This time of year, at least for my wife Margie, is a time of basketball bliss.
Yep, March Madness.
Margie and her side of the family are THE sports fanatics. Especially where college sports are concerned. Having to often write sports stories for the radio station where I work, I've been able to brush-up on my ability to relate to things going on in the world of sports.
With this being one of the most mild winters in western Pennsylvania history, this weekend marked the first in years where not only could you watch the NCAA Championships on TV, you could go outside and enjoy a half-court pickup game in our driveway.
Even I couldn't believe what I was seeing in the weather forecasts I was poring through while at the radio station.
Highs in the 80s...lows in the 50s. Enough to turn the furnace off and open the windows.
This past week's weather in particular made me wonder if I should scrap our vacation plans to Hilton Head this fall and stay closer to home, with gas prices now hovering at $4 a gallon with predictions of price hikes so great that Americans will be crossing the border to Canada to buy our gas, thus reciprocating the situation there.
Uh, no. Not gonna happen. I'll take a second job to pay for my gas first.
I had made an hour-long drive from Butler to Hermitage (near the Ohio state line) to cover a board of trustees meeting at a branch campus of our local community college.
After the meeting, I walked outside to what felt like near 90. Three female students were impromptu sunbathing on the sidewalk, all wearing tank tops, shorts and flip-flops. Outside of Wal-Mart, that attire is unheard of this time of year in western Pennsylvania.
On my way back to the radio station, I decided to stop and pick up lunch at one of the few remaining Arthur Treacher's franchises nearby. Enroute, I saw a convertible and a Jeep Wrangler with their tops down.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Even I gave in to the urge and fired up the station van's air conditioner.
NEXT WEEK: Winning at Wining
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Washer Whoas...Part III
Two blissful loads of laundry in our new washer/dryer stack.
Then "IT" happened.
Even I couldn't believe it.
Putting the third load in the dryer was what I expected to be rather uneventful.
A loud squeal, and then suddenly it made more noise than a busted chainsaw.
It still dried clothes, and it still did what it was supposed to do. Except to do it quietly...and without vibrating the house apart.
Much like losing your muffler...the car still works fine, but eventually the noise is going to drive you bonkers or further damage is going to occur.
Fortunately, it was still under warranty, and we did buy the extended coverage.
I called the customer service number to Concord, North Carolina. A deep-drawled Southern belle came on the line to assist me.
"What's it doing, sir?" she asked.
I had the dryer going at the time, so I simply brought the phone up to it.
"Hear that?" I inquired.
"Dang...sounds like a lawn mower!"
That's a bit of a stretch. My 1975 Gravely 812 doesn't sound that loud, though my two-year-old daughter would disagree as she holds her hands up to her ears.
She sets up the appointment for the tech to come out. He takes off a couple panels, turns it on and takes a look.
"I can't find anything mechanically wrong with it. So we're going to order all new parts for it and just go through it one at a time. They'll ship them here, and then you call us back and set up the time for me to come back out."
Not something I have to waste an entire day for. I called my dad, and he agreed to come out and let the guy in.
Then the day came...and the repairman said the part he needed wasn't included with what he had shipped to us. He'd have to order another one.
Uh...no. We called Lowe's and got them to exchange it for another dryer.
Lowe's came out and delivered the new unit. It tested fine.
We've done two loads now without any problems.
But I'm still going to wait awhile before I write my online review.
Just in case.
NEXT WEEK: March Mildness
Then "IT" happened.
Even I couldn't believe it.
Putting the third load in the dryer was what I expected to be rather uneventful.
A loud squeal, and then suddenly it made more noise than a busted chainsaw.
It still dried clothes, and it still did what it was supposed to do. Except to do it quietly...and without vibrating the house apart.
Much like losing your muffler...the car still works fine, but eventually the noise is going to drive you bonkers or further damage is going to occur.
Fortunately, it was still under warranty, and we did buy the extended coverage.
I called the customer service number to Concord, North Carolina. A deep-drawled Southern belle came on the line to assist me.
"What's it doing, sir?" she asked.
I had the dryer going at the time, so I simply brought the phone up to it.
"Hear that?" I inquired.
"Dang...sounds like a lawn mower!"
That's a bit of a stretch. My 1975 Gravely 812 doesn't sound that loud, though my two-year-old daughter would disagree as she holds her hands up to her ears.
