I know I am not poor, I am actually quite blessed, but Northern VA, can make you ask yourself that. There will always be someone stronger, faster, and smarter, but out heree, it seems that they are all RICHER.

On any given day I may see a Bentley, Ferrari, Maseratti, Rolls Royce, or any other insanely expensive car. Add that to the multi-million dollar estates I pass daily on my way to work, and that equals a feeling of inadequatecy. I mean, I live in a nice place, drive a nice car, and am not starving. I do not have to worry about where my next meal is coming from, and I am not struggling to pay my bills. Actually, I lead a nice life, but if you are not careful, this area can make you feel like nothing you have matters.

Not only that, but being surrounded by all this super luxury can change your perception. Growing up, 40k was a lot of money for a car, now, its a teens first car; years back 150k would buy you a decent house, but now you can’t even get an efficency condo for that. Its scary because you start to believe this is the norm, and you wonder why you can’t afford life’s simple pleasures like a comfortable place to lay your head and decent transportation. Making six figure does not mean you are rich out here, it just means you can now afford a house and a kid, you no longer have to choose. Don’t mess up and have two, though… you might as well move back to your efficency condo.

Then you go on vacation someplace normal and that’s even more dangerous. That can make you want to call your job and say, “I quit, I’m never coming back!” You think, “I could have bought a whole neighborhood here for what I pay in mortgage.”

Well, this is where I chose to live, and despite all I said, I have done well here. But, if from time to time you wonder, “am I poor?” know you are not alone.

Have you ever hit a golfball so hard, you knocked the head off of the club? Well, me neiter… I attribute my mishap to an old, cheap, second-hand club combined with a mediocre (on my best day) player. I was at the driving range playing Tiger when I broke out my 5-wood. I took a few practice swings… felt good. I place a ball on the putting mat, line up the swing, and PONG! (not PING, I never get that sound, I am not that good)

As the club comes over my head during the back swing, I think, “gee, the club feels light.” As I look up, I see a white spec dart out of my peripheral view. “Damn, I thought I thought I hit that pretty straight,” I think. Then I see a dark object bouncing down the range.

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“Damn, I just broke my club!” I look at the shaft to see the head broke off at the neck. Imagine that, there really is graphite in there.

Moral of the story, if you man-handle your shaft, you’ll break the head off.

My battle with the light post on my front lawn “may” have come to an end. Weeks back, I bought a new light sensor so I could replace the one in the light pole. The problem was there is no light switch that operates the light, so electricity is always flowing to the pole. I knew my nemisis, the light pole, would try to take me out if it had the opportunity, and I have no desire to be electrocuted, so I decided to wait.

For weeks, it was the same story, sometimes it would come on at night, some times not. Sometimes in the middle of the night it would decide to work and mock me in the morning. Through all this, it just upset me more… but stil I waited.

Then my day came… while in the midst of another project where I needed to cut off the power to a room, I discovered the switch for the light pole. (I say discovered because the genius who labeled the breaker box did not idnetify indivigual rooms, he labeled the stove, microwave, and dryer… everything else says “lights & receptacles.” I wont even go into my displeasure in having to climb to the third floor to see if a light in one room has cut off only to be disappointed because it was the bathroom, half of another room, or a hallway. Then there is the phantom switch that does not appear to turn anything off… makes me think of that commercial with the light switch that operated the neighbors garage… haha)

Well, I (with the help of an electrical engineer, my father…. had to call in the big guns) just replaced the sensor, and it appears to work. This may be the end of threatening, cursing, and just downrite hating that stupid light. I, however, will not make the mistake of underestimating my opponent, and my foot stays ready should it need to make contact with the light pole.

I feel like if its cold, it should snow… otherwise, its just cold for no reason. Well, its been cold for no reason. Wind chill of like - 27, and you dont even have the joy of being able to pelt someone with snow balls. And no snow means no snow days, nothing but a cold walk into work in the morning.

I feel like seasons make promises to you just by virtue of being a season, Spring is flowers blooming, birds chirping, and spring break. Summer is sunny days and vacations to the beach. Fall is leaves changing color and my birthday. Winter… snow. All you have to do is snow. So what its not technically winter yet… its cold enough. If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, its winter.

Last year I feel like we got cheated. There was a little snow, but nothing substantial. This year I want a blizzard. I mean FEET of snow. I have a fireplace now, and I want to be able to sit in front of is as flakes fall from the sky. I wanna roast marshmallows and chesnuts and all that. Then I wanna make snow angels. (There is no age limit on that, is there?)

Well, anyway, you get my point, if its cold, it should snow, otherwise get out of the way winter and let spring do its thing.

PS - Keep an eye out for the Altima coupe. Its coming out in 2008. Its based off of the G35. Its kinda cool, but I am waiting to find out more information before it gets my stamp of approval.

I have been to Midgetville, and can attest that it is real. This article is way more interesting (and funnier) that one I could write. Enjoy.

<< Midgetville, VA >>

First, for those who may hav been checking and wondering why I havent been posting, I apologize. Between going away for Thanksgiving and working, I have not had a lot of time.

Ok, so this may be old news for some, but back in March, there were articles all over about black and white twins. Yes, its true, twins, but one black, the other white. It turns out that two mixed people (both with one black parent and one white parent) had twins, and one girl got the black genes, and the other the white. Crazy, but true.

They say its about a one in a million chance of this happening, but I think its even more rare than that. I think their math is wrong, but I am not a mathmatecian. Its like this, if its a 1 in 100 chance for one sperm of a mixed race person to have the genes of only one race, and the same applies for the egg, thats 100 x 100. The same applies for the other twin, so thats 100 x 100 x 100 x 100. The the likliehood of twins is 1 in 100, so you multiply all that by 100. Thats 1 in 1,000,000,000,000,000. Ok, thats a number so large, I don’t know what its called, so I will call it 1 in a cagillion.

If this can happen, it proves there are more similarities between races than differences. More proof racism is just dumb. If you want to create an elitist group, those from Baltimore should be at the top ’cause everyone knows they are the best. Anyway, you can read the enitre article here. Enjoy.