Pop Quiz

Since we are revising history on a daily basis, here is a simple quiz to see what you know about American history. Don't worry, it is one simple question.  The answer is below the fold.

What was the singular event that caused South Carolina and subsequently the rest of the Confederate States to secede from the Union?

Here's Another One From '72

I don't think Bob has been featured on these pages previously. Now that is no longer true.

OMG

Apple has banned Civil War games because (ack!) the Confederates soldiers have a Confederate Battle Flag! Imagine that. They also have gray uniforms. So did the Nazis ergo...I guess we will never see a movie about the Civil War again.

Fucking idiots.  Political Correctness is the new McCarthyism, only on steroids. And stupidity. Lots of stupidity.

Not that we need one

If you are looking for yet another reason to vote against another Bush in the White House, consider the last one gave us John Roberts, who apparently cannot read simple English, but can read the minds of Democrat Senators and Congressmen.

Edit: Roberts says.“In every case we must respect the role of the Legislature, and take care not to undo what it has done, I guess that this court would not have overturned Brown vs. the Board of Education.

More edit. Or DOMA....Never mind I guess they are consistently inconsistent 

Seriously?

A NY Post film  critic is calling for an end to showings of Gone With the Wind. CNN wants to tear down the Jefferson memorial? I'm pretty sure the kooks will once again be calling for a ban on Tom and Huck. Jacobin Fever is spreading. Next we will be denouncing our neighbors. Left wing philosophy feeds on the blood of freedom. Hyperbole? See revolutionary France, the USSR, Mao's China, Pol Pot's killing fields, Cuba, El Salvador, North Korea, etcetera., etcetera, etcetera.

Progressives are looking to purge society of all they judge to be offensive. Sounds a lot like the Taliban and ISIS doesn't it?

Midweek Music

Traffic -- always good for a listen.

I said listen.

This song is a reworking of an English folk ballad and comes from the 1970 album of the same name.

This is the second version of Traffic, reformed by Steve Windwood after the demise of the short-lived Blind Faith.

That don't mean what you think it means

Keep the Confederate flag, dump it, I don't care. Those who live in the various states that fly the Bonny blue flag can make that decision. We should recognize that the flag was hoisted in many cases as a response to the Civil Rights Movement by Democrat Governors and Democrat legislatures.  Of course the flag represents slavery. It represents the efforts of those who tried to tear the country apart. I confess, I have pissed on the Jefferson Davis memorial. It was a juvenile act, but fitting for a man responsible for more than a half a million American deaths. I would, given the chance, do it again. Yes, Robert E. Lee was a traitorous bastard too.

Of course the Stars and Bars is offensive to blacks. But if you want them stuck on your bumper it tells the rest of us a great deal about you, just like an Obama bumper sticker or one of those stupid "tolerance" stickers made of religious symbols. It tells us you are naive and probably ignorant to boot. But there should be no PC knee-jerk actions here. Despite the current concern over "micro aggressions" there does not exist in America the right to never be offended.

think it through

The Pope is all into the "we are all gonna die 'cause Globull Warming" these days. Strangely, he blames air conditioning. But if Earth is going to get all hot as the surface of Mercury in the next 10, 20,50,100 years, won't air conditioning be a good thing?

A very short tale in which the hero laughs to himself but felt bad nonetheless

I was sitting at a stop light somewhere on the northeast side of Kansas City, MO last week. A car in the lane to my right rolled down his window and waved frantically. I rolled down my passenger window. "Hey Man", he says, " How do I get to Overland Park, Kansas?".

"Dude, I'm from Indiana. I have no clue".

"Fuck" the very tone of that expletive said he was having a bad day indeed. I really had no idea beyond a vague knowledge that Overland Park was south and west, which I doubt would have been too helpful.

Rumor Has It

I read that they are going to make a live action Jonny Quest movie. I am simultaneously jazzed and horrified at that notion.

Can it be true? I read it on the Internet, so it must be.

Happy Day

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there

Morning musings

It is a wonderful Saturday. I'm not sure what the boss has planned, but I am sure something is on the schedule. I pulled out the laptop to blog today

I went to the doctor yesterday. The old meds are not working, or give me massive diarrhea. I suspect you do not want details. The end result is I am now shooting up insulin once a day. Hooray for me. Maybe I can find a way to cash in by selling my used needles to junkies?  That is a joke, don't get all worked up NSA overlords.  I repeat that is joke.

There should be a law

There are laws against murder. There are hate crime laws. By law, churches in South Carolina are gun-free zones. So what new law, regulation, or edict would have stopped a crazed hate-filled murderer from shooting up a church in Charleston?

When the President calls for even more gun laws citing this stuff does not happen elsewhere, he must be golfing instead of watching the news.  Looks like plenty of folks are being killed in Africa and the Mideast. Didn't a bunch of people at a magazine get shot to death in France? Didn't some guy shoot 19 people in Norway? A bunch of school kids were slaughtered in Chechnya.

Gun free zones are target rich environments.

Dig it

For my man, Hey Teacher
Groovy.

Man I love polka dots

Dear Pope johnPaulPious XXI whatever

If you are so worried about the "haves" not giving enough, why don't you empty out those Vatican treasury vaults, sell off some of the jewels, sculptures, paintings, relics, gold and silver altars, and church land and give it to the poor? Oh, never mind, you are just another liberal asshat willing to spend everyone else's money.

Oh, and maybe you can explain why we have had no global warming for 17 years and counting and why the U.S. Is cooling, you rat bastard commie. Otherwise,  eat me.

"Tax the rich, feed the poor 'til they ain't rich no more". Doesn't that just mean everyone is poor?  That is the problem with progressives; they don't think things through.

I confess

I don't feel guilty for being white. To the best of my knowledge I have not knowingly discriminated against anyone based on their skin color.  I do not think my whole race needs to amend for events that happened long before I was born. In fact, none of my family owned slaves. At least two ancestors fought to end slavery. But if they did own slaves, so what? In America we are not who our parents or grandparents were. We all have an equal opportunity to succeed. Is it hard? Yes. Is it guaranteed? No.

Look, I do not feel guilty for my blue eyes, my brown hair, my dimpled cheeks, or my lack of height. Nor do I feel guilty for lack of pigmentation in my skin. It is genetics. I don't have any special privilege based on my skin. What little success I have is through hard work, education, and a desire to succeed. Period.

Just Suppose

i identify as the Supreme Leader and Emperor Omnipotent, King of the Americas, Lord of Hoosierdom and Prince of the 57 States.  Bow before me thegns and serfs.

