toledofur is recovering from a stroke. He is doing well, but has bad coordination on his left side. He is fortunately right handed, so, he will be able to draw again.

However, he and his family is in need of some funds to help pay medical bills and prepare his father's house for his recuperation.

A GoFundMe has been set up with a very modest goal of $5,000, of which over $1,000 has already been raised.

If you would like to help aid a fellow fur and artist, go here:

https://gf.me/u/yguua9

tsa-la-gi tsa-la-gi house was hit by a tornado last week and needs help.

https://t.co/9QxibWmwAw?amp=1

I had an interview today for a job that i'm VERY qualified to do .. I have a bachelors degree AND hands on experience.. what do they offer me??? $17 an hour!!!! ARE YOU KIDDIN ME???

THIS is exactly why big business sucks... they undervalue the people that are the backbone of their company!

Big business... FUCK YOU!

Ok.. I can't really go into many details here so please forgive me, but I was suspended and summarily discharged from my employment as of a couple of days ago, for an accusation that was clearly falsified and made by a person with an agenda to "better themselves" in the boss's eyes (#kissass) The entire process was completely mishandled by the new managers, who have publicly stated they're agenda to "eliminate the union" in order to follow through with their own idea of transforming the department in order to bring in a LOT MORE budget money from the upper powers that be. If they only knew just how BADLY they're running things I'd bet they'd be the ones dismissed from the company. But here I am waiting on appeals and grievances and looking for a new job. Anyone have any suggestions?

Hi Guys... Monday was my 51st birthday and I tell ya it was kinda bittersweet.

Firstly, it sucks when you have to work on your birthday and yeah I had to this year, but at least with it being a holiday it was double pay so it was worth it and I kept telling myself it was present from work. I got calls from friends and family that remembered, even a few messages on twitter and such, and they all made me very happy.
I don't expect everyone I know to remember my birthday, I sure as heck can't remember everyone's either, so I understand. I just tried to make it a tolerable day and got through it.

This year I was a bit pre-occupied with the hurricane and worried about what it was going to do. I prepared as best as I could but you always wonder if you did enough. It's nice to be able to prep for the worst, but financially it can be tedious and I tell you, it's really rough lately. Running all over for gas and food and fighting long lines and insane people.. it's really taxing. And living in a manufactured home makes it even worse because these things don't really hold up as well as a cinder block home. It just adds to the stress and worry. As of the latest news reports, the hurricane is a lot weaker and moving north, but very slowly. We're getting some rain bursts and wind but i've really been through a lot worse in my life. I can tell you for certain that the storms are getting MUCH larger and more powerful than they were when I was growing up in NY. The Bahamas really took an incredible pounding with a cat 5 hurricane stalled over then for nearly 48 hours. The next few days are going to be filled with news reports of devastation and tragedy i'm sure, I really wish them the best down there.

The season is far from over though so gotta stay prepared and keep an eye out for things.

Otherwise things are about the same, it's always hard on my birthday without my parents around and emotionally it hurts too. It's just part of life though and I have to deal. I still wish I had someone special in my life to share good times with, but friends help and it really could be a lot worse.

Thanks guys!

Hi Guys...
Megaplex 2019 is in the books and I thought i'd better write about it before it gets any later so here goes...

It was a lot of fun and very much a relaxacon for me.

I got into my room on Thursday and started with a HUGE check in line... while I was on this long ass line the hotel texted me with one of those "reply to this text if you need anything" texts so I replied with needing more front desk agents... a few min later they came out of the back and opened up 3 more agent positions! Now that's real service! Got up to the room and settled in then strolled around the con space a bit and was happy to see there were already a good amount of suiters out n about.

Throughout the weekend I was happy seeing friends and seeing a lot of the cool suits, enjoying time with friends and catching up with things. I attended only a couple of panels but they were well done and kept me entertained. I had a couple of awesome roomies and with the comfy bed I was able to get a whole weekend of proper sleep. Even though I was really tired on Sunday because I stayed up later than I should have but I found a comfy chair in the con space and actually fell asleep for a little nap... which was just what I needed to re-energize myself :)

It was really great to have a weekend of vacation time to destress and get things back in order mentally... this is a necessary thing for everyone every so often!

Now comes the hard part... getting through the rest of the week lol

So this week has been a rather tumultuous one and it's not even over yet...

