Roland3791

Ok, me is back... lots of photos, but so much to do.
I hope to post some within the next week or so.
I also have a lot of thanks to send out for fav's, but i'm not going to do much commenting on recent photos.  Being gone for over 3 weeks can really put you behind on that stuff.  Anyway, I'm back and alive, and will start going through stuff soon.  Talk to everyone soon.


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So the health care bill has passed, and information is coming out about it.  I may be a bit strange here, being a business owner, and a liberal.  Personally I'm happy to see this bill being made into law.  I hate to see employees who make a living wage unable to afford to take care of their families because they "make too much" to qualify for other forms of medical assistance.  It has even been the case of several employees who wished to reduce their pay, so that they would qualify for some provided medical coverage.  These people work hard, and I know that my lifestyle is only available to me because of the physical labor they perform.  As a company I can not afford to provide coverage, since that is not the industry standard, it would mean that I would not be able to keep my customers and suppliers happy, since my competitors would be able to make better offers.  With these changes I will be able to offer some sort of limited coverage now, without disrupting the margins that are necessary for continued existence.  The raise in the medicaid limit will give some employees the ability to take care of their families without taking low paying wages.  I'm perfectly willing to spend more in taxes, knowing that it will help people like my employees to gain and retain medical insurance.  Their lives may be improved from the ability they would then have to go see a doctor rather than go to the emergency room.  Many of my employees have told me stories of having to go to the emergency room, because it was the only way for them to get seen by a physician, since the regular doctors offices wanted either insurance, or money up front.  These are not people who feel that they are poor, and do not look for handouts from anyone, to the point of not even going to free clinics, since that is only for poor people in their minds.  They are proud people, who try to make the most of their lives, and I am happy that they may finally start seeing some relief from the crushing costs of health care and medical insurance.
That's my opinion, and I'm honestly not looking for a debate on here, I just wanted to put it out there.



I havn't done very much at all lately as far as photos.  I have a lot going on in my head and a bit in my life, and for some reason, I just don't seem to have to drive to go and take photos.  I sometimes see things that I would like to get a shot of, but just feel too lazy to be bothered about it.  I hope that this changes for me soon.  



If anyone wants me to make an announcement for them, let me know.


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Sorry if I havn't been around much, or at all lately.  I've lost the drive right now to take photo's.  So much going on, except that nothing is really going on.  I'm just in the middle of things, and I'm stressed about them, and that stress is keeping me from feeling the urge to go out and shoot.  Anyway, I guess i'm doing this journal just to let anyone who is still bothering to watch me know that I appreciate the support, and I really do hope that I will feel the drive again soon.



I havn't done very much at all lately as far as photos.  I have a lot going on in my head and a bit in my life, and for some reason, I just don't seem to have to drive to go and take photos.  I sometimes see things that I would like to get a shot of, but just feel too lazy to be bothered about it.  I hope that this changes for me soon.  



If anyone wants me to make an announcement for them, let me know.


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Back from Manila, and what a week it was.  I arrived just as the storm Ondoy finished dumping as much rain on Manila in 24 hours as they get in a whole month.  People were sleeping in the airport and hanging out at any place that was open because they could not make it home with the flood waters.  The damage done to Marikina City was daunting.  I was able to watch the flood waters enter Manila Bay for the next 9 days, and the amount of not only mud but of anything that could float was distressing.  The muddy water from the river running into the bay was huge.  I didn't get out much because of the rain and such, so there are actually no pictures, sorry to disappoint.  
Luckily the second typhoon was north of metro Manila, so they didn't have another flood to worry about, though the winds along the bay were getting pretty high.  All in all it was a good vacation for me, to just relax and enjoy my time with FairyLi , but I do feel badly for those who were affected by the storms.  Here is a link to the Philippine National Red Cross ( www.redcross.org.ph/ ) if you would like to help out.

Anyway, this was a reminder to me not only of how fragile life can be, but how strong we can be when we come together.  Some of the stories from the storms, such as the judge who used his jetski to help rescue people, or the swimmer who rescued 20some people before finally succumbing to the flood waters give me hope for humanity that I don't often feel.

I now have my cats from my ex-wife.  She was no longer able to take care of them as well as they needed, since she has become very busy lately.  Its a bit of a transition for both me and the cats at this point.  They have to get used to the new place, and I have to get used to being woken up by cat cries as they play early in the morning, but I'm sure we will work things out.



I havn't done very much at all lately as far as photos.  I have a lot going on in my head and a bit in my life, and for some reason, I just don't seem to have to drive to go and take photos.  I sometimes see things that I would like to get a shot of, but just feel too lazy to be bothered about it.  I hope that this changes for me soon.  



If anyone wants me to make an announcement for them, let me know.


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So going  on another vacation soon.  Back across the pond to Manila.   Really looking forward to spending some relaxing time there.  So at the end of the month, if I don't respond to things, i'm sorry, but i'm not really going to have much in the way of net access.  

Had the family thing, and it went well.  Everyone showed up and had a good time.  The hot tub was a big hit, and I'm really glad that I had it fixed before the party.  Its not something that I would want to do very often, cause it was a lot of work, but its not too bad every once in a while.

Work is still work, and moving along.  I'm taking the vacation now because it seems like everything is settled, and all the other managers just took some time off, so everyone is refreshed, and can do their job without me for a bit.  Its not like they can really get a hold of me in Manila.

The house is still a lot of work, but a lot of the things that I need to do with it now are expensive, like buying all the base board and other items I need.  So those things will have to wait until after my vacation.  Then I will just have to save up and spend wisely.



I finally started shooting again.  Not much, and I honestly feel that because of not taking photos in a long long time, I have lost a little, and am not seeing things as well as I would like, or not getting my settings right as I shoot.  I will try and do more, and hopefully get better.  I also need to go to some zoo's again, as I have really been falling behind on going and supporting the local zoo's.  And other than my sunsets, the animal photos are my favorite to work on.



If anyone wants me to make an announcement for them, let me know.


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