Fighting FOCA

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Moellerd

Ping Pong Blog

Hey all,
I'm a big fan of ping pong. I happen to be quite skilled at it. I would challenge anyone to a game of ping pong with their expectation of being defeated. My skill at ping pong reminds me of my skill of eating. I'm not the biggest eater, but I LOVE to eat. Here is some tips on how to become a better ping pong player:
1.) Eat, drink, and sleep on the ping pong table. This will help you focus. Scientists say that the more familiar you are with your environment the better performance there is in that environment. Thus. More ping pong table time = better ping pong player.
2.) Invite as many friends as you have to ping pong parties and gradually get into their heads saying things like, "man.. you are REALLY good" or "you should go pro," talking sarcastically as to build up your own confidence (i suggest not doing this in other areas of life)
3.) Subject yourself to ping pong ball pelts. Sometimes the game will get crazy and you may take a ping pong ball to the face. This could be something that during a game, if not prepared, could create an on the spot paranoia of ping pong balls and thus lose your focus on the game at hand. I suggest you train yourself to take a ping pong ball to the face, so if this situation ever occurs in a game, your ready.

It is in my experience as a semi-amateur ping pong player that if you follow these three simple steps, you will succeed in this sport. You may want to go as far as purchasing your own paddle and 4 star ping pong balls and USTTA official table tennis shoes. Those are only needed if you feel ready for the next step of becoming a ping pong star.
Oh. And you may want to start saving up for occasional counseling sessions to talk over and resolve the issues of being mocked severely by almost everyone you know. Just a thought ;-)

Moellerd

Dr. Laura: A Review

Given the event that I wrote about prior to this blog, I was in Michigan the last day and a half. This morning, I decided to leave at the appropriate time, utilizing and benefiting from the hour time difference, to avoid traffic going into downtown Chicago. It's a three hour tour, a three hour tour, as I like to call it that I have driven many times. I'm at the point in my car where I've had the same CD's in for too long and didn't want to listen to them again. So I turned on the radio. Traveling at high speeds between states, means that radio stations fade in and out and transform into other ones as you browse through. Well, I got the "privilege" to come across a program of Dr. Laura Slessinger, Therapist extraordinaire! I thought to myself, "why not, after last night's election results, I could use a good therapy session" Of course, as you will see, I'm being farce about my ever wanting to be therapied (??word usage?) by Dr. Laura.
Instead of the show being called "Dr. Laura" it should be called "Call in and I'll make you feel stupid within the first 90 seconds" I was appalled at why anyone would ever want to call and get her advice! Apparently the only people who call in are the people are clearly SO FAR OFF THEIR WAGON that the straw to break the camel's back is Dr. Laura's insight. From a worldly standard, She probably is not to far off her rocker, but from a Christian standard, of which I'm proud to strive hard in, she is screw loose. In a way that bouts arrogance and supremacy, she attributes herself as "the answer lady" to whatever quandary someone calls in. The amazing thing is that she doesn't listen for longer than 30 seconds to the person before she makes her assessment and hangs up. Here's a loose example:
A lady calls up: Hi Dr. Laura, pleasure to meet you and get to talk with you.
Dr. Laura: Thank you, what can I do for you?
Lady: well I have a great husband who is understanding and i have wonderful kids.
Dr. Laura: What's the problem then?
Lady: My father drinks too much and....
Dr. Laura: Ok, your father is dragging you down and causing you to seek his love instead of from those who you know who is loving you. You father, in a drunken stoop, isn't capable of loving you because he's hardly sober. If when he is sober he has an opportunity to speak to you, it is only a temporary thing and you should be an adult and tell him, "call me when you're completely sober"
Lady: He wrote me this letter..
Dr. Laura: What did I say? You're reaching out to a father you wish you had but don't have, simple as that. He can't love you because he loves alcohol more!
Lady: but what if he's reaching out in this letter, can't I...
Dr. Laura: Honey, he's not reaching out if he's grabbing your neck and using a guilt trip to pull you down. You need to write him and say, when you're sober give me a call, otherwise, don't contact me..

Now, as a listener to this conversation they had, I vowed I'd never call this Dr. Laura based simply on the fact that she scares me! I don't like to get yelled at when I'm seeking someone's advice on an issue. And her solution: get rid of your father. I'm still trying to figure out if that's the best she could have said based on the limited input by the caller.

Dr Laura.... Boooooo get off your high horse and try to encourage people huh?

Absent Voter Ballot

So, I did my part. But apparently too early. I applied for my absent voter's ballot about a month and a half ago. It is now the day before the election, and I JUST NOW received it, but only after calling them last week thinking, "Gee, I haven't gotten that thing yet..." Turns out that the Crockery Township Clerk had it stuck "between two other letters" and sent it out ASAP conveniently the same day I called. I'm a little skeptical on this, but want to give credit to them for actually getting it. She assured me that as long as it's postmarked for Tuesday Nov 3, 2008 it will be OK. So when I received the ballot in the mail and read the directions on the back, I noticed the last step which said: "Step 6: The ballot much reach the clerk or an authorized assistant of the clerk before the close of the polls on election day. An absent voter ballot received by the clerk or assistant of the clerk after the close of the polls on election day will not be counted."
So apparently, in accordance to Michigan Law, my vote will not count unless I hand deliver it to this clerk by tomorrow. So, in effort to be a good devoted citizen, I've decided to make a road trip out of it. I'll drive back tonight (election day eve) and hand deliver it to the clerk tomorrow. It will give me an opportunity to be proud of my right to vote and prove to that clerk, who lied to me, that my vote is something I WANT to be counted, whether it will help who I voted for or not. I will NOT stand to have my vote not counted because of the petty mistakes of those who had the very hard job of stamping the envelope with my tax paid stamp on it to send it to me to do it the way that would have been easiest.
Bitter? No... just sticking it to the man. ;-) Truth is, anytime something happens which merits my going home to spend time with my folks and old friends is something that I welcome anytime.
PS: the picture is of my fiance' and I on a roadtrip to Michigan, one of our favorite things to do. Unfortunately, she is unable to go on this one :-( sad.