My kitty Panda has been somewhat sick since getting his annual vaccinations to the point that he was getting lethargic and just not his normal self. I decided to call the vet and they said to bring him in for a check up. On my day off I gathered him up and brought him in and they feared that he was suffering from a digestive issue of some type but he was not being very cooperative and the stress levels were getting too high for them to continue. They gave me a sedative to mix into his food before returning today for another chance at getting blood work done. The sedative really calmed him to the point he was being cuddly and sleeping... well more than usual anyway.. so I got a couple of hours of sleep and dropped him off at 8 this morning. A little after noon the vet called and said his blood work is showing he has pancreatitis and is severely dehydrated. They started him on some fluids and got some x-rays to confirm the diagnosis.

I picked him up just a little while ago and man he was sooooo stressed he was blowing his coat like crazy. They showed me how to give him some fluids sub cutaneous to ward off the dehydration, a change of food to an RX diet and a revisit next week.

He was so happy to see me he climbed into my arms without even being prompted to. I was happy to see him also as I was worried about him all week. I just really hope that he'll get better and back to his normal healthy self. Poor guy is 13 now and I think old age is starting to catch up to him.

The down side to all this is the incredible costs incurred. All said and done it cost me nearly $800 to get it done. PLUS the RX diet is going to be about $50 a case so this is going to be really expensive. I'm not complaining.. he's so worth it to me, it just hits in the pocket very hard when you don't have much there to begin with.

Hi guys... I'm posting this link so that Kresblain can get some help he really needs.... please help if you can and spread the word around

https://www.gofundme.com/r9s4qg-electric-bill-fund

Kresblain has come under some very hard times beyond his control and needs help!......

Please read http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/9018654/ and help out if you can... every little bit helps! even if you can donate a dollar it'll help!

Hi Guys,

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season... I personally am VERY glad it's just about over. Work has been waves of either nothing at all to do, or complete insanity at the drop of a hat but we've been getting through it all and getting things done as need be so I guess thats a good thing.

Things for me personally have been typical... fighting off my depressed feelings and loneliness as best as I can. It's really not easy but I have to try. Having days off in the middle of the week have been hard because I have to get certain things done that can only be done on my days off so I haven't been able to go to the Wed meets like i've wanted to. It makes it kinda hard tho since I WANT to be sociable but just can't get there, and to be honest there has been a bit of drama about finding a new place to meet up since Tex Mex transferred ownership and i've been kinda reserved about my opinions on it since i'm really not there as much anymore. I'm sure something else will come up but i'm really staying out of the arguments.

Health wise has been... not so good.

I am still fighting the occasional pain from the kidney problem from last Feb with no major stones but quite often having discomfort. I'm still being treated for it and have to see what happens from this. I've been really hesitant to say it but I have bigger problems to worry about now.

A few weeks ago I went to a dermatologist to have a nuisance mole removed from the side of my head that was getting cut every time I shaved. The Dr was extremely nice and very thorough with her exam since i've never had a so called head to toe exam before. She found a few blemishes and some annoying skin tags ( that were easily removed btw ) but she found a legion on my back that I had absolutely no idea was even there. She was greatly concerned about it because of it's appearance and she convinced me to have a biopsy done on it to see what it is. After a little over a week I got the phone call about the results and the mole on my head was a simple mass of blood vessels so nothing to worry about there.. the one on my back however... came back positive as a cancerous melanoma. Needless to say I was greatly shocked at this result and we discussed it at great length to see if there may have been some mistake, but the results spoke volumes and confirmed it to me. The Dr was very good in describing the treatment of this type of issue and i'm expected to be going under the knife in Feb.

It was explained to me that the procedure is to remove a section around the area that may have cancer cells in it, usually about 4" in diameter according to the dr. The skin is then stretched over the surgery site to cover it up without the need for grafting. The big thing is that this area is very pliable for movement of the arm and I will need to have my arm immobilized while it heals so the stitches cannot tear, so that means no work. lifting and carrying heavy items, and even sleeping may be hampered while it heals. Any follow up treatment will depend on several factors that can only be determined at the time of the procedure and will depend on many things such as if it has spread deeper than anticipated or if there are any other complications hiding in there.

Until now I have only told a few close and trusted furfriends about this because TBH I really didn't want to worry anyone about this or to seek out any sort of sympathy from anyone... you should all know thats really not my style, but I MAY need some help as time goes on since i'll be out of work on disability and all while this heals. I'm hopeful that I can go camping this year since I missed out last year because of being in the hospital but i'm playing it by ear at this point until I know exactly whats going to happen.