She sets up the appointment for the tech to come out. He takes off a couple panels, turns it on and takes a look.
"I can't find anything mechanically wrong with it. So we're going to order all new parts for it and just go through it one at a time. They'll ship them here, and then you call us back and set up the time for me to come back out."
Not something I have to waste an entire day for. I called my dad, and he agreed to come out and let the guy in.
Then the day came...and the repairman said the part he needed wasn't included with what he had shipped to us. He'd have to order another one.
Uh...no. We called Lowe's and got them to exchange it for another dryer.
Lowe's came out and delivered the new unit. It tested fine.
We've done two loads now without any problems.
But I'm still going to wait awhile before I write my online review.
Just in case.
NEXT WEEK: March Mildness
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Washer Whoas...Part II
You read the first part last week, how our $2000 washer/dryer stack suddenly went south on us.
Once we got the news about the repair costs, I began to wonder about just how much this machine was really worth.
I believed that finding a comparable replacement would probably run maybe $2500 based on general inflation. But I also believe in spending as little money as possible without sacrificing quality.
I went to my handyman father and cried on his shoulder.
"Just get a side by side," he said.
It got me thinking. I had been looking only at replacement stack units, believing them to be my only option, due to space restrictions in the laundry room.
I measured the distance between the gas valve about a couple inches from one wall and the other in the small alcove we have the foyer, which is where the previous homeowners moved the laundry once steps became a problem in their sunset years.
56 inches to work with. A very tight fit.
We could fit a side-by-side in there, but it would call for removing the door to the laundry closet, and restricting our use of it to the two top shelves, plus removal of the moulding around the door.
Doable. But frustrating.
We could have returned the washer and dryer to the basement. But we didn't want to give up that convenience of a ground-floor laundry room.
Especially with my "forty-something" knees that are going to surely turn on me one of these days without warning.
After a 'day date' on President's Day, we decided to go washer/dryer shopping. A few stores were offering sales in honor of the holiday.
Sears first. Then Home Depot. Then finally Lowe's.
We hadn't had much luck with the first two. But then we got to Lowe's. And there it was.
A laundry stack, but much better designed than our Neptune.
Stackable separates, they were called.
Separate controls for each unit. They did not need each other to exist. If one died, the other didn't need to die with it.
I like that. So did my short-statured spouse of five feet, two and a half inches, despite having to stand on her toes slightly to reach the dryer controls.
And it was within our budget. $899. Add in the stack kit, a new gas connection line, a three-year extended warranty, and tax, it came out to about $1300.
Sold.
But then the man who sold it to us had some bad news...they had the washer in stock, but not a gas dryer. They did have an electric one.
This would have meant getting my dad out to do an emergency 220 volt install so we could have our own laundry capabilities back.
Margie decided against that and decided it was worth the wait.
They put us in their computer for a delivery date of ten days after the sale. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait that long.
In fact, the phone call came four days later...after I had spent six hours at my in-laws condo doing about six loads of laundry.
The dryer was in, according to the message on my voice mail.
I immediately called them back.
"Can you bring it tomorrow?"
"We can do that, but we're not sure of what time."
"Fine."
The next morning, they called.
"We have you down from nine to eleven, sir. We'll try to make it as close to nine as possible."
They arrived at 9:30. They were on their way within an hour, after uncrating them, taking away the Neptune (but not before I harvested it to try and get money back through selling parts on eBay!), connecting the hoses and testing it, and explaining its operation.
Then the moment of truth.
We brought down a small load of clothes.
Washed and dried, then folded and put away. All within an hour.
And the world makes sense again.
It's amazing what we sometimes take for granted.
NEXT WEEK: Part III (oh yes, there IS a part 3!)
Once we got the news about the repair costs, I began to wonder about just how much this machine was really worth.
I believed that finding a comparable replacement would probably run maybe $2500 based on general inflation. But I also believe in spending as little money as possible without sacrificing quality.
I went to my handyman father and cried on his shoulder.
"Just get a side by side," he said.
It got me thinking. I had been looking only at replacement stack units, believing them to be my only option, due to space restrictions in the laundry room.
I measured the distance between the gas valve about a couple inches from one wall and the other in the small alcove we have the foyer, which is where the previous homeowners moved the laundry once steps became a problem in their sunset years.
56 inches to work with. A very tight fit.
