Contract @ MindSay 
*Probably going to be long ass blog! Stop reading now if you don't like reading rambling crap about my life!*
Where to start, where to start! Okay lets talk about that laptop I wanted to throw out the window!:D That laptop is Luke's. A foreman in Randy's company. Randy is the IT/Comp Tech Support Guy also and Luke the idiot got a very nasty virus on his laptop by hitting porn and not so on the up and up blogging sites. Randy took one look at the laptop issues and point blank informed his bosses that they best put a stop to the porn and other crap on company computers or they will get a nasty virus on the server and then will end up paying Randy out the ass to get everything back up.
So why was I working on the laptop? Well Randy was home each night up until last night because he was traveling to area job projects instead of working on his own project and I was having surgery yesterday. Randy also has 3 other new comps that he has to set up for one of the owners and two other foreman and didn't have time. He contracted my serves out to his company and I am going to be paid 15 bucks an hour when I tech out any company computers and laptops now. Luke's alone I made $180 bucks on cause Randy wasn't lying, Luke had a NASTY ass virus on his laptop. But I got it up and going, free and clear of all viruses, all his work programs back on and updated, and Randy finished it out by setting up the company email. This by the way was part of Sunday and all day Monday.
Tuesday, I packed the kids for an overnight at my parents house, kept callign randy in Orange City to make sure he was at the kids' school play (pictures and video to come later-same with DeLaney's sleep over) on time and to make sure he didn't run on Randy time. Sometimes known as running on: Indian time, Hispanic time, Pagan time, and Druggy time!. That irritates the FARK out of me. The kids' holiday play was at the St. Aug's church and it was packed! K-8th grade were all involved and not only were parents and siblings there but lots of grandparents, aunties, and uncles. My parents didn't go because my dad is still not getting around the greatest. It takes about 5-6 months to get complete feeling back in his nerves and regain balance from Guilliam Barrer's syndrom. Thus why I took tons of pictures and some video. Did I mention that I figured out my camara has video!:D After the play, where I ran into alot of highschool friends and their parents and a few of my sister and brother's highschool friends and parents, Randy took Coltin to my parents while DeLaney and I ran to the bar and got some food for all of us because we didn't get to eat before hand. Micky, the cook that night, LOVEs kids and I had a hard time getting DeLaney and Micky to understand that we had to go. He bellied DeLaney up to the bar got her a free Sprit, gave her a few dollars in quarters to play the bar video game, darts, and played a round of pool with her. Then DeLaney mentioned she just turned 9 and the bartender that night, Cole gave her a bowl of maschino cherries and had Micky make her up some cheesy fries which they aren't suppose to do:D. I finally got DeLaney and myself out of the bar 45 minutes later and took her to my parents, got the kids going on their food, talked to my parents for a lil bit, reminded my dad to pick the kids up at 1:30 on Wensday due to them starting Winter break. I then took my happy ass home and crawled into bed. Four thirty in the morning comes really early when your not use to it!
Wensday I had to be at the Surgery Center at 6:30, which ment leaving the house at 5:30. It is about 45 minutes to the hospital and surgery center, and since we do live in an area where a lot of folks start work between 5-6, we had to contend with morning traffic. I was soooooo happy, the X-Rays on my left knee showed a LOT of damange, possible damage to my ACL graft from highschool, and other ligaments needing repaired, the doc got in there (i was his first surgery of the day...woot!) and granted he took out a good portion of my cartilege and bone spurs, my ACL graft and other reconstruction from 15 years ago was still going strong!
Since I was the first paitent of the day, we were home by 11 am, and Randy still had my dad go get the kids because I had a ruff go of coming out of anistisha this time around. I was out of the surgery center faster but we aren't sure if it is because they have been inside this knee before or what, but I can actually say I am not getting around as well as I did with my last knee surgery. They sent me home with lidocaine, darvest, and a small dosage of demoral. I am to also take an asprin a day and take the ibrophine between the other pills. I have such a high tolerance to pain meds and a high thresh hold to pain that none of this shit seems to be working. Plus my mom and I didn't get a hold of Grandma Whitewater to get a hold of any of the local herbs for a pain killing type tea and now we are tryign to get a hold of her, which is hard beause she lives down bottom and no phone. So I am having to deal with the pain as much as possible. The animals are worried as hell and the kids actually jumped Randy's ass last night after I hobblied upstairs at 9 after taking a couple darvest with ibprophin about him being on the road till tomorrow night. Randy is feeling very very guilty and has left a list of phone numbers and things for the kids just in case something shoudl happen. My dad is also goign to hobble his ass up a couple of times today to check on me. This go around, I am settling in one place and dayumed if I move my knee is that swelled and hurting that bad.