So please... don't fret about me... i'm sure things will be fine... either way i'll keep everyone updated as much as possible.

I'm rested up after my trip home after a nap and some food. I'd say the trip was good overall.

Weather played havoc on travel into JFK on Sat but after 16 hours in the airport I finally got into the air. Landed and tried to get my rental car but we got in so late they closed 5 min before I got there. Thankfully Avis was open and helped me out. The poor guy behind the counter was trying so hard to get a hundred people taken care of all by himself I give him credit though he kept his cool and stayed professional.. Got the car after about 90 min on line and got to my friend's house... when my head hit the pillow I was out cold asleep.

Two days of family and lots of tears really takes a toll on ya... but I managed to get through it all I guess. I'm gonna be sad for a while now that Mom is gone.. but i'm sure she's in a better place and not hurting like she was.

I really feel old now because I haven't seen my family in so many years that they've changed so much and I lost track of them all. Was good to kinda catch up tho too bad that it takes a funeral to do it... but it's hard to get together when it costs more than a month's salary to do so.

So I got the date for my mom's funeral and have been trying to look for flights and either they cost an arm and a leg or there are no flights available for the dates. You can either get a flight there but can't get home again.. or vice-versa. This in all honesty makes no sense to me because flights come n go multiple times a day. The ones that HAVE avail seats either want over $1000 a ticket or will fly you to an alternate airport with multiple stopovers for $400... making it a 12+ hour ordeal... and if they cancel a flight you're basically screwed!

Driving up would mean about 2 days there and 2 days back plus the time spent... and Amtrak is a 25 hour trip for the same amount of money.

I just don't get it... this must be a busy time of the year for travel because I see lots of ads for $69 fares but only in sept and oct.

I tried asking about bereavement flights but they don't offer them anymore.


(UPDATE) Delta is the ONLY airline offering bereavement discounts and they were very patient and understanding on the phone with me... They even helped with a rental car but the rental agency didn't have any available cars so I went through travelocity and got one. My best friend lives up there now and he offered to put me up as long as I need to stay so that will save me some money.

my mom passed away at 3 am last night... got the call from mysister this morning with the bad news.

looks like i'm going to going up to ny for a couple days in the near future

I know there have been a LOT of sensitive subjects lately, including some that have been keeping the news outlets around the world in so much work their writers must be cramping their hands.

Now before I go into anything I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinions beliefs and ideals on any subject, just as I am as well. Your opinions don't have to match mine and vice versa... it's not going to make me think any differently of anyone.

Firstly... President Trump.

Yeah I know... he talks way too much.. but you wanna know something.. he's a business man.. not a politician so his take on things is going to be a lot different than your average politician. Politicians have a way of making whatever the public wants or needs get bent into some kind of way to favor the politicians agenda. I honestly have yet to see any politician ever go out of their way to do what is right by the will of the people unless it favors their own agenda. A business man is going to say that things need to get done a certain way.. if it doesn't work that way, we find out why and try another way. In the political world it can really be a hard thing to get anything done no matter how much it's needed. It's always the dems vs. the rep's whoever is in power thinks their agendas should take precedence over the other's... lately it has been more of a tug of war between the two parties and regardless of the outcome, we ALL lose something. I surely do NOT agree with it, but this is what the political parties have evolved into. I know that even in the days of our founding fathers there were battles over things.. differences of opinions... and even fist fights. I'm honestly surprised that we've survived over 200 years without killing ourselves.

Is there a solution? there might be but I know the ONLY sure fire way to solve any political issue is to VOTE!... if your politicians do not favor your ideals then you have the right to vote them out! If you don't bother to vote then you don't have the right to be disappointed in the outcome.

Guns and the NRA.

