My nephew Jonathan Allen Carroll would have been 33 years old this year.  It’s hard to imagine he passed away 26 years years ago. I can still hear his voice and see his face as plain as anything when I close my eyes. I think he’s been looking over me for a long time…

Jon was only 7 years home when he was called home. Jon is my younger sister Tara’s oldest son. They live in Grayson County Kentucky. That was the hardest funeral I’ve ever attended.

Happy Birthday Jon, I still love you and think of you often!  Till we meet again someday.

I typically first wake up at 6:20 – 6:30 for the ritual of brushing teeth, showering, and getting ready. That usually takes about 20 minutes or so… then it’s gather up my stuff and out the door. Now when I first got married my wife would have a breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee ready for me as I left, but after 20 years it’s “your Microwave lunch is in the freezer and the bag of instant oatmeal is in the cabinet”. I love you buy… so I get to the office make myself some coffee before class and have a nice packet of oatmeal (low sugar and it taste like shit)… ah the good life.

Students start coming in at around 7:30 and asking what they should bring in and asking various questions. I drink my coffee log into the webinar and wait for 8 o’clock. I sometimes stand by the computer and pray somehow the class is cancelled and I can go back home to bed. (that has never happened yet) Class begins at 8 am, we break at 10 am for 15 minutes or so, then go again till lunch, 12:00 pm. The afternoon session starts at 1 pm and again we take another break at 3 pm. Once break is over I’m on the downhill slope and I typically finish between 4:45 and 5 pm. I lock up the building, turn on the alarm, and go home.

I know all I do is stand and talk but it’s pretty mentally exhausting. The older I get I almost have to take an hour nap or so and I’m usually tired till I go to be for the night. The family even says a little grumpy…bah humbug. It takes most of the next day for me to fully recharge and then Sunday night I know the next day is Monday and it’s time to go again.

Onward March…

Three African American teenagers, two boys 13 and 16, and one girl 15 attack and beat an 83 year old white man and then stole his car. The amazing this is this is not being called a hate crime, why not? They purposely chose an 83 year old white guy to attack, beat, and possibly kill. I think if the victim was black and the teenagers were white everyone in the media would be calling this a “HATE CRIME”.

Somehow every time we have a crime committed against an African American by whites it’s instantly labeled a hate crime, when it was a crime. Would these boys and girl attacked the 83 year old man if he’d been black, I’m sure they would have. So in most crimes it’s not a crime because they’re black or they’re white… it’s just a crime. Criminals don’t care what color you are they are only concerned about what they can get. They prey on defenseless or helpless people whom they know can’t or won’t fight back. Most of them are cowards who prey on the weak.

The single father of the boys was at work when the incident occurred. He thought the kids were in school. We don’t really know what the story is on the girl… who knows and does it really make any difference, probably NOT.

That is a standard that everyone should consider whether it’s a hate crime or not. If the person was another color would the crime have still been committed? If yes, then it’s not a hate crime. If the answer is NO, they yes it is a hate crime.

The day of jokes and pranks. “Your shoe is untied” …April Fool’s. We’ve all played the little games and got a chuckle out of them and as you get older it’s oh no not April 1st again. But it comes every year and every now and then is completely forgotten.

No it’s not a National Holiday, which I heard people comment that it was. It’s just a day made for fun. Nobody has to play or accept the stupid little jokes if they chose not to. There is always that one person that we know with no sense of humor, the Ebeneezer Scrooge of joke day.

I tried to look up the history for the day and there are conflicting accounts. In the end it really doesn’t matter does it. Most of us don’t care if it was created in 1498 or 1998. Here is the most popular answer:

“In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar (the Gregorian Calendar) to replace the old Julian Calendar. The new calendar called for New Year’s Day to be celebrated Jan. 1. That ear, France adopted the reformed calendar and shifted New Year’s day to Jan. 1. According to a popular explanation, many people either refused to accept the new date, or did not learn about it, and continued to celebrate New Year’s Day on April 1. Other people began to make fun of these traditionalists, sending them on “fool’s errands” or trying to trick them into believing something false. Eventually, the practice spread throughout Europe.”

Those who were fooled were called poissons d’Avril, which means “April fish.

The reason behind this was because fish, such as those that hatch in April, are easy to catch and “April fish” are easy to catch with silly tricks.

Whatever the reason or history… your pants are unzipped….April Fools!

Enjoy the Holiday!

Then it was lets go to lunch, which was a great thing but it took another hour out of my day. After I come back from lunch a couple of students from a couple weeks ago called and wanted different things from me. Well I’m such a nice guy I try and help and it typically leads me down the road of a couple wasted hours. I know I should “JUST SAY NO!, like Nancy Reagan preached, but I always think…”This will only that a second”.

Well the day isn’t even 1/2 way over and I’m already tired and ready to go back to bed…Crazy Monday…

Wow… it started out as one of those days where everything is crazy. I walked in the door at work at a couple minutes past 9am, and was meet at the door. What about this… How about that… should we do whatever… How did you do this last time…let’s look at the other building … and on and on. Nothing of great importance it was just everyone had question for me all at once. It literally took till 11am for me to set at my desk and check my email.

Then it was lets go to lunch, which was a great thing but it took another hour out of my day. After I come back from lunch a couple of students from a couple weeks ago called and wanted different things from me. Well I’m such a nice guy I try and help and it typically leads me down the road of a couple wasted hours. I know I should “JUST SAY NO!, like Nancy Reagan preached, but I always think…”This will only that a second”.

Well the day isn’t even 1/2 way over and I’m already tired and ready to go back to bed…

Thank Goodness Applebee’s has a $6.00 burger deal going on! lol

I’ve been making a video a day since January 1, 2014 and don’t think I missed a day yet. It’s just a personal project that I decided to do. I feel as if I’m getting better but at the same time I feel myself getting more and more lazy every day. It’s to the point where I’m waiting till the very last moment to make a video. I then make an excuse saying I was busy so I’ll do better tomorrow, which never seems to happen. I have a lot of ideas but never seem to follow them through.

I need a better beginning and ending. and need to go outside, or somewhere in public and make some. April is my goal of trying harder with the videos and this blog.

Space is the final frontier… But I came to the realization that it won’t really happen in my lifetime. I believe it’s still generations away from even becoming a serious thought. There are so many variables that have to be meet and overcome. But one day…

It’s easy to look at the sci-fi movies like Star Trek, Babylon 5, Battle-star Galactica or Star Wars and think, how cool that would be. Yes it would be super cool traveling amongst the stars at a speed faster than light.  hmm…that why today it’s called syfi, but in the future it maybe reality. Again maybe my great great great great grandkids will see this and think of me. (Probably NOT) But one day… where no one has gone before.