Well I guess I will go to sleep with a giggle.

Ya think? Roflmbo. Guess I won't be getting any freebies from the tourism board.

Guess it depends if the family is a night shift family or not. If you are working nights and sleeping days then probably your kids do too. I really don't think it is great for kids but sometimes if that is the only work you can get you have no choice.

Where the weather is brutally hot during the day I can't see dragging a child out in the heat. My son had serious breathing problems as a toddler and I used to take him out very late or very early midweek to get food and medication because the air was clearer. I could lay a blanket down in the cart and a crib sheet over the top (had too with twins people always wanted to touch them even if they were sleeping) and they generally slept through most of the trip. I could get through three times faster when there were minimal customers.

I do tend to believe that most kids getting dragged around at night is just poor parenting. The kids look exhausted even though it appears they are controlling the parents rather than the other way around most of the time. What is really sad is when you see school age kids. They don't have a chance at doing well in school. When mine hit even preschool age they had pretty much a concrete bedtime. That ment the whole family quieted down too. Kids should not have to listen to media or parents blasting away. Sorry to any one who did.

The ones I have had contact with lately seem to have a tough time mainstreaming here in the USA. Very competivie with each other and more interested in becomeing dominent or acquireing Status symbols than fellowship or employment. I have seen many men move into the "ministry" rather than work with duplicate families abandoned to public assistance and teens moving into gangs at an allarming rate. What has been most distressing is seeing extended family's children treated more like servants than family members or just running wild frequently staying home alone out of school in subsidized apartments.

This is diametriclly opposed to my earlier experiences where families were close and loving, mothers keenly attentive and modest; where home cooked food, music, and laughter were abundant, religiously devout, and education was a priority in modest extreemly clean artful homes of well mannered children. Where fathers worked extreamly hard, often two jobs if not school and a job, and cared for elderly parents and were descreet but loving husbands.

I can't really account for the difference except the later had a much harder time getting here and often came as student families where now the first group seems to be more "political" refugee thugs or little more than unaccompanied individuals saying they are wanting sponsorship from the churches until they get here and promptly wear out their sponsors.

I am deeply concerned about the number of African's that are being brought into this country from the warring areas that are not nearly getting enough help to over come the extream trauma they have been through or having any kind of saftey net while being thrust into extreamly hostile and impoverished neighborhoods.

I can't speak for much of anyplace too far beyond Sacramento but I would forget moving to California from what I have seen.

California, at least Sacramento's, economy is tanking with and expected unemployment of 18%. Malls and retail space set empty all over. Long standing churches are even closeing, State and city workers are being paid with IOU's and forced on furlough days. The only consistent sign you see on property is for sale or foreclosure.

The number of eligible English speaking single men to women ratio is pitiful across the board. Non English speaking men I would guess is maybe 50 to 1. What I have seen of the middle age and older guys is they care more about riding their moter cycles and wine than relationships. Meth is epidemic in the younger men. Gangs and homeless keep many people off mass transit and in gated communities. You can not afford to get old here and the nurseing home industry is a disgrace.

I would never bring kids here for anything but a vacation because the schools are pitiful and the population is top heavey in all kinds of ex cons and less than honorable discharged vets. Prisons are a major industry here. Daycare seems to be abundant but substandard with little or no monitoring. I am not impressed by the colleges.

Houseing is substandard when you can find it and still expensive. Air-condition is never a given and brown outs and pollution alerts common. Sewers frequently are clogged so when it does rain the sublevel ground level means you are going to get flooded. Fires are common as the climate is usually paper dry. Home invasion and fences are common. **** and dog fighting are rampent so you are quite likely to live next to a vicious dog. Police and firefighters are looseing funding.

If you have serious medical field training you might be alright but they churn out the lower level medical techs like popcorn and pay them peanuts. Teachers and all other middle management are sweating unemployment on a dailey basis. If you can not speak Spanish you are in trouble in almost any field.

Car insurance is high and gas prices while leveled off some are the highest in the nation. Auto theft is common. Dealerships are bankrupting everywhere so getting repairs is dicey. THere are many uninsured and unlicensed drivers.

Food is cheap and water is free but other utilities are high and the infastructure and services are collasping. People still dump their trash on the curbs like a third world country. Taxes are horendous.

California has not improved it's services or funding to special populations in 20 years. There are only temporary programs many without funding. Homeless elderly and families are harrassed off of public property. Shelters are three times over populated.

It is a very hostile environment for small business. California plays a lot of lipservice to ecology and createing jobs in that arena but the only green jobs I see are way to many landscapeing companies. A lot of what is recycled is stolen. Corporations choke out smaller start ups with multitudes of regulations and set asides. If you do business with the state you may wait up to three years for reimbursement.

