Rants about Religion

My niece passed away last week, young full of life, kids in high school; hopes and dreams gone.


Now my granddaughter and her family are back so her dad can be treated for his cancer. Mid-thirties, young kids, hopes, dreams and cancer.

Life is unfair, but what I hate is when people lay this stuff on a god, “The Man in the Sky”, to quote “The Invention of Lying”.

I do not believe in religion at all, I grew up in a super religious home so have heard the song and dance routines that religious people spew out.

It just seems to me that it is easy to lay everything on a god, good or bad. In the case of my niece I’m sure that at her memorial service we will hear that “God has a plan”, “God wanted her home”, “everything happens for a reason”. Why is it that we never hear about what the plan was, what the reason was? Oh maybe the reason here is because she inherited the gene from her mom, but that doesn’t sound so nice now. That means that ugly things can happen to us.

With my niece, who was fairly religious, once she was diagnosed with her disease people told her to pray, pray hard for a miracle. I found this so appalling, here she was told she would have a horrid death, why not be concerned about making her remaining days better. Praying for a miracle just seems so crazy instead of focusing on what the person actually needs.

Sorry but I’m bugged by these things. I’m tired of the easy answers that never seem to answer anything.

More Adventures in Travel?

I think that I’ve written before that I work as an independent claims adjuster, actually when possible work catastrophes. I do lots of “CAT” work for one company and signed up for their international team last year.


There were no hurricanes to speak of last year and since I returned from working a wind storm in Oklahoma/Kansas it has been very quiet. This has been good as it has given me time to develop the cookie business.

Last week I got a call asking if I’d go on standby to work in Chile. I was asked a battery of questions; i.e.: earthquake claims experience, I worked Northridge and reopens; and about Business Interruption, I worked the L.A. riots. After giving my answers they put me on standby.

I haven’t gotten a call out yet but if I do this would be the opportunity of a lifetime. The team workers work 7 days a week, all expenses paid plus a day rate. The 5th week or so is off and they pay for you to go home if you wish. HUM: home or Easter Island? Now that is a no brainer!!!

Since I’d be right by Peru I could take some time on my home to finally hike that Ancient Inca Trail that I’ve been training to hike for the past 2 years.

Now if they would only call.

Time to Rev UP another Company

Goodness, just when I thought I couldn’t get busier then it did.


I’ve had claims coming in regularly; baby sat the grandkids for 2 days, on and on. Then when babysitting, one of my son’s old school friends got in touch with him wanting to reach me. Seems his wife saw some bags I’d made and put on a fb page and decided that she likes them. The wife makes high end boots and gives a tote bag with the boots. She would like to switch from the 3 vendors she uses to just me with her next order. The wife also asked me to design something else for her company which I must start tomorrow.

Unfortunately the dining room table was piled up with almond supplies so I had to organize the almond stuff before I could even get the sewing machine out. After giving lots of thought to what she wants I’m now ready to start putting something together for her. This makes 3 companies of mine that are going on but I haven’t even got the web site up and running yet; one more project to do.

Fortunately my granddaughter’s mom really needs work when they get back so I’ll be able to put her to work fairly quickly.