Do you indulge my crazy fantasies and henceforth refer to me as "Your Majesty", or  do we stop this insanity?

There was intermitant rain

As a nice change of pace, my trip to the frontier was largely absent of idiot drivers.

Run, Bunny, Run

I was out watering the flowers yesterday evening and in the process I flushed a baby bunny. This little guy was about the size of a chipmunk and could have fit in your palm. He scampered across the mulch to hide behind a day lilly. Then he broke cover to head out the wide-open gate. He tripped as he tried to jump the hose and fell on his side. It was cute and funny. But that hose was half his shoulder height. I would fall trying to jump a waist high barrier too.

We watched his frantic escape along the neighbor's fence. He hid behind a tuft of grass near the foundation of their house, resting and catching his little bunny breath. He then scurried through a gap near the fence post into their back yard.  Lucky for him that constant-barking dog no longer lives there.

The baby bunny provided about two minutes of entertainment for a couple of old farts on a Sunday evening. In a few weeks, when the little bunny grows up and starts eating my flowers I won't find him so cute.

on the spot

The coffee is hot
My head is full of snot
It could be raining
But it is not
I went to WalMart
No one fought
You came looking for content
Sorry, this is all I've got

Political Correctness is the New McCarthyism

I did not coin that phrase. That fact makes it no less true.

Come on baby let me know

You bitched last week. Try this 70's hit on for size. Pop with a disco flair. No wonder so many people were stoned most of the decade.

Your Government in action

I made a mistake when I completed the oldest boy's tax form to the state. Unfortunately, now he owes money. Mea Culpa.  Anyway we got a letter detailing the error. The letter states we have 20 DAYS to respond if we disagree.  The letter claims we should then allow an addition 8 to 12 WEEKS for them to consider our appeal. We get 20 days they get 84. Of course interest and penalties continue to accrue while their team of accountants investigates his  I1040 E for 12 weeks. The eleven weeks it took the IRS to find the original mistake in calculation already cost him more than $34 in penalties and interest. The check is on its way. It will probably take the Post Office a fortnight to move it 30 miles.

Mundane Musings

We are more than a decade into this excercise. My soporific prose has failed to woo the admiration of cool kids. I'm OK with that, I was only cool in my own mind back when I cared about such things. Back in school I got along fine with the jocks, the rich kids, and the hoodlums, but was not part of any of those cliques. They did not invite me to their parties, so I had my own. I am sure I had more fun, plus I always chose the music.

A is often the case, I have digressed from the point of this post. What was the point anyway? Oh yeah, here we are a decade into this and I'm still not sure what this blog is supposed to be when it grows up.  It is only the fluff of my personal life. You don't stop by to see the accident on I-20 like we all rubber-necked at the Acidman's blog. My life is the epitome of mundane. I work. I worry about paying bills. I get along great with my wife, my kids seem well adjusted despite my parenting. I'm an average Joe indeed.

I am firmly planted on the right side of the political spectrum. At 53 I don't suppose my politics are going to change. You either agree with my position or you are wrong. It is really pretty simple. While I still have the impulse, age has mellowed my desire to prove I'm right all of the time.

I like humor. I find a significant amount of stuff in life funny. A lot of my posts are written with my tongue planted firmly in my left cheek. Sarcasm remains my best ally in an argument.

So here is another post. It is not one of my best efforts. It is certainly not one of my worst. I am big enough in my mind to admit that most of my work here is out of habit these days, rarely are posts created from inspiration, or a need to communicate. You and I and the blog have become comfortable neighbors chatting over the mailbox, wondering if Bruce will ever do something about that yard. It is boring, it is meaningless, it passes five minutes of the day. I can live with that.

i wonder...

There was a large drug bust on Indy's south side today. DEA and local cops raided a large warehouse marijuana growing facility.

Since such large-scale operations are operating in plain view in Colorado, how can the Feds prosecute the Indy guys without getting into ugly Fourteenth Amendment issues?

I don't care, I'm no fan of grass, and I think they both should be in jail, but the law is the law. Shouldn't it be enforced equally?

Maybe some smart lawyer-type can set me straight.

Chipmunk stew

The wife celebrated her XX birthday on Monday. We double celebrated with a dinner last evening. All three of the kids plus husbands, girlfriends, and grandkid all showed up. There were smiles all around, no bickering. Everyone came back to the house for some cake after dinner.

On the other hand,today marks my Daughter's last day of school. While she is undoubtably excited to be home -- teachers look forward to the end of the school year as much as students -- that means it is the last day of babysitting full time for a while. That makes us sad.

I'm feeling a little better. The drainage has moved to my chest, so I have a headache, dripping nose and cough. I think I'm over the hump. I will likely survive. I can't tell you how much all of your flowers, balloons and cards have meant on my tough road to recovery.

Carry on

Storms rolled through last night. I was partially drugged so I barely noticed. I slept most of the night in the recliner, elevating my head seemed to help.

I feel a little better, but my head is still chocked full of snot.

Other than those unappealing details I have nothing of interest to report.

Worst cold ever

I'm sick. Summer cold. Ordinary humans would probably be in the hospital.

Compare and contrast

Today is the anniversary of the D-Day invasions. If you do not know what happened on those French beaches in 1944 take an hour and do some research. Then come back here and tell me that Bruce Jenner is courageous.

Write to me and escape

Take a dose of that stuck in your head for ten hours.

Unlike this schmuck, I know my wife likes piña colodas.

Confession, I kinda dig this tune.

A Road Life

That Guy was out on the interstate today. You know who he is. He thinks he is a great driver, but he is not. He does not use his cruise control, yet cannot hold speed for more than 30 seconds at a stretch. He gets in the left lane and will not move right for any reason. You try to go around, but he speeds up. A mile or two later you get by because he is fiddling with the radio or reading a text. Then like a bat out of Hell he blows by you at twenty over the posted limit. Ten minutes later you glide past him again. Rinse and repeat until he mercifully gets off at exit 147, cutting off a semi tractor in the process.

Today he was driving a brown F250. Appropriately, he had a pair of rubber testicles hanging from his trailer hitch. I knew by the way he drove that he was a Dick. The balls just added proof.

Almost celebrity encounters

There was a dude at the table next to me at breakfast this morning who sounded exactly like the actor Vince Vaughn. He had the same timbre, same inflections, same cadence. He did not look like him though.  Besides, I am pretty sure Vince Vaughn is not staying at a Hilton Garden Inn in the Minneapolis suburbs.

Liar in Chief

as Gomer used to say, "Surprise, surprise, surprise". Health insurers are seeking another double-digit increase in premiums for those covered under the ObamaCare exchanges.