We could fit a side-by-side in there, but it would call for removing the door to the laundry closet, and restricting our use of it to the two top shelves, plus removal of the moulding around the door.
Doable. But frustrating.
We could have returned the washer and dryer to the basement. But we didn't want to give up that convenience of a ground-floor laundry room.
Especially with my "forty-something" knees that are going to surely turn on me one of these days without warning.
After a 'day date' on President's Day, we decided to go washer/dryer shopping. A few stores were offering sales in honor of the holiday.
Sears first. Then Home Depot. Then finally Lowe's.
We hadn't had much luck with the first two. But then we got to Lowe's. And there it was.
A laundry stack, but much better designed than our Neptune.
Stackable separates, they were called.
Separate controls for each unit. They did not need each other to exist. If one died, the other didn't need to die with it.
I like that. So did my short-statured spouse of five feet, two and a half inches, despite having to stand on her toes slightly to reach the dryer controls.
And it was within our budget. $899. Add in the stack kit, a new gas connection line, a three-year extended warranty, and tax, it came out to about $1300.
Sold.
But then the man who sold it to us had some bad news...they had the washer in stock, but not a gas dryer. They did have an electric one.
This would have meant getting my dad out to do an emergency 220 volt install so we could have our own laundry capabilities back.
Margie decided against that and decided it was worth the wait.
They put us in their computer for a delivery date of ten days after the sale. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait that long.
In fact, the phone call came four days later...after I had spent six hours at my in-laws condo doing about six loads of laundry.
The dryer was in, according to the message on my voice mail.
I immediately called them back.
"Can you bring it tomorrow?"
"We can do that, but we're not sure of what time."
"Fine."
The next morning, they called.
"We have you down from nine to eleven, sir. We'll try to make it as close to nine as possible."
They arrived at 9:30. They were on their way within an hour, after uncrating them, taking away the Neptune (but not before I harvested it to try and get money back through selling parts on eBay!), connecting the hoses and testing it, and explaining its operation.
Then the moment of truth.
We brought down a small load of clothes.
Washed and dried, then folded and put away. All within an hour.
And the world makes sense again.
It's amazing what we sometimes take for granted.
NEXT WEEK: Part III (oh yes, there IS a part 3!)
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Washer Whoas
No, that's not a typo.
That's my reaction to what I was told when two different repair services quoted me a price of almost a thousand dollars to replace the rear bearing in our aging Maytag Neptune washer/dryer stack.
When we bought our home in 2009, all of the major appliances had been replaced within the past decade by our home's previous owners. Maytag stove, washer/dryer, and a Jenn Air refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave. All top-of-the-line stuff and just in time for the 21st Century.
I wrote previously about how the 'brain' went on the fritz for the dishwasher, at what couldn't have been a worse time...when our then-infant daughter was nursing and keeping her bottles clean and sterilized with this life-saving device was the most necessary of necessities.
Knock on wood here...we haven't had any problems with it since, once it was fixed, and it turned out to be fairly inexpensive.
Then went the washer.
We had grown accustomed to the washer sounding like a 747 taking off from JFK in a blizzard during the spin cycle. Then one day, it decided to stop spinning in the spin cycle altogether, leaving our clothes soaked.
The tech came out and said we should invest in a new washer and dryer. The motor control unit was responsible for the spin cycle failing, and the noise was caused by a faulty bearing in the washer drum that could fail at any given moment.
I dug out the papers on the stack (the previous owner saved all the paperwork), and found that he had paid close to $2000 for it brand-new. Uh...NOOOOO!!!!
I'll fix the dadburn thing myself.
I found a motor control unit on eBay. Changed it out, and put it all back together.
Then the moment of truth.
The bearing that could fail at any given moment did.
"*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*!!!"
Yes, the bleeps are expletives.
So I called two repair shops, one being the dealer that sold it to us. Balking, I called another.
Same result.
Almost $1,000 for the part...NOT including labor.
Ralph Nader probably had a field day with this thing. It was the subject of a class-action lawsuit in 2002...five years after it was introduced to the market, I would later find out.
"*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*!!!!"
Time to go shopping.
NEXT WEEK: Part II
That's my reaction to what I was told when two different repair services quoted me a price of almost a thousand dollars to replace the rear bearing in our aging Maytag Neptune washer/dryer stack.
