It is about time

Look, I'm not one to complain...

OK, even I laughed at that beginning.

...but it is past time to stop burning the Christmas lights. I get it-- it I s cold.  No one wants to hazard the cold and ice, ripping down strands of lights from rooftops and shrubbery. I'm not suggesting you have to take them down, but it is possible to unplug the damn things. Enough already.

No wonder they sat out the Big One

As is my wont, I study various periods in history. On my drive back from Missouri this week I was listening to Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast. He mentioned a fact that blew me away.  I have not done the verification research, but Carlin is usually pretty good. Ponder this; in the first 3-1/2 years of WWI, the French had more casualties than the combined American losses in all of our wars.

According to Wikipedia, France lost about 1.35 million out of a population of  39.6 million.  If you add civilian casualties that total increases to more than 4% of the population. If those numbers were applied to America's population today that would be losses of more than 10 million in four years.

Man is capable of creating true horror.

Another Kumbaya moment

How about another crazy idea. I say the folks who decide what movies are nominated for "best" picture or whatever base their decision on the quality of the content rather than the color of the actor's skin. I think that is particularly an apt policy when the movie in question deals with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr..

I know, "But racist" is the theme of the times.

F you Oxford Press. F you silly people

Pork pork pork pork pork pork

Pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig

Sausage sausage sausage sausage

Bacon bacon bacon bacon

Pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig


http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/396356/oxford-university-press-authors-shouldnt-talk-about-pork-case-they-offend-others

on the road again

Hotel life, passing time on America's interstate highway system. Stopping at a random McDonalds to ensure the chain continues to function as America's urinal. Not to eat, though. Even salesmen have standards.  It is good to be working, doing what I do well.  A whole new industry, new products, new customers bring exciting challenges. I already miss my family though. Being home six straight months has been nice. But the slight case of homesickness is offset by new places to see, new roads to drive. In the meantime I am readjusting to living out of a suitcase and trying hard not to think about what bacteria is lurking on the tv remote.

Hope you readers are having a great Wednesday.

Progressive hypocracy volume 3,411

All of the Obamapologists are defending the Administration's failure to send anyone of note to the Paris rally against Islamic terrorism, citing such events are symbolic and do not accomplish anything but make one feel better. While I agree,  where were these folks deriding the Occupy protests (just what were they protesting anyway?), or even the multitude of marches in Ferguson?

Funny, the top law enforcement officer had time to protest against a cop who defended himself against a rampaging thug, but skipped out of gay Paree before he had to take a stand against real murderers.

Say, would the same folks who think the March in Paris was a waste of time offer the same opinion after viewing the movie about the civil rights march in Selma?  Will Bob Beckel offer a review that says "good movie, but a mere symbolic gesture".

Monday Review

I'm trying to remember what I did all weekend, I was busy but no activities come to mind.

We did babysit Saturday for a bit. Played some cards with some friends Saturday night.

On Sunday I watched football.

Yep that about covers it.

Lemme see if I understand

Our  erstwhile politicians in Washington have passed rules and regulations that mandate higher gas mileage standards for cars and trucks.  Now vehicles use less gas. Since cars use less gas then the gas taxes collected are lower.

Well, duh!

Now the politicians from both parties are trying to blame the lower gas prices as an excuse to raise the federal gas tax. The only problem is that tax is a flat rate per gallon (about 18 cents) and bears no relation to the rising or falling cost of crude or refined gasoline. The government is not collecting less tax because of oil prices but rather because of their own short-sided stupidity. (Quick aside -  if high prices were an indication that Big Oil was greedy, what do lower prices mean?).

This is not the first instance of lawmakers inability to see consequences for their laws. When the raised cigarette taxes to encourage smokers to quit, the politicos were shocked when cigarette tax revenue fell. When Congress mandated employers must pay health insurance for anyone who works 30 hours a week employers cut hours .

Here is a plan, instead of raising gas taxes, how about we cut the automatic funding increases in government programs. Better yet, how about actual funding cuts if we need money for infrastructure. Fund it that way. I know, use the money Obama has planned for free college.  BTW, what happened to the billion dollars in Obama's Stimulus that was supposed to rebuild the bridges and roads?

Naive at best

Ok, here is my "I'd like to buy the world a Coke/hands across America/Imagine/ give peace a chance/flower power post you have been waiting for

 I am very secure  and confident in my religious beliefs. I like to think my faith is unshakable. But they are my religious beliefs. Yours may vary and that is OK. I do not feel the need to proselytize. And frankly I don't want you showing up in my porch to try and convince me your way is better.

As long as your worship does not hurt others or affect me, go for it. I don't care if my neighbors are Jews or Muslim or Buddhists. Handle all of the snakes you want. Pray 17 times a day facing Xenia, Ohio for all I care. I expect the same tolerance from you.

I have no issue with prayer in school. Participate, meditate, pick your nose or daydream for a minute each day. A little quiet time never hurt anyone. Forced recitation of the Lord's Prayer or bowing towards Mecca is a different animal altogether. A menorah in the park, a crèche on the courthouse lawn  makes little difference to me. Contrary to popular belief, the Constitution does not ban religion in public, but rather guarantees the freedom to worship as you choose..

So if you want to worship a 12 armed elephant, a cross, a camel jockey, a fat guy with pithy sayings, a burning bush, the moon, or an empty can of Red Gold tomatoes, go ahead. But if I choose to worship a bundle of holly, the sun, a volcano, Jesus, or a '57 Chevy, it should not matter to you. So what if I make fun of your God? Is your belief in Zeus or Odin, or a Doritos shaped like Elvis shaken or diminished by my failure to adhere to your beliefs? Is your atheism imbued with uncertainty because I choose to drop to my knees and offer a prayer of thanks before I climb into bed? If I write that Mohamed liked to screw goats and little girls does that change your beliefs in The Prophet? If I think Jesus married a prostitute does that mean he did not die for your sins? If so,I guess your religious foundation is a little weak.

I know my God. He gave me free will to choose Him, otherwise I am just a slave. Worship as you please, just leave me and Charlie out of it.

Boy oh boy

That first cup of coffee sure went down fast this morning and it has nothing to do with the subzero temps outside my office window. I suspect the Keurig is going to get a workout today.

The early morning sky is just the right shade of dark that makes the porch lights on the snow covered houses across the cul-de-sac look like a Thomas Kinkade painting.

Have a great Thursday. Stay warm!

True confessions

I like watching old reruns. I am certain Sam is hot, but I am not too fond of the "new" Darrin. Larry is just a douchebag. Endora kind of creeps me out.

The Bitch is back

Boehner was re-elected to Speaker. Conservatives sent a message that they are tired of the lead Republican's RINO tendencies and more importantly, The People who voted Republican are tired of Boehner being Obama's bitch. The message will be ignored.

The early slate of Republican presidential hopefuls looks disappointing at best. Seriously, Huckabee? Bush? Romney? No,no,no and an extra no just for the heck of it.

Funny, every new seat the Stupid Party gains in Congress is from a conservative candidate, but the national party seems to think they should move to the middle. How did that work out in the past two general elections?

Cold as ice

It was a tough drive in to the office this morning. Idiots were out in force on the slick and snow covered roads.

We are looking at a high of 3 tomorrow with wind chills in the -20 range. That is cold no matter where you live, but as I wrote the other day, it is January. This happens every year.

I am off to start a pot of chili for supper.

Stay warm my friends.

Bad Moon Rising

There was a full moon this morning shining a soft white light through the frigid winter air. I don't think the temperature climbed out of the teens today.  The weatherman is calling for a half foot of snow overnight before some real Arctic air comes calling. It is winter. Mother Nature gives us this every January.

