Summer ATL Fashionista (whatever that is but Yahoo uses it so it must be cool)

Well, it's finally warming up here in Atlanta.  We've had a few 90+ degree days so it's time for a wardrobe change.

First, I start with a shower.  Or not, I'm just gonna sweat anyway so I think I'll skip it.  A couple of splashes of cologne will be enough.

On with the gym shorts (No gym shorts!?!  Then I reckon I'll go commando) then pants; the baggier, the better.   Basketball shorts are always a good option.  Then on with the basketball top.  Lacking that, a wifebeater open all the way down the sides to the waist (I reckon so I can get my arms in the sleeves...  oh, yeah.  no sleeves.  Whatever.  It's the style.) will do.  Color must be either that of the most recent NBA championship team or horribly clashing.

Forget socks.  They get stinky anyway.  Then its a pair of expensive, leather high-top basketball shoes, preferably not pre-worn but hey, can't be choosey.  Gotta figure out a new lacing pattern nobody else is using.  It's hard to find 10-foot shoelaces though.  Gotta have that right amount of untied length.

Need my hat which consists of a handtowel, preferably clean, draped over my head.  And don't forget the 3oz. water bottle so I don't dry out.

One final thing...  If it falls in a heap when I drop it on the floor, it's probably clean.  This is important, especially if I've already turned it inside out once before.

I'm really gonna be stylin' when I get on the MARTA bus.  One thing, tho'.  I can't figure out why everybody gets up and moves or opens a window when I sit down.  Oh well, they're just racist anyway.

Guten Morgen, May 22!!

As I am sure many of you have heard by now, "Judgement Day" is guaranteed by God's Holy Word (according to Family Radio founder and cult leader Harold Camping) to be sometime tomorrow, May 21, 2011.  This is at least the 3rd time this fellow has "proven" that the Bible correctly, although secretly, predicts the end of the world, if we can just get our math right.

Tomorrow will come and go and that poor man will once again excuse himself of error by announcing his math is obviously incorrect.  He refuses to admit his understanding of Scripture is flawwed and declares those in disagreement with him as apostate.

I'm saddened to hear yet another prediction from this wolf in sheep's clothing.  He didn't learn in 1994, '95 and '96 (according to him these years were one long extension of 1994).  I cannot fathom the delusion that has him thinking he got it right this time.

One part of Mr. Campings erroneous math "proof" is found in 2 Peter 3:8.  In this verse, we are told "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day".  I have heard this verse used many times to explain God's "Timetable of History" when, in fact, it is nothing more than figurative language the Apostle Peter used to encourage us to hang in there because God trascends time.

Many people misquote this verse as "A day is a thousand years and a thousand years is a day with the Lord".  Here's the problem:  "IS" has a completely different meaning than "IS AS".  This is where my daughter Heidi's insistence on using correct English comes into play.  "IS" denotes equality whereas "IS AS" connotes similarity.  In other words, a definition vs. a figure of speech.

There are many other errors this false prophet has made in claiming to know the timing of the Apocalypse, the most dangerous and damning one is his rejection of Jesus' own teaching about the subject:

"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."  ~  (Matt 24:36)

Where will I be come May 22, 2011?  After attending Sunday morning worship, I will be either at Five Guys or Cici's enjoying lunch and another beautiful day that the Lord has made.

A Sad Departure

Today, I grieve for and with my children.  Their grandmother passed away this morning from liver cancer.  When diagnosed, she was given 3-6 months.  God and this lady had other plans as she lived almost 18 months beyond the estimate, in spite of refusing treatment.  Those who knew Marj Crum best would joke that she was "too stubborn" to die when the doctors said she would.

In the past 2 years, Marj was allowed to witness things she could not have had the doctors been correct.  She was present at the wedding of my 3rd daughter, Sadie, to her 1st love, Alex Skrove.  This forbear of at least 20 (i think) grandchildren and great-grandchildren was able to meet two wonderful wee ones in William Alexander Porter, born almost 5 months ago to Jebidiah and Heidi (who were not supposed to be able to conceive) and Abigail Lee Garwood, daughter of Erin and Corey, born shortly after her great-grandmother's diagnosis.  Before passing, she recently witnessed the reign of terror begun by Osama bin Laden brought to an end.

Although she had a very ruff-n-gruff exterior, I gained some insight to her heart thru my daughter Heidi.  Being a somewhat-less-than-endearing son-in-law, I'm not surprised I could not see her softer side.  But Heidi saw thru her facade and was aware of the love and caring she demonstrated.  Marj intensely loved her kids, grandkids and great-gk's and showed it by trying to motivate them to become better than they were.  Even at the end, she thought of her children by requesting she be cremated with no funeral service to minimize the expenses of her death.

I wish I could have known this lady for who she was instead of how I saw her.  My life would have been much richer for it.

Marjorie Crum
1934 - 2011

Michigan Lottery Winner Living on Food Stamps

Here's the story if ya ain't seen it.

1st of all the guy is... (deleted, this is a family blog).  I have nothing kind to say about this fellow.  2nd, government officials are spineless for the most part.  Simple solution: "you won the lottery?  you don't need food stamps."  3rd, the laws that protect honest citizens are openly flaunted by the dishonest.

This situation is not surprising.  I needed food stamps when I first got here but was rejected.  I was homeless, unemployed and disabled but I didn't qualify because, in Atlanta, first-time applicants are rejected out-of-hand (probably cuz there are so many scammers living, literally, on the streets of downtown ATL).  BUT... at least in GA, liquid assets must be reported and are considered in the qualification process - they just ain't.

