Straight From The Mind of Callie

I ran across this short read called "Protecting Us" and I just had to share it. I absolutely LOVE it!!

A United States Marine was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan . One of the courses had a professor who was a vowed atheist and a member of the ACLU.

One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, "God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes."The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, "Here I am God. I'm still waiting." It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Marine got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him; knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold.The Marine went back to his seat and sat there, silently. The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence. The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Marine and asked, "What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you do that?"The Marine calmly replied, "God was too busy today protecting America 's soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid shit and act like an asshole. So, He sent me."

Other than flipping through the paper to grab the sales ad's and coupons... I rarely read the newspaper anymore. Sometimes I may find an interesting article or two, but for the most part... it's pathetic. Don't get me wrong.. I do like to stay up on what is going on around my community and all.. but that's why I have the news. LoL

On Sunday.. I picked up a paper... for the ad's of course. While waiting for Richard's father to show up to pick him up (which he never did) I flipped through and read some of the articles. The normal was in there.. stupid people doing stupid things for attention, the government stuff, sports, blah... Then one caught my eye

"A ban on gay marriage may go on '08 ballot"
A constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages in
Florida is closing in on a spot on the 2008 election
ballot, triggering a political battle that could sway
voters in a presidential year. Florida4Marriage, the
group pushing the amendment, has garnered 597,000
signatures and needs only 13,000 more to put it before voters.

Are you freaking kidding me?!!? I can, alone, think of at least a hundred more important things that this world should be worrying about. If someone wants to have an intimate relationship with someone of the same sex... that should be their business. Not mine, not yours, not ali-bab, not anyones other than the 2 involved. It's a preference.. and damn sure doesn't belong on the 2008 ballot. I mean.. come on. Seriously? Geesh people! How about we put the gas prices on there.. or the fact that hundreds of innocent people are overseas dying in Iraq and they just keep sending more?!

This article just proves, yet again, that politics is nothing more than a pile of shit. Sometimes I wonder why we even have a government. It seems like they cause more controversy and problems than they resolve or even attempt to resolve.

Grrrrrrrrrrr!!

When is "enough" actually "enough"?

This question has crossed my mind sooo much lately...that I decided to blog about it. Throughout my life I have always thought that I was pretty good at deciding when enough was enough, and thought I always knew the right moment to walk away. But lately.. I'm just not sure anymore.

Bills for one. This is something that I have been stressing over since I left my job with the City of Williston. It's been rough. But at the same time.. with babysitting Tori.. I'm bringing in just about what I would be after paying for daycare for Richard and Austin (not to mention for Joey too when he's here). So why am I stressing soo much? I guess it's cause I can't say "I'll work a little overtime", or keep myself busy enough that I just don't think about it. Hell, I don't know. So when do you just give it up and decide it's not worth stressing over anymore?

Friends for another. I made amends with an old friend of mine a few months back. I figured what the hell.. and gave it a shot. At first it seemed like she had really changed, and maybe straighted her situation out some. Unfortunately though, it threw me in a bind because she was to put it easily "mortal enemies" with another friend of mine.. all because she's dating my other friends "baby daddy". LoL I know.. as if that didn't have "DRAMA" written in big red bold letters on the front of it. But just because they have issues, didn't mean I couldn't be friends with both of them. At least that's what I though. Well it was starting to show that in fact she hadn't changed, and had maybe gotten a little worse. Constantly making negative comments about my husband as if she were trying to turn me against him (not that she could have..), and not to mention how I would constantly get blamed by her for crap.. that in the end would turn out she had done to herself. I was sick of it.. but as much negative crap as she said about her relationship and issues with her mother I felt I needed to be a good friend, and stand by her. Wrong! How long should I do that and continue to be bashed and constantly brought into drama by her, that had absolutely nothing to do with me? I think I did it for longer that I should have.. and on this one I was bad at deciding when "enough was enough".

The baby daddy for another. This is the same old story. He screws up, lies to me, is 2-faced, and yet I continue to give him chance after chance after chance. Why? Simply because he's the father of my oldest son, and I have always felt as though we should remain more than acquaintences simply for my child's sake. I thought maybe even friends. But I have had enough of the deceiving, and have decided I am no longer going to deal with it. It's my time to be me against him. I'm the custodial parent.. and for now on.. what I say goes. Point blank. No more catering to his schedule. Sorry bud... but enough is... ENOUGH!!!

Ok.. so I have vented. But I'm still curious what others would say when asked the question "when is enough actually enough?".