I Need a Cuppa Joe

It is not raining yet, but it is going to.

I didn't sleep well last night. I was hot, then cold, then hot again. The wife must have been the same. She jerked the sheets and pulled the blanket up and down all night. She gets hot and  throws the blanket on top of me. I kick it to the bottom of the Ned. She pulls it up because she is cold. Rinse and repeat.

What he said.

Part of the wife's problem is she slipped and bumped down a flight of stairs the other day. She is sore as heck. Her back and arms are bruised. Her elbow is sore. Her right butt cheek is completely black and purple. It makes me wince just to see it. I think she stiffens up in the night and then it hurts when she moves.

it says busy, busy, busy on my table, table, table

It looks like it is going to be a rainy weekend. I suppose I'll have to mow after work today. Expenses are due by noon. I better get after it. How about a little music to start off your Friday?

So I don't know what is going on. In the past week or so videos won't start unless you go to YouTube to watch them. It is not just me, either.  Other sites have the same issue. I don't know if it is because I'm posting on an iPad or a bigger issue. The Man always seems to ruin stuff just when it is working fine. First it became impossible to post pictures to blogger from the iPad, now this.  I suppose you get what you pay for.

Edit. It is only on my iPad that I cannot watch the video.  I guess Google is trying to make life tough for Apple users.

I need my mommy

When I was a kid heading out the door for school my mom would make sure I wore my coat if it was chilly. Yesterday, I tossed my suitcase and briefcase into the car. I grabbed a couple bottles of water from the garage 'fridge and backed out of the garage. It was not until I stopped for lunch that I realized I had left without a jacket. To no surprise, the further north I travelled, the colder it got. Then it started to rain. By the time I left the hotel for supper it was in the low 40s and raining. I had on my dress shirt. I had to turn on the heat in the car. It is cold this morning. My customer will wonder why I don't have on a jacket.

I'm an idiot. I guess I still need my mom to say "Joe, put on a coat". But I don't care what she says, I'm not gonna put on those stupid f-ing rubber boots like I had to wear as a kid.

Behind the Mask

The Left is who they are. They don't hide what they want to do, but they do obfuscate.   More than two hundred years of history shows what happens when hard leftists are in charge, the classic examples being the French Revolution, the USSR, Mao's China and Cuba. Destruction of society norms, death, re-education, fear. No wonder leftist hate the teaching of history.

The path to leftist power has a roadmap. Sow chos, destroy religion, cause economic and political turmoil until the People cry out for help, which only comes through the State. Lenin did that way. So did Hitler, Mao, and Castro. Totalitarianism sneaks in under the guise of revolution.

For well over a century the left has tried to crack America. It started with the anarchist reign of terror that morphed into the communist push of the twenties. Since the 1960s the leftists have done their best to destroy religion and old fashioned morality. They have infiltrated the universities and education fields. They were behind the anti-war movements and more recent Occupy movements. Leftists embrace Climate Change and any movement that directly attacks Judeo-Christian values and most importantly, capitalism. The idea of the invisible hand is as loathsome to a progressive as any deity.

The State can tolerate no religion. The State is the most jealous of gods. Why are we suddenly arguing about bathrooms? This is not an issue. Does no one find it interesting that the funding for the unisex bathroom push comes from an accused child molester and ardent Progressive?

Who is it in modern society that wants to tell you what to drive, what to eat, how warm to keep your home, and even what you have to accept as right and moral. I hate to spoil your beliefs, but it ain't the evil righties trying to tell you how to live, what words to use.

stuff you did not learn in history class

Democrats have a long history of shitting on America.

Go ahead, watch the video. I dare you.

Impatience is no virtue

I understand your impatience. I know you have all been waiting with anticipation for my opinion on the Tubman-Jackson $20 makeover. Your long wait is over. I don't care.

That's right. Look, Jackson was the true founder of the Democrat Party. He was a racist assswipe. He trashed the White House, had no respect for the office and there is compelling evidence he was not even born in America, thus not qualified to even hold the office of President. He was the original Trump; a pure populist. The model for the modern Democrat.

Harriet Tubman was a leader in the efforts to free the slaves. Brave, devout, and tireless. Her exploits have been detailed extensively in recent days. But in fairness, if you, or I, or almost anyone, made a list of noteworthy Americans to put on our currency, I doubt Ms Tubman would have made the top 50 on any list, unless you said it had to be a minority and/or female compilation only. Go ahead, jump in your time machine go back a week and look at your list of 100 greatest Americans. Tubman is not on the list is she?

