Bracing Myself

You know, I have never liked going to the dentist! I’ll admit, I’m a little fearful of pain involving my teeth and gums. This stems from a childhood incident involving 1960’s dentistry and an old dentist named Dr. Klump that happened to be the one we went to. He was old enough to be my grandfather, but as a children’s dentist, grandfatherly he was not, nor was he gentle. I don’t know why, but he didn’t believe in Novocaine or gas either! Any cavity I had filled was done live without numbing of any sort! I remember vividly one horrific check up when I learned I had four cavities, one in each jaw. I was even more horrified to learn they were going to be filled all at the same time. I begged to have them done in increments like possibly two and two. Whomever made the decision, decided for me to get them all done at the same time. I wouldn’t even have the luxury to favor one side or the other when eating after they were filled. This was going to one hell of a bitch and indeed it was! They were deep, they were live, and it hurt like hell and took forever to finish. This sealed my fear of dentists and dentistry into adolescence permanence!

As an adult, I found a way to avoid my fear by just avoiding going to the dentist. There was a time I waited over 10 years before I even saw one. Hell if nothing hurt, why go! This was easy to do while a single bachelor but not as easy after marrying a woman with two kids that went religiously! “Hey Joe, we all went to the dentist today! Look how white and clean our teeth are. When are you going?” “Hey Joe, Alex did have a cavity but it didn’t hurt. When are you going to man up and go to the dentist?” “Oh Joe, I broke a crown today and went to the dentist and had a new one put on. They had to do some drilling, but it didn’t hurt, so quit being a pussy and go to the dentist!” Blah, blah, blah!!!!

Well I have been back recently. I’ve had a cavity or two filled and even an old filling drilled out and replaced and I must say that there have been quite a few technological advances since the ancient, scary, days of childhood! But of course I don’t let the drill touch anything until I am fully numbed and gassed! Now I am looking at full mouth braces and I am not excited! I have a gap between the lower two front teeth that has widened over the years. I am fine just living with it as it doesn’t bother me one bit! Apparently this feeling isn’t shared with the Debster as she is constantly nagging me to get it fixed. I am inclined to believe she is embarrassed to be seen with this hayseed of a husband who looks like he is missing a front tooth! I have gotten to embrace the whistling sounds of my s’s!! But alas, the years of relentless badgering have finally worn me down and broken me into accepting a mouth filled with wires, foreign metallic bodies, sore lips, and bleeding gums…….sigh! My initial appointment has been done and soon I’ll be a 50 something year old with a mouth full of metal! They say today the 50’s are the new 30’s. Well in my case, the 50’s are today’s teens! More later when I start whining!

Holiday Recap

Before it gets too stale, well it may already be stale, let me post a recap of our Holiday season. I thoroughly enjoyed the holidays because we hosted nothing!!!! It was kind of nice for a change and less work! For Thanksgiving, we were invited up to our friends Larry & Lynette for the turkey feast. It was wonderful as Lynette is a great cook. The only other family member that was there was Ryan. Mo and Alex went to her parents for Thanksgiving. This is what happens when the kids get married off. Time has to be shared with the in-laws!  Then came Christmas and again it seemed to come way too fast! Alex and Mo hosted their first Christmas in their new house in Gig Harbor. Larry, Lynette, Mariam (Lynette’s Mom), Ryan, Mo’s parents and brother and sister joined in the festivities. We had a fantastic dinner and opened gifts! By the end of the evening, Alex knew what it was like to host a family gathering….. allot of work! This year, our gift giving was toned down a bit! We exchanged small gifts between ourselves because we got big gifts earlier on! I had California Closets installed in her closet in our bedroom! That was her big gift! We also had bought a 52″ TV for our downstairs family room and called that a gift to ourselves. Between the two, that was plenty! Since Gig Harbor is quite a drive from our home in Snoqualmie, we had reserved a room in a nearby hotel for the night! It was convenient also because the following day we met up with Deb’s sisters and their better halves for brunch at the Hob Nob Restaurant in Tacoma! This is an old Tacoma establishment and looks to be an annual thing for Deb and her sisters to do at Christmas time! New Year’s Eve was fun especially since I got the day off unexpectedly!!! We went to a bash at the Queen City Yacht Club where Larry & Lynette are members! We also stayed at a hotel in the  University District so we wouldn’t be on the road afterward!! It was a fun time and we hung out with some boating people we had met on one of our voyages! So that was the holiday recap!! Look to the right under our Flickr photos for links to the pictures!!

