Wisconsin Judge gives 7 year old right to decide custody.

A cute little joke going around the internet. Passed on to me by my friend, Eric T.


"A seven year old boy was at the center of a county courtroom drama yesterday when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him. The boy had a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulation requiring that family unity be maintained to the highest degree possible.

The boy surprised the court when he proclaimed that his aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried and said that they also beat him.

After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him.

After two recesses to check legal references and confer with the child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Minnesota Vikings, whom the boy firmly believes are no longer capable of beating anyone. "

Blogging 'Bout Boys: Guest Post: Nathan Musack on Spontaneous Learning

Blogging 'Bout Boys: Guest Post: Nathan Musack on Spontaneous Learning

Della

Monday night,  I watched our cat, Della, die.

I was not particularly attached to Della. In fact, when my wife's last cat died, I said I did not want another cat.

When a friend of ours was seeking a good home for Della because Della and her other cat did not get along, my wife decided she would take Della in. I told her I would have nothing to do with the care of this cat. I hate cleaning litter boxes. I don't want to clean up feces from an animal. I do not hate cats, nor any other pets. It's just that I had three children at the time, now I have four. I have changed countless diapers and I just did not feel I needed any kind of pet to add to things.

That said: Della was a good cat. She was affectionate and very mild natured. Della was very good with the children. She put up with a lot of grief from our two-year-old, Noah.  All she asked from us was food and water and to be pet once in awhile.

So. It was an unsettling experience for me to say the least. Details aside, Della essentially just laid down and died. I could see her life fading before my eyes. I knelt down by her and stroked her fur. I just knew she was dying. I knew there was nothing I could do to help her. All I could do was be with her as she breathed her last.

I think that having witness Della's death, I was affected more deeply than I think I would have been to find her dead in the morning. It was just such a sudden thing. Minutes before she passed, she was walking around by me. In retrospect, she was making strange, wheezing noises. I did not realize she was in distress. It was only when she lay down and I looked at her that I realized she was dying. So I, the one person in the house who had the least affection for Della, became the one to comfort her in her passing. Surprisingly, I miss Della. Last night, I found myself imagining seeing her. I expected to hear her scratching at the bathroom door where her food and water were. But she is gone.

I know.

I watched her die.

SOMETHING

I see it's been a month and a half since my last post. I really haven't had time to put words down anywhere. This is frustrating as hell.

Just an update on what's going on:

I have not quit smoking yet. I tried, very hard, but it is difficult. I had hoped to implement my plan and document my progress on this blog.

No real progress has been made. This is not unusual for me. If I don't really have my heart into something or any real determination, I am not going to get it done.

I haven't had any real determination for anything in a long time. I haven't been able to write. I haven't been able to motivate to do what I need around the house at home.

I have come to the realization that this blog has been mostly about how little I have to say and how little I've done.

I do have ideas going on right now. I have signed up on Associated Content. I have an idea to write a series of articles showcasing some of the wonderful attractions in and around the Milwaukee area.

I love where I live, (except for winter weather), and I find myself speaking enthusiastically about the area when I talk to people out of state. I figure it would be a great subject to write on since it is something I know and something I am enthusiastic about.

I am actually really excited to get writing again, even though I have been told that I have other important things to do first.

Moment of Clarity | Authspot

Please read this post by my friend, Frank. It inspired a jolt of self-awareness in me.

Moment of Clarity | Authspot

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I've spent my life trying to conform to society's expectations. I've always pretty much played "the game" and carried out my responsibilities.

As a result, I've been pretty unhappy most of my life. Now, I'm turning 40 and I just want to live for me. I want to get myself back. The trouble is: I don't know who that is. Well, not entirely anyway.

I know some of the things I'd like to do. I know some of the things I like doing now. But what I do does not necessarily make what I am.

Oh well...life's a journey. It's time for me to find the path for me.

Rearing Its Ugly Head

I had relaxed a bit on the health care thing. Well...not really relaxed. I had become resigned to there being no real reform. That became very clear with Max Baucus declaring that Single Payer would not be on the table in the reform effort. As soon as that was announced, I knew there would be no real reform.

Over the months to follow, we witnessed reform being chipped away. We've seen the whole thing turned into a political sham like everything else.

So what brings it back? Why do I want to bitch about this again?

It's the fact that my family is being squeezed even more. The health insurance industry continues to rape us. Our premiums haven't gone up, but our coverage continues to erode.

My company changed our insurance provider as of January 1 this year. We received a packet back in late November or early December. There was a letter explaining that our insurance would change as of January 1. What the letter did not tell us was that we should not seek any kind of medical help during the month of December.

What happened, what we are dealing with right now, is that the old insurance provider will not pay for some services that we received in December. These were routine check-ups for two of my children. These were normal, covered services under our plan. Now, the old insurance is not paying because they can't access my company's account or something like that. Basically, they are dicking us around. They are pulling normal health insurance crap. They are finding a way to not pay.

Aside from that, the new insurance doesn't cover certain services that we use as a family. We have to meet our deductible, $1000 for me, $1000 for my wife, $1000 for the kids before insurance will pay 80% for these services.

I don't give a crap what anyone says. I want single payer now.

Kickin' it.

I actually did pretty well yesterday sticking to my limit on cigarettes. I smoked 12. My limit is 10 this week.

That sounds like a fail, but considering I was a pack-a-day smoker, I think I did pretty well.

I got a couple interesting anonymous comments on my last post regarding the use of Camel Snus. I'm not sure what to make of them. A person directed me to some places to purchase Swedish Snus. I might actually try it out.

Another step I'm taking in my health quest is drinking green tea with peppermint tea. For one thing, t tastes good. For another, green tea is supposed to have good antioxidant properties as well as detoxification properties. I don't put much stock in herbal stuff, but like I said, it tastes good. So what the heck.