I think there are plenty of folks more worthy than either Jackson or Tubman to be placed on our currency. Welcome to modern America. Western Civilization is not even an offered course at Stanford, Washington and Lincoln do not get a holiday, but MLK does (not that he isn't worthy, but Lincoln did far more for African-Americans and Washington is the Father of our Country). History and civics have been replaced with social studies in our schools. Modern Americans know virtually nothing about our founding, our Constitution, or our history.

Should we honor someone instrumental in helping runaway slaves, who was a key player in the operation of the Underground Railroad on the $20? Absolutely. That is why Levi Coffin will be honored on the $20 bill. Except he is an dead old white guy.

Rock a Hula

I make no secret of the fact that I enjoy Elvis' movies. They are silly, and mostly bad, and a way to pass an hour and thirty minutes, just being entertained. I like the 1960's beach movies for the same reason. I don't need a deeper meaning or comment on society to be entertained.

At some point Elvis became "Elvis" and that guy was almost a parody of himself. The money, the relentless fame, the Cadillacs, the drugs, the movies, the jumpsuits, and Vegas* all made him bigger than life. In his movies he basically played the same role: Elvis. Lost in the hype was the fact that the man could sing, really sing.

The King was a generation before me. He peaked before I was born in 1962. it was not until my teen years and my addiction to watching old movies on late night TV that I really began to appreciate his talent. Elvis has been lampooned for his acting. He was no Spenser.Tracy, but there was no actor alive who could look good with some of those scripts. "Forgettable" is a generous label to apply to some of the soundtracks he was forced to perform. I think we can agree that often the quality of the music was not the same as we find in the golden age of Hollywood musicals.

But sometimes he hit a home run.



*in much the same way this blog has become a parody of itself. Without the fame, the money, the caddies, or the drugs. Alas, not even the jumpsuits. Probably, because unlike Elvis, I never started out with talent. 

Why, you are soaking in it

I slept late this morning, perhaps because it is chilly inside and out. I sleep better when I'm a little cold.

The rain over the past few days has really "greened" up, well everything. I will need to mow again this weekend. I have to get the flower beds cleaned out think about power washing the patio and porch. Work, work, work. I need to re-build the raised garden. The 2x8s that surround the bed are rotting. I may just take it out altogether. The previous homeowner built it and I don't think anyone would have labeled him a carpenter. All we have ever planted is tomatoes. I do love me some summer 'maters.

We didn't really have the extra money, but we bought the granddaughter a new playhouse for outside. It is one of those heavy plastic models. We also got a little slide. Since the little one will be here most days this summer she needs stuff to do. My granddaughter loves being outside. I'm sure we will get a kiddie pool at some point.

My coffee cup is dry and so is my limited well of blog content. Have a great Saturday.

I said I was sorry

I made it home about dinner time from my swing this week through Wisconsin and Iowa. I was tired and when I'm tired I tend to be an ass. I walked in the door and before I even dropped my bags the wife flipped me a fiver and asked if I could go to the grocery and pick up some corn chips to go with the salsa and Mexican stuff we were having for dinner. I quipped that "I just spent seven hours in the fucking car, just what I want to do". The response was uncalled for, especially the swearing part. I don't usually drop the F-bomb at, or in front of, my wife. I was immediately sorry.

After supper I plopped on the couch. The wife was doing laundry. I dozed a bit. I asked her if she wanted to watch some stuff we had DVR'd so we could watch them together. She said in a little while: she was re-arranging her closet. She really was, she had ignored and forgiven my earlier snarkiness. She knows my mood immediately after a long road trip. I flipped on the Cubs-Reds game while I waited. Jake Arrieta was tossing a gem. The Northsider's bats were pounding Reds pitching in the top of the third. The good guys continued piling up hits while the boys from The 'Natti did not.

The wife came down in the middle of the seventh. She dug out the popcorn maker and we watched the end of the game. She was not as excited to see Arrieta twirl a no hitter as I was. She does not understand the rarity. She seemed incredulous that the pitcher got so much credit when he had only six strike outs. I don't care, it was a masterful performance from a pitcher in the zone. I'm glad I saw it.