On the up note with Randy though, he felt so guilty about leaving this morning at 4 to be gone till Friday night, that my hosue is clean, the majority of the laundry is done, most of the presents are wrapped, he cooked dinner and he is going to try and get a hold of one of my friends to get my prescriptioni for more pain pills and my diabetic meds with out me having to leave the house and drive. I reminded him I need to get grocieries and he got really upset with me and said I shouldn't because I am having more issues and I said well your not going to be home till friday and the kids are now on Winter Break I need to have some extra items in the house! So the butt head called my mom an hour ago and asked her to take me shopping tonight and make sure I was in one of those old people scooters as he calls them and to take my van keys from me so I wasn't attemptign to ttake the kids to taekwondo tonight or tomorrow night!
Thankfully my mom pointed out to him that regardless if I am in pain or not that I will run my house and get my errands done. And also reminded him that I can deal with the pain, I just can't deal with my schedule going all to hell which if I am stuck home will. But she did promise him, that my meds will be gotten by my friend and she would take me up tonight to go shopping and that I would have the pain management that I needed. She also reminded him that the kids are on Winter Break so I will have to keep them busy this whole time and he needs to understand when Mom goes down, she doesn't actually go down, she can't, things just slow up some but I will have everything done. I have a feeling that Randy is going to do all the cleanign when he gets home! Yay!
So that is what has been going on here. Winter Break for the kids and Pain Management for Me:D
October 10, 2007
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing this appeal letter in disagreement with the dorm agreement that I signed in April of 2007. After rereading the agreement, I do see that it states that this “is a binding contract for housing and food service for the complete academic year – both fall and spring semesters.” However, I do not agree with this, and it wasn’t until after I had signed it that I realized the agreement had been changed. This agreement is not a lease for an apartment, nor would a reimbursement check be required to be written, since I pay semester by semester. As a junior, and having resided here both my freshman and sophomore years, when handed the agreement (not being warned that there were changes), I skimmed the material, saw that the meal plan, room charges, rules and damage policy were explained, and signed my name. Not only would I have not been allowed to move in had I not signed the agreement, but no one had explained that there were changes made to the agreement.
Since I was a freshman in high school, my dream college had always been the University of Pittsburgh. Throughout my college search, I researched Carlow and applied. Knowing that no matter what, I was going to choose Pitt, I narrowed my choices down to Carlow and Pitt. I visited both schools, and was impressed by both. However, when I stepped foot onto Carlow’s campus, I felt welcome – and felt as if I mattered. I fell in love with the atmosphere of Carlow, the student to teacher ratio, the small class size, and felt as if my decisions would be taken into consideration all throughout my academic career. However, with this situation, I feel as if at Carlow, I don’t matter, and that my needs and happiness with the University are not taken into consideration.
I am not happy with my residence in the dorms. I am miserable and it is starting to affect my schoolwork. The food does not appeal to me, and what does, makes me ill – which causes me to pay more money than I already do to live here, and I do not feel that I should have to pay for something that, for one, I do not want, and secondly, makes me unhappy. As a freshman, moving into the dorms was one step closer to becoming responsible, moving away from my parents, and being able to manage my time wisely. As a sophomore, and after already residing in the dorms for a year, there were more aspects to my life that I had to manage – I had a job, I had made friends freshman year, and my school work load was tougher. Throughout all this time, my number one priority, and what is still my number one priority is my academic career and the responsibility of being able to pay for my college career.
In order for me to pay for schooling I have taken out loans, in addition to the grants and scholarships I receive from the school. While in school, I work on the weekends and make payments on my loans. However, in order to make a sufficient difference in the amount I’m going to have to pay when I get out of school, I need to be available to work more than just weekend hours.
I feel as if all the reasons listed above are valid reasons for me to resign from the dorms. In addition, the Carlow Mission statement reads:
“The Mission of Carlow University, a Catholic liberal arts university, is to involve persons, primarily women, in a process of self-directed, lifelong learning which will free them to think clearly and creatively, to discover and to challenge or affirm cultural and aesthetic values, to respond reverently and sensitively to God and others, and to render competent and compassionate service in personal and professional life.”
