Mattes's Musings by KC2GIK

I hate when people say that I should walk a mile in some elses shoes. That is just such bullshit and so is the grass is always grennier on the other side. The grass isn't always greener because if it was we all lie cheat and steal to get there. One of the first lessons in life is that it isn't fair. Ok I am not that religious but I always enjoyed this story. Whenever my great aunt hhears me complain about how my life isdn't fair she tell-s the "Cross Story". Her goal was to make me see that my life isn;'t as bad as I so-metimes make it out to be. One day a man think he has the problems of the world on his shoulders. He goes "God I can't handle this cross. May I please have another?" God responds "OK follow me" and the go into a room filled with crosses. The guy picks one of the crosses up and says it''s too heavy. He picks another up and say it drags on the ground and is slowing him down. Finally the man finds a cross in the co...

Being it's the Monday after Thanksgiving I should label this as such, but I am not renaming "Part I". Alright the traditional Wenesday night barfest continues, with a twist this year. People that think New Year's Eve is a big drinking holiday don't go out the night before Thanksgiving. Knowing you have four full days to mend your wounds from a very late evening helps too. In a way it's even better than Christmas Eve, only different is you arenn't looking forward to the next morning.It came into question a mulititude of times if I could survive the walking. Although thee timing and the amount of drinking, was perfet! The bars up in Pearl River NY held something called a bar crawl consisting of a number of bars all within walking distance, yes even by my standards. It's something my brother wanted to do last year, but wound up staying in one bar. Alright the night began with an opening round at Felix's House. Ok all Thanksgivings open with drinks a...

Ever since I was little I could always remember I like Christams better than Thanksgiving (what kid doesn 't?). Alright that still maybe true but I can say with a straight face I like the week that leads upto Thanksgiving better thaN the week leading upto- Christmas. Maybe it's because Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday, no matter what the DATE it falls on. One of the very few highlights of going to school here was that the week before Thanksgiving was always half days, it still remains the same today, Monday and Tuesday are parent-teacher conferences and they make Wenesday a half day jut because it's the day before Thanksgiving. The night before has become just as important, it started in high school when we had the tradition Pascack Valley bon fire. Ok I only made it the t h e last two of my five year at PV, but they both were what I would consider two of the higlights of going to high school. Now that we're older my other brother Peter and I go out to the bars...

Jon Corzine was never actually in danger of losing the election, it just seemed that way. Right from the beginning everyone knew, and publicly aknowledged Corzine was the dead on favorite. It was a simple as getting a Democrat far enough away from McGreveey, he fit the bill. Some might argue he is just another "looney liberal" but he falls short ofd a Kennedy, Polosi or the worst of the bunch, Howard Dean. I met Corzine a few times, knew he would always be n the right side of the issues, but I am in no way declaring my undying loyality to the Democratic party. They have so much wrong with their orginization, it's sickening. Howard Dean being in charge is all the evidence I need to prove my theory. Putting a medical doctor in charge of a political orginization is JUST AS BAD as having a trial lawyer at the helm. An exception to the rule is Lindsay Graham of South Carolina who would get my vote any day of the week I split my vote, I seldomly vote strictly on party lines....

As I did with Peter Jennings a few months back, I wanted to pay my respects to Rosa Parks in my own way. If you do a search for "Tribute to Rosa Parks" on your favorite search engine you will get more than you could ever want her life and now her legend. Ms Parks (she never married) has achieve more than any of the top figures leading the civil rights movement today because she left definance as a last measure. . The true civil rights leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King being the most recognizable, used definance as a last resort and united not only Black but any other believers in civil right. They changed people's minds by appeal to their hearts. They preached they you can't always use the same tactics and you must draw attention to your cause without seeming totally unreasonable. They also knew small battles would win the war and knew the difference between equal justice and special treatment, something that the new "civil rights" leaders utterly lack. Wha...

The best ideas can have the worst results. People feel they have to show rank in order to seem important. The lastest debate oon t he license plate list is a discussion over whether or not we should be grading collectors based on the number of good or bad transactions completed. I t doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, I know I wouldn't want a "black mark" next to my name just because a deal went sour. Most collectors realize when someone goes on a rant about a paricular transaction, people have to take it with a grain of salt. Repeat offenders usually are very easy to spot, they only really want to deal with strangers and try to keep the transactions as quite as possible. It's sad but true. However I am not ready to broadcast evvery single reason why I feel someone screwed me. I geuss I trust people too much, in return I do want them to trust me. Notice who endorsed the idea, a ruthless plate collector who doesn't leave room for the slightest error. I a...

If I wrote everything that went on over the last few days most people would be bored after the sixth sentence. Going out to Hershey was just like going on any other trip in which I convince my folks to take a few days off from work. For someone who has zero expirence as a negotiator, I think getting my folks to take three trips to virtually unknown destinations. Antique cars buff from around the world converge on the Chocolate, White and Red Fields.. I had my "travel bike" all charged and ready to go with one goal in mind, finding license plates. Hershey is the biggest "unofficial" license plate show ever without the typical feel of a regular meet! I bought about seven plates which isn't that many considering there were thousands of vendors around! The only problem was I hahd one day to cover miles of ground and had to stift through the junk. The result five plates one was a sovunier plate from the car show itself. The one New Jersey plate was a n old courte...