I will spend a few more days at the main office before settling into working on my own.  My training is finally complete. I am excited and ready to hit the road doing my Willie Loman thing.

I have to go take the trash out.  That is not a metaphor, Tuesday is trash pickup in our neighborhood. 

Have a good evening. Be safe if there is inclement weather at your house.

The wind in the willow

The wind is moaning around the eaves of the house and whipping the willow branches like a cat o'nine tails. There is a half-formed analogy floating in my brain about Mother Nature's angry bosun, but I am quite certain it is not worth pursuing.

It looks like winter will pay a visit this week starting with a dusting of snow this afternoon and Arctic temperatures later in the week. I think I will work from my home office those days.

Last week a liberal blogger called me out for some economic predictions I made in a post I wrote back in 2008. It seems that I was right in my predictions. I was going to chastise her with ridicule and scorn but why bother? Progressives are never wrong, even when they are, and their smug arrogance prevents them from recognizing when they are making fools of themselves. Instead of wasting any more of our time arguing with howler monkeys, I will do a Monty Python and fart in her general direction. Of course, no matter how odoriferous my flatulence, it will be masked by the stink of greater Cleveland.

The neighbor's porch light is winking across the cul-de-sac as the shrubs bend to the will of the wind, occasionally blocking the soft white glow of the energy saving bulb.  The dim winking in the distance does not call to me like Daisy's green light across the bay, but rather encourages me to get off the old iPad and turn on an old movie as I wait for Sunday football to start.

I hope you have a great Day.

Tales from Tatooine

This is not the post you are looking for.

The long winter

The Christmas decorations are down and boxed until next Thanksgiving. The house looks stark and bare. The January cold replaces warm holiday feelings. I really don't mind the cold so much. It is the overcast that depresses me. Gray days and early sunsets bring me down. Bright sun coupled with temperatures in the 'teens does not faze me, even if there is snow on the ground. Sure I will complain about it.  That's what I do best. What will today bring? The sky is a mottled blue gray through the branches of the big maple outside my window. The sun has yet to pop up over the neighbor's house across the street. Clouds, cold, sun or snow, life is still good. The Lord has blessed me and I am thankful.

I hope you have a great Friday.

Good F-ing riddance

2014 was a Dickinsonian kind of year here at the old homestead. It was the best of times as we took a dream vacation to Oahu and this month when my daughter gave birth to our first grandchild. It was also the worst of times when I lost my job and was without meaningful (read well-paying) work for five months. That sucked. But the wife went to work full time and I got a sales gig at the big yellow price tag and we made it through the dark times. I worked 7 days a week and am proud to say we never took a dime of government assistance. No unemployment, no food stamps. We ate a lot of pancakes. We got by.

Life is like that, highs and lows and a whole lot of living in between. 2014 was not my most productive blog year in terms of quantity nor quality. That you bother to show up and read the nonsense I spew is a wonder to me. I am thankful beyond words. I hope your 2015 is filled with joy and prosperity.  Best wishes for a Happy New Year

Dear readers

be safe out there tonight

Memories

Hey, remember when the President claimed the ACA would reduce a family's insurance premiums by $2500? Remember when the Democrats said if you like your medical plan you could keep it? Remember how Obama said he would have the most transparent administration ever? Remember when Pelosi said that there would be 72 hours to examine bills.before a vote?

Remember when a certain blogger of liberal leanings called these folks out for their outright lies?  

Me neither. 

It is always funny until someone gets hurt

I'm a bit worried about Friday. The day after holidays seem a bit dicey for me this year. You may remember my not-so-trusty 30 year old ladder broke and tossed me to the concrete the day after Thanksgiving. (It is there in the archives. I can either do research or write a shitty post. Not both). On Friday, the day after Christmas, I was heading downstairs to refill my coffee cup when I slipped on the stairs and fell down a flight clear to the landing. I think I twisted when I fell. My back is sore and bruised. Most amazing is I did not utter a single curse word the whole time I bounced and slid down, not even when I crumpled to a halt at the landing. What the heck? The good Lord gave me two gifts - great balance and a fantastic memory. Now both seem to fade recently. Although my advanced scores in memory on the Elevate app indicate my memory is not going away as fast as I imagine.

I confess

i confess that I was wrong about everything I ever thought, believe or said.  Of course my predictions were accurate in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. I guess we should forget that gas was in the $3+ range or higher for most of the Obama reign since it has been down for a month or so?

Now after one of the slowest recoveries in history things are looking better. The economy does correct itself over time.  It will also get bad over time again. Yes, I confess I have been wrong about everything.

Now me and Elvis are going to have some Fun in Acapulco. 

I've got you under my skin

Chloe Jo

My new Granddaughter. Named after me, natch.

Fabulous Friday

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I know I sure did. The wife got me a wooden cigar store Indian - albeit it is a small version about two foot tall.  But still it is way cool and will look great in my office.

I tried to post a picture of my granddaughter but the iPad will not cooperate. Maybe if I fire up the laptops will share later. I suppose you don't really care anyway.

It is supposed to be warm today. Maybe I'll walk off some of the food and cookies and candy I've consumed this week and burn up one of the good Dunhills I bought myself for Christmas

Have a great day.

No Friday music: my Christmas gift to you.

Merry Christmas

The Reason for the Season

Christmas Eve Eve

The wife was up late making iced sugar cookies and Christmas candy last night. I promised her I would bake pecan tassies tonight while she finishes the wrapping. I also have to make food to take to her family's Christmas dinner and to my Mom and Dad's house on Christmas eve. The youngest boy is set to come home from college this evening.

Holiday festivities are going into high gear. On Christmas Day my kids and brand new granddaughter will be over for presents and dinner. I have a 22 pound turkey waiting to be roasted.

Before I do all of that work I have to do the work that pays the bills. I am off to the real job.

In the meantime I want to wish you a Merry Christmas.

actually blogging in the evening

Today has been a good day.  While I could bitch and complain, I will not. I know. I can hear you. Bitching and complaining is what I do best. I am not playing to my strength as a blogger. But what the heck, sometimes you gotta push the envelope. The sun is down behind the neighbor's house, just a bit of pink showing through the bare bones of the maple outside the window. The Christmas lights are on. My work day is done and it is time to slip off my steel toed boots.

I  hope you have a great evening.

winter tale

A beautiful day is winding down. It was sunny and warm here in Hoosierland today. I saw it through the glass front doors of the big box store. One more Sunday! I will miss the people, not the hours.

My shopping is done and I have the wife's presents wrapped and tucked under the tree.  She is out finishing up the rest as I type.  I will help her wrap after supper.  What? Chicken enchilada casserole and home made salsa are on tap. I better get started if we want to eat at a decent hour.

I hope you are having a great day.

My refrigerator is running and so is my nose

Happy Saturday. The coffee is hot and life is good. No work today. I have two more Sunday's at the big box retail and then I am back to one full time employer. Product training is nearly complete and I will be back on the road beginning with the new year. New customers, new products to sell, new territory, and new industries all will make life exciting and challenging. I was in my previous industry for 25 years. It is time for a change.

I have my Christmas shopping done with the exception of some small items for the wife's stocking - candy and such. She has a few things left to purchase. Nothing is wrapped though. She wants to do some baking this weekend.  I told her I would make pecan tassies while she is shopping. As you may or may not know, I do most of the cooking around here, but I am not too fond of baking.

Enjoy your Saturday, I'm going to watch the GREATEST CHRISTMAS / HOLIDAY MOVIE EVER:       Holiday Inn.