For no other reason than it is Friday here is a tune from one of the greatest movies ever:

I'm sure it won't be long before some genius in Hollywood thinks this movie should be remade and modernized. Instead of wild parties, the Delts will probably write mean stuff in sidewalk chalk.

I don't know

I saw the trailer for the remake of "The Magnificent Seven". How do you improve on the original? I suppose the remake of "Yrue Grit" was not bad, just different, and perhaps this remake will be the same. I have the same mixed opinion about the upcoming remake of "Ghostbusters". What next, redoing "Animal House"? Why screw with near-perfect classics?

Remaking old successes is nothing new in Hollywood. Epics like " Ben Hur" and "The Wizard of Oz" were remakes. Still, aren't there any new ideas out there?

Where the heck is my safe place?

Some people are offended by chalk on the sidewalk. Others go crazy if a white dude wears hair braids. Others are offended by gays, non-gays, wannabe gays, or dudes dressing like chicks to get a cheap thrill in the ladies room. People are offended that people are offended when men shouting "Allah Akbar" start shooting up breakrooms, parties, and art shows. Some are offended that people eat pork, others are offended that a person offers a quick prayer before a meal. Everyone seems to have their tightly-whiteys pulled tight up their ass crack over something these days.

Yet no one is writing, shouting, or trying to criminalize the most offensive thing in our modern society. Yes, faithful readers, I'm talking about perfume and cologne. There is, until the coming change in weather (warmer/colder/wetter/drier/fires/ice/storms/drought) plenty of soap and water. Try a shower. You don't need to bathe in man-perfume. You may like it, but most of us think you smell like a Parisian whorehouse, and not in a good way.

Just this morning, I was deep undercover in the hinterlands of eastern Cheeseheadistan, choking down my Hampton Inn powdered eggs and watery oatmeal, when a dude plopped down at a table a few feet away. The wave of odoriferous scent slapped me in the face. It was as if Channel 3,5,7,and 9 tagged teamed with a musk ox to roll in the shattered detritus of a flower shop. Man, was it offensive.

And how about the women who find the need to surround themselves with a Pepe le Pew-like cloud of fragrance just to buy bananas and hamburger down at the local Kroger?

I find the whole overbearing fragrance issue so troubling I think I'm gonna put on a white robe and go down to the university and chalk up some slogans on the sidewalk.

Historical ADD part 2

My brain works in strange ways. Once I start researching something I cannot quit. Take my Saturday morning for example. I started out watching the Judy Garland flick "The Harvey Girls". As usual I read the IMDB info about the movie. This was before the opening credits scrolled off the screen. Then I did some research on the Harvey restaurants. There was a tidbit that the Harvey chain ran the restaurants when the "Oasis" opened on the Illinois Tollways around Chicago in the late 1950s.

This led me to research the Oasis rest stops. I learned that Howard Johnsons took over from the Harvey chain in the 1970s. That led me to wonder whatever happened to all of the HoJos? I did not know HoJo owned the Ground Round chain. I used to love the Ground Round. Much to my surprise the chain still has locations in the east and upper Midwest, including in one of the places I visited last week.

I shut off the movie because I was bored, partly because I was not paying attention since I was researching tangential stuff.

Yes, I drive my wife crazy. Late in the day Saturday I mentioned that I was surprised that the Ground Round chain was owned by Howard Johnson's and that some were still open. She gave me that "What the heck are you talking about" look I know so well.

Hey, did you know Standard Oil developed the Oasis rest stops on the Chicago Tollway...?

Slip Sliding on the Slippery Slope

If you think you are a woman, you should be allowed to use the women's restroom or locker room, no matter your genitalia, says the latest politically correct position.

If, a marginally talented high school basketball player were to decide he now identifies as a she, should that person be allowed to play on the girls' basketball team?

Should there even  be separate boys' and girls' teams? Shouldn't the best player play, regardless of sex?

One spring night

Here is a rerun from 2010.  It shames me to read old stuff and see the effort I once put into this hobby compared to current efforts.

April 18, 2010

One spring night

It was a typical spring evening in New England. The night was cool, but the man sweated underneath his clothing. The sounds and smells of the town were around him. He shifted his weight nervously as he waited.