I'm a gun owner and life member of the NRA.. have been for many years. I use my guns as a hobby for target shooting as well as carry a firearm for protection. It's a hobby I really do enjoy and believe me i'm NOT one of those who believe in prepping for the zombie apocalypse or believe that everyone is out to get me... the fact of the matter is that you have a higher chance of being hit by a car than being shot by someone. While it dosen't mean that i'm going to stop using crosswalks to follow the odds, i'm not going to stop carrying a gun either. My outlook on it is that many crimes committed by people could be stopped before they escalated into something worse, by an armed citizen stepping up and equalizing the threat against the bad guy. I'm not going to go out of my way to look for trouble or play the hero... but if something happens in my presence just know that I'm going to be prepared and willing to do what I have to do in order to save someone else if necessary.
The NRA is simply an organization that lobbies for the rights of all Americans based on beliefs and ideals as dictated by the constitution as well as the laws of the states and nation as a whole. The NRA does a lot of positive things for people like public education and training for law enforcement, setting guidelines and speaking on behalf of the people when politics get in the way of the national interests. There are times where a million voices can be carried on the shoulders of a few individuals and presented in a sound manner to the correct party in order to resolve political differences, maintain the rights of the people, and ensure that these rights are not trampled on by some agenda. Think of the long term... where the knee jerk reaction is favored to maintain the status quo and keep the noise to a minimum, it's the long term study and effort to find the truth that will guarantee the proper steps are taken to benefit everyone.

Mass shootings are indeed a tragedy and yes I do believe that some changes must be made in order to reduce the risks, but this doesn't mean that banning guns is the right choice. The facts are that many schools and public gatherings have a severe lack of security in MANY aspects. There are even many aspects of recent events that could not be foreseen or were under the realm of responsibility of other entities. IMHO many of the school shootings that have occurred over the last few years were mainly caused by the lack of a secure area in and around the schools. If you look at any school near your home, you would most likely find at least a dozen ways that you could simply walk onto the school grounds and not be stopped by anyone in authority before you would have had the chance to cause harm to many people around you if you chose to. The same could be said for many public venues, where anyone could enter or leave by many points of access around these venues. Should they put up fences around everything? no.. but hard targets should be better secured for the protection of those inside them from outside sources. The best defense for protecting yourself and those around you is to be aware and be vigilant... if something doesn't look right.. bring it to the attention of someone in authority.

Gun control... simply will not work. I personally think that an automatic rifle holding 100 rounds of ammo is not really needed for the average person, but just like a car that has 800HP isn't necessary for driving around town, you can still buy one if you have the desire and means.
Criminals will not follow the laws or abide by the mandates that some have been insisting that will stop all gun crimes. it will never happen PERIOD! that is WHY they are criminals. Yes I think some of the practices and regulations need to be tightened, but more so that they need to be made UNIFORM! a person in NY should have the same requirements as a person in CA in order to purchase/own/use a firearm.
Training should be a must for any gun owner, even if it's simply a class on proper procedures and laws governing use and ownership. Just like you need to take an exam to drive a car, you should have to take a course to have a gun. (something the NRA has been calling for over the last 20 years that i'm aware of BTW)

Guns are not the only things that criminals use to kill people, but since guns are the hot topic of the week they seem to drive a splinter under the fingernails of every politician around so they can ensure that their agenda is heard and supported. If it was a bow n arrow you can bet that there would be a call for banning/regulating those!

Anyway i'm not going to keep preaching here... I just wanted to get this offa my chest and hopefully have a SENSIBLE discussion.. as well as maybe allow some to realize that those who scream the loudest aren't necessarily the best ones to listen to.

Hi Guys..

I went in to the hospital yesterday to have the stent removed from my kidney and I have to tell you.... that was the FASTEST surgical procedure I think i've ever had. I arrived at 615am and finished the paperwork then went in to get prepped. Went into the OR and drugged... which of course kicked in when I was in the middle of talking with the doctor. About 25 min later I woke up being wheeled out and back to the room. Everything went as smoothly as it could and I actually felt better.

Rested up a little while and let the drug get through my system before getting up and getting dressed, then being sent home.

My day was pretty uneventful after that but I can tell you I was STARVING!!! not being able to eat anything from the night before was killer... but that was sated with pizza :)

I really want to thank  rivertonotter for getting up so early and bringing me to the hospital and back home again.

On that note.. the hospital has a policy where you can't have any procedure done unless you have someone there with you. I even asked why they won't allow someone to come/go by taxi/uber but they said the hospital's policy is there MUST be someone with the patient. I suppose someone did something in the past that made the policy need to be changed. It really makes it a lot harder for people like me who really have no family down here to fall back on. I'm happy I have friends willing to take up that space tho :) It means a lot.

One more week of recovery and i'll be back to work!

Hi All...

I'm still home recovering from the surgery... gradually feeling better but bored too. I have to be very careful to not overdo anything physical... which of course I did today and hurting from it.... but the house isn't going to clean itself you know.

