He has risen

It is not about the eggs and bunnies. 

Well my friend, I'm lonely too

Thunder rumbles in the distance as a fairly heavy rain falls. It is still dark. The coffee is hot as I sip between thoughts and pecking on the keyboard. 

It was a nice spring day yesterday and I did some work outside since it was a work holiday. I cut up some large branches that dropped from the big willow. I repaired the privacy fence board that broke from the branches. That big tree needs to come down, but it is going to cost thousands to drop it. I suppose it will fall one giant branch at a time. 

I took a break to have a nice stogie and read a little bit, then I power washed the front porch and put out the wicker chairs. In all it was a productive day. 

We are going to host Easter Dinner. I have to help do a little cleaning this afternoon. I still need a few things from the grocery. Some friends are coming over tonight for cards and laughs, so we need to make some snacks. 

That’s it. No snark, no politics. Well, kind of. I had a political post up for about one minute. I decided to save it for Tuesday. 

I do not think I have posted any music from Journey before. Who knows  and I’m too lazy to check because it doesn’t matter. Here is one of my favorites:

I have ideas

I am going to open a retail store for suburban soccer mom Hallmark movie watching types. I’ll sell wine and lingerie and call it Fill Your Cups.

More waste of time

 I watched a squirrel in the maple tree outside my office window. He ate some emerging leaves then stretched out on a branch and apparently took a nap. I think that is a good idea. Unfortunately, I don’t think my employer would agree. 

Real baseball starts tomorrow. The Cubs dart the season against the defending champs. I guess we will find out soon if they are contenders or pretenders. 

There is one more day to work this week. I get a Good Friday off as a holiday. I need a break. 

Biden has claimed he rode a train many times across the collapsed Key Bridge in Baltimore. The bridge only handles cars. He is either a liar or confused. Neither is a trait you want in your president.

I suspect some of you will disagree about that too. 

Break Time

How about some classic rock?

Joe Biden has just supported terrorists

The Biden Administration has done a lot of despicable things. The way they stabbed Israel in the back yesterday at the UN is an all time low.

Biden is clearly on the side of terrorists. 

This is akin to telling the US to just forget it after 9/11

Spit. I’m ashamed of this President.

Power corrupts but not as much as money under the table

It is Monday. You knew that already. I had a righteous rant mostly composed in my mind about the Biden Administration’s latest attempt to force us into electric cars, but I won’t write it. Why bother? We all know electric cars suck and none of want one. The government is going to govern us good and hard until we comply. 

Corrupt imperialistic government can be found at every level. Locally, the zoning commission just approved a massive ugly apartment complex right next to a nice housing subdivision despite the overwhelming opposition of the neighbors. Nobody wanted the development except the farmer who made millions from selling the land and the developers who will build crappy apartments that will fall apart in a decade. Oh, and the corrupt officials who might get a kickback after approval. I’m not saying they did. I’m saying it has happened before. 

Generally if you smell dog crap there is usually crsp around somewhere, whether you are talking EVs or apartments. Thus ends the sermon.

My current desktop background is waterfalls of the world and other stuff of no interest to anyone

 I finally did some writing for the first time in about six weeks yesterday. As is often the case, I have to do a little research in my effort to get the story at least a little bit accurate for its historical content*. I hope no one needs to look at my search history on my phone, because it is going to be a little hard to explain a search for women's underwear in the 1930's. 

Yes, I told my wife that and she laughed. She reminded me of the time I explained to her why the Can Can dance was so controversial and outrageous and it wasn't because the dancers were kicking their legs up in the air, per se. 

Anyway, I wrote some stuff. Is it any good? Probably not. I hope there is a nugget or two of 'good enough' hidden in the pages of mundane prose to make it a worthwhile read. Someday. If I ever finish the thing. I think this story is better than the last one. It is different, anyway. I will say that there a few passages in the previous book that I am proud of, and think aren't too bad, hidden by a lot of "get on with it" filler.  Your mileage may vary. 

If you aren't sure, you probably should just buy the published book and decide for yourself. There is a link over there on the right. No, there will be no audio book forthcoming. No one wants to hear my lispy twangy reedy nasal voice reading anything. 

*Yes, I have even checked the weather for the days the story is set so I can get it right.  It is probably a little much, I suspect. But I know it is accurate, so there is that.

