St. Richard II

Well, I know this one is gonna piss some people off but oh well. The views expressed in this blog are my own and are not intended to offend anyone. Just wanted to talk about it. Here it goes...

The girlfriend and I went to my old church today. I had taken her to the church I was attending while still living in Chesterton and she absolutely fell in love with it. I wanted to take her to another church with similar if not exactly the same ideals but a much higher budget so she could see where I wanted to see my church someday. It went rather well. She wasn't as stoked about today's church but the trip served it's purpose to show her what can be done aesthetically with the right amount of pocket change. To read her full interpretation of the day, click here.

Well, on the way back home we started talking about the ideas behind the Christian faith. She was raised Catholic. I absolutely cannot stand Catholicism. There's just too many things that don't make sense or add up to something completely unrelated to Christianity. The main principle behind the faith is that Jesus Christ is our lord and savior. He died upon a cross as a sacrifice for our sins. The only way to the father (meaning God) is through him. (John 14:6) This is the main ideal. This is the key to everything. Now there are "rules" to Christianity. They're not necessarily rules that have any religiously based consequences here on earth. They're more like (for lack of a better term) strong moral suggestions. They are just things that any good person would normally abide by regardless of their religious intent. There's 10 of them that can really be summed up by an 11th. These are known as the 10 Commandments. Everyone has heard of them. Even if you're not religious. All of these can be summed up by what's known as the "Golden Rule". Treat your neighbor as yourself. If you treat everyone the way you would want to be treated, then nothing would ever be wrong and the world would be a perfect place. Would you want someone to steal from you, be unfaithful in a relationship with you, or murder you? I'm going to assume the answer here is no. So just treat everyone with dignity and respect and ultimately don't do anything to them that you would not want them to do to you. These two facts are the basics of Christianity. There you go. Christianity 101. And they said I could never be a college professor...

Now this is the part that is really gonna piss some people off. This is some of the things that I really just cannot stand about Catholicism  One of the main problems is praying to the saints. Now there are many reasons that people practice this. I'll us Saint Mary as an example here. In the Catholic faith, people pray to Jesus through Mary. Now the wording there is very important. They are not praying to Mary, that would be considered idolatry. Reference for this is here. However, I believe this is commonly forgotten and is actually used as idolatry instead of a medium to get to Christ. Well, now that I have defended this belief, I'm going to break it down.

Christianity is not a religion, but a lifestyle. It is something that consumes your whole being. It is brought on by a personal relationship with the Creator. If you have a personal relationship with someone, you talk to them right? So how can you have a relationship with God if you don't talk with him? Here is a link to an Our Daily Bread page. Great organization. It will explain the personal relationship with God better than I can. So now if God wants to have a personal relationship with us and we with him, then we must talk to him.

The idea of talking to God through a saint is a little tough for me. How can I have a relationship with someone by talking through someone else. It's like one big long Chinese telephone and you're supposed to be dating the girl at the other end. Besides that, 1 Timothy 2:5 says "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus." So in the bible it says that the only way to God is through his son, Jesus Christ, and that there is only one mediator to God, known as Jesus Christ. So, I'm sorry if I fail to see where praying to God through Saint Mary is an acceptable thing. Regardless of the potential misconception of idolatry, it's still not right.

And besides, who has decided who is considered a saint? There is a lengthy process involved. First, a person must be declared venerable by the Vatican. This means that a deceased person led a more virtuous life than the standard person. Then there is Beatification, this comes from the latin "beatus" meaning blessed and "facere" meaning to make or do so. So, the Vatican decides if a person is eligible to be considered blessed. Then the third and final step is cannonization. This involves a ceremony, a papal bull, and setting a feast day. There can now be shrines built in honor of this person and this person can be the Patron Saint of somewhere. So in summary here, the Pope decides if you become a Saint. Well, in the Richard Catholic (rather than Roman Catholic) faith I am the Pope and I decide that I will be a Saint when I die. My secretary will be pushing the paperwork through later. Feel free to begin constructing shrines in my honor. The feast will be set for March 3rd the year after I die...

Now as for the other problems I have, they have to do not so much with the beliefs but the hierarchy and attitude. The feeling I've gotten from the various catholic churches I have attended was that the whole faith is about politics and who is "holier" than who. I hate that. If we are respectful towards others then there should be no "I'm holier than you because I do more at the church". That idea is complete and utter bullshit. It's a game of favorites. The people who do more in the church are seen as "better" than those who don't. How does participating in a church more make you any closer to God? What do your actions for people who are already attending a church as saved Christians have anything to do with it? What about that guy who doesn't do anything with the church because he is spending more time preaching the good word on the streets or attempting to convince friends and family to attend? I would dare to say that the man who is out spreading the word about our savior is better than the people who spend their entire lives doing things for the church at the church. However, I would be wrong in that aspect too. No one is "better" or "holier" than anyone else. We are all saved just the same. Now some are more educated about the bible than others, that's why they teach it. I haven't been to seminary and I haven't devoted my whole life to learning and teaching the word of God to others. Sorry, I have a job to do and bills to pay and that's just not my calling. Everyone is called to do something. Not everyone is called to spend their lives inside the church. But everyone has a little piece of the puzzle that brings the whole thing together. So no, just because you're there more or do more there, you are NOT better than anyone else.

