God's Practical Joke

     Today I am 44 years old. It's hard to believe, 44 doesn't seem as old to me as it did 30 years ago. It is what it is and the best thing for me to do is go along with it. I am sure you have heard stories from people over 40 saying that once they hit their forties their bodies, respectively speaking, started falling apart. I thought that was a little bit funny since I was in an accident at 38 and my body went through some incredible changes before 40. Thankfully, turning 40 was not a big life changer on my body or my health.

     Other than the fact that I have ocular histoplasmosis and from time to time I deal with double vision from the Traumatic Brain Injury. I am always thankful for my great vision.Other than those minor problems my vision is 20/15 or so it was at my last eye doctor visit. But today when I woke up my vision was drastically altered. Everything was blurry. I couldn't even read the messages inundating my iPhone. As minutes breezed by I started seeing everything else pretty clear, but I still couldn't read the text messages on my phone.

      Anyone who knows me knows I am a textaholic, if there is such a thing. So it was a huge disappointment for me to wake up on my 44th birthday and not be able to read the text and Facebook messages coming in from all my great friends and family wishing me a happy birthday. I kept thinking, maybe I am still sleeping. Maybe I have something in my eyes. Then, I started to recall a flood of stories I had heard from people over the years who told me about their bodies falling apart after their 40th birthday.

     Although I was terribly upset, I started going through my morning ritual but couldn't stop thinking of how depressing it is that my vision would leave me on my birthday of all days. A great friend called while I was in the shower. We spoke for a few minutes before I explained what I was doing and I would call her back.

    After I got out of the shower and dried off, I looked at my phone and could see my messages. I started laughing out loud because I think God was playing a practical joke on me. I guess that is what I get for all the practical jokes I play on my close friends and family all the time. Either way, I am so thankful to God that I can read the text messages on my phone.
Below is a picture of what my retinas look like. The dark area is where there is blood and the only way to stop the bleeding is with Lasers. I have to sit very still during the procedure or I will go blind.

Milton City Commission Meeting on 5/9/13

     The Milton City Commission met for its regularly scheduled meeting last Thursday, May 9, 2013 in the Milton Municipal Building. The commission discussed the upcoming Swap Meet to be held at the Milton City Park the weekend of May 11-12, 2013. Mayor Denny Jackson informed the Commissioners about a phone call conversation he had with a resident expressing concern about the care of the animals at the Swap Meet. Jackson instructed board members to walk around and make sure the animals are being cared for over the weekend. Commissioners also expressed ideas about what to do about vendors who set up a day early. The concern is that these vendors get a free day to distribute their ware because they show up and begin selling the day before the Swap Meet begins. Commissioner Lynn Comeaux asked the board, “If they (vendors) come early should they pay more?”  The Commissioners agreed to take time to look around Friday and discuss it more at another meeting.

     

     In other business, the Mayor reminded the board that they needed to finalize the annual operating budget for fiscal year 2013-2014. The Commissioners will have a budget workshop Monday, May 13 at 6PM. Among the concerns Commissioners face when preparing the budget will be to discuss increasing revenue by raising taxes. Once the board finishes the budget, they will have two public readings of the budget before it can be enacted by the end of June.

     The Milton City Commission meets on the second Thursday of every month at 7PM in the Milton Municipal Building located at 10179 HWY 421 North in Milton. The meetings are open to the public and residents are encouraged to attend. The next regularly scheduled meeting will be June 13. 

City of Milton Contact Information

Keeping Kentucky Roads Up to Snuff

      On Thursday May 9, 2013, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear announced the Transportation Cabinet would be awarding contracts worth 64 million dollars. As part of the Spring Asphalt Rehabilitation project, the money will be spread out across 45 counties. Governor Beshear said, “Our highway system supports virtually everything we do in Kentucky in terms of economic development, commerce, jobs, education and recreation.”   He added, “It represents an incalculable investment, and good stewardship requires that we keep it well-maintained.” The $64 million adds to the $27 million that was spent in April when the spring construction season began.

     Kentucky Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock said, “Providing safe and efficient travel routes through the Commonwealth is our main priority.” “Improving and maintaining our roadways through asphalt rehabilitation is just one of the ways we work toward this goal.”

     There are 66 individual contracts for the $64 million to be spent throughout the state as east as Pike County and as far west as Ballard County.

     Unfortunately, Trimble, Carroll, Oldham, and Henry Counties are not on the list to receive funding for road and highway construction at this time. 

Kentucky Press Release

List of Counties Affected

Trimble County High School will Host Track and Field Meets in 2015

     On Wednesday, May 1, the Trimble County school board met for its regularly scheduled meeting at the Bedford Elementary School. Eighth grade Science teacher Mrs. Teena Drake introduced part of her Student Energy Team to the board for a presentation on energy conservation. Students Kolton Starks, Daniella Tebib, Breanna Perry, Shelby Murray, Candice Neal, and Breanna Neal each informed board members about something specific they had learned throughout the year about saving energy. Board member Scott Burrows asked the students “Are you making changes at home?” The energy team members unanimously replied “Yes.”  Mrs. Drake likened the team to an energy police with manners. She pointed out how the team went around the school turning out lights in rooms that are not in use and how they politely remind other students to do the same. One student said the biggest lesson learned is to unplug electric cords to appliances that are not in use. The team will travel to Frankfort in June to receive an award on the state level.  