When we bought our home in 2009, all of the major appliances had been replaced within the past decade by our home's previous owners. Maytag stove, washer/dryer, and a Jenn Air refrigerator, dishwasher and microwave. All top-of-the-line stuff and just in time for the 21st Century.
I wrote previously about how the 'brain' went on the fritz for the dishwasher, at what couldn't have been a worse time...when our then-infant daughter was nursing and keeping her bottles clean and sterilized with this life-saving device was the most necessary of necessities.
Knock on wood here...we haven't had any problems with it since, once it was fixed, and it turned out to be fairly inexpensive.
Then went the washer.
We had grown accustomed to the washer sounding like a 747 taking off from JFK in a blizzard during the spin cycle. Then one day, it decided to stop spinning in the spin cycle altogether, leaving our clothes soaked.
The tech came out and said we should invest in a new washer and dryer. The motor control unit was responsible for the spin cycle failing, and the noise was caused by a faulty bearing in the washer drum that could fail at any given moment.
I dug out the papers on the stack (the previous owner saved all the paperwork), and found that he had paid close to $2000 for it brand-new. Uh...NOOOOO!!!!
I'll fix the dadburn thing myself.
I found a motor control unit on eBay. Changed it out, and put it all back together.
Then the moment of truth.
The bearing that could fail at any given moment did.
"*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*!!!"
Yes, the bleeps are expletives.
So I called two repair shops, one being the dealer that sold it to us. Balking, I called another.
Same result.
Almost $1,000 for the part...NOT including labor.
Ralph Nader probably had a field day with this thing. It was the subject of a class-action lawsuit in 2002...five years after it was introduced to the market, I would later find out.
"*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*BLEEP*!!!!"
Time to go shopping.
NEXT WEEK: Part II
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Yellin' for Ellen
I like Ellen DeGeneres.
I like stand-up comedy. Unlike many of her contemporaries, her act is somewhat clean and more family-friendly than what's considered the norm.
And she's funny.
I also self-identify as a Christian. And I know that Ellen is openly gay. This was pretty much a forgotten issue since she came out in 1997, marking the occasion by kissing another woman on her now-former sitcom. Working at a small radio station in northern Michigan, I made sure I called the NBC television affiliate to see if they were going to air or pre-empt the show for that evening, as I was going to make it a news story.
"We're airing it," said the station manager.
People made noise about it. But it didn't take long for the dust to settle.
The show aired in just about every television market in the country. It turned out to be not that big a deal.
Now she has her own daytime TV talk show. Highly-rated, I might add.
We forgot about Ellen's personal life. Or we just chose to live and let live. Ellen is highly regarded as a genuine person who seems to care about others and not resort to tabloid-grade garbage, preferring to keep it real.
One Million Moms has not forgotten. This upstart conservative Christian group is threatening to launch a boycott campaign against JCPenney for hiring Ellen as their new spokesperson.
They must have hired the Westboro Baptist Church as their publicist.
When I watch or hear a commercial for JCPenney, or see an ad, the last thing I think about is their spokesperson. I'm looking for deals on shirts and shoes. I could care less about the face or name in the ad slick, to be honest with you.
OK, maybe if it were Charlie Manson, I'd reconsider. But come on, we're talking about a mass murderer versus a woman who just happens to like other women.
As I said, I self-identify as a Christian. I know my Bible. I know what the book of Leviticus says about homosexuality.
Leviticus 19:18 also says something that I find in conflict with that.
I also know Matthew 7:1. And I believe One Million Moms should take a second look at it if I were them.
I will leave that part up to God.
And so should they.
NEXT WEEK: All Washed Up
I like stand-up comedy. Unlike many of her contemporaries, her act is somewhat clean and more family-friendly than what's considered the norm.
And she's funny.
I also self-identify as a Christian. And I know that Ellen is openly gay. This was pretty much a forgotten issue since she came out in 1997, marking the occasion by kissing another woman on her now-former sitcom. Working at a small radio station in northern Michigan, I made sure I called the NBC television affiliate to see if they were going to air or pre-empt the show for that evening, as I was going to make it a news story.
"We're airing it," said the station manager.
People made noise about it. But it didn't take long for the dust to settle.
The show aired in just about every television market in the country. It turned out to be not that big a deal.
Now she has her own daytime TV talk show. Highly-rated, I might add.