The people who spend the most time in the church are obviously the teachers. Those employed by the Church. These are known as Priests in the Catholic faith. Even within these leaders, there is a hierarchy of who is "holier". There is a definite hierarchy of who is better or holier than those below them. This is illustrated below...

Now this seems like a simple way that the church is broken up so that there is a leader among the pack. But there are a few key words that i'd like to point out here. "Cardinals are the elected government of the Roman Catholic Church." The definition of Government is: the act or process of governing; specifically : authoritative direction or control. Direct quote from Merriam-Webster right there. Search it, I'm not lying. Now authoritative direction or control would mean that this "government" is in the business of controlling people. That's what governments do. They set forth rules that they believe are for the good of their people. Now, in 'Merica we elect all of our gubernatorial officials. We get to choose whom we trust to set forth these rules as well as petition them and write to them with our thoughts and feelings. The government was originally set up as a way for us to vote without having to run the poll booths every day. When an issue rises, a senator or representative was intended to cast their vote in congress based upon what the majority of their constituents want done. Not to say it always happens that way but we'll save that for another blog.

Why the lesson on government? Let me bring this all full circle for you. In order to be a Priest, you must attend schooling for it. There are all kinds of rules and regulations to it and not everyone wants to do it. However, in order to become a bishop you must first be a Priest. In order to become an Archbishop, you must first be a Bishop. In order to become a Cardinal, you must first be an Archbishop. In order to become the Pope, you must first be a Cardinal. Now, who decides if you get to become a Priest? The teachers in Seminary. Who decides who becomes a Bishop? People already among a higher level of the hierarchy  I'll save the BS and jump to the end of this. To reach the next level, you must be voted upon by those in your level and those higher than you while the ultimate decision remains with the Pope. So the hierarchy of the Catholic Church is decided by those already inside that hierarchy. How does this represent the one person who attends and is a confirmed Catholic? It doesn't. I don't know about you but I don't trust anyone to make decisions in my life without my input of who it is. Now the argument I can see coming is "But Rich, these are holy men. They have devoted their lives to serving God and doing what is right for Christians." And I'll rebut with "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Everyone makes mistakes, we're human. That's just how it works. I can't trust that there has been no influence on a human other than the will of God. It's not always going to work that way.

Now it also says that an Archbishop is responsible for making sure that Bishops follow the church "rules". I'm going to go ahead and just refer you to my last 2 paragraphs stating that these rules are created by a self-elected and self-service government. These rules apply to Bishops and everyone below them in the hierarchy.

Has anyone noticed that the higher you get into the hierarchy, the bigger and more flamboyant your hat gets?

God must be up there wearing a freakin sombrero or something...

Ok well, that's all for now before I piss off too many people. Remember, these are just my opinions on the subject. No need to go get all butt hurt about things. It's not just Catholicism that bothers me either. I don't understand the purpose of the various denominations of Protestantism. But that'll be for tomorrow. If you have legitimate concerns or a legitimate rebuttal to this. Shoot me an email. I'd love to hear from you! You can reach me here. Tune in tomorrow to get more pissed off!

It's ball season!!

Hey there blog fans. Sorry it's been awhile. Been busy moving to a new place and trying to take care of some other important things.

So I've been laid off for a couple of weeks now, and money is getting kind of tight. I have to do something to be able to pay my bills. I am still actively seeking a job in construction. In fact, I picked up some side work this coming week rebuilding part of a deck.

But my main money maker as of this week is going to be umpiring for local youth baseball. I used to do this awhile back but with all my training for the Corps and school and work and whatever other excuse you can think of, I haven't been doin this for awhile now.

It's a pretty fun job. It does tend to get frustrating at times though. You always have that one coach who thinks he knows the rulebook better than you. Or that one fan who thinks that he's the coach from outside the fence. Or that one fan that just heckles you and the other team and generally pisses you off. But it's all definitely manageable.

It pays pretty well. Can't complain about that. It's not what I'd make in a 70 hour week at my last job but it'll cover the bills for the time being. Who knows, maybe my work schedule will allow me to continue to do it when i get a job? I don' know. We'll find out.

Keep me in thoughts and prayers as I look for a job. I could use all the help I can get.

Sorry this is so short, just felt bad for not posting. There'll be more to come soon! Promise!

carpentry nerd...

Ok well I don't know if there is such a thing as being a carpentry nerd, but I am one.

Soooo excited. Got a lead on a side job from a family friend. Redecking an outside patio. Pretty simple really. Gotta tear the old deckboards off and put on new ones. Minimal cutting, Minimal everything. I already have a really nice circular saw that my dad got me for christmas. Craftsman 15 amp worm drive saw. It's pretty sweet. :) but in order to screw down the deckboards, I need a drill.

Now I didn't really want to be dragging extension cords all over the deck while I'm trying to do this so I definitely wanted to get a cordless one. I looked online at Ace Hardware and Home Depot and was finding the exact ones that I would like to have, but they were upwards of $250 for one drill, one battery, and a charger. So what do I do? Craigslist.

I found one guy who was selling a single Ryobi drill with 2 batteries and 1 charger brand new in the box. Not necessarily the best drill. Brand new it's about $80 but he was asking $50 so I sent him an e-mail. Not ten minutes after I set up the meet with this guy, I get another phone call from a different ad I replied to.
This guy has 3 drills, 7 batteries, 3 chargers, and 2 cases as well as extension cords and anything else I might need. He's ready to meet whenever and he's only askin $75 for all of it.