         In other business, the board approved the transfer of $746,508.59 from the General Fund to the Construction Fund for Phase II of the Athletics Project. Phase II of the Athletics project is to reconstruct the football field with a running Track around it as well as sand pits for Field events,  a new concession stand, bleachers for spectators, and many more much needed improvements.  If the construction goes as planned, the modernized facility will be ready for use before 2014-2015 school year begins that will allow the Track and Field team to host meets for the first time in school history as early as 2015.

     The board also agreed to approve the items on the consent agenda. The Boys’ Basketball team will be travelling to Transylvania University for a basketball camp from June 3 to June 5, 2013. Members of the Trimble County Middle School Beta club will be flying to Mobile, Alabama for the National Beta Convention June 15 through June 18. The board approved Bertke, Sparks, and Kremer as Auditors for the FY13 school year and named Roberts Insurance as the provider for Student Accident Insurance.  Balfour was awarded the bid to do the yearbooks for 2013-2014 school year and LifeTouch Portraits will be doing the student photographs.

    The next board meeting is scheduled for May 15, 2013 at 5:30 at the Trimble County School Administration Building. 

Pictured above (from Left to right) Mrs. Teena Drake, Kolton Starks, Daniella Tebib, Breanna Perry, Jaiden Beatty, Candace Neal, Shelby Murray, and Breanna Neal

Pictured above is the official drawing of Phase II of the Athletics Project at the Trimble County High School

Are you kidding me?

     Unless you have been hibernating in a cave somewhere deep in the forest, you have heard a plethora of news stories about the horrific blasts in Boston, MA on Patriot’s Day which happens to be the same day of the world famous Boston Marathon. Just a little recap, for those who have been in a cave, there were two explosions around 3:00pm in Boston Monday. The explosions took place close to a block apart near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Eight year old, Martin Richard, 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, and 23-year-old Lingzi Lu died in the bombing that also maimed and injured at least 170 more people. This is no doubt an act of terrorism.

      As information becomes available, news stations, bloggers, and reporters do their best to keep everyone up to date. Not long after the heinous act, the FBI identified a person from Saudi Arabia as a person of interest. They described him as a 20 year-old Saudi-national. Reporters and camera operators followed the FBI to the apartment of the ‘person of interest’ and watched as they carried out numerous brown paper sacks of what is believed to be evidence in the terrible crime. Any normal person would automatically think they must have some pretty good intelligence to be taking things from that person’s dwelling place, right?

     Not so fast, the FBI later came out and said the Saudi national was no longer a person of interest. They were back to ground zero of finding the person or group of persons responsible for this atrocity. So, why then did President Obama call an unscheduled meeting with the Prince of Saudi Arabia? The story from Reuters says he met with the Prince to discuss Syria. Are we, the American people, naïve enough to buy that story? The Syrian civil conflict has been going for almost two years and now our leader wants to talk to the Prince of Saudi Arabia. If that has you scratching your head, then something even more troubling is that the 20 year-old Saudi national who was the FBI’s first person of interest is now scheduled for deportation back to Saudi Arabia.

     What does the 20 year-old Saudi national know? What did the FBI carry out of his apartment? Who is he? Evidently, he is connected to some high ranking Saudi dignitaries. Will our leader allow a person who might know all there is to know about one of the worst acts of terrorism on US soil since 9/11? My answer is yes, yes he will. Regardless of all the ostentatious rhetoric coming from our President, he will serve himself before he serves us.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/specials/boston-marathon-explosions

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/obama-meets-saudi-foreign-minister-discusses-syria-223009934.html

http://www.infowars.com/obama-covering-up-saudi-link-to-boston-bombing/

IRS Monitors Facebook and Twitter

     If you thought the government was overstepping its bounds to fly drones over the country, you are not going to like the latest news from the IRS. According to an article from a fox affiliate in Washington, DC, every time the IRS has a red flag on someone they will begin browsing through your twitter feed and Facebook account.

     So, what exactly will they be looking at? Will they be looking to see how many restaurants you checked into over the last year? Will they be looking at the pictures you posted from your family’s vacation?  Whatever they are looking for I believe this is an overreach by a government that is moving closer to a police state than ever before.  One could argue that posting on Facebook and Twitter is public information. I disagree. Facebook provides its users multiple ways to protect the privacy of the information they post on there. If you do not want the IRS seeing how much money you are spending do not post it on Facebook or Twitter.

Click here to read the Story from myFOXdc 

Pillow Fight Day 2013

     In case you didn’t know, yesterday was International Pillow Fight Day. Local groups along with Urban Playground organized its 6^th annual pillow fight day. Pillow fights broke out in cities all around the world. Feathers were flying in Portland, ME, Washington, DC, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and many other spots around the world. People were laughing, smiling, and having a great time. Regardless of race, color, creed, sexual orientation, gender, or age, everyone was welcome to participate in the Free event. Bring a pillow and pick a fight. Some of the images around the web show pillow fighters wearing costumes or pajamas. 

Click to see images of Pillow Fighters and Flying Feathers