He looked across the harbor at the dim lights of the city. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He glimpsed a tall steeple of a church in the distance. The white steeple looked a ghostly gray in the night. The church moved him to mutter a silent prayer. He was lost in his thoughts for a time.

:There". A voice said beside him. The distant steeple glowed with a lantern hung in the belfry. A second light followed. The man leaped aboard his horse.

"Spread the alarm, 'tis by sea". he said and spurred his mount into the countryside to warn the militia of the surrounding towns. He set off on the Lexington Road to warn Adams and Hancock. The British army was on the move. They must not be arrested, the arms of the colonists not confiscated. The man had not a thought of his own risk, the hard earned wealth he could lose in an instant. Fighting tyranny was worth any price.

He stopped at selected houses and taverns along the road. His whispered message "The Regulars are out", sent other horsemen into the countryside, warning the appropriate 'Minutemen' in Middlesex County. There was no shouting. The message spread across the fields and through the villages with silent efficiency.

Within a few hours the man had arrived in Lexington. He met with Sam Adams and John Hancock. His companion from Cambridge joined them a little after midnight and along with a third patriot set off towards the nearby town of Concord to warn the militia there the British were on the move to collect the arms cache hidden in Concord.

As the man and his companions, William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott, reached the hamlet of Lincoln, they were stopped by a British pickett. Dawes and the Doctor escaped into the dark, but the man had no choice but to submit. As dawn broke the man was being escorted toward the marching army -- back towards Lexington.

Nearing the town the officers and the man, silversmith Paul Revere, heard shouts. Soon shots rang out. The militia had mustered. The colonists had no intention of starting a war. Their only intent had been to bluff the Authorities. As the shots rang out the three British officers made Revere dismount. Taking his horse they rode toward the distant fighting.

Revere walked through the cemetery to the house he was at just a few hours earlier. As citizens and the British Army scuffled on Lexington Green, Revere helped John Hancock and his family escape. As the party fled over the hills, Revere saw the militia he had helped muster fall back toward Concord and history.

Humdrumiest humdrum imaginable

I mowed the lawn yesterday. I'm waiting on it to warm up just a bit more so I can take a walk, then sit on the patio and burn a stogie.

I need to go to the giant home improvement store after bit to get some stuff to repair some broken floor trim. I also need salt for the water softener. The water is so hard around here you can almost chew it.

That is all I have planned for the weekend. I'm sure the One In Charge of doing stuff has a long list of chores I should do. I will do my best to endeavor to persevere.

Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal

It is Saturday and once again I am up an hour earlier than my usual wake up time. I think I'm looking at the situation all wrong. Instead of complaining that I woke up early, I should consider that I am excited for the weekend and do not want to waste it in bed.

Yeah, I don't really believe that either.

We went to downtown Indy last evening. I like to go downtown. I enjoy the old buildings and I'm just nostalgic enough to envision what the heart of the city might have looked like 75 or 100 years ago before suburbia changed everything. While Indianapolis has revitalized its downtown area, it is still, like most cities, a shell of what it once was.,

Yesterday, it was sunny and in the seventies with no humidity and I sat at my desk and worked. You probably did too, but I suspect I'm the only salesman in central Indiana who did. I did listen to the Cubs game while I typed reports and prepared for next week's customer visits. I won't lie, I caught myself staring out the window on more than one occasion.

There is a remote possibility I could have an opportunity to move into a different position. Next week as I drive more than 1,000 miles, I can assure you the prospect of no longer living out of a suitcase will appeal to me. On the other hand, it has been 20 years since I had to get up and go to an office at a set time to work. Ask anyone who does it, life on the road is not the fun you think it is. Work travel is not the same as vacation travel. That does not mean I don't enjoy my job. I'm 54. Do I still want to be on the road ten years from now? She has never said, but I suspect my wife would not mind if I was gone a little less. The prospect for the office job is slim anyway, but it has made me think about things a little. I probably jinxed it by even mentioning the possibility.

It looks to be a glorious day. I hope you enjoy your weekend.

Side deals

The house next door has been a minor eyesore ever since we moved here. It is a rental and the two previous tenants just did not care about the property. Flower beds were overgrown, the yard mowed sporadically, snow was never removed. The last inhabitant left bags of trash and garbage piled on her back patio, old carpet in the driveway, and a garage full of junk when she left just before the sheriff tossed her out.

