Lookee, lookee, another day, another post. I'm blogging from the familiar and friendly confines of my home office this morning. Not from an untoward event at the regular office, rather because I'm going to do my road warrior thing today.
It is a quick day trip to the Land of Klinger, or if you are not fans of old sitcoms, call it Detroit South. Call it NW Ohio if you prefer. In any case driving there and back in the course of a work day is no problem. Sure, the day might be 10 hours or so, but that is fine with me.
My immediate concern is the icy drizzle and frozen fog that left a gift of black ice on the roadways and bridges this morning. I hope traffic will leave the interstates melted by the time I venture out onto highway 69.
Hah, he said "69". Yes, mentally I'm still 13.
I have a little work correspondence to attend and a call to my pop to wish him the happiest of birthdays before I shave and shower and hit the road.
Live well, dear readers.
January 16, 2019
January 15, 2019
Toos Day
With more snow and sub-zero temps headed this way over the weekend, I take comfort in the very idea that pitchers and catchers report in less than a month.
January 13, 2019
A sad day
Everything else I have to say today pales in significance as I learn we have lost yet another of the good ones
Ellison was one of the first blogs I read on a regular basis.
Rest in peace, my Internet friend.
Ellison was one of the first blogs I read on a regular basis.
Rest in peace, my Internet friend.
Snow, sports, and a movie review
The prognosticators were dead on with the snow forecasts. My ruler says we have just at seven inches. My neighbor came over with his new snow blower just after noon yesterday and cleaned my driveway. He did everyone on the cul-de-sac. Right neighborly I would say. I went out and cleaned the drive again around four. I have another inch or so to clean off later this morning along with the big chunks and heavy ridge left by the plow when the street was cleaned late last night.
Just a few miles south the city of Indianapolis measured 6 plus inches of snow. Normally that would mean private contractors would be hired to clean side streets. The DPW said that measurement on grass is greater than on streets and they say only five inches fell on the streets so they will not call out the private plows.
We have smart phones, smart bulbs,smart devices, smart appliances, smart homes. I was not aware we had smart snowflakes that only fall on grass. There must still be a few bugs since some snow fell on the streets in Indy.
The football game was ugly. Less said the better.
On occasion I do the heavy lifting around here so you don't have to. I suffered through the 2017 bio-pick Churchill yesterday. You are welcome. What a piece of claptrap. One would think if a film was about a historical figure the writers would do a little research. The crux of the film is Churchill was dead set against D-Day and did all he could in the days before the launch of the WWII Normandy landings to stop the invasion. In between, he suffered fits of depression, rage, self-pity, and general petulance.
There is no historical record to support this at all. Did Churchill have doubts? Did the pressure of war weigh on him? Probably. Were these doubts debilitating as depicted in the film? I think not. The producers did a great job of casting though. Churchill looked like the Prime Minister. General Jan Smuts was especially well cast in appearance.
Review: do not bother. One half star out of five.
Here is a little trivia to round out this wintry Sunday: The Boer General Jan Smuts served in the Boer Wars, WWI and WWII and is the only signer of the peace documents with Germany ending both World Wars.
Just a few miles south the city of Indianapolis measured 6 plus inches of snow. Normally that would mean private contractors would be hired to clean side streets. The DPW said that measurement on grass is greater than on streets and they say only five inches fell on the streets so they will not call out the private plows.
We have smart phones, smart bulbs,smart devices, smart appliances, smart homes. I was not aware we had smart snowflakes that only fall on grass. There must still be a few bugs since some snow fell on the streets in Indy.
The football game was ugly. Less said the better.
On occasion I do the heavy lifting around here so you don't have to. I suffered through the 2017 bio-pick Churchill yesterday. You are welcome. What a piece of claptrap. One would think if a film was about a historical figure the writers would do a little research. The crux of the film is Churchill was dead set against D-Day and did all he could in the days before the launch of the WWII Normandy landings to stop the invasion. In between, he suffered fits of depression, rage, self-pity, and general petulance.