Well, we meet up with this guy and start talkin a little bit. He's a Union Sheetmetal Worker. Currently laid off, hard times in our area. He's cleaning out his garage of shit he hasn't looked at since '98 when he moved in and decided "eh, I'll try and sell it on Craigslist." Long story short, we spent probably an hour just talkin and bullshitting with the guy and walked out with all 3 drills, all 7 batteries, all 3 chargers, both cases, and 2 extension cords for $80. Two of the drills are Dewalt Impact 18v cordless drills and the other is a standard 18v cordless drill. Mind you, just one of the impact drills with 2 batteries, a charger, and a case is over $100 at Home Depot. This is the deal of the century! and now this guys wife can let him out of the doghouse because she can park in the garage again lol

Well, that's all for now folks. Sorry for the kinda personal post that doesn't glean any usable information. Just got a little excited lol

Stolen Valor

OK ya'll, Here's a story that comes real close to making me go find people and beat the sense into them.

Subject: Stolen Valor

One of the most frustrating things I have seen on my computer screen lately is people who want to make up stories of fighting in the desert and getting wounded and being this big war hero. If you didn't do it, then don't say you did. There are countless stories that people have made up. Now, if it's a sly comment made in a bar or somewhere to get that cute girl to talk to you, then I'll let it go. I understand that you're completely uninteresting and have nothing going for your fat nasty ass so you have to make something up to get laid. I almost feel bad for you. Now as for the other things that have been coming across my screen, you folks are Grade A shitbags. I seriously dislike you. If I ever met you, I'd personally beat the hell out of you. Then maybe you'll have some "cool" scars to show off.

Here are some examples...

1) Craig Pusley
        This winner decided to put on a Marine Corps Desert Utility Uniform and stand guard outside Hughson Elementary School in California. His story was simple, he was standing guard at the school immediately following the Sandy Hook shooting. Sounds believable right? I mean the Marines are good hearted folks that would do anything they could to help keep 'Merica safe. There's just a few problems here with his story...

• Marines don't wear camouflage utilites in public. It doesn't happen. I am a US Marine Reservist. I can't even go buy a pack of smokes on the way home from drill if I'm in uniform.
• His original story is that he was discharged after an injury sustained in combat, later on says that he is a reservist.
• There's more, best embodied by this video ---->Shitbag Craig Pusley

2) Jeffrey Scott Kepler

        This guy decided that healthcare was too expensive so he'd just get it free from the VA. He stole over $100,000 from the VA in healthcare services. A couple of issues that this brings up.

• First of all it's wrong. If you don't rate benefits from the VA which is intended for veterans then don't take them. If you haven't earned it, then you don't rate. Sorry. Deal with it. I'm in the reserves and don't rate a lot of VA benefits. Why should you?
• Guys that do things like this make it much harder for people who rate these benefits to get the benefits they need. Now there's going to be a much lengthier screening to make sure that you really are who you are and that you rate all the benefits you are applying for. You may even get disqualified for certain ones because of mix ups in all the extra paperwork. Who knows?

Here's the link about this twat waffle. Many more if you keep reading... ---->Jeffrey Scott Kepler "The Twat Waffle"

3) Rick Duncan

        This guy had good intentions (in my own opinion), at least in the beginning. However, he went about it the wrong way. He posed as a former Marine in order to create an organization to help veterans. Fair enough. See where you were going with that............But I still wanna beat the hell out of you for doing it. A few issues yet again.

• He claims to have been in a battle related incident where he was seriously injured. He claims to have a partial cranial replacement, a fake hip, a finger blown off, partial fake ribs, and a couple pieces of metal left in him that he calls "internal body bling". OK now, there is no fake ribs made to my knowledge, he has all his fingers (I do believe they're rather hard to reattach when you lose it in an explosion and likely can't find it), and if I ever hear anyone call shrapnel wounds internal body bling I'll personally fly anywhere in the country to slap the shit out of you. There are men and women who actually have shrapnel still in their bodies and they actually got injured and went through the pain and torment of battle. That's just disrespectful.
• The Colorado Veterans Alliance is kind of a sham. This was a way for him to be noticed by Military and Political leaders. He used some of the money raised through the CVA to endorse political candidates (mostly democrats from my understanding) and even appeared in a tv ad for a candidate. 

Link is here! -----> Should have kept his Cum Dumpster shut....

There's a whole shit pot more fakers out there. Here's a video that kind of shows how many people actually fake it out there.  ------> Don Shipley US Navy Seal Testimony

If you ever run into anyone who is absolutely faking their story, call them out on it. If you run into a story that just seems kind of off, ask more about it. If you get the details and they don't add up then you'll know it's a fake. There are so many things wrong with it. If you have any respect for military veterans then stop the fakes. It's ridiculously disrespectful. 

As pissed off as I am about the subject of this whole post, I can't leave you off on a bad note, so here's a funny video to close it out. See ya'll again soon!

-----> Stolen And I Know It... <------

FREEDOM!!!!!!