The new year will be an exciting one and hopefully without the disasters that befell us in 2009! We have some awesome vacations planned for this coming year! We plan on returning to Best Friends Animal Society for our third visit in April!! We are looking forward to seeing our animal and human friends again there! In September we have booked a two week cruise to Alaska and I am busting with anticipation for this one!!! I can hardly wait! We have also possibly planned to rent a boat in July and cruising with Larry & Lynette up to Canada, but that one is still tentative! I am a little anxious about getting on a boat of that size again and cruising around on it, but I will have to get over the hump and just do it!!! Well, that’s it for now will be back soon!

2009 Comes To A Close

Well it’s been awhile since I wrote a post and thought I might take a brief timeout from Farming on FarmTown and FarmVille at Facebook and write a little something something! It won’t be a very long post, but at least it won’t look like I’ve abandoned the blog, which I haven’t!!!! We had a great Thanksgiving and Christmas about which I will write about when I get the pictures edited and posted. It will be soon…….I hope. While 2009 saw some bad things happen to us, over all, it was a pretty good year. Hey, we are still both alive and kicking and so far healthy! Here’s wishing everyone a fantastic new year and a wonderful and prosperous 2010.

PS, for my Facebook friends reading this as a Facebook note, it is coming from my blog at www.joegivens.com!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

545 People

This came to me in my email thought you might find it interesting if you haven’t seen it!

545 People

By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts — of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it’s because they want them in IRAQ

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like “the economy,” “inflation,” or “politics” that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it………. Is up to you.

Chicago Family

It has been awhile since I posted much since the boating accident and I’ll just say one last thing and we’ll put the subject to rest. Just this last week we got our insurance check for the loss and paid off the loan. With some of the remaining funds, we are paying off Deb’s car loan and now we are debt free except for mortgage. We are  still waiting for our personal loss claim to go through for all the stuff we lost in the boat. I still think about that day and feel queasy when I see rough water. It has permanently affected most of us involved.

Just recently Deb and I took a week off and went to Chicago to see her oldest son Chad and his family. It was her only second time visiting them and my introduction to them. The story of Chad is an interesting one that needs to be told in full someday soon but I won’t do it here. We were going to record a podcast and tell the story of Debbie and Chad, but never got around to it. Let’s just say that he was Debbie’s first-born that she never knew and now they have reconnected. He lives in Lake Bluff in a very nice neighborhood and is successful. He has a beautiful wife named Kay and two gorgeous daughters! That fact has just made us instant grand parents! Debbie loves it and the call her Nana and love her to death. They call me Papa Joe and I guess I made quite a hit with both of them. Riley is the older one and is five and Brynlee is three and looks just like a little Debbie. They are both sweethearts and very smart just like their Nana. Now, you ask, how does it feel to be an instant grandpa? I am not sure as it is still sinking in. It does make me feel old though!

We had a great visit and made it our vacation. There was a lot of family time but also some touristy stuff too. We took a train to downtown Chicago and went up to the top of the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), went to the Adler Planetarium, Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago Botanical Gardens, saw a friend of ours who played at our local pub play at the House of Blues, and Chad even had us running a 5k race while we were there. One day Chad drove us through the ghettos of South Chicago bypassing traffic, so we can say we saw a lot of diversity while we were there! Now I like Chicago and there are some beautiful parts of the city, especially around where they live, but I would never want to live there! First, the weather would be had to handle. The freezing cold winters and blistering humid summers would be a bitch. Another thing is the horrendous traffic! It is horrible and the natives drive insane! The place is just too big for us, but we will always enjoy visiting, and now we have four good reasons why we will! There are pictures, go have a look. Soon the story will be told to those who don’t know it already so stay tuned!

My Music Podcast

My music podcast is blowing minds across the country and around the world, but I bet you are still listening to commercial top 40 crap aren’t you!? I mean really, how many times can you hear “Stairway To Heaven” or “Free Bird” anyway? Come to the edge and expand your auditory horizons! Be different – I DARE YOU TO! Prepared to have your mind entranced, prepare to have your body moving, prepare yourself for music that is for your head and will get into your head. No, this isn’t your granny or grampy’s music, no it’s not your mommy and daddy’s music, it’s not any old music period! Think you can handle it? I DON’T THINK YOU CAN!!!! Come on over and have a listen and if you like what you hear, tell a friend! Thanks for listening!