It is unfortunate for me to say that I do not feel that not allowing me to move out of the dorms, which I have not yet paid for Spring Semester, is allowing me to continue with my “lifelong learning.” Being contained in a dorm room does not allow my opportunity for growth in my studies, and does not allow me to think clearly because there is so much distraction. This is yet another reason that moving off campus would be beneficial to me. The dorms are noisy and there are constantly people running up and down the hallways. I realize that there is no way that I can stop the distraction in the dorms, yet I can remove myself from the situation, which I am choosing to do, so that my grades do not suffer. If Carlow’s mission is to make an experienced and compassionate service in my personal and professional life, then I should be allowed to remove myself from the dormitory building – in order for me to grow personally and professionally, I need to give myself that opportunity, and I feel that staying in the dorms is reducing that chance. It would be very unfortunate if I would have to withdraw from the University on these accounts.
how sad is it that it has come to this?!
The record company I signed a 3 year contract with is closing. Actually he is trying to sell the business. It has been confirmed that the company that is interested in the studio is not interested in Country or Gospel music. Although all contracts will go with the sale of the studio, I don't believe the contracts are included in the price being offered.
It has been proposed to me, by another musician, that I should make up a letter to dissolve the contract with the intentions of me keeping the songs with all rights from my second album.
It is clear that the studio has lost interest in the recording business and not only is not doing anything to help it's artists, but on part has not lived up to their part of the contract.
In this case I must look at all aspects. You may say that if the company has not fulfilled their obligations of the contract, that it should be easy to fault them for failure thus voiding the contract. But remember, this is a 3 year contract with almost 2 years left on it. There is no other time frames mentioned in the contract. So legally they don't have to do anything for 2 years and 355 days if they don't want to.
But I intend to make up a letter and see what happens. I was told by an inside source that my name had been brought up in discussion. Luckily the inside source was on my side. He asked the producer what his intentions were as far as my album was concerned, and brought up the fact that twice I had been told that a distributor has received my product and was being printed. This was not true. I waited quite awhile before booking engagements so I would have the product on hand to sell. From my first venue to the last one I did, I did not receive product and at the last minute was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, trying to copy CD's, make labels, and print case covers. It was not a pretty site.
Lesson? Read the contract. I did read the contract, but didn't look for that line that said "a national or state release of album/or single release, will be done within the first year of finished recording."
In the contract it states that the label will receive $2 from each and every CD that is sold, with the distributor keeping $2 and the artist receiving $2. Now you, and many others I have discussed this with, may be thinking "if the artist is making the CD copies, printing the labels, and printing the case covers, the producer is not entitled to anything. But, in this legal binding contract, it does not specify that it matters who or where the product comes from, only that the producer gets $2, and of course you would have to pay the distrubuter if there was one. This is the reason I have not booked anything so far this year. I do not think it is fair that I am doing all the work for product and the producer gets a portion. He was paid for his time and trouble on the recording. And he has done nothing for me to further my career. At one time he told me Sparrow Records wanted to buy my contract, he even called me several times during the negotiations ( supposedly) and in the end turned them down because he thought if they were offering him that much money, that we may as well make that profit ourselves. Nothing happened with that either.
If you are looking over a contract, I suggest you make a list of things you expect and for sure put a time line of some sort in there as you think the events should proceed. Then if the details that are included in the contract don't come to fruition as stated, it would be much easier to get out of the contract.
I think going into Iraq in the first place was a mistake. I am fairly if not completley convinced that we did know their were no WMD's to begin with, and this is was certainly not motivated by all the great stuff we were told that it was. However at this point to just get up and leave would make this already embarassing and greivous tragedy, into a first rate tragic catastrophe. It is clear that these people are in no condition whatsoever at this point to run things. If your a conservative, and your goal truely was to liberate people from tyrany, then obviously, so far the plan isn't working, because the new "free" iraq, does not seem to be engaging in this. Torture is rampant, corruption is common practice, and the police loyalty lies in their terrorist clerics over their civillian population. If your a liberal and you think Iraq was a bad idea and a disaster, then CONGRADULATIONS! Your right! But to leave now is not the answer. When you make a mess, it becomes your responsibility to clean it up. You can say "It wasn't my idea, I don't have to clean it up" and in saying that you would be right in that sence. It's not responsibility to clean up somebody elses messes. But the truth is, people are suffering, and suffering greatly, and even if the mess isn't your fault don't you feel some obligation to try to stem the tide of violence and human suffering and injustice? It is my oppinion that if you see somebody suffering, and you can do something, it is automaticaly your responsibility to do something. Obviously you can't help everybody all at once all the time, but this certainly seems to me to be one of our most pressing situations. So is it worth it to let innocent people suffer just cause