Here's the background story:

So the girlfriend and I have been living in a house that was formerly leased by her and her ex boyfriend. He moved out and I moved in. They had nothing but problems and after I moved in, the problems continued. The management is terrible, they care nothing about you or your situation. The property manager takes a vacation every other week and you can never get a hold of her, then when you do get in to see her, she's a bit of an asshole. She wouldn't talk to me about anything even when the primary leaseholder was present and gave consent. It's bullshit. Took them an entire month to fix some very minor things that were broken in our place but only 24 hours to charge us for "rule violations". This place has done nothing but piss me off since day 1.

I called a friend of mine who works at a hardware store back in my hometown. Got the girlfriend a hookup for a job. :) Yay!!! The job is 50+ miles away so we can break the lease at the spot we're currently in. Moving back home baby :) spending a lot less money on rent and the job she has is within bike riding distance of the new apartment :) I'm so excited!!! We'll both be closer to friends and family and she'll finally have a job instead of being cooped up in our house for so long. Got an apartment back in my hometown.

This is the first break/relief we've had since I moved in. Maybe things are starting to look up? I don't know. Now I've just gotta wait and get a job after I got laid off two weeks ago...

To Save a Life

So here it is guys,

still laid off right now, so the girlfriend and I wanted to sit down and have a nice chill movie night. We check Netflix and there's nothing on. I told her to choose a genre and I would choose a movie. She says gore. (Isn't she great? lol) We can't find any good gore movies. So I say to myself "OK. What kind of movies do I have on my laptop? I think I'll check." :) I stumble across a movie I haven't seen for quite some time now. It's called To Save A Life.

The whole premise of the movie is teen suicide. Here's the story line:
Jake Taylor has everything. He has a beautiful girl, he's the champion in basketball and beer pong, and everyone loves him. Then, an old childhood friend, whom Jake used to be friends with, commits suicide. Jake begins to think. He wonders what he could've done to save his friend's life. A youth minister tells him that Jake needs God. So Jake becomes a Christian. However, things begin to spin out of control. His dad is cheating on his mom, his girlfriend is pregnant, and his former friends ridicule and mock him. During all this, Jake is going to realize just what it means to be a Christian and how, to save a life.

OK, so I cheated. Copied and pasted that one straight from IMDB. My English teacher's would not be proud of me...

It's a really good movie that really hits home for me. I mean, here's this guy who has this really good friend and he leaves him behind for all the things a high school kid wants. He's a star athlete, he's got a scholarship lined up with his dream school, he's got the head cheerleader girlfriend, Mr. Popular, and then the friend he left behind feels alone, like nobody cares, and commits suicide. Trying not to throw in any spoilers here, gonna make you go watch it. :)

This one is near and dear to my heart, I did know some people that committed suicide and plenty more that tried. However, that's not the specific reason why. I don't see it as a tribute or anything to those I knew, more of a spark that may bring about a revolution. The "shot heard 'round the world" for teen suicide. It's becoming the next high school epidemic. It is a very large problem. It's bigger than teen pregnancy, it's bigger than drugs, it's a huge freakin deal.

If any of my readers out there are struggling with anything, I'm here if you need anything. Please, if you are looking to reach out and just don't know who to reach out to, i'm here. It's completely anonymous unless you tell me your name. jkwgup@gmail.com is my email. I'm here. 

If there's someone you can relate to, it'd be the girlfriend. She has struggled with some stuff of her own as well as having a lot of friends that have tried and a lot that have succeeded. Here is the link to her blog. She's posting something right now that may help and she said that she may be posting a blog about her experiences at a later date.

Just above all, remember that you're not alone. There are others struggling with the exact same things and there are those out there who care about you. Now, if you're not someone who is struggling with a problem such as this (or something else of a serious nature), then the chances are that you know someone who is. Keep your eyes open and for the love of God, reach out to them. I just ask that you care about those around you. Be aware of the things going on in the lives of those you interact with and don't be afraid or "too cool" to say something. Don't be too cool to care, because that in and of itself makes you very uncool...

I'm Shipping up to Boston...

Hey there blog fans!

Sorry, I know it's been awhile since I posted. Been busy. A lot of things goin on. I'll give you a quick update. Had drill this past weekend. gone for a few days, started talking to my father again and am going to try and fix that relationship (not quite time to fix things with my mom yet but ya gotta start somewhere), and i'm looking at moving to a new place soon :). Things are beginning to look up a bit, especially after the emotion filled weekend I had about  two weeks ago. Read the very first few posts if you don't know what I'm talking about. Very entertaining. lol

OK, well it's kinda obvious what I'm going to post about. It's probably going to be the topic of the night on blogs everywhere, it already is on Facebook, Tumblr, etc. The bombing at the Boston Marathon.

This is a HUGE tragedy. My heart as well as my thoughts and prayers go out to the people involved and their families. I am sorry for the loss of the two, and I hope that those injured heal quickly and painlessly. The Boston Marathon Finish Line is supposed to be a time of happiness. This is the race that qualifies you to compete internationally. Reaching the end should be a good thing. Unfortunately it was turned into a time to mourn.

It's been labeled a terrorist attack. Being a military man, this raises a lot of concerns. Who did it? Why? Where are they from? Are we going to go go put a coyote tan, rough and tough, beat up combat boot up their ass? I've been in the Marine Corps for 2 1/2 years now and have not yet deployed. I was set to go on one but it got cancelled. No harm, no foul. I wanted to go though. I was really disappointed that it didn't work out. So I'm not going to say I'm hoping this turns out to be a terrorist group, but I can't say that I'm not either.