I grew up seeing, first-hand, people buying food with stamps (they really were stamps back then, not debit cards), paying cash for cigarettes, booze and ineligible food items, then carting their overflowing baskets out to their Cadillacs (hint, hint, wink, wink).

Because the government is operating outside its jurisdiction, fraud and waste are rampant in those areas.  God gave the responsibility of caring for the poor and needy to the church, not the government.  Because the church was failing to do its duty, FDR -- that great, progressive (read "socialist") president -- got the government involved in social programs.  The rest is history as entitlements have grown to almost, if not more than, half of the U.S. federal budget.

But I digress...  (don't ya just love cliches?)

There's no need to fret over that fellow.  His end is settled for he will one day die and stand before God and give an account for his arrogant abuse of a program intended for people who cannot afford to buy basic needs for living.  (And, I suspect, he's being given enough rope to hang himself.)

"Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked;  for there shall be no reward to the evil man;  the candle of the wicked shall be put out." ~ Prov 24:19-20

Now I Done It!!!

Well, now I've done it...

I've gone off the deep end.  After recently becoming concerned about the chemicals corporate america is putting in the stuff we eat and clean with and discovering that all the major companies are using questionable ingredients such as anti-freeze (propylene glycol) and engine cleaner (sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate) in toothpaste and shampoo, I started looking for something less "chemical-ly".  Found a natural toothpaste but at $4.50 a tube, I started thinking if maybe I could make my own.  I know I can use baking soda straight from the box, but it's kinda wasteful and messy to use and really icky tasting.

I thought I was buying ice cream !?!

So I went online...

And went nutso with all the cool info I found.

I'm now gonna try making my own toothpaste along with a few other hygiene products.  Not many people know this but I'm allergic to the main ingredient in all antiperspirant/deodorants; aluminum trichloro-something-or-other.  After a couple of months of using store-bought deodorant, I start doing the monkey thing (raised-arm scratching).  I've tried natural deodorants (eventual rash), deodorant stones (cuts, scrapes, hair-pulls), baking soda (ouch), nothing (phewee!!).  In my search, I recently came across a recipe for homemade deodorant using easily pronounce-able and natural ingredients.

I also plan to become "Poo-less".  Nope, that doesn't mean I intend to become permanently constipated.  I discovered that some people (the same ones that make their own you-name-it) don't clean their hair with shampoo anymore.  They use something that contains only ingredients that can be pronounced without getting tongue-cramps.  Since I live alone, I can try this in relative privacy and comfort.  If it doesn't work, I can go back to subjecting my hair to a chemical bath.

I also discovered a recipe for homemade laundry detergent.  One of the biggest benefits of these changes, besides using safer products, is the cost savings as Heidi's recent blog about homemade diapy-wipes can testify.  Living on a fixed income has been a little challenging but doable and these things, if they really work, will help in cutting costs.

(Now, I gotta find a tree to chop down to prove I'm not turning into a tree-hugger.) 

But ended up with frozen antifreeze!!!

Spring fashion in ATL

It's a nice day here in ATL.  I think I'll go out and take some pix.  The temp's under 80 so I better prepare for the weather.

Since it's the 2nd Sunday of the month, I reckon I'll take a shower.  After that, it's briefs, boxers, long johns, sweats, pants then gym shorts.  Dress socks, regular socks, gym socks, footies then shoes; boots if possible, insulated would be good.  Next is tanktop, t-shirt, thermal shirt, sweatshirt, long-sleeve regular shirt finishing with a tanktop or tee.  No belt so my pants can fall below my butt and I can have that cool-looking, individualized strut that everybody's doing nowadays.  For headgear, it's a baseball cap that's too big for my head followed by a knit cap made for coneheads.  Finally, I'll need a heavyweight hoodie to stay warm.

For accessories, I need a backpack stuffed with whatever Atlantans stuff them with.  I also need a 4oz. drink bottle filled with water that I can sip from every five minutes, yet maintains a constant level of water.  That should keep me well-hydrated.

What, you want to know where the gloves and scarf are?  Are you nuts?  It ain't winter.  I'll get too hot wearing those.

Conspiracy Theory Fodder

I was doing some lite reading today and came across something scary but not surprising.  

Even before he was elected, Obama was talking about a "civilian national security force" that would be "just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded" as the military.  This is something I've been expecting for a couple of decades after reading a Wisdom Booklet article showing key events in the history of Germany that led it from the greatest Gospel-spreading country of its time to Nazism.  While reading that piece, I was astounded to see a parallel trend in American history.

When Obama was elected president, the social, economic, political and spiritual climate of our nation was very similar to that of pre-Nazi Germany.  Now Obama is working quietly (no news reports) to establish a paramilitary national defense force.  Bill Clinton attempted to do the same thing with Janet Reno but there was too much backlash over the Branch Davidian debacle.  BTW, that incident was the first time I remember seeing ATF wearing all-black tactical uniforms and the Nazi-style helmet.  They were even wearing knee-high jackboots.

disclaimer:  I'm not suggesting that Obama is a reincarnation of Hitler.  He may very well believe his "program" will provide the best protection for America's home soil.

Recent history (last half of 20th century) has demonstrated what one president instituted with good intentions was eventually perverted by another to gain more government control.  "No Child Left Behind" is one example; another will be government funding of faith-based social programs.  We've already seen government take-over of the education system, airline and transportation industry, banking system, auto-manufacturing industry and, most recently, the health-care industry.

Can anyone say "gestapo"?