Sacramento claims to be a city of trees but many of them are diseased and in poorly maintained. They have imported a lot of palm trees more recently to try to upgrade some of the ageing areas but the parks pretty much are empty frequently vandelized. . What seems ironic is most common flower is the poisonous Oleander shrub. Much of the citrus and cypress have been cut down.

I know it sounds like and old fuddy duddy saying maybe the living together idea is part of the problem but maybe it is. Someone isn't into you enough to commit to you are they really worth risking your heart on? A lot of times someone wants to just live with you it is because deep down they know you are not what they really want. Kind of like always having a relationship escape hatch.

There is a big difference between being cival or even friendly.

If you are flirting it isn't just being friendly.

If you are in a relationship with another and you are flirting you are cheating that person and yourself (since you are suppose to be one).

I feel once you are in a relationship it is inappropriate to be all touchy feely friends or not. It is a matter of respect and committment.

Jealousy is a normal reaction when trust is tested. If a person is chroniclly jealous and it is not justified then they are just submissive aggressive. However People who enjoy making their lover jealous are cruel and selfish.

Actually there are some really good folks here on Mingle. I have very high standards so that is no faint compliment. I would suggest you give some of them and opportunity to tell you what they are like on a real level. YOu might be very pleasantly surprised how many of them would bring a serious commitment to a reciprocal relationship.

Deepest sympathy to all.

Sweet Dreams and Nitey Bye to all of you that are calling it on this week. Have a good one. Keep ya'all in my prayers.

I am toying with the idea of hosting a Mingle get together in Sacramento next February or March while it is still kind of harsh in some of the other parts of the country.

I used to do statewide even regional conferences for Parent's without Partners and family's with special needs kids and since all of mine have flown the coop I was thinking about doing something kid friendly. Probably at a Holiday Inn. Maybe a Friday trough Monday thing. With this much advance time I could set up some fun activities and everyone could get cheap air fares that can't drive in. Any thoughts? What would appeal to you? What kind of budget is reasonable?

Maybe his perspective is screwed up because the majority of people he hangs out with are his kind.

I think most non-cheating people tend to eventually see someone who cheats as poor friend material. They figure if they will betray their family why would they exhibit any better character in a friendship.

Since sooner or later cheaters put their friends, coworkers, neighbors in the position of having to cover for them. Most people resent being manipulated that way.

You seem like a nice person and it is obvious that this is causeing strife in your realationship so it is likely you will get tired of the friendship soon. So one less non-cheater in his life.

I don't care if all the people here don't want to date. Be nice if more did but most are too far away anyway. Too me it is just company more than anything. The diversity is what makes it interesting. Anybody be mean to you Gayfifer tell them you have a lot of friends here to go play in traffic.

It is sad but in many families there is not a safe place to go outside and play. TV is often a babysitter. In the USA there is at least and attempt at making children's programing wholesome.

I have seen this before and I believe it is an innergenerational thing. She was born in the system ao all she knows is the system.

My guess is the only nutureing she gets is when she is pregnant so she keeps getting pregnant because that being "cared for" is what makes her feel safe or like she has some place in society.

I am sure the press attention and the social workers running in and out giving her attention in some distored way gives her the only attention she gets.

If she were not pregnant would she get public aid or allowed to starve? Or become homeless?

It is pretty clear her body feels normal pregnant at this point so when she is not she is driven to become again.

Sad thing is she will probably eventually die in childbirth. Eventually her body will become so depleated that her health will collasp.

Welcome to the playpen. You will get more responses with photos and writing more interests in your profile. Lot of people your age range so you ought to have fun. Been many years since I was in Lincoln.

I can't speak for other women but I much prefer a man who says who he is and what he is about. That said He has to be man enough to accept if I don't like his preferences to move on to the ones who do.

Personally I see an affinity for gentleman's club, even the so called classy ones, as a waste of money and asking for trouble. They have high crime statistics and bouncers for a reason. I doubt the service is that good or the place that clean, probably any other entertainment equally sexist. I am sure my gender preference doesn't appreciate the entertainment value of almost naked woman but if I want a man I would hope that my presence in his life "did it" for him in that department. I don't think that is a unique perspective. So in a way you are narrowing the field.
High scools,convince stores and banks also have high crime statistics. We might as well close them down too. be seeing you


Hey I didn't say close them down. I just don't hang out around them. I agree with you crime exists many places. I rarely go in a convience store or bank if I don't have to. LOL been a long time since high school.

Recommend; A long weekend vacation in Stone Mountain Park in greater Atlanta Georgia; Not; Skip the Zoo & Underground there.

Happy Happy Happy for you!