As for the scale of the attack, I don't know if it is or not. It could be a domestic issue for all we know. Considering the different attacks that have gone on recently by our own people, I wouldn't say that it's too far of a stretch of the imagination. We've had some seriously messed up stuff happen recently. School shootings? Seriously? That is absolutely ridiculous. To shoot up an elementary school full of innocent children. Come on now. But is planting explosives at the finish line of the biggest marathon in the country too far of a stretch from there?

Then there's the theory running around that the government did it. This theory always runs around about everything. Truly, I don't believe it. The idea is that the government is going to use this attack as a means to an end on pushing through some legislation about gun control or some other measure that will seem completely necessary because of this. Maybe it's because I'm in the military, maybe it's because I'm overly patriotic, and maybe it's because I'm just too naive to believe it but I don't think that our government would approve the murder of innocent civilians (including children) in order to pass legislation. It's a bit of a paranoid and ridiculous claim in my humble opinion.

There is also a theory that I saw that the group Anonymous did it. now this is a truly ludacris theory. I've seen things from this group. They don't actually do physical harm from my understanding. They will make your life a living hell by putting every little tid bit of information about you out in public. They make it available to anyone and everyone and it's up to us as the public to decide what to do if anything. To say that they did this is ridiculous. Hell, I'd probably even say that it would be one corrupt crook in the government that pulled some strings before I would say it was them.

So there's a picture running around the internet of the first blast going off. If you look at the building to the left of the image, there is a single man standing on top of the roof. He has an amazing vantage point of the finish line, as well as the two bombs that detonated and the third one that was found before it was detonated. I'm not going to straight accuse him of pushing a button, but it's really hard not to see it as a possibility. Here's the pic...

See? Kinda hard to say for sure from the picture. For all we know it could have been an employee at that building or a tenant if it's an apartment building or something that just wanted to get a view of the finish line. I can't say. It is kind of an odd coincidence though.

Regardless of who, how, when, where, or why, it is a wrong to the human race. We didn't get to the top of the food chain by killing each other. We didn't create the things we have created by disrespecting other humans. This shit needs to stop. World peace is unattainable and quite frankly, puts me out of a job. However, we as Americans need to stop allowing this kind of stuff to happen. We don't need more laws to tell us what's safe and whatnot. We don't need laws to protect us. We need good citizens who are always aware of what is going on around them and taking care of each other. If you see someone put something kind of sketchy into a garbage can at a marathon race, say something. Do something. Don't sit by and wait for the police or the government to do something, take the initiative and do it yourself. Actually care about someone other than yourself.

Gender Roles

Ok so to segway out of the past few posts without completely changing the subject I'm going to talk about Gender Roles.

A lot of this stems from a conversation or two the girlfriend and I have had about what roles each person has in a relationship. Now there are different theories that come from different things such as how you were raised, where you were raised, whether or not you have rebelled against what society thinks, etc. I personally was raised on the "old-school" theories but I also add in a bunch of things that today's society has become accustomed to.

I always pay for everything. Girls HATE it. lol I don't think that most women I've dated actually hate it but they at least say that they do. It's part of how I was raised. That's why. I just have always seen it as part of courting a lovely lady. If you want to prove to a girl that you have feelings for her, then take care of her. Step 1 in that is providing, even if it's only when you're on a date.

I always try to open up doors and take off jackets. It's more of a sign of respect and admiration than anything. Perhaps it goes back to the "taking care of her" idea. I don't know. It's just always something I've done. I can't say for sure, but it seems to be working out pretty well so far. :)

Now, after you've passed the "puppy love" phase and start getting a little more serious, the conversation changes to who makes the money and who cleans the house. I personally believe that every woman should have the capability of being independent. She should have some sort of job that brings money into the household, even if that money just goes to a "vacation fund" or turns into "fun money". Having a job just shows the man that you are not helpless. It shows that you are willing to help out if necessary. It also provides a little bit of cushion room in the budget in case of emergencies and in my case with my career, lay offs.

As for cleaning, I do believe that a woman should do most of the cleaning in the house. Not to say that a man shouldn't help. That is all situation depending. If a woman has a job and is contributing monetarily, then she is entitled to help from her husband in cleaning. However, if a woman will / can not get a job then she should contribute to the relationship by cleaning the house. Not being sexist. I swear. I'm just pointing out the fact that it's not fair for a man to go and work hard every day to come home and split the chores while a woman only does half the chores and doesn't have a job.

To make a long story short,

• a man is the primary breadwinner but should be assisted by the woman
• the cleaning should be the balance point of how much each person is putting into the relationship
• a man should try and "win over" his woman every day by treating her like a lady
• a woman should always be willing to help her man and always show him love (and vise versa on the last part lol)

Sorry if this offended anyone, just personal opinions. It's how I was raised. I'm a country boy at heart who was raised in the city. I'm going to have some "old school" opinions and habits. That's how us country folk are. :)

Feel free to comment! Just please remember to be respectful and keep the comments on topic with the post please :) I'd love to hear feedback from you!

