Play-offs are important for our nation?

I have been reading with some mild interest the blogs regarding the national BCS football championship game. There is the controversy about the "need" for a play off system so that teams like Utah will have a Fair shot at the National Championship. There is a lot of trash talk about which conferences are soft and which really have the best teams week in and week out. This topic seems to be so important that the President-elect has taken time out to coment. It seems to me that people have forgotten that we have REAL issues facing our country that need attention. Perhaps it is because the REAL issues are so difficult that people are spending so much time and energy ( not to mention resources - Utah's Attorney General is looking into filing a law suit against the BCS ) debating an issue that really amounts to superflous entertainment - no more no less. It is important to some of the players who hope to sign multi-million dollar contracts with pro-teams or to their coaches who hope to sign multi-million dollar contracts with "Big Name" schools - perhaps to mister "Joe the plumber" who has no other life than beer and week end football. Why don't we put this in its rightful place as a past-time- a brief break from real issues in our country. Let the Attorneys general of the states put their efforts towards real crime and let the President-elect focus on the economy, the wars and putting together a peace plan for the middel east. The BCS will be back again next year along with NASCAR, pro-golf and high scool softball. Life will go on regardless of the BCS #1.

More of paying the rent!

It's amazing that some people expect that they can do anything they want and not really have to face the consequences for their actions. These folks had the expectation that if they didn't make the money by winning costume contests that they could get it from her 80 something year old step-father. After all - "he's so old - what does he need the money for anyway?" They also thought that it might be a good idea to move in with the "old man" and make their money at hobby and rock hound shows. Is ther anybody on the planet that thinks this is a good idea? Is there anyone who would say to their grown children - "hey, that's a great plan - move in with me and I'll take care of you while you make it happen - no matter how long it takes".

How to pay the rent?

A while back I met a couple - he was 42 and she 27 - they had just spent all their rent money to buy a couple of pit bulls and get the vet bills taken care of when the pit bull they already had didn't like the new additions. Although it looked grim, the couple was in luck - it was almost Halloween after all and the year before they had won $200.00 first place in the costume contest at their favorite bar. They reasoned that if they spent their remaining $100.00 on fabric they should be able to win again. And if they entered several bar contests they should be able to win enough money to take care of the rent or at least get close enough that they could put off the land lord for another month.

I pointed out to them that while creative it is not a practical solution to the problem. They have a maturity problem - doing things they cannot afford at the expense of paying for their necessities. It is time to grow up - get regular jobs and act like responsible adults as opposed to 14 year old kids!

What would you have said to this enterprising couple? Do you think this sounds like a good idea? Was I too hard or just right?

Only the Beginning

All things have a beginning and so it is with this blog. I plan to share my thoughts and experiences from interviews and consultations that I've had over the many years I have been in the mental health field. Many of which you may wonder what in the world people were thinking. Other things you may find hit pretty close to home. All in all I hope to generate discussion and perhaps we can all learn to make our world a little better place in which to live.