There is no historical record to support this at all. Did Churchill have doubts? Did the pressure of war weigh on him? Probably. Were these doubts debilitating as depicted in the film? I think not. The producers did a great job of casting though. Churchill looked like the Prime Minister. General Jan Smuts was especially well cast in appearance.
Review: do not bother. One half star out of five.
Here is a little trivia to round out this wintry Sunday: The Boer General Jan Smuts served in the Boer Wars, WWI and WWII and is the only signer of the peace documents with Germany ending both World Wars.
January 12, 2019
A Desperate Need for French Toast
SnowTeam ScareTeam is in total "we all gotta panic" mode. They gleefully predict 4-7 inches of snow through Sunday, albeit with grave countenance for the cameras. Grocery stores were packed yesterday evening. Why? Because in 1978 the area was snowed in for a couple of days. This storm, even if we were to get the maximum, would not cripple the area. Plows are already salting slick roads and will plow as necessary. If anyone just must have the ingredients for an emergency batch of French Toast, they will be able to get to the store.
Here at the old homestead we had plenty of bread and eggs. We didn't have any milk. More importantly, I'm not sure I had enough beer to get through the football games. We stopped by the grocery to grab the essentials, and some milk on the way home from dinner. In the cart: beer, little chocolate donuts, Danish pastries, grape jelly, and chili sauce to make BBQ little wienies in the crock-pot. I said the purchases were essentials.
I did mention there was a football game on TV, right? We already had the stuff for pretzel dip and some frozen potato skins. Yes we're are having a tailgate party right in the living room. No, no one is invited. It will be just me and the wife snacking away while watching the local team in the playoffs. Yes, she will watch.
I intend to have a great Saturday. I hope you have one too.
Here at the old homestead we had plenty of bread and eggs. We didn't have any milk. More importantly, I'm not sure I had enough beer to get through the football games. We stopped by the grocery to grab the essentials, and some milk on the way home from dinner. In the cart: beer, little chocolate donuts, Danish pastries, grape jelly, and chili sauce to make BBQ little wienies in the crock-pot. I said the purchases were essentials.
I did mention there was a football game on TV, right? We already had the stuff for pretzel dip and some frozen potato skins. Yes we're are having a tailgate party right in the living room. No, no one is invited. It will be just me and the wife snacking away while watching the local team in the playoffs. Yes, she will watch.
I intend to have a great Saturday. I hope you have one too.
January 10, 2019
"G" marks the "X" spot, or something like that.
The kitchen is cleaned. Dishes are washing in the machine. I made a salad for supper. I cut some chicken breasts into chunks and then browned them in olive oil to put on top. It was normal salad fare: lettuce, onion, bacon, cheese, tomatoes, croutons.. Some blueberry muffins from a Jiffy mix rounded out the meal. Of course it is not as healthy as it seems.
Right now I'm blasting music from the upstairs Echo while I hunt and peck. I just put away some toys. The wife ran to the store. I'm ready to park my rear on the couch and relax. I didn't leave work until six. I ate lunch at the office, only taking a bit over half of an hour. I headed to the break room late and had a 1:00 meeting. I'm not complaining, just telling you how it is.
But this is a post. You have to admit that. There may not be much thought behind it, but it is words arranged in a certain fashion.
Right now I'm blasting music from the upstairs Echo while I hunt and peck. I just put away some toys. The wife ran to the store. I'm ready to park my rear on the couch and relax. I didn't leave work until six. I ate lunch at the office, only taking a bit over half of an hour. I headed to the break room late and had a 1:00 meeting. I'm not complaining, just telling you how it is.
But this is a post. You have to admit that. There may not be much thought behind it, but it is words arranged in a certain fashion.
January 9, 2019
Was Hadrian on to Something?
I have always been a strong believer that a Nation has a duty to protect its borders. I am a proponent of controlled immigration and opposed to uncontrolled illegal immigration. To whit, my boss is Mexican and he is moving here and I am fine with that. He is doing it legally.