Sorry Ed B, that is just fact.

Friday Music

Late, but worth it

Wow

The Obama is the world's worst negotiator, at least when it comes to tyrants, murderers, and the enemies of freedom around the world. Dude sure loves Commie Bastards. There is no doubt a Democrat Party heart beats in his weak little chest.

We send open diplomatic relations, send back convicted spies against the US all in exchange for an international aid worker wrongly held in prison.  The US companies are not given back their assets stolen by the Castros.

Obama has just guaranteed the Castro regime and its successors remain in power for generations to come.

But I may be able to get Cuban cigars.  There is that.

Still, what a bad deal for America.

Dear World

You are already a better place.  Meet Chloe, my perfect granddaughter.

Now could you stop evil people from killing innocent kids in the name of religion?  I am pretty sure no god would smile on such barbarism.

Additional Commentary

Sometime today, most likely, my daughter will give birth to my first grandchild.  I am told it will be a little girl.

Life is good.

Sorta dazed and really confused

Obama's agenda and the Democrat party were repudiated overwhelmingly in the elections last month.  The Republicans were sent a clear message. Yet somehow the Republican leadership just joined hands with the Dems and passed a massive funding bill that covers the Government for the next year. As the White House told recalcitrant Dems, "why are you fighting, this bill gives you everything"? ObamaCare is funded. amnesty is funded. Phony Global Warming projects are funded.

This time next year the RINOs will claim it is too close to the next Presidential election to have that fight and government grows and grows.

I may not be the world's smartest guy, but I know corruption when it is shoved down my throat.

I feel like I just got kicked in the groin by an NFL punter who was wearing steel-toed boots.

This post needs a snappy title

Bark bark. The neighbor's dog has been barking nonstop for a half an hour now. Ah, life in the 'burbs. If they follow the usual pattern they will let it back in around 7:00.

You can't tell, but I am in a great mood. I have the day off! This is the second Saturday since July I have not worked. I am giving my notice to the part time gig when I go in on Sunday. I have worked pretty much 7 days a week for the past 4 or five months. I need a break. I made a handshake agreement when the big box retailer hired me to stay until Christmas, in exchange for him hiring me knowing I was seeking a better job.* I think I have fulfilled my commitment. Now I need to buy some serious man-toys before I lose my discount.

Well I'm off to refill they coffee mug, then I think I'll watch a movie. In fact, I might go buy a box of donuts for breakfast.

I hope you have a great day.

*boy is that a poorly written sentence. I think you get the gist.

TGIF And I'm not talking about the restaurant chain

Sorry. Time is against me. I can either read my usual stuff on the interwebz or write a post for you to read. The path of least resistance is to read. Historian Barbara Tuchman once wrote that"research is endlessly seductive, writing is hard work" and I guess that applies to my efforts around here.

I am certain it is evident by my prose, but most posts just flow from my brain to the keyboard. I have always written like that, even massive research papers in college. I would research, take notes, write facts, and study. After days, or weeks the narrative would just flow. I would write for hours, only stopping to insert a quote, a fact, to verify an important part. In general it took me only a bit longer to write a 20 page paper than it would take a person to read that same document out loud.

Creativity is an uncertain thing, and I have been a bit lax exercising it around here lately. If you care then I apologize. If you stop by only to see what idiotic blathering I share on a given day, then I offer up this train wreck of prosaic nonsense for your entertainment.

No Friday music. Boo hoo.

I hope you have a great day.

That sharp pain in my back

...is the stab wound from the GOP. The new massive spending bill fully funds ObamaCare. It fully funds amnesty.  I see no austerity, few cuts, and more and more spending.

I am told that if I don't vote for a Republican, I will be voting for a Democrat.  It seems that if I vote for a Republican, I am still voting for a Democrat; albeit one who mouths the right words to get my future vote.

BOHICA conservatives Boehner is boning us again. Once again Lucy has snatched away the football.

woof

The neighbors got a new puppy a couple of months ago. They put it outside every morning at 6 am. It barks constantly. Bark, bark, bark, bark. If I can hear it, I know they can. It is damn annoying. I don't blame the dog.  He went out, did his business and now he wants back in. It is the owners who are rude.

Do I ignore it?  Do I be that asshole neighbor? Do I live with it?

A day that shall live in infamy

We were lucky enough to visit Pearl Harbor this summer. It was a somber, moving memorial, especially the USS Arizona.

If you have never read At Dawn We Slept by Gordon Prange, you should.

Do I blog or watch an old Esther Williams Movie?

I am convinced I need a wooden cigar store Indian for my office. It does not have to be 5 or 6 foot tall; a small one will do. Nor does it need to be an original. A replica will suffice. Said Indian may not go with my decor, but the model of the HMS Victory does not exactly duplicate the theme of Cubs and Colts pictures that adorn the walls, so what the heck.

It looks like the rain is tapering off on this December Saturday. Music is playing softly in the background as I hunt and peck on the keyboard.  I frequently pause and look out the window. The big willow is waving bare branches in the breeze. The old bench made of willow sticks and the small tree next to it are covered in Christmas lights that glow softly in the dim early morning light.

My coffee is just above lukewarm and needs refilled. The laptop hums in tune with the music. It occurs to me I should not have to struggle to fill this space, I blog so little these days. But here we are. I am certain the few dozen of you who bother to stop by are sadly disappointed these days.  I hope to resume my usual routine in January when my training is complete and my seven-day-a-week work schedule changes I am quitting the part-time gig in a few weeks. Until that time these pathetic efforts will have to do.

I hope you have a great Saturday.

Friday Music

And it is too.

Dear Mr. Boehner

That "roll over" trick is cute in a puppy. Not so amusing when it is politics.  Can't you read.the polls? Americans do not want amnesty. They want ObamaCare repealed. They elected Repubs to control Congress for a reason, not to spout empty promises and utter meaningless words. Call Obama before Congress and ask him where he gets the authority to dictate law. Quit crying and grow a set of balls. otherwise you will put Hillary (or worse) in the White House in 2016.  The People have spoken, it is time to listen.

Words to live by

Hands up, don't shoot don't steal those cigars.

Here is the difference

I refuse to let anyone define me. I am not my skin. I am not my religion. I am not my geography. I am not my politics. They may be part of me, but I am the person I choose to be. I want to be the best I can be. I make of my life what I dare. That is why nearly every religion recognizes we have free will.

I reject any label you put on me. My skin pigmentation makes me guilty of nothing but a collection of melanin cells dictated by generations of genetic code. My eyes are blue. So what?

Born rich or born poor or somewhere in the vast gulf between It matters not at all.  We are all given the same opportunity to make something of ourselves here in America. Sure, some have an easier path in life: but we all have a trail to the summit. All that holds us back is our will, our desire, our effort. The only label on my person is sewed to the collar of my T-shirt.

I am not naive. Some are born smarter, some with more athletic ability. Some are artists or musicians. I am not defined by my inability to dunk a basketball any more than the lack of funds in my bank account. Neither keeps me from working hard, or trying to be the best father I can be.

I am who I choose to be. I am not my hair, my eyes, my skin. I am not my political party. I am not my neighborhood. I am not my car, my house, my bank account, my school, my sports teams. I am what I define as me.

You have the same ability. .

Help me I think I'm falling

We got the outside lights and wreaths and stuff put up yesterday.  It was cold, but it could have been worse.  I got the big tree (8-1/2 ft) put up in the living room. It has lights but no decorations.  As soon as I summon the will, I am off to put up the smaller tree in the family room this morning. I suspect we will decorating both tonight when I get off work.  I hope the wife does it while I'm gone.  I don't mind decorating, but I don't like to put on the ornaments.