President Obama promised my premiums would decrease by $2,500. Instead my coverage costs more. I used to have a policy that covered nearly everything with a small co-pay. Now I have a $4,000 deductible. I pay more for significantly less. Obama lied, my checking account died.

At least Sandra Fluck can get laid all she wants and never have to pay for her birth control. There is that.

Yep

What the heck, Mr. Weather man? Here we are in June and it is forty-something this morning. Still, the sky is blue and the flowers are in bloom and I find myself upright and breathing so it is a good day.

The Dems are all aflutter because a Republican male had the temerity to introduce legislation that would make birth control an over the counter med. Their argument, other than a Republican supports the measure, is that women would have to pay for the birth control twice - once when she buys it at the local CVS and again when she pays for it in her monthly ObamaCare-mandated insurance coverage. Seriously, that is their objection. How about the roughly 50% of the population that is not female who is forced to carry coverage for birth control and pregnacy? Is there no concern they are paying for something they cannot use? Or is there any consideration for the sizeable population beyond the child-bearing age is paying for birth control in their premiums?  Repeal ObamaCare and presto, no more problem. Tada. I'm a genius.

I suspect the real issue is that if they can't pass out contraception Planned Parenthood won't get as much funding which they use to subsidize their eugenics abortion business.

Funeral for a Fiend

The Patriot Act died last night and I cannot say I am terribly saddened. I know we live in dangerous times, but that is the price of freedom. Some provisions can be reborn if really needed. As far as collecting phone records, we are told the metadata contains no personal information. One pundit claimed the No Such Agency could not even identify the owner of the phone number. Then what is the point of collecting the data? There are courts that will allow collection in specific cases, we don't all need Big Brother listening in or watching our phone bill. Any overseas call? Have at it. I am all for xenophobia.

That said, Rand Paul is dangerous.

Reason 714 it is good to be me

The wife baked a batch of oatmeal scotchies for me yesterday afternoon.  I can only conclude she kinda likes me, or she is greatful for all of my hard work beautifying the old homestead over the past few weekends, or she knows I am fighting my diabetes meds and is trying to kill me.

The granddaughter has learned to roll over and is traveling all aver the living room. Until Thursday morning she could only flip to her stomach and cry to be turned back; a game I found tedious after five minutes or so, but played along because she is my granddaughter. Now we have started to make the living room a little safer and obstacle-free because crawling and walking are just over the horizon.  

After a couple of gorgeous days it looks like the rain will be back this weekend. I ain't complaining. We could be getting the soaking our Okie and Texican neighbors are getting.

Have a great Saturday. I'm off to fill up my coffee cup and grab a cookie for breakfast.

I'll Save You, Penelope

Have a great weekend

Why?

I made spaghetti for supper last night. The wife was doing laundry while I cleaned up the dishes and washed the pans. A quick rain storm passed by herded along by a couple of claps of thunder, just when I thought about sitting out on the patio. Instead I turned on the baseball game, half watching, half reading. Then it became half watching  and half dozing.

The good guys lost and I flipped over to local news. I picked up my book when I should have gone to bed. The next thing I know, I have been reading for an hour and a half. It is past one in the morning and I am arguing with myself about reading a few more pages or hitting the rack. Sensible won. I should have listened to my brain and headed for bed at eleven. In my youth I routinely ran on about 5 hours of sleep, usually because I stayed up into the wee hours reading. I can't do it anymore. Why do I try?

Two things about me

If I have said it once, I have said it one hundred million times; I don't exaggerate and I never, ever repeat myself.

tuesday at last.

Man I am glad this weekend is over. I worked my butt off.  Remember when I said my wife had some projects? She has a pinched nerve in her back, so bending or moving is hard for her. That left Old Joe to plant the 2 flats of vinkas, the 2flats of begonias, and the 4 wave petunias, and a dozen other flowers of various sorts. I also dug out the pernicious ground cover that surrounded the stump of the tree we cut down last week.  Of course the ground where she wanted the plant holes dug was littered with roots or rocks. Then I spread about 4,683 tons of mulch. It seemed like it anyway. I need to go back to work so I can get some rest. I hurt in places I have not felt in decades.

Yesterday morning a rabbit was out among some of the newly planted flowers out back. I opened the patio door hoping to scare him away, but he did that old bunny trick of freezing in place. I was barefoot, so I grabbed a half dozen ice cubes and sent a couple of two seamed fastballs in his direction. One hit the fence next to his fuzzy tail. He did not move. Another bounced on the mulch an inch from his nose. He did not even twitch. The next hit him square on the back. Still he hunched like a statue. What the heck Bugs? I finally donned some flip flops from the laundry room and he ran when I got within ten yards of his spot. If that little SOB eats those begonias he is a dead rabbit. Sitting still like that will only make my marksmanship easier.

under an ice blue sky

This is bouncing around in my brain.

Oh, for Pete's sake just click on the selection, It won't kill you.  You might even smile or perhaps laugh.  That laughter may keep you from cursing at sheep and inciting the wrath of PETA*.  I spent like one minute finding this video. When I was working at the big yellow price tag trying to make ends meet last fall one of my young coworkers mentioned she had never heard of "Animal House". Sigh. I have never felt so old.

Have a great Saturday.

* look it up, I'm serious. Cursing at sheep is abuse.

Woot

It is an office day today. I have a couple of emails to follow up, some phone calls to make. I will start my expense report early so I am not late again this month.  Then...it is a three day weekend!

I think the wife has some projects in mind, but she could not possibly fill up the whole three days with work, could she?

I am in a great mood, I think I will go down the street and get some donuts.

Hells yeah you want to be me.

Cold as ice

I made a mistake this week. I know, I'm shocked too. I only looked at the daily highs when I packed my suitcase. I found myself with a short sleeved Polo shirt yesterday with no jacket facing temps in the forties and a light and very cold rain.  I usually don't screw up my packing that way. Luckily I had a pair of jeans on hand. I grabbed lunch at a drive-through yesterday since it was raining hard when I wanted to eat. I drove into my driveway on fumes, the gas-is-about-gone idiot light glowing in my dash. But I once again safely traversed the Mighty Mississippi, a Max Brand audio book keeping me entertained as I headed home.

Is there a Journalist in the House?

Will someone, anyone, just ask Hillary why she lied to the families, Congress, and the American people about a dumb movie causing Benghazi? Can someone ask her if, as she claimed today, she wants those emails released, why does she refuse to let independent investigators look at her servers?

Do we really want more years of the Clintons and their scandals?

