I had tears of laughter just rolling down my face looking at The Bar Slaves.  Examples of irreverent humor with some underlying honesty, some very funny pics that will definitely make you chuckle, and even game reviews that tell it like it is.  Some is NSFW, but I'm not at work so no worries here.


They go on the blogroll... now!

Posted by: Stashiu3 at 10:11:52 | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 69 words, total size 1 kb.

Due to overwhelming demand and improving health, I will return to regular posting tomorrow.  The overwhelming demand of course comes mostly from my wife and kids, as my wife is getting nervous watching my fingers twitch in keyboard withdrawal and the kids want to do their own homework (thankyouverymuchI'veegotitDadwhydon'tyourunalongandwritesomething?).  I know they appreciate the help when it's needed, but the "extras" might be more an incentive towards figuring it out themselves most of the time.

Extras would include changing the variables on problems "just to make sure you're clear on the principles being taught", moderate-to-long discussions on how this might ever apply in the real world (just the algebra examples can let me go on for hours without even trying), or "extra credit" that the teacher might not be expecting (like we did last night making geometric shapes out of paper cutouts as 3-D representations of geometry problems.)  If I had been that diligent about my own homework in school, I probably wouldn't have so much fun when I do get to help with theirs!  (heh)

The improvement in health can be directly attributed to the great support we've received from so many people.  The prayers, advice, and donations have pushed a lot of dark clouds over the horizon and the skies are steadily clearing.  Thank you all... the rest and recovery I've been able to take the past few days has been qualitatively better than it has for several months.  When doubleplusundead suggested asking for help after reading my "burnout" post, then began working tirelessly on getting the word out, I felt like a great weight had been lifted off that I hadn't even noticed was there.

I won't ever be able to repay the individuals who gave their time, wisdom, and money to help my family.  There are just too many, most of whom chose to remain anonymous angels.  I do promise that when all the legal dust has settled and things are stable again, we will pay everyone's kindness forward and help others in need.  Things are going to be tight for a while still, but I know we'll get through everything now.  Failing is not an option when you have angels watching over you.

Be well and bless you all.

Posted by: Stashiu3 at 15:36:42 | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 376 words, total size 2 kb.

Several kind people have asked how they could donate to help offset our expenses. The outpouring of support has been amazing to me. I signed up for an Amazon Honor Pay Box which can be accessed below. At some point, I'll figure out how to embed it into the main page or the sidebar, but until then I'll sticky this post to the top.

Thank you all again. It's kind of overwhelming still, but in a good way this time.

*UPDATE* Funny, but once I got it to show up in the post, it started showing up in the sidebar and at the bottom of the page.  I'll still be taking some time off from blogging to concentrate on getting these legal matters settled, but my stress is greatly lowered already thanks to some pretty wonderful friends.

*UPDATEx2* I just had to add this update as well.  And I took out the Amazon button from the post since it's working on the page now.

It looks like anyone who donates has up to 30 days (Note: That was according to the confirmation email that people can send.  Some research reveals that it's 7 days from Amazon and up to 30 days to contest it with a credit-card company which, since it's on the "honor system", would be automatic.  However, anyone who changes their mind can contact me and we'll work out how to return a charge with as little hassle as possible.) to change their mind, no questions asked (by Amazon or me).  This is great because I would rather someone cancel than regret a donation.  If anyone selects the option to reveal their information, it sends me an email with payor information.  I'm not going to mention individuals here, but I will be sending emails with additional thanks after giving a blanket thank-you now.  Also, the minimum is $1.00 and the maximum is set by Amazon at $50.00 per transaction and can't be raised (I was asked that... really.  Can you believe the generosity of some people?  Incredible.).  The more I learn about the Amazon system, the more I like it.

The donations are very much appreciated as the extra attorney fees, filing fees, travel costs, and a HUGE tax hit from having to amend the tax returns for the past couple of years because of this, have really driven us into our reserves much earlier than anything we could have otherwise expected.  We hope to be able to re-amend (is that a word?) the income taxes once all the paperwork is filed and complete, maybe recovering some of that extra tax money we ended up paying (that we shouldn't have had to pay in the first place because we did everything they told us we were supposed to do and how can... :breathe: ok, I'm better now. ).

Anyway, thanks to everyone again for their support, prayers, and donations.  All three are appreciated in whatever amount offered.  Bless you all.

Posted by: Stashiu3 at 14:23:13 | Comments (13) | Add Comment
Post contains 498 words, total size 3 kb.

