Fun Monday 09.22.08

This week's Fun Monday is being hosted by Heather's Recipes.

The Rules:

The topic: Sports. More specifically, the sports team that you are rabid about. Maybe you love the Dallas Cowboys. Maybe you never miss a Cincinnati Reds game. Perhaps you follow every goal of the Fighting Illini Water Polo team. Or maybe nobody can tear you away from a Manchester United game. I want to hear about whatever sports team(s) that make you cry tears of joy when they win and tears of sorrow when they lose.

And on the flip side, I also want to hear about the teams you love to hate and why you hate them so much. You know what I mean. Like when you meet a new friend who is really cool and fun, and then you find out they root for your most hated rival team and you actually consider for a moment that you can't be friends anymore. Those teams.

That's it. And if you don't like any sports at all, I don't know what to say to you. Tell us something else you are impassioned about.

Robocop's Comment:

I am not a die hard sports fan anymore. But given the opportunity, I can enjoy an occasional football game.



On my rare moments of NFL fanaticism, I am a New York Giants fan. Two silly reasons really. First, they are as close to my old hometown team I can get without having to root for the Buffalo Bills (the best Second Place Team the NFL has ever produced). Second, they made it to last years Superbowl, and the Dallas Cowboys did not.

As for a team I rally love to hate:





I hate the Dallas Cowboys. Why? Because a good number of them will probably end up being "customers" of mine. What a collection of thugs. Do you know what they call a dope deal in a stadium? A huddle. They are living proof that money will never change a street punk.

Well,that's it. Enjoy Fun Monday!

Fun Monday 09.15.08

This week's host for Fun Monday is Crunchy Bits.

The Rules:

Almost everyone I know keeps things that others would consider junk. Twist ties, used wrapping paper, etc. What thing or things do you hang on to, and why?
Or, if you are one of those super organized and practical people and don't hang on to things like that, do you have a collection that you would like to share with us?

Before I post, just let me warn you all that pics are impossible, thank you Vista.
Now as for the rules, I think I fit both the pack rat, and the collector category.

Things I have that I should throw away:

>Memos and scrap paper from work,

>empty snuff cans,

Why? Memos and scrap paper: I am always afraid I might discard an important note from work. Snuff cans: No excuses.

Things I collect:

>Comic books. My favorite titles include "The Punisher", "X-Men", "Wolverine",and "Sleep Walker".

>Gun magazines and catalogs.

>Boots(mainly military type)

>Guns and knives.

>Bibles

Am I super organized? Nope. I was,once. I even had a computer inventory for both the comic books and the guns. That was two computers ago. For now on,I just wing it.

Fun Monday 07.28.08

The week's Fun Monday is being hosted by Mommy Wizdom.

The Rules:

If you were ruler for a day/week/month/year (your choice on the time) you would...

ex...make coffee free to all citizens. Or you'd abolish the penny. You may also specify if you're ruler of the world or just your country. Have fun with it; be creative.

If you like to dress up, you may also choose to take pictures of yourself in your "ruler" outfit(s) and post them up with your entry.

Robocop's Comment:

This one is going to be fun. It is too bad that I could not upload or download images for this post (thank you Vista), but I will work with what I have. Of course, the rules do not specify one thing, which is good for me, because I have a number of things which I would do...

If I were ruler for a year (in this case, the year 1787) of the United States Of America, I would do a number of things. These things would not necessarily be in this order. Before I proceed, here is a quick SITREP of the year: It has been about four years since the American Revolutionary War was officially over with the Treaty Of Paris. The novice politicians were in the process of establishing a new form of government for the United States Of America. Now there are a few things I would have done to clarify our great country, and to avoid the future misunderstandings that would plague our history.

I would have freed the slaves,

gave women, and all races the right to vote (as long as they were US citizens),

legislated racial and gender equality,

actually paid the Revolutionary War Veterans their due,

and made common English the national language from the get go.

In addition to the above, I would have clarified The United States Constitution. Did I mention that I we would be using common English? I think the snobbish intellectual mindset of our founders caused them to write the document too formally, paving the way to future confusion. I would have it state things as what they actually meant. Now for a small example, I will use the Bill Of Rights, which are the first ten Amendments to The US Constitution. I might even tweak it out a small bit.

Amendment I

Before:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

After:

Congress will not force the people to worship God, or prevent them from worshiping God on their own free will. The peoples' right say what they want, write what they want, assemble in peaceful protest, or complain to the Government will not be interfered with.

Amendment II

Before:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

After:

The people have the individual right to keep, and carry arms for the purpose of defending their safety, and liberty.

Amendment III

Before:

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

After:

No homeowner or tenant will be required to house a soldier.

Amendment IV

Before:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

After:

There will be no unreasonable searches and seizures of the people, their homes, their property without a warrant attained due to an actual reason. The warrant will specify person, place, or thing to be searched and/or seized.

Amendment V

Before:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

After:

No Citizen will be charged with a serious crime without a Grand Jury indictment, unless in the service of the armed forces in time of crisis. No one will be tried twice for the same crime, forced to testify against himself, or deprived in any way without due process. Private property will not be taken for public use without just compensation that reflects the current market value.