Email me with ideas for blogs that you'd like to hear about :) jkwgup@gmail.com

Feeling a Bit Crafty

Ok guys and gals,

a midst all the chaos in my life, I've still found time to be a real Martha Stewart. ROFL. We decided to get a sewing machine and try our hand at making some crafty type things that we can use and maybe even sell. The girlfriend is going to be making things like maxii skirts for girls to wear. (for those with a penis out there, it's one of those long skirts girls wear to the beach to cover their snatch) She's also gonna be making air fresheners. They're cloth bags that you can stick in your gym bag or purse or backpack or whatever. We may end up putting some kind of string on them so you can hang it off of something like a rear view mirror? I don't know. We'll figure that out.

Anyhow, I am going to be making Welders Caps. It's something mainly used by guys who weld and guys who have to wear a hard hat at work. It's really nice to wear. I actually made one off of a pattern we found online. It's a bit of a prototype, I'm making some adjustments. It's gonna be a little longer in the back and be able to go over 1/3 to 1/2 of your ear. it's also going to have a little bit bigger of a bill. I've gotta make up the pattern still. Now that I understand the relationships of the pieces, I can actually custom fit them to each person that wants one if I'm given the correct measurements.

There's some pictures on her blog that you can see here --->>> http://thestayathomewoman.blogspot.com/

If you're interested, let me know! Or at least tell me how much better I am than Martha Stewart... lol

So Much Drama, So Much Bullshit

Well, if my life didn't already feel like quite a bit of a waste, my dad has now decided to write a blog.
http://dumbestdadever.blogspot.com/
If you want his side of the story, feel free to check it out.

Dad, if you're reading this, I'll mail you a check for the money once a month. As far as I can tell, you and mom don't want anything to do with me. I am a complete and utter failure as a son. I am a complete waste of space. I wish I had never been born so I wouldn't be such a burden upon you. I apologize for your inconveniences stated in your blog, you will be fully compensated when I can afford it. The only help I ever asked for was the use of your car while mine was in the shop. The rest of it was your choice. I said I would live in my old bedroom, you didn't have to finish that room in the basement. You even assured me that it was not just for me, that it was also "that much more done" on your never ending basement project. I guess I really am too much of a burden to bear.

Mom, you're acting like grandma was when her and I had that fight. I didn't do exactly what she wanted me to and she got very upset. This lead to me not talking to my grandparents. You even agreed that what she was doing was wrong and uncalled for. Now you're doing the same things. I decided to treat it with the same respect since it is the same issue.

I promise to not burden you with my problems anymore. Dad,. you were my confidant. The one I went to when I needed help. I guess I will just do it on my own from here on out. I sincerely apologize for having caused financial strain a midst a financially difficult time. Instead of asking for help, I will figure it out. I will sleep in my Jeep if necessary, I will eat off the dollar menu once every two days if necessary. I no longer care. My life is nothing but a burden upon others.

Am I a Complete Fuck Up? Or Just Mostly?

Wow. So, I guess I lied. More depressing posts for now.

On my way home from being out today, I stopped by my parents house to pick something up that I needed to bring home with me. My mom had posted some song lyrics on Facebook and the girlfriend was really confused by it and took it as a shot at her because of the most recent happenings in our relationship (refer to my last few blog posts). It was misunderstood but she felt confused so she wrote a blog about it. (read it yourself to see if it was in any way offensive toward my mother) http://thestayathomewoman.blogspot.com/2013/04/paint-target-on-my-back.html

Well, my mom took it upon herself to read the blog, get offended, and write a different Facebook status with other song lyrics and the comment "Blog on THAT one!". Seeing as I am trying to handle this situation and fix what is broken between myself and the girlfriend, or even see if it is possible to fix it, this is not helping me.Being a grown ass man, I asked her what was going on with that. She told me that the girlfriend deserved it and that if she was going to post things about people in her blog then she should expect comments like that.

This whole thing is not making my issue any easier. It's making it much more challenging. Throughout all the things that have gone on between my mother and I in my past, she hasn't changed a single bit. When I moved out, she had a really large heart to heart conversation with me. She apologized to me for trying to control my life. She said that she was trying to control everything around her because she tried so hard to control my dad's drinking and couldn't. She wanted control of the rest of her life so that she felt more secure and perhaps maybe more accomplished. I don't know but that would make sense to me. (notice, the accomplished part was merely an opinion)

When she was done apologizing, she told me that is was going to be different now. She said that she realized what she was doing ant that it was wrong. That I'm an adult now and she would treat me as one, not as a 12 year old child and tell me what to do and get upset when I don't do it.

Now I talked to both my parents about the isssues that the girlfriend and I were having because I value their opinion. Note: I said OPINION not MANDATE. I got the chance to talk to my dad for a bit while we were on a run to Auto Zone to get transmission fluid for my Jeep because we had just done a tune up and realized that it was bone dry. He gave me some pointers and advice but told me that it was ultimately my decision how to handle it. I thanked him and went into thought about it, keeping his suggestions in mind. When we got back, my mother brought up the subject and asked if I wanted to talk about it. I said "not really, dad and I already talked and I think I've come to a decision". So naturally, mom wanted to throw her two cents in there.

"It's not your problem." "Just leave her. It's her fault and her problem if she doesn't have a job or a car. Just leave." These were her suggestions. May have butchered the exact quote but that's along the lines at least. So when I told her that I was part of the problem with the girlfriend's lack of a car and that if I were to leave her without a car then she wouldn't be able to get a job, which would leave her out on the street with nowhere to go for shelter and no food. She would be screwed. My mom got all upset and raised her voice and gave me the same answer "It's not your problem."