Isn't there any journalist left with integrity? What do I expect? The highest award in journalism is named after one of the most biased, corner-cutting, print-anything-as-long-as-it-sells-papers publishers in history.

On Stephanopolupugus

Back during the Cold War we used to laugh at stories reported by Pravda, rightly believing it was biased and only printed what the Soviet Government wanted told.

Today in the U.S. We ave major news organizations fronted by former government employees. Pravda versus ABCNBCCBSCNNMSNBC is there really a difference? No wonder The Obama hates Fox News, it is not a state-run news agency.

Gathering

The youngest is home from the University for the weekend. It is good to see him. School is out for the summer, but since he has a job in B-town he only gets occasional days off for a visit. I think my oldest son is going to come down after work today too.  the wife has a cookout planned and with the addition of my daughter and her family the whole brood will be together for the first time since Christmas Day.  That makes me smile.

I know the boys will go past the Coors Light and Bud straight for the bootlegged Yeungling out in the garage 'fridge. That is OK by me.

I hope Ma Nature cooperates, but if it rains it will not be the first time I have huddled over a grill holding a spatula in one hand and an umbrella in another. It makes it harder to drink a beer while cooking, but I am sure I will manage.

The tree came down OK, it rained on and off all afternoon, but we got it down. Now I just have to get rid of the wood.

So long tree, thanks for the oxygen

In my side yard, next to my driveway, is an ash tree. It is dead, just like almost every ash tree on the Midwest. When we moved in it was struggling. Last summer saw but a few branches leaf out and now it is dead. A buddy is coming over today to cut it down. I hate to see a tree die, but this one serves merely as a perch for birds to position themselves to leave large amounts of droppings on my car.  Good thing I have an unlimited wash package down at the car wash.

I am tempted to take a likely limb from the tree to fashion into my own "Wonderboy" bat to beat burglars and trespassing midgets when the need arises. Alas, the wife won't play pepper and the boy retired from baseball at 16, so I have no sporting need for a homemade baseball bat. I guess I will store my bat limb with the rest of the wood from the tree until I can give it away, haul it away, or burn it in my fire pit.

Anyone want some free unseasoned firewood? You haul it, you can have it. *

Except for that one baseball bat shaped limb.




*Check local or ordinances before you leap...I did say it was an ash tree

Friday Music Updated

This is what I get for canning a post.

RIP BB King.

Friday Music

I'm not sure The Band has graced our Friday Music selection heretofore. I don't know why. Listen and dig it, man.

Channelling Mr. Rogers

It is a beautiful day in the neighborhood, even though it is off to a chilly start. Yesterday was the same as it began with temps in the forties and warmed to the mid-sixties. After work I trimmed some bushes and cleaned some old leaves moldering in the flower beds. I should have raked those out weeks ago, but such is life. There are no flowers there anyway, just a wide mulched area in front of the fence.  It needs re mulched but that will have to wait.

I fried up some chicken for super last night. Mashed spuds, gravy, biscuits, and green bean casserole completed the feast. True confession -- I am a bigot. I only like white meat when it comes to poultry. I don't wear a bed sheet or anything, but there you have it. Only the white meat of chickens and turkeys is allowed on my plate. Report my hate crime. At Thanksgiving the white meat and dark meat from the bird is segregated to separate but equal platters. Mea maxima culpa.

Geez

is there any statist, leftist, progressive, or liberal policy the current Pope does not support?  I would not be surprised if he was on board with the normal Leftist "ban religion" position.

I'm sure glad I'm not Catholic.  I would be pissed my tithe was going to pay for that horseshit.

Paging Mr. Asshole

Despite the impression you may form from reading these pages I do not enjoy getting angry. In fact, I am a pretty even-keeled guy. But, when I get pissed it turns ugly and usually pretty loud. My anger takes a bit to kick in, then it goes from zero to eleven in record time.

When we moved to the 'burbs we bought a whole kitchen of appliances from retailer H.H. Gregg. We bought the extended warranty, mostly because they discounted the cost of the appliances so that the warranty was practically free, but we still paid for it.

Last fall the "stove top is on" warning light ( it is a glass top electric range) came on and would not go off. After navigating through the phone mail hell, I finally got a service call scheduled; albeit three weeks out. They did not show up. I rescheduled. They did not show up. I said the heck with it.

My 'fridge has started making a popping sound when you open the left French door. So I navigated phone mail hell once again. I scheduled the range repair yet again and then told them about the door popping. The response was pretty much "too bad". According to H.H. Gregg, if it is not an electric or mechanical issue it is not covered. I told him it was clearly a mechanical issue. It did not make the noise when new. The right door does not make the noise, therefore there is something mechanically wrong with the hinge. The man says if it still cools food then the noise is not covered.

Mr. Asshole made an abrupt appearance. I called bullshit. I mentioned their failure to show twice as evidence of H.H. Gregg's worthless customer service, and coupled with this failure to honor the warranty makes me confident they will never get a penny from me going forward. The Supervisor started down the path of  'if the service company did not show up, my issue is with them'. I stopped that nonsense in the starting blocks. I don't care who H.H. Gregg hires to do the service work, my contract is with H.H. Gregg. Apparently mechanical issues only apply if the door actually falls off the hinge. Well fuck H.H. Gregg.  This is not finished.  I think I'll go to the store and make a scene. A loud "H.H. Gregg will not honor their extended warranty" in front of potential customers on a busy Saturday often has a strong effect. I often get my way.

About last night

We had some shredded pork BBQ in the freezer. I boiled some bow tie pasta and elbow macaroni together and made some macaroni salad. I deviled the extra eggs and thinly sliced some sweet onions and fried up a batch of onion rings. Nothing gourmet here, but still a feast.

I washed up the pans and ran the plates and cups through the dishwasher. I plopped on the couch to watch baseball while the wife did some laundry. I sat with her and watched a recording of last night's episode of "The Voice" before going to bed.

This morning I threw on yesterday's faded Cubs T-shirt. I could faintly smell the grease from the onion rings as it slid over my head. My morning coffee is hot. My wife is downstairs watching the morning news and playing with the baby. I am planning next week's business meetings. The sky has a fresh scrubbed look after yesterday's rain. This post has no point.

Do you eat smooth or crunchy peanut butter with jellyfish?

I hope you had a good weekend, I sure did. My daughter and SIL had to attend a wedding in NOLA so we had the granddaughter all weekend. She was wonderful. The weather was bits of rain and sun. We took the baby to see my Mom an Dad on Saturday.  Other than that I have nothing of note to report.

