*DING* End of round one

I've just ended the first of 3 two week 'visits' with my kids.
Being allowed only six weeks time with them during the summer, I've found it easier to schedule two weeks straight during the months of June, July, and August. And they seem to like it more as well.

During those two solid weeks of having my kids with me is great.
I get to realize being a REAL full-time parent, and not just a 'weekend warrior'.

It's this time when I get to have complete responsibility of my children ranging from summer band lessons, ball games, interaction and just being there if they need me.

It's this time with them that defines me, shapes me towards my full potential.
It's this time that I enjoy the most, because I know that in a few hours after getting off of work, they don't have to go back to their mother's.

Now that I have this 'down time' until our July visit, I want to do something different than in years past:actually DO something with my down time.

I've wasted a lot of time doing nothing when I should have been doing something, but it's going to be hard.
I'm a creature of habit. A creature of comfort.
It's time I venture out of my bubble and do some living for a change.

My children are my catalyst:I grasp that now.
I want them to be (more) proud of their Dad, so that come July, we begin to have even better times together than we already enjoy.

curse you Guitar Hero..........

Today at work, Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" came on the radio, and all I could think of was 'green red yellow, green red BLUE yellow'..................

a rant of a different sort.................

A few months ago, I got a letter from my insurance company that they were switching parent companies, and that my checks would from then on have to be sent directly to them instead of my insurance agent.

When I got my insurance bill in the mail, and it had increased by about $100.
Not having caused any accidents in the past year, or received any tickets or citations of any sort, I was immediately curious.

I called my agent asking about the 'mystery increase' and after looking into it, he said it was based on my credit score.
"What?"

As some of you know, I got divorced in 2000 and circumstances surrounding that episode (OK, thanks to my now ex-wife), my credit is fubar.

Concerning that, one would think that after 8 years my credit would have evened out, but even most recently when I was purchasing my new TV (which is KILLER BTW), I couldn't even apply for the Best Buy rewards credit card because of my still rotten credit.

But why should that affect my home and car insurance?
Seems to me that when someone is in an accident, their rates go up. (I'm not sure how it works for home insurance rates)
Why is my having bad credit, grounds for jacking my rates?
As I stated, I've not submitted any claims to my insurance company which by my understanding, is the only 'normal' grounds for having ones rates increased.

I don't know, but it just seems like one thing after another as of late.