Lots more rest and fluids are the call of action here. The swelling and bleeding have subsided dramatically so I should be on the road to healing. Of course once the stents come out that may be a bother once again, but that's not for at least another week. I know some have tried to call or message me and I haven't been able to get back to you in a timely manner and i'm sorry about that... I usually leave the phone on charge in the bedroom and the computer in the front so I can't always hear one or the other. Don't feel like i'm ignoring you though, I appreciate all the well wishes and cheering up you've all brought me.

In case you guys missed the news, I was put in the hospital for emergency surgery over the weekend. I had a kidney stone attack last Tuesday night, which unfortunately lasted well into Thursday and forced me to cancel my camping trip :( ... Most of the pain had subsided except for this one area with a lingering ache.. after waiting until Saturday to see if it would go away ( it didn't ) I went to the urgent care center nearby... waited 4 damn hours only for the dr to tell me to go to the ER AND relieve me of $190 for the visit....

I went to the ER and they took me right in.. I got a cat scan within 30 min of my arrival which showed a 8mm stone blocking the urethra between the right kidney and the bladder.. causing the kidney to swell and begin to lose functionality. I was admitted right away and sent up to a room while they arranged for surgery. Sunday morning I was wheeled in to the OR for a laser cath procedure. I was knocked out and woke up several hours later with the procedure complete and a success... they had to leave a cath in place so the urethra dosen't swell shut but that will come out in about a week. Meantime i'm out of commission with no major anything for a while and I can see why... I was released today and it's really hard to get around.. I feel like i'm 90 and walking like it too.

At least i'm OK and lucky I caught the problem before it developed into something worse. The lab will tell the Dr what the cause of the stones are and if it's dietary or not... then we can come up with a plan of action to prevent them.

I wasn't able to access FA in the hospital cause their WiFi has it blocked but I was communicating on twitter and telegram quite a bit. Thanks for all the well wishes guys... it meant a lot.

Hi Guys... I wanted to ask a couple of questions about movies... My answers follow

What movie is your absolute favorite? (The Shawshank Redemption)

What movie ALWAYS makes you cry? (With Honors)

What movie ALWAYS makes you feel good about yourself? (Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory)

What is the WORST movie you've EVER seen? (Freddie got fingered)

well i'm officially old... I've been working my tail off lately and while I usually enjoy working and doing many active things, i've been running out of steam and having a hard time getting around lately, especially climbing and carrying.

It's really getting bad too... I don't know whats happening to me, but it's making me feel so useless and crippled :(

i'm not even 50 yet

i've been feeling really down and depressed the last few days... worse than i've been in a while...

Now before you say that i'm always feeling depressed/lonely/miserable about something/someone... I know this.. and yes i'm working on it.. and i've actually been successful in many instances, even being able to recognize it as it happens and being able to take actual steps to rid myself of these feelings.. with help. It's NOT easy and sometimes takes longer than i'd like, but it honestly depends on the circumstances.

The last few days have been excessively hard because a few things piled up on me at the same time. When this happens it can be nearly impossible to clear your mind of the issues that caused the problem. This was the case with me and I wanted to say something here about it to explain to my friends why i've been kinda.. distant.. and to really thank those friends that really went out of their way to help and support me.. it really means a lot.

Without naming names and going into too many details.. i'll say this...

I was in a frequented picarto chat watching a friend draw and noticed there were a few new people in there. As most of you know, i'm rather playful in chats and let my character do silly things to get laughs and smiles from others. Something I usually do and have been doing for a very long time. someone in the chat wanted everyone to dance around.. so I typed that I started dancing around naked... now remember that my char usually only wears a vest and nothing more.. so it's not too far off from being naked as is. I started giggling and gave someone's nose a kiss... the next thing I know I got banned from the chat outright. Now mind you... no one ever said to stop.. or gave me any kind of warning or even seemed to be bothered by this.. just the banning... Now i'm going to say this... take it as you like... but when I act out in the chats, either stealing pants... or dancing around naked.. or being all cuddly... this is a CHARACTER... and one that is merely trying to get people to laugh and smile.. nothing more, at least in public. If I have some attraction with someone i'll take it to PM and not subject others to it.. frankly thats what you're SUPPOSED to do!

I figured that someone was acting like a twelve year old and had no clue how a chat environment worked... which I hate to say it.. has become typical of the fandom lately... filled with too many who act as do as I say and not as I do.