Guess Who?

 How about some classic rock for a Saturday? Guess Who is the artist?

Lots of water under that bridge

On this date in 2005 I threw up my first post. I had no idea what I was doing. The post was nonsensical and self-serving. Me, Me, Me. 

Nothing has changed.

Nineteen years, nearly 8,000 posts, and almost three million visits later, I am still wasting time with this stupid blog. The quality of my work has not improved. The quality of my visitors has. Since nearly every single visit in those first days months was...me, the situation could only get better.

Thanks to all of you who stop by. I lack the vocabulary to adequately express my appreciation. Know that it is heartfelt.

Going Old School

 

We used to play this back in the Stage Band when I was in high school with the dinosaurs.

Great Expectations

 I am watching the cul-de-sac closely today. I expect a veritable convoy of Amazon, UPS, FedEx, and USPS trucks to stop by the house with deliveries. Of course each of you sent me a gift to mark my birthday. 

You did, right?

Oh.

Gift of me

At a bit after 11:00 this evening spring will officially, well, spring on us. Here is a thing to try: you can stand an egg on its end for a minute or two right at the time of spring. Go ahead, try it. 

Yesterday we had snow flurries. Today it is chilly with near record cold. So it goes. Weather experts say we will get a hard freeze tonight.

There is basketball starting this week. I don't care. Take that NCAA. 

I am taking a much needed day of vacation tomorrow. Except for the conference call I agreed to early in the morning. I am a great guy like that. 

I suspect you feel like your life is so much better after reading this post. I know I feel that way writing it.

It occurs to me

I married my wife for her looks. 

Just not the ones she’s been giving me lately.

You know what you can do with your fake holiday?

I am not wearing green. I am not doing any of that fake St. Patrick's crap. I am not eating corned beef. I am not eating soda bread. I sure as heck will not swill Guinness. I refuse to even eat Lucky Charms today. It is a matter of principle. 

St. Patrick came from what is now England for goodness sake. He was likely British of Roman heritage. Learn some history. 

He was a slave.  I suppose reparations are in order for everyone of British Roman ancestry. 

If Patrick really ran the snakes out of Ireland that was a good thing. Of course he did not, but I hate snakes so there is that. 

Money for Nuthin'

I haven't forgotten about you. Last week was a busy, busy week at work. Yesterday I started at 5AM and finally shut down my laptop around 4:30 in the afternoon. Under Bernie Sanders insane 32 hour workweek proposal I would have made beaucoup bucks this week. I had full days of work, and a  conference call with China every evening. Every single night. I will next week too. The good news is my big quote/bid was finished and submitted on time yesterday. 

Have you read about Commie Bernie Sanders' plan? You can tell the guy has never worked a day in his life outside of the public trough. I suppose I have to explain it yet again. Businesses do not exist to provide jobs. Repeat that phrase until you get it. A business exists to make money. They hire people to help them make money.  If a business could get by with no employees it would. A business (at least before government mandates -- spit) only offers benefits like holidays, insurance, etc. so that they can attract good people to come to work for them. They pay the market rate for workers that allows them to get the level of competency they need to get the product out the door. No more (again unless they are forced to by government mandate -- minimum wage). 

Sanders believes a company should pay for forty hours of work for thirty-two hours of actual work. If you work more than eight hours you get time and a half -- for the FULL day. More than twelve hours then you get double time for the whole day. Think inflation sucks currently?  Go to Bernie's plan and see what happens.

Of course idiots with no economic understanding will think this is a great idea. The same people who think a $15 hour minimum wage is terrific but do not understand why a Big Mac meal now costs $18 will love getting paid for not working. 

Heck, I would like to work 32 hours and get paid for 40. I suppose we all would. I am not opposed to money. I like it. I wish I had more of it. I am also not an economic illiterate and understand nothing is free, that a business has to make a profit to survive. Employees must contribute to the bottom line or they are not needed. Unless you work for the government. Then you just take money from my paycheck in order for you to get a paycheck of your own. If you do not like that characterization, then you need to think on the whole money supply situation a little more and maybe leave the room while the grownups talk.

Next week starts a new season…

 

Knock Knock

 Who is there?:

You did ask nicely

 What?

Sure, I’ll post up some Blind Faith:

Grab a a Kleenex

Blogging will take a backseat for the next several days. It is just the way it is. Not only am in a funk creativity-wise, I’m buried at work. 