We forgot about Ellen's personal life. Or we just chose to live and let live. Ellen is highly regarded as a genuine person who seems to care about others and not resort to tabloid-grade garbage, preferring to keep it real.
One Million Moms has not forgotten. This upstart conservative Christian group is threatening to launch a boycott campaign against JCPenney for hiring Ellen as their new spokesperson.
They must have hired the Westboro Baptist Church as their publicist.
When I watch or hear a commercial for JCPenney, or see an ad, the last thing I think about is their spokesperson. I'm looking for deals on shirts and shoes. I could care less about the face or name in the ad slick, to be honest with you.
OK, maybe if it were Charlie Manson, I'd reconsider. But come on, we're talking about a mass murderer versus a woman who just happens to like other women.
As I said, I self-identify as a Christian. I know my Bible. I know what the book of Leviticus says about homosexuality.
Leviticus 19:18 also says something that I find in conflict with that.
I also know Matthew 7:1. And I believe One Million Moms should take a second look at it if I were them.
I will leave that part up to God.
And so should they.
NEXT WEEK: All Washed Up
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Snow Excuses
Though we're in one of the mildest winters we've seen in western Pennsylvania for some time, every once in a while, Old Man Winter rears his ugly head and forces me into the garage to fire up my tractor.
Not that my arm really needs twisting to do this.
I hate snow, but I don't really mind going out for the cleanup.
Because I have the tools to do it well.
I have a 12 horsepower Gravely tractor. Anyone who's heard of the name Gravely knows exactly what these tractors are and what they can do. After the last of the grass-cutting season, I pull off the mower deck and hook up the snow blade.
So I don't have to come up with excuses to not clear the snow. In the event the tractor doesn't work, I have a snow blower as backup.
And I know my neighbors aren't as fortunate as me to be this well-equipped for western Pennsylvania winters, fickle as they may be.
So I share the love.
My next door neighbors are a great example. The teenage boy is usually in the driveway trying to dig his family out by hand. I learned of this one Saturday morning after coming back from breakfast with my wife and daughter after I had plowed our own driveway just a few hours before while it was still dark.
There was Brian, struggling with the shovel as we were pulling in the driveway. Margie and I looked at each other.
"Should I go bail him out?" I asked her.
She nodded. "That would be nice."
I put the truck in the garage and shouted over to him.
"Hey Brian...go in and get warm. I'll dig you out."
You would have thought I saved him from the electric chair right then and there.
He quickly rests the shovel against the porch. "Thanks! Thanks a lot!"
Don't mention it, kid.
I fire up the tractor and make my way next door, plowing out the driveway lane and what I can get of the area in front of the garage.
I still have gas in the tractor, and the neighbor on the other side of me has his cars strategically placed where I can get the tractor around them.
Not sure if that's by accident or design, but I take care of him too.
I don't do it for money or reward. It's just what you do.
Neighbors helping neighbors. The strength on which communities are built.
When it comes to snow removal, my dad's no exception.
Only he does it better.
He's got a skid-steer loader...what some call a Bobcat.
Don't have room in the garage for that.
NEXT WEEK: Yellin' for Ellen
Not that my arm really needs twisting to do this.
I hate snow, but I don't really mind going out for the cleanup.
Because I have the tools to do it well.
I have a 12 horsepower Gravely tractor. Anyone who's heard of the name Gravely knows exactly what these tractors are and what they can do. After the last of the grass-cutting season, I pull off the mower deck and hook up the snow blade.
So I don't have to come up with excuses to not clear the snow. In the event the tractor doesn't work, I have a snow blower as backup.
And I know my neighbors aren't as fortunate as me to be this well-equipped for western Pennsylvania winters, fickle as they may be.
So I share the love.
My next door neighbors are a great example. The teenage boy is usually in the driveway trying to dig his family out by hand. I learned of this one Saturday morning after coming back from breakfast with my wife and daughter after I had plowed our own driveway just a few hours before while it was still dark.
There was Brian, struggling with the shovel as we were pulling in the driveway. Margie and I looked at each other.
"Should I go bail him out?" I asked her.
She nodded. "That would be nice."
I put the truck in the garage and shouted over to him.
"Hey Brian...go in and get warm. I'll dig you out."
You would have thought I saved him from the electric chair right then and there.
He quickly rests the shovel against the porch. "Thanks! Thanks a lot!"
Don't mention it, kid.
