Guest

I've got decent health insurance now for $320 a month, and its not group insurance.
I think thats really incredible.
Its Blue Cross / Blue Shield.
I was paying $620 a month in Nevada, for worse coverage.
I think it was something like $20,000 out of pocket. It stunk. I had to drop it.
If I remember right, in Nevada, the State Health/Insurance Commission says they don't have to have a general group for independant coverage. I'd have to have two people on my payroll to qualify for my own group health plan.
I got declined by them in Nevada as an independant.
Here, they have a group for independants.

On Friday, I lit the candle on one end.
On Saturday, I lit the candle on the other end.
I woke up at 5 am with a terrible leg cramp.
Oooo....I hate those.
Today, we were planning on going to Rod's church, then we were going to head off to Mammoth Cave for hiking.
I'm all burned out.
So, I guess its going to a day of limping around the area.
Maybe I can get Becky to nurse me back to health...lol

Some day, 4 billion years from now our Milky Way is going to be smashed into by the Andromeda galaxy.
The planets from our solar system (EG: Mars, Jupiter...) may become part of another solar system.
It was interesting to learn that it takes our solar system 250,000,000 years to orbit the Milky Way.
These things interest me, because I was reading about global warming.
It seems that every 150,000 years the Earth's temperature cycles between near ice age temperatures and global warming.
They can tell by studying the Earth at the poles.
Core samples, taken from different levels of the ice, tell the secrets about the Earth's atmosphere over time.
We are in the warming cycle right now.
The Earth is going to get hotter, regardless of the greenhouse gases, because history shows thats just what it does.
But don't buy a beach house in Greenland yet.
It may take another 50,000 years for the United States to fall below sea level, again.

one of the many costs of deforestation

The leaders of Tuvalu - a tiny island country in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia - have conceded defeat in their battle with the rising sea, announcing that they will abandon their homeland. After being rebuffed by Australia, the Tuvaluans asked New Zealand to accept its 11,000 citizens, but it has not agreed to do so.

Cracker Barrel has home-style vittles at very reasonable prices.
Its not your typical restaurant. They've got personality up the wazoo!
I tried their sampler, which is chicken dumplings, ham steak and meat loaf.
Becky had their roast beef. We each got 3 sides, fried okra, broccoli casserole,
corn, string beans, brussel sprouts, and mashed potatoes. Along with the rasperry
sweet tea, the bill came up to $22. We really liked the atmosphere of the restaurant. Its an old timers delite.
You pay at the store's cashier in front, and I found it hard to walk through the store without buying something.
I picked up a really cool harmonica for $5, some cherry pie filling (for grilled toast), and some apple twizzlers.
Like the sign says, it gives the impression of an old country store.
The only thing that was missing was Marshal Dillon and Miss Kitty walking in. They sold Gun Smoke DVDs there too.

The Parking Lot
On Wednesday, we came back from Walmart with a rolling laundry hamper.
There, in our small, but extremely convenient parking lot, sat the attendent and some guy.
They looked like they were hanging out, (in the parking lot, with lawn chairs?).
I rolled the hamper up to them and blurted 'Nice night to take your hamper our for a walk'.
Becky asked the parking lot attendant, "What kind of training do you need to be an attendant", and I chuckled.
Then the parking lot attendant (Susan) said, "None, but we don't have any openings. They might have an openning in the next parking lot". Then I chuckled again.
The guy (Peter) says, "Yea, I help her for free. They won't hire me and I've got nothing better to do".
We all started talking. Peter, who's a contract programmer like me, is goofing around, just like I did for 6 years. It turns out he used to be with the Tears For Fears band. He played the piano in 'Everybody wants to rule the world'.
Anyway, we babbled, I told them my Elephant jokes, and we took our hamper home.

Outside the hotel, in the rain
Tonight, Becky and I were leaving the building to go grab a bite to eat or do whatever.
In the lobby, we bumped into Susan and our hotel security guard (Tim).
She said, "Hey, where ya going?".
Then she said "Peter and I are going to TGIF's once he gets back from the cleaners. Wanna come?".
We said, "Well, uh, we, um....Well YEA!".
And the next thing you know, we're waiting outside for the Peter to arrive with his laundry.
It was raining hard outside, but nobody seemed to mind it.
A girl hit me up for a cigarette, then four gay guys hung out, and people coming in and out start collecting,
The next thing ya know, its like a big party....outside, in front of the hotel, with rain falling down everywhere.

TGIF's Restaurant.
Peter finally arrived, dropping off his tiny bag of laundry, and the four of us strolled around the corner to Fourth Street Live. A band was playing in the street, and there were 100s of people there. Thats home to the TGIF restaurant.
Peter and Susan were clowning with the hostess, and we got a booth.
Every waiter, waitress and bus person in TGIF's swung to our booth to clown around and introduce themselves.
These two knew everybody there! You can't buy entertainment like this. You have to live it.

The People
Peter is an older, but good looking, ex New Yorker, who has a radio announcers voice, and does impressions very well.
Susan, is an throwback from Woodstock, with no teeth. Her hair seems to fly around everywhere when she talks.
Tim, is our security guard. He's quiet, smiles a lot, and is an athiest.
Scott, not mentioned above, is our other security guard, and he's a preacher.
These four people as a group, can put first name to every body in this 300 room high rise.
Everybody here is good looking and they all have wild personalities.

This Hotel
It seems to have ghetto levels, retirement levels, party levels and posh levels.
If they put a convenience store on the bottom floor, some people would never the block.
Living in this hotel is the experience I was looking for.
Its like living in a Seinfield episode, but its much better.

So, put on your flowered dress, and go out and pick some flowers.

Hi everyone just to let you know Spring is just around the corner.
We set are clock's ahead on February 10th .
Don't forget (LOL)!!!!. The bird's are singing
today. It was very nice outside.
Becky

See if you get this day off.

Don't take a day off though.