yes, i am bothered and outright disturbed.  the image of crack addicts below is just the start of it and i have to say that it is one of the most gruesome, descript images for this post.

Drug Addiction

yesterday we were dropping someone off in an are of the city that is known to have an alarming amount of addicts. i believe that was my first time seeing a crack addict in the light of  day. i can't understand how someone could do that to themselves; i mean, i couldn't even tell the sex of that person. as much as i'd like to keep children protected, i believe one of the best ways to keep them safe is to educate them.


if in middle school a former addict would've presented to the class with images of what crack can do. i can pretty much guarantee you that, that image will be instilled in the children's heads and they wouldn't even think about trying the stuff.

Preservation of the 2nd Amendment

those of you that know me, know that i'm all for holding up the 2nd Amendment. afterall, it is on the "Bill of Rights." i'll say it slower for those who have not yet thought about this... "Bill of Rights."

i am in the "Western Addition" portion of San Francisco 3-4 times a week and from our church i've been able to hear shots being fired and of course, their gun control laws aren't going to do poop to stop that from happening.

as you can see in this SF forum, people actually think that embracing gun control will make them safer. NOT!
http://www.yelp.com/topic/san-francisco-two-more-western-addition-lower-haight-shootings-monday-morning

the mayor, gavin newsom, can say all he wants about trigger locks and handguns but that does not help anyone. why do people think that outlawing guns can keep them away from gun violence?  do you really think that the majority of crimes committed with firearms could have been prevented by legislation saying that it's bad? ;p

now, a good amount of people would probably think twice before pulling a piece on someone knowing that there is a good chance the person they plan on assaulting may be packing as well.

i am not saying that this will always be the case, there are always the one-off situations that may not apply; but, to un-arm law abiding citizens and leave them to fend for themselves against armed hooligans who couldn't give a poop about the law is wrong on so many levels.

people need to come to the actualization that just because something is against the law it does not guarantee someone else will adhere to it. uh, that's what criminals do, they commit crimes.

to keep on with this self preservation bit, even if our rights are taken away and firearms are outlawed, who says that knives will  not take the place of guns? have we forgotten that people have fists?

how far will we go with this?

What is the law in San Francisco
San Francisco residents will be required to keep their guns in lock boxes or have trigger locks on their firearms under a law signed Wednesday by Mayor Gavin Newsom. The law also makes it illegal to possess or sell firearms on city and county property and requires firearm dealers to submit an inventory to the police chief every six months.

i'm not much of a writer anymore. although, i remember being able to write and speak like nobody's business. hah, yeah i just linked that idiom for you youngun's out there who are not familiar with that phrase.

i'm pondering whether i should right a load of recommendations for my friends on LinkedIn as practice. it's useful for them and good practice for myself. i can't be that horrible of a writer, i've picked up loads of work writing technical articles for knowledgebases (kb), manuals, and training.courses.

it's not like i'm considering switching industries but it's always nice to know what you can do and what you need work on.

--  wedding plans?

yeah right. he is my husband and i am his wife as far as we're concerned but having a little wedding would really be a treat. too bad he pointed out that when we take "the dive" it will be anything but little. we have BIG families and i'm not going to exclude our friends at church.

i got songs down for the wedding but i'm stuck on color themes 'cause my friends who got married before me already used 'em. all i can think of is silver and/or baby blue.

-- health update

i'm doing alright, i've been going back to the doc regularly to take care of getting back what was taken from me. i have to say, it's not the most comfortable of things but it will be nice to physically fit some shirts of mine again.

i'll be trying out a local 24 hour fitness to get myself up and walking again.  as depressing as that may sound, i'm looking forward to re-learning the things that i know i loved -- roller/ice skating, snow/boogie boarding, dancing, horseback riding, and if i can find a way to get on a volleyball team/court again that would be awesome.

-- realizations

this getting older thing was meant to be. i've inexplicably been pulled out of deadly situations a numerous amount of times and as God would have it, i'm still supposed to be here. am i supposed to know exactly what i'm here for?

i'm aging and it's not a bad thing, it just requires a little adjustments; i just found out someone i dated before got engaged and normally that doesn't bug me... i mean, i did a toast for my ex of 5 years and his fiance at an engagement dinner. that one guy though... yeah. oh, don't think i don't wish him the best 'cause i do. i wish him the best in everything and that they have a magnificent life together. all i can figure is that it's 'cause i've known him for so darn long... even more, i think he'll get married before i will. we've been engaged for close to 4 years now. wow, that's a long time.