I was putting the boxes that hold the outside decorations back in the attic when I heard a loud "crack" and my ladder collapsed, throwing me to the ground. I fell flat on my back. It knocked the wind from my sails for a moment or two.  I'm a little sore today, but I think I'll live another day. Just earlier in the day the boy mentioned the old wooden step ladder was getting a bit wobbly. I think he hurt the old ladder's feelings, and she through me off and broke in a fit of suicidal desperation. I bought that ladder when we purchased our first house back in 1986.  I guess I got my money's worth. Still, I would have preferred to get rid of that old ladder in a less painful fashion.

Have a great Saturday. 

A brilliant post

Lost. A whole post full of bloggity goodness, sunshine, and the formula for perfect happiness -- all lost when my crappy first generation iPad did its usual crash just as I was wrapping up the post. I have neither the desire or ability to recreate my genius.  You will have to trust me it was the greatest thing you ever read.  I suppose it is for the best, nothing I could write going forward could be one half so brilliant.

I plan on climbing to the attic and dragging out the Christmas decorations today. I hope the boy will help me get them up before he heads back to college.

For some reason my crappy laptop will not let me watch or post YouTube videos. Huh? I don't know, I just use the dang thing.  Perhaps the tiny electronic elves that run the tiny movie projector inside the computer are on strike. Perhaps it is sunspots.  Maybe it is that the laptop cost $300 and is a piece of crap. Maybe you are sending bad vibes because you don't have any interest in the Friday Music selection anyway. I think that's it.  It is you fault. And probably because the laptop is junk and I have to update something or whatever.  I have been using my previously mentioned POS iPad for months to write this nonsense blog.

Anyway, here is a recommendation from our blog friend Hey Teacher for the Friday music. I have neither seen nor listened to the selection (see above and pay attention, will ya?). So if it's bad blame the teacher.  If you dig it, I should take the credit. I'm an ass like that. If you think I'm a jerk on the interwebz, you sure don't want to meet me in person.  But now back to our regular scheduled Friday Music program:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFU-FJzPE80

Have a great Friday

Ok I managed to listen on my iPad to the music.  I dig it. Funky. Thanks teacher.

I have plenty to be thankful for

Like the man says....


We are hosting Thanksgiving this year. The whole family (minus middle son who has to work Jeez people stay at home on this day so waiters can be with their families) will be at the old homestead. We rarely have visitors, so I am looking forward to the feast. Too bad it will be too inclimate to enjoy the backyard, one of the best features of the house in my book.

Anyway, I hope you have a great thanksgiving.  Take a minute to give thanks to the appropriate beings for the blessings in your life. Despite a few rough patches I have lots to be thankful for this year. I will offer a heartfelt prayer of thanks today.

Let me tell you...

...nothing, absolutely nothing, more demonstrates anger, fear, resentment, and a demand for justice than stealing a television or burning a barber shop.

Get up, Stand up

The perpetually aggrieved are calling for an embargo of Black Friday sales in protest of a lack of an indictment in the Ferguson police shooting. I guess because Macy's and Best Buy and WalMart and Target are somehow responsible for the Grand Jury verdict.  To further highlight the sheer stupidity of this protest one of the supporters of the embargo argued that not shopping on Black Friday would "show the government we demand justice".  Yes, and refusing to purchase a gift from a local small business hurts the Feds just as eating a donut for breakfast shows big cable companies how much we hate their lack of customer service. Perhaps next this moron will support a boycott of the NFL to protest the fur industry. We might see this mental giant waving a protest sign outside a Kroger food store to demand banking reform. Cause and effect is a difficult concept for some. I bet his Mom still lays out his clothes each morning now that gr-animals no longer fit.

On a second point, one day protests are meaningless anyway.  A few years ago economic morons routinely sent emails and called for an embargo of gas stations for a given day.  They laid out elaborate calculations of what the loss of sales for one day would do to ExxonBPMobileChevronEvilOil. Except it is nonsense.  You need gas, you will fill up the day before or the day after and spend the same dollars anyway.

Useful Idiots indeed. Milton Freedman and Adam Smith are weeping.

Things I learned today.

Facts are stubborn things.  Based on what I see on the news,  when one is not sure of the facts, when one has not heard from witnesses, when one does know the law, one should riot, loot, and burn other people's property.

I'm not sure how burning your own neighborhood fixes stuff though. Mayhap someone can explain.

It is time to bring them out of the shadows

The Federal, State, and local governments are in collusion to tear families apart. It is past time that we, as a nation, began to show the compassion and tolerance that is born of our freedom. An entire group of people are living and sometimes working in the shadows, walled-off from society by laws and policies that are tearing entire families apart. If Congress will not act, then I say the President must. Yes, I am talking about amnesty.  No longer should fathers be separated from children, mothers from sons, sisters from brothers.

It is estimated that more than two million people are incarcerated in the US. Though we have but 5% of the world population we have 25% of the prisoners. Yes, some of the people in prison are violent. they are killers, rapists, thugs of every description; but they are people too and deserve to be with their families, not locked in dark concrete cells. Prison tattoos and weight lifting are not a substitute for hanging with family and friends. Just because these individuals made a conscious decision to violate the law is no reason to punish them, to separate them from their families.  For the robbers, killers and Thieves who are hiding, unarrested, life is a nightmare, waiting every day for the shoe to drop when jackbooted authorities round them up and tear them from their crying children to be sent to a dank prison cell.  I cry "no more". It is time for comprehensive reform.

I say let's create a path to regaining their voting rights, and full participation in society -- owning guns, working, paying taxes or collecting welfare. It is time for Congress to act, we need comprehensive reform legislation to close these prisons, reunite families, create Democrat voters, for the children. Closing prisons will reduce greenhouse gases and slow the inevitable march to global warming and a mini ice age which will create overpopulation and starvation because the droughts and flooding will ruin crops. We must do it for the children, we can't raise them in a village when part of the village is locked away in prison.

Free them all -- killers and rapists and child molesters are people too. It is time the spent the holidays with their families free from fear.

Amnesty now.  Who is with me!?


This entire post was printed in sarcasm font which was created by the famed printer Jaques Leblow in 1693 in a remote village in the Patagonian Alps

A little of this, a bit of that

For the first time in ages I had an opportunity to sleep in this morning. Therefore, I woke up at 4:00 unable to go back to sleep. Such is life.

I have been neglecting the old blog recently. This commuting stuff is a big change in my life. Training for the new gig goes well, but slowly. I suppose the company wants to make sure I am up to speed before sending me out to woo customers. I think i could progress a little faster, but the man signs the check and you follow his schedule.

I am off later this morning to the part time job.  I am not sure how long it will last.  I am not supposed to be scheduled Monday through Friday -- it is a weekend only gig now that I have a real job again. Yet I am (unsurprisingly) scheduled to work Thursday and Friday this week. I won't do it. I may be fired, I may have to quit, or they might roll over, preferring to take advantage of my sales skills on the weekend as opposed to not there at all.  The choice is out of my hands, but I will not bend. I don't have to any more.

A bit of rain was falling earlier. It looks to be a warmer, yet wet weekend.  I thought about trying to get some of the outside Christmas decorations up this weekend (between long shifts at big box electronics store), but that will likely have to wait until next weekend.

Well, you are now up to speed on my most boring of lives.  Working 7 days a week leaves little time for hobbies, and while I love you guys, I do not love you enough to get up at o'dark thirty every morning to post to the old blog.  In fact, I think I will head off to visit Mr. Recliner and take a nap before heading off to work.