Perhaps something worthy of your time will occur to me later.  I would check back every fifteen minutes or so just to be safe.

Oh Mamma

Happy Mothers Day to all you Moms out there!

Bud Man, Cubs Fan

Be careful out there

Those words ended the roll call on the police drama "Hill Street Blues" twenty years ago. A cop in North Carolina, Matthew Kohrs, was burned by spilled coffee from Starbucks. Now he is suing the coffee chain because of the burns, medical bills, and emotional distress.

Hey Dude, coffee is made from boiling water. It is hot, it says so on the lid ever since some other dolt spilled coffee on her crotch and sued McDonalds. Worse, Starbucks gave Kohrs the coffee for free since he was a cop. Thank you indeed. If I owned a business I would stop Cop freebies.

Oh, his burns were so bad that he took time to drive home for pictures of the burns before going to urgent care.

I spilled coffee on my hand and all over the carpet a few months ago. I guess I should sue Keurig. My wife gets pissed every time she sees the stain. Now that is emotional distress.

Friday Music

Why not?

Incompetent

The Mayor of Baltimore has asked for a DOJ investigation of her police force. She sad in her statement that she believes there is a culture of excessive force, systemic behavior issues and a history of discrimination. If she believes this is the case, and she must or she would not seek outside investigators, why hasn't she fired the Police Commissioner and Police Chief? Better yet, since she is ultimately in charge, why hasn't  she resigned?  Harry Truman famously kept a sign on his desk claiming "the buck stops here".  Private companies fire heads of failing departments. Sports teams can the coach when performance is unacceptable. Democrat politicians just point fingers.

on my mind

Hard to believe it has been 35 years. Classic.

She caught the Katy, left me a mule to ride

I have done a lot of stuff in my 53 years on Earth. I've jumped out of perfectly good airplanes, dipped at least a foot in all 5 Great Lakes, visited foreign soil, kissed a girl and liked it. But until today I have never been to North Dakota. Strike that one off the old bucket list. The list of states not graced by my presence has dwindled to Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Alaska, and Montana. That means I have been to 51. Right Mr. President?

I know what you are thinking -- women want me, men want to be me. Or maybe you are thinking about that last cookie out in the kitchen. Maybe you are thinking about what ingredients go into enchilada casserole as you plan your Cinco de Mayo festivities. I confess, I don't know what you are thinking at all.

I do know what I'm thinking. You will never guess.

Have soapbox, will travel

If a lunatic Christian attacked an abortion clinic, would the Left claim the clinic had it coming by "provoking" the attacker? Is a hooker fair game for rape because she "provoked" an attack by her dress? Why are the folks in Texas at the draw a Mohammad cartoon contest part of a "hate group" when the true hate-filled folks are the ones who shot at people? The world is upside down.

I refuse to accept the term "hate speech". The First Amendment exists expressly to protect the words of those I most disagree with, be they Illinois Nazis (yo Blues Brothers), the KKK, Leftists, Muslim fanatics, Democrats, Liberals, Progressives, or those assholes who protest outside of military funerals. There is no unalienable right to never be offended.

about that

I have a big old bag full of nothing this morning.

Happy Star Wars Day.

sardonically speaking

I broke into my stash of good coffee this morning to celebrate nothing beyond The Maker's blessing of life on this sunny spring day. Some days call for more than Maxwell House.

I had weird dreams last night. I won't describe them. There is nothing more boring than reading about someone's dreams.

I had my windshield replaced yesterday. You need worry no more.

I need to win the lottery. I know the odds are on par with a miracle. This is especially true in that I never buy a ticket.

"Walden" is an unreadable piece of shit.

What happens if the prosecutor cannot prove those Baltimore cops purposely killed that drug dealer and they are acquitted?

Have a great Saturday. I intend to.

Friday Music

'Cause you asked and 'cause the weather is perfect

Oh and 'cause I may have learned how to post videos on my iPad.

dang it all

For the record, any Democrat that claims the Republicans have held up their agenda is not only dishonest, they are a damnable liar. The first two years of the Obama Presidency saw Democrats have a supermajority in Congress. With a filibuster-proof Senate the President and Democrats could have passed any legislation they wanted including gun control, amnesty, increased funding for everything, even tax increases on the rich, reparations, and cut the military to zero: had they desired.

Even after the Rublicans took back the House in 2010 they did not have the votes to roll anything back. Not that those Democrat-lite assholes would have anyway...

Facts are stubborn things.

It is a nice Friday, sunny with a promise of a warm afternoon.  I hate starting the day pissed. Politicians are the lowest form of life.

What do you want for nothin'?

The wife and I went to the 'Natti to see the Cubs beat the Reds on Sunday. We had a great time. The seats were a gift from my daughter and son-in-law for my birthday. The weather was great.  Is there a better way to spend a sunny afternoon than watching baseball?

Liars and other matters

President Obama said that Republicans holding up his initiatives is the reason we have riots in Baltimore and Ferguson. I have a few questions.

1) what initiatives have been voted down by Congress that would have prevented the riots?

2) what Federal programs have been cut in the past 6 years? What actual spending has been reduced?

3) we have spent more than  $20,000,000,000,000 over the past fifty years to solve the very issues the President blames on Republicans. Tell me now, how much treasure and how many years will it take to solve the "plight of the urban city dweller"?  Let's spend it and be done with this nonsense.

4) why is it everyone else's fault when the very places that have high minority unemployment, poor education systems, high crime, etc. are all run by Democrats-- usually for decades? Maybe it is time to admit the liberal  Democrat policies are failures?

5) what does the higher incarceration rate for minorities have to do with anything? Is Mrs. Clinton and the President saying those in prison are innocent? Is there implication Whites are not arrested? Is there proof of widespread bias in the justice system? Bring out the facts, otherwise this is meaningless blather. Guys in sports cars get more speeding tickets than old ladies in a '98 Cutlass. So what?

5) why doesn't any Republican have the balls to ask these questions?

Mundane Musings

The coffee is hot, my toes are cold. Gray clouds are building to the west. A new day awaits. I have a very long drive ahead of me today. I am not excited about it, nor am I dreading it. It just is part of the job.

I have developed a large crack in the windshield of my company car. I first noticed it after the cold and rain over the weekend. It may or may not be getting longer. I am waiting word from the boss on how to fix it. Does he want me to turn it in on insurance or just pay for the replacement? In any case I will be on my way west with a broken windshield today.

Have a great Wednesday. I made alternate plans.

Burnin'

Nothing says "I am concerned about police behavior" like burning down a CVS. How Target, dress shops, and shoe stores were responsible for Freddy Gray escapes me.

