More of me singing...

I have posted in the past about how I love to sing. And one of my favorite places to sing is in church. We have a great church, a great worship leader, and a great congregation. When I tell our worship leader that I would like to do special music he is always willing to learn the songs for me.

So here is a song by the group call The Great Divide.

The song is called "Deliver Us" and it is one I found about a year ago, and listened to it over and over...it really hit me. So we learned it, and played it a few months back. Hope you enjoy it.

The Tax System Explained in Beer

A friend of mine posted this on his facebook, and I thought it too good not to share!

Published: January 12, 2012



Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten
comes to $100.
If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like
this…

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing
The fifth would pay $1
The sixth would pay $3
The seventh would pay $7
The eighth would pay $12
The ninth would pay $18
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59

So, that’s what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the
arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve ball. “Since you
are all such good customers,” he said, “I’m going to reduce the cost of your
daily beer by $20″. Drinks for the ten men would now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So the
first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what
about the other six men ? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that
everyone would get his fair share?

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that
from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end
up being paid to drink his beer.

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill
by a h higher percentage the poorer he was, to follow the principle of the
tax system they had been using, and he proceeded to work out the amounts he
suggested that each should now pay.

And so the fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% saving).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% saving).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% saving).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% saving).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% saving).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% saving).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to
drink for free. But, once outside the bar, the men began to compare their
savings.

“I only got a dollar out of the $20 saving,” declared the sixth man. He
pointed to the tenth man,”but he got $10!”

“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar too.
It’s unfair that he got ten times more benefit than me!”
“That’s true!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get $10 back, when I
got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!”

“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison, “we didn’t get
anything at all. This new tax system exploits the poor!”

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks so the nine sat down
and had their beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they
discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of
them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and government ministers, is how our
tax system works. The people who already pay the highest taxes will
naturally get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much,
attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In
fact, they might start drinking overseas, where the atmosphere is somewhat
friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D. – Professor of Economics.

Are You Ready For Some Football!

So you might not know that I am a Tennessee Titans Fan...Love me some football. So about two months ago, Jimmy B that I work with tells me that the Titans play Cleveland at Cleveland this year. Since he is a season ticket holder, he asked me if I wanted to go. There wasn't a moment of hesitation. I jumped at the chance. I had not been to an NFL game since 1997 when I saw Dan Marino play in Indianapolis against the Colts.

So needless to say I was long overdue for a football game.

So I get up early Sunday morning and meet Jim at a gas station, and park the car. After grabbing my coat, my shades, and my Tennessee Titans hat, we are Cleveland bound.

As we are in the middle of the 4 hour drive, the clouds are getting thicker and thicker, and temperature is dropping and dropping. We are about an hour out from Cleveland, and Jim turns on the radio. They are in the middle of their 3 hour pregame. When it comes to football, those Browns fans are hard core! The announcer is telling us that it is suppose to rain, the wind is coming off the lake, and temperature is going to be around 52. What a day for football.

Well, we are in town about 2 hours before kick off. Jim likes to go to a bar right across the street from the stadium. So we sit there for about an hour. I get booed as we walk in the bar...Of course I was wearing my Titan's shirt.

After my taunting at the bar, we make the trek to Brown's Stadium. Grab a hot dog ($5.75) and head to our seats. We are sitting at one of the end zones, about 20 rows up. Perfect seats to see the wholes in the line open up. Really cool. Plus, we are covered by the upper level...so when the rain came in the second half, it was not big deal.



After another Hot Dog, and a coke ($3.00) the game comes to an end with MY Titan's with the victory. Jim wants to head back to his favorite bar. The place is packed! Jim says after all the losing season in Cleveland, they are use to it. They have the philosophy, "We Came, We Lost, We Partied." And that was the case. After about an hour at "Liquid" we head back to the car. Jimmy says he always stops at an Outback Steak House on the way out of town. We get to watch the second half of the late games, and head back to Marion.

Needless to say, I had a GREAT time in Cleveland, and I am ready to go to another game with Jimmy B. I would even go see someone like the Bengals play there. It was a good time!

My TV Addiction

So the fall season is here, and that means all your favorite TV shows are back. So what are we watching in our house…LOTS! Thanks to the DVR we get double the pleasure.

Here’s a run down of some of our favorite shows…

1. Survivor. Far and away the Number one show each week in our house. It doesn’t matter what season, we are hooked. I have not missed a season since season 2. I know I didn’t see the first, but haven’t missed on since.

2. The CBS Monday night comedies. How I Met Your Mother. Love the whole set up of telling stories to his kids. Two and A Half Men. OK…not as good with Ashton Kutcher, but still funny. Ready for the return of Mike and Molly. A really funny show!

3. The Big Bang Theory. I consider myself a little bit of a nerd. So to see these “nerds” doing all the nerdy stuff makes me feel a little bit better about myself!

4. CSI – Yes, I still watch. I have not seen a new episode with Ted Danson. That might be the end for me. Lawrence Fishburne was good. We will have to see if Ted can step up.

5. Up All Night – Becoming a new favorite for the wife and I since we are raising a little one.

6. Criminal Minds – I know it has a lot of blood and guts, but wow is it “edge of your seat” suspenseful.

7. The Sing-Off – This is an incredible singing competition. There is no band, no backup tracks. Just people singing all the different parts. Really good!

