Damn snow Apr. 11th, 2007

Can you believe this shit?
Seriously, I awoke this morning thinking about not going to school.  So I called my professor and told him I needed an excused absence.  Then I came downstairs and looked outside.  Voila; there is the snow...I hate Chicago weather.  The only bad thing about this city is the weather.  I would never complain about being here, nor would I ever leave if the weather was better.  But since all, I repeat, ALL of my family lives here, I am in between a rock and a hard place.  If my family was scattered then maybe I could go other places and crash on a couch in a basement.  Of course, those would be family members would have to live in warmer climates.  I hate fucking snow.  I can't snowboard because there are no mountains, I can't sled because most of the good hills are too far away, and the toboggan hill is closed at Caldwell woods for repairs.  I hate snow...
As for the rest of my life, things are mediocre.  I just paid all my bills and I am again broke for another two weeks.  It is going to be a long summer.  But the good thing is that I have managed my finances pretty well; so I really shouldn't complain.  I mean I earned a mere 10,000 bux last year (not including my book sales).  I live in a huge three bedroom house w/two car garage, and all my bills are paid, my cats are fed, and so am I.  Plus I still have enough money to travel this summer, fall, and next spring.  Which means I am doing quite well compared to the amount of money I make.  Not to mention, there are people out there struggling who make over 100,000 bux a year.
The stock market has been treating me pretty well also.  I have been doing a little playing lately.  There is a company with the symbol VSH; aka Vishnay; but it looks like a promising lead.  I have been riding the Freeport mining company but that looks like it is coming to an end.  FCX is the symbol for that.  I like researching companies, but it takes up a lot of time and energy to go through all the numbers and the various other informative tools. 
I have two weeks left of school; and then Alice Cooper says 'School's Out for the summer'.  I also applied for a new job.  I have to wait and see if I get it, but it is a public speaking job.  It is right up my alley.  Although it is not full time; actually it is only two appointments a month.  But it will increase my yearly income by 6000 bux.  I had to do a demo yesterday for it, and I have to admit I have some talent.  I didn't get home last night until 11 PM.  Which is why I didn't feel like going to school this morning.  But the money the job will bring in is worth the missed curriculum.  I had another interview set up for tomorrow morning, but I cancelled it because I don't like the hiring practices of the company.  They sent me all the paperwork through my email, and they do background checks (because of 9/11) which are very intrusive into my life.  They hired an outside agency to do DMV, Credit Reports, Workmen's Compensation, Criminal History, etc.  Now I know this is the norm for Corporate America, but I believe that if a company wants to hire someone they shouldn't rely on an outside agency to make their decisions about potential employees.  Plus, the job is an inside sales job.  I mean seriously, in all my years of sales, I have met some shady guys who could sell, sell, sell, and I guarantee none of them could pass a background check.  But they could increase profits, which is the bottom line in the sales industry.  So, I told them 'I thought their hiring practices were Anti-American because they were not trying to hire the most suitable person for the job.'  America is built on performance.  The best qualified candidate should be the person who gets the job.  Whether or not they pay their bills on time, or if they get a lot of speeding tickets, should NOT matter.  Now, I know there are people who will read this that disagree with me, but I am entitled to my opinion and you are entitled to yours.  I think the security of our nation is not going to get better by allowing companies to pick apart your Past life.  As a matter of fact I am very suspicious of the reasoning behind this type of intrusion.  The government already has access to this information, so for a company to have to do this type of research because the government says so, makes no sense.  Actually it is a way for the government to accrue this information without having to do their own research.  They (government) figure if they force this companies to do the work, then they can reap the benefits of information.  This is why the USA PATRIOT Act is bad law.  I mean look at the trouble it has already caused by The Justice Dept., FBI, Homeland Security, The White House, etc.  When politicians think that new laws will not be abused by these organizations, they are dead wrong.  These organizations do not want constriction, and this ACT provided them the necessary laws to no longer be held accountable for Invading American's privacy.  I believe (and have said it since this ACT was enacted) that the USA PATRIOT Act is a violation of The Constitution.  For it to even have USA PATRIOT as it's acronym is a farce in itself.  But luckily these legal entities have overstepped their boundaries and now Congress is seeing exactly what I saw 6 years ago when this bill was passed.  America is the home of the FREE and I bleed Red, White, and Blue.  I have a voice and I will not be silenced by the various laws that try to restrict my freedom, silence my voice, or take away my liberty.  Get it straight, America is about Choice, and my choice is to Stand Here On My Soapbox And Tell It Like It Really Is!!!!

I am done rambling and ranting now.  Hope your day is going good.

Kenny