Race is not an excuse to loot, and burning your own neighborhood is beyond stupid.

Riots, looting, and robbery is not protest.

Close to the Edge, Down by the River

It is a rainy Saturday here at the old homestead. The lawn is mowed, the walls repainted, my presentation for Monday's sales meeting is complete. I went and bought some donuts...mmmmm donuts....for breakfast. Since sitting on the patio, sipping adult beverages, and smoking fine imported cigars does not appear to be an option this morning, I think I shall find an old movie from the stash of recordings on the DVR. Andy Hardy or Esther Williams....Wait a minute, here is an Andy Hardy movie with Esther Williams in it! Never mind. I forgot I recorded "Breaking Away" last fall. I will watch it in honor of my son down at Indiana University. It is Little 500 weekend after all.

I'm off for more coffee.  It is good to be me, my friends. I hope you have a wonderful Saturday.

Once again I fail to compose a proper, meaningful, eye-catching title

The wife decided she wanted a collage of grandbaby pictures put up on the wall.in the entryway. Every frame is different and getting them all just right is a pain.  The adjacent hallway has family pictures  on both sides and she determined that was too much. So I patched nail holes yesterday and will have to repaint the walls sometime today. I took down pictures and a little shelf from the upstairs hall so I could hang some of the family pictures, so those holes had to be patched and it too needs painted. Yes, it is a different color. I really love my wife.

I have to get the lawn mowed today, Saturday is expected to be cold, wet, and blustery. Sunday will find me at the Cubs/Reds game. Look for me behind the plate, about ten rows up. The ducats were my birthday gift from my daughter and son-in-law.

In the meantime, I have the company sales meeting on Monday and I have to finish my presentation.

I hope the wife will go get some roller covers so I can paint tonight. That way I can put up the pictures and things on crappy-weather Saturday. I can mow at lunchtime today,  and work on my presentation the balance of the day. That leaves Sunday to go to the game and I can review my presentation Sunday evening.  No problem.

Today's Friday Music, if I posted it, would be a little Sinatra: probably "I've Got the World on a String". You may substitute your own selection.

Tax the rich

Let us say we follow the Democratic Party agenda and flat confiscate by taxes, legislation, whatever the total income or even the wealth of the top 1% , even though they pay 20% of the taxes. According to leading Cherokee Senators and Democrat Presidential contenders, the 1%ers are the problem. Apparently if the richest become poor the poor will become rich or something.

Anyway, assume we eliminate or "topple" the top 1%. You know what we will have then? A new richest 1%. If we give the confiscated funds to the poorest 10%, you know what we will have? A new poorest 10%. The only way to eliminate the rich and the poor, since those terms are relative, is to make everyone the same.  We all have the same house, food, standard of living, income. Some would call that Communism in its purest form. I call it an unworkable fantasy.

It does tell us a lot about the Democrat Party though.

As always, your rebuttal is welcome. I do reserve the right to ridicule your arguments.

Daddy, what did you do during the War on Women?

i had a need to recycle my morning coffee, so I pulled into a rest stop in south central LandofLincolnstan. My knees and ankles were stiff as I gimped up the slight incline of the sidewalk. As I neared the doors I heard a sharp clip clap behind me. Glancing in the glass I saw a woman coming up the walk about ten yards behind me.

I opened the door and stood aside for her to enter. She was in her late twenties, maybe mid-thirties, I did not look that close. She wore a nice business suit and heels, the source of the noise on the sidewalk. She looked straight ahead as she neared me, and as she came to me she said, just loud enough for me to hear "I can open a door".  Speechless, I pushed open the door marked 'men' wondering when manners went out of style.

Mr. Roboto

I went downstairs for my mediocre but free Hampton Inn breakfast this morning and the breakfast area was filled to capacity with nerds. Aparantly, there is a high school robotics competition here in St Louis today. Typical of most high school kids they are loud and rude. Nerd parents can be Little League parents too. Hover. Push. Back off, mom. And while you are at it you can stir your coffee and rehash your journey through diet soft drinks over at a table so the rest of us can get our caffeine fix?

Over in the corner two girls have notebooks spread out studying blueprints. At the big table in the middle a couple of Geek Sqaud wannabes held court with a few sycophant followers. Nervousness and excitement filled the air with an almost tangible electricity. I just wanted a place to eat my bowl of watery oatmeal. Apple Watch, here is you market.

As I headed to the elevators a group of moms and one dad were in the lobby making up sandwiches to throw into a big cooler. "Where is the ketchup?" One frumpy gal asked. "Didn't we buy ketchup? How can you eat a ham sandwich without ketchup?".  Some people eat sushi, monkey brains or snake. Pig's feet or kidneys or fried grasshoppers are some folks idea of tasty foods. Blood sausage, souse, duck feet, and  haggis are considered good eats. But ketchup on a ham sandwich? I think I'm gonna puke.

So Sorry

With typical arrogance, Snapple has decided the best selling point of their product is that it comes from New York and that New Yorkers love it. For many of us in flyover country that indicates a strong reason to NOT buy the product.  Many of us do not agree the center of the world is found on Manhattan and culture ends at the Hudson.

What kind of shallow jackass thinks the rest of us will say " Wow, some construction dude in NYC is shouting about Snapple, I should buy some".

Eat me.

Ease on down the road

WTH Mother Nature? It is a chilly morning today with temps in the low 40's. There is a frost warning. I hope you did not put your tomatoes out yet. The furnace kicked on at about 5:00 this morning, it was set on 65. Oh, well the weather is what it is.

I made a batch of fried biscuit donuts for our breakfast this morning. I rolled them in sugar. I suspect you wish you were me on this chilly Tuesday.

Once again I have nothing of import upon which to pontificate. Strange, I know.

when the lights go down in the city

Here we are on a rainy Monday and my wagon is empty of blog fodder.

I was walking across the living room holding my granddaughter this morning when I heard something hit the carpet. I said "what did you drop" even though I did not think she had anything in her hands. I turned to see I big glop of puked up chunky milk there on the carpet. What she dropped was her breakfast.

The power was out for the better part of three hours yesterday afternoon and evening. I don't know why. What a pain. I like my electronics. Luckily the dust rag and cleaning cloths still work. At least that was my wife's plan. Ha, my Kindle runs on batteries.

I'm still sore from the yard work I did Friday evening and Saturday. We have a giant willow in the backyard. It is gorgeous, but it sure does shed sticks. I filled a whole garbage can and still have almost an equal amount to go. My body is still protesting this hours-long game of pick up sticks. My thighs and back scream in protest every time I get up or down.

