Great Personal News and Animal Activism

May 28, 2014

Today I received some great news. I have been attempting to find a full time job for a while now, one with a benefit package and of course a full time income. I had a very good interview last week and have been very impatiently waiting for the call telling me to go get a drug screen. I received that call today.

Tomorrow after I finish work at Home Depot I will drive to Valdosta to have my tox screen done. I will have to put in a notice at Home Depot that I will be leaving there to take another position with full time hours and benefits. Ruth and I are going to have to decide what we are going to do with the bike shop also. Not only that but I have also been asked to interview with a hospital as a Medical Technolgist part time for the weekends.

I am leaning toward trying to find a more suitable location for the bike shop, hiring someone part time to run it while I am gone and keeping it open, but that comes with a pretty large initial investment of funds which I am not sure I can come up with at this point.  The current location is very low traffic, and really not a great location for that type of business. Some space closer to downtown or the bike trail would be more likely to draw more customers, also if I could find somewhere that was more open, like a garage, that also would be more beneficial. 

The next couple of weeks should be very interesting for our family. After I accept the position I will have to go to Atlanta for 5 days for classroom training. That should be fairly easy since I have a background in this type of work, but since I haven't worked in it for years I am not sure what to expect. Once I get back from Atlanta there will be 4 days with a field coach in Valdosta, then another week in Atlanta and another 4 days in Valdosta. Once the training is completed I should receive my van, tools, and a weeks worth of "product" . I should also after 30 days be able to have my cable at the house disconnected as I will be getting satellite TV as part of my package, not sure about Internet, may get that also. 

The company will be furnishing uniforms, a van, gas, PPE , tools and scheduling my appointments. 4 days on 3 days off actually sounds pretty good.  Not having to use my own Truck or Van sounds quite good also. I hope this will be my last full time job until I officially retire.

Bible Verse from Devotional:

 8 You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape; 9 my eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, O LORD, every day; I spread out my hands to you. 10 Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do those who are dead rise up and praise you? "Selah" 11 Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction ? 12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion? 13 But I cry to you for help, O LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you. 14 Why, O LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me? 15 From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death; I have suffered your terrors and am in despair. 16 Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me. 17 All day long they surround me like a flood; they have completely engulfed me. 18 You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend. 

Special note to animal acivists;

Let me first say that I do understand, I too enjoy the company of our pets and consider our dogs to be more than just furry little friends, they are part of the family. I would protect them with my life and I know they would do the same for me.

With that said though I have no problem downing a cheeseburger, eating a chicken sandwich or having ham and eggs or bacon and eggs for a meal.  I do enjoy going to the zoo, seeing and learning about animals, and I would never harm an animal unless there was simply no other choice.   I would not put my family in danger for an animal. By that I mean if a Deer, dog or a any other animal runs in front of my car, I won't swerve to miss it and lose control of my car or truck.

You may wonder why I am writing this and what difference it makes. It is sort of personal and I won't name any names but this recently became a big problem between two of my friends. I have known both of these people since High School, but have not seen either of them except for our 43rd High School Reunion back in October of 2013. 

So here is what I am told happened. One of these people posted something on Facebook about exotic foods and somehow the food "Blut" came up. If you are Asian or ever spent time in the Asian countries like Viet Nam you knw what a blut is, you may have even ate them, with or without knowing what they are. For those that don't know I am going to leave it to you to look up.

One of these friends posted something about exotic foods and mentioned blut. The other friend is married to a person a Asian Decent. One friend decided that they had a problem with exactly what a blut is, now I am sure this person has never eaten one but decided on only what it is that it was not good and felt that it was terrible to treat any animal that way.  

I am not saying it is right or wrong but I can say for sure that we don't exactly treat cattle kindly when we kill and butcher them, most people would throw up if they ever saw the way hot dogs or sausage is prepared, and my son who works in a chicken plant will tell you in a heartbeat that chickens ready to be processed are not exactly treated like pets. 

Anyway one of the 2 asked me for my opinion and I sent this email back to them. I know there are plenty of people that will disagree, but I am sure there are also plenty that will agree. 


My first taste (of Blut) was at Fort Campbell Kentucky. I was there with the Ohio National Guard 1/148th HHC which was at the time a "sister" company to the 101st Airborne (Screamin Eagles), since that was about 1978 there were many Viet Nam Vets there and some had brought back brides from that country that prepared bluts.

I did not like the taste, but then I don't care for the taste of lobster or squid either.

My friend that I worked with at Adel and at Tifton for the past several years is from the Philippines and she loves bluts.

If most people seen how Hot Dogs are made or sausage for that matter they would never eat it again, and what about caviar? Taking the eggs from a pregnant fish? Ever been to a slaughter house where they kill and butcher cows, not exactly Humane.

I love animals too, I very much enjoy our dogs, Peanut and Dixie, but I can't get up in arms about how any culture prepares animals they consider food. That is their culture.

When I lived in Tucson I was fortunate to have worked with the Papago , Now called the Tohono Odam. Once I remember one of the Chiefs telling me that all the "Indians" were getting fat and lazy because of the "Circle K Diet" that was common there. He went on to tell me how the forefathers would eat the bugs and insects and run miles at a time to take messages from tribe to tribe. many of these bugs and insects were eaten whole and alive.

Anyway I think he (one friend) is making a big deal out of nothing. If I got all upset every time someone does not like a post of mine, I would stay upset all the time. You may not be able to control what happens or how someone reacts to what you say or do, but you can control your own reaction in any situation.

Keep smiling, have a great day.

Jerry "The Bicycle Nut" Goodwin
BMG Cycles Plus
1612 1st Avenue SE
Moultrie, GA 31768
229-921-0072

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