8. The Amazing Race – So we are hooked on reality TV. Can’t help it. They get to see parts of the world I will never see. One I look forward to all week!

9. Top Shot – OK, this is an all John pick. A shooting competition. LOVE IT!

10. Storage Wars – This one started out as a John show, but after watching it a few times, Sarah got hooked. People buying storage lockers that are in default. You would not believe the things they find in those things.

11. Law and Order: SVU – So this is the opposite of the other…This was a Sarah show that she got me hooked on.

12. And one I am going to give a try…The Playboy Club. I have a couple on the DVR, but as of yet, not got a chance to watch an episode. So we will see!

So all these tied in with Eli watching Super Why, Mickey Mouse Club House, and Looney Tunes, we have a busy TV schedule. But honestly Eli gets about an hour of TV a day because he would rather be outside. And Sarah and I only get to watch about an hour and a half of TV before I go to bed. Thanks to the DVR we have TV all summer to catch up on!

Proud Parenting Moments..

Vol 1.

So this past weekend, the weather was beautiful...when I say beautiful, I mean upper 60's, and breezy! I love fall.

So I let our little Boston Terrier out to go potty. Like every other time I let the dog out, our little 2 1/2 year old wants to go outside with me.

So no problem, I let go out with me. The dog does his business, and I tinker around on the deck for a minute or two to let the boy play outside for just a few minutes. When I feel like it is time to go back into the house, I tell Eli, come on buddy, back in the house. Like other 2 or 3 year olds, he doesn't want to...so I start doing what most parents my age do...I start counting...

Eli knows that if I get to three he is not going to be a happy boy.

1...Eli, come on buddy.

2...ELI, BACK IN THE HOUSE....

He goes right through the front door, and no problems.

Then I look at the dog.

"Tank, it's time to go in the house"...Sometimes he likes to play outside, but since he doesn't like to stay in the yard if left alone, I look at the dog again...

"Tank, HOUSE NOW"...

"ONE, why in the heck am I counting to the dog"...I go in the house and get the remote to his training collar, and he comes running in the house...

Vol. 2

So the very next day, Eli and I are out playing in the yard. We are playing with his big dump truck, and then he decides that we need to play ball. So I go get his Sesame Street ball. Just a normal kick ball. We are kicking it back and forth to each other. Then he wants daddy to kick it really hard.

It goes flying across the driveway into the side yard. We both run over to get it and kick it again. Then Eli learns that he can kick it into the shed and it will bounce back, and you can kick it again. So we do that for a while, and then we are kicking it back and forth again.

So Eli is far away from me. He kicks it to me, and then tells me to kick it back.

I have my eye on the ball, I am concentrating on making it a good kick. I connect perfectly with the ball. It was a kick that the kids on the playground of elementary school would have been proud of. The one thing I didn't notice was Eli was running towards me....

The ball flies right into his face....he doesn't even fall, he doesn't even cry...

He looks at me and says..."Ouch, that funny daddy."

All I could do was laugh. Does that make me a bad parent?

When I told my wife, she laughed too...does that make her a bad parent?

What is the appeal?

So I have from time to time in my life thought about getting a tattoo. A microphone on my arm would be really cool. Maybe a set of headphones. I mean it goes with my profession. Then the thought in my head enters...what if I not in radio the rest of my life. I would have to explain to my grandkids why there is a big ugly microphone on my arm.

I mean, sometimes you get a tattoo because it is something you care about. Maybe something in honor of someone who died. Maybe your Mom. Maybe your wife. Your kids. OK. A few of those make since.

But when people start going nuts, it makes me step back and think...OK, I am going to have this the rest of my life. Why would I do this...want some examples....of course you do.


OK. I like my beer as much as the next guy. But really, that is the only 6-pack he is ever gonna get drinking PBR!







OK....so I wonder if he has all his body parts labeled?











This has to be her "Dis-Knees"










Hey...I found WALDO...that is really funny to me!









OK...all I can say is WHY???














So after seeing how horribly wrong tattoos can go...I think I will stay INK Free for the time being.

A Day on the River...

So last year started a tradition, that I hope last for many years. My buddy was getting married, and for his bachelor party, we did a canoe trip. Had a blast, 10 guys, 5 canoes, and lets say, a good amount of beer.

So about a month ago, got a message from one of the guys via face book, and said, hey, lets do it again. So this weekend we loaded up the canoes, paddles, boat cushions, and the cool, and hit the river.

For the most part it was the same group of guys. I had my trusty canoe partner, my brother. So last year we were the only canoe not to take a trip into the water. So of course we had to talk it up. We launched at around noon. Let than an hour in, my brother is moving a little more than I like, so I say, "Hey, quit rocking'!"

He says, "What, like this"....

In the water we go. OK, that was our fault. We dump the canoe, collect our stuff, and back down the river we go. There is a lot of joking around between the guys. Just a fun afternoon. We stop a time or two to swim. With the limited rain we have had this summer, we did a lot of dragging, and looking for the deepest part of the river. At one point, we are cutting under a tree, and my brother and I lean the same way under the branches...there we go again.

Another time we were talking some trash with one of the guys as he was swimming and we were not...guess what...here he comes and dumps us again. We tipped on other time, but that one I am blaming on Keith Stone!

All in all, what should have been a 3 or 4 hour trip took us right at 7. I know it was a long day, but a lot of fun...except for the sun burn on my legs, and the bruises on my legs from tipping. But will I do it again next year? You bet!