The house was sold at auction last December. The new owner has been working on cleaning up the property, inside and out. Alas, he is going to offer the house for rent, but at least the property will be in much better shape. Today a couple of guys are working on repairing the overgrown landscaping. They are digging out the weeds and stray mulberry bushes that have sprung up in the years of neglect. They are bringing in new topsoil for the flower beds. Gutters have been put back up.

I saw an opportunity. You might remember I cut down a dead ash tree a couple of years ago. Only two large pieces of the trunk remain. I went next door and asked what they guys would charge to haul away my big chunks of wood along with the neighbor's stuff. He charged me $20 and it was worth every penny. Now I'm sure the guys doing the shovel and wheelbarrow work are probably on the clock for someone else. I'm equally certain they will split my Jackson between them. What do I care? Two big old pieces of tree trunk are gone from my backyard.

Dandelion blooms and pernicious ground cover

Good morning fellow Earthlings. It looks to be a Chamber of Commerce kind of day here at the old homestead. It is a bit nippy this morning but it will be sunny and in the mid-seventies by afternoon. I can live with that. The weather quack is calling for more of the same all weekend. Yippee-ki-freakin'-yay. I have lots of yard work to do this weekend, so nice weather is a plus. It also eliminates any excuse to avoid the work.

I had a busy week traveling up and down the east coast of Wisconsin. There was nothing of interest to report and I made only one side trip; the drive-by of Lambeau Field I mentioned previously. That was not much of a side trip, it was about a mile from my hotel. In all, a busy and boring week.

This is riveting stuff, eh? Here is some Friday Music you will not click to finish out the effort:

Yes, Mannheim Steamroller recorded stuff that is not Christmas Music. My roommate had this LP back in college and we listened to it a lot for a brief spell. I copied the entire record over to a cassette at one point, but that recording was lost long, long ago.

bgdxbuyrgkmgxawhoo,jyfn

Snow flakes south of Green Bay were about he size of my palm today. Rain and sleet and snow marked most of the day. Such weather does not affect the postman and it did not deter me from visiting my customers. The sun finally peaked from the clouds in the late afternoon.

Staying the night in the Windy City 'burbs. How is it possible the Cubs are not on the hotel TV?

I've been reading old posts. Let me take the opportunity to apologize for the sorry state of the blog these days.

I noticed one of my old commenters has deleted a significant number of old comments. Interesting.

Drive-by shooting

I did a quick photo shoot of Lambeau Field through my windshield late yesterday evening. I got off a half dozen shots, none are scrapbook worthy.

The wife asked "Who plays there" to my texted image. I told her the Packers. She replied " Is that football?"

Sigh

old words

Here is a post from the early days of the blog:

April 22, 2007

Earth Day

Yesterday was Earth Day (I think) and I celebrated it by fighting Mother Nature and her minions. It started with the damn stupid robins assaulting my dryer vent again in a vain attempt to build a nest. The vent is bird proofed, but these dumber than dumb critters just keep trying. The banging on the siding and dropping of white shit down the side of the house finally pushed me to the limit. I crept around the corner and dropped the main offender with the pellet gun. That seemed to keep the other one at bay for the rest of the day.

Later, I embarked on a weed killing spree. I filled my industrial size pressure sprayer and commenced a chemical assault that would have shamed Saddam Hussein. Dandelion, clover, and some pernicious ground cover all were dosed heavily. I will not have much grass left when I am done, but the weeds will die, die, die. If a few tulips and ornamental shrubs take casualties, that is war and sometimes innocents take one for the better good.

For kicks I crossed the little brook and hit some of the weeds on the other bank, to keep them from spreading across like illegal immigrants jumping the Rio Grande. I understand the need for border control.

As I came back across the little bridge I saw a stick under the rail, I went to kick it over into the water and realized it was the tail of a fucking damn whoreson evil spawn of Satan lying in wait to kill me snake. I am pretty sure it was the same SOB that tried to sneak up on me last fall. For once I did not run in fear. I pumped up the sprayer to full tilt. I leaned over the rail and gave the serpent a mega-dose of weed killer right in the face. He dove over the side lickety-split. I fetched the hoe and spent the next twenty minutes trying to find him to cut him to pieces. I hope the weed killer makes it sick and causes a long slow death -- somewhere else. I intend to look for it to end its life today as the it will be even warmer this afternoon. I will not be able to enjoy my backyard and the little bubbling brook knowing the serpent of death is stalking me.