SHOW PAGE:
HTTP://WWW.SNOJORADIO.COM

SUBSCRIBE TO THE FEED HERE:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/SnojoRadio

Snoqualmie Joe

“All I can say is WOW!” – Si Mom

“Haunting, moving, sometimes tribal, sometimes edgy, sometimes soothing, always different.” – Tune Factory

“Brilliant, wildly unique, an excellent showcase for independent music.” – Chicago Sun Eclipse

“I’m giving up Rap and Hip – Hip for this. It is awesome!” – An A Student

“Great music to workout to. I run longer and faster when I listen!” – Jym Ratt

“His music is like a drug, you are not sure you want to take it at first, but once you do, you”re addicted.” – Philadelphia Newsworthy

“This is some seriously weird stuff. Who is this guy and what is a Snoqualmie?” – Alice In Drag

“Chilling, eclectic, music you’ll never hear on the radio!” – Audio Orgasm

“This stuff blows!” – Clueless

“Sno Jo Radio takes you on a sensory roller coaster. At times you are chilling to some downtempo, then banging to some serious beats! Hang on for a wild ride!” – Dallas Daily Music Rag

Boat Pictures

Click the link below to see pictures of our poor boat:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boatvirgins/sets/72157622294251953/

Some Links To Our Tradegy

http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/whidbey/wnt/news/57657252.html

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/57666752.html

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3596&id=100000187214124&ref=nf

Our Boating Tragedy

First off, let me say that I am glad that both of us survived this latest adventure that we as a couple seem to be chocking up in our lives together. The omens that befell upon us as we began what was supposed to be a three day weekend of fun on our boat this Labor Day weekend, should have stopped us in our tracks, but didn’t. It actually turned onto four, as I got an unexpected day off on Friday after I begged for it. After a long, hot dry summer this year, the weather suddenly turned sour for the weekend, but we had no idea how bad it would be. As always, we checked the marine weather forecast on Thursday and saw that Saturday was going to be the worst day out of the three for boating weather and I was happy to get Friday off so we could get an early start on our long voyage to the San Juan Islands. There, we were supposed to hook up with with our good friends Larry, Lynette, Pam, and Rick. Larry and Lynette were taking their boat up and Pam and Rick were gong to be camping there at Snug Harbor Resort. Once we were all there, our other very good friends, Tori and Kevin who live on San Juan, were going to host us all at their home for a BBQ. We were looking forward to it immensely!!

Right out of home port, things went south. After fueling, we started our trek which would be about six hours to San Juan Island. Our main goal was to get there before dark and we were on track to make it. After just 45 minutes into it, we discovered we had radio problems. We could transmit and be heard, but couldn’t hear any replies. After some investigation, it was discovered we had a wire that was shorting out. It was workable and we continued, but in the process of finding that problem, we had pulled on a vaccum line that used to be connected to two gauges on our upper helm and were now connected together after one of the gauges failed. This was allowing air to get into our fuel line and our port engine started losing power occasionally before it would recover for awhile then lose power again. We decided to reluctantly turn back and go back to our dock. I made an attempt to fix the problem and thought I had achieved success. In the meantime we discovered Larry and Lynette had blown a hose on the way and started taking on water. They shut down the affected engine, called the Coast Guard for an escort, and headed back to their home port of Edmonds on one engine. Thanks to a very good mechanic, their repairs were underway. Now knowing we could not make San Juan before dark, we decided to head up to Edmonds and stay in their marina and would proceed Saturday morning provided the weather was acceptable. We headed out, things seemed good and we realized the power loss problem was not corrected. We were also experiencing it in both engines at this point. It wasn’t bad enough that we thought we might loose either one so we continued to Edmonds and arrived just as it was getting dark. I made the decision then, that if the problem could not be fixed, we would not continue. Early the following morning, Larry and I changed both fuel filters and did a very thorough wrapping with rescue tape of the vaccum line connection. We did a last minute listen of the NOAA marine forecast and it sounded a bit dicey especially at our destination where winds were expected to blow to 35 mph later that day. This is where I felt a gut feeling that I should have followed that we should not go, but we did.

