but only if you are the driver.  I like this, I think that this kind of technology will be a good thing for our younger drivers and heck even the more seasoned drivers like myself who are tempted to look at the phone while driving.  The only thing is how does the phone know that you are the driver and not just a passenger.  I was making a phone call the other day from my phone in my car and the guy who was in the truck next to me laid on the horn, at first I was mad, but then realized that he assumed that I was texting, and I was still mad, but I got over it and understand why he was upset.