Believe it or not, I actually read this stuff. I find it interesting to relate to what was going on in my life. When I get over how poorly it is written, it’s kind of cool to relive the moment. In any case, I was reading some of my more recent stuff this afternoon. I’ve come to a conclusion: I’m a bit of a whiner. Believe it or not, it hasn’t all been bad. No, I don’t feel the need to complain about everything in life. It’s just that I never think to write unless something inspires me, and it seems like I’m not inspired unless I feel the need to vent. I hate to think that this project has become nothing more than therapy. See there, even the revelation that I’m a whiner turns into a bit of a whine. It never ends.

The house is quiet at four o’clock on a Sunday afternoon. Cheryl and Beth have gone shopping and I am home alone. The end credits began to roll on a movie on cable and I switched the TV off. The sun is shining on the first full day of day-light savings time, but all the blinds are closed. It isn’t completely dark though; the light shining between the blinds keeps the house in a twilight glow. The whispering hum of my computer’s fan can be heard from across the room. The air is slightly warm but the wood floor feels cool under my bare feet. Time marches on with the steady wandering of my mind on this lazy Sunday afternoon.

In my wanderings, I see parents who are sent to jail for not paying child support. They are given a sentence, but with a catch. They are given the “keys to their own cell.” The court makes a determination as to their immediate ability to pay. This “ability to pay” is the “key”. An example might be a term of 30 days in jail OR a payment of $100. The idea is that this is money readily available to them, so they only sit in jail as long as they refuse to pay. Not only did one such individual not pay, and do the full jail term, he followed it up with a courtesy call to the local Child Support Enforcement office, “I just sat in jail for 30 days instead of paying.” You may be asking yourself, what could he have been ordered to pay to get himself out? It turns out he was only ordered to pay the $20 he came to court with. He kept that folded twenty dollar bill in his pocket for 30 days rather than pay it towards his child support. This is why I have a job. This is why many government agencies exist; and however unfortunate, may continue to exist for some time.

Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to court we go!