Cutting it Close

I was shown a valuable lesson tonight, a lesson I will always remember and practice throughout my life. I was working the Storm Hockey game, and the Storm were down 1-0 in the 2nd period. I expected them to not get the job done, lose another one, and slip further away from that clinched playoff spot. Instead, the Storm rallied and tied the game up. This still isn't enough to finish their duties though. When time was running below 1.30 left in the 3rd, I figured tonight was going to be another OT heartbreak loss, but again the Storm exceed my expectations, and score a goal, sealing the victory and closer to that playoff spot.
Sitting back, realizing what had just happened, I used those skaters' as an example to lead a little something in my own life. It's 11.25PM on Saturday night, the last day within the last hour of this week. This is my 3rd blog post for the week, but it's enough for the win. So even though I was down, against the odds, I've rallied back, with two consecutive posts to get me through this week. In hockey or homework, even if you wait until the end to finish off what you set out to do, a finish is a win.

To the bro's

It's Saturday night, ya'll are makin your way out to the Kearney night life, ready to rage on. Sorry ladies, this doesn't concern you at the moment. Fellas, here's a pointer when gettin your drink on with the bro's, avoid singing along to all those guilty pleasures you secrecty can recite verse for verse. The men will rag on ya and you'll look like a fool, he's a short list of videos you don't want to sing along to at the pub:

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Up in Smoke

In Chattanooga, Tennessee, we are seeing a first step from a smoking ban in public, to that in private. As of February 1, the Memorial Hospital will be adding nicotine as a substance screened for the hiring process. If you smoke, forget about a position. One can say this would be a step to bring down health care premiums, which it would, but this isn’t why they’ve added nicotine to the screen. No, they say it’s for a step in the direction of healthier employees.

Understandable that a hospital wants to promote health, but to invade into one’s personal life? Employer based smoking bans should not impose on someone off-the-job. We’ve seen the growing trend on banning public smoking in venues, on medical campuses, in restaurants and bars etc, where other people are directly affected by your choice. But now the home? Entering a person’s world of escape, their get-away from any of the troubles of life has just been intruded upon, and by all things a halt on a completely legal substance. Illicit drugs would be a completely different scenario, the power of the law backs this, but tobacco is being targeted because of its negative health effects.

Where does that leave the obese then? The people that can’t stop themselves from the all-you-can-eat buffets now have a “healthy” advantage over smokers. The U.S. has an ever growing increase in child and adult obesity, but no disadvantages come to them for their choice not to eat healthy, exercise, or control their personal off-the-job preferences. Just one example of discrimination we could also choose to not allow anyone to be hired.

The search for a reason not to hire someone could get even more critical. Alcohol for example, when drank in excess, is very damaging to the body. Banned? Will tests be taken when entering the workforce showing every flaw, the fewest take the position? We are on the upswing from a recession that rocked the market and closed positions; this nit-picking will not push us in the direction needed. We could be seeing a filtering system that removes anyone for any reason from the selection process. This may sound radical, but the slippery slope gets steeper after the home is invaded. And yes this is an invasion, entering our homes to dictate how we live or discriminate for our choices not affecting others. Health conscious hospitals today, but the line needs to be drawn at where this stops.

A Lesson Learned

Unless you're an anti-sports nincompoop or fasting from any kind of media intake what-so-ever, you've heard the table is set for the Indianapolis Colts to play the New Orleans Saints. I expected the Colts to pass through the playoffs unscathed, as they did. They had little trouble with the Ravens and left the Jets with a "but if only" response to the critics of coach Rex Ryan wondering why they weren't picked to win out through the playoffs. The NFC was a different story. To skip the unneeded nonsense, we knew the old man from the North would lead his team to the "Who Dat Nation" of the South. Favre was under pressure, if he didn't make it this year he'd prob never get a chance because of his likelihood to retire... Who the hell really cares about Favre, he choked, the Vikings lost the game, retire, end of story. I had $50 on the game, and serves me right for choosing the damned Purple Paraders. Simple logic would have won me this gamble. It has nothing to do with one team having the highest scoring offense or the other having the decrepit "4" at the helm. No, a school child could have told us that good beats evil, enough said. No stat's, no plays, no pads. History tells us Vikings had success... at raping, pillaging, and conquering the poor. Hence evil. Saints on the other hand were those in God's graces, living a life of righteousness, exactly what comes to mind when thinking of the city of New Orleans... They're Saints in any case, and this was just another classic example of the good always winning. So enjoy it N.O., you're the good guys, but remember when you "go marching in" to Miami in two weeks, Payton doesn't shive a git about good and evil, "Who Dat" gonna get knocked flat.

To the Red Nation

See more funny videos and Funny Videos at Today's Big Thing.

By now, I'm sure this viral video has crept onto all of your monitors and you've waited for a legitimate response to it. Who better then myself, a fellow, more level-headed Ginger. I think we first need to commend the man who took the first step in this long overdue "Rally Cry", he's said what's been on many minds for far too long. Gingers do have souls and as one can see a bit of a temper. This man, lets call him Roy, has passion and guts, and is fed up with this world of bigots we live in. Roy put an end to what began as a slippery slope to Ginger-racism we see in our daily lives. Frankly, I agree. This is a call to action to all the Gingers of the world! Enough of our passive ways, we cannot go like this with the thorn of prejudice continually in our sides. Stand and Unite, no longer will we sit back and allow these verbal beatings to take place. Blondes, browns, blacks and alike have had their day, We the Ginger Nation need to take to the streets! 2010 is the year we take Roy's vigor and courage to our oppressors, 2010 is the year we put our freckled foot down and break the walls of this class system we have fallen into, 2010 is the Year of the Ginger! The Red Nation has sparked the movement, behind Roy we begin our climb!

No Smoking on the Job

In recent times, nationally there seems to be a growing trend opposing smoking. For many years, smoking in public buildings has been banned. They took it further by laying down laws to separate the puffers in restaurants. In Nebraska here, one can't even light up while having a round of beers with his buds at the local watering hole. I understand public buildings where in some instances one can't avoid the smoke if say meetings or sporting events are being held there. But bars? To me, this imposes on not only a smokers right to a bit of smoldering enjoyment, but also tells the bar owner how they must run their establishment.

The slippery slope gets steeper now though, because employers are beginning to join the puffing-opposers. In Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Memorial Hospital will begin screening applicants for traces of tobacco use. Those positive will not be hired, but those already working will not be affected. Where does it stop? Can fully qualified obese people be filtered from the hiring process? In the future can we see the nit-picking become more refined?

Understandably, they say smokers cause employers more with health care cost annually as compared to none smokers. Are you telling me that a nationally renowned heart surgeon will be denied a position because of his off the job habit? I play video games that could cause future hand functioning problems, would I be denied if I was a leading neurologist? I don't play video games at work, nor do they smoke at work, but the job will be passed over regardless. We need to take a step back here, and not look at where we're at, but where we're going with these "health-conscious rules" that are being force fed to us.

Hello World

To the World Wide Web, I am now what you call a web logger, or Blogger. Thank you for accepting me into your world, I look forward to spewing my thoughts upon you to forward to the rest of your world.
Until next time, yours in Blogging