What I learned about PRIDE month and LGBTQ acceptance

My store, the Eclectic Wombat has an LGBTQ Pride section because frankly, I believe in the right of everyone to love who they want too. I thought we had started to move past the point in society where this was a really controversial way of thinking. I was wrong.

 Proud to Be The Rainbow Sheep Of The Family - Pride Shirt

When I decided to advertise the PRIDE section of my store I seriously underestimated the amount of hate I would receive from it. I am getting a small taste of what my LGBTQ Friends receive from narrow-minded jackasses who just can't let people be people. The worst part is I've gotten way more hate than sales. But, that's okay, if anything it has shown me why the LGBTQ community needs and deserves this month. It has shown me just how far we still need to come so that everyone on this planet feels valued and important to society. I don't know if my store will survive, but whether it does or not I will always fight for the rights of everyone, and for everyone to be able to love who they want. As long as this store is open it will have a Pride section. For my very good friends, for my children's future, and because it is the right thing to do. So tired of hate.

Love Is Love T-shirt

My designs are not offensive or sexually blatant, but I still got responses calling me sick or quoting bible verses. If anyone does this to you ask them to show you where Jesus (not Moses, not Paul) and only Jesus said anything about gay people. They can't because he didn't.

If God Hates Gays Why Did He Make Us So Cute - T-Shirt

And it wasn't just narrow-minded people. Facebook rejected my ads as being political. I had to go through this entire process to try to get approved to run so-called political ads and I failed. I had to contact a third party (and pay extra) to run my ads. What is political, what is controversial about who people love? Done ranting. 

Love Yourself and Love Who You Want!

Actually, I guess this one is a little suggestive

I Licked It Now It's Mine - Crop Top

#Pride #Pride Month #LGBTQPride #LoveYourself #LoveWhoYouWant

Starting to get discouraged - but pushing through....

Man, it would be awesome if I looked back on this blog in the future and thought, man that was a rough time, but it was worth it. But, I'm starting to get discouraged.

I have three weeks left in the oil field. Then this chapter is over I hope... but I might have to take a job doing something oil field related. I hope not... it would be a step back.

I've had my store open for a few weeks. Trying to drive traffic is crazy hard. My friends could help, but so far I can't get anyone to share it. That's all they have to do and it's like pulling teeth. They are all ready to argue politics or correct a mistake in a damn Facebook post, but I can't even get my best friends to share my store or my products.

Easiest way in the universe to boost my traffic, they won't help. I even asked straight out.

Thing is, the shirts are extremely high quality. Really nice. And I think my ideas are excellent.

This is a sublimation dye shirt

Came out just awesome

When music hits you, you feel no pain shirt

Great gift for musicians - at least I think so.

I've tried Facebook ads and Etsy promotions... but they aren't working. Of course with a budget of $3 a day... it's not looking good. I even got a domain name, but Etsy runs it as a redirect... so that's kind of a waste.

About to be broke and jobless. At least for a couple of months until the big severance check comes in.

I'd hoped to get the house up for sale sooner rather than later, but I can't do that until I fix it up a bit. At least not if I want to get enough to get out of this place.

Not giving up yet. Still hopeful it will come around and thinking about trying to do Tech work. Virus removal, speed up peoples PCs, home networking whatever. Trying to build a Shopify store and hoping it will be better then Etsy.

I have to get out of here. I have to get my family out of this place. Not about to give up, but I sure am getting discouraged. We are going to find a way to change our lives.

New Blog just for Musical Inspiration and Motivation

I've always been inspired by Music. I love songs from every genre and in fact the movie and the soundtrack from The Greatest Showman has been a large inspiration to me lately.

It has made me feel like I can literally do anything. I can change my stars and the stars of my children. I'm going to find a way to make their lives extraordinary.

To keep me motivated I've started a daily blog with new inspirational music everyday. It's called Inspired Music Madness. I think it's awesome and I hope you will too. I plan to post any music I find uplifting, inspirational and/or motivational.

Linkin Park, The Black Eyed Peas, Journey, The Script... even oldies like the theme song to the Legend of Billy Jack will be listed their. I'm even trying to make my own radio station to go with it... still learning that one though. For now, here's some inspiration for this page. If I had one blog worth subscribing to, that one might be it.

For now, here's some music for inspiration here:

Pat Benetar - We Belong

Because we do belong, all of us.

Inspired Music Madness

Trying something new.

Iv'e opened a store on the web selling custom T-shirts, bags and gifts of my own design. Very excited about the possibilities with this. I have to try something new though or I'll be stuck in this rut forever. My family deserves better then that.

 Here's some of the things Iv'e designed so far. You can see them all at The Eclectic Wombat. Why did I call it that? Not sure... just what came to mind.

