Posts by CountryGuy

just stopping in to say hi and i?m ok. thanks to those who sent concerned emails.. update on nancy: she is going through counseling at a voluntary facility where she will remain for another 1.5 weeks.

we visit her often and she is very homesick by now.

she is looking forward to a fresh start, which we are all working hard to give her.

CountryGuy

I'm glad things are looking up for Nancy and your family. I wish you nothing but the best.

Because of such short notice, I had nobody to bring for support, but I know I had a few thousand with me in spirit.

And, I know I'm not alone, we're all behind you 100%.

CountryGuy

57

How Well Educated Are You?

by minimus in

jw
friends

.

12 years of schooling (and never stayed back, either) for me.....and you?

?

CountryGuy

I have a BS in Mass Communications. My emphasis was in advertising.

After graduating, I went to work in an in-house ad agency for a retailer. After a particularly bad holiday season, they laid a few of us off. Having sold my soul to go into advertising it was an easy step to move right into insurance. I work with premiums allllll day.

To be honest, there are very few people I know that actually have a job in the field that they received their degree in. However, a degree is useful because most companies just want someone with a degree.

Eventually, I would like to get my Masters in History and teach at a small southern college or university. Then after a day of filling young minds full of knowledge, I can come home and sip margaritas on the veranda. (We all need a dream, right?)

Country

41

How Many Hours Do You Work?

by Englishman in

jw
friends

just curious.. todays "times" says that americans do most things one hour before the brits do.. americans, it says, start work at 8am, brits rarely before 9 am.

american lunch is at 12 noon, the uk is 1pm.

american dinner is at 6pm, uk eats around 7.. but how many hours do you need to actually work?.

CountryGuy

Officially, my hours are from 8am - 5pm. However, depending on traffic, I usually get there around 7:30am and don't leave until 6pm. We get one hour for lunch, which I rarely take because I carpool and don't usually have a way to leave. (I'd rather eat at my desk than in the lunchroom.) I usually work 4-5 hours on Saturday at least two Saturday's a month.

However, my pay, and bonus potential, are very much worth it. Not to mention 18 days of personal time a year (vacation and sick time). And almost all major holidays off with pay. That includes not only Thanksgiving but the day after as well, and Christmas Eve and Christmas.

Country

28

What Brand of Toothpaste do you use?

by CountryGuy in

jw
friends

i need your advice.... i've used pepsodent since i was a little boy.

however, since i have stopped shopping at walmart, i am having trouble finding it now.

i have about another week's worth left in this tube, then i'm going to have to change brands.

CountryGuy

CG, are you boycotting Wal-mart?

Yep. And let me tell you, it ain't easy. I'd been sick of WM for a while. One week they have something, then the next they wouldn't have it. You never knew if you could get all the items on your list. And, it isn't that WM doesn't carry the items anymore... It's the local Supercenter, there's still a label for them on the front of the shelves. The stockers just shove some crap in that spot, so when their scanner person goes through looking for holes, there isn't one so they don't scan that label. Thus, their system doesn't order more stock.

I'd been considering just going to a WM Supercenter not too far from here, but decided to just avoid WM all together. I read in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette where WalMart's executives had each donated the limit of $2000 to the Bush campaign. And, that WM's PAC was a huge supporter of the Repubican National Committee. Of course, this makes sense to me. Bush is anti-labor; Kerry is pro-labor. It is in their best interest to keep W. in office. And, I repsect their choice. It's their money, they can do with it what they want. But, so can I. They were getting over $400 a month from me. I know that's a drop in the bucket. I hear the local Supercenter does $1 million days on a regular basis. But.. if enough people get fed up and start shopping at Kroger or Albertson's or HEB or Safeway or some Mom and Pop's, then maybe WM will have to rethink their positions.

Wal-mart does have very good prices. Bottom line for me is that on my pay I have to go to the places where I can find the bargains.

I totally understand. There are so many people in that same boat. If I hadn't just gotten a promotion and raise at work, I couldn't have done this. My mother-in-law is on a fixed-income, so she shops at WM because her money does stretch more.

Country

21

I have an idea . . . and forgive me if this has already been suggested

by cruzanheart in

it always annoys me to see the latest copies of the watchtower & awake!

magazines when i go visit my mom at the nursing home.

i don't feel comfortable throwing them away, since it's not my "house" but i feel the need to make a statement.

CountryGuy

I think that's a fantastic idea!!
Plus, if no one takes the magazine, the JW who left it there on their magazine route will no doubt see it the next time they're in. Maybe this will help them see the truth about the troof.

Country

28

What Brand of Toothpaste do you use?

by CountryGuy in

jw
friends

i need your advice.... i've used pepsodent since i was a little boy.

however, since i have stopped shopping at walmart, i am having trouble finding it now.

i have about another week's worth left in this tube, then i'm going to have to change brands.

CountryGuy

Hey Min,
I got the joke. And, I thought it was funny! It had to be invented here... if it were invented anywhere else it would have been the "Teethbrush!" I was just trying to have a witty comeback... but I guess it didn't come across that way. Sorry about that.

Heather,
That's a cool idea! I didn't even think about that. Cutting WalMart out of my life has thrown me a bit! I didn't realize how indoctrinated I was to the big yellow smiley.

Country

24

WT Now actively encouraging Education Awake Oct 8th

by stillajwexelder in

take a look at awake october 8th page 11 --- bullet point "try to get some education" "the wise are the ones that treasure up knowledge," says proverbs 10:14. while it is especially true of bible knowledge, it is also true of secular education.

you need to develop the necessary skills to make a living --------- .

--------- nicole was later able to get training to support herself as a paralegal.

CountryGuy

This is one of the big things that led me to leave the WT. I knew that I would be very unhappy working in restaurants and retail for the rest of my life. I needed to get an education to get a good job so I could support "a pioneer wife." I knew that could be my contribution. Looking back almost fifteen years later, this makes me laugh and sick at the same time.

The congregation in the town where I went to college was very nice. The elder who's book study I was assigned to took me under his wing and we developed a genuine friendship (rare in the WT). He had gone to college before becoming a JW. While I was not labeled 'bad association' in my 'school' congregation. I was surprised to learn I was in my 'home' congregation. It helped me see the hypocricy of the whole situation. After that, I started noticing more and more...

I hope that God holds them accountable for all the lives they've ruined.

Country

12

Switching Names

by desib77 in

jw
friends

i've recently moved to another city and have started introducing myself by my middle name.

i think i have decided to start using my middle name and leave my first "biblical" name behind.

this has been sort of a fresh start for me.. what is involved in doing this?

CountryGuy

What is involved in doing this? Since it is my middle name I don't have to do anything to complex like a name change do I? I want to be able to use it on my checking account and sign it as my signature. Anyone know what I would need to do?

Happy Birthday, Desi!

I've used my middle name my whole life. I have credit cards in my middle name. I've bought automobiles and a house using just my middle name. However, I've been forced to use my first name in some instances (college, work). In those instances, I insist they spell out both my first and middle names and not do the middle initial. It's worked very well for me.

As for banking, about six or seven years ago, I had my check book stolen and the jerk wrote over $700 in checks. My bank at the time (Bank of America aka Bank of Evil) gave me all kind of hassels because the signature the crook used was very similar to mine. Once I finally got my money, I closed the account and went to a new bank. Since then I have put my first name on the account and used my middle name on the signature card. This gives me the ability to use the name that I've always used and it also gives me an 'extra' amount of security. My banks in Texas and Arkansas have had no issue with this.

Country