I thought the artist would remove the ban and life would go on... or at the very least communicate with me and tell me what was wrong or whatever.. but I was wrong and he even went and posted a journal to support the actions of the mods in his stream... telling me that this has been happening to a lot of people... why else would he put up a public journal about it. This really hurt my feelings pretty bad... to basically be judge jury and executioner without offering any explanation or rebuttal.

Hey I know... everyone has their right to do as they wish in/with their streams.. and i'm OK with that.. but to not even offer some explanation or even say hey man i'm sorry but someone got butthurt over something you did/said. which many already know i'd never do on purpose or out of malice. I mean hey.. it's just the right thing to do.. especially with a friend.

There may be some who don't agree with things I do... and thats fine... but anything I do is the same thing as a cartoon character dropping an anvil on someone's head or shoving a stick of dynamite down their pants.. it does nothing IRL.. I know there are boundaries and I have never intentionally crossed those boundaries and if I have I go back as soon as it's pointed out to me. It just feels like so many cannot separate RL and OC and this bothers me. The right thing to do for all parties involved is to state your displeasure and offer an opportunity for rebuttal BEFORE taking action... it's like calling 911 and reporting a rape because someone looked at you a certain way. this kind of thing effects everyone and makes you look bad as well as potentially being ignored if/when something really happens.

Think about things people... every action has a reaction on others.

Well I went and did it... after getting aq $194 cable bill I said enough is enough... I cancelled my cable TV and telephone services and dropped down to just internet... which it seems many are doing since the lady on the phone was more than willing to downgrade my services, and understanding in my reasoning for doing so.... When I was at comcast many years ago they FORCED call takers to do anything possible to retain that customer no matter what. It seems things have either changed or Spectrum is a more level headed company.

Now I have to find out if I can get an antenna up and get some basic TV over the air... Satellite is an option also but i'm trying to save money not make more bills.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Hi guys... I did something this week i've never done before...

I went camping!

Tilt asked me to go on his annual camping trip and I was very much excited to go.

Tilt picked me up and we got the family wagon loaded up and headed on the road. We stopped off at a fried chicken place that was like 15 min from here that I never even knew existed. Had some good food and hit the road again. Arrived a couple of hours later and got the tents set up with some help since I never did this before.

Once we got set up we got a good fire going and relaxed.

We spent 3 days there and got some tubing in on the river, and saw some awesome parks and towns. I never knew there was such a large agricultural presence in Florida but it was everywhere up there.

After getting up and getting the van and trailer loaded up we headed out... stopped at a couple of cool places and had an amazing lunch too. Got home just in time to miss the pouring rain too. Laundry was started and put away before hitting the bed.

Today was spent cleaning up the tent and tarp in the yard and getting things around the house settled.

All in all I had a great time and am looking forward to the next trip.

The question actually came up about finding a camping trailer small enough for my car to tow. There are a few micro trailers that would fit the bill but i'm not going to be able to afford anything for a while. At least it can be a casual search and see if something comes along.

Well Irma was a real crazy storm... so much wind and rain.. it was really nuts.

I evacuated to Disney... stayed at pop century at cast rack rate... even brought my kitty, and had another local furfriend with me.

At first I wasn't sure just how bad it was gonna be... watching the news is one thing but being there in person... wow.

it was BAD!

Even in the steel and concrete building we felt and heard the wrath of the storm very clearly.. with winds over 100 mph it was extreme.

Getting up the next day and seeing all the damages really brought it home. so many trees down... signs bent over like nothing... even a lot of buildings with some form of damage... kinda surreal.

I came home and took stock of the damages and lucked out that some tree limbs came down... two large tree limbs snapped and are still hanging over the house... and my screen room lost all the screens. On the good side.. I never lost power it seems... and damages to my house are very minimal. Am I glad I evacuated.. you bet! Not knowing what to expect was more terrifying than anything and to be honest.. being comfortable and safe is well worth the money spent!

Especially when so many lost everything.... don't think a storm is something to ignore... it's not!

Hi guys...
Things here are moving steadily along.. work is progressing and bills are getting paid.

I was having some issues with my car over the last month, biggest one was the A/C would randomly shut off for a few minutes then come back on again. I checked the freon and electrical connections and all seemed OK. A little online research pointed to a computer reading of various sensors in the engine causing the A/C to recycle randomly, basically rebooting the system as a safeguard. This has in many instances lead to a failure of the A/C compressor and associated sensors. basically a VERY expensive repair, and one that is not uncommon in GM vehicles.