I remain a bit queasy with the concept of a wall on our southern border. I am of the Cold War era. The image of that monstrosity in Berlin invokes the very concept of anti-freedom. Yes, I understand one was constructed to keep people in, while the other is supposed to keep people out, but isn't that semantic difference dependent upon which side of the barrier you are standing?
Where I become confused is when Democrats claim the wall is immoral. What is immoral about securing he border? If indeed a barrier to entry is immoral, doesn't that imply that any barrier to entry into the country is immoral? What is acceptable? If not a cement wall how about fencing, landmines, crocodiles, barbed wire, roving gangs in Yankees uniforms and nail-studded baseball bats, dogs, angry badgers, ditches, a tacit pinkie swear that caravans of desperate would-be immigrants promise not to enter, snake pits, miles of yellow crime tape embossed "do not cross", pungee sticks? You tell me what would constitute a "moral" border control.
And don't tell me that protecting the border is racist. Otherwise, you would be arguing to scrap Border Control at bridges, ports, and airports. Why should would-be immigrants from India, Pakistan, China, Nigeria, Lebanon, or Poland have to follow the rules while a blind eye is turned to our southern border? That, my liberal friends, is racist.
I don't have the perfect answer. I have seen the squalor of third world countries. I understand the desperation to find a better life for your family. It should not take years to immigrate legally. Fix that. We need to disincentivize illegal entry. Go after the black market employers. Get rid of any welfare for illegals. Tax out of country money transfers. Hell, go to a national sales tax instead of income taxes so an illegal pays his fair share.
I know I am not alone in hoping Congress will actually address the issue. I have studied the late Roman Empire. I know what uncontrolled "immigration" can wreak upon a nation.
Trump was elected in part because he vowed to address illegal immigration. Polls still support border control. Maybe for once politics will not trump policy?
Fat chance.
I remain a bit queasy with the concept of a wall on our southern border. I am of the Cold War era. The image of that monstrosity in Berlin invokes the very concept of anti-freedom. Yes, I understand one was constructed to keep people in, while the other is supposed to keep people out, but isn't that semantic difference dependent upon which side of the barrier you are standing?
Where I become confused is when Democrats claim the wall is immoral. What is immoral about securing he border? If indeed a barrier to entry is immoral, doesn't that imply that any barrier to entry into the country is immoral? What is acceptable? If not a cement wall how about fencing, landmines, crocodiles, barbed wire, roving gangs in Yankees uniforms and nail-studded baseball bats, dogs, angry badgers, ditches, a tacit pinkie swear that caravans of desperate would-be immigrants promise not to enter, snake pits, miles of yellow crime tape embossed "do not cross", pungee sticks? You tell me what would constitute a "moral" border control.
And don't tell me that protecting the border is racist. Otherwise, you would be arguing to scrap Border Control at bridges, ports, and airports. Why should would-be immigrants from India, Pakistan, China, Nigeria, Lebanon, or Poland have to follow the rules while a blind eye is turned to our southern border? That, my liberal friends, is racist.
I don't have the perfect answer. I have seen the squalor of third world countries. I understand the desperation to find a better life for your family. It should not take years to immigrate legally. Fix that. We need to disincentivize illegal entry. Go after the black market employers. Get rid of any welfare for illegals. Tax out of country money transfers. Hell, go to a national sales tax instead of income taxes so an illegal pays his fair share.
I know I am not alone in hoping Congress will actually address the issue. I have studied the late Roman Empire. I know what uncontrolled "immigration" can wreak upon a nation.
Trump was elected in part because he vowed to address illegal immigration. Polls still support border control. Maybe for once politics will not trump policy?
Fat chance.
January 7, 2019
Ya Think?
It may be a character defect, or at least a glimpse into my level of impatience with life, when I think the sixty seconds or so it takes the Keurig to spit coffee into my mug is just entirely too long a wait.
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