Hope you had a great weekend. Now get to work, you laggard.

Happy birthday

on this date in 1775 America was born. Like most births it involved blood and pain and noise.

Lighten up, Francis

Stevenson College in California apologized to students for serving Mexican food at an intergalactic space alien themed party. Some students complained because, well aliens, and some immigrants are illegal aliens. I'm serious. You can look it up. This is what the PC police have wrought. Common words, used correctly have become insults. Alien means foreign, different. It works for ET, it works for a person from another country. The controls used to operate a forklift could be alien to you. Are our college students really that ignorant? Sometimes serving Mexican food is just good eats. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Third boxcar midnight train

Thick fog shrouds the neighborhood this morning. The Bradford pear blossoms make the trees look ghost-like against the eerie background. It promises to be a grand spring day later. It is Friday. The end of another work week. Life is good my friends. The granddaughter is squawking and chatting away in phonemes* downstairs, happy as a any four month old can be. My coffee cup is nearly empty, and so is my tank of ideas for this post.

If I bothered to post any Friday music, it would have been Roger Miller's sing along classic "King of the Road".

* I did learn something in that psych class 34 years ago.

I try

I resolved some time ago to let life's little annoyances roll off me like water on a duck's back.  You may not see it much on these pages, after all steam needs an outlet, but in everyday life I am a much calmer relaxed person. Unfortunately, I started today irritated.

I taught myself in Jr. High to get up with an alarm. Both parents worked and I needed to get up for school. After the first time I overslept, I put the alarm across the room. Presto, the alarm goes off to this day and I get up.

The wife is a chronic snooze slapper. In the early days of our marriage when I worked afternoons and she mornings it used to piss me off to no end when the alarm went off three or four times. I could never get her to understand that when the alarm goes off I wake up. If I wake up twice in ten minutes, I'm up.

This morning the wife had to get up at 5:45 am (babysitting stuff). So to my disgust,she set her alarm for 5:25. It went off at ten minute intervals until she finally got up at 5:45. She then had the gall to inquire on exiting the shower why I was up already?  Mr. Asshole urged me to say words of regret  like "rude, selfish, ignorant, bitch, fuck, stupid alarm". I said none of those. I just shrugged and sipped my coffee. You would think my tongue would be scarred after thirty plus years of biting it.

Trailer for sale or rent...

if you ate driving in the left lane on the Interstate and people pass you on the right, you are an asshole.

If you speed up when said people are forced to pass you on the right you are a fucking asshole.

If you are driving a Prius and do this I am certain even your kids think you are a fucking asshole.

I do amuse me

I suppose it is truly spring. My car's windshield is spattered with bug smears, the roof with bird shit.

Is it weird that I mumble "Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore" every time I cross out of Kansas? I also have a compulsion to reach my hand forward to make sure I am the first in the car to get back into Indiana, even when I'm alone in the car. Look, you may think it strange, I find it amusing. Since I alone am arbiter of taste and humor around here I say it is right and good. And so it is.

I wish I had tucked a cigar into my briefcase. It is a fine day and I would not mind sitting outside the hotel stinking up the place. Instead, I will read a little more of my Louis L'Amour short story collection and then walk across the street for a cold beer and some BBQ.

I have spent more than two decades as a road warrior. I am visiting towns and cities that have not been on my path in the past. That is kind of cool.  I used to keep an old atlas with every town I made a business stop or stayed in a hotel highlighted. If I still did that the map of the states would look like a kid had mistaken the Atlas for a coloring book and had gone wild with the yellow markers.

So this is what road rage feels like

I found myself behind one of the biggest jerks I have encountered in palmist four decades on the nation's roadways today. I-70 is under significant reconstruction across Illinois, and the repairs are much needed. In one 7 mile stretch of one lane highway the pickup in front of me traveled the entire construction zone at FUCKING IDLE SPEED. After 1/4 mile there was nary a vehicle in front of him, he was just inching along, letting his truck go at its own speed, cell phone pressed to his ear. It took almost an hour twenty to get through the construction zone. What the he'll is wrong with people? I bet traffic was backed up 15 or 20 miles by the time we got out of the construction zone. This rat bastard's assholery delayed me enough that I hit St Louis at rush hour, and into KC two hours later than I planned. I try hard not to wish bad things on people, but this doichebag has it coming.

A taxing time

I finished my taxes this weekend. I also did both of my son's taxes. Actually all were done back in February, but since everybody owed some money, the youngest to the Feds, oldest son and I both owe the State of Indiana, I put it off finishing the forms.

The oldest boy always owes State taxes. He works as a waiter and they never withhold enough from his credit card tips to pay the State. Some days he would get nothing.* if they kept the full withholding. Anyway, I don't know what I was thinking when I filed his Federal taxes in February. He did not owe State taxes for once, he had a refund coming! This due to the fact he works a few shifts a week a manager and those hours are paid a higher, guaranteed wage via an actual paycheck instead of tips. A welcome screw-up on my part.

The youngest owed the Feds even though he is a full time college student. He works about 25-30 hours a week, more in the summer, to help meet expenses. He had to work more last summer/fall during my long unemployment, something I appreciated and loathed at the same time. I gladly paid his tax bill, not glad to pay the taxes, but glad to pay them for him.

I owe the State because my asshole former employers did not take out State taxes when they finally sent my due bonuses and commissions for the first half of the year (in December).




*Remember your friendly waiter DOES NOT make minimum wage, He/she works for tips. The State minimum wage for servers is like $2.15. If they don't make $2 an hour on tips most get fired for being lousy wait staff. Tip well folks, the server does not cook the food.

polorizing palaver

It looks to be a promising spring day here in central flyover country. It is a chilly 47 as I tap the keyboard, but we will be a sunny 60 plus this afternoon. Perhaps I shall venture out to the patio for a nice cigar this afternoon. I have plenty of yard work to do, so I may do both. Only time will tell.

It looks like Hillary will launch her campaign today. That prospect excites me about as much as another Bush in the White a house. What is it about politics that attracts such icky people?

Am I the only one who finds the idea of self-driving cars horrifying? Isn't that concept called a train? No matter how bad my fellow drivers behave on the roadways, I prefer to drive my own vehicle and I will be the old codger who refuses to give up the steering wheel. That said, what the heck is wrong with those people who refuse to use cruise control on the interstate, but lack the ability to hold speed for more than thirty seconds at a time? Will the self-driving Prius with Ohio plates actually get out of the left lane? Maybe these self-driving cars of the future are a good idea after all.