I hate it and you are likely fighting tears of outrage and disappointment. We will both survive.

No, I’m not about to drop some Gloria Gaynor on you. 

I will give the gift of Pure Prairie League though:

Supporting the LGBT Cause

 I have gone from indifferent to a supporter.

Pointless

Three words: stupid time change. Four words: stupid unnecessary time change. 

How about some classic country music to salve our anger? There is a lesson in this song.  

The stuff you see

Sometimes a pictures does not tell a story, it takes words. That picture over on the right is just such a case. It was a hurried snapshot taken from the back seat of a Buick van hurtling down a Chinese highway at seventy-plus mph. 

We are driving along and I’m watching the un-scenic scenery whiz by. Suddenly our driver shouts something in Chinese and starts laughing. 

He points at the white SUV in front of us and puts hands together moving them apart and together like an alligator mouth, making an ahnk, ahnk noise. The driver grabbed his phone and took a picture.

It only took me a second to grab my phone as well. Go ahead, embiggen the picture. That is, indeed, a couple of bags filled with ducks hung from the back of the car. Yes, they are alive. The one on the left had his head poked out watching the same un-scenic scenery I was viewing. 

Hey, if I need to take a couple of ducks into town I’d be reluctant to let them loose inside my car. Duck poop is, well, fowl. Ingenuity is not a unique American trait. 

That was the funniest, best part of my trip.

Notes From My Field Trip

 

2024 Guangde, China

On the surface, China is modern. Their highway system is wide, smooth, efficient. The cars are modern and sport badges you recognize: BMW, Benz, Toyota, GM, Ford., Nissan.

Construction cranes dot the skyline building high rises everywhere you look. 

Citizens wear fashionable western clothing, often name brands. 

Then you remember often these name brands are knock-offs or made to a different standard than you might buy in Germany or Ohio. 

You forget the wealthy live really, really well, while the poor are really, really poor. If you think there is a wealth gap here, take a gander at the average Chinese factory worker compared to middle management vs the owner class. 

Factory workers spend the day at their desk if they are office workers or at their machine in the factory wearing heavy coats because the factory is not heated. I had to wear my coat the whole time I was there to keep warm. 

China looks like a modern western country on the surface and women have a hole in the floor for bathroom facilities. 

I remember my visit to Beijing back in 2013 or 2014. I stayed in a modern western hotel (Sheraton?) a few blocks from the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. As we left in our little bus to tour the Great Wall, we passed a government building hosting some ministry or another. The building was gorgeous. The boulevard we were on was wide and one-way. We circled the block to head the opposite direction. The back of the building was a contrast to the facade. Rust streaks ran down the walls from falling gutters. Stonework was crumbling, trash made unsightly piles against the walls. 

That is China, it looks great on he surface but is a crumbling third world country behind the fancy exterior.

The people are kind and funny and hard working. They want what we all want, security and a better life for their children. The people are not their government. 

burn,baby, burn

Today we salute Caresse Crosby, publisher, socialite, and inventor. Was her invention a great thing or the bane of society? That is not for me to say, I have never used it. I have fought to get it unlocked, and have found it frustrating. I leave it to you to decide if she is a hero or not.

This post is why my content is free

Looks at the blinking cursor. Uh...frowns. Do not write about the weather. Does anyone care why I spent the day at various doctors Monday? Not really. Are there any interesting stories from my trip behind the Bamboo Curtain? Nope, I worked pretty much the whole time. No sightseeing at all beyond what I saw from a car window — buildings and highways and manufacturing plants. Pizza for dinner last night, who cares? Politics, I think 37 years of blogging leaves no confusion about where I stand. 

You know what this means, right? Yes music!

It hate to question the integrity of Dick Clark, but no mics on the singers. The guitar is not plugged in. There is a piano, but no organ. No bass. No drums. I suspect lip syncing  is involved.

Patience

I'm still trying to get caught up. Patience please.

We’ve Got to Quit Meeting Like This

I’m considering getting out the smoker and doing some BBQ today. It is going to be an exceptional spring day here in Hoosierdom. We shall see. If I had that new pellet smoker I wanted for Christmas it would be a sure thing; smoked something would be on the dinner table this evening. 