Amendment VI

Before:

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

After:

In all criminal prosecutions, the citizen who is accused has a right to a quick public trial by jury not to exceed 30 days, at the State and district the crime was committed. He will be told what he is accused of, confront and obtain witnesses, and to have legal representation.

Amendment VII

Before:

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

After:

In Civil suits that involve values exceeding twenty dollars, the right to trial by jury will be preserved.

Amendment VIII

Before:

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

After:

Excessive bail or fines will not be imposed. The punishment shall always fit the crime.

Amendment IX

Before:

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

After:

If a right is not listed in the Constitution, it does not meant a right does not exist, as long as it does not harm anyone.

Amendment X

Before:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

After:

Powers not given to the Federal Government specifically are reserved to the State governments.

Would this have changed history? Yes. This might have even prevented Civil War. Would this have prevented interpretation by the courts? No, but it would be harder for judges to make up stuff too.

I hope this was not too boring.

Fun Monday 07.21.08

Wow, it has been awhile since I did a Fun Monday. This week's Fun Monday is being hosted by Irish Coffeehouse.

The Rules:

Careers- Then and Now

THEN: As a child day dreaming of what your future would hold for you, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you ever pursue or achieve it?

NOW: If you could be trained and placed in any career beginning tomorrow, what would it be?

THEN:

Now this is a tall order because as a small child,I wanted to do many things. My childhood dreams included being a soldier, police officer, doctor, or lawyer. As I progressed into my teen years, I narrowed it down to lawyer. I am not too sure what happened after that because after my first semester of college, I was no longer interested in becoming a lawyer.

What I ended up doing is completing a double degree in Public Administration/Criminal Justice with a minor in Economics. I did, however, end up serving as a Soldier for 8 years (4.5 Active,3.5 Reserve), a Police Officer for a combined five years (two different departments), and a Corrections Officer for a combined seven years (one department, and one company), which I am currently doing.

NOW:

Currently, I am a Sergeant/Corrections Officer. What I would do if I had the means to do so is go back to college and get a job teaching either High School,or College History. It has always been my best subject in both high school, and college. I would teach both what is in the current text books, and what is reality, since they are not the same thing these days. Since I am not either a spring chicken, or rolling in the dough, this will always remain a pipe dream, but hey, without dreams, there would be no hope.

Now to end this post with some inspirational music:

Fun Monday 02.11.08

This week's Fun Monday is being hosted by Crown Princess.

The Rules:

Music plays a vital role in most of our lives. It is everywhere. I want to hear the ONE song that is you. The song that whenever it is heard, you smile. I am not looking for the soundtrack of your life, just that one song. Your friends hear it and think of you. You can post the video, the lyrics, the wav file. However you want to post it is great.

Be careful what you ask for. This song is my theme.


"The Unforgiven"


Artist:Metallica

New blood joins this earth
And quickly he's subdued
Through constant pained disgrace
The young boy learns their rules

With time the child draws in
This whipping boy done wrong
Deprived of all his thoughts
The young man strugggles on and on he's known
A vow unto his own
That never from this day
His will they'll take away-eay

Chorus

What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never be
Never see
Won't see what might have been
What I've felt
What I've known
Never shined through in what I've shown
Never free
Never me
So I dub thee UNFORGIVEN

They dedicate their lives
To RUNING all of his
He tries to please THEM all
This bitter man he is
Throughout his life the same
He's battled constantly
This fight he cannot win
A tired man they see no longer cares
The old man then prepares
To die regretfully
That old man here is me

Chorus


You labeled me
I'll label you
So I dub thee UNFORGIVEN
Never Free
Never Me
So I dub thee UNFORGIVEN
You labeled me
I'll label you
So I dub thee UNFORGIVEN

Fun Monday 02.04.08

This week's Fun Monday is hosted by Tiggerlane.

The Rules:

Have you heard of The Bucket List? Well, that's what I want from you! Make a list of things you want to do before you die. It must be at least five items - and you can make it as long as you desire. Photos are optional. And let's hear about some of the wackiest, most bizarre to-do's on your Bucket List!

Robocop's Bucket List

1. Restore my gun collection to its former glory, and then expand it.
2. Get a job that has weekends off.
3. Travel to The Holy Land with the family.
4. Travel to Rome with the wife only.
5. To not just survive from paycheck to paycheck.
6. Be right with The Lord.
7. Actually own a home.
8. To make a difference in someone's life.
9. Win the lottery.
10. Learn how to make boots.
11. I want to be an extra in a Star Trek movie.
12. Kick a Hippy male in the junk to see if it would effect him.
13. Raise my children to be politically incorrect.
14. Spend a month in the Smithsonian.

I am sure this list will grow as I think of more items to add.

Fun Monday 12.17.07

This weeks Fun Monday is being hosted by Kitten. This weeks assignment:

Today for Fun Monday I thought it would be neat to hear about the story behind your home and the road you live on. It doesn't have to be historical, maybe just something that stands out to you. It would be nice to have pictures to go with your little story. I also would like to know who has the oldest house. Whoever has the oldest house will get a little Christmas treat from little ole me.