Oh No

My son-in-law is in Cheesehead land. My wife is working a rare weekend shift at the occasional part time job. My daughter has meetings this afternoon. That leaves me as the only available babysitter for my granddaughter. A semi-insulting panic has set it. "Will you be OK?"

I raised three kids of my own. Especially in the case of the two oldest, I spent a lot of time changing diapers and feeding them bottles. She is four months old. Even though I think she is perfect in every way, let's be honest. She sleeps. She eats. She shits and pees. She coos and kicks her feet. She cries.

I got it.

things you should never do

On the cruise ship they always have several desserts on the menu, including one low sugar or no sugar offering. One evening a low auger pumpkin pie Was offered. My wife loves pumpkin pie. She ordered a piece. The waiter told her maybe she should get something else. She said no she liked pumpkin pie. He told her it was "not like real pumpkin pie, maybe the chocolate raspberry cake instead?" Again, she said she would try the pie anyway. He said he would bring both the pie and some of the cake.

When he left to place the order I told her she should never order anything the waiter says is bad. She replied "how bad can it be?"

It was bad.  Really bad. It was tasteless white custard with a scant sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice. Trust me, that description makes it sound more appetizing than it was.

She ate the cake. She ate half the pie, just to prove a point. After 30 plus years a part of me has rubbed off on her.

Lurking just below the surface

Spring.  My least favorite of the seasons.

Have you ever had your head cranked tight in a vice  vise. Then you sneeze every five minutes? Add in a constant desire to sleep. Welcome to my world. Pollen, weather, perhaps the very clouds are all combining to make this a crappy day so far. I suspect I will be short-tempered and irritable, so if you are looking for an argument, bring it on. Otherwise, I am going to have to bite my tongue lest I bite my fair spouse's head off over something trivial that will rub me like sandpaper. I have a strong tendency to be a jerk when I don't feel good. It has taken me fifty plus years to recognize this trait and try to forestall a quick appearance from my alter-ego, Mr. Asshole.

What do you want?

The South Carolina cop who apparently shot the man in the back has been fired. He has been charged with murder and is locked in jail without bond. All as it should be. He will get a fair trial before a jury of his peers.

We don't have vigilante justice in this nation. The system is working the outrage is misplaced.

trust and do not verify

I know a bit about negotiating. To have an agreement both parties have to accept THE SAME terms and conditions. Try going to your car dealership and "negotiate" like Obama. Tell them you are going to pay $10,000 for that white Prius. Then proclaim that you have a deal.

Surprise! You do not have an agreement. You will not have a new car to drive ten miles under the speed limit in the left lane of the interstate. The sales guys will laugh at you, just like the Mullahs are laughing at Obama. Iran thinks Obama is even weaker than Jimmah Carter.

As long as Iran claims the terms of the deal are different than Obama says, then there is no deal. This is what happens when you elect a person with no experience as President.

As long as Iran claims their goal as a nation is to eliminate Israel and then to destroy America, we would be stupid to lift sanctions. You do not have to be a history major to see that as long as only one side wants peace there is no peace. Only the strong survive. Darwinism works for nations as well as biology.

Maybe you liberal wimp types can relate to these terms: if you give your lunch money to a bully all you have done is guarantee you will go hungry again tomorrow.

Mundane

I think vacation is catching up to me. I had to force myself out of bed this morning. I stumbled downstairs and made a coffee cake from a box mix. I may make a rare appearance in the main office later this morning.

The neighbor's dog is doing its constant howling/barking thing.  I hope they get their house sold soon.  I will not miss that damn dog. Of course it is not the dog's fault. It is the owners'. It appears the house is priced to sell, so if you are looking for a nice house on a quiet cul-de-sac with wonderful neighbors...

The sky has that weird yellow gray cast to it that always presages nasty weather in these parts. The weather map is sporting various hues of red to the south and west, not a good sign. Sharing the goodness that is me with the folks at the office may depend on just how wet I will get walking from the parking lot to the door. There is always tomorrow and I have no pressing need to go anyway. I'm sweet, as you know, like sugar and similarly will melt in the rain.

Thinking about stuff

They have these machines that take a photo and "print" it on a cake. If I owned a bakery and you wanted me to print a graphic pornography image do I have the right to refuse? Can I just say no to a cake shaped like a giant penis or a par of boobs? What I'f the local Skinhead club wants a swastica in red icing? Is there a line a business can draw? What do you think?

Easy homemade chicken and dumplings

A little seasonably warm weather mixed with rain and a healthy shake of thunder gives us a dose of spring fever today. You can almost watch the buds grow on the slender branches of the maple tree out front. The grass is greening even as I write. Honest.

There was a basketball game last night. I did not watch.

Is there anyone outside of the Administration who thinks this deal with Iran is a good thing? Can someone explain it to me? I am not a complete moron, and sometimes we may not agree on politics, but disagreement does not mean the other party is dumb (naive perhaps, but not dumb). For the life of me I can see nothing good in this deal.

State of journalism

if making up stories from whole cloth, ruining lives and reputations in the process, does not get you fired from Rolling Stone, I'm not sure what will.

At this point I am not sure I would trust Rolling Stone as toilet paper. Of course that magazine's integrity for fair and honest reporting ranks right up there with the bias found throughout the media.

Dear Al, Dear Jessie

What time will you guys be in Lexington to protest the hate speech from the Kentucky basketball player? I assume he will be kicked out of school for his rasicst and profane comments, just like those rascist and profane frat guys in Arizona?

We do not tolerate that kind of hate speech in America. Right?

Happy Easter

I dreamed I sailed away. I saw exotic ports, I drank cold drinks with paper umbrellas. I soaked in the sun. I zip lined through jungles, I snorkeled over coral reefs. I drank Mexican beer on a Mexican beach. I drove a Jeep in the warm rains on a dirt road in Central America. What a dream; seven days, four ports and three countries were framed by endless ocean vistas from the deck of a ship. It was not a sleep dream, it was a dream vacation.

I have been gone for 8 days, living the high life. Now I'm back, it is chilly and I want to be drinking my coffee in a deck chair, not my recliner.

Yes, I cheated you with canned posts. But this one is so fresh you can still smell a faint lingering fragrance of Mexico, Belize, and Honduras. Mea Culpa.

It is sometimes good to be me.

Today my mood ring reads "belligerent"

if I had any intention of posting Friday music today I would choose Vacation from the 80s girl group The GoGos. Because I need one. Not a GoGo, but rather a vacation. It is not likely I will have either.

But it is the Holy of Holiest days and I will offer a prayer today. You may spend your Friday as you see fit.