The battle rages.

Dear Democrats

These days liberals are focusing on women's rights, LGBT rights, and the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels.

How do you reconcile those concerns with support for Hillary Clinton when Saudi Arabia, a sponsor of terrorism, producer of fossil fuels, a place where women have virtually no rights, where it is illegal to have any religion but Islam, and where homosexuality is punishable by death, is one of the largest contributors to the Clinton Foundation?

Just wondering.

Picture This

View from guard tower on the Great Wall of China Taken by the author in 2013

I like pictures. Sometimes I think I take some that are marginally interesting. I prefer to take scenery pictures as opposed to pictures of people. I'm quite certain that says something about my personality to a psychologist. I like the picture over there on the left. You can embiggen it to your heat's content.

I think I have told you previously that my wife provides daycare for our granddaughter, Jo. Every day she sends pictures to Jo's Mom and Dad, who miss the kid while they are at work. The wife takes a lot of pictures of the granddaughter. More pictures than I imagined. In the 16 months since she was born my wife has snapped some 2,800 pictures of my granddaughter. Granted, most times there are 4-5 shots of the same thing. Infants and toddlers don't often pose or sit still for a good picture. Still, that is a bunch of snapshots. Thank goodness for digital pictures, film would have bankrupted us.

Last night, the wife, who could never be characterized as computer savy, asked if it was possible to organize her pictures into files. Since all are saved on an external hard drive I told her this was no problem. I created folders by year and month and moved the mass of pictures into the proper folders. Now the wife has to go through them and edit out what she wants to keep. She was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the project and now can work on it in small doises and create printed photo-books chronologically . That next step is her project.

Don't tell her, I did the easy part.

a story that may interest only me

We went to visit some friends last night and headed out to a nearby catfish restaurant for fish and onion rings. This joint is in a small town off the beaten path, but not far from the town where I grew up. After we ordered the wife went to the ladies room.* When she came back, my wife said she recognized a man sitting a few tables away. She asked our friend, who still lives in the area, if she knew who he was. Since we moved away almost 30 years ago, old faces may look familiar but change with time, making it hard to put a name with a face. Nope.

A bit later, my wife realized it is a co-worker of mine. The table was to my back so I could not confirm. Finally, since my wife was sure, I went over to say hello. It was him. And his aunt, who also works at the plant.

Why is this notable you ask? Well, there are only about 25 employees at my company, so 3 in one spot on a Saturday night is unusual, especially when you consider the restaurant is more than an hour from the plant, in a small town of less than 2,000 inhabitants, far off any major road or highway. What are the odds I run across two co-workers at a catfish joint 70 miles from their home and sit just a couple of tables away? This encounter is just one of the very many reasons I don't have a mistress.

*by herself, she is not one of those girls who needs company to pee

Are you freaking kidding me?

The ground is covered in snow. Well, the grass is poking through, but still...

It was like that when the wife and I came home from the movie theater last night. It is like that now. The %#*^# snow won't melt because it is only 29 F-ing degrees outside. We have had snow in April before and even a time or two in May, but usually it is flakes or showers, not usually accumulating snow. Maybe the Indiana AG outta go after the Virgin Islands AG for perpetuating the fraud of Global Warming upon the rest of us.

While I'm bitching and complaining, I cannot believe I'm awake at 6:03 this morning. I've been up past midnight every night this week. I've had to pry myself out of bed every morning for work. Now that it is Saturday and I can sleep in, I wake up early. WTH brain?

I hope you have a great Saturday.

Bye bye America

So it has started. The thought police are on the march.

We are no longer talking about science fiction, the dystopian future -- the fascists are now out to make sure you are on board with their groupthink.

Your Oweliian future has duly arrived.

I'm bored with song lyrics and lines from poems as post titles

Sorry I'm late getting to the old blog today. I have been reading An interesting article and watching a video about why dueling with a light saber could be dangerous. This is seriously cool stuff that puts physics in a context even a history major like me can understand.

This has been a long week. I think staying up late to watch baseball is taking a toll on my mind and body. I'll be glad when this west coast road trip is over. I also know that I'm staying up mostly because the season is new. The excitement will die down in the coming weeks and I won't find the need to watch every game.