Well, Debs pretty much took care of the actual history of our housing development. My neighborhood was part of the Fort Wolters military reservation. The actual house we live in was part of the "officer housing."

Below is a picture of a typical house in the neighborhood. I do not yet have a camera, so I could not get a pic of our actual house, but they are all basically the same.



I have no clue regarding the origin of our street name. How we got there was a matter of economic necessity. I just started working the local prison, and current gas prices did not permit us to live in our old town. The old town was full of snobby wannabees anyway. My only memories of our current house are just that, current.

Fun Monday 11.19.07

Karisma is hosting this week's Fun Monday.

The Rules:

"I want you to take a trip down memory lane, and keep right on going, right back to your childhood. And I want to hear "THAT STORY". You remember the one? Yes, you do! The one your parents, siblings, extended family or friends, would never let you forget, live down or get over!"

Well, I'll try to remember that far back. No pictures to post, since all of my childhood pictures are back home in New York. Now this is a story that only my mother would remember.

Time warp back to 1978. I was 11 years old, and attending Catholic School. During Lunch Recess, I tied someone's shoe laces together, and no one could untie the knots. The nun, in all of her wisdom, concluded that I could not be at the school for lunch anymore. Before you ask, even in the 1970's, there was no open campus in elementary school. Now she made one minor mistake which starts my month-long adventure. She failed to notify my parents that I was going to be eating lunch off school grounds for an hour at a time.

Month Of Culinary Bliss

Imagine. A piggy bank full of silver dollars, and every restaurant within a half hour's walk at my disposal. All I had to do is not get killed for an hour. Micky D's, Seven Stars Chinese Take Out, KFC, Gino's Cheese Steaks, etc... I think I gained twenty pounds in that month.

All Good Things...

So here I am, eating like a king, then the money runs out. Panicked, I decided to take my life into my hands, and tell my mother.

Things were said when I told my mom. The only words from her I remember are "For a MONTH?!?" The very next day, my mother went to the school, and had a heart to heart chat with Sister Francis. From that time on, the nun not only let me eat at school again, but she was rather nice to me. Did mom punish me? Nope. She figured that walking around in an area that featured a body every other week was punishment enough. She did not even tell my Dad.

From time to time, mom still remembers the above event.

Lessons Learned

>Do not tie any knot that cannot be undone.

>Always save your change. You never know when you will need it.

>Keep your kids away from nuns. Some of them could be sadistic.

Fun Monday 11.06.07

It has been awhile since I participated in a Fun Monday, so I decided to go with this one, which is being hosted by Deborah who is not to be confused with Debs.

I want to hear about or see a holiday tradition, recipe or event. It can be any holiday you like or that is special to your family. With Thanksgiving and the Winter holidays coming up, those would be especially apt, but anything that is special for your family is fine. If you have pictures - it's a bonus! Whether it's your Mom's famous stuffing recipe, going caroling on Christmas Eve, Diwali dances, or even the inevitability of Great Aunt Polly having one too many brandies and knocking over the Christmas tree - I want to hear about it!!!

Since the blog world is so global this might be a learning experience too - exposing us to other cultures and traditions - something I always welcome!

Since Debs is posting basically how we spend our holiday, I am going to post about how I spent the holidays with my parents.

First the Menu. It is my father, not my mother, who is the cook of the house. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner were the same mix of both traditional American, and some Asian elements.

>Roast Turkey with stuffing AND, not or;

>Glazed Ham with pineapple;

>yams;

>cranberry sauce;

>home made egg rolls. I know they are home made because as a child, I had to help roll them up. Usually a mixture of ground beef, and peas;

>Pancit Canton. This was basically a noodle dish with pork, shrimp, and chicken;

>Singapore Mai Fun, which is a spicy Rice Stick dish;

>Jumbo Shrimp Tempura, or Fried Battered Shrimp;

>Fried Rice with egg, pork, shrimp, bean sprouts, you name it.

Needless to say, we got full, and leftovers were plentiful. Grace was said at both meals. Even the pets got their fill. Wine was the drink of choice, any wine.

On Thanksgiving, the only other activity consisted of watching (or in my high school days, playing) football.

On Christmas, the day started out with Midnight Mass, some sleep, and the gift phase, followed by a big breakfast, and then the feast described above.

Special note on the gift phase:

My birthday is VERY close to Christmas. With this fact in mind, a family holiday tradition was called "Let's Screw Over Robocop and combine gifts and cards." This was not really the intention, but it was funny to call it that. Either Christmas, or Birthday Cards were modified neatly to include the other event. Birthday and Christmas gift wrap was interchanged. Not a problem now, but as a child, it was alittle frustrating**LOL**

Well, that's it. I hope someday to travel back home, and do this again with my parent, if I could only get those holidays off. I am not one of the Warden's pets, so I cannot see this happening in the near future.

Enjoy!