I fire up the tractor and make my way next door, plowing out the driveway lane and what I can get of the area in front of the garage.
I still have gas in the tractor, and the neighbor on the other side of me has his cars strategically placed where I can get the tractor around them.
Not sure if that's by accident or design, but I take care of him too.
I don't do it for money or reward. It's just what you do.
Neighbors helping neighbors. The strength on which communities are built.
When it comes to snow removal, my dad's no exception.
Only he does it better.
He's got a skid-steer loader...what some call a Bobcat.
Don't have room in the garage for that.
NEXT WEEK: Yellin' for Ellen
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Drug Store
"I don't know why they don't just legalize it."
"There'd be less congestion in the court system if they'd quit fighting it."
"Nobody OD'd on marijuana."
All valid arguments.
Yet it is still illegal in the United States.
Some states have exemptions for medical reasons. Oh, who hasn't tried to work that angle and exploit it?
It's illegal because like most recreational drugs, they're destructive to society.
Or to keep it simpler...the same reasons why we don't sell alcohol (at least legally) to anyone under 21 years of age or tobacco to anyone under 18.
It's all about responsibility.
Crimes are committed with alcohol, yes. But how many more are committed under the influence of controlled substances?
And much more violent. The subculture that engages in the illegal drug trade is one fraught with peril. Cash only, weapons are often involved.
If we legalize marijuana, then it sets a precedent for cocaine, heroin, and other such substances.
Why do we need such substances to begin with? Is life that difficult to bear that we have to self-medicate time and time again?
And let's not forget that it hurts families...the ones who choose not to use.
A young couple exercising what they feel is their 'right' to live their lives the way they see fit. Their house littered with bent, burnt spoons, used needles and dirty syringes, while a hungry baby cries from her crib upstairs, because Mommy traded her WIC check so she could push off.
Or maybe a working husband of above-average means who can't give his wife and children a plausible reason why the electricity was suddenly shut off. Or who that shady-looking character was that he was speaking to in the driveway in the middle of the night.
Drugs kill people. They hurt families.
If life hurts that much, and the drugs make the pain go away, here's a suggestion:
Overdose.
That way the pain goes away forever. Makes sense, doesn't it? And you've done society a favor. I'll be the first to say thank you.
Too harsh?
Then get help.
Get it now.
And walk away from that life forever.
NOTE: If you or someone you love is suffering from a substance abuse problem, and you are a Pennsylvania resident, click this link:
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=14221&mode=2
NEXT WEEK: Snow excuse
"There'd be less congestion in the court system if they'd quit fighting it."
"Nobody OD'd on marijuana."
All valid arguments.
Yet it is still illegal in the United States.
Some states have exemptions for medical reasons. Oh, who hasn't tried to work that angle and exploit it?
It's illegal because like most recreational drugs, they're destructive to society.
Or to keep it simpler...the same reasons why we don't sell alcohol (at least legally) to anyone under 21 years of age or tobacco to anyone under 18.
It's all about responsibility.
Crimes are committed with alcohol, yes. But how many more are committed under the influence of controlled substances?
And much more violent. The subculture that engages in the illegal drug trade is one fraught with peril. Cash only, weapons are often involved.
If we legalize marijuana, then it sets a precedent for cocaine, heroin, and other such substances.
Why do we need such substances to begin with? Is life that difficult to bear that we have to self-medicate time and time again?
And let's not forget that it hurts families...the ones who choose not to use.
A young couple exercising what they feel is their 'right' to live their lives the way they see fit. Their house littered with bent, burnt spoons, used needles and dirty syringes, while a hungry baby cries from her crib upstairs, because Mommy traded her WIC check so she could push off.
Or maybe a working husband of above-average means who can't give his wife and children a plausible reason why the electricity was suddenly shut off. Or who that shady-looking character was that he was speaking to in the driveway in the middle of the night.
Drugs kill people. They hurt families.
If life hurts that much, and the drugs make the pain go away, here's a suggestion:
Overdose.
That way the pain goes away forever. Makes sense, doesn't it? And you've done society a favor. I'll be the first to say thank you.
Too harsh?
Then get help.
Get it now.
And walk away from that life forever.
NOTE: If you or someone you love is suffering from a substance abuse problem, and you are a Pennsylvania resident, click this link:
http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=14221&mode=2
NEXT WEEK: Snow excuse
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