Things were finally looking good. The weather wasn’t bad, seas were calm, both boats were fixed and running fantastic, it seemed all was on the upside. We headed up Saratoga Passage and were rounding the north part of Camano Island and into Skagit Bay when the weather turned and all hell broke loose. The wind had picked up and the waves had also. I radioed Larry and wondered if it was wise to continue. After some discussion, we decided to go through Deception Pass and see what the seas were like on the west side and make our decision then. It wasn’t but another fifteen minutes and the winds had increased twofold. Just as Deb and I realized this wasn’t a good idea, Larry had already turned around and we followed hoping to get over to Oak Harbor and into safe harbor. Once again we faced ever increasing winds and the wave swells were hitting at our port side at a good six feet. We had waves going over the bow and even over our upper helm which was making visibility difficult. We began to get scared and tried to compose ourselves to remain calm. It was all I could do to try and hit the waves at a 45 degree angle to the bow and keep Larry’s boat in sight. We had lost our navagational charts as our laptop was thrown off it’s perch and I had directed Debbie to shut it down and get it secured to prevent it from becoming damaged. I was going to just rely on visual navigation from here. We hadn’t realized it that Larry’s boat had hit something and they were radioing us to move to our port. Once again, the radio had stopped receiving! Soon after we heard a very loud bang that shuddered the boat and sent us sideways. I knew at that moment we were doomed! We immediately began to loose speed although the engines were still running at cruising RPM’s. I got on the radio to Larry that we had hit something but got no response. Even though it was not safe, I told Debbie to get down to the engine compartment to check if we were taking on water. She did and we were badly! I called a mayday on the radio and waited for a response and got none. I was being heard though and Larry was already communicating with the Coast Guard as they were down to one engine due to their hitting something and receiving damage. I decided to shut down the engines hoping that maybe we had blown a shaft or something and shutting down the engines would halt the water inflow. I turned the bilge pumps on and then checked the wiring on the radio and got it working. I then heard the haunting words from Debbie standing below knee deep in water in the cockpit that the boat was sinking and I had to get down and off the boat NOW! When I looked down and saw the whole stern of the boat below water I knew all was lost and jumped into the water!

A strange calm descended on both of us! Luckily both of us had life jackets on although I had never had time to secure mine so I was using mine as a float. While Debbie had been below, she had the where with all to grab my wallet and her Coach purse which she still clung to in the water. She hadn’t had tiome to zip it up and her wallet floated out and beyond reach. We swam as fast as we could away from the boat to prevent being caught in any type of swamping suction that might take us down with it. Both of us remained eerily calm and even cried as we saw our baby sinking beneath the water. Neither of us were scared for our lives at this point for reasons we will never know. The water was frigid, but neither of us were cold. Larry’s boat was getting further away from us, but we were somehow positive we were going to be rescued although the Coast Guard was nowhere in sight. Finally Larry dropped his dinghy and got over to us and hauled us into safety. We got his boat and us in the dinghy into the harbor where there was a multitude of people and fire aid waiting on the docks.

To put and end to this drawn out oratory, we came out of it safe but cold and bruised. Our boat and everything in it is gone. We lost two laptops, three cell phones, TV’s, VCR’s, tools, everything. All we had was the clothes on our backs, my wallet, our lives, very good friends Larry and Lynette who saved us and put us up on their boat, allot of very generous and caring boaters, sheriff, marina personnel, and vessel assist people who went out of their way to help us. We also want to thank Tori and Kevin Hillstrom who came down from San Juan with clothes and treats, and all of our friends in Snoqualmie and Facebook who were caring and were offering their help if needed. Posessions can be replaced, friends and good hearted people cannot. Now it’s time to begin the cleanup and salvage process. It will be an ugly and trying time. Bear with us and we love you all!

Why I fired my Secretary.

Last week was my birthday and I didn’t feel very well waking up on that morning..

I went downstairs for breakfast
hoping my wife would be pleasant and say,
‘Happy Birthday!’,
and possibly have a small present for me.

As it turned out,
she barely said good morning,
let alone
‘ Happy Birthday.’

I thought….

Well, that’s marriage for you,
but the kids…
They will remember.

My kids came bounding down stairs to breakfast
and didn’t say a word..
So when I left for the office,
I felt pretty low
and somewhat despondent.

As I walked into my office,
my secretary Jane said,
‘Good Morning Boss,
and by the way
Happy Birthday ! ‘
It felt a little better
that at least someone had remembered.

I worked until one o’clock ,
when Jane knocked on my door
and said, ‘You know,
It’s such a beautiful day outside,
and it is your Birthday,
what do you say we go out to lunch,
just you and me..’
I said, ‘Thanks, Jane,
that’s the greatest thing
I’ve heard all day.
Let’s go !’

We went to lunch.
But we didn’t go
where we normally would go.
She chose instead at a quiet bistro
with a private table.
We had two martinis each
and I enjoyed the meal tremendously.

On the way back to the office,
Jane said, ‘You know,
It’s such a beautiful day…
We don’t need to go straight back to the office,
Do We ?’

I responded,
‘I guess not.
What do you have in mind ?’
She said,
‘Let’s drop by my apartment,
it’s just around the corner.’

After arriving at her apartment,
Jane turned to me and said,

‘ Boss, if you don’t mind,
I’m going to step into the bedroom
for just a moment.
I’ll be right back.’
‘Ok.’ I nervously replied.

She went into the bedroom and,
after a couple of minutes,
she came out
carrying a huge birthday cake …
Followed
by my wife,
my kids,
and dozens of my friends
and co-workers,
all singing ‘Happy Birthday’.

And I just sat there….

On the couch…

Naked.