I hope you have a great saturday.  Me, I made other plans.

My five minute rebuttal

King Obama claims he is for the working man. King Obama says the Republicans are the party of big business. Yest in one fell swoop King Obama just pissed on the working man. 38 million Americans are out of work. The workforce participation rate is the lowest since the Great Depression and King Obama just created legislation that will help illegal immigrants get jobs easier.

This will lower wages, increase access to government benefits and encourage more illegal immigration. The Chamber of Commerce and business just got a larger pool of low-wage workers.

Where are the unions? Why aren't they complaining?  BOHICA working people of America King Obama and the Democrats just screwed you again.

How...

How did the Caesars come to rule Rome? There was a Senate for the entire period of the Empire. How do despots gain power? How is tyranny born? The people and their Representatives allow it to happen.  Megalomaniacs run for office, especially President. They become above the law. Incrementally the tyrant gains power because no one stops him.

Obama will announce tonight he will create Legislation from whole cloth against the will of the People, despite the empty protests of Congress and in clear violation of the Constitution.  The Courts will let it happen, claiming no one has standing to stop him.

And our freedom and our government will slip away one stroke of the pen at a time.

I weep for my soon-to-be-born grandchild.  She will witness the decline and fall of America as I know it, aided and abetted by a willing press, and politicians who only care about keeping their power, no matter how illusionary it has become.

Six years of study

Geez Democrats, you have been studying the XL Pipeline for six years.  How long do you need? Building a pipeline creates jobs,. The pipeline will help reduce our dependence on Middle east oil. It will help reduce energy costs.

For a party that supposedly is for the little guy the Democrats sure go out of their way to make life harder for us all.

Monday Commute

A mere couple inches of snow on the ground. Yet I know people will drive most stupid this morning. The result is I have to leave early for work.  Therefore, you get a short post with bad grammar.

Suck it up, you will be OK.

Ha

Take that beat down you Danny bastards. Six straight.

Good good good good intentions

...sung in the vein of a classic Beach Boys tune. I had every intention of going out early and raking leaves, but it is freaking 18 degrees outside. Eighteen.   I have plans for later today and I am scheduled to work Sunday at the part time gig.  I suppose I will have to get after it in spite of the cold, especially since we are supposed to get accumulating snow overnight.

Where did fall go?

Worst post ever

Today is a "choose your own adventure" Friday Music day. Listen to your favorite artist, play whatever is pinging away in your brain pan, find something new.  I have Supertramp in my skull this morning.  what suits your fancy?

The stupid party elected a RINO Senate majority leader.  Same crap from the Republicans --"please help us conservatives" then business as usual.  Once again we are Charlie Brown while the Lucys of the party yank away the football.  I'm sick of being screwed like a five dollar hooker. Whatever happened to the Whigs anyway?

Replacing the headlamp assembly on a VW Passat

Part of me wants to complain loudly about the unseasonable cold temperatures. But it is November and freezing cold is not unusual. Nor is a a warm spell unheard of.  It is called weather. I will drag out my winter coat and hope I don't have to scrape my windows this morning.

It is the little things in life that bring my joy. It probably escaped your attention, but I posted my veterans day tribute at 11:11. While pointing out my cleverness is decidedly crass, it does give me great pleasure.

I pounded down some boneless pork chops and fried some breaded tenderloins for supper last night. I made some scratch Mac and cheese a nuked some frozen corn ( I miss fresh corn cooked on the grill already) to round out the meal. The wife had a craving for pecan pie for dessert. She washed the pans and I dried, then I braved the cold to get her a store-bought pie and was rewarded with a kiss. I copped a feel through her shirt for good measure. After all, it was really cold out. She did not complain. She really wanted a piece of pecan pie.

Thank you

To all of those who have served in the US military past and present I offer a sincere, heartfelt THANK YOU.

Confused

Can anyone explain why, when Democrats win elections, it is viewed as a mandate, the will of the people to adopt their agenda. Yet when Republicans win it is just ...well whatever is the opposite of mandate. It is portrayed as extreme, and looked upon as an aberration by the media.

Why should the Repubs compromise to Obama's policies? The people have spoken. It is the President and the Democrats who must compromise.

Elections have consequences, right?

Minutiae

I have to go in to my part time job this morning at 11.  Yes, I am working two jobs for the time being. That is not a complaint, just a fact. Anyway, I was in my home office setting up my new laptop (from my real full-time job) on my home network. I glanced at the clock and realized it was 10:00. I still had to shower and drive to work. I packed everything up and then glanced at my phone to see when I got off work. The phone said it was only 9:00.  Ah, stupid time change last week.  I forgot to change my office clock.

I have not spent much time in there in recent months. Soon, though. As soon as my training time is up I expect to get back into routine of work and travel.  I have grown accustomed to telecommuting over the past two decades.  This working in a real office stuff is weird. All of those people. Wearing shoes. Showering every morning. Scheduled lunch times. Driving to work.

While I actually like the part time job, and especially the people I work with, I am looking forward to having my weekends off. Another month or so and I am free. Stupid bills.

Old blog friends

The wife and I enjoyed a rare movie night last night.  We went to see the Bill Murray film "St Vincent".  The movie was set in Sheepshead Bay and it brought to  mind my blog friend Erica. Hola Erica if you are out there. Erica hailed from that same Brooklyn area.

The movie was very good and Murray was terrific. We are talking an Oscar-worthy acting job.

Have a great Saturday. Me, I'm off to have the wife's car serviced.

Friday Music

It is harvest time.

Dear GOP

Please note:  if the voters wanted you to compromise and work with the Democrats they would have elected a Democrat.

Your friend,

Joe

Cheers

I am laughing only a little at the repudiation of the Obamites. I fully expect the stupid party to waste this opportunity and to go all out in the effort to piss off their base before 2016.

I love the Democrat talking heads in the media who proclaim the 2016 Senate is up for grabs because 23 Republican seats will have to be defended.  There must have been a memo.  I know this ploy.  As a Cubs fan the old "wait until next year" mantra has been my only consolation.

We will see if the next wave of Obamacare and unilateral amnesty brings the Dems back to power and through out Repubs in the reddest red states.  I think it is clear we are sick of the racist war on women meme.

A new non-post post

It moves The Alan Parsons Project And Thevweekend yammering down the page.

Hope your day is going well.  Happy Monday.

Frost on the pumpkin

It snowed here Friday and it looks like a big dose of the same global warming dropped snow in the Carolina's according to the news. It is very cold here this morning and the ground is white with a crust of frost.

The wife is off to a baby shower this afternoon. I have no plans to shower with babies, instead i think I'll watch some football and goof off.  I plan  to enjoy my Sunday, I hope you do to

Seasonably seasonable

It was a blustery, cold, windy, and wet Halloween. It snowed. Hard. Luckily the ground was warm and it did not stick.  I guess I have to face the fact the warm days of summer are in the past.  Boots and gloves and snow are my life for the next three or four months.  I don't mind much. The heat of summer makes us enjoy the crisp fall air.  The cold bare winter makes us appreciate the green and bloom of spring. The May showers are replaced by the hot breath of a summer evening.

Ah, that is bullshit; give me warm weather all year 'round.

Friday Music and a few facts you should know

I was planning on putting up some Traffic this morning, or maybe some good southern rock.  Instead I put up a spooky homage in honor of the date.

It looks to be a blustery late fall-type day around here with strong winds, rain, sleet and maybe even a bit of snow by the time Saturday rolls around. I suppose it is better to have some strong winds to shake the leaves from the trees. I would rather rake a bunch of leaves at once rather than a smaller amount every few days.

Warning explicit language follows.