There are four guys on the industrial sales team where I work. My boss went with me to China, so half of the team was in the Dallas airport Friday night. As we cleared customs, my boss checked his messages. He chuckled and told me another of our team just happened to be connecting through Dallas from Mexico that same exact time time. We had a long layover, so wandered over to the B Terminal for an informal 3/4 of the team meeting. 

Travel is strange like that. Once one of my former Boy Scouts from when I was an Assistant Scout Master sat across the aisle from me on a trip to Portland, Oregon. We have run into people my wife knows from Indiana multiple times while on vacation in Florida. I met my buyer and his quality manager from one of my big customers once in the business class lounge at the Shanghai airport. We were on the same flights back to Indy. 

Life is sometimes strange and wonderful.

Back Home Again, in Indiana

I rolled into the driveway just before 2am local time. It was a 31 hour day, with maybe less than an hour’s sleep (doze is probably a better word). Two days like that in six makes your body confused. It was the longest March first I have experienced. 

I woke up at around 6:00 in the morning in Shanghai. Did emails, showered, and ate breakfast. I then goofed off, read, and did work: the paying kind. I met up with my boss for coffee. I worked a little more, going over some data with him.

We headed to the airport a little after 1:00 pm. It is still March first. We stood in a massive line to check into our flight. Went through Chinese customs. Then security. We ate a light and late lunch and finally boarded the flight to Dallas. It was 6:00 pm on March first. We flew and flew. I watched a movie. Ate. Watched another movie. Tried to sleep without success. I looked for and tried to watch the worst movie ever. I finally dozed a little. At some point we crossed the International date line somewhere near the Alaska / Russia border. That means it is now...March First. We keep on flying. I hate my airline seat. We eat again. I read. I finish one book and started another. Breakfast is served. We arrive at Dallas. It is March first. By the time I clear customs, go back through security (I know it doesn’t make sense). It is near 6:00pm on March f-ing first. 

I’m in the same position, sitting in a airport gate waiting area at six PM on March first on the same day. I know, it’s quickly getting TLDR. I boarded another plane around 8:30. My butt has become allergic to airplane seats. I squirm in discomfort the entire flight. Got to Indy just before midnight on March first. Yes, it was a 30 hour March first.  The plane is delayed on the tarmac for about twenty minutes. I rode the bus to the airport economy lot, found my car. I forgot I need to get gas. Said bad words I will not repeat. Ultimately got home around 1:45 am on what now was finally March second. 

I’ve heard so many times: I wish I had your job, that travel seems like fun. You think?

What? Yes the trip was fine. It was cold and wet, in the thirties and forties. More on that later. 

You don’t want me to go back to boring weather reports do you? Let me save a little blog fodder.

well that took a dark turn

By the time you read this I should be ensconced within a flying tube winging my way eastward across the Pacific. I write should because I really have no idea if I am flying home or not. 

No, I’m neither drunk nor on drugs. You may or may not know google is banned in the People’s Republic of China. That means no blogging on the blogger platform without jumping through many VPN hoops. Since I don’t blog on the company computer, this entire post was written, wrapped, and canned before I ever left home. 

If you are a person who looks for the dark side of any situation, I might have died in a fiery crash on the way over to the Worker’s Paradise.  A number of calamities may have struck while transversing the country. I might have been delayed in returning home on schedule. That happened to me the last time I was in China. I was asked to stay an extra five days so I could hand carry samples back. These things happen. 

Maybe I will post tomorrow. Maybe I won’t. If you read in the paper of a downed airplane on the Indy-Dallas-Shanghai-Dallas-Indy loop, well then....

That took a dark turn. I have no concern about flying. I should post on Saturday. Live posts, not the canned crap you have been getting all week. 

Okay, maybe it will be Sunday before I post again. I will not get home until we’ll past midnight Friday/Saturday. Fighting jet lag and the 12 hour time difference will leave me wiped out Saturday. 

You might notice I did not post anything about the weather. That’s because I cannot tell you with accuracy what the weather will be a week or more in advance. The weather forecasters cannot either. I 

don’t have the right crystal ball for that. I guess those magic weather balls are all in the hands of leftist climateers. They claim to know about the weather five, ten, or even fifty years in the future. 

Sorry, if this is my last post I gotta end with a poke at the lefties who are ruining life for freedom loving Americans. 😎