So let's see here now, if my mom gives me a "suggestion" and I don't do exactly what she wants then she gets upset with me. Then, because she is frustrated, makes passive-aggressive comments via Facebook to further aggravate things. The only way I could make her happy is to do exactly what she wanted me to do and to do it as fast as possible. Now, i don't know about you but isn't that more of a mandate than a suggestion? So seeing as she told me that she wouldn't treat me like a child but then gives me a mandate, I don't see where anything has changed. She is trying to guilt trip me into doing what she wants me to by making me feel bad, like I disappointed her. When that doesn't work, she got upset and started lashing out because things didn't go her way.

When I said something about the comments on Facebook, she flipped out on me if you recall from earlier in the post. So I walked out and slammed the door with no intention of speaking to her for quite some time. As soon as I got home, she was deleted from my Facebook and her number was blocked from my phone. This has been going on for years. I joined the US Marine corps and still got treated like I was twelve. I moved out, got treated like I was 12. Moved back in with the promise that I would be seen as my own person, got treated like I was 12. Then moved out again, with the promise of it not being the same, and well, you see how it ended up.

Now I said some kind of offensive things when I walked out but that was because I was feeling offended by my mom. I texted my dad 15 minutes or so ago to make sure the things I said didn't affect his and my mothers relationship. They have been having some issues for some time now and they go back and forth from being ok and fighting. It usually revolves around my dad's drinking and my mom's strict belief that every single problem (potentially including world hunger) can be solved by him quitting drinking alcohol. My dad flipped out on me too. So as a result, his phone number has been blocked from my phone too.

I have completely failed everyone I know. I am a complete and utter disappointment to my family and my friends. I really don't know what to do anymore. I am a useless waste of space. I really just wish I could disappear...

Finally Resolved For Now

Alrighty guys, here is what I hope to be the last blog about this situation. Gonna be a short one.

I have decided to forgive the girlfriend for lying to me. It is what it is and I understand why she did it. I do not condone it or approve of it, but I understand. We're going to take the next couple of months and "start over". There are a few conditions.

Since she has no job, I asked her to take care of the cleaning of the house.
We are going to work on our trust issue but it's going to have to be at my pace. She has lied to me multiple times now, so it's all going to be at my discretion.
We're going to give it two months. If she hasn't found a job and started helping with the bills, then i'm moving out. If she gets a job then I'll start helping with the cleaning and maintaining of the house but since she doesn't work, until then she is to do it. Figured I should explain that and not look like an asshole. lol

Hopefully my future blogs will be more up beat :) gettin tired of writing depressing blogs. maybe I'll grill something soon and post a picture and a recipe or make something and provide a picture and instructions. I don't know.

Well, that's all for now folks! Tune in tomorrow for more fun times :)

More Drama

OK folks. Had a fun night with an interesting twist at the end here.

My buddy just turned 21 on April Fool's day. Awesome birthday right? Well, he invited me to go out tonight. I had to tune up my jeep and give her an oil change first. Went to my parent's house for that part. I got into it with my mom for a bit about the things that went on in my previous two posts. Then left. Went to a local bar where my buddies already were. We had a couple drinks then went back to my friend's frat house. Had a drink there and hung out for a bit.

We decided to go to a different local bar where we knew more people. Well, on the ride there, my friend who is part of a fraternity and long time drinking buddy pukes out my back window. We just took him home. He was passed out on the bathroom floor when we left him to clean up before bed. Pretty hammered.

Well, me and one of the other guys that was with us decided to go ahead and go to the second bar without him. We get there and get a beer (always better on draft) and try and find the folks who invited us. We finally locate them on the second floor. One of my friends who is going through a tough break up sees me and starts balling her eyes out on my shoulder. I feel bad for her, I know how tough that is. I've done it within the past 6 months. It's heart wrenching. If anyone thinks that getting broken up with hurts, try breaking up with someone you love but just don't see yourself with in a long term sense. It's equally as hard if not harder.

Well, to make a long story short, my ex was there. The heart wrenching break up that I just talked about. I left her for the simple fact that she wasn't doing anything to set up her own future. No college, no job. Just living off her parents. I voiced my concern and we fought for 6 months before I pulled the plug. I really did love her. She was an amazing person. Just wasn't ready to be a big girl and be on her own. And I wasn't willing to wait. I have bigger goals and plans for my life.

Well, shit gets awkward at the bar. I've got my friend crying on my shoulder and all I can see is my ex standing about 5 feet away yelling and pointing at me. I do what I can to console my distraught friend, slam my beer, and leave.

When I get to my friends house where I'm crashing for the night, I decided to text my ex and ask if we can stop being pissed at each other considering we have some mutual friends still. She replies saying that she was mad because the whole point of the night was to make sure that my distraught friend didn't cry and that I allowed her to.

She also said that when my girlfriend stops texting her asking for relationship advice that we could talk. Now I find this funny. The reason I find it so funny is that my girlfriend told me that she talked to my ex but that they never talked about me. They would only ever talk about my ex's new boyfriend.

Now, in light of recent events showing that she lied about talking to her ex and the events of early on in our relationship (refer to my very first post here for details), I am seriously questioning the trust issue between us. What is a relationship with no trust? How can we move forward if every communication she's had could now be a lie?

Tune in later to find out about our conversation and the outcome...