What the hell is wrong with that stupid cunt in Maine who was exposed to Ebola in Africa? She is supposed to be a nurse.  What happened to "do no harm"? Any sane person would try hard to avoid being the next "Typhoid Mary", but apparently this woman is a narcissistic piece of shit that would rather risk infecting her friends and neighbors than be inconvenienced for a couple of weeks. I would bet my next paycheck this bitch is a fucking liberal..

End of rant

I start my new gig on Monday, Posting will be scarce for a while as I spend my days buried in training and real life 8-5 office schedules.. Not that anyone cares, but I did not want my loyal readers to wonder where I went for the next few weeks.

Matin noir

I have a long list of gripes and complaints. Most are petty and peevish and boring. I'm not going to heap that crap on you today (for a change).  Instead you should click on the links over there on the right. Or the left if future you is reading this and future me changed the template and moved links to the other side of future blog's page.  If future you is reading and future me did not change the future blog template -- never mind.

The customer is always right, except when she is not.

I am generally a pleasant person to be around.  It may not come across here on the old blog, but I can usually be pretty charming.  I would not be a successful sales guy if my personality was constantly abrasive.

Yesterday was weird. I was working my gig at big retail store. A middle-aged lady of Japanese extract asked me about a particular camera. I tried to be helpful. She spied an "open box" item, a discontinued display model offered at a substantial discount. She asked the original price and I told her I would have to look it up. This irritated her to no end. She told me I should know the prices. I apologized to her that we offer over 80,000 SKUs in the store and I cannot memorize them all.

She decided to buy the camera. I asked a manager to unlock the anti-theft device and he said he would see if we had the original box. I explained to the customer that there may not be a box, nor manuals, etc. She found this notion, as she put it "ridiculous" and told me that to throw away a box was irresponsible and stupid. I explained that display models stay for months and we cannot possibly warehouse the original packaging for every camera, computer, television, video game console, and appliance that is on display. She told me she always buys "open box" and has never seen any item offered without a box. I told her we were looking for her box, but that there were lots of appliances, televisions and computers in the store sold "as is" without the original packaging.

She insisted that it was dumb to not have the box.  I again told her that we were looking for the original box. I pointed out that the camera was half price due to the fact some accessories, including the original packaging might be missing.  I guess she found this fact offensive. She replied, and I quote, "You do not have to be so rude. I do not want you to help me. Go somewhere else". 

So I did. I left her standing there. I don't need shit from a customer at a low-wage part time temporary gig.  I don't make commission. I assume the manager finished the sale after his box search. I do not doubt she complained about me to him. The boss never asked why I left the customer. In fact the whole incident was never mentioned.

RIP Jack

greatness

Puff adders in the closet

I made a lasagna this morning.  There is nothing like the smell of tomato sauce and fresh squeezed garlic at 7:30 in the morning.  The lasagna is for supper tonight. I have to work all day and if I wait until I get off at 5:30 to start cooking, it will be very late when we eat. This way I just have to stick it in the oven when I get home.

The youngest is home for the weekend from college.  I haven't seen him for more than a month. Unfortunately I had to close last night so I have not seen him much. His dog is currently curled up sleeping in the wife' recliner. The dog snores.

It looks to be a great day, enjoy it!

I read that a python birthed a brood of killer babies without sexual congress with a male snake. WTH? It is bad enough I have to worry cobras might be slithering in my bedroom window and black mambas are hiding behind the garbage cans.  Now pythons are spontaneously hatching babies with bad intent. Pythons and anacondas are already skulking under the porch of every home in south Florida. If reptiles can start reproducing at will there is no hope for man.  I better go check my attic for rattlesnakes.

Friday Music

I was in London the day George Harrison died. I remember the headlines on the papers displayed in Trafalgar Square. I should have bought a paper, but being the tightwad I am, I did not want to exchange any currency when I was only going to be in London for a couple of days.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda.

I think this is a beautiful song.

Zippy titles are hard to write

The wife came home sporting a new haircut last night.  It is drastically different from any previous hairstyles. I like it, but she really looks different. Sometimes change is good.  We will see if her courage holds out and she tries to tease it back to the old style this morning.

Obama's Banana Republic

It seems the illegals freed from detention facilities last year during Obama's hissy fit over sequestration were not just innocents with misdemeanors and traffic tickets as Obama and ICE claimed. Instead many were accused of drug trafficking, kidnapping, and homicide according to an article in USA Today.

All politicians lie, but it seems this administration will say and do anything to pursue its agenda, and the consequences are often dangerous and deadly for the American people.  This whole affair has a Castro boat lift feel to it, only it is our own President emptying out the jails.

Congress can hold another hearing and do nothing. The press will ignore it, lest their role in propping up this failure comes to light, and the public will tune in to the latest Housewives of Wherever while the Obamanistas snatch away their freedoms a little at a time.

White puffs of cotton drifting on a light blue sky

I had to go pee in a jar for the new boss this morning.  When I got home I wiped a dust rag over the furniture and ran the sweeper on all of the carpet, including the stairs.  I also threw a load of towels into the washer and dryer. What a good boy am I.

It is a gorgeous day here in Hoosierdom, bright sun and the trees exploding in russets and golds all around. I took a spin around the backyard and would have sat on the patio and burned a stogie if I was not heading to work in a bit.  Instead I will publish this bit of nonsense, read a little and reflect on the good that is in my life.

Best wishes for a great day, blog buddies.

The Power Behind the Throne: the Julio-Claudian Women and the Early Empire

It is a cool overcast fall day. I have the day off and think I will mow the yard this afternoon.

I'm back. Sorry, I just remembered I forgot to put the trash by the curb. Where was I?

Oh yeah, yard work.  I probably should pull the tomato plants today.  I brought in a bunch of green tomatoes ( tomatos? Help me here Dan Quayle) over the weekend when there was a frost warning. They may or may not ripen. They may or may not get fried before they get a chance. The thought of fried green tomatoes makes me want some pimento cheese. I do miss going to the Carolinas, a staple of my work travels for the past 20 years. If I had a dollar for every hour I have spent in the Charlotte airport I could make this month's mortgage payment with enough left over to buy some beer. Lots of beer. And a jar of cashews - the good ones, salted and whole and big. And maybe even a box of cigars. I have spent a lot of time in Charlotte.

Every time I write that it makes me laugh for reasons I cannot/will not explain.

I am rambling, a sure sign I have nothing to offer on this October Tuesday. Have a great day.

Tyranny in its purest form

Many of my readers do not concur, but I really do not have an issue with gay marriage. I figure who a person loves and what they do in a bedroom in a private affair; as long as it is between consenting adults. As a matter of fact, I do not believe the Government should be in the marriage business at all.

I do, however. have a big issue with forcing gay marriage on people who have a moral objection. Service providers like churches and ministers should not be forced to do the wedding of a gay couple. That was my argument months and years ago, and it has not changed. This is exactly what I am talking about.  This is wrong, wrong, wrong on every count. A Christian minister should not be forced to marry a gay couple. A Jewish rabbi should not be forced to countenance a Muslim wedding ceremony, nor should a Catholic Priest be forced to marry a couple with Hindu Rites. Your right to a same-sex marriage is in no way impeded if a given church or minister will not do the wedding. You do not have a right to the First Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. You do not have a right to the St. Mary's transept. You do not have a right to get married at the Hitching Post Wedding Chapel.

The First Amendment does not promote a religion-free society, it is exactly the opposite. The Constitution guarantees the right to practice religion.

Thoughts on the weekend

Notre Dame got robbed.