1 Yeah! Ok, Stash, I'm happy now.
And you know...that's what matters.
:wink:

Posted by: sillyblindharper at 28 April 2008@17:30:58 (5+XEL)

2 um...insert wink above, kplzthx. That comment doesn't work well without it, just sayin'
heh

Posted by: sillyblindharper at 28 April 2008@17:32:09 (5+XEL)

3 Stay in touch, okay?

Posted by: DRJ at 28 April 2008@19:06:49 (wE7Og)

4 Hit the tip jar for the Gerbil Emergency Fund.

Didn't send a notification email for obvious reasons.

I hope things get settled in your favor real fast, at least as fast as the wheels of justice can spin.

Posted by: Sinner at 29 April 2008@09:04:52 (U/yZ+)

5 I posted this too, and hit the tip jar.  You can thank Doubleplusundead for his lobbying on you behalf.

Posted by: Michael at 29 April 2008@18:29:34 (Ph1JO)

6 You betcha Michael and thank you.  None of this would have happened without doubleplusundead.  He and bmac were the prime movers in making this happen and they're both fantastic people.

Posted by: Stashiu3 at 29 April 2008@18:49:29 (Q5ggV)

7

Good luck pal.  Ain't much, hope it helps.

Also I am going to kick your ass next year on the NFL pool.

Posted by: Dave in Texas at 29 April 2008@19:39:59 (Kz86N)

8 Thanks DiT, it all helps and it's all appreciated.  As far as the NFL Pool goes though... I'ma gonna whip you just like I did.... ummm... oh yeah, you meant "again", didn't you? 

Posted by: Stashiu3 at 29 April 2008@20:12:50 (Q5ggV)

9 I will keep you and yours in my prayers.  If  there is anything else I can do, let me know. ( I have a lot of experience getting birth certificates.)

Posted by: Kate at 30 April 2008@00:51:51 (Basu/)

10 We got ya bro. Good luck with the kids.

Posted by: Old Iron at 30 April 2008@08:04:13 (tD0Cq)

11 You're giving me way too much credit here Stash, DPUD deserves all of it.

I totally understand how you feel about saying thank you, the morons helped me immensly last year when our dog needed chemo, and we couldn't afford it, and I just couldn't find any more ways to say thank you, or really put into words how meaningful the support from (relative) strangers was.

It's nice to know people care, and especially in desperate times, that can be a lifeline.

I'm not able to donate at this time, (lost my business in Febuary) but I'll keep your post bumped, and I'll be happy to do anything else I can.

Posted by: bmac at 30 April 2008@12:56:50 (oRVu1)

12 Still praying, Stash.
 I'll just wave my little bent wand and keep this here thread warm for you. Hope the details are all falling into place...

(((poof)))

Posted by: sillyblindharper at 30 April 2008@20:11:39 (5+XEL)

13 Hope everything goes well. Keep your chin up.

Posted by: eddiebear at 01 May 2008@00:18:05 (ROjYS)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

I've met literally dozens of fine attorneys while in the military and only one that I didn't have respect for.  I've never been arrested, accused of a crime (besides three speeding tickets in almost 30 years, the last one over 12 years ago), or sued for anything.

Patterico, and the lawyers who co-blog and comment at his site, is/are a great example of how I feel about most attorneys.  Excellent minds, strong character, and respect for the opinions of others are business as usual there.

I'm currently at my wits end though.  (Note:  I've deleted this part and re-written it four five six times so far before publishing... that's how difficult this is to talk about.)  We're trying to work through an attorney to fix mistakes our first attorney made when we adopted our two daughters.  This new attorney is ate up from the floor up as well, but we've already paid them over 6,000 dollars and can't afford the time or money to search for another one.  This is on top of the thousands of dollars we paid the first attorney.

These last two day-trips out of town were to try and finalize these legal issues.  It took a toll on my health and today was the last straw.  They sent me an email about 15 minutes before the end of the workday saying they needed a copy of my birth certificate before they could go any further.  My birth certificate.  Which, by the way, we gave them a copy of at our very first effing meeting.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know most lawyers are good people trying to do a good job.  I'm just so disheartened right now that it's difficult to blog or even comment elsewhere.  I'm sick with worry that we might lose our daughters and my health is spiraling down because of it. 

I'm taking a break for a while, maybe a long while, maybe forever.  I want to thank everyone who has come by to visit and hope you've found it worthwhile.  I appreciate all the support too, you know who you are.

Be well.

Posted by: Stashiu3 at 22:00:55 | Comments (30) | Add Comment
Post contains 361 words, total size 2 kb.

I've had a drop in output the past four days for some health issues, a wonky router, and two short-notice day-trips out of town back to back.  Health is coming back, I have a new router which I'll install tomorrow (I'd do it now, but I want all four kids involved so they learn how to set up a home network), the day-trips are done and I'm not likely to need further action on that front.