What say I post a little Friday Music? Give me a second to pull out my iPhone. I'm going to post the video for whatever song comes up next when I shuffle:

There you go, some sixties pop to start your weekend. The Turtles broke up in 1970 after a few top 40 hits. "Happy Together" is notable in that it bumped "Penny Lane" from the number one spot on the US Charts. It stayed there three weeks according to Wikipedia, the font of all knowledge. But what is the story on the French horn dude?

Random Ramblings Volume XXXIII

Merle Haggard has passed away. I never listened to his music much.

It is National Beer day, hoist one at your leisure, if you are so inclined.

If I made a list of things I don't give a shit about, The Masters golf tournament would be pretty high on the list.  I won't waste my time making the list, because then I would have to care about the stuff on the list long enough at least to compile said list.

I had a weird dream last night. My old blog friend Big Dick would love this one. It involved a little person back in the 18th century Romantic Period when ladies wore those enormous hoop skirts and attended dinners and balls that lasted hours. Anyway, it was the job of the "table dwarf" to satisfy his rich woman patron orally during these fetes by hiding beneath her dress under the table. No, I don't know why that popped into my brain. Hola Big Dick out there in Twitterland. You are probably the only reader who would also find this idea amusing.

It is cold this spring morning. Snow is expected later in the day. Accumulating snow perhaps over the weekend. F-ing global warming. I cannot believe I'm running the furnace in April.

I am feeling much better today.

Have a fantastic day.

The thought police are here

Not so very long ago it was accepted scientific theory that the best way to treat mental health issues was to lock the individual up, give them electric shock theory or lobotomies. This was the consensus of the medical community.

Scientists once believed most maladies were caused by bad humours and the patient could best be cured via bloodletting. This was scientific consensus.

Remember the science of phrenology?  Look it up if you dont know what Im talking about. 

We look askance on the Inquisition and the idea that if, as a scientist, you disagreed that the sun revolved around the Earth, you should be prosecuted and punished. After all there was "consensus".

Today, we cannot believe that less than a century ago a teacher was prosecuted for teaching the Theory of Evolution over the accepted consensus notion of "creationism".

Yet, in spite of the concept that science is an evolving study, that discoveries are made by research and challenging existing notions, theories, and suppositions, seventeen State Attorneys General have embarked on a prosecution of anyone, company, or corporation who does not subscribe to the theory of man-made Global Warming.

That is terrifying. The proponents of the Climate Change theory, and it is no more than a theory-- thus not proven as fact -- have been unable to force societal change through legislation. The Climateers have been only moderately able to change our behavior through public opinion. There is left only option to force their opinions upon us through the intimidation of prosecution and punishment.

Do you feel that chill? That is your freedom slipping away. What next? What if you disagree with free healthcare, or higher corporate taxes? What if one of these AGs becomes a militant vegan? What if the AG of New York deems it a crime to blaspheme Islam? Will speaking out against abortion be next? Will pro Second Amendment advocates be prosecuted? What if you utter words against the political regime in office. Sixteen of these AGs are Democrats, yet those on the left have the temerity to label conservatives as fascists.

Say hello to the modern Torquemada.

More: If I was the CEO of ExxonMobile I would announce that effective May 1, 2016 gas prices would increase by $0.20 $0.30 $0.50 $0.75 (make it hurt) per gallon in the affected 15 states, District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands to pay for the legal costs associated with these political, anti-First Amendment prosecutions. 

I was out choppin cotton, and my brother was balin' hay

I cooked a chuck roast in the Crock Pot yesterday. Mashed spuds, green bean casserole and warm rolls rounded out the dinner. For no particular reason I dug out the good China and we ate at the dining room table.  That was the good part of yesterday evening.

About eleven o'clock the wife moseyed off to bed. All evening I did not feel too well. My head felt like it was clamped tight in a vise. I was achy all over. I was watching the Cubbies and felt like I was going to be sick. Diarrhea and nausea haunted me all night. I slept in short bursts, one minute shivering with cold the next I was throwing off the sheets in sweat. I had intense, strange dreams in between trips to the bathroom.  I think I might have a touch of the flu. I know at this point I have already crapped food I'm going to eat next week. Since the wife is fine I don't think it is my cooking.