The Colts put a beat down on the Bungles.  That was one of the most dominating performances from a Colts defense I have ever seen. No, from just about any defense I have seen -- including the '84 bears and 2000 Ravens.  I twas in that category.  The Bengals are a good football team. The Colts lost two games by a combined 10 points to the Broncos and Philadelphia. The Eagles loss can be blamed on play calling.

Peyton Manning may be the best quarterback to ever play the game. He could be named MVP every year, other than he is graded on a scale all his own, instead of comparison to the rest of the league. If he had possessed any sort of defense in Indianapolis (see above), he could have won two or three Superbowls. Anyone who claims Manning "choked" in last year's Championship against Seattle did not watch the game.  It was the Broncos Defense that came up short.

Jay Cutler really is the Jeff George of this era.

Bon jour

Hola blog world.  I start the post of in a bilingual way in honor of the awesome Mexican food we had for supper last night. The spicy enchiladas inspired some very weird dreams, though, including one that seemed to be entirely in French.  I studied that language in high school and my freshman year in college. A trip to France more than a decade ago was proof positive I have forgotten most of the French I learned in my youth.  I guess my knowledge of French is buried way back in some dusty, unusable file deep in my brain, because I could understand most of what was said and converse with semi-fluent sentences in my dream.  My accent was still quite bad, however. This morning my normal language skills have returned; that would be a smattering of words in French, Spanish, and German (mostly the ability to count and order beer) and a semi-fluency in basic American English.

It looks to be a great day. Shut off the computer and go enjoy it my friends.

Seasons will pass you by

It is still dark out even though it is not that early. The neighbors across the street have decorated their bushes and shrubs with orange Christmas Halloween lights. I sit here skimming the interwebz on my iPad, drinking coffee.  I have to head into work today, a nine hour shift at the part time big box retail store. That is not a complaint, just a fact. I have tomorrow off, that is a grand thing. Ho hum life goes on.

On my way to work Yesterday I heard a news report about Ebola. Congress was looking to put travel restrictions in place to the plague-ridden African nations. According to the reporter, the White House objects, claiming other methods are more effective.  What measure could possibly be more effective than not letting the disease in the country? I think common sense dies Washington.

This is the pathetic content you get nowadays. No wonder a mere handful of readers bother to poke their head into the door to see what is going on. I once averaged more than 100 readers a day, often twice that many.  Perhaps hours of windshield time and staring at hotel walls will stir creative juices, because it is clear I don't have much to offer readers these days. Your patience is appreciated.

I hope you have a great Saturday.

Friday Music

What say we mellow out today? Note, this is not an oldie.  Sometimes I surprise myself.

I do dig this song.

Glancing down one of those dank, dark alleys that intersects with Memory Lane.

I was listening to some tunes this afternoon. It is weird how a song can trigger a memory. In this case the song made me think about an old girlfriend. Not in a longing way, but in a "I wonder what ever happened to her?" way. Has this ever happened to you?

I started dating the girl who is now my wife at the end of 1978 when I was a mere boy of 16. She is the love of my life and I have never looked back. But before her, I dated a girl for about six months. In between, I dated several random girls, mostly one date flirtatious efforts that went nowhere. The girl that popped in my memory was my first kiss. We parted on bad terms. Shit happens. I have always possessed a strong streak of assholery. In my defense, no sane chick starts mentioning marriage at the age of 16.

Anyway, the song that cropped up on my iPhone spurred a memory. I am not sure why.  I have heard the song hundreds of times since the halcyon days of the late 1970's. Never before has the tune triggered these thoughts. The moment passed and I was not even tempted to look up the old flame on the interwebz. I just found the whole thing weird.

So what, who cares?

I woke early again this morning. And yesterday morning. I suppose I am going to have to get used to it. Maybe it is because I'm getting older?  There is no point in complaining about it.

Things have been a bit slow around here with not much to report. You have your own weather and do not care about mine. I suspect you have even less interest in what I had for lunch or my boring walk on the treadmill.

The upcoming election bores me to tears. My local Congresswoman is a virtual shoo-in, this district being so Republican I'm not sure the Dems are even trying. On the national stage it seems the Republican platform consists of  "we're not Democrats". Even though polls show the public agrees with the conservative position on immigration and health care the GOP just wants to be Rovishly Democrat Light and keep losing general elections.

Oh, I got a new job.  I start next month.  Posting will continue to be sporadic, It is not like the world is clamoring for my opinion anyway.

Paranoia Strikes Deep

I cannot help wondering about the whole lack of response from the Feds on the Ebola thing. For the life of me I cannot understand why we have not put travel restrictions in place for the plague-ridden countries. I don't consider myself a "black helicopter is watching me" kind of guy. Still, I cannot help wondering if something foul is afoot. After all, I never thought our Government would provide guns to criminals in an effort to pass stricter gun laws. I never thought any administration would systematically spy on its own citizens, monitoring emails and phone conversations. I really never thought I would see the heavy hand of the IRS used to target citizens that diasagreed with the President's politics. All have come to pass under Obama.

So, many in the administration and Democrat Party are convinced the Government is the best means to control the heath care of the populace. The American people are not only unconvinced, but an overwhelming majority want ObamaCare repealed. What better way to convince the people to change their minds about Government Health Care than to overwhelm the medical community and health care system with a a plague of infectious disease like Ebola?

Far-fetched? I am no longer so sure.

1492 yadda yadda

I for one am damn glad Columbus "discovered" the Americas. I don't care what  the revisionists and progressives believe.  I am proud to be born in the greatest nation in history.

What the heck?

I swear I am living in a dream, a matrix-like world where the absurd is normal, the normal absurd.

Take this for example  This has to be a story from The Onion. No one is that batshit crazy. This is what the left envisions for us. I hope I am not alive to see such idiocy become commonplace.

Never mind, that fed-up world is already here. The stupid people are now in charge:

Example 1,317

Calgon, take me away.  Oh wait, it can't, it is bubble bath.  I suppose they owe me money. At least I have Coke, The Real Thing.  No it contains artificial ingredients.  They must owe me money. M&Ms once melted in my hands on a hot summer day. Ca-ching, cash in the bank account for me. Where does it stop?  I bet there is a kid out there who had chicken pox but did not like hot dogs.

These morons vote. That's how we get The Obama for two terms.  Worse yet, they breed.

We are doomed.

Friday Music

I know you are so very sad I have not posted any music for a while. Really, you are sad. Admit it. You can't live without seeing what music is playing in my head. Well today it is the Byrds. Enjoy.

I said enjoy...

I nearly died today

Well, I was really uncomfortable.  I forgot my Chapstick at home and had to work all day without the comforting presence in my right pocket and the soothing coat of petroleum based products on my lips only a Chapstick can provide.  It was pure mental and physical anguish.  I think I read somewhere Chapstick Deprivation was the next step for those recalcitrant terrorists who would not break under waterboarding down at Gitmo. What, you don't believe me? Was there Chapstick in the Hanoi Hilton?  Did Sing-Sing distribute Chapstick in the canteen? Consider this: Trail of Tears -- no Chapstick, Bataan Death March --no Chapstick, Andersonville, Auschwitz, and Alcatraz--no Chapstick. Clearly a day without Chapstick constitutes a war crime and cruel and unusual punishment. I am pretty sure it is covered under the Hague Convention as well as State and local law.

I know, it was a miserable and horrible day. I am lucky to survive.

The Colts won. That helps.

words have meaning

I have long been a student of history. Most of you may know I was a history major in college.  I am not a historian, but I do know a bit about history and historiography. I learned how a historian should recognize his bias' and try to eliminate them.  I also know that a mere recitation of facts is boring and unreadable. History is a story, better than any fiction.

