Explanation...

It seems as if my last post attract a couple of responses from family members that were less than favorable. I think that these family members took my last post the wrong way. I meant the last entry to be funny. Nothing more, nothing less. To my sister: I never indicated that I was ungrateful. I know that mom AND dad did the best that they could with what they had and I am grateful for that. I was not bashing them. For the record, there was never one time in my life that I went to the mall with 100 dollars and came out with just a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. If that had happened, I would have had about 75 dollars left over. To my mother: I actually am thankful that we were not necessarily one of the proverbial "haves." It makes me appreciate my successes in life. I don't think that I would be where I am today if I didn't have to work for what I wanted. I don't see any shame in being a bargain shopper... I still am. I know exactly where I grew up. No, I never got the Adidas sneakers that I wanted. I did get discounted Nikes from Klein's All Sports in the Massena mall when I HAD to have trendy brand sneakers. I actually still have one of the pairs that you bought for me for basketball my junior year. I still wear them to play pick up games here and there. My point is, I was not saying that life was hard back then. If anything, I was kinda picking on myself for being superficial back then.
So, if you would please, both of you, ease up and realize that the tone was lighthearted and funny, not regretful and solemn.