Look at how devoted I am to you. I'm sick. Most people would likely be in the hospital, surrounded by doctors and caring nurses if they felt like I do right now. Yet here I am chugging out a post. That is dedication, my friends.

what he said

In a society where you can’t go five minutes without hearing someone scream “rape culture” or “it’s a war on women,” how is it that a threat to the safety, comfort and privacy of women in the bathroom is being treated like it is irrelevant? Read it all

It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day

The garbage truck just picked up my trash, the hydraulic arm dropping the big plastic bins curbside on this chilly April morning. I stayed up and watched the Cubs game and I'm paying for it today. I feel almost hungover even though the strongest drink I consumed was a diet Faygo grape soda.

Party down.

The good guys won.

I cannot believe there are so many voters willing to elect Bernie Sanders. Is it real support for hard line socialist / communist ideas or a rejection of Hillary? Here is a man who claimed in the past that the bread lines in Communist Block countries was good, because that demonstrated the rich were not hogging the food. We will not even get into his support of the Sandinistas and the Castro regime. This is the result of a failure to teach history. One half of our population was born since the Wall came down and have no idea what life under communism is like.

I'm so ready

Opening day.

I have been waiting since last October for this

Go Cubs Go.

Weird encounters

Monday. Cold. Sunny. The normal opening around here is now covered in Readers Digest condensed version.

Opening day for the Cubs. Will the lovable losers break out and win it all for the first time since 1908? I hope so, but I doubt it. The weight of expectations was too much in 1969 and in 1984 and especially in 2003. I am prepared to be disappointed. You might say I am optimistically pessimistic.

My granddaughter has a cold that has settled into her chest. She is 16 months old, so there is not much in the way of medicine she can take. Yesterday, my daughter and granddaughter ventured out to the grocery. The went to the posh market that refuses to sell partial foods. There my daughter encountered the original entitled rich bitch. I will relate the tale as it was described by my daughter:

The ERB pulls up behind my daughter in line. Daughter had a full cart.

ERB: oh my god look at her cart. She must have gotten her food stamps

Note, my daughter lives in a swanky suburb. She is a school principal, her husband a VP of a company. She does not look like, or dress like white trash.

Sweet innocent baby in cart(BIC): cough
ERB: oh my god that thing is sick. It will contaminate everyone.
BIC: cough
ERB: Can't you teach it manners? Make it cover its mouth.
Daughter: she is a baby,
ERB: it is disgusting.
BIC: cough ( Daughter covers babies mouth)
ERB: NOW YOU ARE GOING TO GET GERMS EVERYWHERE. I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU LET THAT CHILD SPIT GERMS ON YOU.

HUSBAND OF ERB: it is OK, calm down.

Other customers staring at crazy woman

ERB: You should not bring that...in public. This is just disgusting.
Daughter: ???
ERB: I am going to a different line.

Me, I would have wiped my hands on her food. But I am an ass.

A Blustery Day

The wind was howling around yesterday. At times it felt like the house was shaking. Blossoms were flying off the pear trees so fast it looked like snow. No, it really was snow for a while. My back yard was already littered with sticks from the big willow tree, now there are even more to pick up. At the height of the gale, the neighbor across the street lost about half of his tree. A big branch just snapped. There were reports of lost power throughout the area, but we did not have that problem. Today the winds are calm, but it is currently in the 20s. Brrr.

I was driving on the interstate last week. I came up on a jack off in a little blue Toyota who was doing about 60 in a seventy zone. In the left lane. I wax starting to slow because I could see the speed limit was about to drop to 55. Just at the sign the Toyota driver slammed on his brakes and slowed to about 40. Luckily there was a break in traffic and I could get in the other lane. I swear drivers are getting worse. Maybe we do need self-driving cars after all.

More college basketball happened. I did not watch. One more spring training game then baseball starts for real on Monday.

I wish I had tales of interest to share with you. My eleventh "blogiversary" passed a couple of weeks ago. There is that.

I think there is a ghost with a sense of humor living in my iPhone or else the software is far more developed than I thought. "just tell me that you love me" by Fleetwood Mac played and then was followed by "two out of three ain't bad" by Meatloaf: "I want you, I need you, but I'm never gonna love you..."  I thought it was funny. When I told my wife, she just gave me that look. Hey, that is the same expression you have on your face right now. The song juxtaposition is funny. Really.

Have a great Sunday.

Oh, oh, oh

Your shoe is untied

April fools

There is a spider on your shoulder

April fools