It is funny what a few words can do to change a passage or interpretation. I just started to read a memoir of the Vietnam War. I was eleven  when the last combat troops left Southeast Asia. I was thirteen when the helicopters lifted the last Americans from the roof of the Embassy in Saigon.  In truth, the protests and anti-war movement occurred before my time. I'm certain I can look at that turbulent period without the the color of personal experience. I know many Vietnam Vets,  yet I think I am (just barely) far enough removed from the historical period to look upon it with a fairly unprejudiced eye. I can only look back through the lens of this time period  through pictures, film, newspaper, and first or second hand accounts.

I find a few passages in this memoir interesting. In the forward by the co-author, a bias is clearly exhibited. As the "editor" who provides historical insight to the manuscript, the bias leaves me a bit skeptical he is a fair and impartial historian. As a reader I think I will have to view anything he writes with a skeptical eye.  For example take this passage:

Late that summer. the whole world watched as policemen rioted in Mayor Daley's Chicago and attacked anti-war demonstrations at the Democratic Party Convention"

In all of my reading about the anti-war protests, including the research and writing of  a senior seminar paper  on the Chicago Seven, I have never heard the Chicago police described as the rioters. Overzealous, out of control, excessive force all might be acceptable, but I am not sure the picture of peaceful demonstrators sitting around chanting anti-war slogans while police rampaged through the city is an accurate description, no matter where your politics might lie.

Or what do you think of this passage on the Kent State shootings:

The young National Guardsmen who...fatally shot the students with M-! rifles recklessly loaded with live ammunition.

Again the tone and description indicates a bias and intent to color the facts. Editorial is not history. Opinion is not journalism. Where the rifles recklessly loaded? Perhaps, but that is a conclusion for the reader to determine.

Anyway, the book is Last Plane Out of Saigon by Richard Pena and John Hagan.  Vietnam evokes a lot of raw emotion to this day. I suspect this will be an interesting account. I have no doubt the author's diary is accurate.  Can I trust Mr Hagan's historical notes to represent facts and the historical context as he promises? Of that I have some real doubt.

What have you done for me lately?

Did you ever see The Blue Man Group? Do you know how they pound on drums and buckets and pipes? Imagine if you combined that experience with the drum solo Moby Dick from Led Zeppelin's live album The Song Remains the Same and you will have an understanding of my pounding headache this morning.

Normal humans would be writhing on the floor in agony. Some would be curled in a fetal ball, crying  in some sterile hospital emergency room full of illegal immigrants, ebola patients, winos, and kids with hacking cough, all watching a muted episode of Jerry Springer. Instead, I am pecking out a blog post for you.

I'm giving like that.

Query

Why don't we restrict travel from Ebola-plagued nations to the US?

Seriously?

Remember when I once wrote an entire blog post in code?

Hola Blog Buddies,

I am late hitting the webisphere this morning.  I slept late, a welcome respite from waking earlier and earlier each day this week. I ate a couple of donuts left from yesterday's trip to the bakery and am energized, enthusiastic, and trying vainly to tell myself that is true.

I have a rare Sunday off, my first in two months. I can watch football live instead of taped, already knowing the outcome.*

 Fall pounced on us with astounding quickness Friday evening and we went from chilly nights and gorgeous days to cold nights and chilly days.  When the temperature in the house reached 60 last evening the wife switched on the furnace. You know what the Starks say.

Hold on a sec or two, I need to get more coffee.

I am back. I know what you are thinking, I must have a really fast coffee maker or perhaps a secret means to control space and time. since it took you but a few moments to read the previous sentences. You mumble to yourself, "there is no way he could go out of the office, down the hall, down the stairs, through the dining room, into the kitchen, poke a K-Cup into the coffee maker, take a quick restroom break, eat another donut, throw away the used K-Cup, and get back upstairs to the office and type all of this in that short of a span". You might or might not be correct. I refuse to say if I can control the space/time continuum , the Feds may be watching.

I have been in a weird writing mood lately. But then, you get what you pay for around here. I hope you have a great Sunday.

Praise be the Lord for his many blessings.


* I know it is not taped, but recorded digitally.

Well then

Good morning bloggity world. Once again I woke up at 5 in the way-to-early-morning. I fought it for a. while but here I sit pecking away at the iPad keyboard with one finger. The neighbor across the street just left for work. It will be a rainy commute.  I need to go put some petrol in the wife's car before she leaves for work.  Ain't I a swell guy?

I don't know why, but I was ravenously hungry at supper last night.  It was the most I have eaten in weeks..  It's not like dinner was special.  I grilled some chicken breast with jerk seasoning, sliced what will likely be among the last tomatoes from the garden, microwaved some frozen corn and  prepared a box of Mac & cheese. It was a quick, bland, uninspired supper, the kind you fix when you both get home from work at almost seven. Still, I ate like a pig.

Have a great Friday.  I made other plans.

Shut the bleep up

The voice in my head talks all of the time. He rarely shuts up. I think he talks with his hands, banging away at the inside of my skull with wild gestures for emphasis. That would account for my headaches in recent weeks. Or it could be my fall allergies,.

The guy in my skull is always playing music in the background, classic rock mostly.  Sometimes he plays songs from old movie musicals. He changes the tune often and at random, unless he discovers a song I really loathe.  Then he plays it nonstop for about 37 hours.

Man, does the guy in my head like to talk. Politics, jokes, conversations he had last week, last month, years ago, are rehashed. He plans discussions he has not even had yet. The man in my head reads aloud entire pages from books he read days, weeks, months in the past. He recites passages, facts, and dates from old dusty history tomes consumed decades ago.  He reminds me of people and places at the strangest times. He talks about bills and debts and the stuff he needs to do. It is yakity yack all of the time, morning to night.

The man in my mind talks about sex a lot. He is obsessed with boobies and soft secret girly parts. He talks about them at inappropriate times, appropriate times and often in between.  His tone when discussing nekkid is a little less strident these days, and it dominates less of his one-sided conversations of late.

He talks about football and baseball and endless tales of his youth.  He argues with me, pleads with me, and insults me.  He encourages me to make sarcastic and caustic comments. He is sometimes bitter and mean.  Occasionally he tells me to write stuff here.  Good stuff, bad stuff, weird stuff, regrettable and forgettable stuff. He curses a lot.

The voice in my head is me and he will not shut the fuck up.

Does this ever happen to you?

I woke a bit after five this morning. It was wake up or piss the bed.  I stumbled to the bathroom. When I got back in bed I could not shut off my brain. Thoughts crashed and fought throughout my cranium like heavily armored knights at a medieval tourney melee.  So here I am sipping coffee surfing the web on the old iPad, ready for the day.

Yesterday was my son's birthday.

Today is my son's birthday.

Yes my two boys were born a day apart, albeit with a five year span intervening.  The youngest turned a magical 21, the oldest boy 26.  For good measure, I should point out my daughter just turned 28 two weeks ago.  And yes, as you count backwards on your fingers, I used to really enjoy the cold nights of late December and January. Hey, when it is cold out you gotta snuggle to keep warm...

I had the day off yesterday. I mowed the yard, washed the sheets and made a pot of chili for supper. We had perfect weather and I will admit to sitting on the patio for a while reading a book and enjoying a good cigar in the autumn sun.  The big willow waved a long limb in casual greeting and the pear trees sighed in the light breeze. I saw a chipmunk scurry along the privacy fence where gladiolas bloomed not so many weeks ago. Winter is coming and my sunny days on the patio will be but a memory.  On the other hand, that means the cold nights of late December and January are not far off...