Not really as flashy as I want to be in life, but if I could get this to take off maybe I can make the other dreams come true. THe dream of moving my family someplace special. Someplace they will love.

Sacred to Death, but I gotta do something new!

The company I work for was bought recently....

The new company made us a deal, stay with them a few months and if we didn't like it we would be eligible for a one time separation payment based on what our severance from the old company would have been or stay with them an entire year and get a big retention bonus.

My separation payment is about $32 thousand dollars
My retention payment would be about $43 thousand dollars

But be staying with them I am losing about $1000 a month paying for my families insurance... so it's kind of a wash (The old company was actually one of those incredible employers who paid my entire families medical insurance cost, the new company only pays for  me and the difference is actually $1000 a month).

The thing is, I had to decide this week whether to stay or walk away, but I won't get the money from the separation until July 11th.

Well, I gave my notice. Tomorrow is the last day to retract it and I'm scared...

But I gotta change. I gotta have faith in the universe.

I want to get out of the oil field. I want to get out of West Texas. I really want to move to St. Louis. Real Estate prices are crazy here.... I might be able to sell my place, pay off the mortgage (and an FHA lien) and get into a place on the outskirts of the city with cash. My credit is horrible, so that's my only real hope.

I'm in love with a place I have never been. My family deserves better then here.

I wan't a normal job. I want to get up on stage again. I want my children to grow up in a place where they could do anything and where they can be anyone.

But I'm scared

This is my inspiration - Get Up by Shinedown 

It all has to go right from here!

Midlife "Reboot"

I wrote the first entry in this blog way back in 2017. Talk about a false start. Back then I refereed to what I was going through as a Midlife Crisis, now I prefer the term Midlife Reboot.

I honestly thought I'd very recently coined the term "Midlife Reboot" to describe what I'm going through. Turns out I didn't. Apparently it's a thing. That's okay, it perfectly describes what I am going through at this time in my life.

I'm looking to take my family and restart somewhere new and doing something new, but I don't know what. Ideally I'd be an actor, but I don't know if I could make a living getting middle aged funny fat guy parts. All I really know for sure is I'm tired of working 80+ hours a week, which I have done for going on 14+ years now.

"Cartoon voices... that's a thought. Love to find a way to do that."

I want to move. I want to get away from this hell hole that is west Texas and working in the west Texas oil field. It sucks. It sucked when I was in the field, it sucked when I drove trucks and it sucks even now that I'm in the office. It pays well though. I don't think I care about that last part anymore though.

What good is paying well when everything is way to expensive.

"DJ... I'd make a good DJ. I have a great voice for radio."

"Writer? Maybe a writer of some kind?"

I'm thing is... I want to make less money. I want to enjoy my life more. Things have got to change. Right now I think I could sell my house, pay off that mortgage and find something I can be outright. Far from west Texas.

I'm looking at someplace with culture, art, amusement parks, food, sports, better schools for my kids, more romance for my wife and I. Somewhere like the countryside outside of St Louis.

No idea what I'll do, but I can't stay here much longer. It'd make a great reality TV show.

Claptrap!

I always wanted business cards that had "Pagan God" listed as my occupation. Or maybe "Master of Ceremonies" I never did get any though. Maybe someday. I also always wanted my own soundtrack.

Anyway, I'm a 50-year-old man in Midland Texas. I live on a small 5-acre homestead that we should be farming at least a little bit, but we aren't. We do have chickens and ducks, and more eggs then we could ever eat. I also work in the oil fields of West Texas driving 18 wheelers. I have three kids and a wonderful wife that I do not appreciate nearly enough. I'm not really being interesting enough to hold your attention yet though I'd guess.

It will get interesting though... at least I think it will. So a couple fast facts about me.

1. At one time I wanted to be a preacher (now a humanist and an atheist and one of the few people I know who has read the bible cover to cover). 
2. Since that time I've been a DJ at a topless club (but I'm still a supporter of everyone's civil and vehemently believe you don't do anything to anyone without permission).
3. I used to run a comedy website called The Parody Pages (You will see things from it in this blog I'm sure).
4. I would love to run for Congress. I just told you my skeletons so it'd be hard to use them against me. Unless they can use bad credit against you, I have that too.
5. I'd also love to be an actor or a voice-over artist.
6. I have and try to follow a strict moral code of ethics.
7. I don't think I could be bought ever, but I'm sure most politicians thought that when they started out.
8. I love Six Flags and theme parks more than most people.
9. I think Barrack Obama will go down in history as one of the greatest presidents we have ever had, and not just because he broke the color barrier.
10. I won't give up without a fight (although my wife had to remind me of that today).

I got this blog months ago simply because I thought "Dramatic Renewal of Purpose" would be a really cool sounding name for a blog. Then it's sat here for months while I tried to figure out what to do with it.

I think I'm going to use it for my mid-life crisis.  Which I think is starting now...