Last day of the 3 day weekend.
Haven't done a heckuva lot, either.
I found an ad that must have been placed this morning on Craigslist: a person is thinning out their pond and is giving away free fish and plants starting at 10:00 am this morning. Best part is, they don't live too far away - may 7 miles max.
I scour CL daily for this stuff - too many people either give the stuff away or sell it cheap for me to even think about paying premium prices. Those 2 16 and 15 inch Koi I have in there, according to the market, are worth between $75 and $100 a piece.
Well, anyway, I will be heading over there to show up - a bit early.
The way stuff like this works: people show up early and expect to get the best stuff regardless of what the start time says it is and then when people like me show up on-time, there is nothing or very little left. I have run into this far too many times, I can play that game, too.
Speaking of ponds, I had to put the UV sterilizer on the other, smaller pond. I only used the thing once, for about 4 or 5 days, on the larger pond - what - over 2 months ago? The water has stayed clear ever since. But, the smaller pond water was turning pea soup green. Put it on there yesterday and it's almost totally cleared up now : )
I was reading an article about how many people in their alleged Golden years are hardly experiencing anything golden about it. You've seen them, go into a Walmart and look at some of the greeters. Every Walmart I walk into has at least several greeters/front end personnel that look to be in their 60's or even 70's. The Feds are talking raising the retirement age or doing away with cost of living increases.
PURE BUNK. I've been paying into that s*** for a long, long time now, I and a lot of other people who are working away are going to be VERY mad if it disappears, or if they think we should be what, 71 years old to retire? LIFE IS ALMOST OVER OR IS OVER FOR SOME FOLKS BY THAT AGE!
I don't have any choice BUT to pay into that system, it is deducted from my paycheck whether I like it or not. Well, I like it if it's going to be there when it's my turn, but my turn better not be at the age of 70. That's outrageous! If not, I would far rather see that money going into CD's or anything BUT government control of it. It's just another case of Congress and a President that are all millioinaires or multi-millionaires that have NO grasp, whatsoever, of the reality it is for MUCH of the rest of us. Make these decisions because it isn't going to affect them, whatsoever.
I am fast coming to the conclusion that retirement is going to be impossible by working an hourly job to get there. Unless I am a highly paid worker - which I am not - it's not going to happen. I would either have to "come into the money", ie: inheritance, win it somehow or start my own business. Inheritance isn't, actually, entirely out of the question, but I have no idea how much that is going to be and farnkly, to get it, a parent must die. I am NOT looking forward to either of those days. Win it? HIGHLY unlikely. People play the lottery twice a week in hopes of striking it rich. Casinos? Give me a break. Some people win big at casinos, most people lose. I win here and there at Blackjack, but I would hardly think that I could win a fortune doing it - unless - of course - I learned how to count cards. It isn't illegal, but if a casino believes you are doing it, they will throw you out - permanently. I have given thought to taking a course on it, but have done nothing about it.
Business? The only viable option. It's the only option that, if you work your butt off, fate is with you and God blesses it, you might have a chance to come out swinging, get some money saved up and get out of this daily work grind for large corporations. I have nothing against working for a large corporation, Iam working for a VERY large corporation right now, but I have no belief whatsoever that I will ever get into a position in that company where I will be making huge amounts of money. SOME people are, definitely, in higher level management and those salesmen that are successful. Working 7 hours a day, 5 days a week isn't going to get me there. The upside to working for large corporations are the health benefits - but I wonder what's going to happen to even that when this Obamacare fiasco starts kicking in. GET RID OF IT.
What kind of business could I possibly start, however, that I would like doing and would make good money off of? I have no clue. But you can be rest assured that I am going to start looking into it. I do wish my company would give me a chance to get into something different besides just driving trucks. The inside salesmen locally are hammered with work putting out bids and trying to get new contracts - one of them I know of for sure is working 12 hours per day. What I could do with an extra 25 hours per week of pay!! LIVE!!! Don't even need THAT much to help, giving me back a full 8 hour day would be a great start.
The ops manager wants me to try and sell off the irrigation stuff that we are trying to get rid of. I am going to dive into that like nobody's business. If I have something to prove here, it's that I can be of more help to this company than just being a truck driver. Obviously, truck drivers fill an important role in this society of ours - whether you want to believe that or not (just shut down the entire trucking industry for a full week and everyone would be begging us to get back to work!) - and you CAN make decent money at it, but, I am not there right now. Not with the hours I am getting. At the same time, the work load doesn't justify it - there is not enough orders coming in to even fill 7 hours on many days, much less 8.
Anyway, I'm reading Obama's new plan: SPEND MORE MONEY THAT WE DON'T HAVE!! How does that NOT surprise me? His latest plan is to rebuild the nation's infrastructure. Well that's just wonderful, honey, and how are we going to pay for it? He has as plan: Officials said the White House would consider closing a number of special tax breaks for oil and gas companies to pay for the proposal.
BUNK again. WE will end up paying for it. I don't disagree that the nation's highways and bridges are in pathetic shape, but NOW is NOT the time to even think about spending that kind of money. This is PURELY a political move to try and save face for Democrats whose political careers are facing definitive extinction. Utter fiscal stupidity. WHEN will all this spend spend spend stop? Only when we vote out these idiots and get people in there that will stop the hemoraghing.
Whatever. I'll get off my little podium now. I don't care what party you are with, what sense does it make to throw this kind of money out the door? He has ALREADY done that and look where it got us: NOWHERE!
Ummm, well anyway. Labor Day. Last day of 3-day weekend. It flew by, too, not like it seemed like an eternity. 105 for high today, then the rest of this week and hopefully for the rest of the year the temps are down to low 100's or high 90's.
I must be offa here - take a shower, get in the care and go get some free plants!
G'day.
ben