Time to look into getting a new vehicle. This one lasted me 4 good years and until now I never had a major issue with it.

Research and looking at prices had me looking at a bigger vehicle to allow more comfort and utility for my use. I initially looked at pickup trucks.. but man they are really expensive, even used ones with over 100k on the odometer go for over $10k. SUVs were no better so I kept looking, opening up my options a little at a time. Finally with the end of the model year upon us. many of the dealers here have been pushing brand new leftover vehicles to the point it was actually CHEAPER to buy new than used. For example a 2016 with about 30k miles was the same price as the same model brand new. Also new means lower interest rates and insurance costs. The down side is that a lot of the personal preferences I already enjoyed in my current car would have to be obtained all over again, which costs money and time, and the dealership hassles and pressures are really stressful. I know they need to earn a living like anyone else, but I really like keeping my money thank you.

After a few weeks I really fell in love with the Dodge Journey. It has a very good history and reviews all the way from 2009. It's technically an SUV but small and utilitarian like a wagon/mini van would be, has towing capability, and wasn't priced too high.

Time to visit the dealer.

Thankfully I have a Dodge dealer right across the street from me that has a good review status and a huge lot full of vehicles. Go over and check out the journey. After a short test drive I really liked it, very comfortable and has a lot of features I like. Start negotiations on my trade in and price.. this took a couple of hours but I got a brand new 2017 Dodge Journey SE and saved about $10k. Took it home and with the help of a good friend, got the Impala stripped out and back to the dealership before the end of the night.

So now I have a nice birthday present to myself.. i'm comfortable in it and looking forward to keeping it for the long term. I only have a couple of very minor regrets though... I had to settle on a model that did not come with the XM built into the radio because they didn't have any on the lot that were in the same price range/trim level I was getting. The car I bought wasn't prepped completely by the dealership, no mats, vent visors, or detailing, but they have/will make good on them all. I already got the mats and extra keys from the dealer and the vent visors are on back order and should be installed when I get the detailing done by them in the near future. now when I say detailing... I mean a real good wash/wax and cleaning of the interior as well. Most of the prep work was done, including removing the plastic protective sheets from inside and out, but the fine detailing was not. Again not a big deal to me... esp since they will make it good. I've even asked at the dealer about buying the upgraded radio with XM and seeing if it is a simple plug n play thing in this model. Worse case I can just add the external XM receiver I had in the Impala to this car if the factory radio upgrade is too expensive.

So yeah... minor things but overall i'm happy... we'll see what the long term brings but i'm hopeful :)

Hi Guys,

I'm sure you all have seen the crapload of marches and protests on the news by now regarding the alt-left vs alt-right fiasco and i'm sick of it all.

First of all i'm all for PEACEFUL protests.. it's in the constitution and anyone should be allowed to protest what their beliefs and ideals are PROVIDING they do NO HARM to others... this said, i'm appalled by the acts of destruction to public and private property, the verbal and physical attacks being committed by BOTH sides.. and i'm especially disgusted at the lack of law enforcement being provided to keep senseless acts from happening.

The big thing that I see is the organization by both sides to commit acts of violence against others.. to the point where people are showing up armed with pipes, bats, and even firearms! Plus these people are marching around carrying riot shields and wearing helmets and gas masks... a clear sign they are expecting trouble in some form. At this point it doesn't matter who starts something.. or even what the whole protest is about.. it's more like an all out war against ideals and beliefs and has gotten to the point that at least one person lost their life needlessly and many others have gotten injured... for what?

Lets not forget the thousands of innocent people who have to suffer from these disruptions in their lives, or bearing witness to this stupidity, and in many cases even have their property damaged.

But MY biggest bout of anger goes to the police and the politicians who have ALLOWED these people to assemble and roam around freely despite the fact they are clearly armed and looking for trouble. If a group of people chanting hate speech and making open threats are running around with helmets, pipes, and riot shields, the police should move in and not only disarm these people, but confiscate their shields and the like since they hold no other purpose than to allow these violent acts to escalate over and over again.

Peaceful protest is just that... gather and march... speak your mind and make your voice heard... but don't come dressed for battle and look for a fight... it's not right and makes your points, however valid they may be, into a moot issue.