Fortunately, doubleplusundead keeps doing his phenomenal job of collecting the best postings from "The Morons".  Regular readers of The Ace of Spades have come to be known as morons and dpud noticed how many had their own blogs.  Inspired, he created "The Moronosphere" (check the blogroll) and with S.Weasel doing the graphics, has assembled an eclectic group of self-described morons who put out some startlingly-good articles.  I'm not sure why I was invited unless they needed someone to bring the average back down to moron-level.

So check out the links at dpud's and enjoy some of the smartest morons you'll ever meet.  I'm proud to be one of them.

Posted by: Stashiu3 at 21:19:21 | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 189 words, total size 1 kb.

The only patrolling I ever did as an enlisted soldier in the military was during Field Training Exercises.  As a Nurse Corps officer, patrolling wasn't even an option during training as our mission was different.  Kim du Toit over at The Other Side of Kim has a great article about a soldier returning from Iraq and getting involved in his local Neighborhood Watch.

Great story and now I'm considering the Neighborhood Watch in my own area.  I'm pretty asocial by nature.  Not anti-social, I'm just happy being at home with the family and don't see the need to leave for other company.  This could be something that helps me get to know the neighbors in a way that I'm comfortable with. 

Posted by: Stashiu3 at 20:58:52 | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 125 words, total size 1 kb.

The 18-year-old who planned to bomb his high school is facing a possible life sentence after being charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and two other charges.

Posted by: Stashiu3 at 23:18:09 | Comments (11) | Add Comment
Post contains 437 words, total size 4 kb.

When I first started reading blogs, I spent a lot of time on "progressive" sites trying to understand their reasoning.  As I kept hearing about the coming "Bush Theocracy" and how fascist our government was becoming, with any dispute being attacked or mocked hysterically, I stopped even reading them.  I couldn't understand why discussion over disagreements was impossible.

Dr. Pat frequently gives the answers and does so again today.

Posted by: Stashiu3 at 14:05:07 | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 382 words, total size 3 kb.

A sweep covering five states netted almost 300 arrests of illegal aliens on charges of identity theft, document fraud, and being in the country illegally.

The raids were part of a long-term investigation, officials said. Plants were raided in Mount Pleasant, Texas, Batesville, Ark., Live Oak, Fla., Chattanooga, Tenn. and Moorefield, W.Va., authorities said.

Atkinson said the company went to ICE agents with information about identity theft at the Arkansas plant. The company uses a federal database to check identity documents of new employees, but that wouldn't stop a person from using a real, but stolen ID, he said.

Posted by: Stashiu3 at 22:13:58 | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 398 words, total size 3 kb.

1 I'm not sure how typical these cases are.  Los Hermanos Banda [the Banda brothers has a vaguely blasphemous ring in this context] were themselves here illegally, which is not true of most employers; nor am I am I sure that the Pilgrim's Pride poultry people are that typical, or more exactly the fact that the employer went to ICE first.  I think the one that was most typical is the one you didn't highlight--the employment agency in Atlanta.

Posted by: kishnevi at 20 April 2008@22:36:28 (v/iXZ)

2 Stories like the Atlanta agency are certainly the ones we hear about most of the time.  I think it's because it reinforces the idea that "everybody is in on it anyway" so trying to stop it is futile.  That's why I was surprised to see the other two examples and started me wondering if they're not actually more typical than the Atlanta case, just not reported as frequently.

Posted by: Stashiu3 at 20 April 2008@22:47:01 (Q5ggV)

3 Heh-how could they round these folks up without DNA samples?

Posted by: JBHood at 21 April 2008@10:25:33 (UFNnW)

4 JBHood, Naughty!

Posted by: Machinist at 21 April 2008@10:59:27 (yFIK0)

5 OT, but I want to make sure you saw this, I don't know if you read Hot Air.

Posted by: Veeshir at 21 April 2008@12:42:15 (ThMnZ)

6 Thanks Veeshir,  I do read Hot Air but haven't gotten to it yet today, so this was new to me.  Good stuff.

Posted by: Stashiu3 at 21 April 2008@13:06:25 (Q5ggV)

Hide Comments | Add Comment

I must have read this article half-a-dozen times looking for the angle.  It's from CNN, right?  There has to be one.  Ham-handed rhetoric slipped in about illegal-immigration, taxes, the economy, the administration, religion, drugs, guns... something.  I can't recall CNN ever doing a straight report about a positive topic.  Until now, apparently.  Meet Maria Ruiz:

There, for the first time, she saw poverty in the extreme. People lived in homes made of wooden pallets. The elementary school was built of makeshift materials and had no running water or electricity. Teachers told her that many children were failing because they were hungry.

"My heart went out to those kids," Ruiz recalled. "I couldn't just cross my arms and turn away from it. I needed to do something."

Posted by: Stashiu3 at 16:21:43 | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 187 words, total size 1 kb.