it wasn't your idea? I don't think so. I didn't support the war in the begining. I thought and still think it was a poor desicion based on at best shaky intelligence, and that while hussein was by no means a good man, our efforts in adressing this without violence were to say the least, weak. And the result was predictable. Mistakes were made. Soldiers have done horrible things. Terrorist have done horrible things. This isn't just americas fault, this isn't just Iraq's fault. It's been a group effort. It's the sad ugly truth. But theirs two sides to it. Despite the bungling, and the lies, and suffering, their are good people in Iraq. Good Iraqi's. Good Americans. Good people who despite all that has happened are stilling willing to put their lives on the line to protect whats left of Iraq's civillian population and to salvage whatever scrap of good can come from. Their are people who want to see peace in Iraq, and I know that I can't in good concience leave them out to dry. Does this mean keep on keepin' on just like we always have? Not by any means. If anything is clear its that we need to make some SERIOUS changes. I'm no millitairy strategist, so I'm not the man to ask about how, but what IS obvious to me, is that what we've been doing so far, IS NOT WORKING. So we need to try something new, and we HAVE to adress the abuses of authority going on. Torture, rape. and the abuse of justice and power are NOT accetpable by any means, and the men engaging in these things, both american and iraqi need to be dealt with, swiftly and effectivley. The disgusting men who engage in these things give a bad name to all the good men and women who are working hard for something better, and are directly inhibiting the efforts of those who truely seek peace. And in all honesty, when terrorist clerics talk about wanting us to leave, I sincerely doubt, that if we were to leave, it would result in a lack of violence. In all honesty i think it would end up something like darfur, with government funded islamic extremist terrorists murdering and pillaging all those who oppose the government. Or better yet it might end up worse than Darfur and become like the old afganistan. Where terrorism WAS the government.
Bottom line, WE need to step up. IRAQ needs to step up. Everyone needs to swallow their pride and work together to turn this around, and until it is turned I believe have a responsibility to turn it around. I know some people say we should cut our losses. That it would be better to just go ahead and let them have a civil war. It's none of our business. Well, I don't know about you, but I know I couldn't look that poor iraqi woman who prompted this blog in the eye, with the knowledge that I can do something to help her and just go "yeaaaaaaaah... my bad. Good luck". Or worse yet say "wasn't my idea. Not my problem". We need to recommit, but we need to recommit to CHANGE. We CANNOT continue to allow certain soldeirs to engage in atrocities (rape, serial killing, torture) that directly hinder the good work of other soldiers. We CANNOT continue to sacrifice the lives of brave men and women who are sincerely working for peace, to our ineptitude. We cannot allow their sacrifice to be in vain. These people are literaly giving thier lives for this, and we have to make sure that "this" is NOT a massive violent oil capaighn. THIS has to be about people. Namley innocent Iraqi's who need help, and who cannot rely on their government to provide it.
And as for guatanamo and the patriot act, I don't even know where to begin. I support the idea of a patriot act, but the way it is currently practiced is terrifying. We have a small group of people, who have the ability to detain anybody they want, without telling them why they are being detained, or for how long. I've seen the blacked out letters they write to their families. All of their outside communication is cencored, or at least what little they are allowed to have. You can be detained indefinatley, with no outside connections, no right to an attorney, no trial date, and no knowledge of why. Some people like to say "If your not doing anything wrong you have nothing to worry about." But the key word is "wrong". Because the people who run this operation, are the same people who define what is "wrong", and they don't have to tell anybody else what currently defines "wrong". In short, they can define it however the want, meaning they can indefintley and secretley detain anybody they want. Call me cynical but I don't trust ANYBODY with that much power. Their is nobody overseeing them. If they want, the can literaly encacerate somebody based on a simple hunch, and that person can be detained for the rest of their life with no trial, attorney, or explanation because they are an "enemy combatant" and theirfore don't have american rights. The problem is they can slap the "enemy combatant" label on anybody they want, and they don't have to tell anybody why, or answer to any higher authority on the subject.
NOBODY. Should have this much power. Anti terrorism intelligence is good. It is important and saves lives. We should have a patriot act. But not this one. When you have a system like this the people making the desicions need to be monitered by several other different branches, in order to keep everybody in check. In order to make sure that the power is not abused. The inviduals need to be awarded all the same rights as anybody else suspected as a crime, in order that our judicial system may work at its optimal level and to make sure that people, power, and civil rights are not abused. That INNOCENT people, are not encarcarated unfairly (which happens ALL the time. If you don't believe our judicial system ever makes mistakes then you are sorley mistaken, and as for the possibility of coerced evidence and conffesion, then I refer you to the Abu Garib prison scandal). We've been down this road before with japanese concentration camps in WWII, and that was embarassing enough. Well here is your modern equivilent, and I know that I will not support it's current incarnation. It simply is not properly monitored or conduceted. It is an example of abuse of the social contract, which is a system by which people relinquish certain rights in return for their protection. The government only has as much power as we give them, and right now, it is way out of balance in this situation.
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