Latest update

Hey there blog fans. Here's the update on the situation with the girlfriend.

The sources I had that were feeding this information to me turned out to be worthless so far. One of her friends told me as little as possible and then disappeared. A different friend straight up refused to give me information. The girl on KIK that messaged me never showed up to the meet. Her ex boyfriend's baby momma wasn't a credible source to start with, and her ex won't answer the phone for anyone.

Not exactly sure what to believe here. I mean, the information I was given is sketchy at best but at the same time, this wouldn't be the first time she has lied to me.

She is completely financially dependent on me right now. We gave up her car because we couldn't afford it and I had a car so we only have 1 vehicle now. She had a promising interview at a local Apple store but she hasn't gotten the job yet so she has no income at all and quite a bit due in bills every month. If I leave, she is completely helpless.

I'm not the kind of person to not help someone in need. Never have been. Never will be. But I don't know if I can handle the lies and deceit anymore. It's not right. Should I keep putting myself through this? Should I hang on to the relationship that now has no trust? Should I ride it out and hope for the best? Or do I leave and start with a fresh slate? I just don't know what to do...

First Post, Deep Thoughts

Hey ya'll. I'm Dickie H. This is my first blog so bear with me, I'll get better I promise. A little background on me first, I'm a simple guy. Grew up in a nice home, never went without. Things were tough at times but my parents made sure I was provided for. My parents got married 4 months after I was born. Not a shotgun wedding, they were previously engaged. High school sweethearts that tied the knot. It's truly a story that you don't hear about that much anymore because this year they will celebrate their 21st anniversary. :) As i'm sure many of you well know, this is not the norm anymore in today's society. Anyhow, I grew up playing baseball and got into the music program at school. I played Snare Drum in the High School Marching Band. Had everything set.

After High School I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. I love the Corps. It is probably the best decision I ever made for my life. I am in the Reserves so I only go once a month and for two weeks in the summer, but it has taught me so much about responsibility and self motivation. I don't know what I'd do without the things I've learned there. After returning from training, I worked a couple of dead end jobs until one of my Marine buddies convinced me to join the Carpenters Union. Love what I do. I'll say it again I LOVE WHAT I DO! It's great to start with a pile of wood or steel and finish with a beautiful project. :) Maybe I'll post up pictures of some of my stuff in later blogs. You guys might like that.

OK, so now onto the real topic of my post tonight (this morning?). Relationship trouble. Just what everyone wants to read about right? I'll give you the whole story from the beginning.

There I was one day sittin at home after what seemed like my millionth ten hour shift in a row. I checked my Facebook like anyone else my age does in their spare time. I come across a post from a lovely girl who happens to be dating one of my friends from my unit in the Corps. She seemed distressed with no one to help. I did what any good Marine, or good friend for that matter, would do and messaged her to see if I could help. We started texting and she told me that she was worried because the Marine she was seeing at the time was talking to some girl non stop. Now, this girl lives across the pond in England so I was really confused as to why she was worried, but with today's technology I suppose there are certain things you can do or see even over that great of a distance. I told her it wasn't a big deal, that he was a great guy and he would never do anything to hurt her. Talking him up. Making him a freakin hero. Seriously, you woulda thought he was George Washington leading the uprising against England. She accepts it and moves on.

About a month later, on new year's eve, I get a text from her. He's hanging all over this girl at a new year's party they were at and he disappeared for quite some time on a "beer run" that was just him and her. She was in all kinds of shambles worried about it. Again, I told her how great he was and that there was nothing to worry about. Well, that conversation just never stopped. She would text me whenever she could and I would text her every chance I got. Hell, I would even stay up after work to call her while she was driving from one job to her second job to make sure she got there safe. I was genuinely concerned about her safety and well being. After awhile I started realizing that I had feelings for her, and to make a long story short, He's gone and I am now living under the same roof as her. I'll refer to her as "the girlfriend". :)

Well, during that first week that we were together, before I moved in with her, she went back to her ex twice. The story goes, the three of us (me, her, and her ex) sat down one day and made her choose between us. She chose me but, they were living together at the time and she gave in to his "charm" if you will and told him that she loved him and made a mistake. We got together and talked again and she again chose me. Well, it happened again. She said the same things...again... so we kissed and made up and I decided that if we were to stay together, that he would have to move out. He did.

Well, right after he left, she lost two jobs in one week. She no longer had any income and had quite a bit of bills. So, because of an incident that happened at my house and the fact that she needed help, I moved in. I've been living here for a little over two months now. The deal that we had was that she would not contact her ex and he would not contact her. Yesterday I found out that she has been talking to him regularly on the phone for the last two months. His name is still on our lease so she claims that they were talking about the lease. Also, that he is blackmailing her by saying that he'd tell me that they were talking and I would leave her.

Do I believe her? I want to. I really do. But, with the background that you all know concerning the first week we had together, it's tough. I mean, some of these conversations were almost two hours long and they all happened while I was at work. I work 70 hours a week with a two hour drive one way. I'm spending 14-15 hours a day away from here. Then there's also this random person that hit me up on KIK saying that the girlfriend and her ex have been talking and hanging out at my house and at his apartment. I'm really concerned now. I am going to meet with this random individual and see what they have in terms of proof of this. We shall see. I'll